Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume12 Chapter7 (section)

=== Part 1 ===

''An impostor.''

''A slave.''

During the exchange between Empress Melissa and the Garberan princess, Oubary Bilan’s eyes suddenly lit up with life. Inversely proportionate to that, his complexion grew paler and his four limbs started to tremble.

''Yeah, that’s right. That guy’s an impostor. He’s a slave who dressed himself up in the crown prince’s skin.''

The pale gleam of Gil Mephius’ eyes flashed through Oubary’s mind. When he remembered the pure, undiluted bloodthirst emanating from them, Oubary’s skin rose in goosebumps.

“You should stop there.”

A figure appeared in the hall to the accompaniment of the sound from their own footsteps. Oubary Bilan snapped back to himself, but that person – the elder, who was being supported on either side as he walked – had not been calling out to him.

He had been addressing Melissa.

For both Vileena and Melissa, this was an unexpected visitor, however, the elder continued – 

“We have long lost the leeway to waste time on words. Hurry, Melissa.”

“What is it that you mean?”

“Emperor Guhl is dead.”

At those words, there wasn’t anybody there who didn’t wonder if they had misheard. After a beat –

“What… what was it that you said?” Melissa’s face as she asked that had lost all expression, and was like that of a little girl.

“The emperor is dead,” repeated the elder. “But he died earlier than I had predicted… since the man who was to be at the centre of the diagram of fate has fallen, I no longer have any business in Solon. I must leave to build up my power in a new land.”

“That…”

In the blink of an eye, the flush of emotion returned to Melissa’s face. Perhaps the speed and force of it was too much for her herself, as, dumbfounded, she blankly opened and shut her lips.

“His Majesty is dead? You are leaving Solon? That is… t-that is…” she could say nothing further.

Amidst the soldiers who, allies and enemy alike, had broken out into a din, Vileena was also dazed.

''His Majesty Guhl… has passed away?''

It was too sudden to be believed. Or rather, she did not want to believe it.

He was certainly not someone towards whom she held kind feelings. Since she had decided to become Gil Mephius’ wife, he was an ‘enemy’ who would unavoidably need to be confronted. And yet…

“I would like to be given the honour of naming my grandchild.” – the emperor’s face when he had thus addressed her flickered through her mind.

“Guhl Mephius never goes back on his promises, even if they are made with women or children.” – With those words, the old man had readily assented to the princess’ request, even though he seemed unlikely to gain anything from it. And also –

“People gather around a strong sword,” the old emperor next to Vileena had whispered as he looked down at the gladiator tournament. “Because they believe they are protected by a strong sword, they are able to pass their days peacefully… Well, peace with Garbera has been established at long last. Next year, instead of just ‘savage’ gladiators, I anticipate being able to invite airship pilots from Garbera to put on a racing contest. I hope to receive the princess’ assistance on its occasion”

“Bullshit!”

The young general, Zaas Sidious, suddenly interrupted the princess’ reminiscences. He draw his sword from at his waist.

“His Majesty has passed away? Don’t talk crap. No… if turns out to be true, wouldn’t it be your doing, you bastard and your bunch of heathens?” with a roar, he strode towards the elder.

As a frank young man, he had never looked favourably on the Dragon Gods’ faith, which had abruptly encroached all the way to the heart of Mephius. He and his family had inherited their pride from the boast that Mephius had been built by warriors fighting like warriors.

“Take me to His Majesty right now! If you don’t, I might just slice the head off the withered old stump that you call your body…”

When he had approached to within a distance of a few steps, the elder gave one lengthwise wave of his arm. Although it was a feeble gesture of resistance, too weak to even raise a breeze, Zaas did not mock him for it.

Or rather, he sank to his knees on the spot with a look of anguish. An agonised moan escaped from his lips even as he ground his teeth together. His face turned red, and veins throbbed in his large neck.

Crying out in panic, the soldiers all simultaneously backed away. Some clung to one another, not caring whether they were friend or foe. While Zaas writhed in torment, something like blue lightning seemed to sizzle from him, and the strange sorcery had scared them all out of their wits.

“Know your place, Boy.”

The elder’s own face was also twisted in pain. Neither Vileena nor Odyne, who could only stare at the situation in blank amazement, understood what was going on, but his body must have been reaching the limit of using his ‘power’.

However, mustering what seemed to be the last of his strength, the elder stretched his hand out towards Melissa. The empress’ face went pale for a second, perhaps because she expected to suffer the same fate as Zaas.

“You should take my hand, Empress,” said the elder, breathing raggedly. “Take my hand and come with me. This is the new future indicated by the diagram of fate.”

“A-And then...” Melissa’s chest heaved up and down, “...and then, what will happen? His Majesty has died, and after leaving Mephius, what will happen? What about me, no, what about the baby in my belly? My child whom you predicted would rule, not just Mephius, but all under heaven?”

“It is precisely for the child’s sake, Melissa,” the elder’s heavy eyelids seemed like they would shut at any moment, and he appeared to be keeping them open by sheer force of will. “There was only one remaining light on board the fate whose golden mean had collapsed. In other words, there is only one remaining hope on which to build the future dreamed of in both our ideals. And that is the child that dwells in your womb.”

“…”

“Come, Empress. You should not take the princess’ hand, but mine instead. Only I can ensure that your child will walk the path of the supreme ruler.”

“You mustn’t!”

Did Vileena call out so suddenly because she had instinctively recognised the signs of evil emanating from the old man?

The empress, however, stretched out her hand and placed it on top of the elder’s palm. In that instant, her head drooped, all the strength sucked from her, and she looked as though she was being held up by the elder, who was supporting the apparently unconscious Melissa with one thin arm.

“We’ll need a knight to protect the lady. Zaas was it… Boy, you’re coming too.”

With just those few words, he made Zaas, who had been writhing in agony, stand up, and handed him the empress to hold in both arms. It looked exactly the same as him pulling the strings of a puppet.

“W-Wait!”

A little late, Odyne shouted out to stop him. He turned to his men. “Seize him. He intends to kidnap the empress,” he yelled.

The soldiers also came back to their senses, and although they had just been frozen like bronze statues, it was as though energy had suddenly returned to their limbs. With swarthy, muscular arms, they drew their swords and readied their guns.

The gleam of their drawn blades surrounded the old man but, at that moment, the elder closed his eyes and, grunting with exertion, extended both arms towards them.

“Uwaah!”

The soldiers in the lead hurriedly jumped back. Blue lightning had struck the ground right in front of them.

Black smoke rose from the stone floor.

If one were to look up, they would, of course, see no black clouds overhead, but only the high ceiling. Yet even so, bolt after bolt of lightning rained down, and for a moment, their pallid light seemed to meld together, and bring forth an electric dragon. Seeing that dragon bar their way, the soldiers either dropped their swords and fled, or else stumbled about, neither advancing nor retreating.

Confronted with the tricks of sorcery for the first time in his life, General Odyne gaped, unable to call out encouragement to the soldiers.

Vileena tried to run to recover the empress, but the incessant bolts of lightning likewise prevented her from moving forward.

Then –

“Gallant Princess,” came a voice deathly enough to make her shudder, “I’ll give up for now. On this country’s land and people, and on the crown prince who will no doubt soon be celebrating victory. But remember this. Kingdoms ruled by humans, and history woven by humans are fleeting and insignificant. I will definitely return. To bring forth a new reality in this land.”

There was no way for Vileena to have words to answer him with. She barely even understood anything about this old man’s background. However, perhaps because such was her personality, his overbearing words provoked her to indignation.

“Then we’ll be waiting, Sorcerer,” Vileena Owell bit her lip. “A country, a history and a world not created by humans? I look forward to actual proof of that pleasant dream. Since, alas, we can only crawl on the ground, we’ll be gritting our teeth and weaving our insignificant history with our human hands and blood that we shed, while waiting for this future of which you speak.”

For a moment, the elder’s expression twisted with hatred, but he said nothing further and, on the other side of the bolts of light that were pouring down, he, Melissa, Zaas, and several other old men all disappeared from sight.