Editing Tytania:Volume 2 Chapter 1 (section)

=== I ===
When a high-pitched and ear-piercing female shriek echoed, the servants of Duke Zarlisch Tytania exchanged glances in silence.

The voice had come from beyond a thick door, but the servants knew who it belonged to, as well as the reason for that scream. They had even anticipated it. In any case, knowledge and expectation only intensified their dread.

It was the 10<sup>th</sup> of August SY&nbsp;446.

In the mid-latitude forested part of Ryutehi, the capital planet of the Vardana Interstellar Empire, was a lake region by the name of Calvinia where stood the estates of the Tytania clan, the rulers of the Universe. Over 30 km², forests, hills, and lakes stretched, and several magnificent mansions could maintain some privacy through an invisible wall of distance. In a corner of a mansion, Duke Zarlisch Tytania was being berated by his mother.

“Mother, please calm down. The servants can hear you.”

The son’s voice and expression were filled with bitterness. Zarlisch, one of the Four Dukes, and a magnificent man with a beautiful beard, was no match for his mother. Theresa stood some 30 centimeters closer to the ground than her son, and yet, she was spitting forcefully at him.

Duke Zarlisch Tytania exhaled a vast amount of air from his lungs that befitted his muscular and imposing physique. With a slight movement of his hand, Theresa could be sent soaring in the sky. Of course, such a scene would not come to pass. Theresa continued to accuse her son in a high and metallic voice. She denounced the sins of the elder brother regarding the death of the younger brother, Arses.

“Zarlisch, you were jealous of Arses. You were jealous because he was gorgeous and talented, and you let him die. Ah, he was such a fine lad, worthy of becoming a duke!”

''Have I ever deserved such unwarranted criticism?'' asked Zarlisch to himself deep in his thick chest. Had the person in front of him been anyone else, he would have probably yelled that question aloud. But it was impossible for him to do so.

Theresa was once a beauty. Rather, if the excess fat and sagging skin caused by her unhealthy lifestyle were to be removed, even now at the age of 50 she could pass as a mature and beautiful lady. But the current sight of her sagging flesh and rippling skin when she pressed with passion on her bewildered son was all but beautiful. There was no merit to her assertions. She was merely lashing out at her son, her emotions that were erupting like a volcano.

Zarlisch was pelted with blows and couldn’t stand it. Indeed, Theresa didn’t simply lash out verbally but also grabbed him by the collar and struck him with her fat fists as she berated him. Finally, Zarlisch answered. He had no choice but to do so.

“Very well, Mother. I swear I’ll bring the despicable criminal before you. You shall punish him to your heart’s content.”

Upon hearing the word “swear”, Theresa regained some composure. Panting heavily, she glared at her eldest son with oily eyes and finally managed to say:

“You will. If you break that promise, I’ll curse you.”

… Upon later learning about this secret drama, the mid-rank Tytanian officers were stunned.

“Why, they say that Duke Zarlisch is a literal ‘ruthless general’, but it appears that the strongest person in the Universe might actually be the Duke’s mother,” they whispered to each other as they shrugged.

They weren’t necessarily looking down on Zarlisch, but they were somewhat disappointed. The late Count Arses had been extremely unpopular among Tytanian’s subordinates and soldiers. They were also aware of Zarlisch’s strained relationship with his brother.

To put it crudely, Tytania could confidently say that Count Arses’ death was “good riddance”. Surely, a man as dashing as Zarlisch would ignore his mother’s madness and act as a public figure that befitted his ability and rank?

“That Fan Hyulick should be declared a public enemy of all of Tytania. It makes no sense to turn it into Lord Zarlisch and his mother’s personal vendetta.”

In spite of these objections, no one directly condemned Zarlisch. He was a warrior who liked to surround himself with front-line warriors, and had a staff of officers who were often described as “valiant soldiers” or “seasoned captains”. While they did have sigh standards of courage and loyalty, these virtues came with drawbacks that hindered the broadness of their perspective and the flexibility of their strategy.

They sought to accommodate Zarlisch rather than rebuke him. The sight of a group united towards a single purpose could intoxicate people like a sweet illusion. That was particularly the case for soldiers, revolutionaries, and religious zealots.

Even before Tytania’s latest policy had been decided, Zarlisch and his men had already begun operations. To hunt down a man who went by the name Fan Hyulick and his accomplices.



“I wish to be appointed as commander in subduing these insolent rebels who have risen against Tytania.” When Zarlisch made that request, Duke Jouslain Tytania perfectly understood the situation. What could compel Zarlisch to make such a demand? There must have been some personal conflict between him and his mother.

It was common knowledge in the Tytania clan that Zarlisch’s mother, Theresa, shunned her eldest son and favoured her second son, Arses. The latter had been murdered by Fan Hyulick, an insignificant figure in the eyes of Tytania. While the anger of a mother was natural, Theresa had lost her mind, and her son was manipulated in her fury.

“It appears that even after his death, Count Arses is still causing trouble for his brother.”

Half of it was pity, half of it was absurdity. Fan Hyulick and his men had harmed Tytania twice, but they were but ants before a giant elephant, and their defeat wouldn’t do much to increase Zarlisch’s prestige. At least not now. How powerful they may become in the future was unknown. According to Tytania’s traditional Machiavellianism<ref name="ftn1">“Scheme dynamics” (権謀力学) is pronounced “machiavelism”.</ref>, they had to be nipped in the bud before they grew too large, but…

Jouslain wondered what stance they should adopt at the Tytanian Supreme Council meeting that was shortly due to enter in session. His senior ''aide-de-camp'', Viscount Balamy Tytania, watched him in silence as he pondered at his desk in his office.

For Balamy, Jouslain was both a relative and his commanding officer, which already made it a considerable bother. To make matters worse, Jouslain virtually held a power of life and death over him.

Balamy’s late father, the former Minister of Military Affairs, Marquis Estrade, was the half-brother of Tytania’s supreme commander, Ajman. He had been dissatisfied with his inability to become the supreme commander and had harboured rebellious intentions, but he unexpectedly died before he could act upon them. It was his son, Balamy, who had instigated this rebellion, and Jouslain apparently knew about it. If Jouslain ever so desired, he could have Balamy punished for treason.

But on the other hand, there was probably no superior as ideal as Jouslain. Simply by being “Duke Jouslain’s senior ''aide-de-camp''” earned him respect, reverence, and a generous treatment. Balamy himself, as a viscount bearing the surname Tytania, was already in an envious position, and the Clanner and the Four Dukes were yet on another level.

Balamy’s delicate position had also been offset by his status as Duke Jouslain’s senior ''aide-de-camp''. By placing Balamy in such a crucial position, Jouslain had publicly shown his trust in him. Anyone who dared to harm Balamy would need to be prepared to make an enemy of his protector, Jouslain. Just the appointment as senior ''aide-de-camp'' itself involved multiple layers of political considerations and dynamics that were characteristic of the heart of Tytania.

Balamy had recently purged the anti-Tytania faction that infested the Vardana Empire’s court and government. He had executed 26&nbsp;people, who held high ranks such as minister, general, clerk, councillor, senator, or knight, sent 40&nbsp;others to penal colonies, and exiled 114 along with their families. The order had come through Jouslain from Clanner Ajman. Failure to carry out this slaughter would have meant that he was unworthy of being treated as a member of the Tytania clan.

Balamy understood this perfectly. He stormed the Vardana court, wielding his invisible mighty purging scythe, and beheaded key figures of the Emperor Harsha&nbsp;VI, including the Minister of Justice, Herawa, and the Minister of Civil Affairs, Nunes. After that, he washed the blood from the court’s political floor, appointed replacements, amended several rules of the court, and completed the matter in a remarkably short time. For a youth of 18 years old, his skills were truly impressive.

“Viscount Balamy appears to be a useful man.”

With that declaration from Clanner Ajman, Balamy’s achievements had been officially recognised. He had been responsible for his father’s accidental death, but Ajman’s words washed him from that responsibility. In the organisation of Tytania, decisions regarding personnel were often made on the basis that past sins could be atoned for with merit, and this was an example of it. In other words, Balamy had passed his personnel assessment.

The ministers who were the subject of that test certainly ended up being the butt of the joke, but it was nevertheless true that they had been plotting against Tytania. But they didn’t necessarily do it with resolve. It could be said that they had played with power and schemes as if they were toys and were now receiving their just deserts.

“I am certainly a subordinate of Duke Jouslain. But it doesn’t mean that I’ll be subservient to him.”

Balamy lifted his shoulders. Jouslain was well aware of his state of mind, and while he found it amusing, he also held some admiration for his spirit.