Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume9 Chapter2 (section)

=== Part 2 ===

 
After leaving Mephius, Orba had been involved in a series of life-threatening battles. Since he had never had a life of ease or of sipping ambrosia, even though it was not what he wanted, he was at least resigned to it.

''The bill’s come in to be paid.''

Between riding headlong throughout most of the night, saving Vileena in the burning village while en route, and finally arriving at Apta, then almost immediately giving a speech to assuage the excited people and being held at gunpoint by the self-same Princess Vileena, he had not had any time to rest.

There was a load of people that he had to meet with and talk to. According to what he had heard, two of them were undergoing medical treatment in separate buildings within the fortress.

One of them was Hou Ran.

He had learned from Rogue that a dragon that Ran had been taking care of had suddenly gone on a rampage and mauled a few of Nabarl’s soldiers to death. Nabarl Metti had asserted that this was the handiwork of westerners and had decided to execute the Imperial Guards who were rumoured to be in relation with the west.

“But, in all likelihood,” Rogue Saian had lowered his voice – 

It was said that Nabarl might have decided beforehand to execute the Imperial Guards and, because he wanted a commotion that would serve as an excuse for that, he had allowed his men to assault Ran.

Moreover, Nabarl had not subjected Ran to execution even though she was supposedly the cause of the incident. It was possible that he had it in mind to accuse her of a crime at some later date, or perhaps he had intended to give her as a slave to the soldiers for their outstanding service.

“At least let her receive treatment for her wounds.” If Rogue had not expressly made that request, she would have been tossed into jail in the state she was in. Looking as though he found it bothersome, Nabarl had ordered that she be confined in a separate room. Rogue had sent a surgeon attached to his own division and had set up a strict guard in front of the room.

By the time Orba went to visit, the sun was already setting. Ran was lying on the bed but, as soon as he entered, she nimbly sprung up with the suppleness of a young, dark brown branch and asked –

“Can I leave?”

There were neither greetings for their reunion nor questions about how he had been up until then. That “Can I leave?” also carried the meaning of asking if she was now free.

Her strangely pale hair that was illuminated by the light from the single lamp dangling from the ceiling, her alluring skin, and her enigmatic beauty were unchanged. Orba stifled the urge to smile wryly.

“Yeah. But for now, go to sleep.”

“I haven’t seen those children for a whole day.”

“The dragons are fine. And so is the Baian that you protected. I’ve said my thanks to Rogue and Odyne.”

Orba had also recently suffered wounds in battle, but Ran did not lose to him in that respect. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages and more of them were wrapped around her from her cheeks to her forehead. She must be in considerable pain, and as proof of that, her eyebrows would sometimes draw together, but she looked as though she had enough strength left to go flying from the room at any moment.

“Act like an injured person for a bit.”

“Humph,” for now, Ran fell back onto the bed.

The expression on her face and her blunt attitude were so exactly the Ran that Orba knew that the number of days that had passed since they had parted seemed frankly unbelievable.

Ran looked around the room somewhat restlessly then beckoned him with her hand.

“Orba.”

As he went closer, she waved her hand up and down in front of her face, with exactly the same gesture as for soothing a dragon. The meaning seemed to be that she wanted his eyes at the same height as hers. As soon as Orba obligingly got down on one knee –

– there was the sound of a slap.

Orba staggered from a blow that was strong enough to jolt his brain.

Ran stared fixedly at the palm she had brought down on him.

“My hand hurts.” From her tone of blame, she seemed to be saying that was also Orba’s fault.

“T-Then use moderation!”

“There’s a lot to pay back. Why didn’t you tell me anything?” 

“…I figured you might be angry like this.”

“It’s the same as with newborn dragons. Baians especially, when they do something wrong, they think that I’ll get angry so instead they act violently and ignore me.”

“Because Mommy Hou Ran is scary.”

“Idiot.”

Ran chuckled and poked Orba in the chest. Orba, without opposing any resistance, fell backwards. “Was there any other trouble?” he asked from behind the gap between his legs as he lay there, face up.

“Vileena asked all sorts of things about Orba. It was a bit troublesome but I soon got used to it. Have you seen the Princess?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, so you saw the Princess first?”

“What?”

“Nothing. How long are you going to stay there like an idiot?”

“Help me up.”

Ran kicked Orba in the foot. He reluctantly stood up by himself. As he turned to look at her, she said –

“Anyway, you’re still busy, right. Later, tell me what you’ve been doing until now.”

“Sure. In exchange, listen to what the doctor says.”

“Well, okay.”

Her reluctant attitude made it sound strangely like she was being forced. Even though it was her own health, it was as though she intended to leave the problem to Orba.

After leaving Ran’s room, it was Shique’s turn.

This was something he had also heard from Rogue but Shique was said to have been bedridden ever since he had careened to Apta on his orders. While leaving Taúlia, he had apparently been shot.

''Back then'' –

Orba had heard a gunshot.

''I was too careless.''

He had become sentimental and had neglected to be vigilant about his surroundings, and so had failed to realise that he and his subordinates were being watched by Taúlian soldiers. Because of that, he had unwittingly sent Shique into trouble.

In order to remain hidden, Shique, just like Ran, had not taken a step outside of the room in which he was being treated.

However, when he opened the door, Shique was waiting for him, his appearance from tip to toe that of a gladiator.

“Yo, I’ve been waiting impatiently for you,” he swept back his shoulder-length hair and bowed, his entire face smiling.

Orba frowned at the gesture which was like that of an actor making a greeting on stage and said –

“I heard you were shot.”

“I’m completely fine already. I just shut myself away because I wanted to make you worry. You were a bit concerned, weren’t you?”

“Your face is a terrible colour. You should get more sleep.”

“It’s tedious,” Shique gave a yawn. “I’ve been locked up for more than three days. That’s why my complexion is bad. Once I go out, I’ll be just the same as before. More importantly...”

“More importantly?”

“There’s a bigger priority than me, right? Have you sent out search parties for the Princess?”

“Every last one of you,” Orba said bitterly.

After that, he explained about how he had discovered Vileena in a village near the Taúlian border and about how, just a short while ago, she had held him up at gunpoint.

“That...” after a moment of utter astonishment, Shique immediately burst loudly into laughter. He was laughing so hard that his body was bent double and he had to wipe the tears from his eyes. “That must certainly have been quite a sight.”

“It’s no joke. With ''that'' princess, I wouldn’t be surprised if the bullets were fully loaded.”

“But of course they would have been. And thus, the chronicles of the hero would have come to a speedy end.”

Just like Hou Ran, Shique was the same as always. Before coming to see him, Orba had been intending to apologise meekly, but by now he had already been completely caught up in Shique’s pace.

“You’re no doubt busy right now but later, when you’ve got a bit more time, you should go and greet the Princess, but as Orba the Imperial Guard.”

“What?”

“The one who saved the Princess wasn’t Gil but the masked swordsman Orba. It would be unnatural if Orba didn’t show up. Honestly, whenever it involves the Princess, your wits go wandering.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you…”

“Weren’t you the one who said that the injured needed to sleep? Ow, ow, talking makes my chest hurt.”

''Really, I wonder what he will do about things like this in the future...'' – he added in a low voice while jokingly pretending to be in pain, but Orba didn’t hear it.

“Did you say something?”

“I was saying that from now on, things are going to get tough.” Shique smiled and abruptly changed the subject. “There were difficulties in the west too, but they can’t compare. At any rate, this isn’t on any ordinary level since the reason the Crown Prince came back was to rise up against the current Emperor.”

“Yeah.”

“Right, well since you’re going to be walking a path of bloodshed from now on, let me act like an elder for once and give you a piece of advice.”

“There can’t be that many things you can teach me.”

“It’s not something you should be so quick to make fun of. Do you know about the ‘flames of Laskeid’?”

There was a short pause. “Yeah,” Orba nodded but Shique’s smile got broader. ''That’s a lie'' – his expression seemed to say.

Orba’s face went red. “I have heard of it!”

“Now, now. Don’t get upset. It’s an old legend. Older even than the Magic Dynasty apparently.”

It was a story about flames that burned blue.

Had the flames of a colour which should not exist in this world been created by magic, or had they come flying from the abyss of space, guided by something towards this planet? Whatever the case, in a quiet corner of the world, they continued to burn blue.

There had been a time when it was a rumour widely taken as truth that whoever absorbed them into their body would obtain a power greater than that of the Dragon Gods who had once dominated the world.

“At the northern edge of the world. The one who found them at the bottommost level of a cave ravaged by ice and snow was a carpenter’s assistant named Laskeid. His family was poor, he had lost his job and had given up all hope for the future, so rather than saying that he believed in the legend, it was as a desperate gamble that he boldly took the flames into his own flesh. And when he did so, just as the legends had said, he obtained an immortal and ageless body.

However, the condition for having once absorbed the flames was that that body would forever more emit flames that would burn all those who approached him. In exchange for obtaining wealth, power and everything that he desired, he lost everything that he had until then. Family, lover, friends – and all the happiness that he might have had in the future.

Eventually, unable to bear his never-ending solitude, Laskeid increased the flames himself until his body was burned to nothing. Although he could have become a king that ruled over the world for all eternity, the one thing he could not endure was being alone in that world.”

"Oh," Orba interjected to show that he was still listening, at which Shique smirked even more.

“Do you remember now?”

“More or less.”

“Ha ha, when you’re the prince, you’re vigilantly cautious and choose your words, but when you’re with someone you trust, you just become childish.”

“I don’t remember trusting you.”

“Fine, fine. Now then, you’re busy, right? Go on, hurry off.”

Having kept him in conversation for a long time, Shique now drove him away. Orba stood up huffily, but it was true that he was pressed for time.

“Rest up for a while,” with those parting words, he left the room.

Shique stared at the closed door for a while then suddenly collapsed back into the bed as though he had been attacked by dizziness. He coughed violently two or three times.

After his fit had quietened down, he wiped his lips.

“Well,” he said, gazing at the palm of his hand, “Orba has reunited with the Princess. For now, it’s the same as before. As for what comes after, well, let’s see from here on.”