Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 4 (section)

=== II ===
“The residential districts have fallen into a state of panic!”

The harrowing report was brought to Idris. In the main command room, a crowd of pale faces moved about like ghosts.

“Vehicles are clogging the roads leading to the civilian harbour gates. Many are driving against the flow of traffic, and accidents are occurring everywhere…”

One of the monitors was occupied by a scene of a crowd pushing and screaming against one another. On the adjacent screen, a ground vehicle lay overturned on the road, spewing flames and white smoke, as a weeping woman carrying a small child ran past it.

“The emergency shelters are being swarmed by the crowd. The situation is already beyond our control.”

“If even Uraniborg is blown to pieces, there will be no point in fleeing to the shelters.”

Idris’ handsome mouth twisted into a grimace.

“I wonder if Theodora has sought refuge in one of those shelters herself.”

That scheming and cunning Countess Theodora Tytania, clutching a bag stuffed with jewels and cash to her chest, wandering aimlessly amidst a panicked crowd… When Idris imagined such a scene, he felt a slight sense of gratification. However, feeling that such a thought was somewhat petty, he shook his head and banished the image from his mind.

“Impose martial law upon the civilian residential districts. Appoint the Captain of the Military Police as the Martial Law Enforcer. I shall focus my efforts on the battle against the external enemy.”

External enemy? Was his brother the external enemy? Idris nearly burst into a derisive laugh but managed to restrain himself. In any case, the man had turned the cannons of the ''Black Prince'' towards Uraniborg.

The people in the general residential district scrambled about, searching for a glimmer of light at the bottom of a well forged from anxiety and terror. Jewellery shop showcases shattered with loud crashes, and the sound of warning shots fired by the military police echoed through the air. Even at this late stage, some people resorted to looting, though it was less a product of greed and more the result of a hysteria born of despair.

As they fled in confusion, the crowds exchanged words in hushed, frantic tones.

“Has the Uraniborg fleet been completely d-destroyed?”

“Surely not.”

“But they were just being picked off one after another!”

“And why on earth would the ''Black Prince'' attack Uraniborg?”

“Maybe the enemy took control of it.”

A military policeman shouted, brandishing his gun:

“Everyone, keep quiet! Anyone spreading rumours will be detained under the Public Order Act!”

Most situations would have been settled by that, but this particular situation was unprecedented.

“In that case, you lot need to pull yourselves together. You only get brave when your opponents aren’t carrying weapons.”

The voices of dissent arose, though they were admittedly low. As soon as the military policeman left the area, the chorus resumed almost instantly.

“If, and I mean strictly if, Duke Jouslain led his troops and stormed Uraniborg, what would you do?”

“There’s nothing I could do. I’d just stay hidden at home until things settled down.”

“I’d welcome it. Lord Jouslain is a decent man. Things might actually be better under him than they are now.”

“Don’t be so irresponsible. What would happen to Duke Idris?”

“Duke Idris is the irresponsible one here. What does he even intend to do from now on? He could at least put out a broadcast.”

The commoners enjoyed their freedom of speech, yet they still held themselves back at the very precipice. Even at this late stage, no voices of criticism were raised against Clanner Ajman. It was not that he was particularly well-loved, but the fact remained that he was an object of awe, and thus, tongues were naturally silenced.

Idris, however, was the unfortunate one. Having engaged in unnecessary conflict with Ariabert and Jouslain and having driven them to the frontiers only to face a counterattack that escalated into armed conflict, he was now placing the lives of ordinary citizens in mortal danger. On the surface, he was the Administrator of Uraniborg. He ought to be held accountable for his responsibilities.

For Idris, the impulse was to scream, “What did I do?” Of course, he could not deny that he bore half the responsibility for today’s situation. It was undeniable that he had been excessively aggressive towards the other three dukes, including the late Ariabert and Zarlisch, and had brought isolation upon himself. If it were said that he was the very height of a lack of virtue, he could not argue that it was not true.

There were many points regarding Clanner Ajman that Idris found difficult to understand, but what he could not help but feel was particular confusion and resentment was the fact that Radmoth had been ordered to command the ''Black Prince''. After having inflicted immense damage upon his own allies, Radmoth was now pointing heavy artillery at Uraniborg, demanding its surrender. No matter how much one might defend the Clanner, when it came to the matter of appointing Radmoth, should the Clanner not be held responsible?

In the face of Radmoth’s astonishing rebellion, was the Clanner flustered by the sheer unexpectedness of it? Or perhaps…

Idris was struck with horror. Before the march had begun, didn’t Radmoth boast about something? ''“I understand the heart of the Clanner. You, brother, don’t”''.

Idris had ignored such delusions, but when the current situation reached a stage that could only be described as the worst possible, Radmoth’s boast suddenly resurfaced in his mind. As he felt an inexplicable sense of dread towards his younger brother, the name of his true enemy rose to the surface in opposition.

''“Jouslain is still better than Radmoth. At the very least, he possesses common sense and political judgement.”''

Because Jouslain, who was only three years his senior, always seemed to be acting far more mature than he was, Idris had disliked him since they were children.

''“I will not lose to someone like him.”''

Even though he felt that way, Idris had never thought that Jouslain was inferior to Radmoth. He was not that biased. What truly weighed on his mind, however, was not Radmoth but his youngest brother.

''“I wonder if Zelpha is safe.”''



Zelpha was safe. The members of the Blaze Flag Army were outlaws, but impressively, they did not engage in any unnecessary lawlessness.

That being said, in practical terms, the members of the Blaze Flag Army found Zelpha quite difficult to handle. Having never dealt with a high-born young noble before, they were unsure of how they ought to treat him.

Mahdi, in particular, was strangely enthusiastic; he had scoured the warehouse for junk and tossed a collection of old-fashioned mops, brushes, buckets, and sponges in front of Zelpha.

“Here, these are the tools for cleaning the toilets. Use them to scrub everything until it shines.”

“Don’t mess with me, you scum of the sea! Why on earth should I have to perform such a lowly task as cleaning the toilets?”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t,” scolded Miranda. “In exchange, you won’t get any food. He who does not work shall not eat. It’s been the rule for thousands of years.”

“Now, now, Mahdi, do go easy on him. We may have many crimes to our name, but I won’t have any child abuse involved.”

She turned back towards Doctor Lee and voiced her complaint.

“And you’re just as bad, Doctor. Why on earth did you go out of your way to take in such a difficult child? He’s nothing but trouble.”

In a rare occurrence, Doctor Lee gave a wry smile.

“Now, now, there’s no need for you to get caught up in this, Miranda. Let them handle it themselves. Those two might even end up getting along quite well.”

“I see. If that is what you say, Doctor, then I’ll do so. But still, I wonder what will become of Uraniborg. Surely, it won’t be destroyed within the next couple of days…?”

“No one could have imagined that things would change so drastically.”

“Heh? Not even you, Doctor?”

When Miranda teased him lightly, Doctor Lee nodded heavily.

“I am only human, after all. It is the way of man to strive never to forget that. However, even if it is only in hindsight, I can accept that Radmoth was the factor behind this sudden shift. No one had been paying him any mind. In that time, a mere lizard became a dinosaur.”

Mahdi, who had been arguing childishly with Zelpha, glanced at Miranda and licked his lips as if he had realised something.

“Let me tell you one useful thing, rich kid. That scary lady standing by your side is actually a Princess of a certain principality.”

Zelpha’s expression and voice wavered.

“Y-you’re lying.”

“He’s not lying. I am indeed Her Highness the Princess of the Principality of Casabianca. Not that my physical makeup is any different from anyone else’s. And as you can see, my manners are quite poor.”

Zelpha swallowed hard, looking up and down at Miranda’s entire body as if trying to peer through her.

Suddenly, Zelpha dropped to one knee on the floor, pressed his right fist against his left chest, and bowed his head.

“I cannot claim to be aware of everything, but I would be most grateful if you could forgive the many discourtesies I have shown towards your Highness.”

The members of the Blaze Flag Army stared at Zelpha, utterly astonished, their faces reflecting their various personalities.