Editing Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 4===


When the pillars of the mansion collapsed and the second floor caved in with a resounding crash, there was someone who was planning to come galopping up just a little too late. That person was Oswell Taholin.

After leaving the meeting on the pretext that he had business to attend to, he launched himself into action with carefully planned timing.

“What! The mansion is burning?” He performed his part, pretending to hear the news from a soldier then hurriedly throwing himself on a horse.

Unlike Darren or Bernard, he had never once stood on the battlefield. And actually, he wasn't used to horses either, but it would look bad if he went by carriage or rode behind one of his subordinates. So, since there was no helping it, he rushed over on horseback. He travelled along the road while suffering a thousand torments.

The blaze was visible even from a distance. Although his heart was leaping with excitement, he made it look like he was unbearably worried about the prince's safety.

Even so, Oswell noticed something unexpected along the way: the guards who should have been blockading the road were not there. In his initial plan, he was supposed to come galloping up and find them staring in shock and horror at the fire, at which point he would have yelled at them: “What are you doing? Can't you even move unless you're told to? Follow me! We're going to save His Highness!” After which, he would have lead them to the mansion.

But the soldiers weren't there and instead, there was a gathering of townspeople.

“It's Lord Taholin,” a sharp-eyed youth pointed towards Oswell.

“Lord Oswell is here!” a man past his forties cried out with relief.

“Please, you have to hurry to the prince!” a woman begged him, clasping her hands.

Oswell had a bad feeling. Still, now that he had attracted so much attention – and since they knew that the prince had been attacked – he could no longer turn back.

''As long as the results are there, it's fine'', Oswell decided, changing his mind.

Even if the guards had been drawn towards the blaze, Leo was certainly dead inside the building. “After the mansion which was being renovated into a church burned down, the only thing we found were the remains of Lord Leo and of the monks from Dytiann. And as a matter of fact, it appears that those monks belonged to the former Holy See, and that they were enemies of the current Church” – things would still be fine as long as those facts remained.

And so, Oswell only had a few soldiers with him as he arrived at what remained of the new church, which barely even resembled a building by now. The first thing which caught his eye were the corpses of soldiers littering the front garden. They had been part of the unit which had set fire to the place.

''Oh!'' – just as he was starting to really worry, his eye alighted on what looked like good news for him.

Neville, Godwin and the rest of the group from Dytiann were surrounded by the road guards.

“G-Good work,” Oswell called out, practically tumbling from his horse in his haste to get down from it. “Are they the criminals? From what I've heard, they suddenly grabbed weapons and attacked the prince during the meeting, is that right?”

There had been some unexpected developments along the way, but the end result was still the same. The prince's party was unarmed, so they couldn't have failed to be killed. The main purpose had been achieved, so afterwards, he just needed to pretend that Neville's captured group had been made to confess, and everything else would go as planned.

Oswell crumpled to his knees.

“How can this be!”

It was a magnificent play, performed by a world-class actor. As the endless mass of dark smoke was sucked into the night sky, he roared in a voice so powerful that his throat was trembling.

“If only I hadn't left the mansion... Oh, Your Highness, Your Highness, forgive me! What could be more bitter than knowing that something like this happened in my territory...”

“You don't need to blame yourself to that extent, Oswell.”

“W-What are you saying? His Highness is dead. So how could I not blame myself...”

Out of reflex, Oswell turned to look towards the voice that had spoken to him, and his eyes almost started out of his head.

From behind Neville and Godwin, Leo Attiel appeared with unhurried steps. Oswell felt like he was seeing a ghost.

“Did I die? You're awfully hasty, Oswell. As you can see, I'm as well as can be. So there's no need for you to blame yourself to that extent.”

“Ah... Oh...” Oswell could only blink in confusion, unable to say a word.

''H-How? How!?'' He howled inwardly. ''Those useless bastards! What peerless soldiers of the Cruciform Army'? They couldn't even kill one unguarded brat!''

“Nevertheless, Oswell... It's true that security was lacking. I almost lost my life.”

“T-That... yes, of course... huh, that's...” Oswell spluttered, barely managing to say anything at all. Sweat was pouring like a waterfall from his brow, and he was desperate to mop it up. “B-But it's inexcusable to have targeted your life, Your Highness. Are these the culprits?”

He pointed towards Neville and the others, but Leo laughed the idea to scorn.

“Them, the criminals? Certainly not. They're the ones who saved me from the attackers.”

Oswell gulped. The looks that Neville, Godwin and the others were directing towards him were as sharp as the bloody blades of their weapons.

“Now then,”  Leo glanced back towards the remains of the mansion that were still merrily blazing away, “let’s go somewhere where we can talk for a bit, Oswell.”

From where he crouched, still collapsed on the ground, Oswell Taholin hunched his shoulders slightly.



Leo Attiel entered Aconrey’s castle with Camus and Kuon in tow. To Oswell’s amazement, there were already soldiers from the Personal Guards stationed throughout the building. According to the castle servants, these soldiers had barged in and started searching the rooms.

“I had them search,” Leo said laconically. He explained that since he did not know who had tried to kill him, he had extended his investigation far and wide.

Oswell could not oppose him. Even though this was his own castle, Leo all but guided him to a narrow room in the watchtower within its right wing. It was a dreary place, with a rough wooden table and several chairs sandwiched between the stone walls, and it was only used by soldiers on guard duty when they took their breaks.

Leo first sat down, then gestured to Oswell to take a seat opposite him.

While Oswell sat with his face turned downwards, waiting for what Leo had to say, the second prince of Atall studied the room with considerable interest.

“I-It can’t possibly be...” Finally, unable to bear the piercing silence any longer, Oswell opened his mouth to speak. Leo turned to look at him and Oswell ran his tongue over his parched lips before continuing. “It can’t possibly be, Your Highness, that you suspect me?”

“I’m only having the castle searched to be on the safe side. If anything, it will help make sure that no suspicion falls on you in the future, Lord Taholin.”

“I-Is that so? B-But, I’ve heard that there are some bad rumours going around. When Your Highness collapsed, some were saying that I might have poisoned you...”

“My life is made to be targeted,” Leo said cheerfully as he pointed to his own chest. “I was almost killed when I was in Allion. Darren attacked me in the resort area. And now this time as well. My life has been targeted so often that nowadays, every time I meet someone, I wonder if they aren’t trying to kill me. So Oswell, I wouldn’t be surprised even if you had tried to poison me.”

“P-Please don’t joke about it,” his sweat was still flowing freely. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same man whose attitude had been that of an adult talking to a mere child when he had spoken with Leo at the banquet held for Hayden.

Drinks were brought in at that point. Leo picked up both of the cups brimming with wine and held one out to Oswell.

“Father Gemili of Dytiann greatly enjoyed this. I brought it over from Bernard’s lands. Apparently, it’s a good area for producing wine.”

“Er, yes, the wine there is... er, really...” Oswell answered absently while desperately trying to think of a way to talk himself out of this situation.

It was obvious that Leo suspected him. First things first, what method could he use to negotiate his way out of this position? Should he spout enough lies to fill up the entire castle, or maybe cling tearfully to the much younger Leo? Either way, whatever worked.

Then, as soon as he was let free, he would have no choice but to flee to Allion to seek asylum. Unfortunately, he would have to resign himself to not receiving the splendid welcome that he had once imagined. When he pictured the miserable sight of himself escaping by night to avoid people’s attention, Oswell wanted to cry.

He took the wine cup and poured, first one, then a second mouthful down his throat.

“Is it tasty?”

“Oh yes,” he answered while completely unable to taste anything. “Y-Your Highness, the Taholin family shares a strong relationship with the princely house. Please, I beg of you to calmly consider the truth without being deceived by absurd rumours.”

“And that's what I've told you I'm doing.”

“Yes, that may be so, but...” Oswell started to argue further, but his words came out slurred. It looked like he was unusually tense.

Oswell tried to pull himself together and align his arguments, but now it felt like the entire interior of his mouth had gone numb and he couldn't even tell if his mouth was open or not. Saliva dribbled from his lips.

“Yurr Hinass,” he spoke indistinctly, “Y-Yurr Hinass...”

“Is the wine tasty, Oswell?” Leo asked again.

Oswell felt as though he had been struck in the middle of the forehead. He tried to rise from his seat, but had no strength to do so. His chair fell backwards, and Oswell landed pathetically on his backside.

“L-Leo, Leeeoh, you... bastard...”

He tried to stand up by holding on to the wall. His legs were shaking like those of a new-born calf, and his waist was trembling, but he finally managed to stand, only for his hands to suddenly slip. His nails left faint scratch marks behind them as he collapsed into a crouch, coughing violently. The wine that he had drunk earlier splattered against the stone floor. He threw up a second time.

''That's...''

Oswell fearfully wiped his mouth. That red colour didn't only come from the wine. It was blood.

His breathing suddenly grew rough. Something as simple as just breathing in and breathing out had become so very difficult all of a sudden.

He couldn't breathe in. Or out.

He felt dizzy.  Even though he was supposed to be nearby, the contours of Leo Attiel's figure had become hazy, as though the details wouldn't bind together anymore. But within Oswell Taholin's field of vision, he could still make out the strange smile on Leo's face.

''That bastard.... that bastard...''

Oswell unconsciously clawed at his own chest. He tore at his clothes as if they were suffocating him. When he had scratched enough at his chest, he collapsed, face up.

Oswell's mind would never puzzle over anything ever again.

After watching the whole scene unfold, Leo drank what remained of his own wine and stood up.

“What is this?” he asked Camus, who had been by his side the whole time.

The warrior monk from Conscon Temple bowed his head.

“Lord Oswell Taholin probably couldn't bear the thought of facing his punishment. While being interrogated by His Highness Leo, he resigned himself to the fact that he could no longer hope to escape, and so mixed the poison that he had been concealing within his clothes into his wine. He committed suicide.”

“I see,” Leo nodded expressionlessly. “Then that's how it is.”

“Aye, that's how it is,” Camus bowed. His manner was as unwavering as an iron wall. He was, after all, a man who had decided that if Leo drank poison, then he would drink it too.

Camus continued to bow as he watched Leo Attiel leave the narrow room. The wind was blowing listlessly as the prince stepped out of the watchtower. The clouds must have finally lifted since there were countless stars in the sky when he looked up.

“Somebody... Is anybody there?” He heard Camus call loudly from inside the room. It was already late at night, but many people were still up and about inside the castle. The whole place would soon be in uproar.

As though wanting to enjoy the brief moment of quiet before that happened, Leo continued to look up at the stars for a long time.



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