Editing Tytania:Volume 3 Chapter 6 (section)

=== IV ===
Only a year ago, the power of Tytania had seemed absolute and immovable. However, power is, by its very nature, a palace built upon thin ice, possessing the inherent necessity of sinking under the weight of its own existence.

Eternal prosperity and permanent dominion are impossibilities when measured against the laws of the universe, yet humanity yearns for them. Successive rulers, obsessed with their own eternity and the permanence of their bloodline, purge meritorious officials, exile critics to remote outposts, burn books, and invade foreign lands in pursuit of glory. Perhaps it is this very desire for eternity that serves as the source of all political and systemic evil.

Even so, what exactly were the Clanner’s intentions?

Jouslain brooded so deeply that he felt a sharp pain at the very core of his mind. Whatever the Clanner intended, the execution seemed far too clumsy, and yet, even that might have been part of his plan.

“His Clanner Highness Ajman, the Landless Clanner of Tytania, has been wounded in a sniper attack. His life is not in immediate danger. The perpetrator was shot dead, and suspicions have arisen that Lord Jouslain was behind the attack.”

That confidential report, which sent shock-waves through the universe, raced unofficially through the Tytania communications network. Jouslain heard it as well.

“What a brilliantly crafted story.”

Jouslain could not help but give a wry smile. If Clanner Ajman had truly been assassinated, the impact would be too great. Having lost its core, Tytania would be torn into fragments, and dissidents from the outside might rise in unison, potentially causing the collapse of the Tytania administration. However, if it was merely an injury…

''“The culprit is Lord Jouslain. Pursue him at once!”''

Jouslain could easily imagine the expression on Idris’ face as he shouted this. Several of the obstacles standing between Idris and the throne had been removed almost in an instant. Idris must have been leaping with joy. It was certainly better to take this opportunity to oust both Ariabert and Jouslain from the competition at once, rather than pondering the true intentions of the Clanner or the full scope of the incident.

However, Idris should have gone even further than that. Instead of going through the trouble of arrests and interrogations, he should have simply blown up the ship along with everyone on board, without leaving room for argument. He could have made up any number of excuses later. Or perhaps he had intended to avoid the folly of murdering Jouslain only to have the responsibility thrust upon him.

For nearly two weeks, Jouslain’s modest fleet of twenty ships continued its flight, evading pursuit and interference from allies. It was on the tenth of April that the communications officer brought the news: “Reinforcements are coming!”

“Reinforcements!?”

Upon reflection, it was a strange way to put it. Jouslain was not fighting an external enemy. However, as the crew of the ''Austra'', fleeing through space while evading pursuit by its “allies”, it was only natural that they would express it that way. For the people of Tytania, pursuing others was a familiar task, but being pursued and forced to flee imposed a heavy psychological burden. It was no wonder they rejoiced upon receiving the friendly communication.

Cheers erupted on the bridge. The uproar only finally subsided after Edna scolded them, warning, “Do not get carried away. What if this is a deception by enemy forces?” However, further communications were exchanged, confirming that a total of one thousand reinforcements, ranging from large to small vessels, had indeed arrived from Bargash.

Before long, a man in his early thirties appeared on the screen, wearing the grey Tytania uniform adorned with the epaulettes of a high-ranking officer. This officer, of medium height with a muscular build and sharp features, looked directly at Jouslain through the screen and offered a salute.

“I am Rear-admiral Zain Khan, arrived to welcome His Grace, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, by order of Lord Ariabert.”

The cheers erupted once more. Once they finally subsided, Jouslain expressed his gratitude for the effort taken to meet him. There was an officer beside Rear-admiral Khan who appeared remarkably young, and Jouslain found his attention half-drawn to them.

When that far too young officer boarded the shuttle and arrived at the ''Austra'', it was Princess Lydia who ran towards him with great joy.

“Bal, have you been well?”

“Yes, Princess, thanks to your kindness.”

The officer, Viscount Balamy Tytania, bowed. He had intended to be respectful, but to Princess Lydia’s eyes, he appeared to be putting on airs. The Princess criticised her friend with a disgruntled expression.

“You have always been such a stiff, Bal. Since you have finally managed to meet a friend, you should show your joy more naturally.”

In this instance, “always” referred to about a year ago. As Jouslain began to laugh, Balamy was rescued from his embarrassment and once again celebrated Jouslain’s safety.

Just before leaving Uraniborg, Jouslain had put various plans into motion, and one of them had proven successful. He had sent a secret communication to Balamy, who was on planet Tyron, advising him to travel to planet Bargash.

Rumours had reached Uraniborg that Balamy harboured ill intentions towards Idris. It was certain that Idris would come to hate him, and if Balamy were to be arrested on Tyron, for Jouslain there would be no saving him. Balamy followed those instructions and managed to make his escape in haste. After changing ships several times, he arrived at Bargash to meet Ariabert, eventually boarding that fleet to come and ''rendezvous'' with Jouslain and the others.

“To be honest, I wavered. I wondered whether I should go to save Lord Jouslain or abandon him to side with His Clanner Highness.”

“Were you planning to abandon me as well?”

Princess Lydia asked with a solemn expression. Her question pierced through Balamy’s attempt to hide behind a mask of feigned malice, leaving him with nothing to do but laugh. After all, he was the faithful knight of the young princess.

“No, I could not do that, which is why I rushed here like this. Since I have acted without receiving orders from Uraniborg, I can no longer permit myself to hesitate.”

In truth, three days after Balamy had departed Tyron on the passenger ship, an order had been sent from Uraniborg to Tyron, commanding that Balamy be taken into custody. It had been a matter of a split second.

“It seems His Grace Jouslain’s prophecy regarding future events has come true, then.”

“It was nothing special. I merely considered several possibilities.”

Jouslain shook his head slightly with a wry smile.

“When you stay in Uraniborg, you find yourself thinking about nothing but such things. That place is, after all, the Demon King’s castle.”

“I believe it is the very source of the authority that governs the universe.”

When Balamy voiced his objection with a somewhat naive air, Jouslain merely shrugged his shoulders.

“That authority is not the breath of God but the miasma of the Demon King. It is only because I reside in Uraniborg that I am able to perceive that.”

Balamy fell silent. He could not determine whether Jouslain’s remark was a profound truth or a mere joke, and if it were a joke, he knew he ought to respond with a witty retort of his own. The very fact that he was agonising over such a choice seemed to testify to the truth that Balamy was a young man who had always been far removed from humour or wit.

Regardless, Balamy had, for the time being, chosen to acquiesce to Jouslain. “''But that doesn’t mean I intend to share life and death with Jouslain,”'' he tried to convince himself.

Princess Lydia would have laughed had she heard it, but Balamy harboured ambitions of becoming a villainous hero in an age of chaos<ref name="ftn29">This is a reference to the Chinese warlord Cao Cao, who in his youth met a soothsayer who told him that he was “in times of peace a capable statesman, in times of chaos a villainous hero”.</ref>. And it appeared that such an age was rapidly approaching. He asked Jouslain a question:

“How were you able to foresee today’s events? Would you care to tell me?”

A serious light shone in Balamy’s eyes. He sensed there was something to be learned from Jouslain’s way of thinking.

Jouslain replied, as if imparting a lesson:

“If he were to act while I was at Uraniborg, there was a risk I would thwart it. I had no intentions of letting such a conspiracy succeed without a struggle. The only logical timing would be immediately after my departure from Uraniborg.”

By doing so, Jouslain’s departure could be summarily branded as an escape and dealt with accordingly. It was exactly the sort of calculation Idris would have made. However, one could also say that the half-hearted, incomplete nature of such an “execution” was characteristically Idris.

“So, did Lord Idris not place much weight on Lord Ariabert?”

“Perhaps Idris thought that once I was dead, it would not be difficult to strike down an isolated Ariabert. Though in truth, it would be quite a difficult feat.”

Jouslain laughed sarcastically. Balamy tilted his head slightly.

“Even so, regardless of Lord Idris, it seems His Clanner Highness’ reaction was rather slow.”

“I am most grateful for it.”

Jouslain did not mean those words. Rather, it felt eerie. It seemed as though the Clanner’s delayed responses to each of Jouslain’s actions were all part of a calculated plan. Surely the Clanner must have known that only by uniting Ariabert and Jouslain could Tytania be shaken. If the Clanner had truly intended to move against the annihilation of the various dukes, Jouslain would have been arrested long ago, and Ariabert would have been left isolated on the frontier. Furthermore, the great army under Idris’ command would have already been marching towards Bargash. That was not what happened. The true intentions of the Clanner were truly impossible to fathom.

15<sup>th</sup> of April, SY&nbsp;447. Amidst the suspicion, anxiety, and unrest that gripped the cosmos, Duke Jouslain Tytania arrived on planet Bargash. Prior to this, his authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force had already been suspended in the name of Clanner Ajman.

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