Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 8 (section)

=== V ===
Enduring the absurdity of paying for coffee that tasted even worse than what she could have brewed herself, Seraphine Coopers asked:

“So, what are we going to do about Zelpha?”

“Ah, if it turns out he has nowhere else to go, I was thinking we might just adopt him ourselves.”

Miranda spoke lightly, and Mahdi’s laughter rang out, breaking a momentary silence, only to instantly turn into a shriek.

“Ow, stop it!”

“Even so, I am Her Highness the Princess of Casabianca. Have you forgotten? Or are you just pretending to have forgotten?”

“I remember, I remember! That’s why I’m telling you to stop pulling my ear. It’s going to tear off!”

When Miranda released her grip, Mahdi exaggeratedly rubbed his ear.

“Ooh, that hurt. But, tell me, you don’t intend to raise him as a young lord, do you? How exactly do you plan to raise him?”

“I shall raise him to be a splendid captain… though before that, he might try to kill us or run away and vanish.”

“Hey now, are you sure about that?”

“Suppose Seraphine decides to cook fried eggs for Hyulick every once in a while?”

“That was a remarkably sudden change of subject.”

Mahdi flicked the edge of his coffee cup with his fingertip, and Seraphine herself blinked, staring at Miranda.

“So, the egg is poured into the frying pan. The yolk maintains its shape, but the white changes form, spreading and flowing, until it gradually solidifies. It’s about what shape it ultimately takes when it hardens.”

“A fine metaphor,” remarked Doctor Lee.

“Is that so? I suppose it’ll be interesting waiting to see what kind of fried egg we get. I just hope it doesn’t become an addiction.”

Before he could even finish, Mahdi leaned his upper body away to avoid an attack on his ear. Glancing at that purely defensive manoeuvre, Hyulick turned to ask Doctor Lee.

“What about the name of the Blaze Flag Army from now on?”

“There is no copyright on it, so if anyone wants to use it, they are free to do so.”

“Is that really alright?”

“Fine by me. If those using it turn out to be a bunch of scoundrels, I’ll just accuse them of unauthorised use and fleece them for damages.”

“As expected of you.”

“If you pay a usage fee, I might even let you make it your own personal brand.”

“… No, I’ll pass.”

Fan Hyulick was struck by a physiological necessity, so he made his way to the appropriate place. Once he had finished, he stood in the bustling corridor, glancing aimlessly around his surroundings.

He doubted he would ever return to this place again. As he felt a sudden, uncharacteristic wave of sentimentality, a woman passed in front of Hyulick. His mouth parted slightly as he was captivated by her.

She was a beautiful woman. Was she around the age of twenty? Her attire was modest and elegant, without being ostentatious. Her features, while not quite peerless, were lovely enough to draw the eye and possessed a certain dignified grace.

Where could a beauty like that be going on a solo journey? No, she must have someone with her. Perhaps someone was waiting for her somewhere. Whoever they were, they were incredibly lucky. Just as that thought crossed his mind, the voice of Seraphine Coopers reached him.

“Fan, what are you doing!? Our ship’s name has finally been announced. If you don’t hurry, you’ll be left behind!”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming!”

Perhaps he, too, was quite fortunate. With that thought, the young man who had once caused a great upheaval throughout the entire universe ruffled his carrot-coloured hair and walked towards his companions with a brisk pace.

The beautiful woman did not even glance at Hyulick, but her approach to the service counter could only be described as cautious. She carefully compared the electronic timetable positioned above the counter with the small tablet in her hands.

“I’d like the earliest possible departure for Ementhal, please. For two people.”

“If it’s Ementhal, I can get you two seats. Although it doesn’t look like any other flights will be able to depart for the time being. Who even knows if the flight to Ementhal might be cancelled? However, you’re in luck, miss. A cancellation has just come through. But do you have cash on you?”

“Is a card not acceptable?”

“Well, miss, it would have been until now. But as you know, the Tytania payment system has crashed, and until it is restored, we have no choice but to settle payments in cash. Don’t worry, everything will be resolved within two days.”

“Very well. I can’t wait two days, so I will pay in cash.”

The clerk nodded, though a somewhat complicated emotion flickered across his face. He was a middle-aged man and, naturally, felt a fondness for the young, beautiful woman. He hoped to leave a good impression on her.

“Are you sure? Actually, the cheaper cabins<ref name="ftn35">“Room” (客室) is pronounced “cabin”.</ref> are being filled up first, so it will be a bit more expensive…”

“That’s fine. How much will it be?”

As the clerk announced the price, the young beauty smiled and nodded, then opened her bag and produced the cash. How could someone so young afford such an amount? He accepted the payment while wondering about that. Ordinarily, he would have pressed the button under the counter to call for Tytania guards just to be safe, but times had changed.

“Depending on the circumstances, I could offer a discounted rate.”

“Actually, my companion is in a wheelchair.”

“Goodness, you should have said so sooner. If you are travelling with a disabled person, you are entitled to priority boarding, and the price will be discounted by five per cent.”

“My, how kind of you. Thank you very much.”

“No, no, it is simply part of the service…”

On that day, the attendant carried out his work in high spirits, and several other passengers were fortunate enough to benefit from it.

The beautiful woman left the counter and moved behind a large rectangular pillar.

“Lord Jouslain.”

The man she addressed was seated in a wheelchair. He had bandages wrapped from his head across the upper half of his face, he wore dark sunglasses for the visually impaired, and his left arm hung in a sling from his shoulder. Though his condition was wretched, the suit he wore was brand new and looked expensive, despite looking plain. A thin blanket was draped over his knees.

This was the current state of Duke Jouslain Tytania.

“Ah, thank you… I truly am useless. If you weren’t here, Francia, I wouldn’t even be able to survive. I am a man of no value.”

“Speaking such self-deprecating things is not like you, Lord Jouslain.”

“Very well, I shall stop. Did you happen to run into anyone we know in the lobby?”

“No, fortunately, I didn’t run into anyone.”

In the end, Hyulick and Francia’s encounter concluded without them ever learning each other’s true identities.

Clanner Ajman was dead. Duke Ariabert was dead. Duke Zarlisch was dead. Duke Idris was dead. Only Duke Jouslain remained alive. If that fact became known, everyone would accept Jouslain as the next Clanner. Even having lost his sight and being paralysed from the waist down, his achievements and his balanced political leadership and mediation skills would be supported as being capable of maintaining the “''Pax Tytaniana''” for decades to come.

And after that?

New ambitious figures would emerge to vie for the next throne, new rivals would appear, and human society would watch the progress and the outcome with bated breath.

As he had stated, Jouslain desired to escape from Tytania and leave Uraniborg far behind. Francia shared this wish. For the time being, they would head to Ementhal. Since it was a major transport hub, it would allow them to travel even further into the frontier.

Jouslain recalled his visit to the doctor yesterday, under a pseudonym.

“Traumatic amaurosis. I am sorry, but no recovery can be expected.”

Francia’s hand tightened as she gripped Jouslain’s. Jouslain remained calm as he squeezed her hand back.

“A diagnosis fitting for me. Even with my eyes open, I can see nothing.”

The doctor added, in an attempt to prevent him from becoming too pessimistic:

“With cybernetic prosthetic eyes, you will be able to see again. However, insurance won’t cover it, so it would likely be quite expensive.”

“We shall discuss insurance later. How about his legs?”

Suppressing her irritation deep within, Francia fixed her eyes on the doctor with a look of trust, prompting him to blink as if squinting against a bright light.

“The bones from his right knee downwards have suffered complete committed fractures. I am terribly sorry to say this, but amputation will be necessary. As for the compound fracture in his left leg, it should recover in about three months.”

He went on to discuss surgery for the left shoulder, the cybernetic prosthetic leg, and how the fractures to the ribs and left shoulder would likely heal fully within about a month. The doctor tilted his head several times while speaking, likely because Jouslain’s face looked somewhat familiar. Francia had felt a moment of trepidation, but in the end, the doctor was so preoccupied with the impression Francia made that he failed to recognise Jouslain…

Francia spoke:

“The interstellar liner bound for Ementhal will depart in an hour. Let us go, Lord Jouslain.”

Francia turned Jouslain’s wheelchair around and began to move forward, pushing him from behind. Jouslain spoke to her over his shoulder:

“You could have opted for an electric model…”

“I want to push you myself. Please, let me do this my way.”

“I am sorry.”

“One day, you will be taking about how harsh I am. I intend to be quite strict when assisting you with your rehabilitation.”

After a brief silence, Jouslain spoke with deep sincerity:

“I shall rely on you, then.”

“Yes, yes, please do rely on me.”

Her voice sounded as though it were laced with tears. Upon the black canvas of his unseeing eyes, Jouslain tried to trace the fleeting images of Ariabert, Idris, and Zarlisch.

He decided that he would live on.



In later years, July SY&nbsp;447 was marked as the beginning of the Great Interregnum “Zamana Masafent”. The year of Duke Jouslain Tytania’s death is unknown.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
| Return to [[Tytania|Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>