49.
49.
"The army—! Prepare the army and the horses—! I said prepare my steed Boukephalos! The army—!"
"Your Majesty...! Calm yourself...!"
"Basilikinos! I said hurry up and prepare! Ugh— Symbatios... Symbatios! You filthy Armenian...! How dare you do this to me—!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Heavens, what are the Scholai (Imperial Guard) doing! Escort His Majesty at once!"
"Yes!"
"Everyone clear the way! His Majesty is coming, clear the way!"
...They were working hard.
At first, I only thought it was a staged play. The faces of Rentakios and Basil turning white was so funny that I was about to crack a joke, but the mood was far from good.
The sight of Michael exploding with rage in every direction was truly like a brave lion.
A slightly very drunk lion, that is.
The high-ranking, nameless Romans around him were all making a fuss, but their eyes were rolling around in their heads.
'Was this... this was Europe's finest court...? How have these people not collapsed yet...?'
Watching the emperor being carried out, leaning on his guards, and the nobles gathering in clusters to whisper, it seemed no one was truly worried about Symbatios's rebellion; rather, they were engaged in a heated discussion about what they themselves could gain from it.
"Helgi Konungr. Unintentionally, I am uneasy at heart to have shown you such— ... such a disgraceful display, but it seems tonight's banquet must end here."
Unlike Rentakios, whose face was still white, Basil, who had recovered quickly, spoke to me in a low voice.
"Of course. Though I am here as a guest of Rome, if you require even my humble aid, please do not hesitate to speak."
"Indeed, your words alone lift my spirits. Rome will remember the Konungr's goodwill."
Though his face wore a satisfied smile, this man's eyes were not smiling at all.
"Then, I should withdraw to my chambers now. Symbasileis (Co-Emperor)."
"Farewell, Helgi Konungr."
With his answer, Basil turned his back first and strode out of the clamorous banquet hall, a cluster of guards following behind him.
'Indeed, it is different from a unified court. I couldn't even count how many factions there were.'
Were the clear loyalists of Michael only Basilikinos and a few Scholai who had just escorted him out...? With the situation like this, it was only natural that Petronas and Damian in Cherson were worried about the safety of the emperor and the empire.
Was it Symbatios? Just what did that man believe in to raise a flag of rebellion so full-scale?
'Well, from my perspective, this isn't bad. I just need to lie low for a while. I could visit the library...'
In the banquet hall vacated by the two emperors. There was no reason to stay in a place where even Rentakios had vanished somewhere, so I turned my steps toward my room.
Then, one by one, my escorts fell in behind me. Refil, Seutorolpeu, Oleg, Djur.
No Roman stopped the five barbarians as they strode out of the hall. A few watched with interested eyes, but it seemed their calculations were not yet finished.
"Refil. Rome looks like it will become noisy. A rebellion seems to have broken out."
"A rebellion...? The timing is quite coincidental."
Our expeditionary force of Northmen was a max-level warrior party. Everyone here trusted the power of the fist more than the power of words, so Refil, who always tried to keep his cool like his father, possessed overflowing qualities as an advisor.
"Yes, someone might think it was timed for our arrival. We must strengthen our guard for the time being. Tell the warriors to be careful as well."
"It will be done, Konungr."
As we walked the long corridor of the Bucoleon Palace, many eyes passed over us, but no one would be able to understand what we were saying. Because it was the Norse tongue.
"Konungr. Perhaps it may not be a plot aimed at us."
Djur, who was more familiar with the local political situation than Refil and I, cautiously spoke up.
"...Continue."
"Yes, Konungr. Everyone around knows that the Emperor of Rome and those surrounding him are not in their right minds. As Jarl Refil said, the timing is coincidental, but... it is possible that those who were provoked by Konungr's appearance moved hastily.
For example, those who oppose the emperor gaining the city's support."
"Oh—"
"Hm—"
We Northmen liked simple things and were straightforward people. We were by no means fools, and we burst out in collective admiration.
'Indeed, this made more sense. To put it bluntly, what was there to gain by killing a few Norse men?'
Of course, I intended to tear off the arm of anyone who drew a blade on me, but looking at it rationally, there was not much profit to be gained by touching us. The scheme was definitely aimed at the emperor, but...
"I offer my thanks for your high insight, Djur."
"You flatter me, Konungr!"
You didn't win the Jarldom of Kiyiu by gambling, Djur. For now, I add you to my list of slaves— no, my list of capable retainers. He had an eye for reading political schemes; I would work him in diplomatic duties... noted.
"For now, there seems to be little for us to do immediately, so it would be best for everyone to rest well. But not as utterly deeply as in Cherson."
"Ahem—!"
"Uhehem! Uhem!"
"Kehum—"
Except for Refil, Oleg, Djur, and Seutorolpeu all let out embarrassed, dry coughs in unison.
It was only because they were my lieutenants who constantly saw my face that it was this mild; the 120 warriors under my command would be seeking out the women of Constantinople and ransacking the city at the first opportunity. They didn't even share a language; I hoped they wouldn't cause any accidents.
Of course, I didn't think the discipline of the Árós warriors fell behind anywhere, but it felt like watching young children left by the water's edge.
"Now, the night is deep, so everyone return to your own rooms. Those who lack drink or feel hungry need only tell the servants, and they will bring it to you."
"Understood, Konungr!"
After forcibly sending off those who were trying to leave only after seeing me enter safely, I gave a word of appreciation for their hard work to the two Roman soldiers guarding my door, and entered my room, which clearly showed the great pains taken for hospitality.
Copper, or was it brass? If not for the flickering flame upon a beautiful golden dish, it was a terrace where the starlight twinkling across the night sky seemed about to pour into the room. I threw myself onto the bed placed opposite it, soon pillowed my head on my arm, and fiddled with the paper Rentakios had slipped into my sleeve.
'He was a capable man after all, Rentakios. Right after telling me to beware Symbatios, a rebellion breaks out immediately...'
The image of his smooth, beardless face turning white came to mind, and an unbidden laugh escaped me.
'Then, what about Basil...'
I didn't know exactly how much intelligence Rentakios possessed, but from what I saw with my own eyes, the co-emperor Basil was no different from a bomb that could go off anywhere, anytime without surprise.
'Perhaps, he might even be connected to Symbatios.'
Beyond the shadows on the wall that flickered with the flame, some gigantic being lurked. A beast aiming for Emperor Michael, that is.
'With time, I'd come to know in more detail.'
After watching the dance of flame and shadow for a while, I closed my eyes.
*****
Rome's preparations for war were accomplished with lightning speed.
I recalled them being called the Scholai; whether the emperor's personal guard held the qualifications to lead armies on their own, they were bustling about carrying rolls of bound documents or moving papers stamped with the emperor's seal to and fro.
The Bucoleon Palace, true to its name, transformed into a place where bulls and lions rampaged, and this massive city preparing for war awaited its festival of blood without a hint of fluster, as naturally as could be.
Whether that should be called deep reserves of strength, or a sign of just how frequent war had been, I didn't know.
I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was not important to me right now.
"Konungr of the Svear and Danes, Helgi Ragnarsson, Great Warrior of Hel. I am Yngvar. Please, accept my greeting...!"
"Come now, rise at once, brave Yngvar. Since when was the captain of the Varangians a position that bowed so easily?"
A veteran warrior, his head and beard full of white hair yet still possessing a strong and sturdy frame, came to my room and prostrated himself. This was a custom absent in the North, Proskynesis. Usually, it ended with a mere kneeling and bowing of the head, but the fact that this old warrior lay flat before me was likely a sign of nostalgia for his homeland and respect for the name of Konungr.
When I personally took him by the shoulder and lifted him up, his eyes glistened with tears, and a light of gratitude shone in his moist eyes, but I pretended not to notice for the old warrior's dignity.
"Moreover, you are more than just the captain of the Varangians, Jarl Yngvar. I heard you also serve as the emperor's father-in-law and a senator, making your standing by no means inferior to my own."
"What a thing to say...! My daughter already serves the god of this place more than the Old Gods, but in my heart, Odin and Hel still stand strong."
A necklace bearing the symbol of Hel poked out from between his Roman silks. A strange and yet welcome sight. Where had he gotten this?
While the Norse warriors around me all broke into smiles, Yngvar, smiling himself, continued his words.
"As you have come all this way, I assume you already know, but between my daughter and the two Their Majesties... a dishonorable affair is entangled. So now, I merely fulfill the contract that exists between the emperor and myself, between this city and myself; personal feelings have long since vanished."
Just what was it about this beautiful city that made a person so cynical?
Somehow, the face of co-emperor Basil from last night's banquet came to mind; an arid face, as if all emotion had faded and faded until it finally turned gray, appeared through Yngvar's features, but soon hid its chilly form.
"However, Konungr, you are the son of Ragnar Sigurdsson and the avenger who achieved his revenge. Are you not the rightful Konungr of the Norse people? Though all Varangians in this city have sworn to protect the emperor and his city, any who still carry the old gods in their hearts would wish to follow Konungr...!"
Are you not the strongest (Sterk) among us?
At Yngvar's following words, I grew a little embarrassed, but seeing my lieutenants, Refil included, all raise their shoulders and snort, I thought, 'Well, it's not so bad, is it?' If I could fill their pride even in this way, what couldn't I do?
"There, there. When kin meet after a long time, too much praise is not good. Come, share a cup with me. And speak what weighs on your heart."
"I shall, Konungr Helgi."
Leading the old hand unable to contain its emotion, I sat at the simple table prepared on the terrace, and Refil brought wine and two cups.
"Thank you, Refil. You lot drink as well."
"You need not say it, Konungr."
He looked exactly like what Björn would have if he were young.
When Refil turned to faithfully carry out my order and passed the wine to Seutorolpeu, Djur, and Oleg, who were seated a little distance away on the terrace.
Yngvar, who had been intently watching the scene, let his low voice ring in my ear.
"He must be a warrior of Ragnar Konungr's bloodline. His face is familiar."
"You must have seen my father. You saw correctly, Jarl Yngvar. Refil is the son of my brother, Björn."
"Huh—. Now that you say it, it is truly so. That jaw and those eyes are purely Jarl Björn's."
It turned out this Varangian captain, who said he had seen my father a few times in his childhood when he set out on expeditions, also knew the faces of Björn and Ivar. An old Norse warrior who had headed east before I was born, and yet, despite the long years passed, he said the faces of my father, Björn, and Ivar still appeared vividly before his eyes. He was a bit older than Björn and Ivar, and a little younger than my father, probably.
The words that came from this Yngvar's mouth threw my heart, which had been deeply pleased to meet a long-lost kinsman, into bewilderment.
"So, you say the emperor wishes for me to join him?"
"That is correct, Konungr. On the surface, it will appear that Konungr personally steps forward for the emperor and Rome in their hour of crisis, but behind the scenes, he has said he will ensure you a reward you will not find disappointing."
Wasn't this... telling me to become a Varangian?
Though unofficially, that is.