Stonehenge (1)
Preparations for the subjugation campaign were in full swing.
Back in the City of Opportunity, Cambria, Najin looked around and thought as much. On the surface nothing seemed out of the ordinary, yet to someone who knew the inner workings, the subtle currents of activity were impossible to miss.
The flow of merchants, supplies moving somewhere, Central Guild staff rushing about…
They were clearly busy preparing for the coming subjugation of the Red Dragon and the White Dragon. The Central Guild had ordered the White Horn adventurers to keep silent, but that did not mean the information was confined to them alone.
They must have shared it with the affiliated merchant houses as well.
A large-scale subjugation inevitably required vast quantities of supplies. This one, involving five White Horn adventurers and even an imperial knight order, could not afford any shortfall. And the specialists in that field were the merchant houses, not the guild. They had almost certainly brought one of them on board.
“……”
Scanning the surroundings in silence, Najin soon let out a short, dry laugh. He already had a fair idea which merchant house it was. A certain merchant whose gold-coin eyes always glittered rose in his mind.
Come to think of it, it had been nearly a month since he last saw her face. Dieta’s voice, whining that he should visit more often, still lingered in his ears, so he turned his steps toward the merchant house.
It’s almost time.
-Yeah. About three days from now?
Merlin folded her spread fingers one by one and waggled three of them in front of Najin’s eyes.
-I ran the numbers. Roughly three days left until the seal is at its weakest.
It matched the date the Central Guild and the imperial court had predicted. Najin idly stroked the chain stake Gilette had given him and muttered inwardly.
Should I have told them?
That the Red and White Dragons would fully revive. That they would be far stronger enemies than anyone anticipated. Only Najin and Merlin knew that truth.
-Eh, wouldn’t have meant much.
When Najin asked whether he should have informed them in advance, Merlin shook her head.
-Even if you told them, there’s no guarantee they’d believe you. No evidence. You could play prophet, sure, but that would only make them more suspicious.
She was right. That was exactly why he had kept silent.
-And even if they did believe you, how many more reinforcements would the Empire actually send? No one left in this age still knows how terrifying those dragons truly are. Maybe out in the Outer Land, but not here.
They would never commit Master-class forces to something like this. At best they might add a few more knights to the order—Merlin’s tone made that plain. In truth the Empire did not rate the Red and White Dragons as particularly high threats; most likely they regarded the event as just another cycle that came around every few centuries.
That makes sense too.
-Besides, what’s there to worry about?
Merlin grinned and threw her shoulders back with pride.
-You’re going in with the personal tutoring of the great archmage who set the sky ablaze, brought down countless dragons, and pinned the Dragon of the Abyss to the earth. Nothing to worry about, right?
Watching Merlin snort with absolute confidence, shoulders squared, Najin merely shrugged. Over the past few months she had seized every free moment to lecture him on dragon traits. Thanks to that, his knowledge of dragons now surpassed that of most scholars.
If Merlin says so, then it must be so.
-What’s with that reaction?
Letting her familiar grumbling wash over one ear and out the other, Najin kept walking.
“It’s really hard to get a look at your face, isn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry about that.”
“No, no, nothing to apologize for. You were busy, right? I was busy too. Just… maybe there was time for a quick meal? I’m not saying I particularly wanted to see you or anything. From a purely business standpoint, though, vanishing for a whole month without a single word is…”
Dieta twisted a lock of her hair around her finger, avoiding Najin’s gaze while launching into a full speech. Standing right beside her, her guardian knight Pasion had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing.
For the past month Dieta had sighed heavily while staring out the window. “It’s so hard to see his face.” “Wonder when he’ll drop by.” “We live right next door—this is too much, isn’t it?” She had muttered those things over and over.
Then, when word came that Najin had left for the Outer Land, she had widened her eyes and stamped her foot. Still, knowing he would return within the month, she had sighed and waited—twenty-seven days of it.
He’s finally here!
At the news of Najin’s visit she had shot to her feet with a bright expression, then quickly forced herself back to calm and agonized. Wouldn’t this look too eager? Was she letting herself be led around too easily? She had learned from books that once you lost the initiative in a man-woman relationship, everything was finished.
“It’s not like I was waiting or anything. I just… maybe thought a letter or two wouldn’t have hurt? Or maybe I didn’t think that…”
Of course, what one learned from books and what one could actually pull off were entirely different matters. Seeing Najin’s face after a full month made her heart pound and her cheeks burn. He somehow looked more mature than a month ago. Well, eighteen was still a growing age…?
With those useless thoughts running through her head, Dieta fanned her face and poured everything into her act. To Pasion, standing right beside her, it looked like an utterly useless performance.
“From now on I’ll at least send letters.”
He could not read her full intentions, but he could tell she looked thoroughly put out. Najin answered with a wry smile.
“…Really?”
“Yes. Letters aren’t difficult.”
“If you could visit in person, that would be even better.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s a promise.”
Only then did Dieta’s face brighten as she rapped the table in her office. Come closer and sit, the gesture meant. Across from her stood a top-grade guest chair she had brought in about a month earlier under the pretext of receiving visitors; only Pasion knew it was reserved exclusively for Najin.
She has it moved far out of the way whenever other guests come.
At the news of Najin’s arrival she had hurriedly ordered Pasion to put it back. Of course Najin had no way of knowing any of that, so as he sat he simply thought, Nice seating comfort.
“Anyway, Dieta.”
Seated, Najin asked,
“You know about the subjugation that’s about to start, right? People from the Dieta Trading Company have been moving busily.”
“Of course. We’re the ones who secured distribution of supplies and first bidding rights on the materials after the subjugation.”
Dieta had not spent the past month idle either. Noticing the Central Guild’s restless movements, she had approached them at once and landed several contracts.
“A subjugation naturally needs supplies, and after the fight a trading company becomes even more necessary. Especially when the targets are dragons. Needless to say, dragon materials trade at astronomical prices.”
Dieta’s bright yellow eyes sparkled.
“It’s an opportunity. A chance to rake in gold coins by the cartload.”
True to her uncanny nose for the scent of gold, she was already casting bait. The goods she planned to unload on the imperial knight order arriving tomorrow were already prepared.
“Najin, this is a huge opportunity for you too, isn’t it?”
Dieta smiled at him.
“Dragons have been symbols of great deeds since ancient times. If you distinguish yourself in this subjugation, you might even earn a star, don’t you think? I don’t know the details, of course.”
“Ordinary distinction won’t cut it. I intend to take the leading role. The most eye-catching, most spectacular part.”
Great deeds always belonged to those who charged furthest ahead. The greater the risk, the brighter the achievement would shine.
“That’s so like you. Then this subjugation is a great opportunity for both of us to draw closer to our dreams, isn’t it?”
Opportunity.
“Our company is going to snatch up every last material that comes out of this subjugation. At the highest prices. That’s what the first bidding rights are for.”
A plan she had told no one else. Dieta laid it out for Najin.
“We’re going to monopolize the dragon materials. Goods that haven’t been on the market for decades. That’s more than enough reason to lock them down. Plenty of houses will try to tag along, of course… but is there any trading company that can match ours in gold-coin circulation? We gathered every coin we could for this deal, even taking losses.”
She flicked a platinum coin into the air.
“After the monopoly, we make our real push into the imperial capital.”
Toward a larger market. Beyond Cambria, into the very heart of the Empire.
“Using the dragon materials as the centerpiece, we’ll break into deals with the capital’s mage towers and sign contracts. Once the path is open, the rest is easy. Our house can move ‘countless materials’ swiftly through Cambria. We’ll be able to deliver whatever they need at speed.”
That was only the beginning, she said. With a sly smile she snatched the coin she had flipped out of the air.
“It’s a chance to make our name known in the capital. Making the name known is the first step. This is the first button, so to speak.”
“Same for me.”
Najin looked at Dieta as he spoke.
“If you mean to climb to the highest place, you first have to carve a single star. For me, too, this will be the first button.”
For both Najin and Dieta, the dragon subjugation carried deep meaning. It would be the chance for two people who were still frogs in a well to step outside that well.
“Then, as a way of cheering each other on for our futures…”
Dieta glanced at Najin and parted her lips. After a brief hesitation she opened her mouth as if to say, come what may.
“Shall we grab a meal together for the first time in a while? One meal’s fine, right? Tea would be nice too, while we’re at it.”
“Let’s do that.”
At Najin’s answer Dieta clenched her fist in joy so fierce it looked as though she might scream, and her guardian knight Pasion smiled inwardly.
A merchant laying plans to seize the imperial capital. His master was a born trader who could snatch the flow of gold coins and even create that flow herself… yet in front of this boy she became an ordinary girl.
A girl of her age who laughed purely, flushed over trivial things, and felt shy. When Dieta called, “Pasion, get ready to go, hurry,” he nodded and started moving.
In any case, it was a good thing.
Watching the sweet, fluttering exchange between the boy and the girl, Pasion smiled contentedly.
Time passed, and the day of the subjugation arrived.
Near Cambria, at Stonehenge, the participants of the subjugation force gathered. The White Horn adventurers said to stand at the pinnacle of Cambria had assembled in one place.
Former heretic inquisitor, Bashen Corte.
Former knight commander, Rihart Polsen.
Red eyes, Roselyn Ascalo.
Unknown, Grizel Paramelt.
And—
The new star, Najin.
The five White Horn adventurers who stood at Cambria’s peak formed the core of the subjugation force that now surrounded Stonehenge. Knight orders sent by the imperial court began deploying artifacts and equipment, while trading-company staff hurried about laying out supplies.
The seal would break in the deep of night.
To light the darkness, ore lamps and signal flares procured by the trading company studded the sky. Spare equipment and supplies were stacked in the rear; top-grade potions for restoring mana and stamina were distributed.
And Najin—
walked to the position he had claimed for himself.
A low hill rising from the broad grassland. Standing stones encircling the hill in a ring, like a tomb. The sealing formation Merlin had raised a thousand years ago.
Stonehenge.
Sealing formation and dragon’s tomb.
Najin took his place where the standing stones filled his view at a glance. He had requested this position for one reason only: Merlin had told him it was where Arthur had stood.
Najin drew his sword.
The same place as Arthur. The same stage. The same circumstances.
Today, on this ground, he would write the first page of a new myth. Najin had decided it. Not anyone else—Najin himself had decided it.
That lofty night sky.
Because his own star had not yet taken its place, it still felt like a distant, far-off realm.
Tonight, Najin would carve his star into it.