Remember the Empire (3)
The meal had ended. The host had provided a guest tent.
“The housekeeper finished the cleaning. You must be tired, so go and get some rest.”
“I appreciate you looking after us.”
“Oh, no. I’m the one who should be honored. Enjoy a peaceful night.”
As they saw the host off, the two of them entered the guest tent.
It was a tent, of course, but on the prairie it was like a house.
“Even though it’s summer, it’s chilly.”
The night on the prairie was deeper and colder than the Empire’s night, sometimes feeling like a sea at night.
Bia spoke in a calm voice.
“Sleep first.”
“What about you, Bia?”
“I can’t sleep.”
—She said that, but.
Bia was in the position of guarding Vesta. She would stay awake through the night until he fell asleep again at dawn.
They would stay awake.
Vesta had guessed as much. So he kept talking to her to keep her from getting bored, as often as possible. Until she told him it was time to sleep.
“Looks like we’ll arrive by noon tomorrow.”
“…Really?”
“You don’t look very happy.”
Bia only knew the broad outline of the purpose of this trip.
“Honestly, I’m nervous. I don’t know what kind of words are going to come out.”
—Just the words would be fine.
“There might be something else besides words. A knife or a harpoon, for example.”
It sounded serious, but Bia was a woman of courage.
“It’s fine.”
“Eh?”
“You’re more confident than you’re letting on.”
“Haha, so that’s how it is.”
Was it a joke to ease the tension? Laughter came out.
“You’re not confident?”
“Of course I am.”
*
They were not far from their destination.
Bia’s expression was sharper than usual. It was not from lack of sleep.
—Things that gnawed at her.
“Bia. You feel it, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
—Oh, is that the golden one?
The owner of that voice was a centaur man. Staring from afar was more annoying than usual.
—Not just that one.
“As we get closer to our destination, the number is increasing.”
There were not just one or two centaurs like that. At least dozens.
‘More like dozens of riders.’
The difference was enormous.
Dozens of people could be seen in any ordinary village, but dozens of riders was a number only seen on a battlefield.
‘One after another.’
Before they knew it, they were completely surrounded by the centaurs.
Bia spoke in a calm voice.
“Don’t be tense. They don’t seem to plan to attack.”
They only looked at Bia with curious or challenging eyes; they did not threaten her.
Of course their sheer number made them intimidating.
“Looking at how many of them gathered, it might be the head of the Fengshen family.”
“Do we have to meet them?”
Bia shook her head.
“…No need. Here they come.”
The centaur man stood out. He had absorbed all the others into him. He walked forward proudly alone.
He had a familiar face.
“I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”
The centaur who had left a deep impression on him was Attila.
“Walk and talk. Baatar.”
His smile looked a little savage somewhere.
*
Attila walked Vesta around a big circle and showed him the scenery his people had created.
‘He’s like a warlord.’
The scale was significant. The group had grown much larger. Moreover, the composition of the people had changed dramatically.
“There are more humans.”
More than centaurs, it seemed. It was not a usual formation.
‘They would have trouble cooperating because they’re so different.’
“Isn’t there any friction among them?”
“We fight every day. But it’s necessary.”
“Necessary…”
Attila looked at Vesta and asked.
“Are you from the Empire?”
“Yes, I am from the Empire.”
“Then have you ever thought about this?”
What was he trying to say?
“People say the Emperor of the Empire and the Great Khan of the prairie are equals.”
The Great Khan and the Emperor had never recognized each other, but at least people thought so.
—Don’t you think that’s strange?
“The Great Khan is the supreme ruler of the elves, but the Emperor is the successor of the emperor who subdued countless nations. He personally rules a monstrously huge nation.”
“......”
“An emperor who stands in a realm above that, and a Great Khan standing on equal footing.”
“Because that emperor suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the previous Great Khan.”
“You can call that a reason too.”
Attila nodded and then stated his own view.
“In my opinion, the Great Khan may not rule all nations, but because he is the leader of a multi-species alliance, he is treated as equal to the Emperor.”
Attila said race was a category as wide as the nation itself.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“The centaurs are one of the strongest races native to this land. But they are incomplete.”
A centaur man famous for his strong pride was admitting his own limits. It was not an easy sight.
Centaur men were born after having their humility beaten out of them.
‘This man is different.’
He admitted his limits. But he did not fear them. He saw them as something to overcome.
“We always travel in groups. Because we are incomplete beings. If we didn’t have comrades, this body couldn’t even put on armor.”
“On the other hand, humans are stable in every way. They are outstanding workers who are not bound by any situation.”
Attila looked at Vesta.
The centaur looked at “humans.”
“You have clear physical limits, so you always try to find a way and eventually succeed. That is your strength.”
Attila said that strength completed the centaurs.
It was an uncentaur-like way of thinking.
—Still dangerous.
Vesta’s hand twitched. That hand that had faced countless beasts once told him to cut Attila down with a single slash.
—If I did that, these centaurs here would tear me to pieces.
Even if he hardened his heart, it would not be easy. No, impossible.
—Even if I ambushed him, I don’t think I could take him down.
The man in front of him was a strong man who reminded her of Bia. When you considered that she was a warrior born and trained at a high level in the military, he looked even more naturally gifted.
If you had to find a comparison, the most unreasonable warrior Vesta knew.
So much so that it made you think of Ashtien.
‘Impossible.’
He felt an unpleasant sense of powerlessness.
“......”
Attila looked at Vesta with calm eyes and asked in a calm voice.
“So, where was the path to becoming Baatar? This place is a bit far from where the Khan stays.”
Vesta suppressed his wandering thoughts and answered.
“I came to look for people. The meeting place is nearby.”
Just in case, Vesta asked.
“Do you happen to know a man named Lycaon?”
“Lycaon. I know him. He’s a friend working under me, so I came to find him? Then he must be from the Empire too.”
“…He’s not a common name, so I suppose that’s the man I’m looking for.”
There weren’t two men with that name.
“Are you dealing with an emotional issue that needs to be resolved?”
“Yes.”
“Bring Lycaon here.”
Attila readily agreed.
“I might not be able to hand him over.”
Vesta answered immediately. Attila, who led an army, could not have failed to guess the meaning of those words.
He might kill him. Vesta had warned him.
“I see.”
Attila did not look unpleasant and did not take back his words.
“Lycaon called for me? Then he will take responsibility.”
It was bold. Even in the worst case, it was a declaration that he would not punish Vesta.
Attila ordered his subordinate to bring Lycaon.
“…What kind of work is that man doing here?”
“He’s not teaching. He’s an excellent coach. His military ability is also excellent.”
In fact, he was a former soldier. A former soldier who was driven into the arena for breaking military law. That was Lycaon’s status.
“The Empire’s tactics are several moves ahead of ours.”
‘Lycaon is teaching the Empire’s tactics to the centaurs.’
No room for doubt.
‘He’s selling the Empire’s secrets.’
No two ways about it. Treason.
“Here he comes.”
“…Lycaon.”
—It really is you.
A man with a familiar face was walking over. A soldier. A gladiator. A murderer.
“Lycaon seems to be an Imperial name. What does it mean?”
Prairie people believed names held destiny.
—It might be true.
Thinking about that man.
“It’s not his real name. No parent in the Empire would give a child a name like that. It’s a derogatory term.”
Lycaon.
“The Empire called the first hound that ate people Lycaon.”
He smiled when he found Vesta.
The Empire’s untamed military dog.
The man called Lycaon.