262. Two Doors (2)
262. Two Doors (2)
- 1 -
It was the hour when the sun slanted westward.
The small council chamber of the Kija Royal Palace.
The twilight seeping through the windows stained the faces of the three occupants crimson.
Their sharp gazes, meeting one another, looked even more piercing beneath the sunset.
Amid the heavy silence that filled the room, a seasoned voice cut across the chamber.
"I will say this one last time."
The Chancellor, Aiden en Cromwell, tapped the document laid out on the table.
His usual gentleness was nowhere to be found; a sharp edge now gleamed in his black eyes.
"What we need right now is not war, but peace..."
"Chancellor, you are far too timid."
Hiscliff en Shaimdel, Commander of the General Knights, cut in coldly.
The platinum uniform symbolizing Kija's military might made his dark skin appear even deeper in hue.
"Now is precisely the opportunity."
Kung!
He raised his fist and struck the table lightly as he spoke.
Beneath that fist lay a map depicting the territory of Haisen.
"Our Kija, under the guise of a brother nation, has been driven to the coastline, unable to expand in any direction."
As he stated, the Kingdom of Kija's territory was enveloped by Haisen, the Hinness Duchy, and the Duchy of Leoper.
A situation where war with other nations was unavoidable if one wished to expand the nation's territory.
It was only fate that those who believed the breadth of land was the essence of national power supported the pro-war faction.
"Now, with Haisen divided into sects, and civil war erupting in Leophere—this is precisely our chance to expand."
"Indeed."
Marcus sen Nesbic Kija, the sole Grand Duke of the Kija Kingdom, followed in agreement.
"Hmm..."
The wrinkles on the Chancellor's face deepened further.
Marcus was the most legitimate collateral blood relative of the current Kija royal family, and the representative of the royal house.
His words could not be ignored by anyone.
"The Cheoks Border Margraviate to the west. The Hinness Duchy to the north. Whichever direction, we must find a way to expand. For that purpose, we must unite the divided public opinion within the nation and..."
"Enough. Stop."
Chancellor Cromwell's voice rang out coldly.
Commander Shaimdel and Duke Nesbic struggled to conceal their momentary flinch.
In the presence of the old chancellor who had served two monarchs in Kija, there was a dignity that transcended mere force or ability.
"Are the two of you truly observing the changes in Haisen properly?"
His gaze turned toward the window.
It was the direction of the distant border with Haisen.
"Simply because the new Haisen has divided into sects, you must not assume they have weakened. On the contrary, their military strength has grown even stronger by actively recruiting mercenaries. In particular..."
His voice wavered for a moment.
What came to mind was the hero he had briefly met when he had ventured westward.
The female knight who now went by the name Elena sen Leoper.
The young Marquis who had separated the Cheoks Border Margraviate to create one margraviate and two counties, and who currently held ownership rights over both counties within Leophere.
"In particular, Marquis Leophere is truly dangerous. More than you two have anticipated."
Recalling the figure who had come to him after bringing down the fortress of the Cheoks Border Margraviate near the Kija Kingdom and smiled gently at him, the Chancellor clenched his trembling hand tight.
That demeanor was, in truth, not her own nature but an imitation of her liege lord...
Even knowing that, however, one's assessment of her would not change so drastically.
- 2 -
"Now, please. Face reality. Both of you."
The Chancellor's final plea scattered into the empty air.
The Commander of the General Knights and the Grand Duke had already risen sharply from their seats.
"At the next meeting, we shall presume to discuss the specific plans for the expedition. Chancellor."
Hiscliff's parting words carried the implication that there would be no further compromise.
As the door closed and the sound of their footsteps faded, Cromwell let out a deep sigh.
Yet his dismay was brief.
The Chancellor began to move again.
'I cannot rest.'
As the general overseer of the Kija Kingdom's internal affairs, he was in a position that could only be busy.
Even if war were ultimately waged according to the will of the other two consuls, if the domestic front was not stable, the annihilation of the army could immediately spell the extinction of the nation.
A country to which he had devoted his entire life. To preserve this country, he could not rest.
It was while the Chancellor had been reviewing documents for some time.
Tok-tok.
"Enter."
In response to Cromwell's words, the side door to the office opened.
His face brightened. For it was his servant, whom he had secretly attached to this delegation.
"Your Excellency. I have brought a reply."
The delegate presented a letter along with a single flower.
It was a purple daffodil.
Cromwell picked up the flower and smiled.
Those violet petals were as vivid as if they had just bloomed, and even dewdrops were formed upon them.
'It is clearly preserved by magic.'
After placing the flower in a vase, hope settled upon his face as he looked at the letter.
Any flower that endures for a long period in a cut state is not so common.
In other words, no matter how much it symbolized the royal family, the act of sending something as mere as a 'flower' by applying such delicate preservation magic was also an 'inevitable extravagance' proclaiming the vitality of that royal family's power.
"Moreover, this flower is also the symbol of Queen Yurena... It is clear they mean to review the proposal seriously. Positively, at that."
At his words, the old servant bowed his head without adding any remark.
Watching him, the Chancellor suddenly recalled something he had been curious about and spoke.
"Did you see the Countess Elskopf, who is said to be the real power behind the current royal family?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Though my discernment is humble, she appeared to be a figure not one bit lacking compared to her reputation."
"I see..."
Cromwell pointed to the direction of Haisen on the map.
A new era was already beginning over there.
And Kija had to make a choice in the midst of that change.
"War, or peace..."
He lifted the daffodil and held it to the light.
The dewdrops on the petals sparkled, further enhancing the vitality of the cut flower.
Soon, he would have a new weapon with which to persuade the pro-war faction.
However, he could not know.
What these flowers blooming in Haisen truly signified.
- 3 -
The sun slowly tilted, and the sunset deepened.
Evening came to the cities of Haisen, and the street lamps began to light up one after another.
Twilight settled even upon the mages' research lab.
At the same hour when the conference of the three leaders was taking place in the Kija royal palace,
the mages of the Haisen royal court were rejoicing over the boon bestowed upon them by the royal research lab.
Ever since the measuring instruments in the research lab began detecting a new pattern some time ago, their mana had begun to flow far more smoothly and intensely than before.
"It's astonishing, Chief. The circulation of mana has become even smoother."
A young mage recorded the measurement results as he spoke.
His face was filled with satisfaction and awe.
"Yes. It seems our Haisen magical research has finally borne fruit."
The old mage called the Chief gazed at the flowers blooming even within the research lab.
The daffodils, lilies, and carnations blooming throughout the city were dyed red by the sunset glow.
That violet and black color was certainly ominous, but to the mages, for whom phenomena were more important, it mattered not at all.
They were convinced that these flowers, created by the royal research, were aiding the city's mana circulation.
"Ever since the new Queen ascended the throne and caused these flowers to bloom in the city, spellcasting has become much easier."
"It is not merely easier. The very quality of the mana itself has changed."
The Chief's hand pointed to another measuring instrument.
What the magic circle displayed was a panoramic view of Hayrash.
A royal capital adorned with black marble and countless flowers.
The flow of mana swirling around that royal capital had become far deeper and more abundant than before.
"It is as if a gigantic magic circle has embraced the entire city."
At the young mage's words, the Chief smiled.
They took pride in this, believing it to be the achievement of the royal research.
For they did not know one thing.
The fact that the mana they were using had already completely transformed into that of the dungeon.
"Her Highness's glory has bestowed a blessing upon the city."
Without realizing in the slightest that they were living within Libertas's demon realm, they were rejoicing in this change.
- 4 -
The sunset faded completely, and evening was drawing in.
—Keuaaaak...!!
A desperate scream echoed from a back alley of Hayrash.
The sound seeped into the darkness of the city and was soon modulated into a bizarre acoustic.
"A beautiful sound. Look at this perfect tone. Echo."
Beneath the sunset turning violet, two figures stood in the corner of the alley.
One was a silver-haired youth dressed in a red tailcoat, and the other was a blonde girl in a dark navy dress with a clock worn at her waist.
—Yuaaak...!!
Armania was moving his long fingers like a conductor.
Upon his face, pale as a vampire's, a smile deeply enraptured by his own actions was fixed.
Contrary to his delicate and elegant appearance, what flickered in his eyes was a red frenzy.
"Noisy. I'm tired of your dissonance."
The girl was called Echo. Blonde, identical in face and build, her duplicates tidied the surroundings.
Though their attire differed slightly, they all wore navy dresses.
Around them were several corpses on the verge of death, and at their feet among them lay a man who had already breathed his last.
The emblem of the information merchants was vivid inside his black uniform.
"Dissonance, you say. Echo. How sad. To think you cannot understand my art."
As Armania's fingers stirred the air, it vibrated, and an even more desperate scream burst from the next victim's mouth.
His silver hair held a blue tinge beneath the rising moonlight.
"If you keep this up, the city will notice our presence."
"Don't worry, Echo. By the time they come to know of us and arrive here, you will have gained one more new self..."
As Armania's long wand touched the ground, screams burst out simultaneously, creating 'music.'
Depending on the listener, it was a melody that could genuinely be considered music.
In fact, there were even nobles on the Eastern Continent who invited him as a 'musician.'
Of course, those nobles invited him knowing the 'secret of his music.'
"I will have already composed one more new symphony by then."
Armania wore an elegant smile.
Echo furrowed her brow, but without saying anything more to him, she began to listen to the story recited by a self from another timeline.
"Yeah. So you don't know either."
"Yes. The current me is too busy collecting stories."
The body of another her, returning to the 'original time,' dispersed and vanished, and Echo's blonde hair remaining here fluttered within the flow of mana.
"It's something neither my past self nor my future self knows. A case like this... is a first."
Echo's eyes held confusion.
Her multiple selves had each examined different moments within the flow of time, but they had found nothing.
"Every version of me across all time searched. But there is no trace of Arpina. As if... she has been erased from time itself."
Echo bit her nails.
Her expression, which usually always remained impassive, contorted compulsively.
Normally, to observe all worldly events, it was enough to summon one or two of her 'selves,' but now, she could not find even a single clue.
"A self who knows Arpina's whereabouts does not come seeking me. It's strange. Armania."
"It's alright, Echo. If you cannot find her, then I shall find her. After all, there is no existence that makes no sound."
Armania's fingers moved leisurely again.
The moment another piece of his was completed. With the final scream, silence descended upon the alley.
"Let us seek out more refined tones. Plump, oily voices. There will surely be instruments that produce more beautiful sounds among the noble houses."
"Do as you like..."
Two murderers, leisurely probing through the back alleys.
However, they had failed to perceive one fact.
That the countless flowers blooming in Hayrash were watching them.