The Balance Breaks (4)
Something lonely clung to her bearing, and Luna said nothing — only watched her in silence.
After a stretch of quiet, Cecil slowly opened her mouth again.
"Our lord, Lady Karelia, cherishes the people of her domain with her whole heart, and treats every single soldier with genuine care. Naturally, even the thought of seizing power for herself was almost too much for her. Everyone loves and protects their people — so how, she would argue, could she alone claim some special authority over them?"
The reason Macana Karelia had been able to command a force of this scale lay in that very nature of hers — her goodness, and her constant striving to do what was right.
Once nothing more than the daughter of a fallen noble house in the old empire, she had risen to become one of the final four who managed to found a nation under their own name in the southern continent — that land of opportunity, thick with would-be warlords. It was no exaggeration to say she owed it to the countless officers who had gathered to her, drawn by that character.
"As you already know, Lady Luna, all authority in our army is concentrated in Lady Karelia. That is only natural, given that she is our sovereign. But it was not always this way."
Luna offered no particular reply, listening quietly to Cecil's words.
"The officers who flocked to Lady Karelia's character shared only that one common ground. In every other respect, they were utterly different. Each had a strong personality of their own — people who mixed as poorly as oil and water. And Lady Karelia, who should have been the one to impose discipline and bind them into a single team, was by nature incapable of speaking harshly to anyone. Of course we fell into chaos. We splintered."
…!
Incapable of speaking harshly to others…
Hearing that, Luna found herself looking back on her own self with sudden clarity.
Was this the kind of thing Lord Swen meant when he always said a sovereign must carry herself as a sovereign…?
"It was Lady Vanessa who established a firm system of power from that mess. She built the structure, punished officers without hesitation whenever gossip started to circulate among them, and arranged the hierarchy so that no one but Karelia could stand above anyone else. All the power of the state was concentrated solely in Lady Karelia — and once the system was in place, the efficiency of everything we did began to rise at a startling rate."
Cecil finished speaking and took a light sip of her tea.
"And the result, as you know, was a great success. We became one of the four nations that survived on the southern continent. To be frank — without Lady Vanessa, our army would very likely never have pulled together as one. The green banner would have faded into dust and vanished from history."
"I see…"
In other words, the person who had contributed most to the founding of this nation was Vanessa.
And Karelia herself was well aware of that fact.
"Of course… if you ask whether our lord always chose only the rational decision — objectively speaking, that was probably not the case. No matter how outstanding a general might be, if they did not fit the vision of the nation she pursued, she would firmly refuse to work with them. In an age as chaotic as this, that is hardly the decision of a wise sovereign."
Luna could understand that well enough.
In times like these, it was not the idealist of noble intent who thrived, but the cunning warlord.
In an age where the weak were simply devoured by the strong, fretting over morality at every turn was foolishness.
"So I do not fail to understand our lord's decision to place her trust in Vanessa, who handles on her behalf the things she cannot do herself. And yet…"
Having said that much, Cecil's hands began to tremble.
Was it anger? Fear? Or shame at her own baseness — at the fact that she had finally come to doubt her lord's judgment?
"…I cannot help wondering whether this is truly the right path… whether our lord's choice is the correct one. And I despise myself for doubting her as a retainer. I have never been like this before…"
"Lady Cecil…"
Luna stroked Cecil's shoulder as if to comfort her.
The eyes of a loyal retainer who had resolved to serve her for life were wavering dangerously — like the storm that had just been thrashing inside her teacup.
And in that moment—
A thought, slightly mischievous, flickered through Luna's mind.
Perhaps… the opportunity Lord Swen spoke of might actually come.
If the chance comes, do not let it slip — that was what he had said.
There had been a peculiar certainty in those words, more than a mere piece of general advice.
Of course, Swen tended to speak of nearly everything with strong conviction… but considering that everything he had ever said had turned out to be right—
Come to think of it, it was Lord Swen who told us to seek refuge with the Karelia Army in the first place.
Looking back, every word of his had carried meaning.
Just as when Tifa found the treasure chest — and when he said it would be best to share it with everyone.
In the end, because they had listened to him, everything had fallen into place with remarkable ease.
So then… should she be preparing her heart?
She thought so for a moment, then set the idea aside.
There would be time enough for such worries when the moment arrived. He had said the opportunity would come — so even if it was not now, she had faith that it would come someday without fail.
But.
If this truly could become the opportunity given to her…
I will not let that chance slip away…!
She would keep her promise to him without fail. Luna steeled her resolve once more.
Inside the carriage bound for Teppelo Castle.
"I'm glad you were able to find the military treatise you wanted."
"Yes. Thanks to you."
Violet nodded as she spoke in a rather earnest tone, a faint flush coloring her cheeks.
That was the look of someone excited at the prospect of new knowledge.
To recognize it at a glance…
I really have spent quite a long time with these children, Luna realized anew.
"I'm sorry I couldn't go to the market with you. It took longer than I expected…"
"Not at all. I am old enough now to look after myself. I can manage a market on my own."
"You say that, but weren't you lost and wandering around until I came looking for you?"
"…"
Watching Violet hang her head in silence, Luna smiled naturally and said,
"It's all right. Wherever you are, Violet, I'll always find you."
"…Thank… you."
Even if she was already in her late teens, in Luna's eyes she was still just a young girl.
Still, teasing her too much would only sour her mood, so Luna gently changed the subject.
"How was the capital's market? Was it very different from Teppelo Castle?"
"Yes. There were books I had never seen before, stacked high. And not only that — the shops dealing in books came in all sorts of varieties. Even if I set aside a day or two, I don't think I would have grown bored."
"I see. It would have been nice if we'd had more time. Ah, and by the way — on the northeast side of the marketplace square, there's an incredibly good restaurant. They specialize in fish dishes. I'm certain it would suit your taste for seafood, Violet."
"Is that so? …If I hadn't gotten lost, I would at least have had time for a meal… I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We're planning to come again anyway."
"What? Really?!"
She blurted it out in a rush of excitement, then seemed to catch herself — Violet flushed and slowly covered her mouth with her hand.
"Of course. Next time we'll take it a little more leisurely, and have a meal together too. We'll bring Charlotte and Francis along. It'll be a lovely time."
"Ah, yes. Well, if that's the case…"
Luna raised a hand and lightly stroked Violet's hair.
The fact that she didn't pull away at all — that she had, at some point, begun to trust her — filled Luna with a quiet sense of pride.
"Was there anything else of note? Being the capital, I imagine there were plenty of shops that caught your eye."
Luna's intent was light small talk.
There was nothing wrong with growing closer to Violet.
But.
The answer she received was something she had never once imagined.
"Come to think of it… there was a strange rumor going around."
"A rumor?"
"Yes. Lady Luna, are you familiar with a nation called the Asius Army?"
"The Asius Army… that's the country in the eastern part of the continent. Yes, I know of it."
"Apparently, an incident occurred there in which they sold one of their own retainers to the Serpina Army."
"What? Sold a retainer…?"
When Luna asked her to explain in more detail, Violet began laying out the whole story without hesitation.
"I only overheard it, so I cannot be certain… but supposedly, the Serpina Army demanded that a retainer who had come to negotiate the release of prisoners be handed over as the price of that release. And they accepted the demand."
"Is that so…?"
It was a story she could scarcely believe.
The lord of the Asius Army, Yuuri Asius, was known as a wise sovereign who cherished her subordinates with particular care — her devotion to those under her command had become a reputation that spread far and wide.
And someone like that had sold a retainer?
More likely, the Serpina Army had attempted some kind of smear campaign to damage the Asius Army's standing.
Serpina was more than capable of something like that.
…And then.
In a voice utterly casual, as if it were nothing at all, Violet spoke that word.
"The person sold off to the Serpina Army was, apparently, the man known as the white-haired mage."
"…What?"
What… did she just say?
What was she talking about…??
"I heard he once performed a miracle, which is why they call him a mage… but aren't mages the stuff of fables? I was going to ask about that, actually…"
"…"
"…Lady Luna…?"
Violet's question scattered into the air unanswered.
The white-haired mage.
She had heard that phrase before.
"They say he's a young man with white hair. That he performed a ritual toward the heavens."
"Ah, so you're talking about that rumor. Yes. From what I heard, it was indeed a white-haired man. They say he offered a ritual to the sky."
"And after the ritual, the heavens suddenly churned, and a massive boulder — like divine punishment itself — came crashing down on the Serpina Army."
Lord Swen…???
Why…
Why was he with the Asius Army…???