A Moment Brighter Than Starlight
It was a moment more brilliant than starlight.
The instant the seated Emperor’s words fell upon the hall—
“From this moment forward! We shall commence the conferral of honors for the recapture of Helikel Canyon in the northwest!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the secretary’s proclamation, prepared drums thundered through the entire grand hall. Awe settled over the assembly, and every face betrayed its own private feeling. There was the thrill and joy of standing witness to a historic moment. Others were already calculating how the Empire itself might shift under the weight of so vast an achievement as the retaking of Helikel Canyon. A few, of course, kept their thoughts locked behind blank expressions.
The secretary fretted at the crimson-bound volume in his hands. Then he raised his voice.
“First! Second Lieutenant Tertian of the First Division—step forward!”
At the sound of his name, Tertian straightened his uniform and walked slowly up onto the dais. His shoulders were squared and his stride confident, yet his expression remained somewhat stiff. Once he had mounted the platform, the secretary addressed him.
“Kneel on one knee and render full courtesy.”
Thud.
Tertian dropped to his right knee and bowed his head. The secretary continued.
“Second Lieutenant Tertian, serving as deputy commander of the special unit that infiltrated Helikel Canyon, slew savage barbarians and contributed greatly to the canyon’s recapture. In recognition thereof, he is hereby promoted one rank, awarded one hundred gold, and granted one Silver-grade treasure from the Imperial Palace vault.”
“Ohh…”
“That young-looking soldier… impressive.”
“They say he was called the Grim Reaper of the First Line.”
When the secretary finished, applause burst through the hall. It fell silent again the moment the Emperor rose from his seat.
“Raise your head.”
At the Emperor’s command, Tertian looked up. The Emperor held out a short wooden practice sword.
“Present this, and you will be admitted to the Imperial Palace treasure vault. We commend your merit.”
“I shall engrave Your Majesty’s grace upon my heart!”
Tertian accepted the wooden sword and cried out in a strong voice. The Emperor nodded with a look of satisfaction, and Tertian rose slowly and returned to his place.
At once, every gaze swung toward Isaac and Arteon, standing beside Velkain. Who would be called next? Amid the crowd’s anticipation, the secretary announced the next recipient of honor.
“Next! Sergeant Arteon of the First Division—step forward!”
“Ohh!”
“That boy is going up.”
Every eye locked onto Arteon. He, in turn, took in the high officials gathered throughout the grand hall. Somewhere among them, without question, were men tied to Moldrek. But he set the thought aside for now.
In time… I’ll know soon enough.
For the present, all that mattered was doing everything he could in this moment.
His boots struck the floor. Arteon took a step toward the dais. The set of his shoulders and the unwavering line of his gaze were nothing a fifteen-year-old boy should have been able to produce. Far from being overawed by the atmosphere, he seemed almost to command it—and under that strange pressure, the faces watching him grew a shade more serious.
When he reached the platform—
Thud.
Arteon knelt on his right knee and bowed his head to the Emperor. Light spilling from the ceiling seemed to pour down upon the boy’s hair. The sight of that youthful face occupying the place of the hero who had rendered the greatest service felt both alien and strangely sacred. His composure, his calm and precise etiquette, left the secretary silent without realizing it.
But only for a moment.
“Sergeant Arteon, as a member of the special unit that infiltrated Helikel Canyon, performed the single most critical role in its recapture.”
“…The most critical role?”
“That little boy?”
The hall stirred at once. The secretary paid it no mind and pressed on.
“Having thoroughly mastered the terrain of Helikel Canyon, he served as guide so that the special unit could enter. He crossed a swift-flowing river bare-bodied and secured the ropes that allowed the soldiers to follow.”
At those words, the assembly thought of the northern cold. It might have sounded like nothing much—but anyone who knew the North could only be stunned.
The secretary’s voice rose.
“Therefore! He is hereby promoted two ranks, awarded three hundred gold and one Gold-grade treasure from the Imperial Palace vault, granted a manor on the outskirts of the capital, and permitted transfer to a unit other than those of the North!”
“…!”
“To a unit other than the North?”
“Unprecedented.”
“Sending a northern soldier elsewhere is… extremely rare.”
It was an extraordinary reward. Permission to transfer out of the North was tantamount to a pardon for whatever crime had dragged a man there in the first place.
“Raise your head.”
The Emperor rose and looked upon Arteon. As he had with Tertian, he held out a wooden dagger whose blade was carved with intricate patterns.
“May fortune favor the road ahead.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
A short answer, but one full of strength. Arteon rose and stepped down from the dais.
Next came Isaac. Like Tertian, he received a one-rank promotion along with gold and a treasure. And Velkain—recognized both for his long years holding the northwest and for his part in this campaign—was advanced from Major General to Lieutenant General. He now possessed, at the very least, the minimum qualification to rise above division command to the rank of corps commander.
And so the conferral of honors came to an end.
With the Emperor’s closing address, the ceremony concluded, and those in the hall drifted toward Velkain to offer their congratulations. Northern though he was, his influence upon the Empire ran deep. As people approached, Velkain turned at once to Isaac.
“Captain Isaac. Take the two of them to the Imperial Palace treasure vault. A guide will be waiting outside.”
“Understood.”
Isaac answered promptly and led them out of the grand hall. Several figures tried to intercept him and Arteon, but—
“His Majesty’s rewards have not yet been fully dispensed.”
At the mere mention of the Emperor, they all hesitated, left with nothing but regretful looks. The young soldiers who had been the centerpiece of an awards ceremony the Emperor himself had attended—of course the courtiers had wanted to forge connections. Velkain had known exactly what they intended, and that was why he had sent the three of them out of the palace at once.
“Hah.”
Outside, just as Velkain had said, a guide was waiting. It was Taolk, the Imperial Guard Commander who had first escorted them in.
“I expected you rather later. You came out sooner than I thought. Finished your greetings with the people inside?”
“The Division Commander ordered us to go on ahead. Is the Commander of the Imperial Guard himself to be our escort?”
“I am. With the ceremony not yet fully concluded, we can hardly risk any untoward incident.”
“…”
Perhaps it was because he belonged to the Imperial household. Something in Taolk’s words snagged oddly in Arteon’s mind. The recapture of Helikel Canyon was unquestionably a great gain for the Empire—yet he had the distinct impression that not everyone in the palace was pleased by it.
“Then follow me.”
Taolk, accompanied by soldiers, guided the three of them toward the Imperial treasure vault. The vault lay deep underground, in the innermost reaches of the palace grounds.
Clank. Clank.
They descended the stairs into the depths. At the bottom, a massive door blocked the entrance, and a steward approached.
“You’ve arrived.”
“These are the ones. Verify them and proceed, if you would.”
Having already been briefed on the awards, the steward came forward and collected their tokens.
“Captain Isaac and First Lieutenant Tertian—Silver grade. Master Sergeant Arteon… Gold grade, I see.”
A flicker of surprise crossed the steward’s face. The Imperial treasure vault’s grades ascended from the lowest, Iron, through Silver and Gold, up to Crown. Crown-grade treasures were reserved for marquises and above, or for members of the Imperial family; even Gold grade was something only high nobility typically received. And yet here was an ordinary soldier—no noble blood at all…
“This way, if you please.”
The steward laid a hand on the door and channeled mana into it. Intricate formulas flared to life as the magic circle began to unlock. Arteon had taken him for an ordinary caretaker, but—
A mage, then.
Mages were vanishingly rare even within the Empire. Guarding the Imperial treasure vault would be impossible for a common steward. It made sense.
“You alone, follow me. Guides will assist the other two.”
Whether it was a privilege of Gold grade or not, Arteon nodded and followed him inside. But deeper in, the passage simply ended. In a space empty of any treasure whatsoever, Arteon tilted his head—
“Take one step back.”
The steward moved forward and set his hand against the wall. And in that instant—
Clank—rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
A vast magic circle blazed across the wall. The stone split down the middle, revealing the true treasure vault beyond. Arteon swallowed hard without meaning to.
So this… is the Imperial treasure vault…
It looked nothing like the glittering hoard of gold and jewels he had imagined. Yet the moment the doors opened, a complex weave of mana reactions washed out from within. Noticing Arteon’s expression, the steward asked with mild surprise,
“You’ve already awakened to mana, I see.”
“Yes.”
“An ordinary northern soldier… and mana. Remarkable.”
Arteon entered with the steward and took in the objects arrayed on the shelves. They began with small ornaments; one wall displayed suits of armor, another a variety of weapons. Every single piece had been crafted with exquisite care. Seeing Arteon’s look of wonder, the steward smiled with quiet satisfaction.
“Most of what you see here passed through the hands of the finest artisans in Imperial history. Ah—this one was recovered some thirty years ago from a dungeon in the south. Channel mana into it and you can cast a Second-Circle flame spell once. It even recharges with time, which is why we keep it in the Gold-grade vault.”
“…Magic.”
On a continent where mages were precious, the ability to use a Second-Circle flame spell was no small thing. With something like that, they might have breached the walls of Helikel Canyon a little more easily. But still—
“May I look around a little?”
“Of course. There’s plenty of time—take all you need.”
Arteon offered a brief bow and began to examine the treasures. This might be one of the rarest opportunities of his life. He would need to be as careful and thorough as possible.
And as Arteon moved through the vault—
“…Huh?”
Something silver and gleaming caught his eye, and his steps came to a halt.