Catastrophe (3)
"It's…"
Vitten forced the words out.
"It appears a large-scale battle broke out deep within the Demonic Realm. Some of the troops guarding Stormrock have returned, but as for His Grace the Duke's whereabouts… Master Iden?"
I kicked back my chair and stood.
"Ollite, I'm postponing the trial schedule indefinitely."
"Yes, my lord."
"Vitten, gather the defense commander and all the nobles staying in the holy city at the ducal residence."
"Understood!"
My mind went cold. It felt as though all the warmth in my body was draining out through my hands and feet.
The loss of my previous life was carved into my soul. Having to bid farewell to my master. Having the udumbara flower stolen by that thief.
Memories I had barely managed to set down pressed on my chest like a stone.
Dreck was my father. He was my master, and he was my udumbara. I could not simply stand and watch yet another precious thing perish.
"Master Iden!"
When I stepped out the front gate, Thalia had already brought her knights to the courthouse.
"We will escort you to the ducal residence."
I mounted the warhorse she had brought. On the way, the holy city was sliding into pandemonium. The rumors were spreading beyond all control — that the Steel Guard had been routed, that the Duke's fate was unknown.
"The war situation is not good," Thalia said.
"They say the Steel Guard was ambushed on Demon Count Grimscale's territory. It seems the Duke knew the enemy army was coming and drove his forces straight into it."
The Steel Guard was packed with veterans who had fought demons for over a decade. They were not the kind of force to crumble from a mere ambush.
"Who's the enemy commander?"
"Unknown. No survivors from the Steel Guard have returned yet. Only Stormrock's garrison has come back."
The Steel Guard silent, while only the Stormrock garrison returned. It didn't sit well with me. I thought of Chris, too drunk to stand straight. Of him trembling before our father's commands.
"Where's Chris?"
"He entered through the north gate just now, leading the garrison."
I had a baseless conviction that Chris had played some part in this affair. He had tried to kill me more than once to become Duke. He had no reason to spare our father.
Before the ducal residence, I met an unexpected figure. A tall, strikingly handsome man in a white longcoat dismounted lightly from a white horse.
The Sword Duke, Kalman.
He was the man who had joined forces with me not long ago to defeat the Demon Viscount. He had not come alone — a familiar female knight was at his side.
"It's been a while, Lord Iden."
I gave Irene only a slight nod. This was no time for pleasantries. The appearance of the Emperor's right hand at such a delicate moment was nothing to welcome.
"Why are you here?"
"By His Majesty's orders, to investigate the famine."
"Now?"
"The matter of the floating castles is settled, so I merely returned to my usual duties. Ordinarily I would have requested your cooperation in the investigation, Lord Esterzy…"
He gazed into the interior of the ducal residence with indifferent eyes.
"It seems the fire has reached your own doorstep."
"It's not our doorstep that's burning. It's the Empire's roof."
"That is not what I mean."
Kalman studied me with an odd look, then gestured toward the residence with his chin.
"Go inside, and you'll understand."
* * *
The atmosphere inside the ducal residence was just as chaotic. Nobles, soldiers, servants, messengers — dozens of people bolted through the halls like unbroken colts.
The moment I entered the building, I understood what Kalman had meant. A fierce argument was roaring from the study, and the voices were ones I knew all too well.
"Master Iden."
Those gathered in the study bowed their heads in turns. Half of them were nobles, the majority of the rest soldiers and knights — and two of them were my brothers.
"A mongrel like you, becoming Duke? Even a stray dog passing by would laugh."
"For a defeated commander, you have a long tongue, Chris."
"And have you ever commanded an army in your life?"
"Say what's true. You weren't made a commander — you were run out."
The two brothers were busily tearing into each other. It was as if I didn't even exist to them.
"What is all this commotion?"
"Perfect timing, Iden."
Mabel spotted me and smiled thinly.
"As you can see, Chris is spouting utter nonsense. He fled without even fighting a single real battle, and now he insists it was a strategic decision."
Fled without even fighting?
The Stormrock I had seen was a fortress blessed by nature itself, one that could hold off an army ten times its size without breaking. Abandoning such a place was unthinkable, no matter the reason.
"Chris."
I turned to him.
"Why did you abandon Stormrock?"
"It was necessary to preserve our forces. The battle was hopeless anyway."
"Hopeless based on what, exactly?"
"A commander's instinct. Why should I spell it out for you?"
"Instinct?"
I gathered the last of my patience.
"You are not a field commander, brother. You are a fortress commander. You had no authority to make that call."
"Who are you to sit in judgment of my authority? So what, you'd have me die there? Me, the first in the line of succession!"
"Yes. You should have died."
"What did you say?"
"At least you'd have salvaged your honor. As it stands, you're nothing but a disgrace."
Chris's fists clenched.
"A disgrace? Fine! While you still have breath in you, say that one more time! When I'm Duke, I'll take your head first!"
"When you're Duke?"
Mabel sneered at Chris. He walked to the desk and, for all the world to see, sat down in our father's chair.
"It seems you haven't grasped the situation. This seat is not yours."
Mabel pounded the desk hard enough to make it ring.
"You won't like it, but Father passed without leaving a will. That means, by law and custom, the eldest — that is, I — inherits the house."
"Bullshit!" Chris shouted. "The council supports me. How do you claim a title when even your own vassals won't stand behind you?"
"Your news is a little late, little brother. The council was dissolved days ago."
"What? Why would the council dissolve?"
"Because Count Abaro no longer wishes to support you. Nor do the nobles who follow him. And with the Ravenshade Trading Company dissolved as well, I doubt you'd be in any position to shoulder the title."
Chris's mouth hung open. Mabel pressed on, utterly composed.
"As you know, our house faces an unprecedented crisis. First, let me commend Iden for ably standing in for Father in his absence. And let me say this plainly: I have no intention of casting the two of you out. You will each be given ample opportunities to serve according to your abilities."
"Brother, get up."
I made no effort to hide my disgust.
"You have no right to sit in that chair."
"Acting lord-regent for a few months and look how cocky you've gotten, Iden."
"Read the room. If we want to rescue Father, every hour counts. Is this really the moment to covet a seat?"
Mabel's brow twitched.
"Father was swept away by a tide of demons in the heart of the Demonic Realm. The Steel Guard was annihilated."
"And?"
"So face reality. Insisting that Father is alive may serve your claim to the regency, I'll grant you. But reality is cold. We need a leader we can actually trust and lean on."
There was no more room for interpretation. They cared nothing for whether our father lived or died — their eyes were blind with greed for the title. Further conversation was a waste of time. The moment for decision had come.
I turned to my side.
"Defense Commander."
"Yes, my lord."
The giant of a woman bowed her head.
"How far has the enemy advanced?"
"They are at Andrassy County. The Count himself is leading his army against them."
"I will send an army to support the Count. Discuss the composition of the force with Thalia."
"Understood."
"Where do you think you're going, Commander?"
Mabel snapped at her.
"To carry out Lord Iden's orders, my lord."
"The lord here is me! Is it not clear whose orders you are meant to obey?"
The commander turned a frosty gaze on Mabel. Her eyes were openly hostile.
"His Grace the Duke is not dead — he is missing. Until his whereabouts are confirmed, the acting lord regent holds his authority. Is there any flaw in my judgment?"
Mabel seemed flustered. And it wasn't only the commander. There did not appear to be a single person in that room who looked upon him with favor.
"You're right, brother. It is an unprecedented crisis."
I looked around at everyone gathered in the room.
"Therefore, any who spread the slander that His Grace the Duke has fallen in battle will be punished to the full extent of martial law. And any who seek to exploit his absence to claim the dukedom will be dealt with just as severely."
The expressions on Mabel's and Chris's faces darkened. Yes — that's exactly who this warning was for.
I turned back to the commander.
"Commander, declare a state of emergency across the entire duchy. Restrict the movement of the commonfolk, and arrest anyone who stirs unrest — regardless of rank or station."
"Understood."
"I will form a suicide corps and go to rescue His Grace. Until I return, Ruka Rain will act as lord in my stead."
Ruka bowed his assent. He backed me wholeheartedly, and he had the experience of running a great house — there was no one I could trust more with the task.
"As for the two of you — please, continue your discussion."
This was my final ultimatum to Mabel and Chris.
"It's the only time you're going to get."
And with that, I stepped out of the ducal residence.
I had said I would form a suicide corps, but the pool of available hands was thin.
Thalia and the knights would have to hold the line against the demon main force that had driven all the way down to Andrassy County.
Apart from the knight order, all we had was the defense force — ordinary soldiers without Awoken Abilities, who against demons could do little more than buy time.
What I needed was a master whose skill rivaled my own. If this was an enemy my father couldn't withstand, then I had to assume a foe far stronger than Grimscale.
"Kalman."
I found him outside the residence.
"I'm about to enter the Demonic Realm."
Kalman just looked at me in silence.
"I need a swordsman worth his salt. I intend to cut down demons by the thousand, so it would be nice to have someone whose blade never misses."
"I told you. I came here to conduct an investigation."
"Refuse to help now, and you'll end up working with my brothers instead. And I can't promise they'll be as cooperative as I am."
He still looked unmoved.
"Then here's a decisive clue. For your investigation."
His eyes shifted, just slightly.
"So the House of Esterzy is involved after all?"
"That judgment is yours to make. I'm merely handing over information."
"Withholding information while possessing a decisive clue could be construed as an act against the crown."
"I'd like you to take that as a measure of how serious this matter is. If I were the sort to hate the crown, why on earth would I have gone through all that trouble in Zeft?"
I brought up our joint takedown of Zeft. If that still didn't move him, there was no helping it — the old saying held that you shouldn't so much as cross paths with a man who doesn't know gratitude.
"…"
After a brief moment of thought, Kalman nodded.
"I'll come."