Varda, Daughter of Autumn (6)
Varda, Daughter of Autumn (6)
News of Viscount Winchester's crushing defeat spread swiftly.
The mercenaries and commonfolk were astonished that the overlord of the south had been so thoroughly broken in a single battle.
The nobles, however, were more concerned with Eugene's terms of negotiation than with the viscount's defeat itself.
-All of his territories, including Haven. And the surrender and oaths of fealty from his vassals.
This was tantamount to declaring that he would reign as a conqueror over Britannia's noble society.
And using the descendant of the long-extinct Elf King's line as a shield, no less. Setting aside the question of whether she was genuine or a fraud.
"The nobles are in an uproar, saying another Kruger has appeared."
Was it because he had rampaged so savagely on the battlefield? The rumors had perhaps been distorted in an unflattering direction, for the envoys who came to pay ransom trembled more than was necessary.
"I have never made a blood eagle out of a man, and I think I've always behaved in a rather gentlemanly fashion."
"It cannot be helped. When a wolf appears and bites the head of the sheep to death, the rest are bound to be terrified. The sheep need time to recognize the wolf's coffin."
Varda chuckled.
The southern nobles, who had thought Cornwall would be occupied without a hitch, must have felt like a bolt from the blue. It was as if two great thunderbirds were fighting over territory when a black vulture suddenly dove at them from the sky.
Meanwhile, it was not only the captured noble families who sought to negotiate.
Viscount Winchester was a lord who had reigned through trade and mediation rather than force. Even amid his crushing defeat and retreat, he had hastily cobbled together a new proposal and sent an envoy.
Looking at this side of him, he certainly possessed the composure to reign as a regional overlord. In a time of peace, he probably would have governed his surroundings reasonably well.
"He wants to form a marriage alliance?"
"Yes. His Excellency Viscount Winchester's second daughter, Lady Kate, shall be the bride."
The envoy bowed his head deeply.
"As recompense for the unnecessary battle, he has also promised to pay reparations. As a dowry, seven villages including the city of Salisbury..."
"That won't be necessary. Trifling territories like that can simply be taken by force. Besides, doesn't the Winchester family have an eldest son and a second son? Is he trying to placate me with a daughter who has little significance in the line of succession?"
The envoy's back grew damp with sweat.
-Perhaps Viscount Meyer had made an exaggerated demand to seize the initiative. Quoting a high price at the start of a trade is the basic principle of bargaining.
Viscount Winchester had pinned his hopes on that single assumption and attempted to reopen negotiations.
But the ferocious knight before him seemed to have truly landed in Britannia with every intention of swallowing it whole.
"Choose one of the two. Surrender now and live out your days in a manor with a fine view, clutching a great fortune. Or be dragged out by force and sent penniless to a monastery."
"How could you..."
"You'll want to think carefully about the words that are about to follow."
The envoy shut his mouth.
From the moment of his crushing defeat, there was little Viscount Winchester could do. His only recourse was to hole up behind the walls of Haven and diligently send out requests for aid.
"However great His Excellency Meyer's power and renown may be, His Excellency Winchester has also put down deep roots in this land over many long years. If you drag his family down so ruthlessly, the backlash will be severe."
"Who was it that first granted the Winchester family permission to become nobles?"
The envoy immediately realized what Eugene was driving at.
"What is the problem if the master who granted the title of nobility reclaims it as punishment for disloyalty?"
Rumors of the elf princess Eugene sought to enthrone were rife across the entire island. If her bloodline proved genuine, the image of him as an invader from Roman would fade in an instant.
While Viscount Winchester lay cowering, it was entirely possible to make a tour of the south, absorbing his vassals one by one.
By the time Haven's stockpiled provisions ran out, a nightmare scenario might unfold in which the entire south had laid siege to the castle.
Perhaps he was being overly pessimistic, but seeing Viscount Meyer's confidence and overwhelming presence, it truly seemed possible.
As she watched the envoy depart with a haggard face, Varda was impressed.
"You are so gentle with your own household, yet utterly merciless to outsiders."
"I said it so the southern lords would hear. I have to do at least this much so that those who are testing the waters make up their minds quickly. Besides, on this expedition, it's fine if a rather frightening rumor about me circulates."
"Why? Wouldn't it be better to appear as a merciful sovereign?"
"Because the protagonist isn't me, but Varda-nim. I'm merely the knight raising you to the throne."
Eugene moved behind Varda and took hold of both her wrists. As if she were a marionette.
"What does it matter if a rumor spreads that the underling is a ruthless fellow? If needs be, we can even put on a show where you scold me and I apologize."
When Eugene took Varda's wrists and moved them this way and that, she burst out laughing.
"Weren't your words and gestures rather contradictory? Isn't this you controlling a puppet princess?"
In Varda's case, too, her words and expression were at odds. Though her tone sounded as if her pride was wounded, her face wore a smile that seemed somehow excited.
* * *
The envoys who came to the Wandering Castle for ransom transactions were taken aback three times.
"Envoys are to wear these visitor passes while you move about. Do not set foot anywhere near the restricted areas. The trophy hall and the inner gardens are open, so you may look around freely."
"Ah, understood."
The first was at the reality of the legendary castle, which was majestic beyond measure.
Snort.
Neigh.
"Do not worry about your horses and carriages; they will be cared for here. The condition of their hooves is poor, so we will reshoe them as well."
"Oh!"
The second was at the colossal stable, so vast it was hard to believe it was indoors, and at the warhorses that seemed to number over a thousand.
"You're faring better than I'd expected?"
The third was the surprise of seeing the prisoners looking even more well-kept than usual.
"I think the food and drink might be better here than when I was at my own house. Try some of these dried dates. I've never tasted anything so sweet before."
"Er, thank you."
"Try this drink, too. It's an unfiltered liquor brewed by the dark elves; it's mellow and nutty, truly exquisite. Don't keep drinking it just because it's sweet, though. You might see hell the next day."
"..."
Judging by the rumors circulating outside, they had expected to find them being gruesomely tortured, but it was nothing of the sort.
From the nobleman wrapped in clean bandages, only the scent of bitter-sweet medicine and a faint hint of liquor drifted.
"Ahhh, that's refreshing."
A little ways off, someone could be seen lying on a sofa receiving a massage from a slave of the Eastern Empire. The envoy observing this wore a disgruntled expression.
"Did my older brother escape safely?"
"Yes. The head of the family told me to convey his thanks for buying him time to escape at the risk of your life."
"Gratitude is unnecessary. I merely did my duty as a younger brother. What lies ahead is far more important than that."
The nobleman had not been merely idling away his time. He had been talking with other captive nobles and piecing together the tidbits of information that trickled in, pondering what stance his family should take.
It was the same for the families outside. The fate of their houses might change depending on whose side they took in the coming civil war.
If they upheld their loyalty, Viscount Winchester was already in a state practically equivalent to having been eliminated from the race.
In Eugene's case, on the other hand, the more inquiries they made, the more his achievements built upon the continent proved to be of an absurd standard.
"I heard he's a madman who hacks away until a man is severed in two with his axe. Is that true?"
"It's true he severed a man with his axe, but he didn't hack away. He just cleaved him in a single stroke. The more I spoke with him, the more he proved to be a man brimming with refinement."
"Then what about the story that he rides a magical beast and has it tear apart corpses?"
"It was a terrifying warhorse. It must clearly have the blood of a divine beast. Once it bit right through the head of a charging knight's horse and burst it. But it didn't tear into a single person."
The nobleman checked the exaggerated rumors one by one. Since the rumors had painted such a monstrous picture, correcting them one at a time was rather entertaining.
"Let's speak plainly. If a knight who has won consecutive duels boldly comes alone before an army, one should show respect even if he is the enemy. To fire arrows at him on top of that — isn't that a disgrace to the south?"
"He is certainly knightly, but he is still an invader."
"He was the enemy... is probably the correct expression. No one knows how things will turn out."
Observing the nobleman's attitude, the envoy realized it. A born knight, he had already almost entirely lost any sentiment he held for Viscount Winchester.
Ever threatened by the fierce nobles of the midlands, the southern lords had long craved a powerful overlord.
In that regard, what Viscount Winchester had shown all this time and what the new conqueror displayed were worlds apart.
In an age where violence was unavoidable, they wanted to charge in behind that famed All-Conquering Knight and Monster Slayer.
"In any case, please keep your mouths shut until the negotiations are concluded."
Having confirmed the prisoners' safety, the envoys had a luncheon with Eugene.
"I've prepared both local dishes here and foreign cuisine. Since we have guests after so long, I wanted to let them taste foods from many countries."
Among the envoys were those who had participated in the battle. The image of Eugene, who had raised a storm of blood with a massive axe on the battlefield, was still vivid. They could scarcely believe that this was the same person as the viscount who was now entertaining them with a genial face.
"Th, thank you."
"We are honored by your hospitality."
At first, the envoys ate mainly the local dishes. Roasted veal, which Britannians could never resist, proved popular.
"Help yourselves, don't hurry."
However, once their hearts had relaxed thanks to Eugene's warm treatment, they began to reach for the various exotic dishes.
There were many foods unseen in Britannia: steamed lobster, boiled quail eggs, sea turtle soup, peeled oranges, roasted bananas, and more.
The handmaidens carrying the food were beautiful dark elves. The envoys' eyes went wide. Moreover, Eugene was wearing the traditional garb of the nomads, not the attire of a Roman noble.
"It seems Your Excellency's relationship with these people is not merely that of a master and his mercenaries."
"How you managed to win the hearts of this proud warrior people is truly remarkable."
In Britannia, where the existence of elves carried great significance, a sovereign attended by the elf tribe was a matter of immense consequence.
Eugene smiled and praised them, weaving the historical tales or unofficial histories he knew together with the history of each of their families.
It was fundamentally an era lacking in entertainment. The stories themselves were interesting, and ending them with praise for their own families made the envoys burst into hearty laughter and delight.
After sufficient time had passed, the tension had nearly dissolved, to the point that the envoys were each cracking a joke or two at Eugene.
"We are grateful for the mercy you have shown to the knights of our house. Thanks to the swift treatment, they will all be able to continue the life of a knight without lasting aftereffects."
Each family had prepared the maximum sum they could pay and sent an envoy. The martial prowess Eugene had shown in battle and the achievements he had built upon the continent were so staggering that they dared not even think of haggling.
It was both a ransom and, at the same time, a gesture of goodwill that did not offend the conqueror's temper. With his pockets now full, Eugene naturally treated the envoys with even greater warmth.
"Hoo. Hooo."
Amid the cordial atmosphere, one envoy whose face was tense took a deep breath and raised his hand.
"There is one thing I would like to ask Your Grace."
"Ask whatever you wish."
"Is it true that you bear the blood of the royal house, of Rui Amor? My liege lord is most interested."
"I know well what the Elf King's bloodline means in this land. I do not speak idly about such a matter."
"I do not mean to imply any doubt."
"Seeing it with your own eyes would be a hundred times more certain than anything I could say, wouldn't it?"
Eugene brought out the topic he had waited and waited for.
"I will escort the princess to the Shade Garden."
"!!!"
The Shade Garden was a historic site west of Haven. It was the dwelling of the half-elf house born from the union of the Elf royal clan and a human high noble — the seat of the government that first ruled all of Britannia.
When the royal house vanished, the city lost its vitality and only a desolate site remained. Yet because of its symbolism, no lord could ever declare sovereignty over it.
Even the Agrippa family, who served as regents, had proclaimed the Shade Garden a sacred place and used it only for the New Year's Festival.
"I would like many honorable houses to attend that occasion."
A place that had withered when the Elf royal house disappeared. That living legend was known to every Britannian.
He would bring a descendant of the royal house there and ask them to bear witness. For the southern nobles, it was both a right and a duty they could not possibly refuse.
And so, the captured southern nobles did not leave the Wandering Castle even after paying their ransom.
"Please, allow us to join you for that glorious occasion."
Those nobles who had so much as once exchanged a word with Varda during their time at the Wandering Castle did not want to miss out on that historic event.
A little trouble did break out in the process.
"Baron Foster. You have toiled much."
"I merely did my duty as a sworn man. To tell the truth, gathering my comrades was nothing but a pleasure all the while. However..."
Baron Foster, who had gathered the delegation of Cornwall nobles, was still casting sharp glances at those who were still sworn to Viscount Winchester.
They had a long history of strife, and recently Viscount Winchester had even mustered them with the intention of annexing the Cornwall region. Naturally, there was bound to be rancor.
"Baron."
"Forgive me. I was being discourteous."
Baron Foster bowed his head in apology. This was no time to indulge private feelings.
"I have heard you intend to head for the Shade Garden."
"Reviving it comes first. Striking Haven comes after that."
In its days of thriving by royal power, the Shade Garden had possessed a tremendous position, both militarily and politically.
The sight that would unfold when Varda entered that place would mark a great turning point in the Britannian civil war.
Marbas fixed the auspicious day.
-Start in two days. A shower will fall that day.
The summoner, who had read the sky through the spirits of wind and water, gave his counsel.
-It is a day of celebration; would it do for the heavens to be sullen? I should think a fair day would be better.
-If it were an ordinary affair, that would be so. But if it is the Shade Garden that Princess Varda is to revive, the matter is different.
Summoners were experts in all manner of rites, from weddings to funerals. Eugene followed that advice.
* * *
Ruuuumble.
As the great gate of the Wandering Castle opened, an entirely different landscape from what they had just been seeing appeared.
"This is west of Haven—?!"
The Britannian nobles gathered in the lobby opened their eyes wide in shock.
"Now will you believe the legend is true? This is also how my army was able to drop right down onto this land."
"We beg forgiveness for having doubted! Please, punish us!"
"There is a felicitous occasion ahead, so I shall let it pass. From now on, have a little more trust."
During the banquets until now, the nobles had kept asking how on earth Eugene's army had landed without any rumor or report.
In this era, a military expedition was structured such that word would inevitably spread in all sorts of ways. It defied all sense that no one had noticed an army being brought across the sea.
When Eugene said he had come riding the Wandering Castle, they would reply, 'Ah, I see. Truly impressive,' and nod, but they had not genuinely believed it.
If they drank a little and grew tipsy, they would ask again and ask again.
"In my days as a squire, I once saw a statue in Bonyard. It was a truly stirring sight. I had forgotten it for more than twenty years, and yet..."
Rochester Baron bowed his head to Eugene and paid his respects.
As could be inferred from the element 'chester' in his name, his was a house that had received its title for merits concerning an outpost during the invasion of the 2nd Era Ancient Kingdom.
Rochester Baron had never been much moved by the Elf King's line, but he showed deep reverence for the Wandering Castle's power.
For a time thereafter, they held banquets and waited for the other nobles to arrive. More time was needed because there were houses coming from the north or east of Haven.
Viscount Winchester's scribes cried out at the top of their lungs not to join Eugene's summons, but few heeded them. All were drawn by the call, like pilgrims bound for a holy site.
"It's barren and gaunt, and yet there is something strange about it."
That was Eugene's impression of the Shade Garden.
It was clearly so desolate that not a single leaf could be found there. Yet there was no feeling of sterility or of a fire-ravaged ruin.
It was simply an atmosphere as though every natural element that composed the place had collectively fallen into a delusion.
As if they believed that before had been winter, now too was winter, and ever after would be winter, and had therefore fallen into a deep slumber.
What was needed to awaken this place was neither a warm spring breeze, nor a spell to make shoots sprout from the wasteland.
It was merely the footsteps of a single person.
As everyone held their breath and watched, Varda stepped forward with her first stride. At once, the fallen grasses lifted their heads.
It was like an old hound that had not seen its master for an age raising its head at a familiar scent.
"Did you see that just now?"
"The wind didn't blow, did it? Right?"
Leaving behind the amazed murmurs of the nobles, Varda's light, quiet footsteps continued.
Crack.
Even those without any magical talent clearly heard it — a crackling, like chestnuts and acorns breaking open their own shells.
It was the most peaceful sound of destruction in the world. The sound of shells breaking and shoots sprouting rang out everywhere throughout the Shade Garden at once.
On the branches that had been scattering nothing but sighs on the colliding winds, new buds now formed.
Sniff, sniff.
Homi's nose reacted before anyone else's.
"This smell...?"
And then other people's noses also responded. Into the air of the ruins, which had been filled with nothing but desolation and dryness, the scents of moss, grass, and fragrant tree bark began to mingle.
Creeeak.
Crack.
"Careful! It's giving way—!"
"Wah—!"
The mycelial roads, which had been deeply cracked like drought-stricken paddies, began to fill in.
It was the sight of a shrunken, split dough rapidly turning into bread, as though the warm breath of the elven princess had blown heat and yeast into it.
"It's hard?"
"At this rate, even iron wheels wouldn't damage the road."
The dwarves who tapped on the mycelial roads were amazed. In an instant, roads as even and solid as any found in a royal capital crisscrossed the ruins like veins.
In the meantime, Varda entered the heart of the Shade Garden.
There stood a space where dozens of enormous tree trunks — each so thick it would take fifteen grown men to encircle it — were bound together like intertwined branches.
The mycelial roads, reviving like falling dominoes, caught up to Varda. The ruined stairs that passed her and climbed up toward the intertwined trees rearranged themselves like fresh-baked loaves.
Sappun.
As Varda's foot touched the first step, the branches put forth leaves and let down vines.
But Varda did not take a second step. She stopped still, as if having realized something.
"Eugene."
She stretched out her hand.
"I do not want to climb alone. Stay by my side."
"Willingly, I shall do so."
Thus, a human monarch and a fey princess, hand in hand, turned to look back.
The leaves of the branches, rapidly awakening, veiled the ceiling. The two figures glimmered between shadow and light.
The dark elves, the dwarves, and all the Britannian nobles gazed on with expressions of a surging emotion beyond words.
Kurrrung.
Just then, a small thunderclap sounded from within the dark clouds. At the same time, the scent of damp air rode the wind.
"It looks as though rain will come soon. The weather has been so poor."
"Wait just a moment. Something to cover..."
A murmur spread among the nobles and their servants. Then Varda spoke toward them.
"I cannot allow honored guests to be rained upon. Follow us inside, all of you. Here, there are resting places for you, warmth, and clean water."
Crrrreak.
The trees of the Shade Garden stretched out their leaves and vines with a vigorous sound. The ceiling, which had been riddled with gaps, was now perfectly filled — perfectly suited for shelter from the rain.
Needless to say, not a single soul refused the chance to step into a faerie tale.
"Father should have seen this."
An aged noble touched the vibrant tree trunk, tears streaming down his face. The time of the Shade Garden, which had stood still throughout the 2nd Era, had at last begun to flow again.
The nobles' gazes turned toward the two figures ahead, climbing the stairs.
A human and an elf, hand in hand, advancing step by step. Leading the nobles, as if opening a new age, they led the way.
"My lord baron, please do not overexert yourself. Go slowly. I worry you may injure yourself."
"Silence!"
The noble, face full of wrinkles, shook off his anxious attendant and hastened his steps. The same was true of the other nobles around him.
It felt presumptuous to press too close, so they followed at a distance — and in one moment, Eugene and Varda vanished around a corner.
The moment the two disappeared from sight, the nobles were seized with a sense of dread.
This sensation, beyond any words they could put to it, was something none of them had ever felt in their lives. They found the mere disappearance of the two more unbearably terrifying than any threat by the cruel Count Kruger.
Autumn had returned to the long-arrested Shade Garden.
End
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