Chapter 5: An Invitation to the Dark

After capturing Fort Volks, Regis returned to Fort Sierck.

Altina, Jerome and even Eric stayed behind. This was perhaps inevitable, as there were still some four thousand Germanian soldiers and a handful of commissioned officers at Fort Volks. Although they had been taken prisoner, a blunder from the Belgarians might allow them to reassemble.

Leaving Jerome to watch the fort alone was a risky move, as there was no guarantee he wouldn’t exercise his ambitions, so Altina remained as well. However, the princess would need a trustworthy guard, hence the additional presence of Eric.

Regis sat alone, rattling around in the wagon. He’d made small talk with the other soldiers, but being away from the people he usually spent time with and traveling with a thousand soldiers hauling cargo was both a fresh and unsettling experience.

Once they entered the dark forest, the middle-aged knight leading the unit approached the wagon, an anxious expression on his face.

“Tactician, will we be all right...?”

“What do you mean?”

“There have been recent reports of barbarian attacks in this forest. Perhaps we should hasten the soldiers and—”

“Oh, if that’s your worry...”

Regis thought back to Diethardt. He had played an integral role in the plan’s preparatory stages.

“...we will undoubtedly be all right,” Regis continued. “Of course, we should be wary, but there won’t be any large-scale barbarian attacks.”

“Hmm, so... the rumors really are true?”

“Ah... So you heard?”

Regis assumed their secret agreement had come to light, but...

“The princess is such a goddess that even the barbarians, those who are no different from savage beasts, will obey her,” the knight proclaimed with a completely straight face.

...that wasn’t quite the case.

“Eh? Oh, no... The goddess part is...”

“Fufufu. Of course, I understand. Otherwise, there’s no way Sir Jerome would have lost. Truly a goddess!”

“Ha, haha...”

He must be one of Everard’s men, Regis concluded, absolutely perplexed by the man’s apparent certainty.

The knight puffed out his chest.

“We have the divine grace of a goddess! So shall we be back to the fort by tomorrow at noon, just as planned. Ride your wagon at ease, Tactician, for no ill fortune shall befall us!”

“Yes... I’m already...” He sighed, before resigning to the soldier’s conviction. “Thank you for such reassuring words.”

✧ ✧ ✧

The unit returned without any major incident.

They had been blessed with fair weather. If this was the grace of the local goddess, he had no qualms about offering a quiet prayer.

News of their victory had already reached the fort, and the atmosphere was thick with festivities. When they arrived that afternoon, the wide-open gate was overflowing with cheering soldiers, some even ceremoniously scattering flower petals from atop the ramparts. For some reason, the people of Theonveil had come as well, treating them to meats and ales.

Everard came out to meet them.

“Oh! Regis!”

“Good job holding the fort.”

“Hah, what about you? You did good—very, very good! You really captured Fort Volks! As expected of our tactician. Nothing short of a hero!”

“Huh!? Q-Quit it... I didn’t really—”

“Hold your head high, boy. Those who accomplish what others cannot are called heroes on the battlefield!”

“I see...”

Realizing that he had no real say in the matter, Regis conceded with an ambiguous nod. He wanted to hide away from it all. The heroes from the stories he read were always so cool: they were strong and popular, always following noble ideals...

In fact, now that he thought about it, Altina matched those criteria much more closely. She embodied everything he believed a hero should be.

“Don’t you understand, Regis!? This uproar! Everyone thought the campaign was a death sentence. They’re rejoicing that they’re still alive, and it’s all thanks to your plan. Isn’t that worth commending?”

“I see what you mean, but... Really... I just happened to have read a few relevant books... The rest was luck. A lot of luck. The ones who really deserve this praise are the soldiers and our specialists.”

“Dear me, you really are insecure!”

Smack!

Everard slapped him hard on the back.

The truth was, Regis wasn’t comfortable accepting compliments.

So he saw right through me... Regis gave a bitter smile.

“Hear ye, hear ye! Today’s centerpiece has arrived—our amazing tactician! Be honored to hear his words! Go on, say something!”

“Eh!?”

Everard’s booming voice had gathered the attention of every nearby soldier.

“Aah...” Regis hesitated. “Erm... Thank you all for your hard work. Truly... this victory... was only possible because of all of your efforts. Uh... Oh, right... This would be a perfect time to tell you all... Ahem... The Beilschmidt border regiment shall be moving its base of operations to Fort Volks.”

In an instant, the soldiers fell silent.

The impregnable Fort Volks was to become their base!?

All of a sudden, the crowd erupted into cheers.

“Waah-hahahah!” Everard let out a grand laugh. “Now this is news! Guahahaha— Hack! Hack, hack!”

He laughed so hard he ended up choking.

The soldiers and townsfolk who had gathered for the festivities joined in the ruckus. Within moments, Regis realized he had been surrounded by merchants.

“Tactician! Tactician! We would be honored if you would enlist our services to repair Fort Volks!”

“I brought ten kegs of ale for today’s celebrations. Incidentally, if you ever need more weapons, please do come to our workshop.”

“Why not take this opportunity to replace all of your troops’ bedding?”

“...Yes, well... No, that’s not really up to my discretion,” Regis responded, trying to repel the eager mob.

“Then put in a good word for us with the princess!”

“...I definitely get the feeling she’ll just leave things to me.”

“Please request our services! Whatever you need, you can leave it to us!”

“Very well, very well. I’ll... consider it...”

Another man from the crowd suddenly wormed his way over to Regis.

“Now, now, Tactician! Let’s forget all these moneygrubbing merchants—now is a time for celebration, not business! Have a glass! Ah, by the way... That gal over there’s my daughter, and she’s about to come of age, so—”

“Wait, Strategist—you’re still single!? Then, by all means, take our daughter!”

“No, no, no!” Regis interrupted. “Women have every right to choose their partner, and no woman would ever choose me. I’ve not got the right stuff for marriage.”

But his words didn’t deter them; the merchants relentlessly continued to advertise their services.

The Belgarian border regiment’s tactician, Regis Aurick, had become somewhat of an esteemed name. But that wasn’t all—the relocation to Fort Volks would require considerable remodeling and additional reinforcements. As far as large-scale military stores were concerned, it was an opportunity to make a fortune. No wonder the merchants were looking at him with such eager eyes.

“Err... Um... I have to prepare... for... something!”

Breaking into a dash, Regis beat a hasty retreat from the plaza.

✧ ✧ ✧

Regis returned to his own room. As was to be expected, the entrance to the central tower was guarded by soldiers, so the merchants would be unlikely to reach him here.

He collapsed onto the bed, overcome with a tiredness different from the fatigue of battle.

“Kuh...”

Then an unexpected knock came from his door.

Regis shot up.

“...Who is it?”

“It’s me, Mr. Aurick. Elin.”

“Ah. Coming.”

Hah... An exhausted sigh escaped his lips.

Elin was a maid from Jerome’s household who would occasionally help Regis with his work. She was just a little older than him.

When he opened the door, the lively tan-skinned girl waltzed in, throwing her arms around him in a sudden embrace.

“Mr. Aurick!”

“Wah!?”

“Congratulations! Such wonderful news!”

Her eyes were bleary. Regis could feel the blood rush to his cheeks, and the softness he could feel pressing against him sent all manner of strange emotions surging through his body.

“A-Ahem... Ms. Elin...?”

“Going off to that notorious fortress... I thought all hope was lost.”

“Yeah. I thought so too...”

“And then, Mr. Aurick, I heard you were victorious!”

“Hahaha... Well, the princess was the one who won.”

“I just couldn’t... contain myself anymore. I needed to meet you right away.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Her arms still wrapped around him, Elin pushed herself against Regis, guiding him back ever so slowly. Regis attempted a feeble retreat, only to stumble backward as his foot caught on a stack of paperwork.

“Ah!?”

“Mr. Aurick!”

Ah, what a pain... I’ll have to tidy those up later.

But scattered papers were the least of his concerns right now. The next thing he knew, Elin had mounted him.

“H-Huh?”

“You know... I...”

“...Yes?”

Elin gazed upon him with fevered eyes. She brought her face close to his, her warm breath grazing his cheek.

Regis froze; his mind was blank, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. He could no longer process what was going on.

“Welcome back, Mr. Regis.”

A voice came from the doorway. It was a cold, steely voice. A voice he remembered all too well.

Regis was immediately wrenched from his trance.

“Ah, Ms. Clarisse!”

“This is a surprise... You still remember my name.”

“Wha—!? Of course I remember...”

When he lifted his head to look at her, her icy smile chilled him to the bone. It crawled down his spine, and he was gradually overcome by a deep sense of dread.

From the perspective of a bystander, this was certainly a precarious situation—after all, there was a girl pinning him to the ground in an extremely risqué position.

In a panic, Regis attempted to explain the situation:

“Oh, no! T-This is— Ms. Elin just came to congratulate me!”

“So it seems. Incidentally, if you wish to continue, I’ll gladly disappear.”

Regis squirmed desperately.

“C-Continue doing what!?”

As he continued to struggle, Elin removed herself, her disappointment palpable.

“Mrh...”

“...Hmph.”

Clarisse strutted into the room and fixed the toppled stack of paperwork.

“This is a military fort, not your margrave’s manor. If you’re looking to play games, please do so in the plaza.”

Clarisse bore through the maid with a piercing stare. Elin faltered back.

“I— I’m being serious here!”

“Is that so. And? Are you implying I’m not being serious?”

“Erk...”

“Fufu... But alas, this feud is pointless. I think you’ll find Mr. Regis has no interest in such matters. It’s a real shame.”

“That can’t be true! Men his age are always up for it, night or day!”

The two women turned to look at Regis. Elin’s eyes were heated and carnal, while Clarisse watched him with a frozen glare.

Perhaps because he had been raised by his big sister, Regis had a little brother’s natural reluctance to challenge older women. While these two were barely above his own age, they each gave off an aura that Regis knew he wouldn’t be able to win against.

Regis took another step back. He felt as though he had entered a den of gray wolves.

“...Um... Up for what?” he asked quietly.

The two ladies sighed at his hesitant response.

“Mr. Aurick, seriously...”

“This is Mr. Regis we’re dealing with, after all...”

“Is there something I’ve done?”

“The problem is more what you haven’t done, Mr. Aurick!” Elin exclaimed.

“Elin, just leave it at that... Get any more persistent and I’ll call the guards.”

“Khh...”

As the two girls exchanged blows, Elin’s younger brother, Gösta, entered the room. He worked in the margrave’s household as a steward’s apprentice.

“Ah, there you are, Sis. I just got a letter from Sir Jerome, so we should head back to the manor and have Mr. Maclen— Hm!?”

Having been met with a terrifying scowl from his older sister, the innocent boy turned pale.

“I suppose I should return to the manor. Good day to you, Mr. Aurick. Next time, definitely!”

“S-Sure...?”

Clarisse turned her back to the siblings.

“I’ll go and get some demon-warding holy water from the priest at once, Mr. Regis.”

“Hm? What are you planning to use that for?”

Only once the door had closed and Elin and Gösta were out of sight did Clarisse’s wrath finally appear to subside. Her deadly glare had been replaced by a gentle smile, and she approached him with her arms outstretched...

...and pinched both of his cheeks.

“Hyau?”

He was naïve to think she wasn’t still angry. Though Regis didn’t even have a good grasp on why she was mad in the first place.

“Welcome back, Mr. Regis.”

“Ysh... ’m brck.”

“You promised you’d return, so... I always believed you’d be back. I’m glad to see you’re uninjured.”

“Yehh.”

She was still relentlessly pulling on his cheeks, making his responses near unintelligible.

Her fingers slowly relaxed, and she spread out her palms to stroke his face instead. His cheeks were now sandwiched between her two hands.

The next thing he knew, her lips were closing in on his.

Eh? What’s going on?

Regis froze up once again. For a moment, the only coherent thought that passed through his mind was how nice she smelled.

His throat was so dry it had gone numb. She was now so close that he could feel her breath.

“Mr. Regis...”

“U-Um... Clarisse?”

“That’s no good... You shouldn’t act so defenseless... around a woman like me...”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You really want me to explain? Here? Mr. Regis, you’re horrible. I thought you were kinder than that.”

“...I’m... not particularly kind. Some people reach that conclusion because of my lack of courage.”

“Are you changing the topic?”

“Wh-Who can say? That wasn’t my intention...”

“Fufufu... You wouldn’t mind if I told the princess about this, would you?”

“Wh-What!?”

The moment he recalled Altina, Regis inadvertently flinched.

The maid released her grip on his face. Without even realizing it, Regis backed away from her. Clarisse regarded him with a delighted smile.

“I’m only joking, Mr. Regis... Would you care for some tea?”

“...Thank you. I’d love some. My throat is terribly parched for some reason.”

“Then I’ll be back shortly.”

And, with a polite curtsy, she exited the room.

✧ ✧ ✧

Two weeks had passed since the Beilschmidt border regiment had captured Fort Volks. Their mainstays were now gathered in the conference room once used by Weingartner and his men.

The flag of the empire and the flag designed by Altina hung side by side on the wall. The shield drawn in the center hadn’t come out so appealing under her hand, so they had it redone by a professional.

An arrangement of red flowers decorated one corner of the room—they had been prepared by Clarisse well in advance.

“I thought you’d need them for the celebration, so I went ahead and bought some,” she had said at the time.

Her adamance that the princess would be victorious came as no surprise.

Altina, Jerome and Everard joined Regis in the room.

Only the minimum permissible number of soldiers remained at Fort Sierck; the rest had now been transferred to Fort Volks. This would be their base of operations henceforth.

Regis held up a report in one hand.

“—and with that, the transfer is complete. It may prove inconvenient until we grow more accustomed to the new fortress, but I’m going to draft up a remodeling proposal. If there’s anything you think we might need, just let me know.”

Altina raised a hand.

“The cooks were a mess the last time I spoke to them. Said all they could make here was sausage.”

“Haha... I’ve already called in a designer for the kitchen. We should have a new cooking stove by next month.”

Jerome prodded irritably at the papers in front of him.

“What about the mercenaries? You did reach out to those who’d been stationed at Fort Volks, didn’t you?”

“Around a thousand plan to sever their contract with the grand duchy to join our regiment. But, for now, they’re still prisoners of war.”

“Not enough. At least three thousand of the four thousand stationed here should be mercenaries. I’m sure there are normal soldiers from the duchy who’d be willing to defect for the right price. We should be able to get another fifteen hundred out of them.”

“We aren’t made of money, so I made our requirements a little harsher. Age, combat experience and such...”

“Hmph. You’re as dull as ever. Throw it all out. Take anyone who’s willing.”

“But...”

“My training’ll weed out the weaklings. I’ll have the number of candidates halved in three months, tops!”

“I-I see.”

“You really are ignorant of anything that might lead to shedding sweat,” Jerome continued. “It’s pretty unexpected for someone so well versed in bloodshed.”

“You’re making it sound like I have some kind of strange fetish... These days, stories about genius are becoming more popular than stories about strenuous effort. Ah, actually—speaking of geniuses and bloodshed... there’s this book I read a while back... It’s about an aloof young girl who eats sweets as she solves the most bizarre mysteries. Oh, and there’s this one in particular! So, from the top of the tower falls a human—”

“Get on with the report!”

“Ah. Right...”

He rarely had the opportunity to talk about books, so it seemed he had gotten a little carried away.

“Um, a request to return the fort came in from the grand duchy of Varden... Do you want to hear how much they’re offering?”

“Tell them to shove it.”

“...I agree.” Altina nodded. “The lives that were lost taking this fort, and the lives that will be saved because of our victory... Neither can be bought with money.”

“If we wanted their money, we’d just march down and take their damn capital. Tell them to be patient; I’ll raze them to the ground once I have some free time.”

“Ahem, Sir Jerome? I was literally just talking about the value of life!”

“We’re going to be fighting them regardless.”

“Aah... Understood! Then I’ll write up a response to the duchy,” Regis weighed in. “It’d be in our best interest to postpone war for as long as possible.”

His words were quickly followed by a good-spirited laugh from Everard.

“You know, it seems the soldiers have started to address our regiment by another name.”

“Hmph...” Jerome averted his gaze.

Judging by his reaction, he already knew what Everard was about to say.

“What are they calling it?” Altina tilted her head.

“Marie Quatre’s Army.”

“H-Huh!? Me!?”

“It just goes to show how much the soldiers adore you, Princess.”

“Y-Yeah...? Is that so?”

“’Course it is! You’re truly a goddess!”

Altina bashfully shrunk back a little.

Regis could see where they were coming from. Beilschmidt may have been the region they were based in, but their regiment had now exceeded its territorial boundaries. In that regard, calling it Marie Quatre’s Army was much more appropriate.

“...Quite a development.”

All of a sudden, a knock came from outside the door. Perhaps due to the mine tunnels that made up the fortress, the sound carried far better than it would have at Fort Sierck.

“...Come in?”

“Pardon me.”

Eric stepped into the room, a letter in his hand.

“This just came in from the capital.”

Regis could see both Altina and Jerome tense up at those words.

In the first place, the order to take Fort Volks had come in response to their cooperative relationship with barbarians; the border regiment had grown too strong, so the order was meant to diminish, if not completely wipe out, their forces.

Yet now Altina had obtained an impenetrable fortress as her base, and was planning to gain over a thousand more troops.

What would Second Prince Latrielle do now?

Regis took the envelope.

“It’s addressed to the princess... You don’t mind me opening it, do you?”

“Of course not. No matter what it says, I’m sure it concerns us all.”

“Well then...”

He placed the letter down on the table. He skimmed through another long-winded greeting, peppered with hackneyed words of congratulation.

Then, at the very end—

This coming April, as I’m sure you’re aware, we will hold the National Day Celebration to commemorate the founding of our empire. Marie Quatre Argentina is invited to attend. This is father’s wish. I look forward to the day our family shall be reunited once more.

Jerome pounded a fist into the table. “It’s a trap.”

“Almost certainly. But we can’t really ignore it,” Everard said with a frown.

Eric’s expression was dark. “That’s right... It says the princess’s father... the emperor... wishes for her presence.”

“This again!? Are we gonna be branded as traitors if we refuse!?”

Regis cocked his head.

“It’s presumably... not as serious this time. But we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves if rumor of our rebelliousness spreads. The fact we captured Fort Volks and the princess’s growing army has already made us the talk of the nation...”

“As long as we have this fortress, we can hold our ground against the First Army!” Jerome declared, proudly raising from his seat.

In reality, a battle with the empire would still be difficult, especially considering their lack of supply routes, but they were undoubtedly in a better position than before.

“What do you think?” Altina asked, turning to Regis.

“Hm... Why don’t you try meeting with them? I mean, they’re your family, aren’t they?”

“They’re my family. But they might still try to kill me.”

“Then we should see how things go. If you truly want to follow your will, the day will come when you’ll have to face them...”

“The day I face them...”

“Yes. The protagonist of any story is always running into his archenemy. So much so that you might even assume they were best pals.”

“Books again? Is that really trustworthy advice?”

“...Probably. Are you scared?”

“...I don’t know.”

It was rare to see Altina so faint of heart. It seemed her emotions were thrown into terrible disarray whenever her brother, the prince, came into the discussion.

Even so, to Regis he was a cause of concern that needed to be dealt with.

“...Prince Latrielle invited you by name. I’m not sure about the journey there, but if anything happened to you in the capital he would surely fall under suspicion. Though that’s not to say you’d be completely safe. I’ve heard rumors that he attempted to poison First Prince August.”

“Right... Running isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Yeah.”

Altina stood.

“I’ll go to the capital. Even if nothing but darkness awaits me there!”

Jerome cracked his knuckles, a belligerent expression on his face.

“The capital, eh!? If we’re heading there, how about we bring all five thousand soldiers for our triumphant return? Hm?”

Regis grimaced.

That’d be an act of war, sir...

Altina shook her head.

“I only need Regis to come with me.”

“Wait, what!? Just me!?”

“Oh, and Clarisse will accompany us, of course.”

“Only the three of us!?”

“Tsk.”

Jerome disinterestedly slumped back into his chair.

“At least bring some guards!” Everard and Eric pleaded.

Regis had a mind to bring some guards himself. After all, there was no guarantee that Latrielle would be their only enemy.

No matter what happened, this would be his long-awaited return to the capital.

To be continued...