Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

“HEAR THIS, Elisabel Roney Filsandia. I, Geo Margilus—wizard and lord of Castle Getaeus—shall be your ally henceforth.” I proclaimed these words to the red-eyed girl before me. Even covered in blood, she exhibited grace and gratitude.

Elisabel had previously said she wanted to know her father’s true intentions. Was it the duke of Filsand who was after her? That would certainly be a blow to what my friends and I had in mind.

Of course, that didn’t have any bearing on whether or not I helped her.

“I’ll ask you just one thing,” I told her. “Did you commit any crimes that would lead someone to try and take your life?”

“You mean besides being born?”

Her response left me pondering what kind of world could make a teenage girl speak those dreadful words with such apathy and calm.

 

***

 

“Now then…” How could I go about both saving her and achieving our own aspirations? No part of this would be easy.

“I see her!”

“Hurry!”

It was pointless to try to hide the magic light. The knights would surely arrive soon.

“Lord Margilus, what are you going to do now?” the girl asked me.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t been able to formulate a plan,” I admitted. “We could run away or let them capture us…but if you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”

She knew the situation better than anyone. Maybe she could come up with a good way to get out of this. The lady thought for a few seconds, then nodded. There was strength in her red irises as she looked up at me.

“You have my deepest gratitude,” she said. “Now, I have an idea… Can you play along?” As soon as those words left her lips, she moved to greet the knights with a huge smile on her face.

“Lady Elisabel… We’ve found you at last!” After guiding his horse across the darkened road, Adad dismounted. He was the first of many.

“You can’t escape now!” The other knights also dismounted, one after another, their swords already drawn. But the expression on every one of their faces hardened the moment they realized that it was me standing there with Elisabel. “Huh?!”

“L-Lord Margilus?”

“Impossible! How could you… Wait, what are you doing here?!”

They were surprised that I’d beaten them here. They’d probably seen me return to Axeholm on the shoulder of the massive dwarf statue after defeating the Rust King. They were clearly frightened.

“That’s an interesting question.” Elisabel had said she had a plan, but how did she intend to negotiate with them? For the time being, I decided just to smile, trying to look important and unperturbed. All while evading the question, of course.

“Princess… It was imprudent of us to leave you on your own.” Adad waved his hand, signaling the other knights to sheathe their weapons. He then kneeled in front of Elisabel. His words were respectful, but his irritation was apparent in both his tone and his gaze. At least it seemed he still had enough wits about him not to try and assassinate her right in front of me.

“Now, please, mount my horse. Let’s hurry back,” Adad urged.

“No.” Elisabel refused.

“Huh?” Adad’s confidence was utterly destroyed by the cool demeanor of the duke’s daughter. He may have expected her to refuse, but Adad’s mouth gaped at the ferocity of that refusal. This sort of outburst probably wasn’t characteristic of her.

“I appreciate your concern. And I apologize for the trouble I have caused you. But…” She hesitated, speaking to Adad as if he were indeed a faithful knight.

There was no doubt in my mind that he knew I’d stand in the way if he tried to use force. The only thing he and his knights could do was continue the charade. However, this plan wouldn’t keep the knights away from her forever.

“I don’t want to be apart from this man,” Elisabel continued.

“Eh?!” Now I was confused. While I pondered Elisabel’s plan, she attached herself firmly to my arm. What magic was she using to hide those bulges? Her chest was even more voluptuous next to me than it looked from afar. It was right there, just brushing my arm. For a split second, my reflexes led me to flinch; my normal reaction would have been to back up, but I clenched my teeth and held my ground.

I finally had an idea of what she was trying to do, but it sure wasn’t what I’d expected. Wait a second. Just how deeply involved is she going to get me, here? The knights looked even more surprised than I was. Adad rose from his kneeling position and—probably subconsciously—drew his sword.

“M-Miss Elisabel! What is the meaning of this?! When did you and Margilus…?” Adad couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“Where is your tact, Adad?” Elisabel snapped. “Surely you know that time is of no import to a young woman in love!”

“L-Lord Margilus! Explain yourself!” Adad shifted the blame back to me.

I kept silent. While it was true that I’d been gaining confidence and had grown more comfortable in my role as a great wizard, I definitely wasn’t ready to play the part of a lecherous older man chasing after a younger girl. But if I were to deny it, she would no longer have an excuse to reject the knights. If only I were better at improv…

“Silence, Adad! Master Margilus and I are already betrothed! We go now to Filsand, to obtain my father’s blessing for our marriage!”

“B-betrothed?!”

Hold on just a minute! But then again, this whole situation would make sense if it were the stubborn whims of a rich daughter blinded by love. As a vassal, Adad had no right to argue. Normally, he’d just resort to force, but both he and his knights knew that wasn’t an option as long as I was around.

It was a good strategy. It seemed that my only choice was to risk my reputation by pretending to be a lecher…engaged to this young girl that I’d only ever once passed in the hall.

 

***

 

“Margilus, you scoundrel! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Look…I can explain.” I could already tell that a major scolding was headed my way.

After shattering the morale of the knights into tiny pieces with our engagement announcement, Elisabel smoothly convinced them of the finer details. Adad and the knights reluctantly accepted the fact that I would be accompanying her back to Filsand. In fact, Elisabel would even be allowed to stay in my guest room.

That was how the duke’s daughter was allowed to return to Axeholm at my side. The first thing the lady said when she stepped into my guest room was, “I would like to announce that Master Margilus and I are engaged.”

And that was why Clara was now tugging at my earlobe while screaming at me like a madwoman.

Reyha glanced worriedly from Clara to Elisabel and back again. Incidentally, Elisabel was stuck to my right arm, while Clara was pulling me from the left…not that it matters.

Ild had been pondering in silence, but when he finally spoke, he did it without hesitation. “I think I more or less understand what’s going on here. This engagement came about as an excuse for Mister Margilus to intervene in Miss Elisabel’s business?”

“That’s exactly right, Ild.” Nothing got past him.

“So, that means you’ll protect her from assassination by accompanying her in the guise of a fiancé?”

“That’s right. And I can be confident I’ll get an audience with the duke. Then…I will explain to him the circumstances and that we were never actually engaged.”

There was silence.

Elisabel listened to our conversation, her brow furrowed. She must have become uneasy at the sorceress yanking on the ear of a castle lord. What’s more, there was a giant warrior with strange armor nearby who didn’t even blink at the sight. Surely, she was thinking, What kind of castle lord allows his subordinates to disrespect him like this?

I did my best to reassure her. “Rest assured, Elisabel. Everyone here is an ally that I trust.”

She looked at me quizzically, red eyes staring. “Allies?”

“That’s right. They’re not subordinates, and she’s not just nagging me. Everyone here is a friend, and they’ve saved my life more than once.”

Clara released her fingers from my ear, but her eyes still pierced me like daggers. She’d only let go because she thought I’d been baited by the lady, and was trying to collect herself. It’s definitely not that she’s jealous or anything.

Elisabel looked around, as if at a loss, but she soon let out a gentle sigh and let go of my arm. “I understand. Everyone, this was merely a charade. Please don’t worry unduly.”

“I-I’m certainly not worried,” Clara exclaimed. “I was simply making sure Margilus quit his lecherous ogling. That’s all!”

 

***

 

“I feel so refreshed.”

“Hot springs really are wonderful.”

“Yes, I really could get used to this.”

The girls had taken Elisabel, still covered in blood, to the hot springs near our rooms.

Naturally, I had prepared familiar defensive spells such as Detect Invisible, and I’d also asked the dwarves for extra security. I felt certain she would no longer be in danger as long as she stayed in Axeholm. More importantly—and I don’t know if this was from bonding and spending time with Elisabel naked—both Clara and Reyha had clearly warmed up to her a bit, which was a relief.

 

***

 

After they’d bathed and dressed, we started discussions with Elisabel. Ild asked the questions, helping us get a better idea of her circumstances.

“It all started when General Darmund of Velde infiltrated Filsand’s territory and banished the local clans. General Darmund was granted the title of duke because of his position as the king’s brother. That was twenty years ago.” Elisabel started with the basics, painting a thorough picture.

The Schultz clan of Filsand claimed to be the descendants of an ancient kingdom of gods and had a strong influence over the surrounding clans. That’s why Duke Darmund had captured the Schultz princess, Shayla, and forced her to become his bride. The Schultz clan had fled to the mountainous southern regions, but the grudge they held against General Darmund—now the duke of Filsand—remained strong. They continued to stage guerrilla-style attacks on his people.

“P-Princess Shayla of the Schultz clan… She’s your mother, right, Elisabel?” Ted wore a bitter look on his face.

“Yes, that’s right.” Elisabel nodded in response. “But she died several years ago.” Her face was like a porcelain mask, but there was something softer locked behind that facade. I remembered her saying she bore “the grudge of her mother.”

I’m sure the expression on my face resembled Ted’s.

“The duke of Filsand had three children. Balzard, the eldest son, was born to his first wife. She died a long time ago, but Balzard has always been very kind to me. The second son, Agveil, belongs to the duke’s current wife. He is timid and lacks strength. Then there’s me, his only daughter and a barbarian.”

So, in other words, the duke of Filsand had one child with each of his three wives. Interesting…

“Filsand is now divided into two factions.” Elisabel continued to explain the complexities of her family history, polite and wholly expressionless. It seemed that the duke’s eldest son, Balzard, was the commander of the Filsand army. He had long been admired by the vassals of the duke. Agveil, on the other hand, was the grandson of a nobleman from Velde, through his mother, and had the support of vassals who were relatively new followers of the duke. These two camps were known as the “military faction,” which was made up of long-standing vassals faithful to Balzard, and the “aristocratic faction,” which had a strong connection to Velde and was devoted to Agveil.

As for Elisabel, since her mother was a barbarian, she had no political support whatsoever.

“But if that’s the case,” Ild wondered, “then there’s no reason for Prince Agveil to target you, is there?”

“That used to be true,” Elisabel said, shaking her head. “Actually…a few months ago, my older brother Balzard was killed in an attack by the Schultz clan.”

“I see. So now the military faction is trying to lure you out?” Clara, part of a high-ranking aristocratic family herself, understood matters well.

This time, Elisabel nodded. “It does seem like that. Even if I were faithfully devoted to my brother, those people don’t care about my intentions.”

That means…

“But then wouldn’t it be strange that your father was trying to assassinate you?” Ted, our resident peasant, asked the question I’d been pondering myself.

He’s good…

“You’re right. When I was eavesdropping on the knights, I heard that it was Agveil who issued the order. Although I don’t see how it’s possible my father wouldn’t know about it…”

“You mean to suggest he knows and is ignoring it?!”

“I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.” For decades, her father had fought as the general of the Velde Kingdom, and he remained the most powerful warrior in Filsand. He was also an effective military commander, rarely defeated in battle during the invasion. He used superb intelligence agents to collect information both within and without Filsand. He imposed strict order on his territories and vassals and crushed anyone who opposed or disobeyed him. The duke got what he wanted at any cost—be it land, riches, or soldiers.

“I wouldn’t even be surprised if he pitted Agveil and me against each other and then named whoever survived as his successor.” Elisabel’s lips twisted into a self-mocking smile.

“By the gods…” Ted looked horrified.

“Yes, well. This is nothing so strange as all that. ‘Traitors’ are executed monthly in the castle. In the past, he sold all the people in one village who misrepresented their taxes as slaves.”

“Urgh…”

“Whoa…” Now both Ted and I had matching pale faces. I knew the ethics in this world were different from those of Japan, but this was too much. It was as if she was describing the perfectly stereotypical Evil Nobleman.

“Be that as it may. The duchy of Filsand is prospering, so he’s clearly a competent ruler.” As usual, Clara’s take was completely different from mine. Objectively, she had a point.

But still…

“That’s horrible.” In a normal fantasy tale, I would go to see the duke of Filsand—obviously an enemy—and play my part as his daughter’s fiancé, then negotiate trade and an alliance. I was already dreading it.

I started fretfully rubbing my stomach.

There was no particular reason why the duke should turn down trade completely. However, when it came to Elisabel, it seemed there was an ongoing battle within his own household. If the duke ended up saying that he wanted to banish Elisabel from Filsand, I might have to take her to Castle Getaeus for protection.

I’m getting ahead of myself. As a great wizard, how can I ignore an evil nobleman? Even if I do have a policy of not getting involved in disputes between humans…

 

***

 

The first thing I had to do was get to Filsand.

I decided to assign roles to my companions before departing Axeholm. Clara, Ted, and the three recruits would be in charge of Elisabel’s safety. Ild and I would continue to negotiate with the dwarves. Lade would stand watch over our home base—in other words, wait. I decided to ask Reyha to keep an eye on what Adad and the other Filsand knights were up to.

Understandably, the Star Shield Knights returned to Filsand the next morning with all of Elisabel’s attendants, as if running away.

 

***

 

Two days later, things at Axeholm seemed to settle down all at once.

First, Ild and I finished our negotiations with the dwarves.

We signed a detailed trade treaty with Axeholm. The conditions of the treaty were so good that they almost worried me. The leaders of Axeholm showed particular interest in the anti-daemon alliance, and our compact was concluded without issue.

To prepare for developing the trade route, we would prioritize the expansion of Castle Getaeus and building the road from there to Axeholm. Once those steps were completed, we planned to extend the trade route to Filsand from Axeholm, which necessitated tunneling through the Iron Fan mountain range. During the expansion of Castle Getaeus, a team at Axeholm would draw up designs for the tunnel and trade route. Of course, the trade route to Filsand would have to wait for approval from the duke.

Incidentally, Elisabel’s original business in Axeholm—purchasing siege weapons to attack the barbarians’ fortress—had been put on hold, with the consent of the dwarves.

Also, an Axeholm blacksmith and his assistants would be stationed at Castle Getaeus. I was very grateful for that, especially since I was granted permission to use them as castle staff.

 

***

 

We had really made ourselves at home in the guest rooms at Axeholm.

“Postcard woven with the arcane, reveal yourself to me. Arcane Postcard.” As I chanted the first half of the spell, glittering particles swirled before me, coalescing into the form of a single postcard.

On that postcard, I jotted down our current situation and asked about the situation at Castle Getaeus.

“That oughta do,” I said to myself.

“You’re not going to hand that off to a dwarf or a merchant, are you?” Elisabel picked up the intricately decorated postcard. Instead of answering her, I chanted the second half of the spell and tossed the postcard out the window.

“Fairy of wind, deliver this Arcane Postcard directly to my friend, Sedam.”

“Oh!” Elisabel let out a cute gasp when a little fairy suddenly appeared and caught the postcard, fluttering in the wind.

“Deliver this postcard to Sedam at Castle Getaeus.” Once the little fairy heard the “address” of the postcard, it waved its hand and flew away elegantly.

It goes without saying that the fairy was headed toward Castle Getaeus, where we’d left Sedam to watch over things. In D&B, Arcane Postcard was a valuable spell used to communicate over long distances. It was very convenient, but since the messenger had to physically carry a postcard all that way, it would still take two or three days to reach its destination.

Clara was quite taken with it. “Something about this spell feels…poetic, somehow.”

“Especially since, so far, he’s only used spells to conjure giants, daemons, and serpents.” Reyha spoke bluntly, watching the adorable butterfly-winged fairy float away.

“G-goodness,” Elisabel said. “So you can even make fairies like that…enabling you to share information when you’re far from home. Your magic gives you truly wondrous powers, Margilus.” Elisabel’s praise was quite different from the others’. She seemed more focused on the practical benefits of the spell.

“It’s no big deal,” I said. “At least now, Sedam will know what’s going on here.”

“I bet he’ll be disappointed,” Ted joked.

He was right. Sedam couldn’t wait to give up his position as deputy lord of the castle. Mora was probably worried. I sure wish I could see her right now.

At the very least, we had accomplished everything we came to Axeholm to do.

 

***

 

The next day, we stood before the main gate of Axeholm. It had only been a few days since the rust beast attack, but the gates were already fully restored.

Countless dwarves came to see us off as we departed for Filsand.

“Margilus! Margilus!”

“Savior of Axeholm! Margilus, true friend of the dwarves!”

“May our friendship with the mighty sorcerer last forever!”

It wasn’t just the crowd gathered at the main gate hollering. Dwarves were also leaning out and shouting from the windows of Axeholm’s towering spire.

“Brave warrior Lade! The strength of the god of fire dwells within his blade!”

“Blessings of the god of wind be upon the dark elf Reyhanalka!”

The dwarves cried out loudly with gratitude, not just for me, but for Lade and Reyha, who’d done an outstanding job defending Axeholm from the rust beasts. They both pretended not to notice.

“Lord Margilus, I pray for your safe travels.”

“Thank you, Lord Garde. I look forward to our continued cooperation.” I firmly shook the dignified dwarven ruler’s hand. At first, I’d thought his expression was hard to read, but now I could clearly see tears in his eyes. The damage they’d suffered from the rust beasts must have been severe.

The dwarves expressed their affection for me not only by cheering, but also in a more direct, physical way. Garde, the Zamslon governor, presented me with a mountain of treasured maleithrilin and mirsdine. I arranged for it to be transported directly to Castle Getaeus. The Valvaron governor, Gazod, offered a company of dwarven warriors to protect us, but I politely declined.

Although it wasn’t out of gratitude to me, Feivel of House Rimron was selected as a messenger to Filsand and would be joining us as our guide.

I had gained a lot from Axeholm, not least of all the trust of the dwarves, this world’s technological leaders.

“Let’s get going, then.”

My friends responded, one by one.

“I’m ready,” said Clara the sorceress.

“You know it,” replied my chief steward Ild.

“As my Orly desires,” Reyha declared.

Only one person was silent. Lade of the warrior clan.

We were joined by the soldier Ted and his three new recruits. The dwarf Feivel and his guards also accompanied us as we departed Axeholm.

We set out for Filsand. In that city, an evil duke awaited.