Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

“THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE, Master Margilus.”

“Mmm.”

Clara was the first to speak to me after I dismounted from the phantom horse. She normally addressed me as an equal, but in public, she spoke more formally. Nothing appealed to my pride quite like having a beautiful woman appreciate my work. I felt like I finally understood why the presidents of companies both large and small so often hired beautiful secretaries.

Meanwhile, the still-seated duke of Filsand, Elisabel, Diane, and the officials had stiff expressions on their faces for some reason. “Huh?”

“O-oh my…”

“S-somebody help me.”

When I looked over, I saw that nearly all the Filsanders were no longer able to stay upright on their feet. Only the duke seemed unperturbed. Perhaps all the stimulation was a bit much for them. Part of me thought it was silly to be scared at this point.

I addressed the duke again. “As you can see, Your Grace, the daemonic legion is no longer a problem.”

“Erm… Yes…just as we’d hoped.” The duke was uncharacteristically clumsy as he rose.

As he did, the surrounding officials, sorcerers, and knights began to kneel. Elisabel and Diane did so as well.

“You did a wonderful job. Such power…”

“Are you…sure you’re really not Beelzebub?”

“O-our hero!”

“It was like watching a myth come to life!”

I had already gotten used to such reactions. “No…definitely not Beelzebub,” I assured them.

But come to think of it, this was the first time I’d ever used so many flashy, high-level spells at once. I was already numbed to that sensation, but the impact of today’s battle would have completely surpassed what they’d experienced when I showed them the dragon before.

“Anyway, you have eliminated the crisis. Filsand will not forget this service.” There was unmistakable relief on the duke’s face as he wiped sweat off his brow. It was a natural reaction for the leader of a town that had just been saved, but it was the first time I really noticed human feeling in him. I could feel the heat through his gloves when he firmly shook my hand.

However…

There were still many challenges ahead, including with his children—especially Elisabel. The matter of the Schultz clan remained unsettled, to say nothing of war with Velde.

 

***

 

I persuaded the duke to meet with me, calling it a “victory banquet.”

This meeting’s purpose was to continue the previously interrupted discussions of the alliance between Castle Getaeus and the duchy of Filsand. The duke’s side was calling it a military alliance, and planned to use it to invade Velde.

The attitudes of not only the duke, but also the prime minister and the court sorcerer, were intense. They wanted me to become one of them, no matter the cost.

“Let’s get started then.” Elisabel stood up first, facing them with a cool countenance. “I would like to address the duchy of Filsand.”

This was the part where we’d been interrupted by Reyha’s postcard last time.

“In addition to the trade relations that have already been agreed upon, the requests of Lord Geo Margilus to the duchy are as follows: First, conclusion of the anti-daemon alliance, in order to suppress the emergence of daemons and the secret maneuvers of the daemonists; second, a ceasefire with the Schultz clan and support for them until their lives are stable; third, development of the Twilight Wastelands as a place where refugees can live, within ten years. That is all.”

There was silence.

From the duke on down, every face on their side of the table stiffened at the “requests” read to them in a lovely but clerical voice. I’d been warned to expect that, but it didn’t make things any less uncomfortable.

“You would truly make such brazenly one-sided demands?! I understand the anti-daemon alliance, but you expect us to support the Schultz clan? And develop the Twilight Wastelands with all the undead just wandering around?! You mock us…ridicule us…! I… You… I can’t…” the prime minister, red in the face, shouted until he broke off coughing. I guess it was natural that their hackles would be raised if I made my suggestions right after showing off so many of my powers. Hmmm… I really can be a loathsome sort of man.

“My sole request is a joint attack on the prosperous east.” The duke of Filsand was clever. He stared me straight in the eye, not cowed in the least. “What say you to that?”

After being ignored, Elisabel spoke again. “With the help of Lord Margilus, it indeed would be easy to conquer Velde. But how would you govern it?”

“Well, I would—” the duke started.

“It’s not possible.” Elisabel cut him off. “The entire Filsand army is less than ten thousand men. Even if that were enough to rule Thanesand, do you really believe you can control the entirety of Velde?”

“Hmm…”

The duke clammed up after Elisabel’s question. It wasn’t that the he’d given insufficient consideration to his conquest of Velde. His original plan had been to take his time, invading only one city at a time. But my powers provided numerous expedients.

“With a wizard’s help, it might be easy to conquer the country of Velde, but Filsand does not have the power to govern it,” Elisabel pointed out.

In the wake of the excitement of the huge spectacle of meteors, dragons, and giants, Elisabel’s cool tongue soothed the leaders of Filsand.

“I’m not happy to say it,” one minister muttered, “but she may be right.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! Just because we have Lord Margilus, that doesn’t mean we have to go trying to force the takeover of the entire realm, does it?!”

Once they’d cooled down and thought about it calmly, they began to notice the holes in Elisabel’s opinion.

The court sorcerer offered his own take. “This is ridiculous! If you want to form a military alliance and conquer together, then you should bring an equal level of power! Are you all satisfied with only taking land that Margilus conquers for you?!”

That struck a little close to home. The minister recoiled. “Ergh!”

Elisabel turned her scornful gaze to the duke and his officials. This type of emotional persuasion didn’t allow for a lot of calm, empathetic reasoning.

But that couldn’t be helped. I’d decided to play the role of a heroic wizard whom the evil duke should fear, and Elisabel had set the stage admirably.

“I understand your concerns,” I said, “So I’ll be giving you two things: time and an opportunity.”

“What are you talking about?” the duke demanded.

Elisabel made eye contact with me, and I jumped right into it. “It’s simple. I want Filsand to grow stronger. If we were to develop the Twilight Wastelands, you would be able to train more troops and build a stronger army, right? Once you do that, I will help you.”

What Elisabel had proposed to me was a plan to buy time and have the duke concentrate on development for a decade or so. When I naturally asked her what we would do in ten years, she answered, “My father lives an unhealthier life than anyone I know. No one who lives like that could hope to see another ten years. Even if he stays healthy, ten years is plenty of time to come up with another plan.”

If I didn’t appreciate the motives behind her scheme, it would have been disingenuous for me to be involved in it. Basically, we were running a scam.

But looking at it objectively, the conditions weren’t all that bad. The duke didn’t have to declare to the world that he meant to invade Velde. Aside from supporting the Schultz clan, all the conditions were beneficial to Filsand.

“Your offer is predicated on one big question,” the duke said. “And that is: Is it possible? I’m not unaware of the promise of the Twilight Wastelands. If we could claim their riches and develop them fully, we’d become a dominant power. If we pull that off, then I couldn’t care less about what happens to the Schultz. But tell me this, wizard. How? How are you going to get rid of the undead?”

“Well, it won’t be me, exactly. Actually, it’s already begun.”

Everyone looked at me quizzically.

 

***

 

I took the duke and his entourage outside of the Filsand capital. I’d already promised to show them my means for eliminating the undead from the Twilight Wastelands.

“Why the suspense?” The duke was growing more and more interested. “Just tell us already.”

“What manner of trickery is he up to now…?” the court sorcerer still looked pale in the face.

“They’re running a bit late. According to my calculations, they should be here any minute… Oh, there they are.” I squinted toward the Twilight Wastelands and saw some figures on the horizon.

“There who are?”

The number of figures grew and grew. They were coming closer at an amazing speed.

Rattle, rattle!

Rustle, rustle!

“What the hell?!”

“I-It’s the undead!”

The officials cried out in alarm. Indeed, the formation heading straight for us at terrifying speed was full of skeletons armed with rusted weapons. Among them were walking corpses with rotting flesh, and ghosts surrounded with a yellow aura.

“Wh-what is this?! Is this your doing, Margilus?!”

Even my friends, who knew what was going on, were nervous. The duke broke out into an oily sweat. After all, we were staring at a troop of about a hundred undead. As expected, the duke’s guards and the court sorcerer prepared themselves for battle.

“I used a spell called Control Undead on one of the undead in the Twilight Wastelands. Oh, there he is.”

Rattle, rattle!

The Death Knight upon whom I’d cast Control Undead in my earlier experiment came forward and saluted me. For some reason, it seemed more powerful than the last time I’d seen it. I had given it very specific orders: “Gather undead weaker than yourself under your command. Build an army and destroy any undead that do not obey.”

I was using the undead to eliminate the undead. This was my great strategy for the Twilight Wastelands. So far, only this one Death Knight was under my command, but I could add as many as I wanted. Even if it took time, it should be possible to eventually eliminate all of the undead from the Twilight Wastelands.

Two days earlier, in order to bring them to Filsand, I’d cast the Forced March spell on them. I’d actually hoped to use them in the battle to defend the city, but it turned out they couldn’t move quite fast enough for that. Still, the fact that I was able to show the duke and his entourage my work meant that I hadn’t wasted the spell.

“Dragons, giants, now the undead…” The duke, despite the bitter expression on his face, seemed convinced.

“I just don’t know anymore! This is all completely outside my expertise.” The court sorcerer’s eyes were wide with petulant anger.

 

***

 

Several days later…

In the end, the duke yielded to our requests. Elisabel laughed at herself after hearing their decision in the guesthouse.

“That’s that, then. This shall be the final official act of diplomacy of one Elisabel Roney Filsandia, daughter of the duke. But it seems that, here at the end, he finally accepted me as his own flesh and blood.”

Up to now, Elisabel had used her rationality, goodwill, and cooperation as her greatest weapons in negotiations with other countries. That was the motive I spoke of before. The reason propelling Elisabel through our sham of an offer.

She had already removed herself from Filsand. That’s why, as a final farewell, she wanted to leave her mark on her father as his daughter.

Elisabel busily prepared herbal tea and sat next to me. “Here you are.”

I remembered seeing the snacks served with the tea before. “These are Lutz fruits?” I took some of the candied fruits customary among the Schultz. The taste was great. It was strong, but that went well with the bitterness of the herbal tea.

“Yes. The Schultz were kind enough to leave some with us.”

She’d also gone as a liaison between Filsand and the Schultz clan. Not only that, she’d listened to the complaints and desires of the clan and mediated with the residents of Filsand.

Maybe that helped her feel some goodwill toward the Schultz.

“I see… Were they harsh toward you?”

“Of course they were. At first, they even threw stones at me.” Elisabel spoke casually, as if it was nothing.

“Good god… But things are okay now?”

“Yes. It seems they’re starting to trust me.”

Elisabel had always worked as a diplomat for Filsand. Even though her mother was a Schultz princess, her people had suffered many years under Elisabel’s tyrant of a father. It wouldn’t be easy to build a trusting relationship with the clan.

“I see. You did great.”

“Really, talking is the only thing I know how to do…”

She had incredible diplomatic ability. More than that, I was impressed by her policy of speaking to everyone as equals.

I stroked her blonde hair without thinking. I thought she would pull away, but instead she just smiled.

“Actually, I was finally able to speak with my father last night…”

Until now, we had just been chitchatting. Now, as she prepared a second cup of herbal tea, she cut to the chase.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“I think he said more or less the same thing he told you. In the end, I was just a tool that he called his daughter.”

That damned duke. Even if he felt that way, he could at least make up a kind lie to tell his daughter. Not that I had much of a leg to stand on, considering I hadn’t figured out a single thing I could do to help bring father and daughter closer together.

“He did say one other thing…”

“Hmm?”

“He said, ‘You won the bet.’”

Ah, the bet. I remembered the duke using those words to Elisabel before.

“I think that’s the first time my father ever said something real to me.” Elisabel smiled again. But this time, the smile wasn’t completely happy. It was the same look she’d had when she described her birth as a “sin.” Though, on reflection…maybe it wasn’t exactly the same.

“What do you want to do now?” I asked her.

“I have just one thing in mind.”

There was something different about the shine in her red eyes as she stared at me.

“Will you let me help you with your work? You’ll need a diplomat, and I could manage your civil services besides.”

“Are you suggesting you leave the duke’s family and become my employee?” I knew she’d planned on leaving home, but I never imagined she would want to work for Castle Getaeus. Perhaps I should have.

“Yes. After all, I genuinely enjoy working on diplomatic missions. What could be more rewarding than forming an alliance that fights daemons?”

Diplomacy… I’d always left our diplomatic and domestic affairs to Ild.

There was a certain twinkle in her eyes. “Of course, it would be even better if you took me as your wife.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” She grinned mischievously.

Truthfully, the matter of our engagement hadn’t been completely settled yet. “I’d like to ask you one thing. With your abilities and contacts, you must have other options. Why’d you choose me?”

It was maybe a bit crass, but I felt the need to get right to the point. I wasn’t reckless enough to dance around the issue with a battle-hardened diplomat like her. I also thought she would be interested in my true intentions.

“Well,” she blinked, surprised. “Are you sure you’re not underestimating your influence? I want to help you turn Castle Getaeus into a continental hub.” Then she added with a sly smile, “You know, this is the first time in my life I’ve ever been able to stand up and proudly declare a dream of my own.”

I paused for a long moment. “I see.”

After overcoming the grudges against her mother and father’s scheming, she was finally able to choose her own life. And her own dream. Heavy stuff.

“Welcome to the team, Counselor.”

“It’s my pleasure, my lord.” She curtseyed, lifting her skirt slightly by the hem.

Her manners were as perfect as they had been on the night of our “engagement.” The only difference was that her smile had transformed from the hollow expression of a painted doll to that of a vibrant girl.

This was the real Elisabel.

 

***

 

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Elisabel and Ild, and of course the patriarch, Luthras, and his daughter, Diane, the Schultz clan was finally at peace. The children were even running around joyfully.

I went with Diane to check out their camp.

“Hey, Reyha, do you think you could maybe give me some pointers on fighting sometime?”

“If my lord permits.”

“I bet it’s fine, right, Margilus?”

Ever since the defensive battle, Diane was attached at the hip to Reyha and me. Reyha was also doing a good job of hanging out with her and being friendly while escorting me.

“They’re about to start discussions with my Pa—er, with the patriarch and everyone else. I think they’ll probably say they wanna go back to the Holy Precincts.”

That made sense.

The Schultz clan had already been driven out by Filsand once. Then they’d finally found those ruins and spent twenty years building a life there. It was unlikely they’d want to move again.

The Holy Precincts were covered in craters from my meteors, but the surrounding farmlands and pastures were unharmed.

“But some of the younger guys are saying they want to go with you. Will you take them?”

“Oh, of course.”

“Well, that’s a relief, since I’m gonna go with you, too.”

“I see…”

After observing for a bit, I’d already had an idea that that’s what Diane wanted. I was conflicted, but I was also grateful that Castle Getaeus was growing.

“Hey, speak up!” Diane turned around angrily. “Don’t try and brush me off. I may not get all this trade-hub-continental-whatever business, but you’re gonna destroy daemons and do big stuff, right? Let me help!”

“Certainly. I don’t see any problem with that.”

She might not be as powerful a warrior as Lade, but she was certainly strong enough. We also didn’t have the experience or skills that she had from her years leading Schultz warriors.

“From now on, I’ll be your sword. I’m bringing thirty—no, fifty warriors with me!”

“Mmm…”

Above all else, she had a strong motivation to fight the daemons. At least, that’s what I thought…but there was no sense of anger or desire for revenge in her now.

Actually, she seemed extraordinarily committed to me personally. I don’t enjoy putting it like this, but I don’t think she was full of zealous loyalty, or fired up at the promise of battle. It was more like she had grown dependent on her savior.

I recalled the empty look in her eyes when we’d escaped the Holy Precincts. Was she just trying to fill the hole in her heart by taking on a new role as the wizard’s sword?

“You’re bound to be a great help—and I thank you, truly. But first, you need to get the Schultz people settled.”

“I know that!”

The girl was just fifteen or sixteen years old, but she had already experienced so much, including the loss of her hometown to daemons. A loss caused by her own mother, no less. Telling her to come to her senses would be too tall of an order. No doubt she was carrying some heavy PTSD, but I didn’t know the first thing about how to help her deal with that.

It was vexing, but I would just have to wait for her to settle down on her own.

 

***

 

In the end, out of the twelve hundred remaining members of the Schultz clan, about a thousand decided to return to the Holy Precincts under the patriarch. Not only had the Filsand army vowed never to attack them, the duke’s soldiers would also maintain security around the Schultz land and provide them with food for their journey home. The other two hundred or so would eventually join Diane at Castle Getaeus.

Of those two hundred, fifty were warriors, while the rest were the families of those warriors and other necessary craftsmen. Personally, I wanted to cut down some space for them in the Endless Forest so they could build a new village, and I also planned to hire a certain percentage of their warriors as soldiers at the castle. In the end, I may have only succeeded in dividing an already-diminished clan into two. Something told me I’d sown the seeds of future troubles.

“I’ll just have to do what I can to make sure things turn out all right.” As usual, my life was full of uncertainties. But time had shown that the best thing to do was stay on the offensive, as always.

 

***

 

The day after Elisabel and Diane joined as new members of our party, Duke Darmund and I took time to share drinks together. Just like before, we were in the duke’s private quarters. Both the drinks and the food were of the highest quality, but that didn’t help the undercurrent of tension that lingered between us.

“I heard Elisabel decided to go with you. I expect you to take care of her.”

“It’s great news for me. But are you sure you’re okay with letting her go?”

“Don’t worry about it. If she’s useful to you, then she’s helping me as well. Even if I kept her here, we’d never be close.” If anything, the duke looked relieved.

“I see…”

He wasn’t the kind of evil that enjoyed seeing others suffer, but he wasn’t quite good enough to truly love his daughter. It was because Elisabel clearly understood this that she’d decided to come to Castle Getaeus and seek her own path.

Things were still a bit cloudy, but I figured there was no need to go further with this topic.

“How about Prince Balzard and Prince Agveil?” I asked as I filled the duke’s empty cup with more wine. We both had the timing down pat for this.

“I already issued a decree to officially name Balzard as my successor. There’s nothing particularly interesting about him, but he won’t screw it up, either. He’s got good relationships with his homeland and our newly rehabilitated Schultz ‘friends.’”

“That’s good news,” I told him honestly. “I think he’s the right choice, too.”

I wished I’d had more time to speak deeply with his sons. Balzard was such a fine young man. It was hard to believe he was the son of Duke Darmund.

“It seems that Agveil trusts Balzard as well. Now that the order of succession is clear, I don’t think he’ll try any more underhanded schemes.”

“I agree. I think he has a lot of potential, too.”

Agveil, on the other hand, was definitely the son of the duke. He was scheming and crafty. However, a certain amount of underhandedness might be necessary in a politician. If Balzard and Agveil could complement each other’s weaknesses, they might be able to successfully rule Filsand.

We were both pouring our own high-quality spirits at this point and munching on dried meat pies.

Darmund suddenly spoke. “You know, Lord Margilus.”

“Hmm?”

“Feels a bit odd, but sometimes, you seem like a genuine hero. A real ‘good guy,’ like in stories.”

“Flattering, but I have to disagree.” A bit startled, I peered over at the duke.

He was staring down into his cup. There was a hint of jealousy in his smile. “Sometimes I wonder. What if I became one of those ‘paragons of virtue’ that our priest is always talking about? And then I think: How would it feel to use my power to ‘do the right thing’?”

I didn’t respond.

I stared hard at the duke’s profile. Did he see through me? And did he feel the same sort of strange dislike but also admiration for me that I felt for him?

He shook his head. “Maybe I’m just getting old.”

“That’s probably it…”

He was the villainous duke of Filsand, a man who misused his power. For me, there was significant meaning in our meeting.

As his complete opposite, I finally felt confident of one thing. At the very least, I had not gone down the wrong path.

But still, there was no guarantee that what I’d already done, or what I would do in the future, would always be “right.”

Even in modern-day Japan, it wasn’t always easy to determine right from wrong. Did such clear-cut morality even exist in this world?