RECORD OF THE DAYS BEFORE THE ROYAL SELECTION – THE SILVER FLOWER DANCE OF THE SWORD SAINT AND THE LIGHTNING

1

There is a weapon called the Dragon Sword.

Renowned blades there are in the world, but none more famous than it.

Sacred blades there are in the world, but none more holy than it.

Enchanted blades there are in the world, but none more magical than it.

It is held to be the strongest, the sharpest, and the most beautiful in all the land.

Such is this heirloom of the Dragonfriend Kingdom of Lugunica—the Dragon Sword Reid.

It is said to be an enchanted blade that has drunk the blood of the thousands of dragons it butchered.

It is said to be a sacred blade, bearing a blessing bestowed by the Sword God himself.

It is said to be a blade thoroughly honed, forged by an anonymous swordsmith, and the finest steel tempered by the finest skill.

The Dragon Sword wants nothing for tales and legends, but the truth of its history remains obscure.

Only one thing is certain.

The Dragon Sword Reid is the strongest in the world, and the same is expected to be true of its wielder.

Thus, only the Sword Saint may take the Dragon Sword in hand, and only the most fitting enemies may ever behold it.

Once the Dragon Sword is drawn, defeat is no longer an option.

Only this truth, so extraordinary it seems a legend itself, comes down to us, in a line unbroken from antiquity.

2

It was another day on the border between the kingdom and the empire, and the watchman in the guardhouse was bored, again.

“Yawwwn…” The young man put a hand to his mouth, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. It actually made tears come to his eyes. If the royal army of Lugunica was a ladder, he was at the very bottom of it. A foot soldier. What’s more, it was evident that he was not overflowing with motivation and morale. Even any particular commitment to the task the man had been given seemed too much to hope for.

He owed his position as a guardsman to his parents’ connections, and his lack of drive was not lost on his superiors, nor neglected in their reports. Hence, he found himself relegated to this guardhouse, a place whose importance turned out to be purely nominal.

Relations between the Kingdom of Lugunica and the Volakian Empire had never been warm, not in the thousand years and more since the two nations had been founded. The history books were littered with their territorial skirmishes. Perhaps that made the presence of such an irresponsible young lout on the border seem strange…

“Yep… No war today, either,” the young man remarked, gazing out from the observation tower at the clouds as they drifted by. He felt no more urgency than those indifferent denizens of the great, blue sky, and why should he? The last time battles had broken out between the kingdom and the empire with any frequency had been centuries ago; there hadn’t been any engagements worth mentioning for decades. The watchman’s role as a border guard was as simple as jobs got, and in the months since he had been assigned to this position, his daily reports had all consisted of the same two words: All quiet. In fact, in order to save himself the trouble of having to produce a fresh report each day, the layabout had already prepared reports reading All quiet for the entirety of next month.

In fairness, it seemed there had been some trouble in the capital the last several months, but it meant little to him out here on the frontier. It seemed an unreasonable burden for him even to read the written orders he was sent from the capital city, and for the most part, he simply skimmed them. There was just one thing that had registered with him.

“‘Increase vigilance regarding the Volakian Empire.’ Yeah, but how?”

It wasn’t like they were sending the man anyone new to help at the checkpoint, so it wasn’t clear to him how he was supposed to implement these orders. A more dedicated colleague had suggested redoubling the watch, but with the men they had on hand, they could barely maintain the watch schedule they already had. So here he was today, watching, just as vigilant as ever, and no more.

“Hmm…?” The young man suddenly glanced down from the clouds toward the roadway, frowning. At first, he thought he must be seeing things. However, the guard’s doubts quickly turned to prayers. Then from prayers to wishes—and then within a few seconds, all hopes were dashed.

A tremendous dust cloud was approaching the checkpoint directly down the road from the empire. It moved almost too fast to believe, as if a land dragon were running with all its speed. No, even faster than that. As the young man watched, frozen, the source of the dust cloud cut across his view, heading into kingdom territory. The thing simply barreled straight past the checkpoint.

“Whoa! H-hey, wait…!”

This was a border outpost. Vetting anyone traveling from one side of the line to the other was a big part of the job. And yet this whirlwind hadn’t so much as stopped to acknowledge the outpost, instead speeding right by. That was an unauthorized border crossing, clearly a crime. But—

“Heeeey, time to change the guard!”

“Huh?” Taken by surprise, the young man found the dust cloud had grown too distant to see. He was more startled still by the voice of one of his comrades, who was climbing up the ladder from below. He turned back to see his more diligent companion, who stared at the pale boy.

“Oh…,” he said.

“What’s with the look? Wait… Did something happen?”

“No, uh, er…” The young man was at a loss to respond. Had something happened? Yes. But it was also a fact that he had been unable to do anything about it. If he reported that he had simply let an identified intruder waltz by, he assumed he could expect much worse than just an assignment to some godforsaken corner of the frontier. The fear silenced him for a long moment. Finally, he managed, “…Nah, nothing. Nothing at all. Same old boring world out there.”

In the end, the lazy guardsman never mentioned what he had seen, not to his comrade and not in his written report. The record would show that on this day at the border between the kingdom and the empire, absolutely nothing had happened.

A small digression: Some months later, this young border guard was turned in by his comrade for false reporting and dereliction of duty. He was then reassigned to guard a jail instead—but that is a story for another time.

3

The pair in their snappy, white uniforms caught the attention of everyone on the street.

Walking down the shopping thoroughfare in the commoners’ district of the capital city of Lugunica was a handsome man, looking cool and elegant. He was joined by a young woman as beautiful as a blooming flower—a couple of rare loveliness. What’s more, both of them were knights of the kingdom, judging by their uniforms. The white cloaks they wore symbolized their status as members of the royal guard, an elite group of the most skilled and highly trained knights in the country.

However, only one of the two consistently considered this the ultimate source of pride for a knight. At the moment, the other half of the couple was walking with hands clasped behind, thin shoulders bouncing merrily.

“ Royal guard sounds like a nice title, but it turns out to be surprisingly boring meowst of the time, doesn’t it?” The speaker, looking around with wide eyes, was the flaxen-haired, cat-eared healer. A young woman—or at least, someone who looked like one. It was Ferris.

Ferris stretched out his arms, hands still clasped, and stifled a yawn.

“Staying loose is well and good, but yawning? You’re getting a bit too relaxed. And I question that remark about it being ‘boring,’ too. It behooves us to conduct ourselves in such a way that will not bring shame upon this uniform.” This scolding came from the handsome young man who was walking beside Ferris and had by no means missed the cat-boy’s battle with his yawn.

“Oh, you saw that, huh?” Ferris said, sticking out his tongue. “Fine, I give. You’ve got eyes like a hawk, Julius. Don’t you ever get tired, watching everything so closely?”

“It’s part of my job—our job. And anyway, our boredom is good news for the people.”

“Only you could recite a slogan like that and really mean it.” Ferris shrugged his slender shoulders, smiling wryly at his partner’s vigilance. In response, Julius allowed himself a smile that only his friends ever saw.

As it happened, the two of them were patrolling the capital on a public-safety round. The royal guard spent much of its time cooped up in the castle. However, routes like this, inspecting the capital firsthand and helping to prevent any crime, proved another important role for them. The pair’s knightly uniforms stood out even at a distance; two of them walking together would hopefully instill a deterrent effect simply by their presences.

“I feel like a scarecrow in a field. But I guess Ferri and his friend have one thing up on a scarecrow—we can walk around! And we’re better-looking!”

“There are those who would stay their hand in the vicinity of a knight, attractive or not. That gives meaning to what we’re doing… Ah, not that I’m denying your good looks.”

“Aren’t you so diligent and capable? Ferri can feel his heart racing!”

“If it’s joy that causes your heart to race, then it seems you feel much the same thing as I do in conversing with you.”

“Ooh, scary. Not the same way as Reinhard or the captain, though.” Ferris scratched a cheek in embarrassment, his cat eyes darting this way and that.

Julius and Ferris had known each other since the latter’s admission to the ranks of the knights, which was still not even a year ago now. Despite the brevity of their acquaintance, though, they had become fast friends, closer than they were to many of their other colleagues. They got along well, of course, but Julius felt the real driver of their friendship was the fact that they respected each other. The spirit mage had great admiration for those who could do what he could not, as well as others who spared no effort to better themselves. It was the same way he felt about Reinhard.

“Still, I suppose my respect for Reinhard is a beast of a slightly different color.”

“Hmm? Did mew say something?”

“No—I was just thinking, the marketplace seems rife with rumors of the royal family. I doubt it will be long before the royal selection becomes common knowledge. It seems neither wall nor door can truly keep one’s words from getting out.”

“…Yeah, guess you’re right.” Ferris sounded just a little more downbeat after Julius changed the subject.

The rumors currently on all the lips in the capital had to do with the extinction of the Lugunican royal lineage. Official word from the castle was that the king, Randohal Lugunica, was bedridden with illness but recovering. In point of fact, however, he was already dead, and the same illness that had claimed him had also killed every other person of royal blood in the kingdom. The result was that the entire ruling bloodline had been completely snuffed out.

No one knew where the information was coming from, but regardless, most of what floated around the marketplace contained a startling amount of truth, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear many a voice lamenting the future of the nation. Flush with anxiety, a handful of people had already approached the two royal guardsmen.

Perhaps that’s why we’re here.

Marcus, the captain of the royal guard, was not only a brave man-at-arms in his own right, but an astute thinker, attentive to this sort of detail.

“The captain’s wisdom never fails to impress me. The royal selection is rumored to start soon, and I doubt we will be able to avoid getting involved. Especially you, Ferris, my friend.”

“Mmm, mew’ve got that right. Ferri won’t stop at anything to help Lady Crusch!” The slight demi-human clenched a fist, his sweet features drawing tight with determination.

Although he was a sworn knight of the guard, Ferris’s formal allegiance was to Duchess Crusch Karsten. The duchess, regarded as one of the most talented women in the land, had been chosen as one of the candidates for the so-called royal selection, which would determine the next king of Lugunica. Once all five candidates were assembled, it would be incumbent on Ferris to support his lady as her first knight.

“Duchess Crusch Karsten…” Julius knew of her, though only in passing. She was a widely applauded genius of high ideals. The purple-haired man could certainly sympathize with the woman’s position, as she succeeded to the head of a prominent noble estate at such a young age and was now poised with the future of the kingdom potentially on her shoulders. Without a doubt, she was the most qualified candidate for the kingship. Beyond that, Crusch and Ferris had both kept close ties to the former royal family; the throne doubtlessly held no small importance to either of them.

Their passions must be equal to their histories. As Ferris’s friend, Julius had nothing but admiration for the cat-boy’s dedication to his mistress. Yet there remained a shadow of doubt, like a thorn prickling his heart.

Julius repressed the sensation. “Just be mindful not to exhaust yourself. Too much dedication can be a poison of its own. Remember to care for yourself as well.”

“Yeah, yeah. Julius, mew’re such a worrywart.” Ferris sounded no more bothered than usual.

“I knew you would say that. But still, as your friend—” Julius cut off his words midsentence.

“…? What’s up?” Ferris looked at him, puzzled. Julius seemed fixated on a bustling restaurant across the street, or perhaps it was something inside. The building was characteristic of the many other little establishments on the shopping boulevard, featuring a cramped interior with just a counter and a few tables to sit at. There were only a handful of customers; it was already too late in the day for lunch. However, one of the patrons stood out, though their back was to the knights. This person wore a short jacket dyed bright blue; their indigo hair was tied back behind their head. Underneath the jacket, they wore an unusual outfit called a kimono, the customary dress of the people of Kararagi. On this person’s feet were a kind of sandal called zori, which hailed from the same place as the kimono.

If that had been all, this person might have been just another distinctively clad traveler. But there was more.

“Huh…? Isn’t that—?” Ferris’s eyes went wide as he noticed the young man Julius was looking at. The spirit mage didn’t respond, for he was simply too shocked.

At the person’s waist hung two swords—it was unmistakably the distinctive appearance of someone who sought swords as prizes. Yet Julius wished it was a mistake, for it was too astonishing to see that person here.

“Ahhh! Now, that was a meal. My goodness, the food in the capital is ever so satisfying!” The young man nodded pleasantly, setting his empty bowl on the counter without ever noticing the two utterly stunned knights watching him.

“Very kind of you to say so, sir,” the clerk replied, pleased to see the empty bowl and the gusto with which the traveler had eaten. “Don’t often see a lad wolf down his food quite like that. Take it you were pleased?”

“And then some! I might say the quantity was a tad stingy, but the flavor more than made up for it. I’m used to big, bold flavors, so all the little details of kingdom cooking are a treat for my mouth.” The young man reached into his kimono for his purse as he shared this amicable conversation with the clerk.

The clerk’s eyes went wide when he saw the copper coin the blue-haired man had given him.

“Huh? Hey, mister, this—”

“Ah, I’m certain I don’t have any foreign currency left in my purse, so don’t worry if it’s a bit too much. Frankly, it would probably be worth less if I kept it, and I so rarely get to feel this way. Look at you, making money!” The young man stood from his seat, smiling at the flabbergasted shopkeeper. He gathered up the smattering of belongings at his feet and was about to leave with the same breezy confidence when…

“Oh?”

He noticed two pairs of eyes on him and stopped. The young, sword-bearing man traded stares with Julius and Ferris for a long moment, clearly in thought, then clapped his hands. “I remember now! Yes, you’re those slightly amazing people who managed to escape me alive!”

Julius and Ferris exchanged a look at hearing the young man’s voice so enthusiastic and at seeing his eyes so bright. The man in the kimono waved to them and sauntered over as if greeting his best friends.

“Hello, hello, long time no see! The Blue Lightning of Volakia, Cecils Segmund, appears before you once again!”

Cecils stood there with a completely earnest smile. The empire’s strongest fighter had evidently come to the kingdom uninvited, unchallenged, and completely unconcerned.

4

Cecils Segmund, the young man in the odd blue outfit, was one of the most powerful warriors of the Holy Volakian Empire.

In the man’s homeland, some warriors were accorded the rank of general, including general third-class, general second-class, and general first-class. Of those in this top rank, general first-class, there were only nine, and they were known as the Nine Divine Generals. Cecils himself was foremost among this group, and without question the most powerful fighter in the empire. That also made him a menace to the kingdom that could not be ignored. Just as Reinhard had been subjected to onerous bureaucratic vetting and harsh limitations on his freedoms when he had visited the empire, Cecils should have been subject to much the same wariness on the part of the kingdom. And yet here he was.

“It’s an honor to meet you again, Master Cecils. But when did you arrive in the kingdom, if I may ask? Perhaps it’s simply above our station to be notified, but we hadn’t heard of any Volakian visitors of importance arriving…”

“Oh my goodness, no, don’t worry about it. It’s not a failure of the old report-relay-review. I just decided to show up here—didn’t report to or review with anyone!”

“Ah. I see.” Julius had been trying to wheedle an answer out of Cecils, but he hadn’t expected that response. The knight wasn’t sure how to react.

Julius had moved them off the main road, with its many eyes, to a little tea shop he knew. They wouldn’t be quite so widely observed here, though he’d had to drag Cecils, overjoyed at their unexpected reunion, almost by force. Now the interloper was calmly drinking some black tea, looking around the shop with curiosity and peppering the staff with questions about the exact varieties of tea leaves they used. Julius and Ferris watched him silently.

“What do we do?”

“First, we see what he’s up to.”

This conversation took place entirely with their eyes.

They had, after all, run into a first-rank general of the empire while explicitly out on patrol in the capital. The two of them felt a little guilty, considering how pleased Cecils seemed to be to see them, but both of them were deeply conflicted. And when they discovered that his visit was unofficial, they started to hope this would all turn out to be some sort of nightmare. Thus, the retreat into the tea shop—and into the seats farthest from the door, in hopes of taking matters in hand as quickly as possible.

“Oh, you don’t have to look quite so panicked. I haven’t come to do the kingdom any harm,” Cecils said with no hesitation, as if reading their minds.

“” Neither Julius nor Ferris said anything.

“Do you really imagine that I, Cecils Segmund, would engage in base property destruction or assassination, even if His Majesty the Emperor ordered me to? Please, I’m above such underhanded methods. You can set your minds at ease.”

“Um… Even if Emperor Vincent ordered you?” Ferris’s voice was hard, his guard up, but Cecils could not have been more comfortable.

“It would be such a blow to my reputation, to say nothing of my pride. If I’m reduced to that kind of skulking around, I might as well be dead. And I don’t intend to die anytime soon.” Cecils sat easily in his chair, sipping his tea with no hint of hostility. He had removed his swords, which were now leaning against the back wall—his way of demonstrating his good intentions, perhaps. At the very least, he didn’t seem set on causing any trouble.

“…Very well, then, let’s go back a step. You say your presence here is not at the behest of the empire?”

“Never even asked—His Majesty and friends would have only made things so much more complicated. And I’ve heard it’s just a nightmare, the paperwork you have to do to cross the border. I seem to remember what a headache you all had coming to our place, no?”

“But you should have been subject to the same—Wait, don’t tell me you forced your way in?”

“Nothing so outrageous. I just ran from my side of the border to yours, going as fast as I could the whole way. I really would have stopped if anyone had told me to.”

Julius tried his best to curtail the frown that crossed his face at this rather overly honest response. Cecils claimed to have simply bypassed the border checkpoint. It was no lie, nor any joke, but most probably a simple statement of the truth. He wasn’t called The Blue Lightning of Volakia for no reason: He had the speed to match such a title. It was no little trick or fancy footwork to make himself look quicker than he was; he could genuinely move fast enough to defy human senses. To the men at the guard post, he had likely looked no different from a passing breeze.

“” Julius thought back to his encounter with Cecils in Volakia. It had taken all his strength and skill simply to defend himself from Cecils’s swordsmanship. Thanks to the intervention of a third party, he had left the encounter with his head and body still attached to each other, but if the fight hadn’t been interrupted, there was a good chance that right now… And that was when Julius got a hunch about why the kimono-wearing man was visiting.

“Could it be that the real reason you’ve come here, Master Cecils…?”

“I don’t suppose you’d believe it’s just for sightseeing?” Cecils smiled wryly at the spirit mage’s change in demeanor.

Ferris, also in full view of the foreigner’s grin, pursed his lips. “Meow, we wouldn’t,” he offered. “Though, we’d sure appreciate if that were true… Eh, unfortunately, even Ferri kind of figured it wasn’t.”

“Ah-ha-ha, so even the lovely cat-eared lady has seen through me. How embarrassing. But men have their principles—I wouldn’t blame the young lady for not understanding.” Cecils scratched his cheek in embarrassment. Ever since their first meeting, he had been under an ongoing misconception about Ferris’s gender, but this didn’t seem like the moment to correct him.

“Reinhard van Astrea,” Cecils said brusquely. He gazed at the tea in his cup for a moment, then continued, “It’s a source of great pain to all of us, myself included, that we were unable to offer him appropriate hospitality on his recent visit to the empire. I come with apologies from the bottom of my heart.”

“And what, you’re here to make it all better? Color Ferri meowy skeptical.” It was a mixture of exasperation, sarcasm, and plain, simple suspicion of a very dangerous man who had shown up unexpectedly. Such an openly hostile attitude was a risk when dealing with Volakia’s strongest fighter, but at least there was no question that he meant what he said. Ferris stood head and shoulders above the rest of the royal healers, had taken care of many patients as The Blue, and, furthermore, was a knight with a responsibility to support his candidate for the kingship. He could never welcome any seed of trouble from outside the country, no matter how affable they might be.

Ferris stared daggers at Cecils, but the visitor adopted a self-deprecating smile. “It’s very much as you say, my cat-eared beauty. I myself admit to the most appalling of behavior and fully grant that I deserve only your suspicion. However—”

“‘However,’ what?”

“—I may be rotten, but I remain the greatest of Volakia’s Nine Divine Generals. My complete and utter failure to overcome your Sword Saint bears directly on the authority of my nation. If I can’t expunge my dishonor of the other day, it will shake the very foundations of the empire. Consider it a proxy battle between the empire and the kingdom.” The swordsman spoke calmly, politely, and eloquently. But if one were to ask whether his words showed understanding and acumen, they most assuredly did not. Cecils’s mind was made up, and although his thoughts were bent on violence, it was understandable. “I’m very much aware of how much weight I bear on these shoulders of mine. You two Knights of the Royal Guard must feel much the same. The color of what we carry may be different, but the substance is nearly identical.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Master Cecils. But I must wonder why we concluded a nonaggression pact, if you and Reinhard were simply going to have a ‘proxy battle.’”

“Oops, I’m afraid perhaps you don’t understand. My suggestion is merely a fight to settle things. Any taking of life is secondary.” It seemed a bit of a counterintuitive point. “He and I both have our places in our respective nations. Though, I confess it would be quite a thrill to conduct a battle with our two countries riding on us, like the Silver Flower Dance of Pictat.”

“You’re referring to the battle between the Sword Devil and Eight-Arms, almost forty years ago?”

“I think the highest heights of swordsmanship at the time had much in common with what we do now. How I would love to talk with the Sword Devil someday! You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?”

The Blue Lightning of Volakia was obviously bursting with curiosity, but Ferris and Julius both looked at him flatly. Did Julius know this swordsman, the Sword Devil, personally? Not so. But neither could it be said that they were completely and utterly unrelated to each other, for one of Julius’s friends was a blood relative of the man.

Ferris, however, seeking to prevent further derailment of the conversation, clapped his hands and said, “All right, all right. We don’t know this Sword Devil, and we don’t want to know him—sounds like a problem waiting to happen—and anyway, we’re getting off subject! Why are you so set on battling Reinhard?”

“…I must say, I agree with Ferris. My swordsmanship is quite underdeveloped compared with yours, Master Cecils, but even to my untutored eye, your chances of victory seem—”

“Hey, now, planning to challenge me yourself before the big day? Just so you know, the shortness of my temper is so notorious in the empire that it’s even come up in the Imperial Parliament.”

“Yeah, must be pretty embarrassing when the empire’s strongest fighter can’t pass up an insult.”

Cecils’s tone had remained light, but Julius and Ferris looked at him sharply. “Hmm,” he said, crossing his arms, as if their gazes had gotten through to him. “Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve never encountered a fight that really pushed me to my limits.”

“” Neither of them responded.

“Surpassing intelligence and overwhelming physical ability are one within me. Truly, is such a being not destined to take the lead role? The Sword Saint is the first wall, you might say, that I’ve encountered. And walls can’t be avoided.”

“Why?”

“Is it that confusing?” Cecils responded, appearing genuinely perplexed. “A character can’t run from the challenges of his story.”

This view of himself as an actor, forever standing on life’s stage, was hard for most people to fathom. Julius nonetheless narrowed his eyes when he saw how natural and comfortable Cecils appeared to be. There was an alienation there, one he sometimes felt toward his friends, colleagues, and even superiors, mingled with an envy toward something Julius was certain he didn’t have.

“Very well. I understand what you’re saying.”

“Excellent! That’s the nature of a bond born from trading blows! Two people really can understand each other after that!”

“However, my position being what it is, I can hardly just look the other way while you run free, Master Cecils. I will have to report this to the castle, after which I believe it will be in the best interests of both our nations for you to return home.”

“It turns out you didn’t understand me at all!” wailed the man in the kimono. If his presence was indeed reported to the knights’ garrison, he would certainly not avoid deportation. Though, Julius felt bad for him. This was partly the result of Cecils’s station, after all.

“Huh! If that’s how it’s to be, I suppose I’ll have to cut you down to shut you up, find the Sword Saint for myself, and—”

“However, I might see my way to entertaining your request, with conditions,” Julius continued, interrupting the Volakian general before he could finish what would have been a very troublesome threat.

“Julius?!” Cecils was dumbfounded, while Ferris shook his friend by the shoulders. The cat-boy’s face was pale. “Have you lost your mind?! You’re actually going to listen to this nutty idea?!”

“I’m afraid I can’t speak to the state of my own sanity, but my suggestion, at least, is serious. Besides, if we act too obstinate, the possibility remains that Cecils will simply dispose of us and go on with his quest.”

“!” Ferris nearly choked, although his fellow knight sounded calm. When Julius glanced at Cecils, he saw he had edged closer to where his swords leaned against the wall.

“Heavens,” Cecils said, “I have no intention whatsoever of such overt violence. But…would you really consider my request?”

“As I said, there would be conditions. If you can follow them, then…”

“Tell me,” Cecils said, sitting up straighter as he registered that Julius was indeed serious.

Julius held up three fingers. “First, you are not to turn your sword upon any citizen of the kingdom other than Reinhard.”

“But of course.”

“Second, if by chance your presence should become known to the knights, you are to respectfully turn yourself in and submit to their judgment, even if it results in you being ejected from the country.”

“And if I accept this condition, will you not simply run to your unit and alert them to me?”

“You’ll have to trust that my pride is as dear to me as yours is to you, Master Cecils.”

“…Fair enough. How can I object when you put it that way? Indeed, I admire it.” The Volakian agreed to Julius’s second condition with a battle-hungry smile. “I accept without further protest. If that’s all it takes to wash the humiliation from my name, it’s a small price to pay.”

“And finally…return to your empire alive. If you were to die, it would truly mean war.”

“Ha-ha-ha, yes, I see. Ahh, you do know how to taunt a man.” Cecils, who himself had confessed to being easily provoked, frowned at this last condition. But then quite immediately, the mood of the Divine General changed, and he downed his remaining tea in one gulp. “I shall answer all with my sword, including your little tease. Is that all your conditions?”

“Yes. As long as you will hold to them.”

“Indeed, so I shall! Guide me forth, then. To my most perfect opponent, the Sword Saint!”

Having heard and accepted the conditions, Cecils bounded to his feet. He returned his beloved swords to their usual position at his hip, and then he turned eager eyes on Julius, who nodded deeply.

“Master Cecils, before I guide you to where you wish to go, I have something very important to say.”

“And what would that be? My fervor is already at its greatest extremity, and I wish to go forth to my battle before it should wither or ebb!”

“The issue is Reinhard. He isn’t in the capital right now.”

“Huh?” The Volakian’s mouth fell open so wide, it seemed his jaw might drop off.

“Reinhard’s meowy busy, being the Sword Saint. Right now, he’s off in the northern part of the kingdom, accompanying some kind of expedition. He’ll probably be back…what would you say, next week?” Ferris put a finger to his lips in thought.

“B-b-but that means…” Cecils stared despairingly at the ceiling. “That means I’ll have to put off our fight again! I can’t stand it!” This was the second time they had heard such whining from the empire’s strongest, and perhaps unluckiest, fighter.

That was hardly something to brag about, though—Julius and Ferris both just shrugged.

5

The capital city of Lugunica was divided into five broad “layers.”

The uppermost layer, at the very center of the city, was the royal castle of Lugunica itself. Positioned on a height to allow sweeping views of the city, only the most important nobles as well as the members of the Council of Elders were permitted to reside there. Next came the noble quarter. It was filled to the brim with those of the nobility who were permitted to have houses in the capital. This portion of the city was furnished with the main homes of the lesser nobles and the villas of their superiors, making the place a picture of elegance.

Below the noble quarter came the merchant district, which contributed much to the bustle of the capital, and farther down came the commoners’ district, where more than half the capital’s population resided. Finally, there were the poorer quarters, where the destitute dwelled. Such places were relegated to corners of the commoners’ district or tucked in by the walls that protected the city.

Julius’s home was in the noble quarter. The Juukuliuses were of middling noble status, their reserve and uprightness being their defining traits. However…

“Oh me, oh my, what a lovely house. I think I can expect to be very comfortable here!”

That aloofness was shattered by a particularly loud-voiced guest. Cecils, looking at the front hall as he came in through the main door, seemed thoroughly pleased. He glanced this way and that, his eyes lighting on the servants, all of them much surprised by this unexpected visitor. “Oh! Even the maidservants’ uniforms look different around here! Lugunican women never forget their elegance, even when they’re just serving girls! Ahh, it brings a tear to my eye. Wonderful, most wonderful!”

“Th-thank you for your kind praise, sir. It’s an honor…”

Cecils nodded emphatically. “They even answer me with civility and modesty! Such deference makes the heart leap! Though, I confess, I still believe that cat-eared lass is the greatest beauty in all of Lugunica.” Then he remembered Julius, whom he had left standing at the door, and went flying back to him. “Goodness, what am I doing, leaving the master of the house behind? I was simply overwhelmed—please resume guiding me.”

“I appreciate your consideration, Master Cecils. But surely, a house of this scale is not such a surprise to you? I’m sure you’ve seen serving girls before.”

“Yes, well, of course, my own stipend is not inconsiderable…but I do spend much of it on my own amusements. That leaves me with rather precarious finances, hardly enough to hire maids.” The foreign swordsman gave a dejected shake of his sleeves, and Julius raised an eyebrow. What “amusement” could cost so much money that it left the empire’s greatest combatant with so little money?

“As it happens, I collect swords both ancient and new from around the world,” Cecils explained. “That way, I always have a prop ready to go—it’s my one vice.”

“So you collect blades. I see; that makes sense…,” Julius said, nodding, as his gaze wandered to the two swords at Cecils’s hip. One was in a red scabbard, the other in blue, and he had wondered about them from the moment the men had been reunited in the merchant quarter. It was in no small part because both the blades seemed to radiate an immense cruelty and bloodlust that could still be detected even when they were completely sheathed. This staggering sense of power was proof that these were enchanted or holy blades, nothing ordinary or average.

“The most exceptional pieces in my collection are my number one sword, Murasame, and my number two sword, Masayume. I never had a chance to show them to you back in the empire, but both are enchanted blades with long and storied histories.”

“A hobby that has some practical benefit, I see. That’s very informative.”

“Yes, but acquiring them takes a great deal of money, to say nothing of maintaining them. Not that I’ve ever begrudged it.” As the overpowering aura of the swords threatened to swallow up their owner, Cecils used his own fighter’s spirit to suppress the force emanating from the two weapons. To wield such impressive tools demanded an equally impressive owner. Julius touched his knight’s blade and wondered whether he would be capable of such a thing. His sword had a history itself as a prized heirloom of the Juukulius household. How long he had spent mastering it, learning to use it to the utmost…

“Sir, would you be a visitor?”

The question came from a young man who emerged from inside the house, interrupting their conversation. The young man’s fine facial features gave a soft impression.

“My,” Cecils said, raising an eyebrow as the young man approached. “Now here is one who seems to vaguely resemble you, Master Julius…”

“My younger brother, Joshua. Joshua, this is Master Cecils. He will be staying with us for a few days as my guest. I apologize for the lack of warning…”

“I understand. A friend of my brother’s is a friend of this household.” The purple-haired young man, Joshua Juukulius, smiled faintly and bowed his head.

“Goodness gracious,” Cecils said, shaking his head at being received so politely. “I offer my humblest apologies for such sudden imposition. I’m a very poor planner, you see, and didn’t think to reserve an inn for my little trip. Master Julius here was so kind as to ask if he could help… You have quite a fine older brother, Master Joshua; I’m almost jealous!”

“So you understand, sir?! You see what a wonderful person my older brother is!”

“Ahem?!”

Julius’s younger brother leaned toward Cecils, who had offered a somewhat accurate explanation of the circumstances in lieu of a proper greeting. Joshua, his demeanor having suddenly and completely changed, quite ignored the foreign guest as he passionately clenched his hands into elegant fists.

After a moment, the slim young man continued talking to Cecils with a more familiar tone. “If you’re such a fine judge of character as to see my brother for who he is, then I welcome you with open arms. Please stay as long as you like. Master Cecils, where do you come from? That strange outfit, is it not a kimono from Kararagi? I know them from books, but I’ve never seen one with my own eyes before!”

“Ah, so you recognize this? I fell in love with it at first sight on my first trip to Kararagi. I had one custom-made for me after that. A lead actor must be diligent about his appearance, you know. Such is what The Blue Lightning is determined to be and to do!”

“The Blue Lightning…?” That brought Joshua to a halt, interrupting the fine momentum the conversation had been building.

Julius noticed and coughed pointedly. “Joshua, Master Cecils is tired from traveling. We should let him rest in the guest room before anything else.”

“Oh… Yes, of course. I’m sorry, Elder Brother. I got a little excited…” Joshua scratched his cheek and blushed, embarrassed to have forgotten himself. Julius smiled tightly at his younger brother, then turned to Cecils. “Apologies for my brother’s inconsiderateness, Master Cecils. He isn’t usually this way…”

“My goodness, I don’t mind. We can talk as much as he likes later. I have all the time in the world to indulge him.”

“Y-yes, certainly! Thank you very much, sir. Very well, I’ll retire to my room now, Elder Brother.”

“Good. We’ll see you for dinner.”

Joshua bowed and returned to his own room, accompanied by one of the serving girls. Cecils watched him carefully as he left, and he spoke only after the young man was out of sight.

“Hmm. This little brother of yours—would there be anything the matter with him physically?”

“…You can tell?”

“Call it intuition, based on the way he talks and walks. It doesn’t seem like there’s any one part of him that’s in particularly bad shape; it’s more like he’s weak overall. Born that way, I suspect.” Cecils crossed his arms. Julius was dumbfounded by the keen observation. In just a few minutes, Cecils had deduced the congenital problem that afflicted Joshua.

The younger Juukulius brother possessed a weak body. He struggled to perform even the most basic of daily tasks. He was more capable and energetic these days, but in the past, the young man had been prone to fevers that forced him to spend much of his time sleeping them off. Even in his present state, considerable care was needed any time he traveled very far. And so…

“Master Cecils, if you would be so kind, perhaps you could entertain Joshua with some stories of Volakia.”

“Volakia, you say?”

“My brother has never been outside Lugunica. He has striven to acquire all the knowledge one could hope for from books. Now, I would love for him to learn of things that can’t be found in books alone.”

“I see… You do care for that brother of yours, don’t you?”

Julius answered Cecils’s admiring remark only with a smile.

The spirit mage did indeed care for his younger brother. Joshua was his family, and that made him precious; he was a treasured younger sibling. However, this particular bout of consideration, Julius felt, came from something else. He wanted to widen Joshua’s vision. Perhaps he thought the expectation and envy Joshua sometimes looked at him with were somewhat misplaced. Regardless…

“I’m afraid you’ll be fairly restricted everywhere except in this house, Master Cecils. As such, I believe Joshua would make an excellent conversation partner for you.”

“Ho-ho, what a fine talker you are. If your brother is the bookworm you make him out to be, maybe I’ll learn a little something useful myself. I welcome it!”

“I’m glad to hear that… Out of curiosity, what would you hope to learn?”

“Why, cool speeches and the most striking words with which to see off an enemy—naturally!” The forceful response left Julius at an impasse. Was it supposed to be a joke?

After that, he showed the Volakian, who had come with minimal luggage, to the guest room, laid down a few ground rules for him during his stay, and gave the man a key.

“You are an interesting one, though,” Cecils said softly as he took the key and set down his bags. Julius, not expecting this comment, raised an eyebrow. The Divine General shrugged and replied, “Don’t believe me? You, good Master Julius, are capable of remarkably gutsy action for someone who looks and acts the way you do.”

“Certainly, no more so than yourself, Master Cecils—the one who ran past a guard outpost in order to come here and challenge the Sword Saint to a duel.”

“My actions are meant to stupefy the world. But forget about that.” The kimono-clad man never stopped smiling as he sat on the bed and fixed his eyes on Julius. “The beautiful cat-eared one you were with… Her opinion seemed far more objective and correct. To say nothing of the fact that I take you for one who typically and unswervingly follows the path of righteousness. Am I wrong?”

Julius did not offer an answer.

“That’s just my little personal observation, of course, and it’s always possible you’re simply a more madcap person than you appear… But I have my intuition, and I trust it, even if it doesn’t always work on logic alone.”

Julius let out a small sigh at the way Cecils was speaking. He agreed that the “cat-eared beauty”—Ferris—had the right of it. To the bitter end, Ferris had opposed Julius’s concealing Cecils at his mansion. It was unlike the purple-haired knight to try to talk Ferris into something like this, to beg that he not reveal the Volakian’s presence to the other knights. It was enough to make one doubt Julius’s loyalty to the kingdom—so why had he done it?

“I thought that was the question that might keep you up at night, quite apart from the issue of whether your little friend would report me.”

“…If you were to proceed by force, Master Cecils, neither Ferris nor I could stop you. Did my response at the tea house not clear up any doubts?”

“I’m afraid not. I think you know perfectly well, Master Julius, that with the empire in mind, I could hardly cut the two of you down. These swords are really good for no more than a bit of rattling.”

Julius found himself at a loss for a response to the Divine General’s forceful inquiry. But it was not, of course, because he had closed his heart off, intent on not revealing what was within. It was precisely the opposite.

“” The words wouldn’t come out because Julius couldn’t find any. He had no answer for the question Cecils had raised. That was the problem.

“Oops. Have I put you in a spot of trouble? Sorry, sorry. How could I be so thoughtless to the very master of the house I’m staying at?”

Julius found that his peculiar guest saw through his flummoxed state with unsettling alacrity. With that, the imperial swordsman removed his weapons and stretched out on the bed. “Now, I think I’ll do just as you suggested and get some rest—may I? It is something of a trick to run all the way here from the empire…”

“Very well. I hope you’ll soon feel refreshed. I’ll call you when dinner is ready. And I do hope you’ll be careful…”

“To ensure no one finds out I’m the most powerful, most handsome swordsman in the Volakian Empire? I’ll be on my guard.” Cecils waved a dismissive hand at Julius, who nodded. The young knight had just left the room and was about to close the door behind him when he heard Cecils’s voice again.

“I look forward to spending a few days with you—my dear coconspirator.”

It was as fine an exit as if Cecils were the star of a story, and it needled at Julius’s heart.

6

Several days had passed since Cecils’s arrival at the Juukulius household, all without major incident. That was to say, there were no commotions or outbursts worth genuinely worrying over; it didn’t include the minor fracases Cecils tended to cause around the estate.

Cecils Segmund was every bit the man his reputation made him out to be. Despite standing at the very top of Volakia’s military hierarchy, he had none of the dignity that might be expected of such a revered personage, nor any humility with which to balance his title. He was always, completely and unapologetically, himself.

The swordsman was familiar with the maids and serving girls, and as Julius had requested, he frequently entertained Joshua in conversation. His words and actions were quite abrupt at times, but the utter lack of malice in them left no one in the household with a bad word to say about him. Such was how he seemed after several days.

“There is no way that’s true. I can’t believe how gullible you are, Julius.”

“That’s quite a harsh evaluation, I’d say.” The purple-haired knight smiled drily at Ferris, who sputtered as the two walked down the hall of the knights’ barracks. He had just filled the cat-boy in on everything that had happened in the past few days. Ferris now seemed convinced that Julius was swallowing the enemy’s sweet talk hook, line and sinker. Even so, he had bowed to his friend’s request and resisted any temptation to reveal Cecils’s presence—indicating perhaps that the demi-human had a soft spot as well.

“I guess it’ll be only another two or three more days till Reinhard gets back… But do you really expect him to fight this guy?”

“I intend to act as their intermediary. I do expect Master Cecils will honor his word to return to his home once he gets what he came here for. Until he achieves his objective, there’s no telling what he might do.”

“Even if he went on a rampage, Reinhard’s the only one who could stop him anyway… He’s a dangerous customer. But are you really sure about this, Julius? Mew don’t feel like you’re selling Reinhard out?”

“” Julius didn’t have an answer to that.

“I mean, you’re keeping this a secret from him and everything… I know it’s because we don’t have a way to talk to him, but you’re really going to just drop Volakia’s strongest fighter on him when he gets back? It’s obvious he’s going to think you two are in league.”

“In league with Master Cecils… Yes, I suppose it might well look like that.” Julius nodded, forced to reconsider his own actions from this unexpected angle. He had understood all along, of course, that this course of action could cast his loyalty to the kingdom into doubt. But why had he never considered that it could look like an act of betrayal against Reinhard? Most likely because…

“I never once imagined that Master Cecils might actually win.”

“Yikes…” Ferris frowned; Julius’s words were obviously heartfelt. His ears drooped. “Didn’t expect that. Aren’t mew afraid you’re giving Reinhard too much credit, Julius? Not just to assume he’d win, but to never even consider another possibility?”

“…When you put it that way, I suppose you may be right.”

He was concealing a Divine General in his house and trying to secretly arrange a duel with the Sword Saint. Despite these rather underhanded dealings, Julius truly never intended for anything bad to befall Reinhard, for he trusted him implicitly. The spirit mage believed with utter conviction that the red-haired swordsman would never mistake his intentions.

“But what about you, Ferris? Are you suggesting you can picture Reinhard being defeated?”

“Ferri can’t do it, but his assumptions are completely different than yours.”

“” Julius furrowed his brow in thought, taken off guard by the depth of Ferris’s response. Before he could query him further, though, the demi-human looked at the magic time crystal on the wall of the passageway. “It’s time,” he said, pointing to the crystal’s changing color. “The captain wanted to see us. We’d better get going—we can talk later.”

Julius was loath to leave the subject behind, but he knew what his priorities had to be. He and Ferris hurried to the innermost chamber of the barracks, the captain’s office.

“Come in.” There was a soft voice that greeted them when the duo announced their presence with a knock on the door. They obediently entered and found themselves facing a knight who looked so rough and uneven that he could have passed for a boulder. Short green hair framed his angular face, and his armor barely contained his muscles. This was Marcus Gildark.

“Julius Juukulius reporting, sir.”

“And Ferri’s here, too—ahem, sir.”

“Felix Argyle, you mean. How many times do I have to tell you? Use your full name when reporting.” With that gruff reminder, Marcus jerked his head, motioning for the two knights to enter. They stood in front of his desk as he instructed them. Ferris fixed Marcus with his yellow eyes and said, “What can we help you with, Captain? Ferri’s very busy, you know.”

“You could stand to learn how to conduct yourself a bit more like a knight… Ahh, never mind. Felix, you’re not the only one who’s busy. I’ve got my hands full, too. Guess I don’t know if they’re as full as yours, having to work on behalf of Duchess Karsten to prepare for the selection.”

“…What’s that? I’m afraid Ferri doesn’t quite understand what mew’re saying, sir.”

“I mean your little side business as a healer. I don’t care what you do with that power as long as it doesn’t get in the way of your official duties. Even if you do go a little crazy trying to earn the duchess more supporters.”

“Hey! You knew I was trying to put you off the scent just now!” Ferris didn’t take kindly to Marcus seeing through his dissuasion, but the captain shrugged away the objection. He slumped his shoulders; the demi-human knew how ruthless the senior knight could be. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what I’m doing, and believe me, I’m working hard at it. So please don’t give me a bunch more to do as a royal knight.”

“I’m afraid I can’t take that into consideration. You are, officially, assigned to the royal knights. If you choose to use your free time to assist the duchess, that’s your prerogative, but when I need you, you’ll work for the knights, and you won’t cut any corners. Understood?”

“Boo,” Ferris replied, blowing a raspberry. Marcus ignored the impudent gesture and turned to Julius. As he did, the captain’s gaze became almost overwhelming. It was the kind of look that could crack a man with a guilty conscience.

“With the royal selection so close, the strain is getting to be too much in certain parts of the country. Here in the castle town, we’re hearing rumors about the demise of His Majesty, and others that even claim the entire royal family succumbed to illness. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, Julius.”

“”

The topic Marcus brought up had nothing to do with Cecils. Of course not. If word of that Volakian’s presence had gotten this far, Julius had no intention of trying to deny it. He would confess to everything, knowing perfectly well the punishment it would bring down on his own head. Julius’s desire to grant Cecils the rematch he wanted was, in the end, simply a personal fixation. A desire, one might say, for something he himself did not have. A longing to touch the hem of the cloak that belonged to someone who lived life according to his own principles so unabashedly…

“Julius?”

“…Pardon me, sir. As you say, captain, rumors are spreading in the marketplace. Many fear for the future of the monarchy. It pains me to say it, but your concerns may be completely correct.”

“If the people’s peace of mind could be bought with one royal guard uniform, it would be worth the price. But it’s more dire than that.”

Though it had taken Julius a beat too long to respond, Marcus seemed unbothered, only casting his gaze downward. Indeed, it had been the captain’s orders that saw the guards making more frequent patrols of the capital. It had borne some fruit; public order was up, and the people seemed calmer.

“But that isn’t everything,” the captain added, as if reading Julius’s thoughts. That was his line in the sand.

This leader of the royal guard, the man who stood at the top of the kingdom’s hierarchy of knights, was the very embodiment of what people thought a knight should be. He was a friend to the downtrodden and always did his utmost to protect others. Thus, even if the man did all he could possibly do, he would regret anything that had been left undone. Even if no one criticized or blamed the captain, it was his own ideals that judged the man most harshly. He was not always an easy person to live with, least of all to himself. That was the way of Marcus Gildark.

“There’s been a lot of foolish grumbling. The royal guard is to continue to secure the capital, while the rest of the knight corps applies itself to other parts of the nation.”

“So we’re to continue on as we’ve been doing, sir?”

“I wouldn’t call you here just to tell you nothing’s changed. As Felix says, we’re busy.” Marcus, putting his own feelings aside to keep the conversation moving, placed a paper on his desk and slid it toward them. It appeared to be some sort of report. “This came from one of the checkpoints on the border between the kingdom and the empire.”

“…!” Ferris almost gagged.

As for Julius, he took the paper with no visible reaction. “Thank you, sir.” The spirit mage ran his eyes over the report. It made no reference to Cecils. Instead, it indicated that permission to enter the country had been granted to some messengers from the empire.

“Two envoys from Volakia have entered Lugunica.”

“Huh, s-so that’s it. Envoys, sure, of course. Envoys from the empire… Wait, what?! What are they here for?” Ferris’s face went through several swift changes as he realized this had nothing to do with Cecils’s unauthorized entry.

“Excellent question,” Marcus said, looking at him sourly. “I’m sorry to do this to you after you went all the way to the empire and back just the other day, but we’re involved with the imperials again. If I had my way, I would bring the entire strength of the royal guard to bear on this issue, but unfortunately, there’s no one else I can deploy right now.”

“Wait, wait, wait, that’s not reassuring! Don’t tell me you’re planning to send Ferri and Julius alone to meet a threat you want the entire guard for?! That’s nuts!”

Ferris’s relief that this had nothing to do with Cecils quickly vanished, and he began to lose his composure. Julius, frankly, agreed with him. This was too much for the two of them alone. But “involvement with the empire” couldn’t be ignored, either.

“Last time was nuts, too, but Reinhard helped us pull it off somehow, see? You just got the wrong guys. How about you have Ferri do something else and let Reinhard handle this instead—that sound okay?”

“Quibbling won’t get you anywhere. I can’t assign someone who isn’t here. And anyway, don’t get ahead of yourselves. I’m not saying the two of you will have to face down the entire might of the Volakian Empire by yourselves.”

“But we know a fight is brewing, and that’s enough for me to know that you’ve got the wrong guy!”

“Whether a fight is on the horizon depends on you two. And I’m counting on you to see that one isn’t.” Ferris, clutching his head, stumbled backward. Julius caught hold of him, and the captain merely shrugged. “My orders for you this time are simple. Accompany the envoys and help them do what they’ve come here to do. Then get them out of here with as little fanfare as possible. That’ll be all.”

“In other words, roughly a mirror image of the position we were in before, sir,” Julius summarized, still holding fast to Ferris, whose eyes were brimming.

It had been a month now since Julius and the others had gone to the empire as emissaries themselves. Now just a few weeks later, the roles were reversed. It was hard not to feel there was something more at work here. Especially considering the distinct possibility that everything that had happened during their visit to the empire had been orchestrated by the emperor.

“We understand we’re to meet and accompany the emissaries from Volakia, sir. But what have they come here to do?”

“I think it’ll be easiest to ask them yourselves. Summon them here and—”

“That won’t be necessary.” A new voice seemed to slither into the ears of the three knights, and Marcus’s face grew hard. The captain was looking at a tall, slim figure who was leaning against the office door.

“Many pardons,” the figure said, raising their hand as Julius and Ferris puzzled over when they had arrived, “but I’m afraid I overheard some of what you were saying. My ears are rather too good, if I may say so.” The man laughed, but it sounded strange, almost like a cough. He had a most unusual presence, with white hair, pale skin, and a white coat that covered his entire body. Collectively, it gave the impression that all the color had drained out of him. Even his very presence seemed ambiguous, as if he might not have actually been there. The man looked back and forth between Julius and Ferris, who stood at attention. “May I assume these two will be the good knights who shall accompany me?”

“…Yes, this is them. Julius, Felix. This is one of the emissaries from the Volakian Empire, Master Chisha Gold.”

“An utmost pleasure to meet you.” With impeccable politeness, the man—Chisha Gold—wore a colorless smile and bowed his head.

“Master Chisha—if memory serves, I believe you’re one of the Nine Divine Generals, are you not?”

“So I am. Though only the fourth among them.”

“Whatever you’re here for, it must be a pretty big deal to bring a general on a foreign visit, right?” Ferris was bent on not showing that he was aware that Chisha’s colleague, Cecils, had already entered the country without permission.

“Indeed,” Chisha said, his lips splitting into a grin. “We would hate for you to think that the Nine Divine Generals are mere errand runners for the empire, but the current concern could hardly be left to just anyone. Thus, I have come.”

“Wow, talk about an introduction that gives you a bad feeling about things,” Ferris commented, frowning. Julius felt the same storm of anxiety in his heart, the same sense as the cat-boy that this was no small matter. It was something important enough to drag a high-ranking general from the empire and demand the cooperation of the royal guard. It must have been something that touched deeply on the relationship between the two countries.

“So are you gonna let us in on the big secret? Master Chisha, why’re you here?”

“I request your cooperation in securing a certain person.”

“A certain person,” Julius repeated. Chisha’s portentous manner only made his concern grow. And then, as if in time with the ringing of the alarm bells in his mind, Chisha went on:

“It so happens that a certain character from the empire has made an unofficial visit to the kingdom. I am here to force him to come back home… Or if necessary, dispose of him.”

7

The same time, outside Julius’s house…

Taking a close look at the exterior of his designated room, Cecils felt for the swords at his hip. All weapons needed to be diligently cared for, but katanas needed more care than others.

These two blades of his, Murasame and Masayume, needed even more attention than most, as befitted two of the greatest works of a master swordsmith’s art. However, the most important thing for keeping enchanted swords in good fettle was not polishing or honing. What they sought was respect for what they were. Enchanted blades demanded blood and death.

“All right, okay, yes. Just a few more days till the good Sword Saint returns, or so I’m told,” Cecils murmured to himself, kicking his zori-clad feet against the ground. Above him, a light burned in the guest room, indicating the presence of an occupant. Joshua, most likely.

Joshua was Julius’s younger brother, a boy with abundant interest in the outside world, in heroes; he was one who might well make a fine audience member in the future. He held no small affection for Cecils. And every great man of the stage needed an audience.

It was a terrible shame that the boy had no talent for standing in the scene himself. His older brother, Julius, held far greater promise in that regard. He had the elegance necessary to shine in a lead role.

“Whoops, heh-heh. I’m not here to hold auditions. Much as I’m looking forward to my duel with Sword Saint, I can’t forget the other reason I came.” He slapped himself gently on the cheek, turned away from the house, and began walking at a leisurely pace. Julius had admonished him sternly not to take any trips outside, but he showed no sign of slowing down. He would do just what he wished to do. The greatest of the Divine Generals was indeed the very embodiment of the imperial way of life.

Thus, the Blue Lightning left the mansion without a care for anyone else. The man did not inform anyone, and completely unnoticed, the empire’s strongest warrior meandered into the capital.

8

To bring back the unauthorized visitor from the empire or dispose of him…

Ferris stole a glance at Julius when Chisha announced his intentions. Even Julius was not so dense as to miss the anxiety in those golden eyes. The problem the emissary from Volakia had come to address instilled a great anxiety in the both of them.

“…Captain, we will accompany Master Chisha on his endeavor to apprehend this missing person. Am I correct in understanding that to be our duty?” Julius’s face didn’t so much as change a shade; the Spirit Knight looked completely unperturbed. Naturally, it was Ferris who felt deeply shaken as he listened.

Marcus, though, didn’t seem to notice Ferris’s uncommonly wide eyes. “That’s right.” The captain nodded. “I’ve explained to you what the kingdom wants. You’ll work with Master Chisha until his business here is over.”

“Understood, sir. Ferris, I assume you have no objections?”

“Huh? Uh, oh, ummm…no, we’ll, uh, certainly do our best…?”

“You don’t sound very sure about that. Say it like you mean it.”

With the demi-human’s stumbling acceptance, the orders were formally issued. Julius walked over to Chisha and offered his hand to shake. “I’m Julius Juukulius of the Knights of the Royal Guard. A pleasure to meet you.”

“And indeed, you as well. This will be my first foray into the Kingdom of Lugunica. I do hate to think of troubling you, but I’m sure I shall be needing your assistance.” Chisha shook Julius’s hand, then offered a handshake to Ferris as well. The purple-haired knight watched his fellow knight accept it somewhat hesitantly, then turned to Marcus.

“Very well, captain. If you’ve nothing further for us, we’ll proceed with Master Chisha.”

“Nothing from me. Make sure your behavior and actions uphold the honor of the royal guard.” Marcus’s tone was more formal now that a Divine General was among them. This last admonition seemed especially directed at Ferris, but in any event, the three of them silently left the room.

Chisha was the first to speak when they were safely out of Marcus’s office. “My goodness, he is even more fearsome than rumor told. I thought I was about to break out in a cold sweat.”

The Volakian was referring to Marcus, but from the lips of one of the Nine Divine Generals, it was apt to sound like a show of weakness. “I agree the captain’s got a scary face, but is that something one of the empire’s own generals should be saying? I thought any kind of weakness or fear was no good for your people.”

“You wound me. Though, I must say, the empire’s way of life rather disagrees with me… One might say it’s only natural I should have wound up in the place I am now.”

“You simply wound up as one of your nation’s highest-ranking generals, sir? You are too modest. One’s talent often brings about one’s own destiny. Are you not living proof of that, Master Chisha?”

“I must say, I find the thought rather lonesome…” The alabaster man shook his head slowly. He responded no further to Julius’s probing gaze but turned to look out of one of the windows in the hallway. “I pride myself on the elegance of our imperial capital, but I must say, your royal city has abundant charms of its own. Would that I could wander at my leisure through its streets…”

“Don’t you think you’d have a little too much on your mind to enjoy sightseeing? Hope you can wrap up what you’re doing and get out of here.”

“Your consideration for me is much appreciated. Surely, one of the Knights of the Royal Guard could not rest at ease knowing an imperial like myself is traveling the streets of the capital freely. I suppose we will have to focus on business on this occasion.”

“When you’re right, you’re right. I sure couldn’t ‘rest at ease’ knowing that.” Ferris shrugged but managed to shoot a glare in Julius’s direction. The target of the look hunched over a little, knowing he was being rebuked for hiding Cecils. Ferris’s eyes, though, carried more than reprimand; there was anxiety, too, showing a window into his complicated emotions at that moment.

And indeed, the demi-human knight was at the height of confusion. Chisha had come here to apprehend someone from his home country who was on an unauthorized visit to the kingdom. Ferris knew someone who fit the bill exactly—he was quite confident he knew exactly who it was.

I was against this from the start! he thought, feeling caught between his friendship with Julius and his loyalty to the kingdom. Julius, for his part, seemed oddly gratified by this agony. It proved, in its own way, just how deeply Ferris valued their friendship.

Thus, the spirit mage was eager to remove that weight from his companion as quickly as he could, but…

“Master Chisha, perhaps we might go somewhere to discuss this at more length. I have an idea. How about my house? It’s right here in the capital.”

“What?!” Ferris said, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. The person in question, the one freely walking the streets of the capital at that very moment, was at the very place Julius intended to bring Chisha to. To Ferris, this was like a stab in the back after he had racked his brain trying to prevent just such a turn of events.

However, the knight merely winked at Ferris and said softly, so that only his friend could hear, “Don’t worry. I’m thrilled to know how dear you keep our friendship.”

9

“If you’re really ready to do this, Julius, then Ferri—then I, Ferris, can only watch.” The demi-human was obviously filled with sorrow as he watched Julius lead Chisha to the Juukulius household in the noble quarter. Of course, there had been no time to dispatch a messenger to let anyone know they were coming.

With Cecils hiding out at the estate, bringing Chisha there also seemed as if it made a meeting all but inevitable. Ferris could only assume Julius was perfectly well aware of that. The man had already dirtied his hands with a certain kind of subterfuge against the kingdom. If this became public, it was conceivable he would even be stripped of his knighthood. Ferris’s deep anxiety about that possibility was written all over his face.

Perhaps someone heard the slight young man’s prayers, though, for it was not Cecils who greeted them at the door, but—

“Oh! Brother!” It was Joshua, looking pale. Julius frowned as he noticed his brother’s complexion; it was even more bloodless than usual. “I’m so sorry! I only took my eyes off him for a minute…”

“Calm down, Joshua. There’s no need to panic—just tell me what happened, one thing at a time.”

“Y-yes, well… In fact…” But there Joshua stopped, for he noticed Chisha standing alongside Ferris. Then, recalling that his brother didn’t wish Cecils to be spoken of too widely, he started again, choosing his words carefully. “In fact, he vanished from your room, Brother. Out through the window, it would seem… And his swords were gone as well.”

“This is not good,” Julius murmured, putting his hand to his chin.

“I’m sorry, Brother. It’s my fault for not watching him…”

“Ohh, no, no, no, mew don’t have to be sorry at all, Josh, sweetie; meowby this is a blessing in disguise. Meow we have a little breathing room…”

“Master Chisha, I must apologize. It seems the person you’re inquiring after is no longer in this house.”

“Wha—?!”

The fast-talking Ferris and the very deliberate, careful Joshua both looked at Julius, eyes as wide as saucers. Ferris grabbed Julius by the lapels, shaking him violently. “Why?! Why would you tell him that? I always knew you were too honest for your own good, but I never thought you were this naive! Ugh, you’re as bad as Reinhard! Is that why you two are friends? Birds of a feather? Arrrgh, my poor head!”

“P-please, calm down. You’re much too agitated…”

“And whose! Fault! Do you think! That is?!”

Finally, the cat-boy slumped to the ground as if he’d suffered a bout of anemia. Joshua caught Ferris and held him up while Julius straightened his own collar and produced a dry smile. “Brother, I believe he’s right. Ahem, as he says—”

“Forgive me. But should I understand from this exchange, Master Julius, that you are already in contact with the one I seek?” Chisha interrupted, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing.

“That’s correct,” Julius confirmed. “He was staying here as a guest in my house… But as you can see, it’s led only to my embarrassment.”

“Indeed, indeed. He must have leaned on you after the diplomatic mission earlier.”

“Leaned on us… Well, yes, I suppose. But ultimately, it was my choice to accept him.”

From the way he answered, it was clear that the spirit mage intended to hide nothing, and Chisha began to see the shape of the situation. Ferris and Joshua, though, still seemed at a bit of a loss as they listened to the conversation. Julius and Chisha, ignoring the confused pair, nodded at each other.

“It seems we have common ground, then,” commented the Divine General.

“Excellent. If only… If only he’d behaved himself for another half a day.”

“And I had expected he would listen to me. Perhaps it was asking too much…” The pale man sounded faintly tired, and Julius brushed back his bangs to hide a sympathetic grin. Then he gestured to Ferris, who was still crouching on the floor, and nodded when he looked up at him with his golden eyes.

“Let’s go, Ferris. You said you would see this through to the end, didn’t you?”

“Hmmm… I don’t know why, but I’m feeling meowy left out.” The young man puffed out his cheeks, making his displeasure obvious, but he took Julius’s hand. Then they shook firmly and turned to look outside the mansion.

“This will be a fine opportunity for the sightseeing that Master Chisha wished to do, then. Plus, we’ll also find and apprehend the person he’s looking for.”

Chisha, impressed by the confidence in Julius’s voice, bowed to him at the waist as a show of respect from none other than one of the Nine Divine Generals. The purple-haired knight, seeing the disquiet in Joshua’s face, laid a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder. “There’s nothing to fear, Joshua. I’ll be back with good news for you, as always.”

“Brother… Yes, I’ll be waiting for you. And praying for your success.”

With a nod from Julius, the three of them ventured into the capital to pursue the empire’s strongest fighter.

10

A young man wearing an unusual blue outfit and holding the hem of his kimono in his hand walked openly through the city. His zori-clad feet brushed over the stones, and at his hip hung two swords. He was a conspicuous figure even among the midday crowds on the main thoroughfare. Yet he himself hardly seemed to realize it. He was simply too used to being the object of gawking, such that he had begun to forget his own strangeness.

Then there was the burden the young man carried, of being the lead actor in the play that was the world. Of course, he would stand out; he should stand out. That was what it meant to be in the spotlight. And so in spite of his own responsibilities, he walked easily down the main street, quite unconcerned with any questions of position.

But sheer attention-getting wasn’t his only reason for sauntering down the path as he did.

“I guess it’s about time.” He brushed his blue hair away from his forehead with a few fingers, then picked up his pace, almost gliding toward a narrow side street. Fetid air washed over him from the dim alleyway. It was amazing how the atmosphere could change so drastically from one street to the next. Ugliness hidden by beauty—that was the Dragonfriend Kingdom of Lugunica.

“The empire is much easier to understand; that’s what I like about it. Everything you plan, everything you do—it’s all about decapitating your enemies. Always clear about what you’re up to—that’s how violence should be.”

“What are you babbling about, Bro?” A voice called out while the kimono-wearing man was rambling at the wall in a portentous voice. The young man turned around slowly to see the mouth of the alleyway blocked by several figures. Altogether, they made fourteen, too many to stand abreast in the narrow alley. It was foolish, the way they lined up in depth. The men all possessed fearsome auras, though; they were clearly no strangers to violence.

“Ah yes, applause and catcalls I welcome, but I must admit I would be all the happier if they could come from some women. What do you think, my friends?”

There was muted laughter among the men at this nonchalant greeting. “We think it don’t matter what you think. There’ll be some screaming before this is over, though. From you.”

Now the young man withdrew his hand from his kimono with an appreciative sort of chuckle. “There’s nothing I like better than a bit player with conviction—but may I assume you’re acting on your own judgment? I must think you’ve been told not to touch me.”

“Fancy you, knowin’ all that. Yeah, he told us to keep our hands off you, but what the hell—all work and no play, right? If we can go ahead and put you to sleep, it’ll all be over in a jiffy.”

“Yes! That’s the answer I was looking for. Then allow me to respond in kind!” Laughing aloud, the swordsman in foreign dress took a step toward the defenseless ruffians. No sooner had he done so than each of the men drew something out of their pouch. Then all at once—or really, in the order they had lined up in the alleyway—they rushed at the young man.

The blue-haired wanderer crouched down ever so slightly as he savored the shouts of battle. “Now that’s perfect cannon fodder—I don’t dislike it, no; in fact, it pleases me.”

Then a zori kicked against the ground, and blue lightning struck the narrow street.

11

“I must say, I imagine it might be more efficient to look for any commotions occurring in the capital rather than groping around in the dark.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because he is the kind who would go out to enjoy the rain in the middle of a storm.”

Following Chisha’s intuition about their quarry, the three of them headed for a guard post in the capital, thinking they might be able to find a clue.

“Are we sure, though? The guardhouses are always buzzing. Is that going to be enough to help us?”

“I should think we could at least narrow our search to places that have suffered some commotion,” Chisha said.

“No, there must be a way to be even more precise,” Julius replied. “There’s one area in particular he’s frequented on his jaunts out of my mansion during his stay. That man’s hard to miss, so perhaps someone has seen him.”

Chisha squinted at Julius admiringly, and Ferris’s ears stood up as he spoke up. “Wow. You mean you weren’t just keeping an eye on him at home, but you were staking him out when he left, too?”

“You make it sound so devious. I simply had my Sprouts trail him in case he should find himself lost in a strange town. Even then, that was only at night.”

Julius had assigned his greater spirits to this task as a sort of insurance, and now it was paying off. He only regretted that he hadn’t imagined Cecils would leave the house during the day and so didn’t have a spirit watching after him now.

“However, if his objective is in that area, then combined with your suggestion, Master Chisha…”

“A compromise between the two to find him. Very well, let us proceed as you say.”

“Fine, do whatever you want,” Ferris grumbled. The three of them headed for the guard post in the section of the city Julius suggested—which was where they learned of the gang of thugs that had been beaten half to death.

“We found these lowlifes in an alleyway, looking like death. Thankfully, none of them were actually killed, but something really awful must have happened to them—they’re all furious about it. You want to talk to them?”

“Yes, if I may. Any of them roughly sane?” Julius asked, and the guard in charge of the detention center brought out three men. Each of them was quite distinct: One was massive, another, medium-size but muscly, and the third, small and spindly. None of them looked very cooperative, and their faces puckered when they saw a knight standing in front of them.

“G-geez, what’s a knight doin’ here? None of us knows nothin’, all right?!”

“Calm yourselves. I’m not here to hand out punishment to any of you. I simply have a few questions about the man who worked you over. For starters, why did you target him?”

Julius was calm but got right to the point, and the three men collectively gulped. When Ferris saw they weren’t eager to answer, he pursed his lips. “Just a second! Play along with us here. Trust me, if you don’t say anything, someone else will—all you’re doing is wasting our time. So come out with it already.”

“…Okay, we’ll talk. But on one condition. We sing, and you let us out of this place. There’s a bad vibe here.”

“…Very well. I’ll see what can be done.”

The offer came from the second of the men, the medium-size one. He was young and possessed very sharp eyes. Julius accepted his condition, and the three of them visibly relaxed.

“There was this guy with a lotta, y’know, style,” the young man said. “Gave us each a gold coin and said to keep an eye on that cocky kid. Easy money, right?”

“But it ended up being the most painful milk run we’ve ever been on.”

“It’s all because of those other greedy bastards; they went and got carried away! We tried to stop ’em, I swear!”

“Anyway, point is, we tried to do our part, and look where it got us.”

The excitable smaller man and the glum-looking larger one both settled down as the one in the center concluded the story.

“Hmm.” Julius nodded when they were finished. “And do you, perchance, know the name of the person who hired you?”

“You don’t ask what you don’t need to know. Stick your nose in too deep, and you never know when they might decide to cut it off.”

“The only reasonable response,” Chisha said with a shrug. “And they’ve no reason to lie—another dead end, I suppose?”

“No, not necessarily,” Julius said, shaking his head. Then he reached out toward the three men. Their eyes were wide as he asked, “Would you mind if I inspected the gold coins you were given for your reward?”

“The hell? You tryin’ to fleece us? You’re a knight—that’s, like, abuse of power or somethin’! That’s our reward for doin’ our job!”

“A pretty shady bit of pay,” Ferris commented. “And then you didn’t even actually do the job—that’s just sad.”

“Listen, kitten! Don’t think you can mouth off to us just ’cause you’re cute!” came the explosive response from the shortest of the three criminals.

They stared at one another like small animals in a face-off until Julius intervened. “Pardon me,” he interjected. “Ferris, restrain yourself. My apologies for this misunderstanding. The money is yours, of course. I simply wish to inspect it.”

“Yeah, likely story! You’ve done this before, haven’t you?!”

“Pfah. Give it a rest, Camberley. Here.” The medium-size man talked his companion down, then flipped a coin to the knight. It made a lazy arc, and Julius caught it in his palm. He felt the weight, ascertaining it was gold. The spirit mage nodded, satisfied, and tossed it back.

“Just as I thought… Thank you. That helps.”

“…We don’t care what country it came from or whatever; it’s our reward. You better keep your promise.”

“Should I take that to mean you do, in fact, recognize where it comes from?”

“Already told you, sir knight. Don’t sit well to go upsetting your generous benefactors. Not good to ask nosy questions.” The man in the center snorted. He and his two friends made to leave, and Julius politely got out of their way. The trio walked straight out of the guard post, but Julius called after them:

“You’re free to go on this occasion, but…I sincerely hope you won’t do anything to find yourself in the hospitality of the guards again. A lifestyle like yours all too often leads to an early death.”

“Easy for you to say. Me, I think the air’s too thin to breathe way up high,” one of the men spat. And with that, the three of them scurried away.

When they were out of view, Ferris exclaimed, “What is with them?!” and stomped on the ground. “The nerve of those guys! It drives me up the wall! Shouldn’t we have just left them here?”

“A promise is a promise. What’s more, they have some money right now. That means, perhaps, a chance to forge a new path in life.”

“Bah, I think that’s awfully optimistic! Their like never turn over a new leaf. I swear…” Ferris frowned, taking Julius’s faith in the men’s goodness as more than a bit idealistic. Still, his anger quickly cooled. “So what now?” he asked. “What’d that coin tell you? Did you get the name or the face of whoever hired them? Not that Ferri’s sure it would make our missing-person search any easier…”

“A fair point. Well, let me start at the beginning. First of all, that coin was not minted by the kingdom, but by the empire.”

“An imperial gold coin…? So whoever hired those clowns—”

Whoever paid them did so with imperial currency, thus implying a connection with the empire. But that didn’t make any sense. At least, not with the information Ferris had. After all, Cecils, whom the men had been pursuing, was from Volakia himself.

“But if the person who was trying to watch him was from the empire, too, then… Huh?”

Julius put a hand on his perplexed friend’s shoulder. “The answer to that is clear, Ferris. But first… Master Chisha.” He turned to look at the envoy, who waited calmly for him to continue. “Am I correct that we are not apprehending the hunter, but the quarry?”

“Most wise. It is as you suspect, Master Julius.” Chisha bowed to him, openly impressed. The pale general’s superficial deference could sometimes seem to hold a veiled contempt, but this particular gesture appeared sincere.

Ferris, though, was completely baffled. “Can someone explain to me what is going on?”

“Let’s start by clarifying your question. Right now, there are two mysterious members of the empire in your mind. One is the unauthorized entrant whom Master Chisha is pursuing.”

“Right, and that’s…” Cecils, right? Ferris didn’t quite finish his sentence out loud.

“I’m afraid not,” Julius said, shaking his head. He continued like a magician revealing the secret to his sleight of hand. “The runaway is the one who gave the gold coins to our three acquaintances and ordered them to watch over his own pursuer. And if so, what purpose do you think our mutual friend had in coming here?”

“You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying…,” Ferris said, belatedly realizing what Julius already knew.

The other knight smiled as realization dawned on his friend’s face. “We were told two envoys had come from the empire—Master Chisha has a partner we haven’t yet connected with. Cast in that particular role is one General Cecils Segmund.”

12

With the door closed, the room was dark and silent. Under guard, its occupant hugged his knees to his chest, chewing his fingernails nervously.

“”

They were supposed to communicate on a regular basis, but the time for the next report had come and gone. He had set the thugs to tailing the most awful killer in the world—a murderer who was after him. When his bodyguards had informed him that the man had been sighted in the capital, his heart had raced so fast he thought it might explode.

Fleeing the capital was an option, of course. But negotiations here were his last chance. He had abandoned his home country and ran to the kingdom in hopes of turning death into life.

He’d prepared a souvenir. Now he just had to get it to Six-Tongue. The man had gambled in hopes of doing just that. Now he was waiting to discover if the risk paid off.

“I will win. I can’t lose. It can’t end here… It can’t…!” The man clutched his knees and prayed, trusting his destiny. But then, remembering he had no one to pray to, he took an audible bite of his nails. “Argh, when are they going to report?! What happened to those thugs?! Why aren’t they here yet?!”

“”

“Hey!” The man got to his feet and directed a shout outside the room. To his surprise, there was no answer. He frowned to receive no response from the guards who should have been standing just outside the door. Then he swallowed heavily, and in a panic, he scrambled for the sword leaning against the wall in a corner of the room…

“Hullo, hullo! Pardon me for barging in, Viscount Glamdart.”

“Wha…? Ah…?!”

The door opened, ushering in a comically stiff breeze. No sooner had the thought registered than his hand, outstretched for his sword, was in the grasp of a young man wearing a kimono. The guest smiled pleasantly; he was holding a sword that shone with an uncanny light.

The older man knew the younger one, of course. Knew his name and how powerful he was.

“Cecils Segmund…”

“The very same. Player of the lead role in this world—and faithful blade of His Majesty.”

“M-my guards… What did you do to—? Hrrgh!”

It was a foolish question anyway. In the middle of it, Cecils’s foot met the man’s stomach, and the fugitive—Glamdart—went rolling across the floor. He briefly caught sight of blood dribbling on the ground in the hallway. That was all he needed to know about what had happened to the bodyguards.

And what would soon happen to him.

“Now that just won’t do, Holstoy, you old dog. When your plans have unraveled, you should see yourself off the stage without delay. The head of your double and your little gift to the kingdom… Truly appalling. A stupendous performance as the villain!”

“W-wait, Segmund…”

“But trying to make off with the empire’s crown jewel, the sky-dragon tamer—that can’t be allowed. Add that to the fact that you were the ringleader of the plot against His Majesty, and a hundred deaths wouldn’t expunge your sin.”

The enchanted sword in Cecils’s hand glowed in a way no sword should have been capable of. The Divine General’s eyes were brutal as he informed Glamdart of his crimes; he clearly had not the slightest concern for life. The older man, all too aware of this, clasped his hands together. “Hear me out, Segmund! The scheme against the emperor was of his own devising—between him and Balleroy! I simply—”

“I’m not interested in your excuses, and I don’t care about your arguments. You targeted His Majesty’s life, absconded with an imperial secret, and worst of all, you continue to cling to the stage when your part has been played out. Let your blood wash away your disgrace.”

“Heeegh—!”

“Ahh, I’m so glad for your sake that I’m the one who found you. I’m much nicer than the emperor, you know. For example, you deserve to die a hundred times, but I’ll settle for once.” Cecils smiled and raised his sword, which seemed to tremble nefariously. Just a flicker of that blade, and the thread of Glamdart’s life would be cut as surely as the sinews of his neck, his consciousness lost forever.

Why? Why, despite this terrible knowledge, did the blade look—beautiful?

“And now, farewell.”

Those were the last words he heard before the stunning flash of silver descended toward his neck.

“That will be quite enough, Cecils.”

“Oh-ho?”

A voice interrupted Cecils in the middle of his stroke, inches before the blade found flesh. The sword came to a halt, and its owner glanced over at the source of the interruption. He looked pained as he registered the slim, pale man standing in the doorway. But the other man, Chisha, looked no happier.

The two Volakian generals stood there, scowling at each other, then they looked down at the man who had fainted on the floor.

“There’s just in time, and then there’s just in time.”

“Hmm? Say, what are you doing here anyway, Chisha? Bit of sightseeing?”

“I’m here on His Majesty’s orders, naturally. Orders to find and stop a certain fool who went racing off the moment it became clear that the mastermind behind the recent rebellion had faked his own death with a body double and escaped to the kingdom. Do you need me to specify exactly which fool I’m talking about?”

Chisha appeared relieved, in a certain sense, to have both found Cecils and to have found him with his target still alive. The swordsman cocked his head at Chisha’s explanation, then he saw Julius and Ferris behind him. In resignation, he sheathed his sword, but he stomped pointedly on the floor. “That’s that; all cleared up, then!”

“Uh-uh! Nothing’s clear at all, and I’ll thank you to explain it to me!” Ferris burst in before Cecils could sweep the whole thing under the rug. Julius let out a sigh at the exact same moment Chisha groaned. They exchanged a look and then a shrug.

13

“As a matter of fact, we knew from early on that Master Cecils was searching for someone.”

“What?! Did I let my objective slip? Very strange. For once, I thought I chose my words carefully…”

The four had returned to the Juukulius manor and now sat in a conference chamber. Two royal knights, two imperial generals, and one very charged atmosphere. That said, there was no bloodlust in the air, of course. The real problem had already been resolved, and the story was drawing to its close. Joshua had been relieved to no end at Cecils’s safe return. All that remained was to explain to Ferris what exactly had happened.

“You needn’t worry, Master Cecils. You never once said anything to give away why you were really here.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Hmm? Then how’d you know what I was doing?”

“There was nothing in your words that exposed you, true enough, but you dropped clues here and there. Asking Joshua and the serving girls if they had seen any ‘strange people from the empire,’ for example, and sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night… Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend using imperial gold pieces at the marketplace again. That’s the sort of thing people tend to remember.”

“What?!” Cecils reached into his kimono and produced his coin purse, staring at it in disbelief. The fact that Cecils had used imperial coinage on the first day they’d met in the capital made him profoundly easy to track. The man was hopelessly unsuited to covert activities.

“You never got to exchange currency, did you, the way you went rushing past that guard post? Guess that’d stand out, for sure.”

“And it led to your undoing. Perhaps I should give you some credit for maturing a little… At least you bothered to come up with a cover story for why you were here,” Chisha commented.

“No, that was no cover—I am here for the Sword Saint. Both stories are true.”

Cecils could have just as easily let it go without that bit of clarification; Ferris and Chisha had just been coming around to him. Now his fellow general was staring daggers at him again; the empire’s greatest warrior hugged his swords and shrank down.

“But that doesn’t clear everything up. It was perfectly logical to think Chisha was here after Cecils, so how did you know, Julius?”

“Simple enough. If Master Cecils were the runaway, Master Chisha and one other person would never have been able to apprehend him. There could only be one outcome against Volakia’s strongest swordsman—it’s the same problem you and I had.”

“Ahhh… Meow it makes sense.”

The spirit mage nodded. It was true that when Captain Marcus had called them into his quarters, Julius hadn’t known everything. Clearly, Cecils had some ulterior motive, and in the worst-case scenario, it might’ve involved something harmful to Lugunica. Julius had found no proof that it didn’t. Yet much of his concern had been allayed by Chisha’s arrival and stated goal.

“Embarrassing though it is to admit, I am not such a fine fighter myself, and Cecils would certainly defeat me in the blink of an eye were we to come to blows. His Majesty may order what he wishes, but the impossible remains impossible.”

“Ah! Chisha, you’re showing weakness! I will have to report this to the emperor! To think, a general of the empire mewling like a little baby! Oh, the shame!”

“…I’m sorry to say that if anyone is in for a serious scolding when we get back to the empire, it’s you, Cecils.”

“Why me?!” wailed the Blue Lightning of Volakia, but his fellow general replied only with an irritated look. The easy tone of the exchange suggested they were not merely fellows in arms, but good friends. Perhaps Chisha was supporting Cecils’s endeavors, in his own way.

“Much as my own friends shore up my shortcomings…”

“There you go again, Julius, always putting yourself down. They call you The Finest—you could afford to act like you believe it sometimes!”

“It’s a title I hardly deserve anyway. In any event, I strongly suspected that Master Cecils’s secret goal, and Master Chisha’s stated one, were one and the same. Considering how Master Chisha’s alleged partner never materialized, it made sense to assume that was the role Master Cecils was meant to fill.”

That was as much as Julius had grasped about the situation, although he had understood it quite thoroughly. Chisha nodded as he explained, and Cecils laughed uproariously. “Viscount Glamdart, he was the one behind the plot against His Majesty—remember? You were there. We were quick to relieve him of his head, but wouldn’t you know it, it wasn’t actually him! We got a report that he’d left a body double behind and fled here to the kingdom.”

“And in response, someone went running off before His Majesty could even give proper orders. Namely, the empire’s number one general. We thought he would at least pause at the border checkpoint—it never occurred to us he would enter without authorization. The thought made me even more pale than I usually am.”

“True, I didn’t have any solid leads, but thanks to Master Julius, I didn’t have to fret about food or shelter while I went after the fugitive—it all worked out.”

Chisha’s expression soured more and more as Cecils calmly described his primary worries. Ferris, meanwhile, turned and stared at Julius. “So mew had ulterior meowtives of your own for inviting Cecils home?”

“For the most part, I meant what I said to you. The one thing I struggled with was whether allowing Master Cecils to wander at will through the capital might not make things far worse between our two countries.”

“In that, I concur with you,” Chisha said. “Thus, I chose to come to the castle without my partner, even knowing it might be quite futile. My meeting with you, Master Julius, could be considered quite a stroke of good fortune—or perhaps…”

“…The work of someone who engineered it behind the scenes,” Julius said softly, picking up on what the pale man was saying.

Neither the Kingdom of Lugunica nor the Empire of Volakia had the resources at this moment to conduct a full-scale war against another nation. The kingdom’s throne was empty, while the empire was clearly afflicted with forces that would foment rebellion if not rooted out. And yet if the fuse was lit, there would be no choice but to act. Act—or suffer the consequent damage to the national standing.

“I guess we could call this a fire prevention mission, then,” Julius mused.

“Hmmm… And you think we succeeded in preventing the blaze?” Ferris asked Chisha, not looking wholly convinced.

“For my purposes, and with your kind cooperation, all has ended well. The betrayer, Glamdart, has been apprehended, and I was able to locate our wayward general… Now we can at least claim that we entered the kingdom together.”

“Furthermore, my house can say, for all intents and purposes, that it never illicitly harbored a general of the empire. That’s provided, of course, that all involved will keep the details of this affair to themselves…” There Julius stopped and looked directly at Ferris. “Ferris, you are free to say whatever you will, to whomever you will. I leave it to your judgment whether to speak and what to say.”

“Sigh…” Ferris pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “I can’t believe you, turning all serious at the last minute. Listen up, Ferri’s been treated like nothing but a third wheel this entire time, and that’s what you end on? Julius, you are the most selfish…!”

“…I can understand why you’re angry. What I did was—”

“Argh, that’s not what I’m talking about! How do I always end up in this role?” Ferris pursed his lips, pressing a finger into the cheek of the contrite-looking Julius. The taller knight twitched, shrugging his slim shoulders. “Fine, I forgive you,” Ferris said. “But you owe me one. And believe me, I’ll cash in that favor one day.”

“…Yes, certainly. Thank you.” Julius nodded and smiled, thinking how Ferris-like such sullen kindness was. Julius knew now the demi-human would not make an issue of his little deceit on this occasion. Filled with gratitude for that kindness, the spirit mage turned to the two Volakian envoys. “Well then, shall we go and make our official report about this fine moment of cooperation between the kingdom and the empire?”

It was the last little bit of cleaning up they would have to do.

14

“This concludes our report on the capture of the unauthorized entrant from the empire, Glamdart Holstoy. He will be returned to his homeland to face judgment.”

Five were in the captain’s office at the royal guard’s barracks: Julius, Ferris, and the two generals of the empire were presenting the report before the room’s owner, Marcus. The four had all agreed upon the details of their story, to which Marcus was now listening quietly, his eyes closed.

“Allow me to express our utmost gratitude for your prompt acceptance of our admittedly most uncouth request. It enabled us to prevent any further harm to the empire at the earliest possible moment, for which we can only thank you.”

“…I’m certainly glad you were able to catch him before things got out of hand. And if my subordinates were able to be of help to you, then I appreciate knowing I made the right choice sending them with you.”

“Our emperor, His Majesty Vincent Volakia, is a most reasonable man. I’m confident this case will not go without its rewards. Our fervent hope is only that they bring further honor and prosperity to both our nations.” Chisha was careful to express his country’s gratitude in the most elaborate possible terms as they concluded the concocted report. This time, they had agreed, it would be the empire that was in the kingdom’s debt. It was an excellent compromise.

Or it would have been…

“Juukulius, Argyle.”

“” Julius and Ferris, standing side by side, straightened up. Marcus hardly ever called them by their surnames. The captain’s gravelly voice made it impossible to guess whether he was about to say something good or bad. The two of them waited silently.

Finally…

“…Well done, both of you. I hope I can expect the same in the future.”

Julius and Ferris let out the collective breath they were holding. Then they each snapped off a neat salute to cover how relieved they were.

“Yes sir,” Julius said after a pause.

“Yes sir, Ferri’s on it!”

And that was the end of the matter. Obviously, they felt guilty about giving a report that didn’t precisely match the facts of the case. But Marcus’s final bit of praise for them somehow freed them of that feeling. It seemed to them that he could tell what had happened. Otherwise, how could they explain why he “happened” to assign Julius and Ferris to work with Chisha? To the end, though, Marcus’s rugged face denied any attempt to read his inner thoughts.

“Ahhh, I’m so glad this is all over. I was told not to talk, but even so, I don’t mind telling you; my shoulders were so stiff…” Now that the interview was over, Cecils stepped forward, clearly very relieved. Despite being at the center of it all, he had acted like a mute doll throughout the report—and now that the official business was at an end, he turned to Marcus with a pleasant grin. “Still, what a pleasure to come face-to-face with Old Cliffside himself, Master Marcus Gildark. I would certainly love to see what I could learn from you in a match…”

“The honor is mine. But I believe I’ll refrain.”

“Hmm, that’s too bad. Really too bad.” The Blue Lightning of Volakia slumped.

“Don’t be too disappointed,” Marcus said with the grin of a true warrior, an expression full of blood and steel. The captain nodded at Cecils. “I know of a much better opponent for you. He’s just come back—and I’m happy to tell you he’s quite open to the idea of accepting your challenge.”

Julius started. “…! Captain, you don’t mean—?”

“Aw, you’ve got to be kidding… You are kidding, right?” Ferris added, all too aware of what Marcus had in mind. Their shock came from different places, but the result was the same. Their reactions hinted to Cecils what must be going on, that his wish had unexpectedly been granted. “This better opponent—could it be…?”

“The Sword Saint,” Marcus said, putting an end to all doubt. Then he added, “Reinhard van Astrea is awaiting Master Cecils Segmund in the training ground. Just…try not to kill each other.”

15

The training ground adjacent to the royal guard’s barracks was already beginning to fill with a quiet tension. This place normally rang with the clashing of swords as knights and guards honed their skills. But today, the soldiers all sat in the observation seats or stood by the walls, awaiting an impending moment.

“Well now, if this isn’t just the most ideal outcome,” Cecils said as he was led into the arena. He felt for footing beneath his zori, soaking up the countless eyes upon him. He was absolutely savoring the situation, while simultaneously looking forward to what would come next.

“I must say, I’m rather shocked,” Chisha said. “I thought the kingdom’s knights didn’t favor displays like this.”

“Ferri’s surprised, too. I never imeowgined the captain would actually go along with this. I thought he would bite our heads off.”

Julius agreed with their whispered conversation, but there was something else on his mind, as well. “Perhaps he simply wants to see it for himself—the silver-petaled dance between these swordsmen from the kingdom and the empire.”

“”

Almost at the same moment Julius spoke, a murmur ran through the watching crowd. The cause was another’s arrival to the arena: a young man with hair the color of flames. His posture was practiced, his eyes as blue as if they held the very sky. The white uniform of the royal guard looked as though it had been designed just for him, matching the white scabbard at his hip; he appeared the knight among knights.

“Reinhard.”

Reinhard van Astrea paused and smiled at Julius’s voice. The Sword Saint, returned from his inspection, chose a spot several feet away from Cecils and bowed politely. “A pleasure to see you again, Master Cecils. Permit me to welcome you to our kingdom.”

“And allow me to apologize for showing up without warning you. I thank you for accepting my impetuous request. Got to say, I’m really surprised.”

“Are you now?”

“Mm. Assumed you would turn me down flat. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

Reinhard only smiled wider at Cecils’s directness. The man in blue pointedly tapped the hilts of his swords, saying, “You must be tired after such a long trip, but I’m afraid I’m not in any position to hang around here myself. I know that makes things a little unfair—hope you won’t hold a grudge.”

“It was my choice to accept your request. I won’t seek any further excuses for my performance.”

“Ah, that’s a swordsman. All right, then—”

The precombat formalities concluded, Cecils went over to the wall and removed his sandals. Chisha took them from him, and the two envoys from the empire proceeded to have some sort of conversation. Julius took advantage of the moment to go over to Reinhard and speak to him as well.

“Reinhard, I must say, this—”

“Why’d you say yes to such an idiotic request? Are you as stupid as he is, Reinhard?”

“Ferris…,” Julius interjected.

Reinhard’s eyes widened, but he responded to Ferris’s attack with no more than a smile and a shrug. “I won’t deny I have a bit of a foolish streak, but I don’t think it’s idiotic to do this. Though, I am touched you’re so worried about me.”

“First Julius, now you, Reinhard… Nobody cares about Ferri’s feelings…”

“True, Master Cecils’s request came as quite a surprise. But the captain had a say, too. Go out there and show him just how strong Lugunica is! he told me.” Reinhard, trying to imitate Marcus, dropped his voice to a forced growl that didn’t particularly resemble the captain’s at all. He glanced at the row of high-ranking knights assembled across the training ground, the captain sitting among them. The craggy old warrior noticed him, grinned, and made a punching motion.

“I don’t think he can hear us… Can he?”

“This is the captain’s handiwork, all right,” Ferris said. “Maybe he’s madder at the empire than we realized…”

“I’ve heard the two of you haven’t had an easy time of it. So this fight means something to me. I intend to requite the kingdom’s expectations and my friends’ suffering.” For all that, Reinhard sounded quite lighthearted, still smiling as he turned forward. Julius and Ferris withdrew, and there was Cecils, waiting for the Sword Saint to make his entrance. Cecils Segmund, the most powerful fighter in Volakia, sandals off, his two enchanted swords in hand.

“Hold it, Reinhard,” Julius said. “We don’t have a sword ready for you. Wait there; I can have one prepared in a moment…”

Reinhard carried a sword that was like his own partner, yet custom all but dictated that it never be drawn. Even Julius had never seen it removed from its sheath. Thus, he assumed Reinhard would need a different weapon for this battle, but…

“Don’t worry, Julius. I have a blade right here.”

“”

Reinhard sounded no different than he had a moment earlier. And yet his voice sent a shiver through everyone assembled there. The kingdom’s strongest fighter, the Sword Saint, was about to duel the empire’s supreme warrior, The Blue Lightning. The crowd, gathered in hopes of seeing the battle of a generation, would first be treated to the display of a legendary sword.

“The Dragon Sword Reid…,” somebody said aloud. Whoever they were, they spoke for all present.

In Reinhard’s hand was a sword both beautiful and terrible. The blade was unclouded, the steel so finely honed that it did not seem made by human hands. Rumor held that it was a gift from the Sword God. Legend told that it had feasted upon many lives, and that it had even ended the Witch. The audience members were one of the few to ever lay an eye on a near mythical weapon.

“So that’s the fabled Dragon Sword.” Cecils’s heart raced with excitement at the chance to behold the legendary blade. What he felt first and foremost was not terror, or even awe, but gratitude. “I couldn’t be more grateful, more delighted, or more appreciative to see the sword with my own eyes.”

“I’m not permitted to draw the Dragon Sword except against a fitting opponent. This bout with you will be only the third time I’ve done so… Indeed, you are one who deserves to face the Dragon Sword.”

Reinhard was constantly considerate of others and was always respectful. As such, it was not unusual to hear him praise an opponent. But his compliments now held weight that went beyond the words he said. Julius, recognizing this, felt a faint ache in his heart. Could it be…?

“Cecils Segmund, general of the Volakian Empire, first among the Nine Divine Generals.”

“Reinhard van Astrea, one of the Knights of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Lugunica, of the house of the Sword Saints.”

Filled with respect for each other, the two men gripped their beloved blades. Then at the same moment, they burst forth.

“Now the time has come—”

“—To fight!”

An instant later, there were flashes of light and blade. The force of the exchanges stirred up a whirlwind in the training ground, and the silver-petal dance rang out, echoing up toward the heavens.

16

“You know, I learned something from the Sword Saint.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I sacrificed everything in my headlong rush to become the strongest, until I discovered I was all by myself at the very height of power… But it turns out I wasn’t alone.” Cecils tapped the hilts of his swords, smiling brightly despite the wounds all over his face. “Being strong is a lonely business. There’s no one around you. Yet no matter where you go, you’re never truly alone. Our dear Sword Saint taught me that back in the empire.”

The Blue Lightning had been defeated in that fight in the woods, yes, but far from being a sore loser, Cecils found meaning in it. And once he had discovered it, he went to Reinhard, who occupied a peak very different from his own.

“After that, I felt I had to teach the Sword Saint something myself. I had to show him that he wasn’t alone, either. That I was there. And there might even be others who stand with us. That’s what I wanted him to understand.”

There had been no time for a relaxed chat between Reinhard and Cecils. Thus, the Volakian general could not hope he had communicated as clearly as he might have with words. However, he was also confident that he had most certainly gotten his feelings across, at least in some measure—for Reinhard, Dragon Sword drawn, seemed to be enjoying himself as he battled the man in the blue kimono.

After their heartfelt match, Cecils and Chisha had promptly returned to the empire. Of what came of the duel between Reinhard and Cecils, the strongest fighters of two nations engaged in a clash of silver, little more shall be said; to do otherwise would blemish the dignity of that battle. However, the fight had left an unforgettable impression on one person who had been involved in this chain of events ever since one of the generals of the Volakian Empire had arrived: Julius Juukulius.

“You walked a tightrope there… Satisfied now?”

The question came from Ferris, who was visiting the Juukulius mansion now that everything was over. They were in Julius’s room, sharing a drink. Julius considered the question. Satisfied? Well, what had he even wanted on this occasion? Yes, he had been on thin ice; he had involved one of his dearest friends in subterfuge and arranged for another to cross swords with a deadly enemy—and for what?

“In the end, perhaps it was…jealousy.”

“Jealousy…?” Ferris echoed, and the purple-haired knight nodded slowly.

Yes, that was it. The prickling Julius felt inside himself sprang from a helpless envy of Ferris and Reinhard, who had already decided the paths they would travel in life. It chilled him to realize how long ago it had begun…

“The very first time I saw Reinhard… I believe then and there was when I gave up the idea of ever standing on equal ground with him. I might speak only too eagerly of how I wish to be friends, how I wish to be equal to him, yet I had already all but given up the notion that I could ever attain the heights he has reached and ever see what he sees from there.”

Then he had averted his eyes from this weakness, playing the part of a fine and knowing friend. His own insistence that he could never stand shoulder to shoulder with Reinhard had blinded him to his burgeoning jealousy.

“At first, it was incomprehensible to me why Master Cecils should want to face Reinhard, knowing he would never prevail. In fact, I think I deliberately chose to not understand. But now I see.”

“Hmm?”

“Talk of ‘equality’ was simply an excuse, a front I used to try to distance myself from both of you. And yet at the same time, I had the gall to wallow in my loneliness when that distance opened up. It was the height of foolishness.”

“So now that you’ve realized that…what does Julius Juukulius do next?”

“Outwardly, I believe he doesn’t change much. I do mean to be friends with you two, on equal terms. But now I’ve finally comprehended what that really means.”

It seemed to Ferris that Julius had taken an awfully roundabout route to get to what struck him as an incredibly simple conclusion. The cat-boy simply put his cup to his lips and gave Julius an exasperated squint. “Well, if that’s what works for mew, Julius, then I guess that’s all right. Plus, you’ve finally stopped going around looking all sad and serious, like you’ve been doing ever since we got back from the empire.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Uh-huh. I almost thought mew were eager to see Reinhard fight that guy just so you could feel better. Like a baby, that’s what I thought!”

“I must say, even I’m not quite that uncouth.” Julius rested against the back of his chair as if shoved back by his friend’s particular interpretation of his behavior. There he stayed, soaking in the breeze that blew through the window, and the two of them passed a few minutes in silence.

Then Julius had a thought. “I suppose I do feel better, after a fashion. My doubts have been dispelled, and I’ve worked out how to express my feelings.”

“I don’t think you really have to do anything different—you’re already more than equal with Reinhard and me, Julius.”

“I’m touched by that, Ferris, truly. But it’s a matter of coming to accept it myself.” The spirit mage shook his head, gently rebuffing the word of consolation, then peered at the bottom of his empty glass. “I ask myself whether I would be able to appear your equal were we to step onto the same stage.”

“…! Does that mean you’ll help out Ferri and Crusch?”

“I’m thinking it might be more interesting to throw my proverbial hat into the ring as a candidate myself.”

“Pfft, that wouldn’t be meowy interesting at all!”

“I’m only joking.” Julius smiled. Perhaps the drink was going to his head; he didn’t normally make jokes. Ferris likewise turned red when he saw him smile so, and they clinked their empty glasses.

The words spoken that night in jest would in fact come to pass. Julius Juukulius would join the royal selection as a knight, but not in the camp of Felix Argyle. Reinhard van Astrea would likewise play his part. The three of them, all friends, served their country as royal knights. Perhaps it was fate that decreed, from the moment one of them wished to be equal to the others, that their paths were destined to diverge even as they briefly overlapped.

The Silver Flower Dance of Pictat, which took place during the struggle between the kingdom and the empire, had become legend—and the second such battle, many years later and witnessed only by a select few, would bring more changes still.

But on this night, still unaware of the future, they were just friends sharing a drink.

The red-haired young man would join the two before long, and the three of them would talk and laugh into the wee hours. Thus, this is the perfect place for this story to end—for now.

<END>