4. Return>
“Hey, Ron. Hurry up and come on up.”
“You’re just too fast, Mirian. But are we really allowed to come here?”
A barren stretch of land, its earth dug up in places. Traces of collapse were scattered everywhere.
Though it was merely the middle of a desolate mountain and there was nothing that seemed particularly dangerous, a young man named Ron kept glancing around anxiously.
At his words, Mirian snapped irritably.
“Hey, what kind of man is so scared of everything? Besides, the instructors never actually told us not to come here. People just avoid this place because they find it unpleasant.”
“…
They definitely did tell us not to come here, because there’s a risk of further collapse.”
Five years ago, an accident had left the ground here extremely unstable, and Ron remembered Instructor Ktil telling them not to come. He gave Mirian, who kept insisting that everything was fine, an incredulous look.
“Ah, you talk too much. Then go back! I have something I absolutely need to see.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Hehe. Follow me if you’re curious.”
With that, Mirian began striding uphill, hopping over rocks and collapsed soil.
Ron watched her with an exasperated expression, then followed after her.
After walking for quite some time, Ron finally arrived at Mirian’s destination around the time the sun hung over the middle of the mountain and the evening sky began to darken.
“Here?”
“Yep. Hehe. I saw it from a distance the last time we went out for external training. I was so curious about what it was that I couldn’t even sleep.”
“Hmm… It does look unusual.”
Ron looked around, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy. Except for a single object.
Where Mirian pointed, a pillar about the size of a person was thrust into the ground. The pillar was packed with drawers.
“Isn’t this… owned by someone?”
“Hm?”
“No… There are names written on every drawer….”
Although they were locked, every drawer in the pillar bore a name. There were only a few compartments with names on them, however, as the owner of the drawers apparently did not have many friends.
“Ah… Really? That’s a problem, then….”
“Hm? Mirian, what do you mean, that’s a problem?”
“I thought there would be some peerless treasure or… something like that inside. I figured that was why the instructors told us not to come here. But there’s no way something like that would be inside a container shaped like that!”
Ron nodded at Mirian’s words. A pillar containing a peerless treasure would not have drawers with names attached to them. Suddenly, Ron became curious about the people whose names were written on those drawers.
Then, as he examined them one by one, he made a shocked expression.
“Hey… Mirian… There might really be treasures like the ones you’re looking for in here.”
“What?”
Mirian had worn a disappointed expression, but she turned to Ron with a look that asked what he meant.
“Look at the names here….”
Only then did Mirian realize that she had not properly examined the names attached to the drawers. She began inspecting the names on the pillar.
“Whoa….”
The disappointment that had filled Mirian’s face began to be replaced by excitement.
Mirian did not know who Steel was, but the others were all renowned figures whose names alone were impressive.
Narasha Kun Tian I, who had brought about Tian’s greatest era of prosperity.
The kingdom’s guardian general, the great Grang
-Vander Kain von Roman.
Rian von Roman and Celine de Kirain, who commanded Dragona, the powerful assault force of the Tian Kingdom.
They were all people who supported and led Tian.
“Hehe. Couldn’t there be some secret art here containing all of their insights? Maybe someone could become a Grang
-Vander just by mastering it….”
“Hmm… That’s going a little too far. Why would they leave something like that here? Besides, all the secret arts have already been shared in their entirety at Gron
-Fila.”
“You idiot! How do you know that’s everything?”
“Is that so…?”
There were countless things that did not add up, but Mirian was already too excited to hear any of it.
Click, click!
“Hey! Mirian, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to open it.”
“What…? It obviously looks like we shouldn’t touch it… It belongs to someone, doesn’t it?”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Hm?”
“I saw this several months ago. If someone owned it, they would have already taken it. And the fact that they left it here means… they probably don’t care much about it.”
“But still….”
“Hey, when did I say I was going to take anything? I’m just going to open it, that’s all. We came all the way here. Aren’t you curious?”
“…….”
At those words, Ron fell silent. In truth, he was incredibly curious too. What on earth was inside? He had been unable to touch it because doing so felt like theft, but he could feel himself gradually succumbing to Mirian’s persuasion.
“You stay there. Hehehe… Let’s see.”
When the drawer refused to open easily, Mirian took something like a piece of wire from her pocket and began fiddling with the lock. Eventually, she managed to open one of the pillar’s drawers. Perhaps because she was a martial enthusiast and was most curious about Count Roman’s drawer, she started with the one labeled ‘Kain von Roman.’ She rummaged around inside, then made a deeply disappointed face.
“What is this?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“No… Wait a second… The others have to be different….”
She began opening the other drawers one by one. After inspecting every last one of them, Mirian’s expression became utterly crestfallen.
“Waaaaaaah….”
Ron had watched Mirian’s reaction from beginning to end. Wondering what on earth could be inside to elicit such a response, he walked past Mirian, who had slumped down beside him, and looked inside the drawer.
‘…
Letters?’
There was nothing else inside. It was filled entirely with letters.
‘So the names attached to them… were the senders.’
The drawer labeled ‘Kain von Roman’ was packed with letters Count Roman had sent to someone. The other drawers were probably the same.
After realizing that the mysterious pillar was a mailbox, Ron found himself wondering something else.
‘Then… who were the recipients?’
He could find out by reading the letters, but that would be far too rude, so he decided against it.
Mirian, however, seemed to have a slightly different opinion.
“Right… Those letters could be a decoy. There must be some kind of secret inside… Hehehe.”
Muttering with a vacant expression, Mirian suddenly stood up and strode toward the drawers.
“Move, Ron.”
“Hey, Mirian! What are you trying to do?”
“I’m going to read them.”
“That’s incredibly rude! You can’t! What are you going to do if the senders find out?”
If the letters really contained something secret, it would be a serious problem. The chances were low, but if the information written in them was something that others must not know, they could end up having their throats slit in their sleep.
After Ron explained this, Mirian’s expression quickly fell.
But perhaps she could not give up, because she opened her mouth again.
“Then… let’s just read the one belonging to ‘Steel.’ I’ve never even heard of him, so he can’t be famous. There won’t be anything secret in it.”
“What kind of nonsense is that…?”
Before Ron could stop her, Mirian strode toward the pillar.
Then a voice came from behind them.
“It would be best if you didn’t do that. You could die.”
“……!”
Startled by the voice, Ron and Mirian spun around. They felt like children caught in the middle of doing something bad.
When they turned around, they saw a man they had never seen before. It was immediately obvious that he was an extremely unusual person.
After all, no normal person would have only his head sticking out of the dirt while the rest of his body remained buried.
“How long have you been there?”
“Hmm… Since the moment you picked that drawer’s lock and committed attempted theft.”
“…
You must be mistaken. But what are you doing there? Why are you buried?”
Ron, at a loss for words, changed the subject and asked.
“Because… I’m not wearing any clothes right now. And since you two are here, I can’t come out. Haha.”
Unlike Ron, who was at a loss for what to say as he watched the man laugh heartily, Mirian seemed to have something she wanted to ask.
“But why would we die if we read those letters? Is there some enormous secret hidden inside them?”
“Haha. That sort of thing only happens in books, doesn’t it? I haven’t read them myself, but I doubt that’s the case. However….”
The man trailed off, and Mirian urged him to continue.
“The owners of those letters might be a little sensitive about their privacy. If someone other than me read them, they’d probably try to beat that person to death.”
“…….”
Mirian did not understand. What kind of violent person would do something like that?
Then she realized that this was not what mattered. She had heard an important clue in the man’s words.
“You’re the owner of this mailbox.”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it probably belongs to me. By the way, may I ask you for a favor?”
“Of course.”
“If I’m right… If you look through the pillar, there should be some clothes in there. Could you throw them to me?”
Ron and Mirian searched through the drawers in the pillar. Sure enough, they found several sets of clothes. Whoever had built this pillar seemed to have anticipated a situation like this.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
The man took the clothes and wriggled around inside the pit. Only after putting them all on did he finally come out.
“Graaah!”
The man let out a strange cry and stretched his body this way and that, as though he were exceptionally stiff. Ron gave him a look that said he had never seen such a lunatic before.
“Whew. I’m sorry you had to see that. But what brings you two here?”
The man looked around, and upon realizing that there was nothing here aside from the pillar, he asked Ron and Mirian with a puzzled expression.
“Uh… Well….”
“We just came for a walk. A walk. If you put it that way, you’re much more suspicious. Who buries just his head in a place like this?”
The man immediately shouted in indignation.
“‘Mister’?! I’m only… I’m only… Hmm….”
The man tried to state his age, but then seemed to run into some kind of difficulty and stammered before finally opening his mouth.
“But… what year is it this year?”
“…….”
“Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. There are circumstances.”
“It’s the year 1017.”
“1017… Then I’m only twenty-two years old! I’m not old enough to be called ‘Mister’!”
At those words, Mirian and Ron examined the man more closely. Now that they looked at him, his features were somewhat broad and his build was large, but his skin was clear and his face still had a distinctly youthful look.
Mirian, however, seemed unwilling to admit it and retorted,
“Hmph! You’re still an old man to me. I’m seventeen.”
“Urgh….”
The man looked aggrieved, but perhaps he could not think of anything to say. He began walking toward Ron and Mirian.
They had not noticed it while he was in the pit, but now that he was outside, his massive frame and broad features gave him an imposing presence. Mirian and Ron tensed.
However, the man walked past them and headed straight for the pillar. He opened one drawer after another. They should have been locked, but the man’s hands opened them effortlessly.
“Ha… I knew my brother would have something like this. He sure prepared everything perfectly.”
Muttering, the man found money inside one of the drawers. He then took out a bag that had also been stored in the pillar and began sweeping all the letters into it.
His movements were so natural, as though he were simply packing his own travel bag, that Mirian and Ron could do nothing but watch as the man completely stripped the pillar bare.
Once he had apparently gathered all his belongings, the man left the pillar behind, slung the bag over his shoulder, and began trudging toward the city.
After watching him, Mirian decided to follow the man. They happened to be heading in the same direction, and the mysterious man was so suspicious that he aroused her curiosity. Mirian remembered her father always emphasizing that she really needed to rein in that curiosity of hers, but she could not resist.
“Excuse me! Mister!”
The man continued walking without stopping. Mirian ground her teeth and shouted,
“Big brother!”
“Hm? What is it?”
The man turned around as though he had been waiting for those words. Mirian glared at him with an annoyed expression before speaking.
“Let’s go together.”
“Hm? Do you have somewhere to be?”
“Not really. We’re heading to the city too, so I thought we could keep each other company.”
The man thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Well, all right. I was feeling lonely myself, and I’m curious about what’s been happening in the world.”
“Hehe. You’ve made up your mind, then? Good. Hey, Ron! Let’s go!”
Mirian took care of the still-dazed Ron and began walking toward the city.
“Ah, but we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m Mirian, and this is Ron.”
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Ron.”
The man who had received their greetings smiled faintly before opening his mouth.
“Oh! Miss Mirian, Ron, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am… Sian. I look forward to traveling with you to the city.”
With that, the man who had introduced himself as Sian began walking toward the distant Lagrang, and Ron and Mirian followed behind him.
After returning to the city, Sian immediately looked for a restaurant. Then, while devouring the food voraciously, he chatted with Ron and Mirian about this and that. Since their wariness had eased somewhat during the journey, the conversation even reached a fairly casual level.
“By the way, what are you two doing here? From what I’ve heard, you’re on vacation.”
“We… haha, had some business to take care of.”
Unable to bring himself to say that they had waited for vacation, when the number of people at Gron-Pila would decrease, so they could investigate that pillar from yesterday, Ron answered while eating.
“Haha. I see. In any case… the food here is incredibly delicious.”
“…
You mean the academy food is good?”
“Of course. Haha. It’s been a very long time.”
Munch, munch.
The food, which he was eating for the first time in a long while, tasted unbelievably good to Sian.
Although he had devoured that enormous creature, he had not eaten it with his mouth, so his sense of taste had always felt dull. Now that he could satisfy it after five years, he felt as though he had come back to life.
Mirian, who had been staring at Sian with a strange expression, decided to ask what she had been most curious about.
“Um… Big Brother Sian.”
“Yes?”
Sian liked the sound of her calling him that, so he answered with a smile even as he continued eating.
“Um… the letters inside the pillar earlier. Were they all sent to you?”
“I haven’t read them yet, but… I suppose so.”
“Then are all the people whose names were written on that pillar close to you?”
At that, Sian thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Close to me? No, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Ah… I knew it……”
Mirian wore an expression that said she had expected as much. The people listed there were far too distinguished for him to be close to some middle-aged man who had been taking mud baths in the mountains.
But Sian’s next words left her stunned.
“They’re family. You don’t usually describe family as being close.”
“……!”
Only then did Mirian remember where she had heard the name Sian before. She had heard it so often that it had practically been hammered into her ears during Instructor Lian’s classes back then, but she had failed to recall it because she had been so flustered. Sian was also a fairly common name.
Sian von Roman.
The second son of the missing Roman family. There had been countless rumors about the second son, who was said to have disappeared at the same time as the Granains when the Sky Mountains underwent a massive collapse five years ago, causing the Granains living in the region to vanish in a mysterious incident.
There was not a single reliable rumor about the second son to begin with. The rumors ranged from one extreme to the other, making it impossible to determine what was true. And even if only a quarter of those rumors had been true, he would not have been human, so they had been dismissed as nonsense.
Moreover, there had been many suspicious points about the incident itself. Some witnesses claimed to have seen a gigantic monster emerge from beneath the mountains. Of course, since not even a single scale from the monster could be found, the conclusion had been that they had seen an illusion.
And while the Granains were not especially numerous, neither were they few. Yet not even the slightest trace of their disappearance could be found.
It was an incident with many inexplicable aspects, but it had ultimately been buried beneath the momentous events that followed. Humanity had been far too busy afterward to pay it much attention.
“My goodness… I heard that incident happened five years ago… Where have you been?”
“Well… nothing much happened. You could say I was trapped somewhere and have only just returned.”
Sian wore a bitter expression as he recalled the memories of that time.
A place he never wanted to enter again. For five years, Sian had been forced to spend his time locked in a battle of strength with something that sought to crush him, grind him into pieces, and absorb him.
The sensation of being digested inside a beast’s stomach was not particularly pleasant. The creature had been powerful, but since only its instincts remained, Sian had been able to defeat it.
“My goodness… was that rumor true?”
“…
Which rumor?”
“That the Granains kidnapped the second son of the Roman family to conduct human experiments on him! It’s the most popular one.”
“…
Absolutely not.”
“Oh… then what about the theory that you fell in love with a Granain princess and eloped?”
“…
As far as I know, the Granain people don’t have a rank called princess……”
“What? That’s no fun. Every rumor was wrong.”
Mirian grumbled with a disappointed expression.
“Well… rumors always flow in the direction the public wants, so it can’t be helped. In any case… what do you intend to do now?”
Ron asked as he looked at Sian before him.
“Hmm… There’s nothing urgent, but shouldn’t I return home first? Ah, is my brother still working as an instructor here?”
“Hmm… If you mean Grand Heir Lian, he isn’t here anymore. He returned to Dragona.”
“Ah… That man, honestly… I told him to join the Third Knight Order.”
“The man you call ‘that man’ must hold quite a high position.”
Ron asked cautiously. If Sian could freely decide the position of someone like Grand Heir Lian, then his power must be considerable.
“Well… something like that?”
As far as Sian knew, there was no position higher than that of the king, so he nodded.
“But even so, he wouldn’t have been able to join the Third Knight Order. The Third Knight Order was disbanded.”
“Hmm? Why?”
The capital’s security had always been important. That was why, ever since Tian had been founded, the Third Knight Order had always existed, even if its size had varied.
Upon hearing that it had been disbanded, Sian asked why.
Ron answered with a bitter expression.
“They don’t have the resources to invest in it… Tian is desperately short of manpower at the moment.”
“What… did a war break out?”
“No. There is no country left that would dare provoke our nation.”
Ron spoke with an expression full of pride. In truth, less than ten years after His Majesty King Narasha had ascended the throne, Tian was enjoying the height of its prosperity.
The talents emerging from Gron-Pila had been assigned throughout Tian, while the abundant supplies and food produced in the Lagrang region were more than enough to provision the entire kingdom, which had entered a period of vigorous growth.
Moreover, Count Pareon, who had unified the outlying Rogadis region, was making full use of Tian’s rising fortunes, devouring the surrounding territories one after another and advancing at a terrifying pace. In only a few years, he had established himself as the lord of southwestern Tian.
“If that’s the case?”
“There may be no nation willing to provoke Tian, but those Harijans don’t care about things like that.”
Mirian answered from beside Ron.
“Hmm? The Harijans? Did the Great Northern Wall happen to collapse?”
Sian asked in puzzlement.
“Not exactly… but a major change occurred five years ago, after the Sky Mountains collapsed.”
Ron began to explain.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Whew… My head hurts……”
“You should take a break, Your Majesty.”
“Haha. Can you really say that after looking at all the documents piled up over there?”
Narasha replied with a laugh as he looked at Viscount Talin.
The constant meetings and approvals had left King Narasha extremely exhausted. He had never been more grateful to be a Gran-Vander.
Having finally found a moment to catch his breath, Narasha wondered when exactly he had become so busy.
‘Five years ago……’
When King Narasha heard that tremendous geological upheavals had occurred in the Lagrang region, he had leaped to his feet and first asked about Gron-Pila’s safety. If the place where the talents of every nation and the heirs of powerful noble families had gathered had been destroyed, it would mean war immediately.
He had been uneasy ever since hearing that young Sian had gone there, but for such a massive disaster to occur only a few days after his arrival!
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Gron-Pila had not been harmed in the slightest despite the tremendous geological upheaval.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Narasha asked next about the Granains. Even if something had happened to their allies, it could still lead to conflict.
The investigators brought back one piece of bad news and one piece of good news.
The bad news was that the Granains had vanished somewhere in their entirety.
The good news was that, since they had all disappeared, there was no possibility of conflict arising.
Up to that point, everything was quite manageable. It would have been best if nothing had happened at all, but this was still within the range of problems they could handle.
A vast section of the mountains had collapsed, but since the Sky Mountains were uninhabited, there were almost no human casualties. And even if the Granains had disappeared, Taran was unlikely to invade. Taran’s conflict with Usharan had been steadily escalating.
In fact, Narasha had been uneasy because such powerful creatures lived right next door. Their disappearance had even left him feeling relieved.
The problem came afterward.
“This is driving me insane… Why in the world are those Harijans crossing through the Sky Mountains……”
The Sky Mountains. A lofty holy land.
No one lived there, and no one could pass through.
Not humans, not Harijans… no one.
In a way, the peace on the continent of Rasian was possible because the Sky Mountains blocked off most of its northern region. Humanity had only needed to seal off the eastern portion of the Great Forest, apart from the Sky Mountains.
But the situation had changed five years ago. Though only a portion of the Sky Mountains was involved, the creatures had begun stealthily crawling out from the Great Forest, passing along the edges of the Sky Mountains.
At first, they had been caught completely off guard, and the damage had been considerable. In the 400 years since the empire had fallen and the Great Northern Wall had been built, there had not been a single Harijan to be found, so no preparations had been made when the Harijans attacked the villages.
They responded quickly, but several small domains had already vanished into the creatures’ stomachs.
Tian first mobilized every available reserve and deployed them in the north, blocking the Harijans. Fortunately, their numbers were not large, but Tian’s entire northern border touched the Sky Mountains, making the area that needed to be defended far too vast.
Naturally, King Narasha requested aid from the Guardian Corps and from every nation. Just like the matter of the Great Northern Wall, this was not a problem Tian could shoulder alone.
Of course, every nation’s response was, “We will help.” That was not the problem, however.
“Those bastards… They say they’ll help, but only with words… They ought to send actual support……”
For the first time since becoming king, Narasha found himself spitting out a string of curses. The other nations were wary of Tian, which had been growing powerful in far too short a time. Naturally, they had no intention of missing this chance to weaken Tian’s strength.
Taran and Usharan had spent some time testing each other and trading blows before finally entering a full-scale war. That had happened several years ago. They had been wary of Tian and merely watching each other, but the moment they heard that the Sky Mountains had been breached, they realized Tian had no attention to spare for them and immediately went to war.
Usharan had annexed the Kingdom of Kon and risen into a powerful kingdom, but it was still plagued by internal resistance. And although Taran had lost Lagrang, its formidable military strength remained intact. As a result, the confrontation between Taran and Usharan remained evenly balanced.
Karan, Kiaran, and Broshan had banded together even more tightly after Ragaophora fell. With each of their national powers diminished, they had joined forces out of wariness toward Tian. They did not make their intentions obvious, but their exchanges were growing increasingly close.
With the situation as it was, there was no way they could spare any attention for Tian. The Guardian Corps was steadily expanding the area under its defense, but walls and talented personnel could not simply appear overnight, so progress was painfully slow. At this rate, it would take well over ten years to build new fortifications across all of northern Tian.
In the end, until the Great Northern Wall could be extended, Tian would have to pour all of its growing strength into the north. It was at least immensely fortunate that they did not yet need to worry about the other nations.
‘Whew… How did everything become so tangled… I thought that in ten years, I’d be able to swallow Taran, if not Usharan.’
That boy Sian wandered around without a care, but every time he did, the balance of power on the continent changed. During the five years Sian had been absent, at least the crises that erupted had been somewhat predictable, making Narasha’s head hurt a little less.
But if he showed even the slightest sign of this, Seutantal I, who might be watching him from somewhere at that very moment, would break one of his limbs. That was why Narasha was always careful. Was that not why he wrote at least one letter a year?
“Come to think of it… it’s been a long time since I wrote a letter… Perhaps I should write one for the first time in a while…”
He did not write as often as Count Roman or that child Rian, but he still sent a letter to the mailbox once a year, containing the situation in each country. He did so with the hope that, whenever the child emerged from that red egg, he would take the current situation into account at least once before acting.
Yet even as he wrote, Narasha knew. There was no way the child would do that. No, he would not even understand it in the first place.
“Haa… Please stay there for a long time. Please…”
Narasha almost wrote those words in the letter, but he seized hold of his reason and began writing about the current international situation instead.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Wow… So many things happened…”
After parting ways with Ron and Mirian, Sian found lodging and began reading the letters. He had decided that it would not be too late to meet his family after first learning how the world had changed. He wanted to see them desperately, but he did not even know exactly where they were now, so he had to read the letters.
Perhaps because they had accumulated over five years, there were an enormous number of them. Sian arranged the letters by date and began reading them carefully from the beginning.
The greatest number of letters had come from his father, mother, and older brother. Each and every letter was filled with concern for him, and Sian felt one side of his chest grow numb.
Next came Sir Sellin, Uncle Narasha, and Miss Seutil, in that order. Miss Seutil seemed shy, for she had not written anything after the first letter. Only four letters had come from Uncle Narasha, but each one was incredibly long, so Sian set them aside to read later.
After steadying his emotions and reading the letters, he learned that many things had happened during the five years he had spent trading blows with that bastard.
Sir Sellin had returned to Dragona… Miss Seutil had written that she had taken care of everything afterward and that he need not worry… His older brother had…
“Huh? Married?”
Sian was startled, but soon nodded.
Martial warriors had an entirely different concept of age from ordinary people. Since they looked so young and were so robust, they did not pay much attention to differences in age. A powerful martial warrior could look not even forty at the age of one hundred, while a commoner who was not a Vander might look sixty at only forty. In fact, Miss Seutil barely looked over twenty, yet was she not over two hundred years old? He would be beaten if he said that out loud, of course.
For that reason, no one considered age when marrying. It was nothing more than a number, after all. It was quite common for martial warriors to train in martial arts and marry after turning fifty. The same was true for women.
Still, five years had passed since Sian fell asleep, which meant his older brother was now twenty-nine. Given the Roman family’s shortage of heirs, it was not strange that he had reached the age when he should marry and have children.
“Well… I suppose I’ll have to do it someday, too… Let’s see… His partner is Kora—
-dum?”
Sian tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. He had never heard it before. But after reading a little further, his expression hardened.
“…
Fourteen three years ago, when they married? And seventeen now?”
But this was only the beginning.
“Heh heh… Three sisters-in-law…”
Sian wore a hollow expression. He should clearly have congratulated his brother, but after encountering such an unexpected situation, it felt as though he had been struck hard in the back of the head.
Sian flopped backward onto the bed to collect himself. He stared blankly at the ceiling, calming the inexplicable emotion rising from one corner of his heart, then picked up the letters again.
They contained a great deal of information: how his family was doing… what Miss Seutil had been doing with her life… how busy Sir Sellin was… Uncle Narasha’s letters gave him a headache merely by looking at them, so after reading the first line, he put them off until later. From a quick glance, it seemed he had sent them so Sian would know how the continent was faring, but Sian was not particularly interested.
After reading all the letters, Sian pondered carefully over what he should do next.
But his deliberation did not last long. Everyone he needed to meet was gathered in one place. After awakening from such a long sleep, he wanted to see them all terribly.
Except Uncle Narasha. He could meet that man later, when he had the time.
The last letter, which had arrived two weeks ago, stated where his older brother and the rest of the family were staying. Sian set off in the direction of Ra—
-shar
-roa. Fortunately, there was enough money and even an identification card inside the Steel Pillar, so he would have no trouble traveling.
“Hm? What brings you here?”
The moment Sian stepped outside, he saw Mirian and Ron waiting for him and asked with a puzzled expression. They should have had no business with him anymore.
Mirian spoke in place of Ron, who was fidgeting uncertainly.
“Oppa, when are you leaving to see your brother?”
“I was just on my way out. I’ll have to travel by Ra—
-shar
-roa.”
There was no Ra—
-shar
-roa that went directly to
-shar
-roa to the County of Sellain, then walk the rest of the way.
Upon hearing this, Mirian’s face lit up as if everything had worked out perfectly, and she clung tightly to Sian’s side.
“Wow! That’s great! Let’s go together!”
“No.”
Mirian stared at Sian in disbelief as he rejected her without hesitation. How could someone say that without even thinking about it?
Sian, however, had his own reasons. The distance from the County of Sellain, where the Ra—
-shar
-roa was located, to Rabillan was not short. If he ran, he could arrive in an instant, but bringing along children like them would only delay him. He had nothing urgent to attend to, but he wanted to see his brother as soon as possible—even if only a day sooner.
“Ah, come on… That’s unfair… Hear me out first. This has something to do with you, Oppa Sian, too.”
At Mirian’s words that he was involved, Sian gave her a questioning look.
“Do you happen to know my brother personally?”
“Mm… It’s a little complicated…”
Mirian and Ron then began explaining everything in detail.
Geuron-Pila’s vacation. Strictly speaking, this vacation was not held for the students, but for the instructors and teachers.
From March to April, when every administrative institution and government office became busiest, the instructors and teachers conducting classes at the academy were so busy that, unless they were full-time teachers, it was difficult for them to focus on the academy. And Geuron-Pila had almost no full-time teachers.
That was why classes were suspended for one to two months, and all the talented students from the various countries were sent back home. During this period, the talents returned home to recharge and spent time passing on what they had learned to their families and organizations. Thus, from March to April, Geuron-Pila became completely empty.
The same was true for Mirian and Ron. Once they had accomplished their original goal of exploring the Pillar, they decided to carry out their next plan: traveling. They had already chosen all their destinations.
While wondering where to go, they had heard a friend tell them to come visit, and decided to go there.
“Your friend would be…”
“She’s the person who will become your sister-in-law, Oppa. Koradum. She’s my friend. Isn’t it fate? Heehee. That we happened to meet you here, Oppa Sian.”
“Heh heh… Heh heh heh…”
Looking at the tiny child in front of him, Sian gained a clearer understanding of what his brother had done.
When he had read in the letter that she was seventeen, it had not truly sunk in. At that age, Sian himself had been diligently working in society and traveling all over the world, had he not? Thus, although he had been startled to hear that his first sister-in-law was seventeen, he had not thought it impossible.
But seeing her with his own eyes…
‘Heh heh… This is a crime. A crime. Did my brother perhaps get beaten up by his future father-in-law?’
At this point, Sian felt that no matter how much he cherished his brother, he might not be able to protect him.
In any case, Sian realized that he would need to revise his plans a little. Since she was the friend of his future sister-in-law, taking her along would not be a bad idea.
His brother’s wife would also become his family now, and Sian did not want to make a bad impression on her from the start. He decided to delay his travel schedule slightly and nodded.
“Then… all right. We’ll go together. Have you packed your lu— You have.”
Mirian and Ron were already putting on the bags they had left in the corner the moment he accepted. Sian looked pleased. They were more action-oriented than he had expected. At that rate, they would help shorten the travel schedule ahead.
At the same time, he thought this would be a good opportunity to resolve his curiosity about how his brother’s marriage had come about. The letters had not gone into such details, so he was extremely curious. The girl beside him would surely know. If they were friends who invited each other over during vacation, she would certainly know at least that much.
Sian and his companions took the Ra—
-shar
-roa and arrived at the County of Sellain, the largest estate in western Tian. It was often compared to the Region of Rogadis, which had been rapidly catching up in recent days, but the County of Sellain still firmly retained its position as the largest and most prosperous estate in western Tian.
In fact, in a sense, its prosperity had grown even greater as the Region of Rogadis rapidly advanced.
The County of Sellain was situated precisely at the crossroads connecting Taran and the Region of Rogadis. The increased trade and movement of goods had made the already wealthy County of Sellain even richer.
Perhaps that was why more than several hundred people used the expensive Ra—
-shar
-roa every day.
As they walked out through the Ra—
-shar
-roa checkpoint in the County of Sellain, Mirian and Ron looked at Sian with admiration.
“Wow… Does the Roman family get to use the Ra—
-shar
-roa for free, too?”
“No… It definitely wasn’t like this before. It’s convenient, but strange.”
Sian answered while pondering what had happened earlier.
When Sian presented his identification card and money to use the Ra—
-shar
-roa, the checkpoint had erupted into chaos.
While Sian and the others watched the commotion in bewilderment, the knight stationed at the checkpoint hurriedly contacted someone, then allowed Sian to use the Ra—
-shar
-roa without accepting a single coin from him. He had even extended the privilege to Mirian and Ron, who were traveling with him.
But after thinking it over, Sian was able to figure out the reason.
‘Uncle Narasha must have done something to my identification card… It’s convenient, so I’m not complaining, but what has that man done this time…’
With that thought, he examined the identification card he had not looked at closely until now, and discovered that something had been engraved on the back of the otherwise ordinary card.
Five red lions. It was a mark that had not been there when he traveled in the past.
Sian did not know it, but that symbol had been specially created for his sake. It was a method devised by King Narasha to find Sian whenever he appeared.
Sian did not know the circumstances behind it, but he decided to take it easy. It was not as though that man would discover his location and do anything bad to him.
“By the way… How did my brother meet his wife? If she’s the same age as Miss Mirian…”
The letters had not mentioned the minor details of his brother’s romantic history. Since Sian could not even imagine how they had met, he asked Mirian.
His brother was not particularly old, but being a Master meant transcending ordinary age restrictions. He should not have had any reason to become involved with a woman more than ten years his junior.
No, there was exactly one possibility, but Sian wanted to deny that possibility alone.
“Hehe. What else could it be? I told you earlier, didn’t I? She’s my friend.”
“Ugh… don’t tell me…”
“Hehe. No one ever imagined that the famous Instructor Rian would end up marrying one of his students.”
Sian covered his forehead with both hands.
☆ ☆ ☆
Ravilan, a military stronghold located to the west of the County of Celine, which shared a border with Taran.
A commercial stronghold where trade with Taran took place, Ravilan also defended against attacks from Taran. Thanks to its geographical advantages and abundant resources, it had grown into the largest domain in the north, proudly displaying its prosperity to the surrounding regions.
In the training ground of Ravilan’s inner city, a man was devoted to his training. Though his exertions should have left him exhausted, he seemed full of energy, hurling Vandel in every direction as he continued his practice.
A woman approached the man in training and spoke to him.
“You look happy, dear.”
“Hmm… Strangely enough, I feel good today.”
Seeing her husband, Rian, looking so cheerful, Kora-Doom felt her heart ease.
Whenever he thought of the young master whose face he had never even seen, her husband would always wear a lonely expression. But today, he seemed entirely free of such gloom.
“That’s a relief. Is anything troubling you these days?”
“What could trouble me? I train and fight as always… That’s all. Aren’t you having a hard time, dear?”
“I’m fine. I’ve gotten quite close to my… younger siblings, too.”
Kora-Doom trailed off, apparently finding it awkward to call people older than herself her younger siblings. Finding her behavior adorable, Rian smiled.
“You’ll get used to it. Thank you for getting along with them.”
“You know… you can speak casually with me…”
“I’m used to speaking formally, so I can’t help it. You’ll probably get used to it faster than I will. But still… nothing happened today, did it?”
Kora-Doom gave her head a slight shake. She liked his politeness, but seeing him behave that way even with his own wife made her think it was simply his nature. Or perhaps it was because they were still newlyweds.
“It was quiet again today. Taran doesn’t seem particularly interested in attacking this area… Instead, they say the Harijans’ attacks on the northern regions have grown more intense.”
Kora-Doom spoke with a worried expression.
Kora-Doom was the daughter of Decon, the one who saw the truth. She could even perceive the minds of the Harijans to a certain extent.
The inner minds of the Harijans were always similar.
Taken as a whole, it seemed that although they crossed from the Great Forest into Tian because of their hunger and the abundance of prey there, they were wary of something. That fear became even more intense the farther west one went across the Sky Mountains, and by the time one reached Gron-Pila, even the mightiest Harijans would not dare approach.
But when she had gone north to look around after visiting her father this time, she sensed that the fear was gradually disappearing from the Harijans.
There was no need to peer into their minds. One could tell simply by observing what was happening in reality. Despite the construction of additional sections of the Northern Great Wall and the gathering of more troops in northern Tian, increasing numbers of stronger Harijans were cautiously crossing the Sky Mountains. Recently, some of them had even taken the long way around to attack this region, apparently deciding that this side was easier to breach than the Northern Great Wall and offered more food.
“Hmm… That’s serious…”
Rian swallowed a groan. He had also heard that a five-horned Harijan had recently gone on a rampage. Fortunately, the entire Armed Corps, led by the Swordmaster Kirain, had rushed in and beaten the creature to death. Otherwise, countless people in the city would have lost their lives.
The capital knew this as well, and so it continued sending enormous quantities of supplies and military equipment. But the most important resource—capable personnel—was lacking. More time was still needed before the talents raised in Gron-Pila became truly useful. If the Northern Great Wall could be connected all the way to this place, they would at least be able to breathe a little easier.
“It really is worrying… Hah… I don’t know if I should be sitting comfortably here like this.”
Seeing her husband’s previously carefree face fill with concern once more, Kora-Doom opened her mouth to comfort him.
“Don’t say that. Isn’t Taran behaving itself precisely because you and Father are guarding its border like an iron fortress? His Majesty the King also specifically asked you to protect this place.”
At present, the border with Taran was being defended by Count Roman, Rian, and Dragona. King Narasha had decided that although Taran was not paying much attention to this area, they could not leave the border undefended, and had entrusted its defense to them.
“Hah… That’s true, but I’m frustrated.”
“Don’t worry too much. Father is helping on that side, so… everything will be fine. I felt bad going to see him alone this time, so let’s go together next time.”
“Hah… He still won’t even let me come pay my respects…”
Rian gave a bitter smile as he recalled what had happened then.
“You thieving bastard! Have you no conscience? My daughter is only fourteen! I sent her to school, and that teacher of hers—! I’ll kill you!”
He had nearly died after being struck by the
“He’ll have softened up a lot by now. He seemed much happier when I visited this time. Hehe. They say no father can defeat his daughter.”
Swallowing the words that he probably had not softened up quite yet, Rian calmly smiled.
“By the way… You said your friends were coming to visit, didn’t you?”
“Yes. You know them too, Mirian and Ron…”
“Ah… Those two.”
Rian smiled wryly as he thought of the pair who had always followed him around when he was an instructor. They were not bad children by nature, but they had been so curious and energetic that he remembered having a rather difficult time cleaning up after the trouble they caused.
Seeing her husband’s uneasy expression, Kora-Doom seemed to recall those days as well and laughed softly.
“Hehe. Surely nothing will happen on such a short journey?”
“That’s true. I suppose I was worrying for nothing. Hehe. It’s mealtime now, so let’s go inside.”
Rian led Kora-Doom inside to eat with his other wives.
☆ ☆ ☆
Crash! Clatter-clatter!
“You bastards! How dare you bully innocent citizens!”
“Ugh… You crazy bitch! I’ll kill you!”
As Sian watched the chaos unfolding before him, he carefully thought back to how things had ended up like this.
The trouble had started while they were passing through the market. They had spotted a gang collecting protection money from the merchants.
The County of Celine had relatively good public security, but the domain could not interfere with every little thing like this.
No, from the administrators’ perspective, it was actually more convenient for local thugs like these to establish themselves for a long time. They knew enough to avoid crossing the line and filtered out other unsavory newcomers on their own.
That was why such thugs were left alone rather than beaten down. But it seemed Miss Mirian had a somewhat different opinion.
The thugs could play king only over the market’s small merchants. Socially speaking, however, they were little more than zooplankton feeding on phytoplankton. This was even more true in a society where armed men roamed the streets.
That was why the thugs always acted cautiously, making sure not to provoke any disputes.
Mirian, however, had no intention of doing any such thing.
Seeing a young girl who clearly came from a wealthy background, with guardians behind her, the thugs had tried to smooth things over. But Mirian had simply spun one of them around by the chin and was now beating every last one of them down as though she were a hero of justice.
The thugs were fighting back desperately as well. If they were pushed aside here, they would starve to death.
“…
Heh-heh…”
Sian sighed. Beside him, Ron wore an embarrassed expression as he clutched his forehead and took out a pouch to count the medical expenses and compensation for the destroyed stalls. Judging by his face, this did not seem to be the first time he had dealt with something like this.
“Hmm… Sir Ron, is this your first time traveling?”
“Yes… Sir Sian. Please don’t misunderstand. Mirian isn’t usually quite this bad… She’s probably excited because we’re traveling.”
He was making excuses as desperately as he could, but from what he was saying, it sounded as though she caused trouble regularly, even if she was not normally this bad.
Sian began to think fiercely.
The girl plainly seemed like the sort who dragged a string of incidents and accidents behind her wherever she went. Which meant that her disposition was entirely incompatible with his own preference for peace and quiet.
Under normal circumstances, he would have chosen to go his separate way without hesitation.
But that would create a different problem. Even if they traveled separately, if those two continued toward Ravilan in this manner, ten lives would not be enough to keep them safe.
Sian silently ran a simulation in his head.
It was only an expectation based on his imagination, but it was entirely possible. His brother and sister-in-law might not show it outwardly, but they would be deeply saddened.
“Ugh…”
Sian scratched his head vigorously as he watched the stall being put back in order. He had been completely cornered.
He quietly called out to Mirian, who wore a proud expression.
“Um… Miss Mirian.”
Mirian immediately turned toward Sian, as though she had been waiting for him to speak.
“Hehe. I took care of everything before big brother had to step in this time. I figured you might feel embarrassed about getting involved in something like this.”
“……”
“Hehe. Don’t look so disappointed. I’ll take responsibility for what I did, at least.”
“Hmm…”
Faced with that, Sian found himself at a loss for words. Objectively speaking, it was difficult to say that the girl had done something wrong, so he could hardly scold her.
He would only be spending ten days with them, and Sian found the idea of playing teacher extremely tiresome. In the end, he made a decision. He was very poor at educating people with words rather than fists.
“Um… Sir Ron, could you come over here? And Miss Mirian, you come over here too.”
Though puzzled by Sian’s sudden summons, Mirian and Ron approached him.
“What is it?”
“May I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Hmm… Do either of you suffer from acrophobia or anything like that? Or perhaps you vomit when your body is shaken violently… or lose control of your bodily functions…”
Sian asked as though he felt terribly sorry, and Mirian snorted.
“Haha. Are you looking down on us too much? How could an armed fighter possibly have problems like that and still fight?”
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
Sian then lifted Mirian onto one shoulder and Ron onto the other.
Mirian and Ron cried out in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“What is this? What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not abducting you… Hold on tight.”
The moment he finished speaking, Sian began to run swiftly. He moved so quickly that the people around them failed to notice what had passed by.
Even as they dangled from his shoulders, Mirian and Ron wondered what was happening. But they soon realized Sian’s intention and spoke to him in disbelief.
“Um… Sir Sian, are you planning to carry us all the way to Ravilan?”
Sian answered with a laugh.
“Haha. Of course not.”
“Then why in the world…”
“Hehehehehe.”
The moment Sian reached the uninhabited hills behind the city, he looked around and tightened his grip on the two people over his shoulders.
“Wh… Whaaat?”
“At this rate, how long would it take us to arrive?”
Kwoooong!
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Before Ron and Mirian, draped over his shoulders, could even react, Sian drew his body into a tight crouch, then kicked off the ground and leaped.
The spot where Sian had launched himself sank with a deep boom, as though a bomb had exploded. Then, like a firework shooting into the sky, a red comet began streaking from Celline toward Lavilan, a scream trailing behind it.