Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 15 - Chapter 15

15. In the Gap Between Desire and Despair

When they learned of the death of Viceroy Bogg, the goblins of Alterna instantly lost the will to fight. The suicide squad, who had somehow not been completely annihilated, opened the south gate, and the main body of the Expeditionary Force flooded into Alterna. Haruhiro and the others opened the north gate, as per General Jin Mogis’s strategy. Everything went as planned. The main force caught the goblins as they were massed at the north gate, trying to get out, and massacred a great number of them. In the meantime, Haruhiro and the others carried the bodies of Barbara, Anthony Justeen’s subordinates, and even Dylan Stone and his men while they were at it, into Tenboro Tower. The battle had long since been decided. General Mogis ordered one of his close associates to carry out a cleanup operation, and came to Tenboro Tower.

There had been female goblins in Tenboro Tower, but they had already either fled or been killed in the process. Before they set foot inside, it was clear that there wasn’t a person, no, a goblin to be found in the whole place.

When General Mogis saw the bodies lined up in the entrance hall, including Commander Dylan, he made the sign of the hexagram with his fingers, then smiled a little.

“...Is something funny?” Anthony asked, his voice shaking.

To be honest, Haruhiro wanted to ask the general the same thing, so he was grateful Anthony did it for him. Though he didn’t expect a proper answer to be forthcoming. It wasn’t.

The general put a hand on Anthony’s shoulder.

“I’ll need to do an inspection. Of our castle. Come with me.”

It was as if those rusty eyes of his were fake, and he saw nothing with them. Just how insensitive was this man? He was harder to read than the goblins, and they were a completely different race. This was why Barbara-sensei had been suspicious of and distrusted the general, too.

Haruhiro’s group and Anthony followed the general as he toured the first floor where the entrance hall and the storage were located, then the second floor which contained the great hall, the audience room, the kitchens, and more. There was no sign of them being torn apart, so perhaps Viceroy Bogg and those under him had lived a vaguely human-like lifestyle here.

When they ascended the spiral staircase to the third floor, they heard a faint voice.

“Heyyyy... Heyyyy... Anyoooone... Is anyoooone theeere... Heeeelp meeee...”

The voice was clearly human.

Unlike the first and second floors, which were exactly what you might expect from a lord’s keep, from the third floor up, the building was totally a tower. The stairs and hallways ate up more than half the floor space on each level, and there were only three or four rooms, none of which were especially big. Some doors were closed, but others were open.

Finding nothing unusual on the third floor, they moved up to the fourth.

“Heyyyy. Heyyyy. Is anyone there? I’m in heeeere. Come heeeelp. Heyyyy...”

Haruhiro walked into a room on the fourth floor. The door was wide open.

“...Oh.”

This had probably been the bedroom of a person of high status. But the marvelous bed had been lifted up and leaned against the wall, replaced, if you can call it that, with an iron cage that now dominated the center of the room. The person inside it was probably a human man. He was naked, too, so that wasn’t really in question.

“Wh-Who are you?! No, it doesn’t matter! Save me!” the naked man shouted, pressing his nose up against the bars. “I am the Lord of Alterna, the representative of the Kingdom of Arabakia in the frontier! You must know the name of Margrave Garlan Vedoy! Now, hurry, and let me out of here!”

The man was emaciated, his hair and beard overgrown, and his entire body covered with grime. His eyes were bloodshot, and he made no attempt to hide his genitals. There was a pot in the corner, probably meant for him to use as a toilet. Though it had a lid on it, there was a beastly stench in the air. It didn’t matter who he was; he seemed pitiful, and Haruhiro wanted to let him out. That said, it was also a fact that he was off-putting. Haruhiro wasn’t the only one to feel that way.

“Whoa...” Kuzaku said when he entered the room, and backed away.

“Ugh!” Setora, who had Kiichi on her shoulders, gulped, and Merry and Shihoru both screamed.

Anthony, the one who might have once been in a position to serve the Margrave, said, “This is...” before falling silent, unable to say any more.

Finally, General Mogis shoved Haruhiro aside and stepped forward.

“Ohh!” The Margrave’s eyes widened. “That cape! Are you one of the Black Hounds, from the mainland?!”

“I am Jin Mogis, Margrave,” the general introduced himself, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword for some reason.

“I see! Jin Mogis, is it? I don’t know you, but let me out! That’s an order!”

“This is a sad state for the man who is supposed to represent the Kingdom of Arabakia in the frontier to be in.”

“S-Silence! You dare mock me?! I am Garlan Vedoy!”

“I am aware. The House of Vedoy has been famous since George I, also known as Theodore George, established the Kingdom of Arabakia.”

“I can see you’re different from the ignorant trash of the frontier! Someone from the mainland like you can see that not only am I a noble, but I also bear noble blood!”

“You are noble, yes, but also incompetent.”

“Wha—”

“Defeated by another race, you languished in prison, naked and dripping feces. I am aghast that you survived this long without taking your own life.”

“...Do you think I feel no shame at this?!”

“If you feel ashamed, then die at once.”

“Th-That’s absurd.”

“Give up. You should thank me for this.”

“...Thank you?”

“I am saying I will defend your honor.”

General Mogis drew his sword. The caged Margrave didn’t run. He might have simply never imagined this could happen. Haruhiro had half-predicted it, but he couldn’t stop it. The general ran the Margrave through.

“You were long dead.”

“Lo-...” The Margrave looked down at the sword in his chest, then back to the general and tried to repeat the words again. “Long... dead...”

“The way I see it,” the general spoke plainly. “The proud Margrave, unable to submit to imprisonment by the lesser races, ended his own life.”

“I-I...”

“This is better than living in shame. I have saved you, Garlan Vedoy.”

The Margrave was still trying to say something. However, when the general pulled his sword out, he collapsed against the bars of his cage. He was quivering, so he wasn’t dead yet, but it was only a matter of time.

When Merry rushed forward, the general turned towards them, bloody sword still in hand.

“Do you wish to offer a prayer for the Margrave, priest of Lumiaris? If so, there’s no need to hurry. He’s not dead yet.”

Obviously, Merry had been trying to heal the Margrave. Haruhiro had no grudge against the man, and there were things he’d wanted to ask him about, too. Maybe they should save the Margrave, even if it meant taking out the general to do it.

“...Merry,” was all that Haruhiro said, then he shook his head, making her stop.

Merry nodded and backed down. There was nothing they could do. While Haruhiro was acting indecisive, the Margrave had taken his last breath and moved no more. The general must have pierced his heart. Judging from how fast he bled out, there would have been no saving him either way.

The general wiped the blood from the sword onto his black fur cloak, and then returned it to its scabbard.

“Anthony.”

“...Yes, sir!” Anthony replied, looking downward.

“I’ve heard that the Margrave was also called the king of the frontier,” said the general.

“Certainly...” Anthony strained to get the words out, “there were some who called him that...”

“Regrettably, the Margrave is no more,” the general said, glancing at the cage. “I will rule Alterna for the time being. In the Margrave’s place, as king of the frontier.”

Sensei, Haruhiro spoke to Barbara in his heart. General Mogis really is bad news. If we let him have his way, no good is going to come of it.

I wish I could have learned more from you, to let me stop him. I wish I could have borrowed your strength.

But this sleepy-eyed Old Cat will shed no tears.

It’s all just begun. It’s too soon for despair.