Madan no Ou to Vanadis - Volume 18 - Chapter 2.5

The day after their secret talk with Albatov, at night, the four of Tigre’s party had hidden themselves in a side road near the palace. Tigre, Gaspal, and Naum wore common linen clothes, armor, and a helmet while carrying spears. They’d be pretending to be guards patrolling the palace.

The pedestrian traffic, which was thriving during the day, had abruptly died down as soon as the sun went down. After all, no one really had any business with the palace once night came around. Then again, as some of the lords held modest banquets or continued working deep into the night, several of the noble mansions around the palace still had light shining out onto the streets through their windows. But, Tigre suspected that they wouldn’t come outside unless a fairly big disturbance occurred outside.

Last night Albatov had told Tigre and Naum a lot of things, including the fact of Eugene being locked up in a prison located in the basement of the royal villa, the low number of guards stationed in the villa which had been built by a king many generations ago but didn’t see much use nowadays, and the ease of entry and escape since the villa was surrounded by gardens.

“Nice, that’s very detailed,” had Tigre praised.

Albatov had shook his head with a laugh, “I had been granted just one meeting ever since Eugene has been imprisoned. I wasn’t permitted to talk with him, but I could at least confirm his condition. Back then, he still seemed to do fine, but… After that, I made my way to the villa many times over, believing that I might be able to meet him once more.”

The Muozinel weapons dealer, Shayahl, had sold them spears looking very similar to the guards’ weapons. According to him, he could have prepared identical weapons through an acquainted moneylender, if they gave him another four or five days, but Tigre had politely turned down his offer with a wry smile. It basically meant some of the guards were in such dire financial straits they they would borrow money from a moneylender while using their weapons as collateral.

──Still for us to make plans and immediately put them into practice on the next day…

Tigre himself wondered whether they were a bit too hasty here. Since they’d have only one chance, he had been asking himself whether they shouldn’t put more thought into things first.

However, they didn’t know how long Eugene would be safe. Albatov mentioned that Eugene had already spent close to forty days in his prison. It was plain obvious that neither Miron ─ without saying ─ nor Valentina intended to release him from there.

Plus, they had made sure to not be tailed by anyone, but the same couldn’t be said about Albatov. It was quite possible that Miron was keeping him under surveillance out of caution. Besides, it was already the fourth day in the capital for Tigre’s group. If they were found out, they’d be forced to prioritize their own safety first, abandoning all plans to rescue Eugene.

Because of all these reasons, they had decided to act tonight.

Looking up to the sky where the moon was shining and the stars twinkling, Tigre’s group endured the cold wind blowing across the side street while quietly waiting for their moment to come. At the end of Tigre’s line of sight were guards, each standing along the garden at fixed intervals between them. Their shift change would be the time for Tigre’s group to make their move.

Even just the torches held by the guards were enough to tell that the garden was tended carefully. Tigre could imagine that the winter flowers blooming in all kinds of colors would be a feast for his eyes. At the far end of the garden towered the royal villa as jet-black shadow high into the air. Torchlights betrayed the guards over there, but they numbered one, or at most, two.

After half a koku had passed, just when the moon had climbed the firmament even further, several guards appeared at the garden. They finished the shift change and took up position at their assigned positions. The people, who had served as guards until then, walked away while yawning and stretching.

“Should we head out?” Gaspal asked.

But Tigre held him back, answering, “Let’s wait another thirty.”

Then he started to slowly count to thirty under his breath. Despite the cold air, sweat drenched his forehead. He suspected that his armor feeling oddly heavy was owed to him not being accustomed to it.

Tigre took one, deep breath, sucking in the cold night air, just to exhale a hot breath in return.

“Let’s go,” he said to Gaspal and Naum.

Damad would wait until the three came back here. It was owed to him serving as lookout and because someone had to secure their escape route, but above all, it’d be a stretch for a Muozinel to be a guard at Zhcted’s palace.

“Come back in one piece.”

With Damad’s words as parting gift, the three men walked towards the garden. Of course, guards called out to them, questioning, “What unit do you belong to?”

“We’re going to guard the villa’s basement from now on.” Naum also presented a unit’s name with a bold attitude.

This was something Albatov had found out for them until today afternoon. The guards nodded, and stepped to the sides, indirectly telling them to move on.

“Come to think of it──”

Being addressed all of a sudden just as he was about to pass by, Tigre’s shoulders stiffened up, “What’s up…?”

“Captain said that recently some scoundrels have apparently exchanged their weapons for money. Adding that they’d very soon inspect the barracks very soon. Make sure to also inform your relief shift, too.”

“Got it. I’ll tell them.”

Since the guard’s tone suggested him having more of an idle chat that a serious talk, Tigre responded by shrugging his shoulders. With this spelling the end of their conversation, Tigre, Gaspal, and Naum continued to walk along the garden. No sooner than having distanced themselves around a dozen steps from the guards, they breathed out in relief.

Afterwards, their group encountered guards only two more times, but Naum got them through all of it by responding in the right way. As the guards weren’t suspicious of them or anything, they walked away just like that.

──When push comes to shove, we must cut them down.

That prediction caused a layer of ice to freeze over Tigre’s heart. However, he rallied his courage while tightly pursing his lips.

We aren’t on the battlefield here, but on enemy ground. If I don’t man up, we’re going to get caught, hindering us from rescuing Eugene. Causing such a situation is something I must avoid by all means.

Eventually, the group arrived at the villa. The building itself wasn’t as grand as they had expected from the impression its towering shadow gave. Most of its fine ornaments was currently swallowed by the darkness. As there existed only one entrance at the front, just one guard stood watch. Torches were installed on both sides of the door, cladding the surrounding in a warm light. Large, groomed flowerbeds adorned the sides of the path leading up to the door.

The guard had the same equipment as them. Once he spotted them, he asked the three, “What unit do you belong to?”, but he didn’t appear to be overly wary of them. This time Tigre stated their fake names and the name of their unit.

“Actually we’ve been told to escort the guy held in the prison. You might think it’s a weird story, considering this late hour, but…”

“I see. I guess his execution has been decided at last.”

“No, you see, we haven’t been told any details.”

Tigre losing some of his eloquence was probably owed to him having heard a surprising piece of information. And while Tigre attracted the guard’s attention, Naum had casually moved behind the man. As soon as he tossed his spear into the flowerbed, he drew a dagger and cut the windpipe of the soldier while blocking the man’s mouth with his other hand.

As all of this happened within moments, the guard didn’t realize what happened to him. When his body limply lurched over, Gaspal quickly caught it as it’d be bad if it fell to the ground loudly.

While Naum stood watch, Tigre and Gaspal heaved up the dead guard and hid the corpse close to a flowerbed. They hoped that no one would easily find the dead body over there. The problem lay with the blood stench, but this was out of their hands. Tigre searched the guard’s body, and retrieved the key.

Using it, he opened the door and stepped inside the villa. He was greeted by a spacious hall, but it was empty, not even having any furnishings whatsoever. Likely for the sake of the guards, two torches had been affixed to the walls, casting a dim light at the deserted hall. One of them illuminated the stairway leading down to the basement.

“Their vigilance appears rather lax, despite them keeping Lord Eugene imprisoned,” whispered Tigre what was bothering him.

Naum answered, “Maybe he served his purpose at the very moment he had his position as chancellor deprived of him. Or maybe they wouldn’t see it as a problem even if he were to escape, for some reason.”

“If that’s the case, it’d be much easier if they had quickly released him, though,” Gaspal sighed.

The three descended the stairway with Tigre in the lead. The basement was narrow. Just one long corridor stretched on straight ahead with a wall forming the left side and an array of barred room the right. A torch was hung up between each room.

No more than two guards were at the other end of the corridor. Their armor dully shone as it reflected the torchlight.

The corridor itself was so narrow that it was difficult for two adults to walk side-by-side. Naum boldly walked up to the two guards, and while they were looking at him dubiously, he told them, “His Excellency the Grand Chamberlain wishes us to bring him Eugene.”

“His Excellency the Grand Chamberlain? For what reason?” One of the guards inquired, looking puzzled.

Before Naum could even explain, the other guard answered, “He probably wants to bicker again. He already showed up here a few times just for that very reason. Did Lady Vanadis ── the First Prince Aide say anything about this?”

The latter part of his remark was directed at Tigre and the other two. While acting like he was trying to recall it, saying, “What was it again?”, he looked back towards Tigre.

Tigre chose his words carefully, “I think it was about her ordering us to make sure that he doesn’t do anything strange to the prisoner.”

It was a line based on his idea of Valentina possibly not wanting to harm Eugene more than necessary, but the guards didn’t object it. One of them walked up to the barred door, and removed the big lock. Then he shouted into the prison, “Get out.”

After a brief moment, a man showed up from within the room ─ Eugene. Under the torchlight, his face looked haggard. His hair and beard were a mess. He wore plain linen clothes, his hands were immobilized by wooden shackles, and both his legs were connected by chains. The chains were short, obviously making running difficult. He was barefooted as his boots had apparently been confiscated.

Despite his wretched state, Eugene showed the guards no weakness. He stood tall with his back straight. Tigre was relieved in his mind that he couldn’t spot any injuries at a glance.

Tigre and Gaspal linked arms with Eugene from both sides. The earl’s body was lighter than his outward appearance gave away, causing worry to assail Tigre once more.

“Well then──,” just when he was about to walk away, the guard called Tigre to halt.

“Which reminds me, I didn’t hear anything about your affiliation.”

Naum stepped forward, attempting to answer in Tigre’s stead, but the guard held him back with a hand, directing his eyes at Tigre. Suspicion flickered in his eyes.

“Let’s have you answer.”

Suppressing the anxiety welling up within his chest, Tigre answered with his fake name and unit. The guard’s expression abruptly turned grim, and he stepped forward.

“Where have you been born to have such strange accent?”

Tigre was at a loss for words. And him being unable to answer on the spot only deepened the guard’s suspicions. The guard readying his spear happened at almost the same time as Tigre dashing forward after separating from Eugene. The guard’s spun spear grazed Tigre’s left arm. Meanwhile, Tigre drew the dagger hidden at his waist.

In the next instant, faster than the guard could raise his voice, blood flew through the darkness. He should have reverted his order of actions. Or to be precise, he should have shouted before swinging his spear.

The other guard was facing Naum. He knocked down the spear, which Naum tried to thrust at him, with his own spear, but him doing so was Naum’s aim to begin with. Naum quickly closed the distance, and drove his fist into the guard’s face without any mercy. Above all else, Naum couldn’t allow him to raise his voice. Blood spurted out of the guard’s nose, and saliva flew out of his mouth alongside a groan. Naum drew his dagger, covered the guard’s mouth with the other hand, and slit the man’s throat. The last noise of the guard didn’t make it past his lips.

Tigre and Naum carefully put down the corpses on the floor. Tigre whispered an apology, causing Naum to curtly answer, “Don’t mind it.”

The stench of blood and death filled the narrow corridor. Eugene, supported by Gaspal, didn’t say a thing, but even he couldn’t hide his surprise in light of the events taking place in front of his nose.

“Just what is going on here…?”

“Lord Eugene, I am glad to see you safe and sound. It’s me, Tigrevurmud Vorn.” Tigre took his helmet off, revealing his face to Eugene.

The youth hoped he’d get the earl to recognize him even through his false mustache. For the sake of conveying to Eugene that he was happy about finding him safe, Tigre somehow beamed a smile on his lips. Eugene’s eyes flew wide open, but he immediately pulled himself together.

“You do realize that it’s not like everything will be resolved if you rescue me in such a way, right?”

“I do. I’ll tell you the details later. For now, please hurry.”

While Tigre and Eugene had their short conversation, Naum searched the corpses, finding a bundle of keys. He used those to unlock the chains and shackles.

“Since we’re going to pretend to be escorting you, I’d like you to remain patient until we leave the palace.”

Tigre, Gaspal, and Naum believed that it’d also be possible to have Eugene put on armor and helmet to pretend being a guard, if they had some time, but seeing him stagger the instant Gaspal separated from him, they quickly discarded that plan.

Tigre and Gaspal propped up the old earl on his left and right side while Naum walked in front of the group. The four left the villa, and as soon as Eugene saw the night sky, he breathed a sigh.

“So it was night, huh…? It’s been a really long time since I last saw the sky.”

The four continued through the garden which was wrapped up in darkness. When they had made it halfway through, Naum stopped. A light ─ probably a lamp ─ appeared from behind what seemed to be a stone statue.

Tigre and the others heightened their wariness. It was not a torch which also meant it wasn’t a guard.

“Who goes over there?”

The lamp holder raised their voice, heading their way. If they ran away here, the other party might consider them suspicious and alert the guards. On the other hand, they needed them to come a bit closer to silence them.

Naum took a step backwards. It was a measure so the three of them could hide Eugene. If he was spotted, they planned to explain that they took him out for reasons, but it’d be much better for him to go unnoticed.

The lamp closed in. Realizing the identity of the lamp holder, Tigre swallowed his breath.

——————- End of Part 5 ——————-