III
Olivia Valedstorm would come to be called the Ebony Hero by the generations that followed. The first mention of her in the annals of the history of Duvedirica came in Tempus Fugit 999. Duvedirica’s Record of Heroes told of the wartime exploits of young Olivia with her beautiful silver hair. This Record of Heroes was so beloved it even inspired a children’s picture book, but one key difference between the Record and others in the genre went largely unnoticed.
While most records began from the protagonist’s youth, Duvedirica’s Record of Heroes began from Olivia’s victories as a soldier in the royal army. In other words, there was no record whatsoever of anything before that. The picture book depicted her childhood, but the author admitted themselves that this was fictionalized to make the tale easier for children to follow. The greatest mystery was the story that this girl with no background had been raised by a God of Death. In the distant past, just as in the present day, such beings were the stuff of fiction, and most people would scoff at the suggestion that they really existed. Even if, for the sake of argument, one were to entertain the idea, that did not explain why a God of Death would have raised Olivia, a human child. No one had any explanation for this.
However, the unusual level of detail in the numerous anecdotes Olivia gave of her time with the God of Death proved a headache for a great number of scholars. Most concluded that “God of Death” was an alias for the person who had actually raised her. Some, however, suggested that perhaps there really was such a thing as a God of Death. Their evidence was a recently uncovered letter. Or, to be more accurate, something that seemed like a letter. It had been caught between the pages of a book that was believed to belong to Olivia until it was found entirely by accident by the archivist filing it. It appeared to be a letter from the God of Death, addressed to Olivia, and it was exceedingly strange.
The first point raised as evidence was the script in which the letter was written. The letters didn’t resemble any known language from any era. Adding weight to this were the records of Olivia sometimes speaking in an unintelligible language. The discovery of the letter incited fierce debate between experts in the field over its veracity. Olivia Valedstorm remained cloaked in mysteries, and this is perhaps why so many continued to be drawn to her story.
Imperial Command at Windsome Castle
Rosenmarie, one of the Three Imperial Generals and commander of the Scarlet Knights, made Windsome Castle her base of operations. The stunning chalk-white castle shone where it stood on a small rise. As was clear from its total lack of battle scars, the castle had not fallen to a siege. Instead, the lord of the surrounding lands had surrendered it with a gracious, “May this be of use to you, my lady.”
His welcome had also included presenting Rosenmarie with great works of art, ceremonial swords, and finally, in a particularly unsubtle gesture, a large sack stuffed with gold. The lords of the north of Fernest had learned early on of the Third and Fourth Legion’s defeat, and as such were rushing to be first in line to show their deference to the imperial army. Thanks to this, Rosenmarie now had half the northern lands under her control with little to no resistance. They all knew it was already over for Fernest, and were so desperate to curry what favor they could with their new imperial masters that they were as good as licking her boots.
Could anything be more jaw-droppingly pathetic?
A sigh slipped from Colonel Guyel Neurath, Rosenmarie’s aide, as he looked at the letter on the desk before him.
“Is this really what’s become of the fearsome Land of Lions? I can scarcely believe it. Especially that man, handing over his castle without a hint of resistance. I shouldn’t complain, but the way he sat by grinning like a fool as his lands were invaded... It made me sick to my stomach. Have they no shame?”
“Given how things played out, I think we know the answer to that. It’s like when a great tree that looks strong is actually all rotten beneath the ground,” said Rosenmarie with a snort of laughter.
“Of course, I’m grateful we saved time subduing them, but still...”
“Anyway, enough of that,” Rosemarie snapped, growing irritated. “Tell me about the Seventh Legion who killed General Osvannes. Shouldn’t we have something back from the Shimmer by now?” In response, Guyel shook his head silently. The Shimmer had sent its agents throughout the land to get information on the Seventh Legion’s movements, but they had not yet made any report.
Rosenmarie made a frustrated noise. “I didn’t think the Shimmer would be so usele... What’s wrong? You worried about something?” she broke off midsentence, peering at him. Guyel cursed silently.
Damn, it must have shown on my face... That won’t do, I need to work harder. It was expected that, as an aide, he always kept a cool head. That was especially true when serving under an individual with such volatile emotions as Rosenmarie. Having said that, it would come across as unusual if he tried to evade the question, and he could easily see Rosenmarie becoming displeased with him.
With that in mind, he steeled himself and said, “My lady, have you heard the rumors of the monster girl kept by the Seventh Legion?” The words had no sooner left his mouth than there was a creak like a scream from Rosenmarie’s chair. Guyel inferred from this that the rumors had indeed reached Rosenmarie—the tales brought by the returned prisoners of a monster that wore the skin of a beautiful young girl.
No sword can touch her. No arrow can reach her. None who stand against her return alive.
Stories like this had cropped up before. It wasn’t unheard of for soldiers to see particularly fearsome enemies as more or other than human. Guyel knew that these delusional inventions were mere fairy tales. The difference this time was the sheer number who entertained this delusion. Thousands of soldiers were terrified of a single girl whom they called a “monster.” He heard that many of those who had faced this monster head-on had gone mad. Guyel couldn’t rightly dismiss the situation as a mere delusion. As a result of all this, he felt a touch of anxiety about the idea of battle with the Seventh Legion. Rosenmarie seemed to sense something of this, because she gave a derisive laugh.
“The monster girl? Hah! What about her? I’m going to avenge General Osvannes, and I couldn’t care less who I have to slice up to do it. I have this now, after all.” She stood up and, taking the sword that rested on the wall behind her, swept it up in the air. The steel blade slid from its sheath, shining red as though fresh from the forge. It felt as though the temperature in the room rose, but that had to be his imagination.
“A truly marvelous sword, my lady. Is this one of the Goddess’s works? So-called ‘magic’?”
“How should I know? I just got it from Felix. All I heard was that anyone I cut with this will suffer the tortures of hell. Even monsters,” Rosenmarie said, smiling as she held up the sword. Right now, she didn’t care about toppling Fernest—she wanted to crush the Seventh Legion who had slain General Osvannes. Guyel could sympathize with her feelings, but Rosenmarie was one of the three great generals of the empire. She had a duty to lead not just her soldiers, but the citizens of the empire. Guyel decided he had to rein her in.
“While revenge for Lord Osvannes is important, General, you are also the supreme commander of the Scarlet Knights, not to mention one of the Three Generals. I beg you not to forget the great responsibility that comes with that,” he cautioned her.
“I don’t need you telling me that. You know I hate politics, but I’m still here dealing with this, aren’t I?” said Rosenmarie, tapping the pile of papers on the desk and looking away in irritation. Because of her position, Rosenmarie was technically obligated to administer the conquered northern lands. The lords had all surrendered of their own free will and so had been left in their roles acting on the empire’s behalf, the idea being that any discontent felt by the populace towards their conquerors would be directed at the lords who had rolled out the red carpet for them.
They were even using the lords to implement policies that would disadvantage their people. When their discontent reached its peak, governance would be officially transferred to the imperial bureaucracy. Rosenmarie planned that at this stage the lords would die at the hands of their own people. Praise for Rosenmarie tended to focus on her military achievements, so few knew of her genuine gift for scheming. Her plan this time was the height of cunning.
It will take time to assert our rule over the whole of the north. First, we need to solidify our hold on the northern reaches we currently control... thought Guyel. The war with Fernest was far from over. They had to prepare, so that when the Seventh Legion arrived, they could crush them into dust. After all, amongst the enemy ranks was the girl they called a monster.
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