III
The West of the Kingdom of Fernest
A carriage drawn by two horses made its way through a boundless, black forest. Encircling the carriage rode the Seraphic Guard, clad in lilac armor embellished with a crest of silver wings. The rustle of leaves and the howls of wild beasts had them on edge, but they were on the highest possible alert for any person coming near the carriage.
It was a splendid piece of craftsmanship, constructed by the preeminent artisan of the age. Seated within it, attired in an equally splendid dress, was Seraph Sofitia Hell Mekia. In case of an emergency, she was accompanied by the mages Amelia, Johann, and Lara. And their caution extended still further. Historia, captain of the Twelve Guardians, rode ahead with ten of her best warriors. If anyone appeared to block their path, she had orders from Lara to dispose of them without hesitation, and she had employed every possible security measure.
Sofitia, for whose sake all this security was in place, had made pleasant conversation with the others in the carriage for a while, until they left the royal capital of Fis, and she turned to Johann, whose face was fixed in a grim expression.
“Does something displease you, Johann?” she asked.
It was a moment before he responded. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but was it really necessary to take such risks in returning home? I’m sure you’re well aware of the dangers of the forest at night, my Seraph.”
“Are you questioning the decision of the seraph, Johann?” Lara said. She sat directly opposite him and there was a note of irritation in her voice.
“I am, of course, cognizant of the dangers of the forest at night. I know that I am placing a burden upon Historia and the Seraphic Guard. But the road through this forest is the shortest path back to Mekia, and thus we cannot avoid it.”
By the comparatively safe route, it would have taken four days longer to reach Mekia. This wasn’t the fault of Fernest for neglecting the upkeep of its domains, but simply because the inhabited regions of Duvedirica were few and far between. The majority of the continent was veined with mountains or coated in forest, all of which were riddled with beasts beyond what humans could handle. In particular, those that fell into the classes of dangerous beasts had been a source of menace since time immemorial. The greatest weapon the otherwise powerless humans could bring to bear against the beasts was intellect, and over many long years they had slowly carved out further territory. The history of humanity was just as much a history of survival against the beasts.
Johann rubbed his chin. “The reason you brought forward our departure in the face of danger...” he began with a searching look at Sofitia. “Is this so that you can invite Olivia Valedstorm to Mekia as soon as possible?”
“Correct. King Alfonse acquiesced to my request without suspecting a thing. He is, in that sense, very easy to handle.”
Things would undoubtedly not have come off nearly so well had it been the Asvelt Empire’s Ramza the Wise. Alliance or no, no ruler should have allowed their greatest soldier out of their sight so easily. Sofitia had not spent long in Alfonse’s presence, but it had been more than enough time for her to get the measure of his ability.
“Is your intention to win Olivia Valedstorm over to Mekia, my Seraph?” asked Amelia, who sat beside Johann. She was expressionless, but Sofitia caught the slight arch of her eyebrows.
Sofitia chuckled. “And supposing that were the case, would I have your agreement, Amelia?”
“I would never oppose any decision of yours, my Seraph. Only...”
“Only?” Sofitia prompted.
“I don’t think the two of us will get on,” Amelia said at length. “She eats like a pig, and more importantly, she showed a total lack of respect to you, my Seraph.” She couldn’t stop her distaste from showing on her face. Lara was nodding vigorously, from which Sofitia assumed she held the same opinion.
Sofitia had seen the phenomenal pace at which Olivia had cleared the tables of food. The display of gluttony had surprised her, but she had also found it sweet how much Olivia had seemed to enjoy herself. When taken in combination with the girl’s beauty, which was even greater than what Johann had described, she could scarcely believe that this was the same Death God the mere sight of whom set the imperial army trembling with fear.
“The disrespect to the seraph is one thing, but aside from that, I don’t understand your antipathy, Amelia. In not only appearance but also temperament, don’t you think she rather resembles Angelica?”
Sofitia was persuaded by this characterization of Johann’s. Olivia’s air of innocence was undoubtedly just like Angelica’s. They might actually get on rather well if I introduced them, she mused, watching Amelia’s face twist.
“What does it have to do with anything if she resembles Angelica?” Amelia said slowly.
“Oh, nothing.” Johann smirked, at which Amelia, uncharacteristically for her, gave a loud tsk.
“My Seraph, I too have no objection to bringing Olivia Valedstorm into our ranks,” said Lara. “I suppose your ultimate goal is to shed light on the problem of magic?” At this, Johann’s smile vanished and was replaced by his former grim expression. Sofitia nodded with a small smile. “I thought so...” Lara said. “But how easily will she reveal what she knows, I wonder?”
“That is why, before anything else, we must draw her in. Nothing could be more foolish than rushing things and scaring her away.”
Even Sofitia had struggled to work out what sort of person Olivia was with only their short exchange at the dinner party to go off of. She had at least established with certainty that, for better or for worse, the girl had no desire for social advancement. But if a person had any sort of desire at all, Sofitia was confident she could find some way to entice them.
Then there’s also Lord von Sieger. It had been a shock even to Sofitia when she’d heard that he had fought off not only Amelia, but Johann as well. If they were going to fight the imperial army in the future, she would as a matter of course have to take Felix into consideration. Johann said he had invited him to come over to the Mekian side, but had met with no success. Olivia had blocked the theoretically impossible-to-evade Blazelight Vortex with magic, and Felix had done the same with his sword, which suggested to Sofitia that the pair were evenly matched in power. If Felix had no intention of changing sides, she wanted to secure Olivia’s strength so as to keep potential casualties to a minimum. This made her all the more strongly conscious of the necessity of proceeding carefully.
“I don’t disagree about drawing her in either,” Johann said, “but even if she’s willing to teach us about magic, that doesn’t mean we’ll be able to master it.”
Sofitia detected the repudiation of magic in Johann’s words. He had his pride, she supposed, as a first-rate mage. She understood something of how he felt, and so did not contradict him.
“That does not concern me, if that should be the case. She is still Fernest’s greatest military asset and a magic user. The benefits to Mekia from that alone will be incalculable.”
“In the event that Olivia Valedstorm does accept your offer...” said Lara, “with what sort of treatment do you intend to welcome her?” There was a hint of tension in Lara’s expression.
“Yes, I believe Olivia was promoted from major all the way to major general, wasn’t she?”
“That is correct, my Seraph.”
“And even that hardly seems commensurate with her achievements...” Sofitia mused. “Yes, I suppose at minimum I would have to make her a senior thousand-wing, or else it wouldn’t line up.” There was a loud clunk in the carriage. Sofitia saw Amelia hurriedly retrieving the cup she had been holding from the floor, an apology spilling from her lips. It was empty, so there was no damage to the carpet spread out at their feet.
Lara shot her an icy glare. “Senior thousand-wing...” she repeated. “The fact is that, as I haven’t even seen Olivia Valedstorm fight with a sword, let alone use magic, I cannot judge whether such a thing would be appropriate.” She looked dubiously at Johann.
“Do you still entertain doubts, Blessed Wing Lara? I don’t like to admit it either, but there’s no denying that magic exists, and the magic she used was far beyond magecraft. Even in swordplay, I couldn’t come close to her. To be frank, even senior thousand-wing might not be sufficient.”
“As things stand, the only rank higher than senior thousand-wing is blessed wing. Do you think that Olivia Valedstorm is worthy of being made blessed wing, Johann?” Lara’s hair rippled slightly, and Johann smiled uncertainly.
“I hardly think my opinion matters. All of this is the sole prerogative of the seraph.” The eyes of all three of the others turned to Sofitia. She adjusted her posture.
“As you are all aware, I do not appoint people to important posts based on rank or blood. The only point that concerns me is that they possess the appropriate ability. I believe what Johann has told us, and the girl has proven her ability in battle against the imperial army. Having said that, my final decision is based solely on what I see with my own eyes. Once we officially welcome Olivia into our ranks, then I will of course take the liberty of assessing her powers.”
At this, Amelia and Lara both nodded.
In truth, Sofitia didn’t think there was even any need for that. Nothing could be clearer than the incredible extent to which the Royal Army had recovered from its former hopeless state. However, while Johann had actually crossed blades with Olivia, she knew that Amelia and Lara would not be immediately convinced. It was all but impossible to understand a person who existed outside common wisdom when you yourself were bound by it. Of course, Sofitia knew that they would not go against any decision of hers, but it would result in lingering bad feelings, which would represent a failure on her part as ruler of Mekia. If she were to unify the continent, she could not allow even a sliver of doubt to take root in the hearts of her subjects.
Of course, all of this comes down to whether Olivia will accept my invitation to her. When we get back to Mekia, the first thing to do will be to assemble all the best chefs. Then there’s that woman who accompanies her. I suppose she’s her aide, but she is something of an annoyance.
She looked out the window onto a harsh world where the struggle for survival raged without end. Raising a brisk clatter as it went, the carriage plunged on through the darkness.
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