VI
Spurred on by their victory at Fort Astora, the Second Allied Legion continued west toward the imperial capital of Olsted, bringing down every fort that blocked their advance along the way.
The Imperial Forces at Fort Tezcapolis
The distinctive horseshoe-shaped keep of Fort Tezcapolis rang with shouts of rage and hatred.
“Death God Olivia! The road beyond leads to the imperial capital—I will never allow you to reach it!”
“Thank you so much for telling me!”
“Damn it all. Someone, I don’t care who, stop the Death God!” But there was no one to heed the commander’s orders. Indeed, they were all backing away, trying to get as far away from Olivia as possible.
As Olivia took a step forward, one soldier screamed, “N-No, I can’t!”
“I’m getting out of here!” yelled another.
“Eh?! I’m going first!” With that, they all fell over each other in their haste to flee. Only the commander remained, gaping after his soldiers in shock.
“Th-Those rats!” His face turning beet red, he slammed his fist against a pillar.
“They all ran away, huh? What are you going to do?”
“Guh...”
“Guh?”
“Guoooaaargh!” The commander charged at her like a wild animal, swinging his sword down at her head. Olivia lightly deflected the blow, then slashed with the ebony blade from his shoulder down across his chest. There was silence as the commander’s upper half slid off and fell, spilling his guts across the floor. His lower half stayed standing.
“I know I say this every time, but it’s really gruesome, the way you kill people.” Gauss appeared, sword resting on his shoulder. He screwed up his face as he saw the corpses strewn about. The soldiers behind him had their hands clamped tight over their mouths.
“How’s it going?” Olivia asked.
“We’ve mostly subdued the enemy resistance.”
“Okay, then let’s leave this place to the rear guard and get a move on ahead. According to that human lying over there, it’s not far to the imperial capital.” Gauss gulped, then started stroking his beard, which he had been growing lately. Olivia harbored secret hopes that when it got a little longer, he would look like a bear.
“We’re finally there, then...”
“Yes. I think our next battle will be against the Azure Knights.”
The First Allied Legion had apparently been working under the assumption that as soon as Fort Astora fell, the empire would have heard of it. But thanks to Ashton’s thorough efforts in preventing any information from getting out, they had still seen no sign of the Azure Knights mobilizing. Even so, the fact that communications from all the forts had ceased must have raised the imperial army’s suspicions. Olivia returned her sword to its scabbard, Felix’s face in her mind’s eye.
Felix’s Workroom in Listelein Castle, Olsted
The regular communications from the forts to the east of Olsted had ceased. Felix felt a sense of foreboding as he gazed down at the map.
We haven’t had word from Fort Astora, Fort Belganna, or Fort Tezcapolis. What do those three have in common...? He picked up a pen and drew a line connecting each fort. Surely not...?!
Felix called Teresa and told her to send a shimmer to the forts. Two days later, Felix learned that the foreboding he had felt had been accurate, and in the worst possible way.
“This is an utter disaster,” Teresa said, looking like she couldn’t believe what was happening.
“I never imagined the Royal Army would invade the empire...”
It would have been one thing after the Royal Army had driven the Crimson Knights from the north to retake their lands. But Felix could never have predicted they would launch an invasion while in the middle of laying siege to Kier Fortress.
“I don’t believe I underestimated them, but perhaps we became complacent about some things.” He couldn’t deny that, when the Royal Army had sent a massive force to assault Kier Fortress, he had directed all his attention that way. Looking now at the course the Royal Army was taking, he could see that their final destination was here—in other words, Felix concluded, they were coming for Olsted.
“Their objective, could it be...?” Teresa, whose instincts were good, had realized it too. Felix nodded solemnly.
“Just as you’re thinking now, Lieutenant. The attack on Kier Fortress was a distraction. From the start, they never planned on taking it. Though for a distraction,” he added, “it was on too grand a scale.” Which was precisely why Felix had not caught on to their true intentions.
Teresa’s face grew troubled. “If the assault on Kier Fortress is a distraction, then how do you explain Death God Olivia? I thought she was the Royal Army’s ultimate weapon.”
Despite how much Teresa left out, Felix understood well enough what she was saying. And he had only one answer for her.
“Death God Olivia is not at Kier Fortress. It must be a trick to make it seem as if she is there.”
“Then we must send word to Kier Fortress at once.”
“There is no need for that.”
“But why?” Teresa asked, her brow furrowing in bewilderment.
“Because their basic objective—a strong defense of the fortress—remains unchanged. And besides, sooner or later Rosenmarie will realize what they are doing too.”
“So that means Death God Olivia must be...”
“No doubt advancing on Olsted with her army.”
“We must take emergency measures!”
“Naturally, I intend to do so.” Felix stood up and had just swept his cloak over his shoulders when there was a soft knock, and the door opened.
“I beg your pardon. Am I interrupting your conversation?”
“Chancellor Darmés?!” Teresa exclaimed, thrown by the chancellor’s sudden appearance.
“I won’t take much of your time.” He entered the room, his black robe dragging along the floor. Behind him appeared a pallid-faced girl. It was Felix’s first time laying eyes on her, and his first impression, looking into her vacant eyes, was not a good one.
“I myself was just about to call upon you, Lord Chancellor,” he said.
“Were you really?” Darmés replied. “How very fortunate we did not miss one another. Humans are granted so very little time, after all.” He gave a darkly significant chuckle. Something about the laugh struck Felix as strange, but he pressed on anyway.
“Won’t you sit down?” he offered, gesturing to the sofa. It wouldn’t do to keep Darmés, the second most powerful man in the empire, standing. But Darmés declined with a wave of his hand.
“I am content where I am. What I have to say will not take long. You meant to call on me in regard to the invasion by Fernest, I believe?”
“Just so, my lord.”
“It is regarding the same matter that I am here to see you. To get straight to the point, the emperor has seen fit to bestow upon us his permission. Felix, you are to lead the Azure Knights out to meet the invading Royal Army. My own forces shall safeguard the capital in your absence.” With that, Darmés turned to look at his companion, who spoke for the first time to introduce herself as Lieutenant General Flora Ray, making her standing clear.
A general, Felix thought. And yet it’s not a name I have ever heard before. But another thought was already preoccupying him. Darmés can’t have heard the news much sooner than I did. For that, he moved far too quickly in making arrangements with the emperor. And his own forces...?
Word had reached Felix that Darmés was setting up his own army. They were notable in that they wore black armor, but that was the only knowledge of them that Felix possessed. Given Flora was wearing this black armor, she was likely a commander in Darmés’s army. It was clear that he meant to use this opportunity to introduce her to one of the Three Generals.
If Marshal Gladden were here, it would not have gone well...
Felix recalled that back when Darmés had put together his personal army without a word to the Three Generals, Gladden had been thoroughly incensed. Felix had not been without his own thoughts on the matter, but when he heard it was out of concern over the imperial army’s string of losses, he could hardly object. Despite his unease at the idea of leaving Olsted in the care of a force of whose nature he knew nothing, the emperor’s orders were absolute.
“Understood, my lord. I, Felix von Sieger, shall meet the Royal Army in battle.” Felix saluted and Darmés nodded, smiling.
“I do appreciate it. I can rest easy, knowing I’ve left it in your hands.”
“I would not be so sure. It is a certainty that Death God Olivia is among them.”
At once, Darmés’s expression turned to one of unconcealed boredom. “The girl again?” he said. “You and all the others. Don’t you think you’re a little obsessed with her?” As usual, Darmés refused to take any mention of Olivia seriously.
“As I have told you before, my lord,” Felix said forcefully, “she is powerful. We cannot underestimate her.”
“Do you lack confidence that you can defeat her?”
“No, that isn’t...”
“Then I see no problem. I look forward to your success, Felix.” Darmés pulled his hood down so that it shadowed his eyes, at which Teresa hurried over to the door. Flora made the motion of a salute without showing any sign of spirit, then followed her master from the room like a wraith. Teresa shut the door quietly, then turned back to him, the displeasure in her face clear.
“What is it?” Felix asked.
“I don’t like to say it, but Lieutenant General Flora’s behavior toward you was lacking in propriety, ser.”
“Do you think so? She struck me as somehow doll-like.”
Teresa paused for a moment, pursing her lips before saying, “She was very pretty, I grant you.”
Felix smiled uncomfortably. He hadn’t been referring to Flora’s appearance, but apparently that was how it had come across to Teresa. He cleared his throat.
“I mean to convene a council of war at once. Send out a summons to the Azure Knights.”
“Yes, ser!” barked Teresa, reverting back to her role as aide at his order. She hurried from the room.
Felix leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. He saw the shining silver hair, the exquisitely beautiful face, and the ebony eyes, darker than darkness, that had frozen his blood. The image in Felix’s mind of Olivia on that day rose fresh in his mind.
The time has come at last, then... he thought. Slowly, his lids opened. Beneath them, his eyes shone with a gleam like the blade of a knife.
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