VI
Fort Zaxxon, Imperial Territory
Powdery snow drifted down through the dark night. The room was utterly silent where Felix sat drifting in and out of sleep, with only Ramza, who lay prone on the bed before him, for company. Then there came a tiny creak, and he saw the door to the room open halfway.
I can’t sense anyone there... he thought. In the first place, no one in this fort would have opened the door without knocking. Felix stood up, focusing his Odh. At almost the same time, a cheerful voice rang out.
“I’ve come to see you!”
“That voice...” He paused. “That can’t be Silky Breeze?!”
“That’s right, it’s me!” Felix suddenly found himself looking at the fairy. He was struck by a combination of surprise and confusion, but before anything else, there was one thing he had to ask.
“Did you come alone, Silky?”
“Of course not,” Silky replied as Lassara appeared behind her, leaving Felix stunned all over again. Before he could ask what they were doing here, Lassara slipped out of her vermilion coat and strode briskly over to Ramza’s bedside.
“Who’s the sleeping man?”
“His Imperial Majesty Emperor Ramza.”
“Truly?” Lassara leaned in to stare hard at Ramza, then made a thoughtful noise. “He does still retain some of the look, it’s true. But why is the emperor in a place like this?”
“It is a long story. Also, I have something to ask of you, Lady Lassara,” Felix said in a rush. Lassara moved closer to Felix and gently rubbed his arm to settle his restless nerves. Her eyes were endlessly kind.
“It’s not like you to get so worked up. It’s about your emperor over there, I expect. For now, tell me what happened. We can get to everything else after that.”
“You’re right.” Felix bowed deeply. “I’m sorry you had to see me in such a sorry state.”
Lassara patted his shoulder. “Never fear. I’d as soon be upset by a difficult child.”
Silky snickered at this. “Child? More like grandchild in your case, if I may say so. Your grandchild’s grandchild’s grandchild, even.”
“If you’ve nothing to do but blather, how about you put up a labyrinth barrier on this room?” Lassara snapped back. “What do you think I was concealing us all the way here for?”
“Do it yours—!” Silky began, then cleared her throat. “Don’t you think it would be better if you did it, Miss Lassara?”
Felix wasn’t sure what to make of Silky’s odd new manner of speaking, but the pair’s familiar banter brought a small smile to his lips and eased his heart a little.
“You’re the faster of us,” Lassara pointed out.
“Oh, well, I suppose.” Looking smug, Silky began to glow with pale green light. Meanwhile, Lassara’s eyes roved around the floor.
“I’ll get you a chair at once,” Felix said, before immediately remembering that there was only one chair in the room and feeling foolish. He reached for the chair he had been using, but Lassara waved him off. With a light click of her fingers, she created a little chair of shining silver.
“Now speak,” she said. “Time, at least, we have in ample supply.” She sat down in the chair and folded her arms with an air of great dignity.
Felix dutifully relayed all that had transpired. Beyond the occasional nod, Lassara took in everything he said without interjection.
“Very well. I see,” she said when he was done. Her gaze shifted to the emperor, and unlike before, Felix thought he saw pity in her eyes.
“Darmés said that he isn’t a mage, but he doesn’t have any significant amount of Odic force either. And yet despite that, he demonstrated extraordinary power. Just what do you think he is?”
“I have no more idea than you. To tell you the truth, I watched your battle from a distance. I know about the corpses, of course, and I’ve looked into whether it was magecraft that controlled them.”
No wonder she wasn’t surprised to hear of the walking dead, Felix thought, her words making sense to him now.
“What did your investigation reveal, then?”
“Just what you’re thinking, youngster.”
“In other words, that you found no traces of magecraft?”
Lassara nodded gravely.
“I knew it...” Thanks to Lassara, Felix now knew that Darmés had spoken the truth. But at present, that was the limit of his knowledge. He still had a great deal he needed to consider, not least the source of Darmés’s powers. But right now, his most pressing concern was having Lassara examine Ramza.
“Lady Lassara,” he began, rising eagerly from his chair, “could I ask you to look at His Imperial Majesty now?” Lassara gave him a long, hard look, then let out a small sigh. “Lady Lassara?”
“I’ll cut straight to the point. Returning the emperor to the way he was is beyond even my power.”
“It’s—?! But you haven’t even tried anything yet!” Without meaning to, Felix found himself shouting.
“I don’t need to,” Lassara replied with infinite calm. “Not after what you’ve told me.” She looked at Silky, at which the fairy fluttered quietly down to land on Ramza. Felix watched her without a word until she turned back to him regretfully.
“I’m sorry, Felix. This human doesn’t smell like magecraft.”
“He doesn’t smell like magecraft?”
“What Silky means to say is that he hasn’t been touched by magecraft,” supplied Lassara. “This confirms that Darmés is no mage. Do you smell the other thing?” she asked Silky.
The fairy hesitated. “Yeah.”
“What are you talking about?” Felix asked.
“In that case, whatever is affecting the emperor is almost certainly the same art used to raise the corpses. If this were magecraft, I’m sure I could find any number of ways to counter it. But against this unknown power, I am helpless. You had an inkling, didn’t you, youngster? You only turned to me after trying everything you could, after all.”
“I...” Felix sought about for words. “Then His Imperial Majesty, his mind won’t ever...” Feeling the shadows of despair creeping over him, he sank lifelessly back into his chair, burying his face in his hands.
“Don’t cry, Felix,” said Silky. “I’ll find a way.” She stroked his head, to which Felix offered no resistance. Then, he heard a heavy sigh.
“No patience, as usual. Don’t go getting ahead of yourself. I can’t put your emperor back how he was, but I’ve an idea of someone who might know the true nature of this power.”
“Do you really?!” Felix’s head jerked up. The look Lassara met him with was one of exasperation.
“Of course I’m sure. It’s your story that suggested it to me.”
“My story...?” Felix frowned, not following. “What do you mean?”
“Now, youngster, I don’t know why you’re running yourself ragged over this emperor, nor do I care to ask, but it is clear to me that your head has grown dull as a brick.”
Felix tried to think, but nothing came to him, so he waited for Lassara to continue. She gave a small shake of her head.
“Good grief. What am I to do with you? When Darmés used his arts to speak directly into your mind, didn’t Olivia Valedstorm say she’d seen it before? Specifically, that this ‘Z’ used it often?”
“Oh...” Felix felt his cheeks grow hot as he realized how stupid he had been. A small smile curled upon Lassara’s lips, but he could tell from the warmth in her eyes that it wasn’t mocking.
“There is a good chance that Olivia Valedstorm knows the nature of Darmés’s power. I can’t say what the future holds, but seeing as you mean to take temporary refuge in Fernest, we can assume you won’t be meeting her in battle for the time being. If you explained it to her, she just might help you.”
Felix was just thinking that Lassara had made a good point when Silky descended in front of his eyes, arms outstretched as though to bar him from going anywhere. Her face was screwed up in uncharacteristic fury.
“Felix, you can’t!” she cried. “You can’t have anything to do with that stupid cow.”
“With who?” Felix asked. “Are you calling Olivia a stupid cow?”
“I don’t care what she’s called!”
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden...?”
“You just can’t!”
Felix saw that nothing more would get through to her. He couldn’t work out Silky’s vehement opposition, despite the fact that he was sure she had no connection to Olivia whatsoever. When he cocked his head in puzzlement, Lassara gave him a despairing look.
“You do worry me sometimes, youngster. Now, do you know where Olivia Valedstorm is? I’d like a word with the girl myself. She seems like an intriguing character.”
“After we separated at Listelein Castle, I don’t know where she went. Many days have passed since then, so she probably returned to her country.”
“I see. Then I suppose we must call upon the great fairy Silky Breeze.”
“I’ll never do it!” Silky said forcefully, talking over Lassara. Then she spun to face away from him so fast he thought he felt a breeze.
“Ah, so you can’t help Felix, yes, I see,” Lassara said. “Well, if you don’t want to, I’m not about to force you.”
Felix could see Silky as her face grew more and more agonized before his eyes.
“I would like to humbly point out that I never, ever said I can’t help Felix...”
“What was that? I’ve lived far too long, and it’s taken its toll on my ears. Care to say it again for me, louder?”
“Gah!” Silky stamped her foot furiously in the air.
Felix moved to face her directly. “Please,” he said. “Will you help me?”
Silky groaned helplessly. “O-Of course, Felix,” she said. “For you, I’ll do anything!” Tugging madly at her pretty, dusty-pink hair, Silky began to glow with a faint blue light. After a moment, she called out, “Lassara, the map!”
“Don’t you boss me around,” Lassara muttered as she spread out the map. Felix’s attention was immediately drawn to it.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Eh? Oh, I just sketched it to fill the time. What of it?”
Felix was no cartographer, but even he could tell that whatever Lassara said, the map had been plotted with breathtaking precision. Even his military maps, the ones not available to the general public, were nowhere close to its level of quality. It was the sort of thing a savvy trader might give their right hand for. No doubt any of the major merchants who plied their wares all over the continent would have happily paid a fortune for it.
“The cow is here.” Silky pointed with careless indifference to a place far to the south of Duvedirica, where the map showed a lake. It was surrounded by deep forests, and there wasn’t a single town or village nearby.
“What is she doing in a place like that...?” Felix wondered aloud. Beside him, Lassara stared agog at the map.
“Even with the fastest horse alive, it would take three weeks to get from the capital to where Olivia Valedstorm is now. It doesn’t add up. It doesn’t make sense...”
As the two of them puzzled over it, Silky said happily, “I suppose given she’s so far away, you won’t be able to see her anytime soon.”
“It seems so...” Felix agreed. “In any case, the Azure Knights will make for Fernest. I’m sure we’ll meet sooner or later.” Seeing Silky puff up her cheeks, Felix smiled nervously.
Though it was still a little better than running after shadows, the sense that there was now hope for saving Ramza made Felix feel as though a weight had been lifted from his chest.
“I’ve been wondering, Silky,” he said. “Why are you talking like that?”
“Huh? Why, because I learned that you prefer women who are well-mannered.” Stroking her hair back, Silky gazed up at him through her lashes. Felix was lost—as far as he could recall, he had never said any such thing. He glanced over at the likely source of this information just in time to see Lassara turn away with a look of studied innocence on her face. Felix sighed quietly, then turned back to look directly at Silky.
“Silky, I like the real you better by far.”
“Huh? You do?”
“I do.”
Silky gaped, then little by little, her fingers began to curl into fists of rage. Scarce moments later, she bore down on Lassara with a face like thunder.
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