Rosclay the Absolute - 1
Rosclay the Absolute. The pinnacle of valor. A true knight.
A good exercise was to ask the citizens of Aureatia who the strongest champion was in all the land.
One would likely receive a variety of answers. Maybe the aberrant wyvern who had traveled through a myriad of dungeons all on his own, Alus the Star Runner. Perhaps the legendary dragon that no one had ever seen before, Lucunoca the Winter.
Whatever the answer may be, the name Rosclay was always in the back of their mind. Anyone who knew of his legend and radiance couldn't help associating the word strongest with Rosclay the Absolute.
The knight who fought fair and square, Rosclay. The dragon-slaying champion who held the legendary distinction as the only minia to single- handedly kill a dragon. No matter what enemy appeared before him, not a single stain remained behind on his silvery white armor.
It was possible that Gilnes the Ruined Castle, too, held the same feelings of admiration as the citizens of Aureatia somewhere within his heart.
Even as the leader of an insurrection, chained in a damp dungeon and awaiting his execution.
The Old Kingdoms' loyalists were tragically defeated. With the main part of their plan, the Particle Storm, coming up short, their diversionary tactic of assembling troop strength in Togie City was rendered meaningless. The fact that the Free City of Okahu, which had once appeared hostile to Aureatia, secretly formed an accord with them and appeared on the frontlines, was yet another major cause of their defeat.
And now, these were the last days of Gilnes, commander of the loyalist army.
"You're making me duel Rosclay the Absolute?"
Still seated in the dark, he replied with a question of his own to the man standing on the other side of the chair.
"That's right, Gilnes the Ruined Castle. There is no righteousness in your actions. It was little more than pointless threats against the people and murder. An utter and unforgivable betrayal of our current peace."
Aureatia's Third Minister, Jelki the Swift Ink. One of the highest-level bureaucrats in control of Aureatia's governmental affairs.
Tearing off his chains, he could slip them through the cracks in the grating and smash Jelki's face in two. The sight remained as a fantasy in the back of his mind. He wouldn't end his fight simply by killing the man before him.
Gilnes believed he fought for the sake of the people. The people, not just him, needed to rise up. Even though the once-proud Royal Army of the Central had come to be known as the "Old Kingdoms' loyalists" somewhere along the way, Gilnes had fought under that firm conviction.
"Though you're the former great commander, Gilnes the Ruined Castle, right? Even now, there are plenty of citizens who admire you. Executing you where none could hear your frivolous claims would create cracks in the righteousness of Her Majesty's actions. Therefore, you will be given a chance. It will be a true duel, with justice on the line."
A true duel. There were few instances of the event that had ever been recorded, but it was a type of duel that adhered to Old Kingdoms' traditions.
The duel was performed without weapons, and there were no restrictions on Word Arts usage.
Each combatant staked everything they had, both technique and strength, on the fight. Naturally, this included putting their very own life on the line as well.
"You sure you're okay with that?"
Gilnes the Ruined Castle remained unshaken, even more so now that he knew about the duel.
For him, defeated and simply waiting for execution, the true duel was, if anything, a remarkable deal.
"I'll kill Rosclay and prove my innocence…and I'm going to stand there in front of the people and indict the Twenty-Nine Officials system for its deceit. There wouldn't be anyone there in the ring to stop me."
"Let me make this easy to understand. This isn't an offer. It's already decided. You have no right to refuse. Fight with everything you've got."
The Third Minister's expression, like the cold glimmer of his glasses, was mechanical and level-headed.
Aureatia's purpose behind holding this duel lay, of course, in the royal games that lay ahead afterward.
Champions would take each other's lives, bringing every last ounce of their strength to bear in the process. The true duel itself was an essential arrangement to ensure not a single prominent monster lived on into the upcoming age.
How much would the citizenry react to a true duel between two champions? How much could they stir up their enthusiasm? The fight between the champions Gilnes the Ruined Castle and Rosclay the Absolute was a rehearsal to understand the answers to such questions before the main event.
For Gilnes the Ruined Castle, the brave general who protected the people during the age of the Central Kingdom, before it served as the Aureatia's foundation, there could be no better opponent than Rosclay the Absolute.
"You said a true duel, huh? To fight with everything I've got."
His bearded face, grown thick during his confinement, stretched into a bestial grin.
A duel with the Rosclay. It was more than he could ask for.
"You plan on keeping me locked up here until the day of the match? Without allowing me to hold a sword, or get back to my full range of movement? I'm sure you snakes will consider that 'giving it my all,' but what about people? Are they all as foolish as you think they are, I wonder?"
"Only natural you would make such a claim, I suppose."
There was a light metallic sound. Following a signaling look from Jelki, the warder opened up the cell.
Continuing, they removed the Gilnes's shackles.
"Until the day of the duel, you shall be released under direct supervision. We've declared the date for the duel. The offer to release you under the condition of your agreement to the duel is well-known among the citizenry, as well."
"…What are you planning?"
"Nothing at all. If you fear the power of Aureatia's Second General, then feel free to come up with your best dishonorable excuse and flee. Fortunately for you, we don't have the time to spend on chasing after a pitiful loser such
as yourself. In fact, you may be able to trade in your popularity among the people to ensure your own survival."
By showing Gilnes the Ruined Castle actually released from prison to the citizens, they could demonstrate the Queen's magnanimity and justness— such aims were another facet of their offer.
There was no need to keep him chained. To Gilnes, who relied on the justness of the royal authority that once was, his own sense of justice and expecting looks from the citizens of the Central Kingdom were the most binding chains of all. Any path of escape from the duel two small months down the line was completely closed to him.
"You don't think I'll attack your barracks or council halls?"
"It matters not. If you were to brazenly refuse Her Majesty's mercy, that'd serve as plenty justification to put you down for good next time. When that happens, of course, Rosclay the Absolute will be the one to serve you your death sentence. No matter how much you struggle, know that you can't run from your destiny to fight Rosclay."
"…Fine, then. If all roads lead to the same end, then I should stand before the people and show them true righteousness."
In other words, he would destroy Rosclay in the arena during their true duel.
He had never held any fear of Rosclay to begin with. Gilnes's resolve was fixed from the start.
Gilnes would be damned if he would let the Central Kingdom he had protected for so long come under the control of Queen Sephite, a blood relative of the United Western Kingdom. Nor was there any justification behind renaming it to Aureatia.
It was the country of the monarch who appealed to the people, regardless of race, and gathering citizens together in the face of the True Demon King threat, building the foundation of what was now Aureatia—the kingdom of King Aur. Sephite was nothing more than an invader, using her lineage as the last among the One True King bloodline as a reason to usurp the throne.
The Central Kingdom that Gilnes and the King protected had been tragically corrupted by the influx of citizens from the other two kingdoms.
He couldn't consent to the Queen's rule. The same was true for the Twenty-Nine Officials who controlled the people at the Queen's behest.
The daughter of the kingdom ruined by their own extreme foolishness,
trying to open a dialogue with the True Demon King, was now the Queen.
Gilnes's chest was filled with an endlessly burning anger.
He had to use his just vengeance to open the eyes of the citizens Gilnes and the King loved.
As he walked through the streets, the eyes of Aureatia soldiers were always on Gilnes.
Nevertheless, there were still places their watchful eyes absolutely couldn't follow him—the bath and his quarters. Other options included the confessional and inside the brothels.
Gilnes the Ruined Castle hid a weapon inside his coat for whenever those moments arrived.
It wasn't one of the weapons the soldiers had taken from him—even if he showed it to the citizenry, he was sure almost no one would be able to understand its intended purpose. A triangular metal plate split down the middle, jutting out from the middle of a hollowed-out wooden rod, small enough to fit in his hand.
A tool known as a "fountain pen."
It was technology that he procured from a deal with the Gray-Haired Child. With most people in this world having no literacy above what is taught by the Order and where the nobility and royalty utilized their own unique written languages they passed down through the generations, Gilnes's elite troops established their own form of writing, and exhaustively taught it to everyone, down to the lowest private.
None of the soldiers who watched him would be able to decipher the meaning behind the ink-blotched words he left on scraps of cloth around the city.
He told me to give it my all, right?
He continued giving everything in his training, going about his daily activities, being met with a smile by those citizens looking forward to the duel, and brushing off the cold glares from those who didn't cheer for him.
In order to make sure the soldiers observing him reported such activities.
Through an intelligence network known to the Aureatia council, Gilnes the Ruined Castle's former subordinates were gathering. None of them came into contact with one another. Despite this, they shared the operations progress through messages left behind in various regions.
There were a hundred personnel able to move into action. Each and every one of them, advancing the plan put in place for the day of the duel.
It's too late for any regrets, Third Minister Jelki.
"Lord Gilnes, why, the date of the duel's only two big months away!" "…Indeed. Perhaps this shall be the last time I can enjoy this
establishment's hawthorn berries."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, my lord. A direct fight with the Rosclay? There's no one else who could do such a thing. My son is very much looking forward to it."
The period of preparation and training had passed, and the two small months of respite were now closing in on the two big months mark.
It took six days for the large moon to complete its orbit. There were twelve days left. During these twelve days, the men who were scattered across the land would gather in Aureatia. On the day of the match, when the audience had reached the height of excitement, he would make his indictment against Aureatia… Then, in that moment, all of his armed forces would launch into action at once, sweeping the citizenry up in the conflict.
"This is a battle for truth. Of course, I shall stand up and face the challenge head-on. The Central Kingdom is a nation built by King Aur, rest his soul, and does not belong to Queen Sephite or the Aureatia Council, either."
"I see. I am an uneducated man, but now that you mention it, the current council is acting a little bit off. My son is rooting for Lord Rosclay, but of course, I'm backing you, Lord Gilnes!"
It was clear the owner of this fruit and vegetable stand was totally unaware that the competition in two big months' time was an actual fight to the death.
That was why he so casually supported both combatants. Gilnes wondered
just how much his feelings would change once the man's naïve perceptions were met with the reality of the situation. Though, when he considered that even in the age of the True Demon King, the coliseums on the frontier boasted of their prosperity, pitting slave fighters together in true duels, it was possible that the inner true nature of the people had remained unchanged.
"I'm grateful. I very much hope both you and your son will make sure to witness the moment I display what true justice looks like to the people."
While Gilnes chatted with the shopkeeper, a customer sizing up the shelves packed with fruit took Gilnes's sword as he went to stand up. It was a blind spot for the soldier tasked with observing Gilnes, obstructed by the beautiful leaves of a houseplant.
The customer, in exchange, left behind a sword bearing the exact same hilt and sheath.
Gilnes stroked his beard, giving a sign of acknowledgment.
"…With it, all the lives sacrificed in battle will truly be able to rest in peace."
"You've definitely got a point there. All those soldiers protected our current peace for the people."
Adopting a nonchalant demeanor, Gilnes gathered the swapped sword in his hand.
The weight of the sword was the exact same weight as the two-handed sword he had used up until that moment.
Charijisuya the Blasting Blade. They still had it, did they?
Up until now, he could count on one hand the number of times he had drawn a real sword during the times he trained for the duel.
For the next two big months, he was going to make the eyes of his soldier observers accustomed to the blade, to make them think it was the same shape it had always been. To ensure that there was no one who would notice the swap on the day of the duel.
The moment Rosclay the Absolute experienced this sword would be his last.