Episode 6 : The Wilderness of the Barbarians - Part 1

"How dare you! How dare you!"

 The voice of reprimand never grew louder. But it had a tone of annoyance that put all the old masters in the room to shame.

 Count Rickard, the captain of the 5th Red Knight and the lord of Alvon Castle in Mongol, and Gora's loyal servants in the "Lion's Hall" all shrank their heads. Needless to say, the one who was most embarrassed was Vron, the platoon leader of the White Knight SS, who had received the order directly from him.

"I'm sorry, sir. But--"

 The big, ugly man took off his feathered helmet and put it on his left breast and began to speak softly. A stern voice interrupted him.

"Don't tell me what to do! You couldn't catch them. I'm not blaming you for that. We all make mistakes.

 I blame you for the negligence of your men, who, seeing them, did not make any decision for themselves, but turned back in vain without crossing the river, simply because they had no orders to do so. First, Vron, when you noticed the strangeness of the party, you should have known at once that it was necessary to seize them even by pushing across the river Kes. Secondly, you should have sent a messenger to Alvon at the same time to report what had happened and to ask for reinforcements. Then I could have ordered Rickard to have a company, two platoons, and a raft of rafts on standby, so that we could have immediately sent them across the Kes and captured the monsters.

 Have you decided that crossing the Dark River with a horse is a needless loss, Vron?"

"Is--"

 Captain Vron was in a cold sweat. He comes from an old noble family of Torus. As his name implies, he is not entirely unrelated to Grand Duke Vlad of Mongol.

 But there is no one in all of Mongol who would dare to speak against or defy the tall young nobleman who now stands before him. Not even Grand Duke Vlad himself. --

 Amneris, Princess of Mongol, General of the Right Sector and Commander of the White Guard, had stripped off her white armor and was wearing a long white toga. Underneath were tight, narrow trousers. Her hair, more pure than the pure gold of Arceis, hung down to her waist, gleaming. She was an exquisite beauty, but apparently more of a rare noblewoman than a beauty of the world.

 A crisp mouth. Cold, mysterious eyes that shine faintly in blue-green. Few men, not even great men, can look into those eyes and not be shaken by that cool voice.

 Captain Vron's ugly face contorts and he nods. Look at that,

"Very well."

 Amneris changed the tone of his voice.

"Henceforth, be mindful to carry out my orders mechanically only, and not to make any mistakes. Count Rickard has already sent a squadron across the Kes River. If my fears are unfounded, there's no problem. Count Rickard, escort the sorcerer Gayus to my quarters.

"Yes, sir."

 The lord of the castle was gracious. With a white toga fluttering in the air, he watches her walk away with all the grace and smoothness of a capable warrior.

"Vron, that's unfortunate."

 He consoled the heavy-hearted White Knight platoon leader as he waited for her to disappear. The platoon commander of the White Knight Corps, who stands above the other four Grand Knights as the SS, and the battalion commander of the Red Knight Corps' 5th Squadron are almost equal in rank, and Rickard is an old friend of Vron's.

"I didn't understand what the princess was afraid of. It wasn't until I heard the results of the investigation at Staphorus that I realized. If I had known that strange party was Paro's orphans, I would not have let them cross the river of death by horse."

"It's not your fault you didn't know."

 As he said this, Rickard secretly thought that he was lucky that it was not his crime.

"But I am part of the Crystal Expedition under the command of the Right Honourable General, even though I protected the princess and withdrew first. How is it that His Highness Amneris and I, despite being given the same information, see things as differently as night and day?"

"That's why the duchess is the right-hand general of Mongol and the agent of the Grand Duke. It can't be helped."

"Since she was born, she has lived less than half the time that I have lived, and she can see a hundred times more than I can."

 Count Vron let out a small sigh of relief.

"Well, good - but what a strange kingdom Paro is! It's no wonder it's so old. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that bizarre leopard-headed man, not to mention the bizarre trick of moving through the middle of the plain overnight."

"I think he was wearing a mask."

"No, it did not seem so. The leopard's fur seemed to change color and climb up from the man's shoulders and wrap around his head. And if it were an ordinary mask, it would have come off with the impact when the raft capsized and was thrown overboard."

"That's also the reason why Amneris-sama is so particular about one line."

 Rickard pondered.

 From the traces left behind in the burnt ruins of Staphorus Castle, it is impossible for him to understand the truth of the unimaginable, especially that Count Vernon, the lord of Staphorus Castle and the captain of the 3rd Black Knight, known as the Black Count of Mongol, was possessed by a mysterious spirit of death, and that he slaughtered Shem, the barbarian of Nosferus, to provoke his rage and bring about the upcoming catastrophe. There is no way to understand how he could have caused this catastrophe.

 However, the record of the wolfsbane made by the recorder of Staphorus Castle and other writings that were burned in the fire revealed that when Staphorus Castle was defeated by Shem's attack, a strange leopard-headed man and the twins of Paro who were looking for him were locked up in the castle. The fact that they appeared on the river Kes in a raft suggests that they had somehow and miraculously escaped the fires of hell and were trying to escape from the territory of Mongol together.

"In the Crystal City, there was never any mention of such a half-breed, half-man guarding the Paro Royal Family. If he looked like that, he would've gotten a tremendous amount of publicity even if he showed himself just once. Where did that monster come from, and who is he?"

 Vron said. Rickard shook his head.

"I can't imagine that. I haven't even seen him. But I have to go. I can't keep the princess waiting."

"Paro may excel in culture and art, but in terms of military power, it is no match for the three great duchies of Gora."

 Count Vron said dreamily.

"It was a city as beautiful as a dream. When the crystal city fell, I thought it was an easy victory, but ... it's strange. The royal family was destroyed and the kingdom was gone, but strangely enough, the things related to [Paro] will always be stuck in my mind."

 The maidservant came and told him that Mage Gayus had already arrived at the princess's chamber. Count Rickard stood up in a panic, but Count Vron, unaware that his old friend was leaving, was deep in thought.

 When Count Rickard entered the comfortable but not luxurious room that he himself had provided, Amneris was already talking with the mage Gayus, who had come from the capital.

 A silver cup and a platter of fruit lay on the table of the koktan. The mage, skinny as a needle, refuses to take a drop of water, but the lady, with the hem of her long white robe flung back and the legs of her slim trousers clasped, holds the silver cup in her milk-white hands and brings the cup of honey wine to her lips only while she collects her thoughts.

"Now, assuming we have the minimum number of men in Staphorus to rebuild and guard the city, and a regular defense in Arvon, how many other hand soldiers can we move, Count Rickard?"

 He comes in, looks at him as he closes the door behind him, and says without warning. It is his character to skip all the useless preamble and go straight to the requirements.

 Count Rickard knew the lady's character. He didn't ask any questions.

"The total number of men in the fort is three battalions, so if we put two companies to Staphorus and one battalion to Arvon, we'll have two companies of cavalry, three platoons of infantry, and if we need Transportation Corps, one platoon.

"Ghayus! Which would be more effective, sending reinforcements immediately from the nearest two-lead or Gailin's fortress without interfering with daily security, or sending a messenger to Torus and mobilizing the Red Knight Battalion?"

 The skeletal fortuneteller replied in a cracked voice.

"We'll get troops from the Two Reed, and then we'll call Torus for logistical support."

"That's not going to be enough time."

 Amneris chews on his shapely lips. Thoughts are whirling around in his golden head at great speed. Rickard stifles his desire to question everything in a hurry.

"Very well."

 Amneris concluded.

"Rickard, since we don't need Transportation Corps, can't we add another company of cavalry? A platoon of infantry would be fine, perhaps even useless. Walking is dangerous in the wilds of Nosferus where the earth is covered with a poisonous miasma. I'll send them across the river Kes as a party and I'll lead them myself. On the other hand--"

"The Princess is going to No Man's Land!"

 In his astonishment, Rickard forgot his fear of offending the lady and shouted.

"No, sir! No! No! As a loyal vassal to the Grand Duke, I will not put my precious body in such danger."

"Count Rickard, there is no time."

 The noblewoman said firmly, and put her thin, strong hand into the crystal ball of divination that Gayus held.

"I will not take unnecessary risks, but I will take the ones I have to. But I will be well prepared. What I meant to say was that while the three companies I was leading were crossing the Kes River, the remaining guards would build a temporary bridge across the river and a simple barrier on the other side of the river. The Kes River has always failed to be permanently bridged because of the violent changes in the volume of water, but this time it should be temporary as long as it can be maintained until the end of this campaign. In the meantime, the Turid reinforcements and the Torus expeditionary force will arrive. The full-scale attack on Nosferus will begin then."

"The advance on Nosferus?"

 This time, Count Rickard jumped up and down with a loud shout. He had always known that the Golden Scorpion Palace of Mongol had its eyes on the Nosferus Wilderness, and he had always had a secret suspicion as to why such a toxic and uninhabited wilderness was so important.

 But this is way beyond anything he could have expected!

"The Golden Scorpion Palace takes the loss of Staphorus Castle extremely seriously."

 Amneris explained.

"The border between Staphoros and Arvon was not only Gora's line of defense, but also the northwestern limit of the frontier. And Staphoros was the keystone of Mongol frontier development. As I said earlier, our greatest fear was that the remnants of Paro would somehow join forces with the barbarians of Nosferus and that Gora would be attacked on its back.

 It is essential that we pursue them as soon as possible, and seize them and interrogate them before they meet Shem. And even if this is unfounded, and Shem and Paro have had no contact, and even if we could have prevented what they are about to do, we cannot stand by and watch the loss of Staphorus. We must make a long march to Nosferus and destroy at least the major tribes of Shem. Do you understand, Count Rickard? Now that he has entered the heart of the Middle Kingdom, Mongol cannot afford to lose his footing by force from the frontier. Mongol's attack on Paro was at the sole discretion of his father. The Grand Duke Talio of Kumu and the Duke Or-Kan of Yulaniya congratulated him because it would benefit the three great kingdoms of Gora, but they were extremely afraid that this would upset the balance of power of the three great kingdoms and the situation was very difficult. If necessary, Kumu and Yulaniya will join hands to strike Mongol."

"For the sake of Mongol!"

 Without thinking, Rickard shouted and drew his sword, and took the oath of Gora.

"Yes - that's why we need Nosferus."

 Amneris's green eyes suddenly take on an enigmatic glow.

"It is as a rear guard--"

 Count Rickard inquired cautiously. The man-dressed lady of Mongol laughed in a pleasant throaty voice.

"There's that too."

"If you say so, sir..."

"Count Rickard, this belongs to the highest secrecy even in the Golden Scorpion Palace."

 Amneris said nonchalantly, but when he saw Rickard's face, he added.

"But I'll tell you this. Nosferatu's no-man's-land is extremely important. And so far, only the minds of the Golden Scorpion Palace have realized why it's so important, which is why we must seize it while we still can. Thank you!"

"is."

 The mage replies in a hushed voice.

"What about the stars?"

"I was just watching you while you were speaking."

 The mummified mage replied, rubbing his scabby hands over the surface of the Ouija board and the Ouija ball.

"It's not good. It's more like a strange arrangement of the stars."

 Amneris waited for the old man's next words. Mage Gayus fumbled with the divining cord across his chest,

"To put it bluntly, I don't know exactly what it means. But something has begun to move--something tremendous, something ... that will cause turbulence in Nakahara not only now, but for a long, long time. The Star of War, the Star of Providence, and the North Magnetic Star are attracting each other and about to enter the same palace.

"What does it show, Mage Gayus?"

"Encounter, change, and destiny."

 Amneris glared at the mage sternly. But when he saw that Gayus would not open his mouth any longer, he shrugged his slender shoulders and looked at Count Rickard.

"This is what fortune tellers always do, my lord. They know and they don't know, and they tell you things that don't really help you."

"The stars do not foretell things, Lord Amneris. They only reflect events on earth. So it is man who makes things happen, and the thread must be followed one at a time, for there is no other right way to go from one end of the thread to the other."

 and Gayus .

"I know, I know, I know."

 Amneris replied blankly.

"Anyway, you say the stars can't be judged as either a bad omen or a good omen."

"With all due respect, the way the stars are attracted to each other is a mixture of good and bad luck, and although we don't know where it will lead, it is certain that it will bring about some kind of avalanche of change in destiny."

"Do you know anything about that strange leopard man?"

 The lady said, deep in thought.

"I never dreamed that such a mysterious thing could actually live in this world. I wonder what it was."

"With all due respect, I didn't realize that some karmic disease made you look like that, or that you were wearing an elaborate mask..."

 He was about to say, "Don't you think? He remembered the words of his ally, Platoon Commander Vron, and realized that the Count had never been so careless as to dismiss anything without considering it.

 Amneris did not bother to answer. To Gayus,

"Well, mage. The world is wide and the frontier is deep. Is there any record of the birth of such an aberration anywhere in it?"

"What the--"

 Gayus sank into thought.

"I'm afraid that's only a myth. Mages may perform all sorts of mysteries, but they only deal with things from a slightly different angle than what people usually think.

"Mythology--I think there was a myth about a half-breed god like that. Silenos. ..."

 Amneris drank from the cup with a white hand and rose slowly to his feet. The toga softly clings to his slender body.

"In any case, capturing them will clear up some of the mystery. We may even be able to solve the mystery of the leopard man."

"Your Highness, why are you so obsessed with that monster?"

 Suddenly, in a slow voice, Gayus said. Amneris stopped and looked back. He seemed to be in some kind of a panic.

"Your Highness senses something. The stars are about to enter the lion's palace, which is akin to a leopard. In the center of the gathering of the stars is a huge predator. The stars cower and move for him. I'm afraid, Your Highness, that among the many stars that have followed you to the Lion's Palace, there is one that was hanging over the tower of the Golden Scorpion Palace when you were born."

 The mage's appearance has changed.

 His eyelids are drooping in a half-awake state, and the half-lidded eyes peeping out from under them are filled with a strange, thick light. Its ghastly face seems to be listening intently to some faint sound coming from far away. His hood cast a shadow over his face, and he looked like a skull that had opened its mouth to tell us something.

 Amneris said nothing for a moment. Her green eyes are fixed in the air with a harsh light that is neither anger, surprise, nor dismay. His lips are clenched, and he seems to be wondering how to answer. Rickard gasped faintly.

 But--

 A moment later, to the utter surprise of Count Rickard, the handsome face of the lady in male attire broke into an unexpectedly charming smile.

"Nonsense!" - "Nonsense! Gayus, you're getting old."

 With a lustrous smile, Lady Amneris said, and with a rustling sound, she left the room, leaving them to prepare for battle.

 The two stranded men looked at each other, their eyes averted from each other in a panic - Count Rickard in bewilderment, and Mage Gayus as if trying to keep his mind clear. Neither of them tried to say a word.