Kwang!
“Hashaaaa!”
At Beric’s shout, the people of Astana turned their heads in unison. What kind of child was this, to so brazenly call out their king’s name? It might be understandable if he were a son of the Bariel Imperial Family, but otherwise, it was unforgivable.
As the attendants and guards stepped forward in protest, Hasha stopped them with a gentle wave of his hand.
“It’s alright. He is an old friend of mine.”
“But, Your Majesty.”
“Beric.”
“Hashaaaa!”
Despite making eye contact, Beric just stood there dumbly, still screaming Hasha’s name at the top of his lungs. It was clear he didn’t recognize him in his new shell. As Hasha slowly rose and approached, Beric narrowed his eyes, looking him up and down.
“…What the hell?”
“It is I, Beric. You’re as loud as ever.”
“You’re Hasha? You?”
“Insolence! This is the King of Astana, whom we serve! To which house of the Imperial Palace do you belong? I will lodge a formal complaint!”
With the people next to him chiming in, Beric’s expression twisted strangely. “Hey, ain’t you a little too old after just ten years? You saw Ian, right? He’s exactly the same. You should take a page from his book.”
“I thought you might think so. This is a new body I have acquired.”
“And you got a body like that? Where did you even—”
“He was my uncle.”
“…Where did you get such a fine one. He’s in good shape for an old man. Yes, he is.”
Beric faltered at the word “uncle” and changed his tune. Hasha burst into laughter at the sight and offered him the sofa opposite. Though the attendants were displeased, they politely stepped back to make room.
“However, what is that you’re holding? It doesn’t look like a gift.”
“That’s what I’d like to ask. This thing was being managed by the Ministry of Magic. I found it lying on the floor over here.”
As Beric dangled the doll from his fingertips, the attendant who had greeted the mage earlier jumped in surprise and explained. He had placed it carefully on the table; he had no idea how it had ended up on the floor.
“Your Majesty, this is the doll the Ministry of Magic requested we investigate for curses.”
“Ah, this is it. Right. Katimako!”
At Hasha’s call, a baby boy came waddling out. He looked to be about six or seven. At the sudden appearance of a child, Beric stared at Hasha, dumbfounded.
“Hey, you’re having a little kid like this do the investigation?”
“How rude. Is your superior aware of your conduct?”
“Huh? What the? Did you just talk?”
“Yes. I did,” the boy replied.
The voice that came from the tiny mouth was not a child’s. It was the gravelly voice of a man who had seen it all and survived.
Hasha chuckled and picked up a teacup. He had no need for food or drink, so he simply enjoyed the aroma before setting it back down. “Katimako is a prodigy from a tribe of doll makers. You can trust him, Beric. Besides, you’re the youngest one here.”
“For crying out loud, nothing in this country is ever as it seems.”
“Appearances are merely what is shown.”
“I bet he’ll just pop into some young kid’s body again later.”
“Perhaps. I cannot say for sure. To minimize the side effects of necromancy, a relative’s body is best, but I cannot guarantee that a kinsman’s death will align with the decay of this body.”
“…Then what happens?” Beric asked, popping a cookie from the table into his mouth.
Hasha smiled serenely, the deep wrinkles on his face gathering at once like a moving ancient tree. “Then death will be permitted to me as well.”
Having already lost his original body, he was an existence poised on the boundary between life and death. Hasha spoke of it as if it were a blessing, and Beric silently wiped the crumbs from his mouth.
A moment later, Katimako took the doll, pulled out a small knife, and sliced open its stomach without hesitation.
Rrrrip—!
“I can hear the Ministry of Magic guys freaking out now. They were so afraid of damaging it they couldn’t do a thing.”
As Beric muttered in satisfaction, Katimako responded gravely. “And that is why they could find nothing. Sacrifice is the price for everything.”
“…Judging by the way you talk, you’re an old geezer, alright. I guess I really am the youngest one here.”
The child’s small fingers sifted through the cotton stuffing until he frowned, having found something. In his hand was what looked like a dried twig.
“What is that?”
“A dried fairy.”
“A what?”
A fairy? This thing? Beric rubbed his eyes and looked closer. He could just make out facial features and a humanoid shape.
“This is a rather serious matter. It would be best to explain it directly to the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, Your Majesty.”
“Mm. Yes. It will be our turn for an audience soon. I will speak to him then and arrange a meeting. The sun will be setting shortly.”
Katimako didn’t need to say, That Beric fellow doesn’t seem like he’d relay the message properly, but Hasha understood nonetheless and nodded. Beric, for his part, paid them no mind, continuing to rummage through the cotton stuffing, sniffing around for anything else.
***
The grand banquet hall was filled with elegant melodies.
Nobles, dressed in their finest, had arrived first and were holding glasses of champagne. They appeared to be enjoying a leisurely banquet, but in reality, they were all busily gauging the political climate. They took note of the arriving foreign delegations, placed common topics of gossip on the tips of their tongues, and strained their ears for unsubstantiated rumors.
“Oh my, hello. The weather is lovely today.”
“Lady Chloe Davion, it has been a while. Have you been well? You’ve grown even more beautiful since I last saw you.”
“Thank you, my lord Count.”
“Oh, the foreign envoys are entering now. Is that Clifford? They seem just as good-natured as the rumors say.”
“Indeed. I had imagined something quite different, hearing they were afflicted by the beastman curse.”
Every time the King of Clifford let out a hearty laugh, his round cheekbones would bunch up. He looked less like the king of a nation and more like a kindhearted bakery owner. His children, following behind him, seemed far more dignified.
“Do they still have considerable support back in Clifford? Even with the royal family under the beastman curse?”
“Their history is deep, and they have always had a good relationship with their people. There was some initial confusion, and the Rift as well. But without them, the country would simply fracture, so they have no choice.”
“I see. True, with their capital in ruins, any more chaos would only tighten the noose around their own necks. By the way, I heard a rumor that Ruswena will not be attending today. Could it be true?”
“It’s absurd, and frankly, quite embarrassing. How little must they think of the Bariel Empire.”
“I agree. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will need to lead the nation well. So that countries like Ruswena don’t get any arrogant ideas.”
“Oh, he will do well. With Ian Hielo by his side, how could he not?”
Chloe, too, listened with one ear while carefully sipping her champagne, her gaze constantly flitting not to the person she was speaking with, but to her surroundings. The nobles quickly understood the meaning behind her wandering eyes.
“Duke Hollin has arrived as well.”
The nobles who had gathered around Chloe subtly glanced at the scar on her mouth before nonchalantly mentioning the Duke. The rumor that the daughters of two renowned houses had come to blows had already thoroughly saturated high society.
“Ah, my apologies if I’ve made you uncomfortable, Lady Chloe.”
“Not at all. Of course Duke Hollin should be here. This is a momentous occasion. I don’t see what there is to be uncomfortable about.”
Go on, say it to my face if you dare. As Chloe smiled sweetly, laying the trap, the nobles just laughed exaggeratedly and fanned themselves. You think we won’t?
“Yes, you’re right. There is nothing for you to be uncomfortable about. In that case, shall we ask Lady Kyla to join us for some champagne?”
Well, look at them. Chloe’s mouth, still holding its smile, hardened. Another noble, who had been watching the mood, subtly intervened.
“Lady Kyla will not be able to attend the banquet.”
“Oh my, why not?”
“The rumor is she has already left for Burgos.”
“Already? But why?”
“Well, did His Highness not state what kind of woman he desires for his Empress?”
“Ah. Heavens, that’s truly incredible. In so many ways.”
At this point, the picture was becoming clear. The scandalous rumor that House Hollin was connected to Burgos by blood had originated from none other than Lady Chloe Davion herself. Yet for her to brazenly go off to war without any hindrance or refutation from the palace, one could guess the Crown Prince’s intentions. Chloe maintained her smile and tossed out a single sentence.
“I am going as well. To the war.”
“What? You, my lady?”
“Of course. Is it not a glorious duty for a member of the empire? Naturally, I must add my will and be of help.”
A mixture of astonishment, bewilderment, and even a disgusted sense of how tenacious rippled through the nobles.
The King of Clifford, seated at his designated table, watched the scene and immediately sensed the inexplicably murderous atmosphere of the banquet hall.
“Did something happen?”
“They say there have been many incidents among the nobility lately.”
“Is that so? What kind?”
“Father, Astana and Hawan are entering.”
Noah whispered that there was no time to explain, and the king reflexively stood and approached them. After the customary greetings, the three leaders stood face to face, their eyes exchanging a multitude of meanings. The gaze of the Hawan representative was particularly filled with interest. From Shatima’s perspective, she had just confirmed with her own eyes that Clifford and Astana were siding with Bariel in the coming war.
In other words, it meant that aside from these three nations, the rest of Gaia was pointing its swords at Bariel.
“The Prime Minister has come from Hawan.”
“Yes, His Majesty was in a situation where he could not make the long journey.”
“I see. Please convey my wishes that he suffers no great ailment. Come to think of it, Hawan is not so far, yet we seem to have had little exchange.”
“Yes. The geographical distance has been great. We can only resent Ruswena, the Great Desert, and the eastern mountains of Bariel.”
Shatima responded appropriately to the King of Clifford’s pleasantries and bowed her head. “In truth, we have had little exchange not only with Clifford, but with Bariel as well. To us, the small frontier territory of Merelof was the entirety of Bariel. Thus, this is the first time we have been honored with an invitation to the Imperial Palace.”
What business would foreign leaders have gathering at the Imperial Palace? It was either for an inauguration ceremony like today’s, held whenever a generation changed, or, well, to sign a treaty of surrender after a lost war.
The King of Clifford smiled knowingly and waved his hand, while Shatima looked around and asked, “The atmosphere of the banquet is more subdued and orderly than I expected.”
Is it always like this?
This was the inauguration banquet for the emperor of the great Bariel Empire, the center of Gaia. To be honest, compared to its fame, everything was so conventional it felt rather underwhelming. A grand hall, an orchestra, nobles, and wine. The mages’ portals were very useful for travel, but was that all there was to it?
The King of Clifford and Hasha, understanding the hidden meaning, exchanged glances and simply smiled.
“It is only just beginning. Please, enjoy yourself.”
As if on cue with the King of Clifford’s gesture, the music grew louder—a signal that Crown Prince Jin would soon be entering.
Shatima sat down, moistened her lips with wine, and surveyed the hall with a dry expression. There were mages stationed here and there, but, well. They failed to make much of an impression.
Bwooooo—
Creeeak.
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, arrives!”
The doors of the grand banquet hall swung wide open, revealing Jin Verocion in his formal attire. With every step he took, the surroundings brightened in time with his gait. Shatima, who had been watching idly, felt her eyes widen. The lights in the hall were dimming one by one.
“Oh my, what is that?”
“Outside…”
She had thought it was merely light spilling in from outside. It was the middle of the night, yet the white and blue luminescence held the distinct temperature of the dawn. The color of the sky shifted rapidly, as if showing every condensed moment of a dawning day at once.
Zzzzing! Zing!
Swoooosh—
And all around, mages with golden eyes.
A few nobles, not understanding what was happening, stuck their heads out the windows and soon realized. This was not a simple illusion cast upon the glass, but the world, the very sky, was changing.
“This is…”
White Night.
A great light had dawned upon the world, and having dawned, it remained. The hands of the clock pointed to night, but in the Bariel where Jin was ascending the throne, there was no darkness. This was the power of Bariel, a power that would continue throughout the festival.
Jin crossed the hall, where only a gentle melody now flowed, and ascended the dais. He raised his glass.
“This is Bariel’s time, opening a new era. Look upon the sun that never sets, and tell me: is there any darkness here?”
In time with Jin’s toast, the conductor stretched out his arms and swept them through the air. A powerful melody erupted, vibrating in the hearts of the people. It was the beginning of a brilliant history.