Chapter 2. Temptation (3)
As he frowned while recalling those memories, Osian continued speaking.
“Those kinds of soldiers seem to be causing problems not just at Nelly’s shop but everywhere. Just a few days ago, a prostitute was beaten to death… There are quite a lot of soldiers who get drunk and pick fights with anyone. It seems to be because of their joy at having returned alive safely, so most people just overlook it, but for the really severe ones, they sometimes call the guards.”
“The outside seems quite chaotic.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
He looked down at the street that somehow seemed even more disordered after hearing the story. It felt like just recently they had been celebrating and enjoying festivals in joy over the soldiers’ safe return, but now the city seemed to be in disorder because of them.
“And that war hero. What was his name… E…”
“…Eckart.”
Ronen’s eyes held a faint light as he turned to look at Osian. Just calling his name made his chest tighten again. What could it be? This feeling of a faint ray of light seeping into his pitch-black, dead interior.
“That’s right, Eckart. His Holiness personally granted him a title, so he became Baron Manus. Nelly has never seen him, but from what we hear, he’s supposedly very handsome. He’s so manly and dignified that the prostitutes of Duran say it’s become their habit to say they want to sleep with him even if just for one night. But he’s upright and a devout believer, so he doesn’t even set foot in Duran. They say even if someone stripped naked and danced in front of him, he wouldn’t bat an eye… But no matter what, wouldn’t that be difficult?”
The image of Eckart he had met at the banquet came vividly to mind. Those calm, almost cold blue eyes had certainly been greatly shaken by his seduction. But he had stepped back. He had even said he would pray for him. For himself, who was committing unforgivable sins.
He was that kind of man. He had been consistently kind since childhood. Kind enough to show compassion even to sinners. Though more than ten years had passed and he had grown so much that hardly any trace of his childhood appearance remained, the fact that the warmth within him was unchanged gave a strange joy and relief.
Ronen looked up at the sky. He searched for the sun that wasn’t clearly visible from where he stood. For someone who had fallen and was stuck in the mire, even a handful of warmth wasn’t easily permitted. The warmth Eckart had shown him was no different from being handed a blanket while slowly freezing to death on a cold winter day.
Would he indeed become even a dim candle for someone lost and wandering like himself? He probably wouldn’t be forgiven for all his sins through his prayers, but at least he would find comfort. If even one person prayed for him after he died, that would be enough.
Feeling as if a small spark was flickering in his chest that had burned completely to leave only ash, Ronen clutched his clothes.
***
A peculiar fragrance filled the corridor thickly. One of the soldiers who happened to be changing shifts twitched his nose, sniffed the smell, and asked.
“What’s this smell? I’ve never smelled it before.”
“They said it was brought from the desert. They said it was incense used in the royal palace.”
It was somewhat like a bitter grass smell, yet strangely refreshing. Somehow it felt like his body was becoming a little lighter.
“What kind of incense could it be…”
At that moment when the soldiers standing in the corridor were curious, inside the room Hakan and Tariq were exchanging conversation with bright smiles.
“You also make tea with this?”
“That’s right. Since you brought quite a large amount of powder, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to offer you some tea.”
“That would be an honor for me. Just smelling the fragrance makes my body feel this light and my head clear, so if I actually drink it, the effect would be even better.”
“That’s why I had the habit of drinking tea first thing in the morning. To chase away the drowsiness remaining in my body and awaken my head that had been immersed in nightmares all night. Since coming to this place, I haven’t been able to drink this tea and have been quite lethargic, so I have no way to express my joy at you giving me such a gift.”
“I remembered what you mentioned before. Among those things, what I could give you were the blanket with a rough texture and the Ez powder that was always burned nearby. Next time, I’ll make sure to give you a blanket befitting Your Highness’s dignity.”
“Those were things I mentioned casually… Thank you so much!”
Hakan’s kindness and delicacy shone everywhere. Even Prince Tariq, who had been brought as a prisoner from a defeated nation, showed that the initial hostility glimpsed at first had completely disappeared, which suggested his ability.
Tariq personally brewed the tea. Though he was a young boy, every gesture was imbued with refinement. Tariq, who had brewed the tea with movements as natural as flowing water, offered the teacup to Hakan.
The tea was truly clean enough to leave no aftertaste and had a strangely sweet flavor. It was a good taste. Hakan wore a satisfied expression at this unexpected harvest. The trouble of bringing in this powder had been worthwhile.
‘I should let Duke Canis try it when he returns. I’m curious about his reaction.’
He was in the middle of earnestly listening after asking Prince Tariq to teach him how to brew the tea.
“Excuse me. I have something urgent to tell you…”
Hakan’s aide hurriedly approached and began to say something in a low voice. Hakan told him to have a carriage ready, then bid Tariq a regretful farewell.
“I’m sorry, but I think I should go now.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that… An acquaintance who had been away for quite a long time has returned, so I received news of that.”
“Ah, I see. Please go quickly. I enjoyed today very much.”
“I feel the same way. I’ll make sure to visit you again next time.”
Hakan, who had come outside, got into the carriage. The carriage crossed through Antonello territory and headed straight for the Grand Duchy of Canis. Between Antonello territory and the Grand Duchy of Canis was a fairly vast plain, which was ownerless land. When the Grand Duchy of Canis belonged to the Kingdom of Yespe, they had kept this distance as a precaution, considering that it bordered the Keshet Empire.
Since it was so vast, crossing it in a single day was a difficult task. Groups living in tents on the desolate land could be seen. They could be troupes that traveled around the world performing, or gypsies who lived wherever the flow took them without nationality or destination.
Only after traveling for a full two days could castle walls begin to be seen in the distance. The castle walls, so long and high that their end couldn’t be seen, seemed to show how much the Kingdom of Yespe had feared the Keshet Empire. The fortress that even the mighty Keshet Empire couldn’t easily capture had now become an independent duchy ruled by Grand Duke Canis.
After passing through the castle gate, a city as vibrant as Duran unfolded. The carriage ran for quite a while longer before reaching the inner castle. The soldiers checked their identity before allowing the carriage to enter.
The carriage crossed through the garden and entered the castle. The horseshoes made a loud noise as they touched the marble-laid floor. In the meantime, having received a report, Grand Duke Canis, the owner of this castle and a friend he hadn’t seen for quite some time, had come out to meet him.
“Oh! Duke Canis must have missed me terribly too! Coming out to meet me personally like this!”
“I came out personally because I was afraid you might pretend to be lost again and enter the room where the maids stay.”
“Haha, my. You know me too well, which is troublesome.”
The two headed straight to Grand Duke Canis’s office while conversing.
“What did you come all the way here for? You’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
“Still, we haven’t seen each other for quite a long time, haven’t we? I was so lonely and desolate. Your absence was too big. If it had been longer, I might have taken a ship to the desert.”
“I see.”
“You’re too much. Even if I don’t expect you to pretend to be moved, where’s the harm in answering a bit more sincerely?”
Since the castle was so large, there was quite a distance to the office. As soon as they arrived, Grand Duke Canis sat down and gave various orders through his aide standing beside him.
From shortly after the war ended, Grand Duke Canis had become extremely busy. He had to amicably divide the half of the kingdom received as spoils of war among the nobles, and then personally inspect the land received, make plans, select people to assign work, monitor progress while receiving reports, set up alternatives when problems arose, assign work again… There was no time to catch his breath.
And that wasn’t all. The Grand Duke was the owner of both Harun territory and the Grand Duchy of Canis. He had to pay attention to what was happening in those places as well. No matter how much he delegated to his retainers and only received reports himself, there were limits to that. Especially matters regarding how to honor the knights and soldiers who had returned alive after the war and what to compensate them with had to be directly instructed by the Grand Duke.
Still, the fact that Grand Duke Canis, who had been busily traveling between the kingdom across the sea and Harun territory, had returned to the duchy and was sitting there signing documents meant that the most urgent fires had been put out. Though looking at the pile of documents that exceeded Grand Duke Canis’s sitting height, it seemed there was still much more work to be done.
“Ten bodies really wouldn’t be enough. I heard that even our Marquis, who only rules Estania territory, is too busy to even blink. How much more so for you?”
“I received a report that Estania territory is also short of workers due to expanding the port and building ships. Shouldn’t I go help as a dutiful son?”
At Grand Duke Canis’s words, Hakan shook his head with his arms crossed.
“That’s not so. If I go, His Excellency, being a perfectionist, would become frustrated with my work handling and might actually fall ill. Besides, he’s such a robust person that I’m not particularly worried.”
“The Marquis is truly pitiful. Having an only son who’s this unhelpful.”
“Why do you say that? I rather wish His Excellency would take a concubine and have another heir. Watching you closely makes me want to just remain an earl forever.”
As if to say what more was there to discuss, Grand Duke Canis focused on his work.
Only after roughly finishing the tasks that had to be dealt with immediately did the two get into a carriage and head for the Keshet Empire. Before departing, he didn’t forget to give instructions about trade matters with the Ilknur Kingdom through his aide.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
