Chapter 121

First Act The Marriage of Elefas Levi In the emperor’s private chambers of the imperial castle of Ellmeyer, Elefas blinks, hearing a word that, until then, has been entirely foreign to him: vacation. The emperor’s two guards look equally taken aback. “Huh? Master Claude. This is a trap, right?” “We won’t fall for it. What are you plotting?” Walt is immediately rude, while Kyle, who would ordinarily have rebuked him for it, begins to cross-examine his lord with a straight face instead. The man who’d summoned them, Emperor Claude Jean Ellmeyer, props an elbow on his armrest and sets his chin in his hand, frowning. “Why would you talk about me like that? I’m trying to be kind.” “Master Claude, you’re currently besotted after achieving your long-cherished ambition with Lady Aileen, correct? Which must make this the part where you, once again, set me up as your stand-in and shove your imperial duties off onto me.” “Elefas. Your rebukes have started to sound quite a bit like Keith’s lately.” “I’m sorry to hear that,” he responds, completely unfazed. The emperor—who had turned the capital into a field of flowers on the night of his coronation ceremony two days ago—glances at his adviser. The man is making tea. “What do you think of this?” “You’re reaping what you’ve sown, milord,” Keith says. “…None of you had any rest up until the coronation, which is why I thought I’d give you some time away from your duties. And this is the thanks I get?” “I told you, it’s your own fault. Rest assured, you three: This isn’t a trap.” “All right, so it’s a prank.” “Is it a mission disguised as a vacation?” “It’s a vacation, full stop. I guarantee it.” Keith smiles warmly as he listens to Walt and Kyle’s skepticism. All of a sudden, a shock seems to run through the two guards. “Huh? What do you mean? Are you dying, Master Claude?!” “Why didn’t you tell us before it got this serious?!” “I only said I was giving you a break. Why are you giving me such a hard time?” “I see this conversation’s going nowhere, so let me explain. Your concerns are valid. We can’t leave Master Claude unguarded, so you’ll be taking your vacations by turns.” “By turns…?” Elefas asks. Keith confirms with a nod. “The holy king attended the coronation ceremony and is staying for two weeks, which we can use to our advantage.” “What are you bringing him up for, Keith?” “Found you, Claude! We’re supposed to take a stroll through the demons’ forest today, remember?!” Right on cue, Baal appears in midair. The holy king of the neighboring Kingdom of Ashmael had established the position of “demon king’s friend”—previously considered an impossibility—and he continues his demands without so much as a blush, “Hurry and get ready, or we’ll go without you.” “Wait, you’ll scare the demons. You always start chasing them around.” “Only because they run.” “If the holy king’s chasing them, what else are they supposed to do?!” “Never mind, just hurry up. There’s a banquet this evening; tell us about the guests. Oh right, and you’re coming drinking with us tonight.” “You’re planning to leave your pregnant wife to go out for a night on the town?” “Roxane already said we could. Aileen is being an excellent hostess, and apparently she’s enjoying her time here. She said they want to watch the moon tonight, just the two of them. They won’t need husbands for that.” “Nobody mentioned those plans to me.” “Let her rest. We hear Aileen’s hardly getting any sleep. You’re being too greedy, you fool. A husband’s duty is more than just clinging to their wife day and night.” Claude goes silent. When Keith admonishes him, he only says, “I’ll think about it,” and lets it go in one ear and out the other. Hearing it from Baal must be far more humiliating because his eyes turn glassy. Baal couldn’t care less, though. “In summary, your schedule is full. Hey, adviser, get him ready. Don’t keep us wait—” “Your pardon, King Baal!” There’s a loud bang, and this time the holy king’s guard appears. Baal’s eyes go wide. “Ares. You knew where we were? Impressive.” “Have you forgotten? Dragging you back to your official duties while you ran around avoiding me used to be part of my daily routine.” “Oh, be quiet; don’t rake up the past. We told you we were giving you time off.” “Yes, from a foreign land, with a single piece of paper. What are you plotting?!” Baal is scolded for the same reason that Claude was earlier. Ares keeps up the attack with phrases like “You’re always like this,” and “When you were a child…” Then Claude joins in, and things get completely out of hand. “—And so, you three are on vacation.” Elefas thinks sympathetically that those three must also have it rough while Keith gets the conversation back on topic. “Is it really going to be okay?” Walt asks, sounding bewildered. “It’s fine. You saw all that, didn’t you?” “You mean, if the holy king is here, Master Claude will go out and enjoy himself with King Baal, and Ares will chase them around so they’ll both be protected?” Elefas asks. Keith gives an emphatic nod. “That’s right. It makes things much easier on me as well.” The holy king is a great man. Walt gives a wry smile. “And his wife has him on a short leash, too. She’ll never let the holy king neglect his duties.” “Very well. It’s clear that this isn’t a trick.” “Still, it’s going to get ugly if Master Claude and the holy king both get out of control. Which is why you’ll take turns and enjoy five days off, starting with Elefas.” “What, me? Is that all right?” In terms of length of service, Elefas had been a retainer for the shortest time. “There are going to be a lot of gatherings over the next week, so we’ll need to have Walt and Kyle present, even if they’re just for show. That means you’re first, Elefas. By the time the third person begins their vacation, the holy king will have gone home, so we may need a body double for Master Claude.” In other words, they were asking him to take time off while his work taking care of the demon king was at its easiest, and to be here when it was hardest. Walt and Kyle send him pitying looks. Sighing so deeply that his shoulders slump, Elefas nods. “In that case, shall I start tomorrow?” “Yes. Oh, but there’s just one condition. I’d like you to return to your hometown.” “I plan to, of course. Now that it’s finally been returned to us.” When the new emperor was crowned two days ago, he granted two pardons: First, he gave permission for his younger half brother, Prince Cedric, to marry. And second, he granted the Levi tribe, Elefas’s people, permission to restore their grand duchy on what was almost the same territory they’d held previously. Of course, this has been settled only on paper, and they are currently threshing out the details, such as who to select as the grand duke. The tribe is wary by nature, and many of its members don’t believe in the pardon, so Elefas has been looking for a chance to go back and explain the situation. This vacation is a good opportunity to do just that. Don’t tell me… Is that what this is? Elefas gives Claude a look out of the corner of his eye. Claude is arguing with Baal about their schedule, but he pauses to glance back at Elefas. “You can go now if you like. In exchange, once your vacation is over, make sure you come back to me.” Hastily shoving down an odd emotion welling up inside him, Elefas nods. “I’ll take you up on that, then. Er… By the way, when is Sir Keith’s vacation?” “Keith’s vacation?” Claude cocks his head, looking mystified. Beside him, Keith pushes his glasses up and quietly looks away, gazing out the window. Getting the message loud and clear, Elefas and the two guards shudder, say “““Thank you very much for the time off!!””” and bow deeply. Since Elefas can teleport, “home” is just a moment away, but he does need time to prepare. On the first day of his restorative vacation, he cleans his room, takes care of routine business, and packs three days’ worth of clothes and sundries into a travel bag. By the time he’s finished, it’s noon. He’s so busy that it almost feels as if he’s taking an actual trip. I suppose that’s no surprise. I hardly ever go home. His entire family is dead. Their house is still standing, but with no one living there, it’s falling further and further into disrepair. Back when he was serving Lara, the dowager empress, some of the tribe’s members had disowned him, and they’d set fire to the place to harass him. Others who’d understood what Elefas was doing had put the fire out, so only a little of the structure had actually burned down, but the damage had never been repaired. “I know. I’ll buy some souvenirs to take home as well,” he says, thinking of the children and women who still clean that tumbledown house once a month. Elefas leaves his room at the old castle in the forest. In the corridor, he passes his colleague James, who also has a room there. “Oh, a vacation? —You’re going home?” “Yes. Do you get any time off, Master James?” “I’m studying politics under Duke d’Autriche, so I can’t really take a break even if Master Claude tells me to. I would like to go and observe the duchy of Mirchetta someday, though.” “Do you suppose they’ll send you when they transfer Auguste?” “I’d imagine so… Oh, sorry. You’re off duty, aren’t you?” They end up talking about work, like always, and Elefas smiles wryly. James starts to say something, then decides against it. “What is it?” “…Nothing. Take care on your way. There’s no need to worry about anything here. Ah, of course.” He extends his right hand. “Congratulations on the restoration of the grand duchy of Levi.” Elefas blinks, looking at James’s face, then shakes his hand. “It doesn’t feel suitable for me to respond to the young lord of Mirchetta this way, but thank you very much.” “What are you saying? You’re going to be the grand duke, aren’t you?” “I don’t know if I’m quite cut out for it.” Elefas means what he says. He smiles, and James backs down. “You should think about that while you’re away as well.” “Ha-ha. There’s bound to be an argument about it, which already scares me.” Laughing, Elefas parts with James and leaves the old castle. As he’s walking along with his travel bag, a white crow flies past overhead. “Elefas! Vacation! Send-off Dance!” So they’ve even invented a dance like that? Flying in neat lines, the crows soar up through the blue sky, making straight for the sun. Then the formation splits cleanly down the middle, branching off to the left and right. Silhouetted against the light, it looks as if the sun has petals that are now falling to the ground. “Incredible. That’s lovely.” “Leave to us! Have a good trip!” “The demon king waits! Come back soon!” “Bring back souvenirs!” “Yes, of course. And you all do your best not to let the holy king catch you.” Being seen off means I have a place to come home to, Elefas thinks. He heads to Alucato, the third layer of the capital city, to choose souvenirs. For the women, he buys flowers. Since so many suddenly bloomed all at once, he’s able to get a lot very cheaply. For the children, he gets sweets from the Oberon Trading Firm. They give a large membership discount. “All right, I suppose I’ll go now.” With all his preparations complete, Elefas makes his way to a deserted space behind a building and closes his eyes. When he opens them in a few moments, he’ll be in his own damaged house, the one that always reminds him he has no place to return to. Every time, Elefas has used that opportunity to renew his resolution to retake and protect his homeland. This time, at least, perhaps I’ll take a little while to repair and clean the house, Elefas thinks. Then he opens his eyes. “…Hmm?” The first thing he sees is a beautifully polished floor. When he looks up, the sound of crackling firewood makes him turn around. The hearth is lit. Is someone here? But why would they build a fire? When he crosses to the table to set down his armful of souvenirs, he realizes it’s free of dust. The vase by the window has flowers in it. Has he teleported to the wrong location? He looks around. The furniture and candlesticks and ornaments are all familiar, but they’ve been polished properly. The room looks unusually bright because the ragged wallpaper has been replaced. The once-dingy windowpanes are clouded over only because it’s cold outside; all the grime has been cleaned away. Nothing’s dramatically odd. It isn’t as if the structure of the building has been changed. It’s simply clean. And warm. The scent of the rooms is different. It’s almost the way it was when his family was alive. I think I can even smell…food? He hears a doorknob turn. Someone really is here. Bracing himself on reflex, Elefas yanks the door open with magic. A young woman is standing there holding a tray. She looks startled by the sudden movement. He doesn’t recognize her. She isn’t a member of the Levi tribe; not that there are many left. Of course, she could be a Levi who was taken captive and has now returned, but in that case, Elefas would have interviewed her on Claude’s behalf. Actually, I’m not sure she’s even from Ellmeyer… She has ink-black hair, a rarity in this region, and indigo eyes with a purple cast to them. More than anything, her clothing is different. She’s wearing a gown that opens at the front made of spring-green fabric, ornamented with fine embroidery and a large quantity of jewels and lace. It’s been fastened below her bosom to look like a dress, but the design and the cut aren’t from the empire. She’s dressed in the style of Ashmael. “Welcome home,” the woman tells him, still holding the tray. Her voice is stiff and tense. Her eyebrows are drawn together, and she seems to be glaring at Elefas. “If you were coming home, I wish you’d said so. You startled me,” she says accusingly. Elefas blinks. He doesn’t sense any hostility. He’s particularly sensitive to that sort of thing, so without resorting to magic, he watches to see what the woman does. Looking prim, the woman enters the room, takes a bowl of stew from the tray, and sets it on the table. “Go ahead and start. I’ll bring my own in a moment.” “…Um, may I ask who you are?” He puts on a diplomatic smile. She gives him a startled look. “You weren’t told?” “…I wasn’t.” “I see,” she murmurs brusquely. Shifting her grip on the tray, she turns to face Elefas again. Getting a proper look at her for the first time, he realizes she’s incredibly beautiful. Neither her well-kept, glossy hair nor her velvety skin could belong to an ordinary commoner. She’s a noblewoman. What is someone like that doing here? Has she been sent to him for protection? No, I’m on vacation. If that were the case, they would have said something. Could a message have failed to reach him? Was he being rude here? As he’s still wondering, the woman speaks. “Three days ago, I was sent here from Ashmael to marry. My name is Neifa.” Elefas cocks his head, perplexed. The woman continues calmly, “Until now, I served in Master Baal’s harem in Ashmael, which makes this my second marriage.”