2
“To think that Karla was the warrior-mage all along…” Fahn groaned, then trailed off, lost in thought. He was shocked to discover that he’d been involved in one of Karla’s plots, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. During the war with the demon gods, Karla—a masked warrior-mage at the time—had tried to use everyone around her as pawns, including all her companions and even the demon gods themselves.
Now, she had robbed a young woman of her future and prevented the unification of Lodoss. In Karla’s mind, Fahn and Beld had come out of that war prepared to unify the island, so she plotted and set them against each other and pushed them toward mutual destruction.
But even knowing that didn’t mean he could prevent the coming battle. A showdown with Beld was inevitable.
“The Great Magus Wort claimed that Karla won’t assist Marmo anymore, but I’m not sure if we should trust him…” Parn said hesitantly.
“If the witch is truly this obsessed with balance, then she no longer has a reason to be on Marmo’s side,” Kashue replied with a bitter smile.
“We heard some rumors during our travels. Are things really that bad?”
“Honestly, yes.” Kashue gestured to the map as he explained the current situation.
During the month they had been gone, the tide of the battle had turned over and over. The first turning point was when Moss and Alania entered the war as allies of Valis. In particular, Jester the Dragon’s Eye, ruler of Highland, had rushed to their aid even before the rest of the Kingdom of Moss. He’d joined them out of his own sense of justice, and as leader of the Dragon Knights, he’d lent them considerable military power. The thirteen Dragon Knights had taken their dragon steeds and broken through the Marmo army deployed to the south of Kanon, then used that momentum to make their way to Marmo proper and set the port city on the north tip of the island on fire. Once the news spread, the people of Lodoss felt confident and called for their own countries to join the fray—the rest of Moss and Alania finally rose in opposition and closed in on Kanon from the north and by sea.
Many thought that Marmo’s fate was sealed, and for a time the allied forces had almost made it to Shining Hill, Kanon’s royal castle. But several more incidents shook their alliance.
The first was the assassination of Kadomos VII, King of Alania, by his younger brother, Duke Laster. His entire family was murdered, including the infant prince, and Alania was plunged into a fierce civil war between supporters of the Duke and his opponents.
At the same time, one of Moss’s factions, “Dragon Scale” Venon, rose in sudden revolt against the royal castle of Moss’s ruler, “Dragon Flame” Harkane. In Flaim, the Tribe of Fire emerged from their hiding places in the mountains to attack the capital city of Blade while its king was absent.
And from Marmo itself, the main force of dark elves led by Chief Luzeev made landfall. As the armies of Alania and Moss returned home, the army of Valis was left behind to be tormented by the dark elves’ evil spells. If not for Kashue’s help, the Valis army might have been annihilated.
Despite the uprising of desert savages, Kashue did not bring his troops home. He’d been expecting an attack while he was away, so he’d left his land in the hands of his right-hand man, Shadam. The people of Flaim were all brave warriors, so he was confident that they’d prevail against the threat even without his aid.
The Valis army managed to return with minimal casualties, Kashue bringing up the rear. The Marmo army followed and had already crossed the border into Valis, burning villages and plundering fields as they went. The allied armies of Valis and Flaim set up a final line of defense in the plains east of Roid, and the Marmo army, led by Emperor Beld himself, drew near. The final battle was looming close.
“That’s terrible,” Parn sighed as Kashue’s briefing ended. Everything had gone exactly according to Karla’s plan. Parn had prevented the King of Alania’s assassination by chance, but he’d never imagined that the king’s own brother would cause an uprising. Karla had manipulated events in Flaim and Moss, too, and plunged half of Lodoss into civil wars. Valis and King Fahn, Marmo and Emperor Beld, were left to clash one-on-one just as Karla intended. The witch had probably known all along what the outcome would be.
“Even if Karla does appear in support of Marmo, it changes nothing about what we must do. We have no choice but to believe in Wort’s words. Parn…your first battle as a Holy Knight is going to be crucial to the fate of Lodoss.”
“I’m ready,” Parn answered with pride.
“For now, don’t prepare for the worst,” Kashue said, his even tone intended to ease Parn’s anxiety. “Just focus on surviving the battle in front of you, and you will naturally grow as a warrior. Only fools die in vain.”
“Exactly. There’s no need to rush into heroism.” Fahn agreed.
“Oh. Of course.” Parn lowered his head in embarrassment.
“King Fahn, may I take charge of him?” Kashue said. “He has never fought as a Holy Knight before. His fighting style is close to that of the people of the desert. I’d like him to take command of the newly recruited mercenaries in my army.”
“That’s a good idea. You will learn a lot from watching Lord Kashue fight up close. I heard that you once fought as a desert mercenary, as well. You will be better able to prove yourself there than in an all-knight regiment you aren’t accustomed to. You may not like it, but you have to accept.”
“I wouldn’t dream of objecting,” Parn answered hastily. The Valis Order of Knights was known for their unity and teamwork. Parn knew that he’d only be a burden if he joined them without training.
“Now, Lord Etoh and Lord Slayn, we have something to discuss with you two.”
“What is it?” Etoh asked, sitting up straight.
“Lord Genart has appointed you a cleric of the court, but have you accepted the position?”
“Yes, respectfully,” Etoh placed a hand over his heart and bowed.
“Good. Then you will handle all the religious ceremonies at court from now on. As for you, Lord Slayn—what are your plans? King Kashue mentioned that he would like to have you as his court wizard…”
Slayn, surprised, turned to Kashue and bowed deeply. “I’m honored, but there is something I must do. I’m afraid I can’t serve anyone until my task is done.”
“Is this about Ghim?” Etoh asked quietly.
“Yes…” Slayn nodded.
“Too bad, I like you. But if you have your own mission, I understand. Just remember that the gates of the castle of Flaim are always open to you.”
“Thank you.” Slayn bowed once more.
“I’m concerned for Ghim, too,” Etoh said, apologetic, “but I have to do my duty as a servant of Pharis.”
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be careful.”
“You’re still going up against that witch.” Parn’s stomach twisted at the thought.
“Woodchuck will help us, so we’ll manage,” Slayn answered, unruffled.
“Then bring me, too,” Parn said with determination. “I’m sure King Fahn will allow me to go kill Karla.”
“Kill Karla? By yourselves?” Fahn frowned. “That’s reckless. You all know what she’s capable of.”
“The Great Magus Wort gave us a weapon for fighting her.” Slayn quickly told the kings about the magic wand.
“I see… Then perhaps you will be able to defeat her. We cannot allow a ghost from the ancient kingdom to keep treating Lodoss like her plaything. When the time comes, we will use all the power of Valis to defeat her, and if she appears in the upcoming battle, you will use the magic wand.” But even as he said it, Fahn didn’t expect her to appear during the battle—she would know the risks of being in a melee.
“If the witch appears, I’ll bring her down myself,” Kashue said casually. Then he said, laughing, “Thus, I’ll get a brilliant wizard for my court.”
“Beld is our more immediate concern,” Fahn said. “Marmo split their army into three and is heading to Roid through the eastern plains. We’ll have to split our forces into three to engage them. I will take the center with Leonis, Elm will take the right flank, and King Kashue will take the left. Each of our forces will strike the enemy we encounter.”
“Head on?” Kashue asked.
“The enemy won’t have anything in reserve for an ambush. The rightmost of Marmo’s forces is the monster army led by dark elves. The wizards will be assigned to King Kashue’s army to handle them. They will likely be more dangerous than the Knights of Darkness approaching in the center, or the savage warriors from the Forest of Darkness on the left.”
“I’ll join Parn,” Slayn offered. “I’m a wizard, too—I’ve earned my Sage robes, after all. I don’t desire combat, but I can’t retreat from this fight. So I’ll use my spells in support of Parn and King Kashue.”
“Will the Pharis battle-priests be fighting?” Etoh asked Fahn.
“Of course,” Fahn nodded. “Lord Genart has declared this a battle between the Supreme God Pharis and Phalaris, the God of Darkness. The Holy Knights of the Great Temple of Pharis will take part.”
“Then may I join in? I trained as a battle-priest when I was at the Temple of Alania.”
“Yes, you can also join the left wing.” Fahn nodded at Etoh, then turned to Kashue and motioned to wrap up the war council.
“Well then, Your Majesty, when will the battle begin?” Kashue asked, following protocol.
“The day after tomorrow, at noon. Send a messenger through to the front line.”
At Fahn’s words, Elm opened the door and left quickly to carry out his orders. Parn followed, feeling tense.
It had begun.