Shelter the fire. Morning, noon, or night, if your heart is frozen, give it fire.
Someone is there. Beside you, behind you—even in the fire, someone is there.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hey, where are you going, Felipo? Come have a seat by the fire.”
I was wondering why he wasn’t at the camp, and now I find my best friend, son Peine, with a cup of wine in hand. What is wrong with him? We will be in sight of the palace in a few days!
“It’s a nice night. The eve of a decisive battle, you could say.”
“What are you blathering about?” I ask.
If we were facing elves, I might feel inclined to relax at night, but since it is vampires we endeavor to battle, night is when we must be most vigilant. We are marching against the night. With sunrise comes peace of mind, and during the day we rest. Then, at dusk, we rise and march during the night. Even for this brief respite, we have cavalry posted to ensure our safety. The rabbits, with their excellent night vision, are also on guard duty.
Morale is high; everyone is eager. For if we are met with defeat, it will spell the destruction of our species.
“Now, now. Don’t look so disgusted. I’m on a special mission, I’ll have you know,” he assures.
“What a bizarre thing to say. It’s a soldier’s duty to rest when given time to camp.”
“Ah, but while we are yet alive, let us drink. A cup for you, a cup for me.”
“And there he goes, spouting unscrupulous nonsense. Honestly... Hm?”
A cup is passed to me from the side—by Lady Kuroi, of all people. She’s holding a small barrel. Ah, it must be an offering from one of the refugees.
“See? Special, right?”
“Indeed.”
I suppose I can’t simply go with only one cup. I sit down.
“If you’re gonna cry, now’s the time,” he says out of nowhere.
“That was... quite random.”
“You lost most of your family recently, didn’t you? Well, so did I.”
“...You really have no filter, do you?”
“I assume the Willow brothers cried in private. We all have our own ways of dealing with grief.”
My best friend and I pray silently, facing each other, then take a slow sip of our wine.
The combined information brought to us by a speedy horse from the fort and our scouts sent to investigate the Willow Estate paint a singular picture of the truth.
“The battle at the Willow Estate was one for the ages.”
“Yes. Using the king as bait and the estate as a trap, they lured the vampires in before setting it ablaze... Three days later, it’s said to still be belching black smoke.”
“What a bold plan, using the king himself in a suicide mission.”
“...He had a tendency to fall into despair.”
“Idiot. Desperation alone couldn’t take a thousand vampires to the grave with him. I’m impressed; he even managed to drag out another five hundred in order to search the ashes. We should all be so lucky in battle.”
I have no words. Among the king’s... my father’s men that died was son Peine’s father. I recall he was an earl who loved ploys and art more than anything. He would often pay me to do little things for him.
The crown prince... my older brother was killed in the chaos at the palace, and so was his brother. He was a pure and honest sort of man, not fit for earldom or the military. The guy often had to clean up his brother’s messes after his pranks went awry.
Now they’re gone. They’re all in the flames now. Maybe if I stare long enough into this wavering campfire, I might catch a glimpse of one of their faces... The brightness is making my eyes water. I blink repeatedly to rid myself of what begins to rise.
“Let me just confirm one thing... The acolyte’s cargo, is it what I think it is?”
“Yes. It was supposed to remain enshrined under the church.”
“So that was the arrangement... am I getting this right?”
“I think so.”
I toss a dry log onto the fire and watch it be consumed. Let that which comes and goes in my heart be like this log.
Oh, how I misjudged my father and teacher both.
What son Peine is getting at is that the king and the archbishop were colluding—the king was taking great pains to control the resignation and corruption of the ruling class, while the archbishop was laboring to ease the despair and suffering of the common folk. As these desires became twisted while they worked to maintain the nation’s order, they left behind a sliver of hope: the fire treasure, the Primal Ash. The great inferno magic that resides within it, much like the other treasures, can make miracles happen... At least, that’s what’s written in the holy book. It is for this reason that we pray.
Something could have happened—or been forced to happen. This might even be the reason behind God’s manifestation. I can only hope this is true. It’s the whole reason our present lives even exist. Such beliefs have led me here. If I didn’t believe, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
Entrusted with everything, only to learn the truth later... Who would be able to bear that?
“They must have gotten a taste for arson after seeing the church burn.”
“There you go again... I bet it was the archbishop’s idea. He used to say that he wanted to be burned at the stake.”
“Ha ha, that he did. That old fart was always above us in terms of pranks.”