Chapter 4

Chapter Three A Recipe She Could Not Crack —from Merlin A peculiar smell hung about the room. The built-in shelves and table in the center were filled to bursting with mysterious objects. Old books. Bones of unfamiliar creatures. Bottles of sinister-hued liquid. Pots that rattled from time to time. Stones that gave off a faint glow. In addition, blades and spearheads and other weapons. Pieces of armor. There were shoes and gloves as well. Bundles of withered plants hung from the ceiling. Dried snakes and lizards and the limbs of other beasts poked out through the leaves. Most likely, these things were also exuding considerable odors of their own, but the smell that filled the room at the moment came from the steam wafting out of the large, simmering cauldron mounted next to the wall. It smelled a bit like food, a bit like medicine, or a bit like something slightly rotten. It changed on every inhalation, and “peculiar” was the only way to describe it. A beautiful woman stood before the cauldron. Dark gray hair hung about her shoulders, and she had bright amber eyes. She tossed another big apple into the pot. A cloud of steam spewed out of the cauldron, and for a moment, a tart, sweet smell drifted through the air. But it soon mixed in with the original odor. “An apple, a peach—and then a double-headed fish, ten pounds of pork, the blood of a clay dragon…” she muttered to herself, writing something down on the sheaf of papers beside her. After a moment, she put down her feather pen and held both hands out above the cauldron. “…” As an incantation spilled from her red lips, too quiet for an ordinary person to hear, the liquid in the cauldron busily changed color and bubbled up—blub blub blub. Something appeared to be forming inside. The woman inspected it and then held her right hand, fingers together, just above the surface of the liquid. A brown lump about the size of a walnut rose up from the cauldron with a faint splash. Without hesitation, the woman took a small pot from the shelf to her left and scooped up the lump from where it floated in mid-air. “Hmm…I suppose this should do for now. I’ll have to make a few more and test them.” The woman breathed a sigh of relief as she covered the pot. Then she looked back over her shoulder. “Don’t just stand there peeping—if you’re going to come in, come in, Vivian.” The door to the room clunked and then, after a moment, slowly opened. A young woman with an awkward expression on her face appeared in the doorway. “Please excuse me. I brought that thing you asked me for.” “I appreciate it. Put it over there.” The woman called Vivian put the basket she was holding down on the table. The other, beautiful woman inspected it, then turned back to the cauldron. Vivian glared at her back with jealousy and envy in her eyes, but the woman did not turn around again. 1 A lone female figure walked down the pitch-black passage, holding aloft a small lantern. The narrow passage was barely wide enough to fit two people walking side by side. Judging by the bare rock walls and floor, it was a cave of sorts that had been dug into the ground. The woman’s face was hidden behind an oddly shaped mask, and she held a long staff in her left hand. A giant ornament shaped like a human left hand was affixed to the tip. No, but the nails were sharpened to a point, so perhaps it was the hand not of a human, but of a monster. As the woman walked, the passage gradually widened, until it suddenly opened out into a spacious cavern. The frail light that she held was not strong enough to illuminate the recesses. The far edge and ceiling stayed lurking in darkness. But she could clearly sense the presence of something alive in the room. And not just one. Many, many creatures. The smell of animals and dung filled the air. Grimacing under her mask, the woman slowly lifted her lantern and surveyed the cavern. Many cages stood against the wall. There were large ones, small ones, and even some that could be cradled like birdcages. Creatures were imprisoned in them according to their respective sizes. An enormous eagle. A gray bear. A lion that must have been brought in from the southern continent. There were chickens and pigs as well. Sand lizards. Scorpions. Poisonous spiders. “You’re late, Vivian.” A lantern lit with a whoosh on the far side of the cavern, revealing a tall man. His bluish-gray hair was cut short and he sported a goatee, but he wasn’t that old. He looked to be around thirty or so. “Were you with Gilthunder again?” “That’s none of your concern, Hendrickson,” Vivian retorted hotly. Hendrickson barked a short laugh. True, it seemed to say. “Anyway, how is that thing doing?” “Well…it seems calm, for now.” Hendrickson held the lantern in his left hand out toward the back of the cavern. Vivian aimed her own lamp in the same direction. The two lights shone on an especially sturdy-looking cage. A large beast crouched inside. Its back was covered in glittering green scales, and a line of horns sprouted along its spine and down to its thick tail. Wings, made of membrane stretched across talons, sprouted from both sides of its back. The ten-foot-long creature appeared to be an infant dragon. However, from its belly up, the scales were replaced with a gray bristle that covered the front half of the creature. Its forelegs were the paws of a beast, not the claws of a dragon. Its slobbering head turned atop its thick, maned neck. From its enormous, sword-like fangs, it was clear that the monstrosity was part sword wolf. Its long tail jutted out from a gap between the bars and swayed back and forth sullenly. “Here is where the problem starts.” Hendrickson gripped a small needle in his right hand. “Subdue the creature,” he said, approaching the monster’s tail. Vivian put her lantern down at her feet and placed both hands on her staff, then turned back to the monster. She started muttering a spell under her breath, which caused the creature to freeze in place. Slowly, but purposefully, Hendrickson stuck the needle between the scales on the thick tail before using his thumb to crush the sphere attached to the end of the needle. The monster’s tail twitched. Hendrickson stepped back swiftly, returning to Vivian’s side. “Well?” “It’s no good,” Vivian said, lowering her staff. As soon as she did, the monster let out a piercing shriek. The roar rumbled and echoed around the cavern, and the animals in the surrounding cages started to panic and rage. Thrashing its head and limbs about, the monster destroyed its cage in an instant. Its body started to expand rapidly—like water filling a leather bag, or a giant swamp frog’s bulbous throat. “Get rid of it,” Hendrickson said coldly. Vivian nodded. “Perfect Cube,” she chanted, and a cube of light formed around the monster. The raging monster grew bigger and bigger inside the cube until finally, with a dull pop, it turned into a square mass of flesh. Vivian silently waved her staff. The lump of flesh and the cube of light both vanished somewhere. “Hmm…It just won’t seem to work,” Hendrickson muttered. Vivian shrugged. “I wonder if it’s a problem with the amount of Demon’s Blood?” “Or maybe it’s because your fusion magic is underdeveloped.” “Oh!” Vivian said discontentedly. She removed the mask that had been covering her face, revealing the features of a simple young woman. Her curly, light brown hair was plastered against her forehead with sweat. “My chimera was perfect. Do me a favor, don’t point fingers. Aren’t you being too greedy? You seem to have bought up another batch of animals from the circus.” “Greedy or not, there’s no use discussing it now. We must create something that, if not in all aspects, at least in combat power, is stronger than any of the Seven Deadly Sins.” “You make it sound easy, but certain combinations of animals are more compatible than others.” Vivian raised her eyebrows. “If you match animals helter-skelter just because they’re formidable in battle, their power will conflict and the creature will become unbalanced.” “Hmm…would your mentor say so, too?” Hendrickson laughed disparagingly. “Wh-What?” Vivian gasped. Hendrickson laughed down his nose at her again, then left the cave without another word. 2 “Nkk…Just you watch!!” Vivian clenched her teeth in front of a huge pile of books and papers. She stood in a room in Hendrickson’s magical research hall. The hall was built on an enormous, oddly shaped rock that towered just northwest of the center of the royal capital of Liones. It had originally belonged to a member of the Seven Deadly Sins: Merlin, the Boar’s Sin of Gluttony, who was hailed as the most powerful witch in Britannia. “Definitely somewhere around here…” As Vivian rummaged across the desktop, a whole mountain of books collapsed in a flutter. A startled meow came from near her feet. “Oh, did I surprise you? Sorry.” Vivian searched for the source of the sound. A large black cat crouched under the desk, looking up at her. There was fear in its eyes. Maybe the spell isn’t working right. She had picked up the cat a little while ago down in the castle town. It had run out right in front of her and seemed like it might scratch her, so she had promptly cast some charm magic on it… Vivian squatted down and recited the spell once again. The cat’s eyes became unfocused for a moment, and then it started to purr. “Nice kitty.” Vivian stroked the cat’s head, then returned to looking over the desk. There were quite a few books filled with Merlin’s handwriting. They were all concerned with animal fusion. Vivian had searched the library and the bookcases in all the rooms in the building and gathered them together here. “I won’t be outdone by that woman anymore. I’ve studied and I have the practical experience now.” Vivian opened a record of some fusion experiment that Merlin had been commissioned by the king several years ago. Merlin had of course made no effort to reveal what she was creating to Vivian, merely her disciple, but Vivian remembered some complicated fusion magic experiments that involved not just animals, but plants too. “What does this mean? I don’t understand this description. Is it in an ancient language? It’s not a rune, and I’ve never seen these words before…” She hurriedly flipped through several other books—herbological encyclopedias and dictionaries for the languages of dead cultures. “I don’t understand…” She bit her lip. “The answer couldn’t possibly be in one of those books we sold off…right? No, there’s no way.” Vivian pushed down the twinge of unease that had risen in her chest. Two years ago, Hendrickson and Dreyfus had conspired together to pin the blame for Captain Zaratras’ murder on the Seven Deadly Sins. After they had driven the Sins from the capital, Hendrickson took over this hall, which used to belong to Merlin. When he did, he and Vivian, his magician collaborator, had thoroughly ransacked the building and disposed of everything they deemed unnecessary. They had thrown out or sold a countless number of books, but none of them had had any relation at all to magic. They hadn’t even belonged to Merlin—mostly, they were personal belongings that other members of the Seven Deadly Sins had left lying around. “I checked those all over carefully—there’s no problem there,” Vivian assured herself. There were certain fixed rules when it came to genetic splicing. Ignoring them and forcing combinations resulted in chimeras that couldn’t live very long and that fell short of the original animals’ potential. “If it can’t be done, then it can’t be done!” she fumed. But Hendrickson’s words drifted through her ears again. Would your mentor say so, too? “How frustrating!” She screeched like a child and threw the nearest book down onto the floor. The cat jumped again and hissed. 3 “Good evening, Gil.” When Vivian teleported into Gilthunder’s room, she found him sitting at his desk reading some sort of document. “Hey, Vivian.” Gilthunder turned to her, smiling thinly. Vivian knew it was a fake smile, but she pretended not to notice. “What were you reading?” Vivian leaned coyly against the boy and reached for the document on his desk. “The schedule for during and after the Summer Solstice Festival break.” “Huh…” Vivian glanced at the document. It appeared to be a schedule, just as he’d said. “So…what are you doing for the festival, Gil?” “Umm…nothing in particular.” Vivian was lost in the beauty of his downcast profile. He really was such a lovely boy. He had stood out since his early years, but recently he had gotten more manly, too, and now he was positively radiant. Vivian knew that every smile he showed her was forced. Even so, she wanted to keep him in her grasp. She would do anything for that. Anything at all. Though it was all lies now, if they continued spending time together like this, surely his heart, too, would someday be hers. Vivian narrowed her eyes. Gilthunder looked away uncomfortably. “Hey, Gil. Want to go to the festival together?” Vivian proposed. Gilthunder’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he seemed to give it some thought. “…Unless you’d rather not with me?” “Sure, I’ll go.” Gilthunder faced her with another forced smile. “Oh, good! All right, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow evening!” 4 Just past nine in the evening, dusk was finally starting to settle over the long, long day of the summer solstice. The sun hid behind the western city wall, and lamps were lit here and there about the capital. Lanterns burned in front of shops, and torches and braziers in street corners, all illuminating the royal banners and festive flower wreaths. The number of people strolling around town showed no signs of dwindling, and laughter spilled out endlessly from the restaurants and taverns. Children who were allowed to stay up late just for tonight ran about, stuffing their mouths with baked sweets from the stalls. Young people were dolled up in their very best outfits, and many an arm was linked with a sweetheart’s. A round of partner dancing had started in the central square. A lottery to pair up single dancers with partners bustled along with it. The sea of lovers danced around to the tune of a jaunty waltz. Vivian watched them from the corner of her eye as she and Gilthunder walked along the edge of the square. “Is there anything you want to see, Gil? I heard the circus this year is excellent,” Vivian said, pointing to the large, recently pitched tent that took up the northern half of the square. “Yeah, I think Howzer and the others went to check it out.” Gilthunder nodded, glancing at the tent. “Are you interested? Shall we go, too? I heard a dragon pup is going to jump through a ring of fire.” “Nah.” Gilthunder shook his head, eyes downcast. “Well then, do you want to get something to eat? Apparently the stall over there is pretty good…” “Uh huh.” Gilthunder looked up at the sky, where the edges of the sunset were slowly starting to turn purple. At about the same time, the bells signaling the hour chimed out ten o’clock. “They’re selling fish that are wrapped in pie dough and fried, aren’t they? I’ll buy some for us. You can—oh, how about you wait over there and listen to a song?” “Ah, really?” Vivian brightened and clasped her hands in front of her despite herself. “I think they’ve got sweet sauce and savory sauce—tell me again which kind you like?” “I’ll take the sweet one.” Vivian couldn’t believe that Gilthunder was going out of his way to be nice to her. With high spirits, she watched him walk off, then headed toward the western end of the square like he’d told her to. The area had been turned into a small stage for minstrels and street performers. A raised platform had been built into a recess of the square, and wooden benches were lined up around it in semi-circles. When Vivian arrived, a beautiful female singer had just finished her act and was trying to step off and away from the stage, showered with cheers and applause. A ten-year-old boy—he was probably her apprentice, or perhaps her son—held out a hat and weaved through the spectators, collecting tips. Next up, a youthful man ascended the stage. He was rather handsome and carried a lute in his arms; he winked at the young ladies sitting in the front row. A handful of men left their seats and were immediately replaced by flocking girls. Vivian sat down on an unoccupied two-person bench near the edge of the semi-circle and waited restlessly for Gilthunder to return. Meanwhile, the young minstrel finished tuning his lute and cleared his throat. “I’m so glad I could come again this year to Liones Kingdom’s tradition-steeped Summer Solstice Festival. May you all have the chance to dream for at least a moment this short summer night.” The young ladies fluttered with excitement at his smooth voice, so perfectly matched to his handsome face. Vivian looked over her shoulder and finally saw Gilthunder walking back with something wrapped in paper in both hands. “And now, for my first song—a maiden I met the other day requested that I absolutely sing this first today. Is the young lady here, I wonder?” The minstrel made a show of looking across the crowd. “Hmm, she doesn’t appear to be…But perhaps she is listening somewhere. Or maybe she’s gone to summon her sweetheart?” Laughter spilled from the audience. “Gil, over here.” Vivian waved discreetly, and Gilthunder padded over and sat down next to her. He gently set the paper-wrapped pie in Vivian’s hand. “Thank you.” Vivian ducked her head and blushed slightly. Maybe after this, if she invited him to the lovers’ dance, he would be so kind as to oblige her. The minstrel picked up his lute again and began to pluck the strings in a cascade of notes. “I have no intention of prying boorishly. I hope that my song might touch your hearts,” the minstrel said. He took a deep breath, and at last started to sing resonantly. The beach suspended in moonlight is like your pale white arms Coming in and out of sight in the dark waves, revealing the truth The shadow of the mountains reflected in the lake is like your noble profile It wavers in the light and wind; I stretch out my arms but I cannot reach This lone old palace on its tiny island feels like a stone cell that holds me bound My body is cursed and torn apart by the fates of the day and the night It stands here still as stone, it sighs Oh, that I might be allowed just to sing about you here Though my hands might never touch you and my voice you never hear Because standing here remembering you and singing your praises Is the only thing that I can do “What a nice song.” Vivian, enthralled by the performance, looked at Gilthunder beside her. When she did, she was taken aback. Gil? Gilthunder was weeping. Or rather, he was biting his lip trying not to cry, but tears he couldn’t hold back were gathering in his eyes. Gil… The moment Vivian saw this, she felt her heart grow suddenly cold. It was certainly a good song, and maybe for a young woman it would make sense, but she couldn’t believe that it was moving enough to make a fourteen-year-old boy—to make Gilthunder—shed tears like this. His hands trembled minutely, and he hadn’t taken even one bite of the pie that he had bought. Oh, that I might be allowed just to sing about you here Though my hands might never touch you and my voice you never hear Because standing here remembering you and singing your praises Is the only thing that I can do The minstrel sang the last verse again and again, and then he gently stilled the music from his lute. Applause erupted with oohs and ahhs. The minstrel took his brimmed hat from his head and handed it to a girl in the front row. She tossed in a silver coin and passed the hat to the next seat. “And for my next song…” This time, a slightly faster, cheerier song began. The lingering applause turned into people clapping along to the beat. However, Vivian wasn’t listening anymore. What had the minstrel said just now? A maiden I met the other day requested that I absolutely sing this first today. And yet the one who requested it hadn’t shown up. But perhaps she is listening somewhere. Or maybe she’s gone to summon her sweetheart? …summon her sweetheart… Several images churned through Vivian’s head. Gilthunder had looked up at the sky earlier, as if confirming the time signaled by the bells. What if—what if he had come here today specifically to listen to this song? Was that why he’d accepted Vivian’s invitation? Was that why he’d bought her food? Was it all so that he could come here at the right time? That implied only one answer. Margaret! Of course. That girl. The platinum-blond girl who lived always in Gilthunder’s heart. But—but how? Vivian shrewdly turned over the possibilities. She had set the greatest chimera she’d ever made to stand guard over Margaret. It was a monster that constantly monitored the girl’s every move while staying under cover, never revealing itself. It would automatically attack Margaret if Gilthunder or anything that smelled like him ever got too close. And it was the same for Gilthunder. When Vivian herself couldn’t be near him, a raven infused with her intentions kept watch over him. Vivian was sure the two of them absolutely knew all that. In fact, as far as she could tell, for the past two years, they hadn’t spoken at all aside from polite conversation in formal settings. They’d shown no hint of exchanging letters, either. Letters… With a start, Vivian realized— The training schedule that Gilthunder had been looking at yesterday. What if something had been concealed within it? And if whoever had given it to Gilthunder hadn’t been Margaret or one of her attendants? If it was a training schedule, he probably got it from one of the Holy Knight instructors or fellow apprentices. I’ve never looked into something like that. A scene flashed bright into Vivian’s mind. The day I picked up that black cat… The tavern that the cat had run out of. When she had peeped inside, Howzer the Holy Knight apprentice had been arguing with another customer. It hadn’t interested Vivian, so she had left soon after, but…she thought maybe he had been protecting some girl. Right. A young woman with her red hair done in braids. Now that she thought about it, she’d seen that girl somewhere before, too… Oh—she’s Margaret’s new attendant! Were they friends? Or had they just met there at the tavern? Howzer was a childhood friend of Gilthunder’s but had always been simple, never doubting his preconceptions. He’d never once questioned Gilthunder’s change in demeanor, despite being such close friends. What was more, he respected Captain Dreyfus from his heart, and Vivian didn’t think the boy would even dream of the possibility that Dreyfus and Hendrickson had already betrayed the king. I was careless to think so… Precisely because he thought nothing of it, he would agree readily if Margaret’s attendant asked him for a favor. Vivian clenched her fists tight. The nails she’d buffed and painted pink for the date bit into her palms. “Gil. I’m not feeling well. Let’s go home.” Vivian pulled heavily on Gilthunder’s arm. His face had completely cleared by then, and he looked at Vivian in surprise, mid-bite into his fried fish. “What? But—” “Come on. We’re going home!” Vivian pulled him forcefully by the arm and stood up. Her untouched pie fell with a plop onto the ground. 5 As soon as she returned to her room in the magical research hall, tears began to spill from her eyes. “Ugh…sniff…A fool…everyone keeps making a fool out of me!” When she stomped over to the table, a sudden voice hissed strangely. The black cat puffed up its tail under the table. It also flattened its ears behind its head, completing the threatening posture. “…” The charm’s effects had worn off. Vivian had never been very good at mind manipulation magic in the first place. Especially not on humans, but even with animals like cats and dogs, it only lasted for a few days at best. Looking around, she saw that objects all over the room were knocked over and scattered about the floor. The magic must have worn off while Vivian was away, and the cat had rampaged about, wanting to go outside. “…” Her lips trembled. It felt like someone was telling her there was nothing she could do. Nothing was going like she wanted it to. Nothing. Not even this cat would love her. When the magic wore off, it went right back to the way it was. Vivian waved her right arm. Her staff appeared in her hand. Raising it, she faced the cat and recited a teleportation spell. “I won’t forgive any of you! Mark my words!” The cat disappeared instantly. Then, as if chasing after it, Vivian did too.