TYND 4

TL: Motokare

“Rothy?”

“The child’s name is Rothy… could it be…”

When they heard the name ‘Rothy’, Harrié and the rest of the mages exchanged glances, murmuring restlessly among themselves. 

Chungnip then asked, 

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“I’ll explain later.” Harrié replied, though his gaze stayed fixed on Rothy, wide-eyed, like a scholar who’d just stumbled upon a rare, mythical creature.

Theon sharply eyed the mages before turning back to the child.

“Rothy, what was your relationship with Yolone Sirin?” He asked in a voice as gentle as he could manage. 

A tense silence stretched, long enough for a few exasperated sighs to break it, before the child’s response finally came as a barely audible whisper. 

“Yolone…he’s…master……”

At the word ‘master,’ the room erupted with murmurs once more. Yolone Sirin was famous as a lone wolf. The archmage was known for never accepting disciples or forming close friendships. The idea that he’d taken on a disciple seemed preposterous. Who’d believe that this emaciated child, bearing clear signs of abuse, was his disciple? No one in the room, at least. 

“The archmage must’ve instructed him to call himself a disciple if discovered. Even in death, he’d have considered it shameful for anyone to know he kept a joyboy…” Chungnip muttered bitterly.

The archmage had saved Chungnip’s life many times in brutal battles. Though he’d never spoken of it, Chungnip came to respect the archmage, making this revelation especially bitter. But Theon, who’d never felt any admiration for Yolone, remained unfazed. 

“Did your master hang himself?” he asked bluntly.

The child flinched, biting down hard on his lips. Was he remembering the scene? His face crumpled, then tugged the blanket over his head. But Theon had no intention of indulging him. He pulled the blanket down, and the child looked up at him, trembling.

“You’re currently suspected of murdering your master. So tell us the truth and clear yourself of this charge. Or would you rather be sent back to the prison?”

Even though he tried to maintain a gentle tone, a sharpness slipped into Theon’s voice. His intent, however, was to help, and the child’s emerald-green eyes staring at him seemed to sense it. With a tightly clenched fist pressed to his chest, the boy took several deep breaths, mustering his courage against the overwhelming fear. Finally, he spoke. 

“He was like that… when I woke up…”

“You’re saying you woke up and found your master dead?”

“Yeah……”

The child’s casual tone revealed he’d never been taught proper etiquette. 

“How long have you been living with your master?”

“Don’t know… but…”

The child’s eyes darted around, clearly hesitant, as if unsure whether to share more. Then, making up his mind, he swallowed nervously before continuing. 

“Uhm… Theon…”

To everyone’s surprise, the child addressed Theon by name, with a strange familiarity, as though he’d said it countless times before. 

“Chi-chi’s gone…”

“Chi-chi?”

“Weasel… a white one… it’s gone…”

Theon’s mind immediately went to the white weasel that’d darted out when they’d forced open the archmage’s chamber two days ago. He exchanged a glance with Chungnip, who’d gone pale. 

“Always… together… but now gone…” 

“……”

“Please… find…”

The child looked up at him with pleading eyes. For once, Theon appeared flustered, but the desperation in those pale features and emerald-green eyes stirred him.

“Very well, I’ll find it for you.”

The boy’s face lit up for an instant before falling back to fear, but that brief smile left a powerful impression on everyone in the room. 

After asking him to find Chi-chi, their conversation went no further, as the child seemed to have exhausted his strength and collapsed. Everyone left the room except the chief steward, Ultje Heimyn, and a Black Lion Knight assigned to stand guard. 

“Fetch one from the Gretin Forest behind the palace.” Theon ordered as soon as the door closed. 

“Yes, uhh… the thing is…” Chungnip faltered, but Theon, focused on his questions for PLEIN, didn’t wait for his response. 

“Why the commotion when you heard the boy’s name?”

Harrié Geelin responded with a cryptic smile. 

“I was just about to brief His Imperial Highness on that matter. Why don’t we go together?”

Ignoring Chungnip’s unfinished reply, Theon followed the PLEIN mages to the main castle. An uncomfortable silence hung between them as they walked side by side through the palace grounds. Upon reaching the audience hall, the Imperial Head Chamberlain greeted them with a respectful bow. 

“The foreign dignitaries are currently inside with His Imperial Highness.”

“An alliance meeting? How long has it been?”

“It’s been a little over two hours.”

“Then it’ll end soon. We’ll wait. You’ll wait with me too, Archduke.”

Harrié and his gaggle of mages moved to a waiting room across from the hall, while Theon and his group positioned themselves in front. Theon Detre Falsen, famed as Araxys’ greatest and strongest Aura Master, was openly eavesdropping on the conversation inside the hall. The crown prince was deep in conversation with the heroes of the allied nations, men and women he’d fought alongside in the war; the Saint of Solten, the Battle Machine of Droight, the Swordmaster of Givarche, and the princess of Toran… 

The discussion was centred on strengthening alliances and focusing on post-war matters now that the war had ended, and peace returned. As Harrié had predicted, the meeting concluded shortly after, and the foreign dignitaries filed out. Their faces brightened at the sight of Theon.

“Archduke Theon! You were here! Why didn’t you come in?”

“Princess, it was a meeting for royal representatives from each country. How could the archduke just walk in? This isn’t a battlefield where he can burst in on a whim.”

“But had he announced himself, we’d certainly have invited him to join us!” protested the Princess of Toran, who’d once wielded her mace to crush countless demons, now pouting like a child. Romerie, the Saint of Solten, gently reminded her to mind her dignity. Though older, Romerie treated the princess like her own younger sister; they were close as siblings. 

“I’m sorry about Lord Yolone. I heard that the fiend’s poison spread through his body. If he’d told me, I would’ve purified it somehow… but it seems he didn’t wish to be healed. He was truly a hero until the end.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Theon gave a brief bow to acknowledge her condolences. The princess quickly followed with her own words of sympathy, and he responded with a similar gesture. After they moved on, the Battle Machine of Droight extended a hand, which Theon shook. Outside of battle, the machine always appeared as a young man in his twenties.

Next was Ken Bane. The grey-haired man with a short cut offered a faintly sorrowful smile. 

“Who would’ve thought Lord Yolone would fall to a fiend’s poison? What an unexpected loss. This must be a great loss for the empire as well.”

There was an ambiguous edge to his words, making them difficult to take as pure condolences. Being the youngest son of the late king of Givarche, he’d once been far down the line of succession. But during the long war, many Givarche princes and princesses had died, pushing him into contention for the throne. A fierce succession battle would surely await him on his return. If he were to become king, then……

The kingdom of Givarche bordered the Zibiah Empire’s southern edge, a narrow nation extending vertically. Before the Human-Demon War, the two had been locked in territorial disputes. If Ken Bane were to ascend the throne of Givarche, the territorial disputes would almost certainly resume, making him the single greatest threat to the empire now that peace had returned. 

“A lion in the Savannah^[1] fights endlessly to protect its pride, clawing through enemy after enemy. After a lifetime of fierce battles, hard-fought peace finally comes, but the lion, battered and broken from brutal battles, finds itself weakened and vulnerable. And it’s at this precise moment those who’ve enjoyed peace under the lion’s protection bare their fangs. Isn’t that an unjust fate for the lion? A lifetime of protection and sacrifice, only to be repaid with betrayal the moment peace arrives.”

Ken Bane sneered coldly. 

“I’d hate to see the Zibiah Empire, which so valiantly led the charge in the war, suffer such injustice. With the archmage gone, many will be eyeing the empire. Prince Dierm’s far too soft-hearted, so you must stay vigilant.”

“A lion worthy of its name wouldn’t be taken down that easily by opportunistic hyenas. Worry about what happens in your own kingdom instead.” 

“The next time we meet, you might need to show me some respect.”

Ken Bane left with a heavy, pointed warning. Theon’s aides pulled faces or stuck their tongues out at his retreating back. Entering the audience hall, Theon saw that the PLEIN mages were already seated.

“Took you long enough, making the crown prince wait—must be quite the popular man.”

The crown prince teased then proceeded to pull out a chair for Theon, and Harrié made no attempt to hide his displeasure, scowling openly. Prince Dierm then took his seat at the head of the table, with his closest aides on the right—Theon’s seat was at the front of the right, and the PLEIN mages to his left. 

Harrié Geelin handed out copies of the decrypted document to both the crown prince and Theon. It was printed on Wolfigeo paper, specially crafted with magic. 

“We’ve only analysed the first three pages of the research journal so far, but there’s something I must report. According to the journal, six years ago in spring, Lord Yolone discovered a powerful magic stone in a cave between the Razhis and Sisi gorges while purging fiends from the Himil Range.” 

“Six years ago, that’d be…”

Six years ago marked the time when the war had taken a dark turn, with the demons gaining a distinct upper hand. Then, Yolone Sirin emerged with unprecedented strength, altering the course of the war in their favour. That was just as the season shifted from spring to summer.