Chapter 9: Antares (3)
“Rowen, it has been a long time.”
“It has. Have you been well, Brother?”
Enzo gazed at his youngest brother with mixed emotions as Rowen bowed respectfully before him.
The brother he had not seen in nearly a year had grown into a man. Enzo had heard that Rowen had even held a modest coming-of-age ceremony with his friends on the battlefield.
Had it not been for a loaded remark from his father-in-law, Duke Gurat, Enzo might never have learned why Rowen had been unable to return to the palace for so long.
“His Highness has apparently distinguished himself in a number of difficult battles of late.”
“Dangerous battles? Why is Rowen being sent into battles like that when he hasn’t even graduated?”
“Because he is exceptionally capable. Perhaps it would have been better if his abilities were merely average. For his own sake, and everyone else’s.”
The duke’s cryptic remark left Enzo uneasy.
He made discreet inquiries and discovered that the recent deployments of trainee soldiers had been ordered directly by the commander-in-chief. And as ill luck would have it, the Empire’s current commander-in-chief was one of the empress’s closest confidants.
It did not take Enzo long to understand that this was the work of his mother and Duke Gurat.
“Allow me to introduce my friends, Ferken Alios and Luina Stello.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.” Ferken bowed with such impeccable form that he could have served as an illustration in a book of court etiquette.
Luina glanced sideways at him, then offered a passable imitation of the same greeting.
She had spent five years surrounded by nobles. By now, she at least knew enough etiquette to avoid disgracing herself in polite company.
“You must be Marquis Alios’s son. It is good to meet you. But Stello…?”
“Her family is not one Your Highness would recognize,” Rowen explained, “but she is a highly capable friend who entered our class at the top of the swordsmanship program.”
“Ah… I have heard the stories. You defeated my brother rather thoroughly and won the final, I believe,” Enzo mused, a faint smile touching his lips. “Keep working hard, and I am certain you will render great service to the Empire.”
“I will bear that in mind, Your Highness,” Luina replied.
Enzo had been returning to the palace after attending to affairs in the provinces when he heard that Rowen was stationed nearby. After brief consideration, he ignored the warnings of those around him and changed course.
When Enzo expressed a desire to inspect the battlefield personally and commend the troops for their service, he was escorted to a rear supply unit some distance from the main camp, for safety.
“I hear my brother is stationed here. May I see him?”
“Of course, Your Highness. We will bring him here at once.”
At a single word from the crown prince, Rowen and his friends were immediately withdrawn from the front line.
The battalion commander was always sensitive to gossip among his soldiers. He worried it would draw criticism if Rowen alone were pulled from combat, so he sent all three trainees to the rear under the pretext of granting them rest.
In doing so, he disobeyed orders from above. But the crown prince standing before him was far more frightening than the commander-in-chief sitting in the capital.
Enzo sighed at the sight of three young people, battered, bloodied, and dressed in torn uniforms. He was sorry that he lacked the power to remove them from the battlefield entirely.
As Rowen’s elder brother, he wanted only to give him a few days of safety and comfort.
However, life was capricious, and it rarely allowed anything to proceed according to plan.
* * *
“This way, Your Highness!”
“Archers! Loose fire arrows!”
A brief commotion broke out among the troops, who had been resting in relative comfort far from the battlefield.
The sudden appearance of monsters threw them into momentary confusion, but the creatures were small, low-grade monsters, and there were not many of them. They were quickly subdued. Before long, dozens of corpses lay piled together, flames rising around them.
The true problem arose afterward.
“My apologies, Your Highness, but this area is too contaminated to remain in. We will relocate the outpost. Please make ready to depart.”
Enzo did not need to look around.
The stench of burning corpses assaulted him. He had never witnessed carnage like this in his life. Suppressing his nausea, he nodded with as composed an expression as he could manage.
Rowen has been living in places like this all along.
A dull ache tightened his chest.
“Very well, Sir Hamelek. But where is my brother now?” Enzo asked.
“His Highness is unharmed. He will follow with the rearguard once the vanguard and Your Highness’s escort have moved.”
“I see. Where are we relocating?”
“We intend to go around the mountain and descend toward a valley. We sent men ahead to investigate. They reported that the terrain is safe and that there is ample fresh water. So—”
“I advise against going there, Your Highness,” a clear voice interrupted, making Enzo and Hamelek, the captain of his guard, turn at the same time.
Luina… Stello, was it?
Mild surprise and curiosity appeared in Enzo’s expression, but Hamelek made no effort to hide his displeasure. A mere trainee, not even officially enlisted, had dared to interrupt their conversation.
“State your name and unit,” Hamelek commanded, his voice sharp.
He had stood beside them the previous evening when Rowen introduced his friends to Enzo. He knew perfectly well who she was. The order was meant solely to put her in her place.
“Luina Stello, sixth-year student at Herden Witagium, Sir.”
“Do you not consider this extraordinarily improper? If you have a recommendation, you are to submit it to your direct superior, who will pass it up the chain of command. You do not address His Highness the crown prince directly! Being Prince Rowen’s classmate does not excuse—”
“I judged the situation urgent. We were transferred here without warning last night, and my direct superior is not currently present.”
Luina faced Hamelek’s open fury without so much as twitching an eyebrow.
Enzo could only marvel inwardly. How does someone that tiny have that much nerve?
“Let us not be so rigid, Sir Hamelek. We may as well hear her out.” Enzo turned to Luina. “Cadet Stello, you must have known you would be reprimanded for stepping forward like this. What was your reason?”
“Because the location selected by the captain of the guard is likely to be a Wolbrine habitat, Your Highness,” Luina explained.
“A Wolbrine?”
Everyone looked puzzled by the unfamiliar name. Even Hamelek, who had spent his entire life in the military, appeared never to have heard it.
Enzo’s brow furrowed slightly. “Is that… a monster?”
Luina nodded calmly. “It has not been entered into the encyclopedia, but its existence is certain. A considerable number of them are believed to inhabit the Empire. Wolbrines have stronger familial bonds than most monsters and prefer sheltered environments suitable for raising their young. They are highly intelligent and do not attack humans without provocation, but they can become extremely aggressive if their territory is invaded.”
“You interrupted His Highness’s departure based on mere speculation?” Hamelek scoffed. “And by invoking some imaginary creature that does not even appear in the records?”
“It has been documented. It was omitted from the encyclopedia because it rarely reveals itself to humans,” Luina explained.
Hamelek gave a derisive snort.
Luina immediately realized that nothing she said would persuade him.
Those in high positions never listened to those beneath them. And when their refusal ended badly, it was always the ordinary soldiers who died.
Seeing exactly where this would end, Luina addressed the crown prince and spoke with greater urgency.
“There is a reason the hunting dogs refuse to approach that area. That is also why the transport unit chose to establish its camp here when they first entered the mountain, despite there being more advantageous sites nearby.”
She then gestured toward the burning corpses. “The smell of burning monsters will keep other monsters away for some time. Remaining here may not be pleasant, but this is currently the safest place on the mountain, Your Highness.”
As Enzo listened carefully, falling into thought, Hamelek felt panic stir.
If a trainee outmaneuvered him in front of everyone, his already weakened position would become even weaker. It was his official decision, and he had to make sure it stood.
Enzo had recently discovered that Hamelek had aligned himself with Duke Gurat.
Hamelek could practically see the crown prince’s trust in him slipping away. He had only just secured his position among Enzo’s closest aides through Duke Gurat’s backing. If Enzo cast him aside before ascending the throne, Hamelek would be left without a patron.
Growing desperate, he stepped forward to block Luina. “Your Highness, the vanguard has already searched the entire valley and reported finding no suspicious tracks. Furthermore, I have served in the military for twenty-six years, and I have never once seen or heard of a monster called a Wolbrine.”
Just because you haven’t seen one doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Luina’s honest gaze clearly revealed her thoughts, but Hamelek deliberately ignored them. A faint unease stirred in him, but he forced that aside as well.
“Why are you disturbing His Highness with unverified rumors?” Hamelek demanded.
Faced with the captain’s vehement opposition, Luina had no choice but to fall silent. She could not reveal the source of her information here.
Sharon’s private encyclopedia described more than three times as many monsters as the one published by the imperial family. Because Luina faced monsters in battle, Sharon taught her their characteristics whenever she had the opportunity.
Luina’s emotions rarely shifted dramatically, but now, she could feel irritation rising within her.
Enzo watched her normally gentle eyes sharpen and swallowed a sigh. The smell of burning corpses was unpleasant, but in truth, he was already inclined to agree with Luina.
Even if their intended destination was not the habitat of some unfamiliar monster, he could not deny that their present location was the safest place on the mountain.
But Enzo could not dismiss his captain’s judgment in front of so many soldiers and publicly side with a cadet who had not even graduated. It would have been better if she had come to him privately.
Then again, a mere cadet would never be granted a private audience with him in the first place. It was regrettable, but the matter was directly tied to military discipline, and he had little choice.
After carefully weighing the circumstances, Enzo decided that he would have to uphold Hamelek’s decision.
“Cadet Stello. I recognize your warning as an act of loyalty.”
He then turned to his captain. “Sir Hamelek, there may still be some danger. Order the vanguard to inspect the area once more. If they find nothing, proceed as planned.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Rowen came racing after hearing that Luina had committed a grave breach of discipline. The moment Enzo disappeared into the tent, Rowen stepped forward and draped an arm around Luina’s shoulders.
Hamelek was still breathing like an enraged bull over her insubordination, and Rowen needed to remind him that Luina was his friend—and under his protection.
“Luina, are you all right?” Rowen asked worriedly, but Luina’s expression remained calm as ever.
Five years at Witagium had taught her that a sword could not solve every problem. She had learned something new today. All she had to do was avoid making the same mistake twice.
“I think I chose the wrong approach,” Luina admitted. “I was in such a hurry that I didn’t stop to consider the chain of command.”
“You should’ve come to me first.”
“You’re right. Now that I think about it, that would have been best.”
Luina paused, then added, “I spend so much time with you that I keep forgetting you’re a prince.”
