Empire of Ice

by Hyougetsu

  “I’m not your brother, just a fellow disciple.”

  Some time later, Eleora walked into the room.

  “Did you finish talking with Lord Kastoniev?”

  “Yes.”

  Though her response was curt, her eyes welled up with emotion. I had no idea what they’d talked about in there, but it looked like they’d made up. She turned to the fireplace and said, “Don’t you think that design stands out a little too much?”

  It was only after she pointed it out that I realized the problem.

  “Whoops. We ended up remaking the mantelpiece in the Meraldian style.”

  I hadn’t really been paying attention to the design, but Jerrick had naturally chosen a southern Meraldian style for it. And it clashed pretty badly with the surrounding Rolmund architecture. It was hard to explain, but it was kind of like topping a cake with cheese instead of frosting. It sounded disgusting at first glance, but actually tasted pretty good once you tried it. Jerrick seemed to have realized his mistake too, and he smiled apologetically.

  “Ah, my bad. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it back to its original design.”

  However, Eleora smiled and shook her head.

  “You went out of your way to repair it, so it’s fine like this. Besides, it will make for a good reminder of the time I fought in Meraldia. Thank you.”

  Whoa. Is it just me, or does she look really happy? Everyone else was just as surprised by Eleora’s sudden transformation, and they all exchanged confused looks. After a few seconds the shock passed, and Fahn turned to Eleora, a mischievous smirk playing about her lips.

  “I never knew you could smile like that.”

  Puzzled, Eleora touched her cheeks.

  “Is it really that strange?”

  “Nah, it’s not weird. In fact, I think you look better when you’re smiling.”

  Fahn was absolutely right. It seemed that at long last, Eleora’s frozen heart had begun to thaw. But that meant I needed to be extra careful. If she was betrayed by someone she trusted again, she’d probably never be able to recover. Likely, she’d never trust anyone ever again. And if someone incapable of trust took the throne, it would just lead to a paranoia-fueled purge. While it was true that something like that wouldn’t affect Meraldia, it would still leave a bad taste in my mouth knowing I’d helped bring an empire to ruin. Besides, if the political turmoil in Rolmund got too severe, it might start affecting its neighboring countries as well, including us.

  Eleora handed me a letter, interrupting my thoughts.

  “A few minutes ago, a messenger from the Doneiks estate came to deliver invitations to a party. There’s one for me, and one for you.”

  “They want me too?”

  What could the emperor’s ambitious brother want with me? Eleora smiled faintly.

  “The formal reason for why we’ve been invited is that Lord Doneiks wishes to celebrate my accomplishments in the south and meet with the Meraldian diplomatic delegation. He sent an invitation to Ser Lekomya as well, so I imagine he’s planning to invite all the nobles within my faction. I imagine this is no mere party.”

  “I see, so he wants to crush us in one fell swoop?”

  “Not necessarily. Regardless of his intentions, it’s clear he’s plotting something.”

  Interesting. Eleora gauged my reaction.

  “Nothing ever fazes you, does it?”

  “That’s not true. In fact, I’m worried enough that I think we should assign guards to Ser Lekomya and the others. But while it’s easy to protect one or two people, it’s going to be hard to guard your whole faction.”

  Her expression grew pensive, and she replied, “I highly doubt Lord Doneiks will resort to assassination here, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe. Unlike my father’s brother, my mother’s brother is quite belligerent.”

  Even better. I had a much easier time dealing with people who tried to posture with threats.

  The appointed day arrived, and I brought my entire werewolf platoon with me to the banquet.

  “Hamaam, your squad’s in charge of guarding Ser Lekomya. Jerrick, you guys take Sir Shawch. Monza, you’re on Sir Mottemo. Fahn, Vodd, you guys protect me and Eleora’s group. That includes her attendants like Borsche and Natalia.”

  Thanks to Lekomya’s ceaseless efforts, we had a few more allies in the palace. However, that also meant we needed to protect more people. Right now, there were a total of 14 people in Eleora’s camp. They were all low-ranking nobles without any land, but they were vital in providing Eleora with up-to-date information from the palace. Furthermore, if we failed to protect them, people would think Eleora wasn’t someone worth following. It was possible Lord Doneiks’ goal was to just undermine trust in Eleora, so we couldn’t afford to be lax.

  I had no idea how Lord Doneiks was planning to strike, but worst case, he’d rush us with everything at his disposal. Werewolves couldn’t exhibit their full strength without transforming, but their enhanced senses worked even in human mode. And we were especially sensitive to human reactions.

  “Hey, boss. That lady over there doesn’t look like she’s doing too good. Her breathing’s all messed up. We should call a doctor, or a healer.”

  “Thanks for the heads up, Jerrick. Kite, call someone over.”

  Case in point. Werewolves evolved to hunt humans, so our senses were specialized in reading their emotions and desires. Fortunately, any ability that helped you set up ambushes against a target inevitably also helped you avoid ambushes from that same target. You better guard everyone with your lives, guys.

  Today’s party was being held at a rural mansion located within one of the forests in Lord Doneiks’ domain. The mansion itself was close to the size of the imperial palace, and its vast grounds were perhaps even larger. And every inch of that space was being utilized in some way for the party. After double and triple-checking to make sure the food wasn’t poisoned, I started wolfing down on as much as I could get my hands on.

  “Veight, don’t you think you’re eating a bit too much? None of the other nobles have even touched the food.”

  “It’s customary in Rolmund not to eat at a buffet-style party. But that’s because they’re worried about being poisoned, and I’ve already made sure the food’s safe, so it’s fine.”

  “Did you really want to eat that badly?”

  Kite watched on in disbelief. But for werewolves, food was a matter of life and death. We needed to eat an enormous amount to keep up with our metabolisms. Fortunately, the food at a party hosted by the emperor’s younger brother was as good as you’d expect. By which I meant, amazing. There was something horribly wrong in this country if all this delicious food went to waste every party.

  Chewing on a piece of meat, I went up to the second floor of the mansion’s atrium. From here, I could see the entirety of the banquet. I went through the rest of the food on my plate as I enjoyed the view. In this world, I wouldn’t get too many chances to eat as much roast beef as I wanted. Since all the food was going to be thrown away anyway, I was doing Lord Doneiks a favor, really.

  Today’s guests were mostly just the main members of the Eleora and Doneiks factions. A few members of Ashley’s faction were here as well, though. The nobles in Eleora’s faction, in other words our allies, were all clumped together in one corner of the room. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they’d all been herded into one corner. Members of Doneiks’ faction had surrounded them. There were a few members of Doneiks’ faction for each one of ours, and they seemed to be giving some kind of speech to our nobles. It was difficult to pick out individual conversations from here, but I could tell they were scheming something big.

  They were purposely doing this out in the open to show that they weren’t afraid of me. Guess I should go stop them. But before I could take a single step, Prince Woroy came up next to me.

  “I see you came, Meraldia’s war hero.”

  “You have my deepest thanks for the invitation, Your Highness.”

  Shit, I can’t leave
a prince behind without it looking rude. Prince Woroy examined the surroundings with a grin.

  “Looks like the party’s getting heated up.”

  “As you say.”

  But as loathe as I was to stay here, I was stuck. Prince Woroy looked down at the nobles belonging to Eleora’s faction and muttered, “The Doneiks family has blackmail material on most nobles. We know which nobles are cheating on their spouses, and which ones indulge in inhumane hobbies. We know who amassed their wealth through illicit means and who has mountains of debt. You get the idea.”

  The nobles in our faction were valuable allies, but they weren’t necessarily good people. For the most part, they were just normal nobles, so it was expected that they had an unsavory secret or two. Even if they didn’t, the Doneiks family had more than enough power and influence to make them defect. They could offer land or treasure as an incentive to switch sides, or simply threaten them into submission. This was quite a predicament. Were this Meraldia, I could simply use my authority to fight back. But in Rolmund, I was an outsider.

  Cold sweat started pouring down my back. Prince Woroy turned to me and said with a serious expression, “If your camp’s folding this easily, then Eleora’s a worthless strategist. You should join me instead. It’ll be best for everyone.”

  Prince Woroy wasn’t being haughty, he truly believed that was the case. While I appreciated the thought, I wasn’t going to join him. Crap, everyone in our faction is starting to look afraid. What kind of dirt did the Doneiks family dig up? While I knew it’d be rude, I had no choice but to go down there myself now. However, Eleora appeared just in time to save me. Since she was the guest of honor, she’d arrived late as per Rolmundian custom. The moment she stepped into the main hall she immediately realized what was going on. Smiling faintly, she surveyed the Doneiks faction nobles.

  “This seems to be quite a lively discussion you have going on. Mind if I join in?”

  Though her tone was mild, Eleora was clearly implying that if the Doneiks nobles didn’t back off she’d eviscerate them. Though she was sixth in line for the throne, she was still an imperial princess. Furthermore, she was also thought to be a master tactician who’d conquered all of Meraldia with just her personal bodyguards. Sure, these nobles had the backing of Lord Doneiks, but even then, they wouldn’t risk offending an imperial princess.

  The nobles who’d surrounded the members of Eleora’s faction slowly backed off. However, not all of them were willing to respect her authority. Like Viscount Schmenivsky, quite a few of them looked down on her. Several of them shot Eleora defiant looks. She examined them coolly and said, “If exchanging words isn’t enough to satisfy you, how about something more hands-on? Our esteemed Astral Fencer, Lord Veight, seems quite bored.”

  Everyone looked up at me. Wait, what? Are you kidding me, Eleora? It seemed Eleora wanted to use me as a threat to keep the Doneiks faction nobles in line. After considering all my options, I ignored Rolmundian manners and leaned against the banister railing. Railings were considered objects to be polished by servants, not supporting structures that were meant to actually be touched by nobles. But I was done being proper. I downed my glass of wine in one gulp and plastered on a feral grin. I was already ignoring courtesy by eating and drinking as much as I wanted, so I might as well lean into it all the way.

  “A duel would certainly spice up this banquet. I’ve been looking for an excuse to go wild without holding back. One gets tired of dueling without spilling blood after a while.”

  I glared down at the nobles who’d tried to challenge Eleora. I’d gotten quite used to putting on the villain act. Bring it. I’ll take you on in anything, from dueling to wrestling to sumo to dodgeball.

  But the nobles who’d been so belligerent moments before meekly turned away upon receiving my glare. The Doneiks faction nobles had been completely cowed. On the other hand, Eleora’s allies all breathed audible sighs of relief.

  Including Viscount Schmenivsky, I’d broken the ribs and knocked out the teeth of any noble who’d dueled me with the intention to kill. Which was why the nobles who actually hated me were quite afraid of me as well. That helped in driving threats like these home. But you know, this makes it sound like I’m some crazed, duel-loving fanatic. Was that really the reputation I wanted to cultivate? Oh, whatever.

  Prince Woroy interrupted the silence by clapping his hands together. He smiled ruefully and said, “While some stimulating swordplay would certainly liven up the party, it won’t do to be rude to Meraldia’s greatest general. Our two nations are friends after all. Musicians, play us ‘The Grapevines of Romka.’”

  The song Prince Woroy had requested was a jaunty tune that was a favorite among commoners. It was often played during the harvest season when wine was being fermented. The frigid atmosphere I’d created relaxed somewhat, and Prince Woroy turned to me with a rueful smile.

  “Please don’t scare them too much. They may be powerless cowards, but our family needs them.”

  Smiling, I bowed to the prince.

  “My apologies, Your Highness. I have an easily misunderstood temperament.”

  “Misunderstood, huh?” Prince Woroy’s smile grew lighter. “In that case, I’d like to see your true colors someday. I’m sure it’d surprise me.”

  For someone who looks like a musclehead, he sure is insightful.

  “Oh yeah, my older brother is here at the party as well. Let me introduce you to him while I’ve still got the chance. Normally he’s away managing his territories. Wait here.”

  Prince Woroy walked off.

  I spent the time he was gone glaring at the Doneiks nobles to make doubly sure they didn’t try anything. Finally, Prince Woroy returned with a bespectacled man. While the newcomer had a similar build and features to the prince, he seemed much more serious. Prince Woroy whispered a few words to him, then walked over to me.

  “Lord Veight, this is my brother, Ivan.”

  “It is an honor to finally meet you, Prince Ivan. I am Veight Gerun Friedensrichter.”

  Ivan nodded solemnly.

  “And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Friedensrichter. This party is being held in your honor. Humble though it may be, please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

  His tone was polite, but also formal and stiff. From his scent, I could tell that he was wary of me. Guess I didn’t leave a very good impression on him. I engaged Prince Ivan in small talk, and after a few minutes of harmless conversation, he excused himself. But before he left, he turned around and said, “My father, Lord Doneiks, was meant to be today’s host, but he suddenly fell ill. He’s resting in his room, but if you’d like I could take you to greet him.”

  I wasn’t too sure what Rolmund’s customs said about a situation like this, but I was pretty sure it was important to greet the host. Chances were Lord Doneiks was plotting something, but I couldn’t refuse a direct request from the prince.

  “Of course. I was hoping for a chance to pay Lord Doneiks my respects.”

  I kept my tone pleasant as I answered. As Lord Doneiks was second in line for the throne, he’d be emperor if anything happened to Prince Ashley. Naturally, this meant all Rolmund assumed he was plotting something. I was inclined to think the same.

  I followed a servant deep into the mansion. The sounds of music and laughter grew distant, replaced by wind rustling through the autumn leaves. This was a quiet part of the mansion. The servant led me to a door, and I knocked.

  “Come in.”

  The calm voice of an old man called out to me. Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the number of hidden guards in the room. The room’s interior was quiet enough that I could pick up on their breathing. It seemed the ostentatious cupboard set against the wall had more space in it than its North Rolmundian construction suggested.

  Most of the remaining wall space was decorated with portraits of what I assumed were past emperors. However, there was a draft coming from behind each painting, suggesting that there was quite a bit of spac
e behind it. The ceiling was slightly lower than it was in the hallway, meaning there was likely a concealed space up there as well. There were a total of eight hidden guards. It appeared Lord Doneiks was quite cautious. I need to be careful not to say anything dumb.

  I analyzed the room in the span of three seconds, then bowed to the lord.

  “My apologies for disturbing your rest. I am a councilor of the Meraldian Federation, Veight Gerun Friedensrichter.”

  A sharp-eyed old man sat behind the one desk in the room. Like his sons, he had a tall frame and impressive muscles. From the looks of it, he was keeping up with his training even now. He had the look of a hardened warrior. The lord eyed me for a few seconds, then got to his feet and bowed his head.

  “Welcome, young Meraldian hero. I am the current head of the Doneiks household, Zweinei Karitov Doneiks Rolmund.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Come closer. The warmth of the fire can’t reach you there.”

  Compared to other Rolmundians I knew, he didn’t seem especially amiable. Nor did he seem particularly persuasive or handsome. But for some inexplicable reason, I felt compelled to listen to him. His words possessed a mysterious power. If it wasn’t for the fact that the flow of mana was still, I would have thought he was using mind control magic. Maybe it was just his force of character, but I hated providing such vague explanations for real phenomena.

  Wary of the guards around me, I slowly made my way over to the fireplace. Here, I picked up the faint scent of blood. The scent was old, but it was definitely human blood. Furthermore, the ground was around two millimeters lower here than it was in the rest of the room. There was clearly some kind of trap laid in this spot. So this is where he assassinates people. Ah well.

  I’d already cast detoxification and arrow warding magic on myself, and I had healing magic prepared in case I needed it. So long as I could avoid my enemies’ initial attacks, I’d be able to transform and knock everyone out with Soul Shaker. If I sucked in a breath while transforming, I could get the spell out in under two seconds. I stood at the center of Lord Doneiks’ kill zone and smiled casually.