The Beginning of Eternity From Black Knight by Ryo Mizuno (1995, Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko)

Chapter 1

The party of knights astride their war-horses followed the road in an orderly fashion. About twenty in number, at their head rode a man with long black hair, clad in night-black armor that seemed to completely absorb the bright sunlight. A large two-handed sword hung from the saddle of his blue-black war-horse. The precise workmanship of the sword-hilt was eye-catching. Farmers working in the fields alongside the road came up to the side of the road and prostrated themselves as the group approached and, praying that no incident would occur, they waited patiently for the group to pass by. They knew that the name of the man at the head of the troop was Ashuram. He was called 'The Black General' and was the one who controlled the force of knights from the empire of Marmo. He was also essentially the ruler of the kingdom of Kannon. Five years had passed since the army of Marmo under emperor Beld occupied the green and prosperous kingdom of Kannon during the previous 'War of Heroes'. The people of Kannon had, by this time, become used to being subjugated and now held no greater wish than that they be allowed to survive. Until the end of the war of heroes, they believed that king Faun of the neighboring kingdom of Vallis would come to rescue them, but the heroic king was defeated in a clash of arms during a magnificent one-on-one battle with Marmo's 'Emperor of Darkness'. The kingdom of Vallis, having lost its king, was thrown into confusion and only recently had its eastern lands begun to recover. The new king Etoh, also called 'The Priest King', declared a holy war in the name of the supreme god Fallis to recover the kingdom of Kannon, but it was unclear just when that would happen. From the war of heroes and the stalemate that continued afterwards, Vallis was greatly exhausted and had no time to launch a campaign to free its neighbor; or so the rumors went. The nobility of Kannon whom its citizens relied upon were all killed during the war of heroes and the whereabouts of the sole survivor, the third prince Leona who had run off before the great war, was not well known. And so, the thought that the domination of Kannon would likely continue forever ran through the minds of the people as they lived out their daily lives. It was an existence gasping from exploitation and subjugation; survival being the only thing of value in the unbearable environment. The black general and his party passed silently in front of the citizens of Kannon. As soon as the group disappeared down the road, the farmers finally lifted their faces. Breathing sighs of relief, they returned to their fieldwork. In previous times, the greater part of their harvest would be their own property but now more than half had to be paid to the empire in taxes. Before their subjugation by Marmo, they could earn money by selling the excess of the harvest but now it was all they could do to hold on to what they needed to eat. Even that was not enough. "The black general seems to be a strict but fair individual" "I heard that if someone breaks the laws he's laid down, be they of Marmo or no, they will be strictly punished." "It seems that a soldier in the capital lost his head for being rude to a lady." As the farmer's whispered to each other, they looked with expectation in the direction the knights took. In that direction was the capital city that bore the same name as the kingdom. In the past five years, the conquerors from Marmo had ruled with terrifying oppression, but at the same time as the black general came and took up the governance, signs of improvement were visible. For the suffering people of Kannon, this was a single ray of hope; the name 'Ashuram' was being spread as the very embodiment of this hope. The farmers returned to their work, praying that their hopes would come to pass. As soon as they had all disappeared into the fields, a woman appeared from the shadow of a small hut by the side of the road. With long, pointed ears, light-black skin and white hair, she was none other than an apparition of the forest, a dark elf. Humans fear this dark race as death itself. In truth, the dark elves are terrifying assassins who make themselves invisible and sneak up on their victims with poison coated daggers. In recent memory, Vallis' court wizard Elum lost his life to such a blade during the war of heroes. The dark elves also destroyed every last village of the elves of light that lived in the forests of Kannon. The once beautiful forests of Kannon lost their beauty and became the "Dark Forests" that the dark elves protect. On the island of Marmo, one third of the land is occupied by such evil forest and is the den of monsters and demons. The woman who appeared from behind the shadow of the hut knew perfectly well what humans thought of her race. She held such humans in contempt. "So that was the black general..." The dark elf named Pirotess softly mumbled, "I'm going to discover just what sort of a person he is." She then began chanting strange sounding words. The instant she finished her spell, she disappeared as though melting into the surrounding scenery. There is an island named Lodoss. It is a border island situated to the south of the continent of Arraycrast. Among the inhabitants of the continent, there are those who call it 'The Accursed Island'. This is because of the impenetrable haunts of wickedness that exist throughout the land and the abominable, constant state of war. The war of heroes, which shook the whole of Lodoss five years earlier, was the embodiment of the name 'Accursed Island'. The forces of the island of darkness led by the dark emperor Beld invaded the kingdom of Kannon and put it under their control. At the same time, in the kingdom of Allania that boasted of a thousand years of prosperity, a disaster struck. King Kadomos was assassinated and his son Duke Lastaa declared that he was the successor. But Count Amoson of Novice, knowing that the assassin was none other than Duke Lastaa, contended the traditional authority of the successor and mustered his forces. Allania was split in two through civil war and soon, in opposition to a dispute that was useless to the populace, the villages and towns in the northern part went so far as to declare their independence. The flames of civil war also burned among the clustered countries of the region of Moss. The city of Venom, known as "The Dragon's Scale", lost its lord Haaken, "The Dragon's Fire", to assassination and the struggle for the rule of Moss began. Other countries crowned in the name of the dragon began fighting for territorial expansion or the conquest of their neighbors. The war of heroes between the armies of Marmo, Vallis and the federation of Flaim fought their final battle on the fields outside of the city of Roid. With the deaths of two heroes who had built an era ,the heroic king Faun of Vallis and the dark emperor Beld of Marmo, the war came to an end. The number of casualties on both sides was incredible and afterwards a condition of stalemate arose. Although skirmishes still occured in territories captured from Vallis five years previous, there were no major battles. However, everyone in Lodoss knew that this was just the 'calm before the storm'. In the near future, a war on the same scale as the war of heroes was certain to come and that unease embraced the inhabitants of Lodoss. The castle of Kannon was built on the outskirts of the capital city. Called "Shining Hill", it was praised as the most beautiful castle in all of Lodoss. But in the last war, meteors summoned from the sky destroyed the castle walls; the white plaster of the castle was completely burned to ashes. The castle was repaired and completely regained its function. Its defensibility was strengthened to many times more than it was before but its former beauty remained lost. Once the sunset reflected off the walls with a shining golden color, now the blackened plaster walls left as they were gave the impression of a ruin where monsters lived. And to the residents of the city, the conquerors from Marmo and monsters were one and the same. The top floor of the four-story castle once housed the king of Kannon and his family. Now it served as private chambers for Ashuram, the black general of the dark knights of the Marmo Empire. From here, Ashuram would hand down orders to the viceroys who were in charge of the various towns and villages in the region. The majority of the taxes of foods and materials obtained from the each area were taken to the port city of Ruudo where they were then sent off to the island of Marmo. Ashuram himself had no interest in wealth but on account of the war that was certain to come, a great amount of wealth was amassed in the castle since, without war funds and food, a war can never be won. Thankfully, because the previous governor's leadership was bad beyond description, just by relaxing a small amount the citizens felt relief. It was not that they were happy with the current lifestyle; they just strongly wished that things would not get any worse. That is how the citizens of Kannon treated the current state of affairs. Fear and Relief, properly applied, was a method of seizing people's hearts that Ashuram was particularly good at. This is an old story, but Ashuram used this same method on the island of Marmo to gather a force of several thousand young soldiers. When Ashuram submitted to Beld, these young people were absorbed into the hero's forces. When Beld completed the unification of Marmo, they became the core of the newly formed black knight corps. At first Ashuram became the captain of the guard and then, after the war of heroes, he became the general of the entire knights corps. Finally, because he was unable to complete a certain task, the council of Marmo demoted him to the level rank of knight's captain. He regained the rank of general during the great defeat on the outskirts of Adan when he guarded the retreat of the Marmo army out of the lands of Vallis, and received the recommendation from the thereafter-distressed knights. But the council did not officially recognize this assumtion of office. The sounds of owls could be heard from outside the open window. The curtains blew lightly in the autumn wind as though the gods of the sky had let out a sigh. Ashuram sat at his desk and lent an ear to the report from a captain of the knights. The first part concerned the maneuvers of the thieving free army of Kannon. The second part was a letter of orders from the council of Marmo. It concerned the dismissal of the council's viceroys in Kannon and their deportation back to the homeland. This was declared to be an act of treason against Marmo. Hearing this, Ashuram gave a cold smile. "Leave off the protests from the council. Without the power of my knights, there's no way they can control Kannon." Ashuram told the captain. After giving the same smile, the captain's expression became hard as he said, "Is there a possibility that they will dispatch assassins?" "They probably will." Ashuram concluded, "If I worried about such things I couldn't call myself the general of the black knights." Upon such an answer, the captain remained trustingly gazing at Ashuram. He saw a man whose white skin brought to mind a wax figure with especially sharp eyes. The line from cheek to chin was thin; he had long black hair and from somewhere came a feminine impression. However, his skill with the sword was undoubtedly the best in the empire and, rumor had it, surpassed everyone on the island of Lodoss. If there were to be anyone to defeat the highly honored "swordmaster", king Kashue of Flaim, it would be none other than the black general or so the rumors went among the young knights. "The problem of the free army of Kannon is more pressing than that of the council I think." "The rumor is that prince Leona has returned and begun to organize. And that the dragon-slaying free knight is also participating..." "The free knight Parn is with Prince Leona?" Ashuram asked the captain if he really thought that was the case. Of course, unable to answer, the captain just shook his head without saying a word. Then, "What does the general think?" Thus parried, Ashuram let out a bitter laugh. Whether it was true or false he obviously did not know which was why he asked the captain's opinion. Folding his arms, he sank into thought. No matter which way, the return of Prince Leona sounded like misinformation. If he were in the place of the prince, just after the fall of Kannon he probably would have appeared in Vallis or Flaim to declare the rightful kingship of Kannon and the retaking of his homeland. To come back to a homeland under occupation and take action to free it would be too dangerous and the chance of success very low. But the free knight Parn was a different story. That knight never took danger into consideration. The free knight didn't want to rescue the kingdom of Kannon but rather the people living there. And to bring this about he would choose the most straightforward method. Ashuram thought that the victory taken by the army of Vallis in the battle around the town of Adan five years before was due to the free knight. It was also the free knight who ruined his attempt to gain the scepter of domination. If he ever met the free knight again, Ashuram was confident that he could defeat him in a one-on-one fight. The battle at Adan was proof of that. But how would this confidence help? The thing to be truly feared about the free knight Parn was that the man would, without fail, achieve the goals he set for himself. At any rate, all Ashuram had to go on was rumors so if it was the case that everything was true... Parn saved of queen Fianna of Vallis when she was kidnapped, he cleansed the god-protector of the fire tribe in Flaim and released of the curse on the storm and fire desert. He set straight the independence movement that centered around the town of Zaxxon in Allania and saved the highland kingdom in Moss from its own destruction. The rumors also said that none of these great deeds were accomplished through the power of the young man named Parn. But always at the heart of these deeds was the free knight Parn. The credibility of the rumors concerning him was in that they never spoke of his birth or raising. It can be thought that a nameless person becoming a legend is proof that they truly did great deeds. That power of action and power of will was a menace to Ashuram to the extent that the problem of the council sending assassins was, in comparison... Furthermore, concerning the council, Ashuram's right-hand man, the sorcerer Glodar, was working on a plan. Left to him there should be no problem. "Shall we organize a suppression force?" The captain suggested but Ashuram quickly shook his head. "First we must gather information. After that we can send out soldiers. Rather, we must get blameless control of the land away from the viceroys. If the people recognize the dominance of Marmo, there won't be any meaning in the name of Leona." "I'll make an effort." The captain answered but his expression was a bit pained. The viceroys in Kannon were not all dark knights; many of them were bound directly to the council. Those viceroys ruled their lands any way they pleased. Those who thought only of fattening their private stores would squeeze the populace as much as possible. Ashuram had planned to firmly confront these individuals but absolute freedom was the doctrine of Fallalis and the state religion of the Marmo Empire. He could not lay down any laws. Because of this it was difficult to keep them to a standard. The last emperor Beld confronted them but in general didn't control them. The people of the empire were permitted all manner of freedoms. Except that attempts to get by through bribery or fraud were severely punished. What Beld wanted was both faithfulness to empire and emperor as well as to display one's own abilities. With only this, it was a miracle that the empire was managed. But the peoples of Marmo worked for the empire with surprisingly submission. Warriors risked their lives to fight; scholars completed their appointed tasks with loyalty. This was all likely due to charisma of emperor Beld. Ashuram was unable to do the same feat. With the power of the dark knights behind him he felt he could do nothing more than control Kannon by enforcing unwritten laws. He couldn't avoid the silent enmity of the council; by controlling the power of the dark knights and the abundance of Kannon, the war had turned a profit. At the same time he was certain that in confirming the subjugation of Kannon, Marmo need not be defeated in the comming war with Flaim and Vallis. Watching the captain respectfully take his leave, Ashuram took a deep breath. In this place there wasn't even time to rest. He thought wistfully of the days when he was captain of the guard. In those times, he only needed to pay close attention in battle and furthermore, emperor Beld was not one of those people who really needed protectors. "Controlling the fiefs is another war to fight." Mumbling as if giving himself orders, Ashuram kicked his chair and stood up.

Chapter 2

Ashuram's private chamber was once the living room of the king of Kannon. It was an ornate room fit to be a receiving hall but Asuram, keeping no guards or ladies in waiting, lived in it by himself. He felt more relaxed that way. Ashuram moved the short distance down the hall from his business office to his private room. When he opened the door, the room was completely dark. Since there was nothing he cared about to be stolen from the room, he had even left it unlocked. "Light," he spoke in low ancient while entering the room. Responding to his voice, a bluish-white light appeared from here and there in the room. It was a magic light. Of course, Ashuram hadn't cast a magic spell; he had made use of the magic power of some tresures that had been constructed in the ancient kingdom of magic, Kastuul. Using to the common laguange of Kastuul called 'low ancient', a magical light could be turned on or, in reverse, the room could be sent in to darkness at a whim. It is told that many of these treasures were found in the ruins of the ancient kingdom but to have gathered so many in one place must have cost an incredible fortune. It was a useless luxury when lighting a lamp would have served just as well but since there was no need for lamp oil, Asuram continued to use the magic lights. He was tired in body and mind. His hands seemed to slip on the fittings of his armor that was nicknamed "Shadow Wielder". Finally removing the armor, he put it on the human-shaped stand by the side of his bed. It was at this point that Ashuram noticed that there was something different in the air about the room. It was an unpleasant feeling as though some strange thing had coiled itself around his neck. "So soon..." Ashuram thought. Someone was hidden in the room; probably an assassin sent by the council. It did not feel like anyone was hiding in the shadows; the intruder was invisible. Not an assassin from the thieves' guild then, it must be a dark elf who had intruded using the spirit-magic spell 'invisibility'. But even if the elf could hide its form, it couldn't conceal its presence. If it had been an assassin dispatched from the thieves' guild, adept at hiding its presence, it would probably have been much more difficult to sense. Ashuram, in complete silence, lay down on his bed. He even tossed his personal dagger from the bed onto the desk that sat a across the room. If he gave the intruder an opening, he would sure to use it to attack. Ashuram boldly tried to fall asleep. Even if he fell asleep, he felt confident he would awake if he felt the presence of someone else. This was a reflex he had acquired by being raised on the dark island of Marmo; the enemy would almost certainly underestimate him. With a word of low ancient, the light in the room ceased. If the intruder had used a spell to hide himself, it would not matter whether the light was on or off. Ashuram soon fell asleep. How long he slept, he didn't know but when he awoke, he felt the presence of someone moving close. That the assassin had underestimated him was evident from the artless movements he could sense. The presence came as close as the bed and he heard the quiet sound of a breath being drawn. The instant the sound stopped, Ashuram rolled sideways from the direction the sound came. There was a wind-slashing sound as something came down and then the sound of something tearing the bed sheets. Ashuram threw his arms up and, feeling them hit something, he quickly grabbed it. He soon discovered it was someone or something's arm. Pulling it down, he threw the assassin onto the bed. The assassin flipped over and landed on his back on the bed, letting out a short groan as if short of breath. Ashuram searched for the assassin's wrists and, gathering his strength, twisted, forcing it to drop the weapon it still held. "Light!" Shouting in low ancient, the room was filled with light. The form of the assassin appeared but unaccustomed to the bright light, Ashuram could not completely make out who or what it was. The counterattack came during this opening. A sharp kick came at his head that he defended with his free arm, his trained muscles completely stopping the impact of the kick. He could tell that the assassin had very fast movements but wasn't very strong; the wrist he held was as thin as a stick. Once again twisting the assassin's wrist, Ashuram rolled his opponent over on its face and, grabbing its neck, he stopped its struggling. The assassin twisted its body in effort to free itself but Ashuram applied pressure to seal its movement. "If you keep moving like that, I'll break your arm," Ashuram said in a commanding voice. Whether or not the threat was taken, the assassin became quiet. As he thought, it was a dark elf. Sharp pointed ears poked out of long white hair. It was wearing clothes that were the same as its hair but the skin of its arms and legs were light black as though tanned. Removing his hand from the assassin's neck, Ashuram picked up the dagger that was stuck into the bed. The blade looked as though it was poisoned as it was covered in a sickly green slimy fluid. He had heard that the poisoned blades that the dark elves use could kill even from a light wound. In the last great war, many of the enemy's men had died on account of those blades. "Turn over," Ashuram commanded sharply. Ashuram held the dagger level with the assassin's throat. With a shake of its shoulder's, the dark elf assented. As if rolling over in sleep, the dark elf turned over. "Hmmm," seeing the face, Ashuram unthinkingly spoke. This assassin was a woman. She was wearing clothing that was wide open at the chest. From the valley between her breasts to her navel, bare skin could be seen. For a dark elf, she was quite well endowed. Even lying face up as she was, her breasts had not lost their shape, facing the sky as if in challenge. Ashuram had no memory of this woman's face. They were people from the same empire. The dark elf population wasn't all that large so he thought he would be able to discover who it was if he saw the face. The woman lifted her head and glared at Ashuram's face in hatred, her eyes burning like fire. He found this strange. Assassins took a life because they were following orders. But what was this woman's story? She seemed to be carrying out a personal vendetta. Ashuram had no idea why. He hadn't much worked together with the dark elves. He hadn't killed or insulted one either. "Your name?" Ashuram asked. The woman turned her head in refusal to answer. "What is your name?" He pressed. He used a restrained tone of voice but its sharpness pierced the heart of his opponent. In an instant, the dark elf hardened her face and looked back at Ashuram, gritting her teeth in an attempt to avoid looking awestruck. "I'm only going to ask this once more. What is your name?" "Pirotess..." The woman finally answered. It was a name he had not heard of. "Are you going to kill me? Or are you going to rape me?" "Sorry, but I don't take women un-freely seeing as how the nobles of Kannon fight to send me their daughters." Those daughters were being held as hostages and put into service as ladies in waiting at the castle. Among them were also those who became mistresses to the knights of Marmo. Ashuram had, on occasion, spent the night with one he liked. "Then kill me now! I'm not going to talk." "It doesn't matter if you don't. It's self-evident who sent you." "Well then..." "I'm not going to kill you." Having said this, Ashuram took the dagger he held in his hand and tossed it at a painting on the opposite wall. There was a short, dull sound and the dagger stood out from the picture. "That was foolish...If I get the chance, I'll come after you again." "Do as you like. If I kill you, they'll just send someone else and the new assassin isn't likely to be as unskilled as you are." Apparently insulted, the dark elf's eyes narrowed, "I wonder." Without batting an eyebrow, Ashuram pointed at the window. The dark elf named Pirotess, with a contemptuous expression, rolled off the bed to stand on the floor. From there, rather than run to the window, she made a light jump. This was the fourth floor, but two floors below there was a wide terrace that came from the reception hall so the height wasn't all that great. With the light body of a dark elf, she would be able to easily jump down. When the dark elf had gone, Ashuram once again turned off the light and lay down on his bed. This was amusing entertainment but if it happened every day, it could get to be quite tiresome. But he knew it wouldn't help the problem in any way if he removed the assassin. All he could do was try to convince the council it was not profitable to send them. In a tree in the middle of the garden in the castle of Kannon, Pirotess looked up at the window that she had just jumped out of. The light that had been on a moment ago went off and the room was once again in darkness. But the window had been left open and she saw the curtains blow in the night wind as though taken in hand. She smacked the trunk of the tree with a clenched fist. She wanted to let out a heart-rending scream. The assassination was a complete failure. She didn't think the man had noticed her. She was sure he was asleep. But when she brandished her poisoned dagger and brought it down, the black general moved as though he was waiting for it. "Kill the traitorous black general..." She recalled the voice of Lusev, her chief, "you must avenge your brother on this hateful man." Pirotess' brother, Astall, went with Ashuram on the journey to find the treasure of the ancient kingdom of magic, the scepter of domination. But Ashuram failed in his quest. Beginning with her older brother, all of the heroes who set out with Ashuram lost their lives. The only two to flee home were the mage, Glodar, and Ashuram who had led them. Failure was of course, unrewarded. Glodar's master, the court wizard Vagnaard, laid a 'guise' spell on his once top student thus sealing his magic. Glodar was then punished by expulsion from the wizards at court. The council decided to demote Ashuram from general to common captain. However, the knights suffered a terrible defeat at the town of Adan and the newly appointed general was killed in the battle. Taking advantage of the confusion, Asuram took up the role without the council's permission. This was high treason. Over and over, the council had ordered him to turn over the position to a new general under council orders. But Ashuram wasn't going to follow those orders. He took away all those whom the council had dispatched to Kannon and sent them back to the island of Marmo. It was as though he was behaving as an emperor himself. This was akin to civil war. And so, chief Lusev ordered Pirotess to assassinate the man. She must kill the one whose lack of ability drove her brother Astall to his death. "The man is supposed to be inept?" Pirotess asked herself. If that was the case, what was she who was handily dealt with by this man? She recalled her fight with the black general. She knew she was weaker than a human, but she was confident that a human's speed was trifling compared to hers. But the man had not left her much of any openings to counterattack. She was clumsily held down and even given compassion. Rumor had it that it was a favor from emperor Beld that made Ashuram the captain of his guard but she had heard that he was the first or second best swordsman in the empire. Rumors were just that: Some good, some bad. If she was to decide from the previous combat, she felt that the rumors that praised the man were closer to the truth. "Astall..." Pirotess tried to call her brother's name. Among the tribe of dark elves, he was the closest behind the chief in using spirit-magic. He was also a warrior. When she heard her brother had perished at Mount Firedragin, Pirotess had shed tears for the first time in her life. If he was overpowered and died, there was nothing to for it. But if the cause of her brother's death was, as the chief said, due to the ineptitude of the black general, it was absolutely unforgivable. "What will I do now...?" She asked herself. The face of the black general appeared again in her head. He had black hair, white skin, and a well-proportioned face that overflowed with dignity. He didn't even show signs of perturbation that someone was trying to kill him. Even without speaking, his power of coercion could take one's breath away. Her pride would not allow her to return to her chief and report failure. "I'll wait for a chance and finish the job." Pirotess decided in her heart. But first, in order to do that, she would need to know much more about the man.

Chapter 3

"...It seems the return of prince Leona is no mistake." The captain said in conclusion after delivering a brief report. Under Ashuram' orders to investigate, this young captain had, several days earlier, went out to painstakingly gather information. The information was well organized so Ashuram was, for the most part, able to comprehend the true nature of the Free Army of Kannon. Just where the free knight Parn and prince Leona met up he didn't know. It seems they had gained the support of the highwaymen who had a fortress in the mountains of Kannon. And so they were making a stand for the freedom of the citizens of Kannon. Surprisingly, the method they were using was to make those citizens flee Kannon to other countries. It was not natural to think that those people who lived on the produce of the earth would abandon that lifestyle. But their faith in prince Leona seemed to have given them resolve. The fleeing people of Kannon went to develop the lands recently annexed to Flaim called "The Dragon's Hunting Grounds". Then when prince Leona retakes the throne, they would return to Kannon. In preparation for that time, a ledger was carefully made to record which person owned what land. "Well done," Ashuram gave the captain a word of thanks. "I thought perhaps that free knight was using the name of Leona." The free knight had many companions. Ashuram knew that among them was the magic user called "the northern sage", a man who was the leader of the independence movement in Allania and a talented graduate of the Institute of the Wise. He was also an excellent war councilor. At the battle of Adan, while the Marmo army was defeated by the ineptness of general Jadd, they also fell under the plans of that man. They dressed a group up to look like the king's entourage, forcing the attack of the dark elf assassins. They destroyed the greater part of those forest warriors. Then, to give the impression that the assassination had been successful, they wore badges of mourning during the final battle. Ashuram couldn't see this as a plan of the army of Vallis. The army of Marmo, thinking that the soldiers of Vallis would be in low spirits after the loss of their king, was devastated by the power of fearless soldiers under the spell "Holy War". The residents of Adan also revolted and the army of Marmo was obliged to retreat. If the free knight and prince Leona were indeed working together, it could be quite a threat. "What should we do?" The soldier politely asked for a decision. "What sort of man is prince Leona?" Ashuram asked in return. Ashuram had personally seen an end to the royal family of Kannon. There was no longer anyone of them who would take up a weapon to fight back. There were only those who would kill themselves or else take up their fate as it was. There were also those who would give up their property and beg for their lives. Clearly prince Leona was not one of them. "It is said that there is no one in the kingdom who can match prince Leona's skill with a sword." "There were rumors that the mercenary king Kashue of Flaim might actually be prince Leona." At the name of Kashue, Ashuram's face hardened. At the battle at Mount Firedragon, Ashuram fought a one-on-one battle with Kashue and was completely defeated. The mercenary king Kashue was the man who had used a cowardly tactic to defeat emperor Beld. But there was no lie in his nickname "the sword master". He had heard that Kashue was undefeated in combat with a sword and it was most likely true. If he fought Kashue again, he wasn't confident he would win. "At any rate, make a report to the council. I don't think they will overlook this." At Ashuram's word, the captain made an odd expression, "Aren't we going after them?" "Since we don't even know where our opponent is, if we just sent men out into the hills, we would gain nothing. If we react nervously, it will be thought that Leona is getting what he wants. Right now, the people of Kannon are without hope. The feel their only choice is to submit to our domination. If we make them think that, we win. I suppose the name Leona is hope, but it is but a thin and untrustworthy hope. We who govern are the fact before their eyes. If we just improve conditions of government even a small amount, it will be us raher than Leona that the people cling to." "So the people will call lord Ashuram king then." The captain said with a wave of his hand. This wasn't flattery; it came from the bottom of his heart. "I don't know who will be called what. But I am no more than a servant of the empire of Marmo in charge of governing Kannon." Ashuram said after an instant's glance at the corner of the room. "The council does not have the power to maintain the empire. An empire needs an emperor. If it were lord Ashuram..." "I am not able to surpass the previous emperor. As long as I am unable to surpass him, I do not plan to be emperor. If I assumed the title of emperor, the Marmo Empire would be in civil war. That would give Kashue and Etoh a chance to invade." "Then what should..." The captain said, bowing. "We can only wait for a hero to appear." Ashuram said simply, "For one who is worthy of my sword." "That's hopeless," the captain displayed a bitter expression. "If I were you, I would be looking to be emperor." It was a spiteful remark but Ashuram, not angry, answered with a bitter laugh, "At any rate, it is more important to save the country's strength than to fight; so as not to give Leona the opening he needs." "Understood. The dark knights are hot-blooded impetuous but I will control them somehow. At any rate I will command in the name of lord Ashuram to govern without fault." "Do so." The captain bowed politely and left in a hurry. "...More important to save the country's strength then to fight hmm. That's not at all the words I'd expect from the general of the dark knights." A voice came suddenly from the corner of the room. It was the place Ashuram had glanced at earlier. In the corner stood a wide pillar. A woman appeared from behind it. It was Pirotess. After her failure to dispatch Ashuram several nights earlier, she had spent every moment lurking by his side. Some times she would use magic to hide herself, at other times she would hide behind objects and conceal her breathing. Of course, Ashuram knew all about this, but he did nothing. It wouldn't be difficult to kill her but even if he did, all that would happen is a new assassin would come. "Did you say you had no will to become emperor because I was hiding here?" Pirotess asked caustically. "No way, right? I just said what I felt. If you don't believe me, report what you want. It doesn't matter what the council thinks of me. I just don't want them getting in the way. All I want to do is let the empire that Beld made prosper. I believe that would be profitable for the council as well." "That's commendable..." Pirotess said with a spiteful smile, folding her arms and leaning against the pillar. "Anybody who thinks about it would understand. Will Vallis or Flaim let be the empire of Marmo that has grown so fat? At some point there will certainly be a war. When that happens, if we are fighting amongst ourselves, we will have no chance of success." "If you think that way, then why not step down as the council has ordered?" "I had planned to, but there were a bunch of people who wouldn't let me. Not only that but the dark nights chosen by the council are all inept. I don't want to repeat in this country what happened at Adan in Vallis." The general that the council had set to govern the very front lines in the city of Adan was a knight by the name of Jadd. A man whose only claim was great strength, the only thought in his mind was to fatten his purse. He failed to govern the town of Adan, drove its citizens to rebellion and through his foolish command, lost the war. The dark knights that the council took in were all like that. The council was probably trying to put the dark knights under its own control but the result was the loss of territory taken a great cost during the great war. Once all of Lodoss was unified, the struggle for control could take its time. "Emperor Beld conquered the empire through fear. But you want to govern more like Etoh or Kashue so you don't keep evil people about you." "That's absurd. Can an empire be controlled by fear alone? Emperor Beld conquered because he was a true hero. The court wizard Vagaard, the Demon Chief Luzeb, the Cardinal of Darkness Shoedel all pledged their loyalty to the emperor. But it was not because they were afraid of him; it was because they admired him. I pray that some of the loyalty given to the emperor will appear in the empire these days." "So why don't you fight? Defeat the council and become emperor. Then you can make the empire the way you want." Pirotess said with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, as I said a moment ago, I have no wish to become emperor. If a hero appears that can surpass emperor Beld, I will gladly pledge my loyalty to him. This is not a lie, it is my true feeling." "...What a strange man. You'll be swept away by those humans who want to gain power." "I'm a human who prefers battle to governing a country. And I would rather swing a sword than lead a war. When my opponent spills blood and falls to the ground, that is when I feel victory." "Would a human like that give the orders you just gave?" "I'll decide what I like an dislike if everything works out." "I wonder if it will..." After saying this Pirotess cut off and shot a glance at the door. Then, turning towards the opened window she ran out. Outside the window was a small veranda. Of course, Ashuram had also noticed. Someone was approaching the room. "You can do what you like but don't underestimate me. You may have defeated me before but the same won't happen again next time." "You should also take care. Don't think I will always let you live." There was no answer from the dark elf girl. Just a breath of wind coming through the opened window that made a circuit around Ashuram's office and once again returned outside. Just after the sound of knocking came at the door to the room and without waiting for Asuram's response, a man in dark green robes entered the room. Upon entering, he looked around the room. "I thought there was someone in the room but..." The man said as he moved in front of Ashuram. The man's name was Glodar. Previously he was the top student of the court wizard Vagnaard but now his magic was sealed and he stayed at Ashuram's side. His wisdom and great knowledge was vital to the governing of the kingdom of Kannon. "It must be your imagination." Ashuram answered shortly. Glodar's face twisted in undisguised doubt as he looked at Ashuram, but he did not pursue the matter any further. Instead, he changed the subject. "Please set out some personal guards. Don't underestimate the council, or rather lord Vagnaard." "There's no need. Thinking of the betrayal of such guards, the end result is still dangerous." "That is true but..." Glodar said with a bitter smile. I was hard for a person of Marmo to expect loyalty. Temptation by greed or the menace of power could easily change one's heart. Ashuram's strength was undoubtable. But if he were to be attacked by great numbers then he couldn't escape a hard battle. That would be the time personal guards would be useful. "I don't want to speak anymore of that matter. Rather, I would hear your reason for bringing it up." "You are very perceptive." Glodar said with satisfaction, "I have information that a group of Dark Elves and mercenaries hired by the council have landed at the port of Ruudo." "How many?" "More than thirty. I ordered a spy to tail them but that spy seems to have vanished." "What did they come for..." Ashuram mumbled to himself. Did they come to, as expected, put an end to him? Until the dark knights corps had been diluted, the council probably wanted to put them under its administration. "Then, what is the status of the homeland? You've contacted the council I presume." "Of course. Some of my students are still members of the court wizards. Vagnaard only sealed my magic; he didn't punish me further than that." As if afraid of the surroundings, Glodar moved close to Ashuram's ear, "I met with Vagnaard and negotiated with him to try and gain your acceptance in the council. Vagnaard took no particular exception to that, rather he will convince those who are more vigorously opposed." "The Black Wizard will?" Glodar's words were so unexpected that Ashuram spoke without thinking. "I don't think he's worried about the future of the Marmo Empire. It's just that it would be troublesome if it were destroyed to soon. In order to carry out his own plans, he will protect the empire that is his defense." Glodar went on to say that Vagnaard was preparing something as part of his plan. "The search for the Scepter of Domination was also part of this..." The orders that Vagnaard gave Glodar were, on the surface, to capture the Scepter of Domination but the true orders were to bring back the crown jewel of the ancient kingdom, the "Crystal Sphere of Souls". The "Crystal Sphere of Souls" was under the protection of the water dragon Eibra who lived on Blue Dragon Island. After a fierce battle they defeated the dragon and, as ordered, Glodar obtained the Crystal. However, a fairy of the plains made off with it. "I don't know what he is planning to do with the Crystal Sphere of Souls but it is clear that it is not for the sake of the empire. It is likely it is useful only to further his own purposes." Glodar respected Vagnaard highly but he wasn't about to throw his life away needlessly. In serving the Black Wizard, because he believed it would profit him, he pledged his loyalty and risked danger. But from that incident, he lost that belief. So even if his magic was sealed and he was exiled, it wasn't all that painful. In Ashuram, he had found a new master to serve and had even begun to think that things were better this way. "In other words, on the surface, we can consider Vagnaard to be one of our allies?" "In general, he cannot be trusted but..." Glodar then went on to report that Vagnaard was preparing to visit the castle. "Vagnaard is coming here?" Ashuram was surprised. If things went badly, there was a chance the man would be assassinated. Of course, to kill a wizard of Vagnaard's level was no ordinary matter... "It's a public visit so, if you receive him the council will recognize you." "So you're telling me to make contact with the Black Wizard? To give him flattering smiles..." Ashuram wrinkled his face in disgust, "I don't think this will signal an end to the conflict with the council. The one who wants me out of the way is Vagnaard is it not?" "I hear the Dark Elves' chief Luuseb is an extremist. He's also ostensibly a leader of the dark knights corps. The high priest of the god of darkness is the same as always." "'Do the things you want to do'...right?" "Yes, thus the high priest is doing what he wants." "I wonder just what that is," Ashuram snorted. The priest Shoedel was one of those unreadable characters. On the surface he showed no signs of movement, but there was no telling what strings he was pulling underneath. "All right. You've bent considerable effort to bring things this far. I will receive the Black Wizard at this castle. He's coming at risk of danger as well. I'll show him curtsey and entertain him as he wishes. Only, this is Vagnaard. He is probably laid some trap. Don't let your guard down." "I know what I'm doing. Lord Ashuram, you should also be mindful of your surroundings." Glodar said this as he took his leave. But Ashuram didn't seem to notice. He sank deep into his and looked as though be contemplating something. "My, my..." Glodar sighing left Ashuram's office and began walking down the thick carpet that was laid down the hallway, his long robes making a soft slipping sound as he went. Glodar grumbled, "You're still trying to be the captain of Beld's guards aren't you" and then he abruptly stopped walking. A smile appeared on his face. "I get it, then that should be just fine." Thus mumbling to himself, Glodar set off in a hurry.

Chapter 4

Ashuram headed towards the city followed by a few tens of knights. The night sky was alight with fire making it easy to tell where to go. Cries of terror mix with roars of fury could be heard. Although there were but few knights behind Ashuram, they were all elite members of the dark knights; even if they were outnumbered five to one, they would likely be a match for their enemy. Once prince Leona and the free knight Parn were out of the way, the remainder would be just a collection of thugs. If he brought prince Leona's head before the council, he could heal their wounded trust in him. It was a chance to eliminate the internal struggle with one blow and Ashuram was not going to overlook it. He contemplated a plan that would cut off the Free Army's means of escape, leading to their complete destruction. The battleground was located in the northwestern part of the city. This area once housed the royal families of Kannon and many of the mansions there were currently in use by the knights of Marmo. Most of them were away at the border leaving only their families and servants. Several of the mansions were ablaze. Forms of people fleeing in confusion could be seen and the spirited shouts of men could be heard. "Look Sharp!" Ashuram ordered and split the knights into three groups. Sending each in a different direction with the intention of preventing any escape from the city. Ashuram, taking the shortest route, went straight for the enemy. The enemy soldiers soon became visible. They each carried a sword in one hand and a torch in the other. There were also those equipped with fire arrows. "Prepare yourselves!" Ashuram unfastened the sheath of "Soul Crusher" and brandished its black blade above his head. Then he began his attack. "It's the dark knights!" one of the enemy soldiers yelled in warning but in the next instant, his head was severed by Ashuram's sword. "Forward and attack!" several soldiers came running out of a nearby door. They all wore armor and carried swords and shields. For ex-highwaymen, they were considerably well armed. Ashuram searched about for signs of the Free Knight. So doing, he had pushed ahead alone and they pursued him en masse. Controlling his horse with one hand, he cut down the enemy with "Soul Crusher". One by one the enemy fell in fountains of blood. The other knights came up and the battle quickly became a free-for-all. Ashuram, swinging his sword to the left and right proceeded to dispatch the enemy soldiers. However, the enemy's numbers were greater than he had expected. From here and there, new enemy soldiers appeared. "Seems these guys aren't the Free Army..." Ashuram came to this conclusion sometime during the fighting. He remembered the face of one of the fallen enemy soldiers. The man was a lesser noble of Kannon who had approached Ashuram to curry favor. Ashuram had ignored him but he did take the man's bribe. "Perhaps a discontented noble?" Ashuram said with contempt. He had taken a policy of generosity towards those nobles who pledged their submission, going as far as to organize a squad of dark knights from the former knights of Kannon and had even planned on promoting the proficient among them. But he had no use for sneaking, incompetent individuals. He had confiscated their assets one by one and deprived them of their qualifications as knights. The rebels were probably these ruined nobles and knights along with their servants. Ashuram had taken precautions but he never thought they would rise in armed rebellion. Perhaps he had underestimated them; or rather someone had incited them to it. "Whoever they are, take them alive!" Ashuram ordered his knights. "Understood" A young knight brought his horse close and bowed deeply. The young man's sword and armor were covered in the enemy's blood. He must have defeated quite a few opponents. His own body showed signs of wounds. "Don't overdo it." "And here I thought I was being too lazy." The young man sported a fearless smile. "Ah, that's a hard punishment. Well then, act as you wish!" "Right!" The young knight gripped his horse's reins close and headed directly into the midst of the enemy. It was a reckless act rather than a heroic one but everyone has such times when that is the only way to fight. Among those men, the ones who live through those times are those who will go down in history as heroes. Those that lose their lives remain reckless men. It was of course a hard battle but there was a feeling that they were driving the enemy. It was somewhat of a risk to have divided the knights into three groups but it was obvious that the enemy was surrounded. The guards that were scattered about the city were also gathering. Ashuram's "Soul Crusher" searched for new victims, as he pressed further forward with his horse. He had no wish to let anyone involved in this rebellion survive. Those who were captured would be questioned, made to tell everything and then executed publicly in the city square. Everyone living in Kannon must be taught the foolishness of raising a sword against the empire of Marmo. It was just when Ashuram had defeated a man on horse who appeared to be a leader when he felt the presence of a group of soldiers approaching from behind. Thinking the guards had finally shown up, he turned around. But he soon discovered that he was mistaken. He then discovered something else: That he had been led into a trap. It wasn't the guards who had arrived. It was a group of irregularly armed mercenaries. It was quite easy to tell who had hired them. "The black sorcerer!" Ashuram cried out in anger. They were surrounded, sandwiched in front and behind. He had never expected that enemy reinforcements would arrive instead of his own troops. The enemy mercenaries appeared to be quite experienced. Their number exceeded twenty men, enough to make it hard to get past. Further, among them were those carrying pikes, ready for an attack by horses. "Reinforcements?" A knight came up and shook his head in disbelief. "You men concentrate forward only. I'll take care of these guys." "But..." "If you can't follow orders, I'll take your head! While I defend you, cut a path through!" "Understood" answering in a shaky voice, the knight rode his horse forward. "Now, come! I don't know how much you were hired for but my neck isn't bought so cheaply!" He had just been fighting but he wasn't as exhausted as one might expect. Perhaps the Soul Crusher, in sucking up the souls of its poor victims gave some of their power to its wielder. "I'll let you eat all the souls you want!" Ashuram whispered to the magical black blade and cautiously moved his horse forward. The enemy also showed no signs of rushing forward; they slowly closed the distance. "...Sylph, maiden of freedom" Suddenly, from nearby echoed the sound of a spell. The air around Ashuram suddenly twirled with wind. Instinctively, he turned his sword in the direction of the voice. A dark shadow moved. A single dark elf jumped from the top of the wall to the ground. "What are you..." It was the dark elf woman, Pirotess. By the light of the fires, her hair was like the sunset. "I've repaid my debt" she said. At the same time, with a wind-slashing sound, daggers came flying from all directions. Ashuram was able to block two of them with his sword but there was no way to defend against those that remained. However, Just before they reached his body, the daggers suddenly changed direction. "The protection of Sylph? You did this?..." The unexpected developments continued. Ashuram was completely confused. But with the enemy mercenaries attacking, he was too busy fighting back to think about it. He had no idea what she was planning but it seemed that Pirotess was going to protect him. "Pirotess, have you betrayed us?!" came a voice from the darkness. "The black general is My revenge for my brother! I won't let you have him!!" Pirotess yelled, jumping up on the wall and scanning the area. Ashuram clearly heard the words 'revenge for my brother'. Of course he had no idea what that meant since he had never killed a dark elf. But he finally came to understand the reason for the hate in her eyes that time she had failed to kill him. What a wet blanket. It was probably Luuseb who set her to it; or perhaps Vagnaard. "Leave quickly! If you don't, you'll have to face the dark knight reinforcements. And you will also have to fight me!!" Pirotess continued to yell. Praying that this had interrupted their plan of action, Ashuram became aware of several people moving into the darkness from the shadows of the buildings. They probably expected the mercenaries to be able to complete the task without help. Pirotess' words were nothing but a threat. Almost all the dark knights were out at the border of Vallis. There weren't even any reserves. Ashuram expended all his energy fighting the hopeless battle with the mercenaries since, at this point, there was no longer anywhere to escape. But he was prepared to fight until the last. He had absolutely no fear of death. Instead, his power overflowed and his blood boiled. The knowledge that he was a soldier ran deep. "And that is why I'm not fit to be an emperor!" He told himself in his heart. Ashuram was convinced that the destruction of the Marmo Empire was at hand. Although the true enemy lay in the direction of the desert, all it had were evil men who lay traps such as these to rid themselves of interferences. Presently, a well-remembered voice rode in on the wind. It seemed to be saying 'Lord Ashuram'. "Glodar?" Ashuram was beyond being surpised. The situation was changing by the instant and he was all that remained. He was just desperately fighting the enemies before his eyes... "Lord Ashuram!" the voice came again and this time Ashuram heard it clearly. It was a yell but he was certain it was Glodar. And mixed with that voice came the sounds of hoof beats. "Its the dark knight reinforcements!" someone yelled behind the mercenaries. The mercenaries in front were clearly shaking. "I told you. If you didn't leave quickly, it would be too late." Priotess echoed with a high-pitched laugh. The mercenaries began to flee as though they had heard the laugh of the angel of death. At this point Ashuram had no strength left to pursue them. When he finally took notice, he realized the sounds of fighting behind him had ceased. The discontented nobles of Kannon had been overpowered. Shortly, Glodar appeared, bringing with him with some twenty knights. Each knight had the same design emblazoned on his shield. It was the symbol of Ashuram's family from the time when they were nobles in Allania. "What sort of plan is this?" Ashuram asked of Glodar who had ridden close. The knights took up position if four rows and made their horses stand still. They were all young men. The captain who had been so helpful in the investigation of the Free Army of Kannon was also among them. "I thought I would organize a group of bodyguards. If my eyes do not decieve me, they won't try to back out of any dangerous situation. But it should be remembered that they'll only do this because they believe it will profit them. If they decide that Lord Ashuram is not a dependable man, they will surely become assassins themselves." "Jut like yourself eh? I would rather trust that sort of submission than blind devotion." Glodar bowed deeply, "I'm glad you're safe". "I owe you one." "Don't mention it. You can just return it with high interest..." Ashuram laughed bitterly and turned his back. There was one more person who had loaned with high interest. Pirotess could still be seen on top of the wall. The buildings that had been set ablaze had mostly burned out and the area was dark so her expression could not be determined. "There's one thing I want to ask you." Pirotess asked finally. "About your brother? What was his name?" "Astal..." Of course he remembered his name and he also understood that Pirotess labeled him as the object of revenge for her brother. "Astal's younger sister? When did you become our ally..." Glodar leveled a meaningful glance at Ashuram. "Not an ally. I helped only because I wanted to personally take revenge for my brother's death." "Take...revenge? On Lord Ashuram?" "Isn't it so? You're called Glodar aren't you? You also took part in the journey to recover the Scepter of Domination. I want to know. How did my brother die? Was it because he was overpowered? Or was it due to Ashuram's incompetence?" "What will you do with this knowledge?" Ashuram took a step forward. "If my brother died because of your incompetence, I'll kill you!" Pirotess said, jumping to the ground. "Astal was killed by the mercenary king Kashue and his followers. I'm sorry, but I did not see him meet his end. I did not think such a skilled shaman could be killed." "Why didn't you die?" Pirotess asked with a reproachful glance at Glodar. "Because I lost. The opponent I fought was a skilled sorcerer. I have recently learned he is called 'The Northern Sage'." Pirotess was also familiar with Slayn, 'The Northern Sage'. "When I knew I was defeated, I fled by magic. Of course I valued my life, but I also had another objective..." "What was that?" Pirotess asked silently. "To save Lord Ashuram..." Glodar answered with some hesitation towards Ashuram. Ashuram kept silent, not even moving an eyebrow. "At the time, I foresaw that Kashue and his party would prevail so I used a teleportation spell to return to the home island of Marmo. I then used the powerful return spell that had been prepared to bring me back. I arrived just in the nick of time but I was able to achieve my objective." "If Ashuram would have been defeated by Kashue, isn't that incompetence? So why did you want save him?" "To tell you the truth, I don't really know. However, at the time, I was clearly moved by the impulse that I must do it; that the loss of this man would be highly unprofitable for both the Marmo Empire and for myself." "...I don't understand." Pirotess shook her head violently as though trying to get rid of something, "Even now in this trap he was about to lose his life." "I know it. If only he had listened to my council..." Glodar cast a side-glance at his lord. Ashuram's expression was completly motionless. It was as though he was hearing judgment passed on some other person. "Even so, I came to his aid. And so did these young knights behind me and most likely, your brother Astal would have as well..." "You say my brother would have come?" Glodar nodded silently, lifted his head up at the smoke filled sky and nodded many times. He then returned his gaze to Pirotess. "The search for the Scepter of Domination was a series of hard battles. There was the fight with the ancient dragon and we often crossed swords with Kashue and his party. I was participating in the mission on orders from my lord Vagnaard. Astal was no doubt there on orders from chief Luuseb. The dark cleric Gahbera was there on instructions from his order. Only the barbarian woman Smedie from the forest of darkness was Ashuram's servant..." "I know all that." Pirotess interupted in irritation. "But what you probably don't know is that during the journey, we each developed a sort of companionship. It's embarrassing to speak of, but from the point after we defeated the water dragon Eibra, we were only thinking of successfully completing the mission. We believed that if Ashuram were to obtain the Scepter of Domination, the age of the empire of Marmo would be at hand. For that purpose, I even discarded the secret mission given to me by my lord Vagnaard. I was properly rewarded though..." Glodar then told how he was put under the 'Guise' spell by Vagnaard and became unable to use magic. "I escaped by magic but Astal must have fought to the last to protect Ashuram. And I don't think he regretted doing so..." "Lies!! Do you think I'd believe that!" "There's no need to believe it. Astal and the others died because I was incompetent. That is certain." Ashuram finally spoke. "Not just Lord Ashuram, we were all overpowered. We all lost to the Mercenary King Kashue, the Northern Sage and the Free Knight." Glodar clenched his fist tightly as he remembered the humiliation of the event. "But we did not intend to remain the losers. We would be the victors in the coming great war and all of Lodoss would be part of the empire of Marmo. And we believed that the only one capable of bringing this about was the Black General himself..." Ashuram pulled on his reins, turning his horse's head. "I'm returning to the castle. I'm tired of listening to Glodar's flattery..." "Allow me to accompany you" Glodar answered and then turned back to Pirotess. "You don't have to believe my words. You should see him with your own eyes. Then you can judge him as you please. But I will say just this. If by chance you decide to kill Lord Ashuram, in order to protect my ambitions, I will do my best to stop you. Even if you are Astal's little sister." "I'll take that to heart" Pirotess answered. She planned to do so even if Glodar had not said as much. She could not rate Ashuram as highly as this man's words but there was something about him that clearly felt different than any other human in the Empire. If she could determine what that was, she would be able to decide what actions she should take. There was no need to rush. Unlike humans who eventually die, her time was limitless. So, even if it took an eternity...

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