20 - Valentina's Paradise
2-1. Duke Edgar of Terra Nebulosa
Edgar sat before the bonfire, tossing in a thick branch. It was a night as black as pitch in the Black Forest. Most of his attendants were asleep, and only his two closest aides, the brothers William and James of Ditmos, were rubbing their eyes, trying to stay awake as they stood watch.
He was too restless to sleep. Just thinking about Valentina made Edgar feel impatient and like his insides were burning. He wasn't as easygoing and generous as people thought. He only acted that way because he needed to, because he made an effort to appear that way.
"...I will wait for you, Edgar."
A chill ran down his spine, and his whole body tensed. I will wait for you, until the end. Her voice seemed to echo in the air, and he pressed his forehead to his knees, breathing heavily.
It had been the forest then, too. It had been night then, too. His whole body felt like it was burning. Just like now.
"Duke, can't you sleep?"
The quick-witted James spoke, sounding worried. Crack, crack, the sparks from the bonfire popped sharply.
"Your Grace, if you keep not sleeping like this, you'll fall off your horse during the day. You need to get at least a little sleep. Are you worried about the Edeled Gongzi's escort going silent?"
"Don't worry. Johnstone and Thomas of Occudis, the escort captains, aren't the kind of men who would be taken down by mere thieves."
Before the brother could finish speaking, a sharp whistle cut through the forest.
Peeep, peeep, peeeeeep!!!
The barking of tracking hounds grew closer, along with the sound of hooves and the clanging of armor and weapons, rapidly approaching from the darkness. William jumped to his feet and raised a torch high.
"What's going on!"
William and James stepped in front of Edgar, blocking his path. The sound of people grabbing weapons could be heard here and there in the darkness.
"It's Samuel, Your Grace!"
A massive knight riding a horse came to a halt, almost falling off as he dismounted. He took off his helmet and ran towards Edgar. Other soldiers followed in a rush, and excited dogs leaped around them, barking loudly.
"We've found the Edeled Gongzi's escort!"
"Ah, is that so… That's a relief."
Edgar quickly stood up and straightened his clothes. Sir Samuel of Occudis, the younger brother of the missing escort captain, knelt before Edgar, trembling as if he were about to vomit.
"Where were they all? You lost Edeled and didn't even report it to me… Sam!"
Edgar belatedly noticed the tears streaking his cheeks and exclaimed in surprise. Samuel cried out in anguish.
"...Your Grace! Edeled Gongzi's entire escort has been murdered!"
"This… is quite an unexpected sight, isn't it."
Duke Edgar muttered in a low voice.
In the Black Forest, the corpses lay abandoned. Five regular knights, twenty escort soldiers. Most of them were armed, and their bodies were decaying inside their armor. Wild animals couldn't get to the corpses because of the armor, but insects were swarming. The buzzing of flies was particularly loud. Insects were scattered around the food bowls lying nearby.
Edgar poked at the knights' corpses with a stick. Lifting up the plate armor often caused a thick, putrid mass to explode upwards. The other attendants held their noses and stepped back. Even knights accustomed to the stench of blood on the battlefield could never get used to the smell of old corpses.
Veins stood out on the Duke's clenched fist.
"...Are you saying this was all the work of thieves?"
"That's what Grand Duchess Valentina's letter said."
"The Grand Duchess didn't see the thieves herself. It was Edeled who said it. I don't know if he actually saw them."
"Edeled Gongzi?"
The Duke nodded with a stiff expression.
"The Black Forest thieves are famous, but to wipe out regular knights and twenty armed escort soldiers without a single arrow? At this point, we should try to coax them and bestow a knighthood."
"Your Grace, no matter how you look at it, how can we catch thieves and bestow a knighthood…"
It was the quick-witted younger brother, James, who sharply poked the rigid William in the side. Edgar sighed and asked.
"Are the escort captains, the brothers Johnstone and Thomas of Occudis, both dead as well?"
"Sir Samuel is currently searching for his older and younger brothers, as well as the Occudis aides, by their armor. His rage towards the thieves is reaching the heavens."
Edgar sighed heavily. For Edgar, who had few trustworthy minor lord knights, the deaths of the loyal Occudis brothers were a painful loss.
"What about the horses? The belongings and possessions?"
"They're gone. If it were a thief attack, wouldn't they have taken all the horses alive?"
"Check for arrows or daggers embedded in the bodies, and for axe or mace marks on the armor."
The decaying and torn bodies provided little information about how they had died. However, as the Duke said, there were no arrows lying around or embedded in the bodies. There were no signs of damage to the armor, shields, or helmets. This meant there had been no fierce battle.
"William, James! Collect the bones and gather the weapons. Burn the clothes. The remains will be sent to their families, so be careful not to mix them up."
Servants brought large pots from the village and began boiling water. It would take a long time to pick out the bones and gather the belongings with boiling water, and above all, the smell would be terrible, so the barracks were set up far away.
Woo-ooo, uh-ooo! A roaring sound could be heard in the distance. It was Samuel, wailing after confirming the armor engraved with the Occudis crest. Deep wrinkles formed on Edgar's brow.
"William, how many days will it take to collect the bodies?"
"I think it will take about three days, Your Grace."
"I can't wait that long. Leave one knight and three or four workers to take care of the rest, and we'll depart at dawn tomorrow. Everyone, gather."
The soldiers who received the order quickly gathered. Samuel approached without even trying to hide his tear-streaked, bloodshot eyes. The expressions on the people's faces were closer to shock than grief.
Until now, there had never been such daring thieves who had wiped out so many knights and soldiers. But that didn't mean they could wage an all-out war against the bandits in Nebulosa.
The Black Forest was a rugged forest that stretched from the northern coast of Terra Petronia, past Terra Lema in the center, Terra Nebulosa, and Regio Florida, to the southern border of Terra Technica. It was overly dense, with dozens of mountain fortresses connected like a net in various places, and teeming with wild beasts. With the exception of the Black Rock Knights of Petronia, no country could control the Black Forest's military groups.
"The filthy thieves dare…!"
The gathered people muttered, grinding their teeth. But the words that came from the Duke's mouth were unexpected.
"They didn't die in battle with thieves."
The gathered people fell silent. Edgar looked around and then continued heavily.
"There are no signs of battle, no signs of weapons. There are no arrows lying around, no arrows embedded, and the bodies and clothes were not cut by weapons."
"Then, who is it! Who the hell did this!"
It was Stone Fist Samuel who roared from behind.
"Who is it! Your Grace, I, Samuel of Occudis, swear on my family's name that I will kill that person. I swear in the name of God!"
"William! Samuel! Step forward!"
Instead of answering the question, Edgar called out the two men in a loud voice. When the two men hurriedly stepped forward, Edgar ordered.
"When you arrive in Florida, you will be greeted by Grand Duchess Valentina. Edeled will be there with her, so you are to arrest Edeled on the spot."
"Yes? What, what are you saying?"
The people were startled and shouted loudly. Edgar replied in a cold voice.
"I, Edgar, Duke of Terra Nebulosa, will bring Edeled of Petronia to trial on charges of poisoning twenty-five knights and aides of Nebulosa."
"Yes? What are you saying?"
James shook his head, his mind numb with shock. Edgar explained loudly.
"The thieves didn't come. But Edeled said he met the thieves. And everyone died. Do you understand what that means?"
The color quickly drained from the people's faces. Edgar said firmly.
"If Edeled does not appear at the welcoming ceremony, you are to search the castle thoroughly and arrest Edeled immediately."
The subordinates were greatly agitated. They couldn't believe that Edeled Gongzi had done such a thing, but the situation before their eyes was exactly as Duke Edgar said.
"I'll kill you, Edeled! With my own hands! With my own hands, I'll tear you apart! Ugh, heooo…!"
Sir Samuel began to roar and wail like thunder.
