Chronicles of Nog-Ald ⑩ [#FantasyNovelCategory]

Chapter 9: "In the Shadow of Rebellion"

"Die, brat!"

Aiol managed to dodge Turquoise's strike, which he thought would be the finishing blow. However, the tip of the spear grazed his left arm, causing Aiol to lose his balance and collapse on the spot. The bracelet shattered, and the blue-glowing orb spilled onto the floor at Aiol's feet like a tear.

"The [|Eyes of Ephemera]? That belongs to me. Give it back!"

Turquoise raised his spear. In that instant, Aiol grabbed the [|Eyes of Ephemera] and threw it at Turquoise.

"If you want it that badly, you can have it!"

The [|Eyes of Ephemera] struck Turquoise squarely in his left eye. Turquoise screamed and covered his left eye with his hand.

"Opening!"

Aiol's full-force swing knocked the silver spear away. Aiol, carried by his momentum, lunged at Turquoise. Turquoise fell flat on his back with a thud. When Turquoise raised his upper body, Aiol's sword was pointed right in front of him. With his left eyelid bruised blue-purple, Turquoise finally raised the white flag.

"O-okay. I lose. So, my life... please, just spare my life!"

At Turquoise's surrender, the other soldiers also dropped their weapons. Just then, Lazuli appeared at the entrance of the hall. Beside him, a man with a gentle expression (who looked like Turquoise) was leaning on Lazuli's shoulder. This person was none other than the Holy King Saphir, who ruled the Holy Kingdom of Yubel.

"It seems it's over."

"Yes, Father."

Turquoise looked back and forth between the young man he had been fighting just moments ago and the young man who had appeared with the Holy King, and then he became confused.

"W-what is the meaning of this!? Two princes...!?"

Aiol answered in his usual tone.

"I'm not Lazuli. I'm Lapis, who was washed away in the great flood 10 years ago. Well, I'm going by the name Aiol now, though."

"Prince Lapis...!? Could it be, you were alive..."

"That's right."

Leaving the capture of Turquoise to Ventus, Aiol headed toward Lazuli and the Holy King.

"Um... hello. I'm... no, wait, I'm Lapis."

Facing the Holy King for the first time, Aiol felt awkward. Even so, Holy King Saphir was overjoyed to meet Aiol.

"Lapis... I'm glad you're safe. Forgive your foolish father for not being able to save you."

"No, there's nothing to forgive..."

"I heard the whole story from Lazuli. Including that you have no memories. But to me, you are no less precious a son than Lazuli."

Saphir gently embraced his second son, whom he had reunited with for the first time in 10 years.

"Thank you for being alive."

Tears welled up in Saphir's eyes, and in Aiol's as well. The four lapis-lazuli colors sparkled like the [|Eyes of Ephemera].

As if to spoil the touching reunion between father and son, Lazuli broke the silence.

"Now, I will handle the cleanup."

As he said that, Lazuli walked straight toward Turquoise. The face that approached in his place was identical to Aiol's, but the expression was completely different. He wore a cold, cruel smile, as if he were tormenting the weak.

"What shall we do with you, Uncle?"

"L-Lazuli... I'm sorry! I won't do anything anymore! I don't even want the throne! So please, just my life..."

To the pleading Turquoise, Lazuli coldly interrogated him.

"This coup d'état, was it all your idea, Uncle?"

"T-that is..."

"So it wasn't, after all? I thought something was off. Eld's invasion began right after the coup. It was as if Eld knew the coup was going to happen. The timing is too perfect. I don't think you could have thought of this alone, Uncle. There must be someone who instigated you and was pulling the strings from the shadows."

Having served as the Holy King's proxy, Lazuli had a thorough grasp of the situation in Nog-Ald and was also skilled at deduction. As expected, Turquoise confessed to the existence of a mastermind.

"That's right... I resented my brother and Lazuli. A suspicious man took advantage of that. The man wore a pitch-black robe and hid his face with a hood and a mask, so I don't know his true identity. He was such a suspicious man that I didn't listen to him at first. However, I was gradually swayed by the man's magical eloquence and took him up on his proposal... the proposal that 'if you stage a coup at the time I say, I will let you seize the real power of the Holy Kingdom of Yubel.'"

"Where did you meet that man?"

"He appeared, suddenly. When I was alone in my room. He... he can use teleportation magic."

"Teleportation magic?"

"It is an ancient magic that allows one to move freely through space. Most people don't even know it exists. Even if they did, an amateur mage couldn't teleport a single hair. And teleportation consumes a significant amount of physical strength. It feels like moving at a full sprint, so the longer the distance, the greater the exhaustion. It would be impossible for someone with a weak body."

"How do you know about teleportation magic, Uncle? And in such detail, too."

"I was burning with a sense of rivalry toward my brother. In my single-minded desire to prove that I was smarter than him, I had been reading every book I could get my hands on since I was a child. I remembered reading about it in some book. Although, I had no talent for magic."

Teleportation magic. Even in the vast Nog-Ald continent, there are likely only a handful of people who can handle such high-level magic. Perhaps Turquoise was taken in by the man's smooth talk because he feared the man's magical prowess.

Turquoise had a terrified expression, as if a horrific memory had been revived. His voice was also trembling more than before.

"Do you have any idea who that man really is?"

"No... Teleportation magic requires you to visualize the scene of the destination in your mind. In other words, you can only teleport to places you have visited before. I have never let anyone into my room, and the maids who clean the room are all women. I have never invited a man in. That's why I had no idea, and that's why I was afraid..."

Turquoise began to tremble violently. His face was contorted with fear. It seemed unlikely he could talk any more about the mastermind.

Lazuli, who had been listening, thought for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

"This is just a hypothesis, but there is a high possibility that the man is from Eld."

Beside Lazuli, a question mark appeared over the same face.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it, Lapis? There was someone who instigated Uncle to stage a coup. And immediately after the coup occurred, Eld began its invasion of Yubel. Isn't it reasonable to think that someone from Eld orchestrated the coup?"

"Indeed...!"

Lazuli put his right hand to his chin and started walking as if in thought.

"If it is someone from Eld, the most suspicious group at the moment is the [|Flame Knights]. If they have the best experts on the continent, it wouldn't be strange if there were someone who could use teleportation magic. Although the matter of Uncle's room is concerning..."

The [|Flame Knights]. An elite unit that gathers only the most excellent individuals within the military superpower of Eld. The mastermind of the coup might be among them. The coup, which was thought to be an internal Yubel affair, might actually have been orchestrated by Eld.

As if that weren't enough to give one a headache, something even more overwhelming happened.

"What about us?"

A lively voice, out of place in the gruesome castle, echoed. The owner of the voice stood at the entrance of the hall with two attendants. His glaring eyes and slightly grinning expression were well-suited to the description of a "berserker." He wore armor that shone with a deep crimson, carried a greatsword on his shoulder in his right hand, and held a throwing axe in his left. His persimmon-colored hair, like Elif's, stood up as if it were on fire.

Igni, the First Prince of the Kingdom of Eld and captain of the [|Flame Knights], was there.

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