Messiah 26 : Arrest

R : "What a pity."

Roberia held the sheathe of a sword against the blade of her scythe. With a forceful press, she pressed the blade's fuller against the sheathe and her kneecap with great strength.

Katachi wasn't exactly prepared for the sound of the blade breaking, hitting his head against the lantern hanging above his head upon hearing the snap of the metal.

K : "Wh- Wha?"

He looked at Roberia, who was laughing at him.

R : "You sure are a klutz, Katachi. I didn't really think you'd hit your head against the lantern, but there's a first for everything, isn't there?"

K : "... I guess..."

Katachi continued to examine the leather armor in his hands.

The snap of metal was heard once more, but Katachi did not raise his head in surprise. He turned his head to the source of the noise, and saw Roberia properly disposing the blades in a cloth.

K : "... You're destroying your scythe?"

R : "Yeah. The blades got nicked from me catching the bandits' blows. See?"

Pointing at the part on the scythe which she had snapped, Roberia appropriated so.

K : "... Those were made as farming equipment to begin with, weren't they?... They would probably lack the durability of real weapons in that case..."

R : "I was just getting used to them. It's a shame they broke so easily."

Katachi pointed at the back of the wagon, where the other pieces of armor and weapons of the bandits lay.

K : "You can use those, if you'd like. I don't even know what I would do with these."

R : (We could probably sell those for good coin around here, though I don't really think we'd need any more gold. Our wallets are already full of them from the time I confiscated that from that Anikan meatball.) "We could peddle them, or give them away as charity." (That could be bad, though. Even if we give it to them, if the bandits catch them by surprise, all we've done is make their equipment harder to acquire. It's not a permanent solution to the problem...)

Katachi neatly placed the armor in his hand to a side, and grabbed another item from the stash of loot at the back.

K : (Giving armor is fine, but weapons are a different matter, though... There are stories in lore where the merchants selling weapons are attacked by the weapons they sold, so the bandits don't have to pay the coin for it. It's a common tactic, so weapons are actually dangerous.) "... The armor is fine, but I think we should bury the weapons instead..."

R : (Bury the weapons?... Actually, that's a really good idea. The plains are so big that finding a single spot is difficult without a sort of landmark. It also reduces the total number of weapons they can use. That's a very smart decision.) "That would be good. We should do that at night, where nobody can see where it's buried."

K : "... Agreed."

The two of them were thinking very different thoughts - Their goals were similar, yet their means and reasons differ like night and day.

*** ***

Out of goodwill, the people traveling with them were generous enough to lend them a shovel.

Katachi was tending to the campfire as the elders and children prepared the meat to be roasted on a skewer.

The night was quiet, and the breeze of spring made the air fragrant with the scent of grass oils and flowers.

R : "Ouch!"

Roberia was taking her time to look over the weapons she could replace her scythes with. But, while unsheathing one of the rusty-looking daggers, she had hurt herself by accident.

K : (?! What's wrong?)
R : "Ah." (It's a small cut. It stings a bit, but it shouldn't be too bad.)

Her cry of pain worried the black-haired boy, and he hurried over to her side.

K : "What happened?"

R : "It's nothing. I just cut myself a little."

K : (Oh. Looks like it's nothing too serious.) "... I see. Well, as long as you're alright."

He returned to the fire, and continued fanning the flames further. The children were resting in the elders' arms as they watched them roast the food over the flames.

Roberia got back to work, but that was when she realized...

R : (Wait, this dagger...)

... That the dagger she was holding onto was the dagger held by the bandit woman she had fought earlier.

R : (This is that woman's dagger, isn't it? The one she sheathed carefully before Katachi fixated them in place.)

In her head, the image of the woman carefully sheathing the dagger surfaced.

R : (Wasn't this poisoned?) "..."

... Should she report this to Katachi? But, would that appear as a sign of weakness to him? Roberia wanted to tell him in case it was fatal, but a small scratch like that should not cause much problems. Apart from the creatures in Western Anik, most poisonous creatures have debilitating toxins, but none are too fatal to consider an emergency.

R : (... No, wait. This might not be as dangerous as I thought.)

Roberia examined the blade once more. Upon closer inspection, the blade on the dagger looked incredibly cheap and poorly-made, so it shouldn't be able to handle the more dangerous toxins. When she sniffed it, she couldn't smell anything distinct, so it was possible that it was either an odorless toxin, or it was entirely possible that the act was a feint, a trick to make her opponents on guard over something inexistent.

Certainly, if she could intimidate her foes with the possibility of a poison, it would make sense why she would pull a bluff like so. Roberia felt like relaxing upon thinking that, but she tensed up a little.

R : (I don't feel weird at all. Maybe the poison's not fast-acting? Perhaps she was feinting it all along?)

She didn't want to think about it.

In any case, the poison (if any) wasn't affecting her body, and it was entirely possible that it never existed. She had yet encounter a poison that was both lethal and odorless, and it wouldn't make much sense to specifically use an odorless poison on a weapon anyway.

R : (Maybe I'm over-reacting. I should just relax and have dinner.)

She threw the dagger and its sheathe into the hole, and began filling the hole with dirt.

R : "..." (Good. All that's left is the grass. This piece looks like it would go over there better. But the hole here is a little lop-sided and uneven. Would it seem too obvious? I should probably cut this turf of grass with the shovel and fill it in place so it's less noticeable.)

She got to work quickly and pressed the turfs of grass into the earth as evenly as possible.

R : "..." (That should be all.)

Roberia walked back towards the campfire, and took the stick of cooked meat from the reluctant Katachi.

R : (Look at him, all flustered and troubled. If you didn't want to eat the meat, just tell them directly, idiot.) "I'll be taking this. You're against eating meat, aren't you?"

K : "... Thanks."

*** ***

R : (... Where am I?)

As Roberia awoke, she was overcome by a sense of detachment. She could not move her body properly,. and moving her arm felt like pushing against a cold, numbing block of ice wedged in the space around her.

R : (Katachi? Where'd he go?) "... Kahati...?"

Her eyelids were like lead curtains, and she could only see a sliver of light at the bottom. She could not move her mouth, let alone her tongue, properly. Roberia's speech felt impaired, and she spoke with much difficulty. If anyone would give a reference as to her current state, she would be associated with a child who had scalded their tongue and spoke without moving her tongue at all.

K : "? Are you okay, Roberia?"

R : (Why can't I- No... The poison from yesterday... Paralysis! I need to tell him right now!) "I han't... Seek hohrii..."

Her gasp-like speech was useless before Katachi, who was simply not well-versed at inferring speech. After all, for a person who had spent a majority of his life reading books, his eyes may be commendable but his ears were not accustomed to guesswork.

K : "... Hohri?... Hokrie? Hokrie's Journey?"

For some reason, Katachi was asking for a book from the elder about the story of someone she didn't know about.

R : (You idiot! I can't speak properly!) "I han't...! Seek hohrii!"

K : "... Are you ill? This could be troubling..."

He did not know that she had accidentally scratched herself with the poisoned blade. But, that was because of Roberia's own inaction, so she could not pin the blame on him entirely.

R : (Maybe I should use words that suggest something has happened instead. It seems that the longer the sentence, the more difficulty I have in pronouncing the words...) "... Hel..."

K : "Hel... Help? What's wrong?"

R : (Good! He understood!) "Han't... Nnnugh..."

K : "... 'Can't move'? You can't move?"

Roberia tried to nod her head in consent, but her head felt like a huge melon dangling on her neck. She could only try her best to answer.

R : "Ye."

K : "... Don't worry, Roberia. We're nearing the borter for Rugnud. I'm sure there would be physicians around to treat you."

R : (... What!?)

She couldn't believe her ears. To think, that they were already close to the borter while she was unconscious when they should have arrived after noon... Did the toxin distorted her sense of time? Did she associate the numbness with lethargy? Roberia didn't really know what happened, but she knew that it was not good at all.

She had yet warned Katachi about the potential danger of approaching the borter with their current identities.

R : (This is really bad.. I'm struggling with nodding my head, let alone saying 'I can't speak properly'. At this rate, there's no way I'd be able to convey 'Don't reveal our identities'. This could be bad.) "..."

She had thought of a plan to hold out against the queries of the other knights, but when she's numbed like so, it's impossible to testify for Katachi herself.

*** ***

Fate can be cruel at the worst times.

*** ***

The wagon ceased its rattling as the caravan was halted by the borter guards.

K : (I should ask if they have a physician. A barber surgeon is fine as well, but having someone well-versed in the field would be good.) "Excuse me!"

Katachi pushed his way across the elders seated on the wagon, and got off the caravan. He hurried over to the soldiers who wielded halberds and waved at them.

K : "Have you a physician? My wife's having some trouble."

*** ***

(An Ohdean?) "Is there trouble? Is she in labor?"

K : "Well, she's probably experiencing numbness or paralysis. I would like her examined... ?"

(How unusual. Though, I should show some hospitality, so rumors of us wouldn't spread. The country's chaotic enough, and we could use less rumors.) "Certainly."

The guard slowly marched behind the black-haired boy as he headed to the back of the caravan and climbed to the back, hoisting a lady's arm on his shoulder.

K : "Slowly, slowly now... Could you give me a hand?"

(... That armor... !)

He recognized that armor anywhere.

The vibrant red scale-like salamander armor, fashioned after the corsairs of Yimmer. The slender, strong physique that shows thorough and consistent training, in a restless pursuit for strength.

As a soldier, he may not have the honor of meeting someone of her nobility face-to-face.

But there was no mistaking it. The woman he was assisting was, without a shadow of a doubt, the one who bears the sacred title.

(... Empress of Rugnud, Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia.)

... What was this filthy Ohdean doing, holding onto her like that?

Proclaiming a noble as his wife, supporting her weak, seemingly paralyzed self out of the caravan, speaking to her in such an affectionate way...

How could his liege become attached to an outsider, and an Ohdean no less? It were as if this were all a ploy, an act.

What reason had he to pull such a bluff?

Surely, a man, a knight of honor from Rugnud wouldn't even dare to stoop this low. And yet, that black hair reflected the Ohdean lineage. He had no need to show the respect and dignity the proud knights of Rugnud ought to uphold.

Had he, by chance, noticed the green Band of Approval on her hair, and drugged her to bypass the security?

(What... Should I do?)

Should he arrest him? Should he execute the Ohdean on the spot? But, what of the chances that the Ohdean is actually her benefactor?...

... But, in that case, he would have no need to call her his wife. He would simply need to say that he helped her in a time of crisis, and he would have easily gained passage that way.

Then...

(... That idiot doesn't know her identity.)

That was the only explanation.

He simply knocked the red-haired girl outside the country, came up with a convincing argument to pass the border, and blindly walked into his own doom.

Haste is preferred over caution.

It would be ideal to maim him now and put him under arrest, before he learns of his plan's gaping weakness.

*** ***

Katachi slowly lowered the red-haired girl off the caravan, ensuring that she would be able to get down safely. An elder who had gotten off earlier aided in the process, and held her shoulders such that she wouldn't fall.

But, before anyone could realize what was happening-

*Wham* *Thud*

Katachi had been struck on the base of his neck with a blackjack, knocked out in a clean hit.

R : (? ... What was that?)

She could not muster enough strength to open her eyes wide. She could not feel her body at all. As hard as she tried to budge, the poison had spread too far in her sleep.

Her body had failed her.

She could not understand what had happened before her, except the visage of the black-haired boy lying unconscious before her feet.

"A cocky Ohdean like yourself, claiming the Empress as your wife... There are some lies best untold, you fool of a smuggler."

R : (!! Katachi! Damn it, I should have told him beforehand not to reveal our marriage!)

It was the greatest folly she could have ever committed. Had she warned Katachi a day ahead, or even a month ahead when they were still at the church, this would not have happened.

But what was she to say, then? What could she have told him to avoid rousing his suspicion? Her time with him had been enjoyable, and she took comfort in his honest and conservative attitude. She had known that a day her lies and secrets were exposed would come, but she had not expected it to arrive so soon, at such an untimely hour.

The guards... They would surely torture him and demand answers to questions he wouldn't have the faintest clue of, and he would be subject to an unfair, biased trial where he would be guilty regardless of the process.

The Trial of Sin, induced by Findel's culture.

That was the very corruption Roberia despised so, and it was about to take away yet another innocent life.

"What- What are you doing?"

"I am putting this miserable deceiver under arrest."

*Cozy's Notes : I SO WANT TO USE STOWAWAY BUT IT WAS USED IN 1848AD AND IT DOESN'T EXIST IN 1570AD DAMN IT I SHOT MYSELF IN THE FOOT*

Except... Katachi was no 'innocent life'.

He was a boy, but he was the boy she entrusted her back to. He was a person who, for her sake, shoved her away from danger, rejected the advances of another woman firmly, wormed his way into a brothel to rescue her, and shared his deepest woes with her.

But, most importantly...

He had viewed her not as an empress of a country, but as a mere woman.

"Deceiver?! Wha- What of this young man? What crimes has he befouled to rouse such need?"

She could not leap out and say 'Release him!' to them. She could not defend the one person whom was oblivious to her, and in turn the one who showed the purest feelings to her.

R : (Who- What's going on? What are they doing to me?)
"It seems that you are unaware of his misdeeds. Very well, since you lot are merely beguiled by this repulsive criminal, you may be spared. Line up, and show me your Bands of Approval!"

She could not do anything except be lifted and carried onto a horse of some sort, as the distance between them increased further and further.

"Where to, Captain?"
R : (Katachi... Please, I beg of you... Please be safe. Come back to me alive.)

"Take her to Marquis Gracer's house. Jullan Gracer is a friend of hers - He should know what to do."

The sensation of bumping up and down on the horse in a dangerous manner should have stimulated the adrenaline in her body and jerked her back into action, but it only caused the poison in her blood to spread further.

She could only close her eyes silently at the word 'Gracer'.

R : (Gracer... Jullan, I'm counting on you...)

*** ***

A quiet place was a rare place, in a country such as Rugnud.

But in the archives of a famed noble lay an aged man, with his grey hair combed back properly and wearing a dated coat that represents his pride as a seasoned warrior. A letter was pressed straight on a glass panel, and its contents shown clearly.

____________________

Duke Harlot,

From what I can gather, a magus named Bael fed Deku a berserk drug of sorts, and manipulated him to attack a person named Kotsuba Katachi. Cillian was trying to hold down Deku and prevent him from going out of control, but he died in an attempt to rip Deku out from his golem. Though, according to one of my juniors, Cillian made a commendable effort in reaching Deku and even managed to enter the golem. However, he was simply caught in a bad situation, and lost his life carelessly without considering the problem with the plan.

I think this incident serves to enunciate the importance of magical knowledge. It would be strongly advised to send a few of our spellswords here to understand more about magic, considering the fact that our knowledge of it serves to improve our odds against magi, even by a small margin. To rely on the Hierphacon would be far too much, even if it has indeed kept our country safe as a conceptual weapon. My only concern is that the magi of other countries may have already began to develop countermeasures for it, and being prepared to dispel their magic would come in handy for the times to come.

I shall return in a few days with Cillian's ashes, and I hope that you would handle the preparations of the funeral by the time I return. And I regret to say this, but regarding the question you asked me... I have yet to arrive at an answer. I suppose I should give it more consideration, but it has been hectic in these past few days, what with the school cohort entering an uproar over the decrease in food quality. It can't be helped, can it? I can only pray the economy in Rugnud improves. May Ilpoh guide them upon the righteous path once more.

Though, the idea that death is another form of immortality doesn't sound too bad.

Chotil Nea

____________________

H : "... Kotsuba Katachi... ?"

He grabbed the bell to his right, and its clear jingles resounded through the silence of the archives.

"Yes, my lord?"

His lone, middle-aged maid, who stood guard on standby to replace his candles and replenish his drink, emerged from the corner of the library.

H : "Send word to the Axia-obsessed nut. Tell him to look up the stars and fate of this person."

"Yes, my lord."

She departed quietly, with a strict posture that showed her pride as the head maid of Duke Harlot's household.