Volume 4 Chapter 35 The Last Invitation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Dear Kian,
Hello, it’s Christina.
Not much time has passed since my last letter, but there’s something I absolutely have to ask you, so I’m sending this final letter of the year.
Before I get to the main topic, let me give you some updates.
Ms. Natra came to help us, and thanks to her, the government office no longer has to worry about that dangerous old building. (In my last letter I mentioned bricks suddenly falling—apparently that was due to the roof wearing out over the years. Perhaps Oswald had been skimping on renovation costs?)
Ms. Natra is like a silent knight, guarding the safety of everyone in the Witch Dormitory. In the short time I hadn’t seen her, she even completed her magician training, and now she repairs roofs and other small problems in no time at all.
She surprised me again when she immediately reproduced how to handle the waterway’s magic tool and how to adjust the golem—things we witches had struggled with. Especially the speed at which she assembled circuits—ah, I realized then how brilliant she must be. I’ll admit I felt a twinge of inferiority, but Ms. Natra kindly added, “I learned it all long ago from my Elder Sister.” When I first met her, months ago, she seemed cold and distant, but now I’ve come to see her true nature—gentle and considerate.
Kian, thank you so much for sending Ms. Natra to us. The government office feels brighter with her here. Ms. Sarah often speaks for hours with Ms. Linca, but I always felt Ms. Linca had no one she could truly confide in. Since Ms. Natra arrived, though, she’s begun consulting with her. I’m relieved.
Ms. Linca and I are friends, but still new ones—we hardly know each other’s hearts. Through tea parties, I want us to grow closer, close enough that she’ll share her troubles with me too.
After the New Year, Manon will tour the frontier domains, visiting lords across the lands as the winter deepens. I was told the purpose is to console and encourage them. Ms. Sarah warned me over and over that I must never write where she’s headed, not even in a letter to a close friend, so I can’t tell you more. I know you worry for Manon, but with Ms. Sarah and Lord Louis accompanying her, she’ll be safe.
When I first heard of Manon’s tour, I was shocked. Where did such funds come from, I wondered? Then Manon told me the travel expenses and gifts would come from the taxes you paid.
I couldn’t believe it.
Thousands of gold coins!
Before Ms. Sarah’s morning study group (she leads them for Manon and us witches), I quarreled bitterly with Manon about it.
Kian, you protected us from Oswald, fought in Lord Owl’s place against the Beastmen, slew the Thorn Demon, and saved Izerland.
And yet instead of rewarding you, they took your money? It’s outrageous! Ms. Sarah insisted it was a lawful tax, but I cannot accept it. I have never been so angry. Never even fought with Manon before.
My vision swam with fury. Manon shouted back, which only made my head spin more. When I came to, Ms. Linca was nursing me in the Witch Dormitory’s bed. It was mortifying, and I felt wretched about fighting with Manon—but I still cannot agree with what’s been done.
Ms. Linca told me time would heal things, but that isn’t the point. The unease gnaws at me. Perhaps I’m just ignorant of the world?
Forgive me, I may be writing too much.
But I can’t let this go. Why didn’t you tell me, Kian? If I’d known beforehand, perhaps I could have done something. It hurts a little that you kept silent. If you thought you were sparing me trouble by hiding it—no, that’s wrong. You’ve helped me so much. Please let me share your burdens in return. Don’t hold back.
That’s enough of sad matters. From here on, a happier story—and the question I wanted to ask you.
This morning, as I walked to the office with Ms. Linca, I noticed she kept fussing with her bangs. Then I saw it—on her right ring finger.
A diamond ring.
Delicate, feminine, fitting her perfectly. Even I could tell: it was a wedding ring!
When I asked if she had married, she said not yet—but her fiancé had sent her the wedding ring already.
She looked so radiant, cheeks flushed as she shyly stroked the ring with her finger. Ah, I thought, this woman is truly in love.
She works more than ten hours a day, barely sleeps—and yet, something good finally came to her. I felt so happy for her.
I grew excited and told her about you, Kian. Then she shared about her fiancé.
It was girl talk about love! For the first time in my life, I had girl talk about love with a friend! Back in school I used to sneer that those wasting time on romance should all just repeat the year while I ground herbs with my mortar. But now… now I see how fun it can be.
We talked and talked, until we decided we must show each other our boyfriends next time.
x x x
”Hm?”
Under a violet sky glittering with stars, Kian lifted his head abruptly from the letter he had been reading against a postbox.
Strange.
He had been reading Western Common, yet suddenly the words blurred into meaningless shapes. He recognized the letters, but not the meaning. Perhaps because he’d only been using Azraelic lately—?
’What’s wrong, pig?’
Talia’s cold voice echoed in his head.
’Keep reading. You’re not finished yet.’
”N-no…”
With trembling hands, Kian folded the letter.
”Would it be acceptable to pretend this letter never reached me?”
’If you start doing that to Christina’s letters, it’s all over. Brace yourself and read.’
”Suuuuuh… fine.”
Like a prisoner walking to the gallows, Kian lowered his eyes once more to the page.
× × ×
We decided to show each other our boyfriends.
× × ×
”No! I can’t do it! I can’t read this!”
’Don’t be ridiculous. It says she and Linca are going to show off their boyfriends.’
”Show off… their boyfriends? Whose and whose?”
’Christina and Linca’s, of course.’
”Christy and Linca promised… to show off their boyfriends…?”
Show off boyfriends.
What does that even mean?
What are they, children comparing beetles they caught in the woods? Boyfriends aren’t objects! To parade them about is inhumane!
”Please. Please, Linca, refuse. Refuse at once!”
Kian prayed desperately as he forced his eyes to continue.
× × ×
Apparently Ms. Linca is in a long-distance relationship (just like me!). She said she would call him back soon. When I asked if that was all right, she laughed that he was probably just running wild through the hills, getting filthy.
Her boyfriend, she said, was worthless—sometimes even violent toward her. He had little money, so she had to work hard to support him. I worried for her, but she spoke with such joy, her face shining, that I believed the two must truly be happy together.
As for me, my boyfriend is you, Kian! A hero with both rank and renown. I joked that Ms. Linca’s man might feel intimidated, but she smiled and retorted, “Don’t worry. My husband is a wonderful man too.”
From what she told me, he had no admirable traits at all. I think my boyfriend wins by a landslide.
And so, my request from the start of this letter.
I want to see you again. It’s been four months.
And if it’s not too much trouble—would you go on a double date with me, Ms. Linca, and her fiancé?
I’ll need to adjust my schedule once Manon’s tour begins and I must manage the Salon, and you’ll need to as well (are you still training in the East End? Or did an urgent quest come up? I’ll send this letter to East End for now…).
Please tell me your available days. If you’re away on a quest and can’t return soon, at least give me an estimate of when you might.
More than showing you off to Ms. Linca, I simply want to be with you and talk.
Please, Kian.
I’m sorry if this seems selfish. I don’t want to burden you. If you dislike double dates, or if your work requires you to stay away from Izerland, don’t hesitate to refuse.
That’s all.
From your Christina.
× × ×
”…Boyfriend show-offs? Double dates? Are these the latest amusements of young city folk? Troublesome.”
’It’s just a sweet request from your girlfriend. Why not indulge her? Go on the double date.’
Kian’s hands trembled with spasms, his grip uncertain as he fumbled to fold the letter back into its original pale-blue envelope.
”Wait—Natra hasn’t told Linca or Christy that I left for Crete? I’m in the middle of an important quest right now. I still have to meet Guria and… sedu—no, persuade her. If Natra knows this will only get in the way, then she’s being downright malicious.”
’You seem to be forgetting why you came here in the first place. You’re supposed to be carrying out Priscilla’s secret commission. If word gets out that you’re here, it won’t be much of a secret, will it? Natra is a professional. She’s a loyal girl who always puts your interests first. That’s why she hasn’t breathed a word to Sarah or Linca,’ Talia’s voice murmured inside his mind.
Kian stared helplessly at the slit envelope in his hand.
”What am I supposed to do with this? I’m probably Linca’s fiancé, right? And Christy’s boyfriend, too. If they both arranged dates for the same day, then I’m double-booked for sure.”
He could only attend one of their rendezvous points.
Maybe, if he could shuffle back and forth at high speed, he might look like two people.
Or he could create a flawless shadow to stand in for him—
Kian tilted his head, groaning in thought.
’You’re missing the heart of the problem, so let me spell it out. The real issue is that if Christina realizes her boyfriend and Linca’s fiancé are the same man, you’re finished.’
”If either of them is willing to compromise, it’d be Linca. She already knows about the two-timing.”
’That girl probably thinks the diamond ring she received was a genuine engagement ring. If so, she won’t accept any denial that it was, nor will she let another man play her stand-in fiancé.’
”…No. Linca is mine. I won’t let her go on a date with anyone else.”
’So you don’t dislike Linca after all.’
”Of course not. She’s someone precious to me.”
After answering firmly, Kian suddenly snapped his fingers with an idea.
”That’s it—your magic sword. If we use the Sixth Magic Sword, Mistcloud (Kasumigumo), I could create a duplicate of myself. I could even shape one into Asterios.”
’In that case, Linca would be the one paired with Asterios. And really, are you suggesting we renegotiate a pact with the spirit of the Sixth Magic Sword for something this trivial?’
”You’re right. That’d just be running away. Besides, imagine Linca on a double date, forced to smile beside some oafish cow-faced man who ends every sentence with ‘moo’. That’d be too cruel.”
The truth was obvious: agreeing to a double date with both Christy and Linca was already an absurd event. He would have to explain the harem situation to Christy eventually, but doing it this way, now, would be far too shocking. The risk of her breaking down entirely wasn’t small.
And judging from the letter, Linca was manipulating the situation deliberately. She had been working happily abroad, yet had chosen to pull such a petty prank—what on earth was she thinking? If she had grievances, why couldn’t she come say them to his face?
”Luckily, I’m away from East End for this quest. With the merchant guild to establish and lands to secure, I can’t go back immediately anyway. For now, I’ll be honest with Christy about that, and buy some time. While I’m stalling, maybe I’ll think of a clever solution. With luck, she’ll be so swamped with her duties she’ll forget about the double date altogether.”
’Plates just keep piling onto the tray, don’t they? Self-inflicted, too. I’ll enjoy watching from the sidelines. Still, I’d hate for Christina or Linca to suffer because of this. If anyone should pay the price, it’s you. What should I do…’
”You’re on my side, aren’t you?”
Talia gave no answer.
Kian sighed, pulling the pile of letters from the postbox.
”Whatever else, it’s clear Linca’s trying to harass me. Which means my best move is to placate her, win her over, and make her an ally.”
Specifically, he would protect her family.
Ryu—better known as Rou—was already in his custody.
According to Rou, Linca’s parents, Ryoma and Hanami, had joined the overseas expeditionary forces. Most likely, they would invade Crete alongside General Mansoor Shakerdoust in the second wave. If Kian could break their assault and take them alive, then perhaps Linca would see him in a better light—and even persuade Christy to cancel this nonsense of a double date.
’But aren’t you going to visit Christina?’
”I will. But if I go rushing into Izerland without preparation, I’ll be dancing right into Linca’s trap. I need both time and careful planning if I want her to calm down.”
So saying, Kian drew a keyring from the Wraith that carried his luggage, and unlocked the iron gate.
* * *
Rou had told him: win over Princess Guria Selda not only as Kian, but also as Asterios.
At first, Kian hadn’t understood what he meant. But faced with the reality of the situation, the young Easterner’s strategy grew clearer.
As Kian, he was to make love to Guria in purity, to take her maidenhood.
Then, as General Asterios, he was to seduce her away from Kian.
In this way, Guria would be wracked with guilt for betraying Kian, even as she became physically dependent on “Asterios.”
Sometimes Kian would stand tall before her as the wronged lover.
Sometimes he would wear the mask of Asterios, stealing her body and heart alike.
The result: her soul bound by guilt, her flesh by desire. Guria would never escape.
Light and darkness, intertwining.
One man, playing both cuckold and seducer.
Kian could not help but chuckle at the audacity of the scheme. It was almost like Azrael himself had whispered it.
Leaning against the pillar of the villa’s gate, he cast a glance over the moonlit private beach, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
Before long, he sensed the flicker of teleportation. Guria had managed to slip from her chambers. As Kian went to unlock the gate, he saw her walking up the sand from the pier, her usual white summer dress fluttering around her.
The sea breeze tousled her golden-brown hair, which she held in place as she gazed out at the dark horizon.
She had acted cheerful in daylight, but the truth was obvious: soon, Asterios’s curse would twist her into a creature that could feel heat only for a bull. She would carry his child and die in childbirth. Of course she was afraid.
For Kian too, there was dread. Would her heart shift if she met him in Asterios’s guise? If she conceived, it would be his child—a human child, not Asterios’s. And unlike Asterios, he had no way to pass on the power of lightning. If Guria noticed, suspicion would follow. Even if she didn’t, assassins might come for him. It was a perilous gamble.
But for now, first came the prelude.
He had to win her trust, her body, and the date of Asterios’s summoning.
”Good evening, Kian.”
”Good evening, Guria. A fine night. Welcome to the Kian Merchant Guild.”
”Then, pardon my intrusion.”
She brushed past him as he held open the gate. Her white dress gleamed in the moonlight, her hair carrying a faint lemon fragrance. She must have bathed and perfumed herself before slipping out of the palace.
The way she carried herself, slightly tense, suggested she already knew what her visit implied.
Tonight, it would be s*x.
Like the kiss they had shared before, swept up in emotion—this time, she was choosing to create one final memory before Asterios twisted her fate.
Kian shut the gate behind them and locked it once more, then caught up to walk at her side. Guria broke the silence first, her voice bright.
”Have you resumed the procedures for establishing your merchant guild?”
”Yes. I just found letters in the post from the notary and inspector, confirming their appointments. I take it you persuaded the King of Crete, the Head Magician, and Sir Scipio for me.”
”My Elder Brother was fiercely opposed,” Guria admitted with a wry smile. “But in the end, Circe herself advised Father it would be better to accept you, and my brother’s protests were ignored. So—which will it be? Shall we go to your room, or will you take me to the beach?”
”You can’t play tag in a bedroom. It has to be the beach.”
”Of course.”
Laughing, Guria descended to the private sands, and Kian followed.
”When will General Asterios be summoned?” he asked quietly. “Forgive me—I know it must be a state secret. But I want to know how much time you still have as yourself. These past days with you were brief, but enough for me to see you’re an extraordinary woman. I’d steal you away with these hands if I could. But I can’t. You have a duty to your kingdom. So at the very least… I want to be there, teeth clenched, to face your final moment with you.”
”…”
Two mats had already been laid on the beach, one for him and one for her.
Between the two mats where they would lie down together stood a bottle of fine wine, a gift from Michelangelo, Guildmaster of the Merchant Guild. Two glasses had been set beside it.
That was the plan for tonight’s date:
to talk while watching the stars and the sea,
and then, with the flow of the night, let it deepen into an adult game of tag.
”Guria, please. I beg you—tell me,” Kian said, his voice tight with urgency. He had kicked off his sandals and now sat on the pink cloth with one knee raised, leaning toward the princess as though clinging to her answer.
Guria paused a moment before speaking.
”On the night of the fifth day after the New Year. The summoning rite will be held at seven o’clock.”
”The fifth night… seven o’clock.”
”Yes. Once the general is summoned, I will use the Staff of Dominion (Damnamene). When I do, as a side effect of that staff, I will fall in love with the general—the bull.”
”Damnamene?”
At the unfamiliar word, Kian tilted his head. Guria, seated beside him with her knees drawn up, gave a small nod.
”That’s right. It’s a divine instrument known as the Staff of Dominion. On Mount Olympus of the Water Island, many gods are enshrined besides Zeus, and this staff is said to have belonged to one of them—the goddess of magic, Hecate. It was given to her by Kronos, the supreme god.”
With a finger she traced a crown-topped staff in the sand.
”‘Hecate wore the eternal crown upon her brow, and in her hands she bore Kronos’s unbreakable, indestructible chains and a golden sceptre. Upon that sceptre, Kronos himself inscribed these words and bestowed it upon her: Damno, Damnamene, Damasandra, Damnοdamia. The one who can subjugate even Chaos.‘”
”So that description survives in some ancient manuscript?” Kian asked.
”Yes. The Damnamene mentioned in those texts is the very Staff of Dominion I just drew here. As for Kronos’s chains—they are the unbreakable bindings said to imprison General Asterios, who hides deep within some labyrinth. The staff and the chains are a pair: by using the staff, the one bound by the chains becomes mentally fused with its wielder. As a result, the user’s mind warps. That’s what happens if I use the Staff of Dominion. …Kian.”
Her brown eyes glowed faintly in the dark as she fixed them on him.
”General Asterios isn’t human. Most likely, he’s a monster— a Minotaur. Which means that if I mentally fuse with him through the Damnamene… if I fall in love with the general… then my mind will twist, and I’ll become some perverse woman who lusts after a bull.”
”I see.”
”Yes, probably. We’ll know for certain when we see him after the summoning. But afterward, I’ll use the Staff of Dominion to link my mind to his, and I’ll become a woman utterly loyal to General Asterios. Even if I learn what he really is, I don’t think I’ll be able to reveal it to anyone.”
Kian rested his elbow on his raised knee.
”So despite being the Staff of Dominion, it’s the wielder who ends up controlled.”
”Magic always requires a price. To unravel General Asterios’s madness and bring him under control, I must offer up my own heart. …That’s what happened to my mother.”
”But didn’t the general refuse to join the war ten years ago?”
”Yes. That’s probably because Asterios is something even the staff and chains can’t fully restrain. Circe told me once that the spirit-letters engraved on the staff and chains make the contract heavily skewed in the monster’s favor. But dismantling that ritual would invite interference from the spirits themselves, so it’s something no one dares attempt.”
”To lose your mind, and in the end be split open by a Minotaur’s child—what a senseless fate.”
”You’ve already realized what it means to die in childbed. That’s right—General Asterios’s offspring are monstrous calves. Once born, they’re placed upon a small boat like the dead and sent secretly adrift into the Sea of No Return. …It’s insane that the kingdom is meddling with such a dangerous ritual. But without the general’s power, Crete cannot stand against Azrael. Someone has to be brave enough to bear it. And that someone is me.”
Guria’s expression hardened with resolve as she gazed out at the dark sea.
Notes:
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Louis – Trusted subordinates from the Châtillon family, part of Guy’s elite force.
• Mag – The wolfwoman under Yelmar—the one who was caught by Kian’s group earlier.
• Ryu – Linca’s little brother.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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