“There! It’s in view! The capital!”
Sue leaned out the window. I looked too: a white castle and high walls rising against a backdrop of a great waterfall.
The royal capital Alephis, on the shores of Lake Palette where the waterfall fed it — the capital of this country. Also known as the lake capital.
Belfast sat in the western Europa continent. A relatively peaceful country thanks to mild climate and a good king’s rule.
The dominant industry was textiles — silks woven in Belfast’s Kilua region were said to be top-tier even worldwide. Light, soft, durable, beautiful. Patronized by nobility and even foreign royalty. A national pride and a major revenue source.
As we approached the city walls, their length became more impressive. How far does this wall go? Impenetrable defenses — figurative, the wall wasn’t iron.
At the city gate several soldiers were performing entry-control inspections. But our carriages went straight through with only the soldiers seeing Sue’s and Laim’s faces. VIP-pass. The duke-house crest on the carriage probably also helped.
The carriages went straight to the castle area, crossing a long stone bridge over a wide river. Another checkpoint at the bridge’s center; another waved through.
“Past this bridge is the noble district.”
Laim’s commentary. I nodded — commoner/noble district division.
We passed through streets lined with beautiful mansions. The carriage eventually pulled up before an enormous estate. The wall of the property was long. When we reached the gate, five or six gate guards swung the heavy double doors open. Same crest on the gate as the carriage — of course this is the duke’s residence.
Huge. The yard and the house both — wastefully large.
The carriage stopped at the front door. Sue threw it open with vigor.
“Welcome home, milady!”
“Indeed!”
A line of maids bowed in unison. I’d been sitting open-mouthed inside the carriage; Laim prompted me out. I am — significantly out of my element.
Through the entryway, a great red-carpeted staircase ahead of us. A man came running down it.
“Sue!”
“Father!”
Sue rocketed at him and slammed into his chest.
“Thank goodness — thank goodness…”
“It’s fine — I’m unharmed. Did the letter not say so?”
“When the letter arrived I could not breathe…”
Sue’s father. This was Duke Ortlinde, the king’s brother. Bright gold hair, a strong build. His face had a mild warmth to it.
After a moment he let Sue go and walked over to us.
”…You’re the adventurers who saved my daughter. Allow me to thank you. Truly grateful, all of you.”
He bowed to us. The king’s brother. Bowing to us.
“Please raise your head. We only did what was right.”
“I see. Thank you. You’re humble too.”
He shook my hand.
“Allow me to introduce myself. Alfred Ernes Ortlinde.”
“Mochizuki Touya. Touya is given, Mochizuki is family.”
“Hm — Eashen?”
How many times do I get this line.
“So — you’re here on a guild contract to deliver a letter to the capital.”
In a second-floor terrace overlooking the garden, we sat with the duke over tea. We meaning, primarily, the duke and me — the other three were rigid with tension.
Sue had stepped away earlier. Wonder where she went.
“If you hadn’t accepted this contract, Sue might have been kidnapped, or killed. Gratitude to whoever requested it.”
“Any leads on the attacker?”
“Not… no. By my position, some nobles see me as an obstacle. Some might think kidnapping my daughter and using her as leverage would be a useful play.”
He frowned over his tea. Noble politics, eternal.
“Father, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Sue arrived in a peach dress with frills, a peach-rose headband in her hair. Looked great.
“Did you speak with Ellen?”
“Yes. I didn’t mention the attack — didn’t want to worry her.”
She sat next to her father; Laim brought her tea without delay.
“Ellen?”
“Ah, my wife. Forgive her absence; the lady is — she is unable to see.”
“Unable to see?”
Yae asked gravely.
“Five years ago, an illness — her life was saved, but she lost her vision.”
The duke’s face shadowed. Sue placed her hand over his.
”…Was healing magic attempted?”
“Every healer in the country was called in. Couldn’t fix it. Physical wounds, healing magic handles. Disease side-effects, it doesn’t.”
Linze, asking; the duke, drained, answering. Even healing won’t reach it. Felt the weakness of being able-but-not-enough.
“If only Grandfather were still with us…”
Sue murmured regretfully. The duke caught my puzzled look.
“My wife’s father — Sue’s grandfather, my father-in-law — was a unique magic user. He could remove physical anomalies. The reason Sue went on this trip was to try to find a way to decode his magic, ideally re-create it.”
“Grandfather’s magic could cure Mother. If we could learn to use it — or find someone who could—”
Her fist clenched.
“That’s an extremely low probability, Sue, I told you. Null magic is overwhelmingly personal. Finding someone using the same spell is nearly impossible. But there must be someone with a similar effect. I’ll keep looking—”
"" Ahhhh — ""
The three beside me stood up suddenly and shouted in unison. Wha — what what what?
“Touya!”
“Touya-san!”
“Touya-dono!”
“What?!”
They were jabbing fingers at me. Stop, this is alarming. Whatever this was, they were peaked. Sue and her father were also slightly recoiling. See?
“You could probably use that magic!”
“Null is personal — others can’t use it. But—!”
“Touya-dono can use all Null spells!”
“Wait — ahhhh— yes! That’s right!”
I’d missed it! Null — me.
“You — could you — heal my wife? Touya!?”
Sue grabbed my arm hard.
“To be honest, I’ve never used this spell. But — possibly. If you can tell me its name and exact effects.”
“Oh, are these guests?”
The woman seated on the bed looked like an older Sue. Light brown hair, pale-blue skirt. Delicate as a flower — like baby’s-breath rather than a rose or a lily. Young — twenties, probably.
But the youth made the unseeing eyes hit harder. They were open but unfocused, not tracking anywhere.
“Mochizuki Touya, ma’am. Pleased to meet you, Lady Ellen.”
“Hello. And who is this, dear?”
“Sue’s rescuer. He’s offered to look at your eyes.”
“My eyes…?”
“Mother, please — relax.”
I held my hand quietly in front of Lady Ellen’s eyes. Focused magic. Invoked the spell. Please work.
“Recovery.”
A soft light flowed from my palm into her eyes. The light slowly faded; I lowered my hand.
Her gaze wandered briefly, then steadied. Blink. Blink. She turned her face toward the duke and Sue, slowly.
”…I can see… I can see. My darling, I can see you!”
Tears spilled.
“Ellen—!”
“Mother!”
The three embraced and started crying. Lady Ellen looked at her daughter and her husband, after five years, smiling through tears. Her daughter’s face. Her husband’s face. Through wet eyes, drinking it in.
Laim, watching from the side, turned his face upward to keep his own tears in check.
“It worked… sniff.”
“It worked…”
“Marvelous, this is…”
You guys are crying too!? Wait — am I going to look like the heartless guy who isn’t crying?
For the record I was moved — there’d just been a lot of pre-cast pressure, so what hit first was relief. Anyway.
We watched the joyful parents and daughter in warm silence.