There was wasteland in every direction. There was nowhere to hide. There was nowhere farther to retreat. Men and horses alike were exhausted, but fortunately the sun was setting. The setting sun was hotter than the sun at noon, but the guide had sent word that they would reach Saemgeuneul Castle that evening, and the slender hope held by those weary from the heat steadily grew.
Saemgeuneul had been named for the spring that rose in the wasteland. It was well situated for merchant caravans crossing the wilderness to stop, so the gathering place had developed into a castle town, but visitors had recently dwindled to nothing. As the southern castles fell one by one, it had somehow become a fortress facing the Jandana on the foremost front. Saemgeuneul Castle, which had not yet experienced a major war, had no real advantages as a military base, so General Beraxus planned to move out onto the plains and establish camp early the next day. Even so, it was a suitable place for an army that had marched for nearly a month to rest for a day. With merchants no longer visiting, the many lodgings within the castle would be empty. There would be plenty of good wine, stored fruit, and salted ham left too.
Swaying on Daylight’s back, Gene thought of the sherbet he would have eaten in the palace at this time of year. The thought of its sweet, cool taste made his mouth water. There was a waterskin hanging from the saddle, but the water he had drunk a little earlier had been beyond lukewarm, almost hot, with an unpleasant taste of leather. Perhaps it was a taste the other soldiers did not notice. Gene too had tried to forget it, but even now, after a month, he had not succeeded.
Gene believed the body was something that adapted. Seeing that he, who had grown up eating scraps in filthy back alleys and playing hide-and-seek, had learned to finish a meal neatly without getting a single drop of grease around his mouth at a formal public breakfast attended by the people, nothing seemed impossible. During the march, Gene had even tried putting soil, horse feed, and horse dung into his waterskin, trying to learn to endure anything. He could endure it, in fact, but he had never forgotten the old taste or come to enjoy the new one. Thinking that perhaps he had not tried hard enough, Gene opened his waterskin and put it to his lips. At least it was water too good for the soldiers under him to enjoy even by dinnertime.
“I can see the shade tree!”
At the shout of the scout returning with the guide, life came into the faces of the adjutants standing beside the general. The general looked at Gene.
“Go ahead, announce our arrival, and inspect the castle.”
“Yes, General.”
Gene lowered his head in reply, chose five men from among his answering subordinates and ordered them to follow, then raised his whip. A short cry rang out, and a white flash flew off like an arrow. Only after some time did the men following him chase after the dust. The army’s eyes, too, were fixed on the horizon. They had heard all about the prince’s fast horse, but during the march, there had been no opportunity to experience it. Only today, seeing it from nearby, did they know it was no false reputation. It was indeed a swift horse.
When the army began moving again, the adjutant Danil, riding a little way from the general, spoke to another adjutant, Systos.
“He really is fast.”
“What a fine horse it must be.”
“Can a fine horse alone do that?”
“Of course his skill is good too. In his noble position, he has nothing much to do but ride horses all day. What else would he do? Farm? Trade?”
“Still, he must embrace a woman, surely?”
As the two snickered, the adjutant Belkun lifted one side of his mouth in a sneer.
“You two haven’t seen the prince’s consort yet, have you?”
Belkun was the son of Dunan, Queen Sabina’s fourth elder brother. At the mention of the prince’s consort, the other two’s eyes lit with interest. Even for ordinary nobles, seeing Thea, who kept hidden in her room, was no easy thing. Thea had not even appeared at the departure ceremony.
“You’ve seen her? They say hardly anyone has.”
“She’s a scrawny child you’d lose your appetite just looking at. It would be less fun than embracing a bundle of firewood.”
At words that went a little too far, Danil and Systos shut their mouths and looked around. Once he saw that no one was listening in, Danil spoke boldly first.
“Ah, really? That’s a pity. But is the prince short of women apart from his consort?”
“How did a woman like that become the prince’s consort? Her family didn’t seem to amount to much either.”
Belkun did not answer. He urged his horse forward. In this expedition, Belkun was the fourth adjutant. He had originally been first, but had been pushed to fourth when the prince joined them. He had not become second or third because there was no need to increase confusion by changing the units commanded by all the adjutants. There had originally been no fourth unit. Soldiers had hurriedly been assembled to make one for Belkun, in other words, a motley crew. Belkun had gone through countless irritations managing men who had suddenly risen from barely soldiers to elite troops in the space of a spring. If his feeling toward Gene at the departure ceremony had been displeasure, now it was close to hatred. Besides, as Queen Sabina’s nephew, he had no reason ordinarily to think well of Erektina and Gene.
Reaching the shade tree, Gene caught his breath. There was no need to hurry this much, but after a month of slow marching, he had not wanted to miss a chance to run for the first time in ages. He was not yet satisfied with how he rode, but he had not forgotten his duty. The shade tree was a lone date palm rising before Saemgeuneul Castle. From that spot, the gate was clearly visible. The mere sight of it made him sigh. The shade tree alone looked as though it would break after a few blows from the wind.
Gene rode toward the gate. On top of the wall, there was not even the shadow of a sentry. When they heard the sound of hooves, a few people peered out. Gene shouted,
“We are the expeditionary force sent to punish the Jandana in the name of His Majesty our sovereign king, protected by the glorious star of Isgand! Open the gates and come out to receive us!”
The people looking down started in alarm and disappeared. A little later, the gate creaked open. The person who came out was a woman on a chestnut horse. Like people of the south, she wore a hat with a long veil around the brim and a white dress. Behind her came three or four soldiers, not even in formation. The woman halted her horse and spoke, looking at Gene.
“Long live His Majesty our sovereign king. We have been waiting eagerly for your arrival. I am Dalsad, daughter of Adriham, lord of Saemgeuneul.”
When Dalsad drew closer, Gene gave a start. She looked three or four years older than Gene, and was a beauty seldom seen even at court. His men soon arrived and gathered around him.
“General Beraxus ordered us to go ahead and announce the army’s arrival. The main force will arrive in about an hour.”
“Understood. We have already sent word into the castle. My father ought to come out and welcome you himself, but since collapsing suddenly last year, he has been unable to move. Please be generous enough to forgive us for that.”
“Understood. I shall inform the general.”
“Thank you. Then will you come inside?”
Following Dalsad in, he found the condition of the castle worse than it had looked from outside. Near the gate, at least, it retained the shape of a wall, but farther back, places that had collapsed long ago had gone unrepaired. Its height was uneven, and it was cracked everywhere. In some places, the height of a private house was greater than the wall. Inside, a large square and a small square were connected in the shape of a figure eight, climbing up the slope, and beyond the small square stood the inner keep where the castle lord lived. Behind the keep was a deep ravine, making the retaining wall high, so at least on that side, there seemed little concern about an attack. When they reached the small square, Gene looked around and asked,
“But where are the soldiers?”
Looking embarrassed, Dalsad turned toward the people following her. They too wore something like armor, but compared with the five men following Gene, they looked like farmers who had come out to protect their fields.
“In our castle, the able-bodied men among the people serve as soldiers. Except for those on duty, all of them are at work. They have not received training for a long time, so it is embarrassing to call them soldiers.”
“How many are there?”
“About five hundred, but that is the number obtained by counting everyone whose limbs are sound, from fifteen-year-old boys to sixty-year-old men.”
The answer was so honest that he could hardly find fault. If left alone, they seemed likely to be swept away completely by the Jandana as soon as tomorrow. What would happen to Dalsad then? Gene shook his head to cast aside the useless thought, then spoke.
“The general told me to inspect the castle. If you assign a few guides, my men will be able to carry out the task better.”
“I shall. The preparations to receive you should be ready by now, so please come with me, Captain.”
“I am not a captain. Merely the general’s adjutant.”
A smile spread over Dalsad’s face. He could not tell why she was smiling.
“Is that so? May I ask your name?”
“Gene.”
They were not to reveal his identity on the expedition. If the enemy found out, they might target him. Dalsad smiled once more, then guided Gene to the inner keep.
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