“No. That is exactly what I am asking. You have seen the Jandana right in front of you, haven’t you? You must even have crossed swords with them. What are they like? Strong?”
“Well…”
As Zamallik hesitated, Gaiar spoke.
“To be honest, up close they’re quite frightening. For one thing, they’re big, and strong too. They swing a spear or a scythe one-handed like a windmill. In fact, we don’t fight the Jandana one against one. It’s better to face them in pairs or groups of three. When soldiers first encounter them, it’s good enough if they don’t run.”
“Really? Then I should make not running away my goal too.”
Gaiar looked blank for a moment, then when Hanbun tapped his arm, lowered his head and chuckled. Zamallik said,
“We really like this about you, Adjutant. Sometimes we talk among ourselves. We wonder why you are so different from the other nobles. Of course, we haven’t seen that many nobles.”
“You’re the first royalty we’ve ever seen. We’ve wondered if you’re different because you’re royalty.”
“Actually, we heard somewhere that long ago, you spent a time growing up outside the palace.”
Gene nodded and took a few sips of liquor. It was quite strong for a hot region.
“It is not for us to ask how that came about, but what I mean is, until you were nine, did you live like us?”
At Gaiar’s words, Zamallik struck his arm.
“You fool. What do you mean, like us? How could he be like men such as us…”
“Yes.”
When Gene suddenly answered, Gaiar smiled at Zamallik as if to say, there, you see. Then Zamallik asked,
“Surely not. We were little scoundrels who ran barefoot as children, playing at war, lifting girls’ skirts and running away, stealing the neighbor’s watermelons to eat, and saying vulgar things to tease young ladies when they passed.”
“I did all of that. And sang, too.”
The soldiers’ dismayed faces were amusing. Soon Gaiar chuckled and said,
“Then, Adjutant, teach us one of those fine songs.”
Gene took another sip. The strong liquor had made his face red, but in the dark they could not see it. When a cool wind blew, he felt a little better. Once, he had liked to sing. In the days when his mother stayed up through the night sewing. After he returned to the palace, singing had become something only entertainers did.
“The girl next door took my hand, And told me to put my hand in here. So I put it in, and what was this? It was wet and squishy, and I felt annoyed. I quickly pulled it out and gave her cheek a slap, And she ran away crying. That’s what she gets for telling me to put my hand in a chamber pot.”
At first, the soldiers’ eyes widened, but the moment they heard the last line, they broke into chuckles. Gene laughed too. Looking up at the sky, he felt the stars might come pouring down.
“Ah, I’m truly astonished. To hear a song like that from your mouth, Adjutant.”
“I’ve learned something. I’ll have to use it when I go home.”
“When do you go home?”
At Gene’s question, the soldiers merely looked at one another. After a while, Zamallik answered.
“I don’t actually know. It’s been ten years since I went. Fifteen, perhaps?”
“Why don’t you go? Is it far?”
“It is far, but if we go, we cannot come back. There are no regulations for going home and returning. If we want to go, we have to hand in our rank insignia and leave.”
Then Hanbun said,
“I’m going back next year. If they tell me to hand in my rank, I’ll hand it in and go. My son’s coming of age. As his father, I can’t miss being there.”
That son might not remember the face of a father who had been tied to the army for more than ten years. Gene suddenly thought of his own father. Had he ever received such love from his father? His father certainly cherished Gene now, but when he had returned to the palace at nine, looking shabby and dirty, there had been no sign of it. Back then, all his father’s attention had been on the handsome, sturdy Pallasos.
“Your son will be happy when you return.”
“Well. Won’t he ask who I’ve come to see?”
When Hanbun laughed, the other two soldiers laughed too. They were all in similar circumstances. Hanbun spoke again.
“Of course, I’m not confident I’ll recognize my son properly either. But someday, when you have a child yourself, Adjutant, you’ll understand how I feel.”
Gene smiled.
“That day will have to come. Still, messengers as good as you are rare. The general will be sorry to lose you.”
“No. After seeing you this afternoon, I was ashamed of all the things I’ve gone about saying. I’ll never claim I’m good at riding anywhere again.”
Gene shook his head. When he did, the world seemed to sway a little. Gaiar hummed the song Gene had sung earlier. Then Zamallik sang another. It too was a song about a pretty woman and such things. Listening, Gaiar suddenly said,
“Still, there was a real beauty in an out-of-the-way place like this.”
“That’s right. Ah, she really was something.”
Gaiar laughed, then asked Gene,
“What do you think of her, Adjutant? The lady of this castle, I mean. You must have seen plenty of beautiful women in the palace. Does she still only amount to so-so?”
Then Hanbun spoke.
“Who could compare with Her Highness the prince’s consort?”
“Ah, right. There is Her Highness the prince’s consort.”
No one could have stood Thea and Dalsad side by side and said Thea was prettier. The soldiers would never see Thea, but though Gene might be acting as their superior officer here for a moment, Thea was the exalted consort of the prince and could not be spoken of lightly. With it difficult to speak to Gene, the soldiers began making guesses among themselves.
“Still, if such a beauty hasn’t married by that age, there must be some reason, right?”
“Couldn’t it be that she hasn’t been able to put together a dowry? Looking at the state of this castle, I don’t imagine they have any money.”
“What does a dowry matter when she’s that pretty? If it were me, I’d bow and take her without giving her even a copper coin.”
“What about your wife waiting at home?”
“Who knows whether that wife has already found herself another three husbands?”
“Oh, fine, but would a young lady here so much as blink an eye at your face?”
Then Gene suddenly spoke.
“If Dalsad marries and leaves now, this castle will become a den of thieves.”
That was true. While the soldiers looked awkward, a voice came out of the darkness.
“I hear an interesting conversation. May I join you?”
It was Belkun. The soldiers suddenly tensed and straightened themselves. Unlike Gene, Belkun had never once spoken casually with the soldiers or drunk together with them. Without anyone giving him permission, Belkun found himself a place and sat down, then took out a bottle.
“I’ll bet you a bottle of liquor there isn’t a group sitting together tonight that hasn’t talked about that young lady.”
Then he put the bottle to his lips and gulped. Since Gene knew Belkun was Pallasos’s cousin on his mother’s side, he intended to avoid clashing with him if possible. But Belkun looked at Gene and snickered.
“By the way, the way Dalsad looks at you is rather unusual.”
They had been talking about the prince’s consort only a moment earlier, so the soldiers could not answer carelessly and watched Gene’s reaction. Gene took another sip and replied,
“You must have seen wrongly.”
“No, I’m quite an expert in this. From what I can see, she’s an old maid, and perhaps she’s been missing a man? Her heart must have stirred at the sight of a young man from the capital on a white horse.”
He felt Belkun was deliberately provoking him. There was no need to be drawn in. Gene put a little strength into his voice and answered.
“That is a rude thing to say.”
“To you? Or to the lady? Look here, you’re making light of my efforts to bring together a young man and woman. There’s no need to treat a lady who likes you so coldly, is there? Since today is the day you met, perhaps she’s playing coy, but if you let slip that you’re a prince, your bed tonight will be warm, won’t it? Isn’t that right?”
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