Heat the Pig Liver - Volume 2: Fragment 2

Fragment 2 – An Important Person

In addition to Ms. Wies and I, Evis-sama’s grandson – Mr. Shulavis, also came to the king’s bedchamber.

 

Evis-sama is the king of Mestria, and the greatest mage.  His bedchamber was lavishly decorated with gold and silver ornaments, and warmly illuminated by magic lights.

 

He was lying in a large canopy bed.  Despite his old age, he still had a personable appearance – with lush and wavy white hair, and a long and elegant white beard.  However, the dark circles under his eyes were severe, and he had lost significant weight.  He was like a sick patient.

 

“How is your condition?”

 

My question wasn’t answered for the moment.

 

Evis-sama turned slightly towards Mr. Shulavis.

 

“…The proper answer, perhaps, is that I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know?”  Mr. Shulavis blurted in an extremely shaken tone.

 

Mr. Shulavis inherited his finely chiseled face from Evis-sama, and has curly blonde hair.  He’s eighteen years old, and is an honest and sincere person.

 

“Yes.  I haven’t been cursed before in my life, so I won’t know if I can be cured without investigating.”

 

“Is it really a curse?”

 

Ms. Wies also appeared unnerved as her voice trembled.

 

“I wasn’t able to completely eliminate this with my magic.”

 

Evis-sama stuck his right hand out from under the bedding.  On the back of it was something that resembled a blackened bruise with black lines entangled around it like ivy.

 

“In other words, this means a mysterious mage has placed a curse on me.”

 

Magic has the power to supersede anything that isn’t magic.  It can be used to purify poisons and infections, and if done by an experienced mage like Evis-sama, it can even eliminate pseudo-magic from ristas.  If Evis-sama isn’t able to remove it with his power, then it could only be magic from another person.

 

“But Grandfather, if we’re talking about mages besides the four of us here…”

 

Evis-sama lightly lowered his head at Mr. Shulavis’ anxious words.

 

“Right.  There’s only Markus and Hortis.”

 

“Then my uncle…”

 

The three of them had heavy-hearted expressions.  And even though I felt apologetic for doing this, I had to ask.

 

“Who is Mr. Hortis?”

 

“Evis-sama actually has two sons – my husband, Markus, and his younger brother, Hortis.”  Ms. Wies explained.

 

I’ve heard a lot about Mr. Markus.  He’s Evis-sama’s eldest son, Ms. Wies’ husband, and Mr. Shulavis’ father.  Evis-sama is the greatest mage, but on the other hand, I’m told Mr. Markus is the strongest mage.  Naturally, there are very few mages that can freely use magic to begin with.

 

“Mr. Markus should be infiltrating the north under Evis-sama’s orders, right?”

 

Ms. Wies confirmed my inquiry with a nod.

 

“Yes.  He changed his appearance and is investigating the vicinities of the Northern royal castle.”

 

“And Mr. Hortis is…?”

 

“He disappeared.”

 

Evis-sama spoke.

 

“Five years ago, he opposed our policies and disappeared from the capital.  His whereabouts are completely unknown.  I always believed he had died, but…”

 

“I never would have expected my uncle to cast a curse upon Grandfather.”

 

“That’s hard to believe.”

 

Ms. Wies shook her head, and Evis-sama nodded lightly in agreement.

 

“I don’t think Hortis would do such a thing either if he were alive.  But if it’s him, he might be able to remove the lock magic.”

 

“Lock magic?”

 

I tilted my head in confusion, to which Evis-sama explained.

 

“The Yesma collars and the blood rings of the capital’s citizens are protected by a special magic called lock magic.  If you don’t know the key magic – which is the unlocking method, then you won’t be able to remove it.  However, for a skilled mage like Hortis, it’s not impossible to pry open the lock magic.  If Hortis removed his collar and blood ring using an undetectable method…”

 

He frowned deeply.

 

“We cannot ignore the possibility that an unknown mage was set loose into this world.”

 

The bedchamber immediately fell silent.

 

The Yesma collar is a tool used to seal away the magic power of Yesmas, who are originally mages.  I was told it could only be removed by Evis-sama or Mr. Markus.  It’s protected by special magic, so the only way to remove it besides the proper method is by… chopping the wearer’s head off.

 

As for the blood ring, it’s a ring that is attached to the heart of each person that lives in the capital, and it functions like the Yesma collar by greatly limiting their magic power.  It’s not visible from the outside, and the only way to remove it outside of the proper method is by… severing the blood vessels which carry blood from their heart to their entire body.

 

If Mr. Hortis was able to remove these…  If the girls who were treated as Yesmas and the capital’s citizens whose magic powers were restricted had their magic powers released somewhere unbeknownst to the royal dynasty…  Then the order that Evis-sama has protected up until now will be completely disrupted.

 

Something I had learned before surfaced to mind.

 

The Dark Ages.

 

It was an era where mages fought one another, and a lot of blood was shed.  It was an era where the world was almost destroyed by the endless violence clashing against one another.

 

I was taught that Evis-sama’s great-grandmother, Vatis-sama, brought an end to that era.  It was said that she weakened all of her allied mages, and sought out and executed all the other surviving mages.  She allowed only her family to be able to wield their original strength.

 

Those reforms were the origins of the Yesma race.

 

The Yesma race are people from the capital who were born with magic power, given collars that seal those magic powers, had their memories erased, and sent outside the capital to work as slaves.  The Yesma race are girls who, at the age of sixteen, are released into the wild and forced to journey to the capital; should they not make it with their own strength, sooner or later they will be killed.

 

These girls, whose magic power, aggression, and ego were sealed at the same time, were distributed as slaves to support society from the lowest caste since the Dark Ages.  Moreover, by having them exist and then be weeded out, it also accomplishes the goal of maintaining the source of the royal dynasty’s authority – the mages race.

 

I was also once a Yesma.  However, I was fortunate enough to reach the capital.  Furthermore, Evis-sama discovered my talents, and as the future queen – Mr. Shulavis’ fiancé, I am now receiving education.

 

But-, I thought.

 

I can’t recall how I journeyed to the capital at all.

 

 

After the talk about Mr. Hortis, we discussed our strategies for the future.

 

To begin with, this battle was not supposed to be losable.  There shouldn’t have been a mage on the opposing side, so the difference in war power was obvious.   As long as Evis-sama steadily destroyed the cornerstone of the Northern Forces’ strategy – their govern camps, in each area, it will be possible for us to regain control of the region.  And since Mr. Markus has infiltrated near the Northern king, Arogan, the enemy will suffer a complete defeat after he has ascertained the ruling situation and annihilated the Northern dynasty.

 

I have been taught that this monarchy cannot be shaken.

 

However, is that truly the case?  So I asked.

 

“If there was no chance of winning in the first place, why would Mr. Arogan rebel?  Is it possible that he waged this war precisely because he had something that could even retaliate against the royal dynasty’s mages?”

 

Evis-sama muttered, “Given my current situation, I can say that possibility is very high.”

 

A curse that even Evis-sama isn’t able to remove.  In other words, this confirms the existence of the unexpected mage who he referred to as the surreptitious sorcerer, and that that person is the Northern Forces’ chance at victory.

 

After pondering, Ms. Wies spoke.

 

“Forgive me for saying this, but… Evis-sama, you may have been caught by their trap.”

 

“Hm.  You’re saying that they set up a curse with the expectation that I would appear in person.  That’s quite probable.  I was cursed at Niabel.  Among the areas controlled by the Northern Forces, this one stood out and was on the verge of collapse.  When I went there, their defenses were lacking.  But if we look at it under the assumption that they had no intentions of defending Niabel, and was just using it to lure me out and curse me, then it makes sense.  We may have played right into the surreptitious sorcerer’s hands.”

 

Mr. Shulavis voiced his concerns in a flustered manner, “So… the enemy’s side has at least one mage; on our side, Grandfather has to withdraw from the frontlines due to stepping into a trap, and Father is currently infiltrating Arogan’s place.  If we don’t change our strategy, won’t our territories be invaded one after another?”

 

“Right.  But even if we wanted to call Markus back, it needs to be at a good timing.  We haven’t fully grasped the north’s ruling structure, so even if Arogan is defeated prematurely, a second king may just appear.  Assuming there’s a mage on the enemy’s side, laying waste to the Northern dynasty without knowing the true culprits would only be a last resort.  It would be best to call him back as soon as possible, but that would still have to wait.”

 

The surreptitious sorcerer is powerful enough to resist the royal dynasty.  It would likely be very dangerous to try and use force to seal them when there are still so many unknowns.

 

A tense atmosphere dominated the bedchamber.

 

“Grandfather, let me go in your p-”

 

“You may not.  If you die, Shulavis, who will succeed the throne?  The purpose of your training is not to participate in this war, but to instead take care of returning peace back to Mestria after the war is over.”

 

“Returning peace…  You mean like what Father did?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Mr. Shulavis glanced at me awkwardly.  I had no idea what he was thinking.

 

“…Is that so?  Understood.”

 

Ms. Wies appeared somewhat restless and changed the subject.

 

“For the time being, let’s think about fighting without Evis-sama.  How many soldiers do we have currently?”

 

“We have around 30 squadrons spread around, with about 200 soldiers per squadron…  Unless they’re well trained, they won’t be able to fight against an Org, so I don’t think we’ll be able to increase those numbers.”

 

Evis-sama has always believed in an absolutely peaceful world, so only the smallest necessary army was ever readied.  On the other hand, it seems the Northern Forces increase their military strength by forcibly conscripting people from the lands they control, and by using powerful monsters known as Orgs.  I’m told they’re large, human-like creatures that excel in everything, be it agility, strength, or endurance; it’s said that if you’re not a seasoned soldier, you won’t pose a threat to it at all and will be killed in an instant.

 

Mr. Shulavis, with his head still facing downwards, spoke.

 

“I heard the Liberation Army’s main force which lost the battle at the Rocklands had around 300 people.  Although their numbers aren’t large, they should be a group of brave elite youths.  If we fought them half-heartedly, we would only increase our casualties.”

 

“That’s right.  We would need around 500 of our soldiers to take a city.  However, if they encounter a place where the enemy forces are concentrated at, there’s a good chance they would be wiped out.”

 

Ms. Wies then suggested, “The Liberation Army was routed, but you mentioned that their leader was quick-witted and allowed their survivors escape.  Even though they lost their head, their remnants should still be in hiding, and there should be more than a few citizens that sympathize with them and are willing to fight.  Is there any way we can take advantage of that?”

 

“Wies, do you mean to borrow the power of those who oppose the royal dynasty?  Those people attacked our distribution centers and surveillance posts in the name of saving Yesmas.  They’re only accepted by some citizens, and are just the same as Arogan.  I have no intention of borrowing strength from those that threaten the current system.”

 

“…I apologize for my thoughtless words.”

 

“It’s fine.  As a possibility, I’ve also considered it before.”

 

I heard the leader of the Liberation Army is a person called Mr. Nott.  Was it just a coincidence that, around the same time I entered the capital, he suddenly came into prominence with the goal of “destroying this world that exploits Yesmas” and gathered comrades one after another.  A large number of hunters, who call themselves free people, joined him, and their numbers became something that neither the royal dynasty, nor the Northern Forces could ignore.

 

However, their momentum ended after about a month.  They were defeated in a battle, and Mr. Nott was captured.  According to Mr. Markus’ report, Mr. Nott has become a gladiator for the people’s entertainment, and that his fate was to be sealed very soon.

 

I wonder what kind of person Mr. Nott is like?  Rumor has it that he’s a flaming swordsman with first-rate skills, and that he’s willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of Yesmas…  Perhaps I’m also indebted to him, even if it’s not directly.

 

The memories from when I left the Quiltlin family to when I entered the capital are sealed by Evis-sama’s magic.  He told me there was a legitimate reason for doing so, but I think, perhaps-

 

Perhaps Mr. Nott is…

 

I have someone that I can’t forget.  I was protected by someone very important to me – that’s the only thing I could remember clearly.

 

However, the bookmarked pages are stuck together, unable to be opened.

 

…Huh?  I seemed to have closed my eyes before I knew it.

 

I tried to raise my head, but everything went white before my eyes.  I felt my body slide off the chair just like that.