Steel and Mana

Chapter 351 – Return Home

Since growing up, living in the Imperial Palace, and seeing the Empire through its ruler's eyes, Kiva had always thought of Ishillia as the pinnacle of civilization. The vastness of its resources, the grand palace, and the knowledge they amassed in two thousand years, both magical and not. It was; it had to be the pinnacle. He had walked through the halls of the Imperial Palace, studied the ancient texts in his Master's vault, and fought in multiple wars, bearing the banner of an Emperor who, in the end, saw him as little more than a disposable pawn. Even then, after the betrayal, he still believed that Ishillia was above Avalon. It simply lost because of who was governing it.

"No..." He had to whisper to himself. It was not true; he had just refused to believe it. The weapons, the flying fortress he was now imprisoned in. Everything was showing him that he was wrong.

Yet, it was time to face the truth. After the airship docked in Avalon’s capital, he found himself at a complete loss for words, being walked down from its ramp, guarded by a group of soldiers.

This place was different. There were no towering castles, grand manors of nobles, or winding uneven streets. Instead, the city stretched wide, the roads straight and clean, and he could see down each street as they went from one end to the other. There was no incessant shouting of peddlers or angry guards, but it didn't mean that the usual hubbub of a city was nowhere to be heard. Quite the contrary, the streets were filled with people waving colorful banners, flags, and their accompanying cheers.

But, instead of being unruly, they were... organized. Gathering in groups, leaving enough of the broad street available so the people from the airship could file down. It was... unlike what he had ever seen, especially from the uneducated masses.

"It seems this road leads straight to the palace," Lucca muttered next to him, looking around, taking in the spectacle.

True, following his gaze, at the end of their road, there was a building that indeed resembled something akin to it. Although... it was nothing like the Imperial Palace. Where were the towers? The spires? The aura of a mighty empire?

"Don't." Lucca warned his friend, "Don't try to compare the two. You can't." He shrugged, watching the celebrating people welcoming back their soldiers not just here but everywhere around the city.

"..."

Kiva said nothing. He couldn't... He just watched as they were being led forward, paraded around like trophies while more and more people filed out of the airship that hovered above the middle of the city.

“This… isn’t an empire,” Lucca continued after a minute or so, being led by their guards, his calm-looking eyes taking in every detail around them. His hand instinctively brushed the bracelet on his right wrist, feeling how it restricted his magic as if cutting off half of his natural senses. “This is something else entirely; I have to give it to the Sovereign.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Kiva finally spoke up, but his voice was barely above a whisper. “This is the Frontier... There shouldn't be anything like this here. If everything we knew, they barely existed a decade ago. How could they be this... far ahead of us?”

"I think we will learn it, day by day," he said with a long sigh, shaking his head a little.

Their escort, the squad of armored Avalon soldiers, watched them closely but didn’t interfere in their quiet conversation. Although Kiva was curious about their black armor, he knew asking questions would lead nowhere. What Lucca deduced was that it had to be made of some kind of hide... or scales. Probably from monsters they had slain, an idea that came to him after realizing their weapons were made of bones and not metal.

It also made Lucca think. To equip a whole army with something like this has to mean they have it in abundance. Which then means monsters are coming constantly. Or... they were visiting the other side. No. That couldn't be because even the Emperor of Magic had retreated when leading small campaigns to the beasts' domain. But the idea of Avalon stopping constant beast attacks and having the capacity to win over Ishillia was telling enough. And... frightening.

As they made their way through the city, Kiva couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast to Ishillia. The air was different. Even cleaner. Then, the people... were also different. There was no fear in their eyes, nor was there much difference between their appearances. Where were the nobles? The peasants? The merchants and the dregs? He couldn't see any...

"Master Lucca? Master Kiva?" A familiar voice called out to them, breaking their thoughts as they were led into a separate building, visibly guarded by the same type of soldiers. “Is that really you?”

They turned to see the owner of the voice, and although Kiva did not know who he was, Lucca very quickly identified the man speaking to them. He was Kaelis, Barth's subordinate mage, sent to spy in Atuvia. So... they weren't the first mages Avalon had captured. Blinking his eyes, Lucca quickly scanned him over once again, looking for details that would tell them if he was manipulated or controlled... but no. Not with the same type of bracelet shackling him.

As for clothes, he was dressed in Avalonian attire—trimmed, neat, and surprisingly well-kept for someone who should have been a prisoner. Where were the signs of torture or starvation? His expression was of visible surprise... and something else. Yes... his eyes held something between amusement and a quiet sorrow.

“Kaelis,” Lucca greeted first, crossing his arms and helping Kiva out of who the other party was. “Didn’t think we’d run into you, not after Barth's death.”

“I could say the same.” Kaelis glanced at the guards, who made no move to stop their conversation, then motioned for them to follow. “I have been confined to this house for a time now... Come on, I'll show you around. I guess from you being brought here, the Prime Minister wants us to be kept at the same location.”

"You are... pretty well adjusted," Kiva muttered, making Kaelis shrug.

"I had a lot to think about. Still doing it." He answered in a monotone voice, "I think I am at the stage of acceptance.

"The stage of what?" Kiva asked, but Kaelis didn't answer.

The house wasn't like a noble's manor, but it also wasn't small by any means. What surprised Kiva was the fact that the soldiers didn't follow them in; they simply closed the door behind them. So... was this their prison? A two-story home, with a bedroom for each of them? Bathroom? Even a kitchen? It was... unbelievable.

"I assume... It is all over?" Finally, after putting freshly brewed tea before them in the kitchen, Kaelis asked, no longer acting as a subordinate to the two. After witnessing everything... He already knew, and he would never again bow his head, not to his old masters or to emperors. There was simply no reason to do so. Not if they were all prisoners... “Is the Emperor dead?”

Kiva and Lucca exchanged glances, both of them sighing. He was. They knew it. They felt it.

"He is," Kiva said at last.

“And Ishillia?” Kaelis asked, though he already knew the answer. "I mean... did it... fall apart? Destroyed?"

"No, it wasn't destroyed," Lucca said with a tinge of relief in his voice. “The war’s over. We lost, yes. But Mirian is the Empress now, so Ishillia is still in the hands of an Ishillian.”

"At least that's good..." Kaelis muttered, raising the cup to his lips.

For a long time, silence settled over them. What should they tell each other? When they didn't even know what would happen next. Well, the two did, but they still had doubts about whether the Sovereign would keep his promise.

"Well..." Kaelis gave them a small, humorless smile, breaking the silence. “But hey, at least the tea here is better than anything in the Empire. I guess, the perk of working together with Atuvia.”

...
....
......

It was the day after our return, and the city was still celebrating our most significant victory yet. Still, I already had a surprise visitor I had to meet. I was in my personal study, leaning back in my chair, studying the man sitting across from me.

"Chairman Alvor of Atuvia. I guess something had happened?" I asked, taking a sip from my coffee that Luna prepared for me in advance. "I hope it isn't bad news."

"Something... did happen, " he said, fidgeting a little in his chair, making me smile. I already knew what it was; I just couldn't say it out loud.

“I assume you didn’t come all this way just for a courtesy visit or to congratulate us on our victory,” I continued, sipping on my black drink and enjoying its aroma. “Though I do appreciate the gesture.”

"Your victory was predetermined, Sovereign." Alvor chuckled, though there was little humor in it. “No, Sovereign Leon. I came with news instead. And a... gift.” He muttered, pulling out a stack of documents and placing them before me.

Of course, after only looking at the first two pages, I recognized the gift he was here to present. Our little spy... So it was time to capture her, hm? Good. This was the last unsolved thread before finally getting rid of any previous Ishillian threat from Pascal's side.

Maybe we can turn her... By Merlin's report, Kaelis already showed signs of cracking. A skilled operative, deadly in her own right, would always come in handy.

"Sovereign..." Alvor said, trying to politely interrupt me reading the documents, playing with his fingers. “We caught her, along with several others, right as you left on your campaign. I mean... My son reported her to me after he noticed... things. We didn’t make a move until we were sure of their affiliations, but when your campaign broke through, she became frantic. She almost got into high places and was put into a dangerous position... So, to show you Atuvia's sincerity, I thought it best to deliver them to you personally. Although...”

"Although?" I asked as I kept sipping my coffee.

"I have a feeling you already knew she was there. You told us your 'plans' because you knew spies were still within us, besides Kaelis, no? Used us to deceive Ishillia..."

"I had my suspicions, yes." I nodded, looking into his eyes, "I didn't trust you fully back then."

"I... Understand.

"But now I can." I chuckled, making him sigh with a half-smile. "I am impressed with your son's work. I will... keep him in mind for the future. I already heard good things from people coming and going between our territories!"

“This is just our show of sincerity,” Alvor spoke up, fixing his posture. “Atuvia and Avalon have much to gain from a strong alliance. And I intend to ensure that no hidden knives remain between us.”

"I agree." I continued, putting my empty cup down. “I am grateful for this, Chairman Alvor. But...”

"But?" He flinched.

"Please, let us discuss this tomorrow. I have been away on a stressful campaign... I want a day with my wives and children and not to bother with politics."

"I... I understand." He stuttered, suddenly going red in the face, feeling embarrassed.

"Please." I stood up, chuckling, seeing his reaction, "Enjoy my city and the celebrations. It will last the whole week! But for now... I will excuse myself."

"Of course." He stood up, slightly bowing. "We will discuss this after... tomorrow."

...
....
.....

"How are you?" I asked Sasha, whispering, gently stroking Leyla's hair, who was now sleeping in my lap, while Arthur was stuffing his mouth full of cookies, seated in Mikan's lap in our room.

"I told you, I'm fine." She smiled, glancing at Yuri, who was holding Lancelot, while Luna was pouring tea for all of us.

"You still slept for a long time." Mikan chimed in, "And you told us... nothing much about it."

"Because I can't." She shrugged, "I mean, I didn't get anything... concrete." She muttered, her disappointment visible before us, "What I now know is that Arthur is the only one who can clearly hear them. For me, it was muffled, but... I am sure that this... these Vasa people are on the other side of the mountains."

"The voices?" Arthur asked, mouth full of cookies, "They are called the Vasa? They have been silent lately..."

"Good. Keep it that way." I said, making him nod, reaching for another one from Mikan's plate and offering it to her. "The question is," I turned back to Sasha, "What are they doing there? And why haven't they come back yet?"

"I don't know..." Sasha answered, shaking her head, looking puzzled, "But... What I felt while trying to listen was not hostile."

"Then?" Luna asked as we all waited for her to continue.

"It was... pleading."

“Huh.” Luna hummed, looking around, gazing at our solemn faces. “Cheer up you all! Haaah… Especially you, Mikki, you are soon going to give birth!”

“Heh, yes, you are right.” She nodded, smiling.

“Ugh… Thinking about it, I wonder how my thin waist will handle it…” Luna continued, looking down at herself.

“It will be fine,” Mikan assured her, making Luna grimace.

“I do hope so. Because my period is late, maybe that ‘farewell night’ had an effect…”

“If it did,” I sat up straight, gazing at her while the others also perked up, including Arthur, “Finally, you will get off the hook of my mother!”

“Yeah,” She shrugged, her shoulders dropping, “Fingers crossed they are not twins… my back will kill me!”