War Chronicles of the Land of Twilight

“？ I thought he was a servant of this castle?”

Gorda had noticed the man’s presence as he arrived at the main corridor, but had thought he was just one of the castle’s attendants and hadn’t paid him any attention.

“Ara ara,” said Romaria, putting a hand to her mouth and laughing softly. She approached Gorda until their bodies were touching, leaned in close to his face, and whispered in a small voice.

“…It’s Curse.”

Romaria’s breathy whisper lingered around Gorda’s ear like a curse.

“What? He changed his guise again?” Gorda felt goosebumps, but let Romaria continue.

“It would seem so. He’s a free spirit… We don’t know what he’s thinking. For His Majesty to entrust the southern defense to someone like him is quite tasteless, don’t you think?”

“Did you say something, ‘Witch of Three Eyes’?”

The man standing at the base of the pillar spoke up, admonishing Romaria for her words.

“No, please don’t mind me,” Romaria replied, still leaning on Gorda’s shoulder and snickering with mockery.

“I have nothing to say to a beast.”

 Upon hearing those words, the man took a few steps forward.

“Should I take that as an insult?” The man was wearing an intricately embroidered garment that looked like a traditional costume. His face was well-formed, with pointed ears. A short sword, easy to wield, was sheathed at his waist.

“I said I have nothing to say, didn’t I? Even so, ‘insult’ is quite a difficult word for you to know, considering your lowly status.” Romaria added more words, looking over Gorda’s shoulder, who she was leaning on.

 “Romaria, you’re taking this too far.” Gorda grabbed Romaria’s shoulders, pulling her away from him while admonishing her.

 “We can’t overlook any trouble in this situation.”

Romaria, who was suddenly grabbed by Gorda, showed a surprised expression for a moment, but soon returned to her usual tone, letting out a cold, mocking laugh.

“No, I would never do such a thing in His Majesty’s presence. I’ve calmed down now. Please let go.”

Romaria gently placed her slender fingers on Gorda’s arm and made him release her shoulder.

“You heard me, right? This is ‘Abyssal King Castle.’ Know your place.” Gorda said in a commanding tone, looking back at the man. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped that witch from saying unnecessary things. Well, let’s leave it at that… We managed not to show His Majesty an unsightly scene.” The man, who had also placed his hand on the hilt of his short sword, obediently heeded Gorda’s advice and returned to his original position at the base of the pillar, assuming the same posture as before.

＊＊＊

“Such noisy young ones,” a voice came from behind Gorda, Romaria, and the man called Curse.

The massive entrance door to the grand corridor opened slightly, revealing a skeletal figure in a red robe. The robe was adorned with gold embroidery, and the figure wore a tall ceremonial hat and held a wooden staff decorated with a large gemstone.

It was clear that this was a high-ranking member of a religious organization. The face beneath the hat was completely skeletal, and while the rest of the body was hidden by the robe, it was likely that the entire figure was skeletal. “After all the trouble I took to come before His Majesty, you ‘Four Great Lords’ behave like this. Truly disgraceful…” grumbled the robed skeleton. Its mouth moved slowly compared to the number of words it spoke, indicating that the voice came from a different part of the body.

“You’re late, Ringelto. Usually, you would have arrived long before us,” Gorda said, holding the large door open and urging the robed skeleton, called Ringelto, to enter the grand corridor.

“Hmph, my horses were stuck. Unlike you lot who teleport or fly, I can’t do that,” Ringelto looked back at the entrance, where a carriage pulled by two horses stood. Both horses were mummified, and the coachman was a skeleton like Ringelto.

“I’m always impressed by your long journeys in that carriage. Quite the feat for someone of your age,” Romaria chuckled, covering her mouth with her finger.

“You little girl… Don’t treat me like an old man,” Ringelto grumbled, tapping his staff on the marble floor like a cane. Annoyed, Ringelto was about to lose his temper when his gaze caught a man called Curse standing by a pillar. He closed his mouth and tilted his head curiously.

“Hmm? Who are you? I don’t recognize your face.”

“Would ‘Devourer’ jog your memory, ‘Pope’?” Curse sighed.

“Oh! Yes, that’s right. It’s Curse! I didn’t recognize you with that new outfit.”

Ringelto laughed as his dry, skeletal jaw clicked together.

“I thought your appearance might have changed, but these clothes give it away. Well, never mind then…”

The man called Curse let out another heavy sigh.

“… Fufu. Oh, excuse me.” Romaria mocked Curse with a laugh, but noticing Gorda’s disapproving gaze, she covered her mouth with her hand and offered an insincere smile.