Book 4: Chapter 1 (4)
Ecbatana. It had been the royal capital of Pars for more than three hundred years, since the reign of the heroic King Kai Khosrow. Now, sincest October, it has been under the upation of the Lusitanian army.
King Innocentis VII of Lusitania, who was known as "a man with his right foot in the pool of dreams and his left foot in the swamp of delusions", had neither the strength nor talent necessary to be the ruler of a country. The reason why the kingdom of Lusitania, which was not a particrly strong country, was able to destroy Maryam and suppress the kingdom of Pars, was the king''s brother Guiscard.
Without him, the government and the army would not have been sessful. The political organization and legal system of Lusitania were not yet fully developed, so there were many areas where one had to rely on one''s own strength and skill. If Guiscard had been ipetent and sickly, perhaps Lusitania would have been destroyed already.
Guiscard was summoned by the king after having breakfast. Seeing his brother as he walked into the chamber, Innocentis VII opened his hands.
"Ah! Oh my dear brother!"
Guiscard was tired of such sweet lines. These words were always followed by never-ending puzzles. Since he had been born as the king''s brother, he was exactly thirty-six years old, and in that not-so-short period of time, hed had the experience of being questioned at least a thousand times by his brother. To King Innocentis, Guiscard was a reliable and special person in charge of handling difficult matters. He could not possibly rely more on his brother. For Guiscard, this was very troublesome.
The king was unaware of his brother''s inner thoughts, and he continued.
"The Parsian soldiers seem to carry out some acts that suggest they are not afraid of the wrath of God. What exactly do you think we should do?"
"That depends entirely on my brother, no, on what His Majesty the King will do."
"Me?"
"Yes. Should we fight them? Or shall we make peace with them?"
Guiscard questioned back wistfully. It was certainly not a good hobby to enjoy watching his brother try to use his head, but there was really no way he could continue to hold the thankless position of the king''s brother if he didn''t asionally allow himself such augh. Besides, during the time when his brother was floundering, Guiscard himself could consolidate his thoughts.
"Ah, I have a good idea! Don''t we have a very important hostage?"
"A hostage?"
"Yes! Think about it, brother! Isn''t the king of Pars in the dungeon? That man is a hostage. We can tell them that if they still value this man''s life, they should withdraw their troops immediately. This way, they will not be able to act against us."
Innocentis VII kept opening and sping his hands as if amazed by his own good strategy. Guiscard on the other hand, was deep in thought in front of him. Although the king''s eyes reflected his brother''s expression, he did not fully understand.
So his brother was notpletely stupid, after all! Guiscard thought this, and was surprised. What Innocentis VII had thought of was something that Guiscard had thought of a long time ago. However, Guiscard had further thoughts. The existence of Andragoras III, who was locked in the dungeon, was a double-edged sword. If Andragoras was killed, it might cause the Parsian army to flock to Prince Arns side, the only heir to the throne, and it would mean more trouble for Lusitania instead.
"How about that? Isnt it a good idea? Oh, brother!"
This time, King Innocentis did not use the adjective "dear".
"It''s something to consider."
Guiscard replied. The life of King Andragoras was thest trump card of Lusitania, and should not be used lightly. In addition to that, there was another element thatplicated the situation even more, and that was the existence of the infamous Queen of Pars, Tahamine.
Tahamine was a prisoner of the Lusitanian army, and her value as a hostage should have been enough to rival Andragoras. However, at present, Tahamine could not be considered a hostage because King Innocentis VII of Lusitania himself had an obsessive attachment to her.
From Guiscard''s point of view, he understood that it was impossible that Tahamine would agree to Innocentis VII''s advances. No matter what intentions that woman had behind her enigmatic smile, she could never love Innocentis VII with all her heart. That''s what Guiscard thought. However, the person in question, Innocentis VII, did not think so. That was the problem.
"It''s been six months since we caught that woman. Shouldn''t he have realized that by now?"
Guiscard thought, but Innocentis VII had another thought.
"The conversion of Lusitania to the faith of Yaldabaoth came five hundred years after its founding. I will gain the heart of Tahamine, and I will not give up, no matter how many years it takes."
Guiscard smiled and could not help but want to tell him to enjoy good things only in moderation. The king could choose to ignore reality and live in a dream, but Guiscard could not let things go on like this. The fate of the country rested on Guiscard''s shoulders.
"I''m counting on you, brother. Now, I must go pray."
Guiscard left his brother behind him as he exited the king''s room. The spring sunlight poured into the corridor, but Guiscard had no time to enjoy it.
A man came up to Guiscard, who was the court clerk Orgaz, who handled administrative matters. The expression on his face was as gloomy as a cloudy winter sky.
"Your Highness, I have an urgent matter to report to you."
"What is it now?"
"It''s about the aqueducts."
"Oh, the aqueducts that Bodin destroyed? Has there been any progress on the repair work?"
Orgaz''s report was unpleasant. Archbishop Bodin had damaged the aqueducts in the northern part of the capital when they besieged it. During the winter, the water needed in the capital was not much, but when the season changed from spring to summer, the amount of water needed for farming increased significantly. The shortage of water was getting worse and worse. This news made Guiscard''s mood even heavier.
"We will soon be entering the dry season. The manpower for the project needs to be increased, but "
Guiscard sighed.
At this time, Guiscard had another idea brewing. That was to simply give up the royal capital Ecbatana and offer it to the army of Crown Prince Arn.
Originally, Guiscard had no particr interest in thend of Pars, or the city of Ecbatana. Since the aqueducts had been destroyed by Bodin, and seeing that the summer was approaching, Ecbatana was going to be without water, there was no need to stay there at all.
They could take all the gold and treasure in Ecbatana, and set fire to it. Take the citizens as ves of Lusitania. When Arn came back to Ecbatana, he would find nothing but the burnt remains of the city. Arn would surely be disappointed.
"Perhaps there is value in this approach that deserves careful consideration. We can leave thend of Pars for the time being, and then take advantage of the situation when Arn and his men are alone in a city of worries, can''t we?"
In any case, this matter could not be decided immediately. Right now, Guiscard only promised to add two thousand men to aid the repair project, and let Orgaz retreat.
"There are really too many things to do. Since conquering Pars, our troubles have increased more than ournd. It really shouldn''t be like this."
At this moment, Guiscard spat hard. There was no way to deal with Arn''s army without calling back the soldiers who had been assigned to repairing the aqueducts. Which of these things should be prioritized?
Yaldabaoth seemed to have no intention to let the faithful rest in peace. That day, when the reddish-yellow sun was sinking from the middle of the sky toward the west, a messenger from the west entered the gates of Ecbatana. At that time, Guiscard was still working.
"Your Highness the King''s Brother. A few days ago, Lord Silver Mask captured the fortress of Zabul, where the traitors were secluded. I was ordered to return immediately to report the news."
"Oh? It was captured, huh?"
Guiscard''s eyes widened and he nodded gently. It was rare to see a problem get solved.