Глава 9

Ugh, took a peltin' and some. Missed Captain Kelly in the end.

Here, take this hankie, wipe yourself off, or else the smell of those rotten leaves'll stick to you.

Thank you!

Didn't imagine any of our soldiers apart from Captain Kelly would visit District Seventeen on their own.

Our soldiers? You mean like, you're one too?

Shh.

(Clears throat) I slipped out in secret. Can't do that in uniform.

You're not gonna make anyone happy taking a shortcut to the barracks through here in that getup.

Eh, really?

No wonder. I barely said anythin' before it was a bombardment of all gone-off leaves and fruit.

Are you a new transfer?

Kind of. I'm here from Londinium.

Well, Londinium! I've never been. Must be miles larger than County Hillock there...

Does The Shard really go three hundred floors up? Is there really a teleportation circle buried in the mound under the Royal Victorian Academy of Sciences, leading to the miraculous space where the first Draco King's Jewels are kept?

Eh... eh? Jewels? Never even heard of them.

But I do know what the high-speed terrestrial warships look like when they leave the factory, and I've seen the hydroponics workshop... If you wanna know anythin' of that sort, I could definitely tell you.

Warships? Hydroponics workshop...? Doesn't sound... too much like Londinium is in novels... Oh! Sorry! Don't let me distract you.

If you want to investigate, it'll probably be hard to ask on any of these streets.

Might end up like this again, with...

With gettin' a stink all over me for no reason?

Got off light, haha. You're not that stinky.

Do these residents often have clashes with us soldiers?

Used to just be minor friction, but it's been getting tenser lately.

It's like you've been hearing. There's been several cases of our soldiers getting targeted in attacks, and it's stretching everyone's nerves close to the limit—

Could it really be the spectre force... that's weird, they didn't really target ordinary soldiers before.

Spectre... what are you going on about?

...Nothin'.

Speakin' of, that patrol just now callin' the people here 'Tara rabble'—

Hold on, don't—don't just say that out loud here! They'll be eyeing us again... What, are you hoping to take away even more rotten veg?

Ah... gotcha. Are they really not Victorians?

Of course they're Victorians.

I'm gettin' more and more lost here.

Some people would choose another word, yeah, the one you've been hearing—Tarans, that's their identity.

You have both the locals themselves who would call them that, as well as a decent portion of the soldiers.

Now that you put a fine point on it, I've heard the term before.

In novels?

In history textbooks.

Right. They've always been here.

Over hundreds of years ago, when it wasn't County Hillock yet, and we still hadn't built our nomadic cities, back when it was grass all across the vales as far as the eye could see, this place was their home.

I still remember the legend of the Draco King, Gaeil... was he born right around here?

Tara was the very name of this region back then.

Right. I've read heaps of novels all about the saga of King Gaeil.

King Gaeil led the Tarans in a conflict against the first Aslan King, but a few years later, he signed a peace treaty along with the ruler of Londinium, didn't he?

And here I was thinkin', after that, the word Tara just sort of fell away.

Before I came to County Hillock, I thought the same...

But Victoria's always changing, isn't it? Us Vouivre didn't always live here, but we're all Victorian citizens now.

If everyone's minds went like that, we'd avoid plenty of conflict.

*Sigh*...

No need to let it get you down, though. The whole reason we're here is to uncover the real enemy, stop the clash gettin' any bigger, isn't it?

So you'd rather not leave, even if it means a headful of rotten cabbage?

Haha, you think I'm bein' a right dunce, don't you?

No, not at all. Actually, you're amazing to me.

The patrol just now, I've seen masses of rough attitude like that. It's not like I've never wanted to stop it... but I'm a guard of honor, that's all I am.

And what's so bad about that? You're a member of Victoria's army too. Course you've got the power to change the situation, if it doesn't sit right with you!

Do... do I really?

Oh, thank you... you're the first person who's ever told me that. Yeah, next time, I'll give it a go...

Oh, yeah, is there anything else I can help you with? Apart from picking these leaves off you... after all, I don't want to see this conflict boil over either.

Let me think... d'you have any local friends you ken? I want to ask whereabouts Damian Barry usually went.

Friends I've got... Saoirse might know something.

Give me a way to keep in touch, and I'll visit the newspaper in a moment. Don't think the Sergeant Major would mind if I'm missing today...

Skamandros.

Colonel.

I once saw your father—over twenty years ago, at a ball the Duke of Caster was holding. Of course, I was still a bottom-rung guard then, so all I had was a glimpse from afar at the White Wolf Count of legend.

Not long after, I heard a deformed feathered reptile struck illness into him at a Londinium beastlife garden, and he quickly took leave from the aristocratic circles.

Ever since, he hasn't taken a step beyond his manor at Portsmouth City.

Is your father still in fine spirits?

Thank you for your concern, and I hope reminiscing over these years-old affairs hasn't eaten up too much of your precious time. After all, meeting with you doesn't prove easy.

You don't resemble your father.

As is clear, my father did not have the opportunity to serve for the Empire's Army like you or I do.

Considering the theft of these military Originium goods couldn't possibly relate to him, maybe we don't have a need for probing further into his later life.

One's background decides what kind of person one becomes. Would you agree with that, Skamandros?

I believe one has the right to choose one's own future.

Listen to that. How befitting an answer of your status.

The progeny of the Aslans' aide, first-class honors from the Royal Guard Academy, a Londinium army upstart—of course you believe you can change anything and everything.

I have no intent to make any such changes, Colonel. You don't need to worry about our squad potentially impacting your command over County Hillock...

For a joke, I don't find that humorous at all. You can't be so arrogant as to think I'd occupy myself with a paltry little lieutenant?

I've met people like you plenty. Always all braggadocio, skin-deep, and superficial. I deigned to meet you because I wanted to tell you this—

Don't interfere in things beyond your ken.

I'm sorry, I cannot agree to that.

The orders we received were to ascertain the lost Originium products' whereabouts.

If you just stay still and wait where you ought to, then before long, you may accomplish your duty and return to Londinium with all the ostentation you'd like.

I don't need that ostentation of yours, and Victoria needs it even less.

I'm not in the routine of reporting back with a hurriedly lopped-off head, sans trial.

Hahah! You're telling me I've a disregard for human life—and you believe those people are truly innocent? How ridiculous!

Just ten days ago, three of our soldiers were murdered in cold blood. James Cohen, Robert Boris, and Jeremy Brown.

When Cohen's wife wrote to tell him she was with a second child, she had no idea that her husband had had a hole gruesomely blown in his head.

Boris could've left this place once midsummer passed. He mentioned he'd go back to continue his family's clothiers after his retirement.

And Brown, he was a bright young student just a year ago, and not even twenty when he died!

I give my profound regrets for their sacrifice.

Regrets! Hah, what weightless rhetoric, just like every word that wafts out of your mouth.

This is exactly why all of us want to catch hold of the assassinators. Colonel, on this matter, we have held unanimous positions throughout.

No one else but that Tara rabble killed them. We've uncovered two already, but I know there are still more tucked in the background.

Fifteen days ago, our barracks suffered an explosive attack at three simultaneous places. An according fifteen soldiers lost their lives. The craters and the spilled blood of our own still lie where they were.

Twenty-one days ago, our resupply transport group were ambushed outside the distribution sector in the outskirts north, and the whole detachment together with their goods disappeared without a trace. Do you feel there is any possibility they would still be alive?

This is only the last month's events, to boot. You know nothing at all of the losses we've long since endured.

These incidents you mention all sound very in line with the spectre force's MO.

In the past half a year, Londinium has continually received reports from more than ten different counties, logging up to hundreds of homicide, looting and property damage cases.

After every offence, they swiftly conceal their tracks, and all connected personnel who've seen them are caught in assassinations before they can contact us.

We've been able to obtain exceedingly little information so far.

That is why the lead before us is so crucial.