The soldiers of the follow-up force were very unhappy with the order to move at double time, but they had no choice but to obey.
They had marched without rest from Barad Castle to Geston, and then, from the second day of heading back the way they had come at double time, soldiers began to collapse one by one, their stamina spent.
The knight Tiles was worried about the soldiers' condition. He worried that if they kept moving at double time, they would lose men before they even fought the enemy. Tiles couldn't just stand by and watch any longer.
Tiles rode up beside Artin.
"Vice Commander. It's the second day since we started moving at double time from Geston, and as many as 7 soldiers have collapsed. If you keep forcing the double time like this, more soldiers will drop from exhaustion."
"Soldiers must obey the command's orders absolutely. Whether they walk or run is for me to decide."
"That's right. If you give an order now as commander of the follow-up force, Vice Commander, every soldier in the follow-up force must follow it.
But there is no urgent danger at Barad Castle right now, and I can't understand why we're marching at double time and wearing out the soldiers' strength.
How about dropping one step down from double time to a quick march? I beg you."
If anything unusual had happened at Barad Castle while they were turning back, a courier would have come. They had moved at double time for two days, so it seemed it would be all right to move at a quick march from now on.
Riding side by side next to Artin, Tiles silently waited for Artin's answer.
"Very well. Switch to a quick march. Pass the order to the soldiers."
"Thank you. I'll see to it at once."
The follow-up force slowed its pace from double time to a quick march. Moving at double time had drained the soldiers so much that their breath reeked of exhaustion. When double time changed to a quick march, it was much easier.
"Now I can breathe. If we'd kept up the double time, I'd have collapsed before the hour was out."
"They say Sir Tiles talked him hard into changing the pace."
"Thank goodness. It's not like something's happening at Barad Castle right now. I don't know why the Vice Commander is in such a rush."
"Keep your voice down. What if he hears?"
The follow-up force moved at a quick march, and when dusk came, it camped beside the highway. The soldiers wolfed down their meal and then fell asleep as if collapsing where they sat.
Artin and the knights under him had moved on horseback, so they weren't as drained as the ordinary soldiers. After their meal, they silently watched the soldiers sleeping where they had fallen.
Tiles wanted to hear plainly why the Vice Commander had decided to turn back at Geston. Only a few more days of marching and they would be at Barad Castle. He thought the Vice Commander might be willing to tell him by now.
Tiles took 2 pewter cups filled with wine and went to sit beside Artin.
"Vice Commander, would you like a drink?"
Artin took the cup.
Tiles slowly broached the subject.
"Just two more days and we'll reach Barad Castle."
"I suppose so."
Artin took a sip of wine and looked southeast, toward Barad Castle.
"May I ask why you decided to turn back?"
"Before I answer about the reason for turning back, there's one thing I want to ask you. Counting all of Barad Castle's vassals, knights, and soldiers, who do you think has the greatest fighting strength?"
Tiles couldn't understand why Artin was asking this. When he thought about who had the greatest fighting strength and was the most threatening, one person came to mind.
"I would think Lord Stormmond. With his strong magical power, he can do the work of tens, even hundreds of soldiers."
"Right. And have you ever thought about how dangerous it would be if that Stormmond were to harbor other intentions?"
"You mean in case he betrays House Rosrad."
"Right. Nothing is more dangerous than that. And if that Stormmond were to conspire with some house in the South scheming to weaken the North's power, House Rosrad's fate would be a lamp in the wind."
Tiles drank down the wine left in his cup. The Vice Commander wasn't wrong, but thinking that way was too pessimistic.
"Vice Commander, how are you so sure Lord Stormmond will betray us?"
"You remember the death of the stablehand Mofford not long ago? I had ordered him to secretly watch Stormmond... and in the end he died. There's no proof, but I'm sure Stormmond got rid of him. If someone shows any sign of rebellion, that person has to be removed before it happens."
Tiles wondered if the Vice Commander wasn't getting too far ahead of himself. It seemed he shouldn't argue with the Vice Commander any further here. At any rate, he now knew the reason for turning back.
"I see. Lord Stormmond may have killed Mofford to escape being watched."
Two days later, the follow-up force arrived at Barad Castle. The lookouts on the watchtower saw the follow-up force, and an urgent report went to Anchin.
Anchin couldn't understand why the follow-up force, which should have been on its way to Orpul, had come back to Barad Castle.
Anchin decided to wait until Artin, commander of the follow-up force, explained the reason for turning back, and meant to stay in the main keep.
Stormmond was looking out the window of his chamber when he saw the follow-up force returning. The follow-up force, which should have been going to Orpul, had come back to Barad Castle without any report. And looking at the follow-up force's march, he could see them coming at a quick march.
Stormmond had a bad feeling. It seemed the follow-up force's return had something to do with the dead stablehand. Stormmond was a mage with long years of experience. And something came to his mind.
'The person who had the stablehand watch me could be with the follow-up force.'
Stormmond was steeling himself.
The follow-up force crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle grounds.
Before reporting to the lord about the reason for turning back, Artin had something to do first. In an emergency, acting first and reporting afterward was allowed.
Artin shouted loudly to the soldiers.
"Arrest the mage in the east keep!"
The soldiers looked around, unsure what kind of sudden order this was, or whether they had misheard.
"What are you all doing?! Arrest Stormmond at the top of the east keep right now. That's an order!"
The soldiers ran into the east keep. Hundreds of soldiers were climbing the keep's stairs.
In his chamber at the top of the keep, Stormmond listened to the footsteps of the soldiers coming up from below.
Stormmond came out of his chamber, looked at the stairs leading down, and stretched out both hands. Then a blue light began to seep from Stormmond's fingertips. The pounding footsteps were growing louder.
Stormmond cast fire magic down the stairs. From the top of the keep to the 1st floor, the flames poured down the spiral staircase like a waterfall and surged on with a fierce blast of heat.
The soldiers climbing the stairs were all engulfed in flames. The inside of the keep was soon filled with screams.
The blast of heat leaked out even outside the keep's 1st floor. All the soldiers nearby fell back.
Artin thought that although the soldiers who had gone into the keep were dead, he had succeeded in trapping Stormmond in his chamber at the top of the keep.
He hadn't managed to arrest him directly, but he thought they only had to surround the whole keep and wait for Stormmond to come down.
Stormmond thought that with soldiers spread out all around below the keep, he couldn't walk down out of it. He felt that his ties with House Rosrad were now at an end.
'Not content with putting a watch on me, they even try to kill me.'
Stormmond's blue-gray eyes were trembling, wet with rage.
House Rosrad no longer trusted Stormmond. And Stormmond had no intention of working for a House Rosrad like that.
For a long time, Stormmond had had in mind a place to go if not House Rosrad.
Now it was time to go there. He packed a leather pouch of gold coins, clothes, and a few books he treasured into a bundle.
Blue light was coming from Stormmond's fingertips again. Then he chanted a necromancy spell.
"Bones of the dead, rise upon the wind.
Souls of the forgotten, answer my call.
Servants within the black shade
Follow me and fly through the sky!"
In Stormmond's chamber, 4 skeleton soldiers appeared amid white smoke. They lifted Stormmond and went out the window.
Held up by the skeleton soldiers, Stormmond flowed out of the castle like smoke.
The whole follow-up force below watched Stormmond fly away through the sky, held up by skeleton soldiers.
When Anchin heard that chaos had broken out at Stormmond's keep, he hurried out. And far away, he saw someone flying out of the castle along with white smoke. He didn't know who that person was.
Anchin ran all the way to the vicinity of Stormmond's keep. The closer he got to the keep, the stronger the smell of burnt flesh grew.
He could see soldiers dragging burned corpses out of the keep.
Anchin saw Artin standing there blankly. He couldn't make any sense at all of what this situation was.
Anchin went up to Artin.
"Artin, why is the follow-up force that should be going to Orpul here? And what happened at Stormmond's keep?"
"My lord. Stormmond was plotting rebellion, and when he was found out, he flew away through the sky."
"What are you talking about? Stormmond, rebel?"
Anchin shouted. He realized that the person flying through the sky with the white smoke a moment ago had been Stormmond.
Artin said that the death of the stablehand Mofford, his trusted man, was connected with Stormmond; that Stormmond came from Himister in the South to begin with, so the possibility of rebellion was very real; and that Stormmond had killed the stablehand watching him while plotting rebellion.
Anchin listened to Artin's explanation and couldn't accept it.
"If, as you say, the stablehand's death had something to do with Stormmond plotting rebellion, you should have told me beforehand and then taken action."
"In an urgent situation, isn't it all right to act first and report afterward?"
"On that, you're right. But the Temple of Krilmar is watching with the Eye of the Corridor for any troops coming up from the South. And I've had no report from the Temple of Krilmar of any such movement.
Which means that, by your own standard, Barad Castle was not in any urgent situation right now."
Even while Anchin was berating Artin, the corpses of soldiers burned black were being carried out of Stormmond's keep.
Anchin had to deal carefully with the problems that might arise from the follow-up force having turned back. First he had to calm his agitated mind and talk with his vassals.
"Artin, I'll decide what to do about the follow-up force that turned back after a meeting with the vassals. Offer condolences for the dead soldiers. You came all the way to Barad Castle at a quick march, so rest for now."
Anchin urgently summoned his vassals, excluding Artin, to the hall of the main keep.