Gerhardt, commander of the expedition, had come to Castow Castle's dovecote every day to check whether any letter had come from Barad Castle.
Castow Castle was in the thick of preparations to march out to Nordmar Gorge to search for the barbarians.
Since early morning, all sorts of supplies had been loaded onto carts, and the stablehands were checking the horses' health and whether any shoes had come loose or out of place.
The area around the stable was full of the horses' rough breathing and the clink of iron shoes.
The soldiers checked their gear and packed whetstones and flints, and the baggage train packed the potions needed to heal injuries.
Thick veins stood out on the arms of the soldiers loading supplies onto the carts. Hardly anyone was talking. They were silently preparing for war.
That day, early in the morning, a carrier pigeon flew into Castow Castle's dovecote. The runner untied the letter bound to the pigeon's leg.
He unfolded the tiny folded letter. The recipient was written as 'Gerhardt, Commander of the Expedition.'
The runner knew well how anxiously Gerhardt had waited for a letter, coming to the dovecote every day.
The runner ran with the letter to the castle's open ground, where preparations for the march were in full swing, shouting.
"Commander of the Expedition! Commander of the Expedition! A letter has come!"
The soldiers nearby who heard the runner shouting looked around for Gerhardt.
Gerhardt came running over to where the runner was.
"Is it for me?"
"Yes. It's for you, Commander."
The runner handed the letter to Gerhardt.
Rafin also heard the runner shouting and came running out of curiosity.
Gerhardt unfolded the letter.
'From — Anchin Rosrad
To — Gerhardt, Commander of the Expedition
The situation at Barad Castle has been settled one way or another, so I am writing to you at once.
The follow-up force returned to Barad Castle without any report to me. Then, when it tried to arrest Stormmond on Artin's orders, an unfortunate incident occurred and the follow-up force lost a small number of its troops.
Stormmond answered with fire magic to stop the soldiers who came into his keep. Then Stormmond severed his ties with House Rosrad and flew out of the castle like a cloud.
Since the follow-up force went as far as Geston and returned to Barad Castle, it cannot march out again secretly at night as before.
If there were no follow-up force, it would have been good to send at least Stormmond to Orpul, but now that Stormmond has left too, that cannot be done either.
I plan to find a new mage and send one to Orpul.
The situation will be difficult, but join forces with House Tiregel's troops and prepare for the barbarian invasion.
Artin's turning back may bring House Rosrad to a crisis. This is a truly grave blunder, and by the rules Artin should be beheaded.
But I could not behead Artin Tiregel at a time when the advance force and House Tiregel must join forces against the barbarians.
So I decided to lock him in prison. I trust you will explain this point well to House Tiregel.
You must hold Orpul against the barbarians without fail. The fate of House Rosrad depends on it.'
When Gerhardt finished reading the letter, he handed it to Rafin beside him.
Rafin read the letter in one go. Then he spoke in a heavy voice.
"So we can't expect the follow-up force to come."
"Now that Barad Castle has no mage either, the follow-up force can't leave the castle empty. I hoped the follow-up force would set out again, even if late. To think something like this would happen....
Artin was rash. I can't understand why he suddenly turned back."
The letter said nothing about why Artin had decided to turn back, but Rafin thought he knew the reason. And seeing how Lord Stormmond had left without a backward glance, it seemed he had known a day like this would come and had prepared himself.
Rafin didn't know where Lord Stormmond had gone, but he had surely gone somewhere his magical power could be put to good use.
"I think the Vice Commander suspected Lord Stormmond might be plotting rebellion, and was sure Lord Stormmond had killed the stablehand."
Gerhardt's eyes went wide.
"So Artin was sure Lord Stormmond killed the stablehand....... Now that I think about it, it makes sense. If, in quarters full of people, only the stablehand had his head cut off without anyone noticing, you can't think of it as anything but death by magic."
"The Vice Commander's mistake is a big one, but since we have to join forces with Tiregel's soldiers here at Castow Castle, I think ending it with imprisonment was a good decision."
"Who knows when a new mage will come. Finding a mage won't be easy either. We have to stop the barbarians somehow with our own strength.
I think it was a really good thing that you trained the soldiers here, as if you knew something like this would happen.
Anyway, we'll have to steel ourselves. I'd better tell Sir Simas about the situation at Barad Castle."
Gerhardt asked Tiregel's soldiers where Simas was.
Simas was busy preparing for the march. Gerhardt went to Simas and told him what the letter said.
Hearing from Gerhardt about the current situation at Barad Castle, Simas thought Lord Alan had to be told quickly as well.
Simas went to Alan, said he had something to tell him for a moment, and took him to a quiet corner. Then he told him what he had heard from Gerhardt.
Alan spoke.
"So the follow-up force isn't coming. This is serious."
"I don't know why Sir Artin made such a decision and brought things to this."
Alan knew his younger brother's nature well. If the mage, who carried an important share of their fighting strength, turned his heart elsewhere, the house could be put in danger.
Artin had been faithfully carrying out his duties as Vice Commander of the knights, ready to lay down his bones for House Rosrad, when the stablehand he had set to watch the mage was killed.
He had already been watching the mage with suspicion, so when the murder happened, he suspected the mage of rebellion and hurried back to Barad Castle to head off the situation before it happened.
It was something that had come about because of his younger brother Artin's great loyalty.
"I think I know why Artin did it. Even so, he gave his all in loyalty to House Rosrad, and they lock him in prison....... I'm worried how disappointed Father will be when he hears of this."
"House Rosrad plans to find a new mage and send one here, but I don't know how that will go."
"They even let the mage Stormmond go, after he served House Rosrad for so long. I wonder how loyal a new mage will be to House Rosrad.
Now that I think about it, it was really a good thing that Rafin trained the soldiers. Today is the day we're set to go to Nordmar Gorge, so we should proceed as planned.
I'll tell my father about this situation."
Alan hurried to his father's chamber in the main keep.
A servant announced Alan's visit to the lord, Iras. Iras wondered why Alan had suddenly come to his chamber.
"You're about to march out. What is it?"
Alan told him what the letter from Barad Castle said.
"Locking Artin in prison, when they can't be unaware that their own expedition is here in Orpul right now."
"That's right. It's not as if Artin turned back with bad intentions. Confinement would be one thing, but I think locking him in prison is excessive."
Iras had hoped that his second son, a knight far away at Barad Castle, would make the name of House Tiregel known there as a knight. But to lock him in prison seemed to him like an act of contempt toward Iras himself.
But he couldn't act on emotion. They could only prepare for the barbarians if House Rosrad sent them troops.
"At a time like this, all the more, we must stay calm. I'll write a letter to Lord Anchin."
"What will you write?"
"We mustn't act on emotion. Even though they've locked Artin up, we have to get what we want with a courteous attitude.
Either they send at least part of the follow-up force, or send the new mage, or release Artin from prison and give him confinement at least.
If I say nothing in this situation, we could be treated with contempt. You march out to Nordmar Gorge as planned. I'll take care of what comes after."
"Understood, Father."
Iras sent his son Alan off, sat at the table, and took up a quill pen. He had to get something, anything, out of House Rosrad.
'To the honorable Lord Anchin Rosrad. I have heard the news of Barad Castle from the commander of the expedition.
I offer my deepest sympathy for the soldiers lost in the unfortunate incident and for Lord Stormmond's departure.
Together with the expedition you sent us, Lord Anchin, we are making every preparation against the barbarian invasion. It is true that I feel some regret, thinking it would have been better had the follow-up force come as well.
But I fully understand that, with no mage at Barad Castle, you must also prepare for any threat from the South.
My second son, Artin Tiregel, made a great mistake while working for House Rosrad out of deep loyalty.
I am grateful that he was not beheaded, if nothing else.
As the Northern Grand Duke ruling such broad lands, Lord Anchin, you must have many concerns.
If you would consider Orpul's circumstances a little and send at least part of the follow-up force, or else the new mage, I would be grateful.
Respectfully, Iras Tiregel.'
Iras wrote the letter without giving way to emotion, keeping it realistic and cool-headed. It was meant to make Anchin feel sorry so that Iras could get what he wanted.
Iras told a servant to take the letter to the dovecote quickly. If they were to get support, the sooner the better, even by a day.
The combined soldiers finished all their preparations for the march and set out for Nordmar Gorge. They kept the pace of the march slow. To spend their strength in battle, they mustn't waste it on the march.
Simas, Knight Commander of House Tiregel, took command of the combined soldiers.
Three days had passed since they left Castow Castle. The Grimhall Mountains stretched from west to east so far that no end could be seen. They blocked the way ahead like a huge curtain.
There was eternal snow on the upper slopes of the Grimhall Mountains' many peaks.
In his past life, Rafin had never come this close to the Grimhall Mountains. Seeing them up close, he felt the vastness of nature.
The wind coming down off the range was biting. Clouds high in the sky hung over the many peaks.
Simas rode out in front of the soldiers. Then he shouted in a loud voice.
"This is the Grimhall Mountains, the land of savagery. Not only the barbarians but nature itself does not easily allow us in here.
Many animals live only here. Because they're animals adapted to a harsh environment, they're bigger and fiercer than any ordinary wolf, bear, or tiger.
So from the moment we set foot in the Grimhall Mountains, we must be ready for attacks not only from the barbarians but from the animals here.
Look over there."
Simas pointed northwest. It was a place where a wide gorge ran between the mountains.
The soldiers looked where Simas was pointing.
"That is Nordmar Gorge."
Nordmar Gorge looked as if a giant serpent as big as a mountain lay between the Grimhall Mountains with its jaws gaping wide, waiting for prey to come in.
It was a moment when the vastness of nature overwhelmed the soldiers' hearts.