Death's Daughter and the Ebony Blade: Volume 3 (eBook)

Maito Ayamine (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
250 Seiten
Distributed By PublishDrive (Verlag)
978-1-7183-7056-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Olivia, Claudia, and Ashton are back in Fernest after ousting Rosenmarie and the Crimson Knights from the north, enjoying some well-deserved time off and investigating Olivia's mysterious heritage. But the ripples of this latest defeat are spreading, and new players are moving out onto the board.

The empire's Helios Knights have mobilized to wipe out the Second Legion, while Seraph Sofitia of the Holy Land of Mekia, no longer content to watch from the shadows, seizes the chance to set her plans into motion. What havoc will her mages wreak when they join the fray?

With chaos looming, duty calls Olivia back to the battlefield. She and her friends join the Invincible General Cornelius on a mission to save the Second Legion and the central front!

Textauszug

Prologue: He Who Bore the Weight of the Crossed Azure Swords

I

Orsted, Capital of the Asvelt Empire

A fifteen-minute walk south from Listelein Castle, seat of Emperor Ramza XIII, the imposing district—with its thick, towering stone walls ringed by a deeply hewed moat—came into view. Crossing the great drawbridge to the other side of those walls, however, revealed a different world altogether. There stood a fountain encircled by the statues of six black lions gushing crystal clear water, and many statues carved in the likenesses of the gods. Anyone who stood there couldn’t help but be enchanted. Shops selling luxury goods and brightly colored mansions lined the streets of polished stone in neat rows that crossed through Nordrheim—the district of Orsted that allowed only the most elite of the Asvelt nobility to reside there.

Right in the center of the district was a grand estate, its garden blanketed by flowers as pure and cold as the driven snow—the rare winter rose. This estate, which everyone called the Winter Rose House, was owned by one of the Three Generals of the empire—the commander of the elite Azure Knights. This was the home of Felix von Sieger.

The year was Tempus Fugit 999 and winter was approaching. The veil of night settled over the Sieger estate, where the snow continued to cover everything in a blanket of white as it had since the early morning hours. Warm light filtered from the house’s windows, casting a band of scarlet-tinged amber across the ground. From far above, the moon cast its light on the snow to make the whole landscape shine in dazzling silver. Silence reigned in this unspoiled world. Every now and then snow would spill out of a tree, only to be carried away on the breeze. It was like a dream.

Inside the manor, two people sat in the lavishly decorated dining room eating dinner. The first, fine-featured and perfectly proportioned, was Felix. On the occasions where he appeared at balls or dinner parties, he set all the ladies of the nobility sighing and gazing at him with dreamy eyes without fail. The second was a young woman, with features just as beautiful as Felix’s, though she was slighter in build. She had just celebrated her fourteenth birthday. Her name was Luna von Sieger, Felix’s younger sister.

As they sat there directly opposite one another, Felix addressed her from across the table. “You seem unhappy, Sister. What troubles you?”

It was their first meal together in a long time, but Luna’s face showed no joy. She had barely touched her food, her plate no different from when it was brought out. Her coloring was good, however, so Felix assumed it wasn’t a problem of ill health. She kept her uneasy gaze fixed down at the table. That was generally a sign that she had something difficult to talk about. Felix sat watching her without a word until, at last, she appeared to gather her courage and looked up.

“I have something to ask you, Brother,” she said.

“You can ask me anything,” he replied, laying down his knife and fork softly on his plate. He dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, then gave her his undivided attention.

“Well, it’s just...” she began. “Is it true that you’re going away with the army again? You were away from home for such a long time last time too...”

Felix was silent for a moment. “Yes, it is true,” he said at last. “Did Klau tell you that?”

Luna gave a small nod. Felix looked up to her right, to where the servants stood lined against the wall. His butler, a man with a spectacular white beard who went by the name of Klau Zerenade, lowered his head with grace. Felix couldn’t fault the man. He hadn’t given any particular instructions for it to be kept secret, and he had planned to broach the subject after dinner tonight anyway.

“When shall I see you home again?” Luna asked in a voice so small it threatened to fade away altogether.

Felix held back a bitter smile and beckoned her to his side. Running a hand through her silky black hair, he said, “My duties will keep me away for a while this time. I think at least two months—”

“Two months?!” Luna gasped the moment the words left his mouth. Her blue-green eyes, which she had inherited from their parents, immediately overflowed with tears.

Felix and Luna’s parents had been taken from them too soon. They died after contracting a grievous illness, leaving the then fourteen-year-old Felix to head the House of Sieger. From that day on, he had committed himself without reservation to fulfilling the role of parent to Luna, who was only seven at the time. He thought that Luna had understood and accepted their unhappy circumstances as well as a child her age could. She had never once made a selfish request of him. It was this that had Felix so tormented now. He would face off against any enemy without fear, no matter how strong or how fearsome, but a single tear from his little sister left him helpless. Even he could see how pathetic it was. Rosenmarie and the others would find it utterly hilarious if they ever found out.

But she’s my little sister, he thought. My one and only, irreplaceable little sister. He gently brushed away the crystalline teardrops that spilled down her cheeks with his fingers, then clasped her delicate, snow-white hands in his own.

“Luna, let’s go out together tomorrow,” he said. “It’s been so long since we went anywhere together.”

“Go...out?” she replied, her voice quivering. Felix gave a big nod.

“That’s right. How about...” He thought for a moment, then said, “A walk around Lake Essna should be lovely at this time of year.” The destination he had in mind was a lake in the forest to the west of Orsted. It was famed for its waters, which shifted in hue with the changing seasons. Clear blue in the spring, flaming scarlet in the summer, and a deep, vibrant green in autumn. Now that it was winter, the lake would be at its most beautiful, changing to a deep ultramarine blue.

Luna, perhaps imagining the beautiful lake, allowed herself a tiny smile. It only lasted a moment, however, before her pale pink lips tightened once more.

“My idea does not please you?” Felix asked. Luna shook her head.

“No, of course it does!” she replied. “It sounds simply wonderful. I only... What of your work?”

“Oh, they can spare me for a day,” Felix said confidently, placing his hand over his heart. In truth, he knew that he had no time for lakefront strolls. He had orders from Marshal Gladden to take over command of the Crimson Knights while Rosenmarie recovered from her injuries. In fact, he was due to depart for Fort Astora, where the Crimson Knights were currently based, the day after tomorrow. He had much to do before then. Fortunately, Felix had an eminently capable aide at his side in Second Lieutenant Teresa. It pained him horribly to foist his military duties onto her, but he was also reassured that she would keep their preparations on schedule.

“Are you sure?” Luna asked timidly, looking up at him. Felix pulled his chair back, then knelt down before her. He put his right hand to his heart, and said with exaggerated solemnity, “I could never speak falsely to you, my princess. A fool such as myself must always disappoint you as a brother, yet still I dare to hope you would honor me with your company tomorrow.”

“Oh, stop it,” said Luna. Her face brightened, a ray of light shining through the darkness that had hung over her, and Felix smiled warmly back at her.

“I’m going up to my room, Brother,” Luna announced after they finished their dinner. “Maria, be sure to prepare lunch for the two of us to take out tomorrow.”

“Of course, Miss Luna. I shall make sure it is ready.” Maria Castolla, another of the servants, gave a gracious bow.

“Oh, I need to pick out what to wear tomorrow,” Luna exclaimed.

“I know you’re excited, Luna, but don’t stay up all night,” Felix said.

“Yes, Brother.” She gave a small curtsy, then bounded from the dining room. Her face was alight with happiness, as though her tears before had never been.

Felix waited until he was sure she was gone before he made his way to the parlor that joined the dining room, sighing as he went. He sat down in front of the fireplace, sinking deep into the sofa.

“A great many things weigh on you, Master Felix,” said Klau, placing a teacup before him on the nearby table. Felix smiled guiltily.

“Perhaps I was a little indulgent,” he admitted.

“‘A little’ is rather an understatement, Master Felix,” Klau replied. “You couldn’t have been more overindulgent if you’d downed an entire bottle of cloud peach wine.” Felix recalled the time he had requested that Klau acquire him a bottle of the then-fashionable cloud peach wine. The butler had flatly refused. I assure you, Master, that beverage will not be to your taste, he had said.

“‘Couldn’t have been more overindulgent’?” he repeated. “Rather direct, aren’t we?”

“Yes, Master Felix. However, in my opinion it is a good quality of yours. I’m sure Miss Luna will remember tomorrow fondly,” Klau said with an air of superiority, rocking his powerful frame back on his heels. Of the many servants in Felix’s household, Klau, the head butler, was the only one who spoke frankly to him.

Within the hierarchy of the Asvelt Empire,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 17.2.2023
• Reihe/Serie: Death's Daughter and the Ebony Blade
• Reihe/Serie: Death's Daughter and the Ebony Blade
• Illustrationen: Maito Ayamine
• Übersetzer: Maito Ayamine
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Comic / Humor / Manga
• Schlagworte: bloodshed • combat • death gods • female protagonist • Light Novel • Medieval fantasy • OP protagonist
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-7056-3 / 1718370563
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-7056-2 / 9781718370562