Chapter 01 - The Rookie Lklein Manni: Dr. Tauran. Someone from the palace is here. They say his Majesty the Emperor is... Tauran Tiaca: ...Don't move. It's dangerous, stop struggling. Patient: ...No! Someone help me please...! [Glass breaks.] Tauran Tiaca: ...Lklein! Lklein, lend me a hand! Lklein Manni: Yes! Tauran Tiaca: Hold him down. Lklein Manni: (This man is Tauran Tiaca. He’s a doctor at the hospital for wounded soldiers as well as a court physician.) Lklein Manni: (To me, he's like a guardian... no, that's too warm a word for it. More like a supervisor. Or maybe a watchdog.) Lklein Manni: ...This looks bad... Patient: ...Please! Just give me some medicine and I'll heal! Don't cut off my arm! Lklein Manni: I'm sorry, but if we don't amputate, it'll cost you your life. Patient: My life will be over anyways if I lose it! Forget swordfighting, I won’t even be able to farm! Lklein Manni: ...Please, stop struggling! Doctor... Tauran Tiaca: So what if you can't? Keeping you alive is my job. What happens after that is none of my business. Lklein Manni: Can’t you word it a little nicer?! Patient: ...Devil..! You're the devil...!! Tauran Tiaca: Maybe I am. Is there anyone waiting for you back home? Patient: ...My mother and my little sister. Though I’m not sure my sister even cares about me returning... Tauran Tiaca: She cares. Don't give up. I'll do everything I can. Live through tomorrow and the day after that. Patient: ...What’s the point in living if I’m just gonna be a burden...? The world's ending anyway... Tauran Tiaca: You don’t need a reason and you won't be a burden. You fought for the Empire, that makes you a hero. Tauran Tiaca: Lklein. Put him under anesthetic. And bind his arm tight. Lklein Manni: Yes, sir. [Cut to the Courtyard...] Lklein Manni: By the way, his Majesty Emperor Gtri hasn't been feeling well since this morning. Lklein Manni: Apparently the herbal tonic you prescribed the other day hasn't shown any effect... Tauran Tiaca: I've told you this over and over. No medicine will cure how His Majesty feels. Tauran Tiaca: Not as long as Umarit's still around. His Majesty is terrified of being assassinated by him. Let’s call it Umaritisis. Lklein Manni: They’ll kill you if they hear you speaking about him this way. Tauran Tiaca: Let them try. Look at the state the world is in, and yet he still won’t agree on a ceasefire. Tauran Tiaca: The Asheria Federation sent envoys to negotiate a truce, and... Lklein Manni: He sent them away? Tauran Tiaca: Yeah, sent their heads away. Lklein Manni: ...Lord Umarit is too violent even for a wartime consul… ah, no, I mean... he sure loves his battles, doesn't he? Tauran Tiaca: He's not violent. He's a coward. Lklein Manni: ...A coward? Lord Umarit? Lklein Manni: I could understand calling Emperor Gtri a coward… Or well, "faint of heart". But Lord Umarit is more... Lklein Manni: Isn't he exactly what a wartime consul should be? Strict, merciless, ruthless, and in some ways thoroughly cold-blooded? Tauran Tiaca: His Majesty is not a coward. He speaks up when he’s afraid and calls for my help. Tauran Tiaca: Real cowards can't say they're afraid when they are. They don't have the courage to speak the truth. Lklein Manni: ........... [Cut to the Royal Court...] Lklein Manni: (The head of the Ordion Empire is, on paper, the young Emperor Gtri.) Lklein Manni: (But it's the Imuse family, the consul’s household, that holds real power within the Empire, even more than the imperial family itself.) Lklein Manni: (That influence only grew stronger when the previous consul died suddenly and his eldest son Umarit took over.) Lklein Manni: (He calls himself the "Wartime Consul" but has taken absolute control of domestic affairs, diplomacy, military matters…everything the Empire has.) Lklein Manni: (Most decisions that shape the nation's future are handed down in the Emperor's name, but Umarit's shadow is always behind them.) Lklein Manni: (People are afraid to oppose him partly because he comes from a powerful house and is genuinely capable as a consul…) Lklein Manni: (But the biggest reason is that he's the strongest Echo Master in the entire Empire.) Lklein Manni: (He leads the Empire's elite corps, the Echo Knights, and has named himself their Knight-Captain.) [Cut back to the Courtyard...] Airio Sis: Haaah...! Suncia Panthera: Not yet! Lklein Manni: What... Tauran Tiaca: Sounds like the Echo Knights are training in the courtyard. There's one face I don't recognize, though. Lklein Manni: I'd heard of a new recruit from the countryside joining the Echo Knights. Lklein Manni: That's probably him. Tauran Tiaca: So young... He looks about your age. Lklein Manni: ........... Lklein Manni: Rising so young must be such an honor. Tauran Tiaca: I'm a doctor, all I care about is for younglings to stay healthy. Airio Sis: ...Ngh... aah! Suncia Panthera: That's it. Lower your sword. Airio Sis: Kh...! Airio Sis: Not yet...! Suncia Panthera: Hey-! Lklein Manni: ...Some guts he has. Going toe-to-toe with Vice-Captain Suncia. Tauran Tiaca: Guts, my foot. Pushing your body that severely is a recipe for disaster. Airio Sis: ...Ngh... kh! Suncia Panthera: That's enough! Fall back! Airio Sis: Gh...Please, one more time...! Suncia Panthera: Can't you follow an order?! Airio Sis: Please...! Lklein Manni: Vice-Captain Suncia's holding back. Tauran Tiaca: He's a lot nicer than his late brother ever was. He knows if he fought seriously, he'd break the kid in half. Lklein Manni: His late brother... you mean Lord Nuxma? Tauran Tiaca: ...That's right. Tauran Tiaca: I can't watch this anymore. Lklein, go break it up. Lklein Manni: Huh?! Tauran Tiaca: I'll wound Vice-Captain Suncia's pride if I go out there and stick my nose in. Tauran Tiaca: Just go out there and act like you're concerned about the rookie as a medical professional. Nice and casual. Lklein Manni: You’re just using me as your errand boy... Tauran Tiaca: I'm counting on you. Lklein Manni: ........... To be continued...