Arslan’s army only stayed in the fortress of Saint Emmanuel for a brief time. The kahina, Farangis, had been in charge of funeral prayers for the fallen Parsian soldiers, and the trainee knight Etoile, also known as Estelle, offered prayers for the fallen Lusitanians. Afterwards, Arslan’s army prepared food and weapons, and left the fortress immediately.
The stench of corpses had remained even after they were disposed of. The Parsian soldiers did not complain, but the atmosphere was still unpleasant.
If the fortress was left unattended, there was the risk of it later being taken over by enemies or bandits, so it was set on fire. As they watched black smoke pour out from the fortress, the Parsian army began to move.
One group of people among the Parsian army looked particularly out of place. Except for one on horseback, the rest of the people were on three cattle carts, most of them sitting on hay and blankets. The Parsian army let those Lusitanians who had surrendered during the battle travel with them. Arslan had feared that if he left them alone, they would be attacked by bandits or animals, or succumb to injuries, so he’d come up with this plan.
“Narsus, do you think it’s foolish of me to do so?”
“Criticizing one’s lord is a rare opportunity, so I should make the best of it.”
The crown prince originally asked this question in all seriousness, but the young tactician just laughed.
“What thoughts led Your Highness to make such a decision?”
“I think that if it’s possible for only 900 to die instead of 1,000, the difference may be small, but it’s still worth doing. However, maybe this still sounds self-serving. Perhaps there is a better way…”
While riding beside the Crown Prince, Narsus turned his thoughtful eyes toward the early summer sky.
“I don’t mean to say that Your Highness should not care what others think. But, if you think it’s the best way to go at the moment, there’s no need to worry too much about it.”
To put it bluntly, the Lusitanians had been forcibly taking over the lands of Pars. Even if they were women and children, as long as they were Lusitanians, they would have been charged with the same crime as the invading soldiers. However, it was the Lusitanians in power that were making the decisions, and the women and children were merely their victims, so to speak. They did not even possess the means to voice their own opinions, Arslan thought. Narsus was aware of this situation, and he thought that this was actually where the Crown Prince’s strength lay.
Estelle, a young girl who called herself the trainee knight Etoile, was now with Arslan’s army, but had still not become friendly with Arslan. She was given three cattle carts for about twenty survivors, including the sick and wounded who could not walk, pregnant women, and children. Etoile rode ahead of them on her own, still wearing the same oversized armor.
When a baby cried and the young mother was unable to nurse, she ran to the food carts with a bowl and milked a cow herself. Her technique certainly wasn’t expert, but it was a desperate attempt to care for the weak. Among the small group of Lusitanians, it was Estelle alone who worked earnestly. Since most of the other knights had died in battle, she had to do her duty as a trainee knight. Her mind had been made up.
“There’s something strange about that Lusitanian girl!”
“It’s interesting, though! I hope she stays that way.”
Both Daryun and Narsus had an uneasy feeling about the final stages of the battle of Saint Emmanuel, but they were not to blame. Estelle’s presence had given them a feeling of relief.
Arslan felt the same way.
In his childhood, Arslan had been raised outside the palace by a nursemaid and her husband. He used to play in courtyards or on the street with other children his age. Among them were also the daughters of some freedmen. They played chasing games and hide-and-seek together, and Arslan wrote the few words he had learned on a wax tablet, and they all read them aloud together. The children, though poor, were cheerful and affectionate.
After moving to the palace, there were no more young girls around Arslan. Luxuriously dressed, well groomed, elegant and older noblewomen went in and out of the palace, and Arslan only watched in a sense of disconnection and loneliness. This situation changed after he met Farangis and Alfreed, and after he met Estelle, he felt as if he had met again with the young girls he used to play with in his childhood. Arslan wanted to do as much as he could to help her.
Estelle’s mood had also changed a lot.
At least for now, Etoile didn’t want to think about death and revenge. The most important task at the moment was to escort her 20 compatriots, still dirty and wounded and unable to take care of themselves, to a place where there were more of their companions. After seeing the remains of more than a few thousand of her countrymen placed in a mass grave and covered with dirt, Estelle wished for no more deaths. At the very least, no more deaths of civilians and those who had laid down their weapons. For all of her determination, she lacked the means to put this into practice, and was forced to rely on the Parsian prince to provide her with oxcarts, as well as instruction from the beautiful pagan priestess with black hair and green eyes. At first, Estelle was hostile towards her because she was a pagan, but she had helped deliver a pregnant woman’s baby, so Estelle had to be grateful to her. Although she was a pagan, kindness is, after all, kindness. If these weak and helpless people were abandoned, there would definitely be nothing left for them but death.
“The throne itself does not hold any meaning. Depending on who sits on it, it can become a symbol of justice or evil. No human being is perfect, but if one refuses to give his best effort, and without someone to stop him, this king will soon fall into a pit of sin. His Highness the Crown Prince has been making every effort, as all those who follow him have witnessed. Because they believe he is a special person, they follow him with great pride.”
When Estelle asked Farangis why everyone followed the Crown Prince, who was still just a teenager, so faithfully, Farangis answered her this way. On the other hand, when Farangis asked Estelle why she had learned the language of Pars, which she hates, Estelle replied like this.
“I learned the Parsian language to be of service to Lusitania. If I know the language, I can immediately tell what you heathens are up to. I can inform my companions of your battle plans and plots, so you’d better be careful.”
Estelle said this with hatred, as if to make her sound more convincing.
“What an odious little girl. If you hate Parsians so much, you don’t have to stay with us!”
Alfreed often complained of her discontent with Estelle, but when she saw Estelle running around every day for the sake of the refugees, she couldn’t seem to complain anymore.
“Ah, I can’t watch this! Hold him like this! If you gently rock a baby like this, he’ll calm down and be quiet.”
Alfreed used to take care of young children when she was with the Zott clan.
“Oh, little one, don’t cry! How can you grow up to be a great bandit if you’re so weak?”
“Nonsense! This child will become a great knight of Lusitania. Why would he be a thief?”
“So it’s okay for a knight to be cowardly?”
“I didn’t say that!”
Watching as the two young girls argued, Farangis couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll never get tired of watching this!”
Rukhnabad Translations 