Chapter 1124 — The Passing

He turned and gestured toward the ornate wooden case held by one of his attendants. "This is a knight's longsword, enchanted personally by Lady Windsor Maple, chair of the Royal Mages' Association. It can summon and command the mighty power of winter at will, or alter gravity within a certain range, and in a critical moment it protects its wielder, granting immunity to one legendary-level fatal blow. His Majesty has named it 'Deep Winter.' It is yours now, General An Luo."

"I thank His Majesty for his bounty," An Luo said at once, then ordered an attendant forward to receive this gift that stood for such high honor. When the ornate case was opened, a knight's longsword met her eyes, its edge keen, its surface seeming to hold a layer of ice that would never melt — it was indeed a fine sword.

Even though the age of traditional warfare had passed, and before the massed fire of powerful artillery such a single-soldier weapon could no longer decide the fate of a whole battlefield, it was still a fine sword.

As she ordered the attendant to put the gift away, An Luo's gaze and Duke Pei Yi's could not help drifting to the wooden case carried by the other royal attendant.

"This second gift is for you, Duke Pei Yi," the messenger said, turning to Pei Yi Wendel, and a new solemnity entered his smile.

"Since General Bard Wendel fell outside Winterwolf Keep, the Wendel family has served with unswerving loyalty for twenty years, making indelible contributions to the Empire. And now General An Luo has again stood in peril and preserved the Empire's precious elite forces, sparing the recent Winter War from utter ruin — the whole Empire ought to thank you and your family for your immense devotion and sacrifice.

"Here is another sword. It is not a legendary weapon of great power like Deep Winter, but it carries extraordinary significance: it is the sword His Majesty wore for the past twenty years. Its name is 'Trust.'

"It once had a sister sword called 'Loyalty,' which was General Bard Wendel's blade in his day. Sadly, after General Bard fell twenty years ago, it was lost. Now His Majesty bestows this sword on Your Grace, first to thank the Wendel family for its long service, and second to entrust a memory to your keeping. I hope you will treat it well."

An Luo listened tensely, and suddenly drew a soft breath. She had caught a very crucial detail in the messenger's words—

Since the unit led by her father had vanished at the foot of the Dark Mountains twenty years ago, though almost everyone believed the wolf general was no longer among the living, for all these years every official account in the Empire had classified the matter as a disappearance — and the royal house especially, on this matter, on formal occasions, had never once used the word "fell"!

The young wolf general realized something in a flash. She looked at her grandfather and saw the old man go briefly still; then his lips trembled slightly, and it seemed to take great effort before he finally got the words out: "I... thank His Majesty for his grace..."

"Please accept this gift," the messenger said with a smile, gesturing for the attendant behind him to step forward. "It is a token of His Majesty's regard."

"Yes, of course," Duke Pei Yi said at once, and ordered an attendant forward to take the long wooden case. When the lid was opened, a sword appeared before him — a guard's sword, finely made and practical alike, set with a sky-blue gem at the hilt.

"Did His Majesty say anything else?" The old duke raised his head to look at the messenger, speaking fast.

"Only a very simple sentence," the messenger said gravely, looking at the old man. "He said: 'May each of us fare well.'"

"May each of us fare well..." Duke Pei Yi repeated softly, unconsciously, and only after a long while did he slowly nod. "I understand. Allow me once more to express my thanks to His Majesty."

The messenger, charged with his mission, did not linger long at Longbranch Manor; he soon departed with his attendants, and once more only An Luo and Pei Yi remained in the hall of the manor's main house.

The two longswords of special meaning had already been taken away by attendants and sent to the nearby arms display room.

At last An Luo could not hold back from breaking the silence. "Grandfather, His Majesty, he..."

"There is no need to guess at His Majesty's thoughts, especially when he has already taken the initiative to leave you room to turn," Duke Pei Yi shook his head, cutting off what An Luo meant to say. "Child, remember: your father is no longer among the living. From this day on, he died twenty years ago."

An Luo looked at her grandfather, then slowly nodded. "Yes. I understand."

"...Have someone fetch a bottle from the wine cellar," Duke Pei Yi said after a moment's silence, his voice leisurely. "We'll drink together... There is far too much to celebrate today."

...

Long-absent sunlight shone down upon Aldernan. The mist had dispersed, and at last the city of Xuanque embraced a clear blue sky. On these first days of summer, the whole city would see one of the few cloudless stretches it was granted in a year — the musty smell accumulated through the long, fog-heavy season would melt away in these warm days like snow beneath the sun.

In the study on the upper floor of the Obsidian Palace, the Royal Head Maid Dai Lan pushed open the door and came to stand before Luo Yan Augustus.

Emperor Luo Yan raised his head from his scrolls and looked at Dai Lan. "It seems the gift has been delivered?"

"Yes. The courier sent word just now," said the black-haired Dai Lan with a slight nod. "Duke Pei Yi and General An Luo have accepted the gift. The whole affair went smoothly."

"Is that so... Then they must have understood my intent as well."

At this the empire's ruler could not suppress a rather peculiar smile; his expression complicated, he shook his head. "But then again, I truly never dared imagine that Bade was actually still alive... Pei Yi spoke of his dreams and his premonitions, but who could have guessed that the perceptions of an Extraordinary would be confirmed in such a form..."

An Luo had not been the only Typhon commander taken captive; several of the more gravely wounded had been moved together to the Solin region to convalesce. The intelligence these men had come into contact with was very limited, yet the name Bade Wendell had still reached their ears, and after their return to the country it had found its way onto Emperor Luo Yan's desk.

It was a very simple and very direct channel of intelligence, so simple that anyone could see at a glance that no attempt at secrecy or concealment had been made at all.

Lost in thought, Emperor Luo Yan could not help murmuring softly to himself: "From a certain angle, this news was in fact delivered to us by Gao Yang Cecil of his own accord..."