Arslan Senki

The heavy gray waves reflected the dark sky. Soon, the early morning light turned the sea and sky a turquoise blue.

To the northeast of the Kingdom of Pars is the region of Daylam, which faces the vast Darband Inland Sea.

Fishermen and salt makers gather at the end of the day's work in a gathering place among the rooftops. They ate sugar desserts and dried figs, talked about the obesity of their wives, the arrival of a beautiful woman in the town's tavern, and, unfortunately, their lovers.

Suddenly, a fisherman stood up, the crowd's attention was focused on the horizon, where he was looking. A white sail appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

"Hey, that white sail, doesn't it look like Maryam's boat from the pattern?"

"Well, I guess it is, isn't it? That's unusual!"

In the past, Pars and Maryam also had disputes over the dominion of the lake on the national border and the Darband Sea, but they had maintained peaceful relations for the past fifty years. The two countries exchanged envoys, traded through ships and merchants, and bards and art groups from both sides often traveled, making the Darband Sea a lake of peace.

But since last year, the peaceful relations between the two countries have been broken off. This was because Maryam had been invaded by Lusitania before Pars, and could not continue the diplomatic relations.

Although there were port officials who managed matters such as taxation, smuggling and maritime rescue, they had now all withdrawn to Ecbatana. During this period, Pars was also invaded by Lusitania, so the only people who would sail on the Darband Sea were fishermen, and the port had looked unusually depressing.

Although the Darband Inland Sea is really a large lake, the water is rich in salt. The two countries, Pars and Maryam, had worked together to measure it and found that it was extremely wide, 180 farsang (about 900 km) from east to west and 140 farsang (about 700 km) from north to south. There were also tides that rose and fell. To the people living near the shore, this lake is no different from the real sea. Not only that, but the inhabitants of Daylam, who have traveled to the south to see the real sea, say:

"Ah! There is also a big lake in the south! It's not big enough to compare with the Darband Sea, though."

This is what the people of the south say when they make fun of the ignorance of the people of Daylam. However, from the standpoint of the Daylam citizens, they could not understand why they were being teased by the people of the south.

In any case, it was indeed Maryam's military ship that appeared on the inner coast of Daylam at this time. In addition to three sail poles, there were one hundred and twenty oars. The bow of the ship was decorated with the statue of the sea god they revered, but the body of the statue was pierced with a large arrow, and part of the sail was burnt. It was a sign of war.

Under the gaze of the fishermen, a small boat was lowered from the side of the military ship. Although it was a small boat, it was big enough to carry about twenty people. After letting the sailors row the boat to the shore, a middle-aged knight in glorious armor called out in the Parsian language.

"We want to see someone of suitable status. We are from Maryam and have escaped from the Lusitanians. Is there a lord or a magistrate or something like that present?"

He meant not to talk with such people of lowly status. The fishermen were slightly offended, but still answered with a confused expression.

"Hey, what do you want?"

"If Lord Narsus was here, he could instruct us on what to do."

"Oh, I wonder what Lord Narsus is doing since he was forced out of the palace?"

Daylam was the domain of a lord named Narsus until three years ago. However, the young lord went into seclusion after he was expelled from the court by King Andragoras III. After that, Daylam became the king's territory. Still, the old lord Narsus remained more popular than the king.

"Yes, Lord Narsus seemed to want to be a painter, but I don’t think he could make a living like that. I hope he will not die on his own."

"He is kind and very smart, a well-educated man."

"And he has Elam with him!"

"Yes! Elam is a good boy, and would not let Lord Narsus starve to death."

These people talked about the old lord with impunity, but they still loved him as they laughed. In short, since Narsus was not there, they could not rely on his wisdom. Now, they must use their own minds to pass judgment.

"Ah, it’s best to go and report to the officials first!"

With great difficulty, they remembered the officials sent from the capital. If there was ever a need for them, now was that time.

"Well, someone go and inform them! They are lazy people who love to show off their authority. They’re probably already asleep now. But never mind that, go and wake them up."

After receiving the notice from the fishermen, the local officials of Daylam hurried towards the sea.

The territory of Pars was so vast that the Lusitanian army, which was holding down Ecbatana, could not patrol all of it. Although there were several scouting parties sent to set fire to the area, that was all, and there was no real plundering or killing, so the fishermen were able to drink tea and chat at leisure.

The Maryami people spoke eagerly to the officials who had arrived.

"The Lusitanians should be the common enemy of Maryam and Pars. We should work together to defeat the abominable invaders and bring the world back to justice."

"Ah, that works out well."

Such a reply seemed too perfunctory, but the problem seemed too big for these local officials.

To the north and west of Daylam is the Darband Sea, and the other two directions are surrounded by mountains, making it an area of great geographical independence. The winds that blow across the inland sea bring abundant rain, the land is extremely fertile, crops are abundant, and the inhabitants have access to fish and salt from the sea. Even if one stays in this place until he dies, he could still live a full and rich life, so the people here did not know much strife.

"Ah, it is useless to be so anxious. Let's just observe for a while before making plans!"

Even the officials had such a habit, and people of all status were waiting for changes to arise on the other side of the mountains.

Their balance of life was finally disrupted. Suddenly, the soldiers who were watching the southern mountains from the watchtowers rang the bell to alert their companions.

"It's the Lusitanians! The Lusitanian cavalry is attacking!"

    The voice from the soldier who was watching sounded like a cry of grief. He wanted to run down from the tower while screaming, but a dozen arrows flew toward him, one of which pierced his throat. The soldier plummeted toward the ground with his hands held high, head down and feet up.