CHAPTER 1: The Splendor of Ecbatana

WA

AA A H H H H

FLAPP

YES.

UP.

OKAY.

CEN-TER.

YES.

DOWN.

WH_

WH…

CEN-TER.WAIT

…!AH…

OKAY.

CLAN

G

CLACK

CLANG

CLANGCLANG

CLANG CRK

CLANG

CRING

THUNK

CLACK

THEREFORE, PLEASE

CONTINUE TO WORK ON YOUR SKILLS.

STILL, ONE CAN-

NOT BUILD A TECHNIQUE WITHOUT MASTER-INGTHE BASICS.

IT COULD HARDLY BE CON-

SIDERED A TECHNIQUE.

AHAHA! THAT WAS NOTHING

MORE THAN BASIC

SWORDS-MANSHIP.

HOW COULD

YOU USE A TECHNIQUE

LIKE THAT…?

HOW CRUEL, VAHRIZ.

h u f f

h a a

h aa

h u f f

p h e w

CLANG

CL

CLLANG

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ARSLAN, YOUR HIGH-NESS.

HOW DULL

…

ERA_N*

VAHRIZ, WHY DID YOU NOT ACCOMPANY

FATHER ON HIS EXPEDITION?

IF YOU HAD GONE WITH HIM,

| WOULDN'T HAVE TO

ENDURE THIS ACCURSED

TRAINING EVERY SINGLE DAY.

| HAVE BEEN TASKED WITH THE

PROTECTION OF THE ROYAL

CAPITAL OF ECBATANA.

THIS CITY IS BEING TARGETED ON TWO FRONTS,

LUSITANIA TO THE WEST AND VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO THE EAST. SO LONG AS THIS IS THE CASE,

WE CANNOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN.

IF YOU ARE SO BUSY, THEN YOU NEED NOT MAKE ME PRACTICE

SO MUCH…

YOU SHAN’T BECOME A

PROPER KING SPEAKING WITH SUCH A LACK OF AMBITION!

NOT TO MENTION

THAT YOUR HIGHNESS HAS YET TO

FIGHT IN EVEN ONE BATTLE.

YOU MUST

DEVELOP YOUR

SWORDS-MANSHIP IN

PREPARATION FOR THAT

DAY.

BEYOND THE BASICS OF SWORDS-

MANSHIP, YOU MUST ALSO COMPORT

YOURSELF WITH GRACE AND

DIGNITY!

| KNOW THAT!

| KNOW THAT, BUT

…

13

*ERAN = HEAD COMMANDER

MOTHER!

…SWORDS-MANSHIP, ARSLAN?

YES!

|’VE BEEN WORKING HARD AT IT IN ORDER TO BECOME A PROPER KING LIKE FATHER. ALTHOUGH

| DON’T SEEM TO BE

MAKING MUCH PROGRESS.

| WAS JUST SOUNDLY

BEATEN BY THE ERA

_N…

AS ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM ERA

_N

VAHRIZ!

| DIDN’T STAND A CHANCE…

| SEE.

| WONDER... WHAT DOES

IT MEAN TO BE A PROPER KING?

!

FLAPP

AZ- RAEL!

SOR- OUSH!

WELL! THOSE

TWO HAVE RETURNED. THAT MUST

MEAN…

COME HERE!

FLAPFLAP

WAH!

WELCOME HOME,

AZRAEL!

YOUR HIGH-NESS!

AND LORD VAHRIZ. | SEE THAT YOU ARE

ALSO WELL.

KISH- WARD!

SOROUSH! AZRAEL!

HOW BRASH YOU

ARE TO GREET HIS HIGHNESS BEFORE YOUR OWN MASTER

UPON HIS RETURN!

HAHAHA, THEY’RE MAKING A FOOL OF YOU,

KISH-WARD!

NOT AT ALL! THESE TWO ARE

JUST DEEPLY ATTACHED TO HIS

HIGHNESS.

THEY SAY THAT BIRDS AND BEASTS ARE

LIKE MIRRORS, REFLECTING

THE HEARTS OF THOSE AROUND

THEM.SMALL

WONDER THESE TWO ARE DRAWN TO ONE WITH A HEART AS GOOD AS HIS HIGH-NESS’S!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

IS EVERY-ONE ALL RIGHT?

YES! OUR LOSSES

WERE MINOR.

THE LUSITANIANS WERE NO MATCH FOR OUR PARSIAN ARMY!

WE DROVE THEM BACK AND HALTED THEIR INVASION OF

MARYAM.

HIS MAJESTY

ANDRAGORAS RETURNS!

WAH

ARE

THOSE

PRISON-

ERS?

THEY’RE LUSI-

TANIAN SOL-

DIERS!

!

LUSITANIA EVEN SENDS

KIDS TO WAR?!

POOR THING…

WHAT WERE HIS PARENTS

THINKING?!

THEY’RE ALL ABOUT “FIGHTING

FOR GOD,” RIGHT?

THE CULT OF YALDA-BAOTH, WASN’T

IT?

|’VE HEARD THEY EVEN

SLAUGHTER THE NEW-BORNS OF NON-

BELIEVERS.

SAV-AGES!

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