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Owari no Chronicle:Volume13 Chapter 22

2015-03-14T13:25:16Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 22: Looking Back in the Snow==
[[Image:OnC_v13_0059.png|thumb]]
''As if afraid of the white snow

''My voice seeks the darkness

''But the voice of the darkness refers to me as snow

A large room was decorated for Christmas.

Even the sign in the cafeteria that said Soukou House had chains of colored paper hanging from it and those colorful chains covered the ceiling as well.

Below the white lights, Shinjou sat on a white bench with notebooks and letters spread out before her and Sayama held a cellphone to his ear.

Shinjou saw the director walk past the cafeteria entrance, so she gave a quick bow.

The woman nodded back and Shinjou smiled before facing forward.

The documents in front of her were the records of Shinjou Yukio that she had not had time to read before or that they had brought with them. The director had found more since Shinjou’s last visit, so there was a small pile of notebooks, albums, and letters on the table.

…''It’s nice being able to learn as much as I can.

She felt like she was filling the gaps left inside herself.

The others seemed to be taking action in their own ways and Sayama was currently on the phone with Heo.

It had been a long call, Sayama occasionally spoke up so Shinjou could hear, and Heo was telling him what Harakawa’s mother had told her about the past. However, that was reaching its end.

“I see. Then are you about to head home, Heo-kun? …Yes, take care.”

Sayama ended the call and Shinjou turned toward him.

“It sounds like they’re having trouble over there. Did Ryuuji-kun do something again?”

“Yes.” Sayama nodded and crossed his arms. “From what Heo-kun said, he renegotiated with 2nd-Gear by letting a 2nd-Gear man penetrate him with his sword, which produced a lot of blood. Currently, he is stuck in bed, defenseless against all the ‘attacks’ the others are sending his way.”

Shinjou frowned and the two of them thought on what he had said.

“Was part of that a euphemism?”

“Shinjou-kun, are you suggesting that the Hiba boy’s heart has migrated to the side of men?”

“N-no, of course not. I was only kidding. Heo must have said it wrong.”

“But would she really say anything wrong to us after the ‘thisp’ incident?”

They fell silent for about a minute but eventually cleared their throats.

Deciding not to think about anything unpleasant, Shinjou gathered together the documents on the table.

“Come to think of it, Sayama-kun, you were speaking with the director earlier, weren’t you? Do you mind if I ask what about?”

“Oh, she was only talking about my grandfather.”

He brought a hand to his chest and smiled bitterly.

“I only confirmed that he did know how to keep up the appearance of being a good person.”

“He was apparently the one who delivered my mom’s letters.”

“Heh heh heh. Being someone’s gofer is perfect for that wicked old man. Work until you die. Although I suppose it is too late for that.”

“You’re as twisted as ever.”

“If you twist far enough, you end up facing straight forward again, Shinjou-kun. But anyway, were you able to hand over the gift you brought?”

“Yes.” Shinjou smiled. “The director gave me so much last time, so I bought our school cafeteria’s famous Kinugasa Gelatin. It’s amazing. It has 0% fruit juice, but it apparently still tastes like fruit.”

“Heh heh heh. Shinjou-kun, your ignorant naïveté is lovely and right in my strike zone. But…it is disappointing that the item I prepared in the cafeteria did not catch your eye.”

“Yes, yes. …Wait. Is that why there was ‘Shinjou Konjac Gelatin’ in the cafeteria gift corner!?”

“All the fiber is gentle on the stomach.”

“You aren’t backing down, are you? Are you? You instantly decided not to back down and moved about three steps ahead, didn’t you?”

“Calm down, Shinjou-kun. I know it is a disappointment that I was only able to prepare the Se-chan flavor in time. But do not fear. I secretly drew myself on the underside, so we are inseparable. No matter what happens, you are still mine and mine alone.”

“But that means we have our backs to each other.”

“How careless of me! But the way our backs are pressed together is unbearably delicious!”

''He isn’t going fix this even if I warn him,'' realized Shinjou. ''In fact, I feel like he’s actually pulling me in.

So she instead flipped through the documents again.

Among the letters sent here, one had been brought from Top-Gear by Sayama’s grandfather. It of course said nothing about Top-Gear or concepts, but it mentioned that she had begun to manage a church of her own.

…''The funding was given by someone calling themselves “The Pair’s Daddy-Long-Legs”.

The letter said Shinjou Yukio did not know who that was but that she was thankful.

''Given the name, I wonder if it was that world’s version of Sayama-kun’s grandfather,'' speculated Shinjou. ''No, if it was, it would Mommy-Long-Legs or Granny-Long-Legs.

“I wonder what happened.”

“What happened with what?”

Sayama casually urged her on, so she gave voice to her thoughts.

“I must have been on Noah with my mom, but why was that? My parents weren’t getting along.”

“And yet you were born. Is that a problem?”

She did not nod because even she was doubtful whether it was a problem or not.

“What if I was an unwanted child?”

She turned around and saw Sayama accepting her words with his usual expressionless look, so she spoke with the new letter in hand.

“My mom had people who were cheering her on, but she didn’t get along with my dad because she did not want to actively help them. She had allies, so why was I born between her and the man she was trying to keep her distance from?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know. But…I do wonder why.”

The letter in her hand eloquently described a moment in the past. It was from the time in which her mother had had trouble with her father.

“I always refuse, but he keeps showing up. My hymns are gradually spreading through the local people, but he keeps his distance from all of them and watches me. And when I approach him, he only ever says he wants my help with his work.”

Shinjou checked to make sure Sayama was reading the letter and let her shoulders droop.

“To be blunt, your father may have been something of a stalker.”

“I was thinking about saying the same thing. …I bet the two of you would have gotten along well.”

“What are you talking about? Stalking is a crime.”

“Then what is it you’re always doing?”

“If you and I are not in the center of the world together, the world could very well fall out of balance and receive irreparable damage.”

Shinjou was speechless and she blushed a little.

“Y-you really like making up weird theories about the world, don’t you?”

“Checking on the answer does not change that answer, Shinjou-kun. Now…how about we set the world in motion just a little?”

Sayama stood up and forcefully tugged on her hand.

She hesitated for a moment.

“Wh-where are we going? I haven’t read all of the documents yet.”

“Not to worry. Right now, we must go to the place Shinjou Yukio, your mother, stood.”

He looked through the cafeteria’s glass door and outside.

There was a gate at the park’s exit, an asphalt road filled with the darkness of night beyond the gate, and…

“The answer must lie in the wreckage of the collapse.”

Sayama and Shinjou stepped out into the dark yard.

He was pulling Shinjou along, but she quickly moved up alongside him.

“We’re going to see the past?”

“Some kind of impetus is needed to see the past. Baku uses that impetus to show it to us. That is how we will check to see if our reasoning about the past is accurate.”

“You mean…”

Sayama nodded and continued for her.

“It is simple. We only need to find proof that your parents came to understand each other.”

He turned toward her and held out his empty hand.

“Can you give me the letters you have already read?”

“S-sure.”

Sayama belatedly realized their breath appeared white in the cold air as they exchanged words.

''The gas synthesized within Shinjou-kun is dissolving into the air,'' he realized.

“Shinjou-kun, may I stand downwind of you?”

“''Why''?”

He thought up an excuse. ''This happened when we were exchanging drinks at the train station before,'' he recalled. ''I went with the direct truth then and that was a failure.

''In that case, I merely need to be less direct,'' he decided while smiling to lower her guard.

“Because your white breath smells sweetly of mint.”

“That sounds like a perverted comment in some schoolboy’s journal!!”

She shoved the letters toward his face and he tilted his head.

…''Complaining about a compliment? She is so very shy.

''Well, modesty is a very Japanese virtue,'' he thought. ''And Kenjou, Japanese for modesty, sounds quite a lot like Shinjou.

“Sayama-kun, are you going to read them or not?”

“I am,” he replied to her glaring eyes while walking toward the park’s exit.

He looked down to the text and found it had been sent to his father.

“Something good and something bad happened today. First the good thing: I can build a bell tower thanks to someone’s donation. Apparently, the director who actually runs the church knows who donated the money, but she won’t tell me who it is. She apparently signed a contract with the donor and she can’t tell me until the church is complete. But on her suggestion, I had a sign set up at the gate. The director named it the Nisho Church. I’m guessing she took the first character from ‘The Pair’s Daddy-Long-Legs’ and added on the last character of my name.”

The next letter described some conflict with her other self.

“Something bad happened again today. I ran into this world’s version of me. He says the funding for spreading the Bible is going to be redirected toward developing terminals for Noah.”

''I see,'' thought Sayama.

Shinjou’s mother had defected to Top-Gear, but she had not promised her full cooperation.

She had worked to create a place for Low-Gear there, but before Shinjou’s birth, she had not helped with their concept creation and had been uncooperative.

She had likely wanted to stick to her role as advisor and allow Top-Gear to maintain its dignity.

At the same time, the higher ups of Top-Gear had not wanted her full cooperation. More than anything, they seemed to have wanted to show off that they had a defector from Low-Gear.

That may still have been a peaceful and relaxed time.

…''But as an actual researcher, Top-Gear’s Shinjou Yukio had realized the difficulty and danger of concept creation.

That had led to conflict between them.

And Sayama imagined Low-Gear’s Shinjou Yukio must have made a decision after that conflict.

…''She decided to take personal command of the concept creation and to give birth to Shinjou-kun.

''What led her to do that?'' he wondered while nodding again.

Meanwhile, Shinjou produced an odd footstep next to him and asked a sudden question.

“Sayama-kun, why…why are you trying to learn about my parents?”

“You have doubts about your parents, so is it wrong to want to eliminate those doubts?”

He did not turn toward her as he asked that and she paused for three seconds before responding.

“It is. After all, you won’t look at me.”

“Is that so?”

He nodded and slowed his pace a bit.

The ground was solid below his feet and he sensed her to his side.

He showed her his expression by letting her stand by his side rather than by turning back toward her.

Even as she spoke, he thought that was a cowardly way to show her his emotions.

“Why did my father choose my mother?” he asked.

“…”

“As a result, I was protected by my mother and survived. There is nothing wrong with the result.”

He found it was difficult to speak without allowing his white breath to become a sigh.

“But I would appreciate it if that decision was made for a happy reason. My father realized he should choose my mother, but he likely did so because your parents chose each other.”

He took a breath.

“I want your parents to have chosen each other for a happy reason. That way, my father would have celebrated the decision and noticed my mother’s presence. He would have realized she was the only one he had.”

“Sorry.”

“Thank me instead, Shinjou-kun.”

“I-I don’t think that would get the right meaning across.”

“But I would prefer to have your thanks than your apology. The meaning does not matter as far as that is concerned.”

Sayama picked up his pace again.

He could see the gate ahead.

He pulled Shinjou’s hand in close, pulled her body in close, and placed an arm around her shoulders.

She spoke quietly as he helped keep the cold away.

“Thanks.”

“No, thank you.”

As they exchanged thanks, they approached the gate and walked through.

The streetlights briefly cut off their view, so it felt like stepping out into another world.

But that other world had an asphalt ground and a cliff.

“You can see so much.”

The night scenery opened up down below.

The nearby lights were from houses and cars driving along the roads. The more distant lights were from the port and the boats on the sea.

Shikoku, through which they had travelled that afternoon, was visible as a band of light past the bridge over the Naruto Strait.

“Your mother must have seen this scenery in both Low-Gear and Top-Gear.”

Sayama and Shinjou stopped in front of the gate remaining before the cliff.

Sayama then breathed in and faced Shinjou.

“Now, time for some questions.”

“Eh? W-wait. Where did this come from?”

Shinjou frowned in confusion, but Sayama ignored it.

He raised three fingers in front of her.

“You must answer three questions. If you do not…”

“I-I have to strip?”

“…That is a great idea, Shinjou-kun!!”

“Oh, no! Why did I have to say that!? Forget I said anything!!”

She quickly tried to flee, but he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back.

“Now, for question one.”

“W-wait a second! I haven’t pressed my mental start button yet!”

He waited a little, so she slowly turned around and tilted her head worriedly.

“Y-you won’t really make me…right?”

He immediately nodded with a smile.

“Unfortunately, that is incorrect. The correct answer was ‘Artluman’s seventh special attack is the eye jab’, Shinjou-kun.”

“What kind of question has an answer like that!?”

He ignored her and held out his hand as if asking for her to give him something.

She forced a smile and jabbed a finger into his palm.

“What’s this hand for? Money?”

“Of course not. This is for something which has a value that cannot be bought, Shinjou-kun.”

She sighed and resignedly removed her tie.

“Fine, fine. Make do with this.”

As suggested, he made do. Namely, he wrapped it around his forehead.

“Now, time for question two, Shinjou-kun.”

“Y-you’re still doing this!?”

“Unfortunately, that is incorrect. The correct answer was ‘Kamen Vader 1 died by-…”

“O-oh! Oh! He held a nuclear bomb in his arms, bungee jumped off Tokyo Tower, and destroyed Tokyo!”

“I am really not sure what he was hoping to accomplish with that. …But how did 2 die?”

“Ah, that’s a cheap question!!”

“The answer was ‘he collided with 1 after performing a Super Headbutt to catch him from below’.”

As he spoke, Sayama removed another piece of clothing from Shinjou.

“Eh?”

After about seven seconds, Shinjou looked down.

“Um…”

She frantically held down the front and back of her skirt and crouched down. She was also blushing.

“S-Sayama-kun!? Wh-what was that for all of a sudden!?”

“These are not the panties you wore this morning, Shinjou-kun. …Strings? Were you expecting something to happen!?”

“No, I’ve changed clothes since this morning and I thought these would be easier to walk in. …More importantly, give them back!”

“Restrain that which has at long last found freedom? I could never do something so cruel! I must protect this.”

“Protect? Come to think of it, I’d noticed some of my underwear was vanishing from the closet.”

“Yes. To make sure they would not be stolen and to ensure I would have some on hand whenever you needed them, I placed them under my strict supervision.”

“So it was you!!”

“W-wait, Shinjou-kun! You misunderstand! I am pure!”

“Yes, it was a misunderstanding to ever think you were innocent. You’re obviously pure here. Pure guilty!”

''This makes for a nice daily life too,'' thought Sayama as he received a moderate strangling. But just as he began to give in to the asphyxiation, he restrained himself and quickly tapped Shinjou’s hand.

“C-calm down, Shinjou-kun. And at any rate, it is time for the third and final question.”

Shinjou stopped moving with her arms still reaching toward his neck.

She must have assumed saying anything would lead to further clothing being removed because she remained silent.

So Sayama exhaled and opened his mouth for the final question.

“Question 3: In the Kinugasa Library, we saw Miss Shinjou Yukio standing in the snow. The building next to her had a concert hall and bell tower. In other words, that was the completed version of her church. The gate likely had a sign calling it the Nisho Church. But…”

He looked over to where the cherry tree had to have been.

“She spun around in front of that completed building. So why did she do that? Why did she spin around and spread her arms as if to show off the completed building?”

He asked his question.

“Who was she showing it off to?”

Shinjou raised her eyebrows at Sayama’s question.

…''Come to think of it…

That dream of the past had only lasted a moment, so it had looked like the woman was dancing.

But that was unlikely to be the case. Below that snow-covered cherry tree, she had turned toward someone.

After looking into Osaka’s sky where Noah floated in the darkness, she had turned toward someone behind her with a look of joy over the completed church.

“Was that…my dad?”

“What do you think?”

She heard the toe of Sayama’s shoe tap hard against the ground.

“He must have been standing here, below the gate. Most likely without an umbrella.”

“Without an umbrella?”

“Your mother did not have one either. Don’t you think your mother had a childish side to her in that way?”

Shinjou thought about the mother she had no memory of.

“You’re right.”

When her mother had turned around, the look in her eyes had been confident that someone was there watching her.

Shinjou looked to her mother who had once turned around here in another world. She directly returned the woman’s gaze.

“I had a thought, too.”

“And what was that?”

“Well, whenever my mom was faced with something painful or unpleasant, she would hide it behind a weak smile,” she explained. “So why did she write about my dad in her letters? She said she had trouble with him and did not like him without trying to hide it.”

“That is a new fact I had not noticed. And on that snowy day…”

She knew what Sayama was saying, so she nodded and continued for him.

“She must have been announcing to my dad that the church was finished. She would have said something more sacred than Noah had been built. …And she would have said they might be able to create the Biblical mythology in that world.”

Shinjou spoke her thoughts while fully aware it was only a convenient hope.

“My mom may have been trying to put Top-Gear and Low-Gear on the same level by giving Top-Gear the Biblical mythology they lacked. Instead of creating concepts and waging ware, she wanted to provide each world what they lacked as well as something they could believe in. …And so she pretended to defect.”

Sayama said nothing, so she breathed in.

She touched the metal gate and looked into the distance where she pictured her mother’s gaze in midair.

“My mom must have turned my dad away. She would have told him they would be just fine without Noah and she must have asked him to stop inviting her in and to instead listen to ''her'' invitation.”

She took a breath.

“That wasn’t mentioned in the letters, but I’m sure of it. She had to have given him an invitation, too. If not, he wouldn’t have continued coming here.”

She hesitated, but she decided to say it.

She gave the identity of the individual who her mother had wondered about, the one who had donated to have the church built.

“If not, he wouldn’t have secretly funded the construction of the church.”

She breathed out and told herself not to cry. She willed the tears back because she had not reached the conclusion yet.

But next to her, Sayama placed an arm around her shoulders and asked a question.

“Why do you think Top-Gear’s Shinjou Yukio was ‘The Pair’s Daddy-Long-Legs’?”

“It’s simple. The name Nisho Church partially came from that alias.” She gave a powerful nod at her own words. “And if you place the characters for ‘Pair’ on top of each other, they become the final character in Top-Gear Yukio’s name.”

Shinjou looked up toward that space in an alternate world where a gate with that name would have existed.

“When the church was finished, my mom would have heard the truth from the director. There’s no, no, no way the director would have been able to just watch on after seeing her turn my dad away.”

''I would have done the same,'' thought Shinjou as her voice rose to a shout.

“My mom chased after him when he silently left without looking back, didn’t she!?”

Her question roused Baku on Sayama’s head.

He gave her the answer to her question about the past.

A snowy slope was a poor place to run, but she ran.

It was night, but the snow filled the air with pale light and Low-Gear’s Shinjou Yukio ran down the slope in a lab coat.

Snow got in her shoes and chilled her feet as it melted.

But she still ran. The snow snatched at her feet, but she kept herself from slipping by continuing ever onward.

“Wait!”

Her white breath and her voice did not reach him.

The back of a lab coat walked away through the snow and did not turn around.

“Wait up!”

She breathed in, felt the cold air stabbing at the back of her throat, and stumbled through the snow.

Her slow pace frustrated her and she could tell she was not catching up.

She wondered if it was curiosity or interest driving her to reach him.

“Wait.”

The lab coat up head did not wait, so she pushed herself even faster.

“Ah!”

Her foot got caught in one of his footprints and she tripped.

Instead of falling to her knees, she fully collapsed to the left.

She was lucky the snow had accumulated as much as it had. The asphalt did not scrape at her skin and she actually scraped away the snow. She sat up to knock away the snow that had been pushed up onto her.

She sighed while sitting in the snow and she finally realized she was sweating.

…''Why?

Why was she so desperate? She did not know.

“Wait.”

With that word, tears spilled from her eyes for some reason.

She sobbed and her shoulders rose and fell.

“Wait…”

She muttered the word and brought her hands to her eyes like a child.

She saw a tall figure in a white lab coat standing before her.

He was there.

His sharp eyes looked directly at her and seemed to pierce right through her.

“…!!”

She blushed and quickly stood, but she slipped on the snow she had packed down and she almost fell backwards.

Swinging her arms was not enough to keep her balance, and…

“—————”

She did not fall.

She noticed he had grabbed her right hand. And with almost painful strength.

…''He saved me.

She wanted to say something and wondered if she should thank him.

But as soon as he let go, she used her left hand to slap him.

The high-pitched sound filled the air, the snow accumulated on his shoulders scattered away, and she shouted.

“What is the meaning of this!?”

She planted her feet on the ground and slapped him again. The sound of the second strike permeated the snow.

“Why…Why would you do something like that?”

He returned her gaze and relaxed his shoulders.

“What would ‘that’ be?”

She felt her body temperature rising at that question and she swung her left arm to point up the slope.

“You don’t know what you did!? You funded the construction of that church!”

She breathed in and formed words at the volume of a yell.

“Were you taking pity on me!? Or were you trying to bribe me!? Did someone order you to do it? What were you trying to do!? And…what were you thinking!?”

With her firm expression intact and unexpected tears in the corners of her eyes, she forced a laugh.

She wiped away the tears with her sleeve and took a shrill breath, but forced a smile with her eyebrows raised.

“That must have been amusing! You got to watch a silly woman go on and on about how proud of the church she was without realizing you had paid for it all! She had been manipulated by you the entire time, but she ignorantly acted like someone important!”

After that, she lowered the ends of her eyebrows, and asked the true question she had saved until after the unnecessary complaints.

“Why!? Why would you do that after we tried so much to distance ourselves from each other!?”

That shouted question produced a reaction in the man.

He looked up a bit toward the heavens.

At the top of the slope was a church and past that was Noah.

He stared in the distance beyond the snowy darkness.

“It wasn’t some impressive reason.”

“Just tell me!”

At her urging, he closed his eyes, breathed in, and spoke with an exasperated tone.

“I simply wanted you to succeed.”

“For me to!?”

His eyes were closed, so he did not see her expression.

He only lowered his head and continued.

“No matter what, I have to create concepts and prepare this world to fight. And eventually, Top-Gear will be unable to trust visitors from the other world like you. Once the enemy could arrive at any moment, the world will begin to think fortifying our defenses is the best way to spread peace.”

He did not stop there.

“But most likely, you are right, Shinjou Yukio. No matter what happens, you will still be right, Shinjou Yukio. You did not choose Top-Gear or Low-Gear. You made the right decision and chose to be a bridge between all Gears. You chose something I could not and you are undoubtedly right.”

He then said “but” and “so”.

“I wanted to see just how much your way of thinking could change the world. I wanted to see how much the true feelings of my other self could change the world.”

“…”

“Listen,” he said. “The donations I made to you might as well have been made to me. Your pride in the completed church gave me joy. I got to see just how much my other self could accomplish.”

He opened his eyes and looked to her.

For the first time, he narrowed his eyes with a small smile on his lips.

“That is why I funded the church, my other self. I chose to remain a man of this world, so you outdid me. From now on, I will be able to see the light of your church from Noah. I will also hear its bell. And that will be proof that there is at least one thing in this world that someone wished for. That will be one thing I truly managed to create for this world.”

With that, he turned around and bent his back a little.

“Farewell.”

The man in a lab coat took a step away into the falling snow.

As soon as he did, she did not hesitate.

“Wait!”

She wrapped her arms around him from behind.

She embraced the lab coat to stop him from continuing down the slope.

She knew she could not force him.

…''This man…

He had already restrained himself for the good of this world, so he would not give into force.

She would need a will that surpassed his if she was to stop him.

So she shouted loud enough for her voice to pass through his back.

“Please tell me!”

She breathed in.

“Someday, god will reside in this place! You built the very first place for god’s voice to be heard in this land! No lies are permitted there and anything you confess will be forgiven. So…so please tell me. What do you want from me!?”

And…

“You understand, don’t you? Someone on your level has to know the data I gave you was modified and you have to know why…why I won’t create concepts in this Gear!”

“I do know. You are another version of me, after all.”

He slowly chose his words.

“I understand why you are making it so we cannot create concepts.”

She nodded at his answer.

“You understand, but you can’t do what I’m doing?”

“The higher ups would never accept that Top-Gear is inferior to Low-Gear in any way. That is why I have chosen my path and left you to do things your way. I have now settled things with you, so you can continue doing things as you please. And…”

She felt him sigh.

“Are you going to waste everything I have given you?”

“We still don’t know if I can waste it.”

To erase his trembling sigh, she pressed her own breath into his back.

“Are you afraid of your own words? Are you afraid of the words that will ruin everything I have?”

Tears spilled out as she exhaled.

“Tell me. Please tell me, my other self. I have always chosen to give instead of receive, but if I am truly wanted in this world, then tell me what that means.”

He slowly took a breath. He breathed in instead of out.

The oxygen was cooled by the snow, so it pricked at his lungs as he spoke.

“I want you to help me settle everything for this world…no, for all worlds.”

She listened to his trembling voice.

These were the words of her other self.

“I truly have no interest in bringing an end to conflict or in what is right or wrong. I simply want all Gears to care for the world.”

After all…

“If every Gear is righteous, then no Gear has erred. The destruction was not brought on by people’s mistakes. I want to say that the destruction came about because they were right.”

So…

“Please help me, Shinjou Yukio. Help me make sure this world does not err in the righteousness it so desires. I want your knowledge, your skills, and your songs. That way the light and sound you have created and all else that was born of true righteousness will never vanish from the remaining world.”

“Is that…what you wanted?”

“Yes,” he said. “When I first learned about Low-Gear as a child, I thought about your presence there. And when I saw you playing the organ in that church, I wished for your happiness. I remember the very first words you spoke from the pulpit: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

He asked a question.

“Answer me, my other self. Was I wrong? If so, I will apologize for funding what you have made.”

She did not answer, but she did let go of him and circled around in front of him.

In the snow, the two of them slowly moved in close.

“—————”

The bell rang. The brand-new bell rang.

The ringing permeated the snow as it carried into the distance.

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Owari no Chronicle:Volume12 Chapter 14

2015-02-26T23:11:27Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 14: A Place of Old Memories==
[[Image:OnC_v12_0391.png|thumb]]
''That is a path to the past

''Nothing can return

''All one can do is think

The underground portion of Japanese UCAT was filled with hectic activity.

It was mostly work to restore the facility and the people moving from floor to floor shook the entire building.

But one area near the center of the underground space remained still: the development department.

The large room was filled with people wearing lab coats who would leave when called over an internal line, but would return after about an hour.

A single voice spoke for all of them. It came from the woman sitting at a large desk by the back wall.

“It isn’t easy being considerate.”

The elderly woman’s nametag said Tsukuyomi Shizuru and she crossed her arms behind her head.

…''Just because the other Gears are taking action against UCAT or holing up doesn’t mean you have to as well.

But none of them were doing a thing and had been like this the entire time. They were all giving it a lot of thought, going to work, and doing their jobs, but they were not actively making an appearance anywhere.

“I suppose none of us knows quite what to do. We can’t exactly become their enemy again at this point, but the other Gears keep going for it and it makes us think maybe we should too.”

Tsukuyomi spoke her thoughts to the entire relaxed development department.

She felt they had finally returned to their old attitude, but at the same time, something had begun to move today.

That movement came from beyond a partition near the center of the room, it was centered on two men, and it was noisy.

They were still whispering, but their voices were picking up speed.

“Like I was saying, Kashima, you just have to make a sword! One that can cut all sorts of stuff!”

“What are you talking about, Atsuta? I was only released from the hospital three days ago. Think about this. I was hospitalized for a month and a half with all those broken ribs.”

“What? You mean you’re still in rehabilitation?”

“Yes, I am. This is an important period of rehabilitation. I have to recover from the lack of Natsu-san nursing me in the hospital room. Although, she has been rewarding me with way more videos than usual ever since I got out of the hospital.”

“This isn’t about your damn videos!!”

Tsukuyomi saw short hair dyed blond rise above the partition as someone stood up.

“With you gone, I haven’t had a weapon, so I’ve been stuck sitting here silently!!”

Hearing that, every single person in lab coat or work outfit stood up from the partitions.

“That last part is a complete lie!!”

Sitting in his chair, Kashima nodded at the entire development department’s unified opinion.

He looked to Atsuta who was resting his elbows on the partition entrance.

“Besides, Atsuta. Ooh, look. Here’s a video of Harumi. What do you even need to cut?”

“For starters, I could cut out the center of what you just said.”

“What are you talking about? Oh, she’s so cute. If you’re going to cut out anything, it would be the start and end.”

He watched his laptop’s screen and it began to play a video of Natsu in a hospital room.

…''Hm, I can’t let anyone else see this one. This is the one that goes from her casual silence to a kiss. She closes her eyes and stops just before kissing the monitor.

“Hey. Hey, Kashima. Earth to Kashima. Why are you kissing your monitor, you ape?”

“Ha ha ha. I feel sorry for you, Atsuta. You can’t understand or even see this sense of closeness.”

As he spoke, Kashima transferred more and more of the data he had filmed at home onto the laptop.

He set a few of the important files so they would only play with his fingerprint and then he faced forward.

“What’s that weird look for, Atsuta? You’re ruining your usual weird looks.”

“Are you looking for a fight?”

“I am. It’s going to be quite a fight to convert all 672 GB of data before tomorrow.”

“Wait, just a damn second. Have you never heard of trimming the fat?”

“Of course I have. …This is what was left after I carefully selected only the essentials!!”

“That’s not how it works and don’t look so proud! …Listen!”

Atsuta grabbed at the air and set it down.

“Put those videos down here! Here!”

Kashima did as he was told and set his laptop on the floor.

“Yes, the floor is cold and will keep it from overheating. …That was a great idea, Atsuta! Looks like you know what it takes to work with videos. I’m glad I can finally call you a video buddy.”

Kashima showed off his teeth in a smile, looked up at Atsuta, and held out his hand for a handshake.

“Welcome aboard, my video buddy!”

“Y-y-y-y-you bastard! …Who are you calling your video buddy!? Well!?”

Atsuta knocked Kashima’s hand aside, but Kashima gave a serious expression and slowly pointed at the center of Atsuta’s forehead.

“Wasn’t it obvious? I was talking about you. Why are the veins on your temple bulging out like that? Besides, I just sent Natsu-san an email saying you started making videos thanks to Harumi.”

The cellphone at his waist vibrated, so he pulled it out.

“Here’s her response: ‘Then from now on, today will be Atsuta-san’s video anniversary, won’t it?’ ”

“See? You have my wife’s approval. Isn’t that great?”

He held out the phone, but Atsuta snatched it and bit into it. After three crunching chews, the phone had completely lost its shape and he suddenly bent backwards.

“Kwaaah! The electronics are shocking my teeth!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. It may be rich in minerals, but eating something that hard is bad for your jaw. And pay me back for that. 5,800 yen for the phone itself and 1,780,000,000 for the lost emails from my wife.”

Hearing that, Atsuta bared his teeth and clicked his tongue.

“Do you have any intention of holding a serious conversation!?”

“Hold on. What about you? If you were listening to me, then tell me what I was saying.”

“Videos, videos, videos, Harumi, Natsu.”

“D-don’t you dare refer to Natsu-san without an honorific!!”

“And you don’t have anything to say about the rest of that!?”

The two of them grabbed at each other’s collars, heating up the room, but a voice suddenly reached them from beyond the partition.

“You two certainly are full of energy.”

They looked over and saw Tsukuyomi standing with her arms crossed.

“Heh.”

Atsuta turned his head her way and then turned back to Kashima.

“Hey, Kashima. I think some kind of monster’s come to scold us. What’s that one called? The Development Hag?”

“I’m pretty sure she only wants to scold you. I’ve been doing work even while I was out.”

“Is that so?” asked Tsukuyomi. “Then what were you developing?”

Kashima used his laptop to display a text project report with illustrations that he had made in the hospital.

“A passionate supplement for the father who wants to film his child’s growth both day and night! I call it the Royal Vita-Video!”

“Then make it yourself and take it yourself.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! It would only work if Natsu-san made it for me!!”

“Then how are you going to mass produce it!?” shouted everyone else in the room.

“With that, how about we start talking seriously.”

Kashima pushed his glasses up his nose and sat down. For some reason, he heard sighs from his surroundings.

He looked up at Atsuta and Tsukuyomi who were glaring at him.

“Basically, things are a lot like they were before, aren’t they?”

“Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“Then this is simple. The other Gears live in the reservations and let UCAT manage their Concept Cores.”

Kashima did not hesitate to speak as he crossed his legs in front of Atsuta who frowned.

“But 2nd-Gear is different. Yamata is sealed inside Totsuka which is under our control. And we are members of UCAT, so we can fully manage Yamata and we have no problem living in Low-Gear.”

He made sure everyone else in the room could hear him.

“We won’t gain anything from complaining and we lose our control of Yamata if we leave UCAT.”

“But Low-Gear bears the crime of destroying Top-Gear.”

“Unfortunately, the development department was primarily run by 2nd-Gear even during the blank period. Just as Director Tsukuyomi’s husband was in the department then, many other 2nd-Gear residents worked with UCAT.”

He let out a breath.

“We can’t escape it. If we look into the blank period, I’m sure we’ll find just how much our families were involved with UCAT at the time. So the only thing we can do now is…”

“Oh! Slice up as much stuff as we can!?”

“It must be nice to have such a one-track mind.”

Kashima smiled bitterly, crossed his arms, shook his chair, and turned to Tsukuyomi.

“We need to prepare ourselves. There is no denying the past, so to face that past and clear the way for the future, we can only fight in our own way. …I suggest we help Team Leviathan.”

He called Atsuta’s name.

The man frowned and turned toward him from the partition entrance.

“What got you so serious all of a sudden? Are you picking a fight with me?”

“Why are you even here? …But more importantly, you keep saying you want a weapon, right? In that case, I have a bit of interesting job for you.”

“A job?”

Atsuta frowned again and Kashima reached a hand to his desk.

He had a month and a half of mail piled up there, but the very top of the pile was a single fax paper and a white origami crane.

“I don’t know what this crane is, but this fax arrived from a convenience store at the base of the mountain this morning.”

He toyed with the crane in his right hand as he grabbed the fax paper with his left and held it up in front of Atsuta. It then passed effortlessly between them as if slipping through the air.

“That fax is a request for some help, but I’m still not fully recovered. But if you’re willing to go help for me…”

Atsuta snatched the paper from the air as if trying to cut it.

At the same time, Kashima opened the wings of the origami crane with both hands.

“I’m willing to lend you the prototype to a new Cowling Sword I was working on.”

The underground corridor was white.

It was about four meters wide and two meters tall.

The walls were white, the ceiling was white, and the fluorescent lights on the ceiling were fully lit.

Four pairs of footsteps walked below that light and the lead set came from a woman in a lab coat.

“I’d love to conserve energy since we’re keeping everyone out, but Moira 1st and the others insisted.”

The lab coat’s nametag said Tsukuyomi Miyako and it reflected the light.

A blonde woman in a maid uniform walked next to Miyako and she turned toward the two walking behind them.

“Sorry, Master Sayama, Lady Shinjou. We would love to conserve energy because it costs a lot to keep the lights on inside the concept space, but it is necessary for security reasons.”

Sayama, who wore a suit, gave the maid a small nod.

“Not to worry, Moira 1st-kun. We will pay the power bill.”

“Hold on,” cut in Miyako. “Don’t go easy on us. I’ll take out an extended loan to pay.”

“View it as a sign of our friendship with 3rd,” insisted Sayama. “After all, if you were to trip in the dark, it could erase the proof of the connection between Low-Gear and 3rd.”

Moira 1st nodded.

“He is exactly right, Lady Miyako. Think of it as a way to celebrate.”

“Sure, sure.”

Miyako crossed her arms behind her head as she walked and Shinjou elbowed Sayama in the side.

“Sayama-kun, I really don’t think you should be so direct about that.”

“My apologies.”

Shinjou heard Moira 1st and Miyako laugh bitterly at that.

''Am I worrying too much?'' she wondered while bringing a hand to her own stomach.

…''People can be so different. I wonder what I’ll be like when it happens to me.

With that thought, she relaxed her shoulders and noticed writing on the wall.

“BF2? So this is the second basement?”

“You went to the first basement last time, right? That’s where the reference room is.”

Before, she had been looking for her family. This time, they were here for the Leviathan Road and to search for her mother’s past in hopes of learning about Top-Gear’s destruction.

…''It feels like we’re heading further into the dungeon after levelling up.

Suddenly, Moira 1st pulled a flag from below her apron. It said “Team Leviathan Tour Guide” on it.

“Now, to your right, you will see Izumo UCAT’s famous relaxing sand dune room.”

Shinjou looked over and saw a large sand pit with holes for sand bathing.

Sand and stones were left in the corridor like strange works of art, providing common decorations for the second basement’s corridors.

The automatons waiting in the sand pit pointed toward a hole and crouched down as if urging her to climb in, but she pretended not to see it.

“Isn’t Tottori the place known for its sand dunes?”

“Shinjou-kun, Shinjou-kun. This is much like how Tokyo conquered a portion of Urayasu, Chiba.”

“I see.”

She nodded and turned to Moira 1st who had stopped with a smile frozen on her face.

After a long silence, the automaton cleared her throat.

“Now, to your left, you will see Izumo UCAT’s miniature aquarium which is fun for the whole family.”

Shinjou looked over and saw a large fish tank with an underwater corridor.

She recognized some of the fish swimming in it and she gasped in awe at seeing them so up close.

“Look, Sayama-kun! Sea bream! There are sea bream in there! I’d heard their colors look really faded, but it’s true!”

As soon as she pointed at a large one, a net suddenly scooped it up.

“You like the looks of that one, do you?” asked a smiling Moira 1st. “We can serve it to you for lunch, so how about it?”

“Sayama-kun! Sayama-kun! I think I was just traumatized in another new way!”

“Ha ha ha. Shinjou-kun, eating them is the same as holding a memorial service. Has this been an educational experience?”

They continued walking and suddenly noticed someone standing at the other end of the corridor.

It was a well-built elderly man. He wore a white suit, his arms were both held upwards, and a smile covered his face.

However, Moira 1st and Miyako ignored him and passed him by just like all the sand and stone decorations.

Shinjou picked up on that and walked past the man along with Sayama.

After about three steps, she heard him turn around and snap his fingers.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are you sure you should be doing that or whatever? Well!?”

His voice caused Miyako to pick up her pace and lean forward a little.

“Sayama, Shinjou, don’t worry about him. Don’t answer him either. He’ll possess you if you do.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. Miyako-kun! Isn’t that a mean thing to say? C’mon! C’mon!”

The man walked up to their left, continued to say “c’mon”, struck a pose for some reason, and removed his coat.

“Can you say my name!?”

A straight kick from Miyako slammed into his torso and he crashed into the fish tank to the left.

After a deep sound of impact, the glass cracked and Miyako turned around faster than the fish could flee.

“Okay, that bought us some time. Let’s get going.”

“A-are you sure? I’m pretty sure that’s Izumo’s-…”

“Don’t say it. He’ll possess you. Just a bit further.”

“Just a bit further?” asked Shinjou before hearing a voice from behind them.

“Wait, wait, wait. Miyako-kun! How can you do this when my old friends’ living products aka children are here?”

Miyako pulled a remote from her pocket and hit the switch.

The floor behind them audibly opened and the man in a white suit gave a gentle scream as he vanished into the abyss.

Shinjou turned around in surprise, but she could only hear a loud crash as the man landed.

“Why was there a trapdoor there?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but it seems this place is designed a lot like Japanese UCAT’s underground area.”

“Oh, I get it now.”

Shinjou gained a baseless sense of understanding and Miyako pointed at their destination.

It was a large door leading to the third basement.

“The secret area is up ahead, but it seems that old guy from before is opening it up for you. He’s also letting us from 3rd live in some empty space. And…”

Miyako slowed her pace and gently walked forward. She looked back over her shoulder while approaching the door.

“What do you think is back here?”

“I would assume Concept Core storage facilities, starting with 8th-Gear’s,” answered Sayama. “After all, Gram and the Cores for 6th and 10th were originally stored here.”

“Then why do you think those storage facilities were created here?”

Miyako arrived at the door as she asked.

That door led downstairs. She tapped on it with the back of her hand and gave Shinjou and Sayama a sharp look.

Her next words were more than enough to make Shinjou tremble.

“Shinjou Yukio.”

When she saw Shinjou gasp and look up, Miyako nodded.

“I said this place is a lot like Japanese UCAT, remember? Put that together with what I just told you. …Now, what do you think is back here?”

Shinjou worked to bring her breathing under control.

She removed the backpack containing her binder, documents, and laptop and she held it in front of herself.

She thought about what that question meant, nodded once, and made up her mind.

“Is there a concept creation facility in there?”

Miyako’s expression did not change, but that was the only possible answer based on what she had said.

“There is, isn’t there? My mom moved to Izumo UCAT, but that was because this is where her mother and my grandmother lived and she must have tried to build a concept creation facility based on what she saw inside Babel.”

When Miyako nodded, something seemed to move in approval.

But oddly enough, Shinjou could not see anything around her that could have moved.

“?”

Still, she sensed what she could only describe as the lingering scent of movement.

And so she looked both ways and asked about it.

“What is this? Some kind of weird presence reacted to what you said, Miyako-san.”

Yet there was no one around.

However, she did hear a voice. Miyako bent over with laughter by the door.

“Ha ha. They’re delighted that you got the answer right.”

“Th-they’re delighted? What are?”

“Well.” Miyako straightened up and shrugged with a bitter smile. “There’s no way I would know all that on my own. I had a little guidance.”

“You mean…it wasn’t that weird guy in white?”

Miyako shook her head and cleared her throat.

“Listen. Someone like that isn’t going to know the answer. It was-…”

Suddenly, Sayama moved to Shinjou’s right.

She took a confused step back just as he picked something up from the floor.

It was…

“A stone!?”

At some point, several of the stones decorating the corridor had arrived at her feet.

And they had moved there on their own.

Sayama frowned, held up the one he had picked up in both hands, and carefully observed it.

“Did you come out to greet us?”

A sound on the floor answered him. A stone rolled along the white plastic to line up and sand crawled along with it and spread out.

“It’s forming letters.”

“Hi.”

The stone and sand created a quick greeting and then spelled out its name.

“Messenger” “of” “Vanambi.”

“Eh?”

“Sorry.” “Messed up.” “Don’t worry about it.”

The writing was spelled out with greater and greater speed, but the previous letters were erased and replaced.

“Messenger” “of” “Wanambi.”

The sand and stone spelled out its name in only three seconds, and it created new words between the two visitors and Miyako who smiled bitterly.

“Well done” “coming here.”

A moment later, two things happened.

First, Miyako opened the door behind her and revealed the facility inside it.

And second…

…''Baku.

From Sayama’s head, Baku raised his front legs while looking at the Messenger of Wanambi.

It almost looked like he desired the past they held.

And then Shinjou saw that past.

Sayama saw a dark, large, and yet cramped space.

…''Is this the concept creation facility we saw beyond that door?

The dimly-lit area was covered in equipment from the floor to the ceiling. The floor contained white consoles, controls, and machinery measuring around a dozen meters each that were packaged in white and were clearly meant to process or manage something. There was also piping connecting it all together and…

…''What is this that I thought were the walls?

Tanks and containers measuring several meters tall were visible through the darkness.

It was all packed in tightly, creating a jungle of machinery with gangways allowing passage.

But below the cables that hung like ivy, space was cleared down the center for a main pathway.

A single console was located at the center of that pathway and at the very center of the space.

It was about four meters long and resembled the console to a built-in kitchen.

Some more controls had been added later, along with a bookshelf and…

“A cupboard? You sure like to be comfortable, Shinjou Yukio.”

Sayama recognized the voice that filled the room. It came from the individual sitting in the chair in front of the console.

…''Doctor Chao.

She rested her elbow on the console, rested her head on her hand, and stared past the console with her eyes only half open.

“I went out of my way to bring the four brothers here so you could gather some data on the Concept Core, so make sure you put it to use.”

Sayama heard someone respond. It was a female voice located beyond the console.

“Thank you very much, Doctor Chao. If I can investigate 7th too, I’ll be only a step away.”

The voice resembled one he knew quite well.

…''Shinjou-kun?

With that question, he saw who Chao was looking at. It was a woman in a lab coat with steam rising from the cup in her hand.

“Do you want some coffee?”

Her long black hair swayed below the faint lighting.

He could see a hint of Shinjou in the slight bend to her eyes and the smile on her lips.

This was Shinjou Yukio.

Baku had previously shown her to them for just a moment in the back of the Kinugasa Library.

Shinjou had said nothing, but it was clear to Sayama that she was her mother.

…''I wonder how Shinjou-kun feels about seeing this.

[[Image:OnC_v12_0411.jpg|thumb]]

''I need to support her once this is over,'' he decided. He contemplated whether to place his arm around her shoulder or her waist, but he was interrupted by Chao’s voice after she took the coffee cup.

“Don’t you have any cigarettes?”

“This is an important research facility, you know?”

“Asagi smokes like crazy, though.”

Yukio smiled and weakly tilted her head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Yume-san will get after him for it.”

“Yume’s in the Kinugasa Library to gather all of the documents you or Asagi ask for. Lately, Itaru’s been working as her assistant when he has the free time.”

“That must be nice.”

Yukio smiled bitterly and rested her upper body on the console. She also tapped on her cup with both hands.

“Ahh… I wish I could live surrounded by books too. Something like Diana’s room.”

“You don’t understand the meaning of work, do you?”

Despite her words, Chao was smiling bitterly.

As she smiled, a slight sound came from down on the floor.

Sayama looked down and saw a fist-sized stone and sand at Yukio’s feet. Chao’s smile vanished.

“Is that…?”

“That is the Messenger of Wanambi, 8th-Gear’s Concept Core. …It came out when I opened the container.”

“I hear it chose for itself to leave the reservation. …Does it like you?”

“Yes, it seems they’re silicon lifeforms, or something like it. My grandfather taught them the language, so they can speak. …Oh, but you were there, so I guess you already knew that.”

“Yeah,” muttered Chao and the Messenger of Wanambi spoke to her.

“Remember,” “but” “still” “young” “Strange” “Some kind of trickery!”

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

The stone rolled behind Yukio to hide.

Yukio smiled and pulled a book from the console’s bookshelf.

It was a university physics textbook.

“Here’s your dinner. Your dinner of knowledge.”

“Understood” “Yukio” “Good” “person” “Good person”

The stone and sand carried the textbook on top of itself and vanished into the darkness.

Yukio waved goodbye.

“It’s amazing. Every single grain of what looks like sand is a lifeform with the ability to think. And by sharing their mind, they gain tremendous calculation power. They’re a lifeform that takes the shared memories of 3rd’s automatons and further focuses it on calculations.”

“While 4th’s plant creatures are a single lifeform, these ones are truly split into individuals yet share their mind to create a single lifeform, hm? It’s a lot like the relationship between a whole human body and each individual cell, isn’t it? According to Sayama, 8th-Gear had a single planet, but the planet itself was a single lifeform.”

“Yes,” replied Yukio. “They have a collective mind and the ability to duplicate and manage information is held by Wanambi, the Concept Core. To 8th-Gear, Wanambi is probably a lot like a human’s DNA.”

Yukio took a breath, looked into the darkness it had vanished into, and placed her hands on her knees.

“I wonder how Old Sayama brought them back from that empty world they floated in. …Well, I doubt it was anything good.”

She shrugged.

“Apparently, the people of other Gears used to borrow 8th-Gear’s calculation power. 3rd and 5th had their help in designing the mechanical dragons and gods of war. That’s all they could do because they can’t fight and they’re very nice. Also…they remember doing that. Do you know what that means?”

“Those stones remember every Gear they went to, right?”

“Yes.” Yukio crossed her legs and faced Chao again. “They could grow accustomed to any Gear and were useful there. Once they realized that, the clever things decided to not take an active role in the Concept War. Their Concept Core, Wanambi, is their collective mind itself and it decided it could survive even if it meant moving to a new world.”

“So they’re a nomadic race, are they? …That’s a lot different from those that clung to their own world to the bitter end.”

“They had a lot of freedom in that way, so it’s still a mystery how Old Sayama managed to guide them here.”

Sayama then heard Yukio say they were helping her.

The feeling that gave him was not bad and a sudden thought came to him.

…''This is so easygoing.

He had expected the blank period to have a darker atmosphere what with the impending fight against Top-Gear.

Regardless, this was still a place meant to prepare for that fight.

''I suppose everyone is different,'' he concluded and looked forward again.

Chao brought her cup to her mouth, sipped, and took a breath before speaking.

“You know, that idiot Kaoru managed to contact the other side with a group from 10th.”

Yukio collapsed onto the console again.

“Ahh,” she began. After a pause, she continued. “Top-Gear is asking for either me or Asagi-kun to visit, aren’t they?”

“They technically only asked for your generation as a group, but it’s obvious what they want. They’re afraid of you since you entered Babel and built this facility.”

“Getting into Babel was a complete coincidence for both Asagi-kun and me. We still don’t know how why we can get in. …So I’m not sure what to say when that’s why they’re interested.”

Her words brought Sayama’s mind to the surface.

…''They don’t know why they can get in?

That was written in the report, but the inclusion of “still” suggested they had done so more than once.

She had likely done so to complete her concept creation theory and build this facility.

And she said more while still lying on the console and stroking her cup.

“It was supposedly created in Top-Gear, so if only they still had some information on it.”

“They must be desperately searching through their history. But…”

“Babel is a really old artifact. …You know the result of the tests on its exterior, don’t you?”

“You said it has no concept of time, right?”

“Yes,” confirmed Yukio while slowly sitting up. “The inside is still functioning without any corrosion. It was clearly built by humans…or at least intelligent lifeforms the same size as us. And to gain the most space inside, the walls are used as the floor via gravitational control.”

“That’s what you said. And there’s enough space for an entire city inside, right?”

“We saw what must have been a park and residential area. Most of it was made from natural materials though, so it had rotted away.”

She smiled bitterly and lightly tapped the console.

“But everything made from inorganic materials was still up and running and there was something much like this. Its design was more refined and efficient, though. …If only we could take that equipment outside, I’m sure it could create concepts right away.”

“What, do you want to take the negative concepts out of Babel? Or are you going to lug all that equipment out on your own?”

“Couldn’t I get Asagi-kun’s help?”

Yukio shook her chair, placed her hands on the console, and gave a small smile.

“This must be tough for Top-Gear. Something they made is being studied by us…and it’s sure to be the key to our confrontation.”

“It’s best not to think about it too much. In the off chance the positive concepts are annihilated by the negative concepts, your concept creation is needed to create new power.”

“I wonder if I’m trying to play god by doing this?”

“Don’t say that when you pretty much already are, idiot.”

“You’re right.” Yukio smiled. “But I’m really interested in the idea of god. …For example, who created the concepts in the first place?”

She turned toward Chao as she spoke.

“Do you know why Top-Gear is so afraid of Low-Gear?”

“Isn’t it because of Babel and you? If we can create concepts, they lose the advantage the positive concepts give them.”

“But we have the positive concepts, too. Not all of the Gears have sided with UCAT yet, but we can always negotiate with them to borrow their Concept Cores.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“Yes.” Yukio looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. “Guessing at the construction of the concepts for the Gears we don’t have the Cores to is really hard. I have to look through all of the records on past battles with them. It would be a lot easier if we could just negotiate for the Cores.”

“That’s the opinion of someone working on this here. More importantly, are you going to answer your question for me?”

“Oh.”

Yukio lowered her shrugged shoulders.

Sayama’s mind recognized the motion as one Shinjou made.

…''Why Top-Gear is afraid of Low-Gear?

Yukio held out her right hand and raised three fingers.

“Your answer of Babel is part of it, but there are a total of three reasons they fear us. The first is Babel and the second is a fact they stumbled upon when searching for any records of Babel in their world.”

Her eyebrows bent a little.

“Their world lacks the Biblical mythology.”

“What?”

Sayama’s mental heart leaped when he heard Chao’s question.

…''Top-Gear lacks the Biblical mythology?

''Why is that?'' he wondered.

…''And what does it mean!?

As if to answer his questions, Yukio leaned forward a little and smiled.

“Old Sayama and the 10th people who have visited have yet to notice because they’re focused on the negotiations and not doing any sightseeing. But think about it. If Low-Gear’s various mythologies come from contact with the other Gears, the Biblical mythology would not just be the historical truth of Top-Gear; they would be what made Top-Gear itself. In other words…”

“Top-Gear should be the world of the Bible, but it’s just a normal world much like this one.”

Having said that much, Chao gasped and Yukio gave a troubled smile.

“If it was the world of Biblical mythology, they could just check their history to learn about Babel. If those myths were existing things there and not just something from the past, there would be existing objects to act as records and they would still be using similar things. …Assuming their culture or civilization was never lost, that technology would still exist there,” said Shinjou. “But Top-Gear wants Asagi-kun and me. …Yet to Top-Gear, Babel should just be a relic of the past. Why do they want to hear from people who went inside it? If Top-Gear had Babel’s knowledge as part of their living mythology, they would be able to create an even greater Babel…and they would have attacked us as soon as we entered Babel.”

“But that didn’t happen, so…”

“Yes.” Shinjou got up and held her cup in front of her waist with a smile. “I think Top-Gear lacks the Biblical mythology. For some reason, they seem to lack something we have. That is why they cannot find any ancient records for this. They have lost the clue they need to create Babel, despite having supposedly created it in the first place. And that is why they fear us. They fear that the Biblical mythology they lack will become the strength that defeats them. …After all, it is one of the things Low-Gear has that they do not.”

She moved her right hand by lowering the last of the three raised fingers.

“And there is one other thing Low-Gear has that Top-Gear does not.”

“Is it another mythology?”

“No.” Yukio shook her head and smiled with the ends of her eyebrows lowered. “I still do not know what it is. …Most likely, no one knows. But I do know that it is something that Low-Gear and only Low-Gear possesses.”

“Hm? …There’s something like that in this negative Gear?”

“There is.” Yukio’s smiled changed. Her eyes bent and the ends of her eyebrows returned to normal. “I want to know what it is and that is what I’m working on. I believe it is directly linked to the meaning behind Low-Gear’s existence.”

Sayama heard confidence filling her voice.

“I believe it is a value given by god that allows this world to exist despite being negative.”

…''Value? Low-Gear has something like that?

As Sayama asked that, his mind’s vision grew dark.

He was returning to the present. He was waking from this brief and important dream.

And as he fell into that dozing darkness, he thought.

…''Top-Gear lacks the Biblical mythology.

But Yukio had said Low-Gear possessed something the other Gears did not.

He had another thought as well. Yukio had realized so very much, so…

…''Why did she go to Top-Gear?

He suddenly sensed something in that thought.

Shinjou Yukio had to have had a reason for going to Top-Gear.

He felt that her actions and deeds were a common thread connecting everything they had discovered about the past.

“Then were we right in thinking that pursuing Shinjou Yukio is the key to reaching Top-Gear’s destruction?”

Would they be able to find a truth that allowed them to oppose Top-Gear?

“Let us follow her path and her deeds.”

With those words, Sayama’s mind awoke.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_13|Chapter 13]]
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| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_15|Chapter 15]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 57

2015-02-19T14:47:44Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 57: Crow Master of the Inland Sea==
[[Image:Horizon3B_0769.jpg|thumb]]
''A view from above

''Is always

''Looking to this

'''Point Allocation (Big Catch)

The finale of the land battle and aerial battle over the Seto Inland Corridor began when K.P.A. Italia’s Murakami Navy prepared their formation and fought back against P.A. Oda’s onslaught.

“This formation is a lot more dangerous than their last one!”

On the bow of the central P.A. Oda iron-clad ship, a female demon named Magoichi wielded three rifles. She raised her eyebrows as she repeatedly fired all three.

She had a single goal among the flying shells, bullets, and fire arrows.

She stood on the bow of the leading ship and handled the interception and attack from that frontmost point.

Her method of offense and defense was simple. Of her three rifles engraved with a Yatagarasu, one was for attack, one was for interception, and the last one was for whatever the situation demanded.

However…

“There.”

She barely touched the three guns. The recoil produced by the Yatagarasu rifles’ great firepower sent the shallowly bent guns flying high into the air.

When they finished spinning through the air and fell back down, she would lightly touch them only to operate the firing trigger and adjust the angle at which they would fly back up.

All on their own, the three Yatagarasu would fire in midair, rotate in midair, reload in midair, and accelerate further upwards.

As they flew to about ten meters above her, Magoichi had a thought.

…''This battlefield is really noisy, but it’s nice having so many targets.

Standing on the very front of the black iron-clad ship felt like standing in midair and she would reach for the three great crows flapping their wings and frolicking around her in order to send them out again. She fired spell-enhanced bullets at the fleet of small ships.

…''I love this feeling!

She swung her hands as if scattering birdseed, used her feet too, and spun around.

“Yata! Pick up and devour the shells!”

While occasionally altering their angle, she had the three crows strengthen their flight.

The firing continued.

A trio of rapid cocking and firing filled the air. Added to that was the sound of the Yatagarasu tearing through the wind as their paths were occasionally changed.

Attacks flew and enemy ships burst.

Since the beginning of the full-blown battle, she had sunk around twenty-one enemy ships. Of the two hundred ten kilometers of the Seto Inland Corridor, they had advanced one hundred fifty kilometers west, but as the iron-clad ships broke through…

'''Nine Horns:''' “Suzuki, please be cautious. The enemy is throwing away half their fleet as a wall while constructing a defensive formation. …The real battle begins now.”

Currently, their six iron-clad ships were arranged with three in front and three in back. The front three were pushing the Murakami Navy’s net-like formation westward and the rear three acted as replacements for the front three and provided covering fire for the ground troops. Kuki commanded the entire fleet from the central rear ship and he was operating several ''insha kotob''.

Magoichi responded while looking ahead at the Murakami Navy.

“The one coordinating these small but not tiny ships is their 1st special duty officer, Murakami Motoyoshi, isn’t it!?”

Ahead of Magoichi, the Murakami Navy’s small ships created a formation of overlapping nets. They put together a crude but deep grid pattern. When part of the front layer crumbled, the rear ships would fly through the holes to take its place.

There were six layers to the net and the enemy’s main fleet was at the center of the very back layer.

…''There he is!

The young man with long black hair was Murakami Motoyoshi. Magoichi had heard he was a mercenary from Hexagone Française. He apparently excelled at remaining aboard one of the small ships and commanding the fleet in a high-speed hit-and-run attack pattern.

'''Nine Horns:''' “The Testament descriptions do not specify whether Murakami Motoyoshi, leader of the Murakami Navy, took part in the Second Battle of Kizugawaguchi, but he was the commander that devastated Oda’s navy at the First Battle of Kizugawaguchi. Seeing that he is here…”

“They decided they could put him in this battle ''since it isn’t known if he took part or not''. K.P.A. Italia is making their own interpretation of the Testament descriptions. I have to admit he is good at defense!”

The front line of the enemy’s net calmly focused all of their attacks on just one of P.A. Oda’s iron-clad ships. Even when Kuki sent the other ships out in front as bait, they refused to bite. Their actions were strongly controlled.

…''Even with the iron armor, this concentrated fire is dangerous. …He isn’t bad.

They seemed to have come up with a countermeasure for the iron-clad ships.

But…

'''Nine Horns:''' “Suzuki, the ground forces have caught up, so we can coordinate an attack. …Advance and break through their center.”

'''Three Legs:''' “Are you sure, Kuki? We’re taking concentrated fire.”

'''Nine Horns:''' “This is probably not an enemy we can defeat without taking any damage. And as long as we only take the damage we are expecting, we will be taking the least possible damage. Or so Hashiba said.”

Magoichi smiled bitterly at that and Kuki gave a sighing laugh before continuing.

'''Nine Horns:''' “Let’s end this here. You protect our path, Yatagarasu.”

On the K.P.A. Italia side, 1st Special Duty Officer Murakami Motoyoshi commanded the small ships, but not by ''cadena firma''. He moved his fleet primarily through glances and hand signals.

The small ships were a lot like fishing boats, so they did not have the power to send their divine transmissions through any possible chaff. For that reason, he gave instructions to each unit’s command ship and they would pass it on to the ships in their unit.

However…

“We certainly were lucky.”

Motoyoshi muttered to himself and pushed his glasses up his nose.

…''It’s fortunate this was a daytime battle.

The positioning of each ship was crucial for this net-shaped defensive formation, but these ships needed good visibility because they were too small to be fully equipped with rangefinders. That limited this formation to the day.

“The question is how long we can keep this up.”

The iron-clad ships had solid armor and the Black Metal it was made from supposedly gave it a self-healing divine protection, so the Murakami Navy was forced to wear them down with concentrated fire. But when he gave his instructions…

“But commander! We can keep going!”

He appreciated the thought and it made him reluctant to pull them back, so he smiled bitterly. In land battles, people directly clashed, but on a battlefield fought between warships, the meaning of morale changed. Morale could be high, but one’s momentum was hard to see and it was not easy to keep the pressure on the enemy.

In order to endure the enemy’s attacks, high morale was best not wasted. That was Motoyoshi’s view.

“Sorry.”

He felt he understood their high morale.

The Murakami clan was related to the Kitabatake clan that had existed on the Kii Peninsula. Kitabatake Academy had excelled in the art of war, but it had given into P.A. Oda’s forceful subjugation policy and underwent a political marriage as per the Testament descriptions.

However, the head of the clan had refused to accept that. He had rebelled just as the Testament descriptions said and Kitabatake Academy had been purged.

The remnants of Kitabatake had primarily gone to Murakami and then to this battlefield.

Also, Murakami included the Saika Ikki, a mercenary unit had joined the Ikkou-Ikki uprising as an anti-Hashiba group. Suzuki Magoichi had been their leader before leaving and joining Hashiba. Hashiba had likely sent out Magoichi to settle things with the Saika Ikki once and for all and perhaps to take them in as allies, but that had instead increased the Murakami side’s morale.

However, Motoyoshi had a thought as he listened to the shellfire and shell hits.

…''No, I am still being too naïve.

Based on Hashiba’s previous accomplishments, he doubted she was the type to use tactics with an ulterior motive like that. Magoichi’s inclusion was intentionally meant to raise their morale.

“That way, they can overcome every obstacle to defeat us.”

He was being cautious, he had prepared, and he had morale on his side. But the enemy was powerful and he could not let his guard down, so he had fallen back as far as he could and he made sure they were always firing.

“…?”

He looked to the bow of the enemy’s front ship and saw Suzuki Magoichi send her three Yatagarasu high into the sky.

…''Is that…?

He knew exactly what it was. He had seen it a few times while viewing the battle between the Ikkou-Ikki and P.A. Oda from a distance. An extremely staticky voice reached him from the Saika Ikki in his fleet.

“Here it comes! This is Yatagarasu’s wide-area attack!”

As the three Yatagarasu flew into the air, they came apart and transformed.

The gun barrels expanded into long metal panels that were connected together by enveloping black ether light.

The black light formed a virtual barrel over fifteen meters long.

The three crows each fired a blank. The recoil caused them to rotate and dance high in the sky, but they suddenly arced back down.

They tore through the wind in a descent toward Magoichi who had one eye covered by cloth. However, the Yatagarasu each moved as if their virtual barrels would hit her from behind.

“Hey, now. Don’t get so excited that you forget about your owner.”

Magoichi turned toward the Yatagarasu as they descended from the sky behind her. She grabbed the cloth covering her eye and slid it down.

This revealed a pale blue bird’s eye with a black pupil.

It was a false eye and the black pupil captured the three flying crows and swiftly locked onto each one.

“Go.”

With that word, she threw three metal pots into the air. They were ether fuel pots the size of a bamboo segment.

The Yatagarasu each attached one of the pots to the gunstock in order to consume the fuel. They quickly passed by her and shook their virtual black wings just once.

The three crows flew to three hundred meters above Magoichi.

They spun around.

The crows rotated vertically through the sky and the path of their ether light drew a circle containing the program spell that would control them.

The three Yatagarasu drew countless circles measuring over one hundred meters and flew around them like the hands of a clock. They then obeyed the program written in the circles.

“Show your talons, messenger of heaven.”

As soon as Magoichi spoke, black beams of light were constantly fired from the three long virtual barrels.

They tore through the air.

The three black lines produced three tearing sounds and they pierced the enemy fleet like talons.

“Guide them.”

The Yatagarasu responded by tearing apart the net of small ships as if brushing it away.

[[Image:Horizon3B_0779.jpg|thumb]]

The Yatagarasu aimed along a straight line through the center of the Murakami Navy’s net and slightly toward the land side.

Of the net’s six layers, three were torn apart by the black spray, two had holes punched through them, and the final one was damaged.

This was not absolute destruction, but destroying multiple layers of the net at once threw off the Murakami Navy’s actions. The rear ships hurriedly moved forward, but the hole was too deep and they were not fully coordinated.

The iron-clad ships targeted their advance and attack there. The small ships in the rear were forced to move forward to fill the holes in the net, but they received a counterattack of concentrated long-range fire.

This produced more destruction and a few holes formed all the way through the net.

The six iron-clad ships changed formation and advanced through one of those holes. They were packed closely together with three ships in the front and three in the back. The two ships on either side would receive all of the attacks from the right or left and the central ships would break through.

The wind roared and the six black ships advanced like islands or a pod of whales.

The Yatagarasu had lost their light and they returned to the bow of the front central ship where Magoichi held out her left arm. The Yatagarasu let their stocks catch on her arm such that they spun around it several times. They then expelled their scorched physical barrels into the air.

“Good, good.”

Magoichi drove new barrels into the three crows from below and reversed their rotation. They were cocked, they gave their cry of firing, and they began rotating and firing around her once more.

They would not be stopped.

“Go, crow that guides the war god. Go wherever Yata’s protective bullets fly!”

The three crows cried out and a new uninterrupted stream of fire flew to the west.

The iron-clad ships continued through the torn openings in the enemy’s net.

Wrapped in roaring wind and parting the air current, the six black ships advanced.

Meanwhile, the Murakami Navy’s commander, Murakami Motoyoshi, raised his right hand and swung it backwards. Doing so thrice was the sign for a full-speed withdrawal and his entire fleet obeyed.

Commander of the iron-clad ships, Kuki Yoshitaka, saw something different enter that movement, so…

'''Nine Horns:''' “Central ships, fall one ship’s length back from your port and starboard ships!! Lead port and starboard ships, move to the center!”

'''Three Legs:''' “Kuki!? Isn’t this our chance to break through? Why are you hardening our defenses!?”

'''Nine Horns:''' “The Murakami Navy’s net had six layers. If they try to withdraw as is, they will only get caught on the layers behind them. The only reason to begin a full-speed withdrawal in this situation is to create a different formation!”

As the Murakami Navy withdrew at full speed, it really did create a new formation.

They created two long net-like walls that formed an upside-down V.

Both nets were three layers thick. It was not as tall as before, but the tilted angle made it twice as long from front to back and it hid the ground.

'''Nine Horns:''' “Port and starboard ships, take anti-shell defenses on your outer edges!”

As soon as Kuki gave his instructions, the shellfire began.

As Kuki commanded the iron-clad ships from the deck of the rear central ship, he saw the Murakami Navy fire hundreds of shells to wear down the side hulls of the iron-clad ships. The book-shaped ether light of gravity barriers appeared primarily around the decks and cannons.

“Port and starboard ships, maximum defenses to the sides!”

Countless solid sounds created a single long sound and nothing would stop it.

But…

'''Nine Horns:''' “Port and starboard ships, check the damage to the armor! Where damage is lightest, deploy the cannons and return fire!”

“Shaja!” they replied as the counterattack began.

But even as they tore holes into the enemy net, new enemy ships slipped in to fill them.

Even so, the iron-clad ships forcibly accelerated.

They were moving directly ahead.

…''I can see Aki there!

That was Itsukushima’s floating island and K.P.A. Italia’s headquarters were located there.

Looking ahead raised their morale. They had made it this far, so…

“Everyone, double-check your objective! Accelerate forward as much as possible!”

But as the iron-clad ships moved forward, the Murakami Navy took new action.

It approached.

The left and right net walls rapidly approached the iron-clad ships.

'''Three Legs:''' “Eh? What are they doing!? Are they ramming themselves into our shells!? Are they stupid!?”

'''Nine Horns:''' “No! They’re using the angle of fire against us!”

The iron-clad ships’ cannons were massive, so they could not immediately change their direction of fire. Even the homing turret-less cannons could not use their homing properties at close range.

So the Murakami Navy was moving in right up to them.

'''Nine Horns:''' “They know how to take advantage of small ships, so is this their idea of a do-or-die tactic!?”

A small ship was struck and destroyed by a shell at close range, but the crew did everything they could to guide the ship before abandoning it.

“————”

The small ship collided head-on with the rear starboard iron-clad ship.

A vibration ran through it and an explosion blossomed in the sky. The Black Metal armor was revealed unharmed below the scattering smoke, but…

'''Three Legs:''' “Wow, Kuki. I always thought your designs had a lot of waste, but they come in handy at times like this!”

'''Nine Horns:''' “Why do women always view precautions for ‘times like this’ as waste!?”

But…

'''Nine Horns:''' “If they keep that up in a single spot, they will eventually break through. More importantly, they are reducing our speed. If we let them hold us up here, we cannot take Aki before the battle’s agreed-upon end of 4:00 PM.”

'''Three Legs:''' “Um, then what are you going to do?”

'''Nine Horns:''' “What do you think these iron-clad ships are for?”

Kuki gave instructions to the leading starboard and port ships.

'''Nine Horns:''' “Ram the left and right walls at full power. Sacrificing those two ships is necessary for victory.”

The students fighting a fluctuating battle on the surface saw a cascade of ships pour from the sky.

Colliding metal, breaking wood, shouting voices, and reverberating explosions blurred together.

An eight hundred meter iron-clad ship charged into the net wall formation of the less than twenty meter ships.

The ships that could not react in time and the ones that attempted to evade or defend were all equally crushed and destroyed by the massive black form.

Ripples ran through the net, they sprayed upwards, and they exploded. When the small ships were struck by that ferocious pressure, they all fell, some spinning, some directly, and some while falling to pieces.

The iron-clad ship did not escape unharmed either. After about fifty ships were taken out in an instant, Murakami Motoyoshi ordered the rear half of the fleet to abandon them and ram the enemy.

The dozen or so ships that rammed them and the concentrated fire of the leading ships was enough to set ablaze the front starboard iron-clad ship that was making its attack on the land side.

With the bow breaking apart and around three small ships embedded within it, the iron-clad ship’s bow suddenly dipped. Next, white light burst from between its Black Metal armor and it instantly expanded outward.

“…!?”

Everyone looked up and saw the ship noisily turn into a mass of flames and explode.

The air moved and heat swept down from the sky and across the land.

No one uttered a word on the surface, but the M.H.R.R. students and K.P.A. Italia students on the Seto Inland Corridor all realized one thing: the covering fire from K.P.A. Italia’s Murakami Navy had been almost entirely lost.

“Ohhh!”

The high-speed mobile shell assault team making up the front lines raised a cry and accelerated straight forward.

At the same time, the front port iron-clad ship making its attack on the ocean side was also destroyed.

A flaming blossom filled the sky, taking many small ships with it.

Kuki realized he had accomplished his part of the history recreation.

The iron-clad ships were meant to neutralize the Murakami Navy and secure the safety of the ground troops.

From morning until now, the Murakami Navy had lost almost forty percent of its forces and around twice that were at least damaged. Except for the central fleet, not a single unit appeared to be fully functional.

However…

'''Three Legs:''' “They aren’t giving up yet! They’re firing!”

That would be Murakami Motoyoshi’s decision. The hundred or so undamaged ships were deployed toward the land on Kuki’s right. They remained in a net formation but as a wall and they were located at very close range.

Had they decided that no more ramming attacks were coming or did they simply not care if there were more?

Motoyoshi was at the very back and center of this new formation and he looked Kuki’s way despite not actually being able to see him from there.

Their gazes met and they both gave instructions to their fleets.

“Fire!!”

Shellfire intersected, but something happened that Kuki had not expected.

…''Light?

Directly ahead of his rear central ship, something resembling lightning raced toward Magoichi’s front central ship.

That light should not have been there. Sensing danger, Kuki cried out.

“Suzuki!”

Before he could warn the demon gunner, flames blossomed up ahead.

The front central ship had exploded.

Magoichi detected everything that happened while in midair.

She was currently flying. She had a Yatagarasu under each arm and their recoil had sent her into the air.

Her decision to take flight had been a split-second one. The instant she had sensed a powerful presence approaching her ship, she had used Yatagarasu to fly into the sky where she could confirm what it was.

That decision had saved her life.

After all, the presence had shown itself the very next moment.

It was lightning.

No, it was technically a bluish-white god of war wielding a large sword enveloped in lightning.

Only half of the god of war was humanoid. The upper half was shaped like a warrior, but the bottom half had four giant legs. The four-legged god of war suddenly appeared on the deck below Magoichi and…

“—————”

It drove the lightning sword into the iron-clad ship.

A moment later, the ship swelled out and burst.

“———!”

The bluish-white four-legged god of war left the explosion and roar of noise behind as it leaped toward Magoichi.

It had noticed that she had sensed its presence and jumped away.

A split-second decision would decide her fate as the lightning strike flew up toward her.

And...

…''Kh.

She did not choose wrong.

She called in the final Yatagarasu that was spinning through the air on standby.

“Bear with it!”

She let it hit her.

It was a solid blow. Her organs twisted in the opposite direction of the hit and she nearly lost consciousness, but that pain earned her great acceleration. And as the enemy’s blade approached…

“Dodge!”

More than just yell the word, she twisted her body and fired the twin guns below her arms. She did not target the enemy; she simply fired into empty air.

She focused on evasion and sent herself flying.

…''How about that!?

She felt heat in her right leg. It was the enemy’s rising lightning strike, but she shrank down in midair to pull herself away from the hot lightning.

“Kh!”

She rotated through the sky to avoid it.

And she succeeded. The enemy’s blade grazed past her foot.

“Well done.”

A deep voice reached her and a large form moved below. The four-legged heavy god of war maintained the trajectory of its leap toward her, which took it to the rear port ship.

Magoichi shouted to Kuki’s ship as she watched it leave.

“Kuki! …K.P.A. Italia’s vice chancellor is here! That’s the former Peerless in the West and father-in-law of Tachibana Muneshige! He’s the head of the Peerless of the West’s family…”

The lightning raced toward the rear port ship.

“Tachibana ‘Lightning Cutter’ Dousetsu!!”

As soon as she finished, the heavens were split apart and lightning dropped down.

Even as the M.H.R.R. and P.A. Oda warriors clashed with the K.P.A. Italia warriors on the surface, the team led by the Reine des Garous to meet with Rudolf II rode unicorns to quickly reach the forested border between Hexagone Française and M.H.R.R.

Meanwhile, Musashi arrived at a city along the border with Holland and let off the evacuees while using the divine network to check the uncertain details of the battle on the Seto Inland Sea.

A lot was on the move, but one thing was true for them all.

“The battle between Hashiba and the Italians is the key here. That will let us predict how the world will progress from here.”

Yoshitsune gave that comment as she moved slowly west along a great plain of Qing-Takeda. She was not alone. She was preparing for battle with cannons and a large mobile city.

“Musashi, can you overcome Magdeburg and arrive here for the Battle of Mikatagahara? You have your meeting with Tomoe and the others as well, though.”

She looked to the west in the early evening sky.

“Now, what will you do, P.A. Oda, Hashiba, and pope of K.P.A. Italia? The result of your battle will influence everything else from here on.”

As she asked that question, the Satou Brothers contacted her from the group following behind her.

They were providing incomplete information about the battle on the Seto Inland Sea, but it was enough to know the situation was progressing.

“K.P.A. Italia Vice Chancellor Tachibana Dousetsu is having some fun, is he?”

He had destroyed a third iron-clad ships and he was continuing to fight.

The battle that would influence the world had intensified.

Study:
[[Image:Horizon3B_0790.jpg|thumb]]

Battlefield Diagram 3

Toori: Sis! Sis! It’s kind a hard to care since this is a battle between other nations, but that’s no excuse for it being so confusing! Help me out here!

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Uncaring brother, I like your honesty, but setting that aside, here’s the general situation.

Top: Toward Itsukushima

Left: Ocean Side

Right: Land Side

1: Murakami Navy’s Net Walls Composed of Small Ships (Murakami Motoyoshi)

2: Iron-Clad Ships

3: Tachibana Dousetsu

4: Suzuki Magoichi

5: Kuki Yoshitaka

<nowiki>*Gray ships have been destroyed.</nowiki>

Toori: Ohh! So they keep pushing back against each other!? In action games with this kind of battlefield, I always fall off when jumping between ships!

Kimi: That’s because you have a habit of tapping the jump button too much. And I feel like that’s not the point, but it ''is'' hard to care when it’s someone else.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 56|Chapter 56]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 58|Chapter 58]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume12 Chapter 3

2015-01-20T11:40:25Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 3: Clashing Appearance==
[[Image:OnC_v12_0079.png|thumb]]
''Say, “So you’re here”

''Reply, “Indeed I am”

A three meter wide concrete corridor led to a metal door. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling were a bright white and they reflected off the gray floor.

A leather-covered bench sat against the wall and three people sat on it while keeping as much distance between each other as possible.

The one furthest down was a woman with gray hair.

“This will probably be a lot of trouble, Roger. How about you take control of the room past that door in the name of American UCAT’s love, freedom, and prejudiced dignity?”

Those words were directed at the man in a suit sitting in the center of the bench.

“Diana, we in the States have a word called tolerance. Not that I expect the people who hunted the Romans in the great Germanic invasion to understand. …Isn’t that right, UCAT Director Ooshiro?”

His question was directed at the old man in a lab coat sitting on the other end of the bench.

But he did not turn around and he had a red-haired maid standing by his side.

Roger tilted his head and pushed up his glasses as he looked to Ooshiro’s hanging head.

However, Ooshiro remained as motionless as a boxer who was concentrating after finishing his calculations.

Roger tilted his head further.

“UCAT Director Ooshiro? We are here in the Yokosuka American UCAT branch to hear what the other UCATs have to say and you are the center of attention.”

Wondering if the old man was asleep, Roger frowned, but Diana whispered to him.

“His ear.”

He pushed up his glasses and checked there.

“Ah, th-there’s sand in his ear! UCAT Director Ooshiro! That is my dream sand! How did you manage to steal!? And all to give yourself some selfish dream!”

He grabbed Ooshiro’s collar from the side and shook him, but the old man did not respond.

After a while, he spoke in his sleep with a happy look on his face.

“Ee hee hee.”

“What do you mean ‘ee hee hee’!?”

But the only one to react to Roger’s shout was the red-haired maid standing next to Ooshiro.

She looked into the old man’s ear.

“Ooshiro-sama, you have some trash in your ear.”

She pulled an industrial vacuum cleaner nozzle from below her apron, pressed it against Ooshiro’s ear, and switched it on.

A great sound shook the corridor and Ooshiro twitched from the suction.

“A-ahh!! #8-kun! Y-you’re going to suck it out! You’re going to suck my brains right out!!”

“Testament. I am simply cleaning out your ear. Your brain will remain right where it is.”

“Am I not allowed to describe how it feels!? I think you’ve been too harsh lately, #8-kun!”

She thought for precisely one second and switched off the vacuum’s battery power.

“I have determined you are imagining things, Ooshiro-sama. You may have a persecution complex. And unfortunately for you, things are only considered fact once someone else acknowledges them.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do when I’m surrounded by enemies!!”

She naturally ignored him and turned to Roger.

“Roger-sama, Ooshiro-sama has woken up.”

“Testament.”

Roger nodded and faced Ooshiro.

Ooshiro bent over and peered up at Roger.

“Oh? You were here, Roger-kun?”

Ooshiro tilted his head to either side to dump out the sand.

“Sorry about that. I was bored, so I borrowed some of your sand. …Hm? What is it, Roger-kun? Do you want your sand back? Then place your hands on my ears. You’ll be able to hear the ocean.”

<nowiki>#8</nowiki> did exactly that. She slammed her palms against either side of his head from behind.

A solid noise rang out before Ooshiro swayed and leaned against the wall.

“I can… I can see the ocean…”

“It does not really matter, but why are you so strong-willed when it comes to me, UCAT Director Ooshiro?”

“It’s not just you! I’m a UCAT Director, so I have to strong-willed about everything!”

Roger answered the old man by gesturing toward #8.

Seeing his hand, Ooshiro looked to #8 and gave an expressionless shriek.

“I-I’m the UCAT Director! I-I’m #8-kun’s boss!”

“What does that matter, Ooshiro-sama?”

He thought on her words for about three seconds.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, Ooshiro-sama? It makes no logical sense to me.”

“Oh, well, um, you see…”

“I asked why you apologized. Quit hemming and hawing and answer my question.”

“Wow, am I being scolded for doing nothing more than apologizing!?”

Someone then stopped Ooshiro’s question and #8’s frown.

It was a clap from Diana on the other end of the bench.

“Everyone, I believe it is about time.”

They turned around and saw Diana’s smiling eyes looking to the metal door.

They then heard a sound.

Muttering voices and tremoring noise came from beyond the door.

“The various UCAT representatives are beginning to enter the meeting room. And they are here to accuse us.”

The noise beyond the door grew louder.

“————”

Music played. The entrance music was a hard rock march and commentary accompanied it.

“Now, then! The world’s UCAT representatives are arriving to the underground meeting room in Yokosuka UCAT! This accusation match has no time limit and their opponents are the formidable Japanese, American, and German UCATs! Who will be the first to make their stand against them!?”

The people cheered.

“Oh, here we go! We have our first one! This human insincerity dismisses all testimony with a single careless statement! Covered in the Mediterranean wind, it’s the ever-sloppy Italian UCAT!”

Applause, cheers, and cries of “Italy” came from the meeting room.

“Now, the next one is here! They completed the foundation of litigation and ramen four thousand years ago! Has the punishment system of this Legalist nation truly achieved perfection!? It’s Chinese UCAT!!”

A roaring cheer followed.

“The third is a surprising individual! The one and only god is always watching! Even in the bath or on the toilet! So one must always be prepared! This oil producing nation is perfectly prepared on the physical front as well! Let’s hear it for Saudi UCAT!!”

Surprised voices spread and even more contestants’ entrances could be heard from the corridor.

As the cheers and other sounds shook them, Diana smiled and shrugged.

“You know why we are standing before them, don’t you?”

Roger shrugged as well.

“I suppose I will answer with testament. We bear the responsibility for American UCAT and German UCAT never revealing what Japanese UCAT was hiding and for fighting the other Gears as allies. But setting that aside, I think UCAT Director Ooshiro should apologize. Apologize to the world.”

“Th-that’s just mean, Roger-kun! I’m always facing the entire world. And with a full prostration!”

The two men’s exchange filled Diana’s smile with bitterness.

“Neither of you are giving any thought to apologizing, are you?”

After a pause, both of the men formed bitter smiles of their own.

“Well, you see, Diana-kun.” Ooshiro loosened his necktie. “It seems Boldman has already fought Izumo-kun as 6th’s representative. …Doesn’t that make it seem buying time here will actually be useful?”

“Testament,” she answered. “Then how about we make them wait a while longer before going in?”

Roger nodded in agreement

More cheers came from beyond the metal door, but he crossed his legs as a show of defiance.

“Well, I won’t argue if they insist on making this an accusation convention and refuse to have an actual conversation.”

He shook his wrist to produce a small test tube from his sleeve.

He gently shook the blue sand in the test tube.

“I had been looking for a chance to test sleeping with my eyes open.”

At night, the streetlights advertised their position with their own light.

Those streetlights followed a narrow road.

The lights gave a dim view of the surrounding houses.

At this time, the people were hiding in the houses and few of them were out on the road. Cars could be heard on a distant main road, but that was beyond a wall of darkness.

This was a one-lane road and the white lines running along either side were narrow.

However, two forms could be seen below the streetlights.

One was a slender person and the other was a small animal.

The person was a girl in black. She wore a cloak and a three-cornered hat. Her right hand held a broom with a flower-print cover and her left hand held a single white origami crane.

The small animal was a black cat following at her feet.

The cat looked up at her as she came to a stop below one streetlight.

“Brunhild, are you really going to attack now that you’ve left?”

“Yes? Is that a problem? Besides, it seems Diana and the others have already noticed.”

Brunhild put the paper crane in her pocket and turned her sharp gaze forward.

A long fence continued to her right and a wooden gate was located halfway down.

“The Tamiya house. Sayama and Shinjou are here at the moment. And with no equipment. I can’t touch them while they’re inside, but it should only take a single attack once they leave.”

She raised her broom like a spear.

“If we had known about Top-Gear during 1st-Gear’s Leviathan Road, what would Venerable Hagen have done? I bet Fafner wouldn’t have shut up about it.”

“From that, I take it you don’t have permission for this attack.”

Exasperation filled the cat’s voice.

“You don’t, do you? You want to attack before the others on the reservation can. That way you can settle things with UCAT in your own way.”

“Cats these days really like to speculate with no proof, don’t they? I just haven’t forgotten my grudge, that’s all.”

“Well, I haven’t forgotten either, so let’s do this together, Brunhild. Let’s wait until Sayama and Shinjou leave.”

The cat sat down on the road and Brunhild turned to face the gate.

After about three seconds, the cat suddenly looked up at her.

“Still nothing?”

“Just how impatient are you?”

“I’m a cat. Sitting still isn’t easy for me. I can’t help it.”

The cat sighed, lay down, curled up, stretched out, sat and scratched his head with his back leg, licked and rubbed his face and stomach to wash himself, and even chased his tail for fun.

“Brunhild, why are you pointing your broom at me?”

“Have you ever heard of tension?”

“I-I have! Of course I have. That’s just rude, Brunhild.”

“Then tell me what it means. If you don’t, I’ll hit you.”

Sweat poured from the cat’s entire body.

“Um,” he began. “Well,” he continued. “Does it have a flavor?”

“Yes, it sometimes tastes like a mixture of iron and salt. As a color, I suppose it would be red.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Don’t worry. There isn’t any pain. Yet.”

“Are you talking about something else now?”

“I am.” She nodded. “I’m talking about you!!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!! Ah, no! The scar from before is still sensitive, so don’t attack me ther- hee hee hee hee hee hyo hyo hyo hyo!”

After she attacked the cat for a while, his sides trembled in laughter, so Brunhild released him.

“Now, then.”

She stood up, but…

“————”

She quickly turned around.

She looked five meters ahead where another streetlight shined down.

The white light washed over a human form.

“Light?”

She saw a white light.

This soft light was even brighter than the streetlight.

It had instantly descended from the sky, it took the form of two wings, and it had a single girl at its base.

The girl wore a white armored uniform and a scarf, she carried a long pallet on her back, and she held a large white spear.

“Kazami!”

“What do you want, cosplay girl?”

Kazami landed in front of Brunhild and faced her.

“Now,” said Kazami with her eyebrows a bit raised. “I see 1st wants their turn after 6th.”

Kazami faced the witch.

She placed her feet at shoulder width and smiled with her eyebrows still raised.

“I will be your opponent.”

She faced forward where Brunhild stood in the darkness.

The girl wore her black combat cloak and three-cornered hat and she held a broom.

She was prepared to fight.

But the same could be said of Kazami.

“I never thought I would end up doing this with you.”

…''I’d prefer to say we shouldn’t fight if we aren’t enemies.

She understood that, but she also understood their respective positions. She knew that Brunhild was here as 1st-Gear’s representative.

So she held G-Sp2 under her right arm and reached for the long pallet on her back.

“I’ll lend you this before we begin. If you’re picking a fight with Team Leviathan to clear 1st-Gear’s grudge, it would be best if you had this, wouldn’t it?”

The long white pallet smashed the asphalt as it stabbed into the ground.

Brunhild frowned when she saw it, but her eyebrows soon twisted and shot up.

“You don’t mean…!”

A certain white corridor had no windows. The white fluorescent lights illuminated the black letters saying BF3 on the walls, but BF4 and BF2 were lined up alongside it.

The people walking down the corridor wore white cloaks, armored uniforms, or work outfits. They walked one way or the other, carried luggage, transported materials, or exchanged words or diagrams.

A boy stood by the wall in order to avoid all that movement. He wore the pants of an armored uniform and a T-shirt. The nametag on his chest said Hiba Ryuuji.

The people moving up or down the corridor looked at him, saw the nametag, saw where he was standing, and gave a nod of understanding at the fact that he was standing there instead of helping.

He could only nod back with a bitter smile at the fact that he was not helping.

“I’ll help some later.”

He muttered that comment in front of the medical room.

He listened to the footsteps and voices of the passing people, but he did not move from that spot.

“I’m not trying to skip out on work or anything.”

He kept his bitter smile, but the flow of surrounding people vanished.

He crossed his arms and noted that Japanese UCAT was very busy despite the truth revealed by the Army.

…''Well, I guess they can’t just abandon their work. The time limit on the negative concept activation is only five days away.

A month and a half ago, the Army’s attack had destroyed the third floor and up of the UCAT building.

As a precaution against secondary damages, the aboveground portion was being completely remade. The oil painting and other things in the intact first floor hall had all been transferred to Taka-Akita Academy or other facilities.

While the aboveground portion was being rebuilt, the underground was being used instead.

To make the modifications and restoration of the underground easier, each floor had been broken apart by room and reconnected with concept spaces. It was common to find first basement facilities on the fifth basement or three storage areas connected together to form a workplace.

Everyone was busy with the restoration work.

Hiba had heard that the foreign UCATs had planned to take over Japanese UCAT after the Army’s attack was settled.

…''By taking over the group that had hidden the truth, they could demonstrate their sincerity to the Gear reservations.

He felt they had had a decent excuse for an occupation. After Japanese UCAT had cleared the greatest barrier that was the Army, they would have had all of their authority stripped from them.

But the different countries had failed to work together well and American UCAT had stationed itself to protect Japanese UCAT, so the other UCATs had missed their timing.

He had also heard that German UCAT had held the other powerful European UCATs in check.

While the foreign UCATs had hesitated, Japanese UCAT had organized its personnel and announced it would hold a meeting for all UCATs.

That had led to those other UCATs gathering together to accuse the American, German, and Japanese UCATs of conspiring together.

Ooshiro’s group had apparently gone to an underground meeting room in Yokosuka, but Hiba was unsure how well that would turn out.

…''I hope he isn’t doing anything too weird.

“Well, #8 is with him, so it should be fine.”

Of the automatons, the ones in Japanese UCAT and the Kanda Laboratory had stuck with Low-Gear.

He had heard the ones in Izumo UCAT were not leaving the underground area there. They were holed up in the underground laboratory and Miyako was acting as their representative.

''Is something going to happen there?'' wondered Hiba.

A report had just come in that Izumo had fought Boldman and been sent to the hospital.

With the situation in flux, they would never be able to settle everything in the meeting room below Yokosuka.

And that state of flux was controlled by the Concept Cores and those fighting over them.

…''That would be us.

He thought about it casually, but he did feel a sense of responsibility.

If the enemy brought out anything in the god of war class, it was his duty to stand in their way and accept the challenge.

Currently, their enemies were those who wanted the Concept Cores.

If there was anything for him, it would likely be from 3rd-Gear.

He had no idea what would be coming, but it would happen eventually as long as they held the Concept Cores.

“…”

…''I don’t like this at all.

He had fought alongside Gyes in the battle against Black Sun. He knew Gyes had been perfectly courteous to Mikage and kind to the others.

Gyes had seemed to find exchanges with #8 and Sibyl especially meaningful, so she had often talked about Low-Gear with them and asked how things had been since they had come to this world.

Hiba had also crossed blades with her in training. She rode on her god of war’s shoulder, so…

…''I had a great view of her underwear.

''With that tight skirt, it was unavoidable,'' he thought as he closed his eyes and nodded to convince himself.

A moment later…

“What is it, Ryuuji-kun?”

Mikage’s voice suddenly reached him from the side.

He quickly looked up and saw the medical room’s door had opened.

Chao had once worked there, but it was now run by a female doctor who had worked under Chao.

Hiba briefly recalled that, but…

“How did it go, Mikage-san?”

He looked to his side where Mikage held an examination report.

She wore a white armored uniform and her skirt fluttered as she bent forward.

“Nn.”

She narrowed her eyes and her eyelashes bent in a smile.

But she only said “nn” again and nothing more.

…''Did something make her happy?

She could now walk without a cane or someone pulling on her hand. It was awkward and she could not break into a full run, but it was enough for everyday life.

Everyone around her was looking after her and she was apparently secretly learning to cook.

She was saying “nn” a lot recently.

It was a sign she was in a good mood, so…

“That’s good.”

“Nn.” She nodded. “Let’s take a bath today.”

Hiba’s mind leapt from his head at that sudden comment.

…''Eh?

The word “wait” bounced around his brain. The words “don’t wait” were bouncing around too. “Which is it” joined in, followed by “well, it doesn’t matter”, and “are you sure it doesn’t matter”.

“…”

He calmed his breathing and looked around.

Without even focusing, he could tell the people had stopped walking and moving about.

He also felt some odd gazes on the back of his neck. They were filled with what one could call murderous intent.

…''This isn’t good.

The label on the wall said BF2, but this was actually at BF4’s depth.

If he tried to reach the surface now, he was certain the elevator would “malfunction”.

…''This is really bad.

“I have a lot to show you in the bath.”

The level of “bad” rose to about thirty percent.

Sweat covered his back in an instant and he just barely managed to maintain his casual expression.

Mikage was giving a carefree smile next to him, but all sound and motion had vanished from their surroundings.

He had to choose between his safety and Mikage’s good mood. The answer was obvious.

…''I’ll bet on Mikage-san and only on Mikage-san! I’ll bet it all on her!!

So he gathered all of his courage and asked her a question.

“Ha…ha ha. What has you wanting to take a bath all of a sudden?”

“Nn. You don’t like that we haven’t taken one together in a while, do you? You want to see, don’t you?”

The level of “bad” grew to fifty percent and Hiba’s sweating grew just as much.

He heard whispering voices around him.

“Boss, should we take him out?”

“No, it’s too soon. It’s still too soon. We need to wait until he’s alone.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe he’s standing there waiting for his bath time instead of helping us.”

As the effect of synergy heated up the surrounding area, Hiba felt his blood cool and he looked to the end of the corridor. He looked to the nearly deserted stairs.

“U-um, Mikage-san? H-how about we go outside?”

“Nn.”

Something soft suddenly bound him from behind.

Mikage had embraced him.

The touch and heat of her body reached him through the back of his T-shirt and he sensed danger.

He was acting as her shield, so his front was wide open. He saw a group sitting and holding sniper rifles over by the stairs at the end of the corridor. They were entirely focused on maintaining those guns.

“M-Mikage-san? This makes it a little…a little hard to walk.”

“Nn. But you haven’t been touching me lately.”

It rose to seventy percent and Mikage supplied a finishing blow.

“Hm? You’re sweating, Ryuuji-kun.”

It broke past one hundred percent and a special division commander spoke to the snipers at the end of the corridor.

“Okay, time for some target practice.”

“W-wait a minute!!” shouted Hiba.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind. It was a female voice and it was asking a question.

“Is something the matter, Mikage-sama?”

Before Hiba could realize it was Sibyl’s voice, Mikage had lifted her head behind him.

“Nn.”

She spoke and removed herself from him.

He turned around with her and saw who had just climbed the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor.

“Sibyl-san, why are you in such a hurry?”

“Just making some preparations. …Were you here for an examination?”

“Nn.”

Mikage nodded and handed the examination report to Sibyl who had stopped in front of them.

Sibyl nodded and took it.

“I will look over it later. Anyway, Chisato-sama just called to say she wanted us to send out G-Sp2 and X-Wi. I also checked and found a 1st-Gear concept has been released within Akigawa, so I just finished preparing for that.”

“Eh? In other words, Kazami-san is going to solve this with violence against 1st-Gear?”

“Hiba-sama, it is not violence. It is a spontaneous physical solution.”

Sibyl smiled and fell silent as if waiting for a sign of comprehension, so Hiba frantically spoke up.

“O-oh. Ha ha ha. Th-that’s right! Spontaneity sure is great! Maybe I should go perform some spontaneous observations!”

“That is called peeping and I will report you for it. Testament?”

He averted his gaze and hung his head, but Mikage tilted her head and looked to Sibyl.

Her eyebrows were laid flat and her expression looked blank.

“Is Kazami going to cry again?”

“Not to worry, Mikage-sama. She said she will be fine. That is why I have only made the preparations. I have determined that should be enough.”

Sibyl took a breath.

“And she wanted to see what 1st-Gear could do when they were serious, so I sent something else along with G-Sp2 and X-Wi.”

A dignified tone filled Sibyl’s voice.

“I also sent the weapon that can be called 1st-Gear itself.”

After Kazami stabbed it into the asphalt, the white pallet split in two.

What appeared from the pallet as it broke into a front and back half?

Brunhild was the one to provide the answer.

“Gram!!”

The long metal sword responded to her voice by sending red light through the mold of its details.

Gram produced a voice.

“It has been a while, young lady.”

Brunhild watched on in surprise as Kazami grabbed Gram’s hilt and lifted it.

“This thing’s light,” muttered the girl before throwing it to Brunhild. “This is the power that 1st-Gear wanted. I’m lending it to you. What do you think?”

That question was answered by a dry sound.

It was the sound of Brunhild’s glove catching the airborne sword.

The sword was taller than she was, but the black magician easily swung it around with only her wrist.

“You’re going to regret this. I lived right alongside the one who created Gram, so I know how to use it quite well.”

“Is that so? Well, I know how to use G-Sp2 quite well.”

“Oh?”

Brunhild nodded and lowered her head with the broom in her left hand and the sword in her right.

“You have my thanks. Now that I have Gram, I will represent 1st-Gear in this battle.”

With those words, she tossed the broom into the sky.

It cut through the air overhead and she raised her left hand. She held a piece of metal in that hand.

The metal instantly shattered and dispersed.

It sounded like the ringing of a bell.

…''That was…

Kazami remembered it. When fighting 1st-Gear’s City faction, they had activated concepts like that.

“You’re using a concept space as a battlefield, aren’t you?”

“Yes. But if that’s enough to surprise you, you’re going to get hurt.”

The lips visible below the three-cornered hat formed a thin smile.

A moment later, Kazami heard a voice.

—'''Writing holds power.

The concept text spread through the air like a shout and the world changed accordingly.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume12_Chapter_4|Chapter 4]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 43

2014-12-28T11:08:47Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 43: Ruler of the Dark Forest==
[[Image:Horizon3B_0375.jpg|thumb]]
''What is going on here?

''Yes, what is going on here?

'''Point Allocation (Don’t let it surprise you)

Naito was the first to detect the attack by Mouri-03 and her four teams.

Up in the air, she spotted them coming from the west.

…''Not good!

Her immediate response was to use a reduction spell to erase the heat radiating from her. She could not escape the automatons’ auditory detection, but this was better than letting them see her and her location clearly. And at the same time…

“Master Tenzou!”

While combating the enemy forces on the left, Mary used a spirit spell to erase the heat radiating from her and Tenzou.

That left only one thing to do.

Tenzou would charge in on Mouri-01 or Mouri-02 and take them hostage.

Retreat was not an option for them.

…''We can’t let the enemy get close to Mito-tsan!

They did not know what the Reine des Garous would do with Toori, but they had to get Mitotsudaira to her to either buy time, fight, or negotiate.

Currently, Mitotsudaira was asleep in the pit on the slope.

Her body’s desire to heal itself had brought on this sleep.

Naito had seen how quickly a Loup-Garou could recover in England, so this sleep would likely fully heal the injuries from the beating she had taken.

…''So…!

So they could not let these pursuers approach her.

Naito also knew they had reached the final stage of the plan she had put together with Tenzou and Mary.

It all hinged on whether Tenzou could capture Mouri-01 or 02.

Tenzou’s charge was a risk to his life, but they could manage if he succeeded.

So to support him, Naito put some distance between them and then removed the reduction of her radiating heat. She held an Orei Metallo and a ten yen coin in her hand and prepared to fire. It probably would not hit, but it would draw their attention.

“Eh?”

However, the coin in her hand would not move.

She saw the rear half of the enemy’s central unit slowly turn toward her and speak in unison.

“Is something the matter?”

…''What is this?

It was the gravitational control that had affected Tenzou’s kunai.

…''But why is it all the way over here!?

Her answer came in the form of a figure on a branch next to her. It was Mouri-03.

Naito realized what the automatons turning toward her and Mouri-03’s approach meant.

“They can see me without issue?”

“Could you not run away?” Mouri-03 smiled. “I locked my gravitational control’s position on you using my master setting, so even if you completely vanish, I can still track the traces of gravity to see that ninja’s approach and everything else. Also…”

Naito understood. Her weapon would not move. It was like pressing down on a child from above.

And just now, the front firing line had turned around.

Tenzou’s Excalibur was trapped in the pointed spires and she could not use her own weapon, so…

…''Sorry!

She gave an adlibbed instruction.

“Ma-yan!”

But her instruction proved meaningless because Mary was already on the move.

“Master Tenzou!”

She did one thing to handle this situation.

“The divine protection of my Excalibur can resist the automatons’ gravitational control!”

While Tenzou revealed his form and ran, he reached a hand out toward Mary.

She did the same toward him and threw Excalibur to him.

Once it reached him, he would rush to the enemy and attack. That was his decision.

…''Because we can’t let the enemy reach Mitotsudaira-dono!

Naito and Mary were here because they understood that, so he no longer worried about the danger this put them in.

He also had a further thought in reference to Mary.

…''Mary-dono is more or less family, so worrying about her comes last!

That was an outrageous and somewhat conceited statement he could not say directly to her.

…''But before fighting, she said she was prepared to be with me forever once this was over!

On the battlefield, the time to save someone came at the very end. And that was exactly why the battle’s end would bring them together forever.

And currently, she had given him her weapon which left her with only her spirit spells.

He looked her in the eye.

She smiled and mouthed the words “do your best”.

He prepared to take the sword and immediately attack.

But in that instant, his hand was knocked upwards.

…''!?

It was a wall. A wall of earth had quickly and forcibly risen up between the two of them.

This was Mouri-02. Her sudden gravitational control had raised the wall.

“…!”

Unable to withstand the burden of the gravitational control, Mouri-02’s right arm audibly burst.

The wall stopped, but it was already as tall as Tenzou and cut him off from Mary’s smile and Excalibur.

He heard the sword collide with the earth wall on the other side.

The sword had not reached him, and…

“They’re going to fire!?”

He ran with the wall to his right and a volley of gunfire came from the left.

Mitotsudaira heard a voice that sounded like a scream.

She wondered what it said, but her mind was too light and unclear.

…''I need to sleep.

Yes, she needed to keep sleeping.

After all, she was currently half asleep. She was in a state of exhaustion that made it easy to tell herself to go back to sleep.

…''That voice…

It was actually the person’s will that reached her. The tone of rejection in the voice reached her more than the voice itself.

And she somehow knew why that was.

She had once cried out in that same tone of rejection before.

…''Stop.

That word summed it up best.

Stop.

Please stop. I am telling you to stop.

“…Stop…”

But that word did not get through, so it eventually changed to something else.

…''Please.

And…

…''I won’t do it anymore.

That was it. Yes, that was definitely it.

If they would not stop, she would stop on her end. She would stop doing what she had been doing.

Yes.

Stopping yourself as a sign of rejection only happened when you made someone angry by doing something. And the person scolding you would not stop even when you told them to.

They would only stop once you swore to never again do what had brought on the scolding.

She had once sworn that.

She had been horribly reluctant and had resisted, but the overwhelming difference in strength had prevented her from doing anything more, making any other choice, or even thinking. The difference in strength had ultimately made her make that promise.

That was what had twisted her.

When someone was left in a shameful, worn-down state, others showed no mercy.

Those close to her had been worried, but even that had felt like pity and grown distorted in her mind.

After all, while there were some who would take her side…

…''The other people were far more numerous.

So she had ignored those close to her and opposed those more distant. Eventually, that had gone beyond just playing around.

But…

“…”

''It doesn’t matter,'' she thought.

Back then, she had promised to redo everything, but here she had not even noticed that she had lost the sign of that promise.

And she had been unable to stand up to the person who had caused it all back then.

She had seen speed as her own weakness, but that had not held true for her opponent. The memory of that opponent demonstrating the speed needed to dodge Futayo’s cutting attack was still fresh in her mind.

She could not stand up to her, so there was no way she could rescue the chancellor.

…''So it doesn’t matter.

She tried to go to sleep because there was no point in fighting anymore.

But…

“…”

That distant voice of rejection would not stop ringing in her ears.

“Kh.”

''What am I doing?'' thought Mitotsudaira.

She was trying to gather strength in her body and recall the shape of that body.

…''You idiot.

''What am I doing?'' she thought again. ''Why am I trying to move?

“Nn.”

The painkilling spell was in effect, so her body was heavy and it creaked as if forcing it to move would strip the flesh from the bone. However, she tried to move regardless.

…''Wait.

What was she doing? Why was she getting up?

She had a somehow distant sense that her classmates were fighting and she understood why they had left her here to sleep.

The scent reaching her nose told her she was surrounded by plants. Mary had likely used spirit spells to wrap ivy and other plants around her to hide her from the outside.

She might not be found even if Tenzou and the others lost. They were telling her to sleep, recover, and continue on to the chancellor after the enemy passed by.

…''So wait.

Why was she trying to get up?

Stubbornness? Regret? Or was it pride or a show of courage?

She had lost the proof of her promise, so she felt she had no right to get up.

And she knew who that voice of rejection had belonged to.

…''It was Mary.

Then what did it matter? She had kept her distance from that English royal. Mary would not expect her to come save her, so what reason did she have to go?

She had no reason to help and they did not want her to help. And yet…

“Nn.”

…''Wait.

''Why?'' she asked herself. ''Why are you trying to move and get up?

And because she did not know…

…''Wait.

No, that was wrong. That was the wrong word.

…''Stop.

Stop.

Please stop. She was saying to stop and yet…

“I won’t…stop.”

She understood. She really did. The part of her heart telling her to stop was saying something.

…''Please.

Please what?

…''I won’t do it again.

Do what? What won’t you do?

“I…”

It came back to that cry of rejection.

She felt that her former choice had been wrong. That was why she had corrected her rejection.

But what about this voice that still rang in her ears?

Was there a rejection that could be allowed and that did not need to be stopped?

“I won’t lose anyone again.”

That was what her king and princess had wished for.

…''And I made a promise.

She had once made a promise. She had made up her mind and used that as a basis for her decisions.

So…

“————!”

Mitotsudaira awoke. She tried to gather strength in her body.

…''Kh.

But she could not get up. Her mind had cleared, but her body could not keep up.

The cry of rejection still rang in her ears.

…''Kh!!

She clearly told herself to get up. She willed it and trembled with effort, but her body was sluggish and refused to move.

…''Why?

She wondered if the hang-up was Mary. Did this last bit of hesitation hinge on whether she would rescue the girl or not?

…''As for Tenzou…um, what am I supposed to say? But maybe I’m being too harsh. Although this is a completely different issue.

At any rate, she had definitely concluded she had no reason to rescue them.

She truly did have no reason. That was a fact.

…''But that cry of rejection is still ringing in my ears!

“…!”

Mary had given the same cry she once had.

…''So move!

But despite that, she could not even clench her teeth.

Just as she wondered what to do, a new scent reached her nose.

“Eh?”

It was something that should not have been here.

“…!?”

Her entire body sprang up in surprise.

Tenzou had not given up.

The earth wall to his right had blocked Excalibur’s path, but he made a short dash up onto the side of the wall.

He then twisted his body downwards and kicked off the wall.

…''Jump!

He would perform a midair side-flip over Mouri-02’s head.

He would be upside down once he reached Mouri-02 and he would remove and throw her head with his hands.

He would go for a midair decapitation throw.

He quickly enacted that plan.

He twisted around in midair and threw his body into empty air while stretching his head downwards.

He saw Mary for a brief moment. She was deflecting bullets with a spirit spell air shield, but knowing she was safe was enough. Right now, he had only one thing to focus on.

…''My target!

He jumped over Mouri-02’s head.

She had no way of attacking after losing her right arm and the gunners to the left would be unable to keep up with his sudden movement.

He used his full mobility as a ninja. He was confident that only someone at the level of an academy’s vice-chancellor could keep up with his speed.

But below him, he saw Mouri-02 bring her left hand to her own head.

However, that hand did not stay there.

She pulled back her hand to remove the head.

As her head tilted back and fell behind her, it looked up into the sky and at him.

She was not smiling, angry, or even sad. She was completely expressionless as she had her headless body jump up at him.

It could not reach him and it was too slow, but…

“…”

It exploded directly below him.

“Master Tenzou!!”

Mary saw the blast envelop him.

Excalibur was returning to her after hitting the earth wall, but an attack was already coming from ahead.

Several headless dolls were rushing in to self-destruct.

She grabbed Excalibur, but it was too late to use it as a shield.

As soon as she realized she could not avoid this attack, the three directly in front of her spread their arms as if welcoming her.

“Thank you very much.”

They produce three explosions in quick succession.

“Please confirm the situation.”

Mouri-01 used her high-speed thoughts to communicate through the scattering heat of the blast.

An automaton’s high-speed thoughts could divide a second into nearly a million parts, so the surrounding motion almost seemed to stop as she made her decisions about the battlefield.

So far, a total of twenty-two automatons had self-destructed and eight were otherwise damaged.

Mouri-02 was one of those who had self-destructed, but all of their cores and memory devices had been recovered.

On the other hand, the enemy’s 1st special duty officer…

…''Um, what was his name again?

''Whatever. We can worry about that later.

Regardless, the enemy’s 1st special duty officer had been caught in a blast, Mary “Double Bloody Mary” Stuart who was on the level of a special duty officer had also been caught in a blast, and 3rd Special Duty Officer Margot Naito was being attacked.

Comparing the losses of special duty officer level warriors, the automatons were winning. They were of course losing if the total numbers were compared, but a special duty officer level warrior was not comparable to a normal warrior in any academy.

…''This is a difficult judgment to make.

She decided to leave that judgment to the academy and to simply do her best here.

She slowed her thought speed to match the outside world and her surroundings sped up. After checking the thermal reading of the explosion that had caught the enemy’s 1st special duty officer, she realized something.

“Musashi’s 1st special duty officer is gone!?”

Mary was the one who realized where Tenzou was.

…''Eh?

She had supposedly been caught in an explosion, but she was now seeing the night sky.

From the depths of the forest, she had only been able to see that sky between the branches, but now someone held her in their arms and she looked to the right to see who.

“Master Tenzou!?”

Mouri-01 was baffled.

Why were the 1st special duty officer and Mary unharmed after those explosions? And how had the 1st special duty officer managed to reach Mary?

A few different phenomena did not fit together. They went beyond her statistical, causal, and predictive reasoning, so she had difficulty understand what she was seeing.

The battle was still ongoing.

She double-checked the facts. The enemy was unharmed, Mary had been taken away by the 1st special duty officer, and they had both moved to the left end of the battlefield.

That was all. Mouri-03 was attacking the 3rd special duty officer, but…

“Big sister!”

A sound suddenly reached her from directly ahead. It was the sound of an object slicing through the air in a straight line.

“A stone!”

Mouri-01 shifted her thoughts into high speed. She switched back and forth between auditory and thermal detection, added that on top of her visual information, and even amplified the light in that information.

The processing of the visual data was heavy enough for her to drop some frames, but the data she did get informed her of a definite truth.

“We have a new enemy!”

Mouri-01 ignored the earthen spikes surrounding her and raised her right hand. She swung the hand as if rolling her shoulder and a row of new spikes formed in front of her. A total of thirty-two earthen spikes stood in a line stretching out in front of her. The hardened soil rose like a wave, but they were immediately destroyed from the other side.

The flying stone loudly smashed the spikes.

Twenty of them broke in an instant, six more followed, four bent, one broke, and the final one stopped it.

However, the stone simply stopped in midair. It did not fall to the ground.

This was not gravitational control, so Mouri-01 checked visually.

…''It’s wrapped in ivy!?

Ivy was crudely tied around the stone and it extended back into the darkness.

With a tug on the ivy, it returned. It moved so quickly that it seemed to shoot back.

The stone returned to the newcomer who had likely been the one to retrieve the ninja and Mary with the ivy stone.

“You are Lady Mitotsudaira Nate, 5th special duty officer of Musashi!”

Mary saw the silver wolf from Tenzou’s arms.

Mitotsudaira stood halfway up the slope, she was not wearing her coat or skirt, and she still looked very exhausted.

But when she caught the stone in her right hand, her stance showed her intent to move forward.

…''She is not going to run.

The ivy on her shoulder was the ivy Mary had gathered to hide her, but…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Mito-tsan, how did you get up!?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Eh? Oh, um, how should I put it? My pride as a knight, I guess.”

[[Image:Horizon3B_0395.jpg|thumb]]

'''Gold Mar:''' “Wow, knights are awesome! I mean, I went a little crazy on the pain reduction cause I figured you could handle it, but you still managed to get up!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Y-you had better remember this later! That really wasn’t easy! But…”

Mitotsudaira glanced over at Mary and held something up in her left hand.

…''Ah.

It was a rice ball.

“I’m surprised you had this with you. Horizon made this, didn’t she?”

“Judge. Lady Naito brought it, but it seems they got messed up during the descent. They had lost their shape and, while we rested, Master Tenzou expressed his concern about their state.”

“Mary.” The silver wolf took a bite of the rice ball and swallowed it. “Mary, you use a lot of herbs, don’t you? They have a bit of a strong scent.”

“Eh? Oh, sorry-…”

“It is not a bad scent. …I am familiar with it from mixing perfumes.”

As she spoke, she raised the stone and lifted her left leg for a right overhand throw.

“Take this!”

She threw the stone projectile into the enemy group.

Mouri-01 made a split-second decision. She used her gravitational control to break the surrounding spikes at their base and free everyone. At the same time…

“Spread out!!”

She gave her command to the others and swung her own arms forward.

Those two arms directed her gravitational control and pointed the broken spikes forward.

“Please have these!”

The broken spikes were fired toward the silver wolf as if they had been kicked forward.

The spikes were made of earth and packed as hard as stone. Those several dozen spears sliced through the air as their paths crossed.

But Mitotsudaira did not panic in the face of what looked like countless deadly attacks. Her mind was still unsteady and her breathing rough, but…

“Like this, right?”

She twisted the thumb and forefinger holding the forcefully extending ivy.

This swung the stone and changed its path to a quick arc from left to right.

The movement was unthinkable as simple physical motion, but…

...''This will work!

This ivy was what Mary had used to weave together and hide her. Mary had applied a spell to them, so now that Mitotsudaira had taken it apart, it was a long piece of ivy that carried ether. It was weak, but…

“It’s no different from the silver chains!”

That was how the ivy allowed the stone to change its path in midair.

It shifted to a gouging arc toward the group of spikes.

And it struck.

It pierced straight through the center of the flying spikes from the side.

The sound of destruction reached Mitotsudaira.

She tugged on the ivy to return the stone and smash the spikes again from behind.

But she was too slow. She had torn several holes in them, but the density of flying spikes was still too high.

“Mary!”

Mitotsudaira forced the stone back to her with pure strength, but she did not catch it. It passed by her and she let it fly behind her.

“Reinforce the ivy!”

“Judge!!”

Bluish-white light filled the ivy along with a flexibility that seemed to push out from within.

…''Such great strength!!

Mitotsudaira wrapped the ivy stone around something behind her.

“That big tree!”

She tossed the last of the rice ball into her mouth and moved just as she started chewing.

She tugged on the ivy with both hands.

With the sound of snapping fibers and a great roar, the silver wolf uprooted the large tree behind her.

She went on to carry it forward.

“…!!”

And she chucked the thirty meter or taller tree into the group of spikes.

All of the spikes were smashed, the branches scattered, and the leaves flew about. After confirming the result, Mitotsudaira howled.

As if swinging her hair around, she lowered her arms to her sides and raised her throat to the sky.

“Uu…”

The howl continued with an extended “oh” and a reverberating “nn”.

She then bent her entire body forward and lowered down almost to the ground.

“Here I go!”

She began to dash. In an instant, she shot below the falling tree and grabbed a thick branch.

“Right!!”

She threw the large tree to the left. She had made a verbal feint, but she saw nothing wrong with that small level of cruelty.

The tree stirred up the wind, broke through some automatons, and cleared a path down the center.

She stood the tree in the dirt as thanks, and prepared to face those on the left. She could leave the right to Tenzou and Mary. She could already see Tenzou’s Excalibur returning after being freed from the spikes, so…

“Third throw!”

She threw the stone toward Mouri-01 who stood forty meters ahead.

However, someone got in the way: the automatons making up Mouri-01’s unit. They moved forward and raised earthen walls.

But…

“Go!”

The ivy moved. She was not simply controlling it with the movement of her fingers. It arced up like a snake raising its head and twisted around to tear into the enemies behind the wall.

It moved just like her silver chains.

Mouri-01 realized what the silver wolf’s weapon was. It was not ivy or a stone.

…''Is it a thought transmission spell!?

The spell sent her intention to an object and had the object move accordingly.

It was the same type of spell as the one used by Musashi’s chancellor. While his spell distributed ether to a great number of people, this was a lighter spell that conveyed her thoughts to any ether-protected object she touched with her hands.

Mouri-01 guessed the spell was meant to allow communication with her silver chain divine weapon, but the spirit-reinforced ivy created with Mary’s spell was enough to receive her thoughts.

“…!!”

The wall raised by Mouri-01’s subordinate automatons was completely ignored. The stone flew past it and swept them away.

But it did not end there.

There was more. The silver wolf prepared her left hand for an underhand throw.

She held a stone tied to the opposite end of the ivy draped over her shoulders.

“Fourth throw!”

It broke straight through the wall.

''What a powerful strike,'' thought Mouri-01. ''I must stop this stone.

She searched for any way of intercepting it in the current situation, but the answer to her question quickly arrived from outside.

“Big sister!” shouted Mouri-03. “I’ll stop it!”

Mitotsudaira saw a small form jumping above the tree branches.

She swung down her hand which was connected to her fourth throw.

At the same time, Tenzou raised his voice after lowering Mary to the ground and catching his Excalibur.

“Mitotsudaira-dono!”

She already knew from the Magie Figur that Naito had sent her.

…''So that’s how Mouri-03’s gravitational control works.

“She can freely set an enemy as her master to stop their weapons!”

By repeatedly switching between people with the high-speed thoughts of an automaton, she could artificially hold multiple “masters” at the same time.

And so Mitotsudaira gave a shout with the same volume as her howl.

“Stand back!!”

Automatons obeyed orders from their masters.

However, that fact held little meaning for Mouri-03. She could freely switch between masters, so she could switch to another master and switch back after ignoring the order.

She did the same here. To stop the enemy 5th special duty officer’s weapon, she had set the wolf as her master. The wolf had told her to stand back, but that only meant she had to set someone else as her master.

…''Eh?

But the enemies she had intended to make her master had vanished. Both Mary and the 1st special duty officer were gone.

She had removed the tracking lock using her gravitational control back when she had thought they were defeated in the explosions, so…

…''I’m in trouble if they’ve hidden themselves with a spirit spell and ninja technique!

If she could not see them, she could not set them as her master.

But an automaton needed a master.

If she removed her master setting, she would lose her reason for existence as an automaton, her abilities would be restricted, and she might even cease to function altogether. Also, it was impossible to set another automaton as her master.

…''So I need to set another enemy as my master!

“Where’s the enemy’s 3rd special duty officer!?”

She started to turn around, but…

“Right here.”

Someone tapped on her right shoulder from behind and she turned around to find someone whose feathers had scattered from gunfire.

“The 3rd special duty officer…”

“You really shouldn’t hesitate. If you hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have caught up.”

A speedometer-style Magie Figur now hovered above her right shoulder. There was no escape. The girl grabbed her shoulder to press a ten yen coin against it. Not even gravitational control could stop this.

But…

“Doing it like this will damage your hand too!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

The enemy 3rd special duty officer smiled.

“Your master has guts.”

Mouri-01 heard something fired overhead.

Mouri-03’s right arm flew through the air while the rest of her used her left arm to grab at a tree trunk to the upper right.

“Sorry!”

And she fell.

Mouri-01 determined there was nothing to apologize for. In fact, she was the one that needed to apologize. She had been the one to set up the battlefield on the assumption that the enemy’s 5th special duty officer and daughter of their vice chancellor would not take part.

That was why Mouri-01 decided that she should take responsibility.

…''So I will win this!

She raised both her arms.

The ground below her hands was rapidly torn up and quickly transformed into a projectile.

She had to hurry. Her gravitational control excelled at bursts of strength, but creating and firing this high-density projectile was still a difficult task. She compensated by raising her power output above normal.

“I will hurry!”

This put a great burden on her body, so the ulna of her left forearm and the back of her right hand burst. But she did not care. These were necessary losses to achieve victory.

After all, the enemy’s stone was breaking through their walls as it flew toward them.

She had to hurry but remain calm.

“Complete.”

She had created a two meter spear. It was made denser than rock and she raised it in her right hand and flung her left hand forward.

She broke her own wall and cleared her vision.

“—————”

Mouri-01 resolved herself.

She looked to her enemy, looked to the stone that enemy had thrown, and moved to place her projectile on the same path.

She succeeded.

The two attacks collided in the center of the forest.

The sound of destruction resembled splitting stone and bright sparks lit up the forest.

The scattershot of fragments sounded like a spray of rain as they gouged into the trees and ground.

As for the two who had launched these attacks…

“———!”

They had already begun their next moves.

Mouri-01 raised her arms again to create a second spear while Mitotsudaira began to catch the stone in her hand as it returned to her.

However, Mouri-01 did something else to speed up the creation of her projectile.

“How about an addition?”

She severed her own left arm to use it as extra material.

The spear took form much faster with the extra part.

Meanwhile, the stone returned to Mitosudaira’s hand and she raised it overhead.

“…!”

But Mouri-01 was ever-so-slightly faster.

“Now, this one is ready.”

She lifted her right hand toward Mitotsudaira with the spear projectile floating beneath it.

“Here.”

It shot directly toward the silver wolf.

…''She’s using her own body to win!?

Mitotsudaira’s heart filled with admiration of her enemy.

She knew this was dangerous, but she had to admire the action.

This was not self-sacrifice. It was true cooperation to achieve victory.

She knew only an automaton could do that.

However, the level of praise she gave her enemy was also the level of danger she was now in.

She had to intercept this.

She did not have time to avoid it. Not only was it a speedy attack, but she had already raised her arm to throw.

Her only option was to stop the projectile with her stone.

There was a single problem with that, though.

…''Hers will be faster!

A projectile thrown by an automaton’s gravitational control had a certain unique trait: the gravitational control could continue working on it shortly after it was fired.

Their gravitational control had an effective range, so acceleration of the launched object could continue while it remained in that range.

Mitotsudaira had thrown her previous attack before the enemy had thrown her projectile. They had collided nearby the enemy, but that meant the enemy’s projectile had yet to reach its full speed.

They had been of equal power at that point, so…

…''I’ll lose if hers is at full speed!!

Mitotsudaira was raising her stone, but the enemy had already fired.

She could not avoid having inferior speed.

At this rate, her stone would shatter on impact and the projectile would reach her.

“In that case…!”

She reached a certain answer.

…''I will throw it with all my strength!

She could not dodge in time, so she simply made her overhand throw.

But even as she did so, she knew it would be slower than her enemy’s attack.

“Kh.”

''I need speed,'' she begged.

An instant later, speed came to her.

“————!?”

However, it was a crumbling drop in speed.

…''What is this!?

It was the pain reduction.

…''No!

Her doubt about her counterattack had disturbed her focus.

Her knees gave way and strength left the arm throwing the stone.

“Mitotsudaira-dono!”

She heard Tenzou’s voice and saw him and Mary appear, but they were immediately stopped.

Mouri-03 had fallen to the ground, but she stood with her back leaning against a tree and stopped Tenzou and Mary by viewing them as her masters.

Strength drained from Mitotsudaira’s body and her arm swung forward.

“Kh.”

She felt the stone slip from her fingers.

But in that instant, she saw something unexpected.

After the stone vanished from her hand, it immediately shot toward her enemy.

…''Eh!?

She expressed her confusion in her heart.

It had been a weak throw that only slipped from her fingers, so what had happened?

The stone arrived right in front of the enemy’s projectile.

“…!”

The instant of collision settled everything.

Her stone attacked the hardened spear projectile just as it was about to break from its initial velocity.

The stone scraped along the side of the spear as it passed by and its great speed caused the spear to burst from that scraped area.

It was utterly destroyed.

The solid sound told Mitotsudaira the truth. The stone she thought she had failed to throw had flown faster than the one she had thrown with her full strength. Not only that, it had reached her enemy.

…''What was that!?

A certain memory came back to her.

When she had fought her mother in IZUMO, her mother had instantly avoided Futayo’s cutting attack.

She had thought her mother’s superhuman speed was something she did not have, but…

…''What did I just do!?

She did not understand because she was clearly not at 100% right now. So why had she been able to give the stone such speed?

She remained confused while the stone destroyed the projectile and flew toward her enemy.

It continued on to gouge into that enemy, but…

“Now, then.”

She heard a sudden voice and a loud noise from behind.

Mitotsudaira saw the source of the noise.

It was a tree. A felled tree dropped from the sky like a stake and stabbed into the ground right in front of Mouri-01.

Mitotsudaira’s stone crashed into the tree. The trunk split open, but the stone shattered.

…''Who threw that tree!?

She was a little annoyed at this intervention, but she soon heard another reaction. Mary spoke while looking behind her.

“Oh, good evening.”

Mitotsudaira knew what that confused and smiling voice meant: someone stood behind her who it would be best to greet.

She sensed her mother’s presence.

Mitotsudaira felt the source of her mother’s presence.

There was a scent, faint body heat, and some movement of the air. All those things told her that her mother had appeared about five meters behind her.

No one could move and they all focused on the person behind Mitotsudaira.

Mitotsudaira herself breathed with her gut to prevent her mother from seeing her shoulders rising and falling.

…''Calm down.

Her mother had likely heard about the commotion from the forest’s animals.

She could do nothing now.

…''Nothing except buy time for the others to escape.

So she turned toward Tenzou.

But the ninja in the darkness did not nod. He did not want the enemy to see him react. Taking his motionlessness as an answer, Mitotsudaira prepared herself.

But…

“…”

She realized she could not turn around. She would be defeated in the time it took her to do so. If she did move, anything but a sudden action with all her strength would be too dangerous.

…''So I need to move the instant I hear her approach!

It came immediately afterwards.

It came as pressure. The movement of the air, the scent, and the light sound all created a pressure that pressed against her back.

“Kh!!”

''I need to escape,'' she thought just as the presence arrived right behind her ear.

She tried to leap, but…

…''Too slow!

Before her legs could sink down, she heard a breath of laughter in her ear. Or she thought she did.

''Dammit,'' she swore.

…''But I just threw that stone so quickly!

She was slow and heavy now, so what had that previous speed been? As if to take her past that question, the time for an attack to reach her passed and it was already too late to avoid it.

She realized she had messed up and wondered if she would not even be able to buy any time.

…''If only I had speed!

A moment later, an attack arrived behind her.

“…!!”

She was not hit by claws, swung around, or jabbed.

Instead, a giant red sword fell from the sky.

“That’s one of the swords spatially ejected by Henri of the Three Musketeers!?”

The god of war sized blade stabbed into the ground behind her and an attack hit it on the other side.

The heavy, carrying sound was much like a bell and it shook the forest.

“————”

But Mitotsudaira felt some wind.

Her mother left. She gave a breath of laughter and ran off into the darkness.

Next, some pressure arrived overhead. The heavy noise of wind came from a light aerial ship.

“I am Henri of Hexagone Française’s Three Musketeers! I forbid this battle from continuing!”

Because…

“Hexagone Française and Musashi have unofficially agreed to a ceasefire! Any further conflict would be meaningless for both sides!! Reine des Garous, are you listening!? This is…”

''What?'' wondered Mitotsudaira as she looked up at the aerial ship.

“This is the will of Former Provisional Chancellor and Student Council President Anne of Austria!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 42|Chapter 42]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 44|Chapter 44]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 36

2014-12-08T11:45:06Z

82.193.99.120: Undo revision 404225 by 82.193.99.120 (talk)

==Chapter 36: Agreement at the Table==
[[Image:Horizon3B_0211.jpg|thumb]]
''What exactly

''Brought everything to this point?

'''Point Allocation (History)

The negotiation began with silence.

Asama stood at the door to manage the divine transmissions and Naruze waited in the diplomat’s room outside.

Inside, Horizon sat at the negotiation table by the window on the ship’s inner side. From her perspective, Magdeburg Provisional Mayor Guericke sat on the right while Masazumi and the treasurer duo sat on the left.

“Now, then.”

The first to speak was Masazumi. She was facing Guericke from across the table.

…''I know what he’s trying to say.

“I think I know what you’re saying, provisional mayor. During the Sack of Magdeburg, the city will be destroyed and lose most of its citizens…but you want it to take place on the Musashi instead.”

“Testament. I am glad you understand. That will speed this up.”

Guericke rested his elbows on the table. The arm armor with hemispheres attached acted like an armrest.

“I currently work under Saxony Sub-Chancellor Johann as treasurer of Saxony Academy. I hope you understand that I am perfectly capable when it comes to negotiating financial matters.”

'''Obscene:''' “Ha ha ha. What is a sub-chancellor!?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “M.H.R.R. is made up of several principalities, so the emperor holds the position of chancellor and the leader of each principality acts as the sub-chancellor. Also, the new sub-chancellor of the principality that produces the chancellor is customarily given the position of M.H.R.R.’s student council president which puts them in a higher position than the other sub-chancellors. Rudolf II from Bohemia is the chancellor, so his younger brother Matthias is M.H.R.R.’s president and Bohemia’s sub-chancellor.”

''It helps having someone from M.H.R.R. with us,'' thought Masazumi.

But…

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Those brothers get a lot of gay comics made about them. Make sure you remember that.”

…''I want to correct her, but I can’t in the middle of a meeting!!

“What do you say, Musashi Vice President?”

“Eh?”

…''Oh, no!! I wasn’t listening!

'''Marube-ya:''' “Now, one of the following people will give you the right answer. Try to guess which one.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “He said he’d let us off the hook if you let him grope your truly nonexistent breasts.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Apparently, he gets really fired up if you say ‘Leave, you piece of shit!’.”

'''Asama:''' “Calm down, Masazumi! Try to start from there!”

'''83:''' “Curry is best at times like this!”

…''Those are all clearly wrong!!

''Asama seems the safest, but she’s also made the least progress,'' she rationally concluded.

“Sorry. Things were a little noisy. Can you repeat that?”

“Eh? I was only asking if you understood my position.”

'''Vice President:''' “You all can go straight to hel!!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Oh? You’re showing some nice initiative today, Masazumi.”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, if only she was calm enough to spell ‘hell’ correctly.”

''These people,'' she thought while watching them calmly typing away.

“Mayor Guericke, asking to use the Musashi in Magdeburg’s place is an absurd demand, so how do you plan to continue these discussions? What kind of bargaining chip have you brought with you?”

She asked another question.

“You mentioned a means of fighting P.A. Oda, but what exactly is that?”

Masazumi saw Guericke reach into his pocket. He briefly glanced down at what he pulled from his pocket and showed them. It was a blueprint.

“Are you familiar with my history recreation? I refer to the aside given about me from ’48 onwards.”

She was not familiar with it. After all, his visit had been unannounced. During the day, the various committees and the provisional council could have worked to compile information, but they could not react as quickly for a night visit like this.

However…

'''Mal-Ga:''' “I know what he’s talking about.”

'''Vice President:''' “Really, Naruze?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Judge. I believe he’s the man who caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

…''What kind of explanation is that!? Someone please tell me the truth!

'''Marube-ya:''' “Judge. That’s exactly right, Naruze!”

'''Vice President:''' “W-wait! Isn’t it a little cruel to do this to me during a real negotiation!?”

'''Asama:''' “That’s right! I think it’s cruel too! I don’t know much about this either, so someone give us a better explanation!”

Naruze poked her head in through the open door, beckoned Asama over, and sent her pen racing through the air.

“You see, this went like…um…this and then they were pulled like this.”

Asama nodded several times, waved at Naruze as they parted ways, and began typing.

'''Asama:''' “I understand now, Masazumi. Guericke-san is the person who caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Vice President:''' “Then arrest him! Shouldn’t he be arrested if he did something like that!?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “No, Masazumi. He isn’t some indecent person. All he did was cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Vice President:''' “D-dammit! If this is how it’s gonna be, I’ll search the ship’s divine network for the truth!”

<Search Results: Otto von Guericke 1602-1686. According to an individual aside in the Testament descriptions, he was mayor of Magdeburg from 1646-1676. He once caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again. (This article was edited by Neshinbara Toussaint two seconds ago.)>

'''Novice:''' “Phew. Barely made it in time.”

'''Vice President:''' “Y-you people are doing your best to get in the way of my work, aren’t you!?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. Silly girl. This is the truth, so what’s wrong with telling it like it is?”

''Really?'' she thought. ''There really is some truth to this, right?'' she also thought.

She crossed her arms and decided to go through with this while keeping as much of her dignity intact as possible.

“I assume you refer to the incident where you cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

That statement instantly filled the room with something.

That something was silence.

All expression vanished from Guericke’s face.

…''Huh?

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Wow, she actually said it.”

'''Vice President:''' “Every last one of you can go straight to hell!!!!”

Suddenly, Guericke cleared his throat and gave a shallow nod in her direction.

“My Far Eastern is not the best and I am having trouble understanding some of that, but that is…more or less correct.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh heh. What a naïve man! Interpret things that kindly and you’ll have worn a hole in your stomach before your third day on the Musashi! A hole! Right through the stomach!”

'''Asama:''' “While I definitely agree with you, how about holding back? He is a beginner, after all.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “I always have trouble with Germans. They tend to be really straitlaced and like to keep everything so serious.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Did you forget what nation you’re from!?”

''Naruze is really strict when it comes to herself,'' thought Masazumi as Guericke placed his hands on the table and held up the objects on his arm armor.

Small movable metal hemispheres were attached near the wrists. They were shaped like thin bowls and almost looked like plates.

“If the Apocalypse does not happen, these will later be known as the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“What are the Magdeburg Hemispheres? Do you know, Miriam?”

Miriam, the translucent girl, and Azuma all lay alongside each other in the bottom bunk of the two beds installed on the wall of a ten square meter Western-style room. Azuma was watching the sign frame he had opened in the head space.

Miriam brought her hands together before answering.

“It was a vacuum experiment.”

“Is that the name of a special attack or something?”

“Boom,” said the girl.

“No,” replied Miriam while holding out her hands. “You see? Mayor Guericke was also a scientist, so he placed two hemispheres together, sucked all the air out of them, and tested their strength by tugging on them to see if they would come apart.”

“Huh? So that previous explanation about balls was…?”

“Hmm,” he and Miriam groaned together.

He then tilted his head again.

“But why would he bring up that hemisphere experiment?”

“These hemispheres can oppose P.A. Oda,” said Guericke. “As Musashi’s vice president, I believe you will know what I mean by that.”

''Eh?'' thought Masazumi.

…''I don’t know anything about those hemispheres.

''What does he mean?'' she thought.

Horizon nodded and turned toward her.

“If we use those to suck at your breasts, they will grow, Masazumi-sama.”

“Waaaaaaahhhh!!”

She cut off Horizon with a shout and frantically turned to Guericke.

“Sh-she didn’t say anything! She didn’t say anything at all!”

“…”

''Ah. I’m starting make him suspicious,'' she realized while mentally sweating.

At any rate, she sat back down and observed the hemispheres he had placed on the table with his wrists.

She then began thinking about the Apocalypse and if it had some connection to the hemispheres.

…''Oh.

It suddenly came to her.

…''Is that what he means?

She asked a question to confirm the answer in her heart.

“The vacuum experiment known as the Magdeburg Hemispheres causes a lot of excitement, doesn’t it?”

“Testament. However, the actual experiment does not occur in Magdeburg. It occurs in the southern M.H.R.R. city of Regensburg. The hemispheres are named as they are because the mayor of Magdeburg performs the experiment. However, it seems the metal hemispheres held together by a vacuum finally came apart after being pulled by sixteen horses.”

“I see,” replied Masazumi before asking a question. “Are you familiar with Avalon?”

Guericke simply nodded without even smiling, so she did the same.

“That technique for creating an Artificial Apocalypse was researched in England, but it would have reached you through the Protestant nation of Holland. Have you been experimenting with a defense spell using the concept of a vacuum?”

“Testament.” Guericke nodded once more and spread his arms a bit. “You should know this if you recall the Artificial Apocalypse in England, but it was kept from spreading using a spell. That spell can stop the Apocalypse which consumes ether and produces blossoming flowers, so it would make a powerful defense. …However, that barrier was made by Chancellor Henry VIII and Chancellor Carlos V and it is very complicated. England has little history with Testament Kunst, so the analysis is being done here.”

Guericke slowly closed his spread arms.

“The Magdeburg Hemispheres are a defense spell created by the greatest minds of England, Holland, M.H.R.R., and various other nations. We will provide you with all of the documents and prototype creation devices. That should give you a significant advantage in your battles with P.A. Oda or any other nation.”

And in exchange…

“We ask that you give us the Musashi. That way we can protect the city of Magdeburg and its people.”

“Wait.”

Guericke heard Musashi’s vice president speak.

…''She is less telling me to wait and more giving herself time to gather her thoughts.

She faced him with slightly raised eyebrows. Not hiding her caution was a negotiation technique. It was a gesture meant to show she would not allow any disrespect or one-sided demands.

After displaying that barrier of caution with a single expression, she spoke.

“It is my understanding that this is not an official discussion.”

“Testament,” replied Guericke. “We are simply laying the groundwork for that, so I too view it as a preliminary discussion. However, a decision here will lead to a later decision. That is how this works.”

“So I should view this on the same level as a primary meeting?”

“Testament,” he replied again.

He then had another thought about the Musashi Vice President who lowered her gaze in a nod.

…''She has made sure to check on everything. She is a reliable negotiator.

That was not surprising. Musashi had many enemies at present, so they could not function as a nation without a reliable and careful vice president handling their negotiations.

He made a short pause in his thoughts and that vice president spoke.

“First, I would like to know what it is you want from Musashi. Give us specifics.”

“Testament.” He recited the statement he had prepared. “The Musashi is a city of approximately one hundred thousand. Magdeburg has approximately thirty thousand. Thus, if you provide us with roughly a third of the Musashi, that will be equivalent to Magdeburg. …Please understand that we will not be taking everything.”

This was the decision they had reached after discussing it all with the Magdeburg city council and citizens.

Musashi’s vice president backed away slightly.

“Then let me ask this: what will the actual Magdeburg be?”

“It will be a ‘harbor’. It borders a river and it can all be viewed as ‘warehouses’ if the residents leave.”

“In that case,” she said. “What will you do with the people? Twenty five thousand of those thirty thousand die in the battle. The remaining five thousand women and children receive brutal treatment and many are killed. What about that?”

“We are currently gathering a specialized group of Living Dead, Living Bones, and spectral non-humans. They have all already died, but we are especially focused on the ones who enjoy self-harm or being harmed.”

“That isn’t enough, is it?”

The aide to Musashi’s treasurer spoke while looking at the sign frame produced by a white fox Mouse.

“Many nations use mercenaries like that so as not to lose academy students, so it won’t be that easy to gather twenty five thousand of them.”

“We only need one thousand.”

Guericke used both hands to draw a half circle on the table.

“What matters is leaving behind the fact that there was a battle. Once we send that group to the front lines and have them clash with the enemy, we can have the warriors behind them escape or simply treat them as if they had died.”

“That’s a lenient interpretation. Something like that would not normally be accepted to artificially increase the number killed in battle.”

“Testament,” said Guericke while opening a document in a box-shaped Protestant sign frame. “We have a history recreation guarantee and approval signed by the pope-chancellor and other Testament Union representatives. We have received approval to recreate the Sack of Magdeburg in that way. After all, this battle turns M.H.R.R.’s Protestants against the Catholics and leads to M.H.R.R.’s defeat in the Thirty Years’ War.”

“And they want to use that to stop Hashiba and P.A. Oda?”

“That is the Testament Union’s intent,” he confirmed. “Therefore, we have one other request for Musashi beyond the aforementioned 33% of the Musashi.”

He corrected his posture before saying what that was.

“Evacuate the normal citizens using the Musashi’s remaining ships. I would like for you to seriously and reliably consider this.”

Masazumi first turned to Augesvarer. The girl gave a serious nod and turned her sign frame so Masazumi could see.

It was playing a German show about the Technohexen trials. A uniformed inquisitor made a proclamation with the moon in the background.

“In the name of the moon, I will punish you!!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Are all Germans this serious and reliable?”

'''Vice President:''' “Naruze and Naito must be special cases.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Oh? I’m quite serious. I’ve never once forgotten to add in a black bar before publishing.”

'''Vice President:''' “Your problem is more fundamental than that!!”

''Anyway,'' thought Masazumi while turning to Bertoni who sat past Heidi. If Augesvarer was so calm, then Bertoni would have no problems speaking on this subject.

“Bertoni.”

The merchant nodded.

“I think it is an interesting idea. If we were to provide one third of the Musashi, Asakusa and Shinagawa would likely work. The amount of supplies they hold is equivalent to one third of the whole. They contain no residential blocks, but we could create temporary residential facilities by adding a set number of water supplies, bathrooms, and beds in each section. That would be more than enough to meet Magdeburg’s demands.”

And…

“Evacuating the people would be possible using the decks, empty spaces, and transport ships of the remaining six ships. As long as we continued to be towed, there would be no problem there. Afterwards, the reserve storage currently handled by Asakusa and Shinagawa would need to be managed by one of the ports we visit, so we would be forced to remain in a city of a Protestant principality near Magdeburg or a neighboring Far Eastern reservation until the Peace of Westphalia. …Either one would be inconvenient, but it would be possible.”

“I see,” said Masazumi with a nod.

'''Marube-ya:''' “It’s possible, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. All he did there was show off our wares.”

…''I know that.

'''Vice President:''' “You’re asking me to help you get all the information we need to know if this is worth doing or not, right?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Exactly. Remaining cautious would definitely be a good idea. After all, we’ve said handing over 33% is ‘possible’. In other words, we’re luring him in by pointing out that he isn’t asking the impossible. …And Germans are quite serious.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “This man probably never misses a black bar either.”

Masazumi looked over at Guericke, imagined him drawing a black bar on a doujinshi, and immediately felt bad for doing so.

Guericke glanced behind him.

He saw the famous sniper shrine maiden standing by the door and past her…

…''The great doujin author Naruze must be protecting us!

M.H.R.R. and especially Magdeburg’s state of Saxony had a busy printing business. The printers systematically developed and gathered by Gutenberg used metal, so they were very durable.

Not much printed material had been allowed in Catholic regions because writing was thought to belong to god.

…''But in Protestant regions, we can print all sorts of things as books!

For that reason, M.H.R.R.’s Protestants had received the benefit of producing printed materials for the other nations. This had provided further expansion in a nation with already great skill in metalworking and it had made Guericke’s hemispheres and many other technological developments possible. However, one of those benefits left him curious about something.

“Who is that fallen angel guarding the room out front?”

“Oh, that’s our 4th special duty officer. She’s from M.H.R.R.”

…''It really is the great Naruze!

''Some of my fellow fans on the Musashi refer to her as “Naruze-tan”, but I could never show such disrespect.

''After all, the workshop hired to print her popular series “Asama-sama Shoots” gets to check over the contents before printing and that has intensified the rivalry within the guild. But the workshops aren’t sure what to do now that the job comes packaged with printing the Musashi King’s ridiculously unpopular pure literary work “Our Slope”.

''I do wish the great Naruze would occasionally hold back on the black bars, but that is simply getting selfish.

…''Oh, come to think of it, the model for Asama is there with her!

''If I could only see Suzu as well, I could complete eighty percent of my reason for coming here.

…''Come to think of it, the girl sitting right in front of me is the Masazumi mentioned as a possible new character in the next issue!

''I was so focused on my work that I overlooked it, but I am speaking with an individual who could soon support one of Magdeburg’s industries.

Meanwhile, Musashi’s vice president spoke.

“Do you need something?”

''I need to memorize her voice and mannerisms so I can tell the local fans back home.

…''Ah! I should have recorded what she said about sucking earlier!!

To make sure he did not overlook anything else, Guericke stared intently at the girl.

Masazumi drew back from Guericke’s gaze.

'''Vice President:''' “Wait! This guy’s scaring me!! He just started glaring at me!”

'''Asama:''' “He was staring at me earlier. Maybe he’s just being cautious…no, maybe he thinks we’re going to harm him.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “I’d be scared too if I was in range of an international-level gunner shrine maiden.”

'''Asama:''' “I’m ''not'' going to shoot him! I don’t have my bow with me right now!”

'''Azuma:''' “Would you shoot him if you did?”

‘'Probably,'' thought Masazumi. ''And Asama and Azuma’s names are easy to mistake.

…''But there’s a lot I need to find out here.

It mostly came down to two things.

'''1: Do the Magdeburg Hemispheres really work?

'''2: Would Musashi really gain more than they lost?

In other words, would this spell be useful in reality and would Musashi gain enough if they accepted these terms. But to know 2 she first had to ask about 1 and determine the value of the Magdeburg Hemispheres.

For that reason, she moved the discussion along.

“To make a number of decisions, I would like to hear more about the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“What are the Magdeburg Hemispheres?”

Guericke nodded at the Musashi Vice President’s question.

…''A complicated explanation would be very German, but the Far East would likely find it difficult to understand.

He decided to lower his explanation to her level and he began with a solid confirmation.

“Are you referring to the hemispheres used in the history recreation of causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again?”

“No, um…”

A number of sign frames appeared around the Musashi Vice President, but she closed every last one of them. ''She must be receiving advice,'' he determined. ''Such excellent teamwork,'' he added.

“I was not talking about the hemispheres that cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

…''I really should have been recording what she said here!!

He was filled with an intense feeling of loss and she continued speaking.

“Or do the anti-Apocalypse ones also involve causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again?”

…''Wait! That was too quick! I wasn’t ready!!

''Oh, no. A German must not lose his cool like that.

He took a deep breath to bring some cooler air inside his body.

“The anti-Apocalypse ones have nothing to do with causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again. Of course, their basic structure is the same as the ones that cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Are you sure that man isn’t just an idiot? Maybe I should stop asking him to print for me.”

'''Novice:''' “Ah, wait, wait. You get so much printed with them that we get better prices by being in the same cultural group. Let’s have a serious discussion before you do anything like that.”

'''Vice President:''' “There’s a lot of cultural exchange with other cities I don’t know about, isn’t there?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “If I get my stuff printed in M.H.R.R. and arrange to have them look after it, I can have them bring me my inventory every time the Musashi travels through the center of the Far East. It’s a pretty good location and some people even use the silk road trade to pick up their printed items on the way to events in Edo.”

''A lot goes into this,'' realized Masazumi before returning her focus to Guericke.

“Let’s continue talking about the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“Testament. As I stated earlier, you can think of them as a defense spell using the technique that holds the Artificial Apocalypse in that spring. According to our research, that holding technique creates an embankment for the directionless Artificial Apocalypse. The Artificial Apocalypse will consume everything, but this barrier is made so it ‘won’t be consumed for the moment’. As for its strength…well, you can say its strength is purely proportional to the amount of ether.”

''What does that mean?'' wondered Masazumi until Naomasa sent a message.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “He’s saying the barrier will deflect enemy attacks for as much ether fuel as you pour into it. In other words, the more fuel you give it, the stronger it gets.”

'''Worshipper:''' “Isn’t that the same as our gravity barriers?”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “The gravity barriers can ‘deflect’, but the counterforce eats up some of the power. Plus, they’re weak against ether cannons and gravity attacks given the same directionality.”

'''Musashi:''' “Judge. When receiving attacks of that nature, we will sometimes destroy the barriers ourselves to spread the force of the impact. Over.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Well, you heard her. …But if what he says about these hemispherical barriers is true, they would work just as well against everything since they’re based on the all-consuming Apocalypse. You’d be able to handle any attack just by raising the output and they’d never break unless they were hit by an attack stronger than the amount of ether you’re giving them.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “So as long as you have fuel, you’d have an invincible barrier? That’s a pretty good deal.”

“Now, then,” said Guericke while facing straight forward. “Don’t you need a defense spell that can handle any and all attacks?”

As Masazumi listened to Guericke, she was suddenly reminded of Matsunaga.

After all, she had only met this man thanks to Matsunaga Hisahide’s connections. And yet M.H.R.R.’s Catholics and Protestants were at odds and Matsunaga of P.A. Oda would be on the Catholic side.

…''I see. He’s been working with some amazing people.

She had been at least a little suspicious of traveling deep into M.H.R.R. and stopping at Magdeburg on the way to Kantou, but she had discovered the meaning for the trip during this meeting.

This was a path they had to travel before Westphalia.

As everyone held their breath and turned toward her, Guericke added something else.

“How about it? Will you accept this incomparable defensive power in exchange for giving us a portion of the Musashi?”

''What should we do?'' she wondered.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Hold up.”

She did not hesitate when she received a sudden divine transmission from Naomasa.

She faced Guericke and spoke.

“Wait.”

Masazumi held a hand out toward Guericke to say she needed to check on something.

'''Vice President:''' “Naomasa, what is it?”

Why had Naomasa suddenly asked for them to pause after hearing their exchange?

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Something doesn’t add up. If they have such a powerful defense spell, wouldn’t they be using it in Magdeburg? After all, they have the Sack of Magdeburg coming up.”

That was not the only doubt sent over divine transmission.

'''Asama:''' “I have another question. If this was made from the defense spell holding back the Artificial Apocalypse, couldn’t they create a barrier to save the world from the Apocalypse?”

Masazumi looked up in surprise.

'''Asama:''' “That seems like a natural idea to have, so why hasn’t Mayor Guericke mentioned it? Do you think they discovered some terrible fact while researching the Artificial Apocalypse in Avalon?”

Masazumi took a deep breath and faced Guericke once more.

“Mayor Guericke, by any chance, is this defense spell of yours still incomplete?”

After a pause, the man finally nodded.

“Testament. The Artificial Apocalypse spring has the same flaw, but we have been unable to create a large scale version of the defense spell based on our analysis of it. The most we can manage is five meters square, so it is meaningless for us in the coming Sack.”

He relaxed his shoulders.

“Also, some will likely wonder if the Hemispheres can be used as a barrier against the Apocalypse, but there is one fact regarding that which has yet to be announced.”

“Are you saying you discovered something about the Apocalypse?”

“Testament,” he said. “The Apocalypse cannot be stopped with a barrier. The very act of eliminating it with a spell is impossible.”

…''You mean there’s no way to defend against the Apocalypse?

Masazumi was at a loss for words and Guericke used his hands to draw the shape of a spring in the air.

“Listen. If you have seen the Artificial Apocalypse in Avalon, then you should know that anything thrown into it is slowly annihilated. It is believed ''that'' is the same as the annihilation of this world. That is, the world will not so much vanish as it will be absorbed and thinned out. And you saw something like flowers bloom, didn’t you?”

She had. A group of flowers had blossomed around the vanishing glove.

“It looked like the Apocalypse fed the flowers ether so they would bloom and then it destroyed that seedbed.”

“Testament. But instead of simply disappearing, I believe they are consumed to allow ‘the Apocalypse’ to bloom. Of course, this entire world is filled with ether, so those flowers will not bloom on us, the people living inside it. If they will bloom anywhere, it is on the very concept of ‘this world’. However, we and the entire world contained within that concept are part of the seedbed for the Apocalypse’s flowers and we will be absorbed by ‘the Apocalypse’ before we realize it.”

Do you understand?

“All of the ether that makes up this entire world is being evenly absorbed and thinned out by the Apocalypse. Everything is connected through the ley lines, so it does not matter if you are inside a barrier or not. I have concluded that the Apocalypse is an annihilation of absolutely everything and that it invalidates all defensive measures.”

Masazumi and the others silently listened to Guericke.

“It will most likely happen sometime during this year in which the Testament descriptions end, but the world will grow too thin and we will suddenly find that it is vanishing. However, I doubt we will feel any pain as we thin out and disappear. That may be our one piece of hope.”

“That’s probably true,” said Asama via divine transmission.

'''Asama:''' “All things naturally consume ether to exist and that is not something that can be switched on and off. And when there is a hole in a ley line, it is filled and the ether attempts to maintain an even density, so if the Apocalypse absorbs ether and blooms as Mayor Guericke says, the amount of ether in the ley lines would gradually grow thinner to maintain that even density.”

Masazumi sent back that she understood and Guericke spoke in front of her.

“I do not think the Apocalypse is something we would notice right away, but once it begins, there is no stopping it and no way of preventing the world from eventually disappearing.”

Suddenly, Bertoni asked him a question from beyond Augesvarer.

“Mayor of Magdeburg, is this information on the slow progress of the Apocalypse and that it is not a sudden occurrence something you are giving us in addition to the Magdeburg Hemispheres?”

“Testament. I think it will help rid the people of their worries, but what do you think?”

“I am not so sure. What would you think if someone gave you that information?”

“Well,” said Guericke with a shallow nod.

After a pause, he replied in a definite tone.

“I would realize the Apocalypse was real and that there was no stopping it and I would despair.”

Masazumi listened as Guericke took a breath and continued speaking.

“This fact is too great a burden for Magdeburg and Saxony, so I wish to hand it over to Musashi. I believe you can put it to good use.”

He pulled back slightly.

''Oh,'' realized Masazumi. ''Now that he’s said that, he’s relaxed.

He felt the relief of passing a heavy responsibility onto someone else.

She could tell from this conversation that he had discovered this truth in his research of the Apocalypse and his fellow researchers had been hiding it ever since.

…''After all, it would spread despair if it got out.

Part of her wondered why he would have been researching this, but she knew he must have had no other choice.

There had to have been a great pressure placed on him and that thought brought a question to Masazumi’s mind. She asked this man who was said to have experimented with hemispheres and proven the existence of a vacuum.

“Why did you research the Apocalypse?”

“Testament. Out of curiosity.”

He directly replied to her.

“I thought I could use my history recreation to find a way to combat the Apocalypse. Then again, I may have been mistaken from the moment I tried to have a dream as a down-to-earth German.”

'''Asama:''' “Um… I’m not any kind of officer, so maybe it’s not my place to talk, but…”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. My foolish bother, Mitotsudaira, and…um…the ninja?...are gone, so we have space for at least one person to speak. Why not just say it?”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, well, uh…”

Asama typed out what she had to say.

'''Asama:''' “Is there any point in giving us this information? Our main objective is to gather Horizon’s Logismoi Oplo and open a path to stopping the Apocalypse. So if we know the Apocalypse will definitely destroy the world if we don’t accomplish that, well…how are we supposed to handle that?”

''That last part is her real question,'' thought Masazumi while half agreeing with the girl.

It really was more than they could manage.

…''If we say the Apocalypse will destroy the world if they don’t hand over the Logismoi Oplo, the value of the Logismoi Oplo will skyrocket and the other nations will probably try to take them from us and gather them themselves.

''It’s not an easy thing to handle,'' she complained.

But suddenly, someone to the left answered Asama’s question.

“This is a business opportunity!!”

Bertoni suddenly stood.

“Whatever the Apocalypse may be, we can turn it into a business opportunity! What other option is there!?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 35|Chapter 35]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 37|Chapter 37]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 36

2014-12-08T11:43:30Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 36: Agreement at the Table==
[[Image:Horizon3B_0211.jpg|thumb]]
''What exactly

''Brought everything to this point?

'''Point Allocation (History)

The negotiation began with silence.

Asama stood at the door to manage the divine transmissions and Naruze waited in the diplomat’s room outside.

Inside, Horizon sat at the negotiation table by the window on the ship’s inner side. From her perspective, Magdeburg Provisional Mayor Guericke sat on the right while Masazumi and the treasurer duo sat on the left.

“Now, then.”

The first to speak was Masazumi. She was facing Guericke from across the table.

…''I know what he’s trying to say.

“I think I know what you’re saying, provisional mayor. During the Sack of Magdeburg, the city will be destroyed and lose most of its citizens…but you want it to take place on the Musashi instead.”

“Testament. I am glad you understand. That will speed this up.”

Guericke rested his elbows on the table. The arm armor with hemispheres attached acted like an armrest.

“I currently work under Saxony Sub-Chancellor Johann as treasurer of Saxony Academy. I hope you understand that I am perfectly capable when it comes to negotiating financial matters.”

'''Obscene:''' “Ha ha ha. What is a sub-chancellor!?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “M.H.R.R. is made up of several principalities, so the emperor holds the position of chancellor and the leader of each principality acts as the sub-chancellor. Also, the new sub-chancellor of the principality that produces the chancellor is customarily given the position of M.H.R.R.’s student council president which puts them in a higher position than the other sub-chancellors. Rudolf II from Bohemia is the chancellor, so his younger brother Matthias is M.H.R.R.’s president and Bohemia’s sub-chancellor.”

''It helps having someone from M.H.R.R. with us,'' thought Masazumi.

But…

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Those brothers get a lot of gay comics made about them. Make sure you remember that.”

…''I want to correct her, but I can’t in the middle of a meeting!!

“What do you say, Musashi Vice President?”

“Eh?”

…''Oh, no!! I wasn’t listening!

'''Marube-ya:''' “Now, one of the following people will give you the right answer. Try to guess which one.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “He said he’d let us off the hook if you let him grope your truly nonexistent breasts.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Apparently, he gets really fired up if you say ‘Leave, you piece of shit!’.”

'''Asama:''' “Calm down, Masazumi! Try to start from there!”

'''83:''' “Curry is best at times like this!”

…''Those are all clearly wrong!!

''Asama seems the safest, but she’s also made the least progress,'' she rationally concluded.

“Sorry. Things were a little noisy. Can you repeat that?”

“Eh? I was only asking if you understood my position.”

'''Vice President:''' “You all can go straight to hell!!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Oh? You’re showing some nice initiative today, Masazumi.”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, if only she was calm enough to spell ‘hell’ correctly.”

''These people,'' she thought while watching them calmly typing away.

“Mayor Guericke, asking to use the Musashi in Magdeburg’s place is an absurd demand, so how do you plan to continue these discussions? What kind of bargaining chip have you brought with you?”

She asked another question.

“You mentioned a means of fighting P.A. Oda, but what exactly is that?”

Masazumi saw Guericke reach into his pocket. He briefly glanced down at what he pulled from his pocket and showed them. It was a blueprint.

“Are you familiar with my history recreation? I refer to the aside given about me from ’48 onwards.”

She was not familiar with it. After all, his visit had been unannounced. During the day, the various committees and the provisional council could have worked to compile information, but they could not react as quickly for a night visit like this.

However…

'''Mal-Ga:''' “I know what he’s talking about.”

'''Vice President:''' “Really, Naruze?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Judge. I believe he’s the man who caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

…''What kind of explanation is that!? Someone please tell me the truth!

'''Marube-ya:''' “Judge. That’s exactly right, Naruze!”

'''Vice President:''' “W-wait! Isn’t it a little cruel to do this to me during a real negotiation!?”

'''Asama:''' “That’s right! I think it’s cruel too! I don’t know much about this either, so someone give us a better explanation!”

Naruze poked her head in through the open door, beckoned Asama over, and sent her pen racing through the air.

“You see, this went like…um…this and then they were pulled like this.”

Asama nodded several times, waved at Naruze as they parted ways, and began typing.

'''Asama:''' “I understand now, Masazumi. Guericke-san is the person who caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Vice President:''' “Then arrest him! Shouldn’t he be arrested if he did something like that!?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “No, Masazumi. He isn’t some indecent person. All he did was cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Vice President:''' “D-dammit! If this is how it’s gonna be, I’ll search the ship’s divine network for the truth!”

<Search Results: Otto von Guericke 1602-1686. According to an individual aside in the Testament descriptions, he was mayor of Magdeburg from 1646-1676. He once caused a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again. (This article was edited by Neshinbara Toussaint two seconds ago.)>

'''Novice:''' “Phew. Barely made it in time.”

'''Vice President:''' “Y-you people are doing your best to get in the way of my work, aren’t you!?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. Silly girl. This is the truth, so what’s wrong with telling it like it is?”

''Really?'' she thought. ''There really is some truth to this, right?'' she also thought.

She crossed her arms and decided to go through with this while keeping as much of her dignity intact as possible.

“I assume you refer to the incident where you cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

That statement instantly filled the room with something.

That something was silence.

All expression vanished from Guericke’s face.

…''Huh?

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Wow, she actually said it.”

'''Vice President:''' “Every last one of you can go straight to hell!!!!”

Suddenly, Guericke cleared his throat and gave a shallow nod in her direction.

“My Far Eastern is not the best and I am having trouble understanding some of that, but that is…more or less correct.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh heh. What a naïve man! Interpret things that kindly and you’ll have worn a hole in your stomach before your third day on the Musashi! A hole! Right through the stomach!”

'''Asama:''' “While I definitely agree with you, how about holding back? He is a beginner, after all.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “I always have trouble with Germans. They tend to be really straitlaced and like to keep everything so serious.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Did you forget what nation you’re from!?”

''Naruze is really strict when it comes to herself,'' thought Masazumi as Guericke placed his hands on the table and held up the objects on his arm armor.

Small movable metal hemispheres were attached near the wrists. They were shaped like thin bowls and almost looked like plates.

“If the Apocalypse does not happen, these will later be known as the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“What are the Magdeburg Hemispheres? Do you know, Miriam?”

Miriam, the translucent girl, and Azuma all lay alongside each other in the bottom bunk of the two beds installed on the wall of a ten square meter Western-style room. Azuma was watching the sign frame he had opened in the head space.

Miriam brought her hands together before answering.

“It was a vacuum experiment.”

“Is that the name of a special attack or something?”

“Boom,” said the girl.

“No,” replied Miriam while holding out her hands. “You see? Mayor Guericke was also a scientist, so he placed two hemispheres together, sucked all the air out of them, and tested their strength by tugging on them to see if they would come apart.”

“Huh? So that previous explanation about balls was…?”

“Hmm,” he and Miriam groaned together.

He then tilted his head again.

“But why would he bring up that hemisphere experiment?”

“These hemispheres can oppose P.A. Oda,” said Guericke. “As Musashi’s vice president, I believe you will know what I mean by that.”

''Eh?'' thought Masazumi.

…''I don’t know anything about those hemispheres.

''What does he mean?'' she thought.

Horizon nodded and turned toward her.

“If we use those to suck at your breasts, they will grow, Masazumi-sama.”

“Waaaaaaahhhh!!”

She cut off Horizon with a shout and frantically turned to Guericke.

“Sh-she didn’t say anything! She didn’t say anything at all!”

“…”

''Ah. I’m starting make him suspicious,'' she realized while mentally sweating.

At any rate, she sat back down and observed the hemispheres he had placed on the table with his wrists.

She then began thinking about the Apocalypse and if it had some connection to the hemispheres.

…''Oh.

It suddenly came to her.

…''Is that what he means?

She asked a question to confirm the answer in her heart.

“The vacuum experiment known as the Magdeburg Hemispheres causes a lot of excitement, doesn’t it?”

“Testament. However, the actual experiment does not occur in Magdeburg. It occurs in the southern M.H.R.R. city of Regensburg. The hemispheres are named as they are because the mayor of Magdeburg performs the experiment. However, it seems the metal hemispheres held together by a vacuum finally came apart after being pulled by sixteen horses.”

“I see,” replied Masazumi before asking a question. “Are you familiar with Avalon?”

Guericke simply nodded without even smiling, so she did the same.

“That technique for creating an Artificial Apocalypse was researched in England, but it would have reached you through the Protestant nation of Holland. Have you been experimenting with a defense spell using the concept of a vacuum?”

“Testament.” Guericke nodded once more and spread his arms a bit. “You should know this if you recall the Artificial Apocalypse in England, but it was kept from spreading using a spell. That spell can stop the Apocalypse which consumes ether and produces blossoming flowers, so it would make a powerful defense. …However, that barrier was made by Chancellor Henry VIII and Chancellor Carlos V and it is very complicated. England has little history with Testament Kunst, so the analysis is being done here.”

Guericke slowly closed his spread arms.

“The Magdeburg Hemispheres are a defense spell created by the greatest minds of England, Holland, M.H.R.R., and various other nations. We will provide you with all of the documents and prototype creation devices. That should give you a significant advantage in your battles with P.A. Oda or any other nation.”

And in exchange…

“We ask that you give us the Musashi. That way we can protect the city of Magdeburg and its people.”

“Wait.”

Guericke heard Musashi’s vice president speak.

…''She is less telling me to wait and more giving herself time to gather her thoughts.

She faced him with slightly raised eyebrows. Not hiding her caution was a negotiation technique. It was a gesture meant to show she would not allow any disrespect or one-sided demands.

After displaying that barrier of caution with a single expression, she spoke.

“It is my understanding that this is not an official discussion.”

“Testament,” replied Guericke. “We are simply laying the groundwork for that, so I too view it as a preliminary discussion. However, a decision here will lead to a later decision. That is how this works.”

“So I should view this on the same level as a primary meeting?”

“Testament,” he replied again.

He then had another thought about the Musashi Vice President who lowered her gaze in a nod.

…''She has made sure to check on everything. She is a reliable negotiator.

That was not surprising. Musashi had many enemies at present, so they could not function as a nation without a reliable and careful vice president handling their negotiations.

He made a short pause in his thoughts and that vice president spoke.

“First, I would like to know what it is you want from Musashi. Give us specifics.”

“Testament.” He recited the statement he had prepared. “The Musashi is a city of approximately one hundred thousand. Magdeburg has approximately thirty thousand. Thus, if you provide us with roughly a third of the Musashi, that will be equivalent to Magdeburg. …Please understand that we will not be taking everything.”

This was the decision they had reached after discussing it all with the Magdeburg city council and citizens.

Musashi’s vice president backed away slightly.

“Then let me ask this: what will the actual Magdeburg be?”

“It will be a ‘harbor’. It borders a river and it can all be viewed as ‘warehouses’ if the residents leave.”

“In that case,” she said. “What will you do with the people? Twenty five thousand of those thirty thousand die in the battle. The remaining five thousand women and children receive brutal treatment and many are killed. What about that?”

“We are currently gathering a specialized group of Living Dead, Living Bones, and spectral non-humans. They have all already died, but we are especially focused on the ones who enjoy self-harm or being harmed.”

“That isn’t enough, is it?”

The aide to Musashi’s treasurer spoke while looking at the sign frame produced by a white fox Mouse.

“Many nations use mercenaries like that so as not to lose academy students, so it won’t be that easy to gather twenty five thousand of them.”

“We only need one thousand.”

Guericke used both hands to draw a half circle on the table.

“What matters is leaving behind the fact that there was a battle. Once we send that group to the front lines and have them clash with the enemy, we can have the warriors behind them escape or simply treat them as if they had died.”

“That’s a lenient interpretation. Something like that would not normally be accepted to artificially increase the number killed in battle.”

“Testament,” said Guericke while opening a document in a box-shaped Protestant sign frame. “We have a history recreation guarantee and approval signed by the pope-chancellor and other Testament Union representatives. We have received approval to recreate the Sack of Magdeburg in that way. After all, this battle turns M.H.R.R.’s Protestants against the Catholics and leads to M.H.R.R.’s defeat in the Thirty Years’ War.”

“And they want to use that to stop Hashiba and P.A. Oda?”

“That is the Testament Union’s intent,” he confirmed. “Therefore, we have one other request for Musashi beyond the aforementioned 33% of the Musashi.”

He corrected his posture before saying what that was.

“Evacuate the normal citizens using the Musashi’s remaining ships. I would like for you to seriously and reliably consider this.”

Masazumi first turned to Augesvarer. The girl gave a serious nod and turned her sign frame so Masazumi could see.

It was playing a German show about the Technohexen trials. A uniformed inquisitor made a proclamation with the moon in the background.

“In the name of the moon, I will punish you!!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Are all Germans this serious and reliable?”

'''Vice President:''' “Naruze and Naito must be special cases.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Oh? I’m quite serious. I’ve never once forgotten to add in a black bar before publishing.”

'''Vice President:''' “Your problem is more fundamental than that!!”

''Anyway,'' thought Masazumi while turning to Bertoni who sat past Heidi. If Augesvarer was so calm, then Bertoni would have no problems speaking on this subject.

“Bertoni.”

The merchant nodded.

“I think it is an interesting idea. If we were to provide one third of the Musashi, Asakusa and Shinagawa would likely work. The amount of supplies they hold is equivalent to one third of the whole. They contain no residential blocks, but we could create temporary residential facilities by adding a set number of water supplies, bathrooms, and beds in each section. That would be more than enough to meet Magdeburg’s demands.”

And…

“Evacuating the people would be possible using the decks, empty spaces, and transport ships of the remaining six ships. As long as we continued to be towed, there would be no problem there. Afterwards, the reserve storage currently handled by Asakusa and Shinagawa would need to be managed by one of the ports we visit, so we would be forced to remain in a city of a Protestant principality near Magdeburg or a neighboring Far Eastern reservation until the Peace of Westphalia. …Either one would be inconvenient, but it would be possible.”

“I see,” said Masazumi with a nod.

'''Marube-ya:''' “It’s possible, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. All he did there was show off our wares.”

…''I know that.

'''Vice President:''' “You’re asking me to help you get all the information we need to know if this is worth doing or not, right?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Exactly. Remaining cautious would definitely be a good idea. After all, we’ve said handing over 33% is ‘possible’. In other words, we’re luring him in by pointing out that he isn’t asking the impossible. …And Germans are quite serious.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “This man probably never misses a black bar either.”

Masazumi looked over at Guericke, imagined him drawing a black bar on a doujinshi, and immediately felt bad for doing so.

Guericke glanced behind him.

He saw the famous sniper shrine maiden standing by the door and past her…

…''The great doujin author Naruze must be protecting us!

M.H.R.R. and especially Magdeburg’s state of Saxony had a busy printing business. The printers systematically developed and gathered by Gutenberg used metal, so they were very durable.

Not much printed material had been allowed in Catholic regions because writing was thought to belong to god.

…''But in Protestant regions, we can print all sorts of things as books!

For that reason, M.H.R.R.’s Protestants had received the benefit of producing printed materials for the other nations. This had provided further expansion in a nation with already great skill in metalworking and it had made Guericke’s hemispheres and many other technological developments possible. However, one of those benefits left him curious about something.

“Who is that fallen angel guarding the room out front?”

“Oh, that’s our 4th special duty officer. She’s from M.H.R.R.”

…''It really is the great Naruze!

''Some of my fellow fans on the Musashi refer to her as “Naruze-tan”, but I could never show such disrespect.

''After all, the workshop hired to print her popular series “Asama-sama Shoots” gets to check over the contents before printing and that has intensified the rivalry within the guild. But the workshops aren’t sure what to do now that the job comes packaged with printing the Musashi King’s ridiculously unpopular pure literary work “Our Slope”.

''I do wish the great Naruze would occasionally hold back on the black bars, but that is simply getting selfish.

…''Oh, come to think of it, the model for Asama is there with her!

''If I could only see Suzu as well, I could complete eighty percent of my reason for coming here.

…''Come to think of it, the girl sitting right in front of me is the Masazumi mentioned as a possible new character in the next issue!

''I was so focused on my work that I overlooked it, but I am speaking with an individual who could soon support one of Magdeburg’s industries.

Meanwhile, Musashi’s vice president spoke.

“Do you need something?”

''I need to memorize her voice and mannerisms so I can tell the local fans back home.

…''Ah! I should have recorded what she said about sucking earlier!!

To make sure he did not overlook anything else, Guericke stared intently at the girl.

Masazumi drew back from Guericke’s gaze.

'''Vice President:''' “Wait! This guy’s scaring me!! He just started glaring at me!”

'''Asama:''' “He was staring at me earlier. Maybe he’s just being cautious…no, maybe he thinks we’re going to harm him.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “I’d be scared too if I was in range of an international-level gunner shrine maiden.”

'''Asama:''' “I’m ''not'' going to shoot him! I don’t have my bow with me right now!”

'''Azuma:''' “Would you shoot him if you did?”

‘'Probably,'' thought Masazumi. ''And Asama and Azuma’s names are easy to mistake.

…''But there’s a lot I need to find out here.

It mostly came down to two things.

'''1: Do the Magdeburg Hemispheres really work?

'''2: Would Musashi really gain more than they lost?

In other words, would this spell be useful in reality and would Musashi gain enough if they accepted these terms. But to know 2 she first had to ask about 1 and determine the value of the Magdeburg Hemispheres.

For that reason, she moved the discussion along.

“To make a number of decisions, I would like to hear more about the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“What are the Magdeburg Hemispheres?”

Guericke nodded at the Musashi Vice President’s question.

…''A complicated explanation would be very German, but the Far East would likely find it difficult to understand.

He decided to lower his explanation to her level and he began with a solid confirmation.

“Are you referring to the hemispheres used in the history recreation of causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again?”

“No, um…”

A number of sign frames appeared around the Musashi Vice President, but she closed every last one of them. ''She must be receiving advice,'' he determined. ''Such excellent teamwork,'' he added.

“I was not talking about the hemispheres that cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

…''I really should have been recording what she said here!!

He was filled with an intense feeling of loss and she continued speaking.

“Or do the anti-Apocalypse ones also involve causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again?”

…''Wait! That was too quick! I wasn’t ready!!

''Oh, no. A German must not lose his cool like that.

He took a deep breath to bring some cooler air inside his body.

“The anti-Apocalypse ones have nothing to do with causing a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again. Of course, their basic structure is the same as the ones that cause a huge commotion in the city by pressing two balls together, sucking on them, and then tugging on them again and again.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Are you sure that man isn’t just an idiot? Maybe I should stop asking him to print for me.”

'''Novice:''' “Ah, wait, wait. You get so much printed with them that we get better prices by being in the same cultural group. Let’s have a serious discussion before you do anything like that.”

'''Vice President:''' “There’s a lot of cultural exchange with other cities I don’t know about, isn’t there?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “If I get my stuff printed in M.H.R.R. and arrange to have them look after it, I can have them bring me my inventory every time the Musashi travels through the center of the Far East. It’s a pretty good location and some people even use the silk road trade to pick up their printed items on the way to events in Edo.”

''A lot goes into this,'' realized Masazumi before returning her focus to Guericke.

“Let’s continue talking about the Magdeburg Hemispheres.”

“Testament. As I stated earlier, you can think of them as a defense spell using the technique that holds the Artificial Apocalypse in that spring. According to our research, that holding technique creates an embankment for the directionless Artificial Apocalypse. The Artificial Apocalypse will consume everything, but this barrier is made so it ‘won’t be consumed for the moment’. As for its strength…well, you can say its strength is purely proportional to the amount of ether.”

''What does that mean?'' wondered Masazumi until Naomasa sent a message.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “He’s saying the barrier will deflect enemy attacks for as much ether fuel as you pour into it. In other words, the more fuel you give it, the stronger it gets.”

'''Worshipper:''' “Isn’t that the same as our gravity barriers?”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “The gravity barriers can ‘deflect’, but the counterforce eats up some of the power. Plus, they’re weak against ether cannons and gravity attacks given the same directionality.”

'''Musashi:''' “Judge. When receiving attacks of that nature, we will sometimes destroy the barriers ourselves to spread the force of the impact. Over.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Well, you heard her. …But if what he says about these hemispherical barriers is true, they would work just as well against everything since they’re based on the all-consuming Apocalypse. You’d be able to handle any attack just by raising the output and they’d never break unless they were hit by an attack stronger than the amount of ether you’re giving them.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “So as long as you have fuel, you’d have an invincible barrier? That’s a pretty good deal.”

“Now, then,” said Guericke while facing straight forward. “Don’t you need a defense spell that can handle any and all attacks?”

As Masazumi listened to Guericke, she was suddenly reminded of Matsunaga.

After all, she had only met this man thanks to Matsunaga Hisahide’s connections. And yet M.H.R.R.’s Catholics and Protestants were at odds and Matsunaga of P.A. Oda would be on the Catholic side.

…''I see. He’s been working with some amazing people.

She had been at least a little suspicious of traveling deep into M.H.R.R. and stopping at Magdeburg on the way to Kantou, but she had discovered the meaning for the trip during this meeting.

This was a path they had to travel before Westphalia.

As everyone held their breath and turned toward her, Guericke added something else.

“How about it? Will you accept this incomparable defensive power in exchange for giving us a portion of the Musashi?”

''What should we do?'' she wondered.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Hold up.”

She did not hesitate when she received a sudden divine transmission from Naomasa.

She faced Guericke and spoke.

“Wait.”

Masazumi held a hand out toward Guericke to say she needed to check on something.

'''Vice President:''' “Naomasa, what is it?”

Why had Naomasa suddenly asked for them to pause after hearing their exchange?

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Something doesn’t add up. If they have such a powerful defense spell, wouldn’t they be using it in Magdeburg? After all, they have the Sack of Magdeburg coming up.”

That was not the only doubt sent over divine transmission.

'''Asama:''' “I have another question. If this was made from the defense spell holding back the Artificial Apocalypse, couldn’t they create a barrier to save the world from the Apocalypse?”

Masazumi looked up in surprise.

'''Asama:''' “That seems like a natural idea to have, so why hasn’t Mayor Guericke mentioned it? Do you think they discovered some terrible fact while researching the Artificial Apocalypse in Avalon?”

Masazumi took a deep breath and faced Guericke once more.

“Mayor Guericke, by any chance, is this defense spell of yours still incomplete?”

After a pause, the man finally nodded.

“Testament. The Artificial Apocalypse spring has the same flaw, but we have been unable to create a large scale version of the defense spell based on our analysis of it. The most we can manage is five meters square, so it is meaningless for us in the coming Sack.”

He relaxed his shoulders.

“Also, some will likely wonder if the Hemispheres can be used as a barrier against the Apocalypse, but there is one fact regarding that which has yet to be announced.”

“Are you saying you discovered something about the Apocalypse?”

“Testament,” he said. “The Apocalypse cannot be stopped with a barrier. The very act of eliminating it with a spell is impossible.”

…''You mean there’s no way to defend against the Apocalypse?

Masazumi was at a loss for words and Guericke used his hands to draw the shape of a spring in the air.

“Listen. If you have seen the Artificial Apocalypse in Avalon, then you should know that anything thrown into it is slowly annihilated. It is believed ''that'' is the same as the annihilation of this world. That is, the world will not so much vanish as it will be absorbed and thinned out. And you saw something like flowers bloom, didn’t you?”

She had. A group of flowers had blossomed around the vanishing glove.

“It looked like the Apocalypse fed the flowers ether so they would bloom and then it destroyed that seedbed.”

“Testament. But instead of simply disappearing, I believe they are consumed to allow ‘the Apocalypse’ to bloom. Of course, this entire world is filled with ether, so those flowers will not bloom on us, the people living inside it. If they will bloom anywhere, it is on the very concept of ‘this world’. However, we and the entire world contained within that concept are part of the seedbed for the Apocalypse’s flowers and we will be absorbed by ‘the Apocalypse’ before we realize it.”

Do you understand?

“All of the ether that makes up this entire world is being evenly absorbed and thinned out by the Apocalypse. Everything is connected through the ley lines, so it does not matter if you are inside a barrier or not. I have concluded that the Apocalypse is an annihilation of absolutely everything and that it invalidates all defensive measures.”

Masazumi and the others silently listened to Guericke.

“It will most likely happen sometime during this year in which the Testament descriptions end, but the world will grow too thin and we will suddenly find that it is vanishing. However, I doubt we will feel any pain as we thin out and disappear. That may be our one piece of hope.”

“That’s probably true,” said Asama via divine transmission.

'''Asama:''' “All things naturally consume ether to exist and that is not something that can be switched on and off. And when there is a hole in a ley line, it is filled and the ether attempts to maintain an even density, so if the Apocalypse absorbs ether and blooms as Mayor Guericke says, the amount of ether in the ley lines would gradually grow thinner to maintain that even density.”

Masazumi sent back that she understood and Guericke spoke in front of her.

“I do not think the Apocalypse is something we would notice right away, but once it begins, there is no stopping it and no way of preventing the world from eventually disappearing.”

Suddenly, Bertoni asked him a question from beyond Augesvarer.

“Mayor of Magdeburg, is this information on the slow progress of the Apocalypse and that it is not a sudden occurrence something you are giving us in addition to the Magdeburg Hemispheres?”

“Testament. I think it will help rid the people of their worries, but what do you think?”

“I am not so sure. What would you think if someone gave you that information?”

“Well,” said Guericke with a shallow nod.

After a pause, he replied in a definite tone.

“I would realize the Apocalypse was real and that there was no stopping it and I would despair.”

Masazumi listened as Guericke took a breath and continued speaking.

“This fact is too great a burden for Magdeburg and Saxony, so I wish to hand it over to Musashi. I believe you can put it to good use.”

He pulled back slightly.

''Oh,'' realized Masazumi. ''Now that he’s said that, he’s relaxed.

He felt the relief of passing a heavy responsibility onto someone else.

She could tell from this conversation that he had discovered this truth in his research of the Apocalypse and his fellow researchers had been hiding it ever since.

…''After all, it would spread despair if it got out.

Part of her wondered why he would have been researching this, but she knew he must have had no other choice.

There had to have been a great pressure placed on him and that thought brought a question to Masazumi’s mind. She asked this man who was said to have experimented with hemispheres and proven the existence of a vacuum.

“Why did you research the Apocalypse?”

“Testament. Out of curiosity.”

He directly replied to her.

“I thought I could use my history recreation to find a way to combat the Apocalypse. Then again, I may have been mistaken from the moment I tried to have a dream as a down-to-earth German.”

'''Asama:''' “Um… I’m not any kind of officer, so maybe it’s not my place to talk, but…”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. My foolish bother, Mitotsudaira, and…um…the ninja?...are gone, so we have space for at least one person to speak. Why not just say it?”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, well, uh…”

Asama typed out what she had to say.

'''Asama:''' “Is there any point in giving us this information? Our main objective is to gather Horizon’s Logismoi Oplo and open a path to stopping the Apocalypse. So if we know the Apocalypse will definitely destroy the world if we don’t accomplish that, well…how are we supposed to handle that?”

''That last part is her real question,'' thought Masazumi while half agreeing with the girl.

It really was more than they could manage.

…''If we say the Apocalypse will destroy the world if they don’t hand over the Logismoi Oplo, the value of the Logismoi Oplo will skyrocket and the other nations will probably try to take them from us and gather them themselves.

''It’s not an easy thing to handle,'' she complained.

But suddenly, someone to the left answered Asama’s question.

“This is a business opportunity!!”

Bertoni suddenly stood.

“Whatever the Apocalypse may be, we can turn it into a business opportunity! What other option is there!?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 35|Chapter 35]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 37|Chapter 37]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume11 Chapter 22

2014-12-03T12:25:08Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 22: What Taught Her to Smile==
[[Image:OnC_v11_0053.png|thumb]]
''Because you hoped

Alone in the cafeteria, Shinjou stood motionless below the cold lights.

She took a breath and muttered to herself.

“What do I do?”

She knew the answer. She knew exactly what to do, but she needed those words to get her started.

She began to answer those words with her actions.

First, she placed the album in her hands on a nearby table and set the notebook and letters on top of that.

She sat in the chair and took a breath in front of all that writing.

She stretched out a hand, but hesitated as that hand approached the letters.

“It’s too soon for that.”

She picked up the notebook instead.

She gave a silent bow and gently flipped through it.

…''Research on mythology?

She had expected a diary or something similar, but she had been wrong.

She felt a mixture of disappointment and relief as she readily flipped through the pages.

That girl had grown up with a connection to the Bible and these were the records of her research on the world’s mythologies.

She summed up that most mythologies contained the symbols of dragons and divine tools and she had labeled a hand-drawn map with the spread of different mythologies and their points in common.

It had apparently been a summer research project for her third year of middle school and the final page contained a grade of A+ in faded red ink and a list of sources in Shinjou Yukio’s own handwriting.

“World Mythology Encyclopedia 1 – 11 by Kinugasa Tenkyou.”

Shinjou felt a small tremor in her spine when she read that name.

This girl had been the granddaughter of Shinjou Kaname and assisted by Sayama Kaoru, so what had she thought and hoped for as she read those books in the Kinugasa Library?

Shinjou did not know, but she felt as if she could sense something there. Something she could not put to words welled up within her.

…''It feels like a flame.

She had similarly thought her heart was burning when she had found this place.

After all, it burned bright, blew through her, and quickly grew.

Pulled by that heat in her thoughts, she closed the notebook.

“…”

She reached for the letters.

The action was much like reaching for the next book in a series when one wanted to know what happened next.

It was a casual and natural action and that was exactly what helped Shinjou realize how she felt.

“Yes. I want to know more.”

Hope filled her cheeks with slight heat as she looked at the first envelope.

She did not immediately look inside. She wanted to look at the outside more and more and make it all feel more important.

She checked the date. It was about half a year after the girl had entered high school.

The stamp was an old type not seen anymore.

The address was written in round handwriting using a ballpoint pen.

After making sure there was nothing else on the front or back, she finally gave permission to her curiosity.

She pulled out the letter.

She looked down at the folded and slightly faded paper and she closed her eyes.

“Please let me read you.”

With that said, she unfolded that first letter.

She found a photograph held between the folds and many words.

''“It has been a while.”

Shinjou’s eyes raced along the paper.

''“I have finally gotten used to living in the dorm. Do you see the boy and girl with me in the included photograph? I am not sure if I should call them my friends, but they are always with me.

''“There’s a lot of interesting things about those two, but I will leave it at that since I am not sure if I should talk about some of it yet. At any rate, I very much enjoy being with them.

''“However, I will tell you this much. Tragically, the girl lost both her parents recently. It was apparently a strange sort of murder, but her situation reminds me of when I lost my parents. Apparently, she is moving out of her house and it will be torn down.

''“But this means she will be my roommate now. Things are sure to be livelier, but I have never shared a room with someone my own age. I don’t know what is going to happen, but I am looking forward to it and I hope her parents can rest in peace.”

Shinjou checked the photograph.

Shinjou Yukio’s hair was a little longer and she stood below a cherry tree with a pair of classmates.

She was smiling.

And Shinjou recognized the boy and girl standing on either side of her.

…''Those are Sayama-kun’s parents.

She slowly breathed in and read the letter again.

What Shinjou Yukio was unsure if she should talk about was probably Sayama’s father.

That meant she had Sayama Kaoru’s son by her side.

…''I wonder if Sayama-kun’s father had realized the truth?

She was not sure.

Even if she had realized they both had a connection to Sayama Kaoru, mentioning it could damage their relationship.

…''And she wouldn’t want to damage that relationship like that.

Yukio may not have told Sayama’s father that she had been supported by Sayama Kaoru.

Shinjou nodded and reached for the other letter. She checked the postmark on the envelope, but…

“There isn’t one?”

There was not. The letter must have been delivered by hand.

Instead, the back of the letter inside contained a date: January 10, 1989.

''That’s sixteen years ago,'' she muttered in her heart while unfolding the letter.

The flowing handwriting in ballpoint pen began in the same way.

''“It has been a while.”

The words continued.

''“I have been unable to send a letter for a few years now. I apologize if I worried you.”

“Eh?”

Shinjou’s question was directed at the individual named Yukio who she had come to know through the various documents.

…''She didn’t seem like the kind of person to cut off contact like that.

She tilted her head, but the next words seemed to answer that confusion.

''“About two years ago, I moved to a new workplace and was unable to contact you from there.”

…''Eh?

Where had she gone and what had she been doing there? What had her previous workplace been?

The writing seemed to wash away those questions.

''“I am where I want to be now. I am in the best possible place for me.”

Shinjou held her breath and continued reading those words that rejected all complaints and protests.

''“Yes, there are people here who need my ability. The job is not exactly difficult, but please know that I am doing my best to work toward peace. And I am making use of what I learned. I worried a lot about the future, but I finally got married. I apologize for waiting so long to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. My child is doing well. She was born on December 25 of last year and she is sleeping next to me now.”

“…!?”

Shinjou’s entire body shrunk back when she saw the word “child”.

…''W-wait a second.

This was too sudden.

Things had jumped too far ahead from the words “workplace” and “job”.

''Um,'' she said as she began to think.

If Yukio was her mother, she would have been in UCAT.

That was what Mikoku had told her when they had met at Izumo UCAT a month earlier.

…''My parents were in UCAT.

Yukio claimed to have moved to a new workplace and that she was working toward peace in her job.

…''Did she join UCAT. And does that mean…she’s my mother?

Was she?

Shinjou did not know. She had to read on to find out.

However, she had read similar things so many times now, but none of it had told her what she wanted.

…''But this time…

She breathed in.

She tried to fill herself with strength using that breath, but something else filled her instead: shaking.

Her body shook, her shoulders shook, her arms shook, her fingers shook, and the letter shook.

As everything trembled, she focused her mind.

She only had a single chance to read something this important for the first time.

She cleared her mind as if casting aside her body and read the letter to leave no regrets.

She slowly read the words aloud.

“Director, I had considered letting you or our Daddy-Long-Legs name her, but in the end, I did it myself.”

Shinjou breathed in and made sure the words she spoke were carved into her mind.

“I want my child to be an energetic, thoughtful, and hardworking person like Yume, one of my first friends. But I don’t want this child to be exactly like her, so I gave her a different name. Yume’s name includes the character for ‘life’, so I wanted to give my child a name that will bear, raise, and protect life.”

The words practically spilled from Shinjou’s mouth and she finally reached the name.

“That name is Sadagiri.”

She stopped breathing, but her eyes continued moving.

…''That name hides the character for life within it and I hope it will allow her to face her destiny and cut through any evil that threatens her.

A broken breath escaped her throat.

Something trailed down her cheek.

She lowered her head and whatever it was fell from about halfway down her cheek.

She did not know what this tear meant. Why was she crying when she was not sad?

Regardless, the tear urged her to read the final line.

“This child has some difficulties regarding her body, but I am sure…”

She took in a shrill breath.

“I am sure she will grow into a wonderful child.”

Her voice no longer formed proper words.

“…!!”

She reflexively stood up.

The chair toppled behind her as she rose, opened her mouth, and leaned forward with her hands on the table.

“————”

She inhaled. She felt like she was swallowing something to endure it, hold it inside, and control herself.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

She tightly held herself and the letter as if to confirm everything about herself.

As if to confirm that she was here.

She trembled and bent over, but she still managed to open her mouth.

“…Mom.”

She spoke a word that she had always used as a mere noun and never to address someone.

Unsure if that word would actually reach anyone, she raised her voice.

“Mom…”

There were still things she did not understand, like her family name and what Yukio had done in UCAT.

However, she knew one thing for sure and she spoke that one thing.

“Mom!”

''My mom was probably in that Osaka battle too,'' she thought while squeezing her own body.

''I’ll probably never be able to see her again,'' she added.

Regardless, some records remained.

Even if she could never meet her, Shinjou Yukio had existed and there were records of her laughing, worrying, and being with others.

Most of the photographs were when she was younger than Shinjou, but that did not change the fact that she had existed.

And Shinjou had someone she could tell this to. She had someone to speak with about her mother.

…''I…

She informed that person in her heart.

…''I really do have a mom.

“She hoped that I would grow into a wonderful child.”

''Thank goodness,'' she thought.

She repeated that sentiment again and again and took a breath.

With that breath, so much from the past seemed to transform into relief.

“…”

And as she filled with that relief, she felt a certain sensation.

As she stood on her trembling legs, she felt something gently moving down the skin of her inner thighs.

“…?”

She almost felt like something had fallen from her leg, so she bent over.

She looked down at her feet and at the inside of her lower legs visible below her skirt.

“Blood?”

For an instant, she did not know what that blood was.

But a decision in her mind led her to speak aloud what was happening to her.

“My body is developing as a girl…”

The relief in her heart had changed her body’s pain and worry into something else.

She was filled with countless conflicting feelings like surprise and relief or tension and relaxation.

…''Now both Sadame and Setsu’s bodies are working.

She collapsed to a sitting position and felt her mind sinking into darkness.

Her body continued embracing the record of her mother as she sank down to the floor.

“Mom…”

She weakly spoke as she spilled to the floor with a teary smile.

“I’m glad I’m who I am.”

It was night and both the moon and stars were visible in the vast night sky.

This was not the city night. This was the blue night sky of the mountains.

A single light was visible below it.

The light was located in front of an abandoned house and storehouse built on land cut out of a mountain slope.

A white light shined in the center of the unmaintained yard.

It came from the handheld fluorescent light held by a boy in a suit.

It spread and illuminated both Sayama and his surroundings.

It was silent, so the only sound was the autumn’s night breeze blowing from the west of the mountain.

That high altitude wind would likely become a north wind before long and it was cold yet not entirely dry.

The wind carried the scents of the forest and it swayed in front of Sayama.

Someone stood in front of him.

“You came a long way, Nijun-kun.”

Sayama raised his light so it covered the other person.

The figure that was illuminated starting with the feet was an elderly man with long white hair and a white coat.

It was Nijun.

He lifted his coat a bit in the gentle breeze.

“How do you like the red shirt under here, Sayama-sama?”

“Wearing red at night is most stylish, Nijun-kun.”

Sayama swung his left hand forward to point at the man with a snap of the sleeve.

“But are you here to keep me from sleeping with my Shinjou-kun body pillow?”

“You can go to sleep if you want, but you know what will happen then, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he confirmed with a perfectly serious expression. “I will be in a state of bliss. After all, I will be using a Shinjou-kun body pillow. I cannot use that in the dorm, so-… No, I have Shinjou-kun herself in the dorm, so-… No, no. I can have Shinjou-kun dress up as a pillow and-… No, no, no…”

“Sayama-sama, please focus over here again.”

“Ah. You just interrupted my imagination, didn’t you!?” shouted Sayama. “The crime of imagination interruption warrants a direct punishment!!”

“Calm down,” said Nijun while holding out his palms. “You can see her as soon as you leave the mountains, can’t you?”

“Yes, you are right.”

He suddenly swung his right hand.

The light flew upwards. The thrown fluorescent light illuminated the area like an especially bright star.

Below it, Sayama slowly shrank down in preparation to move.

“You need to learn that being made to wait can be fun too, Mr. Stylish.”

“I have waited long enough already. That is why I had already made my way here last night.”

Nijun still had his hands held out to calm Sayama, but a moment later, paper appeared between all of his fingers.

They were charms.

“These charms were sealed inside Izumo UCAT. They temporarily strengthen the human body, but they were sealed because the backlash can be harsh enough to destroy the body afterwards. However, they could not bear to get rid of such a powerful tool because they thought they might need it in the future.”

“Let me guess, my father made them. That man clearly did not know how to restrain himself.”

By saying that, he weakened his chest pain, even if only a little.

The light began to fall toward the ground between them.

Just before it landed, Sayama asked a question.

“Why did my father need something like that?”

“Testament. For a battle. He had a battle to fight.”

Nijun placed the charms in his hands under the opposite arms.

“That battle ten years ago was the last one we could enjoy!!”

With those words, the light struck the ground and broke.

Using the resultant darkness as their cue, two bursts of speed collided.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_21|Chapter 21]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume11_Chapter_23|Chapter 23]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 33

2014-12-01T11:07:20Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 33: Persuader in the Chaos==
[[Image:Horizon3B_0151.jpg|thumb]]
''Now then

''What is going on here?

'''Point Allocation (Nothing to Do)

The commotion was located on Tama’s second underground floor. A residential wide block on the starboard side contained a scattered circle of people with a certain individual in the center.

“Horizon!?”

Asama, who wore her shrine maiden suit, and Kimi, who carried a wrapped loaf of bread, arrived just as Horizon was attempting to break free of the people.

The two of them ran past the circle of Musashi’s public morals committee which was armed with defensive equipment and they stopped five meters from Horizon.

In front of them, Horizon locked her room and reached for the two objects leaning against the wall: Lype Katathlipse and Aspida Phylargia.

“Nh?”

With the two Logismoi Oplo in hand, she noticed the travel backpack at the bottom of the wall.

Her hands were full, so she faced forward.

She stared directly ahead and took a breath.

“How very clumsy. What is the meaning of this, everyone?”

“Sh-she shifted the blame to all of us!!”

Asama stepped forward as she watched the girl try to put the bag on her back without putting down the two weapons.

“Um,” she began. “H-Horizon? Where are you going?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” she asked. “To save Toori-sama.”

Asama thought about what Horizon meant.

What she wanted was clearly impossible.

…''But how can I convince her of that?

She had not left with Tenzou and the others, but that was likely because she had not felt ready. Now that she had the equipment she deemed necessary, she would join them.

''What should I do?'' wondered Asama.

“You see, Horizon. We’re not flying over Hexagone Française anymore, so you missed your chance.”

“But I have determined I should rescue him.”

“Tenzou-kun and the others are taking care of that.”

“If I go too, I could help them.”

Asama groaned and was not sure what to say, so Horizon lifted up one of the Logismoi Oplo for the others to see.

“Look. I have Lype Katathlipse. It has not been of any use lately, I am beginning to suspect it will never actually hit anything again, and – to criticize myself – it feels like a bottom tier Logismoi Oplo, but it should be of some slight help.”

Gin’s shouting voice could be heard from beyond the crowd.

“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! Why have you fallen to your knees!?”

''Being its former bearer can’t be fun,'' thought Asama as Kimi stepped up next to her.

“Horizon, calm down.”

“Judge. I have determined I am exceedingly calm.”

“Then think about this more carefully.”

“Judge. I have thought about this exceedingly carefully.”

“Then aren’t you hungry? Want some bread?”

“Judge. I ate a proper meal earlier. I am perfectly prepared.”

“I see.”

Kimi nodded and placed a hand on Asama’s shoulder.

“You take care of this.”

“Y-you are completely useless! I can say that now, can’t I!? And why were you trying to tempt her with food at the end!? Did you give this any thought at all!?”

“Oh? Then you must have a great idea. If so, just tell us what it is. …Heh heh heh.”

“Y-you’re laughing because you don’t think I can, aren’t you!?”

She ignored everyone muttering “you’re letting her mess with you” and she began to think. And after five seconds…

…''Okay! I found a great plan!

“Asama, I doubt any idea you came up with that quickly will work.”

…''Shut up.

At any rate, she prepared to persuade Horizon by putting on a false smile and raising her right index finger.

“Now, are you listening, Horizon?”

“Oh? What is it?”

“You see,” she began. “This time, Tenzou-kun and the others are in charge of saving Toori-kun. Unfortunately, you are not part of that group.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because Tenzou-kun and the others can handle it just fine, of course!”

Asama gave a huge smile. ''This is what you call shrine maiden persuasion!'' she told herself while thinking this was sure to make her argument more effective.

In front of her, Horizon responded with an expressionless nod.

“I see. But can they really handle it?”

Asama paused for just an instant when asked that. ''Oh, no,'' she thought while maintaining her smile.

“O-o-o-of course! Of course they can! Tenzou-kun and the others can handle it easily!”

“How exactly?”

…''Ah! The specifics are hard!!

She paused again. ''I’ve messed up now,'' she thought while still maintaining the smile.

“W-well, they have Mary with them and Naito too!!”

'''Uqui:''' “May I ask why you shifted away from Tenzou so quickly?”

Still smiling, she karate chopped the sign frame that appeared to her right.

…''If the idea that Tenzou-kun and the others can handle it won’t work, I have to turn that idea on its head!!

With that conclusion, she spoke to Horizon with a smile.

“You can wait to go until Tenzou-kun and the others have been wiped out!!”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “You have guts to include Margot in that. I’m gonna make a doujinshi out of you.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “And how will we know they’ve been wiped out? Are you stupid?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “C’mon, everyone, be nice. Asama-chi has gone crazy again, so she can’t help it.”

''What do you mean “again”!?'', she thought, but now was not the time to respond.

“I see, I see,” nodded Horizon. “You have guts, Asama-sama. But how will we know they have been wiped out? Have you perhaps gone crazy? Are you okay in that sense, Asama-sama?”

…''She just summarized all three of their complaints!!

Asama very nearly fell to her knees, but the heir to Musashi’s representative Shinto family could not back down from persuading someone.

…''I have to argue my way out of this one!

“Asama, is it just me or has your goal here shifted a little?”

“Calm down,” she said while patting Kimi on the shoulder and facing Horizon again. “Why do you want to go save Toori-kun?”

''I can persuade her after hearing that,'' she thought.

“Why?”

After hearing Asama’s question, Horizon glanced up at the ceiling in thought.

“Well, to sum it up in a single word…”

“Oh!”

The girls and everyone else leaned forward in expectation. Asama did the same. As she wondered what the answer would be, the mass of worldly thoughts to her side brought her hands to her cheeks and wiggled back and forth.

“Heh heh. It’s ‘love’ or ‘romance’, isn’t it!? But ‘perversion’ or ‘sex’ work just as well! Wonderful!!”

Horizon nodded toward Kimi and gave her answer.

“ ‘Perverted love’?”

“That isn’t a single word, but it’s still lovely, Horizon!”

Kimi placed a hand on Asama’s shoulder with a smile.

“Help me out here.”

“Wh-why!? You set that up, so you deal with it!”

“Ehhh? But isn’t this how we do things?”

“I will admit I feel like I’ve always been cleaning up after your mistakes.”

Asama sighed and took a step toward Horizon. The girl did not seem to grow cautious, so Asama continued forward while dragging Kimi along.

She ignored Kimi’s strange and exaggerated cries of, “Ah, wait! C’mon, Asama. You’re so forceful. Stop trying to take me by force.”

“Do you not understand why either, Horizon?”

She stood in front of Horizon even as she thought this was a lot like dealing with a child.

…''But that’s exactly why she’s so serious.

Horizon tilted her head.

“Well, Toori-sama can be a pain, but when he is gone…”

“Oh? How does it make you feel?” asked the girls.

As their representative, Asama leaned eagerly forward at the front of the crowd. She of coursed ignored Kimi’s shouts of, “It makes you feel lonely, doesn’t it!? As your sister, I feel I’m a step away from hitting the jackpot!”

Horizon raised the hands holding the Logismoi Oplo and tilted her head.

“When Toori-sama is gone…”

“Y-yes? How does it make you feel when he’s gone?”

There was a three second pause.

“I have nothing to do.”

“You just use him to pass the time?”

Kimi tapped Asama’s shoulder with a dramatic expression, but Asama continued to ignore her.

Horizon however faced Asama and continued to speak.

“Mary-sama, Mitotsudaira-sama, and Naito-sama have gone to rescue him, but given the excitement this afternoon, they are clearly outmatched.”

That did seem to be the case, so there was nothing to say.

…''That’s a hard idea to overturn.

Kimi tapped her shoulder from behind again, so she finally turned around and glared at her.

“What?”

“She didn’t mention Tenzou!”

Without even tilting her head, Horizon glared back.

“Who?”

“S-see! I didn’t say anything because I knew she would react like that, so why did you have to bring it up!? And all while Tenzou-kun is doing his best to camouflage himself in the forest so he’s as plain and invisible as possible!!”

“You’re pretty awful yourself!”

She followed Kimi’s lead and danced out of the way of everyone’s shouts before facing Horizon again.

Horizon held up Lype Katathlipse.

“Listen,” she began. “I am Musashi’s greatest firepower. Opinions of this Logismoi Oplo may be dropping like a rock, but…

“Ah, Master Muneshige! Why did you fall to your knees again!?”

“But even this poor Logismoi Oplo should be useful as a long-range surprise bomber. I have determined it would be best to travel there and destroy the area in question.”

Asama suddenly looked at the other Logismoi Oplo she held.

…''Eh?

The indicator on Aspida Phylargia showed how much ether fuel it had stored inside and that indicator was about a third of the way full. However, she had supposedly used all of its fuel when firing
on Hexagone Française’s nudist and student council president.

Aspida Phylargia transformed any “pain” felt by its bearer into ether fuel, so…

“Horizon, you have been reading criticism directed at you on the divine network, haven’t you?” asked Kimi.

Horizon nodded.

“I still lack 7/9 of my emotions, so I have determined it is not causing all that much damage. As an automaton, I find myself mentally pointing out any theoretical errors in the criticism of the student council and I find myself agreeing with the logical criticisms. That is why it took so long to accumulate this much. So-…”

“No.”

Asama cut off Horizon.

“You must not fill Aspida Phylargia like that.”

Asama saw Horizon tilt her head.

“Why not? I only feel 2/9 of the emotional pain and we need the power at the moment.”

Asama understood what she was saying.

It was true the pain was lessened by Horizon’s lack of emotion and it was true they always needed the Logismoi Oplo to be ready. ''But,'' thought Asama. ''This isn’t a humanitarian issue.

“It is wrong for you to bear it all yourself, Horizon.”

“Why? I am the representative of the Far East. Or at least one of them. I am also Vicereine of Musashi. So why should I not take action to or prepare to rescue Musashi or its representative?”

She continued speaking.

“In Mikawa, I could have bought the Far East’s destiny with my life. In that case, shouldn’t I save the Far East even if it means harming that life?”

“Now that you mention it, I do agree that is a possible path for a ruler.”

“Wait, Asama.”

“It’s fine.”

She squeezed the hand Kimi placed on her shoulder.

“But, Horizon.”

She took a step forward.

“Please remember this. What we did at Mikawa ensured that you did not have to do that.”

So…

“This is the same. We will not sacrifice you alone. This is the path we chose at Mikawa and it is the path you chose at England.”

Horizon tilted her head in confusion, so Asama continued.

“You are the one that suggested saving Mary and we all acted on that suggestion. If someone is about to be lost, we will stop it. You are not the only one with that idea. We all want to do that.”

“Then,” said Horizon with a further tilt of her head. “If you want to do that, why are you not heading out to save Toori-sama?”

…''She had to go there, didn’t she!?

That was a difficult question to answer. She could simply say they were using everyone where they could help the most, but…

“What’s this, Asama? Do you not care about my foolish brother?”

“Y-you’re working against me, aren’t you, Kimi!? You’re definitely trying to complicate this!!”

She took in a breath and placed her hands on Horizon’s shoulders.

“Um, I would only get in the way of the others who went to save him. …I’m just not powerful enough.”

“Eh?”

Everyone else seemed to be working against her too because they all pulled back in surprise. Horizon, on the other hand, nodded.

“Oh, of course. Because you are not officially allowed to fire on people.”

“When you say that with your expressionless face, I can feel my own Aspida Phylargia meter rising.”

“You’re so silly, Asama. And listen, Horizon.”

“What is it, Kimi-sama?”

Kimi circled behind Asama.

“Listen. Asama has a job to do here. She has to use these breasts to counterbalance the people here who are severely lacking in that department.”

“S-stop that. Don’t try to lift them up from behind. And stop nodding in understanding, Horizon. …Ah. Sanyou-sensei!? Where are you going!?”

“Anyway,” said Horizon. “To sum up, I am being forbidden from leaving despite my strength because…”

“Yes, because we sent out people more suited for the job.”

''She’s finally calmed down,'' thought Asama with a mental sigh of relief.

“The people most suited for the job have already been sent out.”

At that point, footsteps and a voice reached them from behind.

“That’s right, Horizon. There is a good reason to keep you here on the Musashi. This is the best place for you right now.”

It was Masazumi.

Asama realized persuasion duty had finally been removed from her as Masazumi arrived next to her.

Horizon stared at Masazumi’s chest.

“I see you too are putting a burden on Asama-sama.”

“Eh? W-well, she does help me out a lot.”

“Judge.”

Horizon set down the Logismoi Oplo, placed her hands on Masazumi’s shoulders, and squeezed just once.

“Do not worry. Some people are into crazy things.”

“I’m not sure what you mean… What is this, Asama? Does it have anything to do with the breast enhancing poses the Aoi sister is making behind you?”

“No, no, no.” Sweating uncomfortably, Asama asked a question. “More importantly, why exactly do we need Horizon here?”

“Judge.”

Masazumi looked to Horizon’s tilted head and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s a simple matter. Horizon is the Vicereine. She takes on that responsibility in Aoi’s absence. Having the same authority as him makes her temporary chancellor and student council president.”

“…”

“And,” said Masazumi. “I only received word on the way here, but the Magdeburg representative wishes to hold a meeting. What a pain.”

With that last comment, she patted Asama’s back, Kimi’s back, and then Horizon’s shoulder.

“Things are rough up here and down below. Horizon, if you’re worried about things down there, you should worry about things here as well. We sent the best people we had for what needs to be done down there and you’re the best person we have for what needs to be done up here. …That’s all there is to it.”

''Thank goodness,'' thought Asama in silent agreement.

…''We all have something to do.

Toori had been taken, they did not know how the pursuit was going, and they were on their way to Magdeburg which would be sacked. Everyone was definitely worried and they needed to be distracted from that.

“We all need something to do.”

Asama’s thoughts soon turned to the people who had descended to the Hexagone Française forest. They had to be even more anxious than the people on the Musashi.

“I hope Mito is okay.”

“…!?”

Mitotsudaira suddenly came to.

An instant later, she realized she was in a dark and cold place.

She could sense her surroundings by scent more than sight, so she knew that this was a forest at night, that she was lying on a bed made of plants, and that she was naked for some reason.

“Okay, Mito-tsan. How about I get your clothes on?”

Naito’s upper body leaned forward from the right. She held a Far Eastern uniform.

The girl’s proposal to put the uniform on her prevented her from grasping the situation. Instead of feeling the girl was being kind, she was worried what the girl might do to her.

“No, um… Margot? Why are we out here? And I can…”

She stopped before saying “dress myself”. She had tried to sit up but found herself unsteady.

“You’re probably a little loopy from the pain reduction.”

“Um, I…”

“Yes, yes. Right, right.”

Naito nodded and showed no concern for what she was trying to say. She pulled Mitotsudaira the length of a lap closer and gave a pure smile.

“You were pretty beat up, but you heal nice and fast. I saw that side of you in England and this is mostly bruising, so you shouldn’t even need the pain reduction by tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Mitotsudaira leaned forward, found she could not stop herself, and collapsed. ''Ah,'' she thought as her chest and chin fell into the plant bed. Her legs fell out of place as well.

…''Th-this doesn’t mean my chest only sticks out as far as my chin!

Arguing when no one had said anything was a sad trait of someone in her class. She felt a little depressed when she wondered if that would stick with her forever, but she slowly managed to sit up again.

“If I have to get dressed, does that mean…?”

“Judge. We are in an Hexagone Française forest right now. Tenzou’s our leader. He says we have to move at night since they might notice the movement in the trees if we do it before the sun sets. But he says our pursuers will only move at night for the same reason, so we’ll be moving during the same time period and they can’t catch up.”

“Judge. Then, um, can you cut the pain reduction?”

“Eh? It’ll hurt a lot.”

“It will help me wake up a bit.”

“I see.”

Naito nodded and Mitotsudaira saw the Far Eastern uniform and tights in the girl’s hands.

“Um… I think I want to get dressed.”

“How about I help you?”

“No, I can do that on my-…”

“I really don’t think you can with the pain reduction.”

She approached while smiling and repeating “don’t worry”.

“I’ve practiced on Ga-chan. I like doing motherly thinks like dressing people up. It’s cute when they struggle.”

She moved behind Mitotsudaira and wrapped her arms around her.

“Here, let’s start with the tights.”

“No, um, wait! Don’t grab my legs- hyaaah! Wait! Um… Nn!”

Seeing her reaction, Naito’s mouth curved up in satisfaction and she nodded several times.

“I’m so glad I didn’t reduce your ticklishness. And I’m so glad I came to Hexagone Française.”

Tenzou and Mary were inside a pit in the forest. He had chosen this low area to the south because he predicted their pursuers would come from the north. In the center of the five meter space, he used an unlit sign frame to explain to Mary the surrounding terrain and what they would do.

“And that is why Hexagone Française will not be waiting at the Reine des Garous’s safe house. She is acting entirely on her own and has made sure everyone else stays away. That is why we must lose the pursuers before going there, but I will probably need your help when we travel. However, I will take the lead and the rest of you will follow in this order: Naito-dono, Mitotsudaira-dono, and then you. That way…”

Mary was listening intently, but he glanced down at her waist. “Eh?” she said while twisting her thighs together and adjusting the sides of her suit at the stomach.

“Um, did you see something strange?”

“Eh? N-no, not at all! Not in the slightest! I-I, um, was looking at Excalibur.”

The two Excaliburs floating at her hips moved. One moved to Mary and the other to him. They rubbed their cheeks against their elbows.

“Um, Master Tenzou? What did you want to say about these little things?”

''Little things?'' he thought. ''Oh, she’s treating them like pets.

For the time being, he spoke to the right half that had come to him.

“Can I ask you to protect Mary-dono?”

After floating for a moment as if in thought, it rubbed its cheek against him again.

It did not return to Mary, which meant…

“It’s taken a liking to you. It must know that you were the one that drew it.”

“I want to avoid leaving you unprotected, though.”

“Oh, my.”

She narrowed her eyes in the starlit depths of the forest and rubbed the scar running from above her nose and to her cheek.

“I can fight well enough on my own. In fact, I would prefer to leave that one with you. Not to mention that Lady Mitotsudaira is injured. I intend to look after her too.”

“I am glad to hear it. Please do so without pushing yourself too much.”
“Thank you,” she said while bowing.

He lowered his head even further.

“No, thank you, Mary-dono.”

“No, thank you.”

“No, no. Thank you.”

“No, no, no. Thank you.”

“Why are you two throwing yourselves on the ground toward each other?”

Hearing Naito, Tenzou frantically straightened up. Mary glanced toward him with a bitter smile, but he only shrugged and spoke.

“How is Mitotsudaira-dono doing?”

“Judge. I am right here.”

Mitotsudaira was leaning against a broad-leaved tree to the south.

“You must be exhausted,” he said. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Well, um, that is a different issue…”

She sighed and faced him.

“Do you have anything I could eat?”

Study:
[[Image:Horizon3B_0172.jpg|thumb]]

The Protestant Reformation – Protestantism and Catholicism

Toori: Sis! Sis! What is this Protestant Reformation thing!? Did the flat-chested people “protest” and demand their breasts be “re-formed” into something bigger!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Chest brother, during the Age of the Gods, the Protestant Reformation was when the unified Christian Church split into the Catholics and Protestants. It was caused by corruption in the church.

Toori: Had they fallen into what people call a decadent lifestyle!?

Kimi: More or less. They were interfering with politics, finding ways of making money, and – even if the lower levels weren’t – the upper levels had become a privileged class that ate and drank whatever they wanted and didn’t even follow the rules of the religion.

They even started making money off of the normal people by selling indulgences, which were supposed to purify your sins after you died if you bought them.

The witch hunt was also going on at the time, so there was a fear of being labelled a witch if you didn’t buy indulgences or donate to the church. The people were really left with no choice but to pay the church.

Toori: Doesn’t sound much different from the yakuza.

Kimi: Right. Some serious people within the church began speaking out against the hypocrisy of what they were doing. Soon, sects began popping up here and there trying to correct the actions of the upper levels of the church that they claimed were wrong.

Toori: Huh? But I thought Luther started Protestantism.

Kimi: You seem mistaken about something. Protestantism simply refers those who were “protesting”, so it wasn’t just a single group. Luther is the representative of one major group, he was the first to spread the Protestants’ shared ideas of restoring the Bible and clearing out the corruption, and he disliked conflict. That is why the churches and the lords that supported them decided to treat him as the representative of Protestantism.

And even if we call it all Protestantism, the different sects inside it have different precepts.

Toori: I see. So what did Luther do as their representative?

Kimi: Basically, he acknowledged Protestantism and defined its ideals. In other words, he made it an official sect when the church was going to treat them as heretics and he decided on their “teachings”.

'''Catholic:
*The pope is the head of the church and has the highest authority. Faith in god is guided by the pope.
*Worship of icons (the cross, images of Christ or the Virgin Mary) allowed.
*Sins are forgiven when confessed to the church.
*Divorce and contraception forbidden.
*Must periodically attend mass at a cathedral.
*Mary viewed as a saint.
*Has official priests for guidance.
*Primarily calls its buildings of worship “cathedrals”.

'''Protestant:
*The words of the Bible are the teachings of god and have the highest authority. Faith in god is guided by reading and understanding the Bible.
*Worship of icons forbidden.
*Confession not practiced.
*Divorce and contraception allowed.
*Mass not necessary outside of important ceremonies.
*Mary not viewed as a saint.
*No official priests and little organizational structure. A representative local believer is selected as a pastor.
*Primarily calls its buildings of worship “churches”.

Toori: That’s a lot of differences. Although it looks like they both have their pluses and minuses.

Kimi: Well, if you look past the differences, they both have the same objective to their faith: peace and love. So it feels like they could get along as long as they believe in that part.
Protestantism is said to excel on the frontier and in business, but that might be because it is more compact since it lacks mass and you could handle confession in your own heart.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 32|Chapter 32]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 34|Chapter 34]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 19

2014-09-22T13:33:15Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 19: One who Traverses the Sky==
[[Image:Horizon3A_0461.jpg|thumb]]
''What do you do

''With someone who arrived from far away

''And is leaving once more?

'''Point Allocation (See Them Off)

“Honestly, resolve can be a troublesome thing, ‘Musashi’-san.”

Sakai spoke while resting his elbow on the railing covering the edge of Okutama’s bridge. He was not smiling and his eyebrows were more lowered than anything.

“Musashi” responded while preparing a side table behind him with her gravitational control.

“Then should you not take up that resolve in the first place, Sakai-sama? Over.”

“I’m not sure I would say that.”

Sakai turned to the sky filled with the surrounding fleets, held up the document in his hand, and let the light of the sky shine through.

“Being too choosy is a troublesome thing too, ‘Musashi’-san. You end up deciding for yourself what you should be doing.”

He looked to Tama and then into the distance.

“Satomi Yoshiyori-kun thinks he should be making more of an appearance.”

“Is that another issue of taste, Sakai-sama? Over.”

“Musashi” prepared the tea on the side table as she spoke.

“Yoshiyori-sama should be meeting up with the others about now. I am very interested to see how he handles the way our people act.” She took a breath. “But if possible, I would like for everything to take a turn for the better. …Now, Sakai-sama, this is a new tea we bought in IZUMO. Let us hope it has a good flavor. Over.”

In Tama’s diplomatic district, Satomi Yoshiyasu and the Musashi group stood near the port side of the ship.

She saw Yoshiyori move after suddenly appearing next to them.

He grabbed Murasamemaru and passed it to Musashi’s secretary.

“If you can use it for something, then feel free to take a look. I can’t draw it before handing it to you, of course.”

He was so carefree as he did so that Yoshiyasu could not help but speak up as Musashi’s secretary held it up in both hands.

“Wait! That is my sister’s-…!”

“It is mine now. The safety is active and he has shown all respect in how he took it. There is nothing wrong with this, Yoshiyasu.”

“Do not-…!”

She spoke the words that could lead to “speak my name so lightly” or “hand Murasamemaru over so lightly”, but she swallowed those words as she was in front of the Musashi group.

“What would you do if something happened!?”

She felt that was an acceptable question for the student council president to ask the chancellor, but Yoshiyori gave a troubled smile as he answered.

“You have that wooden sword, don’t you? If something happens, please take care of it.”

“But…I… This is more to make an attack than for self-defense.”

“She was serious,” muttered the people around her in shock. Musashi’s vice president’s comment of “Huh? But isn’t that normal?” seemed oddly out of sync with the others, but it was the most understandable. Meanwhile, Yoshiyasu lowered her head and wondered what to do.

She realized she could never stand up to Yoshiyori. That is, to this man or her sister.

But then…

“More importantly, hurry up and change. The divine protection of your hard points will have a temporary contract while you stay on the Musashi, but I doubt it takes the morning chill into account.”

His hand suddenly pushed on her back.

The sensation, weight, and hardness of his hand caught her by surprise.

“…!”

She brushed his hand away.

…''Ah.

She lightly knocked his hand upwards and she could see a look of slight surprise on his face past that hand.

''Oops,'' she thought. After all, she recognized the sensation of that push on her back.

…''That was when my sister was still alive.

She recalled their walk home from the academy. When she had still been in middle school, her sister and this person had already joined the student council or chancellor’s officers and they had been her pride.

“…”

When she had walked between them but got so caught up in talking that she started falling behind, they had often pushed her onward like that.

Brushing his hand away now felt like rejecting those days as well.

And she saw his shoulders droop.

“Sorry.”

She did not want him to say that.

It gave her a reason to keep all her thoughts bottled up inside. But now that he had apologized, she could not say anything more.

“…”

She decided to simply remain silent. Just as he had instructed her to. That was what she had to do now.

Once they met again after a short while, they could continue on like normal. However…

“Yoshiyasu-sama?”

A voice with not even a hint of sharpness spoke her name, took the hand she had used to knock his away, and held it.

It was an automaton who tightly held her wrist and prevented her from walking any further. The automaton’s silver hair shook and turned an expressionless gaze her way.

“Musahi’s Vicereine Horizon Ariadust?”

She understood there was anger in her voice and she understood she simply wanted to escape this current conversation, but that understanding only drove her voice louder.

“What do you want!?”

“Judge,” calmly replied Musashi’s princess. “I too think I would get a chill while dressed that lightly.”

“Oh? What is the matter, Yoshiyasu-sama? Why did you suddenly fall to your knees? Don’t tell me the cold has gotten to you.”

'''Asama:''' “Yeah… I’m not sure whether to say this was unexpected or exactly what I expected.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh. Heh heh heh. That was well done even for my future little sister. Horizon, you go in for a slow-paced domination no matter who it is, don’t you!? I can always count on you!”

“At any rate,” said Horizon as voices came from the ditch.

“Dressed lightly? Chilly?”

She gave thumbs up to those voices and pulled Yoshiyasu to her feet. After that, she did not hesitate to turn her glaring eyes toward the girl.

“How about you apologize, Yoshiyasu-sama?”

“F-for what?”

“For rejecting the person who was concerned for your health. …I am not saying you must thank him for that. If I did, it would mean you must thank me as well.”

“I-I don’t have to apologize for that.”

“Judge. I see.” Horizon nodded and turned toward Yoshiyori. “Then I shall apologize in your place. I am terribly sorry for-…”

Just as Horizon began to bow, Yoshiyasu let out a shout to stop her.

“Waaah! Wh-why are you doing that!?”

“It is a simple decision,” answered Horizon. “If you do not do what you should, you will be left with regret. That is all there is to it.”

Yoshiyasu listened to Musashi’s princess.

“Listen. If we assume that it is your policy to not apologize, then I will apologize here in your stead. Then, if you happen to regret this event, please let me know. I can tell you there is nothing to worry about.”

“Y-you don’t have to do that.”

“Then what will you do about it?”

Yoshiyasu glanced at Yoshiyori who stood past Horizon who was tilting her head and past the brown algae peeking out of the ditch.

He was looking away and his shoulders were shaking, so she felt the heat of a blush.

“Don’t laugh!!”

“See, Yoshiyasu-sama? You are already regretting this, aren’t you? I do not understand the details or subtleties as I do not have the emotion of embarrassment, but we can apologize together which is like a 50% reduction in the burden.”

Horizon started first and Yoshiyasu followed a beat later.

“I’m sorry,” said Yoshiyasu before raising her head.

She bit her lower lip and looked up at Yoshiyori. He returned her gaze, suppressed his laughter, and took a breath before speaking.

“That must have been difficult.”

“Why you…!”

Masazumi saw Horizon place her hand on Yoshiyasu’s raised shoulder.

“Ah?”

Having completed her duty, Yoshiyasu turned toward Horizon with plenty of hostility in her gaze.

…''Wait a second.

''Is this really okay?'' she wondered just before the expressionless automaton spoke calmly to the girl.

“You did well, Yoshiyasu-sama. That was a difficult mission, but humans can accomplish seemingly impossible things if they put their mind to it. Recently, a ninja with a speech impediment acquired a wife with breasts far beyond what he deserves and an idiot took my hand in an execution space and brought me home. Clearly, death flags are not at all that they are cracked up to be.”

“I don’t think you need to go that far.”

“And that is why I have determined that regret is easily created.”

“I don’t really get it,” said Yoshiyasu with a sigh.

However, it seemed her thoughts had cooled down, so Masazumi and the others lowered their shoulders in relief.

Masazumi then saw the girl fix the coat on her shoulders and speak to Yoshiyori.

“Why are you here?”

“I had an urgent matter to discuss with Ariadust’s Principal Sakai and the automaton with him mentioned that this…that Musashi’s chancellor and student council president was having fun with the others here. I decided to come greet him.”

“If you wish to greet someone, I can do so as the vice president. …And it probably would have turned out that way regardless, so don’t worry about it.”

“Testament. I see. But I did want to discuss something with him.”

“Eh?”

Everyone’s faces twisted into frowns and Masazumi finally spoke up.

“U-um, did our idiot do something wrong?”

“Does that Pharaoh Wakeup Call not count?”

Masazumi and everyone else ignored her.

After Neshinbara returned Murasamemaru to him, Yoshiyori suddenly looked up into the sky and spoke.

“Well, how should I put it? I just wanted to thank him.”

'''Worshipper:''' “Is he using ‘thank’ as a euphemism here?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “The only ones who can intervene in a duel between chancellors are Masazumi and Futayo, right? What should we do? Abandon him?”

'''Uqui:''' “Why did you only offer one option?”

Everyone crossed their arms in thought and Yoshiyori laughed.

“It’s just that he helped to save a part of me. The emotional part of me.”

“I see.”

Everyone nodded and Masazumi gave a sigh of relief.

“In that case, how about you visit him later? If we bind his hands and feet, he can’t do anything wrong.”

…''Please reject the offer!!

Her silent pleading must have reached him because he shook his head.

''Thank goodness! Oh, thank goodness!'' she thought while he spoke to her.

“I saw him last night and I’ve gotten an idea of what kind of person he is. …But if I’m going to speak with someone, I like to have a thorough conversation,” he said. “Yes, if I’m going to speak with him, it would probably be after you safely arrive in Edo. Then you will need to speak with Satomi about quite a bit, including political issues.”

Everyone nodded in understanding, but one person tilted her head: Suzu.

“Sato…mi?”

“Um, what’s the matter, Suzu-san?”

“Oh…right.”

Suzu nodded, but seemed to have difficulty forming the words in her heart. But after taking a few breaths, she spoke to Yoshiyori.

“In…Edo?”

“Testament. How about we make a promise to that end? In fact, I would appreciate it if you promised that. We would like to have a connection with Matsudaira.”

As he spoke, Yoshiyasu took in a breath and began to walk.

“I’m going on ahead.”

With that, she stepped forward and Yoshiyori followed.

They almost looked like siblings walking together.

'''Asama:''' “Lady Yoshiyasu sure makes things difficult for herself, doesn’t she?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “If only they got along a little better. Then I could make a doujinshi out of it.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Don’t look down on them like that!!”

However, the two of them eventually disappeared into the streets of the diplomatic city and the others turned to each other. Masazumi exchanged a glance with each of them while wondering what to make of all this.

“Anyway, we need to prepare to leave por-…”

Just as she said that, another voice reached them.

“Oh, why are you all standing around here? Lining up for my target practice?”

It was Yoshitsune.

Everyone looked into the sky off the edge of the ship.

A cloud floated just a bit above eye-level and that cloud was shaped like a ship measuring several hundred meters long. Straight swords pierced into it in places, large charms were attached here and there, and it appeared to have red thread wrapped and hardened around it. Several people and pieces of cargo were loaded on top of it and a tent was set up.

Naomasa let out a whistle as she looked across the cloud.

“Sage Cloud Ships with an Oat-spell cowling are pretty rare. They must be in a rush to get back and the ship they came on wasn’t going to cut it.”

The cloud was floating by in the sky approximately 120 meters away and it had likely left the land port located near the Musashi.

The wind carried the Sage Cloud Ship beyond the torii-shaped gantry cranes that surrounded the Musashi.

Yoshitsune looked at the Musashi and gestured behind her for the Satou Brothers to move the ship in closer.

“Lady Yoshitsune, that violates the port control laws!”

“Pipe down. We’re leaving anyway. As long as we don’t hit them, it doesn’t matter. And even if we do, we can just run away. …Now, then.”

With that, she faced those on the Musashi and jumped toward them.

Gin’s eyes opened wide at the sight before her.

…''What?

Even after approaching, the Sage Cloud Ship was still about a hundred meters from the Musashi. Nevertheless, the short long-lived woman acted like she was hopping over a small stream.

“Hah.”

She rose up and the dim light of the morning sky washed over her back.

Once her leap reached its peak, she descended and finally…

“There.”

Yoshitsune nimbly landed in front of them.

It was a light landing. She did not have to eliminate her momentum, she did not pitch forward, and the deck could not be heard shaking beneath her. She then walked over.

“Hey, Masazumi.”

The rest of the group seemed a little disturbed.

“H-hey, Seijun. I think an athletic and eccentric person is calling for you.”

“Eh? Wh-what? All of a sudden…right in front of me?”

“Come here, Suzu-san. Something crazy just happened, but you don’t need to worry because Masazumi will do something about it. We can watch from over here, okay?”

“Hey, wait,” said Masazumi, but Gin and everyone else had already moved about three steps away.

And just as Yoshitsune arrived in front of her, two people stepped forward as if nodding. One was Honda Futayo. And the other…

…''Ah.

It was Tachibana Muneshige.

The two of them kneeled before Yoshitsune.

“Please teach us the secret to that technique! Just telling us is enough!!”

Gin took a deep breath when she saw and heard what Muneshige did and said.

…''Honestly.

Ever since arriving on the Musashi, he had considerately spent a lot of time with her, but even so, he had been giving everything he had to the training the ninja was giving him.

…''But he has not forgotten to look above and beyond what he is being given.

What did it mean for that injured boy to ask for the same thing as Honda Futayo, who was fulfilling her role as vice-chancellor?

…''It means he is thinking about more than just recovering.

He was not simply going to take back what he had once been. He would stand alongside the warriors who were continuing forward.

“He is trying to look beyond that,” she muttered while relaxing her shoulders.

…''There is nothing to worry about.

She was confident he would accomplish this and she decided to support him as he did so.

Yoshitsune then faced the two who had stepped forward.

“That technique? You mean the Hassou Tobi?”

“Judge!”

“I see.”

Yoshitsune scratched at her head, repeated “I see” a few more times while nodding, and looked to her own feet.

…''Is she going to explain it?

Gin lightly clenched her fists in expectation and watched Yoshitsune lift up her right foot and look at the sole of her shoe.

“How ''do'' I do that?”

Gin felt dizzy and almost collapsed.

“Ah, Gin! Gin! Are you okay!? Wait! Don’t bring out your Arcabuz Cruz!”

“Kh. …H-how disgraceful of me. But I see this is the ‘nice cushion’ I have heard so much about.”

Masazumi did not need to turn around to understand the commotion behind her, so she looked to Yoshitsune’s feet instead.

“Do you have something installed in your shoes for that?”

“No, I think it’s a martial arts technique. You know the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, right? Those idiots in the Taira clan provoked me from a distant ship. They kept calling me stupid and flat chested. At the time, I was more forgiving, so I decided to let them off with nothing but a drawn sword up the ass.”

She lowered her hips to go through the motions of a jump.

“But how did I do it again?”

She straightened back up, crossed her arms, tilted her head, and frowned.

“Come to think of it, I’d never thought about why I can do that. Everyone always said ‘That’s Lady Yoshitsune for you!’ or ‘It’s just like the ↓↑ command!’, but I’ve never been asked how it works.”

She raised a hand to the two kneeling in front of her.

“If I have some time, I’ll look into it. That’s good enough, right?”

…''Why do I get the feeling she won’t be able to figure it out?

Masazumi suddenly realized she was looking at all this terribly objectively.

“Lady Yoshitsune, can these two leave if they are satisfied with that answer?’

“Yes, it takes guts to fearlessly ask the leader of Qing-Takeda for one of her techniques. Does this mean everyone in the Far East loves me?”

It was unclear how she had reached that conclusion, but it may not have been far from the truth. The corner of her mouth rose and she looked to Futayo and Muneshige who were still kneeling.

“I doubt it’s something I can do because I’m long-lived or because I’m me. If so, either all the long-lived would be doing it or everything I did would be like that. Also, I don’t think it’s a spell.”

“Really?”

The slight surprise in Muneshige’s voice seemed to please Yoshitsune.

“I find that spell stuff to be a pain.” She nodded. “But the long-lived are a type of non-human and thus have a close connection to ether, so I’m probably instinctually using ether on a lower level.”

“In that case,” muttered Futayo. “You are probably strengthening your body in a small way or stabilizing the environment around you. It would be much like the divine protection provided by our hard point parts.”

“You like making things complicated, don’t you? Then again, it’s possible what I do ‘instinctually’ is on a higher level due to my age or race. I have lived about thirty times longer than any of you.”

“Eh?” said Ohiroshiki behind them. “You false little girl! Y-you dare defile my life worshi-… Ah, what do you think you’re doing!? Stop! This is not the time for physical comedy! And stop marking my primary acupuncture points just to make a connection to Qing-Takeda!!”

“You lot sure are noisy.”

Masazumi nearly replied with “so are you”, but she held her tongue.

“Anyway,” said Yoshitsune while waving for the two kneeling students to move back. “Try to pull it off in your own way. Just don’t think you can reach my level.”

After that smiling instruction, the two of them said “judge” and stepped back.

“Now, Masazumi. We talked about a lot last night, but there’s one thing I forgot to ask.”

“Eh? What’s that?”

“Your surname. It would be rude not to know it.”

'''Asama:''' “I feel like that proves just how wild last night’s meeting was.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “I know what you mean. It was like a reactionary thing between people who barely knew each other. Kind of like the meeting version of tsujigiri.”

It had not been her fault, so Masazumi ignored what everyone was saying and looked Yoshitsune in the eye.

“Honda. My name is Honda Masazumi.”

“Honda?”

“It’s a common surname in Mikawa.”

“I see.” Yoshitsune gave a single nod that almost seemed meant to convince herself. “Since you told me that, you can ask me something. And I really will answer it.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Ask her if it saddens her that she’s stuck like that for her entire life.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Ask her why she’s so self-important.”

'''Asama:''' “Ask her how to live a life free of stress.”

Masazumi deleted all of the sign frames that Tsukinowa kept bringing up.

…''A question, hm?

The previous night, she had heard a lot about politics and about Yoshitsune’s thoughts as a ruler.

In that case, something more realistic would be better. Something related to Musashi’s situation.

…''And something she would know.

She could come up with a number of questions: What will P.A. Oda do now? Can the Musashi really safely arrive in Qing-Takeda? Why did Lord Matsunaga ask us to wait until 3:15? However, Yoshitsune would only be able to guess at those answers and she was unlikely to give the answer even if she did know it.

Just as she wondered what to choose, light suddenly reached her.

It was the morning sun.

Before a single thought could reach Masazumi’s mind, light washed over the port side of the Musashi which lay north to south with its bow to the south. Looking east and therefore port from Tama, the second starboard ship, she could see Musashino being illuminated from behind.

“Ah…”

Looking in that direction reminded her of something.

“Lady Yoshitsune, there is something I want you to tell me, but it does not have to be now. Simply tell me whenever you figure something out or learn something new.”

“Hm? And what’s that?”

Masazumi answered Yoshitsune who held a hand up toward the morning sun.

“It’s related to the Apocalypse I mentioned yesterday.”

It was…

“The Princess Disappearances. If you learn or figure out anything related to that, please tell me.”

Masazumi saw a change in Yoshitsune’s expression when she heard the question.

Her eyebrows rose, but she gave a snorting laugh.

“Hah. That’s quite a strange question.”

“Do you know what it is?”

Masazumi tried asking, but Yoshitsune shook her head.

“No. Like I told you last night, I don’t know anything about the Apocalypse. So if I do know anything, it’s nothing more than you know. About thirty years ago, a group led by a so-called Princess began making people disappear. As far as I know, they grew more active about ten years ago and whenever it happens…”

Yes.

“They leave behind an incomplete erotic symbol.”

“What idiot told her that!? The Satou Brothers!?”

Masazumi shouted toward the Sage Cloud Ship that had begun to move away and the Satou Brothers began pointing at and hitting each other. Meanwhile, Kimi stopped covering her ears and waved a finger.

“Heh heh heh. S-see, it’s just like I said! That erotic symbol is known the world over! The world over! It looks like the P-P-P-Princess Disappearances aren’t a h-horror story at all! Unpopular boys and girls who worship the god of erotic encouragement are abducting secret perverts like Asama to gather them all together!”

“I-I am not a secret pervert! And stop pointing at all the unpopular people like that! Sometimes the truth can hurt people, you know? …Ah! Where are you running off to, Sanyou-sensei!?”

“Um, Yoshitsune, you can ignore all that. It’s nothing but human-shaped background noise.”

“I’m not quite sure how to put it, but you’ve got a self-sufficient system set up there, don’t you? But anyway,” said Yoshitsune. “I’ve looked into it out of curiosity. After all, the word used for Princess is of Chinese origin. I reached out to Houjou, Satomi, and Sviet Rus, but I couldn’t find any of the details.”

Masazumi was about to voice her understanding, but she stopped when Yoshitsune continued.

“But there’s one direction I did not check in.”

Sviet Rus was to the north, Satomi to the east, and Houjou to the south.

However, she had said nothing about the west. And the nation to Qing-Takeda’s west was…

“How did your investigation to the west…to P.A. Oda turn out?”

“Well,” said Yoshitsune in a light tone that said she had nothing to hide. “P.A. Oda has completely sealed off its central cities and regions. They’re using ley line reactors to put up stealth and defensive barriers, so no one can get in easily.”

“I take it you did manage to get people in.”

“But they never came back. They met a similar fate to the spies the nations once sent to Mikawa. They were all later found turned into otaku in Nipponbashi or Akihabara.”

Masazumi heard a few weak comments of “that sounds tough” from behind her.

However, Yoshitsune crossed her arms, gave a deep nod, and suddenly used her chin to point to the north.

“In England the other day, that Maeda boy drew that incomplete erotic symbol when he left, right? That confirmed a few rumors about the Princess Disappearances.” She widened her mouth in a smile. “I’ve been casually looking into a lot of this, so I know a few things.”

“Such as?”

As soon as Masazumi asked that, Yoshitsune opened her mouth and sang a song.

“Let me pass, let me pass

“If I follow this narrow path, where will it take me?

“This narrow path leads to the gods in heaven

“Your opinion is not needed. You cannot pass through here

“I have come to celebrate the eight souls 

“By dedicating these two powers

“Going may be easy, but returning is frightening

“Can I pass despite my fear?”

It was the Song of Passage, but Masazumi felt her back stiffen and she asked about it.

“Why did you sing that song?”

“Long ago, there was an incident that happened in real time. Yes, a very long time ago, a great number of people were taken away and a song much like this one guided them.”

Before Masazumi could ask what that was, Naito gave the answer.

“That’s a story from M.H.R.R., isn’t it? Probably, anyways.”

“Yes. Well done, German descended angel. I refer to the Pied Piper of Hamelin.”

Yoshitsune opened her mouth in a crescent moon shape and produced sound through it.

“In 1284, a piper in M.H.R.R. caused a great number of children to go missing. It occurred several times in many places over several hundred years, but there is almost no documentation of it and the oral stories are very inconsistent. To kill a bit of time, I looked into it whatever information I could find, including hearsay, but I found myself with countless different theories.”

“That’s right,” agreed Neshinbara who opened quite a few sign frames as everyone focused on him. “I looked into it a while back to see if I could use it in my writing, but there are all sorts of theories. Some say it was the work of slavers and some say it’s a story about a group leaving the city of Hamelin in search of freedom.”

“Yes. To put it another way, if you removed the symbol of the Piped Piper, it could be the result of war, plague, slavers, bandits who used to be mercenaries, or the people themselves escaping or relocating so their feudal lord couldn’t find them. …There was once a time when it was pretty common for an entire town to just vanish.”

“But,” said Neshinbara. “Isn’t it a bit of a stretch to connect that to the Princess Disappearances? After all, they only began about thirty years ago, so they wouldn’t be connected to the Hamelin event from almost four hundred years a-…”

“Are you just going to ignore how similar the events are, boy?” asked Yoshitsune. “And with Hamelin and the similar incidents, the children who began to be taken away but turned back all said the same thing.”

“And what was that?”

“Testament,” she replied. “They said a straight path continued through the fog and they turned back once they got scared. If the line down the middle of the incomplete erotic symbol is a path, then this is very interesting indeed.”

“…”

Yoshitsune’s comment left everyone speechless, but she continued on.

“Of course, there are often hints of a ‘guide’ or a ‘path’ in other disappearances such as when someone is spirited away. But in that case…”

Masazumi realized what she was getting at.

“You mean the Princess Disappearances aren’t some paranormal phenomenon and someone is causing them?”

“Yes, but the guide and path don’t have to be human. It often involves an earth spirit or a half-Youkai ghost like a Funayurei.”

Everyone nodded in understanding and Asama did as well.

“The shrines are also studying it as a possible curse. It causes a large-scale disturbance in the ley lines, so it is possible a spirit or monster that lures people in has combined the foundation of its being with the ley lines.”

“That’s right,” agreed Yoshitsune.

Meanwhile, the Sage Cloud Ship continued to ascend into the southern sky without slowing. The Satou Brothers were grabbing at each other’s collars, but they suddenly cried out.

“Ah! Lady Yoshitsune! Hurry back onboard!!”

“Quiet! I’ll be right there.”

After that, she sighed and looked to the Sage Cloud Ship.

“Masazumi, do you know the Hamelin story?”

“In general.”

“Remember this: One took them away, one hundred and thirty were taken away, and two were left behind. At the time, that’s what everyone was whispering about the story. So what about now? Just how many people will be caught up in the Princess Disappearances?”

Masazumi was unable to say she did not know because Yoshitsune had already made her jump. And she gave a few words of parting.

“But other than that, look forward to what happens at 3:15.”

Masazumi looked up as Yoshitsune leaped into the sky and Futayo and Muneshige took a step forward.

The M.H.R.R. and Hexagone Française ships deployed there seemed to surround the heavens and the rising sun.

Yoshitsune leaped.

…''Really, how do I jump like this?

“Well, I can leave that to those young ones.”

She kicked off one of the gantry cranes surrounding the Musashi to correct her direction. That would be enough to reach the Sage Cloud Ship that had gone on ahead. While flying southward, she looked toward the city of IZUMO to the west on her right.

“Matsunaga?”

She saw Matsunaga Danjou Hisahide. He had his attendants with him and he was bowing toward a farmhouse outside the city. An old woman stood up straight within the farmhouse’s fence.

…''Is he visiting an acquaintance?

She saw two of his attendants placing something inside the fence. It was wrapped in paper and looked like a pillar, but it was apparently very heavy.

''I wonder what it is,'' she thought. ''Well, it’s none of my concern.

She then realized she had been looking to the side for quite a while.

“Ah! Lady Yoshitsune!!”

Her knee landed a solid blow on the Satou Brothers who had moved to the edge of the ship to greet her.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 18|Chapter 18]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume4 Chapter 18

2014-09-15T18:13:40Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 18: Demand for Pain==
[[Image:OnC_v04_0119.png|thumb]]
''Will you bring yourself pain by seeking that which once caused you pain?

''And what will you do about that which you once sought?

The curtain of night fell over the mountains of Okutama.

Beyond the UCAT facility was a world different from reality.

It was the 1st-Gear reservation. A space with a one kilometer radius was normally filled with greenery, but it could not be seen in the night.

Light spilled from the windows of the houses and temporary residences in the space and smoke rose from the chimneys on the roofs.

But one stone house in the center was a bit different.

It had no front wall. It appeared to have originally had one, but it had been destroyed.

Light filled the inside of that broken house.

Two people could be seen within: a half-dragon covered in a black shell and an old man wearing a lab coat.

They sat opposite each other on bamboo benches placed on the dirt floor.

Between them was a Go board covered in black and white Go pieces.

The half-dragon puffed out his chest and folded his arms while the old man leaned forward and stared at the game board.

The old man then placed a hand on his chin and spoke.

“Fasolt, I would be unbeatable if we were playing gunjin shogi.”

“When we did that, you dropped the landmine piece and it exploded, Ooshiro Kazuo.”

“Yeah, that caused a lot of damage. To me.”

Ooshiro sighed and Fasolt tilted his head.

“I hear the Leviathan Road with 2nd-Gear was progressing well.”

“Y-you really like to get to the heart of the issue right away, don’t you?”

“If a storyteller tells his story in a roundabout way, the truth will escape, Ooshiro Kazuo. That Sayama Mikoto and Shinjou are working on it, aren’t they?”

“Shinjou-kun is the problem. You know about her lie, right?”

“I see,” said Fasolt. “So she is thinking about revealing her lie to Sayama Mikoto?”

“How did you know?”

“It is the proper path for a story, Ooshiro Kazuo. A princess always possesses a secret.”

“A princess? When did you start talking about fairy tales, Fasolt?”

Fasolt ignored that comment.

“Your father was involved in the destruction of 2nd-Gear and you cannot give them very much information, so you cannot get too involved with their issues here. Is that it?”

“Fasolt, you’re great at summing things up.” Ooshiro set down a Go piece. “But I also feel like I’m losing my nerve when it comes to my father.”

“That proves you are young. Once you reach my age, you almost never hesitate.”

“Really?”

“Really. The other day, Fafner made some unnecessary comments about his pulp production job, so I did not hesitate to deck him. That wall there was a victim of our little family battle. It makes me think hesitation might be a good thing.”

Ooshiro turned toward the destroyed front wall of the house.

“I see you are living a fulfilling life. …So how is Fafner?”

“He is performing the ceremony of repentance.”

“The ceremony of repentance?”

“I tie a rope to him and hang him upside down off of the cliff out back for three days. That should get him to repent, but if he doesn’t, I just have to swing him around real good and let him hang for another three days.”

“That isn’t repentance! That’s forced mind alteration!”

Fasolt naturally ignored that comment and set down a Go piece.

“At any rate, the young have plenty of energy and a healthy amount of hesitation. 2nd-Gear has no long-lived types, so the young can hesitate and find their own answer while young.” He let out a deep laugh. “But as a member of 1st-Gear, something else is bothering me. I heard an older group is on the move. German UCAT’s strongest witch is here, isn’t she?”

“You mean Diana-kun? As you know, she is Siegfried’s niece, but…”

“I have heard the rumors, but I never thought that man’s niece would help out 1st-Gear.”

Ooshiro nodded.

“We live in a different age now. Anyway, it seems Diana-kun is interested in Team Leviathan.”

“And?”

“She knows about UCAT’s blank period. That should tell you all you need to know, right? Someone who knows a part of UCAT’s past not even you know has returned to check on the Leviathan Road.”

And…

“I do not know what she has been thinking for the past ten years, so I would like to give her an assistant who can keep an eye on her.”

“In that case, I know the perfect person,” confidently declared Fasolt. “1st-Gear has someone who will not be outdone by a German UCAT witch. Do not hesitate here, Ooshiro Kazuo. This is for the sake of that Sayama Mikoto and Shinjou of Team Leviathan which brought 1st-Gear to your side.”

The design room in UCAT’s second basement was suddenly filled with tension due to a single person.

That person was Kashima.

He was soaking wet. His white work uniform was dark with moisture and his usually orderly hair was dripping water and sticking to his face and neck.

His left arm held a thick waterproof envelope and his right hand was stained almost up the elbow with mud.

However, he did not seem to care. His wet footsteps continued straight forward.

He was headed for the very back of the room. The back wall contained a large projector and a single desk sat in front of it. This open space which was not divided off by a partition belonged to Tsukuyomi.

She had been staring at the photographs taken of Susaou, but she suddenly looked up.

She saw Kashima arrive from the entrance. She watched the source of the room’s tension.

“Have you made up your mind, Kashima?”

She smiled as he approached her without nodding.

He remained silent, but his expression was composed and showed no hesitation or strength.

She nodded inwardly as she watched him. This was a good sign.

Suddenly, a young man stood up from a partition on the right.

The short haired man in a lab coat was an engineer who had only joined three years prior. His name was Mikami.

From what Tsukuyomi could remember, he had a poor impression of Kashima.

Mikami was a pure metal casting and swordsmithing family of 2nd-Gear. Back when the Gear still existed, the Kashima family had overtaken them and they had given up the position of #1 when it came to swords.

That was likely why Mikami was stopping Kashima.

With a single footstep, he quickly moved toward Kashima from the right.

“Manager Kashima, you should not carelessly enter the design room while soaking wet. We deal with fire and forging metal in this department, so-…”

He trailed off because of the look in Kashima’s eyes.

Kashima did nothing but look at Mikami.

Nevertheless, Mikami lowered his hands and backed away.

No one laughed at Mikami’s decision.

Silence fell once more, the tension grew, and Kashima continued toward Tsukuyomi.

His eyes held no strength, but they had not lost their strength either.

“Why are you here?” asked Tsukuyomi.

“The Leviathan Road between 2nd-Gear and Low-Gear will take place at this time in two days.”

“How will it be carried out?”

As soon as she asked, the door to the design room opened and a song entered.

“Iiii am as strong as Ebolaaaa! Eeeeven if you bow down before me, you’ll shit out your large intestiiiine!”

All the others ducked back into their partitions out of fear. Atsuta had arrived.

Tsukuyomi saw Kashima fall silent and put on a grim expression.

“You sure are in a good mood, Atsuta. Why are you here?”

“Wait, why’re you here? I thought you quit and went home to grope your wife’s tits?”

Kashima gave an exasperated look and sighed as Atsuta walked up next to him.

He glanced over at Tsukuyomi and then back at Atsuta.

“You know, the work day isn’t over yet. Also, that was sexual harassment against my wife. Why are you here?”

“I have a good reason, but I’m not going to tell someone who keeps saying he’s gonna quit. Keh.”

“I am not quitting, so tell me.”

“Are you messing with me? Try begging me to tell you.”

“Fine, fine. I beg you. Please tell me.”

“I’m not gonna tell someone with no pride!”

“I really don’t understand you. You haven’t impressed me this much in a while.”

“Is that so?” Atsuta nodded. “Well, whatever. I feel better now, so I’ll give you a small blessing and tell you: it’s the Leviathan Road.”

Everyone peering out from their partitions frowned at that last term.

Everyone wondered what he was thinking and Kashima spoke on their behalf while scratching at his head.

“Oh, that’s right. Back in the cafeteria, you said something about sticking with the Leviathan Road because of some girl you’ve fallen for.”

“Well, there’s that too. But in all my wisdom, I had a thought.” Oblivious to everyone staring at him, Atsuta continued speaking. “Even if we’ve adapted to Low-Gear, why do we have to give our world’s Concept Core to Team Leviathan so easily? Are we stronger than Low-Gear, are they stronger than us, or are we even? How can we hand over the Concept Core without knowing that?” He took a breath and gave a satisfied expression. “I won’t accept it unless we settle that. And that goes for both the Concept Core and the girl I mentioned.”

The first one to react was Kashima. He nodded.

“Director Tsukuyomi, this animal has given a surprisingly sound opinion to rationalize his personal grudge.”

“D-damn you, Kashima! How can you say that about the brilliant opinion I just thought up in the bathroom!?”

“Quiet down,” said Tsukuyomi as she looked behind Atsuta.

All of those poking their heads from the partitions had exasperated looks, but they were staring her way.

All of them seemed to agree with what Atsuta had said.

''I see,'' she thought. ''So they all had their reservations about this.

“Okay, Atsuta. What do we have to do to convince you?”

“Hm,” he thought. After a moment, he smiled. “How about a fight to the death!?”

“Don’t say that with such a big smile, you idiot. If we kill them, UCAT will do more than just kick us out.”

“Don’t criticize my idea without giving one of your own.” Atsuta clicked his tongue. “Okay. As a compromise, how about a mock battle? We do outdoor training, right? We can do a large-scale version of that against those kids. If they can defeat us, we won’t complain about releasing the concepts.”

“A mock battle?” muttered Tsukuyomi as she looked behind him and Kashima.

The others all looked toward those two but finally turned silently back toward her.

There was strength in their gazes. They had all made up their own minds, but they were leaving the decision up to her.

And so she folded her arms behind her head and spoke.

“That could work.”

“Oh, I actually got through to you!? This is an amazing discovery! Hey, Kashima, look at this! This woman’s so old, but my modern Japanese still got through to her!”

“Director Tsukuyomi, this creature is always rude, but I ask for extra forgiveness this time.”

“He can have it just this once,” she said in annoyance before standing up, looking them in the eye, and nodding. “The place will be Showa Memorial Park’s concept space. The method will be a mock battle. The victor will be decided by which side’s representative takes Totsuka from where it sits on the bridge in Susaou’s head. The reward will be the loser giving in to all of the victor’s demands. …How does that sound?”

“You didn’t even hesitate to say that… You already had this planned, didn’t you?”

Instead of responding, Tsukuyomi merely smiled.

She already understood most of it.

The villain boy she had negotiated against earlier in the day had led her to make up her mind.

…''So we are abandoning the status quo where we hope for peace no matter what.

“In that case, we will use this greatest method for winning our acceptance. Well? Any complaints?”

Atsuta shook his head in satisfaction and Kashima scratched at his head.

He looked troubled, but Tsukuyomi did not overlook the amused smile on his face.

“Hmm… Director Tsukuyomi, if you insist on that, I guess I have no complaints.”

“So you’re ready to do this?”

And…

“You intend to repair Futsuno and bring it back as 2nd-Gear’s greatest sword?”

Atsuta gave a look of surprise next to Kashima, but Kashima ignored him and replied.

“Yes.”

“W-wait, Kashima. Are you serious? I think you’d be happier groping your wife’s tits.”

“I would. And that is why I made the decision I did: I will make Futsuno ''and'' I will grope Natsu-san’s breasts.”

Kashima then thought for a second and tilted his head.

“Huh? That gave my determination a bit of a different nuance. It sounded somehow wild.”

“No one cares, so start getting ready. Make the preparations you need to find all of your answers.”

''These two men are no different from children,'' thought Tsukuyomi with a bitter smile.

She then clapped her hands once toward the people peering out from the partitions.

“Okay, everyone! Go and give offerings to your ancestors and families tonight! Make sure you get a good grasp on your own name! It’s a rainy night, so don’t you think it will make for a sentimental scene?”

As the rain fell in the darkness, a certain train travelled west through Tokyo.

The train had left Shinjuku on the Keio Line and it stopped at every station on its way to Takaosanguchi.

The front-most car held relatively few people. It only contained two people carrying large paper bags.

One was Shino who wore a white T-shirt and a black dress. The other was Mikoku who wore a blue jacket and jeans.

Shino held a single paper bag, but Mikoku carried two larger bags as she sat to Shino’s right. Mikoku also had another bag below her seat and one up in the luggage rack.

Mikoku’s expression was serious as she sat with her back to the rain-covered window. She solemnly opened her mouth.

“Now, then. Our resupply mission was a success.”

“You can’t trick me by acting all serious! You even bought that fluffy pillow! You’re a liar!”

“You are the one who said you wanted it.”

“No, I didn’t. I just said it looked comfy.”

“That is the same thing,” said Mikoku with a smile.

But Shino then saw the smile suddenly leave Mikoku’s face.

Mikoku stared into the rain-filled darkness outside the window and the ends of her eyebrows lowered slightly.

She must have noticed Shino watching her because she asked her a question.

“Did you see that in Shinjuku?”

“Yes. We only passed by, but that was definitely Shinjou.”

Shino recalled how their mouths had hung open and they had nearly started to cry when they passed by that person.

She averted her gaze from Mikoku, held the bag more tightly in her left hand, and touched Mikoku’s arm with her right hand.

“It’s no use… She doesn’t remember us. She didn’t notice us at all.”

“Yes. It is just as we heard. She has no memories of her childhood.”

“How about I speak with her next time. With my power-…”

“No. Using your power could put her on her guard.”

“But…”

“It’s okay. We will meet Shinjou eventually. I cannot say if that will be as an enemy or as an ally, though. Also, you saw who else was there, didn’t you? That was Sayama Mikoto, my enemy.” Mikoku shook her head a bit and sighed. “It is a difficult issue. Shinjou was crying in her heart. That Sayama may be able to stop those tears and he may not, but either way it will hurt me and make me hate him.”

Sayama returned to his dorm in the rain.

As he walked through the dormitory hallway, his watch read 8:10 PM.

Shinjou always went to take a bath at four or five, he would study after that, and they would eat dinner in the school cafeteria no later than eight.

“I wonder if Shinjou-kun ate on his own.”

Part of the problem was that Shinjou did not own a cell phone.

…''But perhaps I should have called the dorm head so I could have a message passed on to him.

He hurried his legs toward his room. He found the door unlocked, so he opened it.

As the door opened smoothly, he saw the other side.

“It is dark?”

Not a single light was on and no one was in the room.

…''Where is Shinjou-kun?

Just as he started panicking, Baku suddenly poked out of Sayama’s breast pocket and pointed his head toward the bed.

Wondering what that was about, Sayama looked over and spotted a figure sleeping in the bottom bunk.

It was Shinjou.

''Why is he asleep so early?'' wondered Sayama. ''Perhaps the stomachache from earlier today came back.

Sayama closed the door and walked over to the window in the dark.

He placed the binder and Baku on his own desk.

As he did, he heard rustling cloth and turned to find a white shirt sitting up in the darkness.

“Sayama…-kun?”

“Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No. You can turn on the lights.”

“No need,” said Sayama as he crouched down next to the bed.

He found a weak expression there.

As he observed Shinjou’s eyes, he suddenly realized the area around his eyes was a bit red.

…''Has he been crying?

But he asked about something else instead.

“Do you need anything? If you need any food, I can bring it to you.”

“No,” said Shinjou again while frowning a bit.

He looked down and lightly held the bottom of his stomach which was hidden by the blanket.

He also continued speaking before Sayama could do anything.

“Don’t worry. It will go away by tomorrow morning. I hope it’s sunny for the All Holiday Festival.”

“Yes, we can enjoy the festival together.”

“Yes…. Um, Sayama-kun?”

“What is it?”

“Did you read the plot I gave you today?”

Sayama was at a loss for words. After being given the plot, he had headed out to work and had only just arrived back.

There was no way he could have read it yet.

…''That must be how important it is to him.

His thoughts brought silence. When Shinjou realized what that silence meant, the ends of his eyebrows lowered.

“Sorry. I asked too much of you.”

“Not at all.”

…''Saying I was busy sounds like too much of an excuse.

But it was true he could not have taken his time to properly read it. He felt that was important.

“I apologize for now, but if you will allow it, I would like some time.”

“Some time? Why?”

“Yesterday, you said you wanted me to know you.” Sayama directly spoke the words in his heart. “Just as you are trying to convey yourself to me, I want the time and resolution to face you properly.”

“And if you have that, you’ll read it?’

“Yes, I will read it.”

“But I might leave tomorrow.”

Shinjou’s right hand grabbed Sayama’s left sleeve.

He held it, but he quickly let go and slowly pulled his hand back.

He groaned a bit and lightly bent over.

He then relaxed his body and slipped back under the blanket butt-first while continuing to look at Sayama.

“Sorry.”

Shinjou hid even his head under the blanket and there was nothing Sayama could do.

He considered reading the plot now, but he decided against reading it in this atmosphere.

…''That would be rushing things and trying to avoid the issue.

With that thought, he suddenly stopped moving.

He heard Shinjou suppress another groan at the precise moment he felt a pain in his own chest.

Wondering where this pain came from, he suddenly recalled an old memory.

Long ago, he had felt a pain in his stomach during the night.

Everyone experienced that sort of stomachache while a child whose body had yet to fully develop.

It brought definite pain to the one feeling it, but those around them would act as if it was nothing and it would indeed disappear by the next morning.

He thought back to then. His parents had been around back then, but what had they done?

The pain in his chest grew as he tried to think back, but he had to do it.

“Nn…”

Shinjou’s groan caused Sayama to quickly place his right hand on the left side of his chest.

There was something he had to do as a villain.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_17|Chapter 17]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume4_Chapter_19|Chapter 19]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume9 Chapter 24

2014-09-15T11:24:11Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 24: Heart of Identity==
[[Image:OnC_v09_0167.png|thumb]]
''If nothing is correct

''But pure things become correct

''Is it correct to wish for them?

Fluorescent light filled a small entranceway.

The door was shut and two people stood below that white light: Harakawa and Heo.

They were facing each other.

“Um…”

Heo began to speak and Harakawa listened silently.

Her gaze dropped to his neck but soon rose again.

“It seems the demon appeared again.”

“And it brought us on a trip to Chiba.”

“Sorry about all the trouble.”

“What you’re saying doesn’t follow, Heo Thunderson. Let’s have a proper conversation.”

“Eh?”

She tilted her head and finally looked him in the eye.

“You’re right.”

Her expression softened a bit. It now looked weak and resigned.

Meanwhile, he sighed and placed a hand on the wall.

“Why are you here, Heo Thunderson? You met the group called UCAT, didn’t you?”

During the car ride back home, he had been told about the death of Heo’s great-grandfather.

He had not been given the details, but they had said UCAT would be protecting Heo and ensuring her a place to live in the future. If she wanted anything, they would support her as much as they were able.

So if she said she wanted to run, they would continue to support her as long as she did not stop running.

…''She’ll have all the freedom she wants.

“Isn’t that just perfect? You’ll live in America where you don’t have to use any weird Japanese and you can do whatever you want. You can be surrounded by people without having to fear anything.”

He said that because he thought it was the best thing for her to hear.

…''That’s the opposite path from me.

''That’s right,'' he silently complained.

It was best for her if she did not simply give up like he had. And she had been given this blessing because…

“Someone is wishing for your happiness.”

With that, he nodded. He directed it both toward Heo and toward his own heart.

She initially reacted with silence.

“…”

She then lowered her hands from below her neck, lowered her head, and lowered her shoulders with a sigh.

“…”

But even as she hung her head, she smiled with the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

…''Why…

Harakawa thought to himself.

…''Why are you giving me that look, Heo Thunderson?

He felt like he knew why, but he had another thought as well: ''You’re simply afraid of having your environment change again.

Just as people could adapt to unhappiness and accept it as normal, people could adapt to happiness as well.

…''You should do the latter.

At that point, Harakawa wondered if that was what he had thought while speaking with Ooki earlier.

He did not know.

He had not settled his thoughts at that point.

Even now, he simply thought it was best for Heo if she went along with this and left the country.

“…”

He heard someone sigh.

It was Heo.

She finally opened her downturned mouth.

“H-Harakawa.”

She leaned toward him a bit and gently clenched her hands near her chest.

She then looked up and their gazes met. She tensed her shoulders as if demanding something, but…

“Yes. Don’t worry. I will do my best in my new home.”

Only then did she finally straighten up.

Her lowered eyebrows rose a bit and supported the smile in her eyes.

“So you do your best at opening a bookstore.”

He froze in place when he heard that.

…''How does she know about that?

Without even thinking, he realized it had to have been his mother.

But by that time, she had lowered her head.

“Thank you very much.”

Before he could say anything, she turned around and opened the door.

The wind blew, the night air entered, and her orange and blue form vanished outside.

He could see outside for just a moment. He saw the woman named Diana waving toward Ooki who left on a bicycle, the black car, and Heo rushing toward it.

“…”

The door closed.

By the time his hand reached the doorknob, he heard the car starting up.

By the time he turned the doorknob, he heard the car leaving to the left.

And so he stopped moving.

All that remained was the air that had grown as motionless as him.

Chilly night air washed over Shinjou.

She was just outside the entrance of IAI Headquarters.

She had left the reference room for a single reason.

“I need to cool my head a little. There’s just been so much that I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

The automatic door into the lobby closed behind her and she sighed when she heard it.

Sibyl had contacted them earlier. Japanese UCAT was fighting back against American UCAT and they had retaken up to the third basement. There had been gunfire in the background and Sibyl’s voice had sounded exhausted but delighted as she had said the following:

“By the time the two of you return, we will definitely have taken it all back. That is our duty as caretakers.”

“Please do,” Sayama had said before ending the call.

Everyone was working hard and, just as Sibyl had said, the fight to retrieve the facility was theirs.

And there was something else Shinjou and Sayama had to do here.

“So we can’t rush this and lose sight of our job.”

She said it aloud to drive it home.

She faced forward. She was just outside the white building’s entrance.

She saw the roundabout in front of the building and a large fountain that was not currently running.

There was light illuminating the large IAI building, but that light seemed to be absorbed by the night, the mountains, and the forest.

She gently spread her arms and walked into the wind that brought the chill of the air to her.

Beyond the fountain, she saw a lawn and then the runway and mountains.

Sayama was currently gathering a few more documents, but after that, they would wait for the periodic report and head out.

“Are we returning so soon?”

…''I hope everyone is okay.

She looked up into the dark sky and the white IAI building.

''It’s so big,'' she thought before lowering her gaze once more. A few vending machines were located along the building’s wall to the right. They may have been for those who drove to work and they were covered by a canvas roof.

Both to calm herself and as a favor to Sayama who was working down below, she thought it would be nice to buy some drinks.

She turned to the right and approached the machines. She brushed a hand through her hair while making sure not to knock out Mukiti’s flower. The night air entered through her hair and chilled her spine and the back of her head.

The touch of the chilly air helped calm her a little. Or at least she thought it did.

…''What should I do?

She muttered the question in her heart, but the answer came from her mouth.

“I guess I’ll go to Sakai.”

Once the athletic festival ended, the midterm exams began. After that was the school festival. She would have to go during the preparations for the school festival, but she was worried the others would resent her for that.

She was interested in the preparations for the greatest of Taka-Akita Academy’s bizarre festivals, but some things were more important.

After all, there would be another school festival the following year. Assuming the world still existed in some form or another, that is.

She understood her search for her parents was not actually related to the Leviathan Road. From the perspective of the Leviathan Road, they had made their trip here to pursue Shinjou Kaname as a member of the National Defense Department.

Sayama had also gathered information on Professor Kinugasa for future use.

After confirming his death, their research on Shinjou Kaname was as good as complete.

…''So searching for his granddaughter is my personal issue.

“I wonder if I can ask Sayama-kun to come along,” she said while stepping up to a vending machine.

She pulled a pink change purse from her pocket and pulled out 120 yen.

However…

“Oh, it’s only 100 yen. That’s a good price.”

She smiled and inserted the 100 yen. She heard the coin fall and the LCD screen next to the coin slot lit up with a message.

“No getting it back now.”

A very bad feeling entered her heart, so Shinjou immediately launched an attack on the coin return lever. But…

“Why isn’t it returning my money?”

She repeated her attack a second and third time before looking at the coin return lever. The bottom of the lever had a warning printed on a silver foil sticker. She read it aloud.

“ ‘This is actually a no-return acceptance lever. Too bad.’ This was a trap!!”

As if reacting to her shout, the LCD screen displayed a new message.

“Don’t worry about it!!”

She reflexively slammed her hand against the machine but only received an aching hand for her trouble.

“Fine then,” she said while lowering her shoulders and checking the drink options starting from the upper left. “Freshly Squeezed Mackerel. My Sweat – Lemon Flavor. Hot Yogurt. Drinkable Cheese. …Is this full of test products?”

“5, 4, 3.”

The LCD screen suddenly began a countdown. Sensing danger, she hesitated for one last moment, realized they were all the same, and frantically slammed her palm against the “random” button.

A slapping sound filled the air, a can could be heard falling through the machine, and it finally came out on the bottom.

She picked up the can.

“Indometacin Tea.”

“Winner!!”

''Eh?'' she wondered as the vending machine lit up in front of her. Smoke blasted from it, it opened up, decorative lights popped out, and a multicolored relay of lights flashed as it played the Warship March.

It then spat out another can. She cried out and managed the catch the can in midair.

“Iced Mitsumame Soda?”

She decided to give that one to Sayama and sighed. But as she lowered her shoulders and looked forward again, she noticed something.

“Why haven’t the lights stopped?”

She saw numbers moving along the LCD screen. Two sevens were lined up next to each other and it was vertically cycling through several numbers to the right. Soon, the speed dropped, another seven came down from the upper right, and…

“Noooo! Don’t get another one!!”

As Shinjou shouted and hit the machine over and over, the seven passed by.

“Ahh.”

''Thank goodness,'' she thought with another sigh.

Her shoulders lowered in relief, but then the seven at the bottom of the screen ended its feint and hopped back up into place. The decorative lights all flashed, the Ride of the Valkyries played as a fanfare, and Shinjou…

“Nwaaaaah!!”

“Winnnnnneeeeeeeeerrrrrrr!!”

“N-no! This isn’t a joke anymore!!”

“Isn’t it great!?”

“No, it isn’t! Why aren’t you listening!? And stop!!”

“No stopping it now!!”

Can after can shot out like a waterfall and piled up at her feet with countless heavy metallic sounds.

She cried out, stepped back, and looked around while trying to figure out what to do.

“A-a trash can! I need a trash can!”

[[Image:OnC_v09_0179.png|thumb]]

She held her hands forward and hurriedly looked behind her. That was when she noticed something.

Someone was standing on the edge of the runway past the roundabout and the lawn.

A girl in a black men’s suit stood alone in the night.

Shinjou recognized her.

“Toda Mikoku-san?”

After speaking her name, Shinjou waited for Mikoku to respond.

However, Mikoku said nothing, as if speaking her name was completely natural.

She simply stood there with her bag over her right shoulder.

…''She’s part of the Army, right?

This was certainly the girl Gyes had described and even drawn a portrait of.

Shinjou wondered what to do and was suspicious of Mikoku’s presence, but then she recalled her own situation. She had no weapons.

However, another thought came to her.

…''She isn’t a bad person, right?

That may not have been the right thing to think about someone who had defeated one of 3rd-Gear’s Hecatoncheires.

However, she calmed her breathing. Whatever the case, she had to keep the girl from moving and she could only wait for Sayama to come out as she was unarmed.

As she began to move, she thought about buying time and also about communicating.

She picked something off the ground and held it out toward Mikoku.

“U-um, Toda Mikoku-san? Do you want some…Eround Tea? …Why does this can have a picture of me on it!?”

“Is it a region-limited character product?”

“Who made this!? …And why is the answer so obvious!?”

She began to carry the can inside the building to complain to the culprit, but…

“Where are you going, Shinjou Sadagiri?”

Mikoku walked over to her.

Having her name called and the speed of the girl caused Shinjou to shrink back.

She froze in place and Mikoku’s footsteps filled the air as she approached but then stopped.

The two of them came to a stop with the fountain in between them.

And…

“Sorry I kept you waiting, Shinjou-kun. I had Miyako-kun create a philosopher’s stone of a weakened 5th concept. It is a handheld optical stealth concept, so now I can place hidden cameras more easily. Now we only need to wait for Kazami’s report and then return to Tok-…”

The entrance’s automatic door opened and Sayama stepped out with two travel bags.

When he saw the two girls, he stopped and faced Mikoku.

He did not hesitate. His eyes narrowed for just a moment and he turned back to Shinjou the next moment. He then gave an expressionless nod.

“So to sum it up, you won a lot of Eround Tea, didn’t you?”

“No!! Well, actually yes!! But the problem is over there!”

She pointed the hand holding some documents toward the fountain.

“Look! It’s someone from the Army!”

Mikoku watched Shinjou.

Shinjou waved the can of tea in her hand and spoke to Sayama who had exited the building.

“Do you see her!? You do, don’t you!? In a way, this is our first real contact with someone from the Army! You don’t see this every day!”

''This is a lot like a scene from that exploration party show on Wednesdays,'' thought Mikoku. ''Wasn’t last week’s episode about searching for the cameraman who went on ahead of them into the depths of the unexplored Amazon? Shino was really getting into it, but I did not think they would really find Team Leader Kazami.

Meanwhile, Sayama raised his hands a bit as Shinjou shouted an explanation at him.

“Calm down,” he said while pointing his palms at her. “It is dangerous over there, so come over here.”

“Oh, sure.”

Shinjou turned her back and started toward Sayama.

“Wait,” called Mikoku on reflex.

Shinjou jumped and stopped while Sayama raised his head to look toward Mikoku.

His gaze could only be called sharp as it pointed directly at her. She did not hesitate to accept it head on and she showed no fear as his gaze almost seemed to audibly pierce through her.

“I have something to tell Shinjou.”

“To tell me?”

Shinjou timidly looked over her shoulder, but Mikoku did not turn toward her. Her mind turned focused on her right hand which held her sword and bag. She made sure she could grab the cloth cover and draw the sword at any moment.

However, something stopped her intent to fight: Shinjou’s voice and anxiously lowered eyebrows.

“Why me? And…who are you?”

“Someone who knows a lot that you do not.”

Silence fell.

But Mikoku did not remove her gaze from Sayama. She saw Shinjou stiffen out of the corner of her eye, but she could not focus on her with an enemy present.

But she did notice that Shinjou gently held her own body, lowered the ends of her eyebrows, and opened her mouth.

Mikoku knew more or less what question was coming from Shinjou who had lost her memories.

…''She will ask if I know about her.

Just as she thought about replying that she did know, the mouth directly in front of her gaze opened.

“Toda Mikoku. Don’t tell me you too are the type that checks on certain things by tugging on them.”

“What? You ‘too’? And tug on what?”

“Waaaah!!”

Shinjou frantically waved her hands and stirred up the air around her. She faced Mikoku with some anger in her expression.

“N-nothing! Don’t let the words of a crazy person fool you!”

“Shinjou-kun, whose side are you on? More importantly, Toda Mikoku. Leave.”

He pointed to the forest behind her.

“Shinjou-kun and I are extremely busy. If you have something to say, make an appointment first. Call IAI and say you wish to speak with the emperor of the universe. That will get you transferred to UCAT’s complaints department.”

“Shinjou, is this boy always like this?”

“He’s usually a lot worse.”

She felt somewhat sympathetic.

''How sad,'' she thought. ''If only she had someone as normal as me nearby. Then she would not have so much trouble.

And so she spoke with Shinjou still in the corner of her eye.

“Shinjou.” She took in a breath. “Nothing I say to you now will get through to you and it is better if you know nothing. That is why I beg you to take this one thing to heart: could you perhaps leave UCAT while you still know nothing?”

“…”

“All of this… All of this comes down to our fight with UCAT.”

“Wh-why would you say that!? Why do I have to leave?”

Mikoku answered Shinjou’s question without preparing the words ahead of time. She spoke in a dignified voice so the girl could hear.

“Because you are someone who should not be involved in the fighting. This is for the sake of the world’s future.”

''That is the role I’m trying to have Shino bear,'' she thought.

And then she continued.

“The reason for this is only known by us and a few within UCAT. …And it is best if you do not know.”

Sayama watched Mikoku’s face.

Her eyes were sharply narrowed and she pushed back his gaze.

But he spoke up without hesitation.

“Let me ask one thing. Was Shinjou-kun on your side?”

Shinjou’s shoulders trembled at that. If Mikoku answered yes, it would mean Shinjou had belonged to the Army, their enemy.

But Mikoku shook her head.

“No. Shinjou’s parents did not wish for that. Neither did we or UCAT. But I know Shinjou. That is all that matters.” She shrugged. “I am not about to give you any proof, but I do not change gender. I know Shinjou from before she lost her memories, but that is all.”

“I…see.”

Shinjou’s voice spilled to the ground with some disappointment mixed in. She had likely been hoping to find someone else of her same race.

And so Sayama spoke to Mikoku in order to draw out some information to dispel Shinjou’s discouragement.

“I see. In other words, that warning was a personal one removed from our positions as the Army or UCAT.”

“That is a valid way of looking at this.”

“I see. Then…”

This is what that meant.

“To sum up, you are unable to forget Shinjou-kun, you casually approached her in Kurashiki, and you came all this way to see her. You are quite the stalker. …Now, listen carefully.”

He took a breath and pointed at Mikoku.

“Shinjou-kun hates perverts like that. You disgust me.”

A can crashed into his forehead.

He heard the heavy sound of the drink inside and his vision filled with darkness for an instant.

However, the light soon returned and he saw the sky and the can that had bounced off his head.

…''Hot Eround Tea.

He could not let that fall on the ground, so he recovered in an instant, grabbed the can in midair, opened it, and took a drink. It was delicious and it woke him up. Shinjou was smiling on the printed label. He was glad he had secretly photographed her for this.

“Excellent.”

“S-Sayama-kun? What exactly is ‘excellent’?”

“That is simple, Shinjou-kun. Your warm liquid is so incredibly delicious that-…”

“Don’t say it like that while rubbing your cheek against it!!”

Shinjou shouted at him, but her shoulders drooped in exhaustion and she turned her head to look at Mikoku.

“Thank you for the warning, but I am a member of UCAT.”

“I know that and I have no intention of recruiting you into the Army. But remember this: your parents did not want you to be on either side and you would be honoring their decision if you stopped fighting.”

“Why? Why am I in that kind of position?”

Shinjou’s question filled the night air and she tilted her head toward Mikoku.

“Who were my parents? Do you happen to know Shinjou Yukio?”

“Well…”

Just as Mikoku was trying to decide whether to agree or disagree, Sayama felt a slight wind to his left. The wind was blowing toward Mikoku.

That wind contained the color red.

The red was a women’s suit worn by…

“Gyes-kun!!”

Gyes ran.

She had thought carrying Sayama and Shinjou’s travel bags to the main entrance was a job for the Moirai, but she was glad she had gone through with it without complaining. She had never expected this.

“I have determined I am fortunate to receive this change for revenge!!”

She shot past Sayama’s right side and then Shinjou’s right side.

The fountain lay between her and the enemy, but she did not hesitate to step over the fountain’s stone edge. Travelling over the water was the quickest route.

She rerouted the same amount of gravitational control used to control one of her swords and opened it below her feet to support her body on the surface of the water.

She kicked off the flat surface of the deactivated fountain.

She charged onward while bending backwards.

Nine swords expanded from the bottom of her suit.

“Ohhh!”

By the time she crossed the fountain and swung her body forward in midair, she was within five meters of Mikoku.

She moved her arms like wings and beat the air with her spread fingers to move ever onward.

The swords crashed toward Mikoku.

One swung toward her head from the upper left, one swung toward her right shoulder from the upper right, one was thrown toward her neck from the upper right, one flew toward the empty air to the left to prevent her from evading, one swept horizontally toward her side from the right, one swung diagonally down toward the hand holding her bag from the left side, one jabbed toward her stomach from the left side, and one jabbed toward her waist from the right side.

Mikoku fell back. That avoided all but the jabs and the throw and she likely planned to draw her sword before those attacks caught up.

And that was exactly what she did.

She took a large leap backwards.

Mikoku showed her skill by throwing her bag forward before drawing the sword.

The jabs to the side and waist were obstructed by the bag, so only the throw to the neck remained.

“…!”

But she swung her head to avoid that last attack.

She stopped falling back and drew her sword.

Gyes was still in midair and she determined Mikoku planned to target her just before she landed.

“You fell for it!”

“!?”

Gyes shouted back at Mikoku’s confused voice.

“How many swords did I attack with? Did you count them!? There were eight!”

She had one left and she drew it from where it was hidden behind her back.

She threw a single-handed strike while leaping forward.

Meanwhile, Mikoku stuck with her counterattack. She did not step back to gain enough space to attack after Gyes landed. She instead stepped forward to fill what gap there was.

…''Is she that confident in her sword technique!?

A moment later, Gyes smiled.

“I have determined that is the case!”

If this girl was skilled enough drive back Aigaion, she would view Gyes, another of the Hecatoncheires, on the same level.

Having predicted that with high probability, Gyes went in for her true attack.

She tossed her raised sword into the air.

Mikoku frowned and that was exactly what Gyes had predicted would happen.

And while acting in accordance with her predictions, Gyes grabbed the empty air with her right hand.

“Come!”

With those words, something did indeed arrive.

It was a sword, but it was far too large.

A giant blade measuring eight meters appeared in the air.

Holding the hilt and swinging it down was a giant red arm synched with the movements of Gyes’s own arm.

This was Gyes’s god of war.

As soon as she landed, she sank down and slammed her right hand against the ground.

Her automaton palm tore into the asphalt and a spray of asphalt shot into the air. At the same time, the giant blade sliced through the roaring wind as it swung down toward Mikoku.

It was going to hit.

But just before it did, Mikoku did something else.

“…!”

She threw her sword toward Gyes.

When faced with this sudden action, Gyes’s artificial mind chose to evade.

…''Oh, no!

Her failure had been in not releasing her self-preservation limiter.

She had not been prepared to go down with her enemy and that had resulted in this automatic evasion as a machine.

“!”

Her body tilted to the left and Mikoku’s sword grazed her right cheek and flew behind her.

And the sword wielded by Gyes’s god of war slipped to the left.

It fell as if tearing through the air to Mikoku’s left.

With a great roar, the giant sword tore apart the asphalt.

However, Mikoku still lived. In fact, she was unharmed and still moving.

She first spun her body around, reached into the air, and grabbed one of Gyes’s swords that had previously fallen to the ground. The tremor in the ground from the god of war’s attack had knocked it back into the air.

Her hand began a snapping motion as if to throw the sword toward Gyes. Meanwhile, Gyes was crouching down after landing and she was in the process of releasing all of her gravitational control to prepare for its next use. In short, she could not immediately move.

…''What have I done!?

That thought was immediately followed by a sudden change to Mikoku’s expression. Her eyes opened wide.

“…!?”

She let go of the sword, raised the lightened hand in front of her, and grabbed something in the air.

“A new enemy!?”

With that shout, she leaped backwards.

She held something in her head. It was what had stopped the attack against Gyes and caused Mikoku to fall back.

It was a single silver fork. However, it was a promotional anime product, so the handle was pink.

…''Is that…?

Gyes turned and found two people standing in the entrance. One was Miyako and the other held her arms toward Gyes.

“Moira 1st.”

“I borrowed that from Lady Miyako, but I cannot fire it well on my own.”

The automaton narrowed her eyes in a smile as she spoke and Gyes heard the footsteps of Mikoku falling back even further.

Gyes tried to stand and pursue, but Miyako stopped her.

“Calm down, Gyes. This isn’t someone you can defeat if you rush things. And this is their problem right now.”

Miyako pointed forward but not at Gyes.

She pointed at Sayama and Shinjou.

Mikoku threw away the fork and ran backwards.

The asphalt below her feet turned to grass and then the runway.

She saw Gyes’s god of war vanish and she saw Sayama and Shinjou run around the fountain and next to Gyes.

“What is the Army thinking!?” asked Sayama. “What are you thinking!?”

She could not exactly answer that. ''What are you asking?'' she thought, but that seemed funny to her.

She took a breath and showed her teeth in a smile.

“Do you not get it!? Do you understand nothing!? …You’re a lot like you’re father, Sayama Mikoto, son of Sayama Asagi.”

Those words scored a direct hit.

Sayama’s blank expression broke a bit. He frowned and the look in his eyes grew sharp.

“Why do you know my father’s name?”

“Do you really think I am going to answer that? If you want to know, then pursue the past. Although you might find something that makes you want to stop partway. …But if you can overcome that, then you will see the flow of history that everyone has chosen to ignore!”

She took a breath.

“And Shinjou, let me tell you what I failed to say a moment before. This information could lead to good or bad.”

“Wh-what are you-…?”

“I refer to your parents. They were both members of UCAT.”

She spoke as if throwing the words away, but she saw Shinjou’s eyes open wide.

It was a look of surprise. However, it was a joyous surprise, not a fearful one.

…''So she is happy to hear her parents were members of UCAT.

She momentarily closed her eyes to think on that fact and she gave herself over to running.

A moment later, she jumped past the runway and toward the forest.

She then heard the roar of something slicing through the air.

Just as Shinjou’s mouth opened to ask a question, something caught Mikoku’s airborne body from the side.

The object snatched her away in midair.

“Alex!”

It was a mechanical dragon.

Previously, the steel color of his mechanical body had been exposed, but he was now colored red, white, and blue. She was surrounded by a barrier of air he held and she shouted down below even as they began to ascend.

“We will next meet on the battlefield!”

Down below, the large white structure grew more distant.

The two people standing before it also grew smaller and the surrounding scenery came into view.

Her field of vision rose and she realized they were rising into the sky.

“Mikoku! Down below!”

Alex spoke while ascending with a roar of wind and Mikoku looked back down.

She searched for something different from before that would make Alex cry out.

“Is that…?”

Someone stood on the roof of the giant white building.

It was a well-built middle-aged gentleman in a white suit. His hair was slicked back and his likeable eyes and mouth were turned toward them. Even though it was night, he made a show of placing a hand over his eyes as he looked up. It was as if he were seeing them off.

“Who is that?”

Mikoku answered Alex without looking away from the man below.

She sat on the mechanical dragon’s back inside the barrier that protected her from the atmospheric pressure.

“He was once one of our enemies. But from what we have seen, he seems to have lost all will to fight.”

She crossed her arms and looked up into the night sky. It felt like her view stretched on forever.

“His name is Izumo Retsu. He is currently IAI’s executive manager, but he was the leader of Japanese UCAT during the Great Kansai Earthquake.”

“I see. More importantly, we must hurry back, Mikoku. Tatsumi has contacted us. Word has reached the harbor that some kind of large object is traveling through the ocean near Tokyo Bay. Most likely, that woman and the automaton who threw the fork at you were on their way to inform that Sayama and Shinjou of the same thing.”

“In that case…”

Alex’s words were brief.

“Tokyo will soon be the site of a battle between a mechanical dragon and the evil organization of UCAT.”

''It'' chose to move.

Its evolution was progressing smoothly and it had developed beyond what could be called necessary. It had used that evolution to overcome the subconscious wariness that came from a past it did not remember.

Even if someone had fought back against it in the past and even if that person had harmed it, it had surpassed all that with its current evolution.

But it also wondered if this sense of superiority was nothing but self-conceit. Was it simply relying on its own predictions and not looking at reality?

But it made a further decision. It used its predictions to their fullest to create the greatest enemy it could imagine and evolved to oppose such an enemy.

When evolving, it had to choose one of two basic types of mechanical dragon.

One was a non-transforming type that could somewhat alter the position of the exterior over its primary framework to create a generic form that could both fly and fight. As the frame did not change shape, it was more durable, but its abilities in flight and combat were lacking as it had elements of both built in.

The other was a fully transforming type that could transform the primary framework and fully transform the exterior to create two distinct forms for flight and combat. As the frame was made to come apart, it was less durable, but it could produce great mobility and attack power. The main problem was the lack of defensive power.

''It'' chose the former.

It had a reason: its giant form. It was large and therefore needed durability to maintain its body. And so it was born as a non-transforming type.

As it evolved, it needed to strengthen its weaponry to handle large enemies and to thicken its armor and strengthen its accelerators to handle smaller enemies that would attack and immediately withdraw.

However, it wondered if it would be defeated and injured using that method. It was the failure of that method that had sent it to the bottom of that water and set its evolution going once more.

It then found another answer.

Its previous evolution had not been wrong. It had simply lacked something.

It wanted to move once it had gathered everything.

“…”

It moved through the ocean.

It moved to fight. It moved for the sake of the people that should have been by its side but were not.

All the while, it wondered where those people had gone.

It was not the humans who first noticed the change.

A large white facility existed in Kanda, a portion of Tokyo’s center. The automatons in the underground facility spotted a single philosopher’s stone reading on the radar.

“Reading detected! At this size, it is almost certainly Black Sun! Activating experimental large-scale concept space creation device!!”

A moment later, a long, shallow V-shaped concept space opened from Tokyo Bay to the Chuo Expressway and from the Chofu Interchange, along National Route 20, and to Okutama.

At the same time, the American UCAT mechanical dragon unit deployed to Tokyo Bay ascended into the sky.

A giant object was already flying into the air above the ocean while surrounded by massive amounts of water.

It was a black mechanical dragon over three hundred meters long.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_23|Chapter 23]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume9_Chapter_25|Chapter 25]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 7

2014-08-17T20:15:27Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 7: Lying Neighbor==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0171.png|thumb]]
''The question of something unseen produces a feeling

''One’s heart moves because that feeling resides within it

''Like the scent of flowers carried on the wind

After parting ways with Tsukuyomi, Sayama entered the training facility in UCAT’s third basement.

He was currently in the locker room. It was one location of several layers created by a concept space.

The room was about twenty meters long and bordered a shower room.

Tall lockers made of a dry white substance lined the wall.

On the way here, Sayama had picked Ooshiro up from the floor in the corridor and told him the following:

“After meeting up with Kazami and the others in the training room, I wish to decide whether we will perform the Leviathan Road with 2nd-Gear.”

But despite saying that, he already intended to go ahead with the negotiation.

…''I am interested. What type of negotiation should we use?

He still had not seen how 2nd-Gear viewed the Leviathan Road.

That was one thing he wanted to learn.

“There is also that technique Director Tsukuyomi used…”

What had that been?

Sayama understood pursuing something out of curiosity was dangerous.

However, he could not stop the feeling of curiosity.

The reception desk informed him Kazami and the others had already entered the training room. They all wanted to finish training as quickly as possible to have more time to exchange their ideas on the different issues.

While thinking about various things, Sayama placed Baku on his head and changed.

“I wonder if the others have all finished their Brazilian gymnastics warm up.”

The only names on the lockers were Izumo, Boldman, and Sayama.

This locker room was exclusively used by Team Leviathan and Kazami said the girls had a similar arrangement. However, Kazami also said Shinjou alone was treated differently.

Shinjou used the ninth women’s locker room, but that was meant for the people UCAT referred to as “VIP Level”.

“From what Kazami said, UCAT must really treasure her.”

It was true she was quite sheltered and had almost never left UCAT.

''They must have their reasons,'' thought Sayama as he finished changing.

He now wore a thin armored uniform colored primarily white and black. It was made up of a shirt and tights that covered almost his entire body, a vest, and pants.

His eyes stopped on the ring on his left middle finger as he equipped his arm band.

“They still will not give me Georgius.”

Ooshiro had given him that gauntlet during the battle with 1st-Gear.

That mysterious concept weapon had allegedly been found by his mother, but Ooshiro and the others had taken it back after the battle.

With all the unknowns surrounding it, Sayama felt that was the proper way of handling it.

He stared at the ring on his left hand for several seconds.

But then he shook his head.

He endured the pain in his chest and cut off that train of thought.

There was something else he needed to think about now.

Officially, he had to think about how to handle the Leviathan Road with 2nd-Gear.

And personally…

…''Once my left hand is fully healed, Setsu-kun will leave me.

Both were issues he would have to face eventually.

Suddenly, he recalled his conversation with Shinjou before leaving school.

In that afterschool classroom, Shinjou had hung his head down, hesitated, explained he was trying to write a novel, and said he resembled Yamato Takeru.

All of those actions had been signs of his desire to say something.

…''If Shinjou-kun grows serious about this, I must face him.

“Yes.”

Sayama nodded and stopped thinking. He then walked forward.

After a few steps, he reached a white automatic sliding door. The training room lay beyond it.

The door emitted an electronic tone and he heard a voice.

—'''People do not overestimate their power.

The power one believed one had was not an overestimation; one had that power.

That concept linked the locker room with the training room and both become the same.

Then the door opened.

Beyond lay the white walls, floor, and ceiling of a thirty meter square space.

Instead of the large space, Sayama first saw something odd.

It was a body contained within a white armored uniform.

This person was lying on their back in midair. It was a large man flying toward Sayama.

Sayama took an instant to look closer and realized this was Izumo.

“Oh? Have your natural eccentricities grown so great you can finally fly, Izumo?”

“Sayama!? Wait! This is dangerous! Stop saying stupid things and catch him!”

''Oh, it is Kazami,'' thought Sayama. ''Kazami is always the one to use violence against him, so why does she want me to catch him?

Was Izumo’s flight not her doing?

On second glance, Izumo was not flying through the air the way he usually did.

“When Kazami sends him flying, it is more…how should I put it? Rich and dense?”

“The way he’s flying is dangerous, so catch him! Do you want me to send ''you'' flying!?”

Sayama caught on immediately.

“It is not my style to catch a guy like Izumo, but if I must.”

Sayama prepared himself to catch Izumo and watched him fly closer.

Izumo’s trajectory was a bit high, so Sayama had to catch him from a bit below.

To spread his legs backwards, Sayama took a large step back.

As soon as he did, the door’s sensor lost sight of him and the door closed in an instant.

“Oh?” he muttered.

“Gbh!?”

The closed door shook as Sayama heard a pig-like squeal and a sound of impact on the other side.

The noise shook the lockers and produced a creaking that made one’s skin crawl.

“…”

Sayama remained motionless. He stared silently at the door while still in the pose to catch Izumo.

He had several thoughts, but he drove them all out of his head with a single sigh.

“Some things are simply outside of human control. What a pain.”

He stepped up to the door and it immediately opened once more.

He found Izumo standing there with blood running from his head.

“Oh, so you are fine. Such a disappointment for humankind.”

“D-damn you! Do I look fine to you, stupid Sayama!”

“Anyone with that much energy is doing well enough. And with you, anything short of death counts as fine, Izumo.”

“And if I do die?”

Sayama thought on that question. Finally, he clapped his hands together and Baku imitated the action on his head.

“A light wound?”

“Okay, you idiot. Do you mind if I say something? It’s for your own good.”

“What is it? If you are going to praise me, I would prefer you wait until after I complete some large job.”

“You belong in a hospital.”

“You do enjoy saying rude things, don’t you? Ha ha ha. You are a bastard at unprecedented levels.”

“Wa ha ha. I’m nothing compared to you, you cruel bastard. And more importantly…”

Izumo stood up and turned toward one corner of the training room.

From Sayama’s perspective, it was the back left corner. Kazami and three others stood there.

The first was Sibyl who wore a white armored uniform with skirt and everything else included.

The second was Shinjou who wore a white armored uniform and held a large metal staff.

And the third was a woman wearing a black armored uniform, a skirt, and a black three-cornered hat.

Sayama recognized this woman who held a bamboo broom and whose sleeve swelled out at the shoulders.

“Diana Zonburg.”

“Oh, are you finally here? From what I hear, you met with Director Tsukuyomi of 2nd-Gear. Have you already decided to negotiate with them?”

“No, not yet. After training here, I thought I would discuss it with the old man.”

“I see,” said Diana in a relieved voice. “Then do you still only have some small questions about 2nd-Gear?”

“Does that matter?”

“Yes. I have one thing to teach you to ensure you do not take this negotiation lightly. This is something very important for the Leviathan Road you are about to head down.”

On the first floor of Taka-Akita Academy’s third general school building, the setting sun filled the hallway through windows with no glass.

Ooki was stooped over by the wall and sweeping.

Behind her, Siegfried held a broom as well.

“Is this good enough?” she asked.

Siegfried stopped sweeping and ran a finger across the window frame.

“This is still fairly dirty…”

“That isn’t from the fight just now!”

Ooki let out an exhausted sigh and looked around.

She saw windows with no glass and a scorched hallway.

She changed how she looked at the situation and spoke her thoughts out loud.

“Siegfried-san, who was that Diana woman?”

“My niece.”

“That isn’t what I meant.” Ooki looked around at the glass shards in the dustpan. “Who is she to Sayama-kun and the others?”

The ends of her eyebrows lowered as she asked and Siegfried initially remained silent.

Ooki turned around and tilted her head at his silence.

Finally, he replied with a question of his own while looking down at her.

“Why do you ask that?”

Ooki smiled and gave an answer.

“Because they are my students,” she said as if that was only natural. “It worries me.”

“I see.”

Siegfried’s expression changed.

He smiled slightly.

Without showing any more of his true feelings, the sorcerer spoke.

“I do not know the details either, but Diana arrived in Japanese UCAT during the 1980s. She was a consultant in magic spells. And…she remained until the end of ’95.”

“You mean… she stayed until that earthquake?”

“Yes,” replied Siegfried. “Just like the original UCAT members had the Eight Great Dragon Kings, it seems the old UCAT leading up to the earthquake had a group known as the Five Great Peaks. Diana is one of them. …At the time, they were apparently trying to learn and use the combat techniques of each Gear. Why, I do not know.”

“In that case, this was not her true strength.”

Ooki looked across the hallway. The windows were gone and portions were scorched, but there was no more destruction than that.

Siegfried nodded and spoke.

“She may have seen a user of 1st-Gear’s true power as a chance to test the power of hers which is not borrowed. But I doubt she was taking this seriously.” He took a breath. “Before she left the school, she told me she had something to teach those who would be following in our footsteps.”

Shinjou's eyes opened in surprise as she watched the mock battle being used as training.

Sayama was fighting, but…

“He can’t do anything…”

As she watched, Sayama continually back stepped as he moved along the training room floor.

He was pursued by a woman in a black armored uniform and a three-cornered hat. She was the woman named Diana from German UCAT.

Today was the first time Shinjou had seen her.

Just as Shinjou had finished changing in the women’s locker room, the woman had surprised her by suddenly entering.

…''She has a really nice figure.

Shinjou had immediately continued on into the training room, so she had not spoken with the woman as she changed.

However, the nod the woman had given in lieu of a greeting had seemed nice enough.

Shinjou did not think the woman was an evil person. But perhaps that was due to her naiveté.

At any rate, the woman was definitely giving Sayama trouble.

She moved by walking and her weapon was a broom.

Diana would walk up and try to sweep Sayama’s feet out from under him with the broom.

That was all she did. She swept the broom with a wide motion and her walking pace was relaxed. She was not using any kind of spell.

And yet…

“Sayama-kun! In front of you! She’s coming!”

Diana approached from directly in front of Sayama, but he did nothing despite wielding a sword.

Once again, he only took action a moment after she cried out.

“…”

His eyes suddenly focused on Diana who stood directly in front of him.

Diana tilted her head.

“What is it?”

Sayama’s eyebrows rose slightly and he leaped to the left.

An instant later, Diana swept her broom along the spot he had been in a moment before.

Shinjou heard the bamboo brush scrape cross the floor.

Kazami stood to Shinjou’s left and she finally spoke.

“Kaku was taken out by that broom. She knocked someone as big as him flying with one sweep of a broom. Who is she?”

Sibyl, who stood to Kazami’s left, tilted her head.

“That woman came from the locker room Shinjou-san always uses, did she not? In that case, I assume she is close to either Ooshiro-sama or Itaru-sama.”

“Probably,” said Kazami as she folded her arms and looked back across the room.

Shinjou followed Kazami’s gaze and saw Diana walking toward Sayama once more.

Kazami clicked her tongue at the scene.

“Why can’t Sayama do anything?”

“Hmm… Do you think she’s using some kind of ability? Like some kind of martial arts.”

“You mean martial arts instead of magic?”

“Yes. I don’t know how to say it exactly, but she isn’t using any spells or concepts. In that case, I think she has to be using some kind of deceptive martial art.”

As far as Shinjou could see, Diana was walking normally.

However, Sayama would lose sight of her.

“And he notices her again when she stops.”

Exactly that happened and Sayama back stepped away.

As she watched that scene play out again and again, Shinjou recalled what she had just said.

Diana would stop just before Sayama noticed her.

…''It looks like Sayama-kun is noticing Diana-san and then moving out of the way, but what if that isn’t what’s happening?

“Is Diana-san stopping to purposefully let him notice her?”

“If so, she’s quite the odd person. She’s waiting for Sayama to give up.”

Hearing Kazami’s comment, Shinjou could not help but shout out.

“Stick with it, Sayama-kun!”

As if in response, Sayama leaped toward her.

From a distance of approximately five meters, Sayama called out to Shinjou.

“Shinjou-kun.”

Shinjou did not know how to respond when he suddenly called her name.

“Shinjou-kun,” he called again.

“Eh? Wh-what is it?”

Sayama nodded.

“It seems I am a bit confused right now. I could use some help calming down, so-…”

“No repeating a joke by telling me to stick out my butt, okay?”

“…”

“Wh-why are you lost in thought now?”

''She is a surprisingly strict person,'' decided Sayama. ''Anyway…

“Shinjou-kun, let us talk about this battle. You called out to me to tell me Diana is approaching, did you not?”

“Yes. …It didn’t look like you could see her.”

“I could not see her.”

“Eh?” said Shinjou. “H-hey, Sayama-kun, what do you mean? Has the twisted wiring of your brain finally affected your vision too?”

“I see we have much to discuss after this is over, but I will overlook it for now. …So you are saying you could see her, Shinjou-kun?”

“Y-yes. Kazami-san and Sibyl-san could as well.”

“I see,” said Sayama with a nod.

He understood something now.

The technique Diana was using was the same one Tsukuyomi had used.

He still did not know what it was, but he had begun to analyze it.

“The effects are limited to me, so she is not actually hiding somewhere. Does that mean she is preventing my senses from detecting her?”

And…

“Kazami, one quick question. How did Izumo lose?”

“Well… Um, he turned his right side toward her and…”

“And he attacked straight ahead the instant she began to move?”

“Yes, but she easily evaded and…well, you saw what happened.”

“I see,” said Sayama with another nod.

Shinjou then asked a question from behind him.

“Is there anything you can do, Sayama-kun? You don’t see her when she approaches, right?”

“It is not that I am not seeing her. I think I am being made so I cannot see her.”

He sent a self-deprecating smile toward the floor and thought.

He still did not know on what principle this technique functioned. However…

“There is still a way of defeating an unseen enemy,” said Sayama.

He held his Cowling Sword to the right with his left hand.

He lowered the tip in an iai stance.

He faced forward at Diana’s smile ten meters away.

She had said she had something to teach him.

Was that this technique?

…''Or is there still something more?

Shinjou saw the atmosphere around Sayama change.

His back tensed a bit as he focused.

She did not feel comfortable speaking to him now because the slightest stimulus would cause him to move. However, she heard Kazami speak quietly next to her.

“This is bad. This is the same as when Kaku was defeated. The only difference is his stance.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Kaku stopped moving and took an offensive stance, remember? Do you know the way to attack something unseen?”

Shinjou thought, but a glance at Sayama and Diana told her she had no time.

So she said, “Sorry, but just tell me.”

“Sure. I’m betting Kaku’s idea was to attack his enemy when he lost sight of her.”

“So… When she disappeared, he knew she was coming in for the attack?”

“Testament,” replied Sibyl. “But look. Diana-sama disappears from Sayama-sama’s vision when she is approximately seven steps away from him.”

Shinjou mentally converted the distance of seven steps and her expression stiffened.

“Do you get it now, Shinjou? Seven steps is about four meters. At that distance, she can easily circle around or stop where she is. But since her opponent can’t know what she will do, he can only attack blindly. That’s why Kaku swung V-Sw like a bat.”

Kazami glanced over at the right corner of the training room.

A giant blade was stabbed into the white wall.

It was V-Sw. Its console was still active and a short sentence was displayed on it.

“So lonely.”

“What a pain,” sighed Kazami. “He should have expanded it to its second form.”

''What should I do?'' wondered Shinjou.

Like before, she could tell Sayama what Diana was doing. However…

…''Sayama-kun said he had a way.

Shinjou stared at Sayama’s back.

He remained perfectly still and waited for his opponent.

And so Shinjou decided to remain silent and wait.

Just like Sayama, she waited for it all to begin.

Diana tilted her head when she saw Sayama’s stance.

His stance was different than Izumo’s when she had swept him away.

Izumo had held his Cowling Sword in both hands like a bat, but Sayama held his Cowling Sword at his right hip in his left hand.

That iai stance reminded Diana of a backhand in tennis.

He had obviously thought this through.

''But,'' thought Diana. ''That will not work.

She had a reason to think this.

And if Sayama knew that reason, he would not have done nothing but run this entire time.

And so Diana thought, ''Your way of thinking about this is fundamentally flawed.

“I will not give you a warning.”

…''The inexperienced show the most growth after defeat.

Izumo sat in front of the door behind her. He saw no value in his defeat and instead felt only frustration and confusion.

That was fine.

[[Image:OnC_v03_0191.png|thumb]]

Those who did not glorify defeat and instead tried to oppose it were the most frightening when one saw them again.

Diana suddenly looked down at the chest of her own armored uniform.

“The insignia of German UCAT.”

The badge displayed Germany divided to the left and right with a cross binding the two halves.

She spoke as she looked down at that image.

“Sayama Mikoto-kun, you are facing a few different question right now, aren’t you? You want to know how you should face 2nd-Gear as the Leviathan Road’s negotiator. And…

“And?”

“You want to know how to relate to someone named Shinjou.”

Sayama’s expression remained unchanged and he said nothing. However, that lack of reaction gave an eloquent answer.

Diana took a breath and spoke.

“I will now bring defeat to you.”

Sayama’s response was a simple one.

“That is impossible,” he declared.

“Heh heh. That sounds promising. Will you still stay that if I knock you around a bit?”

“I have been knocked around countless times by my grandfather and others in the past,” he said expressionlessly. “And on the psychological side, nothing pains me more than the past. …That is why I will never admit defeat even if I die. As long as you allow me the qualifier of ‘eventually’ I can confidently declare my victory.”

“Herrlich.”

A slight smile appeared on Diana’s lips. This smile came from her heart.

“Then instead of giving you defeat, I will leave it with you for the moment. Is that good enough?”

“Yes. In that case, I suppose I should say Testament. Do I need to pay it back with interest?”

“Testament. But please send that payment to your enemies. And while I leave this defeat with you, please think about why this happened. If you do, I think you will come to understand something interesting.”

“Something interesting? Is this related to my questions concerning 2nd-Gear and…Shinjou-kun?”

“Searching for those answers is your role. And this is my test.” She nodded. “Team Leviathan is too inexperienced to see through my technique, but you may show some promise. …I will be testing you on that now.”

Her smile deepened and she deemed it an excellent smile.

Everything that produced a smile would result in a cheerful conclusion.

As she thought on that, Diana held her broom forward.

“Questions. They form tests, doubts, riddles, truth seeking, searches, and definite displays of resistance.”

She walked forward.

“Think and ask questions. Send a question mark to yourself so that you can fight back.”

As she spoke, Diana continued toward Sayama.

Sayama watched the witch approach.

With her current gait, she was twelve steps away.

A footstep quickly reduced that to eleven. A heel cut it down to ten.

Once he counted down through nine, eight, and seven, she would be in her territory.

With a natural pace, she made that seventh step.

At the same moment, Diana disappeared from Sayama’s senses.

''No,'' thought Sayama.

He was seeing Diana a bit to the right.

He was seeing her, but his mind could not sense her.

Her footsteps and presence were both there, but his senses would not accept it.

…''What is this?

His perception was out of sync with his senses. With a smile, Diana approached to a distance of six steps.

Sayama felt a chill.

This was when he had made his back steps previously.

Diana had stopped here and his perception of her had returned.

But she did not stop this time.

She continued on.

For an instant, he was not sure if he should evade or not.

This urge to evade was what Izumo had transformed into an attack earlier.

Sayama felt it was commendable that Izumo had been able to resist evading.

But Izumo’s attack had been evaded and he had been blown away.

Seven steps or about four meters was far enough to evade almost any close quarters attack.

Faced with that fact, Sayama knew he had to grasp Diana’s location directly in front of him.

While wondering what he should do, Sayama had found a certain method.

Shinjou saw Sayama suddenly step forward toward Diana.

An “ah” escaped her lips.

She realized what Sayama was doing.

“He’s going to fight even though he can’t see her.”

Just because he could not see her did not mean she had disappeared.

She was there.

If his opponent would circle around outside his attack range, he just had to fill that gap himself.

That was the method Sayama chose and he continued to move.

As Sayama stepped forward, he held his right hand out ahead of him.

Diana had been walking straight toward him, but his outstretched hand stopped her.

No longer able to walk forward, Diana chose to evade. Her body moved to the side as she began to step out of the way.

At the same time, Sayama’s Cowling Sword shot out in his left hand. It formed a white arc from his right hip to directly in front of him.

“…!”

Even if he could not see his opponent, he could guide her with a few different movements.

If he stopped her from moving forward, she would definitely move either left or right.

And a sword swung from the right hip would extend the farthest to the left. In that case...

…''She’ll evade to the right!

Diana circled outside the range of the sword and to Sayama’s right.

The witch calmly evaded the blade.

However, Shinjou saw another smile. This smile was on Sayama’s lips.

Shinjou could guess why he had that smile. Sayama’s primary weapon was not his sword.

“Seh!!”

His right leg shot toward Diana in a high speed kick.

He put his hips behind this kick in a way only one trained in hand-to-hand fighting could.

It all happened in an instant.

The sharp trajectory of his leg struck the witch and a sound of impact rang out.

Sayama felt the blow in his leg. However…

“It was not a direct hit!”

“No, it was not. You think too much of yourself, but you did well for someone at your level.”

He could see Diana.

The black witch showed no sign of pain and no sign of having taken a blow.

He noticed his leg had not struck her.

She was holding her broom in front of her in her left hand. His leg had struck the broom’s handle.

“…”

She had not taken any kind of stance. She had simply held the broom forward. It was almost as if…

…''It looks like my leg struck the broom she had held out in advance.

“I knew what you were doing,” she said.

“You knew?”

“Sorry. I could have knocked you away before you even attacked, but you would not have accepted that result. I needed to show you that your chosen method would not work.”

Diana went on to describe Sayama’s strategy.

“You chose to forestall my movement and lead me as you saw fit, didn’t you? But that does not work against someone who knows how you think.”

Diana drew back the broom and Sayama lowered his leg.

They both took a breath, and…

“!”

Sayama suddenly threw a left kick.

It was fast and he had chosen a moment when her guard was down.

However…

“How naïve.”

Sayama’s kick was blocked by the handle of Diana’s broom as if that was the natural result.

Sayama frowned and Diana smiled.

“Do you understand now?”

He did. At some point, her broom had moved from her left hand to her right hand.

Just like her walking, he had been unable to perceive that movement of the broom.

What was happening?

The one thing he understood was that he did not understand.

“If you are faced with an enemy who can do this, you and those behind you are done for,” said Diana.

Sayama listened to her and uttered a grinding question through his clenched back teeth.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why can I not see you even though I am seeing you?” he asked as if throwing away the breath.

“Testament.”

Diana raised her head. Her eyebrows returned to normal and strength left her expression as she showed a true smile.

“That contradictory question is a very Japanese. I believe a man in Japanese mythology named Yamato Takeru used a method like this to defeat an opponent. He kept his opponent from suspecting anything, approached, and attacked.”

“…!”

Sayama recalled what Shinjou Setsu had told him afterschool.

…''What if I was Yamato Takeru?

He had thought that meant Shinjou Setsu had some lie.

And he had given a certain response to those words.

He had made a certain promise to Shinjou Setsu.

…''When Shinjou-kun gets serious and tries to tell me something, I will face him.

He focused on the idea of “facing” him.

Sayama realized a new meaning for that word.

He realized a new way of thinking about his promise with Shinjou, his training with Diana, 2nd-Gear’s acclimation to Low-Gear, and how he should carry out the Leviathan Road.

It was all the same.

If he did not properly face those things, he would lose something.

And so Sayama nodded.

He opened his mouth and rephrased his previous question into a new question.

“Why am I not seeing you even though I should be seeing you?”

That question would allow him to face his opponent’s true form. His question was based in conviction.

Naturally, Diana had no way of reading his thoughts.

But even so, she nodded in response.

“Testament. Think on this. Face everything that stands before you so that you do not lose sight of them. …Struggling against that sort of question is a good deed for you and your comrades.”

He heard her speak.

And as soon as he realized that, Sayama saw something white.

It was the ceiling.

He did not even know when he had been knocked into the air.

''Is even that a question I must ask?'' thought Sayama.

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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_8|Chapter 8]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume3 Chapter 4

2014-08-05T12:37:20Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 4: Constant Questions==
[[Image:OnC_v03_0097.png|thumb]]
''The usual begins again

''The usual questions and the usual actions

''As well as the usual unusual

Partially due to lunchtime having passed, schools naturally grew lively in the afternoon.

With its large grounds and many school buildings, Taka-Akita Academy was no exception.

Class 2-D in the second year general school building was Sayama’s class. That class had reached the time for its final homeroom.

However, Ooki had yet to finish her lesson.

“Sorry, everyone. My lessons always take so long.”

Everyone immediately nodded and Sayama spoke up from the center of the back row.

“Do not worry. All of us are used to it after last year.”

“Really? You’re all so great. But, but… The most amazing part was how this class was #1 on the academic test in April. Am I just that good at teaching?”

“You are. Your classes do an excellent job of teaching the students’ to learn independently.”

“Really?”

“When the teacher oversleeps, forgets her textbook, gets off the train at the wrong station, and cannot read what she herself wrote on the board, the students have no choice but to learn on their own. …You do an excellent job.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Ha ha ha. If you heard it that way, you must be a very happy person. Congratulations on the happy life to come.”

“Yay! It was a compliment if you ignore the details!”

As Ooki smiled, the students all gave her threatening looks.

As she turned her back to hand a printout to another row, Sayama nodded toward her.

''This is the kind of person working to save the world,'' he thought as he watched Ooki.

The others did not know about that frightening fact.

The ones working to save the world had no sense of superiority.

No one else knew what they were doing.

In the same way, no one knew anything about the Concept War fought during World War Two.

Sayama suddenly recalled what Ooki had said earlier that day.

…''Why do we need to do the Leviathan Road with 2nd-Gear?

What did the people of 2nd-Gear think? Did they feel the same way?

When Izumo had left at lunch time, he had told Sayama to visit UCAT’s development department if he wanted to know about 2nd-Gear’s concepts and the true circumstances surrounding its people.

When the term Leviathan Road was brought up, would they become allies or enemies?

“Hm.”

Sayama folded his arms.

He really did need to visit UCAT after class.

He had yet to complete his scheduled training time for that week, he wanted to meet with the people of 2nd-Gear, he needed to speak with Kazami and Izumo about what they had discovered after going on ahead, and…

…''Maybe I can see Shinjou Sadame-kun if I go.

With that thought, he made up his mind.

He would go to UCAT.

And he had to inform someone of this decision.

Shinjou Setsu sat to his right with his long black hair tied back behind him.

Shinjou appeared to have been leaning over his desk to write on some loose leaf papers, but…

…''He is asleep.

Sayama reached over to tap Shinjou’s shoulder in order to wake him.

But just as he did, Shinjou frowned and spoke in his sleep.

“Ah… N-no, Sayama-kun…”

Sayama reflexively pulled out his handheld digital recorder.

''Hurry,'' he thought. ''Will I be able to edit it together in time? I hope I do not overwrite the previous recording.

Sayama frantically hit the switch and held the recorder out just as Shinjou stood his fingernails up on the desk.

“Don’t…Don’t you need to heat it up more than that?” Shinjou squirmed. “I-I can’t handle s-something that hard!”

“Hm. What is this you cannot handle?”

“Ya…”

“Ya?”

“Yakiniku!”

Just as Shinjou let out that shout, he stood up with enough force to knock his chair backwards and his desk forwards.

His cloth pencil case fell to the ground and a few sheets of loose leaf paper scattered from the desk.

Silent focus turned toward Shinjou.

After a short pause, Sayama spoke up.

“What kind of exciting dream were you having?”

“Eh? Oh…um… You were insisting on the order meat-meat-vegetable-meat-vegetable, but I was saying vegetable-vegetable-meat-meat-vegetable would be better. Then you tried to force some half-cooked vegetables into… Wait, dream?”

Shinjou glanced around and saw everyone staring at him.

“Ah,” he said.

He seemed to have caught on, so Sayama nodded.

“I am just glad you managed to wake up on your own.”

“There’s no way I can believe you with that digital recorder in your hands! What did you record?”

“Just your running commentary on the yakiniku in your brain. Ha ha ha. But do not worry. I will put it to good use.”

“N-no. I have a really, really bad feeling about this, so give it to me.”

“C’mon, you two. I’m still trying to teach a class here,” said Ooki.

Shinjou blushed but then tilted his head when he glanced over at the clock.

“Huh? Why are you still teaching your class?”

“Ah! I may have been the one to say it, but that was a critical hit!!” Ooki then nodded with a smile and pointed at Shinjou. “At any rate, you shouldn’t oversleep.”

Everyone in the class nodded and spoke.

“How can you say that when you’re late to every class!?”

The afternoon sunlight filled a slanted forest.

This forest was in the mountains that stretched back from the train station in Okutama.

Amid those forested mountains was a curving road continuing from the Oume Highway.

The road followed the natural lines of the mountains and the rivers.

However, the road curved in a V-shape at one point.

The road was turning aside to avoid a single mountain. That mountain was covered in underbrush but had no trees.

It was what remained of a large-scale landslide.

That pile of dirt was one hundred meters wide from north to south and it was two hundred meters long.

Behind it was a small mountain about a hundred meters tall on which the strata of the earth were exposed on the side.

A single person stood at the top of those exposed strata.

It was the young man named Kashima.

He wore his usual work clothes, lab coat, and glasses.

A few white structures were visible beyond the opposite mountain and the forest covering it.

“You can really see IAI on a clear day like this.”

…''You can always see it well from here.

He could see the sky well too.

Kashima sat on the grass and looked up into the blue sky.

This was not far from his childhood home. When he looked up into the heavens, he was reminded of a single person.

“I used to play with my grandfather.”

His words brought back memories of the past.

…''My grandfather…

Kashima’s grandfather had survived the Concept War.

He had supposedly been a skilled swordsmith, but he had retired when Kashima was still young. The number of friends who stopped by to visit him had decreased as the years went by and Kashima’s father had chosen the path of a farmer despite inheriting the skills of Kashima’s grandfather.

His grandfather had often spoken of 2nd-Gear as they sat on the porch.

Kashima had attended a Low-Gear school, so he had not thought his grandfather’s stories of a different world were true.

The war his grandfather spoke of was different from Low-Gear’s World War Two that Kashima had been taught about.

However, those stories had involved many different people, many different battles, and many different losses.

Swords had been swung, bullets had been fired, and giant ships and dragons had appeared. And amid all that, his grandfather had told him the following.

“When we came to this world, the name Kashima gained the meaning of the greatest military god. It is not as powerful as the emperor, but this name allows us to speak with heaven via tools with blades.”

Kashima had thought his grandfather’s war stories were nothing but fantasy, but one question had remained.

…''He would never tell me how the war ended.

No matter how many times Kashima asked, the old man would only smile and say, “That does not matter.”

He had wondered why it did not matter and why his grandfather’s smile was filled with sorrow.

When he had entered middle school, he had been told he was not from this world and his question had transformed into doubt.

According to his parents, when 2nd-Gear had been destroyed by Yamata, the people had escaped to Low-Gear, created a giant humanoid weapon and a sword, and sealed Yamata.

His grandfather had apparently played an important role in sealing Yamata. He had created the sword used to seal Yamata, which was 2nd-Gear’s Concept Core, and he had helped control the humanoid machine.

All of that was true. He had looked into it once he joined UCAT.

However, his doubt had remained.

For example, when his grandfather was still alive, he had never spelled Kashima using Low-Gear’s kanji.

…''He never let himself fully adapt to Low-Gear. Did the war ever truly end for him?

Kashima did not know the truth. And the time he had made his way closest to the truth was not during his time in UCAT.

It was on a night thirteen years ago.

“The night my grandfather died.”

Kashima closed his eyes and recalled that moment in the past that had marked the beginning of it all for him.

As Kashima’s vision grew dark, he found himself in an old wooden house.

He was in his childhood home’s living room.

It had a tall ceiling and walls, and the thick pillars and lintels were covered in dark soot. All of the wood had a bit of a tree trunk’s curve remaining and the room was lit by nothing but a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

It was nighttime outside and the night was filled with the harsh wind of winter.

A thin old man lay on a futon placed on the tatami mat floor.

That man was Kashima’s grandfather.

His hair had thinned, his face had grown yellow, and his eyes were staring blankly up at the ceiling.

''Did I ever hold his hand back then?'' wondered Kashima.

All he remembered was his parents trying to hold him back from behind.

He remembered them telling him to leave him be and not to bother him. But he remembered one thing the most.

“You are wrong! You don’t need to bear your father’s sins yourself!”

Those words reminded Kashima of something else.

…''Yes, I was holding his hand then.

His grandfather had still been strong enough to squeeze his hand back and he had spoken clearly.

“Akio.”

When he had heard his name called, Kashima had brushed aside his parent’s hands holding him back. He had then moved up to his grandfather’s face.

He did not remember what he had told his grandfather, but he remembered what his grandfather had said in response.

“You can live the same life your father chose.”

But…

“But, Akio, if…if you have any questions, go to the Izumo company. There is an organization called UCAT there. And…”

His grandfather had stopped speaking at that point.

But Kashima had not allowed it. He had used his empty hand to grab his grandfather’s collar.

“Tell me! What do you want to say!? You’ve been holding back this whole time, haven’t you!? You always told me about your dead friends, but you never told me anything about yourself! I should go to UCAT, right! What should I do there!?”

His question had received a single word in response.

“…Tachikawa.”

“Tachikawa?” he had said while holding his grandfather’s collar.

The old man had nodded and taken a breath.

“There is an airfield there and a giant-…”

At the time, he had not known what his grandfather was talking about.

“A giant what!? There’s…there’s something there, right!? I just have to go there, right!?”

“Yes. It is in the front box of the bridge in the head… You need to pass that on.”

“To who!? Pass what on to who!?”

The old man had not given a response. He had spoken a different word instead. It had been…

“A name?” Kashima had asked.

His grandfather had not nodded. He had only spoken while taking shallow breaths.

“That is the word to control Yamata. That is the truth of 2nd-Gear.”

“!?”

“Take that…and go…”

Kashima had gulped and his grandfather’s eyes had moved.

They had turned toward a point in the heavens and they had not focused on Kashima who was looking down at him. He had been looking at something much farther away.

The intensity of his gaze had not wavered as the old man spoke a short sentence.

“Can you forgive me?”

Those were his final words.

The old man’s slender body had trembled.

That throb indicated the end. Kashima had felt that final beat through the old man’s collar and hand. His own body had trembled in response.

Those were Kashima’s memories of that night so long ago.

He may have forgotten some aspects of it, but one doubt would never disappear.

…''Had the war truly ended for my grandfather?

With that thought, he opened his eyes and stood up.

The slope of a landslide lay below him.

Kashima’s gaze stopped on one point of that expanse of dirt. A color was visible just a bit down from the center of the slope.

That color was white.

It belonged to a piece of painted metal.

A white mid-sized bus had been inextricably buried in the slope while rolled on its side.

Kashima stared at the white bus buried in the landslide and muttered to himself.

“My war has already ended.”

After school, Sayama and Shinjou helped some others clean the classroom.

Once they were finished, they spoke with each other while the others prepared to leave.

Sayama placed his textbook in his bag while Shinjou placed his hands between his legs and hung his head down.

“U-um, Sayama-kun. Sorry about before.”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“When I was…um…half-asleep, I said something about a weird dream, didn’t I?”

''Oh, that,'' thought Sayama with a bitter mental smile.

“No, I do not think it was all that weird a dream, Shinjou-kun.”

“R-really? It wasn’t weird?”

Shinjou nodded with a relieved smile and Sayama took his handheld digital recorder from his pocket and switched it on.

“I-I can’t handle s-something that hard!”

“Ha ha ha. Do you see anything weird about that?”

“That’s plenty weird! C-c’mon! Quit fighting and give me that recorder!”

“Calm down, Shinjou-kun. No one is saying you did anything wrong, are they?”

“W-well, no…”

Shinjou seemed to shrink down.

“There is nothing to worry about. Ooki-sensei’s self-destruct stood out a lot more. It is of course possible she purposefully self-destructed to cover for you, but the odds of that are too low for me to calculate.”

“Are you trying to trick me?”

“Not at all. I am misrepresenting the facts to give you a more positive viewpoint.”

“That’s the same thing as tricking me. …Honestly.”

“Honestly? Honestly what, Shinjou-kun?”

“Nnn,” groaned Shinjou as he raised his hands from between his legs. “Um, about what we were talking about before.”

Shinjou grabbed a pile of loose leaf paper from his desk and held it to his chest.

“Do you want to know what I was doing this morning and a bit ago?”

“I do,” said Sayama with a nod.

''What a complicated person,'' he thought.

Shinjou had refused that morning and he had caused a disturbance during homeroom. Those two facts led Sayama to one conclusion.

…''Did he decide it would be better to just tell me?

“I see. Allow me to prepare my recorder again. …Okay, you may spill the beans now.”

“Please stop with this polite interrogation.”

“Very well. I would like to hear what you have to say. Can you tell me?”

“Yes. But first tell me this: Sayama-kun, do you read novels?”

“I do.”

“For example?”

“Up until summer break last year, I read through every single novel on display in the Kinugasa Library. I target the specific knowledge I should acquire, but I will read any kind of story.”

“I see.” Shinjou’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “Wh-what kind of stories did you like? Ones like Tsujigiri Samurai?”

“That had nothing to make it stand out other than the Tsujigiri. …It was fine as long as you did not take it too seriously.”

As he spoke, he gave a bitter smile in his heart.

…''A story worthy of facing and taking seriously.

He then realized something.

He realized what it was Shinjou wanted to tell him.

Sayama pointed at what Shinjou held in his hands.

“I see. Shinjou-kun, you are trying to write something like that, aren’t you?”

Shinjou looked up.

Sayama’s almond-shaped eyes looked back at him with no hint of a smile.

Sayama had been exactly right. The loose leaf paper in Shinjou’s arms was…

“After reading some stories, I wanted to write one of my own. I thought there had to be something better out there and thought about what I would have done differently. …And those thoughts turned into these papers.”

“I see.”

Sayama nodded, but Shinjou looked down again.

He looked at Sayama’s feet and realized his indoor slippers were surprisingly dirty.

“But I’ve never seriously tried to write anything before. I feel like I’m lacking something.”

“Lacking something? Like what? Common knowledge? Or maybe composure or objectivity?”

“Sorry, but I need to turn those questions right back at you, Sayama-kun. Anyway, let’s move on. I always stop writing before I finish, so I’m afraid the same will happen this time.”

“I see.” Sayama nodded but finally asked a question. “Shinjou-kun, why are you telling me this now?”

“I thought it would be best to tell you.”

“And why is that?”

Shinjou thought about his refusal that morning and what had happened during homeroom.

He felt apologetic and also wanted to ensure there were no misunderstandings. However…

…''Why am I so concerned about misunderstandings?

As he thought, he spoke without thinking.

“I want you to know more about me…”

''What am I saying?'' he suddenly realized.

His face felt oddly warm.

Shinjou looked up to face Sayama. As he looked at him through his bangs, he could see a smile in his eyes. He nodded and spoke.

“That is what it means to tell a story, Shinjou-kun. Do not forget that stance.”

“Eh?”

However, Sayama did not reply to that monosyllabic question. He said something else instead.

“What kind of story are you writing now? Is it a bizarre murder mystery that holds the promise of a wonderful romance?”

“I’m not writing some new genre like that. …Recently, I’ve been looking into Japanese mythology a bit.”

“Oh? What a coincidence. So have I.”

“I know. You were reading a mythology book by the man who made this school last night, weren’t you?”

“So you noticed. I would like to look into the legends surrounding Susanoo and Yamata no Orochi. Do you have any advice for me?”

Shinjou thought for a bit.

“Hm… Maybe you should focus on swords and heroes.”

“Swords and heroes?”

“Yes. Japanese mythology features a few different divine swords. The most well-known one is Kusanagi and the second most well-known one is the Sword of Totsuka that defeated Yamata no Orochi. There are also more minor ones like Futsunomitama. Of those three, Kusanagi is the most important.” Shinjou worked to recall the knowledge he had read. “Kusanagi was presented to the head god Amaterasu and for some reason its name changed to the Sword of Murakumo.”

And…

“The one to wield the sword during the age of men was Yamato Takeru. He is a hero on the same level as Susanoo. He went by the name Ousu and wished to unify Japan, so he first traveled to Kumaso in Kyushu and got to know Kumaso Takeru. But Yamato Takeru tricked him to pull off a surprise attack.”

“He disguised himself as a woman to get close and kill him. Kumaso Takeru called him a hero for defeating him and gave him the name Yamato Takeru. Am I wrong?”

“No. Both of those heroes were very unique people. …Susanoo was rude and violent and the gods hated him, but he was honest to himself. However, Yamato Takeru was different. He was brave and people loved him, but…”

“He lived surrounded by lies.”

Shinjou froze in place when he heard that. Finally, he nodded.

…''Lies.

He looked toward Sayama’s left arm.

He still had the bandages around it, but the arm beneath was likely fully healed.

Shinjou would have to leave him before long.

As he thought that, Shinjou spoke without meaning to.

“I would say you are the Susanoo type, Sayama-kun.”

“I am honored that you think of me as a god.”

Sayama smiled a bit and Shinjou smiled back.

But Shinjou finally opened his mouth again.

The words he spoke were ones that had been on his mind recently.

This had to be the source of the guilt he felt toward Sayama and the desire to have Sayama know more about him.

That thought spilled from his lips in a form that expressed it from a different angle.

“Sayama-kun, what would you do if I was Yamato Takeru?”

School had ended and the cleaning was complete.

The school was partially filled with the afternoon sun and new sounds echoed throughout it.

The sounds were the shouts of practicing sports teams and the bouncing of balls. Other sounds of construction for the All Holiday Festival piled on top of those other sounds.

However, there were a few places in the school where those sounds did not reach.

One of those was the east side of the third year general school building.

The first floor was used to store teaching materials, so people rarely passed by.

A tall woman stood amid the shadow of the school building.

It was Diana wearing her black suit.

She brushed up her hair and turned toward the school building.

A guest slipper box was located at the entrance of the building. Someone was standing next to it.

“Do you need something?” asked a girl.

The girl standing approximately five meters away had gray hair and wore a school uniform. A small blue and black bird stood on her shoulder and at her feet was…

“That’s the kitty I saw in the Kinugasa Library.”

Diana brought her left hand to her cheek and let out a sigh.

The ends of her eyebrows lowered slightly and she looked at the sharp look in the girl’s purple eyes.

“What do you want, Brunhild Schild of 1st-Gear?”

“You know? That simplifies things.” Expressionless, the girl loosely folded her arms at her waist. “I heard from the cat. You told Siegfried to stay away from the Leviathan Road, didn’t you? I assume you’re with UCAT, but what are you thinking?”

Diana smiled bitterly.

“Oh? Why does it bother you so much? You lost to them, didn’t you?”

“I did, but I also gained something because of them. If you do anything to-…”

“And what do you hope to do if I harm them, little girl?”

Still expressionless, Brunhild unfolded her arms.

She held a blue stone in her right hand.

The motion of her hand was gentle yet swift and accurate. The path of the stone wrote words in the air.

“I am not going to be treated like a little girl by someone as young as you.”

“Me? Young? I suppose I do look quite young. …But I would prefer you called me Diana. I think we can get along.”

Brunhild’s response was to send white light rushing from her right hand.

It formed a single link of a chain.

The glowing ellipse was thirty centimeters across and it suddenly flew forward at high speed.

It moved toward Diana’s neck.

But just before it bound her slender neck, Diana moved her left hand.

She reached her fingers into her waving hair.

When she pulled her fingers out, she held a narrow rectangle of paper.

“…!”

The glowing chain struck the paper.

A metallic noise rang out and a quick blast of wind burst out.

All that remained was a scorched word on Diana’s paper.

“Kette… A girl should not be swinging around something like that. Or is that something you take a liking to after living as long as you have?”

Diana’s eyes narrowed and she lightly embraced her own body. A smile remained on her lips all the while.

“I learned one thing today: an idiot will not listen.”

“And who is that lesson meant for, Diana?”

“Most likely…”

Her next words were followed by motion.

“The entire world.”

Sayama frowned at Shinjou’s question. He wondered what he meant.

“What do you mean when you ask what I would do?”

“I mean exactly that. What would you do if I was Yamato Takeru?”

Sayama nodded in response.

He thought for a bit and then patted Shinjou’s shoulder with a serious expression.

“How about we go to the hospital? You are worrying me with this talk of a previous life.”

“Th-that is definitely not the reaction I was expecting.”

“Ha ha ha. Do not worry. I can introduce you to an excellent brain doctor. Everything will be okay. You will only feel a small prick. I can also introduce you to an excellent sanatorium. And I suppose I would be the one to nurse you back to health. A sanitarium in Karuizawa… How poetic… The highlands, the wide-open sky, the silent nights… Ahh, ahh!”

“Stop staring into the distance and imagining some drama.”

Shinjou glared at him with half-lidded eyes, but his expression quickly changed to an exasperated one.

“Sorry, though. I suppose that was an odd thing to ask.”

Shinjou gave a troubled smile.

Sayama did in fact understand what Shinjou’s sudden question had meant.

Just after Sayama had said that Yamato Takeru lived surrounded by lies, Shinjou had asked if he was the same.

…''Does Shinjou-kun have some lie?

He wanted to know how Sayama would react to this lie, so it would not be something trivial.

…''The reason he asked me so suddenly must have to do with what he said before.

Shinjou had said he wanted Sayama to know more about him.

And with Sayama’s left arm almost healed, they would be parting ways soon.

…''Is Shinjou-kun unsure whether he should tell me something before then?

Sayama thought on the word “lie”.

He wanted to know what this lie was, but Shinjou only showed him a troubled smile.

If he asked, Shinjou was unlikely to answer.

So Sayama chose his words carefully and spoke.

“Will you listen to one thing, Shinjou-kun? No, I must insist that you listen.”

“Eh? Wh-what is this all of a sudden?”

“It seems you have some secret, so if you ever feel like telling me, please do.”

A look of surprise filled Shinjou’s face.

That expression told Sayama he was right.

And as if to further prove that, Shinjou’s expression changed to one of relief.

“Okay. I will.”

“But be careful, Shinjou-kun. I am a villain, even when it comes to you. So…”

“I know. No matter how much I tempt you, you mustn’t give in, Sayama-kun. You can only be moved when I get serious and try to tell you something. …Right?”

“Exactly. When that time comes, I will face you as a villain and you will face me based on your own standard.”

Shinjou let out a sigh. It was a sigh of relief.

“I will. …I’m a lot of trouble to deal with, aren’t I?”

“You could say the same about me.”

Shinjou gave a bitter smile and Sayama did the same. In an attempt to bring an end to that mood, Sayama placed his school documents in his bag.

But he suddenly stopped.

He held an atlas of Japan.

He suddenly opened up a map of Tokyo on the desk.

…''Kazami and Izumo are probably gathering information on 2nd-Gear right now.

For example, they might be learning where Yamata was sealed.

Shinjou glanced at the map from the side.

“Is there something in Tokyo?”

“Yes. I am going to be looking for something soon. If there was somewhere in Tokyo where something quite large could freely go on a rampage, where would that be?”

“Y-you make it sound like a monster movie. I want to say a park, but parks have a lot of trees and hills. Is there anywhere flatter like an airfield?”

“An airfield, hm? I don’t think Tokyo has one of those.”

Sayama’s comment received a response from a voice by the classroom window.

“There’s Yokota Air Base.”

Sayama and Shinjou raised their heads and looked to the left.

Someone’s back was visible by the window toward the back of the classroom.

A boy with a medium build sat on the window frame with his uniform’s coat removed.

The boy had fairly tanned skin, baggy pants, and a shirt with the bottom spread out.

He turned his finely chiseled face and wavy black hair toward them.

“What kind of crazy conversation have you been having?” he asked with his blue eyes hidden by sunglasses.

“It should have been self-explanatory, Harakawa. And what are you doing here?”

“Oh, Ooki-sensei broke this window yesterday, remember? Well, she asked me to fix it.”

“I do remember. She opened the window normally, but it fell out for some reason.”

“Yes, and it stabbed into the flower bed down below. It looked like some kind of avant-garde art. I’m in the automobile club, though, so this isn’t my specialty. Anyway, if you have business at Yokota, I can let you in. I work there part-time.”

“No, I have no business with Yokota Air Base. It would be the airfield from before the war.”

Sayama suddenly spread the atlas out on the desk.

There had been a large airfield in Tokyo before the war.

Sayama quickly opened the enlarged map of western Tokyo and Harakawa called out to him.

“Tachikawa?”

“Yes. It seems your leaving school to work at a military base was useful after all, Dan Harakawa. There used to be a military airfield here in Tokyo: Tachikawa Airfield. It is currently known as the Showa Memorial Park, but it functioned as an airport before the war and…”

Sayama moved his finger along the map.

A train route ran by Showa Memorial Park.

It was the JR Oume Line which left Tachikawa. The Oume Line extended west toward Okutama. It continued directly to Okutama where UCAT was located.

“I see,” muttered Sayama.

Suddenly, he heard a single noise.

It was a metallic noise.

Harakawa must have dropped a tool, because he looked around at the floor.

An atmosphere of confusion filled the room and Sayama alone began to move. He stood up.

“That was the sound of glass breaking.”

“Wh-what is it, Sayama-kun? What was that about glass?”

“Sorry,” he said as he handed his black leather bag to Shinjou. “Could you take this back to our dorm room? Once I take care of some business, I think I will head directly to work.”

“Some business?” asked Shinjou as he took the black leather bag.

Sayama nodded.

“I need to clean something up.”

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume3_Chapter_5|Chapter 5]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 45

2014-06-30T11:02:23Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 45: Performers from the Wings of the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0391.png|thumb]]
''Can in intruder be necessary?

''And if so

''Why is that the case?

'''Point Allocation (The Entire World)

Two people in vermillion uniforms appeared in the meeting hall.

One was Tres Españan Secretary Diego Velázquez and the other was 3rd Special Duty Officer Tachibana Gin. The former looked across the gathered people and spoke.

“Now then. You suggested a trade alliance with Musashi, did you? To be honest, it’s a pretty interesting idea. And using it to prepare for future settlements isn’t wrong as far as the history recreation and advancing into the outer world is concerned.” He brought a hand to his chin. “But it’s all too idealistic.”

After all…

“Setting up primary trading ports for the Musashi will increase the number of times it trades. That will set up a circulation of wealth, but the participating nations will have to increase their domestic production to increase their supply.”

“And what is wrong with that?”

The Musashi vice president’s voice was completely emotionless.

That told Velázquez she knew quite well what and he lowered his hat over his eyes before continuing.

“Doing that will change the balance of power among the leaders of domestic industries and trade. After all, it will become easier for new businesses to enter the market. That competition and chaos will cut into the profit margins of those who have long controlled domestic industry and trade and they will all decline.” He laughed toward the floor. “The treasurers of England, the Far East, Hexagone Française, and K.P.A. Italia help manage commerce and hold real power there, so you can work to regulate that. However, we and M.H.R.R. manage commerce and industry on the committee and civilian level or we are divided between principalities, so it will not be so easy.

“Those afraid of decline will oppose the alliance to preserve their vested rights, they will prevent the student council and chancellor’s officers from providing money before that alliance is formed, and they have invested in the mass media and are therefore able to lower approval ratings of those in power by broadcasting criticism of them. If following the student council and chancellor’s officers will mean no more money, facilities, and materials, then politics will stall. The normal students will hold a special general student meeting to dismiss both the chancellor’s officers and the student council. And with the backing of those with vested rights, an extremely conservative academy that opposes the alliance will be formed.”

Velázquez’s words did nothing to change the look on the Musashi vice president’s face.

However, she still spoke.

“Tres España received the same treatment from those with vested rights in domestic industries when your economy switched from domestic industry to trade with the New World, but did it work back then?”

“It left our domestic industries in shambles. Even when we obtain money from outside, we can’t produce anything at home, so we end up buying things from outside. We truly are in dire straits. …We’re just barely holding on and now you’re proposing a new system of trade? Those in the trade industry are not going to allow that. If merchants trading with Musashi cut into our trade with the New World, the competing products will drop in value and decline. Y’see, if we increase our domestic production, it will put the merchants importing those products out of business. That’s why Tres España can’t agree to this alliance.”

“Judge.” Musashi’s vice president nodded. “And here I thought I could Tres-t you of all nations to agree.”

Masazumi’s joke bombed on a worldwide scale.

Masazumi was a little surprised when the hall filled with whispering voices.

“Wh-what!? I just felt like saying it is all!”

'''Me:''' “Yeah, but that one was bad. And I mean really bad.”

'''Asama:''' “Sorry. I had a voice erasing spell prepared, but I didn’t make it in time.”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: D-dammit. Just you watch! Next time, I’ll get people to laugh!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I think you’re straying from the main point here.”

However, everyone saw the Fairy Queen turn her back on top of the stage.

She placed her hands on the chair back and her shoulders were shaking.

'''Almost Everyone:''' “She’s laughing!”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: See! Look at that! It was a good joke! I told you!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Is it just me or did Seijun just get really petty?”

After the wave of muttering and tension passed, Velázquez sighed.

…''What a pain.

Being a diplomat was nothing but trouble because it was a thankless job with plenty of troublesome duties. Gin remained perfectly silent next to him, but that was because she had dumped the entire job on him and increased the trouble for him.

…''But she’s reliable if it comes to a fight.

It was a complete mystery how Muneshige had managed to marry her. In the past, she had been the type to grow angry if you touched her. In fact, it had seemed like she would attack if you so much as approached her. As for now…

“Are puns like that a form of humor shared worldwide?” she asked. “I will remember that.”

He felt it would be better if she did not remember it, but it also reminded him of how much people could change.

…''But those changes can be a pain to deal with too.

It may have been because he was long-lived, but he felt an instinctual aversion to sudden changes like the one Musashi’s vice president was asking for. And since Tres España had a large long lived population, there was something he had to say now.

“It may not look it, but Tres España has been following the history recreation quite closely.”

''That’s exactly right,'' he thought to himself. ''The commander, Juana, and everyone else have been doing the hard work of looking to the future while recreating the management of a debt-filled nation.

…''Not that I understand half of it since I’m only the secretary.

Still, he knew it was not easy.

Just as Musashi’s vice president had said, Tres España had rapidly shifted from domestic industries to New World trade. The rise in the trade industry had partially been a method of restraining those with vested rights in those domestic industries because they began trying to influence the nation’s politics. And by giving that rapidly expanding trade industry freedom and protection, the royalty had received the benefit of its independence and tax income.

Under Musashi’s new trade system, the New World trade would lose its freedom and protection, so the royalty would lose that independence and tax income.

That would mean the end of it all.

…''If you want a beneficial relationship, just say so.

For the sake of the history recreation, the merchants crossed the skies, settled the New World, and greeted Velázquez when they met in the city or academy. They had their negative sides, but they all did their very best.

They had no money and their decline was guaranteed, but even in the slums, the merchants and other citizens had something in common.

…''They’re always smiling and enjoying themselves.

Tres España was a good nation. Velázquez and the others were making sure of it. After making it past the Lepanto and the Battle of Itsukushima, they had protected that way of living. It may have been conservative, but that was fine.

However…

“That’s the world I show in my paintings,” said Velázquez. “So I have a question for you, Musashi. Why aren’t you going to war with England?”

“What?” said everyone from Musashi.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “He’s asking why we aren’t? Do we have a reason ''to'' do it?”

'''Asama:''' “Everyone, let’s be completely honest. If you know a reason, you need to confess.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “You’re assuming someone has a reason!?”

However, Masazumi was the one who stood at the front of them all.

…''A reason why we have to go to war with England?

She decided to look further into that question. Did they have a reason for that? And it would have to be something Tres España would want to point out.

''What could it be?'' she thought. ''Wait. It can’t be…

She did indeed come up with a reason and she was likely not the only one. All of those involved in the Battle of Mikawa would be able to come up with it.

“…”

Masazumi turned around and faced someone.

“Do you need something?” asked Horizon.

“Testament. That’s right.” Velázquez’s voice rang clearly. “One of your reasons for rescuing Princess Horizon at Mikawa was the misuse of the history recreation in her murder. You used that as a justification for rescuing that princess and going to war with us.”

In that case…

“England is trying to execute Bloody Mary for the armada battle. Can England really make that interpretation here? What do you say, Musashi of the Far East? You gave your justification for war in order to save that princess, but why aren’t you using that same justification here? Are we the only ones that get attacked? Even if you’ve sealed the right to declare war, England possesses a Logismoi Oplo and you can interpret that as engaging you in war. Or will you refuse to attack England and rescue Mary? Is Musashi really so inexperienced a nation that it will abandon its justification when faced with another individual being executed?”

…''So this is how they’re doing it!

She had known Tres España messengers had arrived and a notification from Musashi’s treasurers had led her to fear those messengers would oppose the trade alliance between their two enemy nations of England and Musashi.

Her plan for that possibility had been to ultimately gain England’s approval by negotiating over the advantages of forming the alliance.

However, this complaint was unexpected.

After all, this was urging Musashi to oppose England as an enemy.

…''And there’s no reason for it!

They had rescued Horizon because she was directly linked to the Far East’s sovereignty. It was only with several different justifications that they had made up their minds.

Their decision had not been wholly based on the misuse of the history recreation.

Meanwhile, Bloody Mary was England’s royalty and getting involved would count as intervening in England’s internal issues. Also, rescuing her would not benefit the Far East in any way.

Mary was not linked to the Far East’s sovereignty like Horizon had been and they would not gain a Logismoi Oplo by rescuing her.

There was only the one reason to get involved.

…''Because this can be interpreted as misusing the history recreation?

That was ridiculous.

Tres España was merely making a huge problem by announcing a tiny issue.

…''But if that qualifies as an “interpretation”, this could be trouble.

“In that case,” said Masazumi while getting down to the heart of the issue. “Aren’t you misusing the idea of interpretations!?”

“I can say the same to you as you try to dodge the issue, Musashi Vice President. You misused the idea of interpretations and attacked K.P.A. Italia and us, but now that England is trying to be your ally, you’re using an interpretation to accept the murder of Mary. Who can trust a nation that does that?”

…''This man.

He knew what people would accept and what they would not. He knew he could win by only saying what would be accepted and not responding to anything that would not.

Just as Masazumi began to wonder what to do, she heard a voice from the stage.

“Tres España, you are being very rude.”

The Fairy Queen gave support in the form of criticism.

Elizabeth looked at Velázquez with slightly raised eyebrows.

…''How very troublesome.

She had no intention of allying with Musashi, but she would not let a misunderstanding about England spread to the other nations. She would say what she had to say.

“Listen,” she began. “Double Bloody Mary’s execution will not disintegrate her like you tried to do with that princess. England will not execute someone such that nothing remains.”

'''Drug Poet:''' “Lady, you are so merciful! And that composed expression is so wonderful!”

'''Queen:''' “Heh heh heh. Stir up the excitement even more, my excellent friends.”

'''Seal Boy:''' “Excellent! Excitingly excellent!! Excitingly excellent execution!”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Are we recording the logs of this divine chat?”

…''Perhaps I should delete some of it. Anyway, I must speak to Tres España.

“Listen, Tres España. Your execution was a bad execution while ours is a good execution.”

“That’s quite a claim there. What exactly do you mean?”

“Testament. It is simple. We will not waste the death of English royalty like Mary.”

So…

“She is a sacrifice to protect England, so we will mourn her execution which is required for the history recreation and then we will use that death to-…”

The Fairy Queen paused and thought for a moment.

After even more thought, she finally spoke.

“My mistake. We cannot simply use her death. That could be called misusing the history recreation. Ha ha ha.”

She nodded.

“Yes, it’s something else.”

Musashi’s vice president stared at Elizabeth with her mouth hanging open.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “M-Masazumi was just shot in the back!!”

'''Me:''' “It’s really convenient how you all bother typing up your surprise on here.”

'''Asama:''' “Th-this is no time for that! …Oh, but it really is convenient. No, wait! Masazumi! Masazumi! That was shallow as far as mental wounds go, so stay with us!!”

…''What am I supposed to do?

Masazumi mentally held her head in her hands.

She seemed to have maintained an appearance of calm, so she could still manage. Probably.

However, a thought came to her.

…''The Papa-Schola was easier to deal with than this!

She had never been shot from behind with him and she felt like he had operated under simple rules: hit him once and he would hit back once.

The accumulated arguments of Catholicism had been gentle for a beginner politician.

Still wondering what to do, she began going over various arguments in her head.

But as she did, something else happened.

“This sounds like an interesting discussion.”

An unfamiliar voice came from the southern main entrance behind her.

…''Who is that?

A figure in red and wrapped in wind had entered the meeting hall.

“Excuse me. I am currently working with Hashiba of M.H.R.R.”

The man wore the red uniform of A.H.R.R.S., the academy of M.H.R.R., and the bottom of his legs could not be seen. A super deformed and similarly footless girl sat on his shoulder.

“I am Five Great Peaks #4 and the student council treasurer of P.A. Oda’s P.A.O.M. I have the double inherited names of Maeda Toshiie and Mercenary King Wallenstein. I have come for an urgent recruitment discussion with the Fairy Queen.”

Sakai stopped even the slight movements of smoking his kiseru.

After a moment, he slowly released smoke from the corner of his mouth.

“To think Maeda Toshiie of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army would show up. I really am behind the times.”

“Judge, judge.”

“Musashi” nodded twice and struck his shoulder a few times.

“Come to think of it, the Landsknechte were recruiting during the festival. I had assumed it was a plan to increase England’s forces by turning their non-students into temporary students, but it appears to have been more than that.” She spoke quietly as she peered into Sakai’s sign frame. “The Testament descriptions say M.H.R.R.’s Mercenary King Wallenstein held the greatest military force in history. Despite merely being the leader of a mercenary group, he had a massive enough military force to support the Thirty Years’ War. Unfortunately for him, M.H.R.R. viewed his expansion of power and increase in war costs as dangerous, so they assassinated him. However…”

“I’d like to hear what you have to say, ‘Musashi’-san.”

“Judge. M.H.R.R. did not want to lose that military force, so they put together a plan to keep him around as a ghost after his assassination. To prevent interference from the Testament Union, they chose someone from P.A. Oda to inherit his name and that was Maeda Toshiie. Over.”

“What’s going to happen?” asked Sakai as he blew smoke from his mouth. “This is trouble. M.H.R.R. is here for some fun.”

“Is that how you view this? Over.”

“Judge.” Sakai faced forward. “Just look. What could this be but a bit of fun?”

The land port and the third and fourth levels had previously been filled with nothing but the few hundred English warriors holding two torches each to disguise their small numbers.

But that had changed.

Now, a much larger force filled the night with the blue flames of their torches.

“That’s gotta be more than twenty thousand.”

The Trumps and the Musashi VIPs took defensive stances at the entrance of an Oda clan leader, but the Fairy Queen showed no concern. Maeda responded in kind.

“Long time no see, Your Majesty. My Landsknechte have done as you asked and used this festival to help expand England’s student force.”

The man who gave a small bow with a tiny girl on his shoulder was slender and of average height. Due to his build, the M.H.R.R. student uniform and its internal armor looked like a fairly large cloak on him. However, he did not stop standing tall and proud when facing the queen.

And…

“Drain!”

Light shot toward him.

Walsingham fired a glass from almost directly to his side. She used her gravitational control to shoot the glass which was filled with cider.

She targeted the base of his neck. Whether he caught it or broke it, the contents would get on his clothes. His options were to dodge it or…

“You’re telling me to bow?” muttered Toshiie.

In that moment, he dropped a small object from his hand.

It was a coin. It fell and, just before it struck the floor, a certain color burst from below his feet.

That color was white and it took the form of an arm.

A pure white and translucent arm snapped up from the shadow falling next to his shoes.

The arm was about three meters long, but it was not made up of a single arm. The hands and upper arms of men, women, children, and the aged were tangled together and twisted about. They wrapped around and grabbed at each other as if they desired each other and they devoured the coin.

“————!”

Rather than grabbing, striking, or swiping away the glass, the swinging palm swallowed up the glass.

The arm disappeared, wind blew about, and finally…

“Garrrrp.”

The girl on his shoulder opened her mouth as if expelling air from her stomach.

Toshiie turned a flustered look in her direction.

“Ah wah wah wah wah. That’s rude, Ma-chan.”

“Nn.”

The girl named “Ma-chan” nodded and Toshiie faced forward. While making sure not to look away from the queen, he crouched down to pick up the empty glass that had appeared on the floor at some point.

He used that motion to lower his head and bow.

“I believe you said I was free to come to this school building.”

Once he raised his head, the Fairy Queen asked a question.

“We are holding a meeting. What happened to the guards out front? Don’t tell me…”

Toshiie held his right arm forward to move it out from below his red cloak. The upper arm contained an armband with P.A.O.M.’s emblem and embroidery saying, “Treasurer – Maeda Toshiie / Treasurer’s Aide – Matsu”.

“If I show off this and say I have a free pass in, I can get into most places.”

He then tilted his head and looked around. The Musashi members, their vice president, and the Trumps were all about equally distant.

“I’m going to join in this discussion a bit. I do hold the treasurer position in M.H.R.R. after all. I’ll say this up front: M.H.R.R. also cannot agree with Musashi’s trade alliance. As for why…”

Musashi’s vice president spoke up for him.

“M.H.R.R. is a union of multiple principalities. You are currently fighting the Thirty Years’ War, but the aftereffects and economic friction of the Reformation have left the principalities unable to work together. The Catholic principalities and the Protestant principalities are completely scattered. Also, Hashiba unofficially holds the real power in M.H.R.R. now that Emperor-Chancellor ‘Wahnsinniger’ Rudolf II has been imprisoned for the history recreation. However, Hashiba is on the Catholic side. If the Protestant nation of England became the base of our trade, Catholic Hashiba is in danger of a pincer attack from the Protestants within M.H.R.R. and Hexagone Française. Isn’t that right?”

The vice president let out a quick breath and shrugged.

“I was planning to use that danger to the P.A. Oda-influenced M.H.R.R. to draw Tres España into the deal.”

“Oh? Then will you withdraw your request for this alliance?” asked Toshiie.

Musashi’s vice president turned her back without answering.

“Well, fine.” It was now Toshiie’s turn to shrug and he also snapped his fingers. “Musashi’s alliance won’t actually work. You know that, right?

“After all,” said Toshiie.

He smiled at how Matsu copied the movements of his mouth.

“Allying with England means joining their side. England is Protestant, but M.H.R.R. is rejecting the alliance despite being partially Protestant. Once Musashi joins the Protestant side, you’ll get – at best – Holland and the people of Kantou and Hokuriku. K.P.A. Italia will probably want to trade, but Tres España is sure to stop them. And once M.H.R.R., Tres España, and K.P.A. Italia are out, Hexagone Française will be surrounded and thus unable to take the initiative and join.”

Partway through, Matsu found herself unable to keep up with his mouth movements and started glaring at him.

…''But that reaction is so cute.

With that thought, he raised his right hand and stroked her hair. The action put the surrounding people on guard, but he did not mind. He simply opened his mouth and continued speaking.

“The real problem is that the Musashi has no armaments to deal with a situation like this. Even if you get English ships to protect you, the other nations will send out privateers to get back at England for doing the same thing to them. At the very least, that will make the European routes hell.”

The Musashi vice president spoke while keeping her back to him.

“The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 means the Catholics must accept the Protestant faith. At the very least, it cannot be used as a reason for an attack.”

“That comes with certain rights attached.”

As Toshiie stroked Matsu’s hair, he moved his hand in the shape of a plain, a house, and a mountain.

“Didn’t your treasurer tell you? Catholicism and Protestantism have different divine transmission, medical, educational, and welfare systems. That makes a large difference in who has the rights to construction, distribution, personnel, and the like. Do you understand? The age of religion bringing war is over. The trigger of conflict is now held by the struggle for rights to the systems that use the blessings of the religion.

“Isn’t it the same with Musashi? Catholics and Protestants are forbidden to proselytize within Musashi. That is partially due to the history recreation, but it also prevents confusion and complications in your economic system and provides a stable system centered on Shintoism. Having a primary religion allows you to much more easily manage divine transmissions, medicine, and welfare.”

He then turned to the girl with long black hair who stood next to the vice president.

“The successor to the Asama Shrine there should know that very- ow, ow, ow! That hurts, Ma-chan! I promise I’m not even slightly interested in these other girls!”

He pulled a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to Matsu who had turned away from him.

“Anyway, England and Musashi may be able to form a trade alliance, but if you do…well, assume we’ll get mad and come to crush you. And that would be a problem for England, wouldn’t it? That’s why I have a suggestion for England here.”

He took a breath and dropped a single coin from his right hand.

“If possible, could you crush Musashi?”

The instant the coin was swallowed up by his shadow on the floor, the large door into the hall opened behind him.

Beyond there, the even larger entrance to the building and Oxford’s main gate were already open. Through them, the darkness, the lights of London, and the Musashi in the distant land port could all be seen.

However, light surrounded the Musashi.

“P.A. Oda belongs to the Mlasi faith, so it has Testamenta Arma yet was not given a Logismoi Oplo. So instead, our master gave a weapon to each member of the Five Great Peaks and Six Heavenly Demon Army. This is what our master gave Ma-chan and me.”

He took a breath and indicated the bluish-white light that surrounded the Musashi and covered almost the entire third level.

“Israfil. It uses the healing power of the depths of the earth to preserve and deploy the souls of the dead. It effectively strengthens my already skilled necromancy. Wallenstein commanded tens of thousands of troops, but if necessary, I can outdo that history recreation and rouse an army of a million from the underworld. If I use up the entire history of M.H.R.R. and the Landsknechte, I can easily hire an army of that many dead souls. You could call this the Kaga income of a million condemned. Or to give it a more M.H.R.R. appropriate name…”

He took a breath.

“The Kaga Million Geist.”

Everyone held their breath at his words and his army, but then they all noticed a certain light. It came from small wings on Matsu’s back. When Asama’s gaze stopped on the wings that had appeared at some point, she frowned and asked Toshiie a question.

“Those wings of light… Those are different from a normal ghost. That ether light has been altered in some other way.”

“You can tell? Yes, Ma-chan has undergone a modification to Israfil to help me out.”

“But if you do that…”

“Testament. It becomes a spell, so she constantly needs ether,” he explained. “That’s why it takes a lot of money to keep our married life from simply vanishing. But…”

He once more pointed at the crowd of light behind him.

“Fairy Queen, it’s free this time, so can you give me the order to crush Musashi? After all, Musashi looks like it’s going to be trouble. We’re having fun conquering westward, but with all this Logismoi Oplo and Westphalia stuff, it feels like you’re completely ignoring P.A. Oda. If you keep focusing so much on the Testament Union, the Oda clan is going to get nice and angry. After our attack on Asai, Shibata said ‘Okay, I’m gonna celebrate our victory by confessing to Lady Oichi, but let’s go mess with Musashi to get things started!’ Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to surprise you all that much. Anyway, Fairy Queen, could you let us destroy them to let off some steam?”

“Wait.” Masazumi was still facing the Fairy Queen, but she looked over her shoulder. “Is P.A. Oda choosing to oppose Musashi?”

“Don’t be silly. I never said that. Then again, we’ll fight at Sekigahara via Hashiba, so I guess it goes without saying that we’re enemies.”

Everyone gulped, but Toshiie only shrugged.

“Shibata has really taken a liking to Hashiba though, so it looks like he’s been trying to figure out what to do about the history recreation of their opposition. But if we can get past that, the Oda clan is headed for a clash between Hashiba and Ariadust. It’s not yet known where that will occur, but we already know we’ll be enemies in the future.

“So give me this chance, Fairy Queen. Since this trade alliance won’t work, give me the order to sink the Musashi. You didn’t do it before because you were given a bunch of reasons, but if you lack the firepower, I can lend you more.”

He held his right hand out toward the Fairy Queen and spoke along with Matsu on his shoulder.

“Just as Tres España pointed out, Musashi must attack England to prevent Mary’s execution. And England can attack Musashi using my power. What will you do, England and Musashi? If you do nothing, the other might get in the first attack?”

Toshiie’s question and action awaited two answers among the cautious people.

One was the Fairy Queen’s reply and the other was Musashi Vice President Honda Masazumi’s reply.

How would the two of them answer?

Would they be enemy or ally? That question of expectation filled everyone’s gaze as they silently watched the two.

The space was absent of sound until a sudden noise arrived.

The noise came from the right of the hall. It came running out of the Musashi-side passageway.

“Wait just a minuuuuute!!”

It was the footsteps of Musashi Chancellor and President Aoi Toori running full speed into the hall.

An instantaneous response came from Masazumi who turned toward him with eyebrows raised.

“You idiot! Please tell me you actually changed your clothes!”

“O-of course I did! Just look!”

Aoi leaped across the center of the hall with a ballet-style triple jump and he was did indeed wearing a Far East jacket.

However, his lower half was completely naked.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 44|Chapter 44]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 46|Chapter 46]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume6 Chapter 20

2014-05-29T10:03:25Z

82.193.99.120: /* Chapter 20: Noisy Challenge */

==Chapter 20: Noisy Challenge==
[[Image:OnC_v06_0245.png|thumb]]
''That which causes commotions should not stay for long

''It should remain on the move

''Like a sudden rain shower

Shino walked down a white corridor.

This was her first time in UCAT and she was likely the first non-intelligence member of the Army to be there.

The intelligence department had used invisibility and silencing philosopher’s stones to acquire the corridor layout down to UCAT’s second basement. They had been unable to continue further down because the doors were too well-defended, but Shino’s mission did not require continuing past those doors.

“Shiro.”

She spoke toward the ground as she walked through the corridor.

A large white dog walked next to her there, but it was not alone.

The entire corridor was filled with dozens of dogs.

They came in countless varieties: small, large, white, black, brown, striped, spotted, raised ears, floppy ears, a prominent bridge of the nose, a lack of one, short legs, and long legs.

None of those many dogs cast a shadow on the floor. They all continually turned to look at Shino and walked along as if protecting her.

She met the gazes of the dogs protecting her from all directions and continued on.

“Thanks, everyone.”

…''I only travelled from Okutama Station to here, but I gathered so many.

She grabbed the philosopher’s stone pendant hanging from her neck. The blue stone was glowing and that light used her will to give form to residual thoughts.

She did not know whether these could be called ghosts.

Even if the philosopher’s stone allowed them to exist, there was nothing more to it than that.

Hajji had speculated that their loss had created a “gap” that functioned as a mold for their form. Shino’s philosopher’s stone was a type of thought synchronizing concept, so he said it might be sending their residual thoughts into that mold and casting a new form for them.

Shino recalled what else Hajji had said:

“Do you not have enough power to give form to humans or did you set your specialty to dogs when you gave form to Shiro? Hm?”

She could now find the remnant wills of dogs, synchronize them with her philosopher’s stone, and allow them to touch objects other than her. When she did, most of them would be confused by being given a form and try to fight her. It was as if she were robbing them of their rest.

When that happened, Shiro would deal with them.

The dogs gathered here were the ones who had joined her and Shiro. She was their master and Shiro was there boss.

As she looked at all of them, she wanted to give them all food, but she could not.

“But we can go see your owners afterwards.”

She had promised to take them each to their former owners after they played together. When they met their former owners, their minds would reach their strongest point. The former owner would either see them for an instant or hear their cry before they disappeared.

Sometimes the former owner would have a new dog, but the dogs would always choose not to meet the owner in those cases. They would realize their appearance was an unneeded intrusion, but they would still lick Shino’s hand and disappear.

…''Will that happen to Shiro someday?

But she had another thought as well.

…''Where do they go when they disappear?

Did Low-Gear have a realm for the dead?

She had heard most of the other Gears did. 1st-Gear had Requiem Sense and 3rd-Gear had the Tartaros, but what about Low-Gear?

“If the concepts are released, will a realm for the dead be created?”

She tilted her head, Shiro looked at her worriedly, and the other dogs looked at her as well.

She was making them worry, so she smiled to tell them they did not have to.

She pulled a paper from her pocket. It was a map of UCAT’s second basement and she was on her way to the central hall.

“The northern wall has a communication line to the center of UCAT.”

With the map in one hand, she used the other to pull out a philosopher’s stone on a string.

“Hajji got this weakened concept from 3rd-Gear. It transforms thoughts into information.”

She wrapped the blue stone’s string around her hand and lowered that hand. The dogs formed a circle around her and licked her hand and the stone it held.

As she let them lick her hand, she showed them the map.

“Okay, everyone. It’s time to eat. Your food tonight is data. Once you’ve been turned to information, please eat everything you find deep in UCAT.”

She took a breath, faced forward, and pointed.

“Go!!”

The group of dogs immediately took action.

They first raised their throats toward the heavens and opened their mouths in a howl.

Several dozen howls shook the white corridor and led to the next action.

As the sound came to an end, they ran.

“…!”

They sprinted along in an undulating line.

With a mission in mind, the dogs did not turn back toward Shino. They quickly formed groups of a few dogs each. Some groups continued straight and others suddenly cut through the walls.

Those information beasts ran through the white corridor and continued to run.

Shiro alone remained to await their return and to protect their master.

Shino watched as the final group disappeared into the wall.

“I hope they’ll be okay.”

She stopped walking and Shiro turned toward her after circling ahead. An unhesitating face lay beyond his sharp nose and he seemed to be telling her not to worry.

She nodded, smiled, gripped the philosopher’s stone hanging from her neck, and opened her mouth.

The movements of her small lips produced a song.

''Silent night, Holy night

''God’s Son laughs, o how bright

''Love from your holy lips shines clear,

''As the dawn of salvation draws near,

''Jesus, Lord, with your birth

''Jesus, Lord, with your birth

The majesty of that song passed through the stone and reached the dogs and their power of information. It encouraged them and told them their master was still there.

She heard answering howls in the distance.

The howls came from the corridor ahead, the intersections with other passageways, and from within the walls. They were responding to the song and their master’s concerns.

Pushed on by their master’s voice, the dogs’ voices contained no fear.

To push them on even further, Shiro howled.

“————”

The bestial reverberation ruled the air.

Until, that is, another sound from directly ahead cut it off.

Several footsteps made by solid shoes and the clattering of metal equipment reached them.

…''Here they are.

Shino prepared herself and Shiro bared his fangs.

“UCAT.”

A moment later, that was exactly who arrived.

People charged out from the left and right at an intersection with another corridor up ahead.

They wore white armored uniforms and other white clothing. There were at least twenty of them and they must have known she had no projectile weaponry because they took up a position to block her path.

Those on the front line lowered their hips, held something in both hands, and peered into it.

…''Weapons!?

She opened her mouth to complain that they were firing without giving a warning, but she realized she was being naïve. Instead, a shouted name escaped her opened mouth.

“Shiro!”

The dog lowered his front legs and shrunk back. Once he began, she knew several enemies would be scattered in an instant.

However…

“Okay! Target is in photographic range!!”

One extraneous word confused her.

“…Eh?”

The doubt in her heart caused Shiro to turn toward her in confusion.

At the same time, the enemy’s front line activated their weapons.

“…!”

She frantically prepared herself and heard a surprisingly reserved mechanical noise.

And nothing else happened. No bullets flew her way and no pain filled her body.

…''Eh?

When she peeked forward between her fingers, she saw the enemy’s front line falling back and the second line stepping forward.

Finally, she noticed what their weapons were: cameras.

“Eh? U-um…”

She relaxed her posture and the retreating front line frantically turned toward her.

“Ah! Sh-she put her hands down! I couldn’t get a good shot of her face because her hands were in the way! Hey, second line. Give me another chance!”

One man tried to step forward, but the members of the second line forced him back.

“Don’t be stupid! This is the order we decided on using requests, recommendations, and official games of rock-paper-scissors! It’s your fault for thinking it’s best to have the first shot at it!”

“That’s right,” said one man who stood in front of all the others. “And by the third round, she’ll have gotten used to it, so the second round is what really matters.”

The old man wore a lab coat, the camera hanging from his neck had a telephoto lens the size of an anti-tank gun attached, and he was holding up his right thumb in Shino’s direction.

Shino knew him because he was well-known even within the Army.

…''Ooshiro Kazuo?

Her question must have passed through the philosopher’s stone because Shiro tilted his head toward her.

She wondered what to do, but Ooshiro spoke before she found an answer.

“Yes, that is an excellent expression. Everyone, don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

He lay on the floor and opened the bipod on the bottom of the telephoto lens to prepare the camera like a sniper rifle.

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Eh? Um, okay.”

Shino had Shiro sit down and straightened up as she heard the sound of the shutter.

Ooshiro smiled and stood up.

“Thank you very much. Third line, you’re up!”

The third line frantically prepared their cameras and took photos.

“Okay, the three-line photo shoot is complete.”

The entire group began to cheerfully leave, but Shino frantically spoke up.

“Um! I-is that really all you’re doing?”

“Of course it is. We’re off duty right now.”

“Then where are those who are on duty?”

“The dogs arrived while they were gathering their equipment, so they had to deal with that too. With that extra work, I don’t think they’ve managed to locate you yet. They’re driving away the dogs while visually searching for you, but we decided to get what photos we could and then tell them where you are once we get back.”

“Wh-why wouldn’t you tell them right away!? I’m an intruder.”

She had no idea why she was arguing, but Shiro gave a bark of agreement.

However, Ooshiro nodded with his giant camera resting on his shoulder.

“You are indeed an intruder and we’re still UCAT members even while off duty,” he said. “But everyone has their own job. The field operation group is currently running around in order to fight you, so we took the role of recording the intruder’s actions while not getting in their way. But by some strange coincidence, we ran across you before they did.”

Everyone around the old man applauded.

The comments of “nice excuse” and “you are the law” convinced Shino that this entire encounter had been put together by Ooshiro.

…''The rumors about him were true.

It would not surprise her if he had sent false data to the other units just so he could take pictures of her.

“Then you don’t have any combat gear on you?” she asked just to be sure.

“Of course not. Nothing could be more disrespectful than worrying our model.”

''I knew it,'' she thought with a sigh.

“What will you do if I attack you?”

“N-nonsense. Would an honest beauty like you really attack a group of defenseless people?”

He stood tall and opened his lab coat to demonstrate his defenselessness. ''He looks like a flasher,'' she thought, but the word “innocent” was written across the inside of his coat in ink.

Her shoulders drooped.

“Sorry, but please leave. I have serious work to do here,” she said. “A-also, don’t make a bunch of copies of those and spread them around.”

“You heard the model! No publishing these without permission!”

''You were planning to?'' she realized. ''I guess that’s just the kind of place this is. UCAT is a frightening place.

Her shoulders drooped even further.

“Also, I want you to restate something.” She nodded and continued. “I don’t like simply being called a ‘beauty’, so please stop.”

“Ehhh!!?”

The entire group’s reflexive shout caused her to flinch back, but she quickly recovered.

“Wh-why are you so surprised!?”

“C-c-c-c-calm down! H-how about we start by defining our terms!?”

“Wh-what do you mean by defining our terms? I just don’t want to be called that!”

“No! What you want doesn’t matter here! It’s our fantasies that matter! Isn’t that right!?”

Shino smiled and immediately responded to Ooshiro’s question.

“Sic him, Shiro!!”

The group of adults ran in a panic from the charging beast.

Two emotions filled the atmosphere of the development department room.

One was a rushing impatience and the other was the tension that caused.

The source of those emotions was Tsukuyomi’s desk on the southern side of the room. Specifically, they came from Kashima as he watched the monitor and Tsukuyomi as she typed on the keyboard.

“What are these growing damaged areas that suddenly appeared?” asked Kashima as he peered at the monitor. “UCAT’s data is being taken from the server!”

The amount of gray indicating inaccessible damaged clusters was growing on the data map. Those damaged regions had appeared in every direction and were growing as if drawing a line toward the white sphere of the core.

“Director Tsukuyomi, do you think this is the intruder’s doing?”

“I would say so. The damaged regions appeared at almost the same time as the alarm sounded. …Uh, oh. It’s approaching our line.”

The white sphere and blue line were still safe, but the gray regions were drawing ever closer.

Kashima pulled the keyboard toward him and began typing.

“This damage is prioritizing the largest clusters of data, so wouldn’t it work better to gather dummy data as bait rather than setting up a defensive wall?”

The red group that had attempted to block Tsukuyomi’s program was attacking the damaged areas, but the red was overwritten with gray with no sign of resistance.

“It looks like the attack programs are being devoured as small pieces of data.”

“Do we have a large enough amount of dummy data to work as bait?”

“Unfortunately, almost all of the unnecessary data on our personal machines was deleted. What about the family movies left on your laptop?”

“That is not unnecessary data. It is a necessary part of a military god’s life.”

“That’s quite a leap in logic. Anyway, what other unnecessary data is there?”

The two of them exchanged a glance, took a breath, and shouted out at the same moment.

“The 18+ games!!”

Kashima pointed toward the white sphere in the center of the monitor.

“Director Tsukuyomi, there’s a whole bunch right here! It’s a treasure trove!”

“Quit shouting and pointing and actually do something!”

Kashima gave his instructions to the program. As it continued removing data for itself, it created a secondary pathway to send massive amounts of dummy data toward the damaged regions.

The data transfer rate dropped, but the tremendous amount of data slowed down the expansion of the damaged region. Tsukuyomi and Kashima watched as file names scrolled by on their way to be destroyed. It looked like names on a war memorial and Kashima spoke in a serious tone as he read them.

“These are some unpleasant titles. Like this one: ‘Repeated School Year’. The tagline is ‘Be held back!’.”

“I don’t care. I’m more concerned by this one: ‘The Creator of Esperanto Was Named Zamenhof (For Real)’.<ref>The “Zamen” of Zamenhof is spelled the same as “semen” in Japanese.</ref> Its tagline is ‘Time to take over the world!’, but what is it even about?”

“Maybe this is actually a valuable collection.”

“Don’t say that with a straight face. More importantly, look at this-… Wait. Why are we reviewing the titles and taglines of 18+ games!?”

Her shout was accompanied by odd noises out in the corridor.

They heard footsteps and barking.

After a large group of footsteps passed by and gave various frightened shouts, a dog pursued them and a single set of quieter footsteps followed.

“What was that?” asked Kashima.

“How about you get out there and find out?”

The wall of dummy data was forming on the monitor.

“I don’t think we can gather all the core’s data before the dummy data is eaten through.”

However, Tsukuyomi was already listing their gathered data in a different window.

As she looked through the list of names, she smiled.

“It looks like we have a lot of data on the National Defense Department. There are even digitized photographs. Kashima, you find out what’s going on out in the corridor. I’ll have this tidied up and printed out by the time you get back.”

“And then I’m supposed to do something with it?”

“Yes. Fax or otherwise send anything that looks important to the group in Okayama. Use a convenience store or something, so the higher ups won’t notice.” She nodded. “Those children will want this information too.”

Shino faced the bad adults in the central corridor of the second basement.

She had run around quite a bit, but she had been generally making progress toward the exit. The enemy had met up with the field operation unit at an intersection between white corridors and they were catching their breath behind that unit.

…''They’re holding the exit.

The dozen or so members of the field operation unit aimed guns at her. They aimed the guns directly at her and showed no sign of starting with warning shots. The middle-aged man with a commander-ish hat held a Hanshin Tigers megaphone in one hand.

“Um, can you hear me? We ask that you surrender peacefully.”

“I won’t.”

“Um, then can you give your name and affiliation?”

She was unsure whether she should tell them.

“My name is Shino. I am affiliated with…the Army.”

The unit stiffened at that name.

…''That isn’t surprising.

UCAT and the Army had fought a few skirmishes limited to Japan and most of them had involved the theft of UCAT’s information, materiel, and secrets. The Army viewed the battles as secondary and anyone who was captured was ordered to commit suicide.

…''But most everyone returns without being captured.

This may have been close to the first time someone had directly faced them and named the organization.

She noticed the field operation unit, including the commander, was speaking with the camera group behind them.

“?”

She tilted her head and the commander turned toward her.

“What is your objective?”

“Are you not aware what’s happening to UCAT’s data servers right now?”

“We are aware.”

His voice contained a tone of sadness which made Shino feel apologetic. However, she was also glad that the dogs were doing their job.

…''I really am selfish.

But she knew her behavior had to remain resolute and she knew these were her enemies.

“Then please give up. No normal attacks can stop my dogs. If possible, could you open a path and let me through? If you do, I will tell the dogs not to attack you.”

She poured strength into her words and prepared for an attack.

And…

“That expression is mine!!”

An ultra-long telephoto lens poked out from behind the enemy and she heard the sound of a camera shutter.

“No fair!!” shouted most of the enemy.

“I didn’t give you permission to photograph me!!” she shouted.

“That’s right. That’s right,” said the field operation unit as they grabbed the photo group by the collar.

“Listen up all of you,” said a representative member of the unit. “Don’t make us point a gun at a beauty while you have all the fun!”

“I-I said to stop calling me that. Is everyone in this organization a pervert!?”

They all turned toward her.

“You just don’t understand your value! Go look in a mirror and think about what truly matters!”

“I-I don’t want that kind of value! Please stop taking pictures!”

Ooshiro held his telephoto lens and wriggled back and forth behind all the others.

“How…how could you rob an old man of his adorable hobby?”

“Shiro, Shiro. Target that guy first. Don’t hesitate to use your canines.”

“When did beauties become so cement-like!?”

“Just let me leave!!” she shouted. “Do you have a habit of imprisoning young girls!?”

…''I need to move them out of the way so I can leave.

The dogs would catch up to her before long after the finished devouring the data and storing it in their bodies. Once she removed that from them and stored it in the philosopher’s stone, her mission would be complete. UCAT would lose most of its database and the Army would gain all that data.

…''Let’s get out of this unpleasant world as soon as possible.

Even without the dogs, she could use her philosopher’s stone’s power to break into an opponent’s thoughts and make them do what she said.

“Please move out of the way,” she said to the stone hanging from her neck.

A moment later, the few people immediately blocking her path unsteadily stood up.

It had worked. The power of a philosopher’s stone was the same as a concept and there was no way to oppose a power that simply stated how things were.

“…”

She took a breath. As a few people moved to either side, the people behind them frantically spoke up.

“W-wait! You’re controlling them! Is this some kind of miraculous beauty power!?”

“This is not a beauty power! It’s a philosopher’s stone!!”

“Ehhh!?”

She ignored their shouts of protest and stepped forward.

Ooshiro immediately ran forward and held out both hands.

“You’re on!!”

“Please move out of the way.”

She sounded almost exasperated as she gave her order, but then something like a crack ran between her and Ooshiro.

“Eh?”

She heard the sound of cracking glass and saw that Ooshiro had not moved.

She frowned at the fact that her philosopher’s stone was not working.

“Please…move out of the way,” she said while tilting her head.

Another crack ran through the air and a gust of wind blew through, but Ooshiro remained unmoved.

It was not working.

But as Ooshiro held his hands forward, his lab coat shook and a blue stone on a chain fell from his hand.

“Ha ha ha. Too bad. I thought it would be a good idea to bring a weakened copy of a concept that deflects everything.”

“But…”

“I simply deflected your power. Why don’t you try asking more nicely?”

“Please move out of the way!!”

Her shout produced another spatial crack and the bottom of Ooshiro’s lab coat fluttered about. The surrounding soldiers were bent backwards and plastered to the wall with their skeletons creaking from the strain.

“Gwah! U-UCAT Director Ooshiro! We can’t move out of the way any more than this!!”

“Just move out of the way!!”

“Gwaaaah!”

“You all seem to be having fun.”

Ooshiro withstood her power head on.

His expression and stance showed just how calm he was.

…''Huh?

She then realized something. If his reflection concept was related to the hands he held forward…

“Ah.”

She pretended to casually look to the left where the wall contained a single door.

As soon as Ooshiro looked over as well, his stance shifted just enough to alter the angle of his defensive power and he was blasted diagonally to the right. He struck the wall and energetically rolled two or three times.

“Ow! You need to treat the elderly with more care!”

“Please be quiet and let me leave!”

Shino ignored him and her shout silenced all of her opponents via the philosopher’s stone.

She received the desired silence, but she had a thought about her shout.

…''That isn’t what an intruder should be saying.

She realized she was blushing and the adults crawled down from the wall, pressed their heads together, and began discussing something. A few of them would glance her way on occasion and about a minute passed.

Once they faced her again, all their faces displayed the same calm smile.

“Now, let’s take this seriously. We aren’t letting you leave tonight.”

“Y-you sound like you’re lying. Are you hiding something?’

“N-no. O-o-o-of course not. None of you are hiding anything, right?”

They all gave three quick nods and Shino came to the realization that adults were liars.

“Anyway, please don’t move. I need to continue on and leave.”

“Yes, yes. Keep going if you wish.”

Ooshiro’s tone of voice confused her, but she did not know why.

She tilted her head and Shiro suddenly turned back toward her.

“What is it, Shiro?”

He turned toward the right wall and Shino started to as well.

“Ahhh! Don’t look at that wall!! It’ll corrode your eyes away!”

She looked regardless and found a white wall with a placard on it.

The placard contained a green arrow pointing behind her and a single word below it.

“Exit,” she read aloud.

…''Did I get turned around while chasing them?

“Oh, um, that’s where a man named Mr. Exit lives,” said Ooshiro up ahead. “The…the real exit is this way! C’mon, this way!”

“Good! Bye!!”

With that staccato exclamation, she started to turn around.

She was more bothered by her own sense of direction than by allowing them to trick her, so she decided to take some combat training in a closed space once she returned to the Army.

But as she turned around, she heard a voice from the exit leading up to the first basement.

It was a male voice and it was singing.

“A kissss exchanged innnnn the middle of the niiiiiight is a kiss of the niiiight!”

“He’s here!” said someone behind her.

“Wh-what is this strange song!?”

“Our secret weapon. The weapon we wanted to keep a secret!”

Shino heard a singing voice.

As it continued, she stopped moving and watched as someone appeared from down the corridor.

“Yooouuuuu and meeeee in our hearrrrrrrts!”

A pause.

“Yeahhhhhhh!!”

The shout ended just as the young man stopped approximately three meters ahead.

Shino observed him.

He had short blond hair and wore a white summer coat.

He seemed to be hearing things because he spread his arms as if to quiet imagined cheering.

“There will be no encore. Not when I get a job the second I get back from the Sea of Japan.”

Hearing that, Shino guessed who he was and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was most likely an ultra deep-sea fisherman from the coast of the Sea of Japan. The extreme loneliness of the sea had clearly caused him to go mad.

He glanced at her, Shiro, and the UCAT soldiers at the corridor intersection behind her.

“I’m here. It’s Atsuta Yukihito of the development department’s security team.”

“Eh? You’re not a deep-sea fisherman?”

“What are you talking about, brat?”

The young man named Atsuta frowned toward her and then turned back to those behind her.

She could tell he was an enemy, but his general atmosphere prevented her from moving. He was perfectly relaxed, but she had no idea what he would do if she did anything.

She had felt this same oppression when face Tatsumi in training.

Shiro lowered down next to her but did not let down his guard.

''What should I do?'' she wondered just as Atsuta asked a question to his allies.

“So where’s this supposed enemy? Bring them out here for me.”

She followed his gaze in confusion and saw all those in the corridor intersection point at her.

Seeing that, Atsuta looked at her, paused, and then looked back at his allies.

“Are you stupid? This immature brat isn’t an enemy! If you’re gonna joke, at least put some effort into it. Hey, brat. I don’t know where they scouted you from, but hanging around people with rotten brains will make your own brain melt out your ears.”

“N-no. I…um…am the enemy.”

“Don’t be stupid, brat! Stop playing pretend, go home, and get some sleep!”

Everything he said irritated her.

He must have noticed the stern look on her face because he tilted his head.

“What? You got something to say to me, brat?”

That was when her self-control reached its limit.

She took in just one breath, clenched her lowered fists, and shouted back.

“I am not being stupid! And what is wrong with you!? Why do you keep calling me a brat!?”

“Shut up. You look like a brat, so I called you a brat. Isn’t it summer break? Go get to sleep, head out for the radio exercise tomorrow morning, and get yourself a stamp for attendance!”

“Oh? You keep calling me a brat, but you’re the one singing weird songs and hearing things. You’re more of a child than I am. In fact, you’re beyond saving! Also, the radio exercise wouldn’t be tomorrow morning. It would be this morning because it’s already past four in the morning! You idiot!!”

Her tirade received a response, but not from Atsuta.

The group behind her gasped and seemed to draw back in fear.

But she was no longer afraid and she stuck out her tongue before continuing.

“If you don’t like it, then say something! You stupid adult!”

She saw the young man’s eyebrows rise and he bared his teeth.

“Y-y-you…you…you…”

“Ohhh? Are you having trouble speaking? Heh heh heh. You double idiot!”

“I’ll rape you, brat!!”

His shout pierced through her, but it took her a moment to realize what he meant.

The entire area grew silent and she thought amidst the absolute stillness.

What exactly did those words mean?

“U-um…”

Her knowledge came from newspapers and magazines. When she mixed that with the current situation, she started to feel faint.

Something fell from her eyes.

She momentarily thought about calling for help from Mikoku, but Mikoku was not here. She had to be strong.

She endured and slowly looked up at him while feeling new tears welling up in her eyes.

She had a single word to say to Atsuta’s frowning face. She faced the ceiling, breathed in, and opened her mouth wide.

“Rapist!!”

“Y-you idiot! Don’t take it literally!!”

“Wahhhhh!!”

“Don’t cry!!”

But the next voice came from the corridor intersection.

“You bastard!!”

A thunderous voice was accompanied by countless guns being aimed.

“Atsuta! You’ve made one of this planet’s most precious resources cry! But that expression is nice too!”

“Stop being so inconsistently perverted!” he shouted back. “Anyway, is she the enemy!?”

“You’re the entire universe’s enemy!!”

“Don’t be stupid! Do you want me to slice you all to pieces!?”

As Atsuta’s shout reverberated down the corridor a new man spoke up.

“Wait just a second. Listen up.”

Shino rubbed the tears from her eyes with both hands and turned around to find a young man in a lab coat and sandals jogging from the right side of the intersection.

“What are all of you doing?”

“Oh, Kashima. These idiots are treating me like their enemy for some reason.”

The young man named Kashima turned toward Ooshiro and sighed.

“UCAT Director Ooshiro, Atsuta always approaches combat seriously. I can’t imagine why you would need to aim your guns at him. There must have been some kind of mistake.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Tell that perverted old man how wonderful I am.”

Ooshiro nodded and gestured Kashima over.

Kashima leaned in and Ooshiro whispered in his ear.

He nodded a few times and then turned to Atsuta.

“That was a bad thing, Atsuta.”

“Don’t betray me that easily!”

“Keep it down!”

Shino saw yet another new person enter.

The door on the wall to the left slid open and a short girl stepped out.

She had long gray hair and a black cat at her feet.

Shino knew that her name was Brunhild and that she had been part of 1st-Gear’s main force during their battle with UCAT.

She looked first at the corridor intersection and then at Shino.

“Is it all of you causing all that noise?”

She clearly did not expect an answer because she frowned and spoke in a quick, irritated voice.

“I am seriously busy, so keep it down.”

Feeling scolded, Shino frantically spoke up.

“S-sorry.”

“Oh? Do you really think sorry is enough?”

The frowning face turned Shino’s way.

''Oops,'' she thought. ''My reflexive apology gave her an excuse to accuse me.

Brunhild narrowed her eyes, tilted her head, and looked diagonally down at Shino.

“Do you want to know what I was doing?”

“N-not really.”

“I see.” Brunhild smiled. “I’ll tell you: I was working on my summer homework.”

Shino had heard that term before. She had never gone to school. The adults of the Army had given her a fair amount of professional knowledge, but she had only a little bit of knowledge on the customs of normal schools.

From what she had heard, summer homework was something everyone made a big deal out of yet always put off until the very end of summer break. People who finished it at the beginning of summer break were supposedly quite valuable.

And one such valuable person stood before her.

Her joy at meeting someone like that took the form of a question.

“Wh-what are you doing for your homework?”

That curious and interested question caused Brunhild to hold out her hand ten centimeters from Shino’s face to display what it held.

“Cicadas. I’m collecting insects.”

“…”

“I caught them yesterday evening. I just finished the preparations and was in the process of making specimens out of them. Do you know how that’s done? First, you inject an anesthetic into the end of their butt with a syringe. Once they stop moving, you inject a poisonous hardener into them, also through the butt. Then you stab a pin into the center like this.”

Shino gasped at the pierced stomach of the cicada.

“Don’t worry. I injected the anesthetic. But when I was injecting the hardener, the commotion out here caused the needle to go in at an angle and the hardener leaked out.”

“Eh?”

“It’s still alive.”

The cicada suddenly moved. Its six legs trembled and writhed about while it gave its chirping cry.

The sound of the bug made Shino step back.

“Nooo!!”

But Brunhild continued staring at her without so much as glancing at the cicada.

“I told you to keep it down.”

She pressed something hard against Shino’s forehead. It was slightly pointed, it moved, and it grasped painfully to her skin.

Once she thought about what it was, she just about passed out.

The cicada cries stopped and six sharp objects dug into her forehead.

She started hearing dog footsteps and barking in the distance and wondered if she was imagining things, but then another sharp pain reached her forehead.

As soon as she wondered what it was, Brunhild spoke.

“Oh, it’s sucking.”

Her instincts told her what was sucking, so she opened her mouth and her limbs tensed up.

“Cicadaaaaaa!!”

She screamed and dogs burst from the walls and ceiling.

The girl with the cicada prepared for a fight as the barking was accompanied by screaming adults and gunfire.

She threw the scalpel from her insect collection kit toward Atsuta.

“Sword god, make yourself useful!”

“You don’t have to tell me what to do!!”

Just as Atsuta caught the blade, Shiro began to move, and paper flew from Brunhild’s sleeve.

It was explosive paper.

A swordfight and explosion began.

The moon was visible as the night approached dawn.

The third quarter moon was already floating in the west at a height that indicated morning was near.

A woman stared at that moon.

She stood next to a white building atop a small mountain near a wide, flat city.

She wore white sleepwear and stood on an elevator at eight stories up. She was leaning on the railing and looking at the moon, but she suddenly stopped.

She lowered her gaze to the city.

“Kurashiki. It’s weird to think I can see it but they can’t see us.”

Night came early for that historical city, but its mornings seemed normal. The moon was out and the 3rd-Gear clock said it was early dawn, but…

“There aren’t many lights on.”

That flat city was not filled with agriculture and had no harbor, so the people there worked to protect history and preserve their city.

…''But they’re still living a life that faces the present.

“How preachy,” Miyako muttered self-deprecatingly as she looked into the sky.

When she had decided to remain that evening, Moira 1st and Gyes had given her two pieces of information to give her a chance to rethink that decision.

She turned her thoughts toward one of those two.

“I’m from 2nd-Gear.”

Her mother had never said a word about that.

According to Moira 1st, she had likely been naturalized and a lot of 2nd-Gear had joined Low-Gear once the Concept War came to an end. She had also mentioned that Tsukuyomi was the surname of 2nd-Gear’s imperial family.

“Heh.”

…''So I am a princess.

She didn’t like it and Gyes had gone on to say the following:

“According to some information we have received, a woman named Tsukuyomi works as the development department director at the Tokyo branch of UCAT, Low-Gear’s anti-Concept War organization and our enemy.”

“That would definitely be my mom,” she had replied.

…''What is with this? I was finally onboard and spoke so harshly, but it turns out I’m not from Low-Gear and my mom’s a leader in the enemy organization.

Moira 1st and the others had asked her to decide by the next morning whether she would leave or stay.

She thought about the ever-changing situation and began to sing a song.

“Silent night, Holy night.”

''What a memorable song,'' she thought.

On the last night she had spent with her father, the family had sung that song.

She would occasionally sing it to remember that time.

Her mother had instead avoided singing it, but she had suddenly started humming it again during May. It had started when her mother had stayed overnight at IAI for a “party” and come back with a hurt back.

''What happened to her then,'' Miyako wondered.

She then gave another self-deprecating laugh.

“Heh. First that interview and now I can’t figure myself out.”

…''And I don’t know anything about others.

“You’re far from being an adult, Miyako.”

As soon as she muttered that into the sky, she saw a light.

The pale light resembled moonlight, but it had not come from the sky.

“Inside!?”

The pale light was moving through the dim corridor visible through the emergency exit behind her.

It had a human form.

…''A woman?

The woman emitted a pale light and long hair of the same color rippled through the air as she climbed down the stairs next to the emergency exist.

''She’s not human,'' realized Miyako.

After all, humans did not glow and the background could not be seen through them.

“And can they make that face?”

She saw a face with the ends of the eyebrows lowered. The mouth was crumbled as if weeping and the eyes were powerless as if searching for something.

''If she were human, she would be wailing,'' thought Miyako. ''Her expression looks like it’s frozen in the instant before crying.

But if she was not human, what was she?

''A ghost?'' she guessed before shaking her head.

When Moira 1st had told her about 3rd-Gear the day before, she had mentioned the Tartaros Machina. People’s souls were wholly brought inside, but a specified person could not be called out.

That meant there were no ghosts of individual people.

“Then what is this?”

She stood up from the elevator railing, but the glowing woman was no longer visible even at the bottom of the stairway. She knew that stairway led to the hangar down below.

Wondering if she should go check, Miyako remembered something.

“Wasn’t that the woman in the framed paintings in the hallway?”

…''Artemis?

That was Apollo’s sister.

Was she inside this base in some form or another?

“Or am I so tired I’m hallucinating?”

She brought a hand to her forehead and found sweat.

That dampness and her cold forehead told her she had seen the truth.

And then noise came instead of light.

A shout reached her from below.

“—————!!”

The shout was in a mechanical voice and it came from the entrance to the hangar. It seemed to shake even the light leaking from the cracked-open door and it sounded almost bestial.

…''That was a scream.

The high-pitched scream continued from below.

She recognized it as Typhon’s shout, but she did not know why Typhon would be raising its voice now.

What was going on?

She tried to listen more closely, but the scream shook her spine.

“Kh.”

An unpleasant feeling twisting deep in her gut sent her inside.

The red carpet felt pleasantly soft below her feet and the scream from the hangar entrance vanished.

When she realized it was not coming from the bottom of the stairway, she breathed a sigh of relief.

With that warm breath, she leaned against the wall.

…''What was that scream?

It had already vanished and she did not hear a second one.

That relieved her even further, but at the same time…

…''Sorry.

Either because she had seen that pale glowing woman’s expression or because she understood Typhon’s scream, she wanted to do something about it.

“Dammit.”

She held her right hand before her eyes.

“Dammit!”

She clenched her left hand and struck the wall.

She realized once more how conceited she was. During the day, she had given the maids names and been surrounded by them. During the evening, she had spoken with Apollo. After that, she had felt she understood them to a certain extent.

…''But I don’t.

She decided to stay here. Tomorrow, she would eat breakfast and head to the hangar. There, she would face Typhon fair and square while the others worked.

“Dammit…”

As she spoke, she realized a sound lingered in her ears: Typhon’s scream.

The intensity of that scream had rivalled the yellow she had seen in Typhon’s eyes.

“Kh!”

She covered her face with her outstretched hand and recalled the young man with the same color eyes as Typhon.

What would he do if he heard that scream that had the same intensity as his eyes?

And who had caused Typhon to cry out like that?

…''Was it not Apollo?

Moira 1st had said he was the only human in the base, which meant he was the only one who could pilot Typhon.

But who had that woman been?

…''Typhon screamed after she went down there.

But she shook her head. An actual body was needed to pilot a god of war. That woman’s body had been made of light and she had not even created footsteps.

In that state, she could not cause anything to move.

“What is going on? I thought this was the land of machines.”

She considered asking Apollo, but she shook her head.

She would wait until tomorrow.

She would then head to the hangar and find the truth there.

“That rich boy wouldn’t give me a straight answer even if I asked him.”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_19|Chapter 19]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_21|Chapter 21]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume1 Chapter 7

2014-05-27T16:00:39Z

82.193.99.120: /* Chapter 7: A Peaceful Morning */

==Chapter 7: A Peaceful Morning==
[[Image:OnC_v01_0199.png|thumb]]
''An unfamiliar memory becomes a linchpin

''It holds one in place

''And informs one of something

Sayama was in a grassy plain.

He had no body. Only his vision floated there.

As he glanced around with that vision, he could see the plain was surrounded by cedar trees. The sky above his head seemed to stretch on forever and a mountain range could be seen beyond the forest. When Sayama saw the cirrus clouds crossing the sky, he finally began to think.

…''Is this a dream?

It had to be. Only his thoughts existed in what seemed like another reality.

Was this scene drawn from his memory or created from a mixture of memories? Sayama could not tell. However, Sayama decided this was not actually a dream. The wind, sky, and rustling forest were all too noisy. He could sense the movement and disorder that only real objects held.

The fact that he could feel the wind told him he had his senses.

…''Then can I speak?

“———”

He had no voice. But he could move. Instead of trying to walk, he had to create a feeling like he was tilting his body forward. His body still did not seem to exist, but his vision moved.

And then he heard a sound from the right.

…''?

With that voiceless question, he turned toward the sound. He found a man leaving the forest in the distance. He appeared to be in the gap between middle-aged and elderly. He had graying hair, a slender face, and a lean body. He wore a heavy brown coat meant for mountain climbing. The leather coat had fur added and Sayama guessed that it was quite expensive.

The man was running with the knapsack over his right shoulder shaking back and forth.

He was running toward Sayama’s location and seemed to be chasing something.

He opened his mouth and white puffs of breath escaped.

Sayama heard him say, “It… It really was here!”

From the sound of his voice, his throat had to be very dry.

The man fell to his knees, got back up, and dropped the knapsack from his right shoulder countless times as he ran. As the white puffs of his breathing grew larger and he fell to his knees yet again, he tossed the knapsack aside.

He fell forward once and his right hand reached the ground.

He stood up. He began running once more. He ran and ran some more. He continued in a straight line toward Sayama.

He approached so close Sayama felt he could have reached out and touched the man. At that point, Sayama noticed two things.

The first was that the man’s clothing was not modern.

The second was that the man was missing his left arm.

The design of his leather coat and his pants was very rough. None of the emblems one would expect on mountain climbing gear was in evidence. Sayama took a closer look at the mountain boots treading on the grass.

…''Military boots?

They were antiques made of real leather. As the man ran in those boots and his body swayed, it was clear that his left sleeve had nothing in it. The large leather coat’s sleeve held its form well, so Sayama had not noticed until now.

Sayama instinctually took a step back from the man running toward him.

Sayama did not know who the man was, but he had a feeling he had seen the man somewhere before.

…''Who is he?

At some point, the man had started clutching a machine in his right hand. It looked like a black pocket watch and it had several long hands and short hands.

And then Sayama looked at the man’s face. His thin face had the beginnings of a beard and he was breathing quickly and shallowly. However…

…''He is smiling? No. That is not a smile. That is joy.

This was the expression of a man who had had some wish granted or who had achieved something.

…''I cannot even guess what would give me a look like that.

Just as Sayama had that thought, the man cut by beside him.

While existing as nothing but his vision, Sayama sighed. He would no longer be able to see the man’s expression. The man had passed by, so turning around would only show him the man’s back.

However, Sayama still turned around. He wanted to see what it was the man sought.

…''But there should only be a forest that way.

While taking a step back, Sayama turned around.

And he saw a giant shadow.

“!?”

It was a tower.

A giant tower filled almost his entire vision. It started on the grassy plain and continued all the way up into the heavens.

Beyond the bluish-black shadow, white clouds wrapped around the wind. He looked up, but could not see the top of the tower. Because it stretched up vertically, he could not see the very top from where he was. All he could tell was that the tower seemed to be made out of a collection of rectangles.

''What is this?'' muttered Sayama in his mind. ''That wasn’t there before.

But as soon as he began to wonder why, the answer came to him. That invisible wall in that Okutama forest. A Concept Space. His vision may have moved through to the other side of one of those walls.

He lowered his vision and found the man standing quite nearby. The man’s back was less than ten steps away. As he looked up at the tower, his warm breaths escaped as white puffs of wind.

Sayama heard the man speak.

“So it really was here…”

He breathed out, breathed in, and then dropped to his knees.

His butt then dropped to the ground, but he never stopped looking up.

“Babel… The relic that tells of the beginning of the Concept War!!” he spoke.

His words were like a punch to Sayama’s consciousness.

Sayama jumped up.

“!”

He now saw a different scene from that dream: the top bunk of a bunk bed, a blanket, a small room, a close-by ceiling, a fluorescent light sticking down, and sunlight entering through the window behind him.

There was no wind. There was only the sweat sticking to his body.

“This is…”

He finally realized it was his own room.

“What a pathetic way to wake up,” he sighed while lightly shaking his head. He realized that his body existed once more. The sweat he had felt was definitely there.

And his left arm hurt. The pain seemed to throb in the core of his body.

He frowned slightly and realized once more that this was not a dream.

He hung his head down and something fell from his head.

“…?”

Something small was moving atop his blanket. It was brown and had its limbs sprawled out.

He picked it up in his right hand and held it up to his face. It was Baku. Baku remained obediently still as he held its back between his fingers. When he saw the white fur covering its belly swelling out, Sayama recalled the conversation from the night before.

“You can show people the past in the form of dreams.”

In that case…

“Was that dream…something that actually happened?”

Baku only tilted its head. Realizing it may not have been able to make such distinctions, Sayama smiled bitterly at the fact that he was speaking to an animal. However…

…''Does that tower have something to do with another Gear?

“He called it Babel.”

He decided he would learn about all that this afternoon. Ooshiro had said he would be waiting for Sayama at the Imperial Palace. He did not know what would happen there, though. But for now…

“I have student council work with Izumo and Kazami before that,” he muttered.

He then wondered if Izumo knew about UCAT.

Shinjou sat as the scenery rush by.

She was inside a train. She wore an orange shirt and white trousers while sitting on the end of the seats with a small bag on her lap. Ooshiro Kazuo sat next to her wearing a brown suit.

The two of them were riding a special express train from Oume to Tokyo. They were still only just out of Tachikawa to the west of Tokyo, but a great number of people had come onboard at Tachikawa. A wall of people had formed in front of Shinjou.

She spoke while embracing the bag on her lap.

“Wow. Ooshiro-san, there are so many people… Why are there so many people here?”

“That is a question of eros. Ha ha ha. …It is because the Japanese are a very diligent people.”

“…At what?”

As Shinjou frowned, Ooshiro smiled bitterly. His eyes bent like bows behind his glasses.

“By the way, why did you decide to go to the city for the first time? I thought the princess of UCAT was too sheltered to ask to go along for the preparations.”

“Well…” Shinjou slightly held her own body as if to hide her chest. However, her eyebrows rose slightly. “Sayama-kun doesn’t know that…so it’s okay. And the others will be coming later, right? I can’t be the only one not to go.”

“Does he weigh on your mind that much?”

Shinjou froze in place when asked that.

The train shook. Shinjou shook with it, but Ooshiro did not.

They were arriving at Kokubunji Station. Shinjou ended up leaning against Ooshiro until the train came to a stop. As the doors opened, Shinjou lowered her head slightly toward Ooshiro and fixed her position. She saw even more people board the train.

As the wall of people before her grew even denser, Shinjou let out a cry of wonder. She took a breath and looked over to find Ooshiro staring intently at her.

He was waiting for an answer. Once she realized that, Shinjou lowered her shoulders and shrunk down at the edge of the seat.

“Yes…He does,” she quietly admitted. Once she did that, she had to give a reason. “After all, I realized I never thanked him yesterday. …And I only learned after he left that his clothes, his watch, and his pens were all left for him by his grandfather.”

“He thinks of his relatives as strangers. …So does it really matter?”

Shinjou turned toward Ooshiro with a look of shock.

That was something Sayama had said when speaking with her the night before.

“I-I never told anyone about that. You don’t mean…”

Shinjou brushed her hand along her back and hair.

However, she found nothing.

Ooshiro said, “Do you want me to tell you how I knew that?”

“Y-yes.”

“I see. How honest of you. …But I will never tell y-…Wait, hey. Let go of that.”

“Shut up. No matter how high a position you have, this is an invasion of privacy.”

After tightening Ooshiro’s tie as much as she could, Shinjou let go.

“Last night has influenced me a lot,” she said.

“Like when you weighed Mikoto-kun’s life with the enemy’s life and you could not choose between them?”

“Yes. Saying it was my first time on the front lines is just an excuse. If that sniper shot had not come, who knows what would have happened.”

“You are thinking of this wrong. It is because that sniper shot was there that we do not know what would have happened.”

Shinjou looked up quickly and then hung her head down once more.

“You’re right,” she muttered as Ooshiro looked away from her.

“What a pain,” he said as he looked forward. “Your comrade said they fired because they had deemed the situation dangerous. Are you unable to trust your comrades?”

“I trust them. But…I could see the look of fear in our enemy’s eyes when he saw me. And I could see the injury on Sayama-kun’s left arm.”

“So even though you and your comrade were looking at the same thing, you saw something different. …When did you start talking about what sounds like a concept?” commented Ooshiro. He placed a hand on Shinjou’s head and stroked it. “Then how about you do whatever little you can do? Give flowers to the dead and alms to the living, and you can make up for your sins…or so they say.”

“Tes. But I do plan to give flowers after the autopsy. Same with the advance unit.”

“I see. That leaves alms for the living. You do understand that you are not the type that will be satisfied after simply thanking Mikoto-kun, don’t you?”

“Yes. …What am I supposed to do? Sayama-kun can’t use his left arm very much thanks to the injury.”

“Then you can act as a replacement for his left arm.”

“Eh?” Shinjou turned toward Ooshiro and frantically began waving her hands. “I-I can’t do that. That would require being with him at all times.”

“I know a good way you can do that. It may be a bit troublesome, but you, Shinjou Sadame-kun, do not have to go.”

A look of realization appeared on Shinjou’s face when she realized what he meant.

Ooshiro gave a deep nod of understand and raised his right thumb.

“Well, a lot of people will be coming today: your comrades, him, and a connection to the past. …You can make up your mind there.”

As he spoke, an announcement sounded within the train. They were approaching Mitaka Station.

On that special express train, their stop at Tokyo Station was only seven stops away. The sound of the brakes reverberated through the floor and the train shook.

However, Shinjou no longer shook with it.

Sayama ate an early meal in the cafeteria building and headed for the Kinugasa Library. He walked along the walkway, cut across in front of the third year general school building, and made his way to the back of the second year general school building.

He wore his school uniform, but the left sleeve of the shirt was unbuttoned.

His left arm was still wrapped in bandages. He had removed them when bathing that morning, but he had held a large white bandage-like paper against the wound. It had hurt, but no blood had seeped into the paper. He assumed that meant a powerful hemostatic agent had been applied.

As he walked behind the second year general school building, he suddenly recalled having passed by this way the day before. He looked up at the distant emergency staircase on which he had spoken with Ooki.

…''A lot of strange things have happened in just one day.

It had been past 11:00 PM by the time he had returned to school the night before.

He recalled the conversation with Tamiya Kouji when the young man had dropped him off in front of the main entrance.

Tamiya had bowed and said, “If possible, come visit us sometime soon. My father, mother, and sister would be delighted.”

“I thought I made too much noise night after night with the after-test parties.”

“My father says you can have parties every night if you wish. Also, you may have been staying away, but you and Yume-sama still have rooms in the Tamiya household.”

“Don’t say that,” warned Sayama.

The Tamiya family controlled the entire underside of Akigawa city, but they always protected the Sayama family because they were greatly indebted to Sayama’s grandfather. He did not know what his grandfather had done, but they had protected his grandfather, his father, and himself. He had stayed with them up until middle school.

The relationship was less like that of a family and more like that of superior and subordinate.

Every member of the Tamiya family trusted Sayama as much as his grandfather.

This was not a nuisance. However…

“Will I ever be able to repay them in some way?” muttered Sayama as he walked on.

He checked the watch on his left arm.

The hands of the black watch he had received at UCAT pointed toward 8:32 AM. The arranged time had been nine sharp, but he guessed Izumo and Kazami would already be there. Those two were always together.

“They even go to the absurd extent of living in the same dorm room.”

He smiled bitterly. He did not know the details, but he knew there had been a large dispute over that. It was only natural that the actions of the heir to IAI would be talked about.

“Izumo is actually 20 since he used to live overseas and Kazami’s parents agreed to it. They just barely managed to get by thanks to that.”

He had gotten to know the two of them during the student council election, but he had heard rumors of the two even before then.

''You never know what will happen with relationships,'' thought Sayama as his bitter smile deepened.

He heard a bird chirping from the line of trees behind the school building. It was the voice of a baby bird asking for food. Sayama entered the school building’s back entrance as he listened to the bird.

He continued toward the Kinugasa Library on the western end of the first floor. As he passed through the dim central lobby, he noticed two figures approaching from the front entrance.

One was a girl and one was a cat.

The girl wore a blazer, had gray hair, and had purple eyes. The cat at her feet was black.

Sayama had seen her once before.

…''In March, we had a meeting between the new student council and the upcoming leaders of the different clubs. She was from the art club.

Her name was Brunhild Schild.

Her clothes, hairstyle, and lack of expression were all identical to when he had seen her at that meeting.

Only her eyes moved on that expressionless face.

Sayama realized she was looking at his left arm.

They passed by. As she moved away silently, Sayama gave her one parting glance.

…''It looked like she was measuring the extent of my wound.

Despite seeing his bandages and sling, she had not shown any curiosity, surprise, or fear. She had the look of someone viewing something they had seen countless times before. While storing that look of hers in his memory, Sayama walked to the entrance of the library.

Brunhild entered the art room and locked the door from the inside.

Once all outside noise was gone, she took a breath. She glanced over at the window to ensure the curtain was closed as well.

Her gaze met with that of the black cat at her feet and she snapped her fingers with a blue stone gripped in her right hand.

With that clear noise, Brunhild asked the cat a question.

“Why did you disappear in your cat form last night?”

“I went to a small meeting. Even those from the peaceful faction of 1st-Gear have a lot of animals like me. I exchanged some information with them.”

“Did you learn anything?”

The cat nodded.

“Ooshiro Kazuo of Japanese UCAT plans to visit the Imperial Palace today. And the peaceful faction will be holding preliminary negotiations for the Leviathan Road tomorrow. It seems they were not given much notice about this.”

“…Is this Ooshiro stupid? If they rush things this much, the Royal Palace faction will panic and take action. They have been rejected by the peaceful faction too much already.”

“Yes. They all said the Royal Palace faction was at their wits’ end. …I hear they are poorly united on the inside. It seems the hawks plan to target Ooshiro Kazuo, but if that fails, the doves intend to surrender.”

“They…do not have a Concept Core. However, our leader, Venerable Hagen, does.”

“It will be difficult for them. When 1st-Gear was destroyed, a gate was opened in the royal palace and in the city. The royal palace one came out near UCAT and the nobles who possessed Concept Space technology escaped through it and became the Royal Palace faction. But they did not have the Concept Core. 1st-Gear’s Concept Core was split into two, but they had neither half.”

“Yes. The king split it into two for safety. The half containing the writing concept was used in the weapon concept reactor of Venerable Hagen’s mechanical dragon, Fafnir Custom.” Brunhild lowered her gaze. “The other half containing the world construction concept was stolen from the concept facility below the royal palace. Stolen by that Low-Gear man who took the holy sword Gram created by Doctor Regin. …It seems Doctor Regin joined with Fafnir to protect the Concept Core. He absorbed the Concept Core into the reactor.”

“I heard about that,” said the black cat. “The battle occurred in that facility below the royal palace you mentioned, right? The king, the princess, Fafnir, and that single Low-Gear man were there. By the time the rest of those in the castle arrived, it was all over and the world was beginning to collapse. When they saw Fafnir and the king dead, and the princess badly wounded, they decided the Low-Gear man had escaped after transferring the Concept Core from Fafnir’s reactor into the holy sword Gram.”

“Yes. According to Fasolt and the others who are now in the peaceful faction, even as she continued to bleed, Lady Gutrune told them the world would soon be destroyed. And Lady Gutrune even managed to call out to the city from the Royal Palace. She told them we had lost and that they needed to hurry to Low-Gear through the two gates.”

Brunhild sighed and scratched at her hair.

She walked over to the easel in the center of the art room.

The canvas with a forest painted on top sat on it. Brunhild stared at the blank space in the center where a cabin and some people still needed to be painted.

“This forest and everything else disappeared. All thanks to that man who came from Low-Gear and the holy sword Gram he stole. It seems he used the world construction concept inside Gram to destroy 1st-Gear.”

“How?”

“1st-Gear was a flat world. It was a closed world where the universe was shaped like a dome and had a clear end. …According to our estimations, the world construction concept was sent out of control and 1st-Gear continually degenerated inwards until it formed a single point and disappeared.”

Brunhild formed an expression. Her eyes opened lightly and her lips formed a shallow smile.

“We lost many lives and our home. And I lost everything important to me. All we gained in return was defeat and the path to dependency. …And now Gram is sealed below IAI headquarters, so we cannot reach it. Fortunately, the Leviathan Road is beginning. We can negotiate to have Gram unsealed.” She looked down at the cat and spoke slowly. “Sixty years is a long time, isn’t it?”

Kinugasa Library was as long as four classrooms.

It was also as wide as two classrooms. It contained so much space it had to stick out from the school building.

Its structure was similar to the inner shell of a ship. The central portion was lowered down in steps and each level contained a space for tall bookshelves and a table for four. The bottommost level had a long wide space with not only a table and chairs but also decorative plants.

The table at the bottom of the library currently had four people using it.

One was Sayama with his uniform’s coat draped over his shoulders.

Across from him was Kazami wearing casual clothes and to the left of her was Izumo wearing a black track suit.

Across from Izumo and to Sayama’s left was Ooki wearing pajamas.

Sayama gathered documents on the table in one hand.

“That settles most of it. From what happened at last year’s invitation for new students, it might be safest to allow activities in the dorm hallways.”

“We need to make it very clear that the doors to the dorm rooms do not fall under the category of the hallways, though. The student council last year did not declare that, so the civil engineering club smashed holes in the dorm room doors when calling for new members.”

“They passionately said they would throw dynamite in if you did not join, right? What happened to the people who joined back then?”

“Starting the next day, they spent a month constructing a dam in Gunma for the new member training camp.”

“And so they had an excellent civil engineering club by the time they came back, hm? Brainwashing is a frightening thing. We need to nip that in the bud this year.”

“Yes,” said Kazami with a nod before turning toward Izumo. Sayama also turned to look at Ooki.

Ooki had her eyes cast down and her hands lightly clasped atop her lap. Her body was lightly rocking forward and backward as she dozed off.

Meanwhile, Izumo’s back was straight, his arms were firmly crossed, and he looked straight forward…all while fast asleep.

“Izumo’s eccentricities give him some convenient abilities. That must come in handy during long meetings.”

“Well, most of the time you and I can answer any questions as the vice president and treasurer. It makes me wonder why we even have a president… But to change the subject, what is that on your shoulder, Sayama?”

When Kazami looked over, Baku raised his head from where he had been sleeping on Sayama’s left shoulder.

“Is it an animal?’ she asked and stretched out her hand.

Baku stared at her before…

“Ah, it looked away,” she said in disappointment.

After seeing Baku lower his head once more, Sayama turned toward Kazami.

She sank down a bit into her chair and folded her arms behind her head.

“Do not worry about it, Kazami. He likely has yet to grow accustomed to his surroundings.”

“I want to touch him. My parents had a bird, so I could never have a cat or dog. …Ah.”

Kazami’s mouth hung open as she looked to Ooki next to Sayama.

To Sayama’s left, Ooki swayed. Before anyone could stop her, her forehead slammed into the table.

Ooki’s forehead reached the table with a thud and her voice leaked out.

“Ee…”

“Oh, Sayama. Looks like she’s gonna cry, so do something about it.”

“Such as?”

“Call out to her in a kind voice to calm her down or hit her even harder to knock her unconscious.”

“It would probably be even more amazing if I could do both at the same time.”

“Hwaaaahhh!”

“Wow, she’s really crying.”

Sayama decided to try to wake her up, but he realized he could not use his left arm.

He had no choice but to turn toward her and pat her on the back with his right hand.

“What is it, Ooki-sensei?”

While still lying face down on the table, Ooki coughed once and said, “A-all of a sudden… All of a sudden there was a thunk. I-it scared the crap out of me.”

“That last part was unnecessary. In fact, where did you learn that phrase? Well, anyway. Let me see your face.”

“Wh-why? Do you want to see me crying that badly?”

“No, the shock of the impact might have knocked a front tooth out of place or smashed the cartilage of your nose. If so, you need to hurry to an excellent cosmetic surgeon. …But do not worry. A yakuza family I know has an excellent one. Even if your pinky is-…gwoh.”

Kazami slapped Sayama after having circled around next to him at some point.

He fell from his chair and asked, “What are you doing to an injured person? We certainly have a cruel student council treasurer.”

“Shut up. C’mon, sensei. Your face is probably fine, so please look up.”

Sayama sighed and moved away from that scene of soothing. He gave Kazami a glance telling her to use his chair and then stared straight ahead. However, Izumo was still boldly remaining fast asleep, so there was no one to talk to.

A glance at his watch told him the time was 10:30 AM. The arranged time to meet in the city was one, so it was still too soon to head out if he was taking the train.

With nothing else to do, Sayama walked over to the stepped floor next to the table. He stood before a random bookshelf.

It was lined with hard cover books as thick as dictionaries. A placard at the top of the bookshelf said “mythology”. A series of 11 black-spined books had the author’s name written in gold thread. The name was Kinugasa Tenkyou. The publisher was Izumo Writings Department.

As Sayama read those two names, he called out, “Kazami.”

“What? I was just getting to the good part, so keep it short.”

“It is about the family of that man sleeping there with his eyes open. Have you heard anything about IAI from him?”

“About IAI? No. He says he plans to actually start studying when he gets to college, though.”

“I see,” was all Sayama said in reply.

However, he felt there was some sort of sign here.

The night before, he had visited of an organization within IAI called UCAT. There, he had learned of ten alternate worlds. There had been a war known as the Concept War during World War 2 and all of those alternate worlds had been destroyed.

That morning, he had been given a strange dream involving a giant tower named Babel.

And now he found these books on mythology in a school strongly backed by IAI.

“Eleven volumes…”

The ten alternate worlds plus this world made eleven.

…''Am I the one jumping to conclusions now?

Just as he began quietly laughing at his own thoughts, he heard Ooki’s voice.

“Are you interested in those books?”

He turned around to find Ooki sitting up with a red forehead. Kazami gave the OK sign behind her and nodded, so Sayama met Ooki’s gaze.

“Is there something special about them?”

“Yes, those books were written by the school’s founder.”

That much was obvious just from looking at the books, but Sayama let Ooki continue.

She wiped tears from her eyes and wiped her pajama sleeve on the table. She then let out a short groan.

“I heard everything about Kinugasa Tenkyou from the headmaster when I arrived here,” she said. “Despite being the founder, he never actually worked at the school. He worked with the Izumo company even before the war and was really well known in the fields of military and mythology. Are you familiar with the First Higher School?”

Kazami shook her head, but Sayama answered.

“It became the University of Tokyo.”

“It seems he worked as a professor there. In his research of Japanese mythology, he crossed the Izumo Province. That is how he gained his connections with the Izumo company.”

“Wow, you know a lot about this. This is the first time you’ve ever seemed like an actual teacher.”

“I would expect something like that from that wicked student over there, but you too, Kazami!?”

Sayama ignored Ooki and pulled out one of Kinugasa’s books. He took the first volume.

The book’s text was written horizontally. As he tried to get used to holding the book in his right hand, he noticed the cover was very worn out. He awkwardly opened it with just the one hand. It began with a world map and it wrote in detail about Norse legends while including black-and-white photographs and illustrations. The publication information said this was the first edition printed in 1934.

…''This must be valuable.

As he flipped through it, he found abundant illustrations and photographs, but…

“There is no photograph of Kinugasa himself.”

“According to Siegfried-san, he was injured during the Russo-Japanese War. Apparently, he disliked having his picture taken after that.”

“Does that old man know about all this? He is not here today, though.”

“Old man Siegfried has been feeding the chickens behind the dorms and the other birds in the area every morning. He opened up for us before heading out today. If there is something you want to know, why don’t you ask him?” suggested Kazami.

After a yawn, Izumo spoke up, “He was sent here from IAI, so he probably knows a lot. The person in charge here died about ten years ago, so he agreed to manage the place and search for any data the company needs.” Izumo stretched his arms up. “Now, what were we talking about, Chisato? Was it about the archery club wanting to have human target practice to invite new members in?”

“That was seven topics ago. We were discussing how to handle sleeping idiots.”

As Kazami grinned and held up her fists, Ooki moved away from her.

Ooki walked over to Sayama, her slippered feet creating muffled footsteps.

She stood beside him in her pajamas.

She ignored the repeated sounds of flesh being struck behind her and looked at the book in Sayama’s hand.

“It isn’t often you show interest in something, Sayama-kun. I think this is a good thing.” She yawned once and held a hand over her mouth. “Did you find an answer to that question from yesterday?”

“What was that?”

“What it is that you could get serious about…yawn.”

“Is that something to ask while yawning?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. But when it comes down to it, I can be harsh. My motto is to be serious yet carefree so you don’t completely boil away. But can you remember one thing?”

“?”

Ooki used her finger to count the books Sayama had been looking at. She passed by in front of Sayama and her finger topped at the tenth volume.

“If you find something or someone you can get serious about, make sure not to destroy or fear either one. And…” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “When those who rarely get serious finally do get serious, they can draw out a lot of power. Thinking that you cannot get serious means you are constantly thinking about getting serious.” She took a breath. “So you can do it. I guarantee it.”

“Ooki-sensei, I understand. …But that last comment was unnecessary.”

“Uuh,” groaned Ooki as Sayama glanced at his watch. It was almost eleven.

…''If I take a train that stops at every station and grab some lunch in the city, I can kill enough time.

Sayama nodded and decided to leave.

If he made his way to the Imperial Palace, he would find Ooshiro and maybe even Shinjou.

As he thought about UCAT and her, he suddenly recalled what Ooki had just said.

…''Becoming serious, hm?

He decided it was time to go.

Ooki was looking up at him with a puzzled look. Kazami was punching Izumo.

Sayama spoke to the girl.

“Kazami, I will be leaving now. Is that okay?”

“Die, die, die! …Sure, you can leave. …No, not you!”

“Which one of those was meant for me…?”

With a bitter smile, Sayama noticed it was sunny through the window between the bookshelves.

He could hear violent blows and could see a slightly stiff look on Ooki’s face, but it was a wonderful spring day outside.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume1_Chapter_8|Chapter 8]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 40

2014-05-27T10:10:42Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 40: Standing Alone on the Parting Paths==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0251.png|thumb]]
''What further forces one

''To accept and go along with the parting?

'''Point Allocation (Common Sense)

…''Double Bloody Mary?

For a moment, Tenzou simply could not understand what the girl resembling Scarred had said.

His mind filled with confusion, but a voice removed that confusion.

“Master Tenzou.”

Scarred stepped forward from his right.

Her expression changed as she stood between him and the other version of herself who claimed to be her sister.

She smiled with the ends of her eyebrows lowered, but she faced straight forward without lowering her head.

“Master Tenzou.”

When she called his name again, he looked her in the eye and gradually understood it all.

…''Double Bloody Mary.

He recalled and went over what that would mean. The girl before him had cared for a graveyard of three hundred swords and many scars remained on her face and body.

“So that was all because you were Mary.”

“Judge. I am the sinner who killed three hundred while trying to turn England back to Catholicism.”

He nodded with the ends of her eyebrows still lowered, but she did not stop there.

“In the Tower of London, I asked when Mary could have been born seeing as Queen Catherine was too weak to give birth, remember?”

The answer stood before him. The two similar girls indicated the truth.

“When Anne Boleyn gave birth to the Fairy Queen, she had twins.”

Tenzou listened to Mary’s explanation that was similar to a confession.

“We are twin sisters, but I took the name of Mary because I did not possess even half the power of the Fairy Queen. At the time, Queen Catherine had already passed away without having any children, but Queen Anne Boleyn needed to demonstrate her intent to obey the history recreation because our birth was a deviation from that recreation.”

“So she was executed?”

“Judge.” Scarred who was actually Mary nodded. “My birth meant the loss of two mothers.”

“I-if you were twins, you could say the same about the Fairy Queen!”

“Is that any reason to turn those sins toward the one who has great power and is leading England into the future? Given the proper order, I should have been born first and none of this would have happened had that been the case. All the problems stem from me not being born and then from me actually being born later.”

“…”

Tenzou was dumbfounded.

“If at all possible…”

The ends of her eyebrows were still lowered and she forced her smile to remain.

“…I didn’t want you to know.”

Tears spilled from her eyes.

She lowered her head, tensed her shoulders, and wiped her face, but Tenzou could not say anything.

He did not know what to say.

Excuses for that came to his mind, but she cleared her throat as he hesitated.

“Master Tenzou.”

Once she looked back up, her usual smile had returned.

The tears were in the way, but a shake of her head caused them to fall. When she opened her lips and spoke, her voice contained a faint tremble.

“Shall we play our game?”

A game. As she spoke that word, she took a step forward. He wondered what she would do and realized she was close enough to embrace him.

“…”

She narrowed her eyes, raised her chin as if stretching her back, and extended her neck.

…''This is the pose from a kiss scene.

She raised her chin once and then twice, but he did nothing despite knowing what she intended.

…''Ehhhhhhh!?

He finally recalled that their game was for her to see his face.

If they were to make physical contact here, he would be forced to physically remove the scarf from his face, but that would mean his loss.

…''I will gladly lose!'' simultaneously declared both his left and right brain.

However…

“…”

Something bothered him, so he asked a question without thinking.

“Mary-sama. Will Scarred-dono remain with you?”

He was asking if the person who protected the fourth level would remain.

Mary’s eyes opened in surprise at Tenzou’s question. Her teary eyes looked directly at him and bent as a smile covered her face.

“Judge!”

Once the festival came to an end, Mary would be executed. He had asked if that execution meant her death and she had given him a clear answer.

“Do not worry. I will not disappear. Do you remember what I said before? Mary will be saved in the end.”

“Is that so?”

As he breathed a sigh of relief, Mary smiled bitterly and lightly struck his chest.

“I guess this means I lose.”

Declaring her loss brought the kiss scene to its end.

…''But can I really let it end like this?

Mary was the sister of Elizabeth, who was chancellor and student council president of England. Continuing to interact with such a person would aid the Far East, but doing so more than necessary and influencing each other could ultimately hinder the history recreation.

She seemed to understand that as well because she clasped her hands near her waist and lowered her head.

“Judge. I will now be entering the Tower of London to prepare for the history recreation. Tres España’s diplomats have arrived and the conditions for the armada battle cannot be met without me. However, the Musashi will leave England once the history recreation is complete, won’t it?”

''She just rejected me,'' he thought blankly as he lowered his head as well.

…''It would sound weird to wish her a good execution.

But he could not think of anything else to say.

“Judge. Goodbye.”

“Judge. Until we meet again.”

They gave their minimal parting words and both gave a sigh, but he felt this was the right thing to do.

If he did not let his temporary emotions influence him, he would not cause any trouble between England and the Far East. And the next time the Musashi came to England, she would have been removed from the bonds of the history recreation.

Once that happened, she would be free after retiring from her inherited name.

…''If we meet again next year…

If all went well, he hoped to meet the true Scarred in that fourth level village once more.

“Scarred-dono?”

He felt he was being thoughtless and stupid, but he asked anyway.

“I-is there a kind of guy…you especially like?”

For a moment, the look on her face was one of surprise, but it soon changed to a bitter smile.

“I can’t exactly tell you that.”

But…

“But if I did meet someone like that, I would want be someone who leaves a lifelong scar on him.”

''I see,'' he thought as his shoulders drooped. ''We really have cut all bonds now.

“Goodbye.”

She took in a breath and turned her back to him.

He stepped back to show he was letting her leave and he watched her slender back.

She left while putting on the cloak she had brought with her and hiding her face.

She walked away and, unlike before, he felt no need to pursue her. It was only then that he truly felt she was on her way to fulfill her duty.

She had shown him her casual clothes, her smile, and a truth about the Princess Disappearances.

…''Was that all as thanks for maintaining the graveyard, creating the hot spring, and helping in the fields?

He watched her leave and saw Elizabeth waiting for her.

The queen’s arms were folded and Mary’s path would pass right by her, but then sudden voices came from the stairs to Oxford.

The gathered crowd cheered and they opened a path to the stairway.

Tenzou looked over and saw three forms walking down from Oxford.

One was the large form of Vice President William Cecil, one was the slender form of Vice Chancellor Robert Dudley, and the last was Ben Jonson, the secretary and athlete poet.

The people cleared a path for the three officers and only then realized Elizabeth was already on the path.

Their exclamations of surprise quickly grew to joy.

“The queen!”

“Testament. I have come out in the common attire today. This is not bad for a change.”

She received a multitude of voices saying “testament”, but their voices gradually lost enthusiasm as Mary approached the queen and kept her face hidden by her cloak’s hood.

Suddenly, new figures appeared from between the people on either side of the path.

“The Trumps.”

Voices of admiration and awe left the crowd as those six people appeared.

Drake, the bloody Hard Wolf.

Hawkins of the Trident, who maintained his form despite being wrapped in injury-healing bandages.

Grace, the sighing dryad.

Walsingham, who dried her wet hair by brushing it with her floating hands.

Nicholas, who easily swung around his giant hammer.

Lord Chancellor Hatton, the Living Bones with will-o’-the-wisps floating around him.

They met up with the three who had walked down the stairs and formed an arcing line behind the queen. This hid the queen from the public’s view and also hid Mary.

Tenzou heard a sudden voice as he alone faced them from a distance.

“Master Tenzou.”

Mary looked over her shoulder at a point twenty meters from him and ten meters from Elizabeth. Her bangs hid her expression, so her scar was all he could see clearly.

“This was fun. I was saved even further by learning I could have so much fun, so I truly am fortunate.”

Tenzou just about replied with “judge”, but he noticed an indescribable danger in her words.

…''What is this?

He was not sure why, but he felt he should not let her go here.

In that moment, a girl’s voice shouted down from far above.

“Don’t let…her go!!”

It was Suzu.

Tenzou heard his classmate’s voice which did not attempt to hide her desperation.

“She isn’t…isn’t being…saved!! Th-this…is the same! The…same!!”

What was it the same as?

“Horizon!!”

Adele nodded in agreement with Suzu from the top floor of the half-destroyed northwestern tower. She was working to protect Suzu who yelled down from the wall that had broken down to the floor.

…''This facility shouldn’t be here!!

She was currently investigating the data acquired from Suzu’s Noise Neighbor which was connected to the mobile shell.

The top floor of the northwestern tower contained Ex. Caliburn.

The crust the sword was stabbed into had been transplanted into the tower. From there, it was directly connected to England’s ley lines and it could fire the giant light sword that protected the nation.

However, Noise Neighbor’s inspection of the firing point’s internal structure said something else.

“The appearance is different, but it’s been modified to have almost the exact same effect as the Andamio de la Ejecución we saw at Mikawa!!”

Adele could see the English Andamio de la Ejecución before her.

The sounds Suzu had heard coming from England had likely been this modification. The sounds reverberating through the ley lines had been caught by the ether detectors in Noise Neighbor’s sensors.

The Andamio de la Ejecución was covered with white and gold decorations. Overall, it looked like a cake five meters across. Ex. Caliburn grew from the stone crust and ripples created with various decorations surrounded it.

…''This one is likely based on permeation rather than time.

Tres España had built a barrier and the person inside was broken down into ether, but this would emit that dissolving power from the floor and eliminate anyone on that floor. It did not use barriers because they knew the victim could not run. The lack of walls had kept it small and allowed even England to build it.

…''Of course, it still uses Tres Españan techniques, so they had to have either stolen them or been given them.

The piece of rock forming Excalibur’s pedestal had a single sentence engraved into it.

“Mary’s proud spirit will forever be with England.”

That could only mean one thing. Adele nodded toward Futayo who readied to fight the warriors climbing the stairs and Futayo returned the node and spoke.

“Say what you know. As vice chancellor, I give you authority to speak.”

“Judge,” replied Adele before taking a breath and shouting. “1st special duty officer!!”

She could not see her classmate from here, but Suzu had told her what she had heard.

…''The 1st special duty officer is with Queen Mary who was going by the name of Scarred!

Adele did not know why he was there, but she knew what she had to tell him.

…''He was close to Scarred this entire time!

As a vassal on the outskirts of chivalry, she was thoughtful enough to realize what that meant.

“1st special duty officer! She will be executed! She will be broken down into ether by the Andamio de la Ejecución and used to strengthen Ex. Caliburn!”

From the modifications made to the crust, the ether pathways, and the ether accumulation, that much was clear.

“She’s lying about being saved! She’s talking about the salvation of death! Queen Mary is of the ether-like fairy race! She intends to return her power to England’s ley lines in order to eternally become one with England and protect it!”

Adele took in a breath before finishing.

“That is the salvation she wants!!”

''You’re kidding,'' thought Tenzou.

If she considered death to be her salvation and an Andamio de la Ejecución had been prepared…

…''How long has she been prepared for this!?

Had she decided long before she met him? The most likely timing was when she had been unable to pull out Excalibur.

He recalled how she had maintained that graveyard and helped out the people of that village.

…''Was all that a brief diversion as she was preparing for death!?

Everything that happened on this day and before was the same. And if this was how it would all end…

…''I thought I understood you, but was I no help at all!?

As he questioned himself, he came to a realization.

“…”

He took a step forward.

Tenzou was shocked to realize what he had done.

…''This isn’t good.

He was a ninja. A ninja was to remain hidden and obey his ruler from the shadows. He had already decided not to do anything that would work against the Far East.

“…!”

But he stopped questioning himself once he took a second, third, and fourth step.

He moved forward.

For what, he did not know. How could he tell her to stop in this situation?

He did not know the answer, but he tried to call out to her as her shadow stretched out toward him.

“…!!”

He was unsure whether to call her Mary or Scarred.

A moment later, he realized that her shadow was stretching toward him despite her being to his north.

…''A ninja technique!?

The shadow instantly took form and rose from the ground.

It became a man resting the giant hilt of a sword on his right shoulder.

He stood quickly but the hilt could not have been light. His armband indicated he was a member of Trumps and he was likely trained in swordfighting and ninja techniques.

Hiding in shadows was a major type of stealth technique. It could be seen as a reverse usage of Zeno’s paradox as it created a large space in which to hide by continually subdividing an incredibly thin space. It was an actual spell that could be used with Blessings, so it was quite powerful.

…''If he can become a shadow so splendidly, I can’t let my guard down!

Tenzou’s course would collide with the man, so he gathered strength in his waist and used a technique from seven meters away.

Ninja techniques used a variety of standard techniques primarily based in martial arts, so anyone could accomplish them with training. The basic principle was to require no outside materials and to be usable even in extreme situations such as being injured.

Tenzou was trained in many ninja techniques that had their foundation in martial arts and he used one of those now.

“…!!”

He accelerated his body toward his opponent’s left side and then circled around on the right side.

He ran in the opposite direction than he appeared to be.

The action itself was simple. He turned his entire body to the left and moved his hands and feet to the left.

…''But I move my knees and elbows to the right.

The technique forcibly twisted his forward motion, but his opponent would initially detect the direction of his body and the movement of his extremities. That made it difficult for his opponent to notice the change in his direction of movement.

Simply put, it was an upgraded version of a feint that took advantage of an opponent’s attention.

A moment later, the man rotated a normal-sized hilt in his hand.

“Is that a gravity sword!?”

The man flipped a switch on the hilt which changed the mode from “enemy” to “self” and he then pointed the hilt at himself.

“…”

The man stabbed the gravity sword into his own gut.

A voice of surprise escaped Tenzou’s mouth.

…''What is he doing?

But an instant later, Tenzou saw the result of the action.

The man split into two of himself.

…''He distributed the gravity sword’s attraction and decomposition to split himself in two!?

He had safely broken down his entire body below even the cellular level to create two less dense copies. The technique could be called a seppuku gravity clone, but keeping the nerves connected and the problems presented in the separation and recombination would require great skill.

The two copies grazed through each other a bit as they spread to the left and right.

Their locations covered both options from Tenzou’s feint and the wind was already whipping up as they wielded new gravity swords.

“Kh!”

Tenzou was up against two people now.

He avoided having his feet swept out from under him, but that was all he managed.

After their attack at his legs was avoided, the two men launched piercing attacks much like pointing fingers.

And they hit.

Mary turned back when she heard multiple footsteps and she saw the sight from within her hood.

Tenzou’s running posture crumbled and his knees struck the ground. His right hand opened wide as if reaching for her.

“…”

But the partial mist of blood created by the gravity’s decomposition burst from his back near the shoulder blades.

The color scattered through the air and the ninja collapsed face-first to the ground below it. He maintained his running posture, but his arms lost strength from the shoulder down and his entire body collapsed to the dirt to his right.

She heard the sound of flesh striking earth.

His clothes scraped across sand, his body curled up, and his legs swung through the air as if he were still trying to kick off the ground.

He curled up to the side as if showing his back off to her.

“Kah!”

The sudden damage sent his body into shock and he began trembling.

Mary gasped and nearly turned fully toward him, but she realized Walter stood next to the collapsed ninja with gravity sword in hand.

Instead, she swallowed her gasp into her gut and took another breath.

“Leave him there.”

She looked at the few footprints he had made.

…''I’m sorry.

The injury piercing from the front to the back was the type he did not want.

She could not respond to him, but she could protect him.

“He has nothing to do with Double Bloody Mary, so he has nothing to do with you either. Isn’t that right, ‘Trident’ Walter?”

That final name produced a nod from Walter. He returned the gravity sword to the external latch on his uniform, so Mary breathed a sigh of relief, gave a small bow, and turned her back once more.

However, a new voice stopped her before she could begin walking again.

“Hold it right there, Walter! No, Yamanaka! What do you think you’re doing!?”

It was Milton.

Tenzou watched everyone as his consciousness faded due to blood loss.

Running up behind Milton were his classmates from Musashi. Many of them were injured, but most of them were there. When they noticed him collapsed on the ground, Asama spoke first.

“O-oh, no! Tenzou-kun died without anyone noticing!”

“No, look closer, Asama! He’s still twitching like a bug! He’s alive!”

“Who?”

…''Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t be so horrible, and was that Horizon-dono for that especially cruel last one!?

Milton then spoke up as he flew along the road ahead of them.

“Yamanakaaaa! Have you truly betrayed Lady Mary!? Are you sending the one who saved us to her death!?”

Walter, who was being called Yamanaka, scratched his head with a troubled look. He silently turned toward Tenzou and then faced Mary.

“Damn you!” shouted Milton.

A moment later, a slow but firm voice was heard. It resembled Mary’s but had more strength behind it.

“Milton, I have a position for you if you wish to join us.”

The Fairy Queen’s voice contained a slight smile and she then turned to the Trumps lined up alongside her.

“Honestly, none of you know how to bring back results. If you wish to hand your number over to that crow, just tell me.”

“Don’t compliment me! The great man that is Milton will not take part in your plan to protect England by sacrificing a noble spirit!”

“Ha ha. Don’t be like that. With the war against Tres España approaching, I simply prefer a crow to this lot who were rebuked by those Far Eastern amateurs. Oh, and that assessment is a national secret.”

She was insulting her own subordinates, but she spoke with a tone of joy. Tenzou did not know what they had done, but he could guess it involved duels with Musashi.

The queen had likely found joy in her subordinates’ desire to protect England more than in their actual results.

…''Duels.

If Scarred had realized that was going on…

…''That must be why she challenged me to a game.

At that point, she had already viewed herself as on the queen’s side, so had he understood anything about her?

The queen who had known everything spoke to his approaching classmates.

“This festival entertainment is over.” The queen stood in front of Mary. “So let us begin the true festival. Tonight, we will hold a party in Oxford and there we will determine England and the Far East’s stances toward each other.”

After her next statement, Tenzou’s mind fully fell into darkness.

“The world’s entertainment and England’s entertainment have come to an end. And it is all thanks to the apocalypse.”

“This festival entertainment will be over soon, won’t it?”

Heidi spoke to Howard across the document-covered table on the terrace.

''Is everyone okay?'' she wondered with a feeling similar to impatience in her heart.

“I look forward to seeing how exciting tonight’s party will be.”

“As do I,” agreed Howard.

She then noticed Shirojiro’s behavior next to her. He maintained his negotiating posture.

…''Shiro-kun?

She turned toward him, but he spoke without returning her look.

“Lord Howard, this piece of ‘entertainment’ has allowed England to tell the Testament Union you took actions to secure the Musashi. On the other hand, Musashi eliminated England’s representatives and demonstrated we have the same level of individual strength as you. These duels were valuable to both of us and we can now negotiate from a position that leaves no room for influence from the Testament Union. After all, now that we have sent our representatives against each other, they cannot force us into war.”

However…

“Lord Howard, that is a problem for England, is it not?”

''Eh?'' thought Heidi.

She tilted her head, looked to Shirojiro, and asked a question.

“What do you mean? We’ve shown we’re equal and England has an excuse for the Testament Union, right?”

“Equal is a problem, Heidi. Equal means the Musashi can leave England whenever it wants and possessing military might on par with England’s special duty officers mean Musashi will enter the world with the same status as England. The Testament Union will never allow that.”

In which case…

“The meeting tonight will not be on friendly terms. England will try to suppress us. But what reason and method will England use to suppress someone with supposedly equal strength, Lord Howard?”

Realizing what he meant, Heidi turned toward the English treasurer in surprise.

Howard pushed his glasses up his nose, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a paper he had prepared before arriving here.

“Testament. This bans the Musashi from leaving port and temporarily ceases all trade.”

Howard placed the already approved document in the center of the table.

“Now that it has proved its military might is on equal footing with England, Musashi is a threat to other nations. As such, England will forbid the Musashi from leaving port and hold it here.”

“…!?”

Heidi quickly checked the Musashi’s fuel data via a sign frame.

Based on the engine division and command division’s data, they could reach the nearby IZUMO headquarters under normal cruising. ''But,'' she thought just before Howard spoke.

“The Musashi’s damage has yet to be fully repaired, so it cannot escape with gravitational cruising in the event of a surprise attack. Also, your reserves of fuel should be just barely too low to travel by stealth cruising. After all, you have yet to make any transactions involving fuel here.”

“Was that on purpose?”

“No, it was merely an issue of priorities. Ether fuel is an important resource for England as well, so we merely held off on that until last. It is but a happy coincidence that it also allows us to cease all trade and hold the Musashi here.”

That final comment reminded Heidi of what Howard had said just before ending their discussion on the diplomatic ship.

“You asked Musashi to use you as our exclusive contact for trade with England. Was that request so you would have the authority to issue and manage a notification such as this?”

“Considering even the unlikely is the foundation of reliable trade,” said Howard as he stood. “You can attend the Peace of Westphalia under England’s protection. It is not a bad option if you ask me.”

''Don’t be ridiculous,'' thought Heidi with a frown. ''Then I can’t flirt with Shiro-kun while we travel around the world! We were supposed to have all sorts of fun in Hexagone Française next! Nwaaaah! My plans are ruined!!

As anger filled Heidi’s mind, Shirojiro replied to Howard.

“That would indeed be an excellent option for us.”

“Eh? W-wait, Shiro-kun!”

“Heidi, think about it. No matter what are horrible classmates did, we could blame it all on England.”

“Oh, I get it! You’re so smart!!”

“Ehhh!? Y-you’re fine with that!?”

As Howard grew flustered, Heidi glared at him.

“Just to be clear, we have several people who are troublesome on a national level. If you tried to resolve it with money, it would bankrupt at least three nations!”

''But,'' she thought. ''This really is a problem.

She produced a number of documents on sign frames and showed them to Howard.

“A fair amount of manufacturing is performed within the Musashi and other nations desire a lot of it. Most notably, the universal joint used to combine devices produced by the other nations’ companies is exclusively made on the Musashi. Will you be using England as a midpoint to continue that trade?”

“Testament. By preventing the Musashi from leaving port, England will receive the benefit of being an intermediary both politically and in the trade between Musashi and other nations. On the other hand, the Testament Union and other nations will benefit from the stable history recreation brought about by the Musashi not spreading conflict throughout the Far East. Lastly, Musashi itself can rely on the other nations and the rules of the history recreation to reach the Peace of Westphalia with a minimum of trouble. After all, the other nations have no choice but to recreate the Peace of Westphalia. Is there a problem with any of this?”

Howard went on to ask another question.

“If I designate the two of you as my contact point with the Far East, you should be able to seize almost all the money entering the Musashi. That is not a bad deal for any of us, don’t you think?”

Shirojiro did not reply, but Howard spoke as if to answer his own question.

“England has a reason for holding the Musashi here. In many ways, the Far East’s Musashi is inexperienced as a nation, so we must protect and instruct you.”

“Quite a selfish form of protection,” commented Heidi.

Shirojiro raised his hand to keep her from continuing, looked Howard in the eye, and spoke.

“So England is holding the Musashi here to protect it, stopping all trade, and asking us to obey you? If that is the issue at hand, it falls beyond the jurisdiction of treasurer. You would need to speak with Vice President Honda Masazumi. However, she is a formidable opponent. Try to sell her something and she will refuse simply because she ‘has no money’. Isn’t that right, Heidi?”

“Judge. She won’t borrow money either because she ‘wouldn’t be able to pay it back’. That politician has no weak points for a merchant to exploit. I’m glad she’s on our side.”

Heidi took a breath and thought about how troublesome everything had become.

“It all comes down to the meeting this evening, doesn’t it?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 39|Chapter 39]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 41|Chapter 41]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume6 Chapter 19

2014-05-26T09:57:55Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 19: Pursuit into the Depths==
[[Image:OnC_v06_0223.png|thumb]]
''Some answers contain traps

''That is normal

''So destroy them without thinking of immersing yourself in them

The black clock on the wall indicated the time was four in the morning, but there were no windows on the white walls to let in the morning sun.

The large underground space was divided by several partitions and a woman walked along the western side. The woman, Tsukuyomi, walked to the director’s desk on the south end while holding a bundle of documents.

The sound of her sandaled footsteps suddenly came to a stop.

Something lay at her feet. Namely, a figure in a lab coat had fallen forward and lay sprawled out before her.

She looked closer and spotted a nearby laptop.

“Oh, it’s Kashima.”

With that, she walked past him and he spoke up from behind her.

“You’re going to ignore me, Director Tsukuyomi?”

“Yes, I assumed you were asleep.”

“Adults don’t sleep on the floor.”

“I see.”

She began to walk once more, but he quickly sat up.

“You don’t want to know why I collapsed from shock?”

“I really don’t, but if you’re going to tell me anyway, get it over with.”

“Natsu-san is so cruel. You know the wash toilet we’re developing?”

“You mean the prototype product named ‘Right There!’? You brought it home with you last night, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Before leaving home, I hooked it up and set the spray pressure to ‘anti-ship beam’ since that’s the main selling point. Well, Natsu-san called me during the night with a slight smile in her voice and told me I can’t come home for three days as punishment. She even suspected it could take pictures. Honestly, she’s so cute!”

“Hm. Your point?” she asked expressionlessly.

He stared blackly at her, looked to the side, and lowered his shoulders in a sigh.

Finally, he stared off into the distance and spoke in an earnest tone.

“This workplace has grown so brutal over the past few months. Our boss is ignoring what her subordinates tell her.”

“You really are going all out with your lovey-dovey side. And you’re forcing your boss to listen to it.”

“I am not being lovey-dovey. It just so happens that subjectively explaining the situation makes me feel happy.”

“My sympathies. …Anyway, get to sleep. You’re Team Leviathan’s instructor, aren’t you? I hear you’re having difficulty putting together lessons recently.”

Kashima stood up when he heard that.

“I’m managing by including some of my own interests.”

He picked up his laptop and showed her the screen. The displayed window had a few spheres drawn inside it: ten small red spheres and one blue sphere.

He looked at the screen, smiled, and faced her.

“This is a simulation on the origin of the eleven Gears to confirm the meaning behind the Leviathan Road. The different UCATs have been researching this since World War Two and have achieved some results, but I doubt any of them know the answer. How the eleven Gears came about is still shrouded in mystery.” Kashima tilted his head. “Anyway, I heard they were leaving for a training camp.”

“They all left by helicopter at about three along with that boy named Hiba and that automaton named Mikage. They should have arrived above Nagoya at this point.”

“I see.”

“Are you interested in Mikage because of your grandfather and Susaou?”

He thought for a moment and eventually formed a weak smile.

“A little. After all, that Mikage was supposedly used to control Susaou. But I hear she doesn’t remember it herself, so I’m hesitant to ask her directly.”

“Yes, being considerate is a part of the job. Well, if you’re lucky, you might get a chance to ask.”

“Perhaps,” he said while looking at what she held.

Seeing those documents led him to ask a question.

“Are those documents for the training camp?”

“I’m not going along for that. As a director, I have the right to cancel.”

“But the Seto Inland Sea is where 3rd-Gear…”

“If it’s about my daughter, don’t worry. She wouldn’t get killed so easily. Plus, I think you’ll be more interested in this.”

She held up the documents so he could see.

“This is the report on the Georgius tests.”

Kashima pushed up his glasses, put his laptop under his arm, and stared straight ahead with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

“Nice. What did you find? What are its effects and its origin?”

“What do you think as someone who saw it firsthand when Yamata was sealed?”

“Its function is to amplify concepts, its purpose is to increase the power of concept weapons, and its origin is Low-Gear. Am I on the right track?”

“That’s a good question.” She gave a small smile. “You could be right and you could be wrong.

“Why are you being so vague?”

“Because that’s all I can be.” She shrugged and her smile grew bitter. “I don’t know the answers. It didn’t react when I applied concept fields around it with the examination device. As far as I can tell, Georgius is nothing more than…”

“A glove?”

“Yes. What we saw for ourselves conflicts with the results of the tests do.”

She had learned this after experimenting for the entire day.

She recalled Ooshiro’s face when he had agreed to lend her Georgius. There had definitely been a broad smile there.

…''He doubted I could learn anything.

And in truth, she had not determined Georgius’s identity. She had learned very little else, but one fact stood out.

“At the very least, Georgius is strange. When Totsuka sealed Yamata, Georgius emitted light and the sword’s power increased. And the same thing supposedly happened in the battle with 1st-Gear.”

“Yes, Gram was apparently given power when it was too weak to withstand Fafnir Custom’s attack.”

“If Georgius did those things, there has to be something there, don’t you think?”

Tsukuyomi pulled a specific page from the report.

As she held it out to Kashima, he looked at her hand before looking at the document.

“Director Tsukuyomi.”

Her right hand was wrapped in bandages up to the wrist and she laughed toward the white cloth that was faintly stained with blood.

“Ha ha. I should have known better. When I wasn’t finding anything, I tried it without thinking. I put away the machine covered in a special defensive concept and grabbed it with my bare hand to try and put it on.”

The result lay before them.

“Doctor Chao says it will take two weeks for a full recovery. She’s going to the training camp, so she won’t start truly healing it until she gets back. I’m going to have to go out for meals for a while.”

“I see,” said Kashima slowly.

Whatever he was thinking, he took the paper while looking at her hand and then lowered his gaze to the printed paper.

“Is this…?”

“Looks like an ECG, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” he agreed.

The paper contained rectangular waves running along a graph. Such a graph would normally have a lot more written on it, but this only had about three waves.

“But what are these occasional pulses?”

[[Image:OnC_v06_0231.png|thumb]]

“Check the unit of time.”

He looked above the graph and Tsukuyomi knew he would catch on if he was clever.

Sure enough, he frowned.

“What? One pulse at a rate of approximately eight hours?”

“Exactly. That is the faint vibration inside Georgius. Anyone who likes to jump to conclusions would say this means Georgius is alive.”

“…”

“Even in 3rd-Gear, some kind of internal mechanism is needed to supply a pulse to the metal parts. However, Georgius is nothing more than a leather glove and a metal chip and yet the pulse comes from both of them.”

Tsukuyomi did not know why that was, so she asked him.

He did not immediately reply but eventually spoke.

“It would be simpler to assume that Georgius is alive even so. If we cling to that theory and search deeper, we will at least know it is not alive if we find out we’re wrong.”

“Why do you think it is alive?”

This question received an immediate answer.

“It chose the one named Sayama as its master.” He took a breath. “What if that was not a setting and it wished for Sayama of its own free will?”

Tsukuyomi did not answer because she could not do so when she did not know the truth. He seemed to realize that because he lowered his head and apologized.

“Sorry, but to continue, Georgius was given to Sayama Mikoto by his mother. Can’t we assume it has a will of its own and was waiting for him?”

“Why do you ignore the possibility that it was set to do that and instead insist it has a will of its own?”

“If it was just a setting, it would only need to remain inactive when someone else wore it. However, it rejects others to the point of hurting them.” His expression was completely serious. “That is an action only taken by a being with a will of its own.”

“So you think so too?”

“What?”

His eyebrows rose in confusion, so she raised her right hand and snapped her bloodstained fingers to call him over.

“Come here. I think you’ll like this.”

She turned around and walked to her own desk.

It took only a few steps and the clock on the wall was approaching 4:10 AM. The time was likely drawing near.

“The night before I started the tests on Georgius, I set this up.”

“Wh-what is it?”

“I’m hacking into the deepest depths of UCAT’s databank. In other words, I’m illegally accessing the version of the Second Reference Room on the data servers. Only VIPs can view it and it contains the information on UCAT’s blank period, the Concept Cores, and the National Defense Department.” She smiled. “While investigating Georgius, I had some very limited access to that information in their examination room, so I used that as a way in from here. I have it set up to gather all the classified information at the core of the data servers.”

Kashima reacted after a short pause.

“Director Tsukuyomi, you’re betraying UCAT.”

“Are you going to stop me?”

“No, I just wanted to say that. Oh, and if anyone asks, this means I tried to stop you.”

She turned around in front of her desk and saw him shrugging his shoulders.

His expression softened and he sighed.

“This isn’t just about Georgius, is it? You’re trying to get information on the National Defense Department to help out Team Leviathan, aren’t you?”

“Well, if I take all the information, there’s sure to be some of that in there. And if I have it, I might as well hand it over to them.”

''And,'' she said to herself. ''If I find data on UCAT’s blank period, I’ll learn about my husband.

“…”

She decided to leave her sentimentality until later and switched on the deactivated display.

Tsukuyomi looked toward the newly lit-up monitor.

A black window filled the screen and had several symbols and words scrolling across it.

Kashima smiled bitterly when he saw it.

“You’re using our hacking software ‘Genius Hacker Girl – Gomez’? That’s the nastiest one, but it’s a pain to use because all the settings are done with text commands.”

“Yes, but it can do the most and it’s pretty smart. When the development department was reorganized, some idiot went too far in a demonstration hoping to increase our budget.”

“They hacked into a certain country’s databank, checked to see if their Secretary of State wore a hairpiece, and added a protector to keep the data from being altered. They did it all without being noticed, but it caused a small commotion in that country when UCAT Director Ooshiro checked to make sure it was accurate.”

“It’s a good thing that country had a sense of humor. When the Secretary of State was giving his official response to the accusations, he said he would reveal their nation’s greatest secret and then removed his hairpiece.”

“I hear Gomez has been upgraded a few times since then.”

“This is Version 4. After all the work I’ve put into it, she’s like a child to me.” Tsukuyomi pointed at the screen. “Anyway, this is a map of the area around the protectors on the strictest portion of Japanese UCAT’s servers. We set up the foundations of this ten years ago, so we should be able to break through it even if I don’t know what kind of modifications the UCAT Director has added since.”

A pursuit at the speed of electricity was unfolding in the server space shown on the screen.

The hacking program would access the areas it had access to and attempt to continue deeper. Sometimes it would delete data, use that as a hole to plunge deeper, and restore the original data so as to cover its trail.

However, the firewall working to cut off the hacking program was also well made. It would constantly check for illegal access, but the scope of that checking would expand or contract so as not to put a burden on the server’s main functions. While tracking the hacking program’s movements, it would also work to detect the origin point of the illegal access.

The hacking program recorded every point it passed through and constantly recalculated the shortest route to use on its way back. The destination of that route was the origin point in question.

Recording that route was much like a homing instinct.

If captured, that origin point could be checked, so the hacking program would destroy itself in case of capture.

The pursuit continued in the electronic world where a single touch meant it was all over.

The standard setting Tsukuyomi had used was to prepare a single hacking program to reach the core of the servers and to send out a great number of dummy programs.

Too many dummies could trigger an emergency where all the servers shut down, so the number of dummies was monitored in real time and new ones were sent out with randomly set destinations.

“From the looks of it, a few million dummies have already been sent out and then destroyed.”

“It says here seven dummies have been captured.”

“Those ones had their origin point set to the general affairs and security divisions. This’ll cause them some problems, so we need to secretly give them some nice equipment.”

“I’d feel guilty if they thanked us for it, so let’s send it anonymously. …But what happens if they capture a dummy from our territory?”

“It’ll say Atsuta’s machine was doing it, so there’s nothing to worry about. If someone comes by, boot up his machine and deal with it. I’ll pretend to play a game or something.”

“Atsuta’s machine has the Heart Sutra for the wallpaper. Do I really have to boot that up?”

“Give it your best shot,” she said with a sigh.

Suddenly, the image on the screen changed.

The black window displayed a straight vertical corridor. The corridor was drawn with two green lines and looked like a cross section of a straw, but it was an abstract image representing the digital world.

“Here we go. It’s on the path to the core.”

The green lines were ten centimeters apart and the blue line indicating the hacking program was falling between them.

“That blue line is long. Are you sure you don’t have it recording too much of its route? How optimized is it?”

“I want it to take a few detours to lose pursuit on its way back. This was the limit.”

Several yellow lines cut across the green corridor to block the way.

Those were the firewall, but the blue line broke through them in an instant and continued on down.

The blue line opened a console and asserted its presence.

“I’m 2nd-Gear.”

Red dots flew up from below to intercept it, but it fired light blue dots and curves that destroyed all of the red dots.

“I see you’ve given it more attack programs. It only had the blaster and zapper when I was working on it.”

“That was to avoid a barrage, so it had to be flashy as well. Personally, I enjoyed it more back when you could still grasp the location of all the bullets.”

“The times are changing. I don’t like saying it like that, though.”

As they spoke, the blue line scattered light blue dots around itself as options.

An especially thick yellow line formed a door down below and one light blue dot flew over and destroyed it.

At that point, the screen suddenly went dark.

They had left the corridor, so the corridor opened like an upside down funnel and then formed a circle.

The blue line had entered a large circular space.

“This is the core.”

Enough red dots filled that space to completely cover the screen and a white sphere sat at the very center.

The blue line paid no heed to the red dots. It fired the light yellow dots while slipping past the mass of red dots to access the empty space beyond. That was a spot of safety, a place where no one would attack it, and a location where it could view all.

It circled around to check on the white sphere in the center.

The sphere was about five centimeters across and the entire circular space was about thirty centimeters across.

“That isn’t a space you want a fight in.”

As if to check on that space, the blue line circled the entire space while slipping past the pursuing red dots.

It finally arrived at a location ten centimeters directly below the white sphere.

“What will it do?”

As if to answer Tsukuyomi’s question, light came from the blue line.

A blue dotted line extended from the front of the blue line and toward the white sphere in the center.

That dotted line represented the predicted access route and a window opened for just a moment.

“Go ahead? Y/N.”

But they did not even have to press a key because the development department’s program was autonomous.

“Y”

A moment later, the blue line raced into the darkness.

As it did, the mass of red dots pursued.

The wave of red surged toward the blue line’s destination and the blue line threw light blue dots out like a spray to intercept.

The light blue spray cancelled out the red dots.

The silent disappearance of the two created an open space and the blue line continued into that darkness while showing no sign of turning back.

The red group arrived and more light blue splashed out at them.

The red and light blue vanished and the blue line continued forward through the darkness.

That collision and cancellation of color continued at high speed.

As it produced the instantaneous sprays of light blue, the blue line broke through the center of their afterimages.

That line raced toward the white sphere. Once it reached a distance of 64 pixels, the red group changed its tactic.

It formed a wall.

The red group realized it could not predict the blue line’s actions, so it tried to surround the white sphere and prevent access from any position.

In other words, UCAT’s core was being completely cut off.

The expected result of this action was displayed on the screen with a note in parentheses.

“Emergency (of the awkward variety).”

The server was being shut down.

The firewall represented by the group of red had determined that shutting its own system down was the only way to protect itself.

The wall of red approached completion, but the blue line did not hesitate.

It continued on its predicted path below the white sphere because that was the shortest route from its current position.

The line cut through the darkness in an instant and approached the red group attempting to set up a wall.

“!!”

It danced.

It quickly travelled to the all access points around itself and fired its attack programs around as it did so to make the red wall collapse.

The light blue spray collided with the red.

Without even checking on the progress of that attack, the blue line rebounded straight up toward the white sphere.

Just as it arrived, text appeared on the screen.

“Mission complete!”

The blue line fired a light blue line from either side of its body and those two lines formed a protective corridor that repelled the red group.

The blue line began quickly taking data from the white sphere and the light blue corridor displayed the rate of destruction at different points.

“It should hold up long enough to transfer out the data!”

Tsukuyomi watched the indicator on the monitor. A window divided into 100 segments slowly but surely informed her of the data transfer rate.

She gave the program further instructions.

“Skip the core’s dummy data!”

“Select option: call keyword.”

“What keyword should I use to trigger a skip?”

She thought for a moment, but Kashima reached over to the keyboard.

“18+.”

As soon as he hit enter, the speed of the indicator shot up. The blue line was no longer reading the dummy data and was quickly extracting only the important classified information.

Tsukuyomi sighed toward Kashima as he watched the monitor.

“Not bad. …Wait. Why does the core contain mostly 18+ data!?”

“You were only supposed to download a few files, but now you’re downloading all of UCAT’s core data, aren’t you? Will it all fit on your machine?”

“Of course not.”

“But the development department server is directly linked to the other servers, so they’ll have no problem catching us if you put it there. What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry.” She nodded. “I’m encrypting it and sending it to every development department member’s machine. By my calculations, there should be enough space as long as I delete the unnecessary data on the machines.”

“I see. It is true our individual machines have our exclusive security on them, so no one outside the department can view them. …Wait, Director Tsukuyomi! My latest family movies are on my machine!!”

The monitor they watched displayed the layout of desks in the department. On the overhead map that displayed the partitions as white lines, Kashima’s desk was gradually filling with blue.

“Ahhh!!”

As he watched, his desk on the map grew entirely blue.

After a quiet chime, the data switched from his machine to the machine next to his.

“Ahh…” He fell to his knees. “I couldn’t protect my family…”

“C’mon, stop that. You need to distinguish between 2D and 3D.”

A moment later, noise filled the room.

The emergency alarm was going off.

“Eh?”

She checked the monitor, but the light blue corridor protecting the blue line had not been breached.

That meant the electronic battle inside the server had not been discovered.

…''In that case…

“This must be something else.”

Kashima stood up and an announcement explained the situation.

“Um, sorry to interrupt all of you working the night shift, but, um, this is UCAT’s security department. An intruder entered the first floor and, um, the security department did not arrive in time to stop said intruder from moving further inside. Um, we would like to ask all the standby members of the field operation department to assist.”

Muttering voices could be heard in the corridor as some people began to take action.

They could be heard shouting to each other and equipping themselves as a further announcement arrived.

“Um, this is the security department. We have more information on the intruder. Um, she is a girl. I repeat, she is a girl. Her beauty has been ranked Class A. We have a beautiful girl accompanied by a large number of dogs. It is a truly moving sight. Even if you have nothing better to do, please remain where you are!”

The voices in the corridor grew oddly bright and the noises grew even louder.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_18|Chapter 18]]
| Return to [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Owari_no_Chronicle:Volume6_Chapter_20|Chapter 20]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 1B Chapter 44

2014-04-17T23:10:55Z

82.193.99.120:

==Last Chapter: Myself From Now On==
[[Image:Horizon1B_755.jpg|thumb]]
''Can I look forward

''To tomorrow?

'''Point Allocation (Everyday Life)

Three figures stood on the large road at the bottom of the staircase leading from Musashi Ariadust Academy.

One was bent-backed Sakai and one was Oriotorai with her giant sword on her back.

“Oh, my way home is this way.”

And the last was Sanyou who bowed and headed toward Takao while almost staggering.

The white-dyed sky proved they had completed the transfer to stealth cruising. The darkness of night surrounded them and the streetlights were lit, but Asakusa, Shinagawa, and Musashino were as bright as midday.

Sakai and Oriotorai slowly walked down Regret Way to reach the bow.

“Asakusa and Shinagawa were both damaged and Musashino’s bow needs a full inspection.”

“But listen to that metal music. They’re holding a festival on Musashino.”

“They can have tonight to celebrate. I know you’re planning to throw them right back into your lessons that might as well be combat training tomorrow. Makiko-san, I’m a bit interested in your history.”

“I’ve never done anything too exciting. The kids in my class are a lot crazier than me.”

“Really?”

Sakai tilted his head and Oriotorai crossed her arms behind her head.

“Take Toori’s family for instance. Apparently, the Aoi family was originally in charge of protecting the Ariadust family. They were powerful but had no surname, so they were given the surname Aoi which points to Matsudaira.”<ref>Aoi means “hollyhock” and the Matsudaira crest is a triple hollyhock.</ref>

“Why do you know that?”

Sakai looked puzzled, but Oriotorai stuck her tongue out a bit.

“Let’s just say it’s part of my unknown history. Anyway, it seems Toori and Kimi don’t know about that and it seems their parents tried to raise Horizon like a normal child after the Ariadust princess died.”

“But then she was lost and once she returned she was an automaton meant to resolve the apocalypse. I wasn’t sure when I saw the automaton, but I think Toori was stupid enough that it convinced him completely.”

“That idiot went to confess and ended up announcing he would take over the world. I’d say they’re a lot alike.”

Oriotorai realized Sakai had suddenly stopped walking.

“…Principal? That’s Horizon’s monument.”

As she spoke, she realized why he had stopped.

A different color had been splattered on the dimly lit wooden tiles of the ground. The color reflected the streetlights.

“Blood?”

A design based around a circle and some writing filled up about half the road.

Oriotorai gulped and reflexively reached for the hilt of her sword.

“That’s the Double Border Crest.”

“You know about it? …Am I completely unnecessary? Was all that with Sakakibara a complete waste of time?”

“Don’t be silly. My students were talking about it. I need to call in Neshinbara and Asama.”

As soon as Sakai nodded in agreement, he heard a sound in the sky.

What sounded like an amplified version of a dog howling in the distance was actually the ship’s alarm.

Oriotorai lifted her sword from her back without bothering to remove it from the scabbard.

“This is ‘Musashi’ with a warning for the entire ship! A single aerial warship is passing overhead to our starboard side!”

Before the warning had even finished, the lights illuminated something as it arrived in the sky.

The large aerial ship was over 800 meters long and it pierced their stealth barrier to show itself. They could see the color black and…

“That’s the emblem of P.A. Oda! It’s one of Oda’s iron ships! Did our course happen to coincide with its?”

“No. The number on the side is 1. That ship belongs to Shibata Katsuie, top of P.A. Oda’s Five Great Peaks. They wouldn’t travel on the same course as us by accident. Most likely, this is a greeting. Look, Makiko-san.”

Several figures were visible on the rear deck of the black ship.

There were six of them and they all had different builds, heights, and hairstyles.

“Those are P.A. Oda’s Five Great Peaks who have begun conquering different areas from the Far Eastern side.”

“The fourth Great Peak is jointly held by Sassa and Maeda, so they’re also known as the Six Heavenly Demon Army. The meaning a bit different than the original term, though. …This must be a demonstration to show that P.A. Oda can analyze our course even if we use stealth cruising.”

“All of them are true monsters worthy of the title of demon, aren’t they? Hashiba, their #6, even has a private army of young warriors known as the Ten Spears.”

The aerial warship passed through the sky with no lights of its own. Without a single evasive maneuver, it passed by as if staring down at the Musashi. The wind whipped up and lights and voices came from all across the Musashi, but the black ship ignored those actions and continued on.

As the six figures were taken into the distance, they headed inside the ship without bothering to look back.

The ship broke through the stealth barrier and entered the sky behind the Musashi.

“————”

For just an instant, the external sounds rushed in and the two moons could be seen in the sky behind the black ship, but then it all vanished along with the ship. The stealth barrier recovered and only dim white remained in the sky.

Relief filled the actions and general atmosphere of the Musashi.

Oriotorai let go of her sword’s hilt and faced forward.

“Oh, it’s vanishing…”

The crest of blood was disappearing as it soaked into the plastic ground that had excellent drainage and cleansing properties.

But the writing on the ground was still legible, so she read them slowly.

“Please…”

The message was in English.

“Please kill me all.”

Below the dim light of the sky, someone in a black school uniform and someone in a blue dress ran down the nighttime street.

The black one suddenly looked back at the festival lights rising relatively high above Shinagawa.

“Even with the guests of honor gone and P.A. Oda’s threat, the festival is showing no sign of stopping. The people of Musashi either really love festivals or are insane. Don’t you find this odd, Mitotsudaira?”

“You have been complaining a lot, Masazumi. Shirojiro and Heidi are managing the festival and ‘Musashi’ and the others are analyzing P.A. Oda’s course. They might have been here to celebrate our victory as well, so we need to keep the right atmosphere.”

“Really?” muttered Masazumi. “Anyway, we need to get to the Blue Thunder and pass a message to Aoi and the others since we can’t seem to contact them.”

She suddenly placed a hand on her hips and twisted a bit.

“I’m still not used to wearing a girl’s uniform on the bottom.”

The fact that she was a girl had reached pretty much everyone and they had accepted it, but she had switched to a girl’s uniform because continuing to wear a boy’s uniform could spread suspicion again.

…''But I never expected the girls from our class to get all excited and have one ready for me in the middle of the festival.

However, her chest would stand out in a girl’s uniform and that would weigh on her heavily, so she had compromised by wearing the top of a boy’s uniform to hide her chest.

The skirt would coil around oddly, so she had removed that. But then the brown inner suit would show off the lines of her legs too much, so she wore a black inner with a pocket binder attached.

She hoped she would gradually grow accustomed to it.

…''At least a girl’s uniform can’t be pulled down all of a sudden.

As she walked down the road in that strange new uniform, Mitotsudaira would not stop smiling bitterly.

However, Masazumi felt that bitter smile was a welcome thing.

“So what happens now?” asked Mitotsudaira suddenly.

“Eh? Oh. The Musashi is already travelling west and we will continue that way. Tres Portugal has a port on the way to Qing, but Tres España controls them, so travelling east would only take us to more enemies. Since there is a danger of being found even with stealth cruising, we can’t travel east to your territory or to Edo. Travelling north would mean passing through P.A. Oda, but that wouldn’t be a good idea while they’re fighting the Testament Union. We will travel west and pass through Shikoku which has little Catholic influence.”

“Um… I was asking about you personally.”

“Eh?”

Mitotsudaira laughed.

“We can discuss that later. …I am also interested in what you just said. If we travel west, where is our next destination?”

“W-well, we’ll be going to England. Although I’m afraid of travelling right in front of Shimonoseki after leaving Kyushu.”

“England?” said Mitotsudaira a bit worriedly.

Masazumi nodded and took a breath.

“England controls no Far Eastern land and they use a floating island brought from the Harmonic Divine States. During the Harmonic Unification War, they demanded no territory and acted as an intermediary between the Far East and the other nations. The Izumo Industrial Guild manages the floating island and provides them with various types of technology, but the Musashi was a product of Izumo and Mikawa. To continue on, we need to build a connection with England and repair the Musashi at Izumo. And England is close to M.H.R.R., so even if it’s a bit early, we can look toward Westphalia.”

This had all been decided through her discussions with Neshinbara, Shirojiro, Yoshinao, and some others. The Musashi was almost defenseless in its current state, so they had to reach Izumo and gather some equipment “for defense”.

…''I want to avoid as much trouble as I can.

“I really am inexperienced. I realized a lot from all this.”

“I do not think so, but I can tell you are thinking about a lot.”

Mitotsudaira suddenly slowed down. They had not reached the snack shop yet, so Masazumi wondered what had happened.

“Ah.”

She slowed her run as well.

A number of people where relaxing on mats placed on the road in front of the Blue Thunder. There were several dozen of them and they had all taken part in the conflict earlier in the day.

“What are you doing with all those giant plates? Ah, and alcohol too!”

Everyone turned toward her and placed a finger in front of their noses. Tenzou crept up as a representative of the group.

“Be quiet. Or at least don’t be too loud. Keep it at a fuzzy level.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We come here because we can’t contact any of you and we find you relaxing with alcohol?”

The female shop owner walked out with a large plate of food and several mugs filled with cider.

“Who ordered this?”

“Um, all of them may have come of age, but they’re still under twenty.”

Kimi then walked over with flushed cheeks. She tapped Masazumi’s shoulder and placed a finger on her cheek.

“Heh heh heh. What a cute canvas. Next time, it’ll be makeup. Prepare yourself.”

…''This girl…

But she felt everyone had their unique position. She did, everyone she knew did, Futayo did while she slept holding a sake bottle split in two, Naruze and Naito did as they slept in an embrace, and all the others had their sometimes unexpected positions.

“Oh, Nenji-kun! Your face is looking red! Are you drunk!?”

“Heh. It’s a shame we couldn’t hold a moon viewing with this sake!”

“Tonight, it will be wine curry!”

She could not speak for some of them, though.

As Kimi moved away, she reached for the plate the female shop owner held.

“Ah,” said the woman. “Aren’t you always complaining about gaining weight when you eat this?”

“Tonight is a celebration and I got a lot of exercise today, mother.”

It took Masazumi just an instant to grasp the familial relationship indicated by Kimi’s final word.

“You’re mother and daughter!?”

The two turned toward her and the mother gave a smile.

“That’s right, Masazumi-san. Thank you for your high opinion of my children.”

The meaning of that comment made her shudder.

Mitotsudaira elbowed her in the side, so she looked over.

“What?”

“You really are inexperienced,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Having it proven yet again really gets me down. …Anyway, where are Aoi and Horizon?”

She was especially interested in Horizon’s whereabouts. During the festival, Horizon had said she wanted to read some books, but those books had not been history books or other reference books.

…''She wanted ones that make people laugh, cry, or grow angry.

Masazumi had brought her some related to jealousy and sorrow.

…''But I could only find the kind where the main character shouts ‘what are you doing, you thief!?’ to the girl trying to steal her lover.

Horizon seemed easily influenced, so she hoped it would not cause any problems.

There was a lot about her they did not know, both about the Logismoi Oplo and otherwise.

…''Why does she not have the emotion of jealousy despite having the Logismoi Oplo of Phtonos?

It seemed she felt nothing even when Masazumi or the other girls spoke with Toori. Because of that, all the girls had forced Toori to sit in front of them and had given him the following lecture: “Listen. Horizon probably won’t complain, but that means you have to pick up the slack. No more strange behavior or gaining nonsensical courage when it comes to girls.”

“But where is Horizon…?”

“Shh. Masazumi. Quiet.”

The brown algae creatures were looking up at her from a bucket placed next to the snack shop’s open door.

“Sorry,” she said as she peered inside and spotted the two of them.

They were sitting side by side at a table in the center.

“They’re asleep.”

“Is it just me or does it look like he was rubbing her thigh?”

Those on the street looked over and shrugged.

Suddenly, she heard a singing voice that was almost just a hum. As Horizon slept, she slowly sang the Song of Passage into the night.

“Let me pass, let me pass

If I follow this narrow path, where will it take me?

This narrow path leads to the gods in heaven

Your opinion is not needed. You cannot pass through here

I have come to celebrate this child’s tenth birthday

By dedicating these two talismans

Going may be easy, but returning is frightening

Can I pass despite my fear?”

Everyone on the street remained silent as they listened to the song. They all seemed to let it wash over them.

And Masazumi had a sudden thought.

…''Is that a song her soul remembered?

It sounded like a lullaby, so she may have heard it from her mother.

Masazumi did not know. And while she still did not know, the song ended and everyone took a breath.

At the same time, she took a breath and took a step back from the entrance.

She stood in the center of the road and looked up into the dim white sky, but then she stretched.

“I guess it all begins tomorrow.”

The next morning, Toori would come here and create a slightly different scene from usual.

From what Masazumi had heard, Toori was having Horizon make him breakfast.

How would that turn out? Horizon’s ideals were placed high and she always claimed it did not come out right, but it was unclear how well her feelings and sense of taste worked together. Masazumi just hoped the flavor would come out all right.

“Oh, but will they eat it together this time?”

Rather than one or the other, they would do it together. What expression would they have if it was not any good?

A lot had changed, but she felt she personally had not changed all that much.

She was inexperienced and she would still have to work as an elementary school lecturer to pay for her tuition.

But after finishing her stretch, she sat down, entered the group of fellow students, reached for a large plate of food, savored the flavor, and spoke.

“I need to make sure I’m on time tomorrow.”

[[Image:Horizon1B_768-769.jpg|thumb]]

'''Huh? Why does this taste so nostalgic?

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 1B Chapter_43|Chapter 43]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_1B_Afterword|Afterword]]
}}
</noinclude>

Owari no Chronicle:Volume5 Chapter 11

2014-04-17T10:54:26Z

82.193.99.120:

==Chapter 11: Running Metal==
[[Image:OnC_v05_0371.png|thumb]]
''Pursue, pursue

''Bring your speed out below the sky

Below the blue sky, a single motion filled the city that had yet to get going in the morning.

Two boys had two motorcycles idling in front of a destroyed two-story house with a red roof.

The motorcycles belonged to Hiba and Izumo. They were both old, but they were 1 liter models and the two of them together produced a low drum-like rumbling. Sayama had helped Izumo remove Hiba’s sidecar and now he walked over to Shinjou who had nothing to do.

“How is the Hiba boy?”

“He went around the neighborhood telling people there was a gas explosion that caused their underground garage to cave-in.”

“I suppose UCAT will contact his mother and the police. Disguised police cars should be arriving soon, so that only leaves us.”

“Sayama! Shinjou! We’re ready over here! How about you!?”

Kazami stood up next to the motorcycle with motor oil on her cheek.

However, she heard no response from Sayama or Shinjou. Instead, she heard Sayama’s cell phone.

Everyone turned toward the boy and he lightly raised his hand while pulling out the black phone. He made sure to activate speaker phone.

“It’s me. Shinjou-kun and two miscellaneous others are with me.”

“Yes, yes. Tes, tes. This is your teacher.”

“Oh, what is it, Ooki-sensei? Are you informing us you will be late? Isn’t it a bit early for that? Ha ha ha. And how can you justify being late on the final day of the first term?”

“That isn’t it. Um, is there a huge concept space where you are by any chance?”

Strength filled everyone’s gazes when they heard that.

As the early morning wind blew through, Sayama asked Ooki a question.

“I see. Are you actually doing your job this morning, Ooki-sensei? Congratulations. You have taken one step up the staircase to normalcy. I fear you will soon trip and fall down several steps, though.”

“Wah! Why are you always like this, Sayama-kun! You’re going to make me angry!”

“Then be angry.”

“I am!”

“Are you quite done?”

“Tes. That’s enough anger for me.”

To his right, Shinjou doubtfully pointed at her own head and rotated the finger, but Sayama ignored it. He had been well aware of that since the previous year.

“Now, Ooki-sensei, please give me the details. I believe we are right in front of it.”

“Oh, right, right. It feels kinda 3rd-Gear-ish. Sibyl-san is preparing to head out, but do all of you have your string watches?”

Sayama looked down at the black UCAT watch on his wrist. Shinjou and Kazami did the same.

“Ah?”

But Izumo tilted his head and showed off his empty wrists with a stiff smile.

“This ain’t good. In my defense, no one told me to wear it today.”

“I’ll be nice and point out that Kaku never wears a watch or carries a cell phone when he isn’t out on a mission.”

“Ha ha ha. If you insist on rejecting modern society, you should go live in the mountains of Okutama. You can live in the wild with an old man who rejects human morality and a teacher who rejects the concept of time.”

“I-I actually woke up this morning!”

They all ignored Ooki’s comment.

Kazami folded her arms as she wondered what to do, but Shinjou held out her watch.

“Izumo-san, why don’t you use mine?”

Everyone turned toward her with questioning eyes, so she shrunk back a bit.

“U-um, if you think about it, I probably wouldn’t have anything to do in there. Without Ex-St, I can’t shoot at anything, so…um…”

“What are you saying, Shinjou-kun? With you by my side, my motivation increases eightfold!”

“Shinjou, give me your watch before Sayama does anything stupid.”

“Eh? Why you, Kazami-san?”

“Think about it, Shinjou-kun,” cut in Sayama. “If Izumo placed your watch around his filthy wrist, it would be infected with the Izumo virus and it would make you very strange and perverted. On second thought, that sounds wonderful.”

“Yeah, it’s because I had a feeling that crazy boy would say something like that.”

“You’re right,” said Shinjou as she handed Kazami the watch.

Kazami handed her watch to Izumo, put on Shinjou’s watch, and placed a hand on the stem of the watch.

“Listen, Kaku. We need to initialize the automatically recorded child string vibration. Just press this switch. …No, not there. Oh, c’mon. You have to know that isn’t right either. Yes, now push it all the way in.”

“Is that anything to say on an early morning road?” commented Sayama.

“Eh? Okay, now it will automatically read in a new vibration just like when you first put one on.”

Kazami and Izumo lightly twisted the watches to make sure they were on right.

Sayama nodded, but Shinjou looked worried.

“What is it, Shinjou?”

She nodded and turned toward the figure behind them.

It was Hiba. He had added a jacket and goggles to his outfit and his expression was serious.

“What should I do? I can’t enter concept spaces without Mikage-san’s Susamikado.”

He received an immediate answer from Sayama.

“Use my watch, Hiba boy. You are likely more normal than Izumo.”

“I’m not sure what that last part means, but are you sure? You’re Team Leviathan’s representative, aren’t you?”

“The high-mobility S&M couple behind me is in charge of fighting. From the looks of them, I doubt the two we saw possess the Concept Core, so there will be no room for negotiation. Act as violently as you wish and retrieve that which is important to you. And you will be indebted to me for lending you this watch. Not a bad deal, don’t you think?”

After a short pause, Hiba smiled bitterly.

“I can’t argue with that,” he said as he took the watch with a smile. “But you shouldn’t be so open about trying to make someone indebted to you. Anyway, how does this work?”

“You press this switch here. …No, not there. No, that isn’t right either. Yes, now push it all the way in.”

“Sayama-kun, I think you’re getting even crazier.”

“Hm?”

By the time Sayama turned around, Hiba had finished operating the watch.

At the same time, Ooki spoke from his phone.

“The new child string vibrations just arrived and there’s one I don’t recognize. And from the look of Kazami-san’s, she has an upset stomach. You shouldn’t snack late at night.”

“She’s right…”

Kazami held her stomach with a displeased look and Sayama nodded in understanding.

“Ooki-sensei, can you get them inside?”

“Yes, yes. UCAT is about to interfere with the concept space in order to send in those wearing the watches and to prepare for Sibyl-san’s entry. We didn’t make this one, so please don’t remove the watches. Who knows what will happen if your stability is thrown a bit off.”

Kazami’s expression stiffened at the mention of Sibyl.

Izumo patted her on the back and she nodded and returned to her normal expression.

“What about our weapons?”

“It seems Sibyl-san is loading V-Sw, G-Sp2, and Ex-St on a transport helicopter. Once she arrives, the detailed concept space data she takes will be used to let the others in without watches. Is that okay?”

“Testament,” replied Sayama and Ooki continued.

“The shape of the concept space seems to have been modified. It’s an upside down funnel shape with a diameter of two kilometers. The end of the funnel reaches about 15 kilometers into the air. The enemy uses that to escape detection by travelling through Low-Gear at 12 or 13 kilometers up.”

“And without seeing inside the concept space, we cannot wait for them where they will exit. Our only choice is to settle this inside.”

“After meeting up with Sayama-kun and Shinjou-kun, Sibyl-san will enter from the northwest. Izumo-kun, your group should-…”

“Head in from here, right? That way we can cut them off from the south.”

Kazami straddled Izumo’s motorcycle and slid her butt to the back.

“Sensei, tell Sibyl to leave our weapons on the open pallet at the launch area.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes. Those cute things want to be with us enough that they’ll come to us on their own. And Hiba, do you have a weapon?”

“Yes. A sword with a philosopher’s stone. My father left it for me.”

“Your father?” asked Kazami.

Hiba gave a troubled smile.

“I don’t really know what he did, but he suddenly accepted Mikage-san into our family ten years ago and then went off somewhere that same evening. That was the night of the great Kansai earthquake.”

That final comment brought Sayama’s hand to the left side of his chest.

Kazami and Izumo’s expressions hardened and Shinjou leaned up against Sayama. That was all it took for him to remove his hand from his chest. He said he was fine, but his face was a bit pale.

When Hiba gave him a curious look, he nodded.

“Now, it is time we got going. We can speak some more once this battle is over.” He took a breath. “We can see if our fight and your fight can work together along with these impurities you speak of.”

Two figures travelled along a deserted road.

The morning sun lit up the man and woman who travelled north along the main road.

They were Gyes in her red suit and Aigaion.

They both kicked off the asphalt as they moved quickly to the north. They cut through the air as they ran and each step took them from one streetlight to the next, so their running was made up of several-meter leaps.

They were quite fast.

They passed between the scattering of empty and unmoving cars as they hurried north.

Gyes ran in front and Aigaion followed with a girl in a white dress floating ahead of him. She was curled up like a child and elevated a bit above his head.

He was carrying Mikage via gravitational control.

He watched her as her eyes remained closed and she did not move. His scratched cheek loosened.

“She put up quite a fight.”

“Until she lost consciousness, she believed her partner would come rescue her. …Is she human?”

Aigaion looked at Mikage’s neck.

[[Image:OnC_v05_0381.png|thumb]]

“No. We need to have Moira 2nd look at her to be certain, but I’ve never seen a human like this.”

“Neither have I.”

She brought her right hand to her cheek which also had four parallel scratches on it, but they vanished as she traced her fingers across them.

“It took longer than expected to secure her. Should we call Cottus here?”

“Riding your god of war would be faster.”

“I can only use it for short periods of time. I don’t need the machine, but I want to preserve as much strength as possible when the enemy might pursue us.”

“How reliable,” said Aigaion.

Suddenly, light raced over their heads from ahead of them to behind them. The four beams of light continued for a few seconds.

“That was Cottus’s weapon!”

Just before the bombardment hit, Aigaion grabbed Mikage in his arms and leaped forward with Gyes.

At the same time, a rock-splitting explosion burst out behind them.

A powerful gust of wind from behind threatened to scoop their feet out from under them. The pressure of the wind rivalled a solid wall and it pushed them even further forward. Gyes glanced over her shoulder while in midair.

“Cottus! Why did you fire!?”

“Enemy approaching.”

That transmitted voice caused Gyes to focus more closely on her surroundings and she checked for movement behind them.

Fragments scattered from the main road and smoke trailed behind them.

She did not see anything there until something burst through the smoke.

She saw two motorcycles. They often saw those machines on Low-Gear’s roads. It depended on the specific model, but they tended to have good acceleration and they were a decent machine for transporting small numbers of people.

And the loud noises of their engines suggested these two could travel at high speed.

She did not recognize the boy and girl on one of them, but the boy on the other was a different story.

“The descendent of Hiba!”

Gyes made several decisions in midair and the danger she sensed in this opponent rose considerably.

The enemy had mobility, speed, the possibility of concept weapons, combat experience, the knowledge needed for concept combat, and a set objective.

She made a stern decision as to how to deal with them.

They would lure the enemy somewhere they could not use their mobility and speed. If the enemy did have concept weapons, they only had to use even more power than those weapons. She and her fellow automatons had thousands of years of combat experience and knowledge. And if this enemy had a set objective, they only had to divert them from it.

“Aigaion!” she shouted as she landed.

“Got it,” he said as he looked to the right of the road.

There he saw a large collection of buildings. The main entrance of the giant facility said Taka-Akita Academy.

“Let’s finish this here!”

Gyes pulled a palm-sized sheet of metal from her pocket. The steel had a blue crystal embedded in it and she laughed as she ran through the front gate with it in her hand.

She directed the laugh toward the two motorcycles pursuing them.

The wind blew across the two vehicles as they took tight corners that sent their back wheels skidding. Gyes turned toward the one with a boy and girl onboard and spoke to them.

“We will use this philosopher’s stone board to eliminate you two outsiders!”

As she faced them and ran backwards, she held up the metal panel and gave a shout.

“We will add on another concept!”

An instant later, the small metal board burst and the world changed accordingly.

In an instant, everything changed just as Gyes and Aigaion wanted.

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Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 30

2014-02-24T15:13:03Z

82.193.99.120: minor typos

==Chapter 30: Humanitarian of the Hunting Ground==

[[Image:Horizon2A_869.png|thumb]]
''Describe a beast

''Without mentioning

''That they eat people

'''Point Allocation (Personal Life)

Two people faced each other below the blue sky.

Two non-humans stood on a dirt road in the city.

One was a girl with six black wings and the other was a Hard Wolf who roughly wore an English uniform.

The bipedal Hard Wolf used his fingers to lightly tap the bayonet pirate hat on his head.

“I am Drake, 5-1 and member of the ship club. Could you give me a bit of your time?”

The girl was already wrinkling her brow and she did not try to hide the displeasure in her voice.

“I am Malga Naruze, fourth special duty officer. What does England’s hero of the sea want with me?”

“Now, now.” Drake took a half step back, held out his left hand, and gave an exaggerated shake of the head. “No need to get so angry. To be honest, this situation is not very good for either of us. It is not very good at all. Especially for me.”

“What? What’s bad about it?” Naruze spoke through clenched teeth while turning her body to the side. “I’m worried about Margot, so stop stalling for time.”

As she spoke, two things happened.

First, Drake brought a hand to his forehead as if in response to some kind of mistake.

Second, Naruze’s right foot slipped and she rotated around halfway.

“Eh?”

She fell to the ground wings first. She did not hit her head, but it had been so sudden that she sat in a daze for a few seconds. Finally, she frantically spread her wings to the side and stood up.

“Wh-what was that!?”

“It was this. Take a look at my hand.”

Drake held up his right hand which bore a giant silver gauntlet.

Naruze recognized the sparkling silver object.

“England’s Testamenta Arma!?”

“Dudley uses the left hand and I use the right. This is Brachium Justitia – Vetus. You just experienced its effect.” The Hard Wolf nodded. “Anyone who attempts to disturb England’s justice will fail.”

Upon hearing Drake’s explanation, Naruze immediately took action.

She used the pen in her right hand to open an A4-size crop mark frame Magie Figur in the air.

…''It might interfere with an incantation.

A silver coin fell from her sleeve and into her palm. She fired it with a spell playback rather than an incantation.

But just before the silver coin was fired…

'''“Loading type : Failure : An error occurred while activating the spell. Retry?”

With a quiet warning tone, the silver coin flew through the air and struck her on the cheek.

“Ow,” she said while grabbing the coin from the air.

…''Nothing’s changed?

It was not being controlled by ether or a spell. It was simply…

“Have you ever heard of a jinx? It’s like a small curse. You know what I mean, right? Those superstitions about a crow cawing behind you or a black cat crossing your path.”

“A lot of them are related to Technohexen and our familiars.”

“Testament.”

Drake nodded, so Naruze nodded back.

“Does it create a jinx that makes people fail when they oppose the justice of England?”

“Testament. Annoyingly enough, the queen gave this to me when she dubbed me a knight for attacking a Tres Españan fleet and bringing back a national budget’s worth of gold.”

“I don’t want to listen to you brag about your strength. And why is that annoying? You have an unbeatable power. Are you not attacking me because you know you can’t lose?”

“There is a downside. I find this very difficult to deal with.”

Drake then motioned her over.

Naruze was cautious, but any of her attacks would be neutralized. She cast a few spells to protect herself to see if they would be repelled too.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where I can speak.”

“Do I not get a say?”

“If you try to attack me, a Nightmare will charge out at you or a bee will sting you.”

After his threat of headless horses and insects, the Hard Wolf pointed toward a table set under an arcade. The audience was fixated on them, but they kept their distance and opened a path. The Hard Wolf walked over and sat on the opposite side of the shaded table set.

Naruze hesitated briefly, but finally stood across the table from Drake.

“What is it? Are you afraid of me?”

“Not really. I just do not want to mistakenly trap myself in your justice.”

“Then I’ll pay. That’ll work, right?” he asked while resting his head on his hand.

Naruze frowned, but sat down. She turned the chair back to the side so she could immediately spread her wings if need be.

“What do you wish to talk about?”

“Let’s start with our drinks. …But that’s just because I want something to drink.”

“Coffee.”

“Oh, the latest trend? I’ll have milk. Unprocessed milk.”

When she only gave him a cold glare, the Hard Wolf shrugged.

A cup of coffee and a mug of milk soon floated over to them. The wolf grabbed the mug.

“Just to be clear, milk is a transformed state of blood. England’s blood-sucking races love it too. Blood is expensive and has to be bought at specialty shops, but milk is available pretty much everywhere.”

“Is an English knight strapped for…”

Just as she was going to say “cash”, something landed on her cheek.

It was a bee. A large bee.

The sensation of the moving insect’s legs on her cheek caused Naruze’s wings to shudder. Drake shrugged again in front of her.

“Do you see now? It even regulates comments that would damage our justice. I really do find it to be an annoyance.”

As he spoke, the bee rubbed her cheek with its thick body and then flew away as if striking her with its wings. Once she could finally start breathing again, Naruze shook her head once and glared at Drake. Her gaze said he was her enemy.

“Sorry, sorry. The coffee is on me, so you can at least thank me.”

“Danke.”

Drake whistled when she used German. He went on to form a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“You really are a great Technohexen. It’s been a while since I wanted to cook someone and eat them. What do you taste like? Tell me.”

“Is it true that the lupine races are man-eaters?”

“Testament.”

He nodded and pulled a license out of his uniform’s breast pocket. It said, “Food License – Human Meat, Including: Consenting humans, meat for sale”.

“Most of the former Saxons and those from Hexagone Française are like that. There are over 270 werewolf-related crimes in Hexagone Française every year, so you can see how difficult it is to suppress. The Jean Grenier incident occurred in Hexagone Française’s city of Bordeaux recently. In accordance with the history recreation, half-beasts with a man-eating nature will now be referred to as lycanthropes.”

“The ogres are protesting their inclusion, aren’t they? They claim they are not beasts because they cook people before eating them. I’m not sure how I should laugh at that.”

“You can just hang your head and laugh. …Oh, but I guess I’m not one to talk here.”

Naruze almost agreed, but then she began to search her surroundings for a bee. She also looked down at her feet in case there was a scorpion or snake there, but she saw no sign of danger.

“Are you going to eat me?” she asked with a weary sigh.

“I would if you consented. As a knight, I am also a gentleman. I even get down on one knee to ask my wife. She loves poetry.”

“Your wife?”

“This is a world of give-and-take. As long as you have money, you can buy powerful healing spells. I am rich and there are people who think they must be hurt to belong in this world. My wife is one of those people.”

“…”

“She says I am wonderful because I do not hesitate.”

“Are you going to cheat on her with a chicken?”

“Sorry, but you’d be the hors d’oeuvres. Not even I can afford to hesitate when it comes to my wife.”

Naruze did not bother asking why. Nor was she shocked by the answer she came to.

“Your wife is a murderer, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she has strong inclinations in that direction. If I don’t rip into her, she starts ripping into me. Before we met, she went to a rehab facility called ‘On the Chopping Block’ where Living Dead who liked being torn apart would volunteer. They of course had a yakiniku restaurant at which I was a frequent customer.”

“So it was a cruel and emotional meeting? How did you propose?”

“That was perfectly normal. While eating the yakiniku I told her ‘I love you. You’re the best.’ She responded with ‘Take as much as you want’.”

“To be blunt, why don’t you go ahead and die? If you have a happy marriage, I think you’ll end up dying before long anyway.”

“Testament. She does sometimes get me good. I used to climb on top of her a lot and she would cut my chest to pieces with a hidden knife. It wasn’t too bad since Hard Wolves can’t be hurt much without silver weapons and we heal quickly, but both of us would end up eating too much back then.”

Naruze decided she and Margot should try to be that into each other.

“But,” said Drake. “Does your knight have the same habits?”

''Our “knight” would be Mitotsudaira,'' thought Naruze. ''She’s half werewolf and half human, but she can’t transform into a beast and she doesn’t eat people. I think. I hope. Well, at any rate…

“She likes beef that is grade 4 or higher.”

“If she married a half-bullman she would have to build an underground labyrinth and that sounds like a lot of work.”

“She has money and she can earn more, so she can always just buy one. But why do you ask?”

“Testament,” he said. “There is something I want to ask you. I assume you have at least heard of Joan of Arc.”

She had. During the Hundred Years’ War, that girl had freed Hexagone Française as it was on the verge of being conquered by England. But…

“What does that have to do with Mitotsudaira?”

If he wanted to speak with a fellow man-eater, the French non-human races would be ideal. After all…

“Joan of Arc was Hexagone Française’s hero during the Hundred Years’ War and her subordinate, Gilles de Rais, was an ogre. Similarly, Hexagone Française’s non-human races have always been mostly man-eaters. Joan of Arc was not, but she was still a non-human. Using the restored rights of non-humans as a shield, she went through with the history recreation while knowing it would lead to her being burned at the stake. And during the Hundred Years’ War, England occupied northern and central Hexagone Française. To recover that land, Joan of Arc formed a unit of man-eaters, so England’s forces were destroyed without being able to send their main force of humanoid non-humans to the front lines. However, the people of Hexagone Française were afraid of them as well, so the king had to personally handle the triumphant return to the reclaimed land.”

“You know a lot about this.”

“I lived in M.H.R.R. where a lot of those people live.”

“I see,” said Drake. “But there’s something I want to ask about. It’s about my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather?”

“Testament. He was on the English side of that war, but a question remains. According to what he told me, it’s possible Joan of Arc escaped being burned at the stake.”

“Joan of Arc escaped being burned at the stake?”

Naruze could do nothing but repeat his words, so Drake continued on.

“For my grandfather, it was a war between fellow members of the same race. Even while recreating history, they wanted to avoid non-human sacrifices. Joan of Arc was to be executed in Rouen, which was English territory at the time, but carrying out the execution would advance the history recreation leading to Hexagone Française’s victory. That was why England sent out an unofficial unit to take her away. My grandfather was a part of that unit.”

“Wait a minute.” Naruze placed a finger on her forehead, frowned, and asked a question while thinking this was ridiculous. “If what you are saying is true, should you really be revealing it here?”

“Testament. No one will believe it. After all, my grandfather claimed to be a knight of the Testament Cross-Borders Unit.”

Naruze realized what he meant when he used the term Testament Cross-Borders Unit. That was an elite group said to exist in each nation. Whenever a crisis or problem appeared somewhere in the world, they would rush out and resolve it while completely ignoring the rules of the history recreation.

“That unit came from the Plan to Combat Decline and Advance Tuning that humanity agreed to at the beginning of the history recreation, right? That plan led to the creation of the Testament and the harmonic world, and it decided on the rules for the history recreation. But it also created the Testament Cross-Borders Unit in each nation for when the history recreation would be impossible or the world would be destroyed and someone had to do something. Isn’t that right?”

“Testament. This world led by the Testament was brought about by the Plan to Combat Decline and Advance Tuning that the people agreed to in ancient times. They wanted the age to continue on without rest. Only the basic principles remain nowadays, but the Catholics and the Testament Union act based on those founding principles. And the Testament Cross-Borders Unit was created to ensure the history recreation could continue, but its very existence is denied because it does not fit into the flow of history. Its name remains in every nation, but no one belongs to it.

“Due to the disasters all over the place after the Harmonic Unification War, a lot of liars have been showing up who claim to be from Testament Cross-Borders Unit families. They want their name to mean something, but they never give a straight answer once someone tries to dig deeper into their past. And that’s how people will view me.”

“Judge. Nothing specific is known about the unit and it sounds like something from a cheap novel. I’m sure you believe your grandfather, but do you have any proof he was telling the truth? Also, isn’t it against the rules of the Testament Cross-Borders Unit to try to capture Joan of Arc for England’s sake? If that is true, your grandfather will have two reasons for people to deny his existence, so why do you believe him?”

“That’s simple. England wasn’t the only group trying to rescue Joan of Arc. Arthur de Richemont, supporter of Joan of Arc and the non-human commander-in-chief who successfully restored their rights, had a private army that disappeared the day before Joan of Arc’s execution.”

Which meant…

“My grandfather told me that a force in Hexagone Française was working with them. He said it was Hexagone Française’s Testament Cross-Borders Unit and that they might have saved Joan of Arc.” Drake laughed. “In the name of the history recreation, an insider leaked information concerning the mission to swipe Joan of Arc. My grandfather’s unit was attacked in Rouen and they didn’t make it in time. But they saw the white smoke of her being burned rising into the sky. My grandfather’s unit retreated, but I would always ask him a certain question when he told me the story. I would ask him why his comrades in Hexagone Française didn’t help them. I was so cruel.”

However…

“He would always laugh and tell me this: ‘I couldn’t be helped, Drake. It couldn’t be helped. We failed and history continued on as it should. Looking at it that way, our mistake was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?’ But…”

“But?”

“I understood. I could tell. He was saying he could only trust in them. He could only trust that they had indeed come to help and that it was unknown whether they had truly succeeded or failed. Was the smoke they saw rising the real deal? They may not have been able to save her, but what about their foreign comrades? He knew nothing for sure, but he had to trust in those with the same traits as him.”

Hearing that, Naruze came to a slight understanding. This Hard Wolf was open about his man-eating trait because he had been so deeply dyed by his grandfather’s words. But Naruze decided to ask a question while making sure she did not violate England’s justice.

“But how can you determine the truth?”

Drake lightly held up his mug and pointed at her with it.

“I looked through the 1648 Chancellor’s Officers Almanac. It said Nate Mitotsudaira comes from a family of knights for a small feudal lord, but that family came to the forefront once their son married a female werewolf who had no political position. Then their child was chosen to head the Mitotsudaira family. It’s rumored there was a reason for that.”

“In other words, a werewolf family belonging to the Testament Cross-Borders Unit lost any political position during the mission to rescue Joan of Arc, but they are being restored to power now?”

Naruze was not sure what to think. After all, Mitotsudaira had come to Musashi before elementary school.

“I am not sure she ever mentioned it and I would not remember even if she had.”

“Then I might be on the wrong track. The werewolf unit of the Hexagone Française liberation army was made up of legitimate man-eaters. If Musashi’s knight is not, then I might have to rethink this. Either way, I intend to go to Hexagone Française and investigate if I survive and retire.”

“Why not try asking Mitotsudaira?”

“Testament. I will if I feel like it. Once I’m done here, I have to immediately head out to hold Tres España in check to the west. Once I get back, it will be time for the armada battle, but I will have to defend England while you continue on to the next port, right?”

“Probably,” responded Naruze with a shrug. “But even if you can’t speak with her directly, I can ask her if I have some time. The Trumps’ divine network site has a divine message form, doesn’t it? I can send the answer through there, right?”

“Testament. I would appreciate it. I wanted to deal with her directly, but that wasn’t the duty I was given.”

Those words indicated a certain fact and Naruze calmly asked about it.

“So someone has been sent to duel Mitotsudaira? And they are more suited for the job than you?”

“That’s right.” The Hard Wolf loudly gulped down his milk and slammed the mug down on the table. “Kahhh! There’s nothing like some good milk.”

“Make sure to have your wife as a snack to go with it.” Naruze sipped at her coffee and put down the cup. “Now that we have finished drinking, it is time to get down to business, right?”

“Right.” Drake shrugged, stood up from his chair, and raised his gauntleted right hand. “Justice is a real pain. It devours everything that rebels.”

“So to avoid being devoured, one has to stab at that justice? That sounds like a job for a Technohexen.”

Naruze took a breath and moved lightly. She pushed down on her chair with her hands, floated up into the air, and lightly flapped her wings as if taking a step backwards in midair.

“Once I defeat you and celebrate with Naito, I will ask Mitotsudaira if her past is as romantic as you suggest.”

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