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Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 69

2015-04-29T01:35:02Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 69: Those Gathering at the Fire Festival==
[[Image:Horizon2B_1123.png|thumb]]
''Do you have someone

''To hold hands and dance with?

'''Point Allocation (Taking Part)

Two days had passed since the nighttime naval battle.

Countless objects were traveling through the evening sky along with the gentle west wind.

They were a fleet of aerial ships that watched the sun set to their right and Tres Españan flags hung down from the side of their decks.

“Juana, couldn’t we return to Lisbon along with the main fleet while hiding the damage with flags?”

“Testament. We do not get a triumphant return. We lost the armada battle, so if we tried to have one, the Testament Union would accuse us of ignoring the Testament descriptions. Today, we must hurry back to Henares.”

Juana then turned ahead and to port to look at the hills surrounding the bay.

Once they entered the bay, the fleet would land in the water and take turns heading in for repairs whenever a dock opened up.

''We have a huge amount of work to do,'' she thought. ''And there is just as much meaning in finishing that work.

…''The biggest task is getting Tres España back on its feet.

She had a number of ideas and she was sure to come up with more in the future. Takakane and Fusae remained out at sea to represent the number of days the armada battle was meant to last, but once they returned, she would discuss a lot with them and ask them for help. And to do that…

“We need to find a new name for the 2nd special duty officer to inherit.”

“Can you search for an appropriate name in Tres Españan history?”

“Testament. I’m just so used to calling her ‘Fusae’.”

But something else concerned her more.

“What should we do about 3rd Special Duty Officer Gin?”

“Have we still not managed to contact her? My guess is she stayed on the Musashi.”

“Testament.” Juana nodded and opened a few ''cadena firma''. “I actually checked with Musashi. It seems her injuries are being treated there as a guest. However, it seems she has doubts about her performance and is putting off her return.”

“Not only did she fail to return Muneshige’s inherited name, but people have a way of obsessing over a loss.”

Segundo’s words left Juana momentarily speechless, but he soon turned toward her.

“Oh, um. You don’t have to read too deeply into that, okay?”

“Eh? Oh, Testament. I won’t. …Anyway, there is something we must tell Gin, so we do need to contact her.”

She sighed and lowered her shoulders before continuing.

“But even if you aren’t going to obsess over your loss, I think the other nations will. After all, chancellor, you lost twice in a single night.”

“Even I think that was a little much.”

“Yes.” Juana lowered her shoulders again. “And things aren’t going to be easy for me now that it’s out that I am half-lived.”

“It wasn’t officially exposed, so don’t worry. Also, everyone knows Tres España won’t last without you.”

“Testament. But I won’t listen to something I find unnecessary even if you are the one to say it.”

She said that with a smile while the sun set to their right. Starting from the east, the sky slowly changed to purple and the stars began to stand out. Also, two waning moons floated in that eastern sky.

“Ahh,” muttered Segundo. “It really is over, isn’t it?”

She wanted to say something, but the ship tilted before she could. They were crossing the hill to enter the bay.

The bay up ahead was dark. What little light remained in the sky seemed to be filling the bottom of the bay in dark shadow. The only light down there were the few fires meant to guide ships.

Once they arrived there, the armada battle would be over.

…''And we can’t exactly say something new will begin.

One event recorded in history had been completed and more would continue.

It could be said that none of it was new, but Juana reminded herself that they had not existed in the former world and neither had Musashi. And so…

“It is not over. …It has been made new, chancellor.”

“Has it really?”

Juana wanted to say “testament” and tell him to trust her, but the port in front of them suddenly filled with light.

These were not the fires for guiding ships. There were many, many more of them and they came from raised torches.

“Eh?”

She heard sudden noise. It came from the drums being played and all the fire being held up into the sky.

The fires illuminating the dark port were small, but they grew in number and soon filled the entire port. Amid those flames and swirling sparks, the beating of drums travelled far, far into the distance.

“—————!”

She heard voices. They were cheers and Segundo muttered absentmindedly when he heard them.

“This is the ''falla'' festival. But why?”

“I doubt this is everyone from Tres España. It is probably your old friends, those who support us, and those who have no choice but to do so. But…”

Juana spoke blankly before the growing fires and noise.

“It means that we have others on our side.”

Segundo made a sudden comment.

“We use the money we have, give in to our passions, have a party, and forget everything unpleasant.”

As she listened to that, Juana saw the fires continue to grow in number and density. Everyone naturally formed rows to make sure their raised torches did not hit anyone else.

The port warehouses created gaps in the flames that looked like giant ships and those warehouse ships rocked in the waves of the flickering flames.

…''It’s like they’re saying they are ready to leave port at any moment.

Meanwhile, Segundo brought a hand to his chest and took a breath.

“I made a promise to go to the ''falla'' festival after the Battle of Lepanto. And I also made one to dance there.”

He slowly asked a question to himself.

“Will all of them forgive me if I go to a new fire festival?”

There was no answer to that. If there was one, it was everything he would gain from now on. He would find his answer when he created an even better festival than any he had experienced while with them.

…''And we will help him do that.

And so Juana nodded and opened her mouth.

“Claiming to forget everything unpleasant is just for show, isn’t it? You and I, Gin, and everyone else can never forget those things. Giving into our passions and having a party is not to forget.”

She held his hand as she spoke.

“It is so we can believe that there will still be fun times in the future.”

Fires much like festival bonfires rose into the night sky.

They were located on eight ships that floated in that night sky. Among the many fires, the one on the second starboard ship was the largest and it gave a crimson glow to the bottom of the nearby clouds.

The firewood was made from the building materials that could not be reused. It mostly came from buildings on the surface, but it also included floors and columns used for the internal support frames.

The fire was about seven meters across and two meters tall. Asama and others from the shrine were managing the fire and the rising flames functioned as a dedication. It was mostly gods of war and automatons in charge of throwing the firewood onto the floor made from armor panels.

However, some of the students were approaching cheerfully.

“I was looking for a chance to throw out these porn magazines, so I’ll dedicate them to my god! To my god!”

“These are actual letters from the guy I used to date! …Why did he have to write these poems!?”

“Um, are figurines non-burnable dedications? Can I just leave them here? Okay, thanks.”

They seemed to see this as an opportunity.

Meanwhile, a certain girl was in charge of throwing in the firewood in their place. She wore a Tres Españan uniform and had two lifelike false arms attached. She was Tachibana Gin.

The emblems on her shoulders were glowing red as she tossed the firewood via gravitational control.

Occasionally, the students leaving firewood for her would realize who she was and raise their eyebrows, but she would give a nod to instruct them to place the wood in the loading area and continue with her job.

“But…”

She looked to the blazing fire and muttered to herself.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Gin had yet to sort out her thoughts and did not know what to do with herself.

She had lost, yet she was shamelessly living on after the battle.

…''I had thought about dying, but…

When the Musashi had made its loop, she had understood what was happening, so she had tried to head out onto the road. She had assumed it would all work out if she fell down with nothing to support her. After all, she had lost the battle she had decided to take part in, so she thought it would be best to no longer decide anything for herself.

But when she had moved toward the road as the ship had tilted upwards…

…''Honda Futayo ran toward the stern of the ship after having previously left for the bow.

Gin assumed she had moved toward the stern in search of a level area like a hamster in a wheel, but it had obviously been a futile attempt. Gin had instinctually evaded and returned toward the house and a pillar there had saved her from the loop. Her false arms had fallen inside a remaining house toward the stern of the ship, so they too had remained. All in all, every part of her had survived.

And she had subsequently been protected and treated as a guest.

The Musashi was currently moored in the sky fifteen kilometers north of IZUMO. They were apparently making what repairs they could with the old maintenance equipment before entering IZUMO. That way they would not worry those already in IZUMO by letting them see the damage to the Musashi.

…''And it opens up space to store materials.

They needed to make repairs at IZUMO, but there was no land port there to leave the massive amount of materials around the Musashi. Those materials would have to be carried inside the Musashi and stored in its own warehouses. And that method also gave them control over the purchase and transport of the materials which helped keep the prices lower.

A lot of workers and laborers had arrived from IZUMO and they were helping Musashi as it repaired itself and attempted to continue to its next destination.

“But what am I supposed to do?”

She had her thoughts about having lost, but she was also worried for Muneshige. She had been unable to restore his inherited name, so he would have no choice but to leave her.

…''And I will probably lose my inherited name as well.

According to the Testament descriptions, Tachibana Muneshige eventually left Ootomo and joined Hashiba. After what had happened, M.H.R.R.’s Hashiba would likely pressure Tres España to transfer rights to the name to them.

It all went back to her being weak.

Some people were eating a slow meal in the distance. They were the students who had fought two nights before. They had all helped repair the ship and spent their time together.

One of them laughed and the young student spoke to the others his age.

“It’s true! That idiot called out to the front line where I was! And I told him to stay away because he’d just be in the way! I told him we didn’t need his help!”

A group of older students passed by and one with a fresh scar on his cheek tossed a bottle of water to the younger boy. The older boy smiled at the younger one.

“Did your brain slip out because you had some alcohol? Try cooling your head with some water.”

“Shut up.”

Everyone laughed bitterly and Gin once more realized she was alone.

She became painfully aware of that fact. The blowing wind and the crackling flames were so close by, but they sounded so very far away.

…''Will I be alone forever?

She felt like the core of her being was missing and she slowly fell to her knees.

…''What am I supposed to do?

She had tried to win and restore his inherited name.

However, she had lost and now nothing remained. Even her own inherited name was in danger.

…''What am I supposed to do?

She repeated the thought while lowering her head. Her shoulders trembled and she fought the urge to cry. She told herself that crying would not bring her any forgiveness, but she still opened her mouth.

“Master Muneshige…”

''I’m sorry,'' she said in her heart.

''I’m sorry. It didn’t work. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t save you, help you, or anything else. I dishonored your name and my name, but now I just want one thing.

“I want to see you.”

As soon as she muttered those words, she heard a voice in front of her.

“Then lift your head, Gin.”

Her head shot up at that voice.

A tall figure was lowered on one knee with the burning flames behind him.

“Master…Mune…shige?”

She could not believe her eyes, but even if his face and body were skinnier than before, it was definitely him.

He wore a work vest with the armband that indicated a laborer from outside.

But…

“Why?”

He answered her question with a smile.

“Because I knew you would cry if you were alone.”

He explained why.

“When we went to that festival for our very first date, you went off on your own and got lost. When I found you, you were crying near the festival bonfire much like this. And it happened a few other times as well. That’s why the chancellor always gave us missions together.”

She wanted to say that was ridiculous, but…

“…”

Tears spilled from her eyes and he quickly moved with a troubled look on his face.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I was afraid of arriving and finding you had already left, but the chancellor contacted me to say you still hadn’t returned. That’s when I shouted ‘amore’ five times and raced to Hexagone Française. I only just arrived, but…well, it all worked out since I found you here.”

“I-it all worked out? B-but it didn’t! You…you lost your inherited name! And…and who knows what will happen with me.”

“Then how about we both lose our inherited names?”

She did not understand what he meant until he continued.

“Will you spend the rest of your life with a man who lost his inherited name and is not Tachibana Muneshige?”

“Wh-what about you, Master Muneshige!?”

She asked the question she had long wondered.

“Do you want to be with an unsociable girl who is not even Tachibana Muneshige’s wife!?”

“I do not.”

Gin thought her heart was going to break when she heard that, but then he embraced her.

“Not unless I can spend the rest of my life with her.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he embraced her. Those were the shoulders she had once lost.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve hugged you with your normal arms.”

She cried at those words.

…''This person is…

He was an odd person.

Whenever she had seen that odd student who worked part-time as a mailman, one thought had always come to her.

He always appeared with cherry blossoms, the blue sky, the autumn leaves, or the snow behind him, but why was he in that world?

She found him an odd person to live in that ever-changing world that was protected by no one.

But ultimately, she had decided that she wanted to be with him forever.

And now he spoke to her from beyond her tears.

“Let us grow stronger. And then I will inherit the name of Tachibana Muneshige by truly being the Peerless in the West.”

She wanted to say that was absurd. How could he say that when he was so skinny and had lost so much muscle in his leg? But the arms embracing her were strong and reliable and the words she heard were steady.

“And when I become Tachibana Muneshige…”

Then…

“You will be my Tachibana Gin.”

Gin nodded and decided to trust him. He had once exceeded everything she could have imagined, so she swore that she would one day support his position as the Peerless.

…''So for the moment…

She entrusted her body to him, took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

“…”

She closed her eyes in his chest as if sinking into exhaustion and relief.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 68|Chapter 68]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 70|Chapter 70]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 68

2015-04-29T01:33:35Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 68: One who Receives The Night’s Finisher==
[[Image:Horizon2B_1077.png|thumb]]
''Can your hand

''Reach the sky?

'''Point Allocation (Moonlight)

The state of the battle had greatly changed.

The Tres Españan students had left the starboard side of the Musashi, England’s privateers were protecting the port, starboard, and rear of the Musashi, and the scattering Tres Españan fleet was raising the density of its attacks.

The Tres Españan fleet was scattering quickly and circling out wider than absolutely necessary so that the English fleet could not hold them in place. Overall, they began moving in a large arc to the back of the Musashi and English fleet. Even as they moved away from the Musashi, they fired their guns diagonally back at it.

“The front is wide open! The mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier is visible! Over!”

Meanwhile, the Musashi was continuing straight forward.

To establish the retreat of the armada battle, they needed to sink an enemy ship in Tres Españan territory. They had chosen the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier which was stopped directly ahead in order to launch those phoenixes. But since Naito had been shot down after being sent ahead, they were charging straight in to sink it with Horizon’s Logismoi Óplo.

However, the aircraft carrier moved first.

“!? The first mechanical phoenix is being launched!”

Everyone on the Musashi realized the enemy had made up their mind quickly. They had likely predicted what the Musashi was doing and were going to withdraw the aircraft carrier after the phoenixes were launched.

“The first mechanical phoenix will arrive in another thirty seconds! Over!”

Naito was suddenly shaken awake.

The way she was shaken felt somehow familiar.

…''Is it morning?

But her eyes showed her the flashes of cannon fire in the night.

She dimly yet quickly came to her senses as if her mind was cooling down.

“!?”

Weight returned to her body as if she had been dropped. She had been shaking because there was nothing below her feet. However, she did not seem to be falling and she felt someone embracing her.

She saw a white cloud trail leading east toward the Musashi. As she realized it was a mechanical phoenix, she saw a familiar face.

“Ga-chan!?”

Before she could wonder why the girl was here, she found the answer: a broom. Naruze was embracing Naito with only her left arm and her right hand held up a broom. She then spoke with her eyebrows slightly raised.

“The half-dragon carried me. And luckily, this hasn’t broken yet. So Margot…”

Naito listened.

“Let’s fight and let’s shoot down that aircraft carrier and mechanical phoenix.”

However, Schwarz Fräulein was broken and she had no equipment. Naruze had her broom and she gently moved her wings to make sure they worked, but that was all. Similarly, Naruze had nothing but the pen in her hand, but the girl definitely smiled.

“I received an interesting divine mail on my way here from England. It must be due to our proximity to M.H.R.R.”

She used the pen tip to display it in a crop mark frame Magie Figur. It contained the emblem of a certain business that served Technohexen and that sponsored these two girls.

“Edel Brocken!”

An instant later, those on the Tres Españan ships or carrying out other aerial tasks saw two sets of wings rapidly rise to the altitude that could be called their battlefield.

They were two Technohexen in an embrace.

One had gold wings and wore the tatters of a Technohexen outfit.

The other had black wings and wore a black Far Eastern uniform.

The two of them gently pressed their cheeks together and nodded amid the crisscrossing shells.

“Okay, Margot,” said the black winged girl. “I won’t help you, so from now on, let’s continue onward together. Let’s live and show each other what we can do.”

She took a breath and placed her forehead on the other’s shoulder before continuing.

“Let’s fly swift and high through the Technohexen sky. We can continue on forever.”

The two of them parted and rotated around as if to show off their form to the other. Then, while checking on the locations of the gods of war and small ships, their voices filled the sky in unison.

“Verwandlung! We agree to the contract to summon the Fräulein newly created for us!!”

Naruze spread her black wings.

“Weiss Fräulein!!”

Naito spread her gold wings.

“Schwarz Fräulein!!”

At the same time, something was spatially ejected behind them. Unlike with the previous Schwarz Fräulein and Weiss Fräulein, the white and black appeared as coffins. Naito’s eyebrows rose when she saw the two meter coffins.

“Wow! Just because they’re new models, they didn’t have to give us individual ''sarg''! How much did they spend on this!?”

“Even with the discount for two matching models, it has to be at least as much as a cheap god of war! I’m so glad we’re testers!”

Meanwhile, the coffins automatically opened. The clothes that fluttered out into the air were a new white outfit for Naruze and a new black one for Naito. The Technohexen tools in their hands began to produce a warning sound while the Orei Metallo on the tip flashed yellow.

“Expanding allotted space. A wide area required. Everyone, please be careful.”

[[Image:Horizon2B_1083.png|thumb]]

Their clothes were removed. They raised their arms a little as the clothes left over the armpit and shoulder and the disassembled clothes passed by the new clothes that expanded from the coffins.

Their skin was exposed only for an instant. The Technohexen inner suit wrapped around and embraced them and the hard points fixed themselves to their waists and necks. Each part of the suit tightened and then loosened slightly to ensure it was skintight.

While making sure not to catch their hair inside, not to squeeze their breasts, and to gently wrap around their necks, the Technohexen outfits enveloped around their users. And just as the white and black skirts and stoles were added, they held up their equipment and let out another shout.

“Come, Schwarz Fräulein!”

“Come on, Weiss Fräulein!”

As if answering their cries, additional steel parts appeared from the coffins.

A ship’s hull attached to Naito’s wooden broom and applied a vernier to the rear brush portion.

White steel attached to Naruze’s pen to form a long spear.

Rectangular bolts were ejected into the air and fixed the different parts into place.

“It’s longer and thinner than before! This is a higher speed version!”

And that was not all.

“!?”

Additional parts attached to their waists and shoulders. Armor that doubled as large attachment parts appeared on their shoulders and expandable accelerators with two rail wings appeared on their waists.

Simply put, they were steel plates and cloth wings. Metallic noises came from the large accelerators on either side of their waist. A Magie Figur with a proof of receipt and simple explanation told them what the rails wings on those accelerators meant.

“We can fly high, Margot.”

“Let’s fly swiftly, Ga-chan.”

With those words, the two colors of Technohexen shot up into the sky.

“…!?”

Naruze ascended more than one hundred meters in an instant and continued to accelerate.

…''Eh!?

She did not understand. With her previous Weiss Fräulein, she would have ascended only about thirty meters in that time. Part of the reason she had completely surpassed that was because of the Verstärken Schale of the new Weiss Fräulein, but…

..''It’s also thanks to the rail wings on my waist.

The cloth and steel wings were currently sharp and taut like blades. This latest design had frills. The two wings moved on rails and accelerating ether light left the edge of the flaps.

She was already above the fleet and the gods of war that had been targeting her were still looking down below for her.

She felt more surprise than superiority, but the speed also put her at ease.

…''This is so fast.

The accelerators on her waists had double the output as the main pen device.

She shuddered when she thought about the fuel consumption, but she was a tester. While it would not be free, she would probably get a discount. Probably, anyway.

More importantly…

“U-um, where’s the enemy ship!?”

It was below her to the right. To her left was Naito who had caught up while being tossed around by her device.

“G-Ga-chan!? U-um, I’m not sure I understand all this, but it’s pretty amazing! So let’s go!”

Naito’s rail wings reacted to her pointing gesture.

They provided an axis of rotation and mobility on both sides. They were set on rails that moved the axis out toward the ends of the wings and the external wings of the main accelerators were swung outwards. The left wing swung the accelerator out to forcibly change its direction. It looked like a bent arm extending to orient the accelerator up into the air.

“Wah!”

Her entire body performed a half rotation as if she had been struck. The rail wing moved back in and both accelerators produced ether light.

Naruze came to a sudden realization as she watched Naito instantly drop down vertically.

“I-I need to follow her!”

While descending, the two Technohexen lightly swung their bodies and tested out their control at these new speeds.

Directly ahead of them was the deck of the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier.

The white Technohexen went on ahead. She removed the pen from the control panel and read the explanation that popped up in a Magie Figur.

“Yes! I can make spatial drawings! This is the latest tech!”

She drew lines in the air with her pen. The guiding trajectories she drew toward the enemy aircraft carrier really did appear in white lines.

There were four of them and the black Technohexen’s cannon blasts would use those trajectories. That black one pulled four coin roll bullets from the magazine on the side of her device and she suddenly closed the accelerator on the back. Instead, several speedometer-style Magie Figur appeared from the center to the front.

“This Techno Magie Semi Anti-Ship Cannon detonates the accelerating power inside and then accelerates that further!”

She fired on the aircraft carrier just as the two Technohexen crossed paths.

She fired all four rolls of coins at once, they split apart in midair, and they travelled down the guiding lines.

“Herrlich!!”

With what sounded more like crashing sounds than roaring ones, two spots on the deck and a mechanical phoenix about to be launched were shot through.

The hardened wood making up the deck’s surface shattered for three meters around the points of impact and the phoenix had its head slammed into the deck and its right wing torn off at the base.

The two Technohexen shook off the cannons and gods of war firing back and regrouped three hundred meters below the aircraft carrier. They then flew in a shallowly rising arc toward the Musashi.

“Time to intercept the mechanical phoenix they managed to fire!!”

“Will we make it in time!?”

Naito’s expression made it clear that, even with their newfound speed, they could not catch up with the phoenix’s lead. But Naruze opened a sign frame, flew alongside the other girl, and leaned in close.

“Even if it’s a pain, actually read through the manual, Margot. We can make it.”

“Is that…?”

On the bridge, Suzu sensed her Technohexen friends as if she were touching them.

They were growing closer as if pressing together or embracing.

The two Technohexen moved their broom hull and pen spear to their backs and embraced together.

As they did, the connection parts on their shoulders and waists fit together.

Their rail wings moved and spread out horizontally by their legs. Their new shape was created by having their secondary wings spread out to the sides.

…''A mechanical phoenix?

The white and black Technohexen combined with avian and delta-shaped wings in front and behind them.

As the two embraced in the center, they distinctly looked toward the Musashi.

“…!!”

And they flew too quickly for Suzu’s hands to keep up.

Their acceleration did not stop even after they surpassed the realm of “high speed”.

They gave a slight cry of surprise, but it felt like even their voices were left behind below their feet.

By combining, the reduction and acceleration of white and black created an induced pressure in the ether pathways. That pressure and inhalation power was then added into the output devices.

And by keeping both their backs oriented outward, the air resistance of their bodies was reduced.

The total of six accelerators in the rail wings, the broom, and the pen gave them enough speed to blast through the air.

At one point, they seemed to break through a wall of wind and the combination of white and black produced a vapor explosion.

“!?”

The Technohexen soon perceived the mechanical phoenix up ahead.

At the same time, the gods of war that had been attacking the Musashi soared toward them.

But they did not hesitate. While embracing, they used spells to detect the flying bullets and other god of war attacks.

“Coming through!!”

After they slipped through those bullets, another wave of enemy bullets arrived from the front, but they located and avoided those as well. They slipped to the side rather than run or evade. They used both of their visions, senses, and reflexes to spin about and continue forward as if dancing.

“Margot! Press against me more!”

“Am I making too much air resistance!?”

“Your breasts feel great!!”

“It’s amazing how you can act like normal, Ga-chan!!”

Meanwhile, they left the shower of bullets. The gods of war attempted direct blows, but the Technohexen embraced while jumping up and rolling as if dancing. They then filled the air with a single great explosion of acceleration light.

“…!!”

And they charged toward the mechanical phoenix as if to slam into it from above.

Adele spoke up when she saw the explosion in the sky ahead.

“You saved us!!”

“B-but we’re out of fuel!!”

Naito’s voice was followed by a white and black flower blooming in the port sky. The two Technohexen’s transformation had ended and they descended toward Asakusa while tumbling through the air. Meanwhile, “Musashi” made some calculations on a sign frame.

“Even if you only had the pre-installed fuel, those must have somewhat poor fuel consumption to run out that quickly. Over.”

“Um, uh, ‘Musashi’-san? Shouldn’t you be a little happier about this?”

But they could now see the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier up ahead. The damage and phoenix wreckage made its deck useless and it was not moving. Also, the crew had already abandoned ship using a smaller ship.

“Our chaff removal is just about finished,” said “Musashino” as she looked to the aircraft carrier. “Once we secure this ship, we can enter a stable defensive-…”

Before she could finish, Adele saw movement on the battlefield model Suzu was creating.

Something bothered her about the movement of the enemy fleet and gods of war Suzu was creating.

“All Musashi ships, rise!!”

“Eh?” said the automatons.

They likely wanted to point out that they could not secure the aircraft carrier if they did that here. However, they obeyed their current master’s instructions and began the ascent. And just as the Musashi’s port and starboard ships forcibly began a high speed ascent and the sea wrapped around their surfaces, the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier exploded.

The enemy had used explosion spells.

The San Martíns firing on the Musashi from behind both fully showed themselves as the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier exploded.

Ahead of them, the Musashi, which was their target, took an ascending trajectory and received the blast and smoke on the bottom. Its speed had not dropped, but…

“It looked like they had noticed, so I had it detonate before they could use some kind of dispel.”

Segundo used binoculars to look forward from the short bridge.

“We knew they would charge in to establish our retreat, so we placed a ship as bait. If it ‘accidentally self-destructed’ once the Musashi was drawn in, we could sink it before they could secure it. And the blast could have severely damaged the Musashi. Even if not, their forward trajectory would prevent them from pursuing our other ships that had scattered to the left and right. …But I’m impressed you all managed to gather enough explosion spells from the main fleet’s equipment. Was that your doing, Juana?”

“This was the most I could manage. I unfortunately could not actually hit them like you did. But at the very least, they cannot pursue the fleet now. They have already passed by our main fleet, so that main fleet will battle the English fleet while returning to this airspace and pursuing the Musashi. The Musashi can likely use its gravitational cruising twice more, but the San Martíns can catch up once it stalls. We will guide the Musashi while continuing to fire from behind. If the main fleet can circle behind the Musashi, they will be unable to establish our retreat and they will have no choice but to accept defeat.”

She pointed at the midair model of the battlefield.

“The Musashi has two choices here. One is to secure the remains of the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier, negotiate with the other nations, and have those nations accept that the aircraft carrier destroyed itself as a part of the retreat. The other is to transfer all authority to the English fleet and have them pursue our fleet instead,” explained Juana. “But the first would be impossible with the other nations so wary of Musashi and the latter would mean giving up everything they have gained thus far. It would show that they could not finish what they started. Both options will mean hell for them.”

“Adele-sama, if we are to secure the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier, you must make your decision in the next twenty seconds. Over.”

Adele wondered what to do while the Musashi continued forward and gently rose.

She also wondered if someone would tell her what she should do.

But as she looked around in search of someone to give her the answer, she noticed a certain gaze.

The two who stood on Musashino’s bow were turned toward her.

They said nothing to her, but she saw the obvious smile on the idiot’s face.

…''He’s telling me to rely on him as a way out if things get bad enough.

She felt like he was about to tell her exactly that, but…

“That means I have to think on my own. Honestly.”

She looked to the sea chart Suzu had created. Currently, the Musashi was being pursued by the San Martíns while it continued past the point at which the Tres Españan fleet had split to either side.

…''The question is how to make our way around behind the Tres Españan fleet.

To think about that and get a better view of the model, she circled around to the side.

“Huh?”

Just by changing her perspective, she realized something.

“U-um.”

She approached the battlefield model while making sure not to disturb the locations of the enemy fleet Suzu was messing with.

Suzu turned toward her and nodded.

“It’s fun.”

…''Sh-she sure is unintentionally brave!

But Adele wondered if her idea was possible and she tried to come up with a previous example.

…''Oh, I know one.

She touched the model of the Musashi, altered its path to show what she wanted to do, and asked the others a question.

“Can we do…this? Like with the transport ship, can we…um…uh…”

All the automatons there gasped just before the bridge door opened and someone ran in. It was Neshinbara. Without bothering to give a greeting, he raised his right hand and prepared to give an order.

But when he saw what Adele was doing, his eyes opened wide.

“Oh, hell! You beat me to it!!”

Juana and the others saw white mist.

It had begun to appear around the entirety of the Musashi.

“A stealth barrier!? They only have enough fuel left to accelerate twice and they’re using up one on stealth!? Why?” asked Juana while frowning. “Have they given up on securing the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier and are therefore hiding themselves to leave this airspace and abandon the armada battle!?”

Segundo shook his head.

“Just like the San Martín, they cannot maintain stealth cruising for long at high speeds. In its current state, the Musashi can’t travel far enough to escape, so I think this is meant to lose us specifically.” He addressed the others on the bridge. “The Musashi will appear again soon! Also, Fusae and the others will be meeting up with us before along, so be on the lookout! Once you spot the Musashi, fire!”

“Testament!!”

That response was immediately followed by the air down below splitting open and a form appearing.

“Below!?”

The ship had been shallowly rising, but it had instead travelled down below. Juana began determining why.

She immediately calculated out the Musashi’s speed and trajectory and reached a conclusion.

“Did they descend using their stealth so they can safely secure the aircraft carrier wreckage!?”

At the same time, the other San Martín fired. Theirs soon did the same while taking a downward course.

The low-speed shells destroyed the form appearing from stealth space and the pieces scattered through the sky.

However…

“Is that…?”

Everyone had assumed the slender form was the bow of one of Musashi’s first ships, but it was not.

“Transport ships!?”

Three large transport ships were linked together with towing belts and they were destroyed as soon as they came into contact with the wind in the sky. They burst like a book being opened and scattered even further when they collided with the wreckage of the mechanical phoenix aircraft carrier that remained in the air.

Everyone on the bridge then realized that the transport ships had been launched from the Musashi’s stealth space as a decoy.

“Where is the Musashi!?” asked Juana.

One of the controllers shouted a response and this time he had double-checked.

“A massive flying object is appearing overhead! It is the front of the Musashi’s first port and starboard ships!”

Everyone on the bridge turned toward the night sky and saw the Musashi appear by tearing through the stealth space.

It was ascending.

However, its ascent was not made by increasing the ship’s buoyancy or travelling diagonally.

“It’s moving vertically. No, this is…”

The Musashi had made its decision on how to circle behind Tres España’s ships and establish their retreat.

“Are they performing a vertical loop in the heavens!?”

The Musashi’s maneuver caused great changes inside the ship.

Inertial control was applied inside during gravitational cruising, but that was not powerful enough to withstand a full loop.

The physical stress placed on the ship was massive and there were further problems for the people inside.

Before leaving port, the managers of each area had been responsible for fixing any cargo, transport carriers, or other heavy objects to the walls, floors, or frames. It had mostly been completed while the household belongings were being removed and the normal people were being evacuated, but some people had remained onboard and a lot had not been completed.

That was why the workers inside the ship were placing charms for short-term inertial control to each long and wide block. That would fix any light objects in place, such as documents, books, dishes, or chairs. Everyone took action to ensure nothing would fall during the rotation.

However, they and the other people needed to fix themselves in place too.

The same applied to a certain ten square meter room used as a student dorm underneath Okutama.

Inside, Miriam sat in her wheelchair and held a translucent girl in her arms. The wheelchair was reclined like a bed and it was fixed to the furniture. The leg end was stuck under the desk and the head end was stuck under the bed so that the two wheels on the floor could not move.

She looked to the side where Azuma had his hands on the bed’s support column and his feet on the surface at the bottom of the bed. However…

…''Is he athletic enough to handle this?

She felt that was a little rude of her, but guys had a way of overestimating themselves. She decided to be more careful.

Azuma had placed charms around the ship before returning to the room. Since he had chosen the room as his evacuation spot, Miriam could not exactly lock him out. So…

“Azuma, are you okay? Can you really last the entire loop like that?”

“What about you, Miriam? You aren’t going to fall from there, are you?”

“I’m fine. Of course, if the wheelchair comes undone from the desk, it will crush me.”

“Mama, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes.” Miriam rubbed her cheek against the girl while thinking how cute she was. “But I think I’m going to go die now that another girl has stolen papa from me.”

“C-can we please stop talking about that?”

“Oh? But we brought it to an end after you bowed down in apology. Now I’m just teasing you.”

“Mama, did you have sex with papa because he bowed down to you?”

“Judge. But don’t use that word outside, okay? It’s only for in here.”

“Both of the girls are against me,” complained Azuma.

Miriam gave him a sidelong glance and continued speaking.

“So where did you learn the truth?”

“I picked up on the dangerous atmosphere and looked it up in the library.”

“And your thoughts on the matter?”

“The human body is a strange thing.”

Miriam completely agreed. However, ending it there would not settle her dissatisfaction from the past few days, so she exaggeratedly brought a hand to her cheek.

“I can’t believe you kept knocking on the door and asking me to ‘properly have sex’ with you. Does the imperial family continue the Heian period’s culture of sneaking into girls’ bedrooms at night? You’re going to have the imperial police after you.”

“Please, please give me a break already.” Azuma hung his head. “I guess even if it was a misunderstanding, you aren’t going to agree when I keep shouting like that.”

…''Does he have any idea what he’s saying?

However, asking and having him deny it would feel bad, so Miriam listened to the ship accelerate and tried to keep things from growing too awkward.

“Azuma, if we make it safely to IZUMO, buy some clothes for this girl. She’s wearing children’s clothes made for ghosts right now, but they don’t seem to be working very well. After all, she’s more of a living spirit or half-ghost.”

“You can tell what type she is like that?”

“Judge. Ghosts are made of ether and it’s the low density of that ether that makes her translucent. But even if she is entirely translucent, her density isn’t so low that she’s blurring together. Look, you can’t see inside her or the other side of her, right?”

Sure enough, the girl’s body was translucent, but the inside and the opposite side of that body could not be seen.

“The surface I see from here and the surface you can see from over there are different, but her translucence doesn’t make the surface I see visible from your side.”

“Um, what does that mean? I feel like Naruze mentioned something about that too.”

He had mentioned another girl, but Miriam decided not to worry about it.

“Well,” she said while thinking through her explanation. “Information is provided in accordance to whoever is looking at her. In other words, she is an information entity that can be partially touched. We only see her as we do because of the information we can perceive.” She paused. “But regardless, I finally accepted that she is our child recently.”

“Could you not say that with that glare in your eyes?”

“Mama, you have to look papa in the eye and have sex!”

Miriam directed her glare at Azuma.

“Is that what you’re into?”

“Y-you really have gotten vulgar lately.”

“And whose fault is that?” she muttered.

Then the floor let out a groan.

It tilted and, while Azuma let out a cry of surprise, it spun as if pressing in against them. It was not a smooth rotation. It instead had a sudden burst of acceleration at about every twenty degrees.

The floor creaked and a splitting sound came from the connections between walls and ceiling. The girl let out a cry, but Miriam held her tight and did not let go.

A solid sound reverberated from outside and water could be heard flowing.

“Was that a water pipe?”

Azuma’s question was followed by several voices coming in from outside.

“Water, water.” “Water you doing?” “But it flows.” “Flows forever.” “The flow won’t stop.”

“They sound like they’re having fun.”

Meanwhile, the ship gave a large tilt, Azuma let out a cry, and he fell from above.

“Kyah!”

Miriam shrieked more from surprise than from the impact and she found Azuma straddling her just below the waist. He glanced around without understanding what had happened, but the ship continued to tilt.

“Ah…wah!”

He tilted back for an instant as if something had tugged on his head and then he clung to her. His head landed on her chest next to where she held the girl.

…''Nn.

The ticklish sensation of his clothes just about made her let out a groan, but…

“Mama’s having trouble.”

“Ah! Eh!? M-Miriam? I-I’m sorry!”

“I-it’s fine! And watch out!”

The ship was just about vertical now. Letting go here would send him falling onto his back and she had no intention of going along with his overestimation of himself, so she raised her eyebrows, closed her eyes, and expressed herself with a snort. She then wrapped her right arm around his back rather than around the girl. His left arm also wrapped around her back.

“You can wrap your legs around mine to better hold this girl with me. I can’t feel anything with them, so don’t worry about it.”

“But…”

“It’s fine,” she said. “You have my consent.”

With that, the ship’s angle moved beyond vertical.

It was making its loop.

[[Image:Horizon2B_1104-0105.png|thumb]]

The air let out a scream.

A massive structure measuring just under eight kilometers rose vertically into the sky, leaned back, and then travelled through the heavens as if to devour the moons.

Its form could be seen far beyond the battlefield. It was seen in England, Hexagone Française, Tres España, M.H.R.R., and Holland.

Those on the decks and bridges of the ships in the nearby sky all gulped and looked up into the sky.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

The event playing out before their eyes caused all of them to think that and some spoke it aloud.

“Like hell that thing’s a quasi-Bahamut. It’s a Leviathan.”

The Musashi achieved its ascent with the thickness of its sea surrounding most of the ships’ bows like tubes. It was the same method used to keep the transport ship standing in England. By pulling up the front, they gained the angle of ascent and the acceleration at the back helped push them on up.

But due to its massive size, even a slight ascent meant moving several kilometers.

It rotated.

Control of the ships was handled by the automatons who had regained their coordination via shared memory thanks to removing the chaff. They used gravitational control to secure the defense units and workers inside the ship and they managed the towing belts to ensure all eight ships rose into the sky as one. The air current travelled down the Musashi’s surface and the temperature difference produced thick fog at the bottom. It looked a lot like the Musashi was producing water spray as it flew up into the sky.

The speed of ascent finally fell, but each ship opened its side hulls in response.

It roared.

The final acceleration was provided by gravitational cruising. By using that, the giant collection of ships did indeed complete its loop.

It moved from vertical to upside-down and then entered its downward trajectory.

“Move behind the San Martíns!!”

Adele shouted her command while being held by “Musashino” on the bridge. She was speaking to Musashino’s bow as it fell vertically where two people stood thanks to “Musashi’s” gravitational control.

“Chancellor! Vicereine Horizon! You’re up!!”

“Turn!!”

The third San Martín that Segundo and Juana were aboard was intercepting the Musashi after Takakane’s small ship had caught up and Fusae’s fleet had joined them.

They had only one thing to do: turn toward and fire on the Musashi as it fell from the sky behind them.

While looping, the Musashi had its back to them. If they turned quickly enough, they could give it a fatal wound before it could attack them.

The Logismoi Óplo was a threat, but making this turn was the first step in opposing that.

And so the San Martín made a half rotation by having the small ship push the front starboard side to the left and firing to the left with the secondary cannons on the rear port side.

The vermilion ship quickly spun like a top.

And at the center of that motion, Segundo and Juana stepped out onto the deck by the bow.

The Musashi descended from the sky above. As the giant form wrapped in clouds and mist descended, it gave them the illusion that they were rising.

The low-speed cannon could target anywhere along the Musashi’s central line. This was a massive enemy and it had been damaged to the point that any spot along that line would cause a fatal wound.

“Let’s win this!”

Segundo felt too self-important saying that, but Juana nodded next to him and the others let out a unified shout.

“Testament!!!”

But it was the enemy that made the first move. Before the San Martín had secured the necessary line of fire, two people took action on Musashino’s bow.

Horizon, princess of Musashi, held up the Logismoi Óplo named Lype Katathlipse.

Black tearing was fired from the falling Musashi and toward the vermilion ship.

Horizon had fired it while Toori supported her and she checked the torii-style sign frame created from crosses that opened near her. She confirmed that Lype Katathlipse’s full overdrive was being used.

“Toori-sama, I desire victory in this battle!”

She nodded and let the wind blowing from below wash over her as she spoke.

“After all, I now have an objective that requires victory!”

“Sure,” he said while embracing her from behind to support her. “We’re finally the same. So do we match? Are we a couple with the same reason for war?”

“Your embrace is a strange thing when you do not try to grope my chest. After all, there is no reason to hit.”

“Eh? So are you saying it’s okay!? Judge, judge. I’m gonna grope you, okay!? I’m serious! It’s time for the tiger show!”

She slammed her elbow into him, but she grabbed his collar and pulled him up when he started to collapse.

“If you move away, my ether supply might stop, so please stay with me.”

“Wait! Is it just me, or am I being used like a battery!? You’re wringing me dry! I’m just a quick charge of energy!”

Horizon ignored him and for good reason.

“Here comes the enemy counterattack!!”

The counterattack came from Juana’s long sword Logismoi Óplo named Akedia Katathlipse.

Akedia Katathlipse’s overdrive created rings of light that bound sins.

“Bind the tearing of that deadly sin!!”

Light raced from the front of the long sword and toward the black claws of light. The light formed an arc as it flew toward the approaching black fingertips.

With a metallic sound and a spray of light, a binding ring suppressed the massive number of fingertips.

All of the fingertips were restrained by the ring of light and they trembled and vanished as if writhing in agony. However, Horizon’s overdrive and Juana’s overdrive had different strengths. The difference seemed trivial at first, but it gradually grew and the black light approached the vermilion ship.

“Let’s show them a little of what we’re made of!”

Three people jumped in to help: Takakane with Testamenta Arma in hand, Fusae with the half-destroyed Michiyuki Byakko practically dragged into place, and Velázquez.

Takakane took in a breath, stopped, and activated Testamenta Arma: Crus Temperantia – Vetus. Velázquez did the same with Novum.

Michiyuki Byakko expanded the ultra vibration destruction cannons on its shoulders and moved forward with Takakane.

Takakane and Fusae exchanged glance as husband and wife.

“…!”

And they attacked.

Between the two sides, the black claws and the ring of light scattered each other and vied for superiority.

“…!”

But the black began to die down just a little. It had been fired first and Toori’s ether supply was not keeping up because the output was under Horizon’s direct control and a massive amount of energy was needed.

Juana’s Akedia Katathlipse had built up plenty of fuel and it needed less energy, so it began pushing back the tearing claws.

“All right!”

Takakane clenched his fist, but he and everyone else saw Horizon move.

She pulled something from empty space behind her.

“This is the Logismoi Óplo named Aspida Phylargia. Neshinbara-sama gave it to me earlier via Urquiaga-sama.”

With her right arm holding the cannon, Horizon held the shield in her left hand and slowly adjusted her stance.

This was Aspida Phylargia and she explained its effects.

“Its normal drive acts as a shield. Its overdrive converts any attack I receive into ether, stores that ether within itself, and becomes the user’s internal Blessings. Functionally, it is a strengthened personal version of Toori-sama’s spell. Its storage limit is likely enough for a single full release of a Logismoi Óplo, so I have determined its role is to act as a spare battery for the other Logismoi Óplo.”

“Huh? So you don’t need this cute bunny of a battery here? Well?”

“What kind of idiot uses the spare battery first? Listen, Toori-sama. I will use the spare battery only after wringing you dry. Please remain fully charged at all times so you can fulfill your role.”

“D-dammit. I’m gonna give it my all in my new life as a battery! I’m gonna overcharge myself and fill up the gauge!”

'''Asama:''' “Um, from a contract perspective, Toori-kun isn’t really a battery. He’s more like a power outlet that taps into Musashi’s ether fuel. A mistaken understanding can be dangerous, so please stop that.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Shh. Insignificant people like to make themselves sound more important than they are.”

'''Musashi King:''' “Why does this class have a tendency to prey on each other like this?”

“I-I got pity from We of all people!”

Horizon ignored him, held up Aspida Phylargia, and looked through the explanatory sign frame that popped up.

“It seems Aspida Phylargia does not let you use all of the stored ether at once with a standard overdrive. It must supply it bit by bit. Weapons that require as much energy as a Logismoi Óplo are rare, so I presume it is meant to be used with other weapons and spells.”

“Then how do you fully release it?”

“I presume it requires the soul activation of the third security level.”

The soul activation was when she took her emotion back from the Logismoi Óplo by coming to understand that emotion. She knew that from her past experience.

While watching her attack begin to die down, she spoke.

“Toori-sama, I think I will cause you a lot of problems once I obtain the emotion of Phylargia.”

And she asked a question.

“Are you okay with that?”

He answered her while nodding and embracing her from behind.

“Don’t worry. I will always be with you. …That’s what I decided. I want everything about you, so none of it would be a problem for me. If anything would be a problem, it’d be if you didn’t desire anything.”

So…

“What’s wrong with greed? Let’s desire much, much more, Horizon.”

“Judge.” She nodded and partially closed her eyes. “Toori-sama.”

“Eh? What!? What is it, Horizon!? Are you saying-…”

“I will only say this once. And I have determined it would be troublesome at the moment, so I have will save it for later.”

“Ehhh!? Just say it! Talk with me, Horizon! After all…”

After all…

“When you start a conversation, it’s usually when you’re thinking about something and don’t know the answer. I may not be any help at all, but how about trying it out? Not to mention that I want to hear it, Horizon.”

Horizon had a sudden thought when she heard that.

…''This person…

He was mostly made up of unnecessary things, but that allowed him to occasionally offer something that no one else could. She did not know what that was, but if she did not, then…

“Toori-sama.”

She said it.

“I cannot make sense of emotions, but I have determined that is because I do not understand them. But…”

But…

“I do not like not understanding, Toori-sama.”

She paused there and then opened her mouth and throat.

She sang. This was the song that had once expressed her sorrow. It was a fundamental song that likely connected it all together.

“Let me pass, let me pass.”

She gently rocked her body and thought as she sang.

“If I follow this narrow path, where will it take me?”

She thought about the loss of her father and the people who had been injured.

“This narrow path leads to the gods in heaven.”

…''If I had desired something then, would things have turned out differently?

“Your opinion is not needed. You cannot pass through here.”

She wanted to know, she wanted to save, and she did not want to lose anything. That was what she thought and what she desired.

“I have come to celebrate this child’s tenth birthday.”

Travelling down her own path had caused conflict and created new loss, but…

“By dedicating these two talismans.”

…''But…

“Going may be easy, but returning is frightening.”

She had a thought.

“Can I pass despite my fear?”

If she did not desire to a shameful extent, nothing would change.

…''So I will never again bring regret by not desiring something.

She looked around her.

The battle had yet to be settled.

Just how much loss and sorrow had it produced? But…

“Horizon, don’t forget that there are some things you’ve already desired: to fight, to save, and to obtain. It was us responding to those desires of yours that brought us here. So, Horizon, desire only to obtain even more.”

She heard his words as he held her tightly in his arms.

“Your Phylargia will save the world.”

She determined that was a contradictory statement, but she also felt it did not matter if it was.

“Then, Toori-sama, let us double that together. We will harm the world twice as much and save the world twice as much.”

“Twice? But even that might not be enough to stand up to the great loss of the Apocalypse.”

She nodded to say that may indeed be the case. But…

“If it is not enough, the others can join in to make it dozens of times greater. No matter how many people we must oppose and no matter how much harm is exchanged, I will be satisfied as long as we can save the world from loss.”

She took a breath.

“That is my Phylargia.”

As soon as she nodded and engraved that thought into her memories…

'''“ ‘Soul Activation’ Safety Release : Confirmed”

A massive number of sign frames opened around her. They were torii-style ones created from combined crosses. Instead of scrolling text, they initially displayed a small girl. The girl gave a quick dance and then…

'''“Logismoi Óplo Control OS : Phtonos-01s : Second Stage : Update : Confirmed”

'''“Welcome to the Genesis of Emotions.”

In response to the text, the shield in her left hand pulsated with black light.

“Desire a happiness void of sorrow, Phylargia on the Borderline!!”

The ether fuel stored within breathed new life into the black tearing.

And it fired.

Aspida Phylargia accumulated ether fuel when its user was harmed.

The harm to Horizon was her thoughts about the destruction of the Musashi and the loss on the battlefield.

“————!!”

Not much time had passed from acquiring the shield to using it, so it was not perfect. Even so, it was enough power to push back and consume Juana and the others’ resistance.

In the instant the tearing pushed through, something flew in between the vermilion ship and Horizon.

“The second San Martín!?”

While also protecting the evacuating crew, the no-longer-hidden second ship charged in as a barrier.

The black claws collided with it and tore it apart, but their power ran out there and they vanished.

Beyond the falling second ship, Segundo raised his right hand on the bow of the first San Martín.

“Fire!”

At the same time, the first ship’s low-speed cannon fired on the Musashi.

The sound of the shell slicing through the air made its way toward the Musashi’s bridge. It was a close range shot and the next shell was being loaded in case the first was blocked with gravity barriers. Segundo swung his hand forward without waiting for the first to hit.

…''Let’s win this.

But then he added to his thought.

…''Let’s win this together like we said we would!

He looked to the battlefield and could feel them all there. There were those on the small ships who had fought in the early stages of the battle with him and there were those who had joined later. And he thought about his fellow students who were desperately intercepting the Logismoi Óplo and about Juana.

“Fire!!”

But as soon as he had given that instruction, he saw a new form of interception on Musashi’s end.

Standing on top of the bridge was a ninja and a girl in an English uniform who leaned against the ninja. She held two white swords together and flowers made of ether scattered around her.

…''Mary Stuart!?

Mary held the two swords of Ex. Collbrande together.

The ether fuel meter on the guard was filled with the blue that indicated it was at maximum capacity.

…''But it gathers ether from England’s ley lines, so it will become nothing more than a sword once it is used.

She would eventually need to find a way to gather ether, but now she only needed to think about releasing that power.

A man stood on the vermilion ship directly ahead.

She had never seen or spoken with him before, but the history recreation meant she had been married to him on paper, even if it had been quickly resolved. She now bowed toward him and held up her swords.

…''Thank you very much.

Her connection to that man was one of the many reasons that she was here now. She decided to shake herself free of many things and to be proud of what she had desired here.

“Master Tenzou, please support me.”

“J-Judge.”

There was hesitation in his voice, but he firmly restrained her while she produced more flowers around herself. Among all those flowers, she raised the swords and spoke.

“Ex. Collbrande, please protect that which I will come to find precious.”

A moment later, a white line cut across the sky.

The eight giant forms descending from the sky brought a cascade of wind down with them and the great compression of air created a thunderstorm in the space between them and the sea.

However, everyone was watching the vermilion ship in front of those eight ships. Its top surface had been almost completely destroyed.

But as the ship began to sink, its crew fearlessly kept their gazes on their enemy.

Finally, a voice came over divine transmission. It was Musashi’s vice president indicating the end of the battle.

“This concludes the history recreation of the armada battle between England and Tres España!”

Her resounding voice raced across the night sky that was losing its heat.

Innocentius sighed inside a dark cathedral.

On the primary ''cornice firma'' in front of him, the land official and the air official of the Lord/Retainer Committee were giving commentary on the armada to the newscaster.

“So right there, they should’ve gone more whoosh!! Vwooooosh! That would’ve done it!”

“I see. So they should have gone vwoosh?”

“No! Like this: Vavwooosh! Vavavwoooosh!”

Innocentius was fairly certain the two idiots arguing via onomatopoeia were some of the remnants of Kitabatake that had arrived recently. Kitabatake was one of the Far Eastern forces within K.P.A. Italia and they had been subservient to the Murakami Navy. They had ended up here because their master’s clan had been destroyed by P.A. Oda.

…''Things are gradually getting noisier around here, aren’t they?

With that thought, he glanced to the ''cornice firma'' next to him that displayed the divine chat. His stepsister had already said she was going to sleep and left, but he sent a message to the others.

'''Pope:''' “How do you view this result?”

'''Professor:''' “Testament. I want to say Musashi has proven that they have the ability needed to achieve the desire of their chancellor/president and princess, but would that be too cowardly?”

'''Lightning Cutter:''' “Just looking at the result of the actual battle, it seems Tres España still has most of its main fleet. However, I think what will leave the biggest impression on people is Musashi knocking Tres España’s cutting edge ships out of the fight and the show they put on.”

“True,” sighed Innocentius.

The vertical loop at the end had been nothing more than a performance, but everyone who had seen it would be left with an impression of the Musashi’s great size.

“Everyone will realize they’re done for if that thing is dropped on their city.”

Of course, if they actually slaughtered normal citizens like that or even threatened to, they would make an enemy of the entire world. Innocentius seriously doubted they would do that, but it would still spread unease throughout the people. After all, the Musashi was a giant object that passed by overhead and they would all have seen it on occasion.

At the same time, the Musashi had been damaged on a large scale. It was considerable damage that had very nearly destroyed it completely.

However…

'''Lightning Cutter:''' “Musashi has indeed demonstrated their power to achieve victory in a history recreation battle. They struck back at Tres España after being damaged by them and, just as Master Galileo said, they have taken a step…no, two steps toward granting the desire of their chancellor/president and princess. After all, no other nation will step forward to help even if Tres España tries to use the bargaining chip of war against Musashi. Also England will have a hard time of turning on Musashi due to what they did for England here.”

In which case…

'''Pope:''' “In terms of the coming Peace of Westphalia, Musashi has worn down Tres España’s influence and gained England as an ally? Is that what you mean? Hm?”

'''Both:''' “Testament.”

Innocentius laughed at that response from the representatives of the intellectuals and the fighters. He was glad this was being done via divine chat. The looks on their faces would be bitter indeed had they known he was laughing.

…''Does that idiot – that idiot who opposed me and called me an idiot – understand any of this?

He had a feeling he knew exactly what the idiot would say if he asked.

“As long as someone else understands it, isn’t that good enough?”

Innocentius shrugged and emulated the idiot’s manner of speech. After a quick pause, he brought a hand to his face and several laughs came from his throat.

…''This really has gotten ridiculous.

'''Pope:''' “England returned one hell of a deadly sin to Musashi’s princess: Phylargia. I doubt anyone in Musashi has fully realized what they have obtained in this battle. From now on, their princess will not hesitate to desire the deadly sins. She will give into her greed and desire her emotions while advocating world peace as the parallel to that idiot who advocates world domination.”

Innocentius typed in his thoughts and considered the meaning of what Musashi had gained in this battle.

…''They have shown the entire world that they are able to interact with the other nations on equal terms.

'''Pope:''' “They have finally risen from the lower ranks and stepped onto our stage of repeated history. And they have done so as an actor with a part to play!”

<noinclude>
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| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 67|Chapter 67]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 69|Chapter 69]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 67

2015-04-29T01:31:29Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 67: Where the One Damaged by Swords Belongs==
[[Image:Horizon2B_1037.png|thumb]]
''Why am I

''So very desperate?

'''Point Allocation (Same as Always)

The sound of cannon fire flew along a street in the moonlit city.

There were two streams of cannon fire which were being used by a girl swinging around cross swords with her two false arms.

She was Tachibana Gin and she ran through the business district on the rear port end of Tama.

“…!”

Her opponent was Honda Futayo who ran while wielding the divine weapon and spear named Tonbokiri.

While using both guns and swords, Gin realized two sounds had vanished: the sounds of fighting on the starboard side and the roars of Fusae’s Michiyuki Byakko.

She understood what that meant and that the blaring sirens indicated the time limit.

The time to withdraw had passed and the Musashi would now receive shellfire from Tres España’s main fleet.

She could no longer leave the ship and seek rescue, but…

…''I am prepared for that!

Gin had made up her mind.

She knew she was completely disobeying her orders, but this was necessary for her greatest objective.

…''I will defeat Honda Futayo and return Master Muneshige’s inherited name to him!

She repeatedly attacked and defended within the wind.

As they exchanged attacks, she had a single thought about Futayo’s fighting style.

…''She is an idiot with a completely defensive style of offense!

As Gin attacked head on, the other girl charged almost directly into the attacks.

It was pointless to ask if she was not afraid. She had achieved an ideal possessed by anyone who had reached a certain level. It was the simple idea to “move forward before the attack hits”, but it was extremely difficult to put to practice.

…''Yet she is easily charging ahead of the shells!

It was less that she was confident she could evade and more that she was not concerned by Gin’s attacks.

Gin understood why. She was not letting the appearance of the attacks deceive her and she was dealing with them according to their classification.

…''When looking at them head on, all attacks fall into three basic categories: piercing attacks or cannons are points, slashes are lines, and area spells are planes.

Gin’s father had taught her that. Even throws and grappling were points or lines before one was grabbed. According to her father, once one understood that everything fell under those two categories plus the planes created by spells, the rest was easy.

Points were fast, but one only had to shift the area that would be hit and move forward.

Lines were long, but one only had to duck under that path and move forward.

Planes were wide, but one only had to circle around outside their range and move forward.

The rest was an issue of size and speed, but there were only ever three things to do.

Thinking of it that way, shellfire and spear jabs were nothing but points. If one did not fear the sound of firing and took the shockwave into account, any of those attacks could be avoided. And…

“…!”

Futayo arrived in a lowered posture by accelerating as if stretching forward.

Gin had a certain thought about that offensive girl.

…''She is worth fighting!

While the two of them exchanged attacks, Futayo rethought her opinion of Gin.

When they had crossed blades during the previous attack, she had thought Gin was a girl who simply came in to attack, but now…

…''She is an idiot with a completely offensive style of defense!

There was a single reason for that.

While Futayo attacked, Gin defended with interception fire, but she still evaded and attacked from every possible position and angle.

If Futayo did not keep moving, Gin would fire to keep her distance. And if Futayo approached…

“…!”

Gin easily struck the thrust-forward spear tip with her double swords. And she did so such that Futayo would be sliced in two if she did not deflect it properly.

Normally, bladed weapons were not used to strike other blades. After all, the blades were made of metal. A blade of greater sharpness could cut through it and a strike from the side could bend it. Hitting another hard object could chip it and that chip could lead to a break.

But Gin did not care.

Futayo understood why. She used her double swords, but not to push back Futayo’s blade. She was using the recoil.

She would use the force of Futayo’s attack to jump over the blade and use the recoil to evade. Using her hands for that would be too dangerous, so she used her swords.

The girl was not taking simple evasive actions. She was selecting from three different interception options.

…''She “receives” my attack to stop it, she “sweeps” away the attack to deflect it, or she “shifts” orientation to make me collapse.

When she used the recoil to jump, she was receiving. When she rotated around to evade, she was sweeping. When Futayo’s attack was stronger, she would shift and destroy Futayo’s balance.

She accurately observed the type and strength of Futayo’s attack and then took the appropriate action.

And she kept herself in a safe position by launching the attacks to keep her distance while also taking evasive action.

She did the same now.

Futayo saw the left double sword coming. To cut through that blade, Futayo lifted Tonbokiri up into the space between the two blades. She added an instantaneous pulling motion in an attempt cut through one of the blades halfway down.

But Gin moved. She jumped up, rotated her mechanical left wrist, and grabbed Tonbokiri’s blade between the twisted double swords like they were chopsticks.

She lifted Tonbokiri with those sword chopsticks while charging in toward Futayo. At the same time, she thrust in the right double sword.

With Tonbokiri lifted up, Futayo was pulled in toward the other girl. Gin’s right double sword was just about to reach her unguarded left side, but she activated Tonbokiri’s extension device.

The device would extend Tonbokiri and the recoil would send her backwards where she would scrape low along the ground.

Except that did not happen.

Gin returned her chopsticks wrist to normal and freed Tonbokiri. Nothing now prevented the spear from extending forward, so Futayo was not carried back and the double swords flew straight toward her left side.

“Kh!”

In a split-second decision, Futayo returned the extension device to normal while using the strength of her hands to throw Tonbokiri into the air above so it rotated around. As for herself…

…''Below!

She just barely ducked underneath the twin swords.

While the twin swords were pulled back, Futayo stepped back a little and held her hands overhead to reach Tonbokiri’s shaft. With the weapon raised overhead, she swung it down while standing up and moving forward.

In that instant, Gin brought her left wrist to something while still clenching the double swords like chopsticks.

That something was one of the Arcabuz Cruz floating in midair. By pressing her wrist against the back of the gun, she forcibly aimed the muzzle toward Futayo.

“…!?”

Just as Futayo leaped to the right, the Arcabuz Cruz fired. It tore diagonally into the deck and Gin used the recoil to jump.

…''So light!

She rotated her entire body diagonally to move to the right side of a Western-style house bordering that major street on Tama’s port side.

Futayo was half impressed and half shocked. She would evade with pure speed, but this girl used her nimble agility. It truly came down to skillful use of her own body.

And most of all, the fact that she always had an escape path…

…''Really pisses me off!

Futayo pursued her. She rotated Tonbokiri in her hands, added in acceleration on her second step, and pursued Gin.

She charged into the side road between the Western-style house and its neighbor on the left of the main road.

Futayo continued on. She charged diagonally into the side road to the right of that Western-style house.

As she did, a shell came from that side road.

Gin had waited for her to enter the road to fire, but Futayo did not care. She extended Tonbokiri into the ground behind her.

The recoil brought her to something.

…''A wall!

As if pushed forward into the air, Futayo’s diagonally-running body collapsed leftward so her feet landed on the wall.

And she ran. She raced diagonally up the wall of the neighboring building.

“…!”

As she ran along the wall, she spotted her enemy at the intersection between the side road and a back road.

She kicked off the wall and leaped over Gin’s head. Instead of taking a falling trajectory, she made a straight jump that passed over Gin.

While passing overhead, she swung Tonbokiri down below to slash at Gin.

She did not land to attack. Even showing that much of an opening was dangerous with this opponent.

But Tachibana Gin moved nimbly as if dancing and did not even look up at the other girl.

“There.”

However, her action did not form an attack.

She moved left as if pulling the Arcabuz Cruz along with her and she ran down the back road behind the Western-style house.

It was nothing but an escape with no attempt to counterattack.

She had run away, but…

''Well done!'' thought Futayo. ''She got me.

The only counterattack Gin could perform when Futayo was in midair was using her Arcabuz Cruz, but firing overhead would send the gun’s recoil toward the ground and prevent her from immediately moving.

If that happened, Futayo only needed to cut through the shell.

If she then swung her blade down toward Gin, it would have all been over.

However, Gin had not cornered herself with that simple counterattack. She had predicted what would have happened and escaped.

And that meant…

…''Now I’m the one in trouble while in the air like this!

Gin would put some distance between them and then fire safely.

Sounds of scraping came from Gin’s surroundings as she travelled down the road behind the Western-style house. As she ran down the road, her cross swords and Arcabuz Cruz caught on the wall of the house.

But Futayo saw Gin turn around at the next corner and the Arcabuz Cruz was looking up toward her.

“Go!”

Futayo pointed the bottom of her spear toward the neighboring house behind her and extended the weapon once more in midair.

She flew through the air to pursue Gin.

Futayo launched herself toward the roof of the house behind the Western-style one. It was a straw roof.

As soon as she landed, the shell was fired from below.

Gin used the recoil of the shallow diagonal shot to leap into the side road returning to the main road.

She was completing her circuit of the Western-style house.

Futayo kicked off the straw roof just before it burst open and she made a great leap. She jumped over Gin’s head and to the roof of the house left of the Western-style one from the perspective of the main road.

She began running as soon as she landed and Gin ran toward the main road down below and to her left.

But Gin was too slow. As nimble as she was, she was short. As much attack power as she had, her weaponry was too heavy.

And that meant Futayo could circle around ahead of her.

With the height difference of side road and roof between them, Futayo caught up with her on her second step and moved ahead on her third.

On the fourth, she dug her foot down into the roof and launched herself into the air. She was aiming for the center of the main road directly in front of the side road.

But as soon as she tried to land on that main road, she heard a shot fired toward that landing point.

“!?”

Futayo was confused because the shot would bring recoil. Firing into the main road would bring Gin further back into the side road.

In that case, why had she started running toward the main road in the first place?

…''Is she adlibbing? No, were all of her previous movements leading up to this one attack!?

Futayo did not know, but she purposefully fell over as soon as she landed.

She did not come to a stop.

She maintained the momentum of her leap while rolling a few meters along the ground. The road surface she had passed by a moment before was torn apart and the shell hopped back up and collided with the opposite house.

The sounds of splintering wood and splitting household belongings filled the air, but all of the wreckage left the back of the building and none of it came to the main road.

While listening to the racket and feeling the reverberation, Futayo stood up and faced forward.

Before her was the Western-style house of which they had made a complete circuit, but she noticed a certain change to that stone structure.

The left and right edges of the wall had long slices at waist height as if to cut through the house.

She had noticed Gin scraping her cross swords along the house while travelling down the side roads, but now…

“It can’t be.”

Futayo frowned just as the house in front of her exploded as if jumping up into the air.

The house had exploded due to the shockwave of the shots Gin had fired into it from the back entrance.

Two Arcabuz Cruz shells pierced the inner walls from behind and exploded at the main entrance. The shockwave pushed the wall outward from within and caused the house to burst.

Just before that force exploded, the house swelled up and extended upwards.

“…!”

But Gin saw the deep cut she had made in the house’s walls. While running around the house, she had cut it all around the sides and back of the building.

The explosion of the shockwave escaped through those cuts and lifted open what remained.

“Go!!”

As if answering Gin’s cry, the Western-style house was torn open at the “score” she had made and it was lifted up from within. However, the building pitched toward the untouched front wall, tore from the other three walls, and collapsed toward the main road.

“Go!”

It was blasted toward Futayo.

Gin approached the house that showed its ceiling to her and collapsed toward the main road.

…''How about that!?

Until then, they had been exchanging line and point attacks, but she had sent in a giant plane attack.

The only way to avoid a plane was to circle around it.

That normally meant right or left, but she had a different prediction.

…''I heard her move forward.

She had heard Tonbokiri’s extension device and she also saw a spear shaft extending toward the heavens beyond the collapsing house.

She therefore ran forward. She would move directly below her opponent’s leap and make a counterattack from that blind spot.

Anything else was too dangerous. After all, it was possible this falling opponent would use her cutting power in midair if faced with an enemy directly ahead.

Gin therefore ran inside the collapsing house and aimed overhead with her back to the house.

…''Master Muneshige.

''This will restore your inherited name,'' she thought. ''No enemy is more powerful than you who gave me these false arms.

She looked overhead at the moons and something flew by with those two pale disks behind it.

It was Tonbokiri, but it was not the entire weapon.

…''Just the shaft!?

No one was holding it and it had no blade. Just the shaft of Tonbokiri flew through the air.

…''Why?

She questioned it, but she could not sense her enemy to the left or right either.

…''Then she must be…

As soon as she sensed danger, the front entrance of the fully collapsed house moved behind her.

The front door of the collapsed house was kicked open from the ground.

“Pardon my intrusion!!”

Futayo ran.

She ducked through the entrance and onto the floor and she accelerated toward Gin’s back as the girl tried to turn around.

…''I will defeat her!!

That girl had a certain conviction. She believed that only she, the wife, could save her husband.

Cutting down a completely unique conviction was not easy.

It could not be done without going all out and Futayo needed to settle this in an instant.

To put it another way…

…''I cannot let anything be lost!

Whoever the enemy was, Futayo’s master had cried at a loss and told her to stop any future losses.

So…

“You’re mine!”

She wielded Tonbokiri’s tip and the meter-long base it was attached to.

She dashed around to Gin’s right side and swung down the blade with her left arm.

“One!”

From behind, she severed Gin’s false arm at the right shoulder.

And as she rushed from Gin’s right side to her front left side, she passed Tonbokiri to her right hand, rotated it down and behind her, and then swung it upwards.

“Two!!”

She felt the blow land and sever Gin’s left false arm from the armpit and through the shoulder.

As Futayo leaned forward and looked back below her arm, she saw the two false arms fly through the air.

Gin lost control of the two Arcabuz Cruz, so they slowly but surely fell to the floor.

When Futayo heard that dull sound, she took a few more steps and slid to a stop.

Behind her, the house could not withstand its own weight and further collapsed on top of the main road.

With her back to all that destruction, Gin slowly went limp and fell to her knees.

“————————”

Futayo stood up while listening to the quiet creaking and sounds of falling objects that could be called the lingering remnants of the collapse.

She took a breath.

…''Nn.

Her entire body felt heavy. It was the loss of tension more than exhaustion that horribly dulled her speed.

She honestly felt sleepy and wondered if she would be able to rouse herself in time to save her comrades on the next battlefield.

To do that, she moved her heavy body and walked over to pick up Tonbokiri’s shaft.

Just as she grabbed it from where it had landed near the back entrance and placed it on Tonbokiri, she realized her mind had grown sharp.

She wondered why, but there was only one reason: she had heard two solid sounds behind her.

The two metal cases on Gin’s shoulders had fallen to the floor.

That alone was not worth questioning. It was not hard to see why they would slip down once the false arms bearing them had been severed.

But as Futayo turned around, she distinctly saw the cases open from the shock of the fall.

…''Arms?

They resembled human arms, but they were technically not. The connections of the muscles were black and cross emblems were embedded at the shoulders. They moved up alongside Gin’s shoulders and rotated the connection shafts themselves to attach themselves.

And the instant they had connected, the crosses on the shoulders glowed red.

The fingers moved. They did so wildly at first, but soon they softened and formed fists.

“Honestly.”

Gin spoke quietly.

“This is what happens when I try new things.”

[[Image:Horizon2B_1055.png|thumb]]

The short girl slowly gathered strength in her knees and stood.

But she was not all that rose. The pulsating light in the crosses on her shoulders caused the large false arms on either side to float up into the air and the Arcabuz Crus were brought with them.

On top of that, her new arms drew something out of empty air.

They were a third and fourth Arcabuz Cruz, but they were longer and larger than the previous ones. Even the larger false arms holding them from behind were not even half their length.

She now had a total of four cannons floating in the air and her new arms grabbed the cross swords.

“Honestly,” said Gin once more. “I never thought I would have to use equipment equivalent to when Master Muneshige defeated me.”

“Equivalent!?”

Futayo’s question received a quiet laugh in reply.

“Don’t tell me you thought what I was using just now was the same as ''back then''. These are my arms. At the time, I still had my original arms and I controlled the large false arms and the Arcabuz Cruz using the gravitational control device installed in the cross swords.”

She took a breath.

“This is meant for a swift and decisive battle, so my father and Master Muneshige restricted me from using this equipment, but I was right to bring them now so I would have no regrets. I never thought I would use them against another human again.”

She raised her head and revealed a smile on her face and tears spilling from her eyes.

“Tear into her, Cuatro Cruz.”

After those words, a section of Tama exploded.

Futayo jumped.

She used the extension device to jump to the roof of the house behind the collapsed one.

But after she landed, she next demanded that her body run.

After all…

“…!”

The roof exploded. And it did not happen just once or twice. While she tried to run counterclockwise along the roofs surrounding the collapsed house, the set of four drum-like shells crashed into them.

She was pursued by an uninterrupted series of cannon blasts.

“!”

She jumped from roof to roof as she ran.

She was keeping ahead of Gin’s rotation, so she thought she was safe.

Once she reached the road, she would find the wreckage of the collapsed house. It no longer retained the shape of a house, but it had walls and columns. Those might be meaningless against the shells, but they would hide her from Gin’s vision.

She ran along the roofs and toward the main road.

And just as her foot was going to step on the edge of the final roof, Gin placed her right hand on the back of the small Arcabuz Cruz to the right.

“There!”

Firing the cannon outwards created leftward recoil that accelerated her rotation toward Futayo.

And that was not all. She raised her left knee while rotating, placed the leg on the large Arcabuz Cruz on the left, and forcibly rotated it even faster.

The muzzle was going to catch up to her and fire, so Futayo made a split second decision.

“Bind! Tonbokiri!!”

The Arcabuz Cruz down below was blocked by the roof so her blade could not reach it, but she was cutting something else.

…''The edge of the roof!

With a slicing sound, the edge of the roof she was to step on slipped down.

As soon as her diagonal cut created a gap, she rotated as if throwing herself forward and she sent her body into that gap. An instant later, Gin’s shell flew by her back near her butt. If she had continued to run, it would have hit her waist.

She forcefully extended her left leg in midair to distort her rotation and thus alter the timing of her landing. She used her now elliptical trajectory to give herself the time needed to lift her body upwards. She landed precisely when her center of gravity was not shifted too far down.

She looked forward from her crawling stance and saw the wreckage of the house.

She dashed.

Gin was still rotating toward her after firing toward the roof.

Having fired diagonally upwards, the gun would have recoiled back into the ground, especially with the larger Arcabuz Cruz. The giant cross cannon would prevent her from rotating any further.

And so Futayo charged forward. She stayed low in order to hide behind what remained of the house’s walls. Once Gin turned toward her, she would not immediately see her.

Meanwhile, she could see the large Arcabuz Cruz extending diagonally above the wall. Even if Gin did target her, she could determine the shell’s trajectory as long as she could see the cannon’s movements. So…

…''I will win!

Something was different about this opponent.

Perhaps it was that she was oddly insistent on victory.

Futayo was the same, but she focused exclusively on defeating her opponent.

However, this opponent was somehow different and Futayo did not know what it was.

But despite not knowing, she continued on.

She would defeat her. That was all she could do, so she would do it. She twisted the tip of her big toe into the collapsed straw roof as if to run up a vertical surface, but this was on a horizontal surface.

“…!”

And she ran.

Futayo ran.

She had already activated her acceleration spell.

She had speed, so she continued on.

But she saw something.

The large Arcabuz Cruz up and to the left was rotating her way. It would not arrive in time to target her, but Gin’s arm suddenly stretched toward the sky beyond the wall.

Gin placed the back of one small Arcabuz Cruz against the front of the large one.

“Here I go.”

With those words, she fired and the large one was pushed so it rotated toward Futayo.

However, Futayo determined even that was not enough. She had made her way in even closer than the barrel of the gun. She knew she would win if she continued like this, so she accelerated.

But an instant later, the small Arcabuz Cruz fired again which created new motion.

“!?”

The large Arcabuz Cruz acted as a high-speed strike from the side that destroyed the house Futayo ran through.

To Futayo, this was like a giant blow from the left.

…''Are the large Arcabuz Cruz not meant as guns?

“Are they striking weapons with cannons installed!?”

Futayo realized they were meant for attacking fortresses.

Their shells and physical strikes could pierce the defense spells of a fortress’s outer walls and gates.

But she also realized what former Peerless in the West Tachibana Dousetsu, a man with the same level of skill as her father, had given and taught his daughter.

…''Those weapons may be made to attack fortresses, but she is using them to protect the fortress that is herself!!

She was protecting the name Tachibana.

She was not the same as Futayo who had been given the freedom to choose whether she would inherit the name.

While Futayo went to battle to compete for victory, this girl had lived a life where loss was unacceptable.

''Is that why?'' wondered Futayo as she blocked the blow with Tonbokiri’s shaft.

She identified the ''difference'' she had felt in this opponent.

…''It is rejection!

This was not two people who desired battle lifting each other to greater heights in their exchange of blows.

When Gin fought, it was a girl who had trained all on her own rejecting any who approached her.

All this time, she had continued firing yet not hit, carried out many forced movements, and persistently evaded and attacked, but those things were not being done with defeating her opponent as her top priority. Her countless and unending attacks were meant to do something else.

…''Her attacks fill in the gaps to create the fortress walls!

That thought was immediately followed by a blow from the left.

It came in from the side to scoop her up and knock her into the air, but in the instant of impact, she pulled back the arm guarding with Tonbokiri and absorbed the force. She then forcefully extended that arm.

“Hh.”

With a breath, she jumped on her own.

She rotated once in midair and landed in a side road to the right of the main road. She stood in front of the building to the right of the collapsed house.

She tried to raise her stance while landing, but two shadows arrived from overhead.

The two large Arcabuz Cruz fell as if being swung by the two false arms.

The two muzzles lined up directly in front of her. She tried to evade to the right or left, but the small Arcabuz Cruz had already lined up alongside them so they could fire and cut off her escape.

…''I have nowhere to go!

Just as she instinctually tensed her body, she heard a voice from beyond the muzzles.

“Tear into her!”

The cannons fired.

Gin watched as the two large Arcabuz Cruz fired directly ahead.

However, she saw the spear-wielding female warrior throw herself forward to charge headfirst into the large Arcabuz Cruz.

It looked like suicide, but the small Arcabuz Cruz prevented her from evading to the left, right, or above and she did not have enough time to crouch down.

In that case, her choice was the best possible one. After all…

…''This blast is…

Both of the large Arcabuz Cruz were solid enough to use as striking weapons.

When they were placed side by side, the thickness of barrels doubled in the center.

That was why the female warrior leaned forward and placed her head between the muzzles.

The roars and shells passed by either side of her head and her tied black hair came loose and flew through the air. And beyond that black hair dancing in the night, the opposite house burst.

Gin then saw the look on Honda Futayo’s face. This evasion had clearly been perfectly natural for her. She then tried to grab the large Arcabuz Cruz with her hands.

“…!!”

Gin had the large false arms pull back the large Arcabuz Cruz and had the small Arcabuz Cruz fire.

Meanwhile, the black hair leaped toward the road to the right.

Gin turned. She used the push of the small Arcabuz Cruz and of her own right leg to quickly turn the cannons. She pursued and fired on Futayo who jumped into the air and circled around on the roofs and side roads.

They made three rotations.

Gin spun her own body as the axis of rotation in the center of the roaring, the shaking, the wind, the moonlight, and everything else. After one more light spin of her body, she looked around.

Nothing above waist height remained for fifty meters around her.

Nothing, that is, except for a single standing figure. It stood beyond a row of collapsed houses with the main road to their right. And that figure was rushing directly toward her.

''Oh,'' thought Gin. ''This girl had me destroy the city so I would create a direct line for her to accelerate down.

“That’s crazy.”

The shells fired with those words were easily evaded by Futayo as she charged onwards.

''She has guts,'' thought Gin.

…''Did she have me fire at extreme close range earlier in order to dispel her fear?

She most likely had. What she had assumed were cannons had been used as striking weapons. To rid her of her hesitation and to rethink her tactics, she had come to learn the large Arcabuz Cruz’s attack at close range.

Gin found this opponent unbelievable. Fighting was a dangerous thing to someone with an inherited name. Muneshige was proof of that. He was going to lose his name, his relationship with Gin, and many other things.

And so Gin did not want to fight if she could avoid it. And yet…

…''How nostalgic.

That quiet thought came to her.

Gin had once fought a certain young man several times.

When her father had first handed her a wooden sword and told her to fight the young man, she had thought the following.

…''Why do I have to fight someone so obviously weak?

And he had been weak. He had been knocked down without even lasting a few strikes.

Afterwards, her father had informed her that he was the student working part-time as the local mailman.

She had been confused why she had fought someone like that. After all, he had been tall and the colors his hair and eyes had been different from what she was used to. Also, he had talked a lot. She had honestly found him creepy. That feeling had changed to hatred once her father had told her he wished to inherit the name Muneshige.

Someone completely different from her would become her husband.

She had felt as if her father had betrayed her. She had seen it as a selfish plan between men.

And her hatred and suspicion had made her harsher than usual. She had broken his ribs and other bones several times. But after a week, he had arrived more calmly. He had apparently inherited the name of the leader of the postal system and he had started earning significant amounts of money, so he had said he could be defeated as many times as it took.

Why?

Gin had feared sullying her name and did not like to fight for fear of losing her inherited name, so why would this person so readily throw himself into that position?

Eventually, the wooden sword had been replaced with a metal pole and then a real sword and his wounds had grown more severe.

However, she had gradually come to understand something.

His methods of attack and evasion were similar to hers.

But even so, he had been unable to win. When he had started thinking after a certain loss, she had said the following to him.

…''You cannot defeat me by being the same as me. After all, our bodies and builds are different.

Thinking back, she realized she had given him the answer there.

He had started to learn attacks that used acceleration spells and mastered the fundamentals of combat from her example.

Once the most she could manage was to endure his attacks, she decided to bring it to an end.

…''I tried to go all out and reject him.

Even while injured, he had calmly charged forward. When she had sent the strike that would bring it to an end, what was it she had said to him?

…''I told him to “watch out”.

But he had surpassed her expectations. He had evaded the attack, severed her arms, and embraced her bloodstained body. He had brought his embracing hands to the stumps of her shoulders and pressed in to stop the bleeding. She vividly remembered the clawing sensation of his fingers directly embracing her nerves and bone.

Whenever she removed her false arms and had him embrace her with his hands sticking into the connectors, it would all come back to her.

She would lose all strength, but she would feel the overwhelming relief of someone embracing the core of her being.

It was a dependence that gave everything over to that feeling of being protected.

She wondered why he had continued to battle her.

She had never asked and she was still too afraid to do so.

Not knowing brought anxiety and so she had targeted his life many times afterwards, but he had calmly accepted it all. When she had served him poison, she had assumed he would resent her and leave, but he had gone right ahead and eaten it. When she had frantically nursed him back to health afterwards, she had once more realized that she was completely hopeless.

When she thought back, she indeed remembered an odd student who worked part-time as a mailman.

She had always stayed at her house to protect her inherited name and preserve the name of Tachibana the Peerless in the West, but this odd person had always given her a greeting and a smile. The background behind him had always been filled with what lay beyond the Tachibana gate and walls: the cherry blossoms, the sea, the autumn forest, and the snowy plains. But she had never imagined he would grab her hand and take her to see those things.

…''But…

Someone had severed the connection between them and she now fired on that individual.

“…!!”

She sent out her rejection by firing again and again.

Futayo forcibly moved forward.

Merely evading was no longer enough, but she could not defend. The most she could do was deflect, but Tonbokiri would not last with any normal method.

And so she thought.

…''Someone once defeated this enemy!

That was Tachibana Muneshige, but how had he done so?

She had a hint. During their encounter, he had used a Logismoi Óplo taking the form of a large sword. And now Gin was using two cross swords. In that case, the sword was likely the common weapon between the two of them.

If she assumed her speed and evasive ability was equivalent to Muneshige’s, she knew he had to have deflected these shells just as she was having to. So how had he done it?

…''Was this it!?

She jabbed Tonbokiri’s shaft toward the flying shell at a shallow downward angle.

And…

“!!”

The impact rang through her hands and the shell tore into the surface of the shaft, but it was deflected upwards.

This was the same principle used in angled armor. In other words, deflecting diagonally was better than receiving it head on.

…''Just like Adele-dono!!

And as she received the shell, she realized something.

…''This is most likely how Muneshige-dono defeated her!!

She looked to Gin’s cross swords.

She had two swords on either side for a total of four and Futayo knew what that number meant.

“Truly…!”

She shouted as she charged in at around fifteen meters away.

“You have such wonderful love between husband and wife!!”

The enemy charged swiftly in directly ahead of Gin.

It was difficult to target that position with the cannons on either side because aiming at the absolute center would cause the shells to collide.

That was why Gin shifted the large Arcabuz Cruz so they lined up vertically along the center and then fired.

This allowed the large Arcabuz Cruz to fall back using their own recoil while Futayo moved toward one of the small Arcabuz Cruz on the left or right. Gin also had the large Arcabuz Cruz push her back.

The cannon fire shook the air, but the dancing black hair moved to the right from Gin’s perspective.

She was fast, but the small Arcabuz Cruz on the right was already targeting her.

But just before it fired, Gin saw the girl raise her right arm.

…''Is that…?

It was Tonbokiri’s dismantled shaft. It created six pieces when dismantled and she connected and extended two of them.

“…!”

As soon as the small Arcabuz Cruz fired, she threw it deep down the weapon’s barrel.

By the time Gin realized what had happened, she had already fired.

The small Arcabuz Cruz on the right burst into flames and exploded.

She had lost one of her cannons, but it was clear what she needed to do.

She placed the end of the other small cannon on the left side of one of the larger ones and produced a sideways strike at the female warrior.

She fired while falling back further. Only the bottom one of the two vertically aligned Arcabuz Cruz gained the acceleration from the left, so a giant sweeping motion attempted to strike Futayo from the waist down.

However, the girl made a quick jump.

She jumped between the large Arcabuz Cruz that opened like a pair of scissors and she tried to slip through to the left.

…''There!

Gin lowered the upper Arcabuz Cruz as if sending a punch.

However, it would not lower.

She saw two of the spear shaft parts standing below the large Arcabuz Cruz as supports. They bent under the weight and finally broke near the center.

However, Futayo had already circled around to her left.

But Gin was prepared for a counterattack.

She would fire the remaining small Arcabuz Cruz while falling back. They were not as close as when the other one had been destroyed, so even if Futayo attempted to throw the shaft into the barrel, it would not travel far enough and would be blasted right back out.

She fired.

But the enemy threw the shaft regardless.

''That idiot,'' thought Gin just before realizing something: the pieces of Tonbokiri’s extending shaft were all of different thicknesses.

Before, she had thrown the thinnest portion that was located near the back of the spear.

…''But this is a thicker portion near the front!

The shaft travelled only a little bit into the barrel and Gin had already fired.

“Nwooohhh!!”

But Futayo let out a cry and used all of her strength to turn that shaft.

The movement of the shaft twisted and changed the aim of the small Arcabuz Cruz it was sticking into.

The weapon now targeted the large Arcabuz Cruz that was not moving after having just fallen to the ground.

The shell tore apart the shaft from the inside, but it also tore into the armor on the side of the large Arcabuz Cruz. It did not destroy the other weapon. It simply tore off a large chunk of its armor. However, the weapon’s security temporarily locked it down in case the impact would cause a malfunction.

Futayo used that opening to move straight toward Gin as she continued to fall back.

“Arcabuz Cruz!!”

But Gin had not stopped the large Arcabuz Cruz that had spun around to sweep out Futayo’s legs.

As the weapon rotated in midair, it attempted to target Futayo.

But something flew from behind Futayo’s left shoulder with even greater speed. It was now only the base and the foremost portion of the shaft.

“Bind, Tonbokiri!!”

A sound of cutting filled the air and the rotating Arcabuz Cruz was split into a top and bottom half.

“!!”

And it exploded.

Gin reacted as Futayo continued her swing of Tonbokiri and charged in.

“Why!?”

Not even she knew who she was speaking to as she swung the two cross swords toward Futayo.

Futayo continued on. As Gin swung down her left arm, Futayo slipped straight under it.

The twin blades came to strike her, but she threw Tonbokiri’s shaft after swinging it around backhanded

That was the sixth and final piece.

The hollow shaft caught one of the swords inside it.

Futayo then grabbed the shaft to grab the sword and swung Tonbokiri.

“One!!”

At the exact moment that the twin swords on the right were sliced in two from guard to hilt, Futayo ran behind Gin and circled around.

Gin turned around and swung the other pair of swords in a backhand blow.

It was a swift strike, but Futayo had predicted it. This opponent constantly attacked as a form of rejection.

…''So Muneshige-dono must have predicted this attack as well!!

With perfect aim, Futayo jabbed Tonbokiri into the top blade of the cross sword.

She pierced right through the blade.

With a sound of scraping, the twin swords reverted to a single sword and Futayo leaped high into the air with a forward flip.

She jumped over the single sword’s backhand strike and used the momentum of her flip as she landed.

“Two!”

She rotated her spear and broke the final remaining sword.

…''That does it.

All of Gin’s weapons had been taken from her.

''Most likely,'' thought Futayo as she circled around in front of Gin. ''Most likely, the flow of battle was similar when Muneshige defeated her.

Gin used two cross swords, but those four swords were enough to neutralize the four Arcabuz Cruz. Muneshige’s acceleration spell could be used over short distances, so he would have been able to drive in the swords more efficiently than she had.

…''And I used my cutting power for the final strike, but Muneshige-dono must have used a burst of his full strength.

He would have had to bring himself to his limits, much like when he had kicked off the air.

And now, Gin stood unarmed before her.

Futayo wondered what to do, but…

“…!”

She once more accelerated toward the girl.

''Not good,'' thought Gin as she saw Futayo approach. ''I am going to lose at this rate.

But this was not her loss.

…''It is Master Muneshige’s loss!

She recalled that precious time when her arms had been severed.

But if someone other than him severed these false arms that were made from her original arms…

…''This girl would be on the same level as him.

And so she made a certain decision as her single means of resistance.

“…”

An instant later, her arms flew through the air.

Futayo stopped moving.

She stood one meter in front of Gin.

Everything had come to a halt and she was stopped while crouched down and breathing shallowly.

In front of her, Gin’s arms fell to the ground as if being placed there.

They had not been severed. The girl had dropped them herself.

She lowered her head and her bangs hid her expression, but…

“This is my…”

She fell to her knees and then the broken stone rang out as her hips fell to the ground, but she reworded her statement.

“I have lost.”

Futayo nodded and straightened up. She took a breath and realized what Gin’s words and actions meant.

…''I…

She thought.

…''I did not reach Muneshige-dono’s level.

Her father had not taught her to cut someone who had no weapon or power, but Muneshige had once severed her arms when she had held no weapons. However, that had not been an inhuman act. Regardless of what Futayo’s father had taught her, Muneshige had determined that Gin herself was a weapon.

''I doubt that has changed,'' thought Futayo.

But Gin had cast that aside at the last moment and Futayo thought she knew why.

…''Could she not cast aside what Muneshige-dono had taught her?

In that case, victory here more or less went to Tachibana Muneshige.

But what would it mean to say that?

Futayo knew what loss meant for one with an inherited name. Her father had often ignored Ii and Sakakibara when they had asked what he would do if he lost his inherited name. The man had always thrown the other men into the canal afterwards, but Mikawa’s rules did not apply in most places.

And in order to use her right as victor in a way that did not dishonor the loser, Futayo gave a shout.

“The enemy commander, Tachibana Gin, has been defeated!!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 66|Chapter 66]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 68|Chapter 68]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 66

2015-04-29T01:25:02Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 66: Seeing One Off to the Heavens and the Earth==
[[Image:Horizon2B_1019.png|thumb]]
''It is a feeling

''That is created at a single point in the past

'''Point Allocation (Proof of Equality)

Fusae saw a trail of fog rising from directly below her.

She understood what was making its way up to her.

It was the god of war named Jizuri Suzaku.

She had assumed it was one of the Four Sacred Beast gods of war just like Michiyuki Byakko, but each Sacred Beast had one of the Mountain-River-Path-Swamp powers and it had been unable to activate the swamp ability that the Suzaku would possess. Thus, this was merely a copy of the Suzaku god of war.

That meant Fusae had no interest in it and so she gave her instructions to Michiyuki Byakko. The OS’s movement control spell program began midair combat and she gave additional instructions.

“Buffer our fall speed and don’t hold back.”

More OS ''cadena firma'' appeared and the Byakko’s shoulders both opened in the downward direction. The cannons modelled after a tiger face appeared there.

“Ultra Vibration Destruction Cannon: Roar Deterioration.”

It fired its greatest power to intercept the mass of metal flying up from below.

Directly below, the night air shook at close range as the enemy jumped into that space.

“…!”

The enemy more shattered than broke.

But Fusae saw what broke first on the rising mass of metal.

…''The god of war buffering equipment!?

She had previously seen this during the Battle of Mikawa. When Jizuri Suzaku had been fired into the air, its legs, body, and arms had had large buffering structures attached. She understood that intellectually, but what she saw was different.

…''It’s backwards!?

Jizuri Suzaku had flown up while upside down.

Fusae thought about what that meant.

…''If its legs were pointed upwards…

Just before the ultra vibration enveloped the leg buffering, it would kick off of it to move to the side.

The god of war was heavy, but if any of its upward momentum remained, it could continue up into the heavens. If its legs were pointed up, its arms would be down and it could grab the Byakko’s back while passing by.

In that case, it would pass by on the left or the right and Fusae made an instantaneous decision.

…''Right!

The instant she saw the color red to the right, she had Michiyuki Byakko’s right claws race through the air.

It hit, it grabbed, and it tore.

And so Fusae assumed it had worked.

However, the expected shock and recoil did not reach Michiyuki Byakko’s right shoulder.

The red of the Suzaku had suddenly taken evasive action in midair.

…''Eh?

Jizuri Suzaku was meant for work on the ground and the Testament Union’s almanac information and the information from intelligence agents in England was enough to know that Musashi had no aerial gods of war.

So how had it taken evasive action in midair? When Fusae hurriedly turned to the right to answer that question, she saw three crosses in the moonlight.

Two were god of war flight devices and the third was the vermilion god of war with its arms extended to either side.

Fusae recognized those flight devices because they were used for Tres España’s gods of war.

“Those are the wings of the god of war the Technohexen shot down during the Battle of Mikawa!”

The Suzaku’s cross wings warped the air behind it and the vermilion triple cross charged straight toward Fusae while she heard the enemy shout. The false arm girl named Naomasa’s words were hard to interpret as actual instructions.

“Hit her, Jizuri Suzaku!!”

Everyone from the engine division watched as the gods of war collided overhead.

Among them, Hiro, the girl in charge of Jizuri Suzaku, was asked a question by her grandfather.

“Installing them is good and all, but isn’t that forcing things to work?”

“She wouldn’t shut up about making it fly. I had the wings running for three days and nights straight to get the proof that it would work, so my ears are still ringing. Of course, I did say I would make any modification she wanted as long as she gave me the right to maintain it from now on.”

“So you were the one making all that noise below the inspection area. I was wondering why no one stopped by to tell me to scold whoever it was.”

“Oh, sorry. Was it that loud?”

“If it was necessary, then it’s fine. Then again, it would be even better had it not been necessary.”

Hiro crossed her arms and nodded at her grandfather’s words.

“Well, Jizuri Suzaku had a light frame to begin with, so I didn’t set the output too high. That means it really comes down to the first attack, but she said that’s fine because she just has to keep that Byakko away from the bridge. But…”

The granddaughter pointed up at the color vermilion flying in the sky.

“How much does everyone know about that Suzaku?”

“All of us know. As does everyone in Naomasa’s class…including that chancellor.”

“I see,” said Hiro. “But wouldn’t it be bad to let that be destroyed?”

“Even so, she has no choice but to do this. She decided that was how she would continue on with the others. So…”

Taizou looked up in the sky with everyone else.

“You cheer her on too.”

With that, an especially loud sound of impact came from the night sky.

The vermilion god of war tackled the white one.

It hit the right side from the right, but while the Suzaku used its raised left knee, Michiyuki Byakko attempted to counterattack with its claws in a right backhand.

Jizuri Suzaku used the wings on its waist to bend backwards in midair and slip below the Byakko’s swinging right arms.

“Grab it with your legs, Jizuri Suzaku!”

Rather than the side, Jizuri Suzaku’s legs wrapped around the Byakko’s upper arm.

One leg had not been enough to fully suppress its left arm before, so it used both legs this time.

“Go around!!”

An instant later, Jizuri Suzaku rotated around the Byakko’s back like a pendulum attached to the point it had grabbed.

After rotating and extending its arms, it wrapped those arms around the Byakko’s left arm from behind.

Now both of Michiyuki Byakko’s arms had been secured from behind using both arms and legs.

The Suzaku was stretched across the Byakko’s back as if lying down on top of its wings.

“Pull it tight!!”

Jizuri Suzaku bent its body with smoke rising from the wire cylinders that acted as its abdominal muscles. Its back bent like a bow and it pulled its entire body toward the sky.

With a mechanical cry, Michiyuki Byakko’s arms were pulled up from behind like chicken wings.

The movements of its shoulders showed it was attempting to resist, but there was little it could do in this state.

Jizuri Suzaku focused its entire body into holding those two arms in place, but…

“—————!!”

The Suzaku’s body shook.

A burden was being placed on it. Michiyuki Byakko made several rapid attempts to tear it away and created a gap in Jizuri Suzaku’s restraint. The Suzaku attempted to tighten down, but that slight gap and difference in angle caused it to shift and it attempted to fight it using pure strength.

“…!”

But shimmering heat began to rise from its body.

Due to the difference in output between the two machines, the Suzaku’s motors quickly reached their limits.

And so Naomasa gave a new instruction to the wings rather than the motors.

“Slam it down, Jizuri Suzaku!”

Jizuri Suzaku obeyed by flapping its wings, but it did not use them to fly. It moved itself backwards to help lift the Byakko’s arms.

Air exploded forward and all of Jizuri Suzaku’s strength and its wings’ strength both pulled Michiyuki Byakko’s arms toward the heavens.

And finally, Byakko’s arms were pulled completely toward the sky and its body rotated as if falling into the air.

…''Got it!

Naomasa knew her technique had worked.

Before, she had chosen to use Jizuri Suzaku to clash with this god of war and that had led to her loss.

If exchanging blows would not work, her only choice was to use throws and locking techniques.

However, this opponent was definitely quite skilled.

…''I’m lucky I had Mito to practice with.

She had gained a partner because Mitotsudaira had come to fall victim to…no, to learn her martial arts. Specifically, how to throw someone by twisting a grabbed arm.

Mitotsudaira had used her flat hand rather than her nails, but Naomasa had still taken a lot of attacks. She had spun and grabbed a lot in return, but she felt the yakiniku meant as thanks was not quite enough. The venison had had a strong taste, Mitotsudaira had not ordered any vegetables, the only alcohol had been wine, and they had been in the non-smoking section.

Also, the only answer Naomasa had found was the simple fact that she had to attack at an opening if she wanted to be certain.

That was why she surprised her opponent with her ability to fly and then attacked from the side.

She had grabbed and locked the other god of war and now she was falling through the air.

…''Time to slam it into something head-first!

If she did that, she would win. She did not know what would happen afterwards, but the enemy would have been completely diverted from the bridge. That would prevent them from destroying Tama’s bridge before the Musashi reached the Tres Españan fleet.

And so she gave into the fall and flapped her wings again.

…''I will win!

But as soon as she thought that, the enemy came into view.

It was Era Fusae.

She stood on Michiyuki Byakko’s shoulder and she faced Naomasa in the night.

Her eyebrows were slightly raised as their gazes clashed with such force it almost seemed audible.

A moment later, countless ''cadena firma'' from Michiyuki Byakko’s OS appeared around her.

“Michiyuki Byakko, envelop her.”

“What?”

Naomasa did not understand and she saw white light produced by Michiyuki Byakko’s OS. The ''cadena firma'' were appearing around Jizuri Suzaku rather than Michiyuki Byakko.

…''Is she trying to sync us with Byakko’s OS!?

She did not initially understand why Fusae would try to do that, but then it hit her.

Their falling direction had changed. The Suzaku’s back was now at the bottom of the fall rather than the Byakko’s head.

“What is this?”

Above Michiyuki Byakko’s shoulders and to the left of Jizuri Suzaku as it bent like a bow to hold those shoulders in place, ether light suddenly formed a wheat field and a path.

…''!?

Instead of falling down, they were falling to the field Byakko had created in midair and the change in direction meant they would fall on the Suzaku’s back instead of the Byakko’s head. If they continued to fall, Jizuri Suzaku would be crushed underneath the other machine.

“!!”

And they hit.

Fusae saw the destruction of Jizuri Suzaku’s left shoulder, left arm, and left waist down to the base.

The destruction was caused by the machine’s own weight as well as Michiyuki Byakko’s weight.

The Byakko’s arms were raised, but it had hit the ground such that the angle between neck and arm was widened. And if the triangle between arm and neck was brought down to a line, the Suzaku inside the triangle would be crushed.

That was why Fusae would do exactly that.

Afterwards, she only needed to stand the Byakko up from its face up position and run to Tama’s bridge on the path it created.

However…

“Jizuri Suzaku!!”

The Suzaku was unable to eliminate the vibration of the impact against the virtual ground behind it, but it still stood up. It forcibly jumped over the Byakko’s head in order to wrap its arms around and cling to that head.

''Well done,'' thought Fusae.

The enemy planned to perform a lock on Michiyuki Byakko’s head in an attempt to rob it of the autonomous decision-making ability that required information from the sensory devices.

But as the Suzaku circled around above, Fusae performed an overhand swing with the Byakko’s right claws.

She targeted its torso and hit the chest. The claws pierced the armor clothing on the left side, tore through the joints and wire cylinders in the chest, and slammed the vermilion Suzaku into the virtual ground.

The Suzaku audibly crashed into that virtual ground.

As it lay sprawled out on its back, the damage from the claw strike left its internal structure and core visible.

Shimmering heat and steam were released as a pulsating machine was revealed.

“———!”

The Suzaku shook with what sounded like a scream and white steam burst from the primary motor as the outside air came into contact with it.

A normal god of war would have a transparent ether cylinder that held the pilot, but the externally controlled type they were using was different.

…''That should be the primary nerve device that controls the full body!

Breaking that would stop the god of war. However…

“Eh?”

Fusae let out a questioning tone. The object under the moonlight was not a metal cowling surrounding the artificial nerves that supported the spinal cord.

…''Why is there an ether cylinder for a pilot!?

A transparent cylinder made of thick anti-explosive glass was within arm’s reach in front of Fusae. It was filled with bluish-white Orei Nero and a long, narrow torii-style sign frame was visible within.

The sign frame displayed a human form. Normally, it would display the pilot, but this was not a man or woman who was trained as a pilot. It was a very young girl. Also…

“…!?”

The person in that flat bluish-white image only had a head, an upper body, and a scattering of other parts.

''This isn’t right,'' thought Fusae.

When a pilot boarded a god of war and lost parts of their body, the lost parts would be displayed in a different color or some other kind of explanation would be provided.

However, this sign frame had nothing of the sort.

…''Then was this girl put inside here for some reason while already injured like that!?

Small sign frames danced around her. They displayed a bird and contained the word “Suzaku”, but the injured girl in the long torii slept in the center of them all.

“That’s my younger sister.”

A girl with one false arm stood on the Suzaku’s shoulder with blood staining half her face.

“When our village was attacked, Jizuri Suzaku wouldn’t function. And just when everything looked hopeless, she spoke to me. She was barely even breathing anymore, but she told me to use her.”

So…

“So I will use her.”

“…!!”

Fusae moved on reflex. She did not understand what was about to happen, but a thought of rejection told her to finish this opponent. She had decided to attack and prevent this girl from “using” her sister.

But…

“Jizuri Suzaku! Get up!”

She knew what that meant. The Suzaku would force itself to stand up and interfere with Fusae’s actions.

But…

…''Stop!

She tried to understand what was happening before her eyes, but she could not. It was like trying to lock up something that could not control itself.

“Stop it! Michiyuki Byakko!!”

The Byakko responded. While the Suzaku rotated its wings and tried to flap them to stand up, the Byakko opened both its shoulders and fired the ultra vibration destruction cannons there.

“————”

But Fusae realized something. The ultra vibration did not produce any sounds of destruction or vermilion fragments. The Suzaku simply remained lying where it had been and something new had appeared on the edge of the ground behind it.

“Water?”

A background made of ether had appeared below Jizuri Suzaku’s back.

It was a marsh.

Jizuri Suzaku had somehow not been destroyed and an ether marsh had appeared below its back. After seeing that, Fusae realized some new light had appeared around her.

It began with the OS sign frames glowing on the surface of the ether cylinder exposed in Jizuri Suzaku’s chest.

The image of a girl slowly opened her mouth without opening her eyes.

“——————”

At the same time, the Suzaku gave an extremely high-pitched and creaking cry.

As if in response to that sound, countless vermilion sign frames appeared across Jizuri Suzaku and around Naomasa. And they all said the same thing.

“Four Sacred Beasts God of War Type 3 – Jizuri Suzaku : Initial Activation Check : Beginning Initial Activation”

It was booting up and using the default settings of an initial activation.

Fusae gave a large gulp.

She had assumed this enemy was not using one of the Four Sacred Beasts gods of war, but she had been wrong.

…''What if one of the Four Sacred Beasts OSs had never been fully booted up before?

It was unthinkable. After all, gods of war were supplied as finished products. They were shipped out once the OS and everything else had been fully activated to test them. It was unthinkable for a god of war that had been active for so long to have never fully booted up its OS.

However…

…''What if most of the OS’s artificial brain was lost during its initial activation and a dying girl was taken in in its place?

And…

…''What if the girl’s mind completed the damaged OS and fused with it?

The god of war had been active all this time by prioritizing that girl who had asked to be used. Most likely, the basic autonomous movement system had used the unconscious girl’s senses and had her reply to her sister’s instructions via actions.

That had been the girl’s will.

But when the girl who was also the OS had been in danger, it had acted in self-preservation.

“Are you saying the Suzaku is taking action to protect her!?”

The trigger had likely been when Michiyuki Byakko’s OS had attempted to sync with its OS.

The Suzaku’s OS had activated to combat the danger of the synching OS attempting to activate.

That was what had happened.

And now a marsh was spreading out before Fusae. It had been created from her path. Michiyuki Byakko was opening several locking ''cadena firma'' to prevent its path from being consumed, but it was no use. The Byakko had been the one to begin the sync, so the synching OS running within it was now eating into the barriers from the inside.

And if Jizuri Suzaku’s power was the swamp of Mountain-River-Path-Swamp…

…''Is this water!? No, this is…

“The sky!?”

The marsh reflected the sky, but it was a blue sky that did not exist here.

Fusae then understood why Jizuri Suzaku had not been destroyed. If the marsh behind it was the sky…

“You ‘fell back’ within that infinite sky, didn’t you!?”

It was similar to the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise. That thin marsh was an infinitely-thick sky.

The water’s surface was a flat surface, but Jizuri Suzaku’s wings had definitely opened within it.

At the same time, Michiyuki Byakko shook.

It fell.

The Suzaku and Byakko’s positions and heights had not changed on the flat surface of the marsh that had appeared in midair, but it still fell. After all, that flat surface contained a sky with infinite thickness.

Anything that stood on it would fall, but Jizuri Suzaku had wings and it raised those two crosses.

“…!!”

And it flipped them both around.

Michiyuki Byakko fell at only about thirty meters above Tama, but the marsh meant it was essentially falling from extremely high altitude. On its way down, it slammed into the side of the deck.

It hit a corner with a straight vertical body slam that shattered the edge of the deck.

When it struck, the sound of breaking metal filled the air. The Byakko’s right forearm broke and the right thigh shifted out of place and broke so that the base of the leg would not move. The primary armor on the chest shattered in an instant and the motors below were exposed.

As if ignoring the secondary sounds of the scattering fragments, the Byakko bounced back up from the great impact.

“——————”

And it limply slid off the ship and fell into the space between the sea and sky.

As it fell, a woman with disheveled hair stood on its white shoulder.

“…!”

Fusae shouted something, but it was drowned out by the wind. But as she looked up, she saw the twin moons overhead.

In front of those moons floated two crosses and a god of war that almost appeared to be hanging from them.

The Suzaku slowly descended from the sky, but there was no strength in it. The OS had deactivated and it was descending under the bare minimum of autonomous actions.

Fusae looked away and saw something down below. It was the small ship that had collected Takakane and the others who had withdrawn.

But even as she breathed a sigh of relief, she realized someone was missing.

“Is Gin still fighting on the Musashi!?”

The sound of cannon fire on the Musashi seemed to answer her question.

Tachibana Gin continued to fight despite losing her chance to withdraw.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 65|Chapter 65]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 67|Chapter 67]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 65

2015-04-29T01:23:37Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 65: One who Longs for 27.431m==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0985.png|thumb]]
''That distance has no meaning

''What is desired

''In that distance?

'''Point Allocation (Run)

Shirojiro scattered money around.

Each time he swept it from the coin pot and into the air, he felt definite pleasure. The sensation of grasping the coins in his fingers and the sensation of them leaving those fingers and entering the air were both splendid.

…''Those who simply stockpile their money are such fools! They do not know this feeling!

Any who had never enjoyed themselves scattering money into empty space like this were missing out.

''Ah, next I need to take a bath in money. And in the future, I need to fill a pool with gold coins and feel them scraping across my entire body.

''But what can I do after that?

''I can’t imagine anything, but that simply proves I am still not a true merchant. Once I become one, my destination will be far beyond a mere pool. It will be something larger. Something like…yes.

“The world!”

“Hey, Shiro-kun?” said Heidi over divine transmission. “Your bodily data is showing a crazy amount of endorphins in your brain. Are you okay!?”

''Do not worry. Money will bring victory. Money ''is'' victory. And tonight I will spin you like a top. I too shall spin.

''Such a wonderful feeling. Money is carrying my power.

However, the baseball player before him was deflecting all of the several dozen coins he was throwing. The coins were scattered at the man’s feet like tiles.

Even when Shirojiro altered the angle or fired them upwards so they would drop down from above, the enemy deflected them all. This was an unbelievable opponent. Not only was he not distracted by greed for the money, he did not try to pick it up off the ground afterwards.

“Don’t waste money!!”

“You’re the one doing it!!” shouted back Takakane while deflecting the coins down so powerfully that they stabbed into the wooden deck.

Shirojiro then pulled another coin pot from the other side tail and set the two pots on his waist hard points.

“Double the money!”

He now scattered the ten yen coins in two fan shapes.

However…

“Don’t underestimate the baseball team!”

Takakane held his bat out a short bit and deflected them. He continued deflecting without end. Clear sounds filled the air as he moved the bat around in every direction as if making it dance.

“Thousand Squeeze Infinite Set!”

Takakane moved forward.

A hard shower of coins poured down like a gun on rapid fire, but…

…''I can see them!

The enemy was definitely an amateur. The positions of the pots were fixed and he only swung his hands by starting with his arms lowered and crossed and then swinging them upwards and outwards for a backhand. When the starting position was fixed and the pitching motion was the same, there was nothing to fear. Takakane only needed to determine in what order to intercept the coins.

And so he moved. Any that would not actually hit him he thought of as outside the strike zone. He crouched down to shrink that strike zone and he leaned forward as he started moving.

But…

“…?”

He heard the merchant named Shirojiro shake his head and speak.

“Take this kickback!!”

His voice brought sound to the deck all around Takakane.

It was the sound of money. As if jumping off the deck, the money Takakane had deflected around him all flew upwards. And all the coins rapidly flew straight toward him.

…''Is this…?

“Did you place your power inside the fallen coins again!?”

“I can still see them after they fell, so they belong to me. And if I distribute my power into them once more…”

Takakane heard the sound of money. He heard the sound of countless objects flying from the ground in every direction. He heard the sound of a spell.

They formed multiple fan-shaped formations and flew toward him.

Takakane felt the massive and heavy density of this attack. He could only say there was a great variety to these attacks, but there was one other thing he could say.

“Is this the power of money!?”

“Yes, this is the power of money!!”

This was the power of a merchant.

''Not bad,'' he thought.

The merchant was fixated on that money and that was proof he was going all out. And in that case…

…''It isn’t all that cool, but I’ve gotta do it!

He would use it. He slid his hand to the bat’s grip and exited his bunting stance.

“Slug bunt!!”

“Wow,” said one of the people watching at a distance.

A single man was swinging around his long bat in the center of the countless fired and thrown coins.

There were countless coins and they targeted him from every direction, but he remained unharmed.

“————!”

All of the deflected bullets lay prostrated at his feet.

However, the coin bullets knocked to the deck quickly regained power and shot up once more. To combat them, Takakane repeatedly switched between a long swing and a bunt and between holding the bat to the right and the left.

“Ohhhh!!”

With repeated left and right swings, he moved forward while almost spinning around.

Whether his enemy or his ally and whether active or simply watching, almost all of the nearby students gulped.

Countless clear sounds filled the area and all the sparks and smoke obscured his form while Takakane made use of his ability.

Behind and to either side of him, the Tres Españan students exchanging metal bullets with Musashi’s defensive units reacted.

“…!!”

They raised their voices of support to make sure he could hear them.

And a distinct response came from beyond all the sounds of deflected coins.

“Who do you think I am!?”

Their vice chancellor shouted back at them while literally defending the front line all on his own.

“I’m your captain, so it’s my job to support you all!!”

Takakane mentally nodded his head.

…''This is who I am!

How many different powers was he taking on at once right now?

It was more than just ten or twenty. Not even one or two hundred was enough. He was enduring more attacks than that while still moving forward.

Could anyone else do that?

Others could defeat powerful enemies and others could break through an enemy formation, but who could stand in front of those others and take on countless powers all at once?

…''Only me, the vice chancellor!

He was second up to bat. His position was shortstop. His role was to reliably see his teammates on their way and reliably hold the enemy back.

There were two tricks to that. The first was to polish his reaction speed and the other was…

…''Not to overlook any openings in my opponent.

If he focused on their entire body and watched their actions and formation, he would find the answer.

The density of deflected coins to the front right was thinner. He had intentionally deflected them as such.

So the next time the coins shot toward him from that direction, the barrage would be thinner.

And it was.

So he launched himself forward. He swung his bat to open the way ahead.

“One-man hit and ruuuuun!”

His destination was the merchant ahead of him. The instant he tried to hit him with his bat, the merchant pulled something from both the pots. They were coins just as before, but they were oddly long.

“Ten thousand yen rolls of coins!”

Takakane defended against the rolls of coins that were thrown with a rotation. There were two of them, but if he hit them just off of the center of gravity in the opposite direction of the rotation, they would fall.

Afterwards, he only had to jab in at the merchant while he tried to lower his raised hands.

But…

“!?”

When he tried to suppress the rolls of coins, their paper wrappings burst.

…''He’d already unwrapped them!?

The scene before him gave him his answer. The rolls of coins broke in two at the point he had hit them and the coins formed a scatter shot. And they did so further in than his bat.

He swept them, deflected them, and hit them away, but there were too many. Stepping back and hitting with a bunt would work, but…

…''I don’t have time to fall back!

The time limit for reaching the bridge was close, he had almost reached the merchant in front of him, and his teammates were behind him.

He needed to move forward in this situation.

''In that case,'' he thought while facing forward and looking up in the sky. He knew what airspace this was, so he opened his mouth. With a shout, he held his bat in his left hand and reached his right hand to his back.

“Old Man Velá, it’s time to use it! Testamenta Arma: Crus Temperantia!!”

While defending the small ships on the starboard bow, Velázquez answered Takakane’s request by activating his Testamenta Arma.

However…

“Hey, are you okay, Takakane? There’s a lot of noise coming from the ''cadena firma''.

“Don’t talk to me right now!!”

That was oppressive but the proper decision for the front line. Also, that idiot was likely drawing as many enemies as he could to let the others move on.

Takakane’s unit had passed the halfway point. The effects of Velázquez’s Testamenta Arma would eventually stop reaching them, but he could only hope they would take control of the bridge.

Also, the backup sent to Takakane’s assault unit came running back along Tama. Once he picked them up, Velázquez would have to begin preparing the small ships to leave. Would the assault unit reach the bridge or would they withdraw?

Now that they had crossed the Tres Españan provisional border, their limit was one minute. After that, the Tres Españan fleet avoiding the Musashi would fire on them.

Most likely, Takakane and the others still needed to travel about two hundred meters in that time. Travelling that distance and boarding the bridge in a single minute would be easy.

But only if the enemy would let them.

“Give it your best shot,” said Velázquez with a sigh.

He listened to the sounds of shellfire and the more distant sounds of gunfire and destruction.

“And I need to protect the backup unit.”

He made paintings to defend against the approaching defense unit’s attacks, but he could not simply paint walls. He also needed swamps, trenches, and holes. Recalling how he had painted all those things in the past and turning the entire area into a labyrinth was a lot of fun. He was forbidden from doing so in his work, but here he could do whatever his painting style allowed and that was also a lot of fun.

''Hee hee hee. That’s a sun wrapping around the battlefield. And I must be a genius to represent clouds like bread. How about I add some sound effects. Giving the pond in the sun a refreshing rumbling sound effect is pretty good taste, isn’t it?

…''How many years has it been since I’ve made such bold paintings?

As they were paintings, they were not as meaningful as the real thing. Anything that moved was especially difficult. But despite only painting a two-dimensional representation, he could place them in three-dimensional space by using perspective. The manufacturer of the brush had said something about warping space and whatnot, but he only had to paint. Paintings had developed from religious frescos and Catholicism had plenty of that. It was an excellent religion.

He was satisfied as he painted all those things, but he heard a sudden voice from the small ship behind him.

“Secretary! The transport lift to the right is moving! Something’s being carried up from below!”

“It isn’t a god of war, is it?”

Musashi’s defense units should have all been sent out already. If any hidden troops were coming, he did not understand why they would be attacking the small ships here and so he wondered what this could be.

“This is Musashi’s relief team!!”

It was a fat boy pulling a cart.

Velázquez did his best to grasp the situation as the cart with a relief bed was rushed over.

…''Oh, this is charity work.

Catholics would often do this. While on the battlefield, some would provide aid to both sides of the battle without taking part in the fight. It was a part of the Tsirhc religion that was spreading around the world.

…''So has Musashi started doing that despite being Shinto?

They were likely doing it for appearances which meant it would not be a trap. One wrong move and the records could spread around the world and lower people’s estimation of Musashi.

''I see,'' thought Velázquez again as he heard the boy speak while pulling the cart.

“Now, then! People of Tres España! Be moved by my charity and spread the name of Ohiroshiki among the little girls of Tres España! That is only natural, don’t you think!? It’s the default!”

Velázquez painted a hole and the shouting fell into it.

He sighed, but some others jumped over the hole. One was an Indian boy carrying several plates of curry and the other was a helmed macho man who lifted a food cart and attached it on the back of his waist rather than pulling it behind him.

The two of them arrived at Velázquez.

“Now, it is time for tonight’s super curry time.”

“I thought this was charity work!?”

The Indian ignored him and had the macho man lower the food cart and put on an apron.

The large man tucked the apron below the chain across his chest and the Indian faced Velázquez.

“Now, what would you like to eat?”

“How about fried rice?”

“Sure.”

The Indian nodded and walked over to the food cart. The half-naked apron man followed his instructions by placing rice on a plate and pouring curry on top and then the Indian held it out to Velázquez.

“Here is your curry.”

“I asked for fried rice! Give me fried rice!”

The Indian sighed, lowered his shoulders, and returned to the cart. He whispered something in the large man’s ear, shrugged, and shook his head, but overall looked irritated. The half-naked apron man followed his instructions by placing rice on a plate and pouring curry on top. Once more, the Indian held it out to Velázquez.

“Here is your fried rice.”

“That’s curry!!”

“Oh?”

The Indian nodded, walked back to the cart, and finally returned.

“Here is your fried rice.”

“That’s clearly curry and you didn’t even swap it out this time!!”

Velázquez swept a hand at the Indian for a tsukkomi, but he accidentally knocked the plate from his hands.

“Ah,” said the Indian while the plate fell to the deck in horribly slow motion.

With a wet sound, the curry and rice splattered and spread across the deck.

The Indian got down on hands and knees and hung his head toward the curry.

“How could this happen to the great curry?”

Velázquez instinctually added the vertical lines to represent shock, but he noticed the whispering of his fellow Tres Españas from the small ship behind him.

“Hey, isn’t the secretary in trouble here?”

“Yeah, he’s being pretty immature. I mean, isn’t curry fine?”

''Oh, no,'' thought Velázquez. ''If this is charity work, the records will show how I treated them.

In order to make up for that, he reached out with the brush still in hand.

“Um, well, if you insist.”

“Of course!”

The Indian instantly recovered. He stood up, held up the original plate he was hiding behind him, and tried to hold it out.

“Ah.”

Velázquez’s brush plunged deep into the curry.

The odd and unfamiliar sound of something smooth sliding out of place came from the tip of the brush.

This was nothing more than the large brush being thrust into the plate of curry, but Velázquez had a certain thought.

…''I’ve made countless paintings, but I’ve never seen a theme or still-life like this!

The title would certainly either be Curry and Brush or A Combination of Two Favorites, but no one would be able to imagine the actual scene from those titles.

But the two individuals eventually grasped the truth before them.

“Ahhhh!”

Velázquez managed to speak first.

“Y-you idiot! What are you going to do about this!?”

He pointed at the tip of the brush that was surrounded by carrots and the like.

“Hurry up and wash it! Do you have any turpentine? Then bring it over here! Lamp oil works too! If you’re doing charity work, surely you have something like that!”

“Understood.”

The Indian walked to the food cart, returned, and held something toward Velázquez.

“Here is your curry.”

“That’s not even close!”

“But turpentine is an oil and curry has oil in it, so they are the same. After all, this is beef curry.”

“Can you really serve beef when you’re Indian!? Aren’t you Dunhi!?”

“I am Shinto.”

“Then you shouldn’t be worshiping curry!!”

“Curry is the food of the gods, so it is the world standard.”

“Wait,” said Velázquez while he thought.

During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Europe had made many works of art based on Greek mythology and the Testament. However…

“Was the angel carrying a plate of curry during the Annunciation!? Did they serve curry at the Last Supper!?”

“They must have forgotten to paint it in.” The boy sounded absolutely certain. “How could they not serve curry at the Last Supper? Which is more satisfying, eating steak before dying or eating curry before dying?”

“Now you’re just trying to talk your way out of it!”

At that point, Velázquez noticed a change. He had swung his brush a few times during the conversation, but there was a common factor to what it painted.

“Curry.”

It seemed the material used to paint was automatically sent out because the lakes, river, and sky he had painted were now made of curry. Hassan turned to him to explain.

“This is a work of the gods.”

“Everything stinks of curry now, you idiot! And why is it even painting!? This is a spell!”

“Because curry is the food of the gods. I added in ether to reproduce that fact. In other words, it is magic curry.”

“Drugs!? You put drugs in it, didn’t you!? Or is it some kind of dangerous spell!?”

“It is all to satisfy the customers who spent their heard-earned money.”

“Don’t sell the food of the gods!!”

Meanwhile, the small ship behind him began to shake as the engine started up.

“Secretary! We’re just about at the limit!”

“Is everyone aboard!?”

“Testament!”

Velázquez nodded and sighed at that answer and he spoke to the Indian and the half-naked apron man.

“Pack it up in an insulated container. However this ends, we’re going home with some hungry people. A lot of them are athletes, so can you add in some salt?”

He then opened a ''cadena firma'' to speak to Takakane while watching Michiyuki Byakko create a wheat field and path in the sky overhead.

“Hey, Takakane. If you haven’t noticed, it’s about time for the last spurt.”

Takakane nodded.

He had already swung the Testamenta Arma he had drawn from his back to replace the long bat.

“Testament Arma: Crus Temperantia – Vetus.”

Velázquez had already activated Novum which had divided the enemy’s ability by the number of uses.

Takakane’s Vetus doubled the enemy’s time.

“…!!”

Tama, the Musashi’s second starboard ship, had become an unfavorable area for Musashi.

He then made his move to fulfill his role as vice chancellor. He charged toward the merchant who was slowed by 1/2.

“Hooooomerun!!”

And he hit the merchant’s body toward the opposite field.

The baseball player got a clean hit on the merchant.

The hit had everything needed for a homerun, but the merchant was slowed down by 1/2. Takakane watched the merchant’s face as the boy was slowly knocked away.

He was smiling.

Takakane wondered why, but he realized the answer due to the sensation arriving through the Testamenta Arma in his hand.

“You had money prepared!?”

Below the merchant’s torn clothing, he saw ring mail made of five yen coins covering his upper body. The defending coins had bent, but they had definitely dispersed and counteracted some of the damage to the merchant.

And the merchant spoke while being knocked away.

“You lose.”

''Like hell I do,'' thought Takakane. ''If I get in just one more hit, you lose.

However, as the merchant crashed into a nearby house’s door, he spoke.

“You…”

He bounced off yet continued.

“You have lost to Musashi!”

“Nonsense,” said Takakane as he ran over and swung up the bat to strike again. “Victory is…”

He did not say “mine”.

…''Ours!

As soon as he shouted that in his heart, the light from above vanished.

“…!?”

A white transport ship had appeared overhead with the emblems for Musashi Ariadust Academy and Marube-ya.

One of its bottom hatches opened. The hatch was meant to release the contents of large wooden containers, but this time, it did not release food, water, trade goods, or even the wooden or paper boxes meant to hold them.

“That’s…”

Money.

Coins that had filled a large wooden container fell in a quantity that not even “countless” quite covered.

“!?”

The transport ship tilted and a cascade of coins seemed to explode from the hatch. They fell with enough density to cover up the sky.

Takakane heard the heavy scraping of metal that sounded like a swarm of crying insects.

“Do not worry. This is a portion of the eight billion yen earned in the last few days in England. I had it exchanged for yen when seeing them off.”

“Damn you!”

Even as they spoke, the waterfall fell.

“…!!”

Nevertheless, Takakane made use of his defensive ability below the surging wave of coins.

As he moved, rotated, and deflected, none of the coins touched him. By deflecting a coin into other coins, he created defensive chain reactions with each individual deflection.

However, Takakane realized something about the cascade of coins as he did so.

“This isn’t an attack! It’s meant to hold me here!!”

He was deflecting the many coins using the Testament Arma that’s power reduced their speed and strength.

…''But that means it takes twice as long for the coins to fall!

He would be stuck here for twice as long as normal.

He saw the merchant slowly stand up. While Takakane was stuck where he was, the merchant moved slowly but surely past him and forward to the Musashi defense unit defending the bridge.

“Hey, Takakane!”

Takakane heard Velázquez speak but had no time to respond.

“Deactivate yours!”

He did not need to be told. After all, he was not stopping even a single enemy at the moment and they were already out of time. So he replied with his actions.

“…!!”

Knowing he would be hit, he placed the Testamenta Arma on his back.

In that instant, the cascade of money exploded inward as if striking him from the side.

Takakane ran from the waterfall of money as if crossing a mountain of coins.

He threw away his cracked helmet afterwards.

“Hurry onward!!”

He ran as if throwing his entire body forward.

He ran directly toward Tama’s bridge.

He was only a few hundred meters away and the enemy defense unit formed a wall along the way.

The merchant was running to move out from between the two sides.

“Charge forward!!”

The money-lover’s shout sent the enemy unit dashing forward with shoulders and shields thrust forward. And they were positioned to tear into the Tres Españan side from below.

Their Shinto shields used purification to reduce attack power, so any attack that hit them would lose their power and might be repelled. Once an attack clung to the shield, it would lose all strength and fall.

But that reduction of power only applied to attacks.

As Tres España’s vice chancellor, Takakane primarily fought through defense, but…

“Outta the way!!”

He hit back with a pendulum-like batting style that incorporated a running start and instantly knocked around a dozen defenders into the air.

He broke through, but his run had lost a bit of speed with that attack.

In that instant, a shower of metallic noises raced toward him as if to envelop his back.

…''Is this that the money waterfall!?

That was precisely what raced toward him as a thick barrage. He had previously knocked away the cascade of money, but power had been reinstalled in the coins and it had hopped up from the deck to attack him from behind.

He turned his back on it, swung his bat, and tried to regain his forward momentum.

“Tch.”

With a click of the tongue, he tried to raise his bat for defense with a single thought in his mind.

…''Is this the end!?

He had no time. If he turned around here, his speed would drop and he would use up some of the time needed to take the bridge.

…''But my role is…

He thought the word “defense” just as a fierce sound of impact exploded behind him.

But it was not the sound of the coins reaching him.

It was the sound of those very coins hitting the teammates following him.

“You guys!?”

Takakane continued facing forward, but he saw those knocked away by the initial impact fly past him in the air. They were more slammed into the deck then sent rolling across it, but…

“Captain! Continue on!”

He heard more cheers and sounds of impacts behind him and he heard his teammates jumping in between him and the reverse cascade of money.

By literally offering him their backs and shoulders, they allowed him to focus on moving forward.

And amid the dull sounds of defense and the clinking of coins, a few people lined up alongside Takakane. There were seven of them and that number meant one thing.

“Is this all the starting members other than Valdés!?”

“Testament!!”

The voices of those blocking the flowing tsunami of money reached him from behind. They shook as they were hit and cut out here and there, but what they said was clear.

“Heeeenaaaareeees!!”

“Testament!” replied the low, sharp voices of Takakane and the other seven who ran with him.

Forward.

Takakane continue forward with his teammates. He felt the presence of those left behind as he continued on.

They were now less than one hundred meters away, so they moved onwards while the enemy sent attacks of rejection.

At eight-five meters away, a Techonhexen unit attack from above on either side.

The right fielder and left fielder dove and stopped the attacks.

At sixty-three meters away, a volley of arrows arrived from straight ahead.

The center fielder opened a path.

At fifty-seven meters away, the merchant fired coin bullets at an opening.

The second baseman leaped in from the side to take care of them and the first baseman took care of what had been deflected.

At forty-one meters away, one of Musashi’s defense units arrived from a side passageway to the right.

The third baseman stopped them despite being thrown along the ground and having his hat knocked from his head.

At thirty meters away, Takakane realized he would only have the catcher left.

However, the catcher was gone.

Instead, he heard an intense sound of money behind him and the body that stopped it.

Takakane faced forward.

Tama’s bridge looked like a black wall in the moonlight and he was 27.431 meters to the entrance.

It was a straight line and only one back stood between him and the hatch that formed that entrance.

It was the merchant who ran toward that hatch.

His speed had dropped due to the coins he had fired earlier, so Takakane caught up with twenty-one meters to go.

The merchant leaped and turned toward him in midair.

Bullets flew toward him.

He deflected all of them with twenty meters left and at nineteen meters…

“…!”

He swung his bat as if knocking something into the air. It was a perfect hit. A sound came from the merchant’s ribs and he flew far into the air ahead. He flew approximately eighteen meters.

But Takakane was not going to let him off that easily. He ran toward where the merchant would land and prepared to swing again to hit the falling boy into the hatch.

But in that instant, he heard the merchant speak even as the boy flew through the air and felt great pain.

“I will pay you for your trouble, Hound of England and Silver Wolf of Musashi!”

Those two people then arrived from the moonlit sky.

Hundreds of blades fell in front of Takakane and rushed toward him like the wind.

“Walsingham!? So England has finally sent reinforcements!?”

“Bites!”

Takakane completely deflected the blades and destroyed the blast from the cross spear.

He continued his batting defense as he ran and he caught Walsingham herself.

“Outta the way!”

At sixteen meters from the bridge, he knocked the hound aside, but…

“Take this!”

The silver wolf’s voice came from overhead along with four large wooden containers and the chains that had thrown them. However, Takakane did not slow down. He straightened up to let his teammates see the school emblem on his back and then he leaned forward.

“Don’t underestimate the vice chancellor!”

Without slowing, he knocked the containers to the deck and air on either side.

The four chains were launching twisting strikes, but he matched the rotational direction of their tight arms.

“…!”

He knocked them all to the ground in an instant and stepped over their arms to open a path using the silver wolf’s attack.

In that instant, the wolf lowered herself down.

It was a sudden action, but he could still land a hit. He had trained enough for that.

But when he checked the remaining thirteen meters, he saw the merchant with his hips lowered and blood leaking from his mouth.

“This is my final coin!”

This was not a mere throw or scattering.

He used both hands to open a massive number of sign frames from in front to behind him. These were the contracts that sent one-tenth of the signer’s power.

“Take this!!”

As soon as he placed a coin in the farthest back sign frame, it accelerated.

This was an acceleration cannon using the thousand or so sign frames. Even if each one was only one-tenth of one person’s power, the same thing was repeated over a thousand times to instantly fire the coin. Just as the air burst and a steam explosion came from the muzzle, Takakane realized the coin had been fired toward his chest.

His teammates were behind him, so he could not dodge it.

“…!”

So he swung to intercept the high-speed coin bullet with the dead center of the bat.

A great roar burst out and the air let out a cry from the great impact.

“…Ah!”

The bat did indeed strike the coin bullet, but it changed shape like clay and then shattered.

The sound of destruction produced splinters and only the grip remained in Takakane’s hands.

He had lost his weapon, he was out of breath, and only empty space remained on the battlefield, but…

“Kh!”

He moved forward. He had no feet, but he accelerated in his attempt to move ever onward.

“————!!”

An alarm filled the air.

The small ships on the front of Tama and the distant Tres Españan fleet were giving off a long alarm.

That indicated their time was up and the merchant shouted out what that meant as he fell to his knees and spat out blood.

“Game over, baseball player!!”

Takakane had heard it. It was over. He understood that. But…

“…!”

He moved forward. He had lost his momentum and his main weapon had been destroyed, but he produced a roar from his throat and did indeed move forward.

“I can’t give up on this game!!”

He was twelve meters away.

He had already heard the signal and words that indicated the ending, but Takakane continued forward.

“…!!”

He drew the Testamenta Arma from his back despite not yet being able to activate it again and he tried to cover that last distance.

At the same time, an enemy defense unit jumped in between him and the bridge at just over the ten meter mark. The silver wolf with her chains and the hound with her countless blades also circled around ahead of him.

“Intercept him!!”

They all prepared their weapons at the wolf’s words, but Takakane continued regardless.

…''Of course I’m not stopping!

He recalled what he had thought while playing catch with Fusae earlier and what their chancellor had shown them during the early stages of the naval battle.

Fusae had said things were fine as they were.

Their chancellor had taken action to stop Tres España’s decline as much as possible.

''What am I?'' he asked himself. ''Nothing would remain here if I withdrew just because the time limit arrived.

If nothing of his actions during the armada battle remained, it was the same as not fighting against their decline in the slightest. Things would be unable to continue “as they were” and the chancellor’s thoughts would be for nothing.

Takakane wanted to leave something behind.

He wanted to accomplish something definite beyond forming bonds with his teammates and making fulfilling memories.

He had known the armada battle would happen, so…

“What do you think the vice chancellor is for!?”

With that shout, Takakane stretched his hand forward while running.

He reached out for the destination beyond the line of enemies.

When the enemy vanguard moved forward, he deflected and evaded them, but his hurry prevented him from fully avoiding the strikes.

A few hit him and a spray of ether rose from his spirit body.

He felt pain and heard the sound of his body being literally worn away.

But…

“…!!”

He swept the enemies to either side as if looking back and he indeed moved forward.

But as he swung the Testamenta Arma in place of a bat and ran through, his defenses opened for an instant.

The hound’s cross cannon took that moment to fire from beyond the barrier formed by the silver wolf’s chains.

He saw the wolf biting her bottom lip and waving her right hand toward his charge.

The blast arrived on a collision course, but Takakane still reached his hand forward.

“Dammit!!”

As the destructive light flew toward him, he opened his throat wide and cried out.

“This isn’t the end! This isn’t the end for Tres España!!”

The blast was going to strike as he shouted those words, but just before it did, a few movements obstructed his movements.

“Captain!!”

A dozen or so arms and bodies grabbed him from behind and threw him.

These were the main members of Tres España’s baseball team. They had caught up to him.

“!?”

And the instant after he escaped the blast, Takakane saw the night sky.

He had flown over Tama’s starboard edge and into that sky.

Takakane understood that his teammates had saved him.

He could see those teammates falling through the empty space around him and entering their proper falling positions.

The wind blew upwards where the Musashi quickly flew westward.

They all looked up at the Musashi, but a few of them were still holding Takakane’s back and shoulders. Their strength seemed to be restricting him from going back there.

As he looked up at the bottom of the Musashi, he could feel his fall accelerating.

And while falling in a straight line, he heard the voices of the comrades still holding him here.

“Captain!” they all shouted. “The game is over!”

He heard them all breathe and wait for him to respond.

During that pause, he gave himself over to the wind of his fall and looked up at the sky. The Musashi had already grown distant in the western sky and he passed back-first through the wind after being left behind.

“Dammit.”

He slowly relaxed his body and instead opened his mouth and hung his head.

“Dammiiiiiit!!”

The wind sped up as it carried his voice away. That wind now contained the sounds of cannons and impacts.

The Musashi had filled a large portion of the distance to Tres España.

While Takakane fell, there were two movements on Tama.

They were the pursuit and mopping up of the Tres Españan students still on the ship. The pursued vermilion uniforms threw themselves into the air and were picked up by the Velázquez or Valdés ships, but some took action too late.

However, someone saved them by drawing everyone’s attention into the sky.

“Taka!”

A voice and a giant white form descended from the sky.

It was Tres España’s 2nd Special Duty Officer Era Fusae and her god of war Michiyuki Byakko. The god of war created and ran across a wheat field and path which now formed a vertical downward slope.

The Byakko raced down faster than if it simply fell.

However, the Musashi had a method of intercepting the vertically descending Byakko.

“Contact!!”

The color vermilion flew into the air from the rear of Tama.

Jizuri Suzaku was launched directly toward Michiyuki Byakko.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 64|Chapter 64]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 66|Chapter 66]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 63

2015-04-24T19:15:38Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 63: Donators on the Mound==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0923.png|thumb]]
''It is always after the fact

''That you realize

''It was important

'''Point Allocation (Receiving)

The wind ripped through and the mist danced about.

The moons were visible in the sky and their pale light illuminated all. Down below, a boy faced a boy and girl.

They were Noriki and the Valdés siblings.

The mist surged like waves and scattered, but the brother and sister took their pitching poses. The sister threw underhand with her right arm while the brother threw overhand with his left arm.

“A three-pitch game?” asked the brother. “We will be trying to hit you with all three. But what will each side give the other if they lose?”

Noriki lowered his stance as he answered.

“If you win, I’ll smile. I won’t smile.”

“Testament,” agreed Pedro, the brother.

The sister raised her eyebrows.

“We’ll make you smile five times as much as my brother always does.”

“Sister, there isn’t enough time in a day for that. I am seriously worried about your poor arithmetic skills.”

“Call it math,” replied the sister while she and her brother continued their pitching motion.

A glowing mist came from the Holy Spell charm activators attached to their waists and enveloped them. The brother spoke first.

“We of the Bungo Navy and the Watanabe family offer a prayer to the saint of sailors, Saint Elmo.”

The sister bent and twisted her body in response.

“Mouse ‘El Fuego’ – Receive.”

Cross emblems opened in the space between them, on the backs of their hands, on their elbows, and on the other connected parts of their bodies.

“Oh, holy flame. Put the wind to our back, our target in front of us, strength in our shoulders, and a will in our hearts. Please let us remember our strength and bring light to the darkness even if there is no light in the heavens.”

“Yes,” they both nodded. “Burn, oh flame!!”

They both released their bodies. It looked less like they were throwing the metal balls and more like they were stretching themselves a step forward. The foot they brought forward rang out as they slammed it to the ground. The cross emblems over their bodies burst and flames flew from the two metal balls they threw.

“Go, magic ball!”

As soon as they shouted, a certain phenomenon occurred: the two balls vanished.

Noriki frowned.

“…!!”

A metal ball suddenly appeared right in front of his chest.

And it hit.

Flores, the Valdés sister, saw the enemy knocked backwards. While still doubled over, his back broke through the barricade of wooden containers behind him and he rolled along the deck afterwards, so Flores swung down her clenched fist.

“Strrrrrrrike!! Batterrrrrrr out!!”

“Sister, you have gotten quite good at rolling your r’s recently, so I’m beginning to wonder if you have become a resident of Hexagone Française. Also…”

“Also?” asked Flores as her brother prepared to pitch again.

She understood what that movement meant.

“Look, sister. He is not out.”

The enemy had stood up. It was not quite to the point of casual, but he shook his head, rolled his shoulders, and slowly but surely stood.

Flores wondered how it was possible, but he reached into his work vest and pulled out a metal panel that had bent by about seventy degrees. Her eyebrows slowly rose when she saw that

“Do you put those in your pants and shoes too when working in dangerous areas?”

“If you understand, there’s no need to explain it.”

He threw away the metal panel and took a stance again. However, this stance was different.

“Oh?” muttered her brother.

The enemy was turned to the side with his left shoulder leaning forward. His center of gravity was pushed forward onto his left knee.

This stance left little area for their balls to hit and allowed him to thrust his fist out in a straight line.

Flores understood he was serious now, so she prepared for her throw. She made the same motions as her brother but from below and the cross emblems appeared all over her body.

All the while, she kept the enemy in the center of her vision.

“Burn, oh flame!!”

While looking to starboard, Horizon saw Noriki slammed into the barricade once more.

She sat on a cushion she had brought to the bow and she produced a cup of tea from her storage space.

“I have determined life does not progress as one wishes.”

“How many cups of tea did you stick in that space, Horizon?”

“Amazingly, it preserves the heat. I have determined it is a surprising ability.”

She reached behind and passed a new teacup to Toori.

“Roasted tea! Horizon, did your love circuits have you guess my must-have favorite!?”

“Oh? So your favorite is the same as the shop owner’s? Like mother, like son. She must have influenced you.”

“D-dammit. You just have to find a way to defy me, don’t you!?”

“Quiet,” said Horizon.

She was watching the broken barricade where Noriki stood back up, even if he was unsteady on his feet now.

“Are you sure this is not a problem?”

“Judge. Noriki’ll be fine, so don’t worry. When you work in construction on the Musashi, falling from double-digit meter heights is pretty common.”

“That is not what I meant. Should we really leave this fight to him?”

“There’s even less reason to worry about that.”

Horizon tried to listen to Toori’s reasoning, but the idiot reacted to her silence instead.

“U-um, are you mad that I kind of talked back to you there? Are you mad? Are you legit angry?”

“I have already told you countless times that I do not have the emotion of anger, so I will omit that explanation here. Now, please continue.”

“I think I’m losing confidence in myself as a student entertainer… Anyway, you don’t have to worry about Noriki. It’d be rude to him if you did.”

“Rude?”

“Yeah.” Toori sat casually next to her, rested his chin on his hand, and looked toward the battle. “Ever since he came here as a kid, he’s worked every day.”

“My memories do indeed contain observations of that scene at least a few times.”

“See? Anyway, that’s naturally given him some pretty decent physical strength. But it’s a lot of work for him to support his family on his own, so we never invited him to this kind of commotion.”

But…

“Once we entered the second year, he was always there with us. I’m sure he’d thought up all kinds of excuses, but we could tell. He wanted to hang out with us just as much as he wanted to work and support his family, so it’s just stupid to ask if it’s a problem for him to be here. If it was a problem, he wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

So…

“Just watch, Horizon. We’ve got the perfect seats here.”

Pedro, the Valdés brother, saw the enemy spit bloody saliva to the deck.

He had lost the metal panel from his vest, so the damage had to have gotten through.

However…

“Brother, we would’ve been in trouble if we hadn’t noticed.”

“Testament,” agreed the brother while truly meaning it. “He took a step back at the instant of impact.”

With the first hit, the enemy had memorized the timing with which the disappearing magic ball reappeared and he had taken a step back just after they had thrown the balls.

But the step back made it harder to hold his ground. That was why he had leaned forward to help hold his ground as much as possible.

“That was an excellent decision, but we’ve seen this method countless times. Right, brother?”

That was right. They had fought many such people in the past and so the Valdés brother spoke to Noriki.

“We set the magic ball to reappear one meter back from your stance. That is why it scored a direct hit despite you stepping back. Do you understand now that your efforts here are wasted?”

“They are not wasted,” said the enemy. “A method either works or it doesn’t and thinking about when it doesn’t is not worth my time.”

At that, the sister glanced over at her brother.

He understood.

Neither the first pitch nor the second had scored an absolute direct hit. That had been made clear with the second pitch.

The enemy had hit them with his fist.

Of course, he had not gotten in a perfect hit. After all, they were reappearing less than thirty centimeters in front of his chest, so he was unable to fully extend his right fist for a clean hit. The real reason he had stepped back for the second pitch was likely to have room to extend his arm properly.

But even if they were not clean hits, his fist had still touched both pitches.

He had deflected them, but the first pitch had hit the right side of his chest and the second had hit near his right shoulder.

That difference in location meant something.

…''His timing is improving.

If a foul ball flew directly backwards, it meant the timing had been spot on. The second pitch had been close to that.

“Let me warn you,” said the enemy. “I understand the trick behind your vanishing magic ball. I’ll punch it next time.”

“Brother!”

The brother prepared for his pitch without turning to his sister.

The enemy’s spell strengthened his punches and had a dispel effect on an opponent’s spell that it recognized. In other words, he would see through their magic ball system and then score a hit. This enemy was close to being their natural enemy.

However…

“Sister, there are no intentional walks in a three-pitch game.”

He continued his pitching stance and the enemy pulled back his fist.

The boy turned to the side and raised his forward leg.

…''That’s the flamingo batting stance!

He would take a step forward as he made his strike. He revealed his intentions ahead of time, but he received his maximum strength in exchange. He was planning to take back the strength he lost in the dedication of the first and second pitches.

''Splendid,'' thought the brother.

No one would face them back at home and very few other people wished to face them even in battle, so it was wonderful to have an idiot willing to go all out against them like this.

“Sister, if we are true baseball players, we must respond in kind. Give this your all and I will do the same.”

The two of them simultaneously launched their pitches.

Noriki stepped forward with a throbbing tempo in his support leg.

It resembled the timing of his pulse, but a moment later…

“…!!”

His foot crashed onto the deck and he launched his right fist.

He twisted his entire body, bent his knees, and slightly raised his lowered hips.

“!!”

As the Valdés siblings entered their follow-through, they reacted to his quick step forward.

“Too slow!”

That meant one thing.

He could not step back and hit. And if he moved faster, he would be able to hit.

As if to say he understood, Noriki added in more speed. His left arm was pulled behind and its elbow shot up above his back and his right leg kicked off the deck behind him.

“Ahhhh!”

He forcefully spun his body forward.

He moved toward empty space, but his fist tore into that emptiness. He twisted a half rotation more than usual to increase the force of his punch which he sent…

“Here!!”

With the sound of shattering glass, light scattered between him and the Valdés siblings.

A moment later, something else appeared between them: two metal balls.

One was a high line drive and the other one was on its way to hop up from below.

As the two began to overlap, Noriki punched the one coming from below.

And he hit.

…''He punched them at the point of unification!? Well done!

The Valdés brother saw the ball he pitched hit the barricade over the “batter’s” shoulder.

And the ball his sister had pitched was hit back at them.

This was the result of the enemy fully seeing through their magic ball.

Part of him could not believe it, but a part of him had known this moment would come eventually.

Their magic ball made use of the donation of charity that was mentioned in the Testament. As a way of providing what they had in excess to those in need, the two of them would simultaneously “donate” the ultimate pitch to their enemy.

…''But two simultaneous pitches is not the best donation for them.

The enemy could only receive one pitch at a time because a donation that would fill both their hands was not allowed.

That was why the siblings combined the two with a spell. The spell caused the two trajectories to cross and the paths and strengths of the two balls would combine into a single “donation”.

This spell pitch was only possible with a brother and sister who could perfectly match each other’s timing.

Also, the pitch combination occurred in a dedicated space created by the spell.

As a result, the single pitch would appear at the point of intersection where the two pitches had been altered into the optimum pitch.

And the other would be returned as if to say it had never happened.

“…”

The brother looked to his feet. The balls he had supposedly thrown during the first and second pitches lay there.

That was because the optimum pitch had used his sister’s ball.

This was not because he was trying to make her look better. He had always helped her out in little ways.

…''But that is why something has started feeling off in my left shoulder.

He had not told his sister because the timid girl might very well quit pitching if she knew.

However, they had been defeated just now. He had had a bad feeling when their enemy had deflected the second pitch upwards.

That had meant the boy was targeting his sister’s ball that rose up from below.

He had unnecessarily removed the metal panel from his work clothes after the first pitch, but that had likely been to check the angle the pitch had hit him from. And if he worked in construction…

…''When he was fixing the city behind him, did he research the buildings our pitches hit!?

''A splendid enemy,'' thought the brother.

The boy had almost certainly shown up specifically to face them.

…''I doubt he could have smiled even if we had won.

Meanwhile, the ball that was hit right back at the pitcher flew toward his sister.

She was standing there in a daze, but he could protect her by shoving her out of the way. However…

“…!”

The brother took action.

Horizon saw the result.

“Noriki-sama has lost.”

As she watched, the Valdés brother had brought the game to an end.

He had used his left hand to stop the ball Noriki had hit back and Toori muttered what that meant.

“He’s out with a line drive catch. But…

“Brother! Your hand!”

Blood was spilling from the dominant hand he used to pitch. Catching the metal ball with his bare hand had caused a few nails to practically burst off the hand.

“Kh,” groaned the brother while forcing the corner of his mouth to rise and raising the ball in his hand. “Victory goes to our magic ball!”

“Judge,” muttered Noriki.

The Valdés brother turned to Tama with his sweat scattering in the wind.

“Captain Takakane! It looks like this is as far as we can go!”

The Valdés siblings’ ship forcibly removed its anchor from the Musashi.

The Musashi was already raising its speed, so the small ship would be knocked away at any moment. The other ships also removed their anchors.

“The bombardment team will begin pursuing the Musashi! Fight well, the rest of you!”

As the ships left all at once while battered by the wall of air, Noriki raised a hand down below. Blood was flowing down from the gauntlet on his right hand and he pointed at the Valdés brother’s raised left hand with that bloody hand.

“If you start now, you can still make it in time for the next Olympics.”

The Valdés brother nodded and spoke while vanishing into the distance.

“Keep an eye on the daily newspaper’s sports section.”

“You just lost your covering fire. Are you sure you want to continue? We have also sent out one of our uncontrollable Technohexen.”

Takakane shook his head at the merchant’s words and he looked to the bridge ahead of him.

“You’re the one that’s in trouble. You’ve only got 300 meters left.”

“As long as I defeat you, the distance makes no difference. …None of this is going to make any money.”

“Then are you gonna stop fighting?”

“No.” The merchant shook his head. “If Musashi wins here, it will be a good business opportunity. As long as we collect the Logismoi Óplo, money will come pouring in for me. What a wonderful time to be treasurer.”

“Even though your ships were damaged and your people injured?”

“None of that has anything to do with money. Damage to the ships and injuries occur due to the strategy we use, the actions we take, and the situation we are in, but that also means they will not occur in certain situations. However, the situation known as battle assures that money will pour in for me. Yes, I love money, so this is wonderful.”

“You really love gathering money, don’t you?”

The merchant lowered his hands and expressionlessly replied to that question.

“Make no mistake. The best part about money…is spending it.”

With that, something flew from both the merchant’s hands.

Takakane reflexively held his long bat in both hands to block them.

Two solid sounds later, the two objects were lying on the ground.

“Ten yen coins? How cheap can you be?”

“I wanted to use one yen coins, but Heidi insisted that would lower our store’s reputation.”

“That’s a hell of a way to maintain your reputation.”

“Don’t say that,” said the merchant while flicking more coins.

He sent them up and down this time to target Takakane’s head and legs.

However…

“That ain’t gonna cut it.”

Takakane rotated the long bat vertically and two more solid sounds filled the air. The two deflected coins once more fell to his feet.

“My defense won’t let anything through. I’ll knock it all to the ground in front of me. This is how I attack too. My role as vice chancellor is to perform the ultimate squeeze play.”

“So you love loss. I find that difficult to fathom.”

“Don’t say that,” said Takakane as he began to run forward.

The merchant flicked two more coins at him, but…

“That attack isn’t gonna work on-…”

His words were stopped by two loud blasts.

“!?”

Takakane stopped running and lowered his hips.

…''What were those impacts just now?

Two ten yen coins lay on the ground before him, but white smoke was rising from his bat. The smoke came from the heat caused by the friction of the impacts.

“Did you use an acceleration spell on the coins like Technohexen do?”

“Technomagie is a relatively effective system of spells, but it cannot compare to the magic of money.”

The merchant brought his hands together as if praying and a clear sound rang out.

“Take a look at this.”

He pressed his hands together, lightly snapped them, and then spread them to either side. Between them, sign frames appeared with the same density as pages in a book.

“These are the contracts of all the students participating in this battle.” The merchant looked toward Takakane. “These say that one-tenth of the student’s attack power used in this battle will be supplied to me and, in exchange, I will pay them an amount equal to one-tenth their pay. On top of that, I have used a merchant’s distribution spell to divide that power among all of my coin attacks. This process requires the power to pass through several spells and gods, so the strength drops by about 50%, but…”

The merchant opened the side cover of his side tail and pulled out a small pot. He held it under his left arm and stuck his right hand inside up to the wrist.

“This is a money safe with the inside space expanded. When I need to clear my mind to think, I simply stick my hand inside and let it swim through the ocean of money. But at the moment, it is the storage space for the bullets among which I have distributed my attack power.”

Takakane held his bat up defensively while the merchant waved the hand inside the pot as if to brush something away.

This launched around a dozen coins at high speed.

“According to the Testament descriptions, the Far East had a tradition of throwing money outside in order to drive off evil. And in ancient times, spirits of the dead and the like were apparently referred to as ‘oni’. Can you stand up to this oni-repelling attack?”

“No man wouldn’t like being called an oni!”

Takakane swung his bat and began repeatedly knocking down the merchant’s bullets. Solid sounds and the glimmer of coins continually bounced up from the ground and he slowly made his way forward.

“We’re out on the ocean, so this isn’t Far Eastern airspace! We’re in the land of the oni now!!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 62|Chapter 62]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 64|Chapter 64]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 62

2015-04-24T00:49:51Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 62: Attack Units in the Sky==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0887.png|thumb]]
''What do you do

''If they show an opening?

'''Point Allocation (Attack)

A small ship belonging to Tres España’s track team was the first collide with Tama’s deck.

The track team used the impact to perform the long jump from their ship’s deck and they reconfirmed the location of the enemy’s defensive formations from their elevated position. An enemy unit tried to rush toward them, but they threw javelins to scatter them.

Other ships followed, but the covering fire for the track team came from the sky off the starboard side.

“Okay, brother, start with the ones closest to ours! No targeting only the guys because you hate them!”

“Sister, it is not that I hate guys. But if you compare the two, I will choose the girls every time. If you understand now, then let’s get started.”

The Valdés siblings threw high-speed metal balls from their small ship, but they were not alone. Those without enough strength formed lines at set intervals on the deck and started from the back.

“Relay!!”

They used an acceleration spell to throw a metal ball to the person in front of them who would do the same as the ball flew through the air.

“Acceleration relay!! The enemy’s over by third!”

The acceleration from the relay of acceleration spells and the altered line of fire between the different lines ultimately threw the accelerated metal balls along paths with forty-five degree differences in angle. The speed was greater than the previous attack and the firing angle had been increased.

As a result, the defenders also had to deal with enemy fire at an angle, so they were forced to fortify themselves in a half circle.

“Tama” and “Musashi” sent out gravity barriers to support them, but with the possibility of the San Martín firing, all they could do was defend against the repeated close range shots.

Finally, a single figure appeared on the battlefield. Behind the catchers forming Tres España’s front line on the front starboard side of Tama, Tres Españan Vice Chancellor Hironaka Takakane descended with a long bat on his back.

He gave a sidelong glance at the enemy formation and spoke.

“Looks like I’ve got no choice. I’ll knock them all out of the way, so you all follow me!”

“Testament!” replied the others behind him.

He moved forward as shells and arrows flew toward him.

“…!”

He held his long bat in a bunting pose and deflected them all downwards as he ran.

His destination was the rear of Tama where the bridge was located at the base of the arrival and departure deck.

He had to travel approximately one kilometer and it was an almost entirely straight journey using the outer edge and the corridors alongside it.

He pointed toward the bridge that was built small and low to not interfere with arrivals and departures and he shouted.

“If we take that, this ship will stop. And if we do that…”

His legs had no feet, but he started running even faster.

“If we do that, the Musashi won’t be able to move and it’s all over!”

A moment later, a flying shell once more shook the air.

The San Martín had fired a third shot from the starboard side.

“Musashi” was busy dealing with the Valdés siblings’ attack, so she could not help much with the third shot targeting the rear of Tama. Instead, “Tama” and “Takao” responded with their gravity barriers.

“We will deflect it! Over.”

With a great roar, they defended against the attack, but another automaton shouted back.

“The guns on Tama’s starboard side cannot return fire due to the concentrated fire of the enemy god of war squadron! Over!”

That announcement brought sweat to Adele’s brow.

…''They know we can return fire, so they’ve worked out a countermeasure.

Next to her, “Musashino” frowned which was unusual for an automaton.

“The San Martín moved from the rear starboard side to directly on the starboard side in order to support the landing team.”

“Judge,” replied Adele while listening to the enemy god of war squadron attack and scatter. The gods of war leaving likely meant the San Martín was also leaving. “ ‘Musashino’-san, is the San Martín’s speed the same as we predicted?”

“Judge. It is a high-speed ship. The standards would mean it can rival the Musashi’s inertial cruising after gravitational cruising. I would predict the San Martín is currently falling back behind Takao, but…”

“Musashino” tilted her head a bit.

“Judge. I can determine I am likely mistaken as my prediction for the second firing location was incorrect, but the best possible estimate based on my individual decisions is that it is farther back than Takao on the starboard side. But is it really?”

“Is it really? What do you mean?”

“Judge. Adele-sama, I detected ''the same thing'' from the situation surrounding the first and second attacks. However, I detected ''something different about the situation'' in between the second and this third attack.”

“Musashino” looked to the rear starboard side.

“My judgment is that the San Martín is located there and thus we should attack there. However, I also suspect that something is wrong because there is an uncertain element in the decision,” she said. “Adele-sama, something simply felt ‘out of place’. Do you understand what I mean? Over.”

Tres España’s god of war squadron saw the Musashi’s starboard guns turn aft.

They had clearly predicted the San Martín was located there.

The gods of war could not allow them to fire and so they attacked the guns from the air, but the Musashi used their gods of war and other defense units to defend those guns.

Tres España’s god of war squadron performed their attack, but they confirmed that the starboard guns were completing their preparations to fire.

As they exchanged attacks, they saw the starboard guns finish aiming.

An instant later, one of the gods of war sent out a divine transmission. It was C2 who was acting in C Leader’s place and he spoke a single word.

“Fire.”

Just as Adele prepared to give the starboard guns the order to fire, “Asakusa” suddenly reacted to something arriving.

“Low-speed shell detected!”

As for the direction…

“''Directly to the port'' of Asakusa! The San Martín has circled around to the port side!! Over.”

“The port side!? Over.”

The automatons quickly turned from starboard to port.

They had predicted the enemy would be to the rear starboard side, but they could indeed see the white line of a flying shell directly to port.

“Asakusa” desperately pursued the shell with gravity barriers. The shell struck them with a clear sound and was diverted enough that it collided with Asakusa’s 3rd derrick which was already broken.

With the sound of destruction, smoke filled with pieces of construction materials rose from the base of the third derrick.

They had somehow survived, but a dumbfounded atmosphere filled the bridge.

“Why?”

Adele knew what the automatons meant.

…''Their prediction was wrong.

It had happened before and it had happened again now. The San Martín was not in the gap they had determined it would be in.

Adele asked “Musashino” a question.

“Does moving to the port side match the San Martín’s speed?”

“Judge. A high-speed ship could make that move if it used its full speed and mobility. Over.”

“In that case,” said Adele. “Can’t we assume the San Martín used our prediction against us by circling full speed to the other side?”

“Judge. But even with primary stealth, maintaining their full speed with no after-effects should be-… No, it is not our place to say anything after having our predictions overturned. Over.”

Adele shook her head after hearing “Musashino” speak.

She had her own doubts.

“ ‘Musashino’-san, did you sense something ‘out of place’ in this fourth attack like you mentioned before? And situation-wise, how do you view the relationship between the third and fourth attacks?”

She nodded and looked directly at “Musashino”.

“We might take some damage in the process, but let’s break through the San Martín’s stealth cruising. I think what felt ‘out of place’ for you is the same thing I just realized.”

She took a breath.

“Let’s go achieve victory.”

The Musashi fired.

As Takakane and the others ran toward the stern of Tama, they saw the guns on the outer edges of the Musashi fire directly to both the port and starboard. They were firing on the empty sky to either side, but they gradually changed angle to fire a barrage across both sides a lot like closing outstretched wings. It was a sweeping stream of shells.

“They’re trying to keep the San Martín from circling behind them and using the barrage to guide it forward. Doing the same on the starboard side must be a way to keep it from circling to that side.”

And they had a reason for guiding the San Martín to the front.

“That’s where their princess waits with her Logismoi Óplo. Although its range is only three kilometers, so the Musashi will have to move forward.”

A ''cadena firma'' made of crosses appeared next to Takakane’s face and produced Velázquez’s voice.

“Wouldn’t it be bad if the Musashi moved forward? What if that qualifies as them pursuing us?”

“Do you know the exact qualifications for that pursuit, Velá?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be asking. You know I’m not fond of meetings and the like.”

“Testament,” replied Takakane.

An enemy interception unit arrived from ahead and to the left. It was Musashi’s ground warriors.

At the same time, bullets flew from behind. He turned toward the fellow baseball players who had fired and they removed their hats and bowed.

“We will handle this!!”

“Don’t you run away!!”

He smiled and nodded to them before running past the enemy warriors while his teammates gave covering fire.

He moved from cover to cover while staying low and a few of his classmates slipped away to secure his escape or deal with the enemy. He waved at them and spoke to Velázquez through the ''cadena firma''.

“The pursuit is a simple thing. An enemy ship has to attack or sink one of our ships after we pass the line of pursuit. Normally, that would be the provisional border between England and Tres España that’s located between here and Fusae’s fleet. Basically, the Musashi has to cross over there and capture or sink a ship or they have to otherwise establish a pursuit. It’d be easier if I could draw a diagram,” he said. “But Fusae and the others are already prepared to make sure they can’t establish that pursuit. Just watch.”

He turned around and saw that almost the entire main fleet had its bows pointed to the left and right. That turned all of the side guns toward the Musashi.

“The fleet can’t fire while we’re here, but that formation allows them to evade when the Musashi actually arrives. The Musashi will probably use their gravitational cruising when they do, but Fusae’s fleet will scatter to the left and right so it charges in too far on its own and is offside. Then we can claim they’re taking advantage of the history recreation to invade Tres España’s provisional borders. Also…”

Also…

“Even if the Musashi attempts to turn around, it’s just too big and it will be moving too fast. It will have to take a very wide turn which gives Fusae’s fleet enough time to regroup and time for the San Martín to attack from behind. Of course, if we take over Tama’s bridge before then, we’ll win before it even gets there.”

As he spoke, the Musashi shook. It was transferring from its quasi-mobile state to its mobile state. White spray scattered into the sky and the shaking in the deck grew gentler.

“So the Musashi is going to move. That means it’s about time for the real fight to begin.”

A certain sound responded to those words: a male voice from directly ahead.

“Yes. It is about time. Time to spend some money.”

A man sat with his legs crossed in a chair at the center of the path.

Takakane came to a quick stop and spread his arms to stop those behind him. He then gave a single laugh and faced forward.

“You’re a perfect opponent for me, Musashi Treasurer Shirojiro Bertoni.”

“Judge,” agreed Shirojiro in his casual clothes and while sitting on an expandable sofa that attached to the hard point parts on his waist. “But let me be clear about something. Our store’s bats will hit the ball much farther. Why not try them out sometime?”

Shirojiro stood up.

The angle of the sofa changed and became a side tail binder. Anti-gravity light came from the bottom of it as it supported his body. That side tail could be used for acceleration and to hold its user in place, but it could also be used as a storage space for peddling.

As the tail transformed, Takakane chose not to split up his assault team.

“You aren’t making this a duel?”

“No. I cannot have your men heading to the bridge while I fight you. If I have a chance, I will target your men as well. I showed off my power at Mikawa, did I not?”

“Testament. It was a neat trick using over a hundred people’s strength like that. I’m sure you can use it here too, but…”

Takakane rested his bat on his shoulder and looked directly at Shirojiro.

“That’s the perfect opponent for someone who can defend against any attack.”

“Most likely,” agreed Shirojiro before pointing at the sky and listening to the shellfire from both port and starboard.

He was pointing at that barrage meant to drive the San Martín to the front.

“We cannot see your stealth ship, but by pursuing it with this barrage, our Lacking Headquarters can sink it. You will lose a lot.”

“Hah. Don’t be so sure. You may be up at bat, but things aren’t going to go well for you if you miss. Also…”

He held the long bat in front with both hands. He carried his Testamenta Arma on his back, but he could not use it while they were still within England’s provisional territory. That was why he focused on defense with his bat.

…''So he is making this a pure competition of skill.

As Shirojiro thought, Takakane pulled his helmet over his eyes and glanced toward the barrage of shellfire pursing the San Martín on either side of the Musashi.

“It doesn’t matter to us if you find the San Martín or not. We’re here to capture this ship, so how about you play along for a bit, merchant?”

After that comment, Shirojiro heard a shell being fired in the sky.

…''Is that a low-speed shell from the San Martín!?

He looked to the front of the Musashi where the shellfire from either side was closing in like wings, but there was nothing in the sky there. He did not see the path of the San Martín’s shell or hear the noise it would cause.

That meant the San Martín had not been driven to the front.

“What!?”

He did hear the sound of a flying shell, but it was not coming from the front.

That meant the low-speed shot had not been fired from the front or the forward port side.

“The rear starboard side!?”

“It is targeting Takao from the rear starboard side!! Over.”

The Musashi’s bridge was in an uproar and the automatons exchanged glances.

“Our prediction was wrong again!? Over.”

However, the trajectory of the flying shell was clear.

That left a single fact: at some point, the San Martín had moved from the front port side, slipped through the Musashi’s shellfire, and circled around behind them.

They all frowned and wondered what was going on, but one person took action.

That person was Adele. She raised her right hand to silence the others. The Musashi had stopped firing, and the starboard guns had been ordered to rapidly turn toward the back, but Adele gave a different order first.

“Please defend Takao!”

The coming low-speed shell had been fired from close range. “Takao” was opening gravity barriers, but she did not stop it in time.

The shell hit at an angle, broke through the barriers, and struck the base of Takao’s second derrick diagonally from above.

Its speed had been dropped, but the impact shook the ship and blasted construction materials into the air.

The starboard guns had yet to fully turn toward the rear starboard side, but Adele clenched her right fist.

“Let’s make this damage to Takao the last!!”

She took a breath and swung down her arm as she shouted out.

“Both of you, fire!!”

An instant later, the Musashi fired twice.

First, it used the port guns that had supposedly failed to pursue the San Martín and fired into the empty air.

Second, someone fired from an elevated area in the nature district on the stern of Takao.

“Put all of my internal Blessings into a barrier purification!!”

“Clap!”

One of Asama’s large arrows flew through the air directly toward the San Martín.

The Musashi students then saw two things in the sky.

One was a large vermilion ship revealed when Asama’s arrow burst into white light in the rear starboard sky.

The other was on the front port side almost directly in front of Asakusa.

“Hit confirmed!!”

Fragments of armor and the scattering spray of the stealth barrier filled the air. As the wind blew them out of the way, a vermilion ship identical to the one in the rear starboard sky appeared.

The San Martín was simultaneously located in the rear starboard sky and the front port sky.

When everyone saw that, they let out a cry.

“There were two of them!?”

As various cries of admiration filled the bridge, Adele smiled and nodded.

She reached both hands toward “Musashino” for a high five and the automaton tilted her head. But after a pause, she appeared to reach an understanding and accurately placed her own breasts in Adele’s hands.

“Will this help you as a comparison? Over.”

…''Nwohhh! That statement has a response difficulty rating of “normal”!

However, she also felt she had succeeded. Currently, a close-range battle had broken out on both sides of the Musashi, but with the enemy location revealed, everyone’s anxiety had been relieved, their morale had risen, and they were working together perfectly as they defended or attacked. She could hear their voices over divine transmission.

“D-dammit! How could they trick us like this! I-I wasn’t scared or anything! Not at all!!”

“Chancellor! Keep the Blessings coming!!”

“It’s your fault that I couldn’t take my bathroom break and now I’m reaching the red zone there!!”

''We need to do something about how everyone is a little too honest,'' thought Adele. ''And will that third person last with all the shaking from the shellfire?

Meanwhile, “Musashino” bowed.

“Adele-sama, you have eliminated our doubts about our predictive capabilities. Thank you very much. Please use us in the future when you need something calculated. …But how did you manage to predict their locations? Over.”

“You were the one that said it, ‘Musashino’. You said there was something odd about the relationship between the enemy’s first and second attacks and their second and third attacks. But with the fourth attack…”

“Musashino” spoke up as if to supplement Adele’s words.

“The relationship between the third and fourth attacks was the same as that between the first and second. But how did that help? Over.”

The other automatons must have had the same question because they turned toward Adele and nodded, so Adele replied while receiving reports and giving new orders.

“Between the first and second attacks and the third and fourth attacks, we tried to return fire where the San Martín had initially fired from and were attacked from the opposite location. However, the relationship between the second and third attacks was different. The attack came from where we predicted.”

“Judge. That was why I was unable to raise the accuracy of my decisions. Over.”

“That’s right,” said Adele while raising a hand and indicating the two ships. “But if you ignored that one different relationship and only focused on the relationship between the first and second attacks and between the third and fourth attacks, it was obvious what the San Martín was doing. When their initial shell would give away their position, they would fire a second shell from the opposite side to trick us. That was all.” She took a breath. “They would place a fellow ship in the precise location they would supposedly be moving to and, if one of them was about to be attacked, the opposite ship would attack to stop the attack against their ally. It was likely the god of war squadron that told them when the Musashi was going to attack. That squadron was partially here to attack us, but they were also assisting the San Martín.”

So…

“So if we continued firing instead of stopping, we could hit one of the ships. And having Asama-san helped with revealing the other one. There aren’t many people who can fire a large-scale purification for a dispel. Asama-san, are you listening? Thanks.”

'''Asama:''' “I didn’t do all that much.”

'''Me:''' “That’s right! If Asama got serious, it would’ve gone well beyond that!”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh heh. Very true, foolish brother. That was just the beginning! Prepare yourselves, prey!!”

'''Asama:''' “Ah, these siblings really piss me off! Oh, and Toori-kun? Please send me the Blessings for my next job.”

''You sound like you’re enjoying it to me,'' thought Adele while watching the enemy’s movements.

Currently, the San Martín to the front port side was taking quite a bit of damage.

To give it high-speed and stealth abilities, the low-speed cannon on the front was its primary weapon and it had little other armaments.

In order to escape, it fired its secondary weapons and low-speed cannon while circling around to the rear port side.

However, Adele sensed something off about that action.

“Huh?” she muttered. “Don’t tell me…”

“Musashi” suddenly heard Suzu speak.

“The same thing…as the first time…is coming!”

“The first time?”

“Musashi” questioned Suzu’s words as she opened gravity barriers toward the San Martín moving along the port side out the window.

“Suzu-sama, what do you mean by the ‘first time’? Over.”

The San Martín that had fired on them for the “first time” in this battle was most likely the one to port that they were already engaging in combat.

However, nothing about its actions as it retreated into the port sky suggested any kind of attack was coming from it.

But Suzu tilted her head at the question as if to ask why.

“The first time…is the first time.”

“Musashi” did not understand, so she thought for a quick moment.

She recalled that Suzu had had a similar comment about their opponent earlier.

It had been when the San Martín had fired on them the first time.

…''She said, “So that…first sound was…the shell being…fired.”

What had that meant?

…''The “first sound” would be…?

At that point, “Musashi” made a certain prediction and realized she had made a certain misunderstanding.

“Suzu-sama, when the first shell was fired earlier, you mentioned a ‘first sound’. I have two questions about that.”

She asked while convinced that the answer could reveal a danger which would overturn everything.

“When exactly was that ‘first sound’ you mentioned? Also, when was the ‘first time’ you mentioned just now? Over.”

“Eh?”

Suzu tilted her head as if confused why the automaton did not understand.

“I mean…the first time…a while back,” she said. “Th-the attack that first d-damaged the Musashi. When Tres España attacked…before we reached England.”

Suzu gave a clear answer.

“I heard the same thing…as that ''first time''.”

In that moment, Adele realized something.

Why had the two San Martíns shown themselves and drawn their fire outwards?

Why had the main enemy fleet stopped firing and why had the gods of war dispersed?

And the last out-of-place fact that had come to her…

…''Why hasn’t the enemy ever targeted Musashino’s bridge!?

That was not because the main fleet had feared damaging the landing team or because their hands had been too full to target it.

“There is a third ship directly ahead!! This is their true attack they’ve kept in reserve!!”

As if in response, something appeared in the sky directly in front of them.

It was a third San Martín.

“…!?”

Before the third vermilion ship making everyone gulp could fully appear, Adele shouted out.

“All defenses to the front!!”

But the sound of the shell being fired came first. “Musashino” did open gravity barriers, but…

…''It’s too direct a shot!

The barriers would lower its speed, but it would push through. “Musashi” could not assist with her gravity barriers because she was using them to handle the attacks to the port and starboard sides. The attack to the front was more important, but it was an issue of whether the automaton could switch over quickly enough.

Just as Adele realized the shell was going to hit, the color black filled her vision.

“Musashino” had moved from the side to protect her, but that was not why.

“Is that…!?”

A single high-sped ship flew in from above and starboard to move into the low-speed shell’s path.

From the bridge, Adele could see the emblem of England’s Oxford Academy.

“Trumps 4 ‘Pirate Queen’ Grace O’Malley!?”

“Testament. Honestly, this is pretty sad after you said you didn’t want England’s help. I was hiding and watching as an observer, but I decided to do this on a whim. I know I’m disobeying my orders, but I’m used to fighting with the queen and I have a debt to repay.”

“A debt?”

“Testament,” replied Grace’s voice. “When the Musashi arrived at England, that stealth ship attacked you. You had to have suggested using gravity barriers to deflect it, but that only would’ve worked if you gave no consideration to deflecting the shell into England. And during the ridiculous turbulence afterwards, you protected our ship with your buffering control. So…”

So…

“I’ll repay you by protecting the nation and ship named Musashi with the Pirate Queen’s Granuaile.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the shell struck the side of her ship. The high-speed ship bent in a shallow V-shape and spun sideways into the sky to the left, but light entered its rear accelerator as if a final powerful breath.

“Don’t think the Pirate Queen is going to do nothing more than take damage!”

With the barrel-roll motion, the ship flew into the port sky and travelled in an arc toward the damaged San Martín there.

The damaged San Martín noticed and attempted to take evasive action, but the Musashi’s shellfire would not allow it. A shot to its bow stopped the vermilion ship.

“Evacuate!”

The crew of the damaged San Martín attached speed buffering spell charms for the fall and jumped off the ship. At the same time, the crew of Grace’s high-speed ship similarly jumped out into the sky while holding spell charms that would allow them to land.

A moment later, the high-speed ship performed a rotating body press on the damaged San Martín.

With a great roar, the two ships dented and bent as if intertwining.

“Port side, fall back!!”

After that single order, the two ships exploded in the sky below the Musashi’s port side.

The explosive blast scattered the ocean on the Musashi’s surface. This produced mist and wind, but Adele combed a hand through her hair on the bridge and spoke out once more as if to shake off a great many things.

“Continue fighting!!”

Adele’s voice was followed by the aftereffects of the blast washing over the ship.

A certain confrontation was taking place on the starboard side of Tama, the Musashi’s second starboard ship.

A unit primarily made up of Tres España’s baseball and track teams was exchanging fire with the defense unit, the landing team travelled across Tama’s bow, and warriors that crossed over from Murayama and other ships intercepted them.

“…!?”

The Valdés sister, Flores Valdés, realized a metal ball had been thrown back at them, but it was thrown like a game of catch rather than as an attack. It was targeting…

“Brother! Watch out!”

“Sister,” replied the brother in question. “This is the battlefield, so that should be obvious. But I am happy that my sister is worried about-…”

The ball hit his face as he turned to look at her. It produced a dull sound, but it was as light as a slap.

The sister saw her brother’s face transform into a shallow V-shape, so she spoke to him as he crouched down and held his face.

“I told you to watch out.”

He stood back up and moved his jaw back and forth to fix it back in place.

“Sister, if you must pity someone, pity the enemy. We are Catholic, so we love pity and sympathy.”

The mention of the enemy and her brother’s gaze led the sister to look into the group of enemies. There, a single boy stood between two defense units. He was a narrow-eyed boy in a work vest and gauntlets.

He stared at the siblings and slowly raised a hand to point at the metal ball the brother held in his right hand.

“You forgot that, so I returned it.”

“Is this the Saint Elmo magic ball from when we attacked before?”

“Judge. It’s the disappearing one both of you threw simultaneously. We did manage to fix the city you destroyed...”

He pointed toward the city behind him that was accumulating rubble from the current attack.

“But don’t give us unnecessary work.”

“Testament. Then what should we do now?”

“Judge,” replied the boy.

He lowered his hips and prepared his right fist at the waist.

“How about a duel with the one rule that it be a three-pitch game.”

His voice reached them over the din of the battlefield.

“With three hits, I will defeat the Valdés siblings.”

The high-speed ship and one of the San Martíns exploded in the port sky.

The wind from that raced across the port ship, across the gap, and finally reached Tama.

From the center to the stern of Tama was an area where the city still mostly remained. The port side residential district looked like a ghost town or an abandoned city and two girls currently stood there.

One was looking up at the moons. She stood upwind and wore a vermilion uniform.

“Tachibana Gin, 3rd Special Duty Officer and Steel Master of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares.”

With her two false arms held in a natural stance and long, narrow cases attached to each shoulder, she faced another girl.

This one wore a black Far Eastern uniform with blue armor.

“Honda Futayo, Vice Chancellor and Strike Forcer of the Far East’s Musashi Ariadust Academy.”

With a long spear in hand and her ponytail blowing in the wind, Futayo faced her opponent.

“Why are you here?”

“To restore my husband to his rightful position.”

“Your husband?”

“Master Tachibana Muneshige.”

“Ohh.” Futayo gave a nod of understanding in the night. “He was a wonderful man. I was quite inexperienced, so he was able to teach me quite a lot.”

“Really?”

Gin’s eyebrows rose a bit and Futayo gave a deep nod.

“Judge. We came to a mutual understanding through combat. How I was able to guess just how much work he had put into obtaining that strength likely only worked in one direction, but…”

Futayo paused to think for a moment.

“To use an English term to hide my embarrassment, you could say the two of us had sex.”

Gin felt dizzy for an instant.

She could not believe it, but no one would normally lie about that in a situation like this.

…''Th-then…

How much time had there been for something like that back then? It had taken her five minutes to run to him.

…''But if he finished that quickly, he must not have been feeling well.

Futayo nodded twice with a reminiscent look on her face.

“During what you could call our second round, he was very, very fast.”

“Second round!? Um, he must not have been very into it! Normally, he would-…!”

“Judge. I apologize. I was not trying to say your husband had done a poor job and I am sure everyone knows how you feel. On the Musashi, everyone saw it on the PR committee’s broadcast, but didn’t they broadcast it in Tres España too? It was shown live.”

“Live!? N-no. From what I remember, the most important parts must have been cut out!”

“I see. Catholic moral regulations can be strict. Are you not allowed to show it if there is blood?”

“Th-there was blood!?”

“Yes.” Futayo lowered her head a little. “I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I stabbed into him several dozen times at the end.”

“What? S-so you were not the one being ‘stabbed into’!?”

“Judge. I was the one doing it. I believe the exact number was around fifty. Muneshige-dono did well to protect his most vital parts.”

Gin almost fell to her knees.

…''Wh-when Master Muneshige wakes up, I must erase these terrible memories!!

After carving the number fifty into her heart, she corrected her stance and spoke.

“I will make up for my husband’s disgrace!”

“Judge. Your bond between husband and wife is truly wonderful. I heard from my father that you have the skill needed to inherit the Tachibana family and your father, Tachibana Dousetsu, initially intended for that to happen.”

“Testament,” replied Gin. “But according to the Testament descriptions, the inheritance was given to Muneshige who was adopted into the family. And if that history needed to be recreated, I was meant to inherit Muneshige’s name as a double inherited name.”

As she spoke, Gin removed the twin cross swords from the hard points on her waist and held them with her false arms. She rotated her wrists once to check on the motion before continuing.

“Master Muneshige challenged me again and again. I assumed he was a foreign boy who was after the Tachibana name and was not taking it seriously enough, so I drove him away every time. However, he defeated me in the end.”

Thinking back, she realized she had not been honest back then. She had been confused by the strange new emotions she had started feeling.

“Even after that, I would suddenly attack him or put poison in his food.”

“That sounds like a fulfilling married life that would keep you on your toes.”

“Testament,” agreed Gin. “But even after all that, I continued to lose and I finally accepted him.”

''I am a troublesome girl,'' she thought.

She had thought she could do anything, so she had refused to accept him unless he outdid every single thing she could think of. However, he had chosen to accept it all rather than outdo her and she had found that comfortable.

…''But I never thought it would turn him into a bottom!!

She pulled her two Arcabuz Cruz guns from the two-pitch space in her false arms and she looked to the enemy before her.

“Now, then.”

As soon as she said that, her footing shook.

The Musashi had begun to move, but not forward as she had expected.

…''It is descending!?

The ship’s ocean was being deflected into the sky on either side like giant pillars of water.

The scent of wind and salt water and the white noise of surging spray vanished into the sky. Gin slowly looked up at the moons visible through that ocean canyon and then she looked back to the female warrior backlit by the moonlight.

Gin understood the battlefield had begun to move and she opened her mouth to speak to her foe.

“Let us begin.”

With that, she fired on her opponent.

Adele listened to the instructions Neshinbara sent as he approached the Musashi and she raised her right hand to give an order.

The Musashi was making an emergency descent and Neshinbara was explaining why.

“Now that the San Martín has shown itself, we don’t need to stay still and search it out. That means we only have to move forward and recreate England’s pursuit of them, but with two San Martíns and the god of war squadron around, we can’t calmly use gravitational acceleration. And now that their trick using multiple San Martíns has been discovered, they’ll start attacking more aggressively. So…”

They dropped down while temporarily abandoning the ocean on the side and bottom hulls of the ships.

“Drop down by three hundred meters. That should be about two levels for the Musashi. Lower that much and the height difference, turbulence, and mist created by the drop will prevent the god of war squadron and the San Martíns from touching you. However, there’s one thing the Musashi can use the produced wind for.”

Beyond the water spray rising up, the small Tres Españan ships of the landing team shot anchors into Tama’s starboard side. Not only did that keep them near the Musashi, but it also prevented them from capsizing in the turbulence created by the drop. However, Adele ignored them and gave an order.

“All ships, use visual confirmation to work together and angle up by fifteen degrees. Also, move in reverse at extreme slow speed!”

“All ships, move in reverse at extreme slow speed! Over.”

As if a great weight was bearing down on them, each ship’s bow tilted up to look into the sky. However, taking that action while falling caused the ships to slip backwards like leaves.

Slowly but surely, the Musashi moved backwards. While feeling the motion from her chair, Adele gave a new order. This was how Neshinbara had said to use the wind of the fall.

“All ships, open the external hull for gravitational cruising!”

On the bridge of the third San Martín which was actually the primary one, Segundo and Juana watched the Musashi’s actions. It dropped down and opened its outer hull for gravitational cruising as if presenting wings to the pressure of the wind. The opening of the outer hull was guided by the air resistance, so it shook the ship yet finished quickly.

Also, the raised bows of the eight ships were pointed directly at something.

“They are looking straight at the main fleet. In that case, we should turn that way as well. We will pursue the Musashi from behind once it passes below us. And once we pursue it and push it beyond the main fleet, this will all be over. How long will it take for the accelerated Musashi to reach the main fleet?”

“Testament,” replied Juana with countless ''cadena firma'' set up as her workspace. “Approximately 200 seconds, chancellor. As long as we push it past the main fleet afterwards, we will win. Also, the effectiveness of the main fleet’s cannons will rise after 140 seconds which is 60 seconds after the Musashi enters Tres Españan waters. That will be the time limit for the landing team, but if the vice chancellor takes control of Tama’s bridge before that, we will also win. Currently, the 2nd special duty officer is considering escape routes and regroup coordinates for the main fleet. I am also managing all of this to keep it coordinated.”

“Testament. It sounds like victory will be ours, but what will Musashi’s strategy be?”

“Eh?” asked Juana.

Everyone else on the bridge did the same and stared at Segundo, but he continued to examine the battlefield diagram on the table.

“Musashi must defeat any one of the ships in our main fleet, but if the fleet will scatter before they arrive, they need a way to keep at least one ship there.”

“They would need something that could arrive even faster than the Musashi and could keep a ship there.”

“They have two candidates. The first is their half-dragon 2nd special duty officer. He would be quite a problem if he boarded one of our ships. However, he is Catholic and is thus unlikely to attack and he has yet to arrive back on the Musashi. What they are more likely to send out ahead is-…”

At that moment, the officer in charge of monitoring the Musashi called out.

“Enemies detected on the Musashi! They are on the bow of Musashino, their front central ship!”

The enemy was…

“Technohexen! Their 3rd special duty officer is carrying anti-ground equipment and is accompanied by an escort unit!!”

Just before the Musashi opened its outer hull and established the internal ether pathway, three Technohexen took off from the runway on the bow sticking out from the front of Musashino and flew straight into the night sky.

Naito remained at the tail end of the Technohexen unit and one of the two with speed-related spells was chosen to fly in the lead.

The leading one used her full strength to pull the other two through the turbulence.

They made it through that turbulent airspace with the following two entering the slipstream created by the first.

“Nai-san! Did you drop any of your equipment!?”

“No, I’m fine! Judge, judge!”

Naito was equipped with her Schwarz Fräulein and the ''schale besen'' had a cart attached.

“I never thought I would have to pressurize my acceleration canon by using all the internal ''auspuff'' Orei Metallo that Ga-chan gave me. But with this much, it should reach the level of a god of war rifle and break through a ship’s deck.”

Her calculations said she could fire three times. She would need to approach and fire straight down, but the bullet had a penetration spell on it. If it hit, it would get through somehow or other.

The two leading Technohexen, one from the same year and one an underclassman, looked over their shoulders at her.

“Naru-san didn’t make it in time, huh!? Even if she can’t fly, I still wanted to see her give you a kiss before we took off!”

“I’m not sure being extra fired up would help much here. And wouldn’t that be a death flag?”

“Maybe,” said the leading third year while throwing away a long piece of paper with formulas and calculations written on it. “I’m going to get out of here before my tail end explodes! The rest is up to you!!”

As her broom spewed smoke, she brought it into a roll and withdrew. The underclassman then accelerated forward, dragging Naito along behind her. She pushed her broom until the gravity repulsion was about to split the end of the broom.

“Go, Naito-san!”

Naito continued straight ahead toward the center of the enemy fleet acting as the rear guard. The aircraft carrier for the mechanical phoenixes from the New World was there. A few of the phoenixes were still functioning and the aircraft carrier was taxiing them so they could be sent out as a counter attack when the Musashi charged in.

“There’s no way the Musashi can avoid those when it’s moving in!” exclaimed the underclassman. “Also, make sure they can target that ship!”

Naito replied as she flew out next to her underclassman and clung to the broom that seemed to bounce off the wall of air.

“Judge!”

As she flew in a straight line, the Musashi accelerated far behind her.

The pursuit that made up the final stage of the armada battle had finally begun.

Study:
[[Image:Horizon2B_0922.png|thumb]]

The State of the Musashi and Others.

Toori: Sis! Sis! We’ve been boarded by a bunch of people and are reacting to a bunch of stuff, but I don’t really get it and am all excited! What should I do!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Excited brother, if you stick your lower body in cold water and count to one hundred, you’ll calm down. Anyway, I will explain the overall situation and give an outline of Tama where most of the excitement is happening. Make sure to thank me.

Left diagram:

Second Starboard Ship – Tama

Velázquez

Valdés Siblings vs. Noriki

The surface area is half destroyed up to here

Gin vs. Futayo

Takakane’s Invasion Route

Tama’s Bridge

Right diagram:

Battlefield Diagram

Mechanical Phoenix Aircraft Carrier Planning to Counter with the Phoenixes

Tres España’s Main Fleet will Disperse

Musashino’s Attack Route

Naito Out Ahead

The Musashi

The Two San Martíns

Toori: Nwohhhh! Everyone’s all crammed together! Okay, I’m gonna use your map to go get in everyone’s way!

Kimi: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Where do you think you’re going?

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 61|Chapter 61]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 63|Chapter 63]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 61

2015-04-22T19:31:51Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 61: Defense Units in the Sky==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0865.png|thumb]]
''What do you do

''If they don’t show an opening?

'''Point Allocation (Defend)

As the battle sent tremors through the ship, Heidi ran through the sixth basement of Okutama. She occasionally placed exhaustion recovery charms in her mouth and the circular meter indicating its remaining power would fully rotate around and vanish. She complained to herself how much physical strength she was using and she finally arrived in the cargo area that filled the 16th wide block.

Unlike the larger specialized cargo areas in the first port and starboard ships, this was a standard Musashi cargo area that used the same space as any of the wide blocks. She used a password key to pass through the wooden bulkhead door that was used in place of a guard station and she immediately relocked the door after stepping inside. The only others inside were Marube-ya staff who had the same key.

The long and narrow floor was filled with Musashi-style wooden containers that had been shoved inside from the hatch on the stern end. All of the student merchants opened the access hatches on the top of one of the containers.

“Oh, Heidi! Sorry for calling you here, but come look at this!”

They pointed inside from above.

Heidi tilted her head and wondered what it was as she climbed the ladder on the side and spoke to the others.

“Lord Howard gave us this, didn’t he? Isn’t it the so-called present he gave us just before the Musashi left port?”

“Judge. That’s right, but what is it?”

Everyone got down on hands and knees to look inside from the narrow space above.

She tilted her head again. One only needed to peer in from above when the cargo was a liquid, a grain, coal, or some other granular object. Simply put, it was for any cargo that would spill out as soon as the side was opened. Shirojiro had already checked through everything, but he had not said anything about this and he was currently out on business.

“Well, if I don’t know, I can always ask him. So what is it?”

Everyone peered in at once, but there was no need to ask what was contained inside.

“Rocks?”

The container was filled with rocks about the size of a child’s head and the others looked troubled.

“It’s true rocks are valuable on the Musashi. Some people say they need them to make pickled foods. But still.”

“We aren’t supposed to pour them down on people in battle, are we?”

Heidi listened to all their ideas and frowned.

“That glasses man!”

…''Oh, but Shiro-kun checked over it.

“Then it must be something good! It has to be, right!?”

“Did someone brainwash you, Heidi!?”

“You just don’t understand,” she complained with a snort, but she still tilted her head.

What were these rocks good for?

After a sudden vertical vibration, one of the others hit his head on the ceiling.

“That was an attack from an enemy god of war. I recognize the sound from Mikawa.”

That meant…

“The battle really has begun!”

Adele watched the attack by the enemy god of war squadron from the bridge.

…''Santiago Caballero is a famous aerial god of war squadron, so seeing them in action is a great learning experience.

Tres España’s god of war squadron formed units of three and attacked with five such units.

Of the three, two rotated between attacker and assister and the third acted as the controller and leader who monitored their surroundings and sent targeting information.

Two units fought at close range while two others covered for them and they set up a rotation of roles as well. The final remaining unit covered for them all and commanded them. Its covering fire primarily came in the form of sniper shots.

The continued rotation of the attacks eliminated any losses and allowed them to fight indefinitely.

…''They’ve clearly been well-trained.

The fighters of other nations’ academies would often act in teams on a daily basis, even in their normal lives. They would go as far as to eat and bathe together. Their academy classes and presentations were all together and those lovely young men would appear in academy divine TV ads saying “Alcalá de Henares! We may be broke, but just look how big our smiles are!” Adele felt that was a bit different from how the horrible people in her class acted. They were so defenseless that Naruze would make a gay doujinshi about them in an instant.

And as they attacked, the Musashi focused on defending. It was said defense was easier than offense, but that was not necessarily the case. After all, everyone here was more or less a beginner. Just like at Mikawa, the most they could do was track the shells and gods of war with capture spells and then intercept them.

However, they were still fighting.

It was an entirely defensive fight, but they had a plan.

Neshinbara had yet to arrive, but receiving his assistance via divine transmission was a huge help. In truth, Adele was neither a commander nor a strategist. She was only in command due to the process of elimination.

…''I’m convinced I’ve lost some weight during these past few hours. I’m not going to say from where, though!!

Actually being out on the battlefield was easier on her mind, even if it was not easier on her body.

Currently, she was watching the enemy gods of war from the bridge.

However, they were not yet perfectly handling those gods of war. The Holy Spell chaff was still clinging to the Musashi, so the automatons could not instantly exchange information through their shared memories.

Nevertheless, they were using handwritten memos and other methods to gather and transmit information.

''They’re really desperate,'' thought Adele before asking a question to “Musashino”.

“When do you think the wind will render the chaff ineffectual?”

“Judge. This is only my personal estimation, but I would say twenty minutes from now. Over.”

Their strategy until then was to wait, but there was something they could do before that: defend, endure, and persevere. Afterwards, their efforts would be repaid with a chance to attack.

…''Either way, we can’t move until we sink the San Martín.

Adele waited for their chance with nervous sweat appearing on her forehead. She raised her right hand to give a command and realized she might be a little too into this.

“Not much longer now.”

While the Musashi settled into defense, the Tres Españan god of war squadron wore down those defenses and confirmed the location of their forces.

“B2 leader to Base1. It’s no use. The water on the bottom of the ships is flowing up too thickly. They seem to be changing the thickness in the areas we approach. A ship’s cannon could probably get through, but with ours, we need to split apart the water for a direct hit or it won’t get through.”

“Testament, Gran Muñeca unit. This is Base1. They most likely have lookouts, so please attack them if you spot any during combat. But do not try to follow them if they escape. Moving them from their post even temporarily is good enough.”

“A1 leader to C leader, please swap us out with A2. My left knife is about to break, but we’re in a bad position. We’ll remain until the last second, so have them attack from the top. …Oh, damn! They’ve got a lock on me!”

“C leader here. Testament. A2, you’re up. A1 leader got unlucky. Use the designated course to attack the first starboard ship from the designated position.”

“A2 leader here. Testament. What, I don’t get to watch him panic as they trail after him?”

“You got promoted just before we were sent out, so I’m not gonna let you just sit around.”

“It’s better than being promoted afterwards.”

“That’s true.”

They all laughed and continued exchanging divine transmissions as they fought.

“It’s about time we had a serious discussion. …How’s their air defense? Has anyone been stupid enough to check?”

“Testament. It’s thick but its range isn’t that big. It seems to be about five hundred meters on average. It makes sense when you remember they’re using what were originally developed as anti personnel spells. We should be fine as long as they don’t hit us in the joints or gaps in the armor. But be careful about the face. You don’t want your sensory devices reflexively shutting down.”

“Shut that off, you amateur. Are you still complaining about the wind hurting?”

“C’mon, I’ve got sensitive skin. …Anyway, where’s their Technohexen unit? I didn’t like the looks of their attack on the mechanical phoenix unit.”

“Those phoenixes came in too straight because they’re used to the beasts of the New World that aren’t on the lookout for an attack. Don’t forget that we can move in three dimensions. They haven’t been trained well enough to follow us if we do that.”

“Testament,” they all agreed and they all knew each other well enough to recognize each other by the voice alone.

But sometimes, their smiles would vanish in an instant when someone gave a report and that happened now.

“C leader to units A, B, and C. I’ve calculated the area Musashi’s defense unit covers and I’m sending it to all of you. The way they’re using the passageways and hiding behind buildings suggests locals of each area are in charge of defending it. It would be best to destroy as much cover as possible before Captain Takakane’s landing team arrives.”

“Wait, wait. If we try to fire horizontally, our own fleet will hit us from behind.”

“Why didn’t you turn down that promotion?”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who’s working to pay off his mortgage. …Unit B1, let’s go. We’ll approach the second starboard ship via 8-2, lower to 150, and attack the surface. Scatter at 11. Let’s see if we can make our way out along the roads.”

“Testament,” replied C1 as the god of war squadron worked together. “Let’s destroy the surface. Don’t leave any walls behind. Create a pile of rubble and tear a hole in the ship.”

Adele watched as the god of war squadron lowered its altitude and attacked Tama.

Tama was primarily used for diplomacy and trade and its surface area was mostly residential, but the front of the ship was being flattened by Tres España’s blasting spells.

…''It’s like they’re saying this is where they’ll land.

Currently, containers of armor for repairs were being sent to most areas to combat the destruction. The passageways leading underground were sealed off and “Tama” had locked down the barrier doors along the corridors.

It would not be an easy place to enter from and there were plenty of obstacles before reaching anywhere important.

However…

“The defenses leading to the bridge in the rear are weakest on the second ship. The bridge is built low so diplomatic ships can moor themselves.”

…''So this is the most dangerous place for them to target.

The sounds of gods of war firing and flying through the air seemed to support that thought.

“The enemy god of war squadron is switching between low-altitude bombing runs and quick withdrawals! Over.”

The looping attack of descent followed by ascent continued one, two, three, and then a fourth time.

However, the gravity barriers and defensive formations were holding. There were danger reports, but Adele was patient.

And on the seventh attack, something arrived at the same time as the two attacking units, so she swung her right hand forward.

“3rd special duty officer! Please handle this!!”

“Judge!!”

Several figures flew out from Musashi’s inner hull.

They were black Technohexen.

They flew out before the transport route’s side hatch could fully open and they stood on the outside of the hull as if flipping themselves around. They already had acceleration spells prepared on their brooms or other weapons.

“Herrlich!”

But when they fired, it was not at the enemy.

They were all firing directly ahead and at the same altitude.

They simultaneously fired along the path of the gods of war attacking the surface from low-altitude.

None of them were trained well enough to target the enemy by sight, so they had decided on an altitude and all fired ahead to draw a straight line.

There were twenty-one of them and they each fired a roll of coins worth one thousand yen. The horizontal barrage created by those people and that currency flew toward the six enemies.

“…!?”

Two took direct hits and one’s right arm was hit.

They had been hit.

Of the two that took direct hits, one had the scatter shot of coins bite into its wing expansion mechanism which caused the god of war to tumble in the air.

It reflexively moved the opposite wing which accelerated the tumble.

As it spun away through the air, its right leg was bent the wrong way when it struck the deck and the entire machine fell off the inner side of the ship.

The other one that received a direct hit received no actual damage because the coins hit its armor, but the other one that was hit on the right arm lost control of the rifle that arm held.

“…!”

A shot hit the first god of war in the back of the left thigh, but it still maintained its posture. With no concern for appearances, it immediately evacuated upwards.

However, the one that had fired the shot stopped moving for an instant and that was a mistake.

The anti-air fire of the defense unit focused its fire on that one which had ended its three-dimensional motion and come to a stop.

The god of war was bending back at low-altitude, so the gaps in its armor were opened wide when viewed from below. A metal spear was accelerated into its stomach and it convulsed before colliding with a building.

“!!”

After its armor broke and strength left its body, the god of war fell into empty air off the outer edge of the ship.

That was two defeated.

But someone took action after the repeated losses to the god of war unit: C Leader who acted as the unit’s leader.

He rapidly ascended to a safe area out of range of the Technohexen.

He looked down to check on the Musashi from overhead and get a grasp on the enemy’s location.

However, the enemy was moving toward him.

This enemy rapidly ascended after moving from below the ship and up the outer hull.

“The Schwarz Hexen from Mikawa!?”

Naito fired.

She was already equipped with Schwarz Fräulein and she held up the broom with multiple layers of acceleration spells.

“Neshinbara Tou-chan can be pretty nasty in how well he reads things.”

As she spoke half in admiration and half in exasperation, she took an instantaneous action.

Just like in Mikawa, she fired up into the sky. C Leader tried to escape, but he was too slow to raise the wings on his back.

…''I can’t accurately guide the shot without Ga-chan, though.

His reaction had been slowed because he had only just escaped and come to a stop. Because the other Technohexen had fired from the Musashi, he had subconsciously assumed he would be safe up in the sky.

But Naito took advantage of that.

She held up her broom and used the several layers of acceleration spells.

“Herrlich!”

The supervisor of the Tres Españan god of war squadron was pierced through the left side and out the back.

A cheer rose from the Musashi and they covered for the descending Technohexen.

The god of war squadron scattered again and the sky cleared up for a short time.

In that moment, a ship-wide announcement from “Asakusa” cut off everyone’s cheers.

“To the northwest off the port side at ten o’clock!”

“Asakusa’s” voice shouted a direction.

“Low-speed shell detected! Tres España’s stealth ship has fired! Over!!”

Tres España’s stealth ship named the San Martín had supplied the damage that had kept the Musashi stuck in England and it fired on them again now.

“Preparing defenses! Over!”

“Musashi” handled the gravity barriers from the waiting room next to the bridge.

She coordinated the defensive walls with “Asakusa” on Asakusa without using their shared memory.

A single shell flew their way. It was a physical shell and it had no divine protection or spells applied, so a dozen or so gravity barriers would be enough to divert it.

They could not communicate their thoughts via shared memory, but they could statistically predict where the other would move first based on their past movement patterns. “Musashi” virtually synchronized her actions with “Asakusa” despite not being able to see her.

“We will divert this shell! Over.”

The shell ultimately struck the torii-shaped gravity barriers, lost speed as it broke through a few of them, and finally burst.

“…!!”

Cheers rose from the left side of the ship. “Musashi” could no longer see the shell from where she was, but…

…''It must have been diverted!

There was no second shell. Given the time from “Asakusa’s” shout to the interception, the enemy seemed to be staying more than three kilometers away in fear of Horizon’s Logismoi Óplo.

Defending against a shot from the stealth ship that had damaged them before was sure to raise morale and the guns on the Musashi’s port and starboard sides returned fire toward the position the San Martín had fired from.

However…

“The shells are passing through!”

Their shells did not hit the enemy.

“The San Martín has left the corresponding area!! Over!!”

“Musashi” thought. She made an estimation based on the hit they had previously taken near England.

…''I have determined the San Martín can move at the speed of a high-speed ship.

They could not hit it in time by firing back after it fired on them.

That had just been proven.

…''This has gotten much more difficult.

Adele on the bridge and Neshinbara listening in over the staticky divine transmission had to be thinking the same thing. They still had not located the enemy stealth ship and would continue to be targeted by it.

The enemy was certainly moving around so its location would not be known. It would likely fire if the Musashi tried to move or showed an opening.

With that in mind, it was clear why Tres España had only sent out their god of war squadron. Bringing in the many other ships would prevent the stealth ship from moving around.

If Musashi did not locate the stealth ship, they could eventually be hit. Even if they could detect and defend against the shells, it would not necessarily work so well the next time. After all, the god of wars were searching for more weakly defended areas and acting as a diversion.

“Musashi” then heard someone take a breath from the sofa behind her.

She turned around to find Suzu whose face was a bit pale.

“Judge. Do not worry, Suzu-sama. The defense is complete.”

“Wh-what was…that?”

“Judge. A low-speed shell from the enemy stealth ship. One of those hit us before, but we defended with multiple gravity barriers this time. I have determined ‘Asakusa’ was able to respond so quickly because she has the most data on the previous hit. Over.”

“I see,” muttered Suzu before taking a breath. “So that…first sound was…the shell being…fired.”

“Musashi” replied with “judge” to help put Suzu at ease, but she suddenly felt something in Suzu’s words did not fit.

…''But what?

She had determined it was odd for Suzu to say that, but she could not determine why that was without searching through the massive database or consulting the others via their shared memory.

For that reason, she analyzed the statement with only her own artificial brain and spoke to Suzu.

“If something is bothering you, please tell me because we are working to locate the stealth ship. Over.”

Fusae quietly clicked her tongue in Tres España’s main fleet.

“Their distributed spells and ether supply allows the Technohexen and defense units to do whatever they want when we get too close. And even the San Martín will have difficulty hitting with their gravity barriers. How are things with you, Taka?”

A ''cadena firma'' appeared and produced his voice.

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me when we’re in stealth because we don’t want to make any weird noises?”

“But I want a report from you.”

“They defended against San Martín’s shell. What else am I supposed to say?”

“I suppose you’re right,” replied Fusae while she sent him text information on the Musashi’s reaction.

She thought about the condition on the distant ship’s deck.

…''Their joy over defending will have gradually faded and they’ll be growing impatient.

The Musashi was stopped and the defensive formations on the deck were being repositioned or newly sent out. They were located at the center of the ships, along the outer edges, and on the major roads and they were all in the same stances as when they had responded to the low-speed shell.

“And in response to our gods of war… Oh, there they go. Their work gods of war are out holding giant shields. They’re in groups of two and one of those two has picked up the bow at their feet and started to use it.”

“If those bows and shields fit in a god of war’s armored outfits and hands, they must be the ones England’s ArchsArt makes for giants. But just like a ballista, those arrows can’t hit a god of war even with homing spells.”

“Um, Taka? From what I’ve seen, I think they’ve been ordered not to pursue anything moving left and right or up and down. They’re only firing at stopped targets or ones coming straight at them.”

“So they’re only swinging at stopped balls or strikes, hm?”

“Testament. I’d do the same if I was them. Narrowing it down to there lets the homing actually work and raises the odds of the arrows hitting. Also, the attack spells used by their normal students have a range of only about 500, but a god of war’s arrow can reach 1500. That’s probably the main point behind it.”

“In that case…”

“Testament. The god of war units can’t descend. The coordinated firing of the Technohexen unit and the sharpshooting of that Schwarz Hexen was enough to keep them from getting too close, but the long range of their gods of war means ours need to back off a little. And since C Leader was injured too, the injured will return to the aircraft carrier. The uninjured will form units of three and perform hit-and-run attacks to gather information for the landing unit’s entry. It’s actually decent timing.” Fusae fixed her track suit’s collar. “It looks like they understand what the San Martín’s presence means. I’m sure they’ll figure this out eventually, but let’s surprise them some more until that happens.”

Adele exchanged opinions with the automatons on the bridge.

They had calculated the coordinates from which the San Martín had fired earlier. They had then compared that to the flight patterns of the god of war squadron and the locations the other enemy ships had fired on.

“Adele-sama, it seems Tres España is leaving a certain amount of space open as they attack so as not to interfere with or accidentally hit the San Martín. The San Martín is currently to the rear port side of the Musashi.”

An object representing the enemy ship appeared on the model Musashi floating in the air. It was on the rear port side. As a clock position, it was at seven o’clock.

“We can estimate that the San Martín is moving here. We can use the guns set on the back of the second port ship and the outer hull of third port ship. Those guns have an effective range of seven kilometers, so it is well within range. Over.”

“Judge.”

Adele nodded and ordered the six guns on the port side to target the corresponding airspace.

They had not confirmed the San Martín’s location, so they could only predict it based on the space left open.

…''But there are plenty of other areas that are being left open.

The key to estimating the San Martín’s location was how quickly it could move with the spatial barrier of primary stealth active.

Calculating the enemy’s location while under the pressure of being targeted while motionless was exhausting to everyone involved. Even now, a divine transmission was coming in from the completely panicked idiot on the bow.

“Adele! Adele! Is it all over!? Are we all gonna die!? Nwooohh! There’s one sexual and businesslike thing I want to do before I die! Horizon, you know what I mean, don’t you!?”

“Judge. Do you wish to receive a urine test? Make sure to include as much blood and proteins as you like.”

“Huhhh!? I thought this was a game of catch, but you just hit the ball back at the pitcher, didn’t you!? Wait, Horizon! Horizon! Why are you pulling a giant paper cup out of your storage space!? Don’t draw a line on the inside! I can’t fill it up that much! Or do you want to see me get serious!? Is that it!?”

…''I can’t do this. It’s going to drive me insane. I need to stop listening.

At any rate, the automatons’ observations said the enemy ship was a high-speed ship meant for quick decisive battles. Based on its speed and the movements of the gods of war, it was determined to be on the rear port side.

This assumption made for a dreadful opponent, but they could put up a fight if they could estimate its location.

And so Adele ordered for the cannons to fire and Neshinbara gave some advice.

“Let’s find them. Fire all across that area of sky. If we hit them, we win.”

“Secretary, couldn’t they circle around behind us?”

“The smoke coming from the Musashi is still behind you, right? Primary stealth eliminates their visual form and sounds, but it doesn’t eliminate their existence. Even if they’re using a visual compensation spell, they’ll avoid moving through smoke because it’s so easily disturbed. If they do try to pass through, they’ll go under you, so angle your line of fire there.”

They did not have to hit. As long as they showed the enemy they knew where they were, they would be on equal footing.

And so Adele passed on the firing location and…

“Fire!”

But no cannon fire came from the Musashi.

Suzu and “Shinagawa” were the first to notice. “Shinagawa” had a lot of similarities to “Asakusa” as they were both captains of the first ships and she had been looking back in sky on the starboard side in case gravity barrier defense was needed.

“Low-speed shell detected!! It is arriving from the rear starboard side!! Over!”

They had thought the San Martín was on the port side, but it was actually on the starboard side.

“Did it move above or below the Musashi to reach the other side!?”

“Musashi” had only been able to respond to the attack from an unexpected location that did not match the automatons’ prediction because Suzu had turned in that direction. That acted as an accurate guideline and she deployed the gravity barriers as soon as the shell was visually detected.

After a short delay, “Tama” deployed her own barriers, but it was too late.

They diverted the shell, but not by enough. It struck the bottom of the arrival and departure deck for transport ships and diplomatic ships on Tama’s outer hull.

With a great sound, the materials were smashed to pieces and the deck broke from its connections with the ship. Tama also shook as if being rocked by waves.

As Tama shook up and down by about three meters, the defensive formations on its deck stopped moving. Anyone working on the outer surface of the Musashi was given a divine protection that kept them on the ground, but those who had not had both feet on the ground lost their balance.

Some were thrown to the ground and others fell.

Voices of surprise, repeated explosions, and the sound of the wind could all be heard.

“Ah.”

As soon as Suzu made that noise, “Musashi” saw it.

Several small ships had appeared in the sky off the starboard side where the enemy gods of war had been firing on them.

This fleet had been towed along within the San Martín’s stealth barrier.

It was the landing unit led by Hironaka Takakane and primarily made up of Tres España’s baseball and track teams.

The landing unit quickly approached Tama while letting the god of war squadron handle the defensive formations that were attempting to recover.

“The enemy is approaching…no, they are landing! Over!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 60|Chapter 60]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 62|Chapter 62]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 59

2015-04-20T21:23:34Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 59: King on the Tower==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0821.png|thumb]]
''Is loneliness

''Truly a necessary requirement for that existence?

'''Point Allocation (Excalibur)

From the deck of the transport ship, Masazumi saw light in the northern sky.

She recognized its color, shape, and bright splendor.

“Is that the Fairy Queen’s light wings!?”

'''Me:''' “Whelp, he’s about to be burnt to cinders.”

'''Asama:''' “Wh-why are you being so pessimistic!? Tenzou-kun is at the peak of his life right now! Everything’s downhill from here, so how about we congratulate him for the moment!?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “I think we’ve found someone even more pessimistic!!”

'''Asama:''' “B-but he’s clearly about to be burnt to cinders!!”

'''Me:''' “Don’t be so pessimistic, Asama! Tenzou’s at the peak of his life right now!”

…''Don’t get into a reverse loop.

At any rate, the situation had grown dangerous. Masazumi had something to announce, but she had lost her timing.

However, she sensed emotion in the Fairy Queen’s reaction.

…''Is this a mixture of love and hate?

Did she hate Mary or not? If she really did, she would not want to approach her, but she was using her own power to face them.

“That shows just how much she doesn’t want Mary to leave.”

Masazumi nodded as she muttered to herself.

“You must have a plan to avoid Mary’s execution. Take the gamble, Crossunite.”

The Fairy Queen walked toward Tenzou with her wings fully open in the night sky.

He had difficulty perceiving her movements, but there was a reason for that.

…''She isn’t really walking. Is she having the air spirits and other spirits carry her!?

Her movement was not quite calm and not quite bold. She simply had her very location move her forward and in front of Tenzou and Mary.

She was shorter than Tenzou, but she still found a way to look down on him.

Mary firmly pressed against him, so he held her in his left arm and chest.

He then faced the Fairy Queen.

He felt intimidated, but not frightened.

For some reason, her breasts seemed lacking.

That single point allowed him to hold back his fear. He knew there was something the Fairy Queen lacked.

However, the queen placed both hands on Ex. Caliburn.

“Let me ask you this, Mary. How will you take responsibility for abandoning everything?”

“Judge,” replied the flower in her heart. Mary took a nervous breath before continuing. “I will not forget and I will make up for it as much as I can. However, I no longer desire death.”

“You wish to repay us!? We will demand a massive amount!”

“Master Tenzou and I can work hard to pay it back!”

…''Ehhhhhh!? We have to pay back an amount on the level of a national industry!?

A sudden image of his money-loving classmate putting together a high interest rate loan entered his mind, but it was interrupted by the Fairy Queen.

“I see.”

…''Wait! Um, that settled it!? For real!?

However, the conversation continued on that assumption. The Fairy Queen lowered her shoulders and opened her mouth.

“So you insist on choosing life even if it means breaking your promise with me?”

''What a quiet question,'' thought Tenzou.

It was almost as if…

…''Is she crying?

He felt as if she did not want Mary to go and was relying on her. Nevertheless, her gaze was sharp.

“Well?”

Tenzou did not turn to Mary and did not try to urge her to do anything. They had already exchanged words and body heat, so he trusted in her and she did not turn toward him either.

“I have not forgotten,” she said. She lowered her head but quickly looked back up at her sister while trembling. “There is something I was planning to tell you when I was executed.”

She let out the words with a great tremor in her breath.

“Sorry I can’t protect you anymore.”

“…!?”

Tenzou saw the Fairy Queen’s expression clearly. Her scolding look changed to slight surprise and then resignation, but it finally passed through regret, her eyes closed, her eyebrows rose, she took in a breath, and she forcefully opened her mouth.

“Do not mock me, Double Bloody Mary! I am the Fairy Queen!”

She then turned a sharp look in Tenzou’s direction.

“Luring in a fairy with sweet words is exactly what I would expect from a cowardly Far Easterner. But once a fairy has descended to the lands of men, it can no longer return to the forest. Just as the mermaid turns to foam, I will pluck the water lily here. If you are with that ninja, I am sure you will have a happy slumber even if he is only deceiving you.”

Elizabeth gathered strength in the hands on Excalibur, but Tenzou called out to her.

“W-wait! I would like to ask one thing.”

“I will not listen to your sweet words!”

''Please,'' he thought with all his heart as he shouted out.

“Try saying that again after Mary-dono draws Excalibur!”

“Eh!?”

That voice of surprise came from Mary rather than Elizabeth.

Tenzou saw her look up at him from his arm with her eyebrows lowered.

“B-but I wasn’t able to draw Excalibur.”

“You were using the wrong method.”

“The wrong method!? The king can draw it. That is all there is to it!”

“Let me say one thing.”

He judged the expression before his eyes, Elizabeth’s hands holding Ex. Caliburn, and the strength gathered in them. He kept in mind that a single wrong step would spell their doom in this delicate situation.

“Fairy Queen, do you know the method to pull three hundred swords from the ground?”

The two girls gave different responses to that question. One opened her eyes wide and the other frowned. Mary took a definite breath within his arm and spoke.

“Master Tenzou.”

She pressed up against him and held her hands forward.

“I trust you.”

He responded by holding out his hands as well and grabbing Ex. Caliburn’s hilt along with her. Their hands were placed atop Elizabeth’s so she cried out.

“Enough lying!!”

A moment later, light burst into the night.

Just before Ex. Caliburn’s sword of light was fired, Tenzou saw white light fill the blade.

“I beseech you, sword of England’s protection!!”

He spoke as if letting out a roar.

“Oh sword given by the spirits yet later broken, show yourself for the one who will protect England!”

''This is a gamble,'' thought Tenzou.

He had heard that Henry VIII had boasted that he could draw Excalibur.

He had heard that Henry VIII had researched compressed space and the Apocalypse.

And he had heard about the storage system for Horizon’s Logismoi Óplo.

All of that had led him to think up this gamble.

Excalibur was not using England’s crust as its scabbard.

“It is in a space of spirits! Excalibur, be drawn from your ley line scabbard for the protector of England!!”

As Mary heard Tenzou’s shout, she also felt him tug on her hands.

In Ex. Caliburn’s light, his palms enveloped her hands and guided them forward into the light.

It seemed like a good way to have your hands blown off, but Mary did not see it that way.

…''I trust Master Tenzou!

With that thought in her heart, she moved with Tenzou and plunged her hands into the light as a counter.

“…!!”

An instant later, Ex. Caliburn’s light exploded at the top of the tower.

Despite the light, the blast of wind, the disappearance, and the rush of chilly night air, Elizabeth did not draw back.

She merely stared intently at what lay in her hands.

It was Ex. Caliburn.

The full sword had been drawn from its crust scabbard and she held it in her hands. It was over a meter long as she held it up, but her voice was filled with surprise and suspicion.

“I drew it!?”

However, there was more than the long, sharp sword in her hands.

“What is that!?”

She turned toward the confused look on Mary’s face and the two giant swords in her hands.

It was a single large sword that had been split in two.

They floated in the air a bit and were about a meter and a half in length. The two single-edged swords were made to connect back-to-back and form a single double-edged sword.

The swords looked like flower petals or wings and Mary held them with a look of utter confusion.

While holding them backhanded, she set them on her left and right hips as if urged on by their weight. Once the floating white swords gained their proper position, gold lines of light pulsed through them a few times.

The black figure standing behind her then nodded in the wind.

“This is Ex. Collbrande.”

Mary gasped as she listened to Tenzou’s words while he supported her back.

“Listen. Ex. Collbrande was given to England by the fairies yet it was broken, so the only place to repair it was the world of spirits. In other words, in the ley lines. Also, Ex. Caliburn was given to England from that world of spirits, so….”

Elizabeth held up Ex. Caliburn and shouted as if finishing for him.

“Are you saying Ex. Caliburn was a key to where Collbrande was stored!? And it would only show itself once the king drew Caliburn’s blade toward him or herself!?”

“Judge. After all, that introduces a contradiction. What happens if the sword that determines the king is drawn toward that king?”

With those words, Elizabeth realized what her strike had caused.

“Drawing the sword toward the king. That is the ceremony for dedicating a sword to the king.”

“Judge,” answered the ninja. “Chancellor Henry VIII was researching ley lines, so I guessed he had realized this. However, he likely saw no need for two swords and decided to leave them for his two daughters.”

The dark figure spoke clearly.

“And now the two Excaliburs have been drawn. What will England do with the two who have been deemed worthy of being its king!?”

Elizabeth gasped at what the ninja meant.

Mary’s failure to succeed the throne due to being unable to draw Ex. Caliburn was part of the reason for her execution. Having her draw Collbrande weakened their justification for the execution.

After all, Mary was indeed carrying the two pieces of Ex. Collbrande at her waist.

…''She was chosen as the owner of that royal sword.

Perhaps for that reason, Caliburn had withdrawn its power in Elizabeth’s hand.

Collbrande had done the same. They seemed to be saying they would not battle each other.

“Kh.”

Elizabeth tried to decide what to do, but she heard a voice before she could.

“Fairy Queen! This is Honda Masazumi, Vice President of Musashi Ariadust Academy! I would like to propose a truce!”

“A truce!? And what conditions do you suggest to reconcile our positions!?”

The Fairy Queen demanded an answer from the voice leaving the sign frame the ninja held up.

“I could say that Double Bloody Mary is ruining the execution so many resources and so much manpower were spent on and that she is now attempting to steal the throne!”

“Then to protect your throne from her, Musashi requests that Mary be exiled to the Far East!”

For a moment, she did not understand what that meant.

…''Exiled!?

“You fool! And what about the execution!? How will you make up for those costs!?”

“Mary can repay you in the greatest way! Fairy Queen, surely you know what I mean.”

Elizabeth indeed realized what she meant.

…''So that’s it!

“Are you bringing the history recreation into this, Musashi!?”

“Judge. That’s right, Fairy Queen Elizabeth. If we are to obey the Testament descriptions, you will name the king of Scotland as the next king of England. And that king will be your nephew. In other words, you will name Mary’s orphan as the next king.”

The voice on the divine transmission called someone else’s name.

“Crossunite, the child born between you and Mary will be the next king of England.”

“Mary will escape her execution, but she will ensure England’s continued survival. Doesn’t that seem like enough of a repayment? Rather than having her protect England with her death, the Far East wishes to support her ability to protect England by giving birth to new life.”

Masazumi’s announcement brought a quiet sweat to Tenzou.

…''Yeah, if you’d told me that beforehand, the pressure would definitely have made me stumble all over my lines!

But next to him, Mary brought her hands to her heat-filled cheeks and turned to him.

“What should we do?”

That was not even a question. There was nothing to do but escape the situation alive.

…''That’s a lot of responsibility for me!!

“Crossunite, if the Fairy Queen refuses, make sure you make it back alive and bring Mary with you. I will handle everything after that. I am ordering you with my authority as vice president. Now, Mary. Do you wish to be exiled to the Far East? That is, do you wish to transfer schools?”

“Judge!”

That quick decision led Tenzou to glance not at Mary but at Elizabeth.

…''Wow. She is really, really mad.

He was glad the Excaliburs had a safety setting preventing them from attacking each other.

…''Otherwise, she would undoubtedly kill me and only me.

But rescue soon arrived.

He heard a rumbling and a roar of wind from low in the southern sky. A high-speed transport ship from the Musashi had arrived with a rope ladder hanging down.

The others who had fought in London were likely already onboard. Even if the queen rejected Masazumi’s offer, it would not be too difficult for the approaching transport ship to take Mary away.

However, Tenzou saw the Fairy Queen lower her head and clench her back teeth.

Excalibur hung carelessly down from her hand and her fingers had grown pale.

“Why?”

Mary answered the quiet question with a smile and the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

“Once you die, you will understand. It was thanks to you that I made it this far. And now it is my turn to kill you. Kill you by having a child who will take your place.”

So…

“Once that happens, let’s play together again. We can play in our own Avalon on the other side of death. But until then, we must say goodbye, Fairy Queen. This is London, city of the Fairy Queen. A lowly spirit that desired a human cannot remain here even if she continues to dream.”

She looked at Tenzou.

“I will live in a human city so that I can protect your dream. Elizabeth, you are half of me and my precious sister.”

The wind blew in and the rope ladder dangled down from the transport ship. Tenzou wrapped an arm around Mary’s waist as he prepared to grab the ladder.

In that instant, Elizabeth took a step toward them and let out a shout.

“Sister!”

The response came with lowered ends of the eyebrows and a teary-eyed smile.

“Thank you.”

With those two words, Tenzou’s vision flew into the London night.

He surrounded himself with the transport ship’s rescue.

As he left, Tenzou saw a certain sight. He saw some figures to the east of the Tower of London’s courtyard. They stood unnoticed far behind all the people watching him and Mary fly into the western sky.

…''A headless woman, a lady, and…

He saw approximately three hundred men there. The headless woman, the lady, and all the others were colored a bluish-white and partially transparent.

The headless woman and the lady next to her lightly waved in Tenzou and Mary’s direction and the men nodded.

…''Are those the ghosts said to be in the Tower of London and the people of the graveyard?

But before he could check, his vision quickly rose.

The Tower of London was now far below him.

He could only see the Fairy Queen standing on the tower’s Andamio de la Ejecución.

As for the precious person in his arm…

“Please don’t look at me.”

He knew what she meant. The fairy sisters had a faint synchronization of minds. That was why their parting had turned out as it had despite what they had gone through and they could likely still sense each other’s emotions.

Because he understood that, he pressed her crying face into his chest.

“Do not worry,” he said. “Looking at you is never a mistake.”

With that said, he looked up into the night sky. The transport ship was not moving south or east. It was travelling west where the armada battle was reaching its end.

However…

“Is that…?”

Tenzou realized that the naval battle was not going to end quite yet.

On the ship’s narrow bridge, Segundo realized the battle was coming to its end.

There were no unharmed ships around him and they were taking more fire than they were giving back.

The wheel formations had lost their shape and a lot of ships had been damaged. The rotation was continuing, but that was only to avoid colliding with the other ships.

All he could do now was order the other ships to evacuate and shift the battle into retreat.

The elderly man acting as second in command on Segundo’s ship spoke up.

“The buoyancy on the back starboard side is in the red zone! Commander! We need to withdraw as well!”

At those words, Segundo sat in the command chair he had not sat in once since the battle began. From there, he checked on the Musashi visible through the window on the fifteen square meter bridge.

“So history remains unchanged.”

He had created a situation ideal for a frenzied battle and advanced his game pieces. The Musashi’s senses were still knocked out by the spell charm chaff and the Musashi’s first and second port and starboard ships had had their surface armor and surface weaponry destroyed. Anti-fortress stakes had been driven into the ships at a few points and most of the eight ships had fires and the glowing smoke of leaking ether fuel rising from them somewhere.

He doubted the enemy’s internal frames could withstand extended use of their gravitational cruising, so that ability had been almost entirely taken from them until they underwent large-scale repairs.

Overall, it had taken a significant amount of damage.

But even after all that, the Musashi had not been sunk.

Why was that?

There were a number of reasons people could give. The most common one would likely be Tres España’s poor performance. But to put it in terms of the Musashi’s performance…

…''They used their disadvantage.

The ships’ unified senses had been taken, so they had controlled the ships separately. They had also used the noncombatant trade ships as movable barriers, the different types of spell users had been positioned at the optimal points, and they had overall worked as a team.

…''That was…

“Musashi’s own system for a frenzied battle.”

The sparks and smoke cut off his view of the enemy beyond the shellfire being exchanged.

However, he knew that Far Eastern students had an upper age limit of eighteen years. Everyone beyond those flames of war would be young. They would be the same age as his own fighters’ children.

…''Are they giving this their all?

As he wondered that, the ship shook from a hit. The deck seemed to push up against him and he heard his second in command’s voice.

“Commander!”

“Testament. Prepare to withdraw all forces. Also open a channel to the other ships.”

Segundo looked at the sea chart on the central table.

They were already arriving in the ocean southwest of England, so the history recreation of the armada battle was just about over.

…''The Testament descriptions say the retreating battle began after we created a defensive formation in the ocean southeast of England.

He then raised his right hand and spoke.

“All ships are to retreat from the battlefield and return to our nation on the route designated to you.”

He took a breath.

“We will end the armada battle here.”

The crew of the Musashi and those working on its deck noticed the Grande y Felicísima Armada’s movement.

The entire battered fleet dismantled its uneven wheel formations and…

“They’re descending!”

The enemy lowered. They aimed their cannons upwards or, if they could not, they covered the barrels with white cloth.

“Is it over?”

Smoke rose into the night air as the fleet of small ships descended. The Musashi understood what that meant, so everyone was instructed to cease firing.

They could see a lot of abandoned ships. Dozens of ships sank while spewing fire and smoke because their fuel or engine had been taken out. Their crews had already moved over to less damaged ships which were all descending.

They may have been warships, but they were only old, small models that had been modified for one last use. Most likely, simply circling England had brought a lot of them to their limit.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, someone suddenly pointed into the sky.

“Hey, look.”

A white automatic galley had been located at the center of the wheel formation that had rotated between Musashino and Tama. It was spewing smoke from its starboard side, but it was not descending. That one ship remained in the sky.

That lone ship slowly and surely grew more distant as the Musashi left it behind.

“Isn’t that Segundo’s ship?” asked a doubtful voice.

In that instant, the white galley exploded in empty air.

With nothing around it as the even the Musashi pulled away, Segundo’s ship fell to pieces while spilling smoke.

“Eh?”

It had destroyed itself, but why would it do so when the battle was supposedly already over?

The confused people watched as a figure came into view.

A single middle-aged man was visible on the burning, crumbling, and slanting deck.

It was Segundo.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 58|Chapter 58]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 60|Chapter 60]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 57

2015-04-20T15:19:18Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 57: Pair Lying in Wait==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0767.png|thumb]]
''You have willpower

''Where is it?

'''Point Allocation (Your Time to Shine)

Dudley began a high-speed rally with the Technohexen using the eight quarrels.

They both targeted the other’s body and face, so a single miss would mean death or serious injury.

They were approximately six meters apart, so their actions were taken at a point between close and long range.

They returned and sent forth attacks. When the attacks were sent back, they would hit them in backhand or volley poses. Sweat would fly eight times in a row and as many solid sounds would fill the air.

Dudley spun her body for eight backhands and then spun back for a series of forehand strikes.

…''I-I-I-I-I can’t lose!!

She would not let herself lose.

“C-C-C-C-Cecil!!”

“Got it.”

She had said nothing, but if Cecil understood, that was fine.

There was something they both understood quite well without saying it aloud.

“W-w-we are the queen’s aides!!”

A loss was unacceptable. If the aides lost, it would mean they had allowed someone to approach the queen.

…''We must not lose!

Before her, stars and the sun were being drawn in single strokes. She also saw the moon, the shapes of continents, trees, the ocean, mountains, clouds, musical notes, symbols, and even writing.

This was a skilled opponent and Dudley understood that. She had done well against Dudley in their previous encounter and an opponent like that would have polished and sharpened her skill before a revenge match.

And so Dudley spoke up.

“I-I-I-I will give this everything I have!!”

She fired the arbalests again to double the amount, so a total of sixteen quarrels were being exchanged on the battlefield.

In response, the Technohexen’s eyes opened wide.

“All-Nighter Mode!!”

She rolled up her right sleeve and changed how she held the pen. She pinched it near the tip using her thumb and forefinger and she pushed it up with the side of her middle finger.

That grip poured great strength into the pen. It was not suited for long use, but it was perfect for a short and quick battle.

Her drawings grew a bit forceful and included more straight lines.

However…

“I-i-i-is that your true art style!?”

The Technohexen did not bother replying. She merely drew in the air with acceleration lines scattering everywhere. She did not even look at Dudley. Her gaze was entirely focused on the path of the quarrels and her own lines. Dudley then saw something in the Technohexen’s eyes that watched the number of lines grow in her strengthened drawings that now formed people, landscapes, dialogue, and symbols.

“…”

She was smiling.

Dudley knew that look.

…''Jonson and Shakespeare get it sometimes!

She felt more frustration than danger and she knew exactly why.

…''You idiot!

She wanted the Technohexen to look at her, but another thought ruled her mind.

…''I won’t lose!!

Just as the girl was more focused in drawing than intercepting the attacks, Dudley also had to grow serious. And there was something that would give her a smile as she did so: being with the queen.

In truth, the Fairy Queen had quite a few problems. She made inappropriate comments quite a lot, she made a fair number of mistakes in her work, and she made misunderstandings or grew defiant far too often, so an aide like Dudley was constantly busy cleaning up after her.

…''I’m so busy I ended losing too much weight! Yes, when I weighed myself last, I had lost seven grams. Maybe I have some kind of health problem!

But just like Cecil and the others, she was intent on supporting the queen no matter what. After all…

…''She saved me.

As Cecil floated in the air and rose further to pour down more weight, she looked away from Kimi who seemed unable to move and she turned to Dudley.

…''Don’t lose. Don’t lose, Dudley. You’re really, really strong.

Cecil knew about Dudley’s past.

…''She wanted to die.

According to the Testament descriptions, Robert Dudley had been Elizabeth’s lover.

During the rule of Mary I, he had been imprisoned for political reasons and he had sworn loyalty to Elizabeth when she had saved him, but a problem had occurred afterwards. While competing for Elizabeth’s affection to acquire more political power, his wife had suddenly died. People had speculated Dudley had killed her to make a marriage to Elizabeth a possibility, so he had been shunned, he had fallen into decline, and he had died.

He had his glory, but his fall was certain and he lost all his honor. As such, no one had come forward to inherit his name and it had been forced onto a girl of the bloodline that had already inherited the Dudley name. And that girl was…

…''Dudley.

When she was young, she had lost both her parents in the oppression brought on by Catholics and that had proved convenient. It allowed for the scenario in which she act as a member of the Anglican Church to oppose Mary and then be imprisoned.

The girl had been carefully raised while ignorant of her own fate, but at one point, she had suddenly learned of it.

And once she was imprisoned, she had learned a further truth.

If her existence as Dudley would cause a scandal for Elizabeth, it had been decided that it would be best if she remained imprisoned and did not create such a blot on the queen’s reign.

That sort of interpretation was not uncommon. One’s glory was stretched out as much as possible and the inconvenient parts were pushed to the very end and dealt with quickly.

…''That’s how it works.

In that prison she could never leave, Dudley had resented the queen and tried to commit suicide. But rumor had it she was healed and kept alive each time.

Cecil had heard from Dudley countless times how the cell door had suddenly opened one day. “A-a-a-a-and it was the queen!” she would say. However, the target of her resentment had not said she was there to save her. She had not apologized or otherwise tried to earn her gratitude. She had simply reached out an arm and said the following.

“I need you, Robert Dudley. It is with you that I can bring order to my land forces and it is with you that my palace will grow a bit livelier. I can get lonely, so the latter is more important.”

Dudley had asked if she was not afraid of the scandal.

“I don’t mind, so neither should you.”

Dudley had mentioned how much she resented the queen.

“Plenty of people resent me, so don’t worry about it. I don’t mind.”

Dudley had asked what she was supposed to do.

“Use your power and die whenever you wish. That is the ultimate luxury and not many people are granted it.”

Dudley had always looked so happy while telling the story. Cecil also knew why Dudley never ate and kept on the fetters from her imprisonment.

…''She wants to remain imprisoned.

Otherwise, the Testament Union might force them to carry out the history recreation of the scandal. She was attempting to settle it with only a release on parole, but she was not doing it for the queen’s sake.

…''It’s so she can be with the queen.

Cecil felt she was the same.

The Testament descriptions said William Cecil was Elizabeth’s friend and aide, but excessive eating made him synonymous with obesity in England. He was not someone whose name anyone would try to inherit and that was why a farmer’s daughter who loved to eat had been chosen.

She had been overwhelmed when thrown into the politics and education that she did not know the first thing about.

She had wanted to play rather than study. Those around her could do so much, but she could do nothing. However, she felt it was fine if she could not do anything. In fact, she felt that was normal. It was the others who were strange. Jonson for example would suddenly give himself injections, but that had to be some kind of sickness.

She had been even more overwhelmed once she had been thrown in with all those people who could do things. Her average of thirty-seven loaves of bread a day had dropped to thirty-three. Cutting back on her food and losing weight was a good way of losing her inherited name, but she had felt that would disappoint her parents back on the farm.

Thus she had tried to find something she could do, but she had failed. Some things were simply too much for people.

If she could not do anything, she had decided to at least keep up her eating. After all, eating was fun.

She was not sure when she had realized that she could stay with the others as long as she was having fun.

However, she had found the queen beautiful even before realizing that. Cecil had started clapping when she had first seen the queen’s wings shoot out. The adults around her had shuddered, but she did not know why.

“Pretty.”

She remembered the queen laughing when she had said that.

From then on, the queen had often consulted her. She had not known what to do or what was right, but she had still given an answer.

For example…

“I think this would make some money for the moment.”

“If it’s just for the moment, then you don’t have to do it.”

“Would doing this make the people unhappy?”

“If it’s a good thing, good things will happen if you do it.”

She only ever said what she found obvious, but that seemed to be enough. She did not understand why, but the others had started consulting her too.

She knew that William Cecil had received devoted care from the queen for a long period on his deathbed. She did not know when that would happen or how it would happen, but she felt it was all worth it as long as she would obtain that.

''I don’t know what is so great about me, but that shows just how unskilled I am.

''But it doesn’t matter if I don’t understand as long as the skilled people do understand. After all, it doesn’t matter to me what’s so good about me. That’s something that helps other people.

However…

“Cecil!!”

She understood. She usually understood nothing, but this was one thing she did understand.

''Don’t lose.

''Don’t lose, me. Don’t lose, Dudley.

And to do that…

“I won’t lose.”

“Splendid.”

The warriors in reserve heard a strange girl speak. The bending of her clothes and the indentation in the ground showed just how much weight was bearing down on her, but she remained perfectly calm.

“It seems everyone is saying they ‘have to lose’ because of the history recreation and it was growing tedious. Saying you can always make it an interpretive loss is just another side of being a loser.”

“How selfish can you be?” asked someone.

“It’s not like anyone has a choice,” said someone else.

However, the strange girl continued.

“I like women who refuse to lose.”

She took a slow step forward.

“I also like men who refuse to lose.”

She took a second step and then a calm third step.

“And when I refuse to lose, I am the most wonderful of them all.”

There was no slowing to her movements. Everyone wondered why because she supposedly had a massive amount of weight on her shoulders. Their vice president was already over twenty meters up.

“A flower cannot be beaten,” said the girl. “No matter how harsh the location and no matter how much snow and dirt pile on top of it, come spring, its stalk will extend and it will bloom toward the sun. And a flower will enjoy itself even if there is no one around to see it. Also, it may wither in the fall, but it will bloom again in the spring. There is no loss there. It is constant cycle of victory.”

Therefore…

“Even under a great weight, a flower will not lose. It will rise above it and achieve victory all for its love of itself. That is why people refer to flowers as ‘proudly blooming’.”

In that instant, a change occurred in the sky above them all.

After Cecil floated even further up, her altitude suddenly dropped.

Cecil noticed something happen each time the flashy girl down below took a step.

…''I fall!?

She was falling. It became obvious at around the third step. Each further step she took worked toward releasing Cecil’s spell.

…''Why?

She did not understand. Not understanding was normal for her, but when she had inherited the name of Cecil, the adults had given her this weight spell as a part of being a competitive eater. The queen had even praised it and said seeing it put her in a good mood.

Nevertheless, it was being removed. She wondered why and felt it was unfair.

This girl was the one who had danced at Mikawa, so she had placed the weight on her to keep her from dancing. The weight would crush her and prevent her from making dance steps or lightly spinning around. The tension in the girl’s skirt was proof of that.

So how was she able to walk and release Cecil’s spell?

“You’re a pretty good example of a woman, so I’ll tell you what’s going on,” said the flashy girl as she brushed a hand through her bangs. “Spinning and waving your arms are not the only ways to dance. Do you get what I mean?”

Cecil then realized she was hearing a noise.

“Footsteps.”

“Judge. Well done. I see you’re the type to notice the small things that fools overlook. Yes. Judge. Producing footsteps, clapping your hands, and speaking out all go back to the rhythm of a drum and the origins of dance. And…”

Cecil listened to the footsteps of the approaching girl. They sounded almost like…

“The rhythm of your pulse. The origin of those rhythmic footsteps, clapping, and shouting is the most primitive rhythm. That rhythm is the wave-like music we all learn in our mothers’ womb. That is the basis from which music and dance were created. Did you know that both song and dance are said to delight the harvest? They are said to be an act of life.”

The strange girl laughed and then gave a bitter smile.

“But that’s enough for the lecture. It just doesn’t suit me.”

Cecil wanted to hear more, but she had a feeling the girl would not tell her the rest. She wondered if the queen would tell her.

However, she was currently dropping.

She decided to strengthen her spell. She focused herself and imagined herself gaining weight. With candy, cake, and cream, she could just use a giant mug. Milk would be good too. It was best with just enough sugar that it could be seen at the bottom. Add some fried meat and it would be irresistible. However, her imagination brought a change over her.

…''It makes my heart race.

“This dance is inside you as well.”

She lowered and continued to lower.

…''No. If I fall, the queen will be sad. So will Dudley. I’ll lose.

But…

…''I’m dancing too?

“Yes. The queen, that skinny woman, and everyone else are the same, so no one wins and no one loses. Just bring a hand to your chest and take a step.”

The footsteps synced up.

This racing of her heart was what happened when she was having fun. When it happened to Dudley, she would shout about her blood pressure and cause a commotion, but everyone’s standard reaction was to laugh.

If it also happened to the queen and everyone else, even if Cecil could not do anything, she and the others were all doing the same thing when they were having fun.

“We’re all dancing?”

“Heh heh heh. A politician needs to be able to make people dance as she wishes.”

The next thing she knew, even she had a smiling face of her own.

''Oh, no,'' she thought. But she also thought she had been taught something important. She truly was an idiot. Her mind was in complete disarray and she could not make sense of anything.

However, she knew she could not let herself lose, so she tried to stay true to that.

“Sorry.”

She did not know who she was apologizing to as she tried to add on even more weight. At the same time, she wondered if the excited beating of her heart would vanish if she crushed the flashy girl.

“…!!”

“Going all out even against someone of lower rank. I can respect that attitude!!”

Dudley heard the Technohexen speak, but she continued nonetheless.

“More!!”

She fired her arbalests twice for a total number of quarrels four times the initial number.

However, the Technohexen smiled.

“Here it comes! This is trouble! Miss Naruze’s in trouble! What’s this!? Is she bringing this to a dead heat just before the deadline!? Is this the same as ordering manga on the divine network despite only having half an hour to finish her manuscript!?”

…''You idiot!!

The Technohexen’s brain was experiencing the same high as one did late at night. With no concern for her reputation, she began singing divine anime songs with a serious expression as she continued her work. Meanwhile, Dudley prepared the next rally.

She removed the Testamenta Arma from her left hand.

The power to repel attacks was her own ability. She had gained it in order to reject anything and everything while in the darkness of that prison cell.

It was technically not a Testament Sign and there were several vertical scars on her left wrist. She had gained the repelling ability as compensation for those. When she had tried to spill her own blood, her tension had tightened and closed the blood vessels, so she had swung her arm in an attempt to open them.

The scattering blood had connected with the dimly-lit fairies hidden in her cell and they had protected her.

The Fairy Queen had said the following about that power.

“Do not forget that negotiation requires both rejection and compromise.”

For that reason, the queen had allowed her to hide the scars with the Testamenta Arma. Dudley had therefore chosen to only use her one hand and she would never use them both at once.

But now she would.

This was not a site of negotiation, so no compromise was needed. She merely needed to strike back.

Her enemy was using her full speed to desperately hit back the thirty-two quarrels.

“…!!”

But this was likely her limit. After all, drawing a picture was not the same as striking with a snap of the wrist. That was why her drawings had gained a lot more small objects such as writing and symbols. It was to prevent them from becoming weapons, but it could not have been easy to keep it up this long.

Meanwhile, Dudley swung both hands. And…

“Th-th-th-th-there!!”

She targeted the Technohexen’s left side. The girl was right-handed, so she would have more difficulty hitting them back from there.

She could always evade them, but…

“I-I-I-I fired one last time.”

She had fired the arbalests for the fifth time. She had sent the instruction at the very last moment while removing Brachium Justitia. It had been a gamble whether it would reach the weapons or not, but it seemed to have succeeded.

With a sound much like bursting springs, eight additional quarrels were fired. These eight would arrive shortly after the thirty-two that were already difficult to return. Something would clearly be wrong if none of these hit.

And so they would hit.

But just before they did, Dudley saw something drawn in front of her.

“A number!?”

The Technohexen had drawn numbers a few times before, but this one had a unit after it.

…''Atell!?

In that case, she had not been drawing pictures all this time. It had merely taken the form of a picture.

“You mean it was a spell!?”

The Technohexen gave a shout in response while making one last leaping motion of her pen.

“Herrlich!!”

A moment later, a magic spell expanded before Dudley’s eyes. It used all the pictures, writings, characters, backgrounds, frames, dialogues, and symbols the Technohexen had drawn to form the framework of a story.

…''A story of an impertinent girl who came to her senses once a friend slapped her!

It was a repelling defense spell.

Before Dudley could think anything more, the solid sound of the quarrels being repelled rang out like an instrument. The Technohexen gave a selfish pose of triumph toward the heavens and collapsed backwards.

“Finished!!”

Dudley understood what that word meant: her opponent had done everything she could do.

That meant it was Dudley’s turn.

“…!!”

She held both hands up toward the total of forty quarrels. She believed she could return them, so she clenched her teeth and faced the approaching wall of quarrels.

“Kh!”

In that instant, she recalled the time when she had been freed from her cell.

It truly had been a sudden occurrence. After all, no one had come to drag her out. Instead, a girl had broken through the wall from the outside. To her utter surprise, it had been the Fairy Queen who had said the cell had been kept a secret from her. From that point on, everyone had chosen not to hide anything from the queen.

…''But that was quite a thrill.

The power to repel in order to protect herself was an important power that could be called her very identity.

However, it seemed she needed someone else to provide the power that dispersed her own darkness.

In the present, she faced the wall before her.

“M-m-m-me too!!”

She decided that she had longed for that ever since that moment.

Two actions filled the next instant.

One was Dudley’s repelling hands sweeping through empty air.

The other was the approaching quarrels being struck forcefully from above and stabbing into the ground. There was only one reason why the quarrels would fall so suddenly.

“Cecil!?”

Cecil had placed her weight on the quarrels rather than her enemy.

That could mean only one thing: she was no longer specifying a single target for her weight.

…''She’s falling!?

Dudley turned around and saw Cecil begin to fall from a height of about five meters. A normal human was unlikely to be too harmed in a fall from that height, but the situation was different for Cecil who could not move very well. The damage her weight would do to her bones would go beyond dangerous.

However, the crazy girl stood below Cecil.

“Heh heh heh. I’m not sure I can manage this one.”

''It’s no use,'' thought Dudley. ''That strange girl’s spell is meant to deflect, not to catch.

And so Dudley tried to rush over there.

…''My spell repels too.

That meant there was nothing she could do.

“Show your willpower!!”

In that moment, a group charged in from a different direction. A group of warriors rushed below Cecil.

They caught her and lowered her speed, but…

“Gwaaaah!”

They were crushed.

Dudley was dumbfounded as they all fell over, but they all gave thumbs ups while flattened beneath Cecil. Dudley gave a sigh of relief and looked to her left arm.

A bit of heat had gathered in the scars on her wrist and they turned a pale red.

…''This power is meant to protect me and only me.

So how was she to protect others? ''That’s a question to think about,'' she told herself while looking around the area.

She saw enemies and allies.

She needed to form an official confrontation using that arrangement.

“W-w-w-w-we have done what we were meant to do, but I suppose it ended in a no contest due to intervention.”

“Heh heh heh. So you’re going to get out of it with that excuse?”

“I-I-I-I-I will take you on any time. As long as there is a reason worth risking our nation for.”

Dudley turned north toward the Tower of London.

“Now, perhaps the queen while bring an end to this!”

Tenzou ran.

About one hundred meters down the road and to the right, he could see the Tower of London.

He was on his way to the northwestern tower, but he could not see the top of that tower from his current position.

He breathed heavily while wishing it had been the closer southwestern tower.

He continued on. It was just one more road. Just one hundred more meters. Once he crossed the moat and climbed the wall, he would have arrived.

And so he ran.

But a group of warriors was guarding the moat in front of the tower.

They did not move toward him. That was only natural as they were fortifying that one position, but Tenzou remembered that this was the spot where he had parted ways with her.

And so…

“There!!”

He simultaneously threw three kunai into the shadow created by some eaves up ahead.

In that instant, the shadow rose.

“…”

It took on human form and performed a swift slash.

It was Walter “Trident” Raleigh.

…''Yamanaka Yukimori!!

As he stood up, he had already struck with a large gravity sword measuring over six meters. He did not name himself or take a defensive stance. He merely attacked.

It was a falling iai attack from the right shoulder yet performed with only the left arm.

There were no gaps in it and yet it had speed.

…''He’s fast!!

A horizontal strike targeting the waist cut quickly through the air and yet it seemed to linger. Even if Tenzou tried to flee to the side, an attack from a second blade on the left would reach him. Even if he fled under the eaves to the right, the large gravity sword would likely cut through the columns holding up the roof.

…''In that case…

Tenzou made the correct decision.

He accelerated and lowered down to slip beneath the large gravity sword.

A shadow was falling on the road. It was cast by the gravity sword’s hilt and the area below that straight line was a safe zone, so he charged just below it and spun to match the sweeping motion of the gravity sword.

The movement would bring him behind Walter’s back.

However, he saw the man let go of the large hilt.

“…!?”

The gravity sword hilt struck the front of the house under the arcade and began to roll, but Walter used the lack of that excess weight to spin around even faster.

The movement would bring him in front of Tenzou to block the boy’s way.

He spread his legs and extended his left arm to tell Tenzou to stop.

At the same time, his right arm made two movements. First, a snap of his right hand tossed a gravity sword hilt from his left side and down his left sleeve.

Second, he grabbed a different gravity sword with his right hand.

“…!”

He pressed it against his own chest. This was his seppuku-style clone technique using a gravity sword.

Another hilt had already fallen from his sleeve and into his left palm and the two Walters attacked at once.

As the twin attacks arrived, Tenzou gave a shout. His heart decided on the right and he swung his body in that direction.

“Yokomichi-sama!!”

“Don’t use my old name!!”

Something burst from the back of his collar like a bullet.

It was the crow named Milton.

The black crow charged toward the right Walter that was in the process of swinging down his blade.

The crow spread his wings and legs but did not stop himself.

“You don’t know how to settle anything, do you!?”

He collided with Walter’s face as if embracing it.

“Go, young ninja! Go and abduct Scarred! I will take over everything the two of you leave behind!”

Walter may have divided into two, but he was still a single person. In that case, how would he perceive the collision from Milton? With a division-type clone technique, only one had to be blocked.

“That’s enough to throw off his senses!!”

Walter did indeed hesitate slightly. Milton had blocked the vision of the one to Tenzou’s right and he briefly moved to tear Milton away with his right hand. However, the Walter on the left made the same motion despite having nothing over his face.

The two of them were the same body.

Realizing he could make it through, Tenzou accelerated. He seemed to throw his body forward as he raised his speed.

However, Walter took action in return. He used the motion of the hips he had lowered in his confusion.

“…!”

And he performed a large and quick back step.

He fell back a good bit in order to retry his attempt to capture Tenzou. He also spread his legs with a twisting motion to throw a solid iai strike in the instant he landed.

However, Tenzou fearlessly charged on.

…''This is the action I wanted!!

He continued forward, but he did so by throwing his legs forward, falling to his butt, and sliding.

“Here I go!!”

He slipped through the legs Walter had spread to support his attack.

It only took an instant.

Walter had not even launched his iai strike.

There was a simple reason why Tenzou managed to pass by so quickly. Even if Walter was an iai master, his balance would be tilted a bit toward his back after a jump backwards. Even if he tried to land in a forward stance and launch an iai strike, his stance would rise up a bit in the front.

As a result, his legs were spread a little more and his body raised a little more than with a standard iai strike.

That was why Tenzou was able to slip through.

Showing an obvious intent to accelerate while Walter’s sight was impaired had been Tenzou’s way of luring the man into doing this.

And so he continued on.

Nevertheless, Walter pursued him. The man swung his wrist as if to punch the ninja slipping beneath him and he tried to forcibly bring his sword directly down.

In response, Tenzou reached out a hand while sliding. He reached toward the hilt Walter was swinging down, placed his hand on the guard, and forcibly tugged it over his head.

“!?”

This pulled Walter’s balance forward, but he let go of the gravity sword before he fell.

However, Tenzou used the downward-swinging motion of Walter’s arm to accelerate his slide.

“…!”

He passed through.

He left the iai warrior behind him and began running as he rose to his feet.

The ninja tilted his body forward and accelerated all at once.

However, someone turned around behind him.

He knew the man would pursue him. After all, this enemy had experienced the collapse of his master’s clan, so he would do whatever it took to stop an enemy attempting to approach his new master.

For that reason, Tenzou began his run by swinging both arms to throw his coat behind him.

He only had to rob the man of his vision. He only had to slightly obstruct the movement of the gravity swords.

He heard the sound of tearing cloth behind him, but he did not look back.

He felt a chill strike his back from the top left to the bottom right, but he paid it no heed.

He had received yet another wound on his back, but he could tell one thing from the sensation.

…''This one is not deep!!

His most precious scar was on his right shoulder blade and this had not cut through it.

“…!!”

The ninja quickly raised his speed.

Tenzou ran.

He ran directly toward the warriors in front of the Tower of London.

Arrows flew toward him and the ether light on their tips proved they had homing spells applied.

The spell was likely a combination of a kinetic detection spell that followed movement and shape and an ether detection spell that followed the target’s very existence. Such a spell would be expensive, but this much was to be expected when so close to the queen.

However, Tenzou continued straight ahead.

The flying arrows were drawn to him and he saw them right in front of him.

“!!”

He accelerated his body and used all his strength to throw it down low.

These homing arrows would not lose track of their target for something so simple, but now that he had dropped down, there was something with his lingering scent that retained his form and movement even more than him.

That was his coat that he had thrown into the air behind him.

The black garment had been cut through the back, but it still had the general silhouette of his upper body and it naturally contained traces of his existence because he had been wearing it.

The coat acted as chaff for a homing countermeasure.

…''This is an application of what our teacher did with her hair!!

He had changed his silhouette by lowering down, but his coat had retained his shape.

“Judge!”

The dozen arrows shot by over his head.

He ignored the sound of them tearing through the air and threw something toward the warriors as he stood back up.

“A gravity sword!”

It was the one Walter had let go of as Tenzou slipped between his legs.

The warriors would know how powerful a weapon it was. It could cut right through their shield spells.

However, this final group of warriors did not budge.

They were prepared to fight to the death as the last line of defense, so they remained motionless and readied themselves to receive the gravity sword.

…''Well done!!

The gravity sword hilt struck one of the shields.

“…!!”

But it did not cut through the shield and it was deflected into the night sky.

It had not been switched on.

That had been the obvious choice for Tenzou, but the enemy had not expected it.

“!?”

Their surprise was as great as their resolve had been.

Tenzou saw the slight disturbance to their breathing. He kicked off the surface of the shield, kicked off the tip of a spear one of them frantically thrust upwards, and continued straight forward from an elevated position.

“Ohhhhhh!!”

As soon as Tenzou’s feet landed on the water of the moat, he began to sprint.

Walking on water was a standard ninja technique, as was running up walls.

However, he wondered what he should do once he climbed the wall.

Even if he was going to confess, he had stupidly failed to prepare anything. And that was despite all the confession advice he had so self-importantly given at Mikawa.

Yet oddly enough, he had always been prepared in the past, but none of his classmates had helped him back then. It was true that was partially related to Musashi’s new policy Horizon had decided on.

…''But is that really all?

He did not know what had happened to those who had stayed with him part of the way. They had told him to continue on and not to worry about them.

They had likely wanted to do those things. They might have been using their help as a justification to accomplish something they wanted. They were horrible people, so they might have only wanted to let off some steam or the spring weather might have ignited some kind of destructive urge hidden within them.

But whatever the reason, their actions had brought him to this spot.

In that case, the reason did not matter.

He was exhausted, he was injured, he was bleeding from his back, and he had lost most of his equipment, but he had made it here. He had been brought here.

As he continued in a straight line up the wall, he almost clung to that wall order to avoid some arrows fired from the fortress.

“…!!”

And he arrived.

He was at the top of the northwestern tower. As he stood on the immersion-style Andamio de la Ejecución that was decorated in white, he could see the starry sky and its twin moons.

“…”

He also saw blonde braided hair and an English uniform turning toward him.

He faced the girl and her lips parted as she turned his way.

“Who did you think I was?”

There were no scars on her face or body.

The wind blew.

A girl and boy stood atop a tower with a white sword less than a meter long between them.

The boy glanced toward the courtyard to the right. A waiting area was prepared in the lawn covered by the Tower of London’s shadow. A group of warriors had arrows at the ready there, but someone stood in a chair behind them. She had a scar on her face.

“You can’t!”

Her voice was directed at the ninja. At the same time, the door into the courtyard opened and more warriors appeared. They aimed and drew their bows and more of them lined up atop the fortress and around the moat down below.

“You can’t! I will smooth things over here, so please leave!”

But after hearing the girl shout up from the courtyard, the ninja took in a quiet breath.

He then slowly faced forward.

He took in another deep breath and spoke to the girl who was looking back at him.

“You should stop lying, Mary-dono.”

The girl grew flustered at the name he used.

“But…”

She shook her head, regained the strength in her gaze, and spoke more loudly.

“Why do you say that!?”

“Judge. It is a simple matter. Well, I can guess more or less why you’re doing this.”

He looked at the other girl down below and the scarred girl returned his gaze.

“What are you saying!? She’s dangerous! So…”

“Indeed she is dangerous. After all, I risked my life quite a bit making it this far.”

“What are you-…!?”

“Silence, impostor!!” he shouted.

After pointing at the girl down below, he faced the girl before him.

She jumped and shrank back at his gaze, but he only nodded and spoke.

“Mary-dono has slightly larger breasts!!”

The ninja took a breath and struck a pose. He formed a new pose with each statement.

“A blonde! With! Giant breasts! That is what people call the truth! And that truth will not allow a poor disguise fool me!”

On the now peaceful transport ship deck, Masazumi fed the young anteater on her shoulder and turned her smiling gaze from the sign frame to the Mouse.

“How about we stop watching this!? Right? Right? We can turn it back on in about five minutes, don’t you think!?”

Horizon nodded twice while watching Toori’s sign frame and she spoke to the naked boy next to her.

“I would have thought such a unique skill of perception would be completely useless, but here it is influencing a national decision.”

“Just so you know, the clincher in saving you was my sexual carelessness. Keep that in mind.”

The boy atop the Tower of London heard someone laugh.

The continuing laughter came from the girl in the courtyard waiting area.

No one else knew how to react, but that girl removed the scars on her face and body as if wiping them away.

This revealed the Fairy Queen with her eyebrows raised in a smile. She crossed her legs in her chair.

“Interesting. I never knew there was a clear difference other than the scars. You managed to see through this game that no one else could, so you must be the real deal. Mary, you win the bet. I’ll give you five minutes before your execution.”

The other girl took a breath and similarly wiped away what was hiding the scar on her…on Mary’s face.

“Five minutes. Enjoy your final stage.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 56|Chapter 56]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 58|Chapter 58]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 56

2015-04-19T02:47:15Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 56: Howler in the Theatre==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0735.png|thumb]]
''From whose point of view

''Is it a tragedy?

''And what is the opposite?

'''Point Allocation (Sentiment)

The people of London watched the overhead swordfight between King Lear and Michizane.

Even in their houses and behind their shutters, they could hear it and feel the wind.

The king pushed forward with repeated uses of his two swords while the Far Eastern noble responded with his lightning sword.

The white lightning sword arced through the sky and white light scattered when it was blocked by the crossed swords of its opponent.

They crossed swords with each other, launched a sword toward their opponent’s openings, deflected their opponent’s strikes, changed height and angle to attack again, and launched new strike after new strike.

They exchanged blows as if dancing and as if testing their opponent’s limits.

They wielded their weapons almost like wings, took steps that seemed to kick up waves, and turned the streets of London into the footing for a battle with all the roaring wind and white sparks that entailed.

The king and noble’s swords met and groaned as the two stepped sideways over the Thames and created great flowers of sparks from their swords with Westminster Abbey between them.

The people obeyed the queen’s command by leaving their shutters and curtains closed.

However, the queen did not rebuke them for peering through the cracks or cheering.

“Don’t lose!” shouted the Hamlet girl.

Hearing that, the king gave a small smile under his armor.

Everyone knew that Shakespeare’s Logismoi Óplo turned any attacks against her into internal Blessings, so they used that fact.

“Open the divine network! Choose your words carefully when cheering Shakespeare on! Tell her she needs to fight better! Otherwise it won’t reach her!!”

However, they also said something else with great expectation in their voices.

“Who’s the idiot who made Shakespeare call out King Lear!?”

Honestly.

“This isn’t something we’re supposed to see for free!!”

Neshinbara wrote.

He had not moved from his position on the bridge and Shakespeare had not moved from the end of the bridge.

To write was to imagine, so even if they could not see it, they could read the battle between king and noble from the text their opponent wrote and give their character the appropriate action.

Words were convenient.

However, words could not perfectly represent or convey one’s imagination. Even when writing “red”, the red the writer imagined would not be the same red the reader imagined. There would be two different colors.

However, it was that very ambiguity that made imagining and creating with words so much fun. How could one best build up the vision in their head and how could they best convey it to others?

''That’s right,'' thought Neshinbara. ''I want to get something across to her.

The girl in front of him sent more words his way.

<<King, wield your swords and attack the one who wields the power.>>

The moonlight was briefly obstructed as the king began to run.

Neshinbara responded by dedicating his instructions to the noble.

<Accept this power.>

<This is your final opponent.>

''That’s right,'' Neshinbara muttered in his heart. ''This is the opponent that will guide me to my future.

Who was she? Which one was she?

Long ago, he had met a girl who could consult herself about things. His time with her had been strange and lively. Perhaps because there were two of her, she had learned everything quickly and he had been unable to keep up.

They had been in a boring place and they had quickly finished reading every book available to them.

It had begun with discussions of their experiences in coming that far. Before long, they had started discussing fun and occult things and they eventually added in legends and the dramas popular in the city.

…''And then we started making them ourselves.

Because they had been doing it to kill time, they had been completely serious. And because she had been able to consult herself, her works were always well-made. He had thought they were just like what an adult would make.

When editing each other’s works, she had performed a hellish double-check of his works and he had rarely found much to correct about hers.

Even now, that probably remained true.

<Don’t let your guard down.>

He would not.

<Gain a firm foothold and lower your hips.>

He gathered strength.

<The time to randomly wield your power has passed.>

That was right.

<Let’s go.>

He agreed.

<nowiki></nowiki>

Neshinbara wrote while hoping it got through to her.

<nowiki></nowiki>

“Hey,” she asked. “Which do you think I am?”

He thought about her question for a bit before answering.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “But I did remember one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Well,” he answered. “When you were with me you spoke a lot more formally.”

“…”

“When did you start speaking so casually?”

“Well…” She spoke slowly and quietly. “When you left.”

<<King, let out a cry. Cry out because you are aware of your misunderstanding yet also of your righteousness.>>

<Power.>

<Oh, power.>

<Carry the king’s righteousness to him.>

<<But, king, test that righteousness.>>

<<If that righteousness will bring tragedy, does it have any value? Test it and see, king.>>

<So what if it doesn’t?>

<I’m still going.>

<nowiki></nowiki>

<nowiki></nowiki>

“Then where did I go!?” she shouted. “Where did the formal me go!?”

<<The king lets out a roar and swings down his twin swords with two distinct surefire movements.>>

<The power moves straight toward the king.>

<<But the single power can strike but one of the king’s twin swords.>>

<<One of the king’s swords breaks.>>

<<But the young power is struck by the remaining sword.>>

<<The king weeps.>>

<<He holds the corpse of his beloved and lets out a wail based in his own righteousness.>>

The manifestation of Michizane vanished and the remaining king fell to his knees and opened his mouth toward the night sky.

The tragedy had ended. The scream indicating the loneliness brought by the king’s righteousness would be released into the heavens.

However, some words stopped it.

<The power brings an end to his righteousness.>

“Eh?”

She saw him. She saw him still typing words into his sign frame.

“Brings an end to his righteousness? How!?”

He did not give voice to a reply, but he did type one with text.

<Go, Macbeth.>

<Go, usurper of the throne.>

<Stand up and save the king.>

“That’s impossible!!” shouted Shakespeare.

Neshinbara shook his head.

“No, it isn’t.”

“How?”

“With some editing.”

While they faced each other from the bridge and just off the bridge, he held up his right arm.

“I broke down your Macbeth as a spell and rewrote it. Of course, I was only able to do it because I’m in this festival your stage created.”

Overhead, a young warrior appeared and stood calmly before the wailing king.

Shakespeare looked up at him.

“But then…this isn’t Macbeth! Macbeth can’t complete his usurpation!”

“No, it’d probably make for a terrible play. But stories are flexible. It may be a failure as a version of Macbeth, you can always make a different story on that groundwork. And I wonder if the people who’ve seen Macbeth a few times have ever wondered this.”

He spoke while moving his feet forward and across the rest of the bridge.

“Why couldn’t someone have made Macbeth into the king?”

So…

<Go, Macbeth.>

<Save the king.>

<Do what you must do and save the king going mad from the loneliness brought by his own righteousness.>

He had one thing to say.

<Stop the tragedy with your victory.>

With those words, Macbeth stepped forward.

In that instant, the mad king rose and indeed regained his sanity. He gathered his movements, prepared his one sword, and performed a steady counterattack.

However…

<Macbeth easily evades the king’s sword and thrusts his own blade into the king’s heart.>

Precisely that happened.

<<Stand proud, Leir, King of Heroes. You have given up the throne, but your name shall be remembered for all eternity.>>

In the end, the king embraced his usurper.

<<Smile, king. Through the flow of blood, your will shall be carried on by the usurper.>>

King Lear slumped down as if nodding.

<The usurper is with the king.>

<The king’s will shall never be forgotten.>

Everything but the still moonlight vanished as the two of them stood at the end of the bridge.

She hesitantly brought a hand to her chest.

“I…”

She shook her head and asked him a question now that he had crossed the bridge.

“Which one am I?”

Neshinbara nodded and gave a simple answer.

“Why not just say it’s the one that liked me?”

“Eh!? Wait! What’s this!? That came out of nowhere!”

“I mean, it’d be kind of sad if it was the one that hated me. So if we don’t know, this way is more convenient for me, don’t you think?”

“What?” asked Shakespeare while her face and ears grew red. “You idiot! Th-this isn’t about convenience. …And there’s no way to tell them apart based on that!”

He wondered if she knew what that implied and he gave a silent sigh while hoping that didn’t mean both of them hated him.

“Anyway,” he said. “I’m here, so where are you?”

She thought about that and lowered her head.

“…Here.”

“You made your way to England and did your very best here.”

Her glasses glanced up toward him when she heard that. She then leaned over and pulled a small book from the paper bag behind her.

It was the first printed work Neshinbara had ever made.

He shuddered as he wondered why she had it and questioned why his past embarrassment had to be shown off here as well.

“You only made fifty copies, so it was it not easy getting one. I paid an exorbitant amount at an auction in Genova.”

She audibly flipped through the pages.

“What was with this Sexy Dynamite Beam? Is it dynamite or a beam?”

“That’s your issue with it!?”

“What’s wrong with that? Honestly, and I was wondering if you and the illustrator were close.”

“Sorry, but that isn’t happening. There’s just no way.”

He seriously thought that, but Shakespeare did not seem to care.

“I think it was pretty original at the time for the heroine princess to be twins.”

“Yeah, about that…”

“The bigamy end was even more original.”

He had been prepared for this, but it essentially meant his life was over. She laughed and then slowly pulled a white and black shield from the paper bag.

It was the Logismoi Óplo.

“As promised. The queen will probably scold me and the people will say things about me. But…”

But…

“I don’t need it anymore. I’ve seen most every kind of criticism and I’m sure you’ll need it soon.”

“Are you sure? You’ll lose your inherited name.”

“Probably. And it’s going to be tough gathering ether fuel.” She shrugged. “But King Lear without the king dying can work. After all, the real King Leir was deceived by two of his daughters, but he was saved by his youngest daughter Cordelia and he restored peace. Shakespeare only modified it into a tragedy.”

So…

“The only one who can inherit the name of Shakespeare is me now that I’ve experienced ''something even greater'' just now.”

“You seem pretty confident and you do work for a complicated queen. But as long as you remain Shakespeare, I suppose the king will still die and he won’t hand the throne over to the usurper.”

Neshinbara suddenly pointed to the right.

“Hey, can you look over there for a second?”

“Eh?”

As soon as she looked over, he swiped the shield from her hands.

“Ah.”

By the time she turned around, he was already running away with shield in hand.

“Eh!? What!? What’s going on!?”

<It means I stole the Logismoi Óplo from you.>

<After all, I am Macbeth.>

“You’re up, people of the city!!”

The city replied to his shout. The people banged on their shutters from within. The percussive notes almost sounded like applause and Shakespeare gave a troubled smile in the moonlight.

“So we can have a Macbeth who becomes king, can we?”

Bitterness entered her smile and she brought a hand to her chest.

“Then can we have a king who wants to be with Macbeth?”

She bowed and an even greater din sounded out.

In the Tower of London’s changing chamber, Mary watched the end of the play using London as its stage.

…''Why are Musashi’s people here?''

She thought on the meaning of the kunai Milton had brought her.

“Is it Master Tenzou?”

As soon as she muttered that, a sudden voice came from the door behind her.

“Mary, the city seems to have grown rather lively.”

It was the Fairy Queen. Mary turned toward the voice and listened to it through the door.

“Let’s play a game, Mary. The same game we used to play with father.”

The words delivered after a breath backed Mary’s suspicions.

“Let’s make a gamble to see whether we should give our time to the fool who may be here soon.”

However, she heard another noise on top of the voice. It came from the distance on the south end of the city.

…''A wolf’s howl?

“Oh?”

Elizabeth gave a small sigh before continuing.

“Will the French wolf try to steal England’s moon?”

Walsingham saw the silver wolf stand up high with the light behind her.

With her arms crossed and her curly silver hair blowing in the wind, she perfectly overlapped the second moon.

She was to the north of the plaza. That spot had been empty before, but a wooden pillar had been formed for her to stand on.

The trees of the forest had been cut into logs with the wolf’s chains and then connected vertically.

She had her back to the moon while higher than the city of London.

And she spoke.

“A pillar standing in a park has two meanings. The first is a symbol of vegetative growth as seen in the maypole or the festival of Beltane. The other is one you should be well aware of as part of the public morals committee.”

“Scaffold.”

“Judge,” replied the wolf. “Once, a certain non-human girl from Hexagone Française was executed by England. It was during the Hundred Years’ War. Hexagone Française was on the verge of being ruled by England when the Maid of Orléans saved them. The girl led a unit of non-humans to liberate Hexagone Française, but she was captured by England and executed.”

Walsingham had heard of this from Drake. He would occasionally mutter about it.

Because of that, she had once looked into it.

“It occurred in the land of Rouen which was mainland territory belonging to England at the time. I have heard that even England sent members of the Testament Cross-Borders Unit during the history recreation of the execution. However, Hexagone Française sent a similar unit of non-humans.”

Walsingham knew that much. But for some reason, the closer Hexagone Française unit had never arrived despite being called for. That was why Drake suspected his grandfather’s unit had been betrayed.

However…

“Do you know the truth behind the execution? It seems the Hexagone Française unit arrived on the scene first, but the execution had already begun. They did not make it in time. No, from what I have heard, it was a little different than that.”

That is…

“The Maid of Orléans apparently wished for her own death. After all, she was of the angel race and she was prepared to disappear into heaven once her role was complete. She supposedly said, ‘This will bring an end to the war.’ No one else there wished for it to happen, but she was burned to ashes and ascended into heaven. And the truth of her martyrdom was not allowed to remain in the recreation of the Testament descriptions. So…”

At that point, something fell from the wolf’s shoulders and hips. They were fragments of silver that shook as they fell. These were the scattered pieces of the broken silver chains. The mist was slowly clearing over the plaza down below and the fallen fragments produced metallic noises around the wooden pillar rising up from there.

However, the wolf gave breath of satisfaction.

“The primary non-human force that fought alongside her managed to take some of her possessions from the scene. They were the execution tools that had been consecrated by the flesh, blood, and ashes of that holy maiden and angel. And they were made in England. One was a set of chains. The autonomous tools had enough power to bind an angel and they were later given the characteristics of an immortal race so they would not meet the same fate as her. And did you know this?”

With the moon behind her, the silver wolf opened her mouth in a crescent moon of a smile.

“On the night of a full moon, non-humans can use their full power.”

She then wrapped the silver chains below her feet. They looked like ripples or a lake surface reflecting the moonlight.

She sat in the center of the expanding ripple of silver, she raised her head toward the moon, and she howled.

“Ahh…”

Mitotsudaira did not resist her non-human instincts that throbbed in the moonlight.

She gave a slow, unsteady, yet carrying voice as she let her pulse run through her body and changed her voice to an “o” sound.

“Ahh… Ohh…!!”

Her voice continued trembling as it came forth and grew so high-pitched it seemed to travel endlessly through the sky. The wolf’s howl to the moon was joined by countless rustling sounds came from the earth.

The fragments of the silver chains fallen there shook and then made a sudden movement.

“Ohhh!!”

The shattered silver chains ascended. They clung to the wooden pillar of execution as if embracing it. They crawled up it with a sticky flowing motion, but their motion joined together with each other.

“————!!”

Two sprays of ether light rose along the surface of the wooden pillar. Those particles of light signaled for the broken silver chains to bathe in the moonlight and regain their form.

“These non-human chains can recover in the light of the full moon,” said the silver wolf. “You have returned to your birthplace, silver chains.”

She slowly stood, tore the four chains from the execution pillar, and lowered her arms. However, they were not bound by the chains. It looked more like they had torn the chains apart.

“It is a very old story and I do not know if it is true, but that is why I agree with Musashi’s princess. Musashi’s knight will also save any who have resigned themselves to execution.”

Then what would she do? The silver wolf stood with her back to the moon and faced Walsingham who was prepared to fight.

“Now, then.”

And she took a step into midair.

Just as Mitotsudaira set foot on a single silver chain stretching from the ground to the sky, Walsingham fired directly at her.

''This is dangerous,'' realized Walsingham. ''This is a dangerous opponent.

A clear sound filled the sky and the white line she had fired was blocked by a log tossed up from below.

At the same time, she launched her hound’s blades toward Mitotsudaira.

However, the silver wolf took action with the three chains she was not standing on.

“I’m in top form!”

The three of them were thoroughly wrapped around the logs rising from the plaza and they were sent Walsingham’s way.

The wolf did not hesitate and she used her full strength to attack, so Walsingham jumped forward and down.

With the attack coming from the front, she could not attack in that direction with her cannon or blades.

However, she could see behind her, so she jumped below Mitotsudaira so that she could move past her.

As soon as she kicked off the roof, three strikes hit the straw roof, but they were meaningless if they did not hit. She placed her left arm beneath her feet and kicked off of it to accelerate further forward and down.

She continued on and instantly passed below the silver wolf.

“————!”

Because she had used the three silver chains to attack the roof in front of her, Mitotsudaira could not turn them toward Walsingham right away. She could use the remaining chain she was standing on, but it did not hold a log and so Walsingham could deflect it with her blades.

While facing away, Walsingham aimed toward the wolf who was turning toward her.

However…

“You forgot something.”

Several lemon halves were thrown toward her back and they had already been squeezed of all their juice.

Mitotsudaira had presumably gathered them with her silver chains and the yellow objects were suddenly thrown toward the center of the back of Walsingham’s hair.

“…!?”

She lost sight of her target for an instant.

It was only a slight gap, but the enemy arrived in that instant.

The final silver chain that the silver wolf had stood on raced toward her.

However, she could deflect the light chain which did not hold a log. She only needed to strike it with a surface made from her hound’s blades.

And she did so.

However, Walsingham then saw that the deflecting blades were the ones deflected into the sky.

“!?”

Rather than simply having the final chain pursue Walsingham, Mitotsudaira herself pursued the hound while turning around.

She also saw the silver chain completely deflect the enemy’s blades into the sky.

…''I did it.

The enemy clearly did not understand what had happened, but Mitotsudaira did. This was the same as what Horizon had shown her before.

“The trick to peeling an apple while holding the knife backwards is to twist it.”

The instant Walsingham’s blades had reached the chain’s holes, she had rotated the chain as if twisting. Before the blades could gouge into the holes, she had grabbed them with the holes and thrown them.

It was the same as providing an instant rotation as soon as someone grabbed your hand.

However, coming up with the idea and mastering its execution were two different things.

She had gotten training from Naomasa who studied martial arts, but she had been thrown to the tatami mats countless times and gotten into the same martial arts debates every night at the yakiniku restaurant. There, she had learned that Naomasa preferred salt over yakiniku sauce and that she needed to begin twisting her hand before her opponent grabbed it.

…''And for some reason, half the class flocked to the restaurant and destroyed it!

Ignoring that last part, the chain and martial arts were the same. She had to twist the chain before the blades came to deflect it.

That would shorten the chain’s reach yet raise its attack power. Also, it could wrap around a joint-less automaton like Walsingham and prevent her from escaping.

And so she used that chain she had swung.

“Don’t think a hound can defeat a wolf on a moonlit night.”

She gave the silver chain a wrapping rotation and slammed Walsingham’s back into the fountain down below.

Mitotsudaira descended to the ground as if pursuing the enemy that had caused a great splash after being thrown down.

She then saw Walsingham’s back spring up. Without turning around, the hound accurately aimed her cross cannon at Mitotsudaira and fired.

“Bite!!”

In that instant, Mitotsudaira leaped toward the cannon.

She swung her arms as if folding them in prayer and fully closed the cross’s connection with a sharp blow.

The cross cannon lost an outlet for its power and it expanded while Walsingham held it over her shoulder.

It audibly ruptured, light burst out on Walsingham’s shoulder, and her hair shook. However, Mitotsudaira thrust her left hand forward as if holding it toward the light.

“This is it!”

While slamming Walsingham into the fountain with her left hand, she pulled something from the hound’s hair with her right and held it up.

“A Mouse!?”

Mitotsudaira looked at what dangled from her right hand amid the splashing sounds at her feet.

…''A small Walsingham?

She had super-deformed proportions and she even had the proper head decorations and tail-like hair. However, she already had tears in her eyes.

“Noooo.”

She shook her entire body left and right as Mitotsudaira observed her. Just looking at her made her small form jump, but the larger body that was collapsed in the water slowly and awkwardly attempted to rise up.

However, the automaton in the water was only making simple, autonomous actions and Mitotsudaira realized what that meant.

“It wasn’t that you provided vision for the area behind her. You are the OS for that automaton, aren’t you?”

After a while the small Walsingham finally hung her head.

Whether that was a confirmation or not, Mitotsudaira sighed at the hound’s OS that had stopped resisting. She placed her on the stone structure surrounding the fountain and the tearful OS looked up in surprise.

However, Mitotsudaira had already run off.

“Please excuse me, but I must report this to my king.”

With a regretful swing of the hand to make the silver chain flutter, she intertwined her gloved fingers and brushed her lips over the nails. As she ran, she lightly bit the tips of her white gloves with her lips.

“I need to tell him it was thanks to him that I won.”

“I’m not going to let myself lose like this!!”

Masazumi was held to the floor by several skeletons.

Hatton currently held a dictionary over his head in prayer, so she pleaded to him.

“W-wait! Surely there’s a process for handling things like this!”

“I hate a restrained lifestyle! I hate it to death!”

“Are you really the Lord Chancellor!?”

He must not have wanted to answer because he ignored her. She could tell the situation was truly bad and she felt this was the end.

She belatedly realized just how much of a disadvantage her abilities put her in during a battle between representatives.

She felt like she was seeing the trick to such battles here.

…''Physical ability and a personality that lets you ignore what anyone else says!

She knew both were impossible for her.

…''But wait. My class is filled with people like that.

“Waaahhh! Am I the only one to get the short end of the stick!?”

“Perhaps, but that hellish pain has now reached its end!”

Just as Hatton swung down the dictionary, a sign frame from Asama appeared.

“Masazumi! Your Mouse went to you! It used a ley line divine transmission, so take it!”

“Eh!?”

She looked around, but saw nothing.

The surrounding skeletons exchanged glances.

“…?”

There was nothing there.

…''It isn’t here?

The Mouse that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be found.

At the same time, Asama’s sign frame exceeded its allotted divine transmission time and vanished.

However, the Mouse remained absent.

“W-wait.”

Masazumi forgot about her own plight and felt a chill run down her spine.

That Mouse had not been attached to her. She had looked after it, but that and the treatment for its injuries were something any owner would have done.

She had not protected it. She had merely done the bare minimum.

She wondered if that was why it had not grown attached to her.

However…

…''Isn’t it dangerous for the Mouse if it messes up moving through a ley line divine transmission?

However, she had heard that method was often used of the Mouse’s own will. It would use it when it wanted to see its master, when it was lost, or when it wanted to hurry back from an errand. The Mouse did it out of a desire for its master and when it had a proper recognition of its master.

She did not know why a Mouse that had not been attached to her would have tried to use it.

But…

“Eh? W-wait.”

Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

''No,'' she thought. ''Even if I survive this and return to the Musashi, will I only find an empty nest waiting for me?

That would be the same as with her mother.

And it was her own fault. The situation was partly due to putting herself into this dangerous situation and making the Mouse worry.

…''Why?

Why had she done nothing more than worry for the Mouse instead of trying to get to know it better?

Had she been comfortable in the fact that it had not been attached to her and had she been afraid to grow any closer to it?

Had she been afraid it would dislike her?

…''No.

She had once more done something irreversible.

What had she learned from her previous experience and what had she lost?

“No…”

As she muttered to herself, she saw Hatton begin to move.

He must have already said what he needed to say because he remained silent.

“—————”

As he swung down his arms, Masazumi let out a shout. She spoke the same words that had first leapt from her mouth when her mother had vanished and she had found the empty house.

“Are you gone!?”

There was nothing to speak an answer to that shouted question.

However, something did answer it with an action.

The front cover of the hard point part on her neck opened and a young anteater jumped out.

…''Eh?

What it meant for a Mouse to have come to her and the meaning of a Mouse’s very existence was something that Asama and the others might have understood but that a Mouse beginner like Masazumi did not.

A Mouse’s place was not next to or near its master. It was with its master and inside the hard point part.

After hopping out, the young anteater spun around on top of her chest.

“————!!”

With a howl that could be interpreted as anger or strength, a multitude of sign frames appeared around the anteater. Masazumi had never seen so many sign frames and they were all anti-spirit purification exorcism spells.

Also, a divine text from Asama arrived.

“To celebrate the confirmation of the master/Mouse relationship and to act as an emergency flare for you, I stuffed in every attack spell I could think of. Simply delightful, isn’t it!?”

''Is that anything for a shrine maiden to be saying?'' wondered Masazumi.

However, the surrounding Living Dead were clearly panicking.

As even more spells expanded outwards, they all exchanged a glance, let go of Masazumi, and spoke in awkward Far Eastern with calming gestures.

“Boss, how about we calm down?”

“Sic ‘em!!”

In the center of the danger, the young anteater did its best to comply.

As a beginner, its strategy was simple: it drew back in fear, closed its eyes, and fired every spell touching it in every direction.

“————!!”

As they all shouted out, a chaos of explosions that only affected spirits filled the inside of the transport ship.

From the heights of London, Dudley heard an explosion and saw a bright white light from the distant sea.

…''That’s purification light, isn’t it?

In that case, Hatton was likely out of the fight. ''That Lord Chancellor is always too kind to people,'' she thought while focusing on her own battle.

She was currently firing arbalest quarrels at the black-winged Technohexen before her.

The Testamenta Arma named Brachium Justitia on her left hand allowed her to control weapons. Her aim was accurate and she sent eight short quarrels toward the Technohexen’s stomach.

However, the Technohexen swung her right hand and the white pen she held drew a white line.

“Th-th-th-that is the acceleration line you used in the Battle of Mikawa, isn’t it!?”

Before the Technohexen could nod, the line captured the eight quarrels. She had predicted their path and placed a quick heart shape there.

Before Dudley could mock her for drawing something so cute, the acceleration line accelerated the quarrels toward the end of the line. In other words, toward Dudley.

The heart-shaped acceleration line catapulted the quarrels directly toward her face. Dudley realized this Technohexen was no one to joke around with and she held out her right palm.

“S-s-s-s-smash!!”

She used the repelling ability of her right palm to hit back the eight attacks. However, she did more than simply hitting them back. She also used her Testamenta Arma to correct their aim in the instant she touched them. This way, they were sure to directly return to her opponent.

However, the Technohexen had already drawn a new acceleration line.

But it was not a mere line.

It was a drawing and Dudley understood why she would do that.

…''That way it doesn’t count as a weapon!!

If it was not a weapon, she could not control it with Brachium Justitia. The Technohexen had learned that lesson from their previous encounter and she had overcome it with her own ability.

However, Dudley held out both her hands. The right hand could repel and the left could correct the aim. With those two abilities, she could send any attack back to her opponent just by touching it.

And she did so.

“…!!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 55|Chapter 55]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 57|Chapter 57]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 56

2015-04-18T22:33:07Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 56: Howler in the Theatre==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0735.png|thumb]]
''From whose point of view

''Is it a tragedy?

''And what is the opposite?

'''Point Allocation (Sentiment)

The people of London watched the overhead swordfight between King Lear and Michizane.

Even in their houses and behind their shutters, they could hear it and feel the wind.

The king pushed forward with repeated uses of his two swords while the Far Eastern noble responded with his lightning sword.

The white lightning sword arced through the sky and white light scattered when it was blocked by the crossed swords of its opponent.

They crossed swords with each other, launched a sword toward their opponent’s openings, deflected their opponent’s strikes, changed height and angle to attack again, and launched new strike after new strike.

They exchanged blows as if dancing and as if testing their opponent’s limits.

They wielded their weapons almost like wings, took steps that seemed to kick up waves, and turned the streets of London into the footing for a battle with all the roaring wind and white sparks that entailed.

The king and noble’s swords met and groaned as the two stepped sideways over the Thames and created great flowers of sparks from their swords with Westminster Abbey between them.

The people obeyed the queen’s command by leaving their shutters and curtains closed.

However, the queen did not rebuke them for peering through the cracks or cheering.

“Don’t lose!” shouted the Hamlet girl.

Hearing that, the king gave a small smile under his armor.

Everyone knew that Shakespeare’s Logismoi Óplo turned any attacks against her into internal Blessings, so they used that fact.

“Open the divine network! Choose your words carefully when cheering Shakespeare on! Tell her she needs to fight better! Otherwise it won’t reach her!!”

However, they also said something else with great expectation in their voices.

“Who’s the idiot who made Shakespeare call out King Lear!?”

Honestly.

“This isn’t something we’re supposed to see for free!!”

Neshinbara wrote.

He had not moved from his position on the bridge and Shakespeare had not moved from the end of the bridge.

To write was to imagine, so even if they could not see it, they could read the battle between king and noble from the text their opponent wrote and give their character the appropriate action.

Words were convenient.

However, words could not perfectly represent or convey one’s imagination. Even when writing “red”, the red the writer imagined would not be the same red the reader imagined. There would be two different colors.

However, it was that very ambiguity that made imagining and creating with words so much fun. How could one best build up the vision in their head and how could they best convey it to others?

''That’s right,'' thought Neshinbara. ''I want to get something across to her.

The girl in front of him sent more words his way.

<<King, wield your swords and attack the one who wields the power.>>

The moonlight was briefly obstructed as the king began to run.

Neshinbara responded by dedicating his instructions to the noble.

<Accept this power.>

<This is your final opponent.>

''That’s right,'' Neshinbara muttered in his heart. ''This is the opponent that will guide me to my future.

Who was she? Which one was she?

Long ago, he had met a girl who could consult herself about things. His time with her had been strange and lively. Perhaps because there were two of her, she had learned everything quickly and he had been unable to keep up.

They had been in a boring place and they had quickly finished reading every book available to them.

It had begun with discussions of their experiences in coming that far. Before long, they had started discussing fun and occult things and they eventually added in legends and the dramas popular in the city.

…''And then we started making them ourselves.

Because they had been doing it to kill time, they had been completely serious. And because she had been able to consult herself, her works were always well-made. He had thought they were just like what an adult would make.

When editing each other’s works, she had performed a hellish double-check of his works and he had rarely found much to correct about hers.

Even now, that probably remained true.

<Don’t let your guard down.>

He would not.

<Gain a firm foothold and lower your hips.>

He gathered strength.

<The time to randomly wield your power has passed.>

That was right.

<Let’s go.>

He agreed.

<nowiki></nowiki>

Neshinbara wrote while hoping it got through to her.

<nowiki></nowiki>

“Hey,” she asked. “Which do you think I am?”

He thought about her question for a bit before answering.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “But I did remember one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Well,” he answered. “When you were with me you spoke a lot more formally.”

“…”

“When did you start speaking so casually?”

“Well…” She spoke slowly and quietly. “When you left.”

<<King, let out a cry. Cry out because you are aware of your misunderstanding yet also of your righteousness.>>

<Power.>

<Oh, power.>

<Carry the king’s righteousness to him.>

<<But, king, test that righteousness.>>

<<If that righteousness will bring tragedy, does it have any value? Test it and see, king.>>

<So what if it doesn’t?>

<I’m still going.>

<nowiki></nowiki>

<nowiki></nowiki>

“Then where did I go!?” she shouted. “Where did the formal me go!?”

<<The king lets out a roar and swings down his twin swords with two distinct surefire movements.>>

<The power moves straight toward the king.>

<<But the single power can strike but one of the king’s twin swords.>>

<<One of the king’s swords breaks.>>

<<But the young power is struck by the remaining sword.>>

<<The king weeps.>>

<<He holds the corpse of his beloved and lets out a wail based in his own righteousness.>>

The manifestation of Michizane vanished and the remaining king fell to his knees and opened his mouth toward the night sky.

The tragedy had ended. The scream indicating the loneliness brought by the king’s righteousness would be released into the heavens.

However, some words stopped it.

<The power brings an end to his righteousness.>

“Eh?”

She saw him. She saw him still typing words into his sign frame.

“Brings an end to his righteousness? How!?”

He did not give voice to a reply, but he did type one with text.

<Go, Macbeth.>

<Go, usurper of the throne.>

<Stand up and save the king.>

“That’s impossible!!” shouted Shakespeare.

Neshinbara shook his head.

“No, it isn’t.”

“How?”

“With some editing.”

While they faced each other from the bridge and just off the bridge, he held up his right arm.

“I broke down your Macbeth as a spell and rewrote it. Of course, I was only able to do it because I’m in this festival your stage created.”

Overhead, a young warrior appeared and stood calmly before the wailing king.

Shakespeare looked up at him.

“But then…this isn’t Macbeth! Macbeth can’t complete his usurpation!”

“No, it’d probably make for a terrible play. But stories are flexible. It may be a failure as a version of Macbeth, you can always make a different story on that groundwork. And I wonder if the people who’ve seen Macbeth a few times have ever wondered this.”

He spoke while moving his feet forward and across the rest of the bridge.

“Why couldn’t someone have made Macbeth into the king?”

So…

<Go, Macbeth.>

<Save the king.>

<Do what you must do and save the king going mad from the loneliness brought by his own righteousness.>

He had one thing to say.

<Stop the tragedy with your victory.>

With those words, Macbeth stepped forward.

In that instant, the mad king rose and indeed regained his sanity. He gathered his movements, prepared his one sword, and performed a steady counterattack.

However…

<Macbeth easily evades the king’s sword and thrusts his own blade into the king’s heart.>

Precisely that happened.

<<Stand proud, Leir, King of Heroes. You have given up the throne, but your name shall be remembered for all eternity.>>

In the end, the king embraced his usurper.

<<Smile, king. Through the flow of blood, your will shall be carried on by the usurper.>>

King Lear slumped down as if nodding.

<The usurper is with the king.>

<The king’s will shall never be forgotten.>

Everything but the still moonlight vanished as the two of them stood at the end of the bridge.

She hesitantly brought a hand to her chest.

“I…”

She shook her head and asked him a question now that he had crossed the bridge.

“Which one am I?”

Neshinbara nodded and gave a simple answer.

“Why not just say it’s the one that liked me?”

“Eh!? Wait! What’s this!? That came out of nowhere!”

“I mean, it’d be kind of sad if it was the one that hated me. So if we don’t know, this way is more convenient for me, don’t you think?”

“What?” asked Shakespeare while her face and ears grew red. “You idiot! Th-this isn’t about convenience. …And there’s no way to tell them apart based on that!”

He wondered if she knew what that implied and he gave a silent sigh while hoping that didn’t mean both of them hated him.

“Anyway,” he said. “I’m here, so where are you?”

She thought about that and lowered her head.

“…Here.”

“You made your way to England and did your very best here.”

Her glasses glanced up toward him when she heard that. She then leaned over and pulled a small book from the paper bag behind her.

It was the first printed work Neshinbara had ever made.

He shuddered as he wondered why she had it and questioned why his past embarrassment had to be shown off here as well.

“You only made fifty copies, so it was it not easy getting one. I paid an exorbitant amount at an auction in Genova.”

She audibly flipped through the pages.

“What was with this Sexy Dynamite Beam? Is it dynamite or a beam?”

“That’s your issue with it!?”

“What’s wrong with that? Honestly, and I was wondering if you and the illustrator were close.”

“Sorry, but that isn’t happening. There’s just no way.”

He seriously thought that, but Shakespeare did not seem to care.

“I think it was pretty original at the time for the heroine princess to be twins.”

“Yeah, about that…”

“The bigamy end was even more original.”

He had been prepared for this, but it essentially meant his life was over. She laughed and then slowly pulled a white and black shield from the paper bag.

It was the Logismoi Óplo.

“As promised. The queen will probably scold me and the people will say things about me. But…”

But…

“I don’t need it anymore. I’ve seen most every kind of criticism and I’m sure you’ll need it soon.”

“Are you sure? You’ll lose your inherited name.”

“Probably. And it’s going to be tough gathering ether fuel.” She shrugged. “But King Lear without the king dying can work. After all, the real King Leir was deceived by two of his daughters, but he was saved by his youngest daughter Cordelia and he restored peace. Shakespeare only modified it into a tragedy.”

So…

“The only one who can inherit the name of Shakespeare is me now that I’ve experienced ''something even greater'' just now.”

“You seem pretty confident and you do work for a complicated queen. But as long as you remain Shakespeare, I suppose the king will still die and he won’t hand the throne over to the usurper.”

Neshinbara suddenly pointed to the right.

“Hey, can you look over there for a second?”

“Eh?”

As soon as she looked over, he swiped the shield from her hands.

“Ah.”

By the time she turned around, he was already running away with shield in hand.

“Eh!? What!? What’s going on!?”

<It means I stole the Logismoi Óplo from you.>

<After all, I am Macbeth.>

“You’re up, people of the city!!”

The city replied to his shout. The people banged on their shutters from within. The percussive notes almost sounded like applause and Shakespeare gave a troubled smile in the moonlight.

“So we can have a Macbeth who becomes king, can we?”

Bitterness entered her smile and she brought a hand to her chest.

“Then can we have a king who wants to be with Macbeth?”

She bowed and an even greater din sounded out.

In the Tower of London’s changing chamber, Mary watched the end of the play using London as its stage.

…''Why are Musahi’s people here?''

She thought on the meaning of the kunai Milton had brought her.

“Is it Master Tenzou?”

As soon as she muttered that, a sudden voice came from the door behind her.

“Mary, the city seems to have grown rather lively.”

It was the Fairy Queen. Mary turned toward the voice and listened to it through the door.

“Let’s play a game, Mary. The same game we used to play with father.”

The words delivered after a breath backed Mary’s suspicions.

“Let’s make a gamble to see whether we should give our time to the fool who may be here soon.”

However, she heard another noise on top of the voice. It came from the distance on the south end of the city.

…''A wolf’s howl?

“Oh?”

Elizabeth gave a small sigh before continuing.

“Will the French wolf try to steal England’s moon?”

Walsingham saw the silver wolf stand up high with the light behind her.

With her arms crossed and her curly silver hair blowing in the wind, she perfectly overlapped the second moon.

She was to the north of the plaza. That spot had been empty before, but a wooden pillar had been formed for her to stand on.

The trees of the forest had been cut into logs with the wolf’s chains and then connected vertically.

She had her back to the moon while higher than the city of London.

And she spoke.

“A pillar standing in a park has two meanings. The first is a symbol of vegetative growth as seen in the maypole or the festival of Beltane. The other is one you should be well aware of as part of the public morals committee.”

“Scaffold.”

“Judge,” replied the wolf. “Once, a certain non-human girl from Hexagone Française was executed by England. It was during the Hundred Years’ War. Hexagone Française was on the verge of being ruled by England when the Maid of Orléans saved them. The girl led a unit of non-humans to liberate Hexagone Française, but she was captured by England and executed.”

Walsingham had heard of this from Drake. He would occasionally mutter about it.

Because of that, she had once looked into it.

“It occurred in the land of Rouen which was mainland territory belonging to England at the time. I have heard that even England sent members of the Testament Cross-Borders Unit during the history recreation of the execution. However, Hexagone Française sent a similar unit of non-humans.”

Walsingham knew that much. But for some reason, the closer Hexagone Française unit had never arrived despite being called for. That was why Drake suspected his grandfather’s unit had been betrayed.

However…

“Do you know the truth behind the execution? It seems the Hexagone Française unit arrived on the scene first, but the execution had already begun. They did not make it in time. No, from what I have heard, it was a little different than that.”

That is…

“The Maid of Orléans apparently wished for her own death. After all, she was of the angel race and she was prepared to disappear into heaven once her role was complete. She supposedly said, ‘This will bring an end to the war.’ No one else there wished for it to happen, but she was burned to ashes and ascended into heaven. And the truth of her martyrdom was not allowed to remain in the recreation of the Testament descriptions. So…”

At that point, something fell from the wolf’s shoulders and hips. They were fragments of silver that shook as they fell. These were the scattered pieces of the broken silver chains. The mist was slowly clearing over the plaza down below and the fallen fragments produced metallic noises around the wooden pillar rising up from there.

However, the wolf gave breath of satisfaction.

“The primary non-human force that fought alongside her managed to take some of her possessions from the scene. They were the execution tools that had been consecrated by the flesh, blood, and ashes of that holy maiden and angel. And they were made in England. One was a set of chains. The autonomous tools had enough power to bind an angel and they were later given the characteristics of an immortal race so they would not meet the same fate as her. And did you know this?”

With the moon behind her, the silver wolf opened her mouth in a crescent moon of a smile.

“On the night of a full moon, non-humans can use their full power.”

She then wrapped the silver chains below her feet. They looked like ripples or a lake surface reflecting the moonlight.

She sat in the center of the expanding ripple of silver, she raised her head toward the moon, and she howled.

“Ahh…”

Mitotsudaira did not resist her non-human instincts that throbbed in the moonlight.

She gave a slow, unsteady, yet carrying voice as she let her pulse run through her body and changed her voice to an “o” sound.

“Ahh… Ohh…!!”

Her voice continued trembling as it came forth and grew so high-pitched it seemed to travel endlessly through the sky. The wolf’s howl to the moon was joined by countless rustling sounds came from the earth.

The fragments of the silver chains fallen there shook and then made a sudden movement.

“Ohhh!!”

The shattered silver chains ascended. They clung to the wooden pillar of execution as if embracing it. They crawled up it with a sticky flowing motion, but their motion joined together with each other.

“————!!”

Two sprays of ether light rose along the surface of the wooden pillar. Those particles of light signaled for the broken silver chains to bathe in the moonlight and regain their form.

“These non-human chains can recover in the light of the full moon,” said the silver wolf. “You have returned to your birthplace, silver chains.”

She slowly stood, tore the four chains from the execution pillar, and lowered her arms. However, they were not bound by the chains. It looked more like they had torn the chains apart.

“It is a very old story and I do not know if it is true, but that is why I agree with Musashi’s princess. Musashi’s knight will also save any who have resigned themselves to execution.”

Then what would she do? The silver wolf stood with her back to the moon and faced Walsingham who was prepared to fight.

“Now, then.”

And she took a step into midair.

Just as Mitotsudaira set foot on a single silver chain stretching from the ground to the sky, Walsingham fired directly at her.

''This is dangerous,'' realized Walsingham. ''This is a dangerous opponent.

A clear sound filled the sky and the white line she had fired was blocked by a log tossed up from below.

At the same time, she launched her hound’s blades toward Mitotsudaira.

However, the silver wolf took action with the three chains she was not standing on.

“I’m in top form!”

The three of them were thoroughly wrapped around the logs rising from the plaza and they were sent Walsingham’s way.

The wolf did not hesitate and she used her full strength to attack, so Walsingham jumped forward and down.

With the attack coming from the front, she could not attack in that direction with her cannon or blades.

However, she could see behind her, so she jumped below Mitotsudaira so that she could move past her.

As soon as she kicked off the roof, three strikes hit the straw roof, but they were meaningless if they did not hit. She placed her left arm beneath her feet and kicked off of it to accelerate further forward and down.

She continued on and instantly passed below the silver wolf.

“————!”

Because she had used the three silver chains to attack the roof in front of her, Mitotsudaira could not turn them toward Walsingham right away. She could use the remaining chain she was standing on, but it did not hold a log and so Walsingham could deflect it with her blades.

While facing away, Walsingham aimed toward the wolf who was turning toward her.

However…

“You forgot something.”

Several lemon halves were thrown toward her back and they had already been squeezed of all their juice.

Mitotsudaira had presumably gathered them with her silver chains and the yellow objects were suddenly thrown toward the center of the back of Walsingham’s hair.

“…!?”

She lost sight of her target for an instant.

It was only a slight gap, but the enemy arrived in that instant.

The final silver chain that the silver wolf had stood on raced toward her.

However, she could deflect the light chain which did not hold a log. She only needed to strike it with a surface made from her hound’s blades.

And she did so.

However, Walsingham then saw that the deflecting blades were the ones deflected into the sky.

“!?”

Rather than simply having the final chain pursue Walsingham, Mitotsudaira herself pursued the hound while turning around.

She also saw the silver chain completely deflect the enemy’s blades into the sky.

…''I did it.

The enemy clearly did not understand what had happened, but Mitotsudaira did. This was the same as what Horizon had shown her before.

“The trick to peeling an apple while holding the knife backwards is to twist it.”

The instant Walsingham’s blades had reached the chain’s holes, she had rotated the chain as if twisting. Before the blades could gouge into the holes, she had grabbed them with the holes and thrown them.

It was the same as providing an instant rotation as soon as someone grabbed your hand.

However, coming up with the idea and mastering its execution were two different things.

She had gotten training from Naomasa who studied martial arts, but she had been thrown to the tatami mats countless times and gotten into the same martial arts debates every night at the yakiniku restaurant. There, she had learned that Naomasa preferred salt over yakiniku sauce and that she needed to begin twisting her hand before her opponent grabbed it.

…''And for some reason, half the class flocked to the restaurant and destroyed it!

Ignoring that last part, the chain and martial arts were the same. She had to twist the chain before the blades came to deflect it.

That would shorten the chain’s reach yet raise its attack power. Also, it could wrap around a joint-less automaton like Walsingham and prevent her from escaping.

And so she used that chain she had swung.

“Don’t think a hound can defeat a wolf on a moonlit night.”

She gave the silver chain a wrapping rotation and slammed Walsingham’s back into the fountain down below.

Mitotsudaira descended to the ground as if pursuing the enemy that had caused a great splash after being thrown down.

She then saw Walsingham’s back spring up. Without turning around, the hound accurately aimed her cross cannon at Mitotsudaira and fired.

“Bite!!”

In that instant, Mitotsudaira leaped toward the cannon.

She swung her arms as if folding them in prayer and fully closed the cross’s connection with a sharp blow.

The cross cannon lost an outlet for its power and it expanded while Walsingham held it over her shoulder.

It audibly ruptured, light burst out on Walsingham’s shoulder, and her hair shook. However, Mitotsudaira thrust her left hand forward as if holding it toward the light.

“This is it!”

While slamming Walsingham into the fountain with her left hand, she pulled something from the hound’s hair with her right and held it up.

“A Mouse!?”

Mitotsudaira looked at what dangled from her right hand amid the splashing sounds at her feet.

…''A small Walsingham?

She had super-deformed proportions and she even had the proper head decorations and tail-like hair. However, she already had tears in her eyes.

“Noooo.”

She shook her entire body left and right as Mitotsudaira observed her. Just looking at her made her small form jump, but the larger body that was collapsed in the water slowly and awkwardly attempted to rise up.

However, the automaton in the water was only making simple, autonomous actions and Mitotsudaira realized what that meant.

“It wasn’t that you provided vision for the area behind her. You are the OS for that automaton, aren’t you?”

After a while the small Walsingham finally hung her head.

Whether that was a confirmation or not, Mitotsudaira sighed at the hound’s OS that had stopped resisting. She placed her on the stone structure surrounding the fountain and the tearful OS looked up in surprise.

However, Mitotsudaira had already run off.

“Please excuse me, but I must report this to my king.”

With a regretful swing of the hand to make the silver chain flutter, she intertwined her gloved fingers and brushed her lips over the nails. As she ran, she lightly bit the tips of her white gloves with her lips.

“I need to tell him it was thanks to him that I won.”

“I’m not going to let myself lose like this!!”

Masazumi was held to the floor by several skeletons.

Hatton currently held a dictionary over his head in prayer, so she pleaded to him.

“W-wait! Surely there’s a process for handling things like this!”

“I hate a restrained lifestyle! I hate it to death!”

“Are you really the Lord Chancellor!?”

He must not have wanted to answer because he ignored her. She could tell the situation was truly bad and she felt this was the end.

She belatedly realized just how much of a disadvantage her abilities put her in during a battle between representatives.

She felt like she was seeing the trick to such battles here.

…''Physical ability and a personality that lets you ignore what anyone else says!

She knew both were impossible for her.

…''But wait. My class is filled with people like that.

“Waaahhh! Am I the only one to get the short end of the stick!?”

“Perhaps, but that hellish pain has now reached its end!”

Just as Hatton swung down the dictionary, a sign frame from Asama appeared.

“Masazumi! Your Mouse went to you! It used a ley line divine transmission, so take it!”

“Eh!?”

She looked around, but saw nothing.

The surrounding skeletons exchanged glances.

“…?”

There was nothing there.

…''It isn’t here?

The Mouse that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be found.

At the same time, Asama’s sign frame exceeded its allotted divine transmission time and vanished.

However, the Mouse remained absent.

“W-wait.”

Masazumi forgot about her own plight and felt a chill run down her spine.

That Mouse had not been attached to her. She had looked after it, but that and the treatment for its injuries were something any owner would have done.

She had not protected it. She had merely done the bare minimum.

She wondered if that was why it had not grown attached to her.

However…

…''Isn’t it dangerous for the Mouse if it messes up moving through a ley line divine transmission?

However, she had heard that method was often used of the Mouse’s own will. It would use it when it wanted to see its master, when it was lost, or when it wanted to hurry back from an errand. The Mouse did it out of a desire for its master and when it had a proper recognition of its master.

She did not know why a Mouse that had not been attached to her would have tried to use it.

But…

“Eh? W-wait.”

Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes.

''No,'' she thought. ''Even if I survive this and return to the Musashi, will I only find an empty nest waiting for me?

That would be the same as with her mother.

And it was her own fault. The situation was partly due to putting herself into this dangerous situation and making the Mouse worry.

…''Why?

Why had she done nothing more than worry for the Mouse instead of trying to get to know it better?

Had she been comfortable in the fact that it had not been attached to her and had she been afraid to grow any closer to it?

Had she been afraid it would dislike her?

…''No.

She had once more done something irreversible.

What had she learned from her previous experience and what had she lost?

“No…”

As she muttered to herself, she saw Hatton begin to move.

He must have already said what he needed to say because he remained silent.

“—————”

As he swung down his arms, Masazumi let out a shout. She spoke the same words that had first leapt from her mouth when her mother had vanished and she had found the empty house.

“Are you gone!?”

There was nothing to speak an answer to that shouted question.

However, something did answer it with an action.

The front cover of the hard point part on her neck opened and a young anteater jumped out.

…''Eh?

What it meant for a Mouse to have come to her and the meaning of a Mouse’s very existence was something that Asama and the others might have understood but that a Mouse beginner like Masazumi did not.

A Mouse’s place was not next to or near its master. It was with its master and inside the hard point part.

After hopping out, the young anteater spun around on top of her chest.

“————!!”

With a howl that could be interpreted as anger or strength, a multitude of sign frames appeared around the anteater. Masazumi had never seen so many sign frames and they were all anti-spirit purification exorcism spells.

Also, a divine text from Asama arrived.

“To celebrate the confirmation of the master/Mouse relationship and to act as an emergency flare for you, I stuffed in every attack spell I could think of. Simply delightful, isn’t it!?”

''Is that anything for a shrine maiden to be saying?'' wondered Masazumi.

However, the surrounding Living Dead were clearly panicking.

As even more spells expanded outwards, they all exchanged a glance, let go of Masazumi, and spoke in awkward Far Eastern with calming gestures.

“Boss, how about we calm down?”

“Sic ‘em!!”

In the center of the danger, the young anteater did its best to comply.

As a beginner, its strategy was simple: it drew back in fear, closed its eyes, and fired every spell touching it in every direction.

“————!!”

As they all shouted out, a chaos of explosions that only affected spirits filled the inside of the transport ship.

From the heights of London, Dudley heard an explosion and saw a bright white light from the distant sea.

…''That’s purification light, isn’t it?

In that case, Hatton was likely out of the fight. ''That Lord Chancellor is always too kind to people,'' she thought while focusing on her own battle.

She was currently firing arbalest quarrels at the black-winged Technohexen before her.

The Testamenta Arma named Brachium Justitia on her left hand allowed her to control weapons. Her aim was accurate and she sent eight short quarrels toward the Technohexen’s stomach.

However, the Technohexen swung her right hand and the white pen she held drew a white line.

“Th-th-th-that is the acceleration line you used in the Battle of Mikawa, isn’t it!?”

Before the Technohexen could nod, the line captured the eight quarrels. She had predicted their path and placed a quick heart shape there.

Before Dudley could mock her for drawing something so cute, the acceleration line accelerated the quarrels toward the end of the line. In other words, toward Dudley.

The heart-shaped acceleration line catapulted the quarrels directly toward her face. Dudley realized this Technohexen was no one to joke around with and she held out her right palm.

“S-s-s-s-smash!!”

She used the repelling ability of her right palm to hit back the eight attacks. However, she did more than simply hitting them back. She also used her Testamenta Arma to correct their aim in the instant she touched them. This way, they were sure to directly return to her opponent.

However, the Technohexen had already drawn a new acceleration line.

But it was not a mere line.

It was a drawing and Dudley understood why she would do that.

…''That way it doesn’t count as a weapon!!

If it was not a weapon, she could not control it with Brachium Justitia. The Technohexen had learned that lesson from their previous encounter and she had overcome it with her own ability.

However, Dudley held out both her hands. The right hand could repel and the left could correct the aim. With those two abilities, she could send any attack back to her opponent just by touching it.

And she did so.

“…!!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 55|Chapter 55]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 57|Chapter 57]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 55

2015-04-18T22:21:27Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 55: Lead Role in the Fire==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0685.png|thumb]]
''If it is thoroughly burned

''Beyond the point of nothing remaining

''What is created afterwards?

'''Point Allocation (Continuation)

The Musashi burned.

It gave off smoke, holes had been torn into it, the chaff of light Holy Spells kept it from moving, and its speed was dropping.

“That wasn’t really fair, was it?” muttered Segundo.

The flames and smoke did not clear up, but the Musashi slowly broke through them and knocked them away.

Finally, the Musashi appeared without the surface armor or top-level cities on the front half. It was wrapped in light, its secondary armor could not produce its ocean properly, and the front ships looked like they were about to sink.

Segundo watched it as it trailed smoke from various points and the gaps in its armor.

“But this isn’t over yet.” He breathed out a sigh of relief. “When we’re up against such a giant ship, we have no choice but to continue being cowards, so now we’ll be using a truly unfair method.”

He looked up into the sky.

“I can use this as one of the things I’ve gained over the past 25 years, can’t I?”

A color appeared in the distant western sky beyond the Musashi.

The color was white and it flew as if cutting through the sky at high altitude. Ten flying objects were approaching.

“These are reinforcements from the New World.”

Juana looked up at the sky from the retreating fleet moored off the north coast of Tres España.

She watched objects quickly cutting through the sky after being launched from a giant aerial mother ship arriving from the west.

“The mechanical phoenixes of the New World forces!?”

“Testament. Las Casas ordered these ten Rojo Azor here. This is how we will ‘resupply’ for the armada battle.”

The large birds made of metal flew by before the voice over the divine transmission could finish speaking.

They were a type of mechanical beast specialized for aerial combat and their wings were slightly closed. They were not as large as mechanical dragons, but they were still over ten meters long.

After ascending, they dropped toward the cloud of light visible to the east.

The avian silhouettes held long spears below their stomachs.

Those were giant stakes meant to attack fortresses. When the phoenixes’ descent speed was added in, not even fortress walls with defense spells could stand up. No ship’s gun could provide as certain a blow.

Currently, ten of those were thrown during a hit-and-away descent and then ascent.

“!!”

The destructive sound reached even the distant coast.

“Damage to the back! Presumably! Over!!” reported the automaton in charge of the rear portions of the ship.

Adele turned around just in time for a great roar to pass through both sides of the ship.

“Mechanical phoenixes!?”

She could not immediately tell how many there were because the sounds blurred together, but she decided there were ten based on what she saw. After all, there were ten giant holes of destruction on the top levels of Takao and Oume on the rear of the Musashi. It seemed some spear-like objects had been fired into the ship. Some had pierced all the way in while others had not and were lying on their sides.

However, all of the holes were scattering the glowing cloud of ether fuel.

The mechanical phoenixes could be heard disappearing into the sky overhead, but that meant one thing.

…''They’re going to attack again!

That first attack had likely been to get a feel for how the stakes hit. In order to prevent any optical illusions brought on by how large the Musashi was, they had likely limited themselves to surefire targets. But Adele guessed they would target Musashino or Okutama next.

''They really got us here,'' she thought.

The Musashi had taken a lot of damage. The smoke of ether light was now rising from all of the ships except for Okutama and Musashino and that meant the port and starboard ships would not have their full power.

Also, the automatons were not functioning.

…''What am I supposed to do!?

She could not think of anything right away, so she wanted time. She told herself not to panic.

However, Tres España did not end the attack there.

The small ships led by Segundo were coming.

Segundo was finally going in for the attack after taking away the Musashi’s front guns, pushing the defenders and attackers into hiding, destroying the surface armor, and then getting in a solid blow on them.

“Are you trying to make this a completely confused battle!?”

Segundo’s strategy was obvious. After robbing his opponent of offense, defense, and sight, he would drag them into a confused melee.

His method of doing that was simple. He stretched out the ships as if opening up the wheel formations and then…

“Move the wheel formations in between the Musashi’s ships.”

From the inside, the Musashi could not attack horizontally for fear of friendly fire. Also, it worked as a recreation of the confused battle in the Testament descriptions.

“The mechanical phoenix unit will take advantage of the damage to the armor on the outside. If they fire their large stakes into those sides, the Musashi will be unable to expand its outer hull for gravitational acceleration.”

The ten mechanical phoenixes were disappearing into the distant sky, but they would return soon.

''I came here to lose,'' thought Segundo.

''Twenty-five years ago, I was unable to accomplish anything beyond surviving. I wasn’t able to protect what I needed to protect and yet I was celebrated as a victorious hero. Later, the chancellor gave up his seat for a mere commander like me.

''There was a lot I was jealous or resentful of, but none of it could compare to not being allowed to lose. Other people’s prejudices were far more human than my disappointment in myself. After all, I had lost everything. There was no point in a prejudice meant to take something from someone.

''The previous chancellor gave me a good place to die. Because I didn’t know why he chose me, I looked into what kind of person he was, but I still don’t know much of anything.

''In the end, I have nothing.

''I even brushed aside what needed me. But…

“Even if I have nothing, can I still create something?”

The Musashi’s front ships pressed in from the left and right as Segundo flew in between them with the others.

At high altitude, the narrow space between the Musashi’s ships was filled with turbulence.

“But we originally fought in the Inland Sea. The Lepanto was the same, so we’re used to this kind of battlefield. As long as we keep an eye on the towing belts, we can shoot to our heart’s content while ignoring an enemy that’s afraid of friendly fire. Of course, I’m sure Musashi will think up something.”

He smiled bitterly.

“But we’re just as determined, Musashi, so we’ll make sure you go along with us. Now, which one of us will be crushed first in this retreating battle?”

He advanced the ship through the Musashi’s ships as if they were canyon walls and he raised his right hand into the light-filled night sky.

“How about we begin where we left off 25 years ago? How much can we satisfy ourselves by crushing each other on this trip around England?”

He swung down his hand.

“Commence firing!!”

A rotation of random firing to the left and right exploded between the Musashi’s ships.

As the Musashi fought in the southern sky and Musashi’s representatives fought in London, Masazumi was caught up in her own battle.

On the transport ship, she had to fight back against a group of primarily skeletal Living Dead warriors.

White bones had already filled the deck starting from the bottom and the battlefield had moved inside.

“Waaaah! Why is this turning into a cheap Noh horror play!?”

They were currently at war with England. Even if she was not killed, they would still lose her authority as vice president if she were captured. That would prevent them from making peace and ending the war with England.

She wanted to avoid that at all costs, so she made use of the harpoons they had used for fishing and the firearms prepared for defense.

…''F-fighting in a narrow corridor is the standard tactic, right!?

She had smashed to pieces quite a few of the group closing in on her. They moved slowly because they had to move their muscle-less bones with only their spiritual body. However, the worst part was what they were all saying.

“Girl, will you let me rest in peace!?”

“From that, I take it Lord Chancellor Hatton is manipulating all of you!!”

“Manipulating? That kind of accusation gives me a deadly heartache! I am only forcing them to do this in exchange for letting them rest in peace!!”

“That’s called manipulating them!!”

However, yelling would not improve the situation. She rolled a barrel to crush them, pinned them in a door, and handed them a bottomless ladle when asked for one from the window.

“That last one was no friend or fiend of mine!” insisted Hatton.

“But you being here is what called them here!! Leave! Leave right now!! I didn’t call for you!!”

“Why are you so opposed to dying!?”

''How philosophical!'' she thought while throwing desks and chairs to smash the skeletons.

Each time one was crushed, a message would appear in the air saying “Anglican Church Rest in Peace Combo 1-2-1 Hit! Thank you for your cooperation.” That made her wonder if this counted as charitable work.

But the thrown knife that grazed the side of her hair made her rethink that position.

“H-hey! You can use weapons!? We don’t exactly have the same kill ratio here!”

“I am deadly serious about tolerance when it comes to people’s private lives!”

…''Does that mean I’m the intolerant one!? Does it!?

At any rate, her situation was very, very bad. There was something she had to say if Tenzou’s confession was a success, but it had been a mistake to stay behind for that.

…''Oh, but sending a letter or saying it later would make it less meaningful.

She had to say it no matter what, but the corridor was full to capacity.

The skeletons held rusted daggers at their waists and arrived in ranks of three.

“Go to hell!! Go to Naraka!!”

“Are you sure you’re Anglican!?”

She kicked over a desk she had dragged from a side room and it pierced through to give her six hits. Meanwhile, she tried to pull her handheld shrine from her pocket binder.

“Huh? I-it’s gone?”

There was a hole at the bottom. One of the thrown knives must have torn it because her hand came out the other end of the pocket. ''Oh, no,'' she thought as Hatton spoke in front of her.

“Oh? You seem to have dropped something. It’s so sad. This divine mail address book is a complete graveyard!”

“Don’t look at that!! Aren’t you supposed to be the Lord Chancellor!?”

“Yesssss! With equity, there’s no problem!”

She threw a chair, but he floated right to dodge it. However, she heard a sound of destruction behind him and earned two more hits.

Unfortunately, the enemy already had reinforcements coming. They formed ranks and advanced like a wall and Masazumi realized there was nothing nearby with which to make an impromptu weapon.

“I need to get to the lower corridor!”

Her only choice was to continue on as far as she could while trying to endure. If she managed that, her classmates would come running once they finished their battles. Or so she hoped. She also suspected those horrible people would completely forget about her and leave.

…''S-stay positive!! You have to stay positive!!

Once she reached the lower level, she tackled open the door.

And the other side was already filled with skeletons.

…''Huh?

As Masazumi tilted her head toward the skeletons that had somehow circled around ahead of her, they lightly raised their hands.

“Good evening, Miss Honda.”

“Good evening,” she replied without thinking.

But then…

“H-how did you get here ahead of me!?”

All of the skeletons raised their arms and what their white hands held.

“The Living Dead are allowed axes, saws, and spell chainsaws!” explained Hatton. “And it’s a ghoulish legacy of the Living Dead to show up ahead of you when you try to escape!”

“I hate B movies!!” she shouted.

However, she was quickly captured.

Several of them held her arms and legs to the floor and they all turned toward Hatton.

“Teacher! One please!!”

“H-hey! What kind of joke is this!?”

Hatton ignored her protests, nodded, and used both hands to hold up the giant dictionary on his waist.

“Now, it is time for death by bludgeoning!”

Those words, the way he held the book as if praying, and how she was held down led Masazumi to shout out.

“This is just wrong!”

A small form awoke in a dimly-lit room.

It was a young anteater Mouse. It had a nest of healing charms inside a short wooden box on the floor and it looked around from the center of it. It wondered why it had woken up.

However, its upturned vision suddenly shook. Something was shaking the floor from somewhere in the distance. Occasionally, it saw glowing objects scattered outside the window and heard people shouting.

“…?”

It wondered what was happening and felt scared.

Until recently, it had been with its mother. No matter what had happened, it had been able to hide by sinking into its mother’s fur and body heat. However, it could no longer do that. It had thought it could hide in that hard point part, but even that had become a dangerous place of damage and injury.

Why was no one protecting it?

It let out a cry in hope of an answer. It could do nothing more than that.

However…

“…”

No reply came.

The anteater looked around the area. The dimly-lit area was in the third basement of Okutama which was directly below Musashi Ariadust Academy. It was an agricultural area where selective breeding was researched. The anteater was inside the office there.

As a Mouse, it had knowledge of the area belonging to its registered shrine, but it did not know why it was here. It assumed it had been thrown out.

However, it relaxed when it saw food placed next to the nest. It decided to lick the small translucent green solid and then go back to sleep. It may have been thrown out and its food might run out, but it would eventually disappear all the same if its surroundings were so dangerous. Simply closing its eyes would be easier.

And so the anteater licked the food, took a breath, stretched a bit, and then realized something.

A sign frame was floating above its head.

The young anteater saw a notification that its supposed owner was in danger.

She was very far away. Based on the divine network connection, she was in a land under the jurisdiction of another academy. Even if their divine transmissions were currently shared, there was a large gap between the Musashi and England.

It could not travel there easily.

Also, its owner was in danger, so if it went there now, it too would be in danger.

However, its owner was in a confrontation between academy representatives.

That meant no one else could help even if she was in danger. The only one who could was the anteater that counted as her possession.

But going would mean getting injured, so it decided it did not have to go and returned to the nest.

Sleeping and allowing its injury to heal was important. Its mother might even return.

If its supposed owner was gone, its ownership would become uncertain and it might even be able to return to its mother.

With that hope in mind, the anteater curled up in the nest.

It decided it did not care if she disappeared.

“…”

But then it slowly observed its surroundings.

It had a nest made of healing charms, it had food, and it had a box to designate its own space.

Most likely, its master had felt differently. She must have felt she would care if the anteater disappeared.

And so the anteater changed its mind about whether it would care if she disappeared.

However, it did not know what to do, so it tried looking outside. It would see if it was dangerous outside and then think about what to do.

Its owner did not want it to disappear, so if it was dangerous outside, staying put would be the best option.

The office door was cracked open, so the anteater left the nest, passed between boxes of bulbs, and slipped through the door labelled “King of Musashi’s Agricultural Laboratory – KoMA Lab”.

Once outside, it found a scene of destruction.

The young anteater was supposedly underground, but the ceiling was split open diagonally and a giant stake had torn up the floor into the lower levels. The light it had seen out the window came from the glowing charms entering through the hole in the ceiling.

The farm had been broken and bent and a few of the thick pillar-like research facilities forming an alternating line with the farmland were spewing flames and smoke. People were running around putting out the fires and plenty of shouting could be heard.

This place was dangerous.

The anteater understood that nowhere was safe anymore.

And so it decided to return to the room, but it was stopped by a sudden voice from the side.

“Masazumi?”

It recognized that as its master’s name, but who was calling her name? The words were formed with thought speech, so it could have been a Mouse. If so, the anteater could leave this to them, so it turned around.

“Masazumi? Not her?”

A brown algae creature crawled out of the farm’s ditch.

The anteater knew of the brown algae creatures due to the information inside it, but the creature would not know it. So how had it made the link between the anteater and its master’s name?

“Bandage. Masazumi’s smell.”

Hearing that, the anteater looked at itself. A healing spell bandage was wrapped around its neck where it had been injured, but it was not tight enough to strangle it.

Its master’s smell came from there.

It then realized something: from the time it had been asleep to now, its master had been trying to protect it.

It had indeed been injured. That had hurt and it had been scary. However, its mother had not been the one to hold it in her hands back then.

“Masazumi.” The brown algae creature tilted its head a bit. “Masazumi in trouble?”

The anteater looked at the sign frame overhead and nodded. At that point, it finally turned its thoughts in a certain direction.

…''What am I supposed to do?

That question came from a desire to resolve the difficult situation it was faced with. For the inexperienced Mouse, that activated its help functionality.

'''“Top recommendation! If the conditions are right, you can travel between ley lines.

'''“Even with a great distance between Mouse and master, as long as they are on a shared divine network, the Mouse can turn to ether, travel along the network, and recompose itself at its master’s location. This is the same system used to transport the Mouse in when the contract is made, but when it is carried out between Mouse and master, the Mouse needs to recognize its master. Otherwise, it will be unable to recompose. That could mean appearing elsewhere or having a distributed recomposition that, in the worst case, could mean losing the Mouse. As such, a Mouse with an intimate bond is needed.”

The anteater knew it was impossible. Not only was its bond with its master weak, but it did not even remember what its master looked like. That was due to its habit of curling up and hiding.

It could not save its master.

However…

“Don’t know Masazumi?” asked the algae creature.

The anteater nodded.

It did not know and that fact would mean losing her. Not knowing scared it, but there was nothing it could do. This was what it had wanted. Its choices would lead to the death of the master who had not wanted it to die.

Suddenly, the number of algae creatures grew. A second appeared, a third, and they continued to multiply.

“We know.”

The anteater looked up in surprise as the algae creatures swayed and spoke.

“Teach you Masazumi.” “Save Masazumi.” “Friend.”

Asama watched the scene.

A sort of meeting was being held in an obscure ditch next to the KoMA Lab building. The meeting was between Masazumi’s Mouse and some brown algae creatures. The algae creatures were telling the Mouse about Masazumi.

“Masazumi is politician.” “Loves taxes.” “Skinny.”

Asama was unsure about that description, but the young anteater was listening carefully.

Why it would do so was obvious.

…''To travel through the ley lines.

Asama had received the notification, so she knew Masazumi was in danger. That was her right as the contract manager. She had reported it to the student council and chancellor’s officers, but everyone on the Musashi and in England had their hands full and Masazumi still had a job to do.

…''She said she has an announcement to make if Tenzou-kun manages to confess to Mary.

To maintain the right to make such an announcement, she could not lose this battle between representatives. That meant no one could go to help even if they wanted to.

However, a Mouse was different. Asama had run here in order to give the anteater some spells and have someone carry it to Masazumi.

“But I never thought the Mouse would try to go on its own.”

She wondered if she should stop it, but the half-dragon that loved porn games and could fly was gone and Naito was out on the battlefield. She could always load it into a transport arrow and shoot it there, but she would be forced to set Masazumi as the tracking target and she was worried what would happen if she scored a clean hit. And that was almost guaranteed to happen.

However, the anteater Mouse was using a sign frame to set up the ley line travel while watching the algae creatures use water to draw their version of Masazumi’s face on the ground. Occasionally, the anteater would use its front paws to touch the bandage around its neck as if to make sure it was there.

…''Keep at it.

Ley line travel was often used inside the Musashi and it was a simple process. Most of the time, it was used when the Mouse had gotten lost or had finished an errand it could settle on its own.

However, things were different when battlefield airspace lay in the middle and the end point was on another academy’s land.

Nevertheless, Masazumi’s Mouse awkwardly but carefully set everything up.

It set it all up correctly, so it would succeed as long as it could recognize her.

If possible, Asama would have liked to test it out in Musashi beforehand.

“…”

But the young anteater finished setting everything up and the sign frame indicated that there were no problems with the setup. It now came down to how well the Mouse could recognize its master. Asama was most worried about this part, but the algae creatures spoke up once more.

“Forgot.”

There was something they had forgotten to mention.

“Makes bad jokes.”

…''That new information should do it!

An instant later, the Mouse sank down and its fur bristled.

“…!!”

It turned to light, vanished, and flew through the air.

Adele looked at the model of the Musashi floating in front of her.

The Musashi was currently being shelled by the small Tres Españan ships positioned between the center ships and the port and starboard ships.

The front ships on either side had lost almost all their surface armor, been hit by the mechanical phoenixes, and now were being targeted from extreme close range.

''This couldn’t get much worse,'' thought Adele while her mind was almost entirely blank.

She could hear the sounds and feel the shaking, but the control automatons had lost most of their senses due to the Holy Spell chaff. The only sign of the damage being done was on the ether light model of the Musashi. The color red was filling both sides of the central ships and the inner sides of the port and starboard ships. Several overlapping sign frames gave the details of the damage.

…''This is bad.

She wondered what to do while watching the model that was occasionally wrapped in static.

However, she had wondered the same thing several times already and nothing had changed.

She had simply been thinking “what should I do” again and again.

She found no answer and something seemed to give the finishing blow.

“Ah.”

The sounds of shellfire on either side grew to a complete barrage.

The wheel formations in between the ships had perfected their movement.

When doing it on the outer sides of the ships earlier, the automatons’ reactions and calculations had let them create the defensive water barriers.

However, that was no longer an option. Not even the gravity barriers were working.

“Ah!”

Beyond the light of the scattering Holy Spell charms, a roar and white smoke rose from Murayama’s starboard side.

The upper part of the hull had been breached and ether fuel was scattering into the air.

“…!!”

Segundo heard cheers rising into the sky.

The Tres Españan ships were firing while flying back and forth in the narrow space between Musashi’s ships.

They were receiving return fire from the decks of those ships, but it was a desperate attempt that the gunners on the scene had decided on.

Fortunately, it was sporadic and their aim was off. Even if they got a few lucky hits, it was not enough to create the continuous barrage needed to wear down the Tres Españans.

The Musashi had stopped. It was still moving forward, but it was entirely on inertia.

That was thanks to the Holy Spell chaff eliminating the shared memory of the automatons in control. The ships could be controlled manually, but they had no way to coordinate the movements of those giant ships. Without proper inter-ship communication, any careless movement could lead to a collision, so the Musashi had to remain motionless.

''But,'' thought Segundo. ''Our attack will not work forever.

Their wheel formation was only effective as long as the Musashi could not move and the automatons were not functioning. Once the wind carried the chaff out of range, the Tres Españan ships would be surrounded.

That meant they had to destroy the Musashi before that happened.

He looked at the chaff floating around the Musashi and checked on their own pace.

…''Can we make it in time?

While he asked the question, a shouting and praying voice filled his heart: please make it in time.

The chaff would most likely last for more than half an hour. Since the Musashi was not moving, the chaff would fall on it and the chaff’s effects would continue.

The voice in his heart told him they could make it given that much time.

…''Can I really trust in that?

He thought with the sounds of shellfire filling his ears. He held those words of victory in his heart while also wondering if he was allowed such an action.

However…

“…!!”

He heard another cheer. The upper armor of Tama, the second starboard ship, had broken and it was spewing ether light smoke.

A moment later, someone spoke to Segundo.

“We can win this, commander!!”

“Yeah,” said something else.

“Testament,” shouted yet another person. “Let’s win this, commander!!”

That shout produced another cheer that seemed to accelerate the sounds of shellfire.

Among those resounding voices, Segundo nodded while trembling a little. Even that small action produced voices of expectation from the others.

“Let’s win this.”

He did not know if he could trust what he himself was saying, but…

…''Part of why I’m doing this is so I can trust in it.

He uttered the words hidden deep in his heart.

“Let’s win this, everyone!!”

Adele stood up from her seat as the enemy shellfire further intensified.

All of the automatons around her had fallen to their knees and did not look up toward her.

She merely watched the light of the cannon fire in the sky before her while the inner hull of the Musashi model grew red. However, she could not think of anything she could do.

“…!”

Below her raised eyebrows, something fell down her cheek from the eyes behind her glasses.

…''Ah.

''I can’t,'' she thought. ''I’m the commander, so I can’t give up.

However, she could not contact any of the other ships properly and the firing continued as if ignoring everyone on the Musashi.

“!?”

With more rumbling and shaking, even more smoke filled the air.

It was breaking. It was falling apart and no one could do anything about it. They could only wait until there was actually something they could do.

…''Is it all over?

But just as she had that thought, she heard the door behind her open. She turned around and found a certain person standing in the open door.

“Chancellor!?”

A naked boy stood there. Not only that, he posed with his arms spread in a Y-shape and he let out a shout.

“It’s all overrrrrr!!”

“Nwaaah! The chancellor is here to fan the flames!!”

Hearing Adele’s protest, the naked boy redid his pose and shouted again.

“What? Don’t be stupid! Look at reality for a second! We’re done for, Adele!! The Musashi is toast!! Giving up’s our only option! Okay, Big Bro Toori will help you figure out whose fault this is! Oh, but it can’t be me! That’s the rule!”

“Um, chancellor, Vicereine Horizon is behind you.”

“What?”

A moment later, everyone aboard the Musashino felt a strange lurch.

Adele watched the naked boy return through the hole broken in the bridge’s left wall.

…''How can he act the same as normal?

Nevertheless, the idiot came toward her while the shaking of shellfire continued.

“How about it, Adele?”

“What?”

“Don’t give me that. Try looking at reality for a second.”

She saw him pointing into the northwestern sky.

She saw England and London on its second level, but there was something new visible in London.

It was something large enough to see even from this distance.

…''A giant?

It wore Western armor, wielded two swords, and it was fighting something she could not quite see. Based on the movements of the swords, its opponent seemed to be an equally large giant.

“It looks like an idiot escalated things to that level.”

She knew that Neshinbara was likely controlling the giant she could not see.

Sugawara no Michizane was a god of literature and learning, but he had originally been a noble whose grudge brought a cruel curse to the Far East after being demoted in a government scheme. His anger had been quelled by deifying him, but he was known for a certain ability.

“Lightning.”

He occasionally fired sword-like bolts of lightning that tore into whatever it was Shakespeare had created.

At the moment, one of Adele’s classmates was exchanging swift sword strikes with one of England’s greatest authors. In fact, several more of her classmates were also in that city. And…

“You fit right in as a classmate of that kind of idiot. After all…” The chancellor pointed from London to their current location. “You’ve made it past the halfway point of the armada battle. You’re the one that did that. Adele, you’ve kept us going through half of an important piece of history. I couldn’t do that, but you did. So…”

So…

“Let’s try to keep history going a little longer.”

A few thoughts filled Adele’s mind: ''I can’t'' or ''Please spare me.

All she could hear were the din of shellfire and destruction that sounded like a quickly ringing bell. Ether smoke had started to rise from every part of the Musashi as if making the sky cry.

However, the idiot spoke clearly.

“Now that you’ve made it halfway, the rest has got to be a piece of cake, right? After all, the rest just gets smaller from here on.”

“Just gets smaller?”

She wanted to say “we’re not talking about a literal piece of cake here”, but then she realized something.

She had regained the calm needed to think things like that.

…''Honestly.

She still did not know what she had to do, but…

“Don’t worry, chancellor,” she said. “Everyone is doing what they can, so I can keep going too.”

''I just said it, didn’t I!?'' she realized in silent shock. ''I didn’t realize I was so ambitious.

However, the automatons were shaking their heads and beginning to reboot from their motionless state on the floor.

…''I may not know how to fix this situation, but…

“You know what to do at times like this, don’t you?”

“Judge,” agreed Adele before opening a sign frame, taking a breath, and shouting loudly at everyone else. “Someone please hellllllllp!!”

Adele’s shout brought someone back to her senses: “Musashino”.

She had been sitting on the floor next to Adele, but the girl’s desire for help had completed the reboot of her consciousness. Helping people was at the core of all automatons and it controlled their entire being even without their shared memory.

And upon waking up, “Musashino” realized something.

…''The ship isn’t shaking?

The sounds of impact, sparks, and smoke were still occurring outside, but the Musashi was no longer shaking. She wondered why.

“The transport ships!? Over.”

As Segundo’s fleet fired, they saw a sudden barrier.

It was made up of the Musashi’s transport ships which had appeared while flying along the perimeter of the Musashi’s ships.

They were pulled in a line by the towing belts to act as shields, but they were no normal transport ships. They all had colorful emblems drawn on their sides.

“Are these the transport ships belonging to Musashi’s most powerful merchants!?”

To avoid losses due to piracy or battles, the large transport ships had excellent defensive capabilities.

The several dozen ships formed walls that shielded the inner sides of the Musashi.

On the bridge, Adele watched the scene with “Musashino” standing by her side.

“Those are the transport ships of Musashi’s mercantile guild.”

They were taking shells and their armor was being blasted off, but they were protecting the Musashi.

All of those ships had been loaded with the Musashi’s cargo and towed on the outside, but they were now forming a defensive wall. A staticky sign frame video then appeared next to Adele’s face.

The audio was also staticky, but she recognized her friend’s voice.

“Adele!? It’s Heidi! We had the higher ups take action!! So…so don’t worry!!”

She sounded out of breath.

“We’ll protect you with the power of money!!”

In an underground long block of the Musashino, the members of the mercantile guild viewed the scene outside through a sign frame.

“Waaaah!! My transport ship! I had money hidden on there to avoid taxes!!”

“Aren’t you being a little too honest? …Wait! Is that my ship!?”

Shirojiro spoke from the elevator lift in the center of the low-ceilinged long block.

“This is quite a problem. For some reason, the towing belts pulling everyone’s transport ships have been deployed.”

“Damn you!!”

“Oh, what’s this? You are the ones who said staying behind is the best way to get information on Musashi and another nations’ firepower. And you agreed to turn over your cargo ships as a participation fee. The way you continued loading them with your trade cargo right up to when we left port shows how wonderful a mercantile spirit you possess.”

They could all hear the sounds of holes being torn in the hulls of the transport ships. They listened to the continuous sound of their goods and money being destroyed and one of them raised his eyebrows and spoke.

“What do you want!?”

“A good question.” Shirojiro faced the line of thirty merchants. “I am currently in charge of managing the industrial goods on the battlefield. Let us do business while keeping that in mind. We can start with the right to use defensive spells. If you purchase that right, your transport ships will no longer take direct hits from the enemy shells. Instead, they can be defended with spells.”

All of their faces stiffened at that. Simply buying that was not enough for a perfect defense.

“Judge. As a special service, the first three will receive their defensive spells for free. Now, what will you do? To be clear, I will withdraw a transport ship once the total losses – including these expenses – exceed sixty percent of the ship’s value.”

Now…

“Who does not want to throw their ship away?”

“Adele! You handle things there!!”

Adele understood what Heidi meant.

This was Adele’s post. And as if to cheer her up, the others scattered across the ship had sent quick divine texts with their ideas on resolving their individual situations. While “Musashino” manually organized them, Adele took out a few useful ones and sent back simple replies.

…''I may not know what to do right now…

The automatons’ shared memory was unusable, so they had essentially lost all their senses.

“But we might be able to pull through.”

''No,'' she thought while turning toward the chancellor and vicereine behind her.

“Making sure we do is my duty here, isn’t it?”

Musashi King Yoshinao nodded twice in front of the hatch to the bridge.

After making sure there was no one around, he nonchalantly walked on as if he had simply been passing by.

“I thought she might need some advice, but I should have expected this of the girl who bears the wild beast emblem of my territory.”

But then he suddenly stopped walking. He heard a certain sound. It was a long, continuous ripping sound and he knew it by heart despite only having heard it once before.

He opened a sign frame and used his authority as King of Musashi to notify the entire ship.

“The ten mechanical phoenixes are approaching from the starboard side!!”

“What? We, why’re you making things up? Are you that starved for attention? You sure are lonely.”

“I am not making it up, you fool!!”

He saw white lines in the night sky and they were moving directly toward the Musashi’s starboard side.

The ten mechanical phoenixes approaching the Musashi’s starboard side briefly ascended in the light-filled night sky.

They were prepared to fire the large stakes positioned below them in the instant their rising trajectory lessened.

But something happened just before they completed their approach.

“!?”

The two leading phoenixes strayed from their course.

The others barely had time to wonder why when the reason passed by.

Technohexen. A few groups of them wore Technohexen outfits that looked especially black even in the night and they flew through the sky on brooms that could transform into cannons.

“Has Musashi’s aerial spell unit joined the confused battle in the sky!?”

The small number of Technohexen rose through the aerial battlefield and used acceleration spells to provide high-pressure acceleration to coin bullets. A few of them would work together to strengthen the acceleration of a single bullet and carefully aim it as an anti-air gun.

Musashi still did not have air superiority, so the Technohexen scattered as soon as they fired.

They had already passed by the mechanical phoenixes, so they could not fire again. However, the two phoenixes they had hit were in danger.

The damage to them was light and it was not enough to shoot them down, but they had reflexively taken evasive action and their vision had been briefly taken because the shots had targeted the cockpit windshield.

“Kh…Ah!”

The Musashi’s great size threw off those two pilots’ sense of distance, so their wings clipped the starboard deck as they passed by.

The hit sent their bird-like forms into a horizontal spin much like a shuriken. They hopped up, air resistance hit the craft from both the top and bottom, and they were knocked away as if twisting their bodies.

One of them slammed into the deck on the opposite side and broke apart after tossing the pilot into the air. As for the other…

“Fire!!”

A quickly-gathered attack unit poured anti-air fire on it from the ship.

The phoenix was struck from below and twisted upwards for an instant.

“…!”

It too exploded after the pilot managed to eject.

Despite the continued sounds of destruction, those on the Musashi did not have time to celebrate. The other eight had already fired their stakes.

“Tear into the enemy!!”

A single voice replied to that anger-filled shout. It was a staticky voice.

“All automatons, reboot in self-contained mode!”

The scolding tone came from “Musashi”.

That was the first time Suzu had heard “Musashi” speak like that.

…''Does she need that…even without emotions?

“Musashi” already had her arms held out as if to play a keyboard, but she was facing a wall-type sign frame. It most likely showed the scene outside and the stakes fired by the mechanical phoenixes.

As Suzu observed it with her senses, “Musashi” faced it and spoke.

“Everyone, rely only on your intrinsic sense devices and only remote connect to devices that allow private connections! If you retain your individuality in self-contained mode, the excess external information should not cause any problems. Do what you can on your own and only communicate via divine transmission or mouth rather than via shared memory! Also, I may be working manually and through a private visual connection…”

Suzu listened to the automaton’s announcement.

“But I will reactivate the gravity barriers!! Over!!”

Of the eight large stakes, four were deflected into the sky.

This was thanks to the gravity barriers. “Musashi” was visually confirming their location from near the bridge, so their location had been a little off. However, she had placed multiple barriers together to just barely catch that many.

Unfortunately, she did not reach three of them in time and one was only slightly diverted from its original target.

Three were on course for a direct hit and one was on a deflected course. After confirming that, the crews of the mechanical phoenixes let out a shout.

“Testament!!”

But a moment later, several people appeared on the outer edge of the Musashino. They were the members of Musashi’s mercantile guild. Their movements were frantic, but they all struck poses.

“Merchant hatches…open!!”

Next, the starboard hulls of the Musashi’s starboard ships literally opened. Double-layer door side hatches making up a portion of the outer hull opened up and down. Those hatches were used as external transport entrances, but they also contained…

“The long block transport routes that extend horizontally through the ships!”

With that shout from the merchants, the long block transport route hatches fully opened and giant passageways extending all the way through the Musashi were formed.

There were four of them. Three swallowed up their stakes in an instant while the other took in the deflected shot at an angle.

“Pass through!!”

The automatons inside the passageways answered that shout with their actions.

To ensure the large stakes passed through into the sky on the opposite side, they used their gravitational control to move objects out of the way or picked up and ran away with any cats or dogs they found. And if the trajectory of the stakes ever deviated…

“Maid receeeeeive!!”

Several of them would correct its path.

“Goodbye!!”

All four of them were sent out the transport hatches opened in the armor on the opposite side.

And on that port side were the small Tres Españan ships forming a wheel formation between the Musashi’s ships. From their point of view, the Musashi’s starboard ships suddenly opened their armor and destructive stakes were launched from the hole.

“!?”

A few of the ships were hit and blown away.

This was friendly fire.

And as the mechanical phoenixes creaked and groaned in their rapid ascent, they were attacked.

It came from the giant forms standing atop Takao, the third starboard ship. The work gods of war there had started to repair the city, but…

“If you don’t need this, then take it with you!!”

A large stake pulled from the city was thrown into the belly of the rising phoenixes.

They were riding the wind to ascend even further, so the long attack thrown right in front of them was nearly impossible to avoid. Six of the eight still managed to forcibly scatter out of the way. Of the remaining two, one just barely escaped, but…

“Kh!”

A single flower of red flames blossomed and a single trail of white smoke rose into the already glowing night sky.

This time, those on the Musashi raised their voices in celebration.

Segundo heard the enemy’s cheers.

A blizzard of light filled the night sky and a wind with a nostalgic heat reached him, but the men and women around him all raised their hands.

“Ohhhh!!”

They cried out.

“We’re not gonna lose!”

“Yeah, I’ve got a grandkid watching this!!”

“It’d be painful if he said it was his grandfather’s fault we lost…especially if he said it in front of your grave.”

They all laughed and that showed they were still plenty calm.

However, a sudden wind arrived. It was a vertical wind coming from Musashino and Okutama at the Musashi’s center and the sudden wind raging up and down meant only one thing.

“It’s ascending!?” asked Segundo “But it shouldn’t be able to move!”

He then saw a certain sight. Most of the towing belts on the six port or starboard ships had been detached and Musashino and Okutama had begun a rapid ascent.

“The Musashi has separated its eight ships to pilot them separately!?”

Juana saw the change in the fires of war visible in the distant sky.

“It can’t be.”

The Musashi and Segundo’s small ships appeared to be on even footing, but a change had come over the Musashi. She assumed those on the scene had already noticed.

…''It’s started piloting its ships separately.

The chaff prevented the automatons from coordinating, so the eight ships could not fly in unison. In that state, piloting a single ship risked a collision with another one.

…''So the Musashi was supposed to be rendered motionless.

However, those around her had also caught on and they started pointing at the giant ship.

“Hey…. Look at that. The Musashi is separating.”

Musashino and Okutama alone had begun a rapid ascent. They brought themselves about a half-ship’s height above the port and starboard ships.

“Piloting the individual ships was supposed to be impossible, but are they doing it without coordination between the automatons!? How!?”

A closer look showed the port and starboard ships were awkwardly but definitely zigzagging to the left and right.

The eight ships were all moving independently to create a situation advantageous to the Musashi.

“Chancellor!”

A cold sweat washed over Adele as she watched the sign frame within Musashino’s bridge.

It contained data from the individual stealth used during the arming and modifications performed at England.

Currently, that data was being used for “Musashino” and the other captain automatons to redistribute their personnel.

Their speed had dropped, but Musashino was ascending along with Okutama. They had never before looked down on the other six ships like this and they had never seen those six ships zigzag so widely to the left and right. This was their first time trying anything like this.

…''It’s dangerous, but we have no choice.

It had frightened Adele when the Tres Españan ships had moved in between the Musashi’s ships. Even if they had endured the mechanical phoenixes and defended with the transport ships, they could barely attack the enemy formation and could only be torn apart from within.

To pilot the ships individually, they had tried to use a signal to communicate between ships, but the enemy wheel formation had interfered. If they tried to send out a signal from the deck or near the bridge, the enemy would fire shells at them.

That was when the commander of the Technohexen unit had sent in an idea. That commander was Naito.

The Technohexen were using their brooms to float above the bow and both sides of each ship. While remaining too high for the enemy ships to fire on them, they dangled down spell light torches to indicate the location of their ship.

Piloting the individual ships based on that was slow and awkward. It even looked amateurish.

However, that movement held great meaning. As Musashino and Okutama rose, they could attack downwards more easily and they would fire when the port and starboard ships opened a space in their zigzagging pattern. Also, the enemy’s attacks had a harder time of reaching Musashino and Okutama and they had difficulty targeting the zigzagging ships.

It looked like they were writhing in agony from the battle of attrition, but if one looked at the advantages of their positions…

…''This should work!

The Holy Spell chaff was putting considerable restrictions on their movements and the explosion had greatly damaged them. Also, “Musashino’s” calculations made it clear their counterattack through individual piloting would leave them even more damaged.

However, they had to work to keep the needle of this battle of attrition from pointing too far on their opponent’s side.

“Please do your best to keep the ships’ movements as unpredictable as you can! And fire back!”

Segundo held his breath while surrounded by the Musashi which was moving as if writhing in pain and yet yearning for freedom.

…''Now you’ve done it.

He had thought they had the Musashi cornered, but the enemy had used that to turn everything around.

The wheel formations were unable to reach the zigzagging port and starboard ships or the two risen ships, but those ships could fire on them.

They were supposed to have a unilateral victory here, but now they were surrounded and cornered.

But…

“Commander! This isn’t over yet, is it!?”

“Like with the ''falla'' festival dance… And like the Lepanto and Itsukushima, we haven’t even gotten started at this point!”

“Testament,” replied Segundo while quietly raising his right hand. “Extend the wheel formation vertically so it can reach the Musashi’s two central ships and its second port and starboard ships! If the wheel formations hold back the zigzagging ships, our attacks can reach them!”

Even so, they could not avoid a battle of attrition and Segundo assumed they all understood that.

However…

“Testament. Let’s do it, everyone! Isn’t that right, commander!?”

“Yes.”

Segundo swung his hand forward.

“Let’s go, everyone,” he said. “Even if their gravity barriers are back, we can still fire from a blind spot and we have an overwhelming advantage in numbers. The real retreating battle begins now. But remember this.”

Remember this.

“The results we earn here belong to us.”

A plaza with a fountain in the center was located on the border between city and forest.

Two girls with the Urban Names of a wolf and a hound faced each other there.

A single motion occurred between them in the moonlight.

Walsingham moved first.

She moved in a straight line.

“Go!”

She launched herself and her blades in order to clear the fountain.

Her feet tore into the stone structure surrounding the fountain as she made the high-speed leap.

Meanwhile, the silver wolf took action to intercept. She made a horizontal swing of the log hammer she had created with her right chain.

However, the hound read her enemy’s action and struck the chain with 32 blades.

This defense deflected the chain with a surface, but the chain did not stop.

The reason for this was simple: the chain was wrapped around a log at the halfway point as well as at the hammer. Not only did this add weight, but the blades were unable to accurately strike the portion of the chain wrapping around the log and were deflected.

The chain could not be knocked away as before.

However, the chain’s movement was slowed by the weight of the extra log.

The hound would bite at the wolf before the primary log arrived.

But before that, the chain swung itself around. Rather than striking the hound with the hammer at the end, it used the log at the center to swipe at her with a lariat.

However, the hound accelerated. She had a way of accelerating in midair. First, she sent her detached right arm below her feet.

“Dash ahead!”

Then, she fixed the arm in the air and kicked off of it.

Walsingham accelerated and corrected her direction. She aimed a bit downwards where the silver wolf stood.

“Bite!”

She fired and then twisted the cross spear into her enemy.

However, the cross spear cut through empty air and the shot tore into the dirt ground.

The enemy had jumped.

With her right arm raised, the silver wolf jumped into the air above the fountain as if scraping away at the moon.

She was using her chain.

She lifted herself into the night sky as if pulling herself with the weight of the two logs and also as if pulling herself up to the chain.

Without turning back toward her, Walsingham swung her hair.

Something spilled from her whipping hair and into the sky.

They were yellow fruits. Those six lemons were enough to destroy a wolf’s sense of smell.

The fruits were sliced in two instantly and their juice sprayed into the darkness. Also, Walsingham accurately aimed her cross spear at Mitotsudaira without turning around.

“Bite!”

And she fired.

Mitotsudaira saw Walsingham’s attack.

It was an accurate behind-the-back shot.

Also, she had drawn Mitotsudaira’s attention by throwing the lemons first. Slicing open the lemons was enough of an attack, but just to be sure, she had saved this shot for her true attack.

“Well done,” said Mitotsudaira while gathering strength in the left silver chain.

The two chains dangling from her wrists were currently sinking into the fountain’s water.

“It is time for the knight to redeem herself.”

She spoke as if howling and the fountain’s water exploded. The chains curled up at the bottom of the fountain launched a massive amount of water into the air.

In an instant, the plaza was filled with mist.

Walsingham recognized the danger of this rising night mist.

The thick mist at the bottom of the plaza had formed from the scattering fountain water. The citrus fruit sank to the bottom of the water which suppressed its smell and the mist made for poor visibility.

Walsingham suddenly sensed motion.

“…!?”

And she heard repeated groaning and snapping sounds from the forest behind her.

It sounded like trees were toppling.

…''What!?

The hound launched herself in the opposite direction.

But as she landed on the north side of the fountain, something touched her shoulder. It was a hard object and she also heard a chain moving down at her feet.

“…!?”

She reflexively leaped.

It was too dangerous within the mist and something was happening there.

The only way to escape the mist to was to move upwards, so the hound kicked off the branches of the trees surrounding the plaza, kicked off the low roof of a house, kicked off the wall of an apartment building, and reached its roof.

Below her, she saw a cloud of mist the same shape as the plaza, but there was no sign of the enemy on the rectangular roof.

Where was the enemy?

She then realized the moonlight was washing over her.

With no obstruction this high up in the city of London, the direct moonlight caused her to tremble.

Where was the enemy?

She did not know, but she could not let herself fear. She would protect what it was she liked.

So…

“La…”

With hands and feet on the straw roof, she bent back and gave a cry.

“Luo!!”

As she threw back her head, she finally saw it.

A silver form stood in the moon above her.

As he ran, Tenzou sensed a tremendous voice behind him.

…''Was that the cry of a beast!?

He did not know what was happening, but it was clear the battle was advancing.

Something powerful was battling in the city behind him and he also heard arbalests being fired repeatedly.

However, he heard his own footsteps most of all.

Far beyond the cityscape before him was a square fortress.

It was the Tower of London.

…''I can see it!

Without letting his joy distract him, he opened a sign frame while running.

He was contacting Masazumi. As vice president, she had asked him to call her once he had finished confessing, but he thought it would be best to notify her that he was almost there.

However…

“It won’t go through?”

Due to the armada battle, England and Musashi was using shared divine transmission settings. Masazumi was using a handheld shrine because her Mouse was not yet attached to her, but he should still have been able to reach her.

The fact that he could not reach her made him a little uneasy.

…''I’ve made it!!

The main road continued on in a straight line.

He could see the staircase leading to the first level at the end of the road, but the Tower of London was visible to the right.

While listening to the sounds of various nearby battles and the reverberations of the aerial battle far behind him, Tenzou swung his arms and swung his body forward.

“…!”

And he accelerated.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 54|Chapter 54]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 56|Chapter 56]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 54

2015-04-18T22:12:58Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 54: One who Closes in for a Collision==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0657.png|thumb]]
''When does

''The unexpected happen?

'''Point Allocation (Outcome)

Adele sighed on the bridge.

The battlefield was moving. Some of the others would occasionally stop by to greet her and Toori had arrived with Horizon while he distributed the ether outside.

She checked the history recreation program once more.

'''2: “Second Round off of Portland at Southern England”

'''Tres España’s fleet forms a defensive formation while England’s fleet pursues and destroys ships one by one.

'''3: “Resupply Time”

'''But it is mercilessly interrupted.

They were reaching those stages and they were approximately three thousands meters from the leading fleet they were exchanging shellfire with. That was within range of the ship’s guns.

After completing the current break at this distance, they would move onto #4 of the recreation.

'''4: “Third Round off of Southeastern England”

'''Off of Calais on the Far Eastern mainland, England’s fleet crashes eight fire ships into Tres España’s fleet to throw them into confusion.

That would be the third round, but it actually put some restrictions on the Musashi’s advance.

After all, the pursuit and destruction in #2 could be dealt with interpretively, so they had already completed it now that they were catching up with their acceleration and firing on them. Tres España’s leading fleet had six ships, so Adele had announced the beginning of the resupply time once they had damaged one of those ships.

They would then fire to keep Tres España from resupplying, but “resupplying” meant something a little different here.

…''It means letting the other smaller ships catch up.

She felt that was dangerous because she had wanted to attack the leading fleet with fire ships if possible. The leading fleet was made up of at least Kraken-class ships of over 300 meters long, so if they could sink even one of them with fire ships, the rest of the battle would be a lot easier.

However, the smaller ships could sacrifice themselves to the fire ships once they caught up.

“One small ship per fire ship is a bad deal for us. And the smaller ships can put out an incendiary spell more quickly too.”

Toori then tilted his head next to her.

“Why are you using incendiary spells? Couldn’t you blow them up with an explosive spell? They use those explosions a lot in divine TV dramas and tokusatsu shows, don’t they?”

Adele hesitated to answer Toori’s question about why to use incendiary spells over explosive ones.

“Um,” she said while deciding what to say. “You see, chancellor, explosive spells aren’t very effective and they’re easy to defend against, so they aren’t used in actual battle very much. They’re only used a lot in divine TV dramas because they look impressive.”

“Really?”

He tilted his head and she nodded while feeling bad for continuing to face forward.

“The most damage from an explosion comes from the shockwave that expands at ultra-high speed away from the center of the explosion. However, those shockwaves can be stopped with the Musashi’s buffering spells and armor. Also, explosions usually use a chemical reaction to obtain the explosion’s expansion speed, but… Didn’t you learn about alchemy during the chemistry classes on expansion and catalysts?”

“Well, during the first class I did the joke where I shout ‘Look at my alchemic expansion! Ahh, just look at all this alchemy!’, so I was thrown out after the first five seconds.”

Adele also recalled the unpleasant memory of the next class when he had shouted ‘Reactionary expansion!’, tried to grope all the girls’ breasts, and was thrown out after the first three seconds.

“Anyway,” she said while trying to find the simplest way to explain it. “Spells overwrite space by making changes to the ether and explosive spells use ether fuel as a catalyst to alter a larger area. It depends on the type of explosion, but most explosive spells are difficult to construct, have unstable activations, and can fail to activate due to insufficient fuel if a defensive spell interferes or weakens them.”

She took a breath.

“With combustion or heat explosive spells, even a weak fire-resistance spell or primary dispel is enough to keep it from activating. The problem is that those defensive spells are in common usage on ships or cities during combat. In Shinto, the local god can apply a full-area purification for long periods of time, so explosives that are so easily interfered with have a hard time there. England is protected by the spirits, so it’s the same.”

“Huh? That sounds like the Far East’s really strong.”

“Shinto has almost no attack power, though. It’s so good at defending because it can purify away an opponent’s attack power or attack method.”

Rather than deflecting an attack, it returned the attack to zero. Adele’s vassal training had taught her how to handle different spell attacks and defenses. An opponent using Holy Spells was tough, but you could win once you made it through. An opponent using Shinto spells was soft, but they would not let you through. That was the difference.

“Anyway, they’re hard to make, they’re activation is unstable, and they’re easy to defend against. On top of that, you need to solidify and use up a large amount of ether fuel for a large-scale explosion, so they’re just not worth bringing to the battlefield. There are other ways of using them, but for the most part, an incendiary spell that only takes a single charm and lasts a while is chosen over explosive spells that require a lot more preparation and only last an instant. The incendiary spells are easier to use and they’re harder to defend against.”

“In that case,” said Horizon from next to Toori. She sat on a cushion laid out on the floor and she sipped on a cup of tea. “In what situations would one use explosive spells?”

“Judge. For construction, destroying areas you know don’t have defensive spells, or for traps. I guess you could also use them to spread out some other spell. Anyway, that’s why physical shells and ether cannons are used in actual battle. Spell defenses are too much of a pain to get past. Even ether cannons have a physical shell at the core to ensure their destructive power.”

Adele pointed at the eight small transport ships they sent out as fire ships.

“Those are filled with incendiary spells. They do have an explosive spell at the bottom for spreading the flames, but that isn’t the primary attack.”

Once she finished speaking, she took a breath.

She relaxed once she saw Horizon nodding in understanding more than Toori.

Down below the bridge, she could see Hassan and Ohiroshiki running a cutlet curry stand, but the break would end in another two minutes. She wondered how many people would be powerful enough to finish a whole serving of cutlet curry on the battlefield so quickly.

…''Oh, probably only Hassan-kun himself.

She took another breath and a glass was held out from the side.

She looked over and saw “Musashino” holding a tray.

“Adele-sama, here is a drink. Over.”

“Oh, Judge. Thank you. …What is it?”

To soothe her nervous and dry throat, she chugged the contents of the glass.

“Judge. It is a squid curry to clear your thoughts. Over.”

Adele’s throat clenched up and refused to function, but Horizon accurately described her thoughts.

“This too must smell a lot like puke.”

“H-Horizon! Is it just me or are your word choices getting more slummy lately!?”

…''That doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. Please hit me on the back a bit. I’m definitely going to have to scold Hassan later. Really, really scold him.

As she moved up and down on her chair, the “drink” finally made it to her stomach.

As Toori pulled on Horizon’s hand and suggested they go get something else from the food stand, a chime rang to indicate the end of the break. One of the automatons standing in the front of the bridge turned around.

“The enemy has split into three groups. The large ships are in the center while the smaller ships have formed wheel formations on the left and right. The wheel formations have begun to rotate and they are all advancing toward the ocean off Calais. Over.”

''I get it now,'' thought Adele. ''We’re headed for Calais, so I was served Calai-mari.

…''I-I just made a joke the ice president would make!!

''Calm down, Adele. You haven’t fallen that low yet.

At any rate, she had to give some instructions.

“If the large ships are in the center, then prepare the fire ships. As soon as we arrive in the ocean off Calais, send the fire ships into those ships!”

As soon as she gave the order, the previous automaton spoke up once more.

“The enemy has sped up! They are advancing toward Calais at full speed! Over!!”

That meant the fire ships had to travel further.

Even if they sent out the fire ships now, Tres España could check their trajectories and arrange themselves accordingly, so Adele gave new orders.

“Please accelerate and prepare the fire ships!!”

“No! Don’t go after them, you idiots!!”

The one shouting into the sky was Drake aboard his patrol boat.

He was watching the Musashi pursue Tres España’s fleet.

“Why not?” asked Howard with a tilt of his head. “The fire ships spreading confusion through Tres España’s fleet is the biggest turning point of the armada battle. That’s what forces them to retreat. And it was supposed to be your role, Drake.”

“There is that, but this isn’t right! Look!”

He brushed a hand through the fur on his neck that was starting to bristle.

“In the history recreation, England is supposed to remain upwind for the entire battle.”

His silver fur indicated the wind was blowing from west to east.

“With the setting sun and the westerly wind, the Musashi is upwind, but if you ask me, moving this quickly is the same as throwing away that upwind advantage.”

“Are you saying this violates the history recreation?”

“No,” said Drake. “Needless to say, we don’t have to worry much about the wind with the abilities of our cannons. It shouldn’t cause much of a difference, but we still have some tactics that take the direction of the wind into account.”

“But what are-…”

Just as the other two were going to ask what those were, the Musashi filled the gap with its acceleration and launched its fire ships. They used eight 50-meter transport ships.

The fire ships resembled long planks as they left the Musashi which had returned to normal cruising. Just like the javelin throw, they rode the motion of the Musashi slowing down.

“Dammit! I knew this wasn’t right!! The Lepanto veterans would never use those larger ships as their own!”

Drake took a breath.

“Sailors care about their ships!!”

Everyone on the Musashi saw the leading enemy fleet take a certain action the instant the eight fire ships were fired.

“Hey.”

Someone who had noticed blankly pointed forward.

“Why are their six larger ships approaching us!?”

No, they were not approaching. They had quickly begun to move in reverse while using the Musashi’s acceleration to…

“They’re going to ram us!!”

In that instant, Adele’s shout ran throughout the entirety of the Musashi.

“Everyone, take cover inside the ship!!”

Six and then eight ships were destroyed.

The three hundred meter aerial ships lost control as if they had been thrown, but they still flew right toward the newly-accelerated Musashi as a counterattack.

Due to their size, they appeared to be moving slowly.

“Take cover!!”

The eight transport ships struck them soon after being launched.

They were wrapped in fire as they slammed into the six aerial ships.

However…

“Those six ships are filled with explosive spells and the required catalyst.”

Segundo’s voice came from the one ship remaining between the wheel formations. It was a small automatic galley he had transferred to.

“You did a good job keeping it around for so long. I was embarrassed when I heard it was still around twenty-five years later.”

The crew smiled, but Segundo only nodded and faced forward.

At the same time, flowers blossomed in the sky. It started as six flowers and then the eight ships split open like opening buds.

“The fire ships have damaged the Tres Españan fleet.”

Except…

“The explosion was caused by our six ships. We filled them with explosive spells to create large explosive ships.”

As he spoke, the front half of the Musashi was enveloped up by six explosions large enough to swallow up the later ones.

Due to Adele’s swift decision, gunners abandoned their cannons and everyone else left their posts to hide within the newly-built shelters located throughout the Musashi.

Warships of several hundred meters had been turned into bombs with large explosive spells, so the damage would cover a large area.

As soon as everyone dove into the pit-shaped shelters prepared on the left, right, and front of the decks, the explosions assaulted the Musashi.

The supersonic shockwave arrived first. The impact of sound enveloped and tore into the front and upper surface of the Musashi and it immediately left scars all the way to almost halfway down the ship.

The Musashi made full use of its buffering spells to repel the blast, but even its spell defenses could not fully withstand the explosions of six ships in such quick succession. The first one struck, the second knocked the spells out of order, and the third pushed through. The fourth, fifth, and sixth finally managed to actually damage the fronts of the Musashi’s first and second ships on the port and starboard sides.

The derricks on Shinagawa and Asakusa broke and even the torii-shaped gantry cranes tilted when their surfaces shattered like glass. All of the primary armor on the surface was blown away and most of the secondary armor that was carved with the emblems to produce the ocean was exposed.

The ocean vanished, but the ships slipped forward with the resistance gone.

Then came the flames. They only lasted an instant, but the waves of heat scorched the broken upper deck.

The air had vanished from Asakusa and Shinagawa as well as the fronts of Tama and Murayama, but just as that air returned…

“…!”

The crimson flames were lifted up as they raced along and roasted the remains of the cities.

The hot air danced about and, just as it gained a sweet smell, a new wind entered and produced more hot wind.

The wind was powerful. The destruction of the cities danced in the wind and burning pillars and trees flew through the air.

Finally, the wreckage fell. The pieces that had formed three hundred meter ships were all over a dozen meters long.

The front of Musashi had been destroyed by the shockwaves and scorched by the wave of heat, but now the frames and armor of ships crashed loudly into it. Some pieces rolled and some stabbed in, but they all caused destruction.

And it did not end there.

Tres España’s large ship had been filled with another spell in addition to the explosive one.

It was a Holy Spell charm that produced light.

It was the most primitive of the Catholic Holy Spells. They could be mass-produced and easily obtained, so they were often used in homes.

However, a great number had been prepared here. The lights filled a large space like a blizzard.

The air carried them into the vacuum formed by the shockwaves.

Finally, the blizzard of light filled a wide area that enveloped the Musashi. The loss of air and rising of heat caused by the flames had created a circulation that sucked the charms in toward the front of the Musashi and then sent them upwards.

After all the destruction, the Musashi was surrounded by lights.

“What is this!?”

Adele stood up from her chair as the quickly dancing light illuminated even the bridge.

She then realized the light was coming from below her feet as well as outside.

The large-scale spell radar display on the floor was filled with white light.

…''Don’t tell me…

Next to her, “Musashino” grew unsteady on her feet and sat down on the floor. However, Adele could not turn toward her. She could only face forward and focus on what was happening there.

“When spell charms activate, they use ether. Tres España used that fact to create chaff.”

She raised her eyebrows and stared beyond the light.

“We’ve lost our control system that uses the ether-detection spell radar. Most importantly, the automatons have lost their senses, haven’t they!?”

The spell radar system was already completely paralyzed. It was being overloaded by the excessive information, but restarting it would not help until the chaff disappeared.

Also, the massive numbers of spells interfered with each other, so as they were scattered by the wind, they disturbed the ether and produced ether noise.

That noise was affecting the automatons especially badly.

With noise interfering with their shared memory communication, they could not perform their high-speed data processing. They seemed to be having difficulty grasping each other’s locations and they were acting surprised when they spotted another one close by despite how bright the bridge was.

…''Wow, they’re kind of cute like this!

''No, this is no time to be so calm,'' she realized. ''Have I gone insane? This makes me no different from the rest of the class.

…''This is dangerous in a lot of different ways.

However, what was she supposed to do?

While the giant flower of flames blossomed in the sky, the curtain rose on a certain stage in London.

It began with a quick greeting-like exchange on a bridge crossing the Thames.

Both Shakespeare and Neshinbara’s spells used text. What Neshinbara wrote became fact and Shakespeare created objects from her strings of text.

Due to what they had to write, Shakespeare’s texts were longer and Neshinbara’s were shorter.

Shakespeare acted first.

<<The army of Birnam continues to appear from between the trees where branch crosses branch.>>

Armored warriors ran through the forest created by her strings of text. To face them and to get things started, Neshinbara wrote a short text.

<Power is wielded like a weapon.>

The wind formed convective motion around his left arm like a shield, but Shakespeare’s written description continued.

<<The army of Birnam uses a few units to create its formation.>>

<<The main unit stays back while the castle is attacked from the left and right.>>

<<This shows Macbeth that a great force is attacking.>>

She made additions and corrections to the script she had prepared. That way she could create the script most suited to her opponent.

Meanwhile, Neshinbara had to face her with only his left hand because Macbeth prevented him from using his right arm.

Macbeth had already appeared as a human figure created from strings of text and that figure was clinging to his right arm. It almost seemed to be begging for him to help.

And so Neshinbara worked to write his descriptions using only his left hand. He was forced to keep his texts short and quick.

<The protective power sees the enemy.>

<The enemy is many.>

<But not infinite.>

<The protective power points.> <And speaks.>

<“I can defeat the closest enemy first.”>

<“I can start with one, two…no, three of them.”>

The text was disordered. A whole was only created when the scene before him, his emotions, and the movement in that scene were added in.

“This is what I am seeing and feeling right now and it is what I must do to deal with you.”

Once the two were finally finished with their preparations, they made contact.

Shakespeare’s words came first.

<<Once the army of Birnam catches sight of its hated enemy, a hunting horn sounds loudly.>>

And in response…

<Let’s go.>

Neshinbara moved forward.

On the bridge crossing the moonlit Thames, he did not hesitate to run right into the charging army.

<Power, persist and continue onward.>

<<They all respond to the horn and shout that there are no cowards in the army of Birnam.>>

<Are they coming?>

<<Go forth, army of Macduff. Go forth, army of England which is protected by Prince Malcolm.>>

<But the charging enemy can only arrive from the front.>

<<As the one born by tearing open your mother’s stomach, take the usurper’s life, spear of Macduff.>>

<The enemy’s spears cannot aim higher than the waist.>

<<Charge onward, let out a roar, and expose to the sky the false king who borrowed the prophecy of the Technohexen.>>

<Stay low and…>

<Slip below their spears and stab upwards.>

<<The vanguard comes into contact with Macbeth and the first soldiers are blown away in the instant of contact.>>

<The next group will arrive too soon to do that again.>

<So evade.>

<<But the army has as many soldiers as there are trees in the Birnam Wood and they possess its protection.>>

<Spin yourself around regardless.>

<No matter who the enemy is.>

<Stillness means death.>

<<Continue your charge, army of Birnam. Those arriving now are the skilled soldiers who did not rush forward for their own glory.>>

<Spin around and perform a backhand from low down to the ground.>

<<To ensure their kill, these soldiers pride themselves in their skill and repetition, not in their charging speed.>>

<Knock them upwards.>

<<Even if they are struck once or their comrades are cut down, the experienced soldiers who desire a new king do not falter.>>

<Once the power has risen, swing it back down.>

<Continue.>

<Swing it up and then back down.>

<Spin your body to evade and swing it up once more.>

<If you continue doing that…>

<<The next unit of experienced soldiers leaves the forest and performs a pincer attack from the left and right.>>

<You will be able to cut through to the enemy’s main unit.>

<<Oh, I would expect no less of Macbeth. The usurpation of the throne was more than just luck. It was his strength, skill, and undaunted heart that swayed even luck’s heart to his side.>>

<Do not let your heart be swayed.>

<Eliminate your hesitation.>

<Crush your pride.>

<You…>

<You are ever a novice.>

Neshinbara’s short texts used their speed to cut through Shakespeare’s army.

He wrote in order to wield his power and move forward while felling the enemy soldiers one after another.

<Cut through them and do not stop. Keep in constant motion.>

<Power, do not think about showing your form.>

<You are doing what no man must do.>

<Thus, your form is not that of a man.>

<You are something else.>

As if wielding his power in order to learn about her, Neshinbara sent out the words of the swordfight on the bridge. He faced the girl before him and the girl he had once known.

“Michizane, automate the cooling of my left arm.”

He could barely spare even the time spent saying that.

He was no longer using text patterns. He now needed absolute precision. As he faced the approaching army, if a single decision was even slightly out of place, his power would lose its head.

The play’s stage had expanded beyond the bridge and reached the city street. He had begun cutting down the soldiers faster than they could be supplied, so the stage had been expanded to accommodate more space from which the soldiers could appear.

However, Shakespeare’s decisions did not end there.

…''Is she going to use everything she has?

He occasionally spotted characters other than Macbeth.

Shakespeare’s plays were divided between the histories, the comedies, and the tragedies.

Neshinbara remembered that the histories were consistently well received.

The comedies were popular and numerous.

But it was the tragedies that were the most well received.

They were based in history or legend and they told dramas of people going mad with power, love, or hate. The characters were exaggerated yet very human. They were complete characters that a lot of work had gone into.

And there were a lot of them.

The histories in order of writing:

…''Henry VI Parts 1-3, Richard III, King John, Richard II, Henry IV parts 1-2, Henry V, and Henry VIII.

The comedies in order of writing:

…''The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, the Tempest, and The Two Noble Kinsmen.

And the tragedies in order of writing:

…''Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and Timon of Athens.

It was a great number of plays and people often knew a lot of the titles even if they did not know what the plays were about. Sanyou-sensei would always go see Julius Caesar when she was going around giving lectures and Antony and Cleopatra was famous for Antony shouting “Is this Rome!?” at the beginning.

However, most of those plays were joining the army now.

Just one look was enough to see people in the army who were clearly heroes.

So…

<Go.>

He had speed and he shortened his texts even further. He precisely reflected the information.

<Cut through.>

<Wield your full power and run.>

The people who lived along the Thames watched the play from beyond their shutters.

The glowing strings of text battled the wind-like manifestation of power.

The strings of text already filled the stone bank of the river, raced across the street, and pulsated through London.

More than just an army was created wherever that road reached.

“All of Shakespeare’s plays are here.”

The histories, comedies, tragedies, and sonnets linked together and gained new power as if dancing.

Anyone who lived in London knew their titles and they began to appear throughout the city.

First, Henry VI, Henry V, Henry IV, the poorly-molded Henry VIII, and Cymbeline, King of Britain, gave their opinions of the changes in England. The Tempest’s Duke of Milan and The Winter’s Tale’s King of Sicily polished their weapons atop an apartment roof while discussing the Age of Exploration with the Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing’s Prince of Aragon.

The Gentlemen of Verona ate on the lawn with the twin brothers and showed off their swords to the noble cousins, but next to them, Katherina the Shrew smiled bitterly at Antonio who was worried about his wife’s infidelity. The king of Love’s Labour’s Lost and his friend were also there asking Katherina for advice.

The famous Caesar was commanding the army along with Titus and Coriolanus. They seemed unbeatable, but the beautiful Othello stood by them holding a thick knife. The undying Troilus was bothered by Hamlet begging to be taught his ability while Timon laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

Fairy King Oberon and the fairies supported the army’s spells, but next to them, the youths were debating with Romeo and Juliet whether all really was well that ended well, brought up the phrase measure for measure, and made some jokes about cuckoldry. Pericles, whose beloved had been incestuously taken from him, looked like he wanted to join in, but the crossdressing Rosalind and Viola focused on all of them, including him, while they assisted Oberon.

As Richard III decided it was time to head out to battle, he waved toward the cheers of the women of Windsor. King John’s shoulders drooped at his lack of popularity, but Richard II patted him on the back to console him.

They all seemed to be enjoying themselves, but once they entered the battle, they moved as if dancing and spoke.

A single power fought against them all.

At first, it was a boy swinging that power around on the bridge, but as he continually knocked the army from the bridge and into the river, something gradually came into view around him.

The power of his texts that fought and clashed could not be seen, but its movements and the reactions of his surroundings gradually allowed the audience to perceive a form there that did not exist.

That was likely the form of the power he wielded.

It was invisible even to the one who wielded it, but when it struck the army, a depiction of the power and its wielder’s form could be felt. It was almost like pressing an invisible mold into clay.

What was its weapon? How tall was it? How long were its arms? Was its hair fluttering behind it as it moved? What clothes was it wearing? Were the legs carrying it around flexible?

The answers to those questions could be perceived and seen.

Meanwhile, the army’s form had vanished at some point.

However, it was not gone. The damage to the army was transformed into power by the Logismoi Óplo and the various elements gathered together to create a single form.

“Of Shakespeare’s masterpieces, this is said to be the greatest of the four great tragedies.”

Everyone in London knew it.

“King Lear!”

Mary saw it from the Tower of London as she changed in preparation to climb up to the Andamio de la Ejecución.

…''King Lear!?

That was the story of an elderly king of Britain who was betrayed by two of his three trusted daughters and lost the throne. After losing the throne, he was saved by his youngest daughter, but in the war of restoration, she was captured by the enemy and he was unable to save her. As he held her body, he wailed in grief, went mad, and died.

That tragic king now stood in the city of London and Shakespeare had him intercept something, so Mary began to wonder who the enemy was.

…''Has Musashi come here!?

She could not know what their reason was, but someone she knew was coming.

However…

<<Stand, legendary king of Britain. Stand, King Leir who lost his beloved daughter Cordelia and died as he shouted in despair.>>

<<Your powerlessness will be swept away here and you can die while shouting in victory.>>

The intercepting king was powerful as he raised two swords. As he stood, he was old, but…

<<Righteous power and justice are strong. Awaken to that strength, aged king.>>

The king’s form slowly changed. The added strings of text made him as strong as the text stated. As if he possessed the emotions and stories of countless historical characters, the strings of text accumulated within him hid his entire body in armor. Soon, he grew even larger than a god of war.

“He’s growing above the city,” muttered Mary as she took a step back.

Shakespeare’s voice then filled London.

“London, this is a combined play that can be viewed from anywhere in England. I hope you enjoy it.”

<<King, wield that power and seek change using that power.>>

The king grew taller than the city’s buildings and continued to grow larger, but another power reacted in kind.

Mary noticed this new power. As the king repeatedly swung down his two swords, another power stood up. It could not be seen, but it continually received the attacks and continually attacked back.

“I can almost see it.”

No, it went beyond that now.

…''It’s manifesting!

She could not actually see it, but she could sense it was there.

“This is a substitution, isn’t it!? An author must be facing Shakespeare’s play and that author must be offering his writings to a literary god to receive this power in exchange.”

As soon as she said that, the shutters of all the houses in London shook and voices shouted from within.

“A Far Eastern king is battling our King Lear!!”

Two figures stood up from London.

They seemed to step on the city that was dimly lit by the moons. One was a powerful and elderly king wielding two swords and heavily armored. The other…

“Can you see it?”

It could be seen in the mist and cirrus clouds formed as the night air struck it.

“Were you called here by this literary festival and did you manifest yourself at the hands of a novice writer to gain the intoxication of becoming one with writing? I’m sure this is only a portion of your great power, but I thank you for lending me this form, Tenjin Michizane.”

As Neshinbara spoke from the bridge, the wind took form and that form wore Far Eastern clothes.

It was not human. The appearance of the power had created a giant manifested figure made up of armor. It and King Lear both resembled gods of war, but that may have been the standard way of perceiving a figure that large.

<Tenjin Michizane slowly prepares his weapon at his left hip.>

That weapon was a sword. It was a white lightning sword formed from renku on the topic of lightning. As Michizane prepared, the sound of clanking armor came from around his body and ''auspuff'' was released. The air gathered between the different parts of the armor was released so he could move more easily.

The Mouse of the same name took the same pose on Neshinbara’s shoulder.

“Michizane, I’ll leave him under your control. Dance in accordance with what I write. This was a good enough situation to call down a god, but if I go too far, Asama-kun will shoot me for exceeding my authority. I’d rather die on tatami mats than this bridge, so let’s get this over with.”

He faced forward and saw the girl standing at Harmonic King Lear’s feet on the other end of the bridge.

They nodded toward each other without even bothering to exchange a glance.

“How about we edit each other’s writing?”

“Testament. I will mercilessly scold you for every mistake. Don’t die. A professional does not let even death stop him from correcting his mistakes.”

“Judge,” he replied just as King Lear raised both arms.

“Now, let the tragedy begin!!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 53|Chapter 53]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 55|Chapter 55]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 53

2015-04-18T22:10:51Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 53: Encounter Over a Distance==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0615.png|thumb]]
''Is a greeting necessary for a reunion?

'''Point Allocation (Agreement)

A giant collection of ships writhed through the sky.

The eight ships of the Musashi bent the connections between them as they advanced.

But even as the Musashi pursued Tres España’s leading fleet, countless smaller ships flew along either side of it. Their small cannons were weak, but they used their numbers and speed to attack up and down the port and starboard sides to stop the much larger ships.

The Musashi repeatedly moved the connections between its eight ships in serpentine arcs to prevent the smaller ships from targeting it.

The light surrounding it came from the bright illumination spells and the cannon fire that resembled rain or pillars of fire.

The sounds came from the wind of falling and flight, the rumbling of impacts, and the destruction of shell strikes.

Countless whitecaps formed on the Musashi’s waterline, but that was not all that hovered in the air. Many trails of smoke rose from the upper level cities. Holes had been torn in the external armor and primary armor on the surface, so the light of ether fuel was forming smoke and rising into the sky.

It was not devastating damage, but the damage continued piling up.

“Even if it’s a quasi-Bahamut Class, it isn’t so much of a monster that it’s untouchable.”

Three people watched from the sky east of England. Drake, Howard, and Jonson of the Trumps were recording the state of the battle from a patrol boat hovering there.

Drake handed his binoculars to Howard and turned to Jonson.

“Do you need a pair too? They have night vision.”

“No, no, no. I injected myself with a drug just now, so my night vision is perfect.”

“I really don’t understand any of this,” said Howard while setting the focus on the binoculars.

“If you don’t want to be eaten, tell me what you think.”

“Testament. Is Musashi in real trouble here?”

“You really don’t understand this, do you?” Drake sighed. “The Musashi hasn’t been sunk because Tres España doesn’t have much firepower and because the Musashi’s outer shell is made so it won’t be breached by small cannons. Still, it’s already putting off smoke and the armor isn’t infinitely strong. The accumulated damage will wear it down and probably cause it to collapse from the top down. But look.”

Drake pointed at the distant Musashi with his right hand and used his left to alternatively point between the smaller ships on the left and right.

“That chancellor named Segundo has put the small ships in elliptical formations.”

“You mean those wheel-like formations?”

Drake nodded at his two liberal arts companions and began rotating his left hand and bringing it toward the right hand he was pointing toward the Musashi.

“The fleets on the left and right are rotating vertically. And so they rotate in from the outside. The ships making the upper arc of the loop slow down, fire on the Musashi from front to back, and then lower back down. The ships on the lower arc prepare to fire and raise their speed to move forward. By combining the two, they can fire continuously with no gaps. It gives the individual ships a chance to rest, but the Musashi has to constantly focus on their defense. This wheel formation takes the old land version and makes a vertical arrangement for aerial combat. Also…”

Also…

“By splitting between port and starboard, they’re recreating the Battle of Plymouth from the Testament descriptions.”

Drake checked the program Musashi had sent them.

'''1: “Hostilities Begin off of Plymouth at Southwestern England”

'''At this point, the English fleet circles around from behind and to the right of the Españan fleet to behind and to the left. The Tres Españan vice-flagship, the Santa Ana, is incapacitated. Also, the Tres Españan treasury ship, the San Salvador, is accidentally set on fire and leaves.

“Do you get it? The wheel formation on either side sets the stage for circling from behind and to the right to behind and to the left. Because they’re rotating, they’re sort of always showing their back. But by always showing their ‘back’, they can recreate the situation without exposing their weak backside. The Musashi needs an attack that will drive a wedge into the wheel formation and expose that weak backside.”

“Mate, but are you saying Musashi can’t attack when the wheel formation is constantly attacking them?”

“Testament. That’s right. The great number of small ships lets Tres España form a constant upper and lower barrage. That prevents them from sending out their Technohexen aerial unit. They can only curl up in their shell like a turtle.” Drake clicked his tongue. “But I doubt Musashi isn’t giving this any thought. The situation’s only gonna get worse for them if they don’t do anything.”

He clicked his tongue again and Jonson turned toward him.

“You sound frustrated, mate.”

“Of course I am! That chicken and wolf are heading to London, so why the hell am I out here dealing with the history recreation? And I’m only interpretively taking part to monitor and record the battle, so I’m completely losing out.”

“Drake, you really support Musashi, don’t you?”

“Testament,” replied the Hard Wolf. He bared his teeth toward the Musashi as it zigzagged, poured out smoke, and received cannon fire in the distant sky. “Dammit, what would I be doing if I was on the Musashi right now!? Oh, goddammit. I really don’t like war. It’s a waste of perfectly good human meat! But I can’t get enough of these riddles. It’s just so much fun solving the problems needed to survive on the battlefield. After all, solving them means preserving that delicious human meat! …Who’s acting as the Musashi’s captain right now?”

“Testament. I believe it is Adele Balfette, a vassal from Hexagone Française.”

“Not much to eat on her!!”

His shout was immediately followed by a hunting horn filling the air. As the sound carried into the distance, it was joined by something else: additional cannon fire and sparks.

“The wheel formation has accelerated! They were only getting the hang of it before! Now it’s truly getting started!!”

As the attacks repeated and accelerated, the port and starboard sides of the Musashi were deafened and blinded.

The sounds if impact took out people’s hearing and the sparks did the same for their sight. They could only perceive the deck beneath their feet, the body heat of those next to them, and the weight of their outstretched arms and the purification shield covering their entire body.

While holy spells deflected enemy attacks, the purification shields purified the attacks to lessen their power. The impacts were lightened, but a stubborn strength and spirit were needed as they did not vanish altogether.

“Forward,” said someone. “Keep holding it forward!”

It sounded like he was speaking to himself, but it was also meant to reach the others.

They all shouted the same words like it was a magical spell.

After all…

“We trained for this!!”

They had only had about a week to train, but they had trained hard. And those who were in charge of the port and starboard defenses had learned one thing for sure and that one thing could be summed up in a single rule.

“Keep defending until we receive further orders!!”

What would those orders be?

The only new orders for those ordered to defend was to stop defending. If they had not received those orders, they were not to stop defending. That was obvious.

They were not to move.

If they did not move, they could protect what lay behind them.

If they did not move, they could protect something along with the people standing alongside them.

“That’s right!”

The attacks came and they came fast. The defenders could no longer take the time to look left or right and they could not give thanks to the others supporting them, but they would support those same people if they were about to collapse. That was all there was to it.

They could only defend, so they could do nothing that would look cool. They could only curl up, tremble, and…

“Keep defending until we receive further orders!!”

“Judge!!”

Was there any meaning in that shout? Was there any meaning in psyching themselves up? Regardless…

“We will defend as ordered!” They took a breath. “Because we won’t let the Musashi sink!!”

Just as their voices overwhelmed the sound of the impacts, the defenders all heard another sound.

It was the same hunting horn as before and its second sounding could mean only one thing.

“Is the wheel formation going to accelerate again!?”

They all gasped at the thought of even more attacks and then a wall of impacts assaulted those defenders.

“Go!”

The crews of the small ships flew them at high speed.

With the first sounding of the hunting horn, they had simply increased the speed of the firing process, but with the second, they reduced the number of crew flying the ships to only a few and sent the others to help manage the cannons.

All of the ships had been used in the Lepanto, Itsukushima, or other old battles, so they had all been in service for twenty-five years or longer. They had been shifted over to patrol boats or guard ships at local ports and oftentimes became completely unused.

Some had even been sold and became transport ships or fishing boats.

Most of them had continued with those ships even after the war both because former warships had a long life and because…

“This desire was smoldering within us!”

Without wiping away their sweat, the men shouted within the light and rough wind of cannon fire. They were all past middle age and a lot had reached elderly.

“We tried to celebrate that we had survived, but even as we tried to find peace as the losers, we were made into the winners. …And yet so many of our comrades had been lost!!”

They had modified the ships. To increase their stability in the high altitudes of open sea, they had attached bilge keels on the bottom of either side which gave them fish-like silhouettes.

“The commander really helped us out by giving us the money the vice president had saved up and claiming it was for a harbor project.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t enough money to get the ships fixed up. I did it myself and just about had a heart attack when I came up with some extra screws afterwards. …Of course, that’s how it’s always been!”

As they fired, they laughed without taking their eyes off the enemy.

“The ships don’t need to last much longer, anyway. We’re using old models against the Musashi at high altitude. All this firing is just about to shake the frames apart. I’ll be happy if they hold together long enough to circle England.”

Isn’t this fine?

“We can complete the history recreation just like this.”

“Testament. That we can.”

They fired, shot, and lobbed attacks. Some were physical shells, some were spells, and some were ether cannons. All the veterans working together attached cooling charms on their shoulders and divided countless metal shells between themselves.

They maintained the wheel formation and saw parts of the Musashi’s defensive formation on the verge of breaking.

“Just a bit more!!”

Their full strength produced sparks and smoke.

“Push!!”

A harmony of replying shouts sounded like distant thunder.

Suddenly, the people forming the wheel formations on the port and starboard sides felt something.

It was a heat.

However, it was not a blazing heat. It was a cool or chilly presence.

“What is…?”

Before they could finish their question, a wall of water shot up between the wheel formation and the Musashi.

“!?”

Reversed waterfalls jutted upwards at even intervals along the Musashi’s port and starboard sides.

The thick walls of water were likely made by raising the output of and thickening the ocean used for the Musashi’s standard cruising. With the sound of spray, the water scattered into the air and the walls forming from the water supply below meant one thing.

“Is this a wall to defend against our wheel formation!?”

Everyone aboard the small ships understood that their shells, bullets, and spells would be greatly weakened as they broke through the rising water. Also, once their power had its trajectory altered, it would cause no damage outside of its weight.

“Fire!!”

They fired, but the wall predicted it and rose up to stop it.

“Did they read the pattern of our wheel formation attack!?”

“Judge. The faster and denser their attacks become, the more gaps in the pattern are filled in.”

Adele wiped sweat from her brow on the bridge and she spoke into a divine transmission sign frame with a tremor in her voice.

“D-defense unit, well done keeping up the defense until we could read their pattern!!”

In all honesty, she had not thought it possible except maybe for her mobile shell, but they had all endured.

She wondered if she had read the situation wrong or if she was overestimating her own ability.

Several walls of water were rising on either side of the Musashi and they were being controlled by the automatons who captained the individual ships. It was a defensive technique, but it had two purposes for the Musashi.

“Cannon unit! The enemy’s attacks are thinnest where the walls aren’t rising, so fire there! Bring an end to their wheel formation! That will bring an end to the Battle of Plymouth which is #1 on the program!”

Also…

“Musashi, ascend!”

It was possible the firing enemy ships would attempt to ram them, so it was dangerous to have them on the same level.

The Musashi would rise.

When using a rotating formation like the wheel formation, it was difficult to respond to movement on the other side. It was doubly so when rotating so quickly, so now that the Musashi had lured them into speeding up so much…

“Once we ascend, expand the outer hull, accelerate with gravitational cruising, and pursue the leading fleet!”

The walls of water gave them stability while ascending, so they could rise more quickly than the enemies on either side.

They were damaged and worn down, but they had made their way to the next stage.

The attack unit reported it was ready, so Adele gave the order.

“Commence attack!!”

As cannon fire arrived between the upside-down waterfall walls, the small ships on either side had no way of evading besides continuing their rotation. They had shields, but most of them were struck by the Musashi’s counterattack.

“Defend!!”

But the attacks bent one portion of the rotation and it all fell apart.

“Damn!”

Everyone making up the wheel formation groaned.

“But this formation is supposed to handle both offense and defense!”

The rotation would help them evade and distribute the damage and they could attack continually without end. In an aerial battle, the formation was effective with horizontally firing ships and with overhead bombers. To break it, one had to attack all of the enemies to wear them down or to focus on a single point and break it.

The Musashi had chosen the latter.

The walls of water allowed them to choose their timing and they could carefully aim their cannons because they did not have to worry about defense. Once they were instructed which ship to target, relentless yet awkward concentrated fire was poured onto a few ships within the wheel formation.

“…!!”

Those few ships crumbled. Normally, any damaged ships were to withdraw to the inside of the formation, but they could not manage even that. Further attacks arrived and the crumbling ships shook weakly and lowered.

“Sorry!”

After saying only that, they left by falling.

Soon, the wheel formations were truly destroyed. As a history recreation interpretation, the ship leaving on the port side took on the role of vice-flagship and the damaged ship on the starboard side became the treasury ship.

The silence of the two ships created a gap that could not fire back.

“The next attack is coming!!”

New shellfire slammed into the ships on the edge of the gap and the crews of the small ships noticed the Musashi was beginning to ascend as it switched between offense and defense.

“Wow.”

It looked more like an actual city than a giant building. Smoke rose from it, a few spots on the surface were on fire, and it had holes torn in the sides, but it steadily rose. Meanwhile, everyone on the small ships gulped.

But…

“Don’t let them get away!!” someone shouted as loudly as they could. “Form an angled line! Advance and meet up with the commander for the resupply time!!”

Segundo watched the Musashi accelerate.

It looked small enough to hold in the hand, but it quickly grew large enough to need both arms.

…''Wow.

He was overwhelmed by an urge to run away, but he somehow managed to hold himself in place.

''Fusae and the others really are amazing,'' he realized. ''So this is what they attacked.

But he could now tell how they had managed it.

“It was what they were meant to do.”

It had been an attack to show off where Tres España stood. Fear was no reason to give up on that.

In truth, they might very well have been afraid.

“But it isn’t about whether you want to do it or not. It’s about what you need in order to do what must be done.”

What was that called?

Was it courage? But if so, why was a coward like him here now?

“Who can say?”

At any rate, Segundo saw the giant shape approach. It was an intimidating sight, but it was not unharmed. His comrades from twenty-five years ago had attacked it, torn holes in it, and worn it down at least a bit. Its defenses would have been weakened and the external armor and surface would be under stress.

''I see,'' thought Segundo. ''I may be a coward…

“But I can trust that I don’t waste the courage I’m given, can’t I?”

Where was that which he could not waste?

For an instant, he thought of the woman he had left behind.

“But I was already given it.”

He had been given those latest feelings.

“Everyone, get to your next combat positions!! We are entering the second stage! We will start with the Battle of Portland and shift to the Battle of Calais!!”

The Soho nature district was located north of where the Thames flowed through London.

The business district known as the City was located to its east and the religious and political district of Westminster was to its southwest. The district contained a forest as part of its nature park and hunting grounds.

Someone walked below the sounds in the sky and while hidden below those trees.

Mitotsudaira walked along the dirt path that was filled with darkness and she looked to the city from that forest.

Specifically, she saw the plaza located between Westminster and Soho.

After a few more steps, she spoke without stopping her feet.

“Is the hound not going to pursue my classmates who went on ahead?”

She received no response, but she still smiled.

“Should I take it as a compliment that you find me alone enough of an opponent?”

She shook her head.

“No, you’re taking me too lightly if you think a single hound is enough to take on a wolf. Did my performance last time put you off your guard that much?”

As soon as she said that, lights appeared in the forest.

Hundreds of knife blades spilled from below the leaves of the trees on either side of Mitotsudaira.

“Wars of the Roses.”

The countless lights assaulted Mitotsudaira while slicing through the shadows, trees, branches, and darkness.

Mitotsudaira took action to easily avoid the downpour of blades falling from above.

…''Honestly, what a pain.

She raised her arms.

Two chains dangled to the ground from them and continued back into the forest she had walked through. The silver chains sunken into the underbrush got to work in the forest.

“Reveal the enemy, silver chains. Show her that nothing can escape a wolf.”

An instant later, the silver chains that were wrapped around the trees tightened themselves. Accompanied by repeated sounds of snapping and tearing, the trees were felled within a several dozen meter radius.

The forest was cleared away.

The many snapping sounds produced three things.

The forest came into view, the countless blades were stopped by the leaves and branches covering them, and…

“A doll should not hide in the darkness.”

Walsingham was revealed standing motionless where the forest had been.

She split her cross spear and produced two cross swords while the countless blades returned to spiral around her.

Meanwhile, Mitotsudaira found a suitable object among the fallen tree trunks and split it by tightening a silver chain around it. She had formed two thick logs about three meters in length and she grabbed their edges with the silver chains.

“Now, will this be enough if I want to play fetch with a dog?”

She then entered the plaza which contained a fountain surrounded by stone.

''This is the same layout as the site of my previous failure,'' she thought. ''If I am to report my victory to my king, I must make up for that.

She walked around the fountain and faced her enemy.

With the fountain between them, Walsingham held her cross spear and had the blades hover around her.

Mitotsudaira faced her from a spot in which she could bathe in the moonlight and she looked up into the sky.

“The moons are so beautiful.”

She asked a question of her opponent, but it was a question asking for agreement.

“Don’t you agree? That full moon brings joy to non-humans and automatons are no exception, are they?”

Below the moons, Walsingham faced Mitotsudaira and nodded.

There was a reason non-humans reacted to the moon.

“Did you know? Supposedly, one of the moons has existed since before the Age of the Gods, but the other is said to be a mass of Orei Metallo made from solidified ether that was used to fill a hole opened in the sky. The light of the sun which has circled to the other side of the planet reaches it.”

Walsingham did know.

She quite liked astronomy.

She was the leader of the public morals committee and had a lot of information on other nations. She did so to ensure her hands and her fangs could reach anywhere, but the Testament descriptions said that information network and scheming had led the queen to avoid the original Walsingham.

However, that was exactly why she loved the stars which were out of her reach.

She had no emotions, but she had determined it was appropriate to say she “loved” them if she thought about them and looked at them despite them being out of reach and beyond understanding.

Meanwhile, the wolf continued speaking.

“The mass of ether reflects the light onto this planet, but it is no longer mere reflected light. It supposedly becomes much like the ley lines that carry ether. And thus non-humans feel their hearts stir when that moon is out.”

That moon was currently overhead and illuminating the two of them.

And as if spurred on by that light, the silver wolf continued speaking.

She stood beyond the stone fountain and turned to face Walsingham.

“I will start by greeting you, but then I will defeat you.”

“Me too,” said Walsingham quickly.

An instant later, Walsingham was certain that she had moved first.

The night of London was filled with many different sounds.

Some were the tones of the naval battle in the southern sky and others were the evidence of the battles occurring somewhere in London.

The harmony reverberated through the buildings of the city. The shaking shutters and groaning stone walls added their own notes to the symphony.

The Thames flowed west to east through the center of London and even it had ripples from the shaking and occasionally shot shallow bursts of spray into the air.

Many eyes watched the river and the bridge crossing it. From the shutters of the houses and apartments along the river, people watched the railing on the northern end of the bridge.

A girl in white leaned against the railing. She had long ears.

Everyone stared at the girl who read a book by moonlight. The city’s lights had been extinguished for the blackout, so the people had no entertainment or anything else to distract them from their nerves. They could not leave their houses, so even the races with night vision could only read or play chess with family members who already knew their play style.

However…

“Shakespeare is protecting us with her theatre.”

“This is one road removed from the central road, but I hear it’s a major fork in the ley lines.”

“But look.”

The speaking family turned in a certain direction where someone could be seen on the road south of the bridge.

A boy wearing glasses and a Far Eastern uniform arrived near the southern end of the bridge. He had his right sleeve rolled up, so everyone watching could see the bandages wrapped around that arm.

“Macbeth is here. The usurper of the throne is here.”

They all nodded and watched the boy stand on the south end of the bridge, but the girl did not look up from her book.

For that reason, the boy opened his mouth and spoke to the girl on the opposite end of the bridge.

“Please end my Macbeth immediately.”

Her silence seemed to ask why, so he continued.

“There’s somewhere I have to go after this.”

Neshinbara saw her stop moving. When reading a book, one’s eyes moved and one prepared to turn the page, but those actions were replaced by a voice.

“You make it sound like I’m keeping you here.”

“If you aren’t, then please end this play.”

“I can’t,” she said from the other end of the slightly rounded bridge. “Macbeth is built into tonight’s play. Your absence has made it continue without Macbeth himself, but that in itself is a kind of theatrical technique. Everyone can use their imagination to make up for a missing lead.”

“Are you sure you want me being the lead?”

“You keep putting words in my mouth.”

Shakespeare looked back to her book, so Neshinbara made a sudden statement.

“Which one are you?”

“Which what?”

“You said yourself that there were two girls who lived in that Tres Españan orphanage with me ten years ago. Which one are you?”

“You don’t know?”

“Judge,” replied Neshinbara. “I don’t. After all, there was only one of you back then. There was only Thomas Shakespeare. Or should I say No. 14 Shakespeare.”

Neshinbara looked at the girl beyond the bridge.

He did not know if she had realized it or not, so he had to check.

“It’s a common thing in people who are abused in their childhood. No, it’s also common among geniuses. You end up with another self inside you. I don’t know if it was someone to shunt your stress onto, someone to speak with, your ideal, or what.”

So…

“No. 14, I don’t know which one you are now.”

Instead…

“What I do know is… No, maybe I don’t know it. I don’t really feel like I know it and I feel kind of bad when I think I do. At any rate, the one I want to be with isn’t you.”

“I think there’s something wrong with simultaneously calling for world domination and world peace.”

''That’s because there is,'' he thought. ''But there’s also something wrong with you for sympathizing with it.

And perhaps for that reason, she asked a question.

“Why?”

There was a clear answer to that question. It was something he had realized anew after seeing what he had once created. ''That place'' was comfortable, but more importantly…

“If I’m there, I can create what it is I want to create.”

“But you aren’t creating anything.”

She hit him where it hurt, so he could only smile bitterly and shrug.

“You’re right and I’m sorry. This isn’t something I promised to one or the other. I promised to both of you. We promised we would create something wherever we ended up and, once we grew up, we would use those things to communicate with each other. …So I’m sorry. I hadn’t forgotten, but…I was afraid. I’d decided for myself that it would no longer get through to anyone even if I did it.”

“It’s fine. I also think it’s silly for a professional to write something to communicate with a specific individual. I’ll write what I want to write and, if everyone who picks it up can enjoy it, I’ll be even happier. That is the better method.”

“Then,” said Neshinbara while raising his right hand. “Please end Macbeth.”

“Why?”

“Because I will write too.”

“Write what?”

He had already decided on that. Or rather, he had decided it without realizing it. He had vaguely realized it during the Battle of Mikawa and this had helped him prepare.

“I will write about the borderline of the world.”

“That’s meaningless. That will most likely not remain in history.”

“Judge. But if I enjoy it, that’s enough. And whether it remains in history or not, if it reaches readers who love books and they enjoy it, that’s all the better. I’ll be a bit depressed if they throw it to the floor, though.”

“A battle of ideals still burns calories, so please spare me that. But…”

But…

“I doubt it will be allowed to remain, but it may be something that still ends up remaining in some other way. Is that the vague borderline you want to reach?”

“It’s the same for you, isn’t it?”

Silence fell over the other end of the moonlit bridge and river, so Neshinbara nodded.

“You feel the pressure of your inherited name and struggle over when you can brag about your skill as an author. For the history recreation, it ends with your name, so there’s no need to create anything original. But even so, you want your name to leave its mark. You stand on that borderline between your inherited name and yourself.”

“Testament. You sure are eloquent.”

“Judge. I’m a horrible guy that loves criticizing others. But I will still continue on.”

“To where?”

“Judge. First, to where you are.”

Shakespeare stopped moving and he felt her gaze on him, so he pointed his right hand at her.

“I too will go to that place where eloquently-phrased criticism washes over me. Unless I go there, the horizon I long for will be nothing but a dream. So I’ll go there. And since it’s still presumptuous of me to call myself a professional, I just need the one reason.”

He took in a breath.

“I will go there to fulfill my promise with the both of you.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” quietly asked Shakespeare. “If you defeat me, you will take my Logismoi Óplo, won’t you?”

“Judge. To recover my value after my miserable performance, I need to bring a souvenir back from England. But in exchange, you make a demand. If you win, what do you want from me?”

“Testament.” She nodded. “If I win…”

She suddenly shut her book and dropped it into the paper bag next to her. She then pulled the white and black Aspida Phylargia from the bag and spoke quickly.

“You will remain in England and determine which one I am.”

How suddenly she spoke, what she said, and how quickly she said it made Neshinbara think he had misheard and he mentally stumbled.

“Eh? Wait. Wh-what do you mean by that?”

“…”

With her gaze hidden by her thick glasses, she lowered her head a bit and strings of writing spilled from her hair.

Just as he realized he had made a mistake, it arrived.

<<Move, Birnam forest.>>

The army disguised as a forest finally arrived on the battlefield.

<<Go forth and attack Macbeth, army of Birnam.>>

A large wave of battle crossed the bridge over the Thames and crashed into him.

“It sounds like the others are having pretty harsh battles.”

Naruze spoke to Tenzou who ran ahead of her, but he did not reply.

The Technohexen spoke in order to distract them, but the ninja did not play along. She then let out a voice and covered for the ninja.

“————!”

She threw a bottle of water to the right of an upcoming intersection.

The bottle exploded and the warriors hiding behind the corner prepared their shields, but the two had already passed the intersection by that time. Arrows were fired and an occasional bullet flew their way, but they accelerated and avoided them.

The ninja had a charm set on either shoulder. They were both defensive charms created by Asama that weakened projectiles. They were powerful, but the circular meter on the bottom had already circled about two-thirds of the way around the torii-shaped activation symbol.

Nevertheless, the ninja continued onwards and suddenly spoke.

“Naruze-dono, we are coming up on an upwards slope.”

“Judge. I can see the Tower of London up ahead. You should be happy.”

She used her wings to accelerate and closed the ninja’s slight lead.

“But this has gone surprisingly smoothly considering-…”

She trailed off when she noticed something odd. The meters indicating the remaining power in the charms on Tenzou’s shoulders were draining quickly enough to see. That proved he was being attacked. There did not appear to be anything around, but if he was under some kind of attack…

“Tenzou!! That pillar!!”

Tenzou understood what her tone and words meant.

The two of them charged below the roof of an arcade on the shopping district to the right.

“!?”

The stone and wood roof was destroyed by some kind of overhead attack, but the two of them did not fall back. They continued on through the arcade and up the shallow slope. As they did, some kind of power struck the arcade roof, balconies, and terraces much like footsteps.

“Wh-what is this!?” shouted Tenzou. “It’s just like something from a side-scrolling action game!”

“If so, we can kill the pike units by jumping on top of them. No, this is ''that''.”

“Oh, of course. ''That''! …I’m sorry. I got carried away. What is ''that''?”

“As long as you understand,” said Naruze as her hand shot out among the overhead destruction.

She found what she was looking for, accelerated with her wings, and held up a broken arrow.

“This is a combination attack from Vice President Cecil’s weight attack and Dudley’s weapon manipulation.” She sighed while racing onward. “That was a close one. They increased the overall weight gradually enough that I mistook it for exhaustion. If I hadn’t seen your charms, I might not have caught on.”

“Then are they behind this attack that’s pursuing us?”

“Judge. We’re running below the arcade, so they switched to putting Cecil’s weight on the arrows fired by Dudley. The two of them must be above us, so you’re going to owe me one.”

“Eh?”

Naruze’s words confused Tenzou, but she only smiled a bit.

“Most likely, Cecil’s weight will return to us once we leave the arcade and she’ll try to crush us. But I’ll forcibly keep most of it from reaching you, so you just keep running. Got it? I’ll take care of things here. I won’t be satisfied until I show those two what I can do anyway.”

“Are you sure you can handle both of them at once?”

“You just have to carry out the role I’ve given you.” She took a breath. “But this is for my own sake. Everyone in our class really cares about each other, so I’m sure they’ll all praise me for this. …And from time to time, that’s not too bad.”

“Naruze-dono,” muttered Tenzou. “Back in elementary school when we had never even looked each other in the eye, you suddenly looked at me and said, ‘Something smells like a dog in here? Is it you?’ Back then, I thought you would be a lifelong enemy. To make a long story short, guys really are easy to deceive.”

“Oh, sorry. I don’t remember that at all. But I do remember I ended up next to you after the seat change in the second term of our third year. I didn’t know who you were, so I avoided speaking to you. That was pretty painful.”

“Y-you’re absolutely horrible!! That second term is what did a wonderful job of traumatizing me into thinking girls hated me! That’s why I’m not popular!”

“You like getting worked up over nothing, don’t you?”

“And whose fault is that!?”

As they spoke, the roof overhead crumbled and the two of them continued forward.

They had almost reached the top of the slope where a plaza created a break in the arcade.

It was the perfect place to bring the weight down on them.

“That’s where the enemy plans to get us, so let’s use it to our advantage!!”

Cecil, Dudley, and a line of auto-loading arbalests stood in the plaza atop the hill. As they monitored the enemy’s approach, they saw two figures charge out from under the roof of the left arcade.

“Cecil! Crush them!!”

“Going up.”

Cecil floated high into the air and the surrounding landscape grew slightly distorted.

She was adding weight to everything.

Her aim was to crush the two who had just climbed the slope. As they ran from sloped to level land, their postures and their breathing both changed. The great weight would disturb their running and cause them to collapse.

To ensure that happened, Cecil floated up even further.

And…

“————!!”

The two enemies arrived and they were both colored black.

One was a ninja, the other had black wings and hair, and they both wore black Far Eastern uniforms.

The weight pressed down on them, but the Technohexen opened her mouth.

“Go!!”

Dudley watched as the ninja ran through the plaza without anything weighing him down.

…''What!?

Wondering how, Dudley looked closely and saw through the trick.

The black-winged Technohexen remained on the other side of the ninja.

She was taking all the weight. Cecil’s weight could not be rejected even if it was understood. The target’s waist would drop, their body would creak, their feet would stick to the ground, and their speed would drop.

However, she used her arms to hold up an object: her wing.

Her right wing groaned, shook, trembled, and scattered black feathers in the gravity, but it remained over the ninja’s head.

Cecil’s added weight came from above. If something cut off its path, it would hit that obstruction and not reach what lay below.

“You’re using your wing to create a protective roof over the ninja!?”

She could not do so forever because she would eventually be crushed.

But she clenched her teeth and supported the ninja despite being on the verge of collapse.

“Kh!!”

She was successfully protecting her classmate from Cecil’s weight.

“H-h-h-h-how forceful!”

“I know,” muttered Naruze behind her clenched teeth.

What was this? She groaned, raised her eyebrows, grew flushed, took a bracing stance, and practically crawled along the ground rather than lightly flying through the air.

…''How pathetic.

''It’s disgraceful and nothing about it is worth seeing. And what’s with this situation? It makes me think of friendship, trust, solidarity, and other words I don’t much care for.

“But this is the best way to get back at those women!”

''This pathetic endurance will take this ninja to safety.

''After all, I’ve experienced this weight before and he hasn’t. He’s a weight virgin, so a weight adult like myself needs to give him a helping hand.

…''Honestly, what a terrible role.

''But Tenzou, there’s something else I remember.

''It’s true that you’ve been cautious around me. I know that. It made things easier for me, so I was actually thankful. But whenever we would gather for the school festival or anything else, you may have seen it as your duty, but you would never leave me out when you went to buy things for everyone.

''It was probably annoying, but there are times when I need a break or something to drink and I don’t want to be left out. I can be selfish, so that’s just how I feel.

''But you never omitted me.

''I’m not the type to forget that.

''I’ll pay you back five times over. After all, you can’t get a girlfriend while running errands all the time. But now that I’m letting you run somewhere other than on an errand, I’m sure you can get a girlfriend.

''I’ll pay you back five times over, so make sure to pay me back the excess four times later. Yes, up until now was about 12 years, so four times that would be 48 years. All you have to do is go along with my selfish whims and not leave me out for that long.

“Kh!”

''Go. The arcade across the plaza is only a few more steps. Is it twenty more? That’s a long way. Couldn’t it just be ten? Is London trying to mock me here? Ahh, I can’t lift my legs anymore. But I still have nineteen, eighteen more… My wing is heavy too! I need to go on a diet. Seventeen, sixteen. Yes, fifteen, when I get back, fourteen, I’ll eat something nice with Margot and then get to bed! Thirteen, twelve, eleven… Kwaaaah! I can’t stand straight! Ten… I don’t have to worry about the last ten steps, right? Right? Tenzou’s already moving on ahead, so it doesn’t even- nine… Wait. What am I doing? I need to stretch my wing forward and make up for falling behind, but eight and seven and…ow, ow, ow! My wing is seriously going to break. It’s going to dislocate and isn’t that supposed to make it happen more easily next time!? Oh, honestly. I’m dragging my feet. And I’m falling forward. But making it to six is good enough, isn’t it? Margot will praise me for making it this far, won’t she? If I make it five…no, four, Margot will let me grope her tonight!

''I made it! I made it to three! I’m gonna grope her! Dammit, Tenzou! Get going already!

''Two. Just a bit further. One…one…one one one…

''Oh, no. The ground is straight ahead. I’m falling. But raise your wing. Only the tip of the wing can reach him, it’s only for your own self-satisfaction, and you’re probably going to collapse, but…

“Tenzou!!”

''Say it and that ninja is sure to carry out your errand.

“A girlfriend! Three minutes!!”

“Judge!”

''Idiot. That makes it sound like you’re asking him to get you a girlfriend.

…''But…

''I guess it doesn’t matter now.

''One.

Dudley saw the ninja dash across the plaza.

“!?”

The Technohexen running with him fell from her low stance and into a roll. She made a complete rotation while her wing groaned under the stress.

However, the ninja continued on. The Technohexen’s wing had barely been reaching him toward the end, but the remaining power in the charms on his shoulders had covered for that.

He cut past Dudley and accelerated into the arcade leading to the Tower of London.

“Sh-sh-sh-shoot him!!”

Arbalest fire pursued the ninja, but he lowered down and accelerated as if crawling along the ground. The arbalest bolts caught up and swept across the area, but they shot over his head. And by the time the second set of bolts had been loaded…

“…!!”

The ninja had already dashed down the street.

“Dudley!?”

Cecil’s cry brought a moment of hesitation, but Dudley did not pursue. She was ashamed to have let him escape, but another member of the Trumps lay ahead. Pursuing an enemy she had let escape would say she did not trust her fellow Trumps or the queen.

“I-I-I-I-I will deal with the opponent I can deal with here!”

Dudley turned toward the collapsed Technohexen. One enemy had escaped, but one had been stopped here. This was not a problem, so she waved toward Cecil.

“C-c-c-crush her, Cecil. And hold her down to r-r-r-r-restrain her.”

Hearing that, the Technohexen stood up while gasping for breath.

“Ha ha. What’s this? Attacking out of spite?”

“Sh-sh-sh-sh-shut up. I already defeated you.”

“No, you made me fall. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The Technohexen slowly rose, but Cecil was already pinpointing the weight on her. She gave a small groan and sat back on the ground as if pulled by her wings.

However, she looked over with strength in her gaze.

“I win. Tenzou will definitely carry out his mission.”

“How can you be s-s-s-s-s-so sure!?”

“Because that idiot is a ninja.”

She laughed while placing her arms on the ground to help withstand the weight.

“This is what you get!!”

''Now, I’ve said it,'' thought Naruze with an inward smile.

She had not actually gotten her revenge, but this was good enough. If Margot had heard her, she probably would have scolded her for going too far.

…''But this weight really is-

“Eh?”

She suddenly felt as if her body had jumped upwards. The weight had vanished and the arms, back, and wings she had been using to avoid being crushed suddenly regained their freedom. As she wondered what had happened, she heard a voice.

“Oh, dear. Don’t push up from below so suddenly.”

Someone stood above her with their legs straddling her back and wings. She looked up to see who it was.

“Kimi!?”

''Why?'' she wondered in surprise.

“To enjoy the nightlife,” answered the smiling girl.

Dudley gasped at what occurred in front of her. Not only had a girl dressed like a prostitute casually walked up, but…

…''She’s taking Cecil’s weight without issue!?

The girl’s hair decorations and skirt were definitely affected by the weight, but the girl herself was light. She swept up the weight on her entire body and faced Dudley with a smile.

Dudley recognized the girl. She was the one who had defeated Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter with a dancing spell during the Battle of Mikawa.

She was a strange girl, but that strange girl faced Dudley and spoke.

“He heh heh. Ball-and-chain woman and balloon woman, you look like you have a question. I will answer anything you ask. But the deadline is one second from now. …One. That’s it! I won’t answer anything more! Heh heh heh. Now, ask me your question!!”

…''I have no idea what she’s saying!?

“Yes, I understand, so I will tell you. Celine! My name today is Celine! After all, my foolish brother made a cheese Doria made with ''cel''ery for dinner last night.”

…''Oh, I kind of understood that one! But it was completely pointless!

“W-w-w-w-w-wait a second!”

“Just a second!?”

“W-w-wait at least three seconds!”

“We’ll be here all day at this rate. Then again, it’s already night. …Is that okay? Oh, it isn’t, is it? How lovely!”

…''Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Don’t get caught up in her pace, Robert Dudley. Follow your blood pressure’s example and calm down at a bit above normal. If there’s anything to say here it’s that I can’t believe the other Far Easterners have been able to put up with this!

“B-b-b-but h-how can you ignore Cecil’s weight!?”

“Ha ha. How stupid can you be? Of course I won’t tell the enemy that. …Wait, Naruze. What kind of look is that for gazing upon a goddess? Gaze upon her with more of a smile. What? You don’t understand either? My god allows makeup and fashion for substitutions, so just by being me, I am not effected by all sorts of spells! But that’s a trade secret!”

…''She told us that readily!?

This was dangerous. Dudley could tell this was a dangerous person, but that dangerous person did not stop speaking.

“Now, Naruze, you deal with that skinny woman. Okay? And I will take care of that one getting a nice breath of fresh air.”

“W-w-w-wait! Aren’t you a normal student!? You do not have the right to-…”

“What? In that case, I will continue on to watch that plain ninja plainly fail after he got carried away and ran off. I doubt the warriors up ahead can lay a finger on the summit’s flower. You understand that much, don’t you? You really are stupid. I was lowering myself to your level, so why are you getting carried away? Honestly, this is why humans are so hopeless when they get arrogant! …All right! That was a pretty good line, wasn’t it!? I pass! Yeah!”

Dudley felt dizzy for a moment.

…''Oh, no. And I already have high blood pressure.

Meanwhile, the strange girl helped up the Technohexen.

“Now, if I don’t do anything, the others will come crying here and try to interrupt me when I’m showing off, so let’s get this over with quickly.”

“H-h-h-how dare you say that!?”

“Heh heh heh. Make no mistake. I’m actually in a pretty good mood right now.”

The crazy person said something unbelievable.

“After all, my foolish brother and future sister awkwardly confirmed their dreams in this city. London is a wonderful city. I’m thankful. They both bought me a souvenir and I understand that’s something I could normally never hope to get, so I’ll let you off with a nice beating.”

Even the impertinent Technohexen stared blankly at the dancer whose smile deepened.

“C’mon,” she said while slapping the Technohexen on the butt. “You go over there. I won’t help you, but no hard feelings, okay? If I did help you, my foolish brother would complain and say you could’ve handled it on your own.”

And…

“It looks like the situation in the sky has advanced a stage, so go on ahead to ensure we can advance as well, Malga Naruze. Go and release some of that stress.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 52|Chapter 52]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 54|Chapter 54]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 51

2015-04-18T22:08:18Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 51: Converging on a Place of Gathering==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0559.png|thumb]]
''Your intention

''Is to do everything for another

''But you are actually following your own desires

'''Point Allocation (Mutual Agreement)

The night sky was overhead and the dirt ground was underfoot. That ground formed a hill leading up to a wheat field.

Wind washed over the hill which gave a view of a giant ship floating alongside the land and the cloud of mist it produced.

The sounds of the giant ship starting up travelled through the sky to reach the hill. It sounded like a rumbling or a continuous wind and two people listened to it from atop the dark hill.

One was a boy wearing a black Far Eastern uniform that had been altered into a ninja outfit and the other was a three-legged crow.

The crow wore an English uniform.

“Look, Tenzou. The seeds you planted are growing. I, Milton, have an urge to peck at the buds! The buds!!”

“Little myna-dono, those are some excellent instincts you have. But even if it is the European style to not tend to them, isn’t the village down below a little too quiet?”

“There is a battle approaching and they are in mourning.”

After all…

“It is for the three hundred who Scarred…who Lady Mary executed in the history recreation. Their families naturally lost their social status for being the family of the executed. Of course, the Fairy Queen restored their positions, but everyone here is sick of the history recreation.”

“Then Mary-dono…”

“When she first came here, it seems she was shunned a fair bit. Her history recreation had already entered the early stages of the execution. That gave her some freedom, but it seems she came here despite those shackles and it seems she managed to fit in, bit by bit.”

“Little myna-dono, you are saying that ‘it seems’ things a lot, so did you not arrive until later?”

“Testament.” Milton nodded. “I, Milton, was originally a Far Eastern resident.”

“I see.”

Tenzou also nodded and Milton eventually turned toward him.

“You aren’t surprised?”

“W-wow! I’m incredibly surprised! I see, I see. So you come from the Far East!”

“You are not surprised enough. I will say nothing more.”

“Why…why did you suddenly get so blunt!? Please tell me more!”

“Well, if you insist.”

Tenzou clenched his right fist behind his back until it trembled, but he already knew most of it.

“Just like Sir Walter of the Trumps, you are a remnant of the Amako clan, aren’t you?”

“Testament. There are three survivors of the Amako Ten Braves: Yamanaka Yukimori, Yokomichi Hyougonosuke, and Akiage Hisaie. I am Yokomichi Hyougonosuke. I was originally a Yatagarasu living in Izumo, but the master of the clan was willing to play around with me. However, P.A. Oda prevented the clan from recovering, just as the Testament descriptions said, so I was ultimately forced to flee to England.”

“And then to Mary-dono?”

“Our ship was pursued and it crashed. Yamanaka has…difficulty riding in ships, so that was not fun for anyone involved. Anyway, Scarred saved us and we are in her debt, but Yamanaka…”

The crow lowered and shook his head as if he did not want to accept it.

“He took the Fairy Queen’s side.”

“That is a difference in what master you decided you should serve.”

…''Walter probably still feels that debt to Mary.

However, he had probably seen the qualities of one he should serve in the Fairy Queen who ruled and protected England. Meanwhile, Milton was trying to have Walter’s loyalty return to the debt they held.

Then what about Tenzou himself?

“What will you do, boy? It is near impossible to break through everything up ahead and reach Lady Mary.”

“That is fine. This is an act of selfishness on my part.”

He had realized how Mary felt about him. Unless he was imagining it, her will had made it through to him.

…''But it was still me that decided to do this.

If possible, he did not want her to hear about it if he met some pathetic end.

…''Oh, but I’m so plain that there’s nothing to worry about there. She’s probably already forgotten about me.

“Your mood seems to be growing darker and darker.”

“J-judge. M-my thoughts have a tendency to slip in the negative direction!”

With all his failures when it came to girls, that was hardly surprising.

However, he was giving this his all. His classmates would likely view him as irresponsible by doing something so reckless while completely ignoring their mission to retrieve the Logismoi Óplo.

But if he cast aside the meaning of that scar on his back, he would regret it. And that regret would stay with him for the rest of his life. After all, she would vanish and never come back.

…''So Toori-dono might understand.

With that thought, he made one last check of the map. He had memorized the route. There were a few difficult points and they were all completely reckless for someone like him. He suspected he would need a hundred of him to make it to the end. He also suspected even that was overestimating his ability.

He groaned and a hand reached in from the side to point at a spot on the map.

“Oh, We said to buy some tea at the store here. He says it’s pretty good.”

“I see. But I doubt they are still open this late, Toori-dono.”

When he looked to the side and saw a naked boy there, he and Milton cried out in unison.

“Waaaah!!”

Tenzou frantically turned around.

There, he found a few familiar faces with Toori and Horizon as their representatives.

“What’s your important announcement, Tenzou? Don’t go running off without telling us.”

He had forgotten about that.

“I…”

He bowed and made his announcement to the others.

“I am on my way to confess to a girl?”

It came out as a question because it did not feel real even to him, but he said what he had to say.

“And?” asked everyone else with serious expressions.

“Eh? A-and what?”

He grew hesitant, so the others formed a scrum in the darkness.

“Is that idiot copying me?”

“As a Weiss Hexen, I don’t think it counts as an important announcement if it’s something you’ve already failed at countless times.”

“To me, it looks like he has gone insane from fear,” added Urquiaga.

…''Th-these people really like to take shots at people!!

But there was something he had to ask.

“B-but why are you all here!? …Ah! Don’t tell me this is some cruel plan to watch on and then laugh when I fail!”

“Hey, everyone. This plain ninja has a persecution complex now. Have we ever been the type to rub salt in the wound of someone who lost!? And even if we are, do really think we’d be aware of it!?”

“Y-you people are the worst!”

“Listen,” said Toori while patting Horizon on the shoulder. “Can you tell us one thing? Why are you on your way to save Mary? Isn’t that part of the history recreation and something she wants?”

He took a breath.

“To be blunt, even if something pushed you in this direction, couldn’t it just be your imagination?”

…''That’s true.

Tenzou thought about his days with her as Scarred, their conversations, the contact between their skin, and the kiss scene during the festival date on their last day together.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey. You sure you aren’t glorifying your own pointless past!?”

“It isn’t pointless! It isn’t!!”

However, there was one thing that was not subject to that glorification: his scar.

“I received a scar from her, so…” He thought before continuing. “I need to ask her if she will give me a scar that runs even deeper.”

“Oh.” Toori smiled and lowered the ends of his eyebrows. “So you’re seriously going to confess, huh?”

“Judge. You could say…”

He clenched his fist and chose to use the English word.

“I’ve fallen in love!”

“Oh!! You’ve fallen in love!?”

Toori clenched his own fist and gave a shout of his own.

“Then there’s no helping it! Hey, Horizon. Ask Tenzou your question.”

“Judge.”

The white-haired automaton turned her expressionless face toward him and tilted her head.

“This will be a repeat question, but why are you going to save Mary-sama?”

It was true he had been asked that question several times already and had asked it to himself even more times.

However, the scar on his back was all the answer he needed. If he was right about its meaning…

“I plan to steal Mary-dono from England.”

“Steal her? Even though she does not wish for it and she does wish for death?”

Tenzou nodded to the repeated question.

“If I lost Mary-dono, I would be sad.”

That was all there was to it. It did not matter what anyone else – even Mary – thought.

“I do not want to be sad. …It is often said that a ninja must suppress his own emotions because the word ninja is written with the heart hidden beneath a blade. But…”

But…

“The character for heart has not been removed from the word for ninja.”

“Then,” began Horizon. “Would someone have been sad if I had been lost when it was me?”

It was not just Tenzou who answered her question. Everyone there did.

“Judge!”

The many overlapping voices repeating the word “judge” told him he had not made a mistake.

“In that case,” said Horizon after some hesitation. “Would I become sad again if Mary-sama were lost?”

Everyone turned toward Tenzou to ask him if that were the case.

However, he knew the answer.

“Judge. Even if you do not know her now, you will eventually learn what kind of person she was. And then I am sure you will feel it was a regrettable loss and you will wish you had spoken with her.”

“Then…”

Then?

“Will I be able to do that if you save Mary-sama?”

She spoke as if asking for confirmation.

“And if I choose to save all people who will similarly be lost in the future, will I be able to avoid feeling the emotion of sadness?”

…''What an absurd thing to say!

Horizon herself likely did not realize it, but she was saying something ridiculous.

After all, the idiot had announced he would conquer the world and now his partner was saying she would save the world.

…''And all because she doesn’t want to feel sad!

Suddenly, Horizon nodded and lowered her head toward Tenzou.

“I apologize, Tenzou-sama. I was able to bring that question to a level at which I could make a decision on it myself, so I produced my own answer. That being…”

That being…

“Toori-sama, if you will gather the Logismoi Óplo, conquer the world to end the Apocalypse, and make me happy by giving me negative emotions, then I will say this from a parallel position.”

She took a breath.

“We are parallel. I have determined I will save the world from the greatest loss that is the Apocalypse and make myself happy by never using the negative emotions I gain.”

Within the group that had gone after Tenzou, Masazumi heard Horizon speak to her.

“Masazumi-sama, my decision has come out quite nicely, so I have instructions for you. Please make an announcement to England that a group opposed to being mercenaries has broken off from Musashi’s mercenary unit and is on its way to take Mary Stuart from them.”

“Judge. Since we’re considered at war with any nation possessing a Logismoi Óplo, we don’t have to worry about our right to declare war. Also, rescuing Mary will justify the actions we took when rescuing Horizon. But this means the rest of you need to be prepared for a second round against England.”

Masazumi pulled her handheld shrine from her pocket binder. Mitotsudaira glanced over to offer the use of her sign frame, but Masazumi wanted to preserve Blessings with the coming battle. She manually dialed the address and made a voice call.

“It’s me,” came the response after a short pause.

“Hello, is this the Fairy Queen’s residence? It looks like we’re going to war with England after all. Um, I’m recording this conversation, so it’s official. Will thirty minutes from now work for you? It’ll be another set of battles between our representatives like before.”

“Eh? What? W-wait a minute! This is a little sudden!”

“You attacked us without warning last time, so you’ll accept this without running, won’t you?”

She heard a gasp from the other end, but she did not care.

“Okay, we’ll gather at the site and then each representative will go wherever they want after that. Is this getting through?”

“You fool!!”

The connection was cut off from the other side and Masazumi dropped the handheld shrine into her pocket binder.

“Is that good, Horizon?”

“Judge. I have determined that was excellent. I can relax a bit now. At the very least, I have ensured that I am not merely sitting idly by as I grow sad.”

However, the others gave Masazumi uncertain looks.

“A-are you sure you should’ve done that?”

“I did record it, so we can make it official. Or we can choose not to. At any rate, we have a good policy for Musashi now. Our visit to England had real meaning. After all, our king and princess have fully decided on their own policies. All that’s left is your challenge, Tenzou. If you can stay true to yourself, so can Musashi. We will be able to stay true to ourselves even when facing other nations in the future.”

So…

“Go for it, Tenzou.”

Tenzou nodded.

He felt it might be hopeless. No, it was probably hopeless. In fact, it was hopeless. It was far too hopeless.

A ninja had no direct combat ability, so it would likely come to an end at some point.

…''But…

He wanted to do enough to say to the others that he had done what he could. He wanted to give enough of an effort to suppress the sadness of Musashi’s princess as much as he could.

“Then…”

Just as he was going to announce his departure, the color silver appeared in front of him.

“Wait a moment, Tenzou. I will be going with you.”

“Eh?”

“You don’t get it?” Mitotsudaira pointed at the Musashi’s silhouette floating in the sky behind her. “The Musashi is currently acting as a mercenary ship, but it would be shameful for a knight to lower herself to the level of a mercenary.”

“But what about Adele-dono?”

“She can’t exactly move much,” said everyone else while hanging their heads.

Amid them all, Mitotsudaira cleared her throat.

“Well, Adele does not have an inherited name, so she can be more carefree about that sort of thing. I will have her be a mercenary for now and I will take over for her later.”

“Take over for her? You mean you plan to join the armada battle after fighting England?”

“The armada battle will circle England, so it will remain within reach. It’s the natural choice, isn’t it? I was originally planning to spend this free time in the transport ship.”

The wolf smiled while holding up her two remaining silver chains.

“But if we’re fighting their representatives, I can go give my thanks to their hound.”

“In that case, I need to go as well. The man-eating wolf is out monitoring the armada battle, so maybe that skinny woman will be my opponent.”

The black-winged Technohexen stepped forward. She wore her uniform because she lacked Weiss Fräulein.

…''Why are her cheeks swollen?

As Tenzou wondered that, Urquiaga stepped forward.

“As a Catholic, I cannot oppose Tres España. And Tenzou, make sure you come back alive. I’ll donate you a dozen porn games I have already tested for Toori.”

“Th-that’s the worst death flag I’ve ever heard!”

“Calm down,” said the group filling the area.

Among them, Masazumi smiled bitterly and spoke.

“It would be best for me to stay here to oversee everything. It would be a problem if we had no one to declare the end of hostilities. I’ll be hiding in the transport ship, so don’t expect me to fight. Also…”

“I’ll go,” said a voice they had not heard for a while.

“Neshinbara-dono!”

“That’s right.” Neshinbara nodded. “According to Asama-kun, England’s third level and up are already contained inside a permeable barrier version of the theatre space. Instead of preparing stages in an alternate space like before, England itself has been turned into the stage. If England is attacked, it will be fully protected using the power of the theatre performance.”

And that meant…

“Shakespeare is here with the Logismoi Óplo. I will fight her and take it back.”

No one asked whether he could or not.

…''In that case, whoever makes the biggest announcement wins.

Everyone nodded silently, so he returned the nod.

“Ariadust-kun, Aoi-kun. I’ve caused a lot of trouble for you with my absence, so I promise that I will greet you with Shakespeare’s Logismoi Óplo in hand.”

“Sure,” responded Toori before asking a question. “Did you read your old masterpiece?”

“I did.”

Neshinbara clenched his teeth in a smile. This had nothing to do with the king. It was all about himself, so he spoke without worry.

“I’ve always been a genius. I’d just forgotten because of all the strange people surrounding me.”

Everyone laughed and the crow faced Neshinbara and bowed.

“Please rescue Lady Mary, children.”

“Judge,” replied everyone.

…''Milton, hm?

Milton was an English poet and author. He would be best known for writing Paradise Lost and that reminded Neshinbara of something mentioned in the Testament descriptions.

…''Milton’s wife was named Mary, wasn’t she?

Why had he chosen Milton as his inherited name?

…''Was it to root for a rival while knowing his own feelings would never be returned?

Had Tenzou realized that?

At the moment, Tenzou simply looked into the sky over London.

Everyone understood he was going and they divided between those going with him, those waiting, and those returning.

At the lead of those going, Tenzou spoke.

“Milton-dono. There is something I would like to ask of you.”

Everyone wondered what it could be and the crow tilted his head just like the rest of them.

“Listen up. You too, everyone. Will you all listen to my own way of rescuing Mary-dono?”

That question gave Neshinbara a certain thought.

…''If you have to ask, it probably isn’t going to be anything good.

It was 5:30 PM. Darkness already filled the southern end of England as a giant silhouette left port and travelled west.

It left slowly, but it suddenly accelerated westward.

The Musashi had used its gravitational cruising to accelerate. The wind was eliminated with a buffer spell and the ship switched over to inertial cruising after the acceleration was complete.

The wind this produced shook and rustled across England as a collapsing wall of air.

And a line of several students on the fourth level began to move as if pushed on by that blowing wind.

Someone would take a step and then the next person would follow.

“Now, then.”

When someone spoke, they all began to run with a light but lasting speed.

Their individual destinations were the locations of their confrontations.

A battle on two fronts had begun between Musashi, England, and Tres España.

For England, it was Mary’s execution and the battle to stop it.

For Tres España, it was the armada battle using the Grande y Felicísima Armada.

The sound of a bell filled the air.

That sound gave advanced notice of Mary’s execution and also indicated the beginning of the armada battle. To the members of Musashi running to London, it was a signal gun telling them to run.

A clash was about to begin on two battlefields: the sky and London.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 50|Chapter 50]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 52|Chapter 52]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 50

2015-04-18T22:06:32Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 50: Left Out in a Place of Gathering==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0537.png|thumb]]
''Your intention

''Is to give your all for them

''But you are actually relying on them

'''Point Allocation (Self-Confirmation)

The days until the armada battle passed while the participating nations prepared.

England used the festival to gather materiel and deploy troops to the coastal regions.

Tres España performed joint training for suppressing the English fleet while primarily training the Grande y Felicísima Armada.

Musashi was quickly arming its ships, training those in charge of the armaments, and working with “Musashi” to take a second look at its cruising system.

“Musashi” suddenly stated one piece of good news to Sakai.

“I have completed the analysis of the sound produced by the flight of the low-speed cannon shell that damaged the Musashi. Praise me. Over.”

“Oh, how manly, ‘Musashi’-san. Are you in a good mood today?”

The sound that had been extracted via process of elimination from “Musashi” and the other automatons’ massive memory was highly accurate, but they did not know what any alterations or the initial firing of the shell sounded like.

As such, they could not detect anything until the shell had already been fired, but the Musashi’s gravity barriers could be instantly deployed if it was detected at close range. Overall, it was being viewed positively.

“Musashi’s” analysis had revealed two things.

First, Tres España’s stealth technology was primary stealth which cut off sound, light, and ether reactions. To locate the ship after the cannon was fired, Musashi had put together a specialized detection team. Modifications to Asakusa and Shinagawa were complete, but they were being kept under individual stealth to allow the detection team to train.

Also, they had been able to predict the size of the ship that possessed the low-speed cannon and the stealth system. It was apparently a Jormungandr Class at around 800 meters long, which put it at roughly the same size as K.P.A. Italia’s Regno Unito. The details on the San Martín, Tres España’s flagship in the Testament descriptions, were not yet known, so they predicted the ship in question was the San Martín.

After gathering all that information, Mitotsudaira and Adele worked to put together a strategy.

“For some reason, I feel like I’m only coming up with defensive ideas and you’re only coming up with offensive ones, Adele.”

“Do we subconsciously know what it is we lack?”

For that reason, the planning headquarters became unofficially known as the “Lacking Headquarters”. They simplified and standardized the chain of command and form of instructions in the early stages to have a groundwork to handle the increased numbers of instructions that were sure to come later.

At the same time, some volunteers were gathered who would satisfy the ‘desire for self-destruction’ found in the Living Dead of England. A system was created to judge the aptitude of those volunteers.

However, that aptitude test was not meant to eliminate the inadequate people.

“From the beginning, they will be given a role as an attacker or defender and they will be divided into individual units,” explained Mitotsudaira. “That way, we can use everyone without any waste and we can ensure the quickest action with the fewest instructions. This is the method of a national army like the one Hexagone Française is beginning to develop.”

Throughout the day, she would help with trade or hold chain of command training. During the night, she would hold combat training with Naomasa and eat yakiniku. Despite the full schedule, everyone stuck with her. They all gathered for yakiniku in the name of a strategy meeting, the female teachers joined them, they fought over the food, and they ultimately caused the supplier to fear the acts of mankind. At the morning assembly the next day, Shirojiro and Heidi lectured them all.

Meanwhile on the political front, Masazumi and the queen held a few meetings together.

They discussed the mercenary contract with Musashi as well as some other things.

“England will promise the following things after our victory in the armada battle:

“First, England will return the Logismoi Óplo until after the Peace of Westphalia.

“Second, until that Peace, England will not ally with another nation for the purposes of attacking the Musashi.

“That should become the standard for other nations as well, so what do you think?”

That would require Musashi to provide support for other nations on the level of the armada battle when receiving their Logismoi Óplo, but Masazumi smiled and agreed. She then spoke to the queen who seemed doubtful.

“During the armada battle, Shakespeare will use England’s Logismoi Óplo to protect England, after all. And once the battle is over, we can negotiate some more.”

Musashi was giving a concession, but she had a few ideas of her own such as connecting the two nations’ divine transmission lines because the Musashi would be part of England during the battle.

Time passed as many others took a variety of actions, prepared, and trained.

While a large crowd was gathered for the closing ceremony held at the end of the morning on the final day of the festival, word arrived that Tres España’s Grande y Felicísima Armada had left port with no sign of its flagship.

The festival was hurriedly cleaned up and most of England’s major players had already left by the previous day, so the city felt quite empty as the day passed and evening arrived. To avoid giving away where to attack, a blackout was in place, but something large could still be seen moving.

It was the Musashi.

After the normal Musashi citizens were sent to IZUMO under escort from Hawkins and Cavendish, the Musashi shook England as it activated to leave port as England’s flagship.

However, a certain commotion occurred within the Musashi. Before continuing to their individual posts, everyone had gathered on the bridge in front of Musashi Ariadust Academy and a dependent sounding voice shouted out.

“Wh-what do you mean, Margot!?”

It was Naruze and she was currently trying to grab at Naito’s collar.

“Why can’t I join the battle as a part of Musashi’s Technohexen unit!? Is it because I’m useless!?”

When she heard she was not authorized to join in the battle, Naruze felt a weight pressing down in the bottom of her heart. It was a cold weight and it threatened to make her tremble if she let her guard down even slightly, so she spoke to eliminate it.

“Why!? Tell me! Is it because I haven’t trained enough!?”

Her heart grew icily cold, but her mind was filled with heat. She wanted an answer and she did not understand if her question was wrong, if she had not asked enough, or what.

“If it’s my wings, l-look! I can move them properly now and I can fly! Margot, you were the one that healed me, weren’t you!? So why are you telling me to stay inside!?”

She saw Margot smile with the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

“No, um… Ga-chan?”

She knew what Margot was going to say. It was the same thing she had said before.

“You’re saying that isn’t it, right!? But if that’s all you say, how am I supposed to understand!?”

Tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she did not care. She took a breath and a step forward, but Margot stepped back. She did not want the other girl to run away, so Naruze took another half step forward.

“Is it because I’m weak!? Is it because I’m useless without Weiss Fräulein!? Is it because I’m just a burden on you!? Is it because I always lose and people insult me on the divine network, so you don’t want me to drag your reputation down!? Or…”

She trembled.

“Is it because my father…”

As she spoke, Naruze saw Margot’s expression change.

Her smile vanished and her eyes opened wide. Her eyebrows rose a little and she seemed to want to say something.

However, that expression gave Naruze an internal smile.

…''Good. I got a different reaction.

But…

“Naruze.”

It was Asama who spoke up and Naruze and Margot reacted at the same time.

“————”

They held their breath and something happened to the joy rising inside Naruze.

…''Crap.

She belatedly realized that she had begun to say something terrible. A hole opened inside her joy, that hole filled with regret, and it all chilled the depths of her being even further.

''But,'' she thought. ''Without even realizing it, I’ve become completely hopeless.

She had lost Weiss Fräulein, she was a burden on Margot at work, she had been useless and lost during the attack on the Musashi, and she had disgraced them by letting Tres España save her during her duel with one of England’s representatives.

By the time she had woken, the Musashi had been about to leave for the armada battle.

…''But she says I should just rest.

It was true that she had not accomplished anything and would only trip people up on the battlefield.

But…

“Do you not need me anymore?”

Had the battlefield developed to the point that she could not handle it? Was she now useless and only a source of worry despite her previous relationships?

“Are you saying…this is for both our sakes?”

“No, Ga-chan. Um…”

“That isn’t it, right? But… That isn’t it!”

As soon as she shouted out, Asama’s presence arrived from the right using the gap created when she took a breath. Naruze’s shoulders trembled and she took a half step away. She turned toward Asama and found her motionless with the ends of her eyebrows lowered, but Naruze could not grasp the meaning of that expression.

Her only thought was that Asama would advise she back down and that thought brought on another thought.

…''If she does that, it will mean leaving Margot.

Margot would leave. In some unknown place, she would interact with some unknown people and on a deeper level than with her. That was likely a good thing for Margot, but…

“I don’t want that.”

After all…

“How much… How much do you think I’ve done to spend my time with you?”

So if the alternative was to be called useless…

“I don’t mind. Even if I have to act as your shield and die, I don’t mind as long as it will keep you alive.”

…''Do you understand? Would anyone else go that far?

“I’ll do anything. Even if it means being beaten to a pulp or killed, it would be for you.”

As soon as she said that, something struck her left shoulder.

She felt careless for focusing so much on Asama to her right, so her caution and reflexes mixed together.

“Eh?”

She turned around and found brown hair dancing through the air.

It was Kimi. The girl twisted her body and then untwisted it.

“Yooooouuuuuu coward!!”

A slap accompanied by a tornado sent Naruze flying.

Asama reacted to both Kimi’s action and the sound she heard.

…''Wow.

She gave a stiff mental comment and looked up at Naruze flying through the sky.

…''Do big breasts increase the power of tornado strikes? Oh, but that probably won’t help with my bow and arrow, so I guess I lost out there.

As she thought, Kimi grabbed Naruze’s collar and forced her to her feet. Naruze seemed unable to react, but that was likely more due to the surprise of the strike than any pain it caused.

“You aren’t my brother or my sister.”

Kimi brought her hand back to slap the other cheek. With a clear sound, Naruze began to collapse to her knees, but Kimi would not allow it. She gathered strength in her hips and lifted her back up.

“So I’ll leave it at this.”

She pinched both cheeks and pulled.

“Hyah!” said Naruze. “Ouhhhhhhh!!”

“Ouch” became “ouh” because she could not close her mouth. Kimi partially closed her eyes to glare at Naruze’s face while pulling her cheeks even farther to either side.

Despite Kimi’s gaze, which was better described as deep than sharp, Naruze was undaunted.

“Wh-wha ih it?”

As soon as Naruze wrinkled her brow and spoke, Kimi brought her face to Naruze’s.

Before everyone could give noises of surprise, Kimi opened her lips a bit and lightly bit Naruze’s upper lip. There was a clear sound of tearing flesh and Naruze’s six wings bristled and rose.

Kimi then released Naruze’s shoulders.

“…”

Naruze fell and sat on the floor. The small amount of blood from her upper lip flowed into her mouth.

“They say drinking some warm milk can calm you down, don’t they, Asama?”

“How about you ask yourself instead of me?”

However, she understood what Kimi was trying to say, so she answered.

“Milk has similar properties to blood, so warming it up and drinking it can remind you what is flowing through your own body.”

“Oh? I was trying to say it represents a mother’s milk, so why are you giving the safer answer to protect yourself, Asama? We aren’t talking about cows! We’re talking about people! It’s philosophy!”

“What? You’re blaming me for ruining this!? Doesn’t the blame lie with the one who appointed me as director!?”

Everyone told her to calm down, so she and Kimi gestured for them to quiet down. On top of that, she looked at Kimi who stood in front of Naruze.

Kimi was looking at Naruze as the girl sat limply on the floor. She did not look down on her, but she did not lower herself to Naruze’s level either. The lightly crossed arms and the smile on the corner of her mouth were just her normal behavior.

…''She only matches the height of her gaze when speaking with Toori-kun.

Asama wondered if she did with Horizon as well and decided to pay more attention next time.

Kimi then spoke to Naruze.

“Listen. I understand you’re on a losing streak and you’re getting desperate, but the battlefield isn’t a place to clear your name. Right now, you’re underqualified for the job.”

“Kimi! Kimi! You’re using some of those phrases in a wonderfully wrong way!”

“You’re being a bit confusing yourself,” cut in the others, but Asama ignored them.

Kimi danced to avoid answering Asama, so they were no different.

“At any rate,” said Kimi. “What was it you told Naito just now?”

Naruze reacted with silent eyes that looked both expressionless and hostile, but Kimi only raised the corner of her mouth.

…''Naruze knows she can’t do anything.

Naruze was glaring at Kimi because nothing she did or said would change this, so she had no other choice. There was no reason to respond to the glare and no reason for Kimi to alter her own pace.

“Listen. You told her, ‘I’ll do anything. Even if it means being beaten to a pulp or killed, it would be for you.’ ”

Calm down.

“After all, that means if you died or were beaten to a pulp, ''it would happen because Naito was there''.”

Naruze had not intended to listen.

An unpleasant girl stood before her. She had to admit she had known the girl for a long time, but she had little desire to be actively involved with her in any way. She could only get along with that girl by keeping her distance.

That was why she had simply thought she had to keep her distance from what that girl said.

No matter what the girl said to her or did to her, it would not change that she had been deemed unfit to remain in the place she wanted to be.

Of course, it would solve everything if she no longer wanted to be there.

…''But that isn’t possible.

The fact that she could not accept this was her own fault.

But that was why she had no intention of giving in. No matter what was said, she had decided not to abandon her defiance. After all, abandoning that would be resigning herself to the goodness of the others.

However, she heard Kimi speak.

“Listen. You say you’re willing to be beaten to a pulp or killed for Naito’s sake. But then if you do die or are beaten to a pup, it means your death or injuries happened ''because Naito was there''. If Naito had not been there, you wouldn’t have been hurt or killed. And what would you say to her then?”

The unpleasant girl stopped smiling as she spoke.

“ ‘Margot, I may have been hurt and killed, but ''it was for you''.’ ‘I died for you, so rejoice.’ ‘But I was only beaten and killed because you were there, so remember for the rest of your life what it meant for that to happen to me.’ ”

She took a breath.

“Another thing, Naruze. Did Naito ever ask for your help? You aren’t helping someone who asked for it, so when you say you are saving her or helping her ‘for her sake’, you are being terribly insulting. It means you view her as someone who is lacking without your help. It is either one-sided charity or something you are forcing on her. You are simply trying to gain a temporary sense of superiority over the people who have the bare minimum of pride in being able to survive on their own. They are doing their best to survive, but you take that from them with an insulting sense of superiority and yet you pass it off as kindness.”

So…

“If you are going to do it, say it’s for your own sake. Or perhaps because you can’t forgive yourself for being unable to save anyone. Forcing that on someone may be hypocritical, but at the very least, don’t expect any thanks for it. On that note, what were you thinking?”

“What?”

“You were expecting the greatest reward of all. You wanted her to keep you by her side because you were doing it for her.”

The girl did not even give a bitter smile. She simply spoke in an indifferent tone.

“Do you think you can be with someone just because you devote yourself to them? That’s an insult to love.”

“Stop!!”

Naruze was not sure if her shout was directed at the unpleasant girl or herself.

…''But…

If she was going to give a shout of rejection, what had she been doing up until now?

Naruze thought in a daze.

What had she been thinking and doing?

She had given a rejection to Kimi and herself, so she felt as if she had completely eliminated her feelings for Naito and the defiance supporting her.

“Why…?”

After far too long, she began to tremble and tears filled the corners of her eyes.

She tasted blood and wondered if she was sensing that strong iron flavor because her tension was vanishing. However, that hinted at what was happening inside her.

“Everything is going away,” she muttered.

She tried to cover her face with her hands, but a sudden voice from behind stopped her.

“Sis! Sis! Can I ask a question here!?”

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, do you have something to ask for your wise sister’s Indiscriminate Lecturing and Bombing Corner? What is it?”

“Well,” answered the idiot. “Is it wrong to do something for someone’s sake? Is it really that terrible?”

“What’s this? Foolish brother, do you want a serious discussion?”

“Hmm.” Toori tilted his head and raised is right hand. “For example, when I’m playing porn games, I always have an ulterior motive when I’m working to win the girls.”

“But when you fail to win them, it’s because of that ulterior motive, right? Just make sure you save regularly.”

“Oh, that’s right! So my question was the true end! I guess that settles everything!”

“Don’t end this yet!”

Asama thought a bit about what Toori had asked and then huddled together with the others.

“I ended up chaotic, but Toori-kun actually asked a surprisingly decent question.”

The others nodded and turned toward Kimi as she shrugged.

“Well, when you aren’t asked to do something, you’re generally doing it for your own sake. It’s wonderfully egotistical, but human history has prepared something convenient for the ego beginners who find that too difficult.”

Asama caught on because it was something often prayed for at the Asama Shrine.

It was something human history had created that one could channel their ego into.

“Eros!! Heil eros! What a wonderful fusion with German! A hail of eros! It’s raining eros! Everything is for the sake of eros! Well done, mankind!! Let it wash over you!!”

“N-no! You’re supposed to say love or peace or something like that!”

“C’mon, Asama. Who would give a serious answer here?”

“Asama, you really can be boring sometimes.”

…''I’m at fault here!? And does that mean I’m usually interesting!? Why!?

She had a lot of questions, but she felt responsible here and thus needed to correct this. She was embarrassed to speak again after that, but she did so while blushing.

“U-um… Basically, i-if you do it for l-love or…”

“Right, right.”

The two siblings nodded in unison.

“Asama-san, I can’t hear, so speak uuuup.”

She prepared her bow and the two ran away. She used that chance to take a breath and speak.

“So, um. Those things don’t have misunderstandings or their own thoughts like a person does. They’re formless and they have no responsibility or rewards. They’re also important to people, so I think it’s safe to use them as a driving force.”

Asama was proud of how well she had rattled off something that sounded straight out of the shrine’s collection of example sermons, but then she heard the others whispering.

“Are we being deceived here?”

“It is true that shrine maidens have persuasion spells.”

“And wasn’t this about me? Why is everything progressing so much without me?”

The comments annoyed Asama, but Naruze actually had a point.

She looked down and saw Naruze sitting on the ground with drooping shoulders. However, that was not due to dejection. She exhaled as if to let out everything that had built up inside her.

“Margot.”

“What is it, Ga-chan?”

“It would be a problem to hold almost religious faith in a Technohexen, wouldn’t it?”

Naito momentarily looked to the others. The others exchanged a glance with her and for some reason Kimi gave a gesture of sticking something out from either side of her chest, but that was the behavior of a crazy person and could be ignored.

Naito merely nodded in response.

“I’m not sure I would call it a problem, but I might blush.”

“I can’t have you blushing because of my misunderstanding. I need you to answer who I truly am.”

So…

“Do you need my help?”

Naito shook her head.

“No, not as you are right now, Ga-chan.”

…''That’s right.

Naruze lowered her head with the flavor of blood on her tongue and she felt that was not a bad answer.

“Judge. That’s right. I want you to give me what I want, but then we wouldn’t be equal and it would all be over.”

“Judge. I’m always the same way. After all…”

Naito sat down next to her as she spoke. It felt like forever since they had looked each in the eye from the same height, but that was likely because Naruze had been keeping everything so one sided.

But Naito did not abandon, slap, or the bite the lip of her partner. She only gave a calming smile and similarly calming words.

“We are the Zwei Fräulein because we stand side by side, not because we help each other. And you know the Far Eastern characters used to write the name, don’t you?”

She did.

“U-um, there are two crotches and then women surrendering to them… Um, it’s a metaphor! Only a metaphor!!”

“Ga-chan, I think you’re getting back to your usual self pretty quickly.”

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Naruze. “And will we always stand side by side, no matter where we go or what we do?”

“Didn’t we become Zwei Fräulein in order to make that happen?”

“Did we?”

It could be a problem just how positively and conveniently Naito tended to view things.

However, there was important meaning in going along with it now.

…''If she’s handling it like this, it means she’s trying to remain with me.

So Naruze decided to trust her without abandoning the dissatisfied part of her own character.

“Then…I’ll put my faith in that. A Technohexen has faith in her nickname, right? That has to be the best option for me.”

She took a breath, held up her right hand, and spoke to Kimi who smiled down at her.

“I’m too unsteady to stand thanks to a certain idiot hitting me, so can you help me up?”

As Naruze stood and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the school’s front entrance opened and someone stepped out.

“Huh?”

Everyone turned toward the person.

“Oriotorai-sensei, what do you need? If it is alcohol money, I can provide some on certain conditions.”

“Shirojiro, I’m afraid of any conditions you might give. But that’s not it. Um…is Tenzou here?”

Everyone exchanged a glance and Toori spoke up.

“Everyone! Everyone! How cruel can you be!? Just because Tenzou’s plain is no reason to not notice he’s missing!”

Everyone glared at the idiot until he curled up on the ground in a corner of the bridge.

“Good, good,” commented Oriotorai as she held an envelope up for everyone to see.

It had already been opened and she showed them the letter inside.

“This arrived in the faculty room from Tenzou, so take a look.”

''To Whom It May Concern,

''How are you enjoying your time in this world?

''The Apocalypse is approaching, but I have recently been living a plain...a fulfilling covert life as a ninja.

''Today, I must ask permission to drop out of the academy for personal reasons.

''As I do not wish to cause any trouble for all of you horrible people, I must ask this one thing.

''Also, the Black Death still remains in this time period, so keep an eye on your health.

''Sincerely,

''Tenzou Crossunite

Everyone lined up next to each other and spent a few seconds reading the letter.

“Doesn’t that old-fashioned way of speaking get really annoying?”

“He could’ve just rewritten that third line. Does it bother him that much?”

“Calm down, calm down.” Oriotorai closed the letter and looked across her students. “Listen. Do something about this before we leave port. (Point Allocation: Wasting Friendship)”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 49|Chapter 49]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 51|Chapter 51]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 48

2015-04-18T20:55:42Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 48: Decision Maker in the Heights==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0481.png|thumb]]
''Why are the places

''Where we make up our minds

''Always the places that remain in our memories?

'''Point Allocation (Resolve)

The past few days had been filled with a single purpose for Mary.

That purpose was finding a way to fight the stress of being locked up.

She was not allowed to leave her room. A bath and bathroom were set up in a different room off the stairway landing, but it was not a hot spring so it would waste money on water and heating to take baths again and again.

Reading books made for a decent diversion, but it was not enough.

…''I’m just too used to moving around.

Her days of constant walking and working had left her unable to relax without moving her body.

That was why she had asked the person in charge of her for a small loom.

She had used looms a few times in the fourth level village, but she had never done anything more than make fabric. This was her first time creating something for herself.

She manipulated the colored thread while moving the loom affixed to her desk as if hitting it. Once she got a set tempo going, the time would fly by. When she took an occasional break, she could hear the festival noises outside, but the fact that she was accomplishing something made her feel like she was participating in the festival.

She had spent her time on that today as well, but the commotion outside was different.

She heard charming and joyful shouts coming from Ex. Caliburn’s tower to the north.

…''Eh?

Ex. Caliburn was being modified into an Andamio de la Ejecución and the work should have been continuing throughout the festival, but there seemed to be a large number of people and voices there now.

Wondering why, she peered out through the northern shutters and saw some familiar people.

First, she saw England’s mercantile guild celebrating with bottles of alcohol and a gathering of artists such as Jonson. They were all quite drunk. Shakespeare was only a bit tipsy, but her cheeks were red and she had trouble keeping her balance despite sitting still.

At the center of them all was Musashi’s fairy known as the Wet Man. He was naked expect for a skirt made of empty bottles and he spun around and around.

“Okay! I’m gonna pull it out now! I’m gonna pull out Excalibur!!”

A cold sweat covered Mary when she saw the surrounding adults give an excited cheer.

…''Sh-should he really be doing that?

…''They do say not even death can cure a fool.

Futayo thought to herself in front of the stairway entrance at the bottom of Excalibur’s northwestern tower. Three chairs were placed in the anteroom in order to block the entrance to the stairs. Sitting in those chairs were Futayo herself, Asama, and Suzu.

Futayo looked past Suzu and at Asama. Her hair was worn up just like Futayo’s and her cheeks were a bit flushed.

“Asama-sama, I did not know you could handle that much alcohol.”

“Eh? Oh, I can’t really. For the match, I used sacred sake which is made from rice. Sake has the power to purify, so it’s the same as water once my shrine maiden liver negates the intoxication. I couldn’t go that far with wine or beer. My limit then would probably be only about two dozen bottles.”

…''She too is something else.

Suzu looked up and nodded toward the excited voices.

“They sound like…they’re having fun.”

“Judge, but they will probably get in trouble for it later,” said Futayo. “Anyway, why are you two here?”

“Well, I went along with Suzu-san to recover Adele’s mobile shell, but on the way, we ran across Toori-kun who was chasing the townsfolk around with his apatosaurus. And then…”

Futayo wondered why Asama continued speaking on the assumption that she would not ask about that last statement.

“And then when Toori-kun said he was going to try to remove Excalibur, I thought about how to lecture him, but thankfully Mr. Jonson was there. At the pub, that is. He was simply too weak compared to me, so it ended up being 16 straight matches against the mercantile guild. But to make a long story short, I accumulated a lot of Blessings through the self-purification substitution using refined sake and I think the god was happy too. Suzu-san was on her way here anyway, so it was two birds with one stone.”

Even as they spoke, some student guards wielding spears stood before them. They had likely been given orders, but they were confused by the girls’ presence, their fellow Englishman up above, and the joyful shouts.

A man who appeared to be their commander stepped out, faced Suzu, and raised his hand.

“Ambassador!”

His sharp voice caused Suzu to tremble and cover her ears.

“Ah,” said the commander and booing erupted around him.

“You don’t get it! You don’t get it all, commander! Making her cry would be an international incident!”

“Testament! What are you gonna do if she cries, commander!? It’d be an international incident for my heart as well!”

“What are you even talking about? But I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, everyone!”

''Good, good,'' thought Futayo as she nodded twice. ''I am glad they get along so well.

Still, she wanted to avoid any conflict here.

…''But I have my duty to meet Masazumi.

However, if she left the situation to Asama, it would quickly lead to an international incident caused by arrows.

The chancellor was an idiot, but he seemed to understand that. He had told her, “If anything happens, just talk it out. In other words, keep talking and buy me some time.”

…''I must talk it out.

She did not have the same special skills as Masazumi, but she had something to talk about.

And so she began to speak to the gathered guards.

“Calm down, you bastards.”

“Is that any way to talk to someone you want to calm down!?”

“Do not worry about it. Anyway, this is an excellent opportunity. There is something I have been wondering about ever since arriving in England and I was hoping you could give me an answer.”

The men tilted their heads in confusion and she nodded once.

“Are you listening?” she began. “While in England, especially while protecting our ambassador, I have indicated I have no intent to fight by following the standard custom and fastening the top of my skirt so it is harder to move my legs.”

“Wh-what about it?”

“Judge,” said Futayo. “When I sit in a chair like this, the men who pass by all give a quick but definite glance inside the fastener. Why is that? It is merely the bottom of the inner suit that is usually visible. Why do you wish to see it so badly when there is a fastener over it?”

The men slowly hung their heads and fell to their knees.

…''H-huh? Did it just get quieter down below?

Mary saw spirits of the emotion of repentance on the first floor of the northwestern tower. Meanwhile, spirits of joy were surrounding the rooftop. Even in her limited view through the cracked open shutters, she could see the shimmering spirit effect.

“Okay! Time to try and pull it out!”

''Eh?'' she thought as the naked boy began to move.

His actions brought two images out from her memory.

The first was when she had once tried to pull out Excalibur.

She remembered the color of disappointment that her sister had been unable to fully hide. The memory was still strong enough that she wanted to apologize.

And the second…

…''Master Tenzou.

That boy had helped her maintain the graveyard and do many other things. And most importantly…

…''He said “it must be tough” for Mary.

Whenever she had been thanked for her actions, it had contained the assumption that she had no choice as it was her duty. However, he had been different. Instead of saying “it’s tough, but do your best”, he had said “it must be tough even though she’s doing her best”. That slight difference in nuance had been enough to make her cry. She may have been imagining it, but it had been too much for her.

Currently, the naked boy made the same pose as Tenzou had in the graveyard.

“Is that…?”

He was pushing down on the sword to widen the hole before he pulled it out. She wondered if the Wet Man had been watching back then. As if to answer that question, he spoke up.

“This is a technique our ninja showed me.”

He pushed down.

“Let’s try it!”

He pulled as hard as he could.

Everyone watched the naked boy put all his strength into standing up on his tiptoes and arching his back as if measuring his back muscles.

“Nwohhhhh!!”

He could not pull it out.

“Kwaaaah!”

He still could not pull it out.

“Mapyopergerpipipi!”

Even when he changed his shout, he could not pull it out.

But as he gave those strange cries, he lowered his hips into a weightlifting stance. Instead of pulling, he tried to lift up.

“Daaaah!”

But he could not pull it out.

And so while grabbing the guard from either side and pushing up, he held the blade between his thighs.

“Kyohhhh!”

Nevertheless, he could not pull it out. However, he did not give up. He made several more attempts which resulted in holding Excalibur in his crotch and grinding up and down on it.

“Kwohhh! What!? What is this thrill!? The name of the sword that threatens to split my crotch just like my butt is Excalibur! D-dammit! Don’t think I’m going to lose in an Excalibur competition! But I still can’t pull it out! I can’t pull out my Excalibur! Wait! Which Excalibur are you talking about, dammit!? Am I gonna die of ecstasy!? Am I!?”

Mary was unsure what much of anything outside the conjunctions and interjections meant, but the naked boy suddenly let go. His shoulders rose and fell as he caught his breath and he turned to the others.

“Okay, that ends today’s practice. The real deal begins tomorrow and continues until-…”

“This isn’t happening again!!” they all shouted back.

Mary clenched her fists and nodded in agreement with them, but then she saw a certain scene.

The naked boy stood behind Ex. Caliburn and faced her. The sword hid his crotch as he struck a pose to point at her.

“Are you listening!?”

…''Eh?

She wondered what this was about. She was forbidden to approach those outside, so she could not reply. Also, he would not be able to see her because she was looking out from the shutters.

Nevertheless, he smiled and spoke.

“Let me tell you something.”

“Tell me what?”

Without thinking, she muttered to herself and his smile strengthened.

“My Urban Name is Mr. Impossible, so it’s 100% correct that I can’t pull out Ex. Caliburn. If I managed to do that without really trying, the Testament Union and Old Man Innocen would never shut up about it. But…”

But…

“Someone other than me… That is, one of my comrades will definitely pull out Excalibur.”

Because…

“After all, it sounds like it’ll be tough for England otherwise.”

That reminded Mary of an important memory. And the return of the memory reminded her of what had happened to her then: tears had spilled from her eyes and her vision had blurred.

…''Ah.

The person who now stood before her had spoken to England.

The one who had been with her back then had spoken to her.

She wiped at the corners of her eyes while thinking about the difference between the two and what it meant.

The naked boy then looked to the southeastern tower to her right.

“Oh, or is she over there?”

…''D-does he not know what he’s doing!?

Mary was completely dumbfounded for a moment, but she soon smiled bitterly.

That just had to be the kind of spirit he was.

She was thankful and she watched him leave along with the others.

“Retreat! The queen is coming down the school’s front staircase and is on her way here!”

Everyone gave panicked shouts and began leaving more quickly. After watching them leave, Mary looked at Ex. Caliburn which remained and she slowly nodded.

…''They can enjoy themselves even with an execution so close.

But…

“It’s not possible.”

It would not be possible for someone to pull out Ex. Caliburn.

“Or for me to see it happen.”

By the time Elizabeth arrived on the scene, the culprits had already escaped.

All that remained were the student guards collapsed on their knees in the anteroom.

“What is going on!?”

That question brought tears to the men’s eyes.

“But…but… How could she say the part visible from the fastener while sitting is the bottom of the stomach and not the crotch? There’s no blood, tears, dreams, or anything in that answer!”

“What in the world are you talking about!?”

Dudley and Cecil’s hesitant attempts to calm her allowed Elizabeth to restrain her angry shouts.

“Dammit.” She crossed her arms. “What is this!? All of you have been acting strange since the Musashi arrived!”

“Judge,” calmly replied Masazumi after catching up. “That’s because the Musashi brought some strange people with it.”

“Another strange component. This is clearly a set of handcuffs, but who asked for them?”

Tenzou muttered to himself while looking at the components packed inside the leather bag he used to transport them. He had a lot of questions, but the inside of the bag had several divisions and the tools, screws, adhesive, etc. were separated into them.

Occasionally, he would transport food, drink, or charms that reduced fatigue or strengthened one’s abilities. It was not a safe workplace. At set intervals, IZUMO engineers would arrive with shrine workers to apply spells to alleviate heat and other things from the corridors, but most of the accidents occurred outside the main corridors. Once, a pipe had burst and the hot air from the boiler had leaked out. It would have been dangerous if those within range had not had defensive spells.

At the time, Naomasa had calmly held out her false arm and tightened the heated valve.

…''Why is Naomasa-dono so manly?

He was a little impressed by this new side of his classmate as he filled the bag with components. This time, there were flowers as well. They were an offering for someone who had died in an accident. They were also used to mark the dangerous areas and had spells applied to tune the area and display a sign frame with information on the accident.

The thought of a flower offering reminded Tenzou of the loss of someone who naturally followed the idea of flowers.

“…”

He shook his head.

…''I mustn’t let myself be trapped by my thoughts.

She had left of her own free will.

It was necessary for England’s history recreation and it meant something different from Horizon’s execution. No one was trying to misuse the history recreation to kill Mary.

She was prepared for this and that was why she had enjoyed that last time available to her without revealing any of it.

…''I hope she enjoyed it, but…

He had no way to know if his spirit of service had been successful, but he could not help but wonder.

How much of a salvation had he been before her execution? Had he been any help at all?

…''Was I?

“…”

''This isn’t good,'' he thought.

He began thinking about her at the slightest provocation.

…''That was just a brief dream.

“Yes. In the end, I’m nothing more than an unpopular guy.”

As he reached for the tools and other items he was to transport, he felt a sudden pull on his left hip.

''Hm?'' he wondered as he turned around.

There, he found two familiar people.

One was Toori who was naked with a towel around his neck and the other wore work clothes despite being a king.

“Vice Principal We!!”

“Do not think we will sit idly by and let you call us ‘we’!!”

Tenzou received a lecture.

Naomasa and everyone else turned toward a sudden voice in the transportation area. They found a ninja being lectured by a king in front of a naked boy.

They all sighed.

“Oh, right. Those up top sent a divine transmission saying the chancellor had done something so we need to hide him here.”

“We can ignore that breast sommelier, but the Musashi King sure comes by for inspections a lot. Although he hasn’t as much recently because he was sent as an advisor for England’s agriculture.”

“I’m just glad he doesn’t try to help where he isn’t needed.”

The others nodded in agreement while Naomasa watched the exchange between the naked boy and the other two. Tenzou nodded again and again while Musashi King Yoshinao talked on and on about something with his arms crossed.

“Honestly, your class has no sense of manners! You could learn a thing or two from Azuma-kun!”

“B-but, vice principal, Azuma-dono has recently been saying se-…saying an inappropriate word a lot.”

“I have no idea what you are trying to say, but even if he is a former imperial, there is nothing wrong with casually abbreviating the word second to ‘sec’.”

“Wh-what if it was the plural of ‘sec’?”

“It would not be. No one abbreviates it when using it as an actual unit.”

“Nwooooh! Why do I feel like you got away from me on that one!?”

''That idiot’s got a surprising amount of energy,'' thought Naomasa.

Yoshinao then handed Tenzou what he held in his right hand.

Naomasa could see it was a hand-drawn map with a good bit of detail.

“What you have here is one of the foreign maps that Musashi’s ninja guild keeps in secret, isn’t it? The other nations are forbidden to hand over maps for fear of invasion, but the Musashi can be useful when it comes to surveying. The ninja guild falls under the PR committee, and they are left in charge of the documents when the Musashi is used to create those maps. Of course, those maps will be returned upon leaving England and spells can detect if an illegal duplicate has been made.”

But…

“Look. Xs have been added to a map of England and they seem to approach London and Oxford. Also, this looks like a hand-drawn copy. Can you explain this?”

Naomasa’s comrades exchanged looks around her.

They understood what this meant and she understood the double and triple meaning as well.

…''That idiot!

It was most likely an infiltration route leading to the Tower of London. It was a nearly straight line along the shortest route. The Xs were likely the locations of the guard units. He had said nothing about Mary for the past few days, he had remained silent, and he had seemed to distance himself from the others, but…

…''Don’t you know that no one likes a guy who doesn’t know when to quit?

However, a nearby middle-aged woman resting her arm on a large wrench rejected that thought.

“A guy who doesn’t know when to quit is only hated after you’ve broken up.”

She hoped that was true and she thought about helping him out, but he spoke up before she could.

“That is…um…the location of the guar-…”

“Ah, you idiot,” someone muttered.

But a moment later, the naked boy suddenly shouted out.

“Ahhh!? For real? Tenzou, don’t tell me you’re gonna attack the Tower of London!”

Yoshinao shuddered at the loud voice of the idiot who had followed him in here.

…''That could cause an international incident, so do not shout it so loudly!!

From what he had heard, that idiot had also done something stupid in London and then run away.

He had asked the idiot what that “something stupid” was and the boy had replied “I tried to pull out Ex. Caliburn, but it was surprisingly cold when I held it in my crotch!” Yoshinao had considered killing the boy on the spot, but he had decided against it because it would have only caused more trouble.

He had allowed the idiot to accompany him until the commotion died down, but the boy had stripped off his clothes “because it’s hot”.

…''And now he is cornering us with his words!

Yoshinao was prepared to settle this peacefully, but the idiot was making that difficult.

“You can’t do that! Right, We!? Isn’t an attack on the Tower of London a really bad idea!? Do you think this ninja is gonna use his trick from the graveyard and bend back in surprise at how cold Ex. Caliburn is on his crotch!?”

“I am not going to do that!”

…''Quiet down both of you.

However, there was something he had to say.

Naomasa heard Yoshinao give a sudden shout. He made an announcement as the King of Musashi that was loud enough to drown out Toori’s voice.

“My goodness! Is this a strategy map for a date, Tenzou-kun!?”

…''A date?

Tenzou was clearly taken aback and the Musashi King spread out the map in front of him.

Toori smiled and the Musashi King gave a groan before tapping at the map without waiting for Tenzou’s response.

“These Xs represent popular festival stands, don’t they!?”

“Wait a second, We! Aren’t they guard units!?”

“No! You do not understand, you fool! These are the locations of high society festival stands! We can see why a teenage boy would be embarrassed to have looked into all this. We cannot blame you for making a hand-drawn copy for your own purposes. You intended to dispose of it after the date, didn’t you?”

“Eh? Oh… Judge.”

Tenzou frantically answered and the Musashi King nodded.

“Good. Then let us give you some advice to make your date a success.”

He pulled out a red pen and added some marks of his own.

“When we went around with our wife, the stands were stationed…here, here, and here. And Tenzou-kun, you seem to be avoiding the central plaza where the children are, but the children will no longer be there when you have your date.”

“Wait a second, We! Aren’t you being a little too nice!? A living date map like this is like a national treasure!”

“Do not be ridiculous. It is only natural for the King of Musashi to help out the people of Musashi.”

He drew another line on the map.

“If you are going, do so boldly yet stealthily. That is the trick to a secret lover’s rendezvous.”

“…Judge.”

Naomasa saw Tenzou take the map. The others exchanged looks, but those looks contained small smiles.

However, Yoshinao clapped his hands.

“What are you all doing!? Work! This is the time for work! The King of Musashi loves hard workers! Faithfully carry out your respective duties!!”

Tenzou stored the map in the slim case attached to his waist hard point and sighed.

…''They must know.

Everyone knew what he wanted to do deep down.

''But,'' he thought as he restrained his leaping heart and placed the items for transport in the leather bag.

…''I must not go.

After all…

…''First, Mary-dono might find me to be a bother.

Second, if he did go, it would undoubtedly cause an international incident.

And third…

…''A ninja follows his orders.

If someone wanted it and ordered it of him, he would definitely have to go.

But if they did not, he must not go. That was the law of the ninja.

If Mary, the one to be saved, did not want this as he suspected in his first condition, he had absolutely no reason to go.

He wished he had asked or told her. He wished one of the two of them had made it clear how they felt about the other.

…''I regret that.

Belatedly, he thought about one of his horrible classmates.

…''How did he manage ten years with this kind of regret?

He wondered if he would end up doing the same. He had a plan for rescuing her yet valued his identity as a ninja, so would he not go rescue her and then continue to feel this pain?

He could not abandon his identity as a ninja. That was where his family was and, more importantly, that was how he had spent his time with her.

He felt he could not forget that he had gained the trust he had because he was a ninja.

And so he had no choice but to give up.

He carved that conclusion into his heart and managed to calm his leaping heart, but a naked boy suddenly walked up next to him with a smile.

“Wait a second, Tenzou. Are you seriously going on a date? Can you really do it? Don’t mess up your line, okay?”

Tenzou thought about what Toori had said.

…''It would be so much easier if he just told me to go rescue Mary-dono.

But he doubted that would happen. No, that boy’s actions were always unpredictable, so it was possible he would give that order on a whim.

…''But then the others would stop me.

He lowered his head when he realized he was only thinking about all this because he had yet to make up his mind.

The Musashi King’s words had been filled with things he had been avoiding, but that had placed his original worries right in front of him.

Again and again, he wondered what to do, but he could not find an answer and he always returned to the same question he had no answer to.

…''How does Mary-dono feel about me?

In that instant, Toori spoke up while looking at Tenzou’s back.

“Tenzou, you said Scarred healed the wound on your back, right?”

But…

“Isn’t this it? Behind your right shoulder blade? …But from what I can see, the wound has healed, but it’s left a nice scar. You sure this was healed properly?”

“What?”

Tenzou looked toward the back he could not see. The right shoulder blade Toori had mentioned was there.

The wound he received protecting Scarred was also there, but she had supposedly healed it.

She had also said she could heal without leaving a scar.

“Is there…a scar?”

“Judge. Calling it ‘nice’ might be a bit weird, but…it’s perfectly white and clearly different from the other scars.”

Tenzou gasped at Toori’s confused comment.

…''Is this…?

When they had parted, he had asked Mary what kind of guy she liked and she had given the following answer:

“If I did meet someone like that, I would want to be someone who leaves a lifelong scar on him.”

She had left the scar.

And that had been before the festival and back when he had seen who she truly was in the graveyard and exchanged words of reconciliation.

“…”

“Hey, what is it, Tenzou?”

It sounded less like Toori was legitimately asking and more like he knew the answer but wanted Tenzou to say it himself.

Tenzou clenched his teeth and silently gathered the items for transport.

…''I am a ninja!

As a ninja, he would start by completing the mission given to him.

But afterwards…

“Toori-dono, I…”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Judge.” He nodded. “I will probably make an important announcement on the final day of the festival!”

He carried the filled leather bag over his shoulder and stood up. He glanced toward Toori, the Musashi King, Naomasa, and all those who had accepted him while he did nothing but hesitate.

…''Yes. Mary-dono must have felt this same comfort in that fourth level village.

“I just remembered I have another mission to take care of.”

More specifically…

“I previously made a promise without realizing it.”

Naomasa watched the three guys speak and begin to part ways.

The Musashi King began his inspection, Tenzou ran up the wall, and Toori began wandering around.

…''Guys don’t get as selfish, but they can get completely out of control when they start working together.

She then saw two people walking down the corridor the guys had deserted. One was someone not often seen here.

“Mito? What’s a knight doing here? We can’t fix your silver chains, you know?”

“Judge. I know that. I wanted to ask you to help with some training today. You aren’t attending the academy and you don’t seem to be reading your divine messages, so I came directly.”

“What, does it bother you that much that you lost to the Trumps’ hound?”

“Judge,” replied the knight without hesitation. She also held up the handbag in her right hand. “Can I reserve some training time? I am still not one hundred percent recovered or healed, so I will be training alongside my recovery until the festival ends.”

“Is that some venison you bought from Heidi? Do you always eat that when you’re injured? I can’t stand it because it tastes like liver.”

“I view it as a type of medicine. Venison has a lot of blood and little fat, so it is perfect for healing. I eat a lot, train a lot, and sleep a lot.”

“Judge, judge.” Naomasa nodded twice and narrowed her eyes as she looked the wolf in the eye. “Do you have a plan for getting stronger?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“What do you mean?”

Naomasa frowned and Mitotsudaira smiled.

“After all, it’s nothing more than peeling an apple.”

“What?”

Naomasa tilted her head in confusion. She wondered if the girl had finally gone insane, but Mitotsudaira’s smile grew bitter.

“Judge. If it surprises my own classmate, I should be fine. I’m sure it will surprise her as well.” She gave a quick nod. “I will be leaving then. I have the divine transmission open, so contact me if anything comes up. Adele is putting together a strategy for the armada battle right now, so I have to supervise.”

“Neshinbara isn’t putting together the strategy?”

Mitotsudaira raised her right hand and shook her head.

“There really does seem to be a curse. Naruze isn’t healed yet either, so there’s a lot to worry about with this battle. Adele and I both work with land battles, so I don’t know how well we can plan for a naval battle. We are having a meeting about that with the guard unit and Futayo.”

“Do your best. We’re trying to come up with what ideas we can as well.”

“What are you planning?”

“Well,” said Naomasa.

…''What we’re doing is less planning and more working out what’s possible with the Musashi’s technology.

They had used the gravitational cruising while travelling from the attack to England, but that had all been done completely by the book. It sounded good if one said they did not do anything reckless or strange, but…

“Everyone is thinking about what we should have done or could have done back then. We’re asking ‘Musashi’ whether it’s possible and, if so, we’re making any alterations needed for it. This probably has a lot to do with your planning, so how about we work together more closely from now on? Also…”

She then pointed behind Mitotsudaira and sighed.

“I asked IZUMO headquarters for an engineer to repair Jizuri Suzaku, but they sent you?”

“Hey, hey, hey. Is that any way to talk to me?”

A short girl appeared from behind Mitotsudaira’s hair. She wore a work cloak and her hair was worn up high to disguise her short height.

Mitotsudaira glanced over at the girl who wore the uniform of Qing-Takeda’s Kakura Academy.

“Um, who is this?”

“I can tell you that without an introduction. She’s Mishina Hiro. Old man Taizou’s granddaughter.”

Naomasa glared down at Hiro.

“I assumed you were still being an idiot in Qing-Takeda, but I see you were visiting IZUMO’s headquarters on their floating island and have finally made it here.”

“If I want to mess around with gods of war and aerial ships every day, the headquarters and Musashi would be the best places, right? And you don’t let people touch Jizuri Suzaku often, Masa.”

Hiro showed her teeth off in a smile.

“I transferred to a Far Eastern Academy on Izumo’s floating island this year, but I never thought I would get to help out on the Musashi so quickly. I’ve discussed it with my grandpa and I’m thinking of transferring here, so try to beat Tres España if you can.”

“Oh, dear.” Mitotsudaira looked at Naomasa with a smile. “That’s a lot of responsibility, ‘Masa’.”

“Judge.” Naomasa shrugged. “I feel like crying with all this trouble piled up on me. …But whatever. Hiro, go look around the ship a bit. This will be your workplace in an hour. You can touch Jizuri Suzaku for two hours each night. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“Testament,” replied Hiro. But she soon smiled bitterly and corrected it to “judge”.

She then produced a folded bundle of papers from her dirty cloak.

“I’ve already come up with a plan, so I just need to bring it all together and check where the lines connect. It’s a pain that you’re up against Michiyuki Byakko, but I’ll make sure you aren’t too worn out.”

So…

“I’d like it if you won and came to get me.”

“It is a shame you could not come out to greet me, Master Muneshige, but there is a joy in being made to wait. My short trip also taught me that work feels different depending on if you have a daily routine or not.”

In a white hospital room, a girl in a vermilion uniform spoke to a boy sleeping in a bed.

Her armband said “3rd Special Duty – Tachibana Gin” and she pulled something from a paper bag she had brought with her.

“I thought about bringing food back from England as a souvenir, but nothing had enough of a punch to it. That is why I searched for something that would make for a more lasting memento and also be practical.”

She placed the item on the bedside table.

“This is an English cursed doll. It is a joke product, but some say it gives you a nightmare of having turned into a scarecrow. …Oh? Master Muneshige, you do not seem to be sleeping well. Is your anesthesia running out?”

Gin spoke to Muneshige while checking on the cross-shaped heavy charms for holy spells that were stabbed into his body. They were all fine.

He also had a restraining spell to keep him from moving carelessly if he were to wake.

Gin recalled the keyword for releasing that spell.

“Testament. If you shout ‘I love Gin! Amore!!’ five times, it will be released. However, no one expects that from you.”

She then brought her own face to that face she had been away from for too long. She remained like that for several seconds.

“…”

She finally moved away with a flush in her cheeks and took a breath.

“Honestly, this is pathetic. Three months for a full recovery? In that time, I must take back everything in the armada battle that we must lose.”

But…

“It has been a while since I had time to feel unease and hope, Master Muneshige. I will probably be unable to visit or contact you for a while…so please wait for me.”

Her light tone belied her words and she turned toward the window where the sun had started to set.

“When will we be able to view this sky together in our own home? After three months, the hydrangeas in our garden will be gone.”

As she spoke, Gin suddenly looked down.

She tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the person sitting on a bench in the plaza in front of the hospital. The person had her back to a tree and her hair was blowing toward Gin.

“Lady Juana?”

Gin noticed the woman’s long ears were drooping and that she was writing a letter in pen.

“Is that…?”

Gin realized a certain fact while looking down at the movements of Juana’s hand from above.

To check on that fact, she bowed to Muneshige, made some quick adjustments to the bed, and temporarily left the hospital room. She muttered to herself while walking down the hallway and still holding the paper bag.

“Why would Lady Juana be writing that letter?”

She had clearly seen the movements of Juana’s hand as she wrote the recipient’s name.

“Why would she be writing one of the letters that girl sends to the chancellor!?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 47|Chapter 47]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 49|Chapter 49]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 47

2015-04-18T20:54:26Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 47: Changing People in a Place of Peace==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0451.png|thumb]]
''What does your heart see

''When it moves

''Yet makes no progress?

'''Point Allocation (Looking Back)

“These are some odd components. Where do they come from?”

Naomasa found it a strange sight to see a ninja working on the machinery. Since the Musashi had been damaged, every single member of the engine division within the maintenance department had been working to repair it, but Tenzou had arrived the other day in search of a part-time job.

They were deep inside the ship. The giant space filled with pillars was an ether engine hall that was shaped like a water pipe dam. The ship had several ether engine halls, but this was the primary one. The hall was forty meters tall, eighty meters wide, and over four hundred meters long, so people and gods of war were moving about along with the smoke, shimmering, and water, both hot and cold.

Tenzou was lightly moving along the walls and pillars without fear.

“A ninja is surprisingly useful.”

He was the 1st special duty officer and Naomasa’s classmate, but she had immediately made use of him because they needed as much help as they could get. He still hid his face even after removing his shirt and he moved silently, but he could easily travel along even unstable footing and he would buy you coffee before you even realized you wanted it. That last point made him popular with the older men. He primarily transported materials, components, and tools rather than any kind of actual construction.

…''He’s skinny and not very tall, so I underestimated him at first.

When he removed his shirt and his inner suit’s sleeves, the scars on his back were exposed. He did not have many scars on the front, but the recent scars of being rejected by a girl could be seen near his shoulders.

Naomasa had not been present at the time, but according to Kimi, “He tried to hug the girl who rejected him and the other man penetrated him.” She had some questions about the phrasing, though.

“Is that why he looks so down?”

She watched as Tenzou kicked off the wall to approach the others working near the ceiling.

“What do you think of our ninja?” she asked the girls and women working with her.

“Eh?”

The middle-aged women, middle school girls, high school girls, etc. turned toward her while adjusting the hairpins that emitted an upward defensive spell.

“At first, he seemed to be silently brooding over something, but it looks like he’s managed to distance himself from it a bit.”

“You’ve been paying attention, Bouteille. But all he’s managed to do is distance himself. He isn’t looking at what’s right in front of him. He’s distanced himself and isn’t sure if he can make a decision.”

“And what decision is that?” asked Naomasa.

Both the older and younger ones nodded.

“When a coward has a chance to make a ton of money, he broods over it. He can’t decide whether the status quo is fine or if he should jump at that chance. My husband’s the same.”

The middle-aged woman shrugged and everyone laughed, but one person looked at the boy running to the ceiling and spoke.

“That’s too bad. I think he could do a lot of good here, but if he’s looking into the distance, he’ll eventually go somewhere else. Once something gets him going, he’ll face that one point and run off. That’s a ninja who can go anywhere and we need to help him here until that happens.”

Naomasa finally nodded and gave them all a bitter smile.

“I’ll leave that to you. I don’t really understand all this, but I do know to listen to my elders. I won’t be able to come here for a while either, so take care of the place.”

“Judge,” they all answered while looking up at the unreliable-looking person making his way to the ceiling.

“Now, what’s going to get him going? Seeing a guy get serious is one of the best parts of being a woman. Let’s give him a chance to think everything through until then.”

The sound of a bell filled the ship to indicate noon.

“If you want to get some fresh air up above, come with me. This ship may be in stealth mode, but the elementary school is having an athletic festival. Watching that should make for a nice break.”

A festival was being held atop a large deck made of wood.

However, this festival on the Musashi’s Murayama was different from the one being held elsewhere. It was an athletic festival surrounded by different festival stands.

This was the Spring Athletic Festival for the elementary school in Murayama. The deck contained hanging banners and was divided between red and white as lively athletic events were held there.

Three sets of eyes watched that movement and cheering from the raised front deck: English Treasurer Howard, Musashi Treasurer Shirojiro, and Treasurer’s Aide Heidi. They were exchanging documents and sign frame information.

“Lord Howard, why not make a bet on the upcoming ‘42.195 km Group Gymnastics’ event?”

“No, Musashi has the advantage there. How about the ‘Slave Ship Group Sleeping Relay’ on Court B?”

“No, that one is going to England. What about the ‘Ball Toss – With Fuses’?”

As she listened to the other two speak, Heidi wondered if they had finally cleared the difficulties in trading with England.

Masazumi’s consideration had been very helpful. Allowing them to trade with other nations’ ships when in England allowed trade between England, Musashi, and another nation and helped make up for most of the losses.

Both Musashi and England were loudly celebrating with the festival.

The Musashi was having anti-ship cannons attached to each of its ships. To preserve its disarmament, the cannons could be stored within the ship or hidden beneath containers.

…''But that takes more work and means we can install even fewer.

Also, allowing the construction to be seen would give away what their weaponry was.

“Even simple stealth uses a lot of fuel when applied to each individual ship.”

Shinagawa could not be seen, but that was because the simple stealth had erased its shape and ether reactions. The sounds of striking and scraping metal were still perfectly audible.

The armor components stored within the Musashi were being used for repairs and the weapons were being added. Since they also had to add camouflage for the weapons, the engine division and the maintenance department it belonged to had to be working 24 hours a day.

…''Masa also has to repair Jizuri Suzaku, so it can’t be easy.

Heidi suddenly noticed the other two facing the same direction. Howard had his arms crossed.

“England does not yet have a stealth spell to envelop such a large ship.”

“You will catch up eventually. Hiding and being hidden are England’s specialties after all,” said Shirojiro. “And on that note, how much of what our 1st special duty officer tells us is true?”

“You mean that Chancellor Henry VIII, who boasted he could remove Excalibur, was a victim of the Princess Disappearances?”

“I see you are not trying to sell that information.”

“Think of it as a present for lending us the Musashi. When you leave England, I will also give a personal gift, so I hope you will accept it. …Anyway, is there any more serious information you would like to know?”

Shirojiro nodded and indicated behind him with his chin. England’s mainland was there.

“I would like to ask about Double Bloody Mary being Elizabeth’s sister and about Avalon.”

''I knew he would ask about that,'' thought Heidi.

She had already asked Erimaki to record what was said.

“How much information is England hiding?”

“Testament. That is something I…no, it is likely something Jonson, Dudley, and even Her Majesty do not know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Testament,” said Howard with a nod.

At that moment, a cheer rose from the ring of athletic festival spectators.

The current event was the ball toss. The children’s parents were participating, but after that cheer about a minute in, a stray shot flew into the spectators and the battle surpassed all generational boundaries.

Ohiroshiki held a microphone as the commentator.

“Everyone! Everyone! Please stop! You are putting the little girls in danger! But if they’re over ten, feel free to- gah!”

He fell over and no one remained to stop them. Howard smiled a bit when he saw and heard the commotion.

“For better or worse, Musashi is a lively place. To be honest, all the talk of the armada battle and execution has left England without much levity for the past few years.”

“Judge. And I feel like we’ve been left without much seriousness,” gloomily commented Heidi.

“Your vice president should hear it directly from Her Majesty when she is shown Avalon, but the queen and Double Bloody Mary used to enjoy themselves like this in the past.”

Heidi and Shirojiro exchanged a glance as Ohiroshiki recovered the microphone.

“No! You must not do that! Stop! That body part is off limits! My future descendants! My future descendants!!”

The two of them nodded and spoke to Howard.

“Being lively and enjoyable are not necessarily the same.”

Masazumi walked through a dark space.

She was not alone because someone was guiding the way.

“Fairy Queen, you said you were showing me Avalon, but this is the back of the hall. Is there something beyond here?”

“Testament. That is why I am taking you here. I am basically accepting the challenge given by P.A. Oda’s Maeda Toshiie, but I should probably share some other information in addition to Avalon.”

As the fairy Queen continued on, light moved with her. The midday light that illuminated her had traveled with her into the darkness.

They were probably light spirits. Masazumi also entered the five meters of daytime space and it felt just as warm as the sunlight. The light source was located almost directly above, but the Fairy Queen spoke to it.

“I look best with the light a bit to the left.”

Masazumi found it amazing in several ways when the light source shifted left.

They finally reached the back wall of the hall which contained a dark hole. It looked like a door had been removed, but not even the midday light source could illuminate it. The Fairy Queen stopped and Masazumi tilted her head.

“What’s that hole?”

“The passageway to Avalon. I am the gatekeeper, so no one can pass through without my permission. Let me see your head.”

…''Eh?

Masazumi lowered her head as if bowing and the Fairy Queen suddenly removed the sword portion of her crown and held the blade flat.

“Temporary permission.”

She casually tapped Masazumi’s head thrice.

Masazumi found it a little painful, but she also assumed it was a spell.

“There is no real meaning to it,” said the Fairy Queen while returning the sword to her crown. “It’s set so anyone can pass as long as they’re with a royal.”

“Th-then why did you do it!? Why!? What happened to needing your permission!?”

“While I call it my permission, it’s not really a spell. It’s more based on how I’m feeling. Also, I love the theatre, so try to enjoy this more.”

Masazumi hung her head at that unreasonable lecture. Then the queen waved her right hand to gather her attention and touched the darkness. The darkness thinned and light grew visible on the other side.

…''Eh?

Masazumi was confused because the wall had no thickness. It had a surface, but a bright space appeared to exist immediately afterwards. She thought about the bright space while following the Fairy Queen into it.

“Is this a harmonic territory?”

“No, it is compressed. The ether forming the space is compressed at the ley line level and a one kilometer square space is contained within the wall. My father created it because he found his personal room too cramped.”

Masazumi frowned at the mention of Elizabeth’s father. Her father was Henry VIII.

…''And he was taken by a Princess Disappearance.

“What did Chancellor Henry VIII make it for?”

“You will understand soon enough. Letting you see it would be faster than explaining it.”

The Fairy Queen suddenly turned around and pulled on Masazumi’s hand. Before she could think anything more, she was led toward the light.

And she entered it.

Masazumi entered a nighttime world covered in the light of day.

“Eh?”

She saw a grassy field filled with blooming flowers, a forest, and a small stream. The light of day was reaching the field and forest, but the stars were visible in the night sky. She found it odd that light and darkness coexisted like that.

“You must be a weak girl for this much to surprise you. And yet you are used to a boy walking around naked.”

“I can’t really deny either of those, but I’ll be more careful about the latter. But what is…”

Just as she was going to say “this place”, two small figures passed by her.

They were girls. Their blonde hair fluttered through the air and the one in the lead held a wreath up in her hand. The other held up her own wreath to look at as they ran across the large filed.

But that was not all of them. The same two girls but in different arrangements of clothes walked through the forest or rode a boat through the pond that the stream led to. They could also be seen eating lunch from a basket, picking flowers, and sleeping in the shade of a tree. Whatever they were doing, one looked in charge and the other would be smiling.

Masazumi knew who they likely were.

“Are these remnants of the past?”

“Testament. Because the ether was compressed, ether races such as Mary and me will leave a mold in the space. This is like a sort of ghost. Looking at it now…” Elizabeth hesitated. “I find it hard to believe I used to be like this.”

Elizabeth began walking between the playing children. Masazumi wondered if there was any meaning behind how she made sure not to get in the way of or obstruct the path of her past self.

“Which one is you, Fairy Queen? It’s hard for Far Easterners to tell Europeans apart.”

“Then I must be a Far Easterner as well.”

“What?”

The Fairy Queen turned toward her after making a path for the two girls who looked at the apples in their hands.

“To be honest, I do not entirely remember which one is me. I think the one pulling the other along is me, but I also remember that my sister used to act more like an older sister.”

She smiled.

“Ether races are born from the ley lines, so they are connected by the ley lines. The connection is even stronger with twin sisters. When we were children and our personalities had not fully formed, our boundaries were thin and we shared each other’s senses a fair bit. It is not as strong as the shared memories of plant, mineral, and spirit races, but it still remains within us, at least a little bit.”

“Then…”

Did Mary, the one to be executed, and Elizabeth, the one doing the executing, understand each other’s feelings?

What Elizabeth said next seemed to confirm that thought.

“It has faded and almost feels like it has been replaced with mere trust, but that is exactly why we made a certain promise.”

Elizabeth turned to the right where the two girls sat by the stream.

One was crying and the other was soothing her. A book sat on the crying one’s lap. It was meant for children, but it was a history book. The opened page gave a simplified drawing of a woman climbing the scaffold to be executed.

One girl cried at the page and one soothed her, but which was the elder sister and which the younger?

“I don’t remember. It could be me soothing my sister when she learned of her execution or it could be my sister soothing me when I learned of her execution.”

Elizabeth made it sound like there was nothing to be done and Masazumi gulped.

“Should I really know about this?”

“All of the Trumps know and view it as an honor to know. And they all say the same thing when they learn of it.”

The soothing girl from the past opened her mouth just as Elizabeth did.

“Save you from anything.”

Elizabeth continued speaking.

“It really is pathetic. As the Fairy Queen I must preserve the history recreation, so I only have one way to protect the sister who tried to protect me.”

She turned around to look at all the scenes from her past.

“I can only return her to the ley lines.”

She began walking again as if leaving that statement behind and Masazumi was left speechless.

“Not even the Fairy Queen knows which one she is?” asked the treasurer’s aide.

“Testament.” Howard nodded. “That is why there was a bit of a prank during the history recreation of Double Bloody Mary’s enthronement leading to the Fairy Queen’s rule.”

“A prank?”

“Do you know the most common of the pranks pulled by spirits?”

The two facing him exchanged a glance and the aide leaned over while frowning.

“Shiro-kun, is he trying to talk about something inappropriate?”

“Calm down, Heidi. We are on the Musashi. If something happens, we can call for someone.”

Howard realized that a different nation meant differences in common knowledge, but he needed to move the conversation along. It was necessary to preserve the relationship between England and the Far East.

“Have you heard of changelings?”

The aide opened a sign frame. The white fox on her shoulder opened an information page and she nodded while reading it.

“Judge. That is when a spirit swaps out or hides a child. I know all about it.”

Howard just about shouted a complaint about “kids these days”, but he managed to restrain himself. He realized he would need patience more than anything else to continue working with the Far East and he pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Double Bloody Mary worked to return England to Catholicism after it converted to the Anglican Church. She executed members of the Anglican Church, went through an unrewarded marriage to Catholic King Felipe II, and used tyrannical policies to obtain the finances needed to reinstate Catholicism. But the problem was that she had to do these things despite not liking them, that those actions were met with rejection, and…”

And…

“That she accepted all that rejection for actions that would then be rejected in the future.”

She did what she knew was hopeless. She did not have to do it and she knew it would cause a lot of trouble for her, but she still did it. Of course, she could give reasons for doing it. The history recreation held especially strong meaning in that sense.

…''But it isn’t the same when others and later history will reject it.

“She knew all too well that everyone would criticize her. It was something someone had to do, but she changed that to mean she had to do it so someone else would not do it in her place. She understood that someone else would suffer if she left it to them.”

“And…what does that have to do with changelings?”

“It seems the Fairy Queen and Double Bloody Mary were switched out.”

“…”

Howard spread his arms toward the two who were at a loss for words and whose expressions stiffened.

“Save you from anything.”

But…

“It isn’t known if that was actually done, but Double Bloody Mary left a single event to the very end of her recreation.”

“Was that…?”

“Testament. The execution of three hundred Anglican Church members. The origin of the name Bloody Mary.”

Howard had not been present for that history recreation and he had only heard of it from his predecessors.

But he presented it as undoubted truth because he felt that was his duty.

“The execution of the three hundred was delayed partially because Mary herself wanted to push back the weight of the event, but it was also because her previous actions and the criticism thereof had worn her down to the point that she was in no state to execute anyone. That was why she searched around in the hopes of finding some other interpretation.”

“B-but the Testament Union would never allow that,” said the aide. “England began to prosper under the Fairy Queen’s rule, so they came to suppress you, didn’t they?”

Howard nodded.

“Mary resembled the Fairy Queen, so my predecessors did not let her be seen for fear of hurting the Fairy Queen’s reputation or inspiring sympathy from the public. Sympathy would have been especially bad as it would affect the people’s rejection of her that the history recreation required. Only the leaders of that era knew she and the Fairy Queen were identical. However, that led to the Testament Union growing suspicious that the history recreation was being carried out without her. They therefore investigated that recreation especially strictly and it seems they demanded for days on end that, if she was not going to show herself, the recreation had to be carried out exactly as described. This only wore her down further, but at one point, she suddenly carried out the execution of the three hundred.”

He took a breath.

“She personally faced the three hundred, received wounds from them, and supposedly said this: these scars are the proof that Bloody Mary truly exists.”

This was only known by his predecessors, the former student council and chancellor’s officers. In Elizabeth’s era, those predecessors had either been “executed” or graduated to positions that supported other areas of England, but the records had remained.

“I do not know which one was protected and which one did the protecting. Not even they may know. However, Mary continued the history recreation while hiding her face, the Fairy Queen appeared on the center stage, and we reached the current situation. Mary will only appear to the world at large during her execution. The people may then realize the truth and feel an instant of sympathy. That may be the one salvation for her.”

Howard took a breath and lightly clapped his hands to signal a change of subject.

“That is England’s history recreation. I certainly did not expect the queen to allow the Far East’s Musashi to intrude on it, but it may have been because of your sympathy with Double Bloody Mary.”

The aide and treasurer nodded a few times and whispered to each other.

“Does that mean Masazumi was invited because Mary took pity on Tenzou-kun? Nice connection-building!”

“Heidi, don’t say she took pity on him. Say she sympathized with how unpopular he is.”

Speaking loud enough for others to hear seemed to be the custom on Musashi.

“Anyway,” said Howard as he watched the surrounding festival and listened to the sounds of Musashi’s repairs and alterations. “It seems the queen is thinking about how to maintain a relationship with Musashi. Avalon is a place where she can accomplish that. There, she can show her own past and the world’s future.”

“The world’s future?”

“Testament. Chancellor Henry VIII was performing research there.”

Namely…

“Research into what exactly the Apocalypse is.”

“This is the Apocalypse.”

The Fairy Queen pointed at what resembled a pond surrounded by white birch trees. Masazumi tilted her head when she saw it.

…''The Apocalypse?

She questioned it because of how unassuming a thing it was.

In the grassy field was this black spring with a radius of about three meters. Because of the state of the sky, the fact that it reflected the night sky was not odd. But…

“What do you mean this is the Apocalypse? There are theories saying it means the world will end, the humans who create history will be wiped out, or time will stop, but I didn’t think there was any definite theory. So how can you say this is the Apocalypse?”

“Testament. Musashi Vice President, as the Apocalypse approaches, what is being produced throughout the world.”

“Mysterious phenomena…”

Her own words led her to a realization. This was a compressed space that altered the ley lines and England was a modified land created by ley line management. When she added in her answer to the Fairy Queen’s question…

“Are the mysterious phenomena occurring in England being compressed here?”

“Testament. I cannot say it is being done perfectly, though. If the Apocalypse brings mysterious phenomena, then those phenomena must be the Apocalypse on a small scale or the pawns it uses. This may not be the Apocalypse itself, but it was created by it. Because England can manage its ley lines, the ley line distortions caused by the Apocalypse have been focused here.”

Masazumi looked back at the black spring and noticed it simply existed there with no ripples at all.

But she felt the need to ask just to be sure.

“Do you have any proof?”

“Testament. Throw something in. Then you will understand.”

She wondered if she had anything she could throw away.

After some hesitation and thought about the size, she removed her left glove and threw it.

…''If the Apocalypse has an element of “nothingness”, it might be swallowed up and never come back.

With that expectation, she told herself to calm down.

The glove fell into the black spring, but it did not sink in. Instead, it floated on top.

“Eh?”

“Be quiet and keep watching.”

Masazumi did as she was told and something grew.

They were flowers.

Bluish-white flowers grew to surround the glove. They extended, blossomed, expanded, and scattered.

…''The glove is disappearing?

The floating glove sank into the group of flowers. No, it looked more like it was being consumed. The flowers opened and scattered, starting with the areas touching the Apocalypse.

The silent blossoming finally approached its peak, but then it settled down.

Nothing remained and the black spring was as empty as ever. However, Masazumi noticed bluish-white flowers blooming around the edge of the black spring.

“Chrysanthemum flowers. I hear they are funeral flowers in the Far East. Also, it seems these flowers are not made to leave seeds behind.”

“What was that?”

Masazumi looked back and forth between the gloved palm of her right hand and the black spring.

“Those bluish-white flowers appeared to be made of ether light, so it looked like the object was being reduced to ether. In that case, does the Apocalypse reduce the world to ether?”

“Testament. An excellent observation. Everyone who sees this says that. However, they are all skilled people, so you must have excellent eyes to match their perception. For that, let me tell you one thing. No matter what this Apocalypse spring consumes, the total amount of ether within it never changes. Do you understand what that means? …Yes. The spring does not break the object down to ether. It uses that process to annihilate the ether.”

Meaning…

“We believe the Apocalypse eliminates ether and creates absolute nothingness.”

It took Masazumi a moment to understand what the Fairy Queen had said.

…''It eliminates ether?

Ether was the element space was composed of and the world was made up of space, so the world was filled with ether. Thus, even when using a spell to create “nothingness”, that was merely creating a space filled with “nothingness ether”.

It was impossible to annihilate it.

It was unthinkable to go beyond “nothingness” and create a space with no ether.

But…

“The ether of the eliminated object isn’t added?”

“Testament. The ether making up that glove has been eliminated. That means your glove’s worth of ether has disappeared from this world. That creates a hole which creates a distortion and so a small-scale mysterious phenomenon will likely occur,” explained the Fairy Queen. “But don’t worry about it. Apparently, the ley lines occasionally create holes like this at junctions in the ether flow. We live in a world of ether, so we cannot perceive the hole itself, but the hole erodes the ether on the boundary which creates a spherical film. We refer to that film as the ‘wreath’.”

“How do those holes form?”

“Testament. Think of it like blood. What happens if blood does not circulate and instead gathers?”

That was known as congestion of the blood and it led to…

“Necrosis of the affected region, right?”

“Testament. Do you like injuries?”

“Only if they don’t leave a scar.”

Upon saying that, she realized the necrotic area would leave a hole in the form of a scar.

The Fairy Queen nodded with a look that said “so you finally understand”.

“The ley line distortions are a deteriorated ability to circulate ether. However, the ley lines naturally heal such parts. The distortions will cause natural disasters, but that eliminates what is distorting the ley line. Normally, the ley line hole is closed through that process. This hole before us has been forcibly opened using an even stronger congestion created by placing multiple distortions on top of each other. On top of that, the ley line being eroded around the hole has been expanded to preserve the hole. These holes have the ability to eliminate ether, but that ability is not infinite and the smaller-scale ones are quickly closed by the ley lines. This one is in a state of balance between the two.”

“In other words, the ether that touches the wound of nothingness festers and becomes a mysterious phenomenon?”

“Testament.” The Fairy Queen gave a bitter smile, crossed her arms, and looked at the black spring. “While playing as a child, we would throw any trash we had in here, but thinking back, that may have been the cause of the mysterious phenomena in England.”

“I-I’d rather not hear that kind of national secret.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said the Fairy Queen again.

She then took a step back so she could look out over the spring rather than peer down into it.

“By detecting the ley line distortions, we can indirectly perceive the holes, but perceiving the holes themselves is impossible. As it is true ‘nothingness’ that eliminates even ether, it contains no elements of information, memory, or time. That is why we can only think of them as ‘holes’ based on the shape of their erosion of the ley lines. It is a bit like detecting Musashi’s information-blocking stealth.”

“Are you saying Musashi is a distortion to the world?”

“Questions I can only agree to are quite boring.”

“True.”

The two female politicians exchanged bitter smiles.

Masazumi then looked away from the spring and took a step back just like the queen.

“Fairy Queen, do you think the Apocalypse will distort the entire world and create too much ‘nothingness’ for the ley lines to self-repair?”

“Testament. Most of us share that understanding.”

Masazumi started to nod, but she suddenly realized what the queen had said.

…''Most of us?

If Elizabeth meant the Trumps and England’s researchers when she said “us”, it was strange to say “most” of them. They were all one group, so they should all agree.

In that case…

“Most of us? What other nation are you referring to?”

“Testament. That was quite perceptive.”

As soon as she spoke, the past of the two girls arrived.

Masazumi watched the two girls who were dressed in clothing containing quite a bit of cloth.

Their outfits were even more extravagant than before, so they had likely been attending some kind of party. The fact that children were wearing heels instead of walking shoes further proved it.

…''Was it a birthday party?

She guessed that because the two of them arrived at a white birch tree near the spring. One removed her shoes and stood with her back to the tree while the other held something in the air.

“…”

She traced the object across the tree trunk above the other’s head.

They then reversed the process. They both held something and carved their heights into the tree trunk.

They then compared their heights to make sure they were the same.

“…!”

They both smiled and ran toward the stream while singing something.

The two female politicians watched them leave, but the queen opened her mouth. She started with a sigh.

“That takes me back. The tree we used to track our heights was shorter then too.”

Masazumi realized what that meant and she looked up at the white birch tree that now grew quite high.

There, she saw the scars in the trunk and the item used to make them.

…''A cross on a branch?

The silver cross was about three meters up where it hung from a chain around a branch. It had decorations and jewels and looked like it would be owned by a royal or noble.

However…

“Doesn’t the Protestant Anglican Church ban crosses?”

“Then whose do you think it is?”

There was no way she could know, but why had the queen asked?

…''Because she thinks I know the answer.

In that case, she had to remember the relationship between England and the Catholics.

After a few moments of thought, she muttered the answer. It was something Mary had told Tenzou and Tenzou had told her.

“Long time, my friend.”

Those words which indicated the answer brought a change to Elizabeth’s expression.

She narrowed her eyes and the corners of her mouth rose in a smile.

“Testament. My father always said that when he came here. When my rule began, I recalled the different things he would say such as being able to pull out Excalibur. A method for doing that might have existed and he opened up this place, but I did not know whose cross this was. I investigated as much as possible, but it was too late by the time I found the answer. Its owner was no longer of this world.”

As for his name…

“Tres España Chancellor and M.H.R.R. Emperor-Chancellor Carlos I.”

Masazumi instantly brought to mind the information that name gave her.

Chancellor Carlos I had been the king of two nations, but he had not spoken Españan and had remained almost exclusively in M.H.R.R.

“Is your research here being leaked to M.H.R.R.?”

“It is not being leaked. It is being officially sent there. We research what the Apocalypse’s ‘nothingness’ is and M.H.R.R. researches countermeasures. From the beginning, Carlos I was passing our research to M.H.R.R.’s Protestants. It is quite advantageous for England. Of course, the Apocalypse is a global issue and some reports are also sent to the Testament Union’s Catholic nations.”

Elizabeth looked to Masazumi rather than the spring.

“Do you understand the meaning behind Avalon now? We have no proof, so we can’t take any major action, but we are attempting to stop the Apocalypse in our own way. And this goes beyond M.H.R.R. and us. K.P.A. Italia and Tres España are the same.”

Those two nations were news to Masazumi. Her eyebrows rose and the queen showed her teeth in a smile.

“Some of Carlos I’s possessions remain in Tres España and I have heard they are currently doing some investigation about him. As for K.P.A. Italia, it seems the Papa-Schola himself is sending handwritten letters to the other nations and making promises to exchange information. …Do you understand?” she asked. “We are following the history recreation, but we are also working out Apocalypse countermeasures as we wait for the Peace of Westphalia. Since P.A. Oda has started that Genesis Project of theirs, they should be thinking the same as us. Musashi, you have now stepped up onto the same stage as the rest of us.”

She laughed.

“Do you understand why Maeda Toshiie mentioned Avalon now?”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded and narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the cross hanging overhead. “I suppose I should say I’m glad we came to England.”

“You had better be. I revealed my past and our secrets to you.”

Just as the queen smiled bitterly, a sign frame suddenly appeared next to her face. It was staticky and had no video, but it was definitely Dudley’s voice.

“E-e-e-e-emergency, Your Majesty. That idiot has taken everyone to Ex. Caliburn!”

“Eh? What idiot? What are you talking about, Dudley?”

Masazumi was more accustomed to these things, so she caught on before Dudley could answer. She had had enough, so she spoke up first.

“Our idiot is causing problems again.”

“I-I do not understand what’s going on!”

Masazumi’s shoulders and head drooped at the thought of trying to understand that idiot.

“Our idiot is probably trying to pull out Ex. Caliburn because he gave into the festive mood or something.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 46|Chapter 46]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 48|Chapter 48]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 46

2015-04-18T20:45:13Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 46: Performer in an Unrivalled Field==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0415.png|thumb]]
''If it is not others

''That you wish to hear you

''Then who is it?

'''Point Allocation (Self-Declaration)

“…!!”

While the waiters and reserve warriors screamed, Matsu’s entire body stiffened.

“K-k-k-k-…!”

“M-Ma-chan!? Ah wah wah. What is it!? Are you going to give a cute ‘kyah’ scream!?”

A moment later, Matsu let out a shout that did indeed begin with a “k” sound.

“Crazy person!!”

“Ah wah wah wah wah! Ma-chan, that’s a bit hard hitting!!”

But amid the shouting, the half-naked boy made sure to strike poses as he looked around cautiously.

“Wh-what’s all this!? What’s going on, everyone!? Ah! Don’t tell me…”

He pointed one hand at Toshiie and the other at Velázquez and Gin.

“This is your doing, isn’t it!?”

“It’s you, idiot.”

Masazumi and Horizon both threw kicks at him from the side. In the time it took him to roll, hit the wall, and bounce back, Gin nodded twice.

“I just remembered. This is how things were at Mikawa and during our attack.”

“Wait a second, Gin. Aren’t you getting used to this a little too quickly?”

Before Gin could answer Velázquez’s question, Masazumi grabbed the idiot’s collar. She wanted to lecture him, but her gaze stopped on the uniform he was wearing.

“Th-this is mine, isn’t it!? What have you done!? What have you done!!?”

“Oh, right. I took off your dress in the girl’s changing room and sat around drinking some tea in the nude, but then I spotted a guy’s jacket and assumed it had to be mine.”

“Speak logically!”

“W-wait, Toori-kun! Th-the girls’ changing room!?”

“What’s the matter, Asama!? I didn’t look around for the clothes that contain those criminally-large boobs of yours or anything! They’re so criminal that I tried on those clothes to lighten your crime, but the chest space was just plain amazing!”

Asama fired an arrow and the idiot broke through the wall. Silence fell while she sighed and wiped sweat from her brow. However, the leader of the English warriors had run over to deal with Toori and he suddenly looked up in realization.

“I-I need to confiscate that! I need to confiscate that bow!!”

“Eh?” Asama suddenly realized what she held in her hands. “Nwoh! Wh-when did this get here!? U-um…uh…a-about this…”

She raised the bow.

“It looks like a bow, but it isn’t!”

“Oh?” The Fairy Queen gave an interested nod. “What a novel new argument. If it is not a bow, then what is it?”

“W-well, i-if you take it apart like this, um…look! This part is a one-string guitar and this is the bow you use to play it. D-do you hear the beautiful music?”

The sound of straining metal sent the many gathered people writhing in pain and Asama used that moment to casually put the bow away in her skirt. However, the Fairy Queen merely moved her eyebrows a little.

“I cannot believe you brought something like that to this meeting hall.”

“W-wait just a moment,” cut in Masazumi.

Everyone turned expectant gazes toward Masazumi with the vague desire that she “do something”.

…''Why am I always the one stuck doing things like this?

Nevertheless, she could not let the meeting fall apart here, so she feigned calm.

“To a shrine maiden, a tool such as that is necessary for a variety of rituals. It is a necessity. And look. That idiot remains unharmed despite being shot by it.”

He only remained unharmed due to the ''boke'' spell of his god of performers, but that did not matter if the excuse worked.

However, the Fairy Queen looked to the half-naked boy standing next to Masazumi and gave a firm nod.

“And how do you explain his state of dress?”

…''Why’d you have to bring that up!? Or have I just gotten too used to it!? Is that it!?

She groaned and many different thoughts filled her mind. She considered negative options such as giving into death or giving up on the entire meeting, but her sense of duty won out in the end.

She began sweating below her clothes just as much as Asama.

“Th-that is because…um…”

She tried to think up an excuse and hesitated to speak.

“It’s based on the Testament descriptions. Y’know, the story about the clothes that idiots can’t see.”

…''That’s really more of a fairy tale or folklore. If this doesn’t work, I’ll kill that idiot and then myself.

With that thought, she waited for the Fairy Queen’s response. The queen first exchanged a glance with the vice chancellor and vice president to her left and right.

“O-oh? I-is that so?”

…''She believed it!? Oh, or are fairy tales acceptable here in the fairy kingdom!?

In that case, Masazumi needed to follow through with it. She smiled and faced Mitotsudaira who stood by the right wall.

“Isn’t that right? That fabric is truly…something else.”

“Y-yes, th-that’s right. Um…he bought it from Heidi’s shop, didn’t he?”

“Kh! Y-yes, yes. Judge, judge. The new clothes made from it caused a fair bit of confusion since idiots could not see them!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Ma-sa-zu-mi!!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “You too, Mito! Both of you are meeting me in the teahouse after this! Don’t you forget it!!”

…''Shut up. I’m standing on the front line here. Try to imagine how I’m feeling.

“So…um…Oh, Mr. Jonson. You are a literary man, so surely you can see it.”

“Eh? Oh, yes. Testament. It has an excellent black luster.”

“Oh? But I am holding a white fabric here.”

“Ah! Of course, of course! The light played a trick on my eyes!!”

…''I can go this far, can’t I? It feels so satisfying.

Masazumi sighed, looked to the Fairy Queen, and lowered her head.

“There seem to have been some misunderstandings, but the people of Musashi knew they were attending a meeting with the Fairy Queen and would never think of bringing weapons with-…”

She heard something solid hit the ground behind her.

Wondering what it was, she turned around and Horizon looked in the same direction.

Lype Katathlipse had fallen to the red carpet on the floor.

“…!?”

The look on Masazumi’s face brought a thought to Asama’s mind.

…''I never knew a human could be so surprised.

However, the Logismoi Óplo had fallen almost directly in front of Asama.

…''Y-you mean I have to do something about it!?

Masazumi made eye contact with her and Horizon merely tilted her head.

…''Eh? Ehhh!? But I don’t even have an official position!

As she thought, she heard voices around her.

“Ma-chan, is that what I think it is?”

“Mate, is that I think it is?”

Asama frantically picked it up and shoved it into empty space.

But she got the position wrong.

…''Eh?

She instead ended up swinging around a giant gunblade and gathering everyone’s attention.

“U-um…!”

She forcibly held it to her chest for no real reason and an unpleasant sweat covered her body.

“Oh, th-this!? U-um, it looks like a Logismoi Óplo, but it isn’t!”

“O-oh. …Wh-what a novel new argument. Th-then what is it?”

''Thank goodness the Fairy Queen is playing along!'' she thought from the bottom of her heart.

“I-it is, um….O-oh! A body pillow! It’s a body pillow! L-look. You put your head here and-… That is a very sharp blade!”

“…”

…''This is painful! This silence could not be any more painful!!

''Anyway,'' she thought while forming a desperate smile. ''I need to go through with this even if it kills me.

“B-but looking at this isn’t any fun! I’ll do a magic trick instead!”

This time, she really did shove Lype Katathlipse into empty space and then she held her clenched fists out toward the Trumps.

“Now! Which hand is the body pillow in!?”

“Um…” muttered all of the Trumps while lowering their heads.

Without raising their heads, they chose a sacrifice with their gazes. Finally, Howard let out a sigh.

“I…believe it went into the space behind your prin-…”

“Which hand!?”

A shout from a shrine maiden who recited Shinto prayers daily was enough for Howard to give in. With his head still lowered, he pointed at one of the hands.

“Right.”

“Right!? Right, is it!? Oh, wow! There’s nothing in the right hand. Ah! And nothing in the left either. Then where is it!? Oh, dear! And now a Mouse has come from between my breasts. Oh, my. Oh, my. The body pillow has transformed into a Mouse! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! How about that!?”

“C-clap, clap,” added Hanami.

A scattering of applause followed.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Poor thing.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Yeah, I feel bad that this was broadcast pretty much everywhere.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “I guess a cruel fate can await even those without an official position.”

'''Asama:''' “A-and whose fault is that!? Whose fault!?”

''Actually, whose fault is it?'' she wondered to herself.

She then heard a voice from the right. It belonged to Velázquez, Tres España’s secretary.

“Come on now, Musashi. Stop getting so worked up and answer our question.”

Before Asama could recall what that was, the vital question for Musashi arrived.

“Aren’t you going to war to rescue Mary just like you did your Princess Horizon?”

Both England and Musashi groaned at that question.

But a sudden voice filled the hall.

“Wait, wait, wait. I don’t get this! Why do we have to go to war!?”

It was Toori.

Asama heard her childhood friend place his hands on Horizon’s shoulders and give a piercing shout.

“Why do we have to…um… What was it!? Out with it!! I might even listen!”

…''Th-this could not be worse!

Velázquez scratched at his head.

“This is actually about you. You said you were rescuing that princess at Mikawa, remember? So I’m asking why you aren’t rescuing Mary who is in the same circumstances.”

“Who’s Mary?”

The idiot’s eyebrows really did twist in confusion, so Asama whispered in his ear.

“That Scarred person who rejected Tenzou-kun turned out to be royalty and about to be executed by England.”

“Oh! That guy who made us suspect Tenzou’s gay!! He’s being executed? Why?”

''Please listen!'' thought Asama as she looked toward Horizon.

Horizon may not have understood what “the same circumstances” meant because she only tilted her head.

And so Asama explained just the main points.

“It’s a little more complicated than this, but her execution is one of the factors leading to the armada battle. That’s why Tres España is asking if England is misusing the history recreation to execute her just like with Horizon.”

“Oh, is that it? Old man, you need to explain these things properly. Asama was way easier to understand.”

Asama saw the corner of Velázquez’s mouth stiffen and she began to sympathize with him, but he went on to speak.

“What are you going to do? You being an idiot actually speeds this up. No matter what excuse you make, this execution is still a misuse of the Testament descriptions and you therefore must go to war to rescue Mary. After all, you did the same to us. You can’t attack us and then not attack England.”

“Hm, hm,” muttered Toori with his arms crossed.

…''Is this really okay?

Asama gave a slightly worried look and Toori tilted his head and turned to Horizon.

“Hey, Horizon.” He asked a question. “You were the one saved, so what do you think about this?”

“Judge. That is a good question.”

Horizon thought for a moment, but she eventually nodded and turned to Velázquez.

“There is one thing I do not understand.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“You say this is a misuse of the history recreation just like with me, correct?”

“Testament. That’s what I said.”

“In that case,” she said. “If the executed individual is prepared for her death, isn’t that using it effectively rather than misusing it?”

“Based on human rights and the weight of a life, loss of life should be avoided. I understand that we should prevent loss of life so that mankind’s total population will not drop. But if there is a single exception, that would be a death determined by the history recreation. After all, it is ‘correct’ for that person to die there. It has already been decided by history and that person’s death is within acceptable ranges as far as mankind’s total population is concerned. If the history recreation is accurate, that person’s death fits into the flow of events that allows the world to continue on. In fact, that person’s survival could disturb the flow of history and create even more loss. The human rights of the bearer of an inherited name are based in the historical recreation rather than in the person themselves. Those are the rules. Therefore…”

Therefore…

“If the individual undergoing a death in the history recreation wishes for that death, can it truly be a misuse of that recreation to go through with it?”

Horizon’s words brought a chill to Asama.

…''Is she saying what I think she’s saying?

She was saying it was not a misuse of the history recreation to offer up the death of one who wished for their death.

They were giving that person what they wished for. Looking at it that way, she was right.

But Asama noticed a smile on Toori’s face and it looked like he had found a good answer.

Just as she began to wonder what that was, he spoke.

“That’s right. You don’t have your emotions, do you?”

“Judge. I have determined it is an unfortunate thing, but I do indeed lack my emotions. As such, I can think about this in the optimum fashion. …Tres España, why are you attempting to stop a part of the history recreation that is desired by the affected individual?”

“Well…”

“Please answer me.”

Her piercing words seemed to urge the long-lived man on.

“You are stopping someone from doing what they wish to do. On what basis do you determine whether that is good or evil?”

…''Ah.

Asama realized why Horizon was confused and why Toori was smiling. And that realization formed words in her heart.

…''Horizon is interested in emotions!!

Asama understood.

Why had they stopped the death that Horizon desired at Mikawa?

That death had been her proper destiny and she had been prepared to accept that death, so what had made them turn from that proper destiny and oppose it as evil?

…''There was justice, the weight of a life, human rights, and plenty of other arguments.

But for him, it had not been anything cool or complicated like that.

…''It was simply because he loved her.

He had loved her and that had colored his view of what it meant to lose her.

…''From his point of view, it was an evil thing!

And so he could not allow it.

That was hopelessly selfish. She had wanted it and those around him were telling him it was the right thing to do, but he had gone to stop it simply because he did not like it.

And it would have been fine had he done so because he thought it was just, because of the weight of a life, or because of her human rights.

…''But he did it because he loved her.

One wrong step and that was nothing but a troublesome misunderstanding.

''But,'' thought Asama. ''Everyone believed that was the right thing to do.

“I do not understand how you determine whether it is good or evil. If Mary-sama is prepared for her execution, then is it not the right thing to do?”

So…

“Tres España, I apologize, but please stop making this my fault when I do not even understand it. But at the same time…”

Asama understood this as well. If Horizon was willing to ask about this, it meant she was interested in emotions. And so Asama knew what Horizon would say next.

…''She would become the same as us!

“If I understand what creates that division between good and evil or I come to understand it and it is not too late, the Far East and I will go to war with England to rescue Mary-sama.”

If she could understand emotions, she could understand the meaning behind stopping death.

And if she understood that, she would do so.

“Okay.”

When she saw Toori smile and nod, Asama gave a bitter smile in her heart. He was always worrying about Horizon, but he intentionally avoided teaching her the important things.

…''He waits for her to figure them out on her own.

She was not sure if that qualified as trust.

…''But I hope the rest of us can trust in something like that too.

“Isn’t that great, Toori-kun?”

“Ah? What, is your motherly side overpowering you again? More importantly, did you hear Horizon’s answer, Tres España?”

“Testament,” replied the girl with two false arms with a bow. “That answer could be viewed as proof she does not understand the importance of the history recreation, but it also proves she does understand the importance of interpretations.”

“Then…”

“It is simple,” said Tachibana Gin.

She narrowed her eyes and gave a glance toward the Fairy Queen and Futayo.

“We understand that Lady Mary’s execution is very nearly unavoidable now. As such, we must send Tres España a report telling them to prepare a declaration of war.”

“I guess that is how it’ll have to be,” said Toori. “But as for whether this Mary business is a misuse of the history recreation, if she wants for it to happen, then even I understand that it’s up to us. I was involved in this kind of thing before, after all. But that’s exactly why I have to say this.”

He pointed at Velázquez.

“Old man, don’t decide for someone what they think or force them to think a certain way. Not doing that is the standard for pure love porn games. I may be legitimately stupid, but I understand that letting others make your decisions is something different than being an idiot. And on that note…”

“What?”

“If Mary does want to be saved, you can turn to Horizon. If someone falls for this Mary person and Horizon understands what that means, we’ll definitely go to save her. Definitely.”

“Heh,” laughed the Fairy Queen. “Looks like we can’t let our guard down.”

“And keep it that way. After all, Horizon’s emotions are enough to take on the entire world. If possible, you want her to rejoice, don’t you?”

A voice from the south answered that question.

“You know that joy will spread chaos throughout the world, don’t you?”

The south wind carried that question and that sea breeze sent a cloak fluttering about.

…''Maeda Toshiie.

He spoke with the winged Matsu on his shoulder.

“Now then. Tres España may have backed off, but what about me? England, I have everything set up to go to war with Musashi.”

Toshiie had asked his question.

…''This sure is troublesome.

Currently, P.A. Oda had almost entirely unified Kinai and was conquering westward. According to the history recreation, once Hashiba conquered Mouri, they would be done with the Setouchi and Chugoku regions.

But the history recreation had another event occur almost simultaneously with the conquering of Mouri.

…''The death of our master.

In 1582, Oda Nobunaga was assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide during the Honnouji Incident. That meant they had to tread carefully in their attack on Mouri. Their plan was to leave Mouri’s primary castle alone while conquering Kyushu and thus setting the general trend in the other areas before fully conquering Mouri. Hashiba was allowed a personal division known as the Ten Spears because warriors needed to be sent to all those different places.

Toshiie had entered M.H.R.R. to assist Hashiba and he had gained the second inherited name of Wallenstein to use Wallenstein’s military might and scope of influence to provide backup for Hashiba.

…''When moving as many different units as Hashiba does, it’s easy to end up attacking in lines, so I need to cover the larger surfaces.

That was also why he was in England now. A relationship with England was needed to suppress Mouri and Hexagone Française from the northern front.

“That was a close one. If England had been swayed by Musashi, it would have ruined a lot of our plans.”

He continued the conversation that had been interrupted by Tres España and Musashi’s discussion.

He raised his right hand and Matsu did the same on his shoulder.

“Give the order to attack the Musashi, Fairy Queen.”

As soon as he spoke, a voice cut in.

“Not so fast, Maeda Toshiie.”

That voice of rejection came from directly in front of Toshiie and it did not belong to Musashi’s chancellor or princess.

“This is a meeting between Musashi and the Fairy Queen. Outsiders will be treated as such.”

Musashi’s vice president kept her back to him, but she turned her head to face him. She shot a sharp look that threatened to stab into his eyes.

…''Ohh?

He found it cute how Matsu trembled a bit on his shoulder.

…''Oh, no. She shouldn’t be afraid of anything now that she’s a ghost.

If she was afraid…

…''It means I’m still inexperienced.

He sank into thought and the other members of P.A. Oda’s student council, chancellor’s officers, and Demon Army came to mind.

“What a terrible deal.”

According to the history recreation, he would survive the longest of all the Oda clan’s retainers. That was why a ghost body had been chosen to ensure that he “would not die”.

That led him to feel jealous when listening to Tres España and Musashi’s exchange. He was jealous of their freedom to discuss the preservation of life rather than the prevention of death.

But at the same time…

…''All of the people around me will die before me, and yet they’re so amazing.

Out of the Oda clan’s retainers and the Demon Army, he was deemed the least successful militarily. How did it make any sense that he would live longer than those who could do so much more than him?

For that reason, he wanted to live his life to its fullest for the sake of all those others who lived now.

And part of that was how he could help them here.

…''Musashi could bring chaos to our actions, so it stands in our way.

“Who is the real outsider, Musashi?” he asked. “You are an outsider to our history.”

“So what if we are?”

Musashi’s vice president turned fully toward him and he spotted a crumpled memo pad in her hand.

“Communication is difficult without sign frames. Let me say one thing, messenger of P.A. Oda, possessor of Mercenary King Wallenstein’s army, and ruler of the Maeda clan.”

She pointed her right finger at him.

“You will soon be fully excluded from this meeting hall.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Masazumi ignored what Toshiie said. Ridiculous or not, she would win if it worked.

…''And the true victory here is the rising balance between those who play the leading parts.

Crushing your opponent would create resentment and being crushed would lead to loss. Treating meetings like a battle would put other nations on their guard, eliminate possible negotiation partners, and eventually make enemies of many different nations.

So a true victory was to make a deal that benefited both sides.

The meeting would benefit both of them and allow them to rise higher. That was best.

…''In that case…

Who was she holding this meeting with and who should she benefit alongside?

Tres España? No.

P.A. Oda? No.

The Fairy Queen and her. England and Musashi. Those were the leading parts of this meeting.

So she first had to apologize for turning her back on the queen and…

“Fairy Queen, due to the change in the situation and interactions between nations, forming the trade alliance has become difficult. I would like to withdraw that suggestion. Will you allow that?”

“Testament. I would like that as well. In fact, that was always just a brief aside, was it not? It was a fantastical story meant to entertain this theatre-loving queen. After all, if we were to form a trade alliance like that, England would make great advances and incredible profits in the name of the Fairy Queen. What the other nations said or did would change nothing. I would be waited on by servants much younger than the old, worn-out Trumps while I bathed in gold coins, ate pudding, and was otherwise marvelous and successful. However, that would violate the history recreation and we can’t have that.”

Masazumi heard the Fairy Queen stand and swing her arms. The Trumps fixed their posture, so she had likely glanced over at them.

Masazumi then heard Elizabeth speak from behind her.

“The Trumps are enough for me. So what do you have to offer besides that fantastical story? Answer me, Musashi Vice President. I am fond of reality. I am the child of fairy and man, but I prefer the real world to the world of dreams in which the fairies live. So give me your demand. If it is realistic, I will grant it.”

“In that case,” said Masazumi while looking straight at Toshiie. “I would ask that you cancel your contract with Mercenary King Wallenstein.”

Toshiie could not understand what Masazumi was after.

…''Are you stupid!? It’s my recruiting that will allow them to fight the armada battle!

Matsu nodded repeatedly on his shoulder.

“U-u-u-u-…!”

“I know, right!? You can go ahead and call her utterly stupid, Ma-chan! C’mon, nice and loud.”

Matsu pointed at Elizabeth

“Ugly old hag!”

“Ah wah wah wah wah! Insulting our employer is simply too wonderful, Ma-chan!”

Anyway…

“What is the meaning of this, Musashi Vice President?”

The Fairy Queen also did not seem to understand the meaning behind the girl’s request.

Elizabeth frowned as she looked at her back. The glare would also occasionally reach him over the girl’s shoulder, but he decided that was within the margin of error.

“You understand the situation, don’t you?” asked Toshiie. “England needs a large force of warriors to defend their land and fight the naval battle. That is why they are using the mercenary recruitment system to make temporary students out of non-students and building up their forces. And I intend to make up for the rest with my Kaga Millionen Geist. England’s plan for the armada battle is to use my Kaga Millionen Geist mercenary force to fight at sea and the recruited temporary students to fill out their ground defenses. In other words, it is my ghost mercenaries that will be fighting the actual battle and England’s warriors will be the rear guard. That will reduce the number of dead and injured among the English citizens and eliminate the postwar burden. But if they cancel all that preparation…”

He took in a breath and spread his arms.

“Who will take the place of my mercenaries in the naval battle?”

“Judge. First, I would like to check with you about that mercenary system, Mercenary King Wallenstein.”

“Testament. What would you like to ask this mercenary expert?”

“Judge.” She nodded. “You are opposing my request for England to cancel. Does that mean I can think of your mercenary force as a type of business?”

“Testament. War is an economic activity. And to harvest victory, the fertilizer and seeds of personnel are necessary. The warriors I can prepare with money allow one to make a transaction to ensure the success of the harvest festival of war. As such, mercenaries can belong to any nation so long as they are paid and they will even kill each other if divided between enemy and ally. It all comes down to money and there is nothing particularly wrong with that thinking.”

“Judge.”

Musashi’s vice president nodded once more.

He nodded as well, but he had something else to say.

“It is possible for Musashi to hire me as well. Of course, I would be taking twice what England is paying.”

“That is an interesting offer, but where are we supposed to get that money?”

“I thought as much,” said Toshiie before turning back to the Fairy Queen. “Now, Fairy Queen. What will happen if you do not sink the Musashi here? Another nation could do so and take the credit for themselves. After all, the Musashi cannot fight. Even if it is resupplied and repaired at IZUMO, they will then be flying over enemy territory with very few convenient locations like that. They will eventually be worn down and sunk. Which is the better option, Fairy Queen? With me here and with your decision, the result is assured.”

He stretched out his arms to urge her on.

“Come on! Come on! Protect England’s students by sinking the Musashi and fighting the armada battle using my mercenaries! Act now and the sinking of Musashi will be reduced to the point that it is free! Wallenstein is bleeding money with this free service! Then again, I’m a ghost, so I don’t bleed!”

He took a breath.

“What will it be!?”

After he asked, Musashi’s vice president cut in between him and the Fairy Queen.

“Then let me say one thing. I, Honda Masazumi, have a suggestion as Vice President of Musashi Ariadust Academy.”

She took in a breath and spoke slowly.

“We will supply the Musashi as part of the English fleet during the armada battle.”

“She’s planning to treat the Musashi just like a mercenary force!! She is, isn’t she!? Hm!? According to the Testament descriptions, the Far East had warriors without masters who could be hired to work for money. In the Far East’s reservations, that’s interpreted as being mercenaries and used to strengthen the border defenses of the nation with provisional rule over them, but she’s using that method with the Musashi!”

Innocentius grabbed both sides of the ''cornice firma'' to peer more closely at the Musashi vice president it displayed.

“Mercenaries are a business! Wallenstein can be seen as embodying the mercenary system itself, so she had him assure her of that fact so that Musashi can engage in the mercenary business as part of their trade!”

“And what does that mean, former boy?”

“The Musashi is assumed to be disarmed! But when it’s hired by another nation and made a part of that nation’s fighting force, it is no longer the Far East’s Musashi and becomes a mercenary warship hired by that nation! After all, mercenary soldiers can be hired by any nation because their nationality is considered irrelevant!”

The mercenary business eliminated one’s nationality and made them a part of the hiring nation.

That meant Musashi’s disarmament would vanish when it was under another nation’s control.

“That is the same as entering the other nations’ protection without forming an alliance!”

Galileo then spoke his thoughts.

“And if they take part in the history recreation like with the armada battle, they can avoid being freely manipulated by the hiring nation.”

“Testament. That’s right. If they only take part in history recreation battles, the mission is over once the recreation is complete. The Musashi will not be used for other selfish ends. And there are plenty of nations who have their hands full preparing the military force they need for the history recreation. However, what matters more is what they gain by being hired as mercenaries.”

…''It’s been a while since my imagination has made me gulp.

“The Musashi can acquire weaponry as ‘necessary businesses materials’. Isn’t that right?”

“It depends how far they can ‘interpret’ the disarmament forced upon them.”

“We’ll both use it to our own benefit to the best we can. But…”

Innocentius sighed and sat back down in his chair.

“This resolves all the problems between England and Musashi in one fell swoop.”

“I would like to use England’s stockpiles of weapons for the Musashi. All other expenses will be free of charge. In exchange, I would like permission to trade with the ships of other nations that visit England’s ports while we are trading with England. That should allow for some small-scale intermediate trade on England’s part. Also, the Musashi will fight the armada battle in place of England’s fleet.”

Masazumi nodded as she spoke.

“Maeda Toshiie, can you offer a better product to our employer?”

Maeda Toshiie took a deep breath and finally looked up at the ceiling.

“Musashi Vice President.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t leave empty-handed. The others will laugh at me if I do. Niwa pretending to cry and sympathize with me is the worst. If you believe her, she’ll reveal it all on the divine network and leave a scar in your heart.”

''Yeah, I know where you’re coming from there,'' thought Masazumi. ''This guy has a tough life too.

“We will give you appropriate thanks for cutting into your business.”

“In that case,” he said. “I would like to ask one thing. Although it might end up being a hint to you.”

That question was…

“Have you ever been to Avalon?”

“Eh?”

She had heard that word before, but where?

“…!”

As soon as she started to think, the Trumps to her right suddenly grew defensive.

This reaction from England reminded Masazumi.

…''I heard it from Scarred…no, Mary!

She had heard that word when asking about the Princess Disappearances while eating yakiniku on the beach. It was a meaningful enough term to produce a reaction from England.

…''What is going on?

But Toshiie used both hands to calm them down and then faced Masazumi.

“Let me guess, you know of it but have never seen it. Testament.”

In that case…

“So you have only made it that far.”

“With what!?”

Toshiie did not respond. He merely took a step backwards.

“Thank you for the valuable information. I now know that you still do not know everything of the Far East. You have been circling around and around and around the Far East, but that is all you have been doing. Westphalia is looking a long ways off.”

With that, he dropped a coin from his hand. Its falling motion produced a giant white arm that swallowed him up and…

…''What!?

Behind him, the collection of bluish-white flames surrounding the Musashi formed a certain shape.

“The Double Border Crest!?”

“Ha ha.” Toshiie’s laughter rang with the nighttime crest in the background. “Farewell. Fairy Queen, I will be taking the recruiting preparation money as my cancellation fee. Also…”

Also…

“Have a good war, those who still know nothing.”

With that, he vanished.

The pattern of blue flame surrounding the Musashi also vanished.

It had passed by.

“Ohhh, this isn’t good,” muttered Segundo as he watched the ''cadena firma'' in the darkness.

He then turned to Fusae who was staring out the window.

“Thinking of escaping?”

“Testament. How did you know? Looks like our chancellor really does understand women’s hearts.”

“No, it’s because I wanted to escape through there too. But…”

He sighed and sank back into his chair.

The ''cadena firma'' was already showing a close up of the Fairy Queen who was announcing the end of the meeting, Musashi’s chancellor who was raising a hand, and Velázquez.

Musashi’s chancellor must have violated Tres España’s moral regulations because he was entirely covered by a mosaic.

“Old man! I’m waiting for the new game! Don’t make it a sad one, though!”

“Just put on some clothes, you idiot. I’ll make you a character with a route, if you don’t.”

“P-please don’t make a porn game modelled on Musashi!”

“What kind of conversation is this?” asked Fusae with a tilt of her head.

Segundo also tilted his head.

“Velázquez sure is young. Oh, but now we don’t need to send out a ship. You can still take the bottle, though. Say hi to Takakane for me.”

“Testament. But can we really let the Musashi act as England’s fleet?”

“Tres España has strengthened its Grande y Felicísima Armada too. Also, not all of the Musashi’s personnel are combat-oriented and they can’t modify it into a full warship if they start arming it now, so there’s room for interpretation. They’re using M.H.R.R.’s mercenary system, so it’s difficult for M.H.R.R. to say anything without rejecting their own system. Also, the other nations will only be watching carefully since it is limited to the armada battle. They probably want to see the Musashi’s actual situation as well as our Grande y Felicísima Armada. Fusae, what is your opinion of having the Musashi as an enemy?”

“Well… If we view them as a giant city, we can bomb them since we can fly too. They may be large, but we have the advantage when it comes to attack since we can move above and below them. After all, smaller ships are faster and a smaller target. Also, the armada battle will be fought while circling England, so the Musashi will not be invading the Tres Españan mainland. In that case, we don’t need to face them head-on to stop them. If we bomb them from above and destroy the weapons on the top surface, we can board them and end it.”

“Testament. With the short time they have, they will only be able to load weapons on the top. Yes… They may be large and difficult to sink, but they have little offensive power. What tactics of theirs do we need to watch out for?”

“I’d like to hear your opinion on that, chancellor.”

“Well…” Segundo crossed his arms. “I’m afraid of them ramming us with their gravitational cruising, but the Musashi is not a warship and thus has thin physical armor. Damage from ramming would hinder their ability to move afterwards, so they will likely primarily use cannons. However, the Musashi can ascend quite easily, so I think it will be surprisingly difficult to bomb them from above. Instead of ordinary bombing…”

He made a wave-like motion with his hand.

“We should focus on attacking in waves that including a retreat. If we repeat the process by creating a circular formation and rotating it, the battle is ours. And if we add in additional movement, the Musashi will grow fragile. It’s a basic wheel formation. There’s nothing new about it.”

“It’s plenty new once you start controlling that circular formation at high altitude. We only have about ten more days, so we need to do some training.”

“Don’t you know what to do better than me?”

“And I’m saying I agree with you. All that’s left is what modifications to make.”

She took a breath and cracked her neck to the left and right, but then the student council room’s door flew open.

“Chancellor!!”

Juana stood in the light of the open door. She held a basket of water bottles and took a step forward.

“About what England just decided…!!”

She trailed off when she saw Segundo with Fusae.

“Hi there,” said Fusae with a raised hand, but Juana only looked back and forth between them.

“A-…”

She took in a breath and frowned while tears welled up in her eyes.

“Adultery!? How impure can you be!?”

She slammed the door shut and ran away.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Segundo beckoned toward her and Fusae spoke with a tone of admiration.

“Ju really is funny. And she’s pretty popular despite that.”

“I think it might be ''because of'' that, not despite it.”

At any rate…

“After a short break, she should logically reject that possibility and return, so you take care of things then, Fusae.”

“What about you?”

“Testament.” Segundo opened the window and stuck a leg out. “I’m running away. Juana has probably found out I used all the money she was saving.”

The next day, the Musashi was modified in England while the festival continued and several meetings were held relating to the Logismoi Óplo and the Peace of Westphalia. The modifications to the Musashi were carried out with each ship in stealth mode so that the information would not be leaked out. The people enjoyed the festival while watching on in interest as sounds of construction came from empty air.

Musashi grew quite busy with the festival and the multiple days of meetings, but things returned more to normal once the residents of the transport ship were allowed to return to the Musashi. However, Naruze had been badly enough injured that she was still sleeping in the sick bay and she would only recover just before the armada battle.

As Tenzou recovered, he also assisted with the repairs and modifications and never tried to disembark to England alone.

Everyone had their own thoughts about the situation as the days of the festival and the Musashi’s modifications continued.

<noinclude>
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| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 45|Chapter 45]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 47|Chapter 47]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 45

2015-04-18T20:43:32Z

68.109.59.216:

==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, that's 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 Óplo 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 Óplo 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 Óplo. 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 Millionen 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 Óplo 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>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 44

2015-04-18T20:41:39Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 44: Performers on the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0365.png|thumb]]
''If both sides are the protagonist

''How can that become a play?

'''Point Allocation (Mutual Understanding)

Masazumi took a deep breath within the silent stone hall.

The excitement had come to an end. She understood that her words had set the world in motion and that left only one thing.

…''I need to preserve that moving world.

It was often said that things were ‘easier said than done’ and this was the same. Creating the motion was easy, but keeping that movement going or keeping things fixed in place after it ended were difficult.

War had not broken out, but Musashi was facing the possibility of all-out war with the other nations. Their right to war thrust that possibility into the forefront.

''Do this carefully yet boldly,'' she ordered herself.

“Fairy Queen.”

“What?”

The queen replied, but not as a confident victor. This was the kindness of England. If Masazumi rushed this and attempted to take advantage of that kindness, England would use their justice to cut down Musashi.

“Musashi does not wish for a hostile relationship with England.”

“Meaning?”

The queen used as few words as possible so as not to hint at any possible promise. Nevertheless, she was likely interested.

…''That means I need to step forward here.

If Masazumi did not go for the openings in England’s attack, there was a chance they would simply push back with their attacks.

…''I need to warn her that they can’t force our hand with their military might.

But if she suddenly said that, England could take action to “prove their strength”. They could not allow themselves to be mocked while the other nations watched on.

Masazumi knew she had to be careful and she knew what she had to say first.

“England is not serious about its hostility toward Musashi.”

“Hah. Don’t be ridiculous. If my request to the other nations was a joke, it would bring shame to England. A sovereign nation cannot invite other nations for a mere jest.”

“Judge. Your request to them was likely serious. However…”

However…

“England can allow the other nations to sink the Musashi, but you cannot allow yourselves to carry out the attack.”

Innocentius took a swig of water.

“The Fairy Queen really is a woman. If the bird in her pocket escapes, she’ll send the hunters after it, but as long as it’s in her pocket, she wants to hear it sing.”

“It bothers me how you occasionally become a poet.”

“I had excellent grades in literature class.”

“And I was a science teacher. I wasn’t even in charge of politics or economics,” pointed out Galileo. “At any rate, what does this mean? England intends to surround the Musashi. I understand that much. But why is Musashi’s vice president saying England alone will not attack them in an all-out war? And what is her reasoning for saying it here?”

“Women never play fair. I worked as a merchant on the lowest levels before becoming pope, so I know. They care about themselves the most. Even if they serve another, they still care the most about their servant self. That’s why we have to watch out for England even if we have no choice but to agree to their request.” He took a breath. “Look. The Fairy Queen truly is a woman who manipulates the entire world in order to look after herself.”

In preparation to reach the gap in her opponent’s military power, Masazumi further emphasized the topic.

“We both stated at the beginning that this would be an equivalent exchange. So if that exchange can be achieved, England will be our ally. Isn’t that right?”

“Testament. That is how nations and academies interact as equals. But so what? We have the Musashi completely surrounded as it has proved dangerous.” The Fairy Queen tilted her head. “So why do you say England alone will not attack the Musashi?”

“Judge. I will state up front why I would say that. To me, it seems England wishes to give another nation the credit for Musashi’s destruction.”

Segundo sighed as he peered into the ''cadena firma'' with Fusae.

“Musashi’s vice president gave England’s justification before they could.”

“What do you mean?”

“Testament,” he replied as he watched the Fairy Queen remain silent.

She neither affirmed nor denied that vice president’s allegation.

“England can’t say whether this is true or not. In which case, it probably is. They never intended to attack the Musashi and they planned to justify that by giving another nation the credit for sinking the Musashi. However, England has its own worries. Namely, they have to be worried the other nations will suspect they have some ulterior motive behind handing out that credit. In other words…”

In other words…

“Is England trying to preserve their strength by not attacking the Musashi?”

“You mean…?”

“It’s probably true. If they said it themselves, the other nations would have their suspicions after sinking the Musashi. They would suspect England had preserved their own nation while manipulating the other nations. But if a sympathetic nation or Musashi says it, it can be interpreted differently. England can say they wanted to take part as well, but they interpreted Musashi’s statement as a test of England’s humble heart. They would claim the need to prove the Fairy Queen’s nation was willing to give the credit to another nation. However, this means Musashi has given England another excuse to not attack the Musashi.”

His breath turned to a laugh.

“Musashi has protected England from the questions of the other nations if an all-out attack on the Musashi does indeed occur. That is a massive favor. England can preserve its power and exhaust the other nations’ power while claiming to hand over the credit as a sign of loyalty to the Testament Union. Musashi has just used us as bait in hopes that England will feel obligated to return the favor.”

“Testament. If that is true, shouldn’t the rest of the conversation prove it? Musashi needs to show why England won’t attack them now that they have claimed they have no reason to.”

And…

“But once they show that, what does Musashi hope to gain from England? If England is not attacking them, what do they gain?”

“That depends on what their vice president is thinking. However, I have some doubts about this.”

Segundo tilted his head and Fusae peered at him with a questioning look.

“The conversation seems to be continuing at Musashi’s vice president’s pace, but this world is much crueler than that. As you probably already know, Fusae, this world is not that kind.”

So…

“I predict this meeting will undergo several more considerable changes, so let’s keep watching while showing the proper concern. Fusae, can you bring over the beer bottle and the dried foods in that paper bag?”

Masazumi awkwardly sensed she was correct based on the Fairy Queen’s silence.

…''Calm down.

When attacking her opponent, she had to remember to follow through. England was not a large nation, but it was a powerful one. Crushing a powerful nation’s pride could only be dangerous. They were not merely facing a dispatched military force like at the Battle of Mikawa, so she had to calm down and maintain her normal presence of mind.

'''Gold Mar:''' “It’s just a storyboard, but do you want to see it? Should Ga-chan send it through?”

…''Does nothing change the way you people act!?

Masazumi’s blood pressure briefly shot up, but she also felt glad the Far East had such a sense of freedom.

She reminded herself to at least maintain an appearance of calm before she spoke.

“Fairy Queen, in addition to giving another nation the credit for sinking the Musashi, I think you have another reason why you will not…no, why you ''cannot'' attack the Musashi.”

Her words were met by silence, but that was likely in order to not give any hints to the other nations. A careless reply could lead to interference based on unjust suspicion.

And so Masazumi gave a probing continuation in an attempt to read her opponent’s intentions.

“First, England’s newly constructed fleet still belongs to Holland who you can pass the credit to. Also, your older fleet is scouting out Tres España and will not return in time.”

“What about the ground forces? They are already deployed around the Musashi and here.”

''That was fast,'' thought Masazumi.

But the Fairy Queen seemed to have a reason for trying to rush her answer.

…''Does this mean England is hopeful of our answer?

She took a breath.

…''Don’t rush this.

She was more nervous than she knew and the conscious focus on her breathing when speaking was proof of that.

''But,'' she thought. ''Some people panic when they realize that and others don’t.

Which was she?

…''Most likely…

She was telling herself to restrain her excitement, so she would be the latter.

…''I’m the type of person who is excited to stand in such a tense place.

And so she worked to keep the corners of her mouth from rising while using her words much like moving pieces on a chess board.

“The ground forces?”

The Fairy Queen listened.

…''How much does Musashi’s vice president understand us?

When interacting with another nation, it was important to understand as much as possible about that nation’s situation.

In diplomacy, trade, and even the comings and goings of people, nothing one-sided would be accepted.

Even if sovereignty and the law allowed for it, interactions between nations could be similar to interactions between people. The Reformation had created some religious troubles in Europe, but some interactions overcame those troubles.

If both parties qualified as equal and both needed the interaction, it could take place.

For that reason, the Fairy Queen wished to know how much Musashi understood England and she asked a question to find out.

“Yes, England’s ground forces. They will attack you and the Musashi before it leaves port. How are we to give another nation credit for that?”

England’s ground forces were indeed deployed to the palace and around the Musashi.

However, Musashi’s vice president shook her head.

“Is that really enough personnel to secure the Musashi and attack before it leaves port? Let me make one thing clear.” She indicated her comrades with her right hand. “I made sure everyone accompanying me is capable of returning alive no matter what happens. What about you?”

“The Trumps are always perfect.”

“Judge.”

The vice president nodded and then pointed behind her to the hall’s entrance.

“Then let me ask this: are the defenses there also perfect?”

“This is a strategy for in case they actually have to run for it,” muttered Sakai atop the academy bridge as the Musashi finished its preparations. “By indicating their route ahead of time, it actually makes the enemy less certain where they’ll escape. It makes sure the enemy has to defend everything. Also, can Masazumi-kun and the others see what we’re seeing?”

He was referring to the countless lights surrounding the Musashi in England’s land port.

The lights came from the torches of England’s warriors who were prepared to board the Musashi.

“Sakai-sama, what is the meaning of this? Each one is holding two torches. Over.”

Sakai turned toward “Musashi” who was polishing the railing.

“That makes them look more numerous. They’re probably well aware we’ve caught on, but they still need to show that attack-oriented attitude. However, the situation has reached a point where an attitude isn’t enough. Masazumi-kun most likely knows the level of their defenses, so she may have realized that England’s defenses are not focused on London.”

Hearing that, “Musashi” stopped polishing and tilted her head.

“How do you know that? Over.”

“It’s simple,” replied Sakai. “The coming armada battle has a certain unique characteristic. While trying to land on England, Tres España’s Grande y Felicísima Armada travels around England along with the English fleet. It begins with a confused battle, but Tres España is forced to retreat after receiving an attack from fire ships. However, it is thought Tres España will use that to their advantage. They will likely lessen their damages by fighting a high-speed battle while withdrawing. They can also continue their landing operation to panic England and show off their ability to invade to the other nations.

“Anyway, that’s why England’s ground units should be stationed around the coast. They will also be preparing their defenses, maintaining camp sites, training to familiarize themselves with the terrain, and working to store the food gained during the festival. They must have been doing this for months now. Otherwise, they would not have sufficient research into defensive tactics using the terrain or reached an understanding with the local people. All of this will leave the fewest men for London which has the Trumps and Ex. Caliburn. …In other words, here.”

“Yes, this city has the weakest defenses. Isn’t that right?” Masazumi pointed straight down. “The personnel here can’t attack Musashi. The best you could manage was the previous attack that was meant as an excuse to the Testament Union. The same goes for the Oxford personnel.”

She turned to Futayo and Futayo responded with a glance to the queen and the Trumps.

“Based on the footsteps, there are around 500 in all. If they divide them equally between each exit, I can likely secure a path for us. That will mean leaving the Trumps to everyone else, but-…”

“Thanks, Futayo. That’s plenty.”

Reaching the level of certainty would hurt England’s pride, so it was better for both sides if they left it up in the air whether it could actually be done or not.

…''That brings this topic to an end.

Masazumi went in for the final point.

“Fairy Queen, I would like to ask one thing. You said you would take command and use Ex. Caliburn to sink the Musashi.”

The strength of the queen’s gaze did not change, but Masazumi continued regardless.

The final point was the reason why the Fairy Queen could not use Excalibur.

…''For this one, we need to create a reason!

Normally, the queen would have no reason not to use it, but Masazumi would create a reason why she definitely could not.

Masazumi could only give this reason because she had seen the state of Excalibur today.

“If you use Ex. Caliburn now, wouldn’t it hinder the execution of Mary?”

…This is such a cruel thing to use as a bargaining chip.

Masazumi thought that as a fact rather than out of kindness.

Due to the history recreation, Mary’s execution was needed to begin the armada battle. Also, that execution was being carried out with the Andamio de la Ejecución.

…''Ex. Caliburn’s power will be passed through the ley lines to return Mary to those ley lines.

She did not know how much progress had been made on the modifications to that end, but neither did the other nations.

That allowed her to use it as a bargaining chip.

“Mary’s execution using Ex. Caliburn is necessary for England’s history recreation, but its modifications do not appear complete and some from Musashi caused a bit of trouble there today. If you forcibly used Ex. Caliburn and a malfunction occurs, it would violate the history recreation, wouldn’t it?” asked Masazumi. “You would be forcing its use to do your duty as a Testament Union nation, but wouldn’t not using it and preserving the history recreation be the better option if you are to look to the future?”

“Are you criticizing me?”

“No.” Masazumi placed a hand on her chest and lowered her head toward the Fairy Queen. “It is all for the history recreation of the armada battle that will occur in one week. That is why England cannot attack Musashi. It is the obvious conclusion based on England’s sense of justice.” She took a breath. “All I have done is impertinently point out something so obvious anyone would notice it, Your Majesty.”

Everyone from Musashi heard the queen’s silence, but the divine chat was not silent.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “U-um… What does this mean?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Judge. By saying this is obvious for England and insisting it is all for the history recreation, she is making it easier for England to agree. There are a number of justifications, but the Testament Union’s history recreation is at the base of them all. By bringing it all back to here, England is protected.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ohhh, Mito-tsan! You sound almost serious!”

'''Asama:''' “Almost? Well, I suppose putting that way is safer.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Wait. I always try to be serious. …Does it not seem like it?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Oh, the queen just said something.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Y-you’re ignoring me! You’re all ignoring me!”

Elizabeth took a breath and faced Musashi’s vice president who stood ahead but below.

She had only one thought on her mind: ''This girl will become truly troublesome one day.

The vice president had little experience and her words lacked polish. Her knowledge seemed patched together or like something a child was using after just learning it. Also, it may have been an act, but she had a way of speaking as if she understood everything. It mostly came down to being irritating, but one point in particular was the most troublesome.

…''She’s enjoying this.

That girl undoubtedly thought of herself as the protagonist of this place.

She was troublesome.

After all, once that sort of person gained actual skill, her downsides would change to favorable idiosyncrasies.

As she gained strength, the irritating aspects would become something reliable.

That was how a protagonist worked.

…''I was the same!

With a mental nod, Elizabeth recalled how much of an idiot she had been in the past.

As she thought about the past, she recalled a certain scene and an individual within it. It was her sister back when they were younger and had often played together.

…''We made a promise.

At that point, she shook her head. She saw her vice chancellor and vice president give questioning looks from either side, but she waved a hand to say she was fine.

However, a few words escaped her lips. They were the words she had once exchanged.

“Save you from anything.”

The words may have reached Musashi’s vice president because she frowned.

However, this was nothing for her to worry about.

…''This is a reminder to myself.

The Fairy Queen then corrected her posture and faced her opponent.

The girl before her irritated her horribly, but whether she grew further in the future or not, the trouble would fall on the other nations. Her foolishness would likely be at least somewhat healed by the time the Musashi completed its circle of the Far East.

At any rate, the girl seemed to understand England’s situation.

England could not attack Musashi. The biggest reason was England’s need to preserve its strength for the armada battle and beyond.

They knew Tres España intended to use their retreat to give themselves an advantage in the battle. The attack on Musashi with a stealth ship had been more than enough of a warning to the English fleet that would pursue them. To damage a fleet of that power and yet not suffer what amounted to a defeat, England had to preserve its strength.

…''From that perspective…

Musashi’s vice president had been right when she said Excalibur could have a dangerous malfunction at the moment, but there was another reason not to use it.

…''Musashi’s ability to trade is indeed appealing.

If possible, the queen wanted to keep the Musashi around.

…''That is Phylargia.

While thinking about the Logismoi Óplo given to England, Elizabeth asked a question.

“Let me ask something before making my decision. You said this was an equivalent exchange, didn’t you? Then what can Musashi offer us that is equivalent? You will continue on and spread chaos through the other nations with your inexperienced ideals. If you wish for us to accept that and ally with you, what will you give us in exchange? What can you give us to make up for the damage of political and trade interference that the other nations are sure to begin if we ally with you?”

She asked her question.

“Answer me. What will Musashi offer England?”

“Judge,” replied Musashi’s vice president. “England will become Musashi’s primary trade port.”

“That’s just playing dirty!”

“You sound delighted to me.”

Innocentius ignored the glare Galileo was giving him and opened a ''cornice firma''. It displayed a map of the Far East and he drew a red circle around England where it floated north of Hexagone Française.

“Listen. By making England their primary trade port, Musashi will end their practice of travelling around the Far East once a year and instead create a system of leaving England to trade and returning to England afterwards! That means England can use the giant trade system that is the Musashi to amass wealth whenever the Musashi moves! And because the Musashi travels through every nation, every nation’s wealth will gather in England! Doesn’t that seem unfair to you? Hm, hm, hm?”

“I seem to recall that K.P.A. Italia used to do the same with trade on the Mediterranean and in the Middle East.”

“As did Ancient Rome. Also…”

Innocentius drew a few red lines with England in the center.

“These are the trade routes to the Logismoi Óplo nations. Look, if you exclude England, that’s Tres España, Hexagone Française, M.H.R.R., K.P.A. Italia, and Sviet Rus. They can travel to all of them from England without much difference in distance. And with England as their primary port, Musashi can choose to travel a certain route any number of times in a year rather than the single time of their current schedule. By making England their primary port in exchange for allying with them, they are telling other nations they can achieve an equal status in trade if they also join the alliance. To prevent all the wealth from gathering in England and to take their own cut, the other nations – especially those along the main routes – will want to join. By doing that, the allied nations can communicate and negotiate together in addition to trade.”

Innocentius thought for a moment before continuing.

“Fairy Queen, accept this alliance. Then we can use that as an excuse to do the same.”

“Can you really say that after going to such lengths to make an enemy of Musashi, former boy?”

“They would still be an enemy even if we formed an alliance. Also, the more nations join the alliance, the more complicated the Musashi’s course will grow and the less wealth will go to each allied nation. In the end, it will be no different from now. And once every nation has advanced their aerial ship technology far enough to trade with neighboring nations without relying on the Musashi, we can follow the academy rules for trade and more easily trade amongst ourselves. Once that happens, everyone will break their trade alliance with Musashi and become their enemies once more. But I’m sure Musashi will still make the proposal despite understanding all that. In which case…”

He erased all the red lines on the ''cornice firma''.

“When we become their enemy, it will happen all at once. There’s no reason to hesitate to build up our strength for that moment.”

“Your justice can be hard to follow because it has a way of switching between what lies on surface and what is hidden. Aren’t you afraid of misunderstandings?”

“Justice is always found in history. Catholicism can be said to be history itself and I am its representative, so I can only be justice. Whether on the surface or hidden below, justice is justice.”

Innocentius opened a divine mail ''cornice firma''.

“Let’s contact the industrial committee and have them consider whether K.P.A. Italia can use that trade system in regards to the other nations. If any nations not allied with us form an alliance, we can destroy that connection by bringing this system to even one of those nations. Also…”

He displayed the situation in England and spoke to the images of Musashi’s vice president and the Fairy Queen.

“Don’t think you can move the world with only two nations. Freeing this world is surprisingly difficult.”

…''I see.

Elizabeth gave a mental nod.

She knew very well what the Musashi vice president’s suggestion meant.

The suggested trade system would be effective in the early stages with few allied nations, but the effects would ultimately fade away and disappear.

And since the Musashi traveled around the Far East once a year, they would be forced to break that rule if they were to use England as its primary trade port.

By shrinking the time between trades, the rate of earnings would drop.

…''But changing Musashi’s annual visit to several times or even a dozen times a year would mean a lot.

If England could secure the production and emergency reserves they needed, the trade could be used to increase their domestic industries and they could use intermediate trade if they simply needed money.

The ideal system would be to gain money through intermediate trade, use that money to maintain their domestic facilities, and export goods made with those strengthened domestic industries.

If a victory in the armada battle and their influence at the Peace of Westphalia was added to all that, they could rise above the other nations in a very short amount of time.

Before the benefit of the trade grew meaningless with the addition of the other nations, they could also use the obtained funds to strengthen themselves and begin a large-scale settlement of the New World.

''I see,'' thought Elizabeth once more.

She then spoke to Musashi’s vice president.

“Your ultimate objective is not long-term success. You intend to give a powerful nation the benefits of short-term success to incite us to settle the outer world.”

“Judge. I knew the Fairy Queen would catch on.”

The girl bowed her head and spoke from that position.

“The Logismoi Óplo nations are powerful, but their economic situations and wars have left them unprepared and unequipped to settle the outer world. As such, I hope to have Musashi travel to England and then the other Logismoi Óplo nations in order to assist them using our trade. If the most powerful nations are equally prepared to begin settling the outer world by the time of the Peace of Westphalia, the world can return to its original form. To put it another way…”

Musashi’s vice president raised her head and looked directly at the queen from below her black hair.

“The provisional rule of the Far East exists because of the inability to settle the outer world. That is something that did not exist in history and Musashi wishes to bring back the world as it was in history. I want to help bring the world back to its original form so the history recreation can be carried out properly. We will return the world to its rightful form in order to stop the Apocalypse and continue past it.”

She once more made the action the queen had earlier rejected.

She reached out her right hand.

“Fairy Queen, will you move forward as the nation that will take the first step toward the proper world?”

Almost all the people of England heard those words via divine transmission.

“England. You were once the land of the Gaels. They were invaded by the Celts and the two reconciled, but then the Normans of Hexagone Française invaded. That Norman Conquest created England.”

“So?” asked someone listening. “What’s your point?”

The voice continued as if to answer that question.

“Even the Normans who arrived as conquerors eventually became English due to war against Hexagone Française and civil war.”

She could be heard taking a breath.

“You could travel to new lands, you did not fear traversing the ocean or the sky, and you possessed a love of independence. Has that vanished from England? Can those things not be found in a small, inexperienced nation? You are the nation of the ley lines which can defeat history or anything else and you are the nation of the Fairy Queen born of those ley lines,” she said. “If times have changed and that nation cannot take a great first step in history, is that not a sign that the Apocalypse is truly upon us?”

Silence fell. Quiet and stillness had filled that hall several times already, but it contained something different this time.

“…”

The one holding out her hand did not pull it back.

She waited.

That action moved nothing, allowed nothing to move, and acted as the starting point for the next action.

Eventually, the one waiting received an answer to her thoughts and action.

However, it did not come from the words or actions of the Fairy Queen.

A noise came from the left-hand corridor on England’s side.

Sounds of moving metal equipment and quiet voices of suspicion were overpowered by approaching footsteps.

“Hey, could you wait just a minute there?”

Two people casually entered the hall. The man and girl both wore vermillion uniforms.

“Hi there. I’m Secretary Velázquez of Tres España and this is 3rd Special Duty Officer Tachibana Gin. As Tres Españan diplomats, we have a special objection concerning this meeting.”

The tall, slender, and mustachioed long-lived man faced Musashi’s vice president and lightly raised his right hand.

“Nothing personal, okay?”

Study
[[Image:Horizon2B_0390.png|thumb]]

Armada Battle

Toori: Sis! Sis! Tell me about this armada battle that everyone’s been talking about! I want to know all about it so I too can be popul-armada! Sorry, that wasn’t a very good joke.

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, it’s important to recognize your mistakes when working on new material. Anyway, the armada battle is the naval battle that occurred when Tres España’s Grande y Felicísima Armada arrived to land at and conquer England and England repelled them. However, Tres España had a lot of transport ships and their ships were inferior to England’s since England had constant contact with the ocean. The Grande y Felicísima Armada made it to the ocean near England, but they were unable to land and they retreated while circling England. This is what it looks like on the map. Keep in mind that the whole thing took an entire week.

1: Hostilities Begin off of Plymouth at Southwestern England

The English fleet attacks from behind. Tres España’s vice-flagship is destroyed and their treasury ship is evacuated due to an accidental fire.

2: Second Round off of Portland at Southern England

Tres España’s fleet forms a defensive formation while England’s fleet pursues and destroys ships one by one.

3: Resupply Time

Tres España attempts to resupply at their mainland, but England interferes.

4: Third Round off of Southeastern England

Off of Calais on the Far Eastern mainland, England’s fleet crashes eight fire ships into Tres España’s fleet to throw them into confusion.

5: Fourth Round off of Gravelines near Calais

From here, Tres España begins retreating north and around England. England’s fleet begins pursuit.

6: Pursuit Ends off of Southwestern England

Map:

Top: Scotland

Upper left: Ireland

Lower left: Wales

Upper right: Oxford Academy

Middle right: London (Anglia)

Lower right: England

Kimi: Once their treasury ship was sunk in the early stages, I doubt they could have survived for long even if they landed, but it’s still plenty thrilling because they get really, really close to England. That tour around England will still happen in the history recreation, so all of England is on high alert. Also, the Grande y Felicísima Armada is known as the “invincible fleet” because England began ironically calling it that after the battle.

Toori: Isn’t the English fleet just harassing them for most of this?

Kimi: Why do you always have to go right out and say what everyone’s thinking?

<noinclude>
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| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 43|Chapter 43]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 45|Chapter 45]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 43

2015-04-18T20:40:18Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 43: Storyteller in the Hall==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0317.png|thumb]]
''If differences are not aligned via compromise

''What do they become?

'''Point Allocation (Destination)

A girl stood in a stone room.

She had long, braided blonde hair and scars covered her skin. This was Mary and she wore England’s female uniform.

She turned toward the door behind her. That door was tightly shut and the intelligent closet which acted as her maid could be heard descending the stairs.

“The southwestern tower of the Tower of London. I’ve finally returned.”

She sighed and looked around at the nostalgic scenery. She had been here not just after being born, but also when moving about England for the history recreation.

…''And during the conflict over my right to the throne as the queen of Scotland, I fled to England.

This had always been her room.

The bed, table, and closet were the same as they had always been.

“Only the shutters and curtains seem to have been touched.”

She knew who had done that.

“Elizabeth.”

She sighed again.

“In the name of recreating Mary’s travels around England, you gave me quite a bit of free time before my execution. But you would occasionally come here and pretend to be me for the people. What would they say if they knew that? They would probably talk about how much the queen loves the theatre.”

Elizabeth was her twin sister and the incredibly powerful Fairy Queen. Mary had heard it said their mother Anne Boleyn had chosen the Celtic fairy royal family to ensure she would receive that second name.

The few members of the fairy royal family had wished for that forbidden relationship with a human for good reason.

…''Fairies are ultimately an ether race, so they can only exist in the ley lines no matter how dense they become.

Just as it was difficult for humans to access the ley lines, the high-level ether races such as fairies had difficulty accessing physical objects. They would simply become a ley line with a form and will of its own.

That was why fairies periodically had relations with humans. The child born from such a relation would have great ability in spirit spells and could rule over both worlds.

That was why fairies would spirit people away.

''But,'' thought Mary as she looked to the wall.

A portrait of two women hung on that wall.

“Henry VIII’s first wife, Queen Catherine.”

And Anne Boleyn.

Mary’s mother was Catherine according to her inherited name, but her real mother was Anne.

She looked at her two mothers.

“I was not born from my mother and the mother who did give birth to me died from the great burden of birthing two children. Yet my power is far weaker than my sister’s. And…”

And…

“Since I took many lives in the history recreation, I suppose it really is a type of salvation for the recreation to continue. Can I be proud of returning to the ley lines and protecting England from there?”

She took a step toward the desk on the western wall. After two steps, she saw what sat on top of the wooden desk.

“My diary.”

The diary on the desk was covered in dust.

Mary smiled bitterly when she noticed.

“You could have read it, you know? I didn’t write anything bad in there. I had nothing bad to write.”

She approached, opened it, and found messy writing. She flipped through the pages and occasionally found dried flowers between the pages.

The years and dates were sporadic.

“I only wrote in this when I came here.”

But the writing gradually grew neater, the number of entries grew, and sudden color appeared at one point.

That page contained a dark red smear from a finger.

“…”

She subconsciously rubbed the scar above her nose, stopped flipping through the pages, and lowered her head.

“ ‘Save you from anything.’ ”

She almost seemed to swallow the words and she closed her eyes. After taking a breath, she opened them and smiled with the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

“Did I…”

She left the desk and walked to the bed.

“Did I accomplish anything outside of the history recreation?”

She lowered her head and placed a hand on the bed, but she finally gave a laugh that sounded like a small cough.

The trembling laugh had a gagging sound mixed in and she lowered her shoulders. She covered her face with her right hand and stroked the sheets with her left.

“Oh, no.”

She gave another coughing laugh.

“I’ve gotten so used to making my own bed.”

As that comment fell to the bed, she heard a bell. That bell indicated the arrival of night and it had a special meaning today.

The party at Oxford Academy had ended.

“Now, then.”

That voice was quiet, but it rang clearly through the silent stone hall.

The voice belonged to the Fairy Queen who sat on the throne located atop a few steps at the seat of honor.

Dudley and Cecil stood to her left and right while the rest of the Trumps were gathered to her right at the bottom of the steps.

Someone kneeled on the red carpet in the center with a hand to her chest.

“Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Honda Masazumi, student council vice president and representative of Musashi Ariadust Academy.”

The girl in the white uniform stood and looked to the wall on her right and to the queen’s left.

Far Eastern Princess Horizon and Futayo were there along with the treasurer, his aide, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th special duty officers.

After nodding toward them and Asama who was in the corridor to the waiting room, Masazumi turned back to the queen.

“With that complete,” she said to the queen. “Let us begin the meeting between England and the Far East’s academies.”

Two figures moved within the hall being used as a meeting room.

Horizon lined up to Masazumi’s right to indicate her authority lay behind the girl’s words and Asama stood behind Masazumi while opening a sign frame with her and Masazumi’s shared settings.

“As our secretary is not present, a member of the Asama Shrine would like to take his place.”

“Testament,” replied the queen.

Asama bowed but did not name herself. She did not hold an official position and was merely filling in to manage the sign frame.

'''Asama:''' “Wow. This is really exhausting all of a sudden.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “If you can talk like that, you must not be under too much of a burden.”

Everyone had already opened their sign frames and that went for England’s students as well as Musashi’s.

The queen even opened a simple sign frame by her hand. Seeing that, Masazumi took a breath and spoke.

“Who will make their demands first?”

“Testament. It makes little difference because we will likely both begin from the same point.”

Elizabeth looked at her sign frame as she spoke from the throne.

“This all comes down to whether the Musashi will be allowed to leave port.”

“Whether the Musashi will be allowed to leave port, hm?”

…''That certainly is the beginning of the issue.

They had to receive permission to leave and she opened her mouth to lead in to that.

…''I have no choice but to go first.

She knew it put her at a disadvantage, but she also felt it could be her first foothold.

“Listen.”

She wanted permission for the Musashi to leave port and she spoke to that end.

“Currently, England is not allowing the Musashi to leave port in the name of protecting it until its safety can be assured. I would like for you to repeal that decision.”

Bertoni and Heidi had already given her the trade and economic reports and documents related to the issue and she now gave the political reasoning.

“After all, Musashi is currently acting as an independent nation and academy to gather the Logismoi Óplo in order to stop the Apocalypse. That is Musashi’s objective and we have already notified the Testament Union as such via K.P.A. Italia and Tres España. England’s actions are obstructing that objective of ours.”

“And?” The Fairy Queen rejected her request and continued speaking. “If England’s actions are obstructing Musashi’s objective, it means Musashi’s objective is obstructing England’s intentions. We both have our own objectives. If the achievement of one means the destruction of the other, the inter-academy rules do not apply. After all, if we were to unilaterally accept Musashi’s demands and withdraw all of our own demands, we would be forced to do the same when faced with the other nations in the future. If our objectives are in conflict and cannot both be achieved, they cannot be used as a bargaining chip. …In other words, our objectives are parallel. They cancel each other out equally, Musashi Vice President. You cannot negotiate with that.”

She paused for a moment.

“But even if this is a parallel argument, I do not wish for a parallel that simply cancels out everything we have. Given the future that awaits us, England must benefit here. If possible, I would like to create a parallel that we can exchange for mutual benefit. Instead of equally cancelling out, I would like an equal exchange. On that note, you need to remember that the greatest benefit for England would be for the Musashi to stay here permanently.”

''She doesn’t keep anything hidden,'' thought Masazumi.

It had been the same during the negotiation between Bertoni and Lord Howard. The English man had boldly attacked head on.

She checked on her classmates’ reactions.

'''Marube-ya:''' “That really pisses me off.”

'''Me:''' “Auge-chan, you really start talking like a child when you aren’t in charge.”

'''Uqui:''' “Well, if this doesn’t work out, I just have to announce the beginning of inquisition time and cause a commotion, so keep going without worrying too much.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “In other words, this will turn to all-out war if it doesn’t work out.”

…''Th-this isn’t good!

The way Futayo was crossing her arms and giving meaningful nods only seemed to raise the level of danger.

''I need to distract everyone,'' she thought while realizing she was not sure who her real enemies were.

“Your Majesty, we have now stated what our objective is. We wish to exchange what value we have rather than cancelling it out. For island nations such as the Far East and England, trade is a very important term.”

In that case…

“How about we specify just how saving us from the Apocalypse via the Logismoi Óplo is equivalent to England protecting Musashi?”

The Musashi students listened as Masazumi began to speak.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Isn’t this being broadcast outside as an official meeting?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Judge. And as a part of the festival. That’s why we can’t do anything too absurd and why we tied up Toori-kun earlier. Some things would be dangerous to send out over divine transmission.”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: Which is why Aoi has been divine transmi-shunned.”

'''Asama:''' “That wasn’t me! It wasn’t! Masazumi, please focus on the meeting!”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: I was a little unsure what to say next and I just couldn’t help myself.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “The twist? It was Asama playing both parts!!”

'''Asama:''' “No, it wasn’t! It really wasn’t!”

That reply only made the others suspect it really was her and Masazumi took a breath.

“First, if the Musashi cannot leave port, we cannot gather the Logismoi Óplo. What does England propose as an equivalent trade for that?”

“Testament.” Elizabeth nodded. “Let me say something first. Gathering the Logismoi Óplo means to remove that firepower from the nations that possess them and the order in which they are removed depends on Musashi’s movements. In that case…”

In that case…

“If you retrieve England’s before our war with Tres España, we will have inferior firepower to them and their one remaining Logismoi Óplo. Also, it is thought Musashi will travel to Hexagone Française or M.H.R.R. next, but which comes first? Those two nations are fighting the Thirty Years’ War and which one you remove the Logismoi Óplo from first will certainly change the situation and progress of the war.”

So…

“Removing the Logismoi Óplo will bring chaos to the nations that currently use them to maintain a balance of firepower. Thus, preventing Musashi from removing them is a benefit to all those nations.”

“But,” said Masazumi while typing to the others that she had expected this. “That is a benefit to England and those other nations. That is different from stopping the Apocalypse, which is the Far East’s proposed benefit.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Judge. The Far East is proposing we stop the Apocalypse. That is a benefit to the future of the entire world. On the other hand, England’s proposal of international stability is a benefit in the present.”

So…

“The Far East’s proposed benefit and the benefit England has proposed to stop it do not match. We are acting to prevent a crisis that will occur in the future.”

Masazumi brought a hand to her chest and spread out her other hand to plead to the queen.

“We are prepared to receive any criticism in the present if it means avoiding that future crisis. England is certainly kind to protect us, but we wish for you to end that kindness for the common benefit of all nations.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Seijun’s really in the zone. Oh, we just got some fan mail from Ga-chan’s underclassmen. ‘Have Masazumi-san turn around. I want to see the back of her outfit so I can use it in my next doujinshi.’ ”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: Please stop!”

Despite saying that, Masazumi casually turned around and pretended to wipe dust from her clothes. Everyone gasped.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Are you a performer?”

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: No, I just thought it would be wrong of a politician to refuse a normal student’s harmless request.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “I forgot to mention it, but it’s an all-out gay doujinshi.”

'''Asama:''' “Um, excuse me, but can you stop chatting so much? Look at the English students. They’re behaving properly.”

They all glanced over at the Trumps who were nodding with crossed arms while facing their sign frames.

As if in response, Elizabeth also nodded.

“So you say a future benefit does not match a present benefit?”

She took a breath.

“We have come across a difference in opinion.”

England’s divine chat was quite lively.

'''Drug Poet:''' “The lady is simply wonderful! Her enunciation is spectacular! Someone should make a statue of her! Perhaps a bust!”

'''Seal Boy:''' “A bust! The queen’s bust!”

'''Queen:''' “Heh heh heh. You certainly are excited, my friends. Even if you are simply flattering me, I am not foolish enough to reject your excitement. Keep it coming.”

'''ヨ–––:''' “…”

'''O’Malley:''' “W-Walter just posted!!”

'''Guard Dog:''' “Rare.”

The queen nodded. The Trumps site on England’s divine network had been receiving letters of support from the commoners and she raised her excitement even further by reading through them.

Afterwards, she faced Musashi’s vice president and spoke.

“Musashi looks to the future while England focuses on the present. Are you asking us to allow Musashi to leave because of that difference? But even if Musashi is prepared to be damaged over that mission, that is an issue of your will and not one of actual damage. A sense of purpose will not eliminate that damage. No matter how you try to dodge the issue with this mission of yours, preventing actual damage to the Musashi is an actual benefit to Musashi.”

And so…

“I believe we have achieved a consensus concerning what benefits us in the here and now.”

“In that case,” said Musashi’s vice president. “How will England create something equivalent to the future benefit Musashi will provide for every nation? That future benefit is common to all nations, Musashi included. If you are to stop that, what equivalent future benefit do you propose to the world?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Wow. Seijun’s really going all out! Get ‘em!”

…''You’re going all out too.

But what mattered now was seeing how England would answer her question. She had a guess what that answer would be.

“A future benefit?” muttered the Fairy Queen as if to double check. “You say stopping the Apocalypse by gathering the Logismoi Óplo is a common benefit to the entire world and it does seem that will be lost if Musashi is stopped here. …But is that really the case?”

…''So she is bringing it to this.

The exact words Masazumi had expected came from the Fairy Queen’s lips.

“Listen. If you let the history recreation play out, the Peace of Westphalia will naturally occur. In that case, the different nations need only bring their Logismoi Óplo to that meeting. If they are gathered before that, you risk destroying the balance of power and slowing the history recreation. Do you understand? There is an opportunity for the Logismoi Óplo to gather without Musashi doing so. By keeping the Musashi here, damage to the Musashi, the destruction of the international balance of power, and the possible delay to the history recreation will all be prevented. No matter how you look at it, England’s protection is the most beneficial option.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Wow, that’s a good argument! It pisses me off!!”

'''Asama:''' “Um, I think that’s what a villain is supposed to say.”

Masazumi was worried about what kind of business their treasurer was doing, but she was glad Heidi had plenty of energy.

…''But the log of this chat will be given to our teacher and Principal Sakai, won’t it?

She decided not to write anything too strange. Then again, all of that was normal for her class, so it was also possible they were used to dealing with it. By hitting them, in their teacher’s case.

At any rate, Masazumi took a breath.

England’s argument was not wrong and she understood their proposition was indeed beneficial.

However…

“I appreciate England’s kindness, but Musashi cannot accept it.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Let me ask this instead.” She steadied her breathing. “Having the Far East gather the Logismoi Óplo has great meaning to the other nations beyond simply stopping the Apocalypse. Has England realized what that is?”

Masazumi snapped her right fingers and pointed to Horizon.

“Since Mikawa, the Far East names itself as a sovereign and independent nation under the rule of Princess Horizon. As its academy, Musashi Ariadust Academy is its representative.”

“And?”

''A well-timed question,'' sensed Masazumi. ''This is part of the Fairy Queen’s kindness. She gives me the proper timing to make a mental turn so I don’t simply continue speaking all on my own.

After all, what she was about to say would reveal one aspect of Musashi’s position, both to England and to the other nations.

…''I’m going to say it.

The idiot who was their leader had decided on his stance that day. As vice president, getting cold feet would accomplish nothing. After all, that idiot was supporting her.

And so she spoke.

“Horizon Ariadust is our leader and one element of the Far East’s sovereignty, but her emotions were made into the Logismoi Óplo. Musashi is gathering the Logismoi Óplo so that she is not exposed to imperfect slander. To put it another way, one could say the Far East’s sovereignty is currently incomplete. As such, we cannot agree to simply having the other nations bring their Logismoi Óplo to the Peace of Westphalia. We must reject that in order for Princess Horizon to preserve the Far East’s sovereignty.”

“Testament. Then let me ask you one thing.”

The queen was no longer asking for confirmation. She was going on the offensive.

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: Everyone, don’t let this shake you.”

She hurriedly typed on the sign frame.

'''Asama:''' “Vice President: This next response could make us enemies of the entire world.”

The Fairy Queen bent back a bit as she asked her question.

“The Far East is gathering the Logismoi Óplo not to stop the Apocalypse but to assert your sovereignty as a fully independent nation. Is that correct?”

“Judge,” replied Masazumi. “It is only once we gather the Logismoi Óplo, establish our sovereignty, and stop the Apocalypse that we will hold a position equal to England and the other nations. And we will face all of you as such at the Peace of Westphalia.”

“In that case,” said the Fairy Queen. “Does the Far East intend to overthrow the Testament Union’s provisional rule and reclaim its dominion of the Divine States? And are you asking us all to forget about the Harmonic Unification War from 160 years ago?”

The Queen of England’s words and the image of Musashi’s vice president were being broadcast to many different nations.

Two people inside a large stone cathedral watched the motionlessness and quiet of the Queen’s question and the vice president’s silence. They were K.P.A. Italia’s Papa-Schola Innocentius and Vice Chancellor Galileo.

Galileo spoke as he watched Masazumi’s back on the widescreen ''cornice firma''.

“Former boy, why has the vice president stopped moving instead of answering? Is she unsure how to answer?”

“Tes, tes, tes,” thrice muttered Innocentius before taking a drink from a water bottle. “Honestly, she made such a fuss about sovereignty against me and lost, but now she’s talking about making the Far East equal? She certainly likes talking big, doesn’t she? Hm?”

“What’s this, former boy? I thought you would be upset, but it seems not. If anything, you seem…”

“Testament,” replied Innocentius. “She is a foolish girl and she does not make excuses. Do you understand, Galileo? Right now, we are wondering how she could be crazy enough to claim independence. Most likely, the other nations are the same. Even Musashi and the various Far Eastern reservations are probably the same. There are probably some who are shouting for her to give the Fairy Queen her answer. Don’t you think? Hm?”

But…

“This girl is giving all of them the time they need to shout out and express their anger or doubt. Why is that, hm? The answer is simple. She knows people will be making those shouts of anger and doubt and she knows speaking in the middle of them will drown them out and reflexively bring out the next shout. Instead, she is remaining silent until they have spoken and calmed down.”

Honestly.

“Such a troublesome young girl, isn’t she? Hm?”

At the same time, two people sighed in the darkness as they watched the same divine transmission footage.

They sat at the desks by the window of Alcalá de Henares’s student council room. One was Chancellor and Student Council President Segundo and the other was Fusae who sat at the Chancellor’s Officers desk while operating the ''cadena firma''. Fusae then turned to Segundo.

“Chancellor, should I call Ju here?”

“No, she’s probably watching it from home. Can you keep it a secret that I’m doing this? Please? A-and sorry about the office work, Fusae. Thanks for doing it.”

“I think you should choose once and for all between whether you want to stay out of the spotlight or do everything in the shadows.”

“Which does Takakane fall under?”

“Testament. Taka is the type who excels on the scene.” Fusae looked at the image of England before her. “But what do you think of the Far East’s intent to stand on equal footing with the other nations? The current provisional rule and academy system were created to put the Far East below everyone else so they could take responsibility for the Harmonic Unification War. But if they secure their sovereignty with the Logismoi Óplo and become equal to the other nations…”

“Testament. The system of provisional rule will vanish. We will lose that postwar system that has lasted 160 years. It’s unthinkable,” muttered Segundo. “It could even shift from a postwar situation to a prewar one. I wouldn’t be able to say it if I was her.”

“Will Tres España be able to manage if that happens?”

“Manage? What do you mean?”

“Testament. I’m asking what happens if the provisional rule comes to an end. That will mean the other nations must leave the Far East and return to their original position in the outer world.” Fusae brought a hand to her cheek and sighed. “But the environment is still too harsh outside of the Far East and we do not have the power needed to prosper there. Settling of the Harmonic Divine States was almost a cooperative venture between the different nations, but the state of those nations would prevent us from cooperating when it comes to settling the outside world. We would most likely have to do so as individual nations which would make it nearly impossible. Real economic and agricultural crises would occur with no connection to the history recreation. Even if our spells and aerial ships function under that harsh environment, we still need footholds to achieve the self-sufficiency, trade, medicine, and transportation required for villages to survive and prosper. But due to the history recreation, we have not researched settlement techniques beyond what is needed for the New World.”

“Testament,” agreed Segundo. He too sighed and adjusted his sitting position. “England must be aware of that threat. The northern and western portions of the New World will be settled by England for the history recreation and they were still undeveloped regions at the Harmonic World stage. Due to a gate created by the environmental gods, the western ocean of the Harmonic Divine States was connected to Ezo on the eastern coast of the New World. During the destruction of the Harmonic World, a harmonic space including that gate appeared in the ocean west of Kyushu and it still exists to this day. That is what our trade vessels have been using to trade with the southern and eastern coasts of the New World, but…”

But…

“England’s attempts to settle the northern side of the New World using that gate have not been successful.”

Fusae displayed the results of England’s settling operations as designated by the Testament descriptions.

“According to the Testament descriptions, they send several settlement expeditions of several hundred each, but they are almost entirely wiped out due to the freezing and barren environment. They are then forced to rely on the land inhabited by the indigenous people. And the history recreation has had them actually take that kind of damage.”

The reason for this was simple.

“Tres España and Tres Portugal have settled the southern area which contains warm jungles measuring several hundred meters tall. It’s an environment where plants and other life can live. On the other hand, the northern area is either wetlands or freezing cold and dry, so it seems they have not even been able to grow edible plants. Potatoes would be able to grow there, but the history recreation has not given England free use of them yet, so their settlement expeditions truly have seen hell.”

So…

“If the provisional rule is removed, England will be far behind the other nations as it has been unable to settle in the New World. Of course, the same can be said of the majority of nations that have no technology for settling. They managed to settle in the Harmonic Divine States, but the actual world is much, much larger. Settling that will take a great number of citizens and a great number of engineering students to develop the technology. In which case…”

“Tres España and Portugal might have a chance due to our accumulated settlement technology. The only others with a chance to succeed are Qing-Takeda and P.A. Oda.”

“Actually, in our case…” Segundo held his head in his hands. “I’ve used so much of our treasury for the history recreation that we’re in no financial position for it.”

“What about the money Ju has saved up?”

“I used it all on the Grande y Felicísima Armada.”

“You aren’t trying to blame that on ''us'', are you?”

After another sigh, Fusae operated the office ''cadena firma''.

“Well, I more or less understand what you’re thinking, chancellor, but I don’t particularly like the method. And there are ways to take responsibility for that.”

“Will you keep it a secret?”

“I won’t tell anyone since I know that’s what you want.”

She then turned back to Musashi’s vice president on the ''cadena firma''.

“But to get back on track, the great financial investment needed will prevent almost every nation from settling the outside world. In that case, the other nations will never forgive Musashi if the provisional rule is removed and those nations are given nowhere to go. So my question was also about what we would do then. But…”

But…

“This vice president has grown a lot more resolute since the Battle of Mikawa.”

As the people gave several different reactions, Masazumi stood in the meeting hall and yet was thinking of something other than what her answer would be.

…''I’m here in order to discuss something quite important.

That had not been her impression before the meeting when she had been thinking of what to discuss. At the time, she had been too desperate in her attempts to eliminate any holes in her arguments and finding ways to handle any counterarguments.

But now that she had taken action and stood in the center of it all…

…''I’m setting something quite large in motion.

She was speaking out about the state of the Far East and she was taking the leading role.

But here, the Far East did not simply refer to Musashi or the reservations. She was dealing with the “Far East” that included the archipelago once referred to as the Divine States and all the nations contained therein.

If the Far East was made equal to those other nations, it would overturn the entire “Far East” and therefore the entire world.

It sounded like something one would dream of, but she was actually discussing it and taking the leading role.

…''I see.

She thought about herself.

She had her five senses and they were functioning properly with no changes, but one single thing was different.

…''If I say something here, it will set the world in motion.

She wanted to say something good, she wanted to do something people would admire, she wanted to draw attention, and most of all, she wanted to be the one who spoke the words that would set the world in motion.

…''But I must restrain my ambitions.

A result brought about by her excitement here was not what she truly wanted.

It was the same as buying a souvenir at a festival or on a trip and wondering why you had bought it upon returning home. It could act as a reminder of the excitement from that time, but…

…''Setting the world in motion should not be a reminder of one’s excitement.

Setting the world in motion to be proud of her own actions was getting her priorities reversed.

''Look at your father,'' she told herself. ''He does so much in public and behind the scenes, but he doesn’t brag about it.

He would sometimes arrive home after prime time when Purple☆Shikibu, a divine TV show full of self-deprecating humor, had just ended and she recalled his response when she had once asked what he had been doing.

“That is not for children to know. The most I can say is that I was at a meeting with the others.”

…''If I can’t show that much restraint, I can’t call myself a proper politician.

She nodded twice and took a breath.

She faced forward where the Fairy Queen waited. Given the history of England, the queen’s name would likely remain well known for a long time to come. Masazumi on the other hand had failed to inherit a name and this meeting was unlikely to be recorded in history.

…''Still…

At the very least, she stood on the forefront of the world with this one comment.

“Judge. The Far East is willing to end the provisional rule of the other nations.”

In an instant, explosive shouts and silences meant to hide them appeared in various places.

But in the center of it all, Masazumi simply narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“…”

She silently took a breath and nodded to accept the reactions she expected were being given throughout the world.

She then spoke without losing the smile.

“After all, our leader has already made up his mind.”

They had announced that at Mikawa too, but they now had a definite answer based on deep thought rather than mere momentum.

And she gave that answer.

“Let’s see who’s strongest.”

“This is no longer just to save your princess! Even if this is a meeting between academies, you are publicly declaring war against the world!”

Innocentius stood from his chair, but then looked to Galileo.

“Now she’s done it! Hm!?”

“You are rejoicing, former boy.”

Innocentius fell silent at that. He sat back down, crossed his legs, drank some water, looked in a random direction, and then glared forward in displeasure.

“Now she’s done it. Hm?”

“I think you should work to fix that personality of yours.”

“It’s called having individuality. But…” He then shook his head once. “When I was a kid, I hoped to become the Papa-Schola and start the crusades back up, but now a mere student is actually saying that kind of thing. The world really is coming to an end.”

Masazumi lightly spread her arms and spoke.

“There is no reason to grow cautious. We will simply use the system of war that is used to resolve conflicts between academies. After all, England and the other academies already have that as an option. Even under provisional rule, we too possess that option. The only reason we have not used it is because its use would mean all-out war with the other nations. As such, I have three things to say.”

She held up a finger on her right hand.

“As I previously proposed, the Far East will become a location of inter-academy exchange by making the reservations neutral and free markets.”

She raised another finger.

“The Far East’s right to war against other academies will be given only to Musashi and Mikawa which is now part of it.”

She raised her final finger.

“That right to war will be divided into the right to declare war and the right to wage war. The former is the right to begin a war with another academy and the latter is the right to fight in an existing war and to continue that war. However…”

Segundo spoke quietly within the dimly lit student council room.

“Are you using the state of war as a bargaining chip?”

He listened to Masazumi speak.

“Listen. Musashi is new to war, so we will not do anything reckless. As such…”

“Until the Logismoi Óplo have been successfully gathered, Musashi will provisionally seal its right to declare war.”

“Masazumi-kun is causing trouble again. Don’t you think, ‘Musashi’-kun?”

“Is that really something to say while smoking at night, Sakai-sama? The real trouble is having to clean up the ashes afterwards. And I am already busy with the requests and questions Masazumi-sama has given me. Over.”

“Musashi” spoke from the bridge in front of Musashi Ariadust Academy. In the darkness of the night, she looked up at the faults of England.

“But is Masazumi-sama’s statement truly that troublesome? Over.”

“Judge. People have doubts. Especially when it comes to their connections with others. A lot of the time, a connection someone sees as valuable is not seen that way by history.”

Sakai looked down toward Remorse Way. Someone stood in that place that had become a crossroads during the Battle of Mikawa.

It was Oriotorai. She carried a long sword on her back and Horizon’s memorial was to her right.

“This really is troublesome,” muttered Sakai as he watched the teacher stare directly toward England. “The world will be forced to decide whether it wants to go to war with Musashi. If they return the Logismoi Óplo, that’s fine. But the Logismoi Óplo are a portion of Horizon and therefore of the Far East’s sovereignty, so it infringes our sovereignty to not return them.”

How would this play out?

“If that infringement of sovereignty can be ‘interpreted’ as an act of war, Musashi will be able to engage the academies that possess the Logismoi Óplo and go to war at any time. And not only will those nations lose the firepower of their Logismoi Óplo, but dealing with Musashi will fill them with unrest. Even if they don’t go to war, they still have to spend time in negotiations. They will be forced to send personnel to handle Musashi while also fighting their enemies. All that extra trouble might make the Logismoi Óplo not worth keeping around, but they would still need some compensation for giving it up.”

“Compensation? Over.”

“Judge,” answered Sakai while still watching Oriotorai’s back down below. “A sovereign nation needs to do more than wage war against the other nations. Masazumi-kun needs to tell them what we can do for them.”

Masazumi held her right hand out toward the Fairy Queen.

“First, I have this to say to England which acts as a neutral intermediary between the Far East and the Testament Union.”

She took in a breath.

“Musashi is prepared to form an alliance or sign a nonaggression treaty with any academy or nation that returns their Logismoi Óplo or with any nation that does not possess one.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Does that mean…?”

''Judge,'' silently replied Mitotsudaira.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “We will ally ourselves with the nations who return their Logismoi Óplo or do not have one and we will aid them in any war they have against a nation that refuses to return theirs.”

In other words…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Musashi itself will make up for the collapse of the power balance that retrieving the Logismoi Óplo would create.”

“This is an equal exchange, Fairy Queen. As a part of the independent nation of the Far East, Musashi will do whatever it takes to retrieve our sovereignty and we will work to prevent any delays to the history recreation. I would like to choose England and Oxford Academy as our first partner in that alliance.”

Mitotsudaira saw the Fairy Queen nod in response to Masazumi.

Her lupine vision saw the sword-shaped crown move slightly and the queen gave a clear reply.

“I reject your offer.”

'''Seal Boy:''' “Ehhh!? You reject it!? C’mon, just accept it! Being allies with Musashi would be fun! I’m not sure how it’d be fun, but I’m sure all sorts of terrible things would happen!!”

'''O’Malley:''' “That’s exactly why we can’t do it.”

'''Mr. Death:''' “After all, we have ghastly little guarantee about this!”

As everyone watched, Elizabeth nodded. She gestured for Musashi’s vice president to lower her outstretched hand. She then rested her elbow on the right armrest and rested her cheek on the hand.

'''Queen:''' “Give me some excitement. You have five seconds.”

'''Drug Poet:''' “Yeah! That pose of ennui is so captivating, lady! So lovely! So lithe! So tantalizing! For short, so lo-li-ta!!”

'''Seal boy:''' “Lolita! Lolita!!”

'''Vice President:''' “S-s-s-s-stop abbreviating it like that.”

'''Cecil:''' “Dudley, don’t type like you talk.”

'''Plain Merchant:''' “Is there a mirror around here?”

The queen laughed and they all began repeatedly tapping the macro they had to post “long live the queen”. After nodding twice, the queen spoke to Musashi’s vice president.

“War, an alliance, a nonaggression treaty. Creating a relationship using the nation’s own power is indeed the greatest bargaining chip when dealing with another nation. If a nation’s power is seen as a combination of its finances, military might, human power, political power, and stability, I do admit Musashi’s power is appealing. But…”

But…

“The Musashi can travel freely through the sky and possesses a powerful stealth system. It is a dangerous existence. You are suggesting that it wage war and attempt to drive the other nations from the Far East. If the entire world that is the current Far East is to declare its independence, Musashi must be eliminated as the representative of the old Far East. Do you understand? If anything, you are the final boss of the old army we must face as the new. Perhaps that is why you possess the name of the Leviathan.”

Therefore…

“If Musashi is to act on its sovereignty, England will act accordingly. We will begin an all-out attack on Musashi and use this as a chance to exterminate your student council and chancellor’s officers. Prepare yourselves, my friends.”

The term “all-out attack” produced countless metallic noises deep in the corridors. Reserve troops were equipping themselves. The Trumps also prepared for battle with the Musashi force on the opposite wall.

But even as those on Musashi’s side lowered their stances, Musashi’s vice president spoke from the center.

“Everyone, wait. Oh, do I have to use ‘stay’ for Mitotsudaira!?”

“Of course not!” shouted back Mitotsudaira.

As the others from Musashi expressed their doubts, the vice president asked the queen a question.

“You say you will begin an all-out attack?”

“Testament. You can call it large-scale assault if you like. You can also note that every shot will hit.”

“Judge. Then let me ask this.”

Musashi’s vice president pointed behind her and toward the southern sky that could not be seen from the hall.

“England’s primary fleet is mostly made up of privateers and cannot cause decisive damage to the Musashi. Also, Sir Drake and the rest of your primary force should be out scouting Tres España. Not to mention that a naval fleet is a poor choice for attacking on land.”

As soon as she said that, England shook.

“…!?”

It was not just Oxford or the first level that shook. Dudley’s eyebrows rose as the vibration resonated and grew to a great wave.

“I-i-i-i-i-it can’t be!”

“But it is. Musashi is on standby to leave port.”

“Judge. It has been a while, so controlling the internal pressure of the fuel transfer pipes was difficult. However, everyone did their very best. I will need to clean it all up afterwards, though. Over.”

The early startup meant the consecutive activation of the various engines and that repeatedly shook the Musashi’s giant form. A voice spoke in response to that trembling.

“Activating IZUMO-made surface ether engine Hull-Type Special #06 Susashizunami. Is this what you were waiting for, Sakai-sama? Over.”

“Musashi” and Sakai watched as an ocean appeared around the Musashi.

The membrane-like ocean appeared on the surface of the hull below the water line. In an instant, the water line was submerged in the thin ocean and spray from waves began splashing into the air.

“Ohh,” said Sakai as he nodded toward the roar of the sea. “It has almost no thickness, but aerial ships are pushed up by the ocean they infinitely create around themselves. I know it’s used because it’s the most efficient method for an ultra-heavy ship, but I just love how it looks.”

“Thank you for your praise. Over.”

“Musashi” bowed and looked toward the silhouette of Oxford straight ahead and above.

“I hope Masazumi-sama is also delighted. Over.”

As the vibrations shook England, Musashi’s vice president crossed her arms and nodded.

“The Musashi has yet to resupply its ether fuel, but it has enough for three days of normal cruising. IZUMO on the northern coast of Hexagone Française is two days away and England’s main fleet can’t catch up even if you call them back now.”

She then raised her eyebrows and spoke to the queen without fear.

“If you insist on not forming an alliance with us, the Musashi will move to another nation. There, we will simply perform the same negotiation as here. So…”

She intended to ask “what will you do?”, but a sudden action cut her off. Amid the slight vibration of the Musashi that resembled a mere noise, the Fairy Queen suddenly stood up.

“Show some respect, carefree girl whose name will not remain in history.”

Dudley immediately let out a shout.

“G-g-g-get down!!”

Light filled the hall.

Twin flower petals had been fired from Elizabeth’s back, but they instantly increased in number, spread out, and grew like bird wings.

“…!!”

In an instant, they reached over one hundred meters behind her.

They were clusters of immaculate flower petals made from light, their silhouette resembled butterfly wings, and they filled the empty space that had taken up most of the hall.

“Lady, we are witnessing the very proof that you are the Fairy Queen!” cried Jonson while taking cover on the floor.

Elizabeth nodded and raised her right toes.

In response, something welled up from the floor. It was a group of 15 cm kobolds, but she merely lowered her toes without speaking a word.

“Understood.”

With that single word, the kobolds sank into the floor and a certain phenomenon occurred a moment after that.

The shaking in England stopped.

“…”

The noise of Musashi starting up could be heard like the distant ringing of a whistle, but it lacked the shaking of England that should have accompanied it.

“Bluffs are meaningless,” said the Fairy Queen while spreading her wings. “I love the theatre, but I hate meaningless performances.”

Masazumi watched as the giant wings of light slowly vanished from the air before her.

…''What was that?

England literally did as its queen wished. The queen had been born here, she was descended from the spirits that were born from the land’s ley lines, and the modifications to England’s crust had created a system for making efficient use of those ley lines.

…''But that power is still extraordinary.

Around Masazumi, Asama had fallen to a sitting position on the floor and Futayo and Mitotsudaira were crouched down defensively. Those wings of light were likely a manifestation of the queen’s inner Blessings, but it made Masazumi shudder to imagine what would happen if it were turned on them.

“Listen, you carefree people made up of humans and other similar races. Have you forgotten where you are and who I am? Is that why you are speaking as if on equal terms? This is England, the country of fairies, spirits, and ghosts and I am the Fairy Queen who rules it.”

The Fairy Queen spoke as the wings of light were replaced by empty darkness behind her.

“Have you forgotten? England has Ex. Caliburn. In addition to defense, it can be used against the Musashi if it leaves port. As such, I will command the all-out attack against Musashi.”

And…

“If I am in command, there is another command I can give.”

“And that is?”

“Testament,” she replied. “I will have our ally of Holland intercept the Musashi before it arrives at IZUMO. Once England’s main fleet returns to pursue you, we will request a temporary break in our history recreation with Tres España and we will request assistance from Hexagone Française and M.H.H.R. Then, each of those nations will work together to sink the Musashi.”

“…”

“Needless to say, England currently holds a neutral position between Musashi and the Testament Union nations, but that does not mean we will act as an intermediary for violence. If Musashi turns violent, we will act as an intermediary to admonish you and we will work to stop you along with the Testament Union nations. That is what it means to be neutral.”

At that moment, people’s voices could be heard from south of London. They came from the third and fourth levels on the south side of England.

They began as cries of surprise and soon grew to a great roar.

“Masazumi-sama, this is ‘Musashi’. Our spell radar has detected the approach of an unidentified fleet from the southeast. You may use this information to assist in your discussion. Over.”

Just as “Musashi” had said, an unknown fleet was approaching from the south of England.

…''What is that?

As if to answer her question, someone moved to her left.

It was Charles Howard of the Trumps. He brought a hand to his chest and bowed toward the queen whose wings had vanished.

“I purchased an aerial fleet from Holland.”

He spoke casually, but Masazumi could imagine how much effort that would have taken.

“For the armada battle with Tres España?” she asked him.

“Testament. It was in exchange for a fleet I will later have constructed and for lessened tariffs. We needed a newly constructed fleet, but we did not have much money to put toward shipbuilding after preparing emergency reserves for the war and preparing our defenses. I felt a single fleet would tide us over for the moment. Once it arrives in England and I stamp my seal, ownership will fully transfer to me. At the moment, the ships are still registered with Holland.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “I’m getting the feeling he’s better at backroom deals than normal commerce.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Judge. I also get the feeling he’s creating an unstable bubble of prosperity and yet keeping a straight face all the while.”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, and I think he’s making deals based on nothing but trust in his own name.”

''Our business-oriented girls sure are harsh,'' thought Masazumi.

“Well, Musashi? You are surrounded.” The Fairy Queen lightly crossed her arms and nodded. “We have already deployed a ground unit to the third level and to this palace. How many of you can reach the Musashi? Or do you think the Musashi can reach IZUMO if it leaves port now and abandons you? Look at this.”

She rotated the sign frame by her hand so Masazumi could see.

It showed what she had been viewing and what she wanted Masazumi to see.

It displayed an image of a pet cat with the following comment below: “The cat to which the queen gave the noble name of Golden Ball just had kittens!”

“Eh?”

Everyone stared at it in confusion and the queen did not notice at first.

“?”

When she finally checked the sign frame and saw it was still displaying the cat, she gave a calm comment.

“Wrong page.”

Masazumi watched as the queen searched for the correct data page.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “W-wow. My hostility just lessened a bit! I-I’m sorry!”

According to the Testament descriptions, the Fairy Queen was quite playful, but Masazumi felt that was more airheaded.

The queen soon found the data page and displayed it.

“This is a signed letter to Hexagone Française, Tres España, M.H.R.R., Holland, and K.P.A. Italia. I have sent a probing greeting revealing what I plan to request and I have already received their responses. By sending this, the request will be officially made.”

She lightly raised her hand and smiled at Masazumi.

“I hear you made quite a fool of our treasurer at your transport ship on the fourth level.”

Everyone from Musashi did not hesitate to glare at Heidi and Shirojiro. Shirojiro ignored them, but Heidi expressionlessly struck her sign frame and Erimaki.

'''Marube-ya:''' “This could be a pain, so you can each order a single item from the gift catalog of the K.P.A. Italia sweets shop we’re partners with.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You would dare stoop to a bribe!? But I will settle for the assorted chocolates package.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Y-you went right for the most expensive one, didn’t you!?”

''My friends don’t hold back,'' thought Masazumi as she saw the others choose items with similar prices.

It worried her how Asama was only looking at the section for sweets with alcohol inside.

…''Now then. What should I do?

In truth, she had simulated this much in the preliminary meeting with the others.

From here on, it was likely their opponent would go in for an offensive compromise. It would eliminate what Masazumi had said, but it would still be a great compromise.

…''It’s coming, isn’t it?

Before she responded, the Fairy Queen spoke for her.

“People of Musashi, there is a more peaceful resolution than world domination or independence. Would you like to know what that is?”

…''Here it is.

With her premonition proven true, Masazumi spoke.

“Judge. For future reference, please tell us.”

At Masazumi’s urging, Elizabeth smiled with raised eyebrows.

“Simply ask to have this entire meeting rendered null and void.”

“Do they have no choice but to accept? Even if that is a hellish compromise for Musashi?”

Fusae and Segundo sat in the darkness as the rising moon’s light began to wash over them.

“Is it really?” she asked “Redoing this would be safer for Musashi. They can give some reason to try the meeting again from a fresh start, so it seems like a decent compromise to me.”

She stood from her seat with the moonlight washing over her, but Segundo did not turn in her direction. He crossed his arms, watched the ''cadena firma'', and gently spoke.

“Having to redo a meeting is an embarrassment for a nation. On the diplomatic level, they will be seen as a nation that rejects another nation’s negotiation if the situation turns against them. In other words, they will be seen as only accepting what is convenient to them. A nation like that is dangerous and no one will perform diplomacy or trade with them. There is a threat of having that diplomacy or trade suddenly cut off and changed for their convenience. That is why no one suddenly refuses to continue a meeting or requests to redo the meeting unless diplomatic relations are being cut off altogether or the conclusion has already been reached. If Musashi does accept this compromise, the Far East will be unable to properly face the other nations and they will be seen as an inexperienced nation that only says what is convenient for them. However, that would essentially put Musashi under England’s protection. They would be unable to reach further and they would be seen as so inexperienced that they must be put under the Far East’s provisional rule system.”

So…

“This is what England is saying: we have shown you what it means to form alliances and to face all-out war from independence, so settle down and return to your rightful position.”

“Testament. In other words, Musashi has stepped out of bounds, so England and the other nations are threatening them by showing off their well-trained muscles. They are saying that the ability to wage war also includes the ability to inhibit war.”

“Testament. They are showing what it means to take this seriously and thus telling them to stop. The truly strong do not directly use that strength.”

“I see.” Fusae stretched by the window and then tilted her head. “Chancellor, how about you go back to being capable?”

“You would know all this if you would actually attend classes.”

Segundo glared at her, but Fusae looked out the window and placed a hand on it.

“Chancellor, what are we going to do?”

“Testament,” replied Segundo as he added another ''cadena firma'' before his eyes.

It contained the Fairy Queen’s letter and the emblem of England and Oxford.

“This same letter was sent to the other nations. I’m sure the other academies’ chancellors are also wondering what to do, but Holland has already sent a fleet directly to England.”

“Which means…”

“Testament,” he said again. He did not seem to mind that his responses were monotonous. “Holland is a small nation, but they are Protestant and a main player in the Peace of Westphalia. If England gives them credit for this, they will gain more authority during the negotiations at Westphalia. And in turn, England’s authority will also rise. In that case, we have no choice but to agree to this request. Where is Takakane?”

“Performing practice swings on the new ship. I need to bring him some beer later. …It really is a pain. If it isn’t consecrated, our ghost bodies won’t absorb it, but when it ''is'' consecrated, the added exorcism ability makes your tongue tingle. Anything with decent malt content just feels wrong.”

“Please stop drinking while piloting the ship.”

“We’ll calm down with some consecrated ramen afterwards, so don’t worry.”

“You two really are enjoying your afterlife.”

As if to take a break, Segundo tore himself away from the ''cadena firma''.

“Now then. What will Musashi’s vice president do? I doubt she did not see this as a possibility, but even if she did, what does she plan to do about it?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 42|Chapter 42]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 44|Chapter 44]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 42

2015-04-18T20:30:14Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 42: Those who Move About in the Wings of the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0301.png|thumb]]
''Why does it grow so noisy

''Even though

''I was not trying to cause a commotion

'''Point Allocation (Individuality)

The party preparations were complete in Oxford Academy’s hall, but there was still time until six o’clock when the party began.

The Musashi representatives – especially the girls – were not used to dressing up and were spending the full time available to prepare.

But as the girls showed their outfits off to each other in the hall-sized girls’ changing room, Masazumi was lost in thought.

…''So this is the outfit the Aoi sister prepared for me.

In the carriage along with Aoi and Horizon, she had been handed a wicker basket and told, “Masazumi, yours is on the right, Horizon’s is in the center, and my foolish brother’s is on the left.”

“This does look like it would suit me,” she commented upon checking inside.

The Aoi sister had already finished changing and left. Masazumi had assumed she would head to the hall, but she had said otherwise.

“Heh heh heh. I finished with time to spare, so I’ll go check out the surrounding passageways. If we wait until something happens, it will be too late to find an escape route for everyone.”

That would normally be Tenzou’s job, but he and Naruze had been put to sleep and returned to the Musashi for healing. Kimi was skilled in dealing with others, so she was indeed ideal for reconnaissance.

Beyond the others who were relying on the Aoi sister, Asama and Mitotsudaira were helping Horizon into her dress. As an automaton, she had black flexible parts from the top of her chest to the neck and on both arms. From a shape and color perspective, one had to consider whether or not to hide those black parts when selecting a dress for her, but the Aoi sister had selected a black sleeveless dress with white camellia-shaped ribbons and other decorative cloths. It also had a few golden lines.

…''According to the Testament descriptions, the Fairy Queen liked the color black and often wore gold dresses.

Masazumi had heard that the queen’s subordinates had all chosen black outfits to match the queen, so she felt the Aoi sister had made the right decision as a guest. The decorative camellias were an Asian flower that did not exist in Europe and the Testament descriptions said nothing about the seeds having made their way over. As such, selective breeding had long been practiced with the Far Eastern ones and it was the representative example of a Far Eastern flower.

…''Overall, the Aoi sister is surprisingly reliable.

She likely understood that this was more or less Horizon’s debut appearance.

The diplomatic trio of Futayo, Suzu, and Adele had finished changing, so they too helped dress Horizon and groom her hair. Horizon may have felt the need to dress up, but she did not seem to grasp the point.

“You seem to be having trouble with the area around my waist, so how about I take apart my torso? My parts have individual survival lockdown functions, so I can remove my limbs or head for about half an hour without issue. See?”

When she removed her left arm at the shoulder, everyone froze. Asama was the first to react.

“W-wow, Horizon. How about we save that for the end-of-the-year talent show!?”

“Well done, Horizon-sama,” added Futayo. “I see you have developed an innovative new anti-decapitation technique. I never thought of removing the body part before it can be cut.”

“I’m used to seeing that with mobile shells, but this is like the person inside doing it,” commented Adele.

''Aren’t you supposed to be disturbed by that?'' thought Masazumi as Horizon reattached her arm.

“…?”

Masazumi frowned when she saw something strange behind the automaton.

“Eh?”

Something was floating behind Horizon’s waist and Masazumi recognized it.

…''But why is that floating there?

She approached in confusion and everyone turned toward her.

“Um, you’re too late,” said Asama with a tilt of the head. “We’ve already finished the best parts.”

''That’s not what I’m doing,'' she thought while reaching for what floated behind Horizon.

“Can you see this?”

She indicated it with her hand.

“This is the hilt of Lype Katathlipse, the Logismoi Óplo that went missing.”

Asama saw it floating behind Horizon. The object Masazumi crouched down and touched was indeed a white and black hilt. But why was just the hilt floating there? She did not understand, so she thought and finally reached a conclusion.

“Masazumi, is this some sort of illusion?”

“I didn’t hide it here.”

As everyone watched in confusion, Horizon herself did the same.

“…?”

She frowned in confusion as she looked at it. She turned toward it, but after a short delay, it followed her like a tail. “Ah,” said Masazumi as it left her hand and rotated to match Horizon’s movement. It looked something like a cat chasing its own tail.

…''Its coordinates seem fixed to Horizon’s position.

But when Masazumi frantically grabbed it, she was able to hold it back with the gentleness of a spring gathering tension. Rather than fixed coordinates, it seemed to follow her half-automatically. Masazumi let go and it slowly started rotating behind Horizon.

Just as Asama prepared to give her opinion on this phenomenon, Horizon slowly reached for the floating hilt and pulled the entire thing out.

Silently and with gentle resistance, she produced Lype Katathlipse and placed it on a nearby table.

“…?”

She placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head. As an automaton, she seemed unable to accept this unexplained phenomenon connected to her, but Mitotsudaira raised a hand and gave her opinion.

“When you visited me earlier, you produced an apple and knife. Where did those come from?”

Horizon stopped moving. Eventually, she brought a hand to her forehead and mimed placing objects on the table and arranging them.

…''Oh, she’s recreating her actions with the apple.

After gathering the imagined plates, she brought them behind her.

She stopped once more and finally spoke with an emotionless voice.

“Really, now. What is going on, everyone?”

“Sh-she passed it on to us!!”

''Anyway,'' thought Asama. ''I know what this is.

“It goes by a variety of names depending on how the space is made, but I think she has created an alternate space for storage. It is the same technique Naito and Naruze use for their Technohexen outfits.”

“Horizon has been sleeping a lot lately, so do you think that was in order to install this ability? You could say she was repeatedly installing and rebooting,” said Naito. “She had optimized the entire process, so she didn’t even notice she was putting stuff in there. It was a part of her body, so she didn’t have to think about it.”

“Most likely,” agreed Asama while remembering something else she had noticed. “Horizon, you took part in the divine chat during the meeting between Lord Howard and Shirojiro on the diplomatic ship. At the time, I assumed you had made a contract somewhere, but you hadn’t, had you?”

The silver-haired automaton frowned and brought a hand to her chin once more. After a moment, she again recreated the moment by tapping at the empty air with her right hand.

“…?”

But nothing appeared there. She tried the same thing a few times, but the result was the same. Adele finally stopped her.

“This probably means that ability hasn’t been fully installed yet. Sign frames are at the base of the interface, so it’s probably especially complicated. The next time you fall asleep, it might be for this.”

“Judge. I have determined the same. They do say sleeping helps a child grow.”

''I suppose that is what it means for an automaton to “grow”,'' thought Asama. ''And this isn’t a mechanical upgrade. It’s more like the automatically developed updates of an intelligent weapon’s internal spell.

She felt the same was happening to Horizon.

…''But her ability goes farther than normal.

The event four days prior had happened so naturally that she had not noticed, but approval from a divine chat’s administrator was required to participate. Nevertheless, Horizon had cut in without it. The Asama Shrine managed the divine network, so Asama’s sign frame system was highly secure.

…''And yet she managed to cut in like it was nothing.

She belatedly realized just what it meant for Horizon to be an automaton built by Lord Motonobu, ruler of Mikawa. If Asama increased the security, Horizon would most likely update to match it.

“So, um, Horizon? Once you’re able to produce sign frames, please tell me. If I register you, it will cut down on problems and-…”

She trailed off because Horizon had crouched down and stuck her right arm into empty space up to the elbow. She rummaged around inside with a searching look and eventually placed some objects on the table.

“Oh? This is the book I was reading. And this is…a pillow?”

…''Isn’t she being a little too careless with this!?

She also produced a folded handkerchief, a textbook, a flyer for a sale, and some other things.

“Are you using it as a trash can?”

“Does it have a lid? You brought out some soap, but did the bath water flow inside? Is everything in there okay?”

As everyone gave their comments, Horizon hit the jackpot.

“Oh? What’s this?” she said. “Judge. Look. A bowl full of seaweed.”

Asama and the other girls fled from the room.

Twenty minutes later, those gathered in the party hall spoke up as someone arrived.

A stir filled the crowd as someone in a blue dress entered from the Far Eastern corridor. The blue showed off the long black hair and the dress had a simple design with few decorations and a second layer of white at the bottom of the skirt. To indicate peaceful intentions, the front of the skirt was clasped high, a decorative hat was worn deep over the face, and white cloths covered the neck and waist.

“Does that symbolize the clouds?”

The boys exchanged glances to hold each other in check.

“Long black hair and a flat chest. Is that Musashi’s rumored vice president?”

Many of them had been too far away to see during the daytime opening ceremony and a line of boys formed in front of the blue dress. Just as the dress gestured for them to approach by kissing the outfit’s white glove, Asama in her red suit-style Far Eastern outfit arrived with the others.

“Huh?” they reacted upon seeing the situation in progress.

While cheers washed over them, the girls exchanged frowning glances.

“Who is that?” asked a suspicious voice.

That was when Kimi appeared from the opposite corridor wearing a red dress. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief and spotted Asama’s group.

“You all are late. I had enough time to go sightseeing around the academy.”

“Well, um…”

Kimi followed Asama’s gaze and noticed the blue dress that had drawn a line of boys.

“Oh?”

She too tilted her head for a moment, but she actually called out to the blue dress.

“Foolish brother, why are you wearing Masazumi’s dress?”

“Eh?”

Everyone stopped moving and the blue dress removed the hat and a wig to reveal Toori’s frowning face below.

“C’mon, sis. Don’t give it away right when things are getting interesting.”

The hall filled with screams and shouts of protest.

While the boys hung their heads and fell to their knees, Masazumi finally grasped what was going on after entering late.

“That would explain why my outfit was a male ceremonial uniform with pants.”

It was white, likely as a contrast to Horizon’s black. As for how they had gotten mixed up…

…''When the Aoi sister explained the contents of the basket, I never checked whether it was right and left from my perspective or hers.

While the idiot had taken the dress without question, she was still at fault. However, that idiot was now standing amid the unmoving crowd of boys and he spread the leg portion of the dress.

“Being a girl is hard work! The waist is super tight and the crotch and butt are…how should I put it? They sit weird. The position doesn’t feel right. It can’t be like this all the time can it? Well, can it?”

…''Please don’t ask that while tapping on the shoulders of the people hanging their heads.

At any rate, Masazumi was glad Mitotsudaira had prepared a white version of her inner suit. The black camellia ribbons on the chest and ceremonial sword seemed like a bit much, though.

…''I swapped out the neck parts, but how does that work with a Mouse?

The baby anteater was asleep on the transport ship to heal and Asama had said it would not awaken for a while, but she was still worried.

The Aoi sister walked over, ignored Asama’s group while humming and smiling, and stopped in front of Masazumi. She suddenly lifted the other girl’s chin with a finger.

“Judge. The scar is gone. Did Mitotsudaira do that?”

''She can tell?'' thought Masazumi, but it was likely part of her skill with makeup.

She soon looked away from Masazumi.

“Asama, Adele, I will remain with Masazumi during the party, so you two stick with Mitotsudaira and Suzu. If they try to take any food, you get it for them. As we do not have official positions, our job is to wait on them.”

The sullen look on Mitotsudaira’s face suggested there was more to it than that. It was hidden with foundation, but her usual vigor was lacking. Asama could use purification spells, so she could provide support if something happened.

Masazumi asked the Aoi sister a question as Horizon entered the hall.

“Aoi sister, are you sure you shouldn’t stick with Horizon? And shouldn’t you have been the one to dress her?”

“Horizon has my foolish brother as a partner, so there is nothing to worry about. As for dressing her, I can enjoy that any day. Also, I have no official position, so she might have to change clothes for official business when I am not around in the future. She needs to be able to change even when she is all on her own.”

The Aoi sister pulled a change purse from between her breasts and stuck it between Horizon’s breasts.

“Wait a second,” said Masazumi while glaring at her.

“What is this?” asked Horizon with a tilt of the head.

“If a waiter does something for you, give them an arbitrary tip from there. You don’t need to if they are doing it as a favor, though. If you can’t determine which it is, ask my foolish brother, okay?”

“Judge.”

Horizon nodded and the Aoi sister rubbed her hair with her eyes bent in a smile.

“I’m sure you’ll head out to enjoy the festival tomorrow as well, so you can use that then too. My foolish brother will undoubtedly insist all his money is for buying souvenirs for everyone, so use that to enjoy yourselves. Think of it as an allowance from your big sister.”

“Stop showing off.”

Mitotsudaira glared at her, but the Aoi sister smiled indifferently.

“This is my special privilege.”

“Why?” asked Horizon. “Why are you being so kind to me, Kimi-sama?”

“Because you’re going to be my little sister.”

“That has yet to be determined.”

“That doesn’t matter.” The Aoi sister stroked along Horizon’s cheek and down to her chin. “Women can invest in their dreams for what others will become, while men can only invest in themselves. If I invest in you, it makes my dream more likely to come true. Al-so.” She tapped on Horizon’s cheek with each syllable of that word. “Come to our place on the surface sometime soon. You don’t have to come with my foolish brother. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Judge. You mean the shop owner’s house, don’t you? As long as it would not be a bother.”

As the two spoke, Asama and Mitotsudaira’s expressions stiffened. ''What is it?'' wondered Masazumi with a glance, but the two of them frantically shook their heads.

…''What’s that about?

Next, another stir filled the party hall. A girl in a golden dress appeared from the England-side corridor.

“It’s Fairy Queen Elizabeth. She’s come out fully equipped.”

[[Image:Horizon2B_0315.png|thumb]]

The girl wore the color gold.

Her blade-shaped crown thrust out forward and her English girls’ uniform was woven with golden cloth. Two decorated guarders floated above each shoulder and blades over a meter long hung down from them.

Blades were also attached to the hard points on the back of her waist. The total of six blades and the spreading skirt gave her a butterfly-like silhouette.

She moved gently and was accompanied by maids. Without circling to the hall’s seat of honor, she simply stood in the center.

“Now, then.”

She turned toward the gathering of Musashi students. She smiled once she spotted Musashi’s princess amid the dresses and ceremonial clothing, but her eyebrows soon moved slightly.

“Where is Musashi’s chancellor and student council president?”

“I’m right over here. What is it?”

Elizabeth turned around and found the boy in a blue dress who was already eating meat served on the bone. His crotch contained a tarbosaurus made from hard chocolate.

She stared at him for a good five seconds.

“Is Musashi’s representative a pervert!?”

“We can’t argue against that,” muttered the entire Musashi group while hanging their heads.

Meanwhile, the queen reached the throne at the seat of honor and glanced over at the idiot who was being dragged away by Asama and Futayo.

“Now, then.”

She cleared her throat once and slowly but clearly spoke.

“For the advancement of our two nations and academies, we will hold tonight’s party and inter-academy meeting.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 41|Chapter 41]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 43|Chapter 43]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 41

2015-04-18T20:29:03Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 41: Hermit on the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0279.png|thumb]]
''What naturally leaks out

''Even if it is hidden?

'''Point Allocation (Trouble)

White plaster buildings filled a town on a slope. Tres Españan flags could be seen below the blue sky. They were raised on the occasional simple signal at the narrow intersections, but none of the people, oxcarts, and carriages using the streets obeyed them. They all noisily travelled back and forth and up or down the rough stone paving.

Chairs were placed in front of the filthy houses lining the streets, but people were also sitting on the road as they passed the time. None of them had jobs, so they sat around talking, betting on dice throws, or playing card games.

Occasionally, a man holding a hunting horn by the ocean at the bottom of the slope would motion toward them. Whenever that happened, a street corner’s worth of men would walk to him.

They would descend toward the ocean and a while later carts would begin travelling along the road.

All of the slopes switched between the two states of standstill and motion.

Meanwhile, some figures ascended from the harbor.

There were three of them and they all wore filthy cloaks and hoods that had originally been white. The one in the lead was a dark-haired and short young man and he was followed by a brother and sister with blond hair.

The people who saw them would raise their eyebrows at first, but they would soon bend their eyes in a smile and call out to the short one up front. One raised a hand in greeting and noticed how the short young man’s feet disappeared before reaching the ground.

“Hey, what’s all this, Señor Bat? Did you take on some apprentices?”

“More or less. How have things been with you?”

“All the shipments from the New World have been a lifesaver. I thought about taking some of it for myself, but I was caught. I guess I got a little too greedy.”

“That’s for sure,” said those around him.

“Señor Bat” laughed and then asked a question.

“Is the King here?”

“Testament. Did you hear about it down below? He’s in the market. Sandro already lost and came back here. He went to all that trouble claiming he was undefeated in Hexagone Française.”

The man speaking with “Señor Bat” pulled a coin from his pocket and flicked it into the air.

“But talk isn’t enough when it comes to gambling.”

“Testament. But it can win you enough to cover the Millones, can’t it?”

“That it can.”

“Señor Bat” raised a hand toward the smiling men and continued down the road with the two siblings. A white domed building bearing Alcalá de Henares’s crest was visible on the western hill on the left side of the town.

That was the primary school building.

The three of them climbed the slight slope of the street while looking toward it.

As they did, the sister asked “Señor Bat” a question.

“Captain Takakane, why did they call you ‘Señor Bat’?”

“Oh, that,” replied Takakane. He continued facing forward while passing by a woman carrying some market goods home. “I haven’t actually revealed my identity. I’ve hidden it while playing here for a long time. More recently, I’ve been coaching a kid’s baseball team with Fusae. I seriously trained them to show I wasn’t doing it out of pity and they made it to the semi-finals in the previous tournament. Velá also comes down here to paint frescos when he wants a change of pace from doing nothing but history recreation paintings. …Juana doesn’t know about any of it, though.”

“It’s the first we’ve heard about it too. You told us to rely on Velázquez and we did so, but I didn’t know it went so far.”

“Well, now’s the time to learn. But don’t tell Juana or Gin. Juana’s too straight-laced and Gin should probably hear about it from Muneshige.”

“Testament,” agreed the sister as she occasionally looked around at the people of the city. “I’ve heard this area described as the slums for people who can’t even attend the academy.”

“Have you noticed anything about it?”

“Testament,” replied the Valdés sister as she looked around. “It’s nothing but humans and long-lived…no, humans and the half-lived who are a mix between human and long-lived.”

“Sister, I can’t tell the difference between long-lived and half-lived.”

“Hmm. I can kind of tell from their mannerisms.”

“Testament. That’s right,” said Takakane. “The half-lived are visually identical to the long-lived. Even I can only tell once they start to move. The half-lived tend to have shorter ears, but there is a fair difference between individuals and between different types of long-lived. For example, the forest types have short ears naturally. But anyway, the half-lived have the same lifespan as humans, so…”

So…

“The long-lived age over many long years and their actions adapt as their athletic abilities lower with age. In other words, their appearances and actions both age at a natural rate and they can be said to mature properly. However, the half-lived age just like a human, but their mind does not adapt in sync with the aging of their body. Compared to a pure-blooded long-lived, their actions are a lot like an aging person trying to act too young. That’s why the pure-blooded long-lived treat them as if there is something wrong with them and why they are only just barely allowed to exist under Tres España’s policies concerning purity. Simply put, they are persecuted.”

He took a breath.

“But it’s strange. No one here knows much about the academy or politics, but I can relax and discuss my favorite teams here. Around Henares, commenting on teams would get too much attention from the broadcast committee’s Sol Periódico.”

As he spoke, he left the street and found himself atop the low hill. This had once been a section of the city, but now the shops of an afternoon market were set up along benches built on the old building foundations.

More people were gathered here than on the streets and it was louder too. Most of the people moving here and there were women, but some men were gambling and talking at the ends of paths and the benches with no shop set up.

“Wow. So this is the afternoon market you can see from the academy. I always wanted to go see it.”

“Sister, did you want to visit it with your brother? You need more variety in your methods of expressing love. For example, you could make me food every so often. Lately, I have been quite fond of orange mousse. That is a good piece of brother trivia.”

“Before you start filling me with strange trivia as well, try to remember why we’re here,” said Takakane as he entered the market. “You wanted to know where the chancellor disappears to because you often have to run errands for him, didn’t you?”

He cut through the moving crowd of people and the other two followed with unsteady footing. They spotted some normal people here and there, but young students were by far the most common.

However…

“Brother, people do know what our chancellor looks like, don’t they?”

“Sister, have you forgotten how much trouble Lady Juana goes through every time he makes a public appearance?”

“But…” The Valdés sister pointed through a gap in the people surrounding a bench up ahead. “That’s the chancellor, isn’t it? He’s completely blending in with the people here.”

The middle aged man named Segundo wore a worn-out shirt and sat on the edge of a bench with one knee raised. His hair was loosely parted to the side and three chess boards were placed beyond his bare feet.

Even under the afternoon sun, he did not reach for the glass of water next to him as he faced the three men on the other side of the boards.

Occasionally, he would push his old glasses up his nose and make a move.

As he moved pieces on the left, right, and then middle boards, the people began to whisper.

“He’s won the right and middle ones.”

“How can he do so well without knights or a queen?”

Amid the commotion of voices, the three opponents’ lowered heads grew even lower. The bearded man on the left who had yet to be defeated brought a hand to his forehead.

“Oh, damn. I’ve lost my escape route.”

He raised both hands overhead to conceded defeat, a cheer filled the surrounding people, and money changed hands.

But just as the bearded man was about to clean up the left chess board, Segundo stopped him.

“Can someone tell him how he can turn this game around? I would bet on him.”

“Eh?” said the bearded man.

A smile filled Segundo’s eyes beyond his glasses.

“You still have a chance. You know how to take on a challenge, but you also need to know how not to give up.”

“I’m not sure if I can say testament to that,” he said. “But if our King says so, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Good, good. Avoid thinking about unpleasant things. Remember: ‘If we have money, we’ll use it. We’ll give in to our passions, have a party, and forget everything unpleasant.’ So let’s have some fun.”

“All right then,” said the bearded man as he rolled up his sleeves.

Meanwhile, a young man who appeared to be a student sat down to be the next challenger. The surrounding crowd of people split apart and Segundo spotted someone beyond them.

Takakane stood there in filthy white clothing.

Takakane took a breath and turned toward the Valdés siblings.

“Well, I’ve shown you where he goes, so come find him yourselves in the future. I’ll give you some money this time, so buy something you like and head back. Just make sure you use the same path as on the way here.”

The siblings seemed confused by that, so he smiled bitterly.

“There are some thieves around these parts. Once they see how you buy things, they’ll know you aren’t from here or anywhere like here and they’ll target you. They won’t as long as I’m with you, though.”

“Testament. So that’s why we came up from the harbor without even trying to hide. We’ll be careful. …Anyway, Captain Takakane, should the chancellor really be doing this? Do none of them realize it’s him?”

“A lot of them probably do. They probably recognize me as well. But he speaks to them as if they don’t, so they play along. More importantly, the commander is pretty well-known around these parts.”

“Has it been that way for a long time?”

“You know about the Lepanto, right?”

“Testament,” replied the Valdés brother.

He glanced over at the old weapon displayed alongside the market’s sign.

“That was a battle from twenty five years ago, before we were even born. It was meant to double as the Battle of Itsukushima and…” He hesitated. “Captain Takakane, in accordance with the history recreation, you fought under Sue, head of Tres Portugal, and died in the battle. For the recreation, you killed Captain Fusae when Mouri falsely accused her of treason and then you died in the Battle of Itsukushima itself.”

“But as a defense, both of you had double inherited names, right? You had España’s General Pérez de Guzmán and Captain Fusae had Admiral Álvaro de Bazán of the Lepanto.”

“Sister, people do not remain as ghosts because they have a double inherited name.”

The sister turned toward her brother in surprise.

“Brother, why are you being so serious? Are you trying to suck up to him!?”

“Sister, your recent insanity has me worried. Anyway, Captain Takakane, the two of you fought under Sue Harukata, the famous commander who controlled Tres Portugal, but Sue was also killed in the battle and Portugal fell to Tres España as history dictated.”

“Testament. That’s right. A lot happened between the two of us in that battle. It’s how we ended up in our current relationship.”

“I get that the Battle of Lepanto brought about your relationship, but what exactly happened? Can you tell us more about it?”

“What is this? Are you from the broadcast committee or something?” asked Takakane.

“Well…” The Valdés sister smiled without a hint of shyness. “You and Fusae always refuse to tell us.”

“There’s no point in telling you. Both sides of that double battle were a tough fight. At the time, Tres España, England, and M.H.R.R. got along well and Tres España was closely-connected to K.P.A. Italia, so Hexagone Française was surrounded on all sides. They used the Battle of Itsukushima to open a hole there and that made it a much harder fight, but there was one other reason for it.”

Namely…

“The Ottomans hadn’t been fully taken over by Oda at that point, and Suleiman ordered them to take the invasion even further than the history recreation required. Their plan was to win the battle but admit defeat to obtain a political victory. The fiercest fighting against the Ottomans happened where Velá, the commander, and a lot of poorly trained troops were. The Lepanto was said to be a huge success, but that’s because only the good things were recorded in the history books.”

“…”

The siblings were dumbfounded and a bitter smile entered Takakane’s voice.

“From what I’ve heard, the Lepanto was really bad. Velá only left behind a sketch, but it was a complete massacre. After all, the enemy defended with iron-reinforced ships that completely outdid our charging galleys and then began their big invasion. In both Itsukushima and the Lepanto, the front lines were used as shields and the rowers in the bellies of the Lepanto galleys died without being able to do anything.”

His bitter smile grew into a real smile.

“And those people were the half-lived you see here and their relatives.”

“Th-then the chancellor is here because of that?”

“Do you believe me?” asked Takakane. “During the Lepanto, there was an unknown commander who led many half-lived to safety but lost something truly precious of his own. If you believe me, then hurry on back. It’s too soon for the two of you to play here.”

In a dimly-lit ship corridor, everyone was gathered while holding their breath.

They were just outside the medical room of the Musashi transport ship that had crashed in England.

Three people stood directly in front of the door while the rest of the group was gathered halfway down the corridor.

Kimi held a basket of bloody bandages and Toori and Horizon faced her.

Kimi lowered her head a bit, but she faced her brother as she spoke.

“Listen, foolish brother. I am going to open this door, so are you sure you’re prepared for whatever you might find?”

“Sis, is Nate doing that bad?”

“Judge.” Kimi’s eyebrows lay flat and she nodded. “She definitely isn’t doing well. But she has resolved herself in a way, so don’t give any weird reactions, okay? When you see how bad she’s doing, make sure you don’t say ‘unh!’ or ‘owah!’! Don’t do it, okay!? You have to resist!”

“Sis! Sis! Is it just me or does that sound exactly like something I’d say!?”

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, do you really think a sister would betray her brother’s expectations!? I have to go dobaaan! Dovaaan!”

“Ohhh! I don’t have the slightest idea what that means, but it did a perfect job of getting across how hopeless you are! Anyway, sis, is Nate really not doing good?”

“Heh heh. Worried? Then go find out for yourself.”

Kimi placed a hand on the door and took in a breath.

“Now!!”

She flung the door open to reveal Mitotsudaira sitting naked on the bed as she changed clothes.

For a moment, Mitotsudaira was unable to react to the motion and noise from the door to the side of the bed.

The opened space revealed a dark corridor, Toori who was giving her a thumbs up, Horizon who was doing the same, and Kimi who was peeking in.

“See! Do you see, foolish brother!? Poor Mitotsudaira had her breasts worn down so much in her duel that she’s left with that flat chest!”

An instant later, a scream was accompanied by Musashi’s chancellor crashing through three walls and arriving in a corridor on one side of the transport ship. After he rolled along, struck the opposite wall, and bounced off, the people in the corridor stopped only for a moment and quickly stepped over him as if nothing had happened.

“Wh-what is this!?”

While Mitotsudaira held up a side table in her right hand for the second shot and hid her body with the sheets, the battered uniform-wearing boy returned through the smashed wall while laughing.

“It’s been a while since I took a hit like that! I let my guard down, so I didn’t get enough boke in there. Damn, that hurt. Ah ha ha ha!”

It was unclear whether he was in pain or happy, so Mitotsudaira gave into her emotions and glared at the idiot.

“Wh-why are you barging in while I’m changing!?”

“Judge,” replied Horizon.

She looked back and forth between Mitotsudaira and the idiot, slowly removed the door with her gravitational control, held the door, and glared out from behind it.

“Y-you thief of a wolf!”

“Um…the door? Really, the door! I’m changing! Why are you even here!?”

“We came to see you before you could hide your injuries, Nate.”

His casual comment caused the side table to slip from her hand. She had been using her powerful grip to hold it in her palm, so it flew from her hand like a grape from its skin.

“Ah.”

In her rush to grab the falling side table, the sheets fell from her body and the idiot let out a shout.

“Owah!”

An instant later…

The idiot returned while laughing again, but he did not stop at the entrance and actually entered the room. Horizon followed and the scent of their hair filled Mitotsudaira with confusion and another realization.

…''They are safe.

That was likely the others’ doing. She called herself a knight, but she had barely managed to hold off a single enemy.

In that theatre space, she had lost consciousness from lack of oxygen after holding Walsingham in the water, but Naito had been healing her in a carriage when she had woken up.

From what Naito had said, she had been sleeping atop the fountain’s stone structure along with the broken silver chains. It seemed Walsingham had withdrawn by releasing the theatre space.

…''But based on the damage we took, that was essentially my loss.

According to Kimi, Naruze’s chicken meat had been badly injured, a wife had rescued her, and Tenzou had fallen for a girl and had a foreign object inserted into him. However, Mitotsudaira did not understand what that crazy person was talking about. Tenzou may have been unable to resist and committed a minor crime, but Naruze had been fighting without her Weiss Fräulein. It seemed the Technohexen had lost, but she must have done enough seeing as their king was unharmed.

…''And here I am pretending to be a knight.

She could not bear to face them and it showed in her actions. While pretending to hide her body, she pulled up the sheet and buried half her face in the white cloth’s scent.

As she hung her head, a hand suddenly touched her hair. She gasped and trembled as she felt a grasping and stroking sensation reach her scalp through the hair.

“There, there, there. You put up a good fight.”

She took in a breath and tensed her shoulders at the idiot’s voice.

“N-no, I did not.”

“Judge. But it was thanks to your efforts that Toori-sama and I were able to speak with each other and that Toori-sama was able to decide on his policy for Musashi.”

“I didn’t-…”

“To be more precise, if any one person had been missing, Toori-sama would likely have become my shield.”

“Ehhh? Couldn’t you get them with your Logismoi Óplo?”

“We cannot rely on that.”

Mitotsudaira relaxed her shoulders and looked up. The idiot was sitting on the side table and stroking her head while Horizon was sitting on the bed.

Horizon’s calm eyes were looking directly towards her and the automaton’s lips parted.

“By the way, Mitotsudaira-sama, I must apologize. We all had a discussion a moment ago and we determined that your excessive excitement that led to this dreadful fate was due to the yakiniku power from four days ago that had yet to fully fade. I think I may have cooked too much meat for you.”

“Listen, all of you out there in the corridor! I’m going to remember this for later!!”

Shouts and fleeing footsteps filled the corridor.

“Honestly,” she sighed as the noises faded into the distance.

She held the sheet in her left arm, raised her head, and removed his hand from her hair with a twinge of regret. She then fixed her hair behind her.

“I insist on attending the party. I cannot let England underestimate us.”

“Are you that excited about being able to eat as much you want? Just make sure to rest afterwards, Nate.”

She did not feel like responding. As a knight, there were times when she should listen to her king’s ideas and times when she should not. That was especially true in an area that could become enemy territory at a moment’s notice.

…''The kingdom of non-humans. It certainly lives up to the name in its way of completely transforming without warning.

She felt her awareness had grown soft to be thinking that now.

“Hey, hey, hey. No getting bloodthirsty, Nate. You were growling deep in your throat.”

“I was not.”

She was brought back to reality in an instant, but then she detected a scent she recognized from her clan’s company.

“Why do you have nail polish?”

The idiot lined up a few different colors on the edge of the side table.

“Nate, Cool White will work, won’t it?”

“Judge. That would be the one I would use.”

He grabbed her hand and she grew flustered despite knowing what he was going to do

“Eh? Wait. What are you doing?”

“Don’t get so down, Nate.”

The nails of the hand he held were split.

“Sis told me that werewolf races have nerves and blood vessels in their nails, just like dogs and wolves do in their claws. With your nails split, you couldn’t use the silver chains or fight very well, could you? So don’t get so down. I’ll heal them by hardening them with nail polish just like sis said to.”

“Eh? Wait… Kimi!”

She turned toward the corridor and saw Kimi making some form of gesture with both hands. Mitotsudaira initially thought she was saying to give up, but then she formed two large arcs in the space in front of her chest.

…''I-I don’t understand at all!!

Her astonishment created enough of an opening for the idiot to start with the nail polish.

“~ ~ ~!”

She trembled as the small brush traced across the nerves in her split and sensitive nails. It felt like having her wound licked, but she also felt heat and an itching pain she could not ignore.

A ticklish feeling spread from her fingertip to the core of her body.

…''I-I have to resist.

If she opened her mouth, she would never live down the noise she produced. And if she acted reflexively to this sensation, the idiot would be seriously injured. The most she could do was pull in the sheet with her left hand and bite down on it to endure.

He then did the next finger.

“…!!”

“Oh, it’s going on there good. Okay, I’m gonna do the other fingers and the other hand. …Does it hurt?”

She did not have the leeway to answer, but he gave a small smile.

“Yeah. Stay, stay. Bear with it, okay?”

He chose for her, but she could not decide whether she should speak up in protest or not.

As she continued to bite the sheet, Horizon pulled an apple and knife from somewhere and began peeling the apple. A plate had already been prepared, but Horizon’s action seemed odd to Mitotsudaira.

…''Huh?

Horizon was peeling the apple with the blade pointed outwards and the idiot soon noticed as well.

“Horizon, that’s my moms’ special skill, so you probably shouldn’t copy it.”

“Really? But she can peel the entire apple in a single, long slice like this.”

“She’s a legit samurai, so she has some weird policy about never pointing a blade toward herself. Most people point it inwards cause it’s easier.”

Mitotsudaira nodded in agreement and spoke up despite thinking it was unnecessary.

“The best method is to twist the hand holding the knife and press the apple against it while twist- hyan!”

“Twisthyan? Mitotsudaira-sama, I do not understand your instruction.”

The idiot was working on her ring finger, so she could not reply. She could only bite on the sheet as she felt a ticklish sensation scratching through her body from below her fingernail and down her arm.

“Foolish brother,” called Kimi from the corridor. “Do her toenails as well. Inconsistency is the sign of a terrible woman.”

…''Eh? My feet too!?

She looked up hesitantly and found him frowning.

“Hmm. I don’t think I’d do very good with the feet.”

“What? Why not?”

“When sis gets out of the bath, she has me do it because she’s too stiff, but it must tickle because she always starts laughing, falls out of her chair, and kicks me.”

…''Wh-what have you been doing!?

While she thought that for a variety of reasons, he tilted his head.

“Should I do it?”

She thought on that question for a moment, covered her head in the white sheet, and silently stuck her feet out from under the cloth.

The sun set and 5:00 PM approached.

Lights were already lit in the hall leading from Oxford Academy’s entrance.

The light seemed to warm the chill of evening and the center of the hall was left empty while the four sides were filled with tables, platters of food, and plates.

The hall continued far beyond the queen’s seat of honor. The ceiling was tall and darkness filled the farthest areas which reached over 100 meters back. At the border between the darkness and the queen’s seat, the emblem of England and Oxford hung as a flag and provided color to the entire hall.

Musicians wearing English uniforms were lined up on either side of the hall and were currently tuning their instruments.

“…”

A group appeared from the left corridor. Those representatives of England wore formal uniforms and included the old, young, male, female, and non-human. They shrugged, slapped each other on the back, and gradually filled the hall with noise and motion.

However, they all looked toward the corridor on the right as they passed the time.

That corridor led to a waiting room where Musashi’s representatives would be preparing.

The party preparations were complete, so there was nothing to do but wait for it to start.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 40|Chapter 40]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 42|Chapter 42]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 40

2015-04-18T20:28:01Z

68.109.59.216:

==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 to 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 means 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 our 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>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 38

2015-04-18T20:26:35Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 38: Users of the Plaza==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0187.png|thumb]]
''What is it one must know

''In order to come to a realization?

'''Point Allocation (Decision)

A stone plaza had a fountain in the center, was surrounded by tall buildings, and connected major roads.

Two people sat on the stone structure surrounding the fountain. One was a boy and the other a girl. The girl was a silver-haired automaton wearing a sleeveless English uniform and a feathered hat. The boy wore a black Far Eastern uniform.

The girl looked toward the festival stands surrounding the plaza.

“What do we do now that we have gone around and seen the center of the city, Toori-sama?”

“Judge. Listen carefully, Horizon. According to sis’s manual, I sit next to you like this, nonchalantly put my arm around your shoulder, and whisper something to put you in the mood!”

Horizon placed her elbow on Toori’s shoulder and stared at him with half-lidded eyes.

“The arm on the shoulder? You mean like this? …Well, Toori-sama? Is this fun? What mood has it put you in?”

“D-dammit. This is what you call the mood of a loser!”

Toori went on to pull the B5 size parchment of the date manual from his pocket and tilted his head.

“Strange. According to sis’s instructions, we should’ve kissed liked three times by now.”

“To be honest, I suspect Kimi-sama’s strategy is accurate and it is the application of that strategy that has failed. For example, it says here to ‘show off your good side at the live ammunition shooting range and increase her appreciation of you’, but a certain idiot could not hit any of the targets, peered down the barrel while wondering aloud if the gun actually had any bullets in it, and caused even the game runner to flee. Everyone thought you were committing suicide after doing so poorly at the game.”

“Huh? I thought they all loved the gag. The game runner even gave me a stuffed doll. Look, it’s the messy-eating version of Reddy the Evil Fairy Teletub.”

“I am amazed they recreated those fairies from the records found in some ruins. There is truly great depth to England.”

“Anyway,” said Toori as he checked the manual and the notes the girls had given him.

Unfortunately, most of those notes were honest advice along the lines of “do anything weird and I’ll punish you”.

He leaned back in thought, took a deep breath, and turned toward Horizon.

“With no tsukkomi or other intrusions, I’ve got a pretty good advantage here, don’t you think?”

“Judge. This means there is nothing to soften my blows and no one you can flee to. It takes a lot of naïveté to see that and think it gives you an advantage.”

“Huh? So to you…”

Toori started asking his question, scratched his head, and continued a bit awkwardly.

“To you, everyone’s ''my'' ally?”

Horizon responded quietly to Toori’s question.

“I have not been around them long enough to divide them into the category of ally. But at the moment, the only ones I have confirmed to be my friends are the brown algae creatures and Masazumi-sama.”

“What about my sis?”

“Kimi-sama has large breasts and is one of my caretakers. Although my #1 caretaker would be the shop owner.”

“I see.” Toori nodded and continued. “What about our teacher?”

“Judge. She has large breasts and is a teacher who loves meat.”

“Asama?”

“Judge. She has large breasts and is a shrine maiden who likes shooting people.”

“You’re right on all counts, so why do I feel like I’m gonna have people mad at me later? …And why do you use breasts as the first criterion?”

“Judge. That is a standard theorem of the universe,” declared the automaton. “Listen. This is a very difficult concept. After all, Greek philosopher and mathematician Archimedes sought a formula to find the shape of beautiful breasts, but a great theorem of the universe would never produce a number mere humans can fully understand. Nevertheless, Archimedes found a tentative formula and named it pi. The people were so impressed that a custom was born of repeating ‘Oh! Pi! Oh! Pi!’ again and again. Thus whenever someone speaks of breasts<ref>Using the Japanese word “oppai”.</ref> they are touching on a great truth and mystery of the universe. By the way, this will be on the test.”

“Nwohhh! The joke ended before I could get a word in edgewise!”

Toori began cursing and punching the stone structure on the opposite side from her, but seemed satisfied as soon as he expressed his regret like that.

“Anyway,” he said. “Wh-who do you say has the biggest chest in the class?”

“Are you planning to grope their chest?”

“Yeah!” he immediately replied.

“That would clearly be Persona-kun,” she replied calmly. “And I will not forgive you until you grope his chest.”

“I-I walked right into that one! Right into it!”

But the idiot quickly recovered and asked another question.

“Wh-what about Shiro?”

“Judge. He has small breasts and-…”

“Y-you use that for the guys too!? Of course he’s got small breasts! With that logic, I’ve got a flat chest!”

“Judge. But there are well-endowed males such as Ohiroshiki-sama, so any decision about this must be made strictly and carefully. To continue my description of Bertoni-sama, he is also a stingy money-lover.”

“Yeah, you won’t find any argument on that one. So, um…what about Tenzou?”

“Who?”

“Th-that’s just mean! Or is it a compliment since he’s a ninja!?”

Toori continued asking for Horizon’s opinions of people and eventually came across a certain individual.

“What about Bell-san?”

“Judge. She has fairly small breasts and no ability to see, but she works hard to ensure it is not a problem. Oh, but it is not the small breasts part I am saying could be a problem. The same goes for Adele-sama.”

“Th-that subdued kind of cruelty is making me shudder, Horizon! So do you ever want to take Bell-san’s hand and help her out?”

“Judge. The desire to help people is natural for automatons.”

Toori smiled when he heard that and Horizon frowned.

“Why are you smiling? I do not understand.”

“I just realized again that you’re really Horizon.”

“Judge. Logically speaking, I cannot be anything other than that. But, Toori-sama.” Horizon asked a question. “What has caused that expression that I will call a ‘slight smile’ based on previous patterns?”

“It makes me smile that you’re Horizon. Is that not enough?” Toori continued smiling. “It’s the same as eating.”

Horizon tilted her head and then gave an extra tilt of the head.

“Eating? Once you eat something, it disappears.” She stood up, looked around at the surrounding festival stands, and nodded toward Toori. “This festival will not last forever either. It will end and then disappear. …In fact, I can determine that there is nothing that does not end. In the same way, even the closest of friends will grow estranged once distance is put between them from graduation or moving to a new home.

“And in those and all other things, losing them will only bring sorrow. What purpose is there in obtaining, doing, and participating in those things? I do not wish to feel sad, so the best option is to live a reliable life day in and day out. If I associate with the bare minimum of people and obtain the bare minimum of meaning in my life, isn’t that enough?”

She took a breath.

“Toori-sama, you stated that you wish for me to gain an interest in my emotions, but emotions are produced by an object or existence. They are based on the assumption that you will hold a relationship to something else. Sorrow, for example, is produced upon the loss of such a relationship. All relationships will be lost in the end, so it is unavoidable. In that case…”

In that case…

“I see no need for these ‘emotions’ that are needed to hold a relationship with something. Holding a relationship with someone or something will eventually bring the sorrow of parting. I do not wish to experience sorrow, so I will reject all else as well. I will reject my other emotions as well as my relationships with people or things. What do you say to that?” she asked. “If it will be lost and bring sorrow in the end, is there any meaning in possessing the other emotions and the relationships needed to feel those emotions?”

Horizon asked her question.

“Toori-sama, I have heard you almost lost me once and I can guess that you felt the emotion of sorrow at that time, so what about this?”

She asked.

“If you are with me, you will eventually lose me again and feel sorrow. Do you still wish for a relationship with me despite that?”

She turned toward Toori, but he was no longer on the stone structure. Wondering where he went, she looked down and found him crouching by her right side. He seemed to be tying the stuffed doll to the right hard point at her waist.

“Please stop. I do not need that.”

“Why not?”

“I will eventually lose it and it is not necessary for my daily life, so I do not need it.”

“Tch. If you just said you didn’t need things you’ll eventually lose, I was gonna negotiate you out of those clothes you’ll eventually lose.”

“Is that so?”

He finished tying the doll on and he stood up and smiled at her while she felt the slight bit of unnecessary weight.

“It’s true that this’ll be covered in dust in a month even if you take it off and store it. And after a while you’d stop looking at it and might even throw it out.”

“Judge. Then what purpose is there in obtaining such a thing? Are you forcing sorrow onto me?”

“Maybe so,” said Toori. “But you’ll remember I gave you this and that you wore it even after you lose it, won’t you?”

“Judge. An automaton’s memory is perfect. Yes, during the festival preparations, you would always look up at Masazumi-sama’s butt as she climbed the ladder. A total of 23 times, was it?”

“No, it was 25 times. The 7th and 15th times you weren’t there, so- I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Horizon-sama. …Huh, my memory’s pretty damn good too, isn’t it?”

“I see. So not only do you change the subject, but this is what you bring up.”

“Y-you were the one that brought it up!!”

“That is within the margin of error. …At any rate, what meaning is there in my memory?”

“Well.” Toori scratched his head. “I’m not quite sure how to say it, but I was really down when you died way back then and I recovered pretty well thanks to sis and those other horrible people. Anyway, I realized something back then.”

Namely…

“Even without you around, I found myself thinking about what you would say or do if you had been there.”

“Meaning?”

“Judge,” said Toori. “Even if you’ve completely vanished, you’re still with me.”

Toori gave his answer.

“If I lose you, I’ll be sad. I’ve got the emotion of sorrow after all. But even as a kid, I had various types of relationships with you, I spoke with you, we touched each other, we spent time with each other, and I learned to a certain extent what kind of person you were. And because of that, I had more than just the sorrow after I lost you. Even after that, ''the version of you that I knew'' was still with me.”

He looked up in the air a little before continuing.

“Even as I got taller, I stayed an idiot, but the people around me got more mature. All the things the Horizon inside me could do or had wanted to do, I could do with all the others. And as we did them again and again, I started having a thought. I decided it was about time I let you go free. I’d kept the kid Horizon with me to keep me from being sad, but just as she couldn’t grow up with us, I also couldn’t change what she was for my own convenience. So once I gather the Logismoi Óplo and return them to the Horizon inside me, I decided to give my old self to you.”

“Your old self?”

Toori nodded as she asked what that meant.

“I’d place my monument next to yours and then continue on as the next me somewhere else. I wouldn’t be redoing it; I’d be continuing on. I’d make sure to say thanks to the old me and to you, but then I’d find a new person like you. …Don’t tell anyone else,” urged Toori. “I haven’t told anyone about that part. Although there’s a good chance they’ve caught on.”

“Judge. I understand. This topic is no longer necessary.” Horizon continued. “But does that mean you are maintaining this relationship with me so that you can memorize all of my behavior patterns and thus have no problem with losing me? Are you ensuring you can create a mental replacement for me if I am lost?”

She touched the doll at her waist.

“Then it should be enough to show my reaction to each set of circumstances once and maintain the bare minimum of a relationship. And once you have gathered all of those patterns, you will be fine with me dying.”

“That isn’t it.” Toori was still smiling. “I’m not having fun with you so I’ll be fine with you dying. It’s the opposite. If we have fun, there’ll naturally be something left over even if you suddenly die.”

“But,” said Horizon. “How can I obtain the emotion of ‘fun’?”

Horizon spoke.

“The Logismoi Óplo has given me the negative emotion of sorrow. It has not given me a positive emotion. In that case, gathering the Logismoi Óplo will only provide me with negative emotions.”

In that case…

“I do not need that.”

Those direct words were accompanied by something.

“…”

Tears spilled out.

In saying she did not need that, she determined that she was weak. The Logismoi Óplo were made from her emotions, but she did not want that part of herself if they were negative emotions.

She felt it was right to reject herself, yet she wondered who would need her if even she did not want herself.

“That’s why I’m bringing back your emotions, Horizon.”

“…?”

She wiped away her tears and saw him buying a few skewered roast apples from a nearby festival stand and placing them in a bag.

She took the slice he held out toward her and she placed it in her mouth to hide that she was crying.

“Is it good?”

“Judge.” She nodded and thought about how to answer his question. “It is strongly acidic, but the cooking brings out a strong sweetness as well. I have determined it falls in the category of delicious.”

“All right!”

Toori gave a thumbs-up to the old man running the stand. The man returned the thumbs-up, grinned, and pulled a fresh apple from below the stand.

“Here, if this is your first time tasting it, try one that isn’t cooked. If you like it, head to the market. Raw, they’re more suited to salads, so buy some vegetables to go with them. Also, don’t make a lady cry.”

“Sure thing.”

Toori caught the thrown apple, tapped Horizon on the shoulder, and pushed on her back so they could slowly walk across the plaza.

“Do you dislike negative emotions, Horizon?”

“Judge. Sorrow alone is painful enough.”

“Then you do have a positive emotion.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he said. “If you only had the negative emotion, you’d accept it without opposition and you’d give yourself into it. But you’re opposing it. That means you have positive emotions.”

“Then…” Horizon threw her question out to him while placing a hand on her own chest. “What are positive emotions!?”

She took a breath.

“What is the positive emotion I gained along with the emotion of sorrow?”

She received a definite answer to her question and it came as he scratched at his head.

“I don’t know that either.”

She truly considered punching him there.

Toori sensed a sort of killer intent coming from the automaton standing next to him.

She silently glaring at him as usual, but he felt this was especially bad. It was bad enough to bring an odd sweat to his back.

“Horizon? Um, uh… Horizon?”

“You do not need to say it twice. What is it? Yes, what is it?”

He tried to think up an excuse, but she said something else before he could.

“Are you saying you want to die? Is that it? Oh? Is that sweat on your brow? Are you returning your moisture to the atmosphere before you die? How ecological of you.”

…''I-I shouldn’t have said anything! I’ve been turned into an experiment in death ecology!!

He mentally began sweating blood and tried to think up an answer to the question that had started this.

…''But I can’t possibly know the answer.

He felt trying to hide his ignorance was the worst thing he could do. He would rather be known as an idiot than someone who pretended to know more than he did. After all, that way he would not be lying.

“Toori-sama, have you been taking me along with you over something you did not understand yourself?”

“W-want some more roast apple?”

''Ah, I’m trying to avoid the issue,'' he realized, but his life was at risk here.

After a few seconds, Horizon’s expression remained the same yet she spoke up.

“Judge. I will take a slice.”

As soon as she took the slice of apple, she became enveloped by the color white.

It was a flock of doves. The white doves began picking at the skewered roast apple in her hand.

“…!?”

Horizon did not know what to do.

Toori had transferred ownership of the skewered roast apple to her, so it was hers. However, the doves were already pecking at it.

…''From both a sanitary and quantity perspective, I am at a disadvantage.

She came to the following conclusion about the current situation.

…''The doves approached for the food I am holding.

She wore an English uniform and the hat had feather decorations. Her hair color was also similar to them, so she had enough for them to let down their guard.

However, the word “but” entered her thoughts. After all, this was something that had never happened in her normal life. There were only a small number of birds on the Musashi and there were certainly not this many white doves.

…''And do birds really get this close?

Animals that could fly and escape her grasp were drawn in by food. This could be easily recreated, but was it worth remembering? Not only was there no purpose in remembering it, but losing food like this was a negative.

“Then…”

What was she supposed to do now? She only knew one thing for sure.

“Toori-sama.”

“Hm? What is it? Actually, are you okay buried under there? Oh, come to think of it, this is dove play, isn’t it!? D-damn! I want to become a dove and peck at your breasts as a messenger of peace!”

Her punch landed even through the flock of doves, so all was well.

However, the doves did not leave her. Horizon decided to give up on the apple because Toori still had two skewers left that they could split between the two of them.

She began using her arms to manipulate the flock of doves. The largest dove that was likely their boss was near her hand and it would occasionally kick away the other doves.

But that was wrong. The doves likely had their own procedure for who got the food, but Horizon did not care.

…''This is my space, so even the boss dove must obey me.

She held the skewer in her right hand, warned off the boss and other larger doves with her left, and gave some space for the smaller doves that flew to her arm. The boss and other larger ones wandered around down below to grab the pieces that fell from the skewer, so the flock was split into an upper and lower group.

“Oh, there you are.”

The idiot caught sight of her from the other side.

…''He has done nothing despite my troubles with the doves, so he is less Mr. Impossible and more Mr. Incompetent.

“Hey, Horizon.”

“What is it?” she asked while listening to the flapping of dove wings.

“Are you sad now?”

Horizon tilted her head at that question. She was nowhere near sad at the moment, so why would he be asking that?

“I am not sad, but why do you ask?”

“Because, Horizon,” he said with a smile spreading horizontally on his lips. “If you aren’t sad, it means you’re happy.”

Toori himself was not sure if that was the case.

However…

“You probably haven’t noticed because you started from nothing. Nothing is normal for you, but that’s not actually the case. People normally have all sorts of emotions in reaction to things.”

“Really?”

Really.

“It catches you off guard. You’ll be walking beside me with your breasts shaking and boom! I’ll spot the side of your breasts from under your arm and wham! You’ll crouch over and your legs- I-I’m sorry! I got carried away!”

“Just continue.”

“Fine, fine,” said Toori while cautiously prostrating. “I don’t know if the deadly sin emotion is giving you this emotion of rejection or if something that was left inside you is reacting to the deadly sin emotion, but you have a desire to resist the deadly sin emotion.”

“And the emotion in opposition to sorrow is…?”

“That’s right.” Toori thought about the past and answered Horizon’s question. “It’s the desire for the happiness of not being sad. It’s a ridiculously luxurious emotion that lets you feel happy with nothing at all.”

He could not put it to words well, but he tried.

“You could call it the status quo.”

“The status quo.”

It was not the easiest explanation, but Horizon understood what he meant.

He was referring to the feeling of ease when released from a state of sorrow.

…''I once…

She had once felt pain upon gaining the emotion of sorrow and realizing what it meant to lose her father. Toori had been by her side then and he had helped her with it.

…''But can I really say I endured it?

Even now, she would occasionally think of her father and criticize herself for not thinking anything or doing anything when they had crossed paths or even before that.

…''Am I…

She raised her arm to lift the flock of doves and she asked a question with their flapping wings hiding her expression.

“Am I a cruel person for not feeling the same pain as before and not crying when I think about my father now?”

“The truly cruel one is any parent that wants to bind their kid by having them never stop crying. Parents are the people who tell you not to just cry forever.”

She heard his words through the white feathers.

“You’ve stopped crying because you’re resisting the sorrow. And your dad didn’t die to make you sad. He was telling someone to gather your emotions and save the world from the apocalypse.”

“Then I…”

“Don’t rush things, Horizon. A performer who immediately jumps at any new material will never master any material. …Wait. Does that apply to me and how I immediately jumped at the new material of the Logismoi Óplo at Mikawa!? It does, doesn’t it!?”

“…”

“A-are you mad!? Don’t get mad, Horizon!”

“I do not have the emotion of anger. Stop deciding things for me.”

“You seem really mad to me!!”

“Anyway,” she muttered.

The apple must have lost its shape because the doves began settling down and the flock felt much heavier without all the flapping.

“Are you saying I have positive emotions to oppose the negative emotions I might obtain and I have simply not noticed because I started with nothing?”

“Judge. If you suddenly tell an amateur to laugh, he can’t do it. This is the same.”

He then changed the subject.

“By the way, Horizon, once you’ve calmed down some, let’s make a grave for your dad. To say it again, he didn’t die to make you sad. It can wait until you aren’t sad anymore, but we’ll be super busy with all the fun stuff we’ll be doing and we’ll need a reminder to make sure we don’t forget that cruel dad of yours. When you have it in you, you can go look at it and feel sad. And once you stop feeling sad, we can greet him during the Bon festival or New Years. I can tell him what fun stuff we’ve been up to. Or is ‘stuff’ too casual for that? I’m sure it’s fine when telling him I’m his son-in-law, right!? I can call him d-dad!!”

That boy would sometimes enter his own world and not return. This was one of those times.

As Horizon stared at him along with the doves, he finally returned.

“Amazing! A perfect score! …Anyway, that’s what we can do! What do you think!?”

“Even when you emphasize it like that, I do not understand.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine.” The idiot held out a hand to stop her and spoke. “You’ll be fine, Horizon. I know you can oppose any negative emotion. After all, your dad was cruel, but he had a heart of opposition on top of it that led to that second rebellious phase. All that’s left is to see whether you want to oppose those negative emotions.”

“What will happen if I oppose them?”

“Remember what I said before? Once you regain everything, you’ll have only happy things left.”

“Is…”

…''Is that really the case?

Would she really be able to overcome the pain of sorrow and everything else?

She did not know. They were discussing nothing but transitional stages and speculation with no real conclusion behind it all, so she could not make the decisions necessary to find an answer.

“Can I really bring war to the world for my own selfish desire?” she asked.

“I don’t really know about that one either. If we gather your emotions in the Logismoi Óplo, we can save the world from the apocalypse, and that seems a good enough reason for you to take part in the struggle for them.”

But…

“You want to avoid having people die or nations destroyed just because you want emotions, right?”

“Judge.” Horizon nodded. “That would mean my own selfish desire was bringing others the same pain I felt in my father’s death. I have determined the thought is not contradictory.”

“See? So think about it a bit.”

“About what?”

“Judge. What if? What if gathering the Logismoi Óplo would save more people from sorrow and other negative emotions than if you didn’t gather them?”

He took a breath.

“Then you could go to war.”

“…”

Horizon was left speechless, but the idiot did not seem to really understand what he had said and he continued speaking as if it was just a casual idea.

“It doesn’t matter when. If you ever feel you can do that, then tell me. Until then, we’ll be going to war on our own. If you can ever convince yourself and fall into step with us, then fight alongside us. When that happens, we’ll truly be together.”

She did not immediately reply.

Could she save something by desiring war?

What would it take for her to be certain of that salvation?

She did not know.

She did not know, but she still spoke.

Based on what she had thought here, her method of opposing sorrow, the positive emotion she held, and this leeway to think about the meaning of war, should she accept or reject the offer?

“I will put off my decision for the time being, but what will you do, Toori-sama?”

“I’ve decided. It kind of came to me just now.”

“What have you decided?”

“I’m going to war.” He smiled. “After all, you won’t lose to those deadly sins, so I want to see you after you’ve got all your emotions back.”

“Even if I do not wish for that?”

“Don’t be silly,” he said. “That’s fine too. If it makes you hate me, then I’m just back to square one. I’ll return everything to you and continue on as the next me. I’ll think how much fun the short time I had with you was, I’ll thank you and the idiots who helped me out, and I’ll go find someone new who’s like you. …Listen. I’m doing all of this no matter what you say. I’ve already made up my mind. I made up my mind back when I killed you and back when I met you again.”

And…

“That’s how I can purify my greatest sorrow.”

Horizon said nothing.

Nor did he. The only motion was the doves lowering from her shoulder and arm.

Their gazes naturally met and Horizon gently nodded.

“What a selfish fool you are. Are you trying to make yourself look good? You’re laying it on far too thick. If this was a video, you would be adding in slow motion and softening it with a gentle light. How cheap.”

“D-dammit! I was actually thinking that myself, but you didn’t have to say it!!”

“Well, whatever.” Horizon sighed. “Thank you.”

“Eh?”

“I will not say it again. I am an automaton after all.”

“Oh… Hm… I see…”

She glared at him and he fled three steps back with a shriek, but Horizon ignored it.

“Everyone will be delighted to hear you have decided on your policy.”

“Well, I more or less decided on this ten years ago, so you can wait another ten years to make up your mind.”

Horizon was unsure if that was meant to be considerate.

“I hope that I can make my decision at some point. That is the best decision I can make at the present time.”

“I see.” He smiled. “Thanks.”

Horizon nodded at his smile but then let out a breath.

“Toori-sama, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Eh? D-did you want me to grope your breasts!? I-I’ll get right on it, so wait there!”

She swung up her right fist and the idiot once more fled three steps back.

“Anyway,” she continued in exasperation. “Please do not forget that the others have been brought inside some strange space. They are likely fighting to allow us to speak like this and our conversation is now complete. That means we should go save them.”

Toori tilted his head and asked a pertinent question.

“How?”

Horizon’s glare intensified as she asked him a question.

“Do you not have a means of saving them? Surely you do. Before you were acting as if this was not a real problem.”

Her quiet voice led the idiot to move back another step.

“W-wait a sec! I’m not an arrow-obsessed barrier expert like Asama and I can’t do anything in some forceful way or another like my sis! Oh, I know! With Asama and sis, that space doesn’t stand a chance! Hey! Sis! Asama! Please help!”

“You called?”

With the sound of tearing paper, several figures appeared out of thin air while wrapped in wind. Asama and Masazumi appeared, Naruze was being carried on Asama’s back, and a final girl led the way.

“Sis!?”

Horizon saw the girl stand calmly to the side and brush her hair into place.

The girl smiled and began stroking Horizon’s hair.

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother and adorable Horizon, no matter what trouble your inexperience lands you in, do not forget to call for your wise sister. No matter how far apart we are and no matter what stands in the way, I will always arrive to save you. That is the duty of an older sister. Your wonderful sister delivers!!”

“Stop that.” Asama struck Kimi’s back and did not bother to fix her bangs. “The space only connected here because I managed to use Toori-kun’s call as a handhold. No matter how much I tried without that, it felt like the spatial wall was simply being pushed away from us.”

“Judge.”

Horizon nodded and turned to Toori while letting Kimi embrace her from behind while the girl laughed.

“It really is all about relationships, isn’t it?”

“Just accept it, Horizon. It’s all pretty amazing.”

“Heh heh. What’s all this? If it’s something you can tell your wise sister, then tell me.”

“Wait, wait,” cut in Masazumi.

She had lost her coat and she was covered in dust and dirt, but she ignored it and looked between Toori and Horizon.

“You managed to talk, didn’t you?”

“We talked plenty!”

She frowned, but Horizon spoke up.

“I have decided to put off my decision, but Toori-sama seems to have made his.”

She felt Kimi’s breathing settle down a bit behind her, Asama nodded next to her, and Masazumi’s expression changed.

“In that case, all our efforts were rewarded. Musashi has decided what path it will take.”

She turned toward Naruze on Asama’s back. The girl was unconscious, her clothing and wings were battered, and parts of her were soaked in blood, but Masazumi took a breath and continued speaking.

“This is what we wanted. If Aoi had been unable to decide on his policy and it was all left up in the air, it would have led to an even more horrible ending.”

Masazumi breathed a sigh of relief in front of Aoi and Horizon.

…''This was definitely worth doing.

She would learn later what it meant for Horizon to put off her decision, but Aoi’s decision would resolve a good number of problems and worries. He had decided how Musashi would interact with other nations all the way up to the Peace of Westphalia.

…''We can make it through the meeting this evening.

With that in mind, she moved to take Naruze from Asama.

“If we managed to leave the theatre space, the others might have as well. Asama, can you contact them?”

“Yes. From what I have been able to monitor, Mito is a little injured but asleep. I will go see if she is okay right away. The others seem to have finished their duels as well and I already have divine texts from Naito and Urquiaga. It seems they can meet up with us. Also, Heidi and Shirojiro are negotiating with Lord Howard outside the theatre space. They have contacted me and seem to be fine, but…”

“But?”

Asama responded to everyone’s question with a troubled look.

“I have no word from Adele, Suzu-san, or Futayo on the first level.”

Adele and Suzu lay in a narrow, dimly-lit space. Toward their heads were some snacks covered in a handkerchief and their foreheads were held together. Adele spoke to Suzu who blushed and squirmed.

“Ah, Suzu-san. R-right there. Use your index finger. Nhah… I-I can’t stay quiet. Amazing…”

“L-like this? I-I’ve never done this before. I-is this right?”

“J-Judge. R-right there. I-I can’t last much longer… Y-you take care of the rest!”

“Judge,” answered Suzu as she squirmed and brought both her hands to the sign frame. “I-I’ve never played…a music game before. …It’s fun.”

“Sorry I’m so bad at this. I trip you up when we play together and use up all of our extra lives. You have super fast reactions, you know that?”

“Do I?”

Suzu tilted her head while arriving at the final stage of the music game installed on the sign frame. Her cheeks were flushed as she felt the tension the game tried to provide.

Adele could feel the other girl’s body heat as she watched.

…''I’ve never seen Suzu-san like this before. I’m glad I had this game in here.

She did not want to play games on her own while in a sightseeing area, but her official position meant she could easily have long periods of time with nothing to do. Before leaving, she had used Musashi’s Catholic Stand to downloaded some multiplayer games Suzu could play with her.

…''But I never knew I was this bad at music games!

When waiting on her own during the past four days, she had earned some okay scores, but Suzu had easily surpassed those.

Adele missed those past days when she thought there were four stages. It turned out there were thirty-two in all. On the final stage, Suzu was cleaning up a riot to the beat of a festival drum. The standard process was to carry their heads to display on the prison gate, but she would occasionally enter a stampede of burning them alive in straw coats. As the judgments of “good” continued, the umbrella roulette of responsibility would spin and all the criminals would be dealt with in a joint responsibility fatality. Suzu’s accurate control created a high-speed rap from the noises.

“Ahi! Ahi! Ahiahiaaaaaahi!! Ma-ma-ma-ma-magistrate! Strawwwww cooooooat! Coat coat! Spin the umbrella even more than usual!”

Just as Adele saw the fatality roulette activate for the fifth time, she noticed a new color on the console above her head.

At the same time, Suzu spoke while beginning repeated taps to hammer in the stakes for the human sacrifices.

“Do you…hear something?”

“Hu-hu-hu-hu-huma-huma-human sacrifice! Sacrifice sacrifice!! Thank you very much!”

“Oh, you beat the game. You can type your name in. Go there and, um…the S is there…the U is…”

As she gave the instructions, Adele wondered when she would ever beat that score.

…''I can’t distract her any longer.

She nodded and answered Suzu’s previous question.

“They’re trying to force open the mobile shell from outside.”

Adele heard Suzu reply after a short pause.

“Can they…open it?”

“Well, a purge can be forced from outside in case the pilot can’t move and someone has to rescue them, but the method is secret and only the health committee of the academy knows it. I doubt Musashi’s health committee would reveal that to England and Principal Sakai and Vice Principal Yoshinao are at the academy. Even if England requested it, they would never hand over a secret like that.”

Either due to what Adele had said or some other reason, Suzu gave a small smile and nodded.

“But…is what they’re doing…okay?”

“Hard to say. It sounds like they’ve been hammering away for a while now. I really doubt that will accomplish anything, though.”

The joints were completely closed off and most of the armor was fixed in place on the inside, so it would be difficult to remove it from the outside. In the mobile shell’s current state, the inside was completely sealed off and the temperature was stable.

Knights and vassals had come about during the age of conflict known as the Middle Ages and the continuing evolution of their ways was seen in Adele’s mobile shell.

“Well, I don’t actually know how a lot of it works, but we should be fine. My family can be overprotective.”

“Really?”

“Judge.”

In the off chance that England did get it open, Adele knew it was all over.

…''But is there really a way to open a mobile shell that was closed from the inside?

Suzu then tilted her head.

“That noise…”

A faint and repeating metallic noise could be heard from the back of the shell. It sounded almost like the ticking of a small clock.

Adele could only guess what was going on outside, but Suzu had a different idea.

“Can I…use this?”

She held out a cable from her rod-shaped sensor named the Noise Neighbor.

She was hoping to amplify its auditory information using the mobile shell’s sound system.

Noise Neighbor was made by IZUMO, so shared divine transmission settings would be needed for it to operate along with a mobile shell created with Hexagone Française technology.

Adele glanced at the sensor’s connector.

“Let’s see… That’s a standard plug shape, so… Judge. It’ll work. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” answered Suzu with a nod.

Adele took the sensor and plugged it into the socket inside the shell’s chest that she usually used for a divine radio. As soon as she did, a sign frame appeared next to Suzu’s face.

The outside voices appeared as text.

“Lady Dudley! Please wait another three minutes! The shape was different than expected.”

That meant Dudley and the others were handling the mobile shell in some way and their next words explained how.

“Th-th-that is fine. That is fine. Yes. No need to hurry. Three more minutes is just fine. Yes. Good! Only that much longer…”

Yes.

“And this mobile shell will have been transformed into a weapon.”

Dudley watched the others work in the large guest room.

…''Turning a mobile shell into a weapon.

Musashi’s mobile shell was a defensive armament, so they would modify it into a weapon and thus allow Dudley to control and open it with her Testamenta Arma.

“I-it’s a reversal of ideas. Turning armor into a weapon. H-h-h-h-how very interesting.”

“Lady Dudley, whose idea was this?”

“Te-te-te-te-testament. Our queen’s.”

The group nodded in approval and continued their work. Dudley was delighted to see that comment had changed their posture and speed of work.

…''I love the queen!

Robert Dudley narrowed her eyes and spoke once more.

“I-i-it’s been three minutes now, hasn’t it?”

“I-it’s only been just over one, Lady Dudley!”

''It must be due to my high blood pressure giving me such a full life!'' concluded Dudley as she waited for the work to finish.

A giant grip and spike were being connected to the mobile shell which was stretched forward and backwards while leaning back.

That vassal had been used as a shield during the Battle of Mikawa and on the Musashi. Thus, the queen had reached the idea of making it a spiked shield which was both a shield and a weapon. That would allow Dudley’s Testamenta Arma to open it.

But due to its size, the modifications had to be made with god of war parts. They had hurriedly brought in equipment and tools for gods of war, received advice from specialist technicians and pilots, and were now continuing the work.

While waiting, Dudley looked out the window.

The window faced south and gave her a view of the Tower of London.

As Dudley narrowed her eyes toward the fortress tower, the female student recording the work process asked a question.

“Lady Dudley, you have been inside the Tower of London, haven’t you?”

“Te-te-te-testament. I have. I was imprisoned in that tower and rescued by the queen.”

That was the truth.

According to the Testament descriptions, Dudley had been the queen’s lover and aide.

“A-a-a-after all, the original Dudley was imprisoned for a political offense.”

Dudley had adored the queen for rescuing him and had fought with Cecil and the other leaders for the queen’s affection, but that had led to suspicions that he had assassinated his wife and his power had declined.

His glory and fall had both come suddenly. At first, quite a few people had hoped to inherit the name for the initial glory despite the ensured dishonor later on. But due to the pressure of the war with Tres España and the strict monitoring of the history recreation from the Testament Union, those hopefuls had all vanished. That had led to a woman inheriting the name.

…''I did not exactly want the name. It was forced onto me.

Those around her had decided giving the name to a woman would avoid the lover issue and the scandal surrounding it.

“I-i-i-it happens all the time.”

Her muttered comment drew everyone’s attention, but she ignored them and looked to her feet. The ball and chain attached to her legs were from her time as a prisoner.

…''These are an important connection between the queen and me.

She had decided to keep those heavy metal balls chained to her legs and she had never told anyone why, not even the queen. Once the others turned away from her and those metal balls and began working once more, she spoke.

“N-n-n-now, how well-made is this? Is it enough to delight the queen?”

“Testament,” replied all those working.

The student testing the durability of the connection turned toward her.

“Lady Dudley! The preparations are complete! Even the god of war pilots are praising it with comments like ‘that should do it’, ‘that looks sturdy as hell’, and ‘are you sure you didn’t mistake a giant shield for a mobile shell?’!!”

“Testament.”

Dudley raised her right hand and spread the fingers of Brachium Justitia – Vetus.

“O-o-o-o-open sesame!!”

In that instant, Adele used a powerful kick to operate the pedal in the mobile shell’s foot space.

Her action frightened Suzu.

“Wh-what!?”

“Uh, this is gonna get a bit bumpy.”

Adele removed her glasses and embraced Suzu.

“I’m using the emergency escape device.”

Adele nodded toward Suzu’s tilted head and checked the sign frames that appeared around her.

…''The output is good for everything. In that case…

“Um, Suzu-san, let me explain. This uses all the mobile shell’s strength for a giant leap. It’s meant to let the pilot escape without assistance if they’re buried in rubble while defending a castle or fall off a ship and sink to the bottom of the water. The great strength means it can’t be used while someone is fully wearing it and it uses too much power to use more than once or twice. We have plenty of locator and divine transmission technology these days and this method puts a huge burden on and can even crush the person inside, so it tends not to be put in modern ones.”

She adjusted her grip on Suzu and spoke with no hint of self-deprecation.

“But my family can be overprotective and this vassal’s divine shell was created based on a book on Middle Ages technology. Let’s use this to break through three floors’ worth of ceilings and escape.”

“Wh-where will we go?”

“The roof of the Tower of London’s northwestern tower has the smallest difference in height, so it would be safest. It stands out with Ex. Caliburn there and we can defend the tower-top position, so England will have to be careful.”

Once Suzu nodded, Adele kicked the foot pedal.

“Here we go!”

The mobile shell harshly vibrated up and down, broke through the fortress’s ceiling, and soared into the sky.

All that goes up must come down.

The giant shield-like armor floated in England’s sky, slowly rotated, changed its trajectory to the south, and arrived at the apex of its parabola. After that, it gently began to fall.

“…”

It fell between the first and second levels where the Tower of London’s northwestern tower was.

People watched it fall from all over. There was an especially large number around Oxford Academy.

A lot of people were waiting at the academy’s entrances as they had been sealed off due to the “collapse of the courtyard”.

There were also the people gathered to see Mary show her face from the Tower of London.

Some had gathered because they heard the noises in the courtyard and assumed it was part of the festival, but then a giant mass of metal had appeared overhead.

They all looked upwards in surprise.

“————!!”

They let out cheers of joy when their expectations were met.

“Did you see that!? They cleared the wall with armor! This has been another amazing year!”

Drawn by that shouting, a single figure dashed across Oxford’s courtyard.

It was Honda Futayo.

“That strange shape! Is that Adele’s mobile shell!?”

Futayo saw Adele’s mobile shell fly past the southern side of the fortress.

However, a group of Oxford warriors was waiting ahead. They had entered the courtyard to prevent Futayo from meeting up with those outside.

A few units had already created walls to seal off her movement.

Nevertheless, Futayo ran straight forward. The group of warriors next to the southern wall was seven-men thick.

Someone on the front row realized what she was doing and shouted out.

“She’s planning to jump over us and the wall! Prepare yourselves, everyone!”

They held long spears from England’s ArchsArt and shields of light produced by Anglican Testament Signs.

Futayo saw the EOTA logo of the England Old Technique Academy on the spears. That meant they likely had added reinforcements from spells but had a basic structure based off of IZUMO spears.

…''Those are the same design as the Stabbing Bamboo series, so they should attach to the hard point under the arm and essentially become a part of their body.

Futayo thought as she ran and used a movement spell to up her speed.

“Sorry.”

She used her running motion to step over one of the spears as it was thrust toward her and she kicked downwards.

The spear provided the proper reaction to the downwards kick from above.

“…!”

That step gave Futayo the force she needed to launch herself upwards and she fired Tonbokiri’s extension device toward the ground. She spoke as she felt it shoot out.

“Let us fly, Tonbokiri!”

“Understood.”

She leaped toward the passageway on top of the fortress. She landed on the edge, cut across the passageway, and accelerated. She would use her momentum to leap toward the Tower of London.

Without fear, she kicked off the edge of the fortress and jumped into the empty space beyond.

Cheers rose up from below.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 37|Chapter 37]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 39|Chapter 39]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 36

2015-04-18T20:21:29Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 36: Rude One in a Hiding Place==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0137.png|thumb]]
''What is only realized upon running into it?

'''Point Allocation (Size)

Cheers returned to the street that’s surface had been scraped away.

The cheers were caused by the battle between a Hard Wolf and a girl with two false arms.

Drake’s War Cry could not harm the theatre space’s audience, but none of them failed to raise their voices in response to the theatre’s performance. Their enjoyment of watching the battle while using the buildings to hide from the wolf’s destruction quickly grew into cheers for the wolf and the girl who seemed to fight using acrobatics.

“—————!!”

They flooded into the street and filled it with voices and movement.

The people’s gazes gathered on several lines of racing silver light. Those lights were produced by the wolf’s claws and the blades on the girl’s false arms.

They exchanged high-speed silver attacks while dodging, deflecting, striking, rushing in, or falling back.

The people knew that the wolf was England’s hero and that the girl was England’s enemy and one who defiled justice.

They also knew that those who attempted to defile England’s justice would fail.

But they also knew that, possible or not, this battle was entertaining. Whether they sympathized with or begrudged the one who succeeded and whether they sympathized with or mocked the one who lost, it was equally entertaining. Lastly, the people knew that, possible or not and success or failure, there was something that separated the two outcomes and they knew what that separation was called.

“This is a challenge!!”

They all shouted.

“Go for it, challenger!”

“Accept the challenge, hero!”

In response to their repeated cries, the false arms let out mechanical noises and the wolf knocked away the blood covering his body.

As they exchanged blows and evaded while almost standing still, the density of attacks grew.

Drake gave an impressed mental whistle at the intensity of the flow between the two of them.

…''This is amazing. Both of us are amazing.

Gin’s attacks failed, so she would attack again while failing.

However, that method of fighting had one clear flaw. To attack once, she had to make a leading attack that would fail. It was only on her second attack that she finally achieved an initial attack. On top of that, the attack was an improvised one, so it was difficult to achieve a clean hit.

But all that only applied with a normal attacker.

''This is incredible,'' thought Drake. ''This girl isn’t normal.

When it had started, her foot had slipped and she had used that for an attack. It had been cute. When faced with the childish action of tripping, she had swept in her other foot to support her body and to attack.

But that had not been enough.

…''After all, my justice will learn the process.

From a certain point, she had started tripping the instant she tried to swing her swords. Brachium Justitia had learned the process of Gin’s actions and had her fail at the initial step.

But she had not been normal.

…''She changed how she uses her swords!!

She had added many different variations into that initial step: back hand, side snap, different patterns using altered angles, mechanical strikes that relied on the motion of her false arms, etc.

“You have a lot of different techniques!!”

“Testament. I am using martial art forms.”

Gin attacked as if dancing as she built the tripping and other failed strikes into her movements.

“After thousands or tens of thousands of sparring matches and practice swings, your body truly learns these forms and can release them from any angle or situation. I can make alterations that your justice cannot view as the same ‘process’.”

She even rotated the wrists of her false arms to attack from angles impossible for a normal human.

And…

“Testament. Let us increase the density.”

The silver lines coming from her suddenly increased.

…''Double!?

''What is this?'' thought Drake.

It was odd for the number of attacks to suddenly double. For one thing, she could supposedly only attack once for every two attacks.

…''Did she suddenly start attacking once for each and every attack?”

His question gave him the answer. Each of Gin’s attacks was getting through without failing. She was no longer swinging her swords twice with the second swing being the real attack.

He began to wonder if she was ignoring England’s justice.

…''No, that isn’t it!

“Are you using your shoulders or elbows for the initial attack!?”

“Testament. I throw a jab and then attack with a sword.”

The elbow or shoulder attack was built into the motion of swinging her sword, but it came first and would fail. Because that jab was a compact motion, it was more efficient than a failed sword swing.

This resulted in the increased speed.

If her foot slipped, she would change her footwork as if dancing. If her false arm malfunctioned, she would add in a different motion or adjustment and use the new action for her attack.

No matter her stance, she could use any kind of attack and continue to use them.

“This is the principle behind how the west’s strongest swordfights!!”

The two false arms gained and cast aside countless successes and failures.

“…!”

The failures came from every direction and the methods were countless. A bird or cat would cut across her path, a spectator would collapse from anemia, a flowerpot would fall from the windowsill of a building bordering the road, water sprinkled on the ground would create mud, a banana peel would be underfoot, a gust of wind would blow through, a bucket would roll over, extremely localized rain would fall, a runaway horse would rush toward her, an accidentally-sent divine message would reach her, or a small-scale fissure would open in the ground. Gin failed as she avoided them all, but she would always continue attacking afterwards.

At some point, the spectators noticed that Drake had gone on the defensive.

Even with the failures included, the overwhelming amount of attacks required him to defend justice.

“England may have justice,” said someone in the crowd. “But does it have its hands full when defending against so much?”

The crowd stopped cheering, stopped moving, and simply watched the battle continue.

But a certain moment finally arrived.

“…!?”

As Gin attacked, she let out what sounded more like a cough than a questioning gasp and she took half a step back.

The wind wrapped around her as she fell back, but Drake stepped forward and sent his claws after her.

“Did you see that!? Even your breathing has been deemed part of the ‘process’!”

He ran forward as if preparing to tackle her and he rotated both his arms.

“A shame I don’t like cyanotic mincemeat!!”

He used the momentum of his charge to slam both sets of claws into Gin’s unmoving body.

As he made the decisive attack, Drake saw it happen.

Below the bangs covering Gin’s downturned face, her mouth opened in a small crescent moon.

“What…a…pain.”

She had trouble speaking due to her failed breathing, but her voice suddenly grew much clearer.

“I suppose I should change to my combat breathing technique.”

“!?”

She changed her breathing. She used a different method than the one deemed part of the process.

Under this new breathing technique, she could repeat all the previous attacks.

But Drake had a thought: none of those previous attacks had reached him.

…''It can’t be…

None of her previous attacks had been able to ''reach'' him.

…''Is that why she had me charge in toward her!? She had me bring myself into reach!?

Even so, he had taken action first, so his claws would crush her from above.

“Oh, dear. Someone left a banana peel here.”

Gin’s pivot leg stepped and slipped on a banana peel.

Her body fell backwards as if to land on her butt. The tripping motion lowered her backwards and that meant she had escaped his claws.

And on top of that, she could use the failure to launch a successful attack.

Sure enough, her mechanical arms sprang up from near the ground.

“Well, Sir Drake? Did the west’s strongest lose?”

Before she even finished her question, Drake felt both his arms be severed and sent flying into the air.

It happened in an instant. The two false arms rotated as if doing the backstroke and the twin swords held by the hands sent Drake’s arms flying from his shoulders and high into the air.

It did not end there. Gin jumped backwards. The momentum of her false arms rotating backwards pushed her feet up and she pressed the bottom of her feet against Drake’s chest.

“There.”

She jumped away so as not to be dirtied by his advance. She instead used the momentum of that advance to make her leap. She jumped around a dozen meters back, spun around in midair, and prepared to land.

Once she landed, she would only need to name herself victor and it would be over.

Or so she thought.

Everyone, Gin included, saw the “disarmed” Hard Wolf open his jaws.

“———!!”

He prepared his War Cry.

The internal damage from Naruze had yet to full heal. Blood began spewing from his shoulders in sync with his pulse, but he took in a deep breath.

“Fff!!”

That breath was in preparation for the War Cry, but it also tensed up every muscle in his body. That gathering of strength tightened the muscles in and around his shoulders which temporarily stopped the blood. The tightening of the muscles caused the bone to stick out as he gathered his breath for when Gin landed.

Gin could not evade in midair, so she would have to intercept the attack.

“Arcabuz Cruz!!”

The long cannons appeared in the air behind her false arms. They were unwieldy at close range, but that did not matter here. She aimed one as the failure and the other as the actual attack.

“Fi-…”

“C’mon, stop that, Gin.”

“What is this ‘fff’ nonsense, you stupid Hard Wolf?”

The two duelists were hit by a tsukkomi chop or a kick from someone wearing their school’s uniform standing behind them.

Gin had her landing thrown off.

As she fell to one knee, she thought to herself.

…''Mh. If Master Muneshige learns about this, he’ll treat it as “cute”!

Feeling disgraced, she turned around and saw Velázquez’s mustached face beyond the Arcabuz Cruz vanishing into their two-pitch space. He sighed with his weapon of a giant brush resting on his shoulder.

“Just stop this for now. Okay, Gin?”

“Why? I see no reason to answer with ‘testament’.”

“Your reason to fight has grown unclear. Look.”

Velázquez pointed toward the wall of spectators. They opened a path where he pointed and the point where the battle began came into view.

The Technohexen had collapsed there and the spectators had supposedly been watching over her.

However…

“She’s gone?”

Instead, a single white-lacquered arrow was sticking into the ground.

The meaning behind the arrow was given by the English uniform that had kicked Drake.

“She was rescued by a spell from Musashi’s sharpshooter shrine maiden. That’s why we were sent in to mediate…or rather, admonish you two.”

The speaker was a woman. The bottom of her uniform had been given a leaf-like texture, she wore a stole instead of a coat, and a bandana was wrapped around her green hair that had ivy growing from it.

“A dryad… Are you Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley?”

“Testament. I prescribe medicinal herbs to this stupid wolf’s wife. I was worried because she hadn’t been eating much lately, but it looks like her husband is filled with a little too much energy.”

She kneed Drake and he crouched down without turning toward her, but his arms were now connected to his shoulders. Ivy had extended from the tree-like oar in her hand and that ivy had forcibly sewn his arms on.

“After they’re connected, the ivy will wither away on its own.”

Grace tore away the rest of the ivy with a kick. Blood spilled from the reddish-purple dyed end of the ivy and Drake winced a little. However, he could already move both arms.

She had seemed to kick him a few times, but she may have actually been applying healing spells.

Grace took a breath and her Celtic ivy-patterned earrings shook.

“With your reason for this battle gone, it has to come down to a personal fight. If you insist, this idiot will go along with it.”

“Wait,” cut in Drake. “Why don’t you help me out?”

“I have to get home and help my daughter with her homework. Unfortunately, her math skills seem to take after her father.” After rejecting Drake, Grace turned back toward Gin and nodded. “You managed to show off your stance here and I know you’ll go through with it. You aren’t bluffing. But the other spaces should be finishing up around now. Tres España now has a reason to criticize England, so why don’t you fall back?”

“Wait,” cut in Drake again. “Are you saying I lost?”

“You allowed Tres España to demonstrate their stance through strength. That’s how these duels are supposed to work.” Grace smiled. “I understand that Tres España truly isn’t going to let us escape. England will have to be careful in our future negotiations. Giving you a poor reception would prompt immediate action from you.”

“Testament. If you understand that, I have accomplished plenty here.”

Gin nodded and took a step back.

Glowing pieces of words rose into the sky from the ground and in between the surrounding crowd. Grace looked up at them and spoke.

“Our intrusion and the absence of the Technohexen have caused it to come apart.” She somewhat raised her eyebrows and smiled. “I wonder what other stages have anything worth seeing? I think the only ones left are Hatton vs. Musashi’s vice president and Walsingham vs. the silver wolf.”

She laughed and rested the giant oar on her shoulder.

“There was a flashy explosion from Hatton’s area in front of Westminster Abbey. We’re all getting so worked up for such silly reasons.”

Westminster Abbey was located a bit southwest of central London and the area in front of it was filled with rising smoke.

After the white light and the smoke dispersed and after several rings of light appeared and vanished, the skeleton Lord Chancellor could be seen through a thin mist of light. Lord Chancellor Christopher Hatton ended his explosion pose and straightened up once more.

“Testament. Please give a prayer for the soul of Miss Honda, vice president of Musashi, who was executed for the crime of perversion.”

As he prayed toward the sky, light from between the clouds shined on him.

The spectators applauded while the many spears were removed from the explosion site.

“…?”

But a figure stood up at the edge of the grass torn up by the blast and therefore just outside the range of the blast. Hatton’s empty eye sockets saw the black-haired figure almost trip as she ran.

“That is…”

It was Masazumi.

“…the one condemned for perversion!”

By the fifth step, Masazumi felt strength return to her knees. By the seventh, she felt air fill her lungs.

She was still alive. She had managed to escape at the instant of the explosion.

…''I-I’m glad I was wearing the coat of a boy’s uniform!

She had disconnected her coat from the neck hard points and removed the coat the instant before the spears hit. More accurately, she had fallen to a sitting position to remove her body from it.

Not only had it been a bit large for her, but as a boys’ coat, it had light armor on the inside. If Hatton had not been holding her through the armor, she would not have been able to remove her arms.

Her upper body was now covered only by the girls’ suit and the added sleeves, so she felt vulnerable.

But when she thought about it seriously…

…''This might be the first time I’ve ever been thankful I have no breasts.

Asama or the Aoi sister would have been unable to remove the coat and died. Cause of death: giant breasts.

She considered showing this off as a hidden talent at the student council’s end-of-the-year party, but she thought the others might get overly considerate since it was a self-deprecating joke. At any rate, she continued running while fully aware she was already out of breath.

“Where should I go?” she muttered.

She suddenly heard something scraping at the sky and the multiple indefinite noises were drawing closer.

“Spears!?”

She glanced up in the air while running and saw several skinny shapes seemingly trying to bite at her head. She was not a fighter, so she did not know how to avoid them. She at least knew they would all hit her on her current path, so she veered hard to the left.

“…!”

The thrown spears slipped by her side, her neck, and between her running legs. She let out a reflexive shriek and took a large leap for her next step.

A moment later, wind fell in the spot her back had been in and it struck the ground next to her right heel.

Thinking the sound of the blade stabbing into the dirt was the sound of flesh being struck, she ran on.

But then she heard a new sound from behind.

“Hatton!?”

“You’re dead on!!”

Hatton slid forward through the air without moving his legs. He moved quite quickly, so Masazumi gathered strength in her legs.

…''Where do I go!?

She was unfamiliar with the land, she could not contact the others, and…

…''Why am I surrounded by an audience like this!?

The term “audience” brought forth a certain memory which gave her the answer.

“A theatre stage.”

She had seen Shakespeare’s spell when the girl had cast her curse on Neshinbara.

''Then,'' she thought. ''How do I break free of this situation?

She might have a chance if she could use a spell, but her Mouse was not leaving the hard point at her neck.

…''And I haven’t made a spell contract.

She subconsciously touched the neck hard point on the right and felt something strange.

The slender furry softness was the baby anteater’s tail, but the bottom of it was warm and wet.

…''Blood!?

As soon as she felt the warm wetness, she tensed up. Her running grew stiff and the vibration of her feet hitting the ground shook her entire body.

But the Mouse at her neck bothered her. She looked down and saw that the center of the right hard point was broken and the long tail was dangling down from the front opening.

The Mouse did not appear to be dead, but it was not moving. The damp feeling on her hand was only a virtual representation, so the red color on her fingers quickly turned to light and vanished into the air. However, the Mouse was also a representative object, so it was definitely injured. The previous spears had likely done it.

“…Kh.”

If she had brought the Mouse out without being overly concerned, things might have turned out differently.

And when she had avoided the spears, she had completely forgotten the Mouse was even there. Being attacked was perfectly normal for a battle. If she was bringing something into battle with her, it was her responsibility.

“…”

She began truly worrying about someone other than herself for the first time in a while. She belatedly realized she had something she needed to protect from harm and the weight of that responsibility caused her knees to tremble a bit.

“…!”

She looked behind her and saw Hatton open one of the books that had been hanging down from either side of his waist. The thick book he held now was titled “Attendance Sheet of the Condemned”. He slowly opened to a certain page.

“Year 63 Class 3! All rise…for death!!”

His words caused a change in front of her. A group of dirt-covered skeletons burst up through the ground, raised rusty spears, and let out a shout.

“Here!!”

Thirteen skeletons were raising both their hands. They leaped up with the same force as their raised hands and launched a counter-attack toward Masazumi.

…''Oh, no.

She had no speed and she did not have the time to get a good grip with her feet for a jump. And any intense movement could send the Mouse tumbling out of the neck hard point.

“Dammit!”

She tried to cover her neck but still chose to evade. She wanted to live.

…''Come to think of it…

Wanting to live was completely natural, but she wondered how long it had been since she had thought that. At the same time, a bundle of spear tips were thrust her way.

Hatton and the thirteen Living Bones checked the result of their spear attack.

Their spear tips had definitely reached the location of their target.

But…

“She’s gone!”

No longer moving, Hatton could not see Masazumi anywhere on the lawn.

''Why?'' he wondered. ''Her Mouse was injured and she looked worried about its possible death!

One might point out that Mouse injuries were common in battle, but she was a politician. The injury of the Mouse she was to protect had to have been quite a shock. It was a naïve attitude in a battle, but it said a lot about her as a human being.

“Her attitude toward her Mouse cancels out the crime of perversion! No death!”

All the Living Bones raised their arms and cheered in agreement. As those cries washed over him, Hatton began to wonder where the vice president had disappeared to.

“…?”

He then noticed something in the ground where she had been.

…''An arrow!

The Far Eastern arrow was lacquered white and it stabbed vertically into the dirt.

Masazumi did not know what had happened to her. She only knew one thing for sure.

…''I’m not dead?

Given the situation, she could not imagine how she could be alive. She had been skewered with spears while standing in place.

…''I could see a military commander dying that way, but it’s a little out of place for a political commander.

But now she had collapsed forward and not a single spear had stabbed into her.

Not only that…

“What is this cushion?”

She sat up a bit and found breasts in front of her. Asama was lying there, so her breasts must have been the cushion.

…''A cushion sommelier like Mukai would call this a lovely cushion. No, I shouldn’t think of them as separate things. Asama is a part of this cushion. Or is it the other way around? My thoughts are all jumbled up.

She observed her surroundings even more and found that Asama was unconscious and she was lying on top of Asama.

…''I-I’m glad Naruze isn’t here to see this! But how did this happen!?

She further realized that it looked like she had pushed Asama down, mounted her, and removed her own coat.

“W-wait!”

She looked around, but no one else was there. She was afraid it was part of a hidden camera show, but a purifying type like Asama would not take part in something like that.

The two of them were alone, she had pushed down a girl, and that girl was showing no sign of resisting. What was the proper action at a time like that?

“…”

''Calm down,'' thought Masazumi. ''I need to know what happened before taking any kind of action. Just a moment ago, I was being preached to by a corpse and blown up during a sports festival. How did that lead to mounting a classmate?

She looked down at Asama again.

…''Talk about huge.

She was referring to her height.

Her height and willingness to help gave Asama a motherly position in the class, but why was Masazumi alone with her in this empty world?

…''It can’t be…

“Don’t tell me I was summoned to another world as a hero.”

It was a common story in novels or comics. A person who was unremarkable in the real world would be summoned to another world and save that world with a newly-discovered mysterious power.

…''As a shrine maiden, Asama could play the role of the summoner, but then what’s my special ability? My chest!? Is it my chest!? But that’s the same plot as the Flat Chronicles.

“Nn…”

Asama frowned and squirmed below her.

Asama took in a breath and opened her eyes slightly. While feeling the girl’s warm breath, Masazumi saw the two colors of her unfocused eyes come into view.

…''Why isn’t she dating anyone when she has so much charm? It’s probably due to the poor environment of our class, so I shouldn’t think about it too much. But people are easily influenced by their surroundings. If everyone around her is like that, wouldn’t she…? No, I need to stop thinking about this. But if that is the case, won’t it start affecting me before long? No, no. I need to stop… Actually maybe I should think about that one. Or shouldn’t I? Which is it?

At any rate, Masazumi sat up. The motion caused strength to enter Asama’s eyes and she noticed Masazumi. She was still lying down, but an exhausted smile appeared through her disheveled hair.

“Ah… That went well, Masazumi.”

…''Huh? Has it been a while since I pushed her down? Did we already finish?

She tried to decide if losing her memory of that was a bad thing, but then Asama placed a hand on the back of her head and sat up. Masazumi was sitting on her thighs, so this brought their faces close and Masazumi could smell her hair.

“A-are you okay?”

“Oh, yes. I just happened to be standing right in front of you when I rescued you.”

…''In front of me?

She then realized where they were.

…''This is the plaza in front of Westminster Abbey.

She had not noticed because the abbey was to her back, but that was definitely where they were. However, the people were gone and none of the spears remained. Asama explained why.

“To put it simply, this is similar to a harmonic territory. You were in the theatre space created by Shakespeare and this is like the entrance that exists between reality and the theatre space.”

This mostly matched Masazumi’s guesses on the battlefield.

“So you saved me?”

“Were you about to win or something?”

“No, I-… Ah.”

She suddenly remembered the Mouse at her neck. Asama noticed her looking down.

“Please stay still. If it has not left its nest, I can handle it.”

Its “nest” likely referred to the hard point part. A gentle breeze blew Asama’s hair and the hair tickled Masazumi’s right cheek. The shrine maiden’s fingers reached around behind her neck to the hard point parts on either side. She was essentially embracing Masazumi and her cushion pressed up against Masazumi’s coatless chest.

…''N-no strange internal monologues. Resist.

''But,'' she thought. ''When my mother would face me to heal wounds, cut my nails, or cut my hair, we had this same kind of height difference.

A few sign frames appeared from the left part at her neck. As Asama manipulated them and Hanami supported the Mouse’s tail, a few glowing torii-shaped objects spilled from that tail. Asama placed them inside the left hard point part and Hanami rotated once.

“Clap!”

Masazumi looked down and saw the anteater was contained in a box made from six bluish-white torii. The torii on the side said “healing in progress”, so the box must have been a healing spell.

Asama breathed a sigh of relief, moved away from Masazumi, and held the torii box out toward her.

“If it had been brought out after the injury, it would probably have been destroyed, but you made sure it didn’t fall out, didn’t you? If you care for it that much, you will make an excellent owner. It has been stabilized inside the box, so you can use external approaches now. Please wrap some bandages around it.”

The Mouse felt soft and warm as Masazumi took it. She could feel the shape of the box, but she could also feel the Mouse through the box. The baby anteater seemed to be sleeping and the blood had vanished. With the blood gone, the wound at the throat was visible.

Seeing the frown on her face, Asama frantically spoke up.

“Um… Should I add an Amaterasu-style spell so you can’t see the wound? If you don’t like the God Mosaic, you can choose the God Flash. Or if you ask the god, you can also get the God Steam or the God Inkblot.”

“Why are there so many options?”

As she muttered absentmindedly, she removed the left pocket binder from her waist and placed the anteater inside it. She gently held the pocket binder and Asama nodded and smiled bitterly.

“Masazumi, um…”

Masazumi recalled she was sitting on the other girl’s thighs.

“S-sorry. I panicked and it slipped my mind.”

Masazumi hurriedly moved away and felt her face redden.

“U-um, what should we do now?” she asked to hide her embarrassment. “Were you alone?”

“No, I was with Kimi. I came for you and she went elsewhere. I could only put together enough spells to bring two people out of this theatre space, so the others will have to do their best on their own. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“Don’t feel sorry,” said Masazumi.

The successor to Musashi’s primary shrine had only been able to create enough for two people. That showed just how powerful the enemy’s spell was and how skilled Asama was.

She understood why Asama had come for her.

…''I’m the vice president.

Only a student could challenge another student, but to challenge the student council or chancellor’s officers, one needed an equivalent position or to have won the right.

…''These duels were likely set up to win that right.

By defeating a member of Musashi’s student council or chancellor’s officers, they would win the right to challenge Aoi. Elizabeth or the other higher-ranking members were not taking part because England could pass it off as the misconduct of their subordinates if it failed.

“I’m not a fighter, so I was in the most danger.”

Just because it was a festival, she should not have been wandering around on her own.

But Asama spoke as she stood up.

“I was able to save you right away because of your Mouse. When it was injured, its primary spell sent out a rescue signal. That gave me your exact location, so I was able to safely activate the spell to remove you from the space.”

“I see,” she muttered while realizing the meaning of the light weight in her arms. “I need to thank it.”

“You’re surprisingly nice, Masazumi.”

…''Does the fact that I’m surprised to hear that mean I don’t know myself very well? I always thought I was harsh on others. Well, maybe that was just flattery.

“How large is this space?”

“It doesn’t seem to have Oxford on the first level. There’s something like a wall there that repels any attempt to move through it. That means Suzu-san, Adele, and Futayo shouldn’t have been affected.”

“But they might have run into trouble separate from this?”

“If someone defeats Futayo, they will gain the undisputable right to challenge a position higher than vice chancellor. But she is vice chancellor. As England hasn’t sent out anyone on the same level, that makes her the strongest one involved.”

So…

“Let’s head toward the City. Toori-kun and Horizon are there and the others should gather there as well.”

“Is someone fighting there?”

“Yes.” Asama turned her back, looked over her shoulder, and pointed toward the City. “Nate went in that direction. As a knight, she feels it is her duty to protect Horizon and Toori-kun.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 35|Chapter 35]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 37|Chapter 37]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 34

2015-04-18T20:20:27Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 34: Swimmer on the Road==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0077.png|thumb]]
''What can you not give up on

''If you are to attempt that?

'''Point Allocation (Friend)

“Things are getting noisy,” said Scarred.

Tenzou looked around. They were near the Tower of London but had been unable to see Oxford as Scarred had wanted because it was sealed off.

…''There are more people than before.

He had already noticed this, but it was different hearing someone else confirm that fact. However, he thought something felt off about how the crowd had grown. Normally, crowds in a city would grow as one passed by important transportation points such as large roads and carriage stops or as one approached important commercial or entertainment points such as markets or shows.

…''But the crowds here do not seem to be using the main roads.

It felt more like people had been gathered here from the beginning and were now showing up.

Tenzou confirmed they were safe before speaking.

“Scarred-dono, why don’t we go somewhere else?”

He turned around and saw Scarred standing on the moat bridge leading to the Tower of London. She was speaking with the Lizardman guard, but that Lizardman eventually gave a generous smile and saluted. She smiled back and emulated his salute.

“Master Tenzou, it seems we can look around inside.”

“Eh? Isn’t this a type of royal palace?”

“It is partially open to the public during festivals and tours are held during normal days. It seems an elementary school will be visiting today. I did the same long ago, so how about I show you around?”

She crossed the wooden suspension bridge while Tenzou tilted his head. ''How unusually forceful of her,'' he thought.

…''But…

They had cut across London, so why had he not seen any of England’s representatives or even any of his horrible classmates?

He had a bad feeling, but he knew those classmates could overcome any problem they were faced with even if they had serious problems with their personalities.

He followed Scarred into the Tower of London’s fortress and shadow covered him.

All the while, he anxiously trusted in the others.

John Hawkins of Trumps was battling Margot Naito inside the water that filled the air.

An underwater fight had a number of tricks to it. One of those was how difficult it was to change directions.

Hawkins solved this with help from Cavendish, his aide.

“Drop on Courses 1 through 4!!”

“Testament!”

His mermaid colleague was in a ship flying high in the air above and she dropped live ammunition obelisks into the water along certain course numbers. They would block the Technohexen’s path, directly hit her, and provide turning points for Hawkins.

He performed a turn now and approached the Technohexen for a trident strike.

The Technohexen held up her ''schale besen'' to defend and a muffled metallic noise rang out.

But he used that impact to swim off in another direction.

As he swam, he thought about how unsuited he was for the position of Drake’s second-in-command.

He was the captain in charge of England’s privateers and one of the ship club’s leaders. According to the history recreation, he would later become admiral of England’s navy, but he was more concerned with his position in the current world.

…''I don’t have to stand out that much!

He did not like conflict.

He thought of himself as a cold person.

To oppose the isolation in the water while swimming and to fight against his own previous lap times, he had to become one with the water.

However, he also felt England stood at a crossroads.

According to the history recreation, Drake was his relative despite being a different race. But after a few different battles, they had come to understand a certain fact: even if current history was modeled after the past, they were still living and taking action in the present.

…''If we weren’t here, someone else would inherit these names!

While a pirate, Drake had achieved such tremendous results that he had been knighted. That was a historical fact and everyone had rejoiced when it had been recreated. Drake had rejoiced the most of all, but Hawkins’s cold self had wondered why they were so happy.

They were recreating history, so it was only natural for that to happen.

England would soon follow the history recreation in the execution of Bloody Mary, but that too was only natural. He had seen no reason to doubt ''what was already set in stone'' and he had felt those unnecessary emotions would only get in the way of history.

But about a month before, he had seen a certain event unfold.

That event was Mikawa.

The Far East’s representative city of Mikawa had been lost and the princess who succeeded it had been urged to commit suicide. Those involved had indeed worked to give that inherited name to the princess of the branch family. That was a means of correcting the flow of history, but it had brought a certain fact to Hawkins’s attention.

…''Even the representative of the Far East can be replaced in the case of death!

They were nothing special.

Their position meant they had to recreate history, but that did not make them immortal. In fact, the Testament Union and other nations could force them to be replaced.

In that case, they could die at any time.

…''I understand now.

He understood why Drake had rejoiced when he had been knighted according to the history recreation.

…''He was rejoicing in his own survival and that he was doing a good job!

And that led Hawkins to realize that England stood at a crossroads.

Musashi of the Far East had arrived. Those representatives of the Far East had rejected the Testament Union’s correction of the history recreation and they were attempting to purify the mysterious phenomenon of the apocalypse that threatened to eliminate the history recreation altogether.

What meaning did they hold for Hawkins and the others? He and the others risked their lives to recreate history, but would these newcomers protect them or make them altogether meaningless?

Could someone as cold as himself rationally determine that?

“I will test the determination and strength you showed at Mikawa!”

While performing a Vassallo-style charge after his turn, Hawkins shouted from his heart inside the virtual water created in the sky.

…''I will finish this in a single strike!

Swimming was done in a straight line. The water resistance made it difficult to travel in a curve and turns were normally done using walls. For that reason, it all came down to a single strike. It was an unthinkable strategy in a ground or air battle, but the enemy’s movements were also weighed down in the water. Also, his opponent had fallen into the water, so she was a perfect target that lacked the initial speed needed for swimming.

And so he charged toward her. He would strike the Technohexen head on. As she attempted to escape the trident, he would catch her with the three prongs and pierce them into her.

He hit.

“…!”

The clear sound traveling through the water resembled something hard breaking.

The trident bent for a moment and Hawkins felt it strike something.

But he gathered strength in his abdomen to correct his posture and cut through the water.

If his opponent was still alive, the moment after attacking when he had slowed was the most dangerous. As such, he activated the accelerator installed in the trident. It used a Protestant holy spell to eject oxygen for thirty seconds.

The trident produced a water current from below the cowl that doubled as a kickboard shield and he quickly accelerated.

“Be skewered!”

Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the tip of the trident.

“!?”

A cold mass flew into his mouth and it was cold enough to stick to the warm inside of his mouth.

…''Ice!?

Before he had time to think, the sensation at the end of his trident vanished.

In its place, overhead fragments scattered and fell down while reflecting light.

It was a mass of ice. He felt repeated cold impacts and the black form he thought he had skewered flowed backwards. Those black objects were the Technohexen’s three-corner hat and skirt.

…''She created a decoy!

He understood what had happened. She had created ice with the reduction of Schwarz Techno and she had wrapped it in her hat and skirt to use as a shield.

Her Weiss Hexen partner had created a heated steam bomb to use against Dudley, so a spell to turn water into a mass of ice would simply require copying that spell and using the opposite type of magic.

Hawkins followed the flowing path of the black cloth and looked toward his feet. He had to check back there even if it meant lowering his speed.

“The Technohexen is down there, isn’t she!?”

When he looked down, his enemy was indeed there.

She was clinging to her cowl-covered broom and following him in a straight line.

She had lost her skirt, sleeves, and hat, but that had lightened her as she pursued him.

She had folded up her wings and hunkered down her body to lower the water resistance as much as possible. Two speedometer Magie Figur were opened on the front of the broom and three on the back as she speedily pursued.

She was desperate.

However, she was using an acceleration spell meant for aerial use and it was a non-incantation spell stored in the ''schale besen''’s Orei Metallo.

Water resistance reduced many different things. When this Technohexen had fired at Mikawa, she had used a simple acceleration spell, but the water resistance would quickly rob her projectile of all speed. Unless she created a new attack spell that reduced the water resistance, she could not attack Hawkins.

…''And she doesn’t have the oxygen needed to make an incantation.

That meant the Technohexen had no means of attack.

He understood why she was still pursuing him despite that. While swimming, he could not attack her if she was behind him.

But she was at a serious disadvantage with her wings and her own posture on the broom creating resistance. She also did not wear goggles, so she could not open her eyes as much as she might want.

But she did not give up. To ensure mobility in the water, she had cast aside all that was unnecessary and stopped worrying about appearance.

This battlefield benefited Hawkins, but she continued to pursue. That fact brought a feeling to his gut that was even colder than the ice he rolled around in his mouth.

…''I see.

This was a conflict between those related to the history recreation.

“We can’t afford to lose.”

If they did, they and many other things would be lost.

The pursuing Technohexen likely had things important to her.

''In that case,'' he thought. ''Do I have something like that too?

“…!”

He accelerated.

The battle was continuing and he had a method of winning prepared. However, being pursued by the Technohexen was not a step in that plan.

From what he had seen of the Battle of Mikawa, her primary weapon was coin bullets. She could likely fire them underwater, but the water resistance would quickly sap all speed from a single coin. Even a roll of coins would be meaningless except at close range.

For that reason, he had to put some distance between them and attack after performing a turn at an arbitrary point.

But Hawkins realized that plan was negligent.

…''Cool down. Cool down and think it over properly.

Why was the enemy pursuing? This battlefield put her at a disadvantage and she could not breathe to perform an incantation.

…''But she “can’t afford to lose”!

Hawkins gave instructions to Cavendish via his sign frame. Instead of speaking, he opened the curved sign frame keyboard on his trident’s grip and made a request with as few words as possible.

As soon as he saw Cavendish nod in understanding, a new movement occurred toward his feet.

After arriving within ten meters of him, the Technohexen’s speed suddenly dropped.

“!?”

He wondered why, but immediately arrived at his answer. She had opened two acceleration spells on the front of the broom and three on the back.

…''She was using the two on the front to gather the oxygen emitted by my spear’s accelerator!?

The oxygen that scattered and dissolved into the water was held between the two acceleration spells on the front of the broom.

The wake held between opposing gravity had solidified into enough air for half a breath, so the Technohexen opened her mouth and almost seemed to plunge her face into it.

“Herrlich!!”

With that shout, several Magie Figurs appeared around the broom.

There were eighteen in total. Six on the front, ten on the back, and two to secure another breath from the trail of oxygen Hawkins created.

…''She put together a method to force her way through the water with nothing but acceleration spells!?

Hawkins saw the Technohexen quickly approach.

She moved in a straight line as if ignoring his acceleration.

“…!”

She lined up alongside him and simply continued accelerating to rush along.

The water pressing in could not completely fill the hole opened by the moving object, so a vacuum was created. The flowing water struck it and produced a tearing sound. Her hair danced about and her wings produced constant muffled noises as the water pressed in on them.

Hawkins could tell her method was highly wasteful, but she still managed to force her way forward.

She shook and vibrated while cutting through the water and the Magie Figurs on the back of the broom created two pairs of serial accelerators. Rather than spreading out each individual acceleration spell, she lined them up to maintain thrust.

She clung to and accurately controlled the cowl-covered broom to raise her speed as much as possible.

She had to move in front of Hawkins.

…''After all, her final attack during the Battle of Mikawa came from the brush.

The brush was primarily an accelerator, but it could also be used as a cannon. In this case, she would need to overtake him to fire on him.

Her acceleration was greater, so she would eventually circle in front of him and shoot.

Then what could Hawkins do? He chose the best answer from his different pre-prepared options and he sent instructions to Cavendish.

Naito pushed the broom’s accelerator backwards with the backs of her thighs and clung even closer and lower down to Schwarz Fräulein. The water felt like colliding with a thick blanket and she could no longer open her eyes.

However, she was moving forward. Once she made it far enough forward, she had to fire the attack to defeat her opponent.

…''I must win!

She felt like she was causing trouble for her classmates. If she did not protect Toori and Horizon’s date, they could not determine their foreign policy and that would greatly affect Musashi’s future.

…''But I’m just as worried about Ga-chan!

Lately, Naruze had been trying to behave the same as normal. She had lost Weiss Fräulein and she was trying to keep that from placing a burden on Naito, but trying to keep her efforts from showing had created an unnatural version of herself.

That proved that she was still not completely open in their relationship and that she sensed danger in this kind of situation.

…''And if I lose here, Ga-chan will blame herself.

She would accuse herself of placing too much of a burden on Naito. And the more she accused herself, the more boring a person she would be after they smoothed things over.

Naito did not want that.

And so she had to win. She would use her attitude and results to prove that she was fine even without Naruze’s concerns.

…''Doing it this way is a pain, but I don’t have the guts to say it in words.

She was afraid Naruze would think she was the one putting distance between them, but she also hated that she was worried about that.

It meant she did not fully trust in their relationship either. That suspicion was proof of her own immaturity.

…''Oh, honestly.

She was being unfair.

She had noticed Naruze’s worries and attempt to hide those worries, but in her own worries, she was unable to say anything about it.

…''I’m no different, but I’m acting like I’m better than her.

It was unfair of her to act like she could do things any better.

…''Someday…

Someday she wanted to be able to relax. She wanted to have enough trust to know their relationship was okay without having to say anything, even if they were far apart.

She thought about what would be the first step in that direction.

…''I need to win here!

With that thought, she surpassed Hawkins and accelerated further.

She pulled out ahead.

Immediately, she rolled Schwarz Fräulein halfway to the right. She felt the pressure of the wall of water scraping along her cheek and heard a low creaking sound, but she managed to circle in front of Hawkins.

…''I’m in position to fire!!

They were close together, so Naito determined her acceleration spell bombardment would cause enough damage even if it was not made for underwater use.

She had only one thing to worry about.

…''I need to hurry!

She pulled a roll of coins from the mobile safe attached to the hard point part at her waist.

“…”

But she sensed a shadow as she saw Hawkins accelerate toward her.

The shadow fell down from above like someone had placed eaves up there.

…''What is that?

The current prevented her from turning her head to look up, but she managed to see what it was that fell at high speed through the water.

Eight identical objects were falling.

…''Obelisks!?

The stone pillars were five meters long and had square bases with fifty centimeter sides.

They had the numbers 1 - 8 written at the top.

These obelisks were dropped down to allow Hawkins to turn. Most likely, Cavendish was firing them while also managing the pool.

The obelisks for Courses 1 - 7 fell in a circular formation around Naito. The stone pillars sank with bubbles trailing after them and they had buoys attached to the top to prevent them from falling too far.

However, this seven-part stone circle was positioned to cut off her escape.

“!?”

And then the eighth and final one arrived.

It fell above her head as she held Schwarz Fräulein. As if to crush her, the stone pillar dropped in a straight line toward her with a trail of bubbles behind it.

“…!!”

Naito realized the bottom was going to hit her.

Great trembling fell across the street and shaking spread out in all directions.

Two racing motions produced great roars with a quick tempo.

One of the racing motions was a white and blue half-dragon and the other was a child holding a giant hammer.

The hammer contained the Trumps emblem and the opposite end of the striking surface had a square-cross virtual vector nozzle created with a Modern Sign. That vector nozzle allowed it to freely accelerate in any direction.

Occasionally, the striking surface would swing down toward the half-dragon who ran along the street.

“Ahhhh! Why do you have to dodge it!?”

The hammer missed and the power of the nozzle caused it to rotate three times in the air. It was held by a boy with crests saying “8” and “Nicholas Bacon” on his large coat.

“Um, you’re called Urquiaga, right!?” he asked the half-dragon. “I saw you in the chancellor’s officers almanac! You can fly, right!? Then fly! Fly! I’ll knock you out of the air!!”

Nicholas smiled as he spoke, but Urquiaga simply continued running without speaking up in return.

…''This is dangerous!

As far as possible opponents went, one using an impact weapon was better than most. He had the armor of his outer shell and his great physical strength. He was confident he could take a blow from a hammer this size without missing a beat. Even after he saw the spell light from the nozzle accelerating the hammer, his confidence did not waver. If he was hit, he would simply have to dig in with his feet or fly in the direction he was hit. Given the thrust of his wings and other parts that let his giant body dance through the air, a hit from an accelerated hammer was nothing.

But Nicholas’s hammer was a bit different.

“That is the Great Seal, isn’t it!?”

Urquiaga heard Nicholas say “Testament.”

“Yes, yes! Tes, tes! I’m the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, after all!! I give a nice solid hit with this for all of England’s important, important decisions! With this, everything is a deciding match in England!”

But what mattered was what that meant.

“In other words, this is England itself!”

That was why it meant something else to be hit by that hammer. The striking surface with Far Eastern for “England” carved into it struck the air.

“You can let loose, Seal of the Queen!”

With a roar, the characters for “England” spread out in the form of light and fragments of light surged out.

“…!”

The street shook and the emblem of light shattered.

Urquiaga had enough spell knowledge to know what had happened. The emblem of England that expanded from the striking surface had contained ''England itself'' for just an instant.

If he struck near the ground, the instantaneous force of the strike would contain the weight of England’s entire landmass.

“Don’t run!”

After rotating once from the reverse thrust, he smashed it into the air. The emblem of light struck very near Urquiaga’s face.

“!!”

The impact tore through the air and a shrill trembling raced into the distance.

…''Did that give him all of England’s air for an instant!

Urquiaga jumped back to evade, but his outer shell resonated with the vibration and his muscles stirred.

The Seal of the Queen was a divine weapon that could alter phenomena. What it expanded around itself changed depending on what it struck. Specifically, it depended on what the target was in relation to England. It was unclear how much variation it had, but it was definitely dangerous.

If it struck him, he would likely be hit by “that which was foreign to England”.

…''In other words, all the “outsiders” in England.

He made a general estimate of the number of Musashi residents inside this barrier.

…''From what I saw in the sky, at least three or four thousand!

Each individual would not create much of an impact, but it was an entirely different story when thousands were collected into a single instant.

''I need to do something,'' he began in his heart. After all, his opponent was Anglican. He was a complete heretic. As a hopeful inquisitor, he could fight freely with no reservations.

Various delightful interrogation plans filled his head.

…''But there is the race issue.

According to the data he had seen, Nicholas Bacon was a spirit. That was not unusual in England, but different types of spirits had to be dealt with in different ways. For example, water spirits would absorb water and were weak to fire while fire spirits were the opposite.

…''I believe he is a standard spirit, but I do not know the details.

At any rate, he would use the spirit interrogation tools. Unlike those meant for humans, these used moonlight, catalysts, and ceremonies to cause certain effects in the spirits. Their use had to be more carefully planned because they could only be used once before needing to be prepared again.

He decided what tool to use first and then spoke from approximately twenty meters away.

“I have a question!”

“Hmm!? Tes, tes, tes. Go ahead, go ahead! What is it!?”

Urquiaga leaned forward in preparation to charge and shouted his question.

“Do you have an elder sister!?”

Urquiaga saw Nicholas puff out his cheeks.

“No! And it’s super rude to be thinking about girls in the middle of a battle!”

“Judge. I see. So you don’t.”

Urquiaga turned to the side, planted his feet on the road, and pointed at Nicholas.

“Nicholas Bacon! You have committed two sins!”

“Being a heretic?”

“No! That is an issue of your very existence that goes beyond a mere sin!”

He pointed at Nicholas with both hands now.

“First! You have no elder sister!”

The spectators clenched their fists and let out a cheer of understanding. Urquiaga nodded and continued.

“And second! You are not the younger brother of an elder sister!”

Standing on the road twenty meters away, Nicholas smiled and launched an attack at the air.

Urquiaga took a defensive stance while preparing to charge forward.

An impact of air shot toward him. All the wind and air pressure of England’s sky had been compressed into this one strike which the Seal of the Queen’s emblem of light had sent toward him.

But he was already moving with the initial speed of his charge.

“I soar!”

The outer shell thrusters on his legs opened. His physical strength had provided his initial speed and the accelerating Dragon Breath fired to push him even further.

He leaped over his opponent’s strike of air and continued onward.

Even twenty meters was close range for an aerial half-dragon with preparation time.

He planned to circle above the boy just outside of the hammer’s range and launch a full burst tackle as soon as he landed behind him.

“…!!”

He cut through the wind, but then he saw Nicholas smile and take action.

Having already hit the air, the hammer accelerated even further and struck the ground.

In that instant, Urquiaga noticed a certain fact about the Seal of the Queen.

…''The nozzle isn’t producing the acceleration light that prevents recoil!

The strike into the ground would cause great recoil in the hammer, but the acceleration light meant to suppress that was missing.

“Fly, England!”

Nicholas and the hammer hopped up toward Urquiaga’s trajectory.

Nicholas flew up toward Urquiaga’s path in the sky.

And the hammer rotated as he held it overhead.

“This is a collision course, right!?”

The steel pick hidden in the sides of his shoes’ heels drew Protestant box crosses in midair and then stabbed into the air.

This secured Nicholas’s footing, so he remained stationary in the sky. But he bent his body and accelerated the hammer’s under swing with a smile on his face.

“Into the sky you go!”

The sky of England was fired toward Urquiaga’s face.

A great sound of impact rang out and the sky struck Urquiaga.

“…!”

The sound of the sky ripping open and an explosion of steam occurred ten meters in front of Nicholas.

The boy used the nozzle’s acceleration to swing the hammer around, stepped on the hammer portion himself, and rotated himself around.

“This makes me the first to gain a higher confrontation right!”

He had felt the blow hit.

After all, the strike of England’s sky was an attack that caused all of England’s airspace within range to be present in an alternate phase. A massive amount of air was compressed inside the attack range and it produced enough pressure to crush stone.

He only controlled the theatre stage’s space at the moment, so he could only compress that smaller region of air, but it should still have been enough to smash the half-dragon.

…''Research shows aerial half-dragons can withstand the shockwaves of supersonic speeds.

When they had been deciding who would face which opponent, he had practiced on armor three times as hard as a half-dragon’s external shell.

From that, they had learned his strike could completely smash a half-dragon’s body and he had been given Urquiaga as his opponent.

When he had crushed the test armor, Shakespeare had made the following comment with a serious expression.

“You smashed that to a pulp. I wonder if half-dragons have something like a crab’s brown meat.”

Jonson had praised her for being poetic, but it bothered Nicholas how they would occasionally outdo even a trickster like him.

He could not check for brown meat now, but he had definitely smashed the half-dragon to a pulp.

After all, this had been a counter hit. The intensity would have been even greater than the blow on the unmoving test armor.

“Heah!!”

Nicholas let out a joyous cry and rotated himself and the hammer around.

To prepare for his landing, he removed his feet from the hammer and hung down from the handle.

But then a white form burst from the steamy mist wrapping around in front of him.

“Urquiaga!?”

That was exactly who charged toward Nicholas, so Nicholas’s smile stiffened.

“How!? That should’ve been a direct hit!”

He truly could not believe it.

He began to wonder if his memories of the destruction test had been lies. He also wondered if half-dragon armor was far tougher than research had suggested.

“If that air pressure had hit me, I would not have escaped unscathed!” roared Urquiaga. His external shell had several injuries and cracks in it. “But being struck by air while in flight is a normal part of life for a species that can reach supersonic speeds! And even when compressed, the sky is still the sky! As long as I can read England’s air currents, ''I can ride them''!”

The half-dragon thrust forward the front wings of both arms and his sharp nose as if to show them off.

“My race views the sky not as a means of attack but a place to fly! Your excessive pride in England led you to hastily assume its sky could bring down a half-dragon! The blue sky may be harsh to all, but that is why it is equal to all! In which case…”

In which case…

“This only applies to the sky, but England’s sky is my ally!!”

With a cry of fright, Nicholas began moving back, but the half-dragon threw a pair of rings toward his arms. The metal rings attached to his wrists and the hammer’s handle.

“You carelessly underestimated me! This is what you get, Protestant child! Be a good boy and accept your interrogation! Inquisition set #182! Spirit heretic arrest tool ‘Esposas de Mudo’!”

Nicholas could not move his arms as he dangled down from the handle.

In front of him, the half-dragon placed consecrated gloves on his hands and extended a gentle reverse U-shaped spike from the sole of his right shoe.

Just as Nicholas wondered what he would do, he grabbed Nicholas’s legs and spread them.

“Crotch splitting torture #17! Electricidad Massage!!”

Urquiaga performed the torture technique in midair and was urged on by the crowd’s cheering.

“…?”

But he suddenly stopped.

After a moment, the crowd looked up into the air in confusion as Urquiaga let go of Nicholas’s legs, removed his own leg, placed a hand on his chin, and tilted his head.

“What’s this? I do not feel anything there.”

While he thought, Nicholas raised his eyebrows and blushed with tears in his eyes.

“You’re mean! You knew I was a spirit, didn’t you!?”

“Yes, but you are not a girl.”

“That’s not it!” shouted Nicholas while grabbing the Seal of the Queen’s handle. “I’m a solitary unit, so I’m sexless! It’s pretty common with spirits!”

''Wait,'' thought Urquiaga.

Being sexless and a solitary unit was a trait of a microscopic or faint spirit. Even kobolds had differences between the sexes and even low-level spirits like sylphs that could not be seen by normal people held either male or female features. Possessing a sex was a way of preventing oneself from scattering.

…''Spirits with an identity usually model themselves after a living creature in that way.

Nicholas had human size, he had a sense of self and memories, and he could be touched. A spirit of that level would have a fixed sex to prevent himself from breaking apart.

However, he had nothing of the sort.

…''I know what kind of spirit he must be!!

Before he could express his surprise, Urquiaga made a certain decision.

He opened the thrusters on his waist and tried to escape into the air behind him.

He had captured his opponent’s wrists and was preventing him from moving, but that would have little meaning. He had only managed to capture him due to the surprise.

…''Once he calms down, he can escape it!

After all…

“Nicholas Bacon! I know what you are!”

“You only just figured it out? You’re so slow!!”

Nicholas disappeared before his eyes, but he appeared again right afterwards. With nothing left to bind, the bracelets fell along with the handle.

As for Nicholas…

“I’m back!”

As the Seal of the Queen began to fall from the sky, something rose from the top of the hammer as if being peeled up. It looked a little more like a girl than a boy.

“Will you be kinder if I look like this? But you know what I am now, right?”

His smile was formed once more.

“I, Nicholas Bacon, am the Seal of the Queen’s guardian spirit!”

Urquiaga understood what that meant. Nicholas had not been given the Great Seal of England. He ''was'' the Great Seal.

If anyone tried to steal it or take it away, the guardian spirit would resist. If it was attacked, he would prevent that power from manifesting.

But the Seal of the Queen was manmade. Nicholas was a type of Tsukumogami, a spirit connected to an old tool, but this tool was newly made and did not contain the history needed for a spirit to reside within it.

“Are you a manmade spirit!?”

Nicholas did not answer.

He simply smiled and held the hammer while turned to the side.

Sensing danger, Urquiaga immediately tried to fall back despite his external shell’s thrusters not having fully gathered his Dragon Breath.

However, a hard sensation suddenly hit his chest.

“?”

To protect him, his reflexes caused his entire body to tense up and pointed his vision downwards.

He saw a metal bracelet had hit his chest. It was the one he had used to bind Nicholas earlier. Swinging the hammer had knocked it from the handle and launched it much like an underhand throw.

His combat training had caused him to reflexively act, but that had created an opening.

His slight pause had allowed Nicholas to complete one full rotation of his hammer.

“Time for a direct hit!!”

A direct hit would strike Urquiaga with something other than England’s sky or land.

“I’ll cram the power of all of England’s ‘outsiders’ into a single point!”

The power of all the “outsiders” in that theatre space would strike him.

Of the tens of thousands of Musashi residents in England, three or four thousand were here.

What would happen if all of that was concentrated on a single point?

Before Urquiaga could reach his answer, it was demonstrated for him.

At the same time as the Course 8 obelisk struck the Technohexen, Hawkins strongly kicked the nearby Course 4 obelisk.

He switched from Vassallo-style swimming on his back to a face-down dolphin kick. That allowed him to raise his head and check on his opponent and it let him ride his speed.

He moved forward using the strong acceleration from the kick.

He could see the Technohexen before him.

In the pale wavering color of water beyond his goggles, he saw her knocked toward the bottom of the water by the Course 8 obelisk.

The impact had put her on her back and aimed her weapon toward the sky.

The acceleration Magie Figurs had vanished from around her ''schale besen''.

He could see her roll of coins sinking away from her.

However, she still tried to right herself and aim toward him again.

“…!!”

But the hit to the solar plexus had knocked all the air from her lungs and into the water.

She had breathed out all of the oxygen she had gathered with the opposing acceleration spells.

She had no way of performing an incantation and she had lost her roll of coins to use as a shell, so fleeing was her only remaining option.

“I won’t let you escape!”

Hawkins accelerated toward victory.

He held his trident out in front as he travelled directly toward the Technohexen.

But he saw her move beyond his goggles.

She could not breathe and had no means of attack, but she bent her body and moved.

…''What else can she do!?

Even so, she moved.

She brought her freed left arm to her throat and loosened her scarf.

“It can’t be…”

She forced her collar open and a clump of air spilled out.

…''She trapped some air between her breasts!

With her collar opened, the Technohexen gulped in the oxygen and let out a cry as she aimed her weapon toward him. She gave a short, sharp incantation and then shouted a single word.

“Herrlich!!”

Her close-range counter blast was made of ice created with her reduction spell.

She fired a fist-sized chunk of ice as soon as it was created. That was the result of her incantation.

But Hawkins reacted accurately to the ice shell fired right before him.

The trident’s cowl doubled as a kickboard, but he removed it and used it as a shield.

“Kickboard shield!!”

He forced the shield forward and the ice struck it.

A dull, low sound rang out and the shield trembled, but the force of the blow was uneven.

…''Has she still not created a spell for underwater firing!?

The top half of the shield broke off as he deflected the attack.

He had no intention of allowing the Technohexen to stock up on that spell and he would not give her the time to make any other manipulations or setting changes, so he charged directly toward her.

He dove under the Course 8 obelisk where she continued to sink.

She no longer had the breath needed to emit a spell and she was simply holding up her ''schale besen''.

She had no further means of attacking.

“…!”

He charged in, but then he heard a voice from Cavendish in his sign frame.

“Hawkins!!”

He heard the hint of danger in her voice.

“Course 8 is falling again!!”

An instant later, an extremely heavy weight struck his back.

The Course 8 obelisk had fallen on him as he accelerated with his dolphin kick.

Hawkins sank about a dozen meters as damage reverberated throughout his body.

He could not stop his sinking, the impact had knocked the breath out of him, and he could see the ground below.

…''What in the world happened!?

Once he cooled himself down, he quickly found the answer.

When the Technohexen had been struck by the obelisk, she had instantly set her own acceleration spell.

…''And she set it to supply acceleration to the Course 8 obelisk that hit her!

She had done so for a single reason: to reaccelerate the stopped obelisk so it would hit him.

That meant the previous ice attack had been to match his attack to the timing of the obelisk’s fall.

“And so I would let my guard down!”

Hawkins slammed into the ground. Like a strike from a hammer, the obelisk pounded him into the ground and stopped sinking.

All the air left in his lungs left his mouth and his mind grew dim, but he had a sudden thought.

…''Why do the others continue to test their fulfillment in their inherited names?

He felt it resembled something else, so he answered his own question.

“That sense of fulfillment…”

As he lost consciousness, he spoke.

“…is like a sport!”

Just before the Seal of the Queen produced its impact, the crowd grew excited over the reveal of Nicholas’s identity and Urquiaga’s danger.

But someone found it strange.

It was Noriki. His younger siblings were to his left and Ohiroshiki and someone else were to his right.

“Curry!!”

He ignored the curry and felt something intensely off about the composition of this festival.

…''How strange.

The feeling was clear enough to put to words, so he spoke to himself while looking up at the half-dragon and the spirit that looked like a small boy or girl.

…''Why?

He thought.

…''Why is Ohiroshiki rooting for Urquiaga?

Next to him, Ohiroshiki was also looking up into the sky.

“Uqui! Uqui! Uqui! Look over here!!”

It was strange.

However, it was a ''normal strangeness''. That strangeness was not what mattered most.

…''Why isn’t he rooting for that spirit!

Noriki knew it was strange now. Ohiroshiki was a strange boy. He was so strange that Noriki had felt it was a good idea to stand between Ohiroshiki and his younger siblings. It was unthinkable that he would abandon his faith and root for Urquiaga. Noriki’s many long years of knowing the boy told him that for certain.

Anyone of their classmates who saw Ohiroshiki now would say “Eh?” He was sure of that. He understood that very well.

And if he understood it, he did not need to say it.

He tried to stop thinking by shaking his head.

“…!”

But he found he could not move his head.

…''What is going on?

He was cheering.

But he could do nothing else and he found it difficult to think. He could make excuses about being nervous or focused on something else, but another possibility occurred to him.

…''This is some kind of spell.

That would explain it.

He could remove the spell by punching it thrice with his own spell and destroying it.

…''But I don’t understand this spell. I don’t even know if it really exists.

If he could not recognize the target of his punches, he could not perform the three strikes that started with the created spell named March.

Also, his spell was based in physical impacts. The only way to break the spell was to punch someone under its effects.

He understood that he did not want to punch himself, so he gave no more thought to the idea of doing so.

He could not yet recognize his opponent’s spell, so that was another reason to avoid punching himself.

But then what was he to do? He managed to gather strength in his fist and listened to the voice next to him.

“Uquiquiquiquiquiquiquiqui!! Uqui-chaaaaan! Uuuuu!”

…''I know. I’ll return Ohiroshiki to normal.

Ohiroshiki had gone crazy. While his behavior might indeed be viewed as strange by some, it was normal in a certain sense. But it was strange for Ohiroshiki. It was not his normal kind of crazy. Someone had to return him to the proper type of crazy.

And so Noriki prepared his right arm.

'''“Internal Connection: Suwa Shrine. Spell: Creation Registration 031: Confirmed.”

Green torii light appeared from his elbow to his fist.

'''“Created Spell ‘January’: Activate.”

He opened his mouth and spoke not words of support but a comment he barely managed to squeeze out.

“With three punches I will return Ohiroshiki to normal.”

The Seal of the Queen’s direct hit against Urquiaga produced a high-pitched reverberation and the radiated annihilation of the emblem of light.

This strike carried the power of outsiders.

It hit and the crowd cried out as if swallowing their expectation and surprise.

“…?”

But the half-dragon was undamaged.

The attack had indeed hit.

As proof of that, he had tried to guard and had not done so in time.

The hammer was pressed against his chest, but he had not moved in the air.

The hammer had been stopped by his chest.

As a whole, the crowd seemed to be asking how, but a single voice rose up from the center. It was Ohiroshiki’s confused voice.

“Eh!? Huh!? …Ah! What are you doing, Uqui-kun!? Why are you fighting the target of my faith!? Do you want me to poison your food!?”

Urquiaga looked at the hammer pressed against his chest.

…''It did no damage?

That was exactly what had happened. He had felt an impact, but it had only been the normal force of the hammer with a slight addition. It had not contained the gathered strength of all the “outsiders” on the battlefield.

“Kh!”

The wide-eyed look on Nicholas’s face made it clear that the Seal of the Queen had not produced the desired effect.

But why?

“A fellow Far Easterner escaped this theatre space’s spell.”

The concept of “outsiders to England” only applied to the theatre space.

Normally, it would have gathered the strength of all outsiders inside the theatre space, but something else had happened this time.

“There was an even more obvious ‘outsider’ in this theatre space version of England.”

That was Ohiroshiki and only Ohiroshiki.

…''The damage reduced from several thousand people’s worth to just an Ohiroshiki’s worth.

Urquiaga then heard something down below.

“Ah…”

His gaze turned toward the people’s surprised looks and the glowing strings of writing disappearing into the sky from the people, the ground, and everywhere else. The spell creating the theatre space had started to come apart once the spell was removed from Ohiroshiki.

Nicholas also watched as the glowing words ascended into the heavens.

“It hasn’t broken yet, but it might be dangerous to fight in here. If this place becomes even slightly linked to the outside, my attacks would have the power of all of England’s sky or land.”

He lowered his shoulders and sounded disappointed.

“I need to give Shakespeare some advice. If she’s gonna do this right, she can’t just pitch a tent. She needs to make a building that won’t be shaken just because a single guest loses interest.”

He suddenly moved away from Urquiaga.

The spirit flipped around in midair and began to land with the Seal of the Queen still raised.

“If we continue, my power would get too dangerous, so how about we call it a draw?”

“Judge. I did not intend for it to happen, but I did destroy the stage.”

“Testament. Then I’ll be leaving!”

Nicholas landed in the center of the road, spun the hammer around, and bowed to everyone.

“I hope you can enjoy the other performances!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 33|Chapter 33]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 35|Chapter 35]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 32

2015-04-18T20:18:08Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 32: Man and Woman in the Plaza==
[[Image:Horizon2B_0015.png|thumb]]
''What are the possibilities

''Produced by the circumstances

''Of this pair?

'''Point Allocation (Up Down)

The sky reached the end of midday and entered the afternoon.

While watching the noisy crowds, a ninja walked through the stone streets with a girl.

He wore a Far Eastern uniform as a ninja outfit and the girl wore a white shirt with an inner suit that resembled jeans.

Her skin was covered in scars. The large one running from above her nose to her left cheek was the most noticeable, but several other glossy scars were visible on her wrists, hands, and the part of her chest visible through her shirt’s collar.

Nevertheless, she smiled and let the sunlight wash over her body and blonde hair.

“Master Tenzou, how about some fried haddock and apples for lunch? That stand over there has some fried fish prepared so we can eat it as we walk.”

“Actually, Scarred-dono, I will buy it. The yen is a common currency.”

“But can you speak enough English to buy it?”

After a moment of thought, Tenzou hung his head.

“…I’m not really hungry.”

“That would make our trip to the festival meaningless.”

With a slight smile, Scarred walked lightly over to the festival stand.

“Not good. It’s like I’m trying to be unpopular,” commented Tenzou after being left alone.

''Having the girl pay for me might be even worse than splitting the bill,'' he worried, but then he glanced at her back as she quickly made an order and waited for it to finish.

…''I’m glad I came.

Tenzou recalled what had happened less than half an hour ago.

After finishing their work in the field, she had gone off to change but returned in her usual cloak and hood. He had assumed she was self-conscious about the scars on her face, but then they had arrived near the carriage station.

“Excuse me a moment,” she had said.

To his surprise, she had suddenly removed the cloak.

He had seen the white of her light shirt and the color of the inner suit covering her legs.

“This deep sky blue is popular in Genova of K.P.A. Italia, so it is known as Genova blue.”

He had been unsure how to react when she showed him her legs, but she had gone on to fix her braid and place a white water lily in her hair.

“What do you think?”

He had been left with no choice but to give an answer, so he had focused on the simple color scheme of white, blue, and the gold of her hair.

…''But calling her “clean” would be strange.

He had gone back and forth between several different descriptions because he had felt they all fit her, but he had finally summed them all up in one statement.

“It suits you very well, Scarred-dono.”

Her eyebrows had risen for just an instant, but she had formed a smile a moment later.

“Thank you very much.”

He had not known why she was thanking him, but he figured he had not said anything wrong. After they had entered London, her excitement had remained steadily high. She seemed to know the area well because she not only knew about the buildings around but she had been able to tell him the origins of streets and the reason certain trees lined the streets. She had also informed him how the culture and civilization enveloped the city.

“Um, you see the flowers decorating some of the doors to houses? Those are from the Celtic spring festival of Beltane. In Europe, May 1 is known as May Day, but England mixes in Celtic traditions and the May Bircher leaves flowers at people’s doorstep like that.”

“Are they still there because they are seen as a sort of protective charm?”

“Unfortunately, that is because of the trouble with Tres España.”

Tenzou had lowered his head slightly at her reluctant comment, but she had replied with a smile and said that spring would arrive soon enough.

As their conversation had continued, he had realized something.

…''This is who she really is.

She smiled and she spoke. She may have done both of those before, but he had simply overlooked it because she was hidden by the hood.

“Here.”

In the present, she returned and held out a bundle of old paper wrapped like a bouquet.

As Tenzou took the bundle of paper, she smiled bitterly.

“This is for both of us. It’s actually meant for one, but I don’t eat very much. And if I brought two separate servings, you would have insisted on paying me back later.”

…''Sh-she hit the mark so closely I can’t argue at all!

At any rate, the paper was stained with grease, so he opted to hold it for the two of them. She said it was proper to grab pieces while walking, so he did so.

“There is quite a bit in here.”

“I ordered a half, so this is half of a haddock. In England, this is not considered very much. We don’t have much bread and the like, so we primarily eat fish, other meats, fruits, and vegetables. Oh, and here are the apples.”

“I see they are fried.”

The apples had been wrapped in a wheat breading and fried, so they somewhat resembled tempura.

“The breading is made by mixing beaten egg whites with flour and spreading it with milk. You could call it a fried pie.”

Tenzou knew from his few days in England that they were known as fritters. He remembered eating them for snacks during past stops at England and other places.

“Do you eat so many fried foods because of the lack of wheat?”

“What we farm is stored as flour. We normally make scones so it will expand as much as possible or make foods like this to efficiently use what little we have. Also, you used to have to pay your feudal lord to use the oven to bake bread, so people would fry things at home instead of using the oven. In the same way, it is dangerous to use an oven on a ship.”

Tenzou nodded and realized there was a lot one did not understand until actually living somewhere.

He grabbed a stick of fried fish and felt the salt and vinegar permeating his tongue. The apple fritter’s breading smelled nice and the inside was melted and sweet, but the flavor of the fried breading changed in places which made each bite interesting.

As he realized how much he was enjoying himself, he had a sudden question.

“Scarred-dono,” he began. “Is it just me or is there a surprising lack of people at this festival?”

…''How very strange.

There was no one on the streets or the plazas. There were stands and people along the arcades, but it seemed the number of stands lowered the closer to the city center they went.

…''But I can hear the music and cheers of a festival coming from somewhere.

Tenzou began to wonder if the festival was moving.

“Later, can we stop by the doujinshi sale being held at a warehouse near Covent Garden? I know Neshinbara-dono will be there.”

“Judge.”

The way she answered while weakly looking toward the ground made Tenzou feel oddly worried. He wondered if he had said anything wrong, but she gave him a smile before he could say anything more.

“What is a doujinshi?”

…''Oh, no!!

He used the term so often in his everyday life that he had assumed she knew what it meant. This could be described as a type of Musashi disease. A sticky sweat covered him as he realized he had to explain it somehow but also knew any explanation would sound like a pathetic excuse. Even so, he gathered up his strength and started.

“A doujinshi-…”

Just as he started, he heard a high-pitched noise in the distance. It was quiet yet distinct and he recognized it because he had heard it many times before.

“Metal… That was the sound of a sword’s guard or something similar being deflected.”

“Judge. Perhaps they are having a play for the festival. I am a bit curious too, but there is somewhere I would like to take you first.”

The white water lily and her hair shook as she nodded.

“Master Tenzou, there is something I wish to show you and this festival is likely my last chance.”

She began walking north. That was the same direction as the sounds of sword fighting and the direction of Oxford and the Tower of London.

Two figures faced each other on a grassy area.

The male and female warriors were in Oxford Academy’s large courtyard and they both held weapons. The girl held a spear and the man held a giant sword hilt over his right shoulder and lightly shook the left hand near his chest.

The former was Honda Futayo and the latter was Trumps “1” Walter Raleigh.

A hilt lay at Walter’s feet. It was a sword hilt, but it had no blade. Several identical white hilts were attached to the belts on his uniform’s shoulders and waist. One of those was dropped at his feet.

Meanwhile, Futayo held Tonbokiri low and watched his swaying left hand.

…''What a troublesome way of keeping tempo.

Walter’s techniques were based in iai and, at least for the time being, his weapons were the blade-less hilts attached to his uniform.

Futayo knew exactly what those bladeless hilts were. Mikawa had been one of the places in which those weapons were produced, so she had seen the prototypes.

…''I believe Ii-sama made them.

They were gravity swords.

When the hilt’s cap was removed, the safety was removed from the device inside the hilt and a pair of repelling gravity bands would be ejected as a thin board. The pair of gravity bands would pull things outwards.

…''So anything the blade hits is ripped apart by the two gravitational pulls.

Ii had said the trick was seeing how narrow the gap between the gravity bands could be made. Futayo recalled her conversation with him.

“How narrow can you make it?” she had asked.

“If we narrowed it down to the monomolecular level, the Testament Union might get mad.”

“The monomolecular level? How narrow is that? As narrow as my fingertip?”

“No, that would be even narrower than your fingernail.”

Ii had pressed his fingertip against it without thinking, spewed blood everywhere, and had to sterilize the entire workshop, so it was a good memory. ''Memories of the deceased are always lovely,'' she thought while casting her gaze down.

The hilt on the ground had been knocked there by her.

…''But it was surprisingly light.

''What a pain,'' she muttered in her heart.

She had been taught about iai more by Kazuno than her father, but the focus on speed in her fighting style posed a problem.

…''This is a poor matchup.

Futayo viewed it as an issue of compatibility.

After all, one did not move with iai. One would focus on the range of their sword and send out a high-speed strike as soon as the enemy entered into range. It was a waiting game.

For her to move in and attack was to charge right into the enemy’s attack.

“This is troublesome.”

She moved a half step to the right. Walter stood in a sideways stance, so that direction brought her toward his back.

But he raised the toes of his left foot and pointed them toward her. He then slid his right heel to face her with the smallest possible motion.

He viewed himself as the center of a circle and would always keep himself facing her.

…''He is acting like a turret.

He would maintain the optimal attack position and constantly face her.

The difficulty this made her feel was his intention. She had knocked his hilt to the ground in a light exchange earlier.

…''But he was targeting my Tonbokiri.

When she had seen through his intentions and attacked, he had released the gravity sword hilt and escaped.

He was not afraid to lose his gravity sword. He had drawn back without the slightest hesitation. If he had, Tonbokiri would have cut off his hand or at least grazed him.

After analyzing the situation, Futayo thought.

…''He is an expert at handling an enemy with a spear in single combat.

Not many people would regularly wield a spear as a personal weapon.

After all, a spear was intended for a large area like a battlefield.

It was a powerful weapon, but it was heavy and unwieldy.

That was why most warriors used swords instead, but that would also mean they were not accustomed to opposing an enemy with a spear.

However, Walter was different. He used a sword with iai techniques, but once he had seen he could not fully stop her previous attack, he had caught it on the guard, dropped the hilt, and drawn his hand back.

It was the correct method for handling an opponent with a spear and he would have needed training and actual battle experience to gain that sort of skill.

Futayo began imagining what situation would be needed for him to obtain the training to so accurately oppose a spear in single combat.

…''That would be…

She began thinking and so she held her right palm toward Walter and spoke.

“Thinking time.”

Futayo saw Walter’s mouth open in surprise, but she did not mind. This was a rule her father had often used. He had told her that attacking someone during thinking time was a cowardly act.

…''I believe he received a lecture from Kazuno-sama behind the house afterwards, but my father would never lie. This must be common knowledge among Far Eastern warriors. I am leaving no openings.

Having declared thinking time, Futayo placed a hand on her chin and thought about Walter’s possible origins.

…''What situation would let him wield a sword and face an opponent wielding a spear, a weapon meant for a large battlefield?

She could think of only one possibility.

…''Retreating from a losing battle?

He could have lost a battle and lost all weapons but a sword, and yet had the enemy continued pursuit in the hopes of being honored for fighting so valiantly.

In the history recreation of the Far East, that situation was still quite common.

But a question remained in Futayo’s mind. How many battles would he have to live through to put together iai techniques against spears? And where would he have experienced those battlefields?

“The Amako clan. I mentioned it earlier, didn’t I?”

Walter remained silent, so she continued speaking in order to gather her thoughts.

“The Amako clan had a group known as the Amako Ten Braves who continued working to revive the destroyed clan. The Oda clan had been assisting them, but Oda followed the history recreation and treated them as expendable without providing any chance for direct negotiation. Seven of the ten died and one went missing, but two continued resisting until the very end. One was Yokomichi Masamitsu. And the other…”

The other was…

“Yamanaka Yukimori. Or Yamanaka Shikasuke as he was also known.”

Futayo spoke questioningly to the man before her.

“He caused several battles with small armies and escaped through the castle sewage when he was captured. He sounds more like a ninja than a warrior.”

She knew that a ninja’s primary weapon was the sword and they would only use the initial strike before fleeing.

The man before her was the same.

She then recalled what her father had told her about Yamanaka Yukimori’s battle history.

During the days of the Amako clan, he had thrice won in single combat against enemy generals. After the fall of Amako, he had successfully taken castles several times and had cut down several enemy commanders.

His Urban Name had been the Genius in the Shade of the Mountain.

With all that in mind, Futayo spoke.

“You are known as ‘Trident’ Walter Raleigh. I had wondered why a sword-user would be known as the Trident, but it seems to be a play on words. The three prongs of the character for ‘Yama’ and the straight line of the character for ‘Naka’ form a trident. According to the history recreation, you were assassinated because you could not be killed on the battlefield, but it appears you survived and moved to a foreign land.”

Walter did not reply, but Futayo looked up and stared at the face hidden by his bangs.

“Did you find something here that is of equal value to the clan you were willing to risk your life for?”

Walter still gave no answer.

Futayo did not know if that silence was affirmation or denial, but she had a thought.

…''That’s right.

Yamanaka Yukimori had a famous quote. When he had sworn to restore his master’s clan, he had looked up at the crescent moon and said these words.

“I pray that you give me many hardships.”

If one took the crescent moon in hand as a blade, a curve of darkness would remain in the sky.

…''Is that the source of his insistence on using gravity swords?

Futayo took a deep breath.

…''I’m glad I traveled out into the world.

She had never expected to meet someone like this in a foreign land. If her father were still around, she could brag about it. She could almost hear him saying “I-I’m not jealous at all! At all!” with his voice growing high-pitched toward the end.

…''Now that I think about it, that was probably a joke he created along with Sakai-sama and the others.

At any rate, she felt a Far Eastern warrior should stick to his or her own style while in a foreign land. She had no way of knowing the truth of the Age of the Gods, but she knew what the truth was to her now.

…''I have found something here that will bring me to a new world!

She had not abandoned herself. While thinking about what that meant, she spoke.

“Thinking time has come to an end and I will now face you as Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter, Honda Futayo.”

But despite all her thinking, one fact remained: this was a troublesome opponent.

And that troublesome side of him was no deception. This was the ability that had supported a nation, so she began thinking once more.

How was she supposed to handle an opponent who used the unmoving techniques of iai?

She thought and thought and finally reached an answer.

“Bind, Tonbokiri!”

From a distance of eight meters, she used the cutting power that did not require her to approach.

Futayo used the projectile cutting power against the “waiting” of Walter’s iai. She did not think of this as unfair. If that was unfair, then the “waiting” of iai would be unfair against normal swordplay.

And more importantly, there was a tactical gap between projectiles and “waiting”.

…''More often than not, the projectile won’t get through!

And so she stepped forward while firing the cutting power.

In iai, it all came down to a single strike. But when that single strike was made, both sides had to pour in every method available to them.

And so Futayo moved. She fired the cutting power in a horizontal line so it would be difficult to evade and she circled around to the right which took her to his back.

However, something strange happened before her eyes.

…''Tonbokiri’s cutting power vanished!?

She took a few steps forward while wondering what had happened and she saw the source of her question as she accelerated.

There was a distortion.

Tonbokiri cut its target by gathering the name of the target reflected in its blade.

But she saw a distortion around Walter’s chest in his reflection on the blade.

It looked like a thick shimmering. The light was being bent in odd directions.

“Is that the pair of gravity bands from the gravity sword!?”

…''Can that gravity sword spread the output of its gravity bands outward!?

That was his defense against optical weapons and projectiles.

However, he had been forced to swing his left arm in an initial iai strike. Before he could launch a second strike, he would need to fix his posture and return his left arm to its original position.

If Futayo could close the distance in that time, she would win.

She faced straight forward as she ran. She stared at Walter past the shimmering and she prepared to use Tonbokiri to knock the gravity sword up and to the right.

As she watched, Walter moved, but he had not fixed his posture yet.

He used his left arm to continue swinging the blade around and to his back while he also rotated toward Futayo.

…''It can’t be.

She understood what he was about to do. He would rotate to the left using the momentum of his left iai strike.

…''And then he will use the large gravity sword on his right shoulder!

The instant she realized it, Walter performed a tornado rotation.

He rotated his upper body first to accelerate and then the rest of his body spun around. As she charged in, he swung the large raised gravity sword at high speed.

White mist drew a diagonal arc through the air.

Futayo saw the invisible blade slice through the air and leave a white trail behind it.

Its range was six meters.

The high-speed attack arrived from diagonally up and to the left. She could attempt to jump to the right, but her forward acceleration would prevent her from gaining enough distance. If her ankle or shin were cut, it was all over.

She finally realized that his iai worked as a perfect countermeasure for a spear or gun.

The left iai was for defense or to cut the spear’s shaft. Then his opponent would be forced to attack or defend.

The large gravity sword on the right allowed him to intercept a spear at a decent range.

…''Based on the range of that large sword, he developed this in order to kill several enemies all at once!

When he had been in the Far East, no gravity swords like that had existed there. After arriving in England, he must have trained in defeating large groups in large spaces to add to his experience in defeating individuals while retreating.

This shift in tactics meant one thing.

…''There is someone here in England who he must do all this to serve!

Futayo had not seen the Fairy Queen Elizabeth over the past few days. Howard and Jonson had come for the initial greeting, but Dudley and Cecil had not shown themselves.

She understood why the queen and the others had been absent. They had been planning this the entire time.

''In that case,'' thought Futayo. ''It is the vice chancellor’s duty to overcome this danger.

And so…

“…!”

She moved toward the sword swinging down from her left.

She intended to reach her opponent before the gravity sword’s blade reached her.

But her acceleration could not match the heavy and accelerated instantaneous strike.

Also, her acceleration spell was the cumulative type. It was a slow starter, so its initial speed was weak.

“This is enough!”

She fired Tonbokiri.

She hit the switch for its extension device and sent the tip toward Walter.

Tonbokiri was normally about two meters long, but the six parts making up the shaft could extend as far as approximately six meters. That was just as long as Walter’s gravity sword that he had prepared for fighting spears.

The fact that she was in range of his gravity sword meant one thing.

…''The end of the spear can reach him if I extend it to six meters!

Her own speed as she ran was added to the extending spear as it flew toward him.

“Reach!”

But she saw him jump up lightly with both legs.

This was not a jump to bring him into the air. It instead brought the twisting of his body to its limit.

…''That jump adds to his rotation speed!

The rotation of the large gravity sword was launched around like a top.

“…!”

As his giant iai strike was given even more speed, Futayo made an instantaneous decision.

As soon as she realized Tonbokiri would not make it before his rotating blade, she adjusted her grip on the extending spear as if to pull it back.

The extension process now sent Tonbokiri both forward and backward. As the blade extended toward Walter, the butt end extended away, but what if she grabbed farther up toward the tip and tilted it so that butt end was pointed toward the ground?

…''The back end will gouge into the ground and the extension process while send me forward into the air!

If she used that momentum to jump…

“I will arrive overhead!”

And she did just that.

Walter looked up at the female warrior who circled overhead in an instant.

While charging, she had used her spear’s mechanism to leap high into the sky. He had seen the instantaneous decision that had led her there, and it brought a single thought to his mind.

…''Interesting.

He was still rotating, but the female warrior spun in midair and held the front end of her spear’s shaft under her arm in order to target him. She then launched the butt end of the spear toward him.

This attack from midair was unavoidable and she would likely use the recoil of the impact to leap yet again.

But Walter made a single decision.

Anyone in Trumps could accomplish an equivalent attack.

And so he took action.

He used his accumulated experience to take the action necessary to cut his way to victory.

Futayo saw what Walter decided to do.

While rotating, he had twisted his body rather than evading.

“Is he trying to catch my attack with his left arm!?”

He was trying to wrap his arm around this high-speed strike so he could stop it barehanded.

She felt this was reckless, but based on his identity, she was certain he could manage it.

And what would happen if he did catch the butt end of her spear?

…''While I am stopped, he will attack with the large gravity sword in his right arm!

On the other hand, if she let go of Tonbokiri, he would not hesitate to cut the spear to pieces.

''But,'' she thought in her heart.

Tonbokiri was a famous spear and a memento of her father.

…''But my father would not want for me to die. Yes.

She always tried to view things in a positive light. If she apologized to Tonbokiri, that would settle the problem, but she could not apologize to herself if it was her own life that was lost. ''That leaves only one option,'' she thought, but Tonbokiri protested.

“Have mercy.”

If the spear was going to be that insistent, she had no choice but to find a different solution, so she forcibly swung her body. She more or less embraced the spear’s shaft, twisted her entire body around, and altered the spear’s trajectory.

She wanted to divert it toward Walter’s face, but his left hand could still reach it, so she chose a different target.

“The hilt of the large gravity sword!!”

Her actions resulted in destruction.

From Walter’s perspective, the attack came from diagonally up and to the left, so the bottom of the spear struck the large gravity sword’s hilt.

The blow was not exactly heavy, but it was also not exactly light either.

However, Walter’s strike veered off course once the balance of his iai was thrown off.

“…!”

The trajectory of the gravity sword bent and it cut into the ground.

Rather than gouging into the ground, it sank in and sliced through the earth like it was made of butter.

Dirt flew into the air and the courtyard ground exploded.

The sound was damp, heavy, and repeating.

Futayo rotated her body while embracing Tonbokiri and searched for a location to land.

The torn area of ground spread out in a ten meter fan shape. The effects of the large gravity sword had left the area soft enough that her feet would sink in when she landed, so she shrank down in midair to gain more flight distance.

“…Toh!”

And she landed beyond the area of torn earth.

She took a step back while standing and looked beyond the ten meters of destruction.

…''Walter Raleigh.

But he was no longer in a battle pose. She wondered what was going on, but then she saw him face her and suddenly lower his head.

He bowed.

“…What?”

As soon as Futayo questioned his sudden bow, he faced the main entrance and vanished an instant later.

“…!?”

She initially thought an attack was coming.

…''His presence is growing more distant?

But the slight motion of the wind produced by his presence was gone.

All that remained was the stench of dirt produced by the torn and exposed dirt.

“Has he left?”

The grass blowing in the wind seemed to be her answer.

“But…why?”

She checked the area to make sure he had left, but she noticed something in the spot he had been standing in a moment earlier.

She saw the glowing remnants of something. A panel of light was vanishing at the same height as his face.

…''The lingering light of a sign frame?

The sign frame in front of Futayo was a Protestant one.

That meant someone had contacted Walter.

…''Has he left this battlefield?

She found it hard to believe. A battle was fought to achieve an objective, so a significant reason was needed to abandon it.

But she then recalled why she assumed Walter was here in England.

“He found something here that is of equal value to his former master’s clan.”

She began hearing noises around her. People had heard the commotion and destruction in the courtyard, so they were rushing out to see what had happened.

While wondering what excuse she could make, Futayo rushed over to the remnants of the sign frame floating in the air. She could just barely make out the name of the one who had sent the divine message.

“Yokomichi Masamitsu.”

She recognized that name.

“That is a survivor of the Amako Ten Braves who went missing.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B School Rules|School Rules]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 33|Chapter 33]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 31

2015-04-18T20:09:09Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 31: Protector on the Round Stage==

[[Image:Horizon2A_885.png|thumb]]
''Why do dolls dance?

''What do dolls think as they dance?

''What do dolls use to dance?

'''Point Allocation (Opposition)

Mitotsudaira used the central street to run toward Soho.

The street was wide and an audience took shelter under the arcades on either side.

A plaza awaited down the road. Beyond the plaza were even more roads and plazas. And beyond them was…

…''Oxford.

The edge of the first level towered above like a wall and stairs led up to the fortress-like main school building. To the right of the stairs was the Tower of London, but Mitotsudaira’s interest lay elsewhere.

“This is the place.”

Her heels clacked against the ground and her run came to a stop. She was inside a plaza with roads leading away in all four directions. It had a fountain in the center and tall buildings bordered it on all four sides.

However, it had festival stands and lots of people.

“…”

As she sighed and lowered her shoulders, her expression relaxed. A few words escaped her lips as she looked around the area.

“Based on their scent, those two stopped here on their date.”

She did not know what they were doing at the moment, but she had a duty as a knight.

“I must quickly bring an end to this farce and guide my king and princess to a safe place.”

If possible, she wanted to keep the two of them together. If they could redo what they had missed ten years prior, it would no longer pain her king.

Also, if either one of them decided on their stance for the meeting that evening, Musashi could face that meeting with a solid foothold against England.

As Masazumi had mentioned, this would not end just with their meeting with England.

…''This meeting will set the basis for how we approach the other nations and the Testament Union.

That was why this date was so important. Both for official and personal reasons, she could not allow anyone to interfere.

…''And for me…

Ten years ago when Horizon had been lost and he had yet to return due to his injury, all of them had had their own thoughts. They had baselessly believed that the two of them would return, but she had not returned and they had very nearly lost him.

If Kimi had not been there, they would not have prevented the second loss. Their inability to stop those losses would have carved despair into their hearts.

But Horizon had now returned, even if she had lost a lot.

And so Mitotsudaira had a certain thought.

…''I cannot…

She could not let them travel down the path of loss again. At the very least, she had no intention of losing the things she cared for, the things she wanted by her side, and the things she wanted to be with.

Her position as knight meant she could not be the most important thing to her king. But protecting her king and that which was most important to him was part of her pride as a knight.

And her protection included protecting Musashi’s future.

So…

“The enemy closest to the king is the enemy I should deal with. Who are they?”

Mitotsudaira asked her question as she sat on the stones that formed the edge of the fountain in the center of the plaza.

She did not sit on the wooden benches on each side of the fountain. After all, she could smell her king two peoples’ distance away.

The spot next to her king was for the one most important to him and it was too much for her, so she moved two spots over and sat.

But…

“There!”

Her left arm suddenly shot into the air.

Mitotsudaira’s hand threw a piece of the stone arrangement surrounding the fountain. She forcibly ripped up a stone the size of a child’s head and threw it.

Immediately afterwards, the stone burst in midair.

With a clear noise, it scattered into dust and fragments at the midway point between her and the roof of a building to the left.

But Mitotsudaira had already drawn back her left arm and fired a second stone.

“…!”

The swiftly ripped up and thrown stone whistled through the air and hit the spot she had targeted.

She had targeted the roof of a four-story building.

The stone sank into the triangular thatched roof, causing the straw to tear off and dent in. However, that only lasted an instant. The stone struck the ridge pushing up the straw and the entire roof creaked.

“Have some respect and show yourself!”

The force of the impact stored in the roof was released and burst out the other side. At the same time, a figure jumped out from behind the roof. As if urged on by the sounds of breaking wood and scattering straw, the figure jumped diagonally down into the plaza.

They had not fallen down or been knocked down. Mitotsudaira saw the figure float down in a straight line.

She estimated the spot at which this figure would land.

…''Did she use the force of the roof’s destruction to speed her leap down?

She recognized the figure who had jumped down.

“Trumps 2. F. Walsingham!”

She was a feminine automaton.

Two thorny cross-shaped doll controllers floated behind her back and most of her joints were not connected. Her head and torso, shoulders and elbows, and legs and knees were all floating separately.

Mitotsudaira decided blunt impacts would be of little use, so she instantly chose the optimal technique.

She chose her silver chains.

She would send out the two right ones like a slap, catch the automaton contained within her inner suit, swing her around at high speed, and scrape her against the ground.

Her head and arms would be fine, but Mitotsudaira determined she would win if she could destroy her body.

And so she enacted the plan.

“Here I go.”

She snapped her wrist to accelerate the right silver chains like a whip. She targeted this opponent who was descending with a jump.

And just as Mitotsudaira thought she had hit, she saw something.

The silver chains passed through her flying opponent with no resistance.

“…!?”

She was taken aback, but she accurately took in the information. She understood why her silver chains had failed.

…''She destroyed her own body!?

Walsingham’s evasion method was simple.

As she flew through the air, she separated her body within the inner suit.

Automatons had a few different characteristics as artificial objects, but there was one common to all of them. Namely, they moved their artificial body using some kind of technology.

For example, Horizon used artificial muscles and “Musashi” used wire cylinders for some parts. However, Walsingham was different.

…''She moves solely via gravitational control!?

Gravitational control was one unique feature of automatons and she used it on her own body.

And that applied to her torso as well as her limbs.

But the torso could be called an automaton’s main body. The internal organs that provided output and fuel were contained there. To take apart her torso as well, the makeup of her parts would have to be somehow special.

…''And she would need extreme precision with her gravitational control!

But she had indeed done it.

Her inner suit may have been no different from a bag to contain her parts when she released the inner connections of her torso. But as the silver chains flew toward her, the part-filled bag casually changed shape to escape the binding light.

“Riding,” said a sign frame.

She rotated in midair as if performing a cartwheel and reformed her body in the process.

“Success.”

The sign frame’s message appeared just as she landed on the ground while down on one knee.

Mitotsudaira sent another attack.

She used her two left silver chains to grab two of the benches surrounding the fountain on four sides. She pulled back the right silver chains by swinging them up and then she used them to grab the other two benches.

Mitotsudaira understood how dangerous this enemy was. After all, this English automaton named Walsingham had evaded her silver chains just now.

…''And she deflected the silver chains when boarding the transport ship!

Mitotsudaira did not know what kind of trick she had used for that, but it was clear she had more than one method of neutralizing Mitotsudaira’s silver chains.

“What other tricks do you have up your sleeve!?”

Mitotsudaira needed to continually make one-hit win attacks in order to expose all of her opponent’s methods.

And so she slammed the benches down from the sky while using the silver chains to keep Walsingham from evading.

She saw the English automaton take immediate action against the falling benches.

The automaton expressionlessly stood up.

“Mode: Counter attack.”

A sign frame appeared next to her face and the cross-shaped controllers shot up behind her like wings.

The cross-shaped controllers were actually blades with thorn-like undulations.

They produced two attacks.

First, the two blades swung straight up and sliced the first two benches in half. With twin outward-swinging attacks that sent the fragments flying away, the other two benches were destroyed.

Sounds of destruction rang out and splinters flew through the air like spraying water.

After the two blades completed their swings, Walsingham faced Mitotsudaira. She opened her mouth and bared her canines.

“——————”

Mitotsudaira paid it no heed, connected two festival stands together lengthwise, and threw them down from the sky.

Walsingham looked at the next shadow falling from overhead.

A giant attack was coming, but it was an attack that required preparation time and actions.

That was when she understood two things: the four benches from earlier had been camouflage for these festival stands and her enemy was using her full strength in this battle.

And so she made up her mind. She decided to reveal everything she had.

“Shift: Burst mode.”

Four metal pipes were floating around the automaton’s body as if for decoration. She now gathered them in her hands.

And she swung her floating hands to connect the four pipes into a cannon.

“Ready.”

She connected a cross-shaped sword as if sticking it into the front of the cannon. This created a giant cross-shaped spear.

“That is the cross cannon you used for the shot from above earlier!”

“Testament.”

Walsingham fired. The ether light produced by the cannon was amplified inside the cross sword.

“Fire.”

When the shot hit the two festival stands, they literally exploded.

The impact caused the stands to swell up and then burst. Snacks and fruit of all colors scattered everywhere.

But Mitotsudaira gave new motion to the silver chains.

…''There is still a technique I have not seen!

Namely…

…''The mysterious technique she used to deflect the silver chain when she visited the transport ship!

As the chain had wrapped around her, she had deflected the entire chain outwards all at once. That was a fatal technique for the silver chains, so Mitotsudaira needed to check on it. And so she gave new instructions to the silver chains.

“Close her in!”

The silver chains surrounding Walsingham formed four silver rings that instantly closed in on her.

The action was similar to shutting a mouth. When carried out by high-speed chains, it would tighten around the automaton from all directions.

The attack came from a total of eight directions. She added in diagonal angles to make it even harder to evade.

In response, Walsingham lowered her cross spear.

''Too slow,'' thought Mitotsudaira.

The spear was heavy and it could not pick up enough initial velocity to slice through the chains. She had made it in time to cut the benches, but she would be unable to keep up with the speed of the chains themselves.

And the chains closed.

“How about this!?”

That question was immediately followed by a noise.

Countless painful and high-pitched noises of metal against metal rang out, but they seemed to produce a single unified howl. And then she faced the result.

“!?”

All of the silver chains had been deflected away from Walsingham with the same force as their flight in.

This was the same as on the transport ship. Walsingham had deflected the silver chains.

The four silver chains bent into a question mark shape because they did not understand how they had been rejected.

But after a few moments, Mitotsudaira saw what had deflected them.

They were…

“Knives?”

Handle-less blades floated around Walsingham. They were about twenty centimeters long and seven centimeters wide, and they were nothing but blade from front to back.

Thirty two of them floated in the air.

But these blades had not just suddenly appeared.

…''These are the parts that made up the thorn-like blades of her cross swords.

The swords had lost their thorns, but more solid undulations remained where the thorns bases had been.

Meanwhile, Walsingham raised her eyebrows slightly as she faced Mitotsudaira.

“Wars of the Roses.”

As she said that, three more blades split off from each of the 32 blades, increasing the number fourfold.

There were now 128.

But they were still thick enough to split further. She could likely use over a thousand of them.

And Mitotsudaira finally came to an understanding. It was indeed possible to deflect her silver chains with all those swords.

The method was simple. The automaton would predict the movement of the chain wrapping around her and simultaneously send one of the blades into each and every link of the chain. That would prevent the chain from wrapping and fully reject it in an instant.

…''But that would require incredibly fine control.

And yet F. Walsingham had done it.

Mitotsudaira knew that Walsingham was the head of England’s public morals committee. Her duty was to sneak spies into other nations and hunt down the spies in her own nation.

Historically, Walsingham had organized the secret police protecting England and handled the scheming behind the scenes while William Cecil had handled the official politics.

…''And in doing so, Walsingham supported England’s prosperity using information about the armada battle.

Walsingham had also been the one to expose Mary Stuart’s plan to assassinate Elizabeth.

But…

“Historically, the queen hated you and called you a villain.”

“No,” said Walsingham.

She lightly shook her head and remained expressionless.

“She calls me an ‘Untamed Gundog’.”

That was her Urban Name.

She swung up both her arms.

“Go,” she said. “Go, dogs. Gun dogs.”

She faced Mitotsudaira.

“La la la la.”

The Wars of the Roses spiraled around in the air.

“Bite a tamed wolf!”

The gundog attacked with everything she had. It formed a motion resembling a surging wave.

The festival wind blew gently around London.

That wind carried the city’s smells to a fountain plaza bordering Soho’s nature district. Two people sat on the stone edge of the fountain.

One was a boy wearing a Far Eastern uniform and the other as a silver-haired automaton girl. The automaton quietly faced forward while wearing an English uniform with the sleeves removed and a hat with feather decorations.

But as they sat on the edge of the fountain, the boy suddenly stood up and stretched.

“Okay, Horizon. How about we get something light to eat at that stand?”

“Should we really do that?”

He gave her a smile that said “Why not?”

“Toori-sama, my automaton senses have been picking up a sort of reverberation for a while now. To be blunt, I have determined that most of London has been enclosed in some sort of barrier.”

“I know.”

Toori’s nod made her frown slightly.

But he lightly patted her shoulder.

“Sis and the others pursuing us disappeared a while back. I thought they’d catch up to us or spy on us if we sat here, but they didn’t.”

“If it is some sort of trouble, I have determined you are in danger. After all, you are the chancellor and student council president.”

“I’m in no danger.”

“Why not? How can you be so sure?”

He shrugged.

“Because the others will protect us. Even if sis and all the others have gone off somewhere else, the fact that we’re okay means they’re protecting us. If we need to escape, they’ll find some way to let us know, but they haven’t told us anything.”

He looked around the area. He glanced at all the festival stands surrounding the fountain plaza.

“That means they’re telling us to do our thing while they handle all the problems.”

“But all you and I can do is…”

“Have our date!!”

“…discuss whether I am interested in emotions and let you decide on your policy based on that. That will determine Musashi’s actions for the future.”

“Ehhh?”

As Toori pouted his lips, Horizon narrowed her eyes and sighed.

“At any rate.” She stood up, took a step ahead of him, turned around, and tilted her head. “This is a valuable situation that the others have given us with their protection. This evening, we will attend a party at Oxford Academy and hold a meeting between Musashi and England. If we can determine our stances by then, it should hold great meaning. After all, this decision will form a basis for our dealings with other nations. So, Toori-sama. Please thank everyone so they will not feel sad. And please take this date seriously. I currently hold no interest in my emotions and am actually wary of them. Please use this date to teach me whether gaining emotions has enough meaning to overturn that. Also, please decide whether there is truly meaning in attempting to conquer the world with Musashi and my Logismoi Oplo. If I have no interest in my emotions, I do not understand what meaning there is in retrieving the Logismoi Oplo.”

“It sounds like this date is gonna be a real battle. I hope I’ll be okay.”

“Judge,” replied Horizon. As she stood before him, she held out her hand. “I have determined you can be your normal self. That is what everyone else is fighting to allow. After all, no one would trust or want a serious version of you or a decision made by that version of you. So please come to your decision in your normal way.”

“Sure,” he said as he reached for her outstretched hand. “I’ll tell everyone that their efforts really saved us. Sis, Nate, Asama, and all the others would probably get mad at me if I got all serious out of consideration for them. They’d say we wasted their efforts because they were trying to protect this time for us to enjoy ourselves. So let’s take this date seriously but not get serious ourselves, Horizon. Let’s act like idiots, talk about what matters to us, thank the others, and make the most of this time. And once it’s over, we can find the others while they’re exhausted and tell them all about it. We’ll make sure they know how valuable and enjoyable the time they gave us was.”

And just as Toori and Horizon began walking hand in hand with the backing of everyone’s assistance, Tenzou and Scarred arrived at London.

The two walked with an unfamiliar sense of distance, but they still spoke to each other.

Meanwhile, Musashi’s representatives and England’s representatives continued their battles as if taking their respective hands.

The festival’s actors had been gathered. They were all aware of their roles and they took action to determine the flow of events on the stage.

That flow would determine the fates of both England and Musashi.

The sounds of those duels added even more noise to the festival leading to the two nations’ party and meeting.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 30|Chapter 30]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2A Afterword|Afterword]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 28

2015-04-18T20:07:46Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 28: Defenders of the Bulwark==

[[Image:Horizon2A_821.png|thumb]]
''You may have new clothes to change into

''But do you have a new heart to change into?

'''Point Allocation (Play)

A corridor was made from rectangular stones. The floor was made of wood boards and carpet and someone was creating quick footsteps along it. The glasses-wearing girl had an armband which read “Temporary Aide to the Vice Chancellor – Adele Balfette”. She wore a baggy Far Eastern uniform and she glanced out the window.

“Oxford’s school building really is a castle. We were told not to set foot outside the fortress to ensure our safety, but we’re completely isolated with divine communications to the first level and beyond cut off.”

She did not know why, but this situation had started about half an hour ago. For security’s sake, Futayo had given a few orders and headed for the courtyard.

…''But based on what we can see out the window, she said an odd atmosphere has fallen over London.

Futayo had said some sounds were missing. Adele did not know the details, but Futayo had said something about a hostile presence.

That meant they needed to strengthen their defenses without England catching on.

…''If necessary, we can escape.

They were currently in the southern wall of the outer walls surrounding Oxford Academy’s main building. Despite the name, the wall was essentially a castle with several floors inside. Currently, Adele arrived at one end of the third floor which overlooked London.

“This is Suzu-san and our room.”

She stopped in front of the large double doors, took in a breath, and knocked.

“Um, Suzu-saaaan?”

“Oh, yes. J-just a second.”

“Okay. Judge.”

This was a code. When they detected something odd outside the room, they needed to investigate it. However, heading out into the hall and just standing there while looking around would make their objective too obvious. That was why Suzu always said she needed time to prepare when someone left or entered the room.

As Adele placed her hand on the doorknob, she looked around out of the corners of her eyes.

“Are you ready yet?”

“N-no. Not yet.”

Adele asking “can I come in yet?” was the sign that her investigation was complete. Asking other questions in the meantime was meant to put Suzu at ease, but Adele then pulled a paper bag from her uniform’s sleeve.

“They were selling some pretty hairpins at the school store. Price-wise, buying a set of three was best, but that’s all right, don’t you think?”

She held up the hairpin set clipped to a sheet of paper and used the action to check the area to the left. That direction was the most suspicious.

…''Oh, they’re here already.

There was no movement or noise from the corridor or neighboring room. Just as on her way here, the area looked completely deserted.

…''But I can sense their presence.

Even if people hid, made no noise, and stopped moving, they could not hide the movements of the air, the scents, the warmth, and the movement of the birds outside the windows. She was the only one in this corridor, but the birds were not landing on the windowsills further along and a flock of doves was circling in the air near the roof.

Someone was in the corridor and other areas visible through the windows. Naturally, they were also on the roof.

…''They can reach us from both the roof and the corridor.

Most likely, some kind of service would arrive through the corridor. Someone would arrive with a letter or some tea and Adele would open the door.

…''At which point they will attack from the corridor. But that is only meant to keep us here.

Their goal was to capture Suzu. If they had the ambassador, they would be able to defeat their opponents while retaining a pipeline for negotiations.

In that case, the double doors became an unexpected problem. If both sides were opened, Adele could not cover the entire space. And if she was stopped there, they could send more men in from the roof. While her hands were full, they would likely use ropes to enter through the window and secure Suzu.

The knights known as vassals were supposed to protect important people, so she had attended afterschool extracurricular lessons that taught countermeasures for indoor attacks like this. While she recalled those various methods, she said “judge” in her heart.

“Can I come in yet?”

“Oh, uh…Y-yes.”

“Judge.”

While recalling the layout of the room, Adele opened the large double doors.

Adele entered a room that had stone walls and carpet. The room was about twenty square meters and faced south. The bedroom area was located on the eastern side and a table set sat in the center. A desk and their equipment were on the western side.

Suzu sat next to a wash basin on a side table by the window.

The girl wore one of England’s uniforms. The room was being bugged, so it would seem suspicious if she did nothing while buying time with their code. Part of Adele’s training as a vassal included searching for bugs. After locating them, she had left them be and used them to make England lower their guard.

For the past few days, they had ignored the bugs and lived their lives as normal, but something had happened to make England take action today.

…''I hope our actions over the past few days have convinced them we haven’t noticed the bugs.

As Suzu stood up, there was nothing odd about her appearance.

…''Oh, she can dress herself.

The English uniform had been special-made in order to show the friendship between nations. However, Futayo had not wanted her measurements taken because it would reveal her exact reach during battle. Also, Adele had been extremely interested in the low-cut chest area, but the old woman tailor had made an unnecessary comment while taking her measurements.

“…Hm? W-well, don’t worry. I’ll make sure it will fit you properly.”

Due to that, Adele had not worn her uniform. Even so, she was considering taking it back to Musashi and having a one-man fashion show in her room.

But for the moment, she walked west to the right side of the room.

“Um, Suzu-san? Your uniform is a bit twisted. Uh, could you come over to the mirror? Oh, the light from the window is making a reflection.”

As Suzu cautiously walked over, Adele closed the curtain halfway. Now half of the room could not be seen from outside and Suzu entered that half.

“U-um. Th-this.”

She pulled out and held up one of the rod-shaped sensors of Noise Neighbor at her waist. The sensor had a charm wrapped around it and a sign frame opened. As Adele made various preparations, the sign frame displayed a text version of the outside noises detected with extremely high sensitivity. Specifically, it displayed the conversation of the English attack unit waiting in the neighboring room. It appeared they were indeed being bugged.

“Testament. The vassal has entered the room.”

“Testament. Prepare to attack. After approaching the door using stealth entry, use some kind of service to have her open the door. Or go with a dynamic entry once you draw her over.”

“Who will secure the target?”

“As commander, that falls to me.”

“Commander, I am impressed with your honesty, but you’re past middle age. That would be a crime!”

“But my daughter has started resisting when I try to pick her up…”

“Testament. We have so much training every day that we rarely get to go home.”

Adele found the conversation fascinating, but she decided to bring it to an end before she started feeling sorry for them. She noisily moved her baggy sleeve while grabbing Suzu’s hand.

“Um, over here. I’ll help you change.”

“Testament!” said the English students. “Th-his will be the last time, so give us a running commentary! We need commentary!!”

''Maybe we should record all of this and use it in a later negotiation,'' thought Adele as she pulled away a giant cloth cover at one end of the room. It covered…

…''My vassal mobile shell.

The mobile shell was kneeling with its head lowered. She had been allowed to bring it with her as long as its spear and ether fuel tank were removed. Even so, there had been harsh opposition, so Masazumi had said the following during negotiations:

“Due to Adele’s bodyguard training, she has difficulty sleeping outside of the mobile shell. It was also given to her by her late father, so it would be cruel to ask her not to bring it with her. I have heard England is a land of chivalry and mercy, so could you perhaps view it as nothing but ‘thick pajamas’?”

That politician girl had forced through that nonsense with a straight face.

And since they were being bugged, Adele would have been forced to play the part, but Suzu had made a thoughtful suggestion.

“I-I’m afraid…to…to sleep on my own…s-so will you…sleep with me?”

That had saved Adele from that political inconvenience. Futayo had said she was not used to sleeping in a bed, so she had brought her own futon and slept under the bed. However, she tossed and turned quite aggressively in her sleep. She had even shouted “Bind! Tonbokiri!!” in her sleep and kicked the bed up into the air, but she had not used Tonbokiri itself.

At any rate, Adele now stood within the mobile shell’s feet. She placed her own feet on what corresponded to a shoe’s insole. This was the starting point of putting on the mobile shell.

The shell was quite heavy, so it would take a long time to put on with human strength and the person inside would be injured if anything slid out of place. For that reason, the back of the shell was connected by a frame and would open up on its own. The shell would automatically stand up, envelop the person from the front, and then close behind them.

Adele used the auxiliary foot pedal on the inside of the right foot.

…''I’ll set it to a long-term seal. Using the underwater settings might prevent interference from the air outside.

After setting it up, she tugged on Suzu’s hand. She brought Suzu’s legs to her lap while sensing how high up they were.

“Okay, I’ll be removing this now.”

She was afraid to them being caught in the closing process, so she removed Suzu’s skirt and jacket.

“She’s undressing! She’s undressing!!” shouted the English unit.

…''Shut up.

But her own uniform was too big for her because of the large hard points she wore for the mobile shell, so she removed her own sleeves and skirt.

…''That should free up some room.

As she thought, Adele connected the hard points on Suzu’s sides and back to the hard points to the sides of her own chest. That fixed their positions together.

“…!? I thought they were undressing, but that sounded more like weaponry!”

…''Too slow.

Adele moved her right leg.

“Contact!”

After pushing the mobile shell’s left foot pedal once, Adele rose up. She then used her foot to operate the safety lock to show it had not been mistakenly activated.

“…!”

Suzu shrunk down as it came. The mobile shell’s thick and wide humanoid back and limbs used wire cylinders to rise up in front of them. The back expanded up, down, left and right and the darkness within approached them. But a close inspection showed several cross-style sign frames already open within.

'''“Mobile Shell ‘Raging Beast’ : Connecting : Today’s Motto ‘What’s wrong with being hopeless? That’s just how it is.’ ”

It gave a strange motto every time she started it up, but she guessed that was due to her father who had created it. She felt a calendar would have been better, but then leap years would have caused problems.

With the movement of the wind, the mobile shell enveloped Adele and Suzu. Once the back reinforcement and forward-collapsed head closed, it would be complete. She had set it to fully seal, so the helmet’s face shield would remain airtight and no images from outside would be displayed. A light came on within the head, the head closed above them, and the waist lowered into a reclining position.

'''“Complete.”

But just before it fully closed, a group of men kicked down the door and charged in. They wore English uniforms with combat gear reinforcements.

“Shit!” shouted one man the instant he saw them. “They weren’t changing at all! They toyed with our pure hearts!!”

As Adele raised her right thumb with a half-lidded glare, the mobile shell fully closed.

In the next instant, a seat was formed behind her, an inner space was created by the shell expanding and sealing everything off, and a light illuminated the space.

“Um, Suzu-san? You can move now.”

“Nn …That was…kind of surprising. But…there’s a lot of…space in here.”

“It’s made so someone can live inside while it’s sealed. Basically, the inner and outer shells expand to form a small room. When a castle falls or a ship sinks, I can enter this mode and wait for rescue. I even have snacks and drinks in here.”

She disconnected their hard points from each other and then disconnected the hard points on her back from the mobile shell’s frame. Those connections synced her with the frame and aided her movements, but she wanted to avoid moving in this sealed space so long as they received no divine protection to regulate their body temperature.

She lifted up Suzu’s waist and placed her on the right side of the seat. She took the left side for herself. While in this mode, the sign frames that would normally appear on the outside instead appeared on the inside. After checking a few of them, she adjusted the temperature setting.

“Okay, we’ll be waiting here until things are over outside. That should be about an hour. I have music, music games, and snacks.”

She shook the paper bag from the school store to tell Suzu what was inside and then she placed it above their heads. Suzu heard it and smelled it.

“Apple…pie?”

“Judge. That’s right. We can eat them later as lunch.”

“Judge. Oh, b-but is Futayo…-san okay?”

“Judge.”

Despite her reply, Adele was worried. Futayo had been the one to suggest being on the lookout.

…''And she said someone wanted a duel with her.

She had gone outside with Tonbokiri in hand and she had told Adele to ensure Suzu’s safety until she returned or until they could contact the Musashi.

…''But who is this that Futayo-san considers a worthy opponent for a duel?

As Adele wondered who among the Trumps it could be, she smiled.

“Well, Futayo-san should be fine. She might be quite dangerous when it comes to her human side, but she’s quite dangerous in the literal sense as well.”

So…

“I’m glad she’s on our side.”

“You are Far Eastern, aren’t you? Are you not an ally of the Far East?”

A female voice reverberated within an open area surrounded by stone walls on all sides.

The voice was directed toward a man standing on the grass in front of a girl in a Far Eastern uniform whose hair was worn up in a high ponytail. The man’s hair was also worn up in a high ponytail, but he casually wore an English uniform.

The girl held up a long spear in her right hand.

The man, on the other hand, rested a giant sword hilt over his right shoulder. It had a guard at the top of the hilt, but the actual blade was missing. Smaller versions that were more the size of a normal sword hilt and guard were equipped across his clothing.

They were seven meters apart.

They were the only two in the courtyard. Whether on the nearby western wall, the three more distant walls, the towers at the corners, the Oxford school buildings to the north, or in the nearby trees or pond, not a single other person was visible.

Those two figures were the only ones there and they reacted to each other’s presence.

“…”

They slowly lowered their waists. And the girl spoke.

“Far East, Musashi Ariadust Academy, Strike Forcer, Honda Futayo. I hold the position of vice chancellor.”

The man, however, silently held up the armband on his left arm. The girl narrowed her eyes when she saw it.

“England, Oxford Academy, Trumps 1, Walter Raleigh. That is you, correct? You explore the New World and supervise the land army,” she said. “But most of the Far Eastern residents of England are refugees from the Amako clan after its destruction by Mouri and Hexagone Française. …The Amako clan was located on the northern shore of Hexagone Française which is England’s territory on the Far Eastern mainland. They were also the protectors of IZUMO. In order to hold Hexagone Française and Mouri in check, England and the Hashiba clan of M.H.R.R. aided the revival of Amako, but it failed.” She took a breath. “There was supposedly a group known as the Amako Ten Braves. Are you a survivor of that group?”

The man did not respond. He did not even nod or shake his head.

But that was exactly why Futayo nodded and pulled Tonbokiri back just a bit. Without reversing her right wrist, she placed her left hand along the grip from below and lightly stepped forward to use her right leg as a pivot. And then she dropped her heel down.

“Judge. I see you are a man of few words. In that case…”

Walter instantly shrank down. He held his body down like drawing a bowstring.

“…!”

Futayo stepped forward with some slight initial speed and Walter unleashed an attack to intercept her. Their attacks crossed paths at their ideal distances.

“It seems Suzu-san and Adele, Futayo, Heidi and Shirojiro, and Toori-kun and Horizon are all outside. The five who are trapped inside the theatre barrier are Mito, Masazumi, Naito, Naruze, and Urquiaga. However, it seems Suzu-san’s group is cut off from our divine transmissions.”

On an abandoned street, Asama used a sign frame to track the movements outside the purification barrier she had set up. She could only pick up faint readings, but it was enough for some basic information.

“Mito’s presence is moving toward the border between the city and the nature district. She is likely headed toward Toori-kun and Horizon. We should go too, Kimi. I wish we could send divine mail, but this barrier is too complex.”

She crouched down next to the tamagushi stabbed into the ground at her feet and placed a hand on the torii-style sign frame floating above it. She used her fingertips to check on the concise settings displayed in the sign frame and then she pinched the torii and spun it. The barrier at her feet floated up from the ground and slowly began to spin.

…''Good.

Once Asama pulled out the tamagushi and stood up, she pulled a new tamagushi from her hair and brought it next to the active one in her hand. At the same time, Hanami clapped her hands from Asama’s shoulder.

“Prayer setting – Duplication – Clap.”

A small humanoid Mouse appeared above both of the tamagushi for just an instant. They exchanged a high five and vanished, but this produced a barrier from the new one.

“Good.”

After muttering the comment under her breath this time, Asama spun the torii above one of the tamagushi again and then pressed it down. This caused the barrier to shrink.

“I have set it for individual use, so take it, Kimi.”

She turned around to find Kimi crouching down in the abandoned street with her hands covering her ears.

“Ahhhh! This is the occult! This has to be either a mass disappearance or the summoning of a hero to another world! At this rate, I will have no choice but to survive in this empty world with only a lewd, huge-breasted shrine maiden for company!”

''Does she have to yell that so loudly?'' wondered Asama, but that was indeed the situation.

She sighed and held the tamagushi out toward Kimi.

“What’s this?” Kimi looked up. “Are you giving it to me?”

''She wasn’t listening to a word I said?'' mentally complained Asama.

She sighed again as Kimi stood up and took the tamagushi.

Asama set her own tamagushi for individual use and spoke.

“If you carry that, you should be fine, so please calm down. Also, I think we were merely dragged in along with their intended targets.”

“Heh heh. How troublesome. I suppose it is true that trouble has a way of following a beautiful woman around. But do I have to actually carry it? I can’t just stick it into my body?”

“Eh? Um….stick it into your body? Um…uh…”

Kimi made a show of sticking the tamagushi between her breasts. She then turned a scornful eye toward Asama.

“Where were you going to stick it?”

Asama silently swung up her right fist, so Kimi quickly moved back a few steps. Asama could only sigh for the third time. She personally thought it would be dangerous if Kimi tripped with it held between her breasts.

“This has become a real problem.”

“Really? Isn’t this actually convenient for sightseeing?”

“Yes, but there are no store clerks or products. We are in some kind of alternate space.”

Kimi looked around at the empty streets of London.

“You mean this place isn’t the real city?”

“Not really,” said Asama. “I believe the real city is everywhere and yet also nowhere. Most likely, a massive space has been created that uses the city’s people and environment to create a number of different stages with an audience. Mito and the others have been trapped within those stages. I suppose you could call it a theatre space. Basically, everything from the people to the environment has been turned into something like a theatre. Everything is deserted as far as the eye can see, so a massive space must have been transformed. And that raises the question of what qualifies as ‘real’.”

“In other words, it’s like arguing what is ‘real’ on a face entirely covered in makeup? If you transform everything, you can only say the result is what’s real. …Anyway, where are we exactly?”

“Somewhere with no audience and no stage. I believe this space corresponds to the entrance. Everything was brought to the theatre, and this is what is left over. If you look closely, you will see that the buildings and ground are slightly transparent. The ether making up this space has been taken away to form the alternate space for the theatre.”

“I don’t really understand, but I don’t really need to. Could I simply say that the people, the festival, Mitotsudaira, and the others were taken away to some other space and this is the leftover dregs?”

Asama answered Kimi’s interpretation with a nod. She then reached a hand out toward where Mitotsudaira had been.

“Mito was definitely here and she should have been inside my barrier.”

“Are you holding your hand out flat because you are thinking about the shape of the person you are searching for?”

“P-please do not make unnecessary comments.’

However, she could not help but wonder if she would have bent her fingers if it was Kimi or Naomasa she was searching for. At any rate, she checked and confirmed that Mitotsudaira was not there.

“This is probably an environmental spell and I noticed it because it was attempting to make me part of the audience. But my purification spell left you here and failed to keep Mito here. Does that mean…?”

“Your spell only works with girls who have something to grab onto!?”

Asama swung up her right fist again and Kimi fled once more.

“Listen,” she said. “The difference between us and Mito – oh, and Naruze and Naito as well – is that we do not hold officer positions. This spell created audiences and stages, so they must have been targeted as the ones to stand on those stages.”

“In that case…”

“Yes,” said Asama.

She did not want to say this. After all…

…''It will make Kimi worry.

But Kimi would grow angry if Asama did not tell the truth.

“Toori-kun is in danger. They are almost certainly hoping for a duel with our top-ranking officer.”

Asama saw Kimi frown, but she continued speaking.

“Toori-kun is the chancellor and student council president. And Horizon may not be a part of the student council or chancellor’s officers, but she is heir to the Matsudaira clan and Vicereine of Musashi, so she ranks highly as well.”

She took a breath.

“Neither of them is experienced with combat, so they would both be excellent targets. I had heard Musashi’s representatives were being invited to a party and meeting at Oxford Academy this evening, but they must be using these battles between representatives to earn an advantage in the negotiations and to test our strength.”

Asama averted her gaze from Kimi.

…''I want to avoid any odd requests.

While turning her eyes from the silence and stillness before her, she spoke as if setting fire to kindling.

“Most of our officers have been brought to the stages and all the others were likely added to the audiences because they couldn’t defend against the spell with a barrier like this.”

And…

“All of the officers will have been split up between the stages, so they will be separated from each other and forced into odd combinations. So…”

While leaving the question of “what should we do?” implied, Asama stuck a hand in her pocket. She had a collection of charms, tamagushi, and other catalysts on the handheld level. She needed an excuse to violently interfere with this spell, and the shrine would likely accept ‘to save Kimi’s brother’ since Kimi was with her.

However…

“What do you think, Asama?”

“Eh?”

She had assumed she would be coerced into saving Toori, but Kimi said something else. After an instant of confusion, she looked up and saw Kimi looking down at the ground with a hand on her chin.

“I understand that my foolish brother and Horizon are in danger. But…”

“But?”

Asama almost asked “do you not want to go save them?” She wondered if Horizon’s appearance had made her want to change her position as the overprotective older sister. But as if to respond to those doubts, Kimi spoke plainly while staring at the ground with a serious expression.

“If someone as amazingly wonderful as me went to save them, it would be over in no time, but won’t it cause him problems if students without an officer position ignore the rules of the duel and defeat someone who does not want a duel with us? England is getting in the way of my fun, so I want to get in their way now, but perhaps there is a way to do so without causing any problems for my foolish brother. If there is, I want to use that method. After all…”

After all…

“This is his first date with Horizon. If Horizon had not been lost ten years ago, they would have gone to the festival then. And when it happened, I was out enjoying the event. I had no idea what had happened to the two of them. I did not learn about it until…”

Asama remembered. She added her own words as she recalled the past as well.

“Until I came to tell you.”

“Judge,” replied Kimi before looking Asama’s way. Her usual smile was missing from the corner of her mouth. She merely stared forward. “From that moment until my foolish brother’s treatment ended and he returned home, I constantly worried about what I should do. And I continued to worry about that even after he returned home. But now I think about it differently.” Kimi explained what she now thought. “Rather than worrying, I think carefully about what I can do for him. So what can I do that will allow that foolish brother’s first date to end without incident and will not cause him any problems later?”

After all…

“He said he wanted to use this date to see if Horizon has any interest in her emotions. And based on that, he will make his decision about what Musashi will do from now on and how we will face the rest of the world. In his own way, he has been thinking about tonight’s meeting.”

“In that case, Kimi, let’s start by trusting the others. Toori-kun said he would use this date to decide on his stance, so I think everyone understands how important it is. Like always, Toori-kun and Horizon will act like idiots, worry, and ultimately find their answer, but I believe the others will surely protect them. They will provide a solid defense against England’s right to duel our chancellor.” Asama looked Kimi straight in the eye as she continued. “So let’s support the others. They should be beginning their duels soon and I doubt they will all escape unharmed, so let’s make some preparations to allay Toori-kun and everyone else’s fears.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 27|Chapter 27]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 29|Chapter 29]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 27

2015-04-18T20:06:37Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 27: One who Stands Alone in the Stage Wing==

[[Image:Horizon2A_807.png|thumb]]
''When two people are not a pair

''Even when together

''What do you call them?

'''Point Allocation (Relationship)

…''The immediate situation is similar to a date, but the overall situation makes us enemies.

In the event warehouse, Neshinbara stared silently forward with the half-lidded eyes that had not left his face for a while now. His arms dangled by his sides and he had no desire to eat the lunch he had bought.

…''Crossunite-kun has been receiving a lunch from that cloaked man. It’s like that man is his loving wife, but that thought scares me. Plus, it’s usually Crossunite-kun who plays the wife role in the doujinshi.

With that thought, he suddenly felt something from his right arm.

“Kh…”

It throbbed. It felt like a painful itching was scratching at all the blood vessels in that arm.

He felt like someone was grabbing the back of his hand from above, so he raised his hand. Glowing strings of writing had appeared not just around the hand with its bulging blood vessels but around the bandages as well.

The pain and itching of Macbeth was pulsating. But the rhythm of that pulse was not his own. And that caused the discomfort to intensify into a power that was attempting to control him. Neshinbara turned to the right to look at the one who had created Macbeth. That controlling pulse belonged to…

“Shakespeare…”

His voice grew quieter partway through speaking her name. Strings of writing were slowly coming from her long hair and falling to the floor. He only noticed it now because the angle of the sunlight passing through the ceiling had changed. But…

“What play have you started!? And why!?”

She did not respond, but his question was answered by their surroundings.

He heard laughter. That laughter which sounded both like mocking laughter and snickering came from the canyon before his eyes. The laughter was in response to his shouted questions, but it was strangely solid and loud.

…''They aren’t even trying to hide it!? Why?

And then it hit him.

“You put a curse on the customers!?”

“No. What a rude misunderstanding,” muttered Shakespeare while she closed her book. The laughter of the surrounding people formed the background music of their exchange. “I have prepared a stage for us to confront each other. This is a prototype barrier-style stage that will prevent damage to the city or its people and keep all of you from escaping. It is up to everyone else whether it will be used. The ones out in London are the eight members of the Trumps other than the queen, Jonson, Dudley, Cecil, and Grace.”

Eight names were displayed on the sign frame she showed him.

'''8. Assistant Secretary: Nicholas Bacon – Hammer user and trickster. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.

'''7. Treasurer: Charles Howard – Naval admiral. Wealthy common sense man. No combat ability.

'''5-1. Francis Drake – Hard Wolf and naval vice admiral. Essentially the commander. Testamenta Arma user.

'''5-2. John Hawkins – Drake’s companion. Swimsuit man.

'''5-3. Thomas Cavendish – Drake and the others’ underclassman. Mermaid woman.

'''3. Christopher Hatton – Lord Chancellor and Living Bones.

'''2. F. Walsingham – Automaton leader of the public morals committee. Spymaster.

'''1. Walter Raleigh – Far Easterner. Elizabeth’s wartime advisor.

“Even the ones without official positions can rival an army on their own and even I, one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, view them as strange. Ever since the Trumps were formed, we have not had special duty officers like other academies, but do not let your guard down. Whether human or not, they are representatives of this land of non-humans.”

“Why are they doing this!?”

She went on to say exactly what he feared she would.

“You don’t get it? When Musashi arrived, the Trumps were assembled and we made a unanimous decision. We will keep Musashi here in England to use it in our negotiations with the Testament Union and other nations.”

“Wait,” muttered Neshinbara. “Then…”

He was already standing up from his chair.

“Then was this festival a trap?”

“It was not a trap,” replied Shakespeare while still facing forward. “It is a cultural exchange. In the form of dueling. And if the one we duel is defeated, we earn the right to duel someone of a higher level.”

Neshinbara thought on the meaning of “someone of a higher level”.

“You’re going to defeat someone to earn the right to duel our chancellor?”

“Your chancellor is known as Mr. Impossible, but he is ranked at the top, both as chancellor and student council president. To duel him, someone at least at the level of vice chancellor or vice president would be best. However, this was suggested by Howard and Jonson, so no one is ranked that high. That is why we must duel and defeat someone at the level of secretary, treasurer, or special duty officer. We must prove we have the strength to duel someone of higher rank. So if any one of our people win, Musashi’s chancellor will be drawn inside my theatre space as he enjoys himself in London. There, he will duel that winner.”

“Do you really think you can do that?”

''She must think they can,'' thought Neshinbara.

But Shakespeare’s response was different.

“I don’t know.” She tilted her head and spoke as if she barely even cared. “All I had to do was prepare the stage. I prefer creating more than I do fighting. If what I create results in a battle, that will help the others, but it is not my style to create for that reason.”

“Then...” began Neshinbara. “Why did you give me the curse of Macbeth?”

“Oh,” said Shakespeare as if she had only just remembered. “I wanted a critic like you to know what it feels like to be criticized.”

“Now,” muttered Shakespeare as she looked forward once more. “It is all up to the others. And a quick warning: if you try to warn Musashi’s chancellor or do anything else, I will not hesitate to enclose you in the theatre space.”

“Are you holding me hostage?”

“Do not be ridiculous. I am simply saying there may be a continuation to the play everyone is beginning now. They may reach the ultimate encore by dueling Musashi’s chancellor.” She ignored Neshinbara as he clenched his teeth and she continued facing forward. “According to Howard, we will prevent Musashi from continuing on and then we will invite you into England. That seems to be the plan.”

“Why!?”

“Because the Testament Union will not accept ‘we were unable to do anything to Musashi’ or ‘we settled things through political negotiations’ as excuses. You already caused a military conflict at Mikawa, so an equal reaction is expected from us. If we do not provide it, the Testament Union will make us pay the price.”

But…

“But Musashi is a dangerous stage. After setting foot there once, everyone knew that holding the battle there would be a bad idea. Instead, we let you land, so we can confront you on our home turf. And while driving your emergency stores down, we used the possibility of negotiations and the festival as bait to keep you from fleeing to another nation. When you agreed to the festival and sent out an ambassador, Howard was delighted. With the ambassador in our grasp, Musashi cannot send itself or its transport ships down to the city and we can use her as a hostage to draw in the other officers. If this fails, we are prepared to write it off as a piece of ‘festival entertainment’. That is why the stage I have prepared is the comedy Much Ado About Nothing.”

“You’ll regret this.”

Neshinbara’s line did not produce a nod from Shakespeare. She merely brushed up her hair to better show the writing spilling out of it.

“As long as I can perform a test run on my barrier-style theatre space, it does not matter to me.”

She sat cross-legged on her chair, pulled a new novel from the paper bag next to her, and continued speaking.

“Also, this is a desperate attempt for the others. But that means it should be enough to stop any complaints from the Testament Union. None of the other nations have fought you on their mainland, so this should give us an advantage over the others. This is a battle between representatives, but this is based in the single combat allowed by the academy rules for battles between nations. If they have any complaints, they will have to base their complaints in the academy rules.

“What do you think? Will your comrades be captured and made into bargaining chips or will they play their roles in the play and face the audience for the curtain call? My Lord Chamberlain’s Men is barrier-style this time. With our two groups up on the stage and unable to escape, there will be no damage to the audience or the props on the stage. We only need to remember that this is our home turf and defeat you. Negotiations, combat, spells…anything goes. If even one of our officers wins, we will have the card needed to stop Musashi and the right to duel Mr. Impossible. You understand the rest, don’t you? We have a hostage and this is our home turf, but this is a play.

“Welcome to the festival. I look forward to seeing everyone’s performance. How about you?” She took a breath. “As the producer, let me say this: ladies and gentlemen, it is time to raise the curtain.”

It happened suddenly.

It began with what looked like a slight shudder from Asama. That immediately told Mitotsudaira what had happened.

“Silver chains!”

She gently bent her knees and grasped the tight arms on the ends of the silver chains with her slightly spread hands.

She looked down and saw the metal fingers that resembled giant red jewels or decorations. They glowed dully in her hands and her fingertips stretched out nervously.

She was prepared to begin fighting at any moment.

And then she saw a single tamagushi stabbed into the ground at Asama’s feet.

That tamagushi was meant to create a barrier.

Shirasago Enterprises, sponsor of the Asama Shrine, was a sister corporation of IZUMO and it primarily produced Shinto products. They were known for producing Shinto equipment in a more serious vein than IZUMO, which was still growing, but they had no real idiosyncrasies. However, that was the safest option when facing an unknown threat in a foreign land.

Asama’s tamagushi was made from strengthened oak wood, it was lacquered white, and the sharpened tip glowed due to the spell which increased its penetrative power. A circular design covered the area within three meters of the tamagushi and a certain change occurred there.

Bluish-white text gushed up from the ground and wrapped around Shirasago sponsor logo and the musical text purifying the inside of the circular barrier. The logo and text quickly began to waver. As Mitotsudaira wondered what this was, she arrived at a certain memory.

…''Shakespeare’s script!?

As soon as she had that thought, Asama loudly stepped forward with her right leg. She clapped once.

“Music!”

With her voice, the strings of words from the script inside the circle shattered.

At the same time, the circle on the ground settled in place and the barrier was complete.

Mitotsudaira did not know what spell had caused those bluish-white words that now disappeared into the atmosphere. However, she did know that Asama’s barrier was a safe place now that it was complete.

And that was why she stepped toward the barrier.

“Tomo, what is…?”

She was going to say “happening”.

But then Mitotsudaira realized a certain fact.

Asama and Kimi vanished before her eyes.

“An illusion!?”

Mitotsudaira was confused by Asama and Kimi’s disappearance.

It was not an illusion.

But the two were gone. Asama had set up the barrier, and yet they had vanished.

The surrounding people were still here, so what had happened?

That pair had large mass…or rather, volume, so it would create a huge burden to make them vanish. It pained her to admit it, but she would have been much easier to make vanish. So what was going on?

A sudden thought came to her and she turned around. Black and gold wings and hair had been there a moment before, but…

…''They’re gone too!?

Mitotsudaira raised her hips and gently had one silver chain scratch at the area Naito and Naruze had been and another at the area Asama and Kimi had been. But the chains found nothing and they tilted their heads.

She looked around again while once again wondering what had happened.

She realized the people were looking toward her. They were not muttering to themselves and they were not causing a commotion.

“…”

They were simply turning expectant gazes in her direction with a sound similar to the moving of the tide. As they looked up at her, they all had thin and joyous smiles plastered on their faces.

…''Is this…?

And she spoke the answer she had arrived at.

“This is some kind of barrier. Given the people England has at their disposal, this is likely a ‘stage’ created by Shakespeare’s spell. And this is a combat stage that draws in only the chosen representative and an audience that will enjoy the battle.”

Which meant…

“Have we all been taken to separate stages for duels between students!?”

She understood.

It had begun. This would be a battle between England and Musashi in the form of duels between their representatives.

They were in a dangerous position, but so was someone else.

“Suzu is in trouble in her role as ambassador.”

But then Mitotsudaira shook her head. Suzu had Adele and Futayo with her.

And if she could leave Suzu to those two, there was something else she had to do.

…''My king is on a date and trying to determine his policy!

How would Musashi and the Far East face the other nations from now on? Her king was attempting to make up his mind on that issue.

And if someone was intending to bring harm to that king in the form of a confrontation…

“As a knight, I will let my king and princess enjoy this festival!”

Mitotsudaira ran forward. She doubted she could meet her king in this strange space.

“But we will all do everything we can to see this festival through to the end!”

In order to protect that festival, Musashi’s knight raced on while praying.

[[Image:Horizon2A_820.png|thumb]]
Study

Landsknechte

Toori: Sis! Sis! La la lan♪ Lan lan laan lan lan laan♪

Kimi: Heh heh heh. ♪-brother, please stop with openings that make me worry about you. You wish to ask about the Landsknechte that Mitotsudaira mentioned, don’t you?

Toori: What’s with that name? It’s a pain-in-the-ass to pronounce.

Kimi: It isn’t actually known why they are known as the Landsknechte. It’s thought to be a mixture and/or corrupted form of a name for an area of land, a word for knight, and other things. The mercenary culture has actually existed for a long time, but the knights fell into ruin after around the 10th century and their fall was hastened by the crusades, so the ruined knights began working as mercenaries to earn money.

Toori: And that’s how the Landsknechte got famous?

Kimi: No. The first ones to get famous were the Kriegs Georgern who fought for the independence of Switzerland. They did not stay within Switzerland and worked outside of the country, so sometimes Kriegs Georgern members would oppose each other on the battlefield. They were known as the ultimate mercenary group due to their regulated method of combat. The Landsknechte copied them while adding on the fact that they were former knights and wore gaudy outfits. The different countries and principalities were at war, so the mercenary commanders would immediately begin recruiting whenever war broke out nearby. They were not a standing army, so they had no constant maintenance costs. This made them easy to use for whoever hired them. The Landsknechte stood out well, so their services became well known. This led to them spreading everywhere. At the time, anyone could become a mercenary and it was a good way of earning prestige.

They were armed with pikes, halberds, and short swords. They were also issued rifles when they were available. They could be hired for 4 gulden a month (approx. 400,000 yen). They had their own laws, they formed regiments made of ten 300-600 men companies, and they had a number of different officer positions, but the most interesting part was the inspection for entering the Landsknechte, their oath to god, and the joint decision-making right that allowed lower ranked members to gather together and give their opinion to their commander. They were like knights in some ways and more modern in others. The mercenary group would form a sort of small city with a canteen they could all eat at, prostitutes that were everyone’s mother, and even a judicial system. Everyone was equal under the law. It was probably a comfortable place for those who had nowhere else to go.

Toori: Nwoooh! Isn’t that a lot of information?

Kimi: Be a bit more patient. Anyway, at around the 16th century, the central countries of Europe used mercenaries to wage war, but the wars grew larger and dragged on longer than expected. The costs piled up, the mercenaries had little experience because the group would break apart once the war was over, and the mercenaries’ equipment was not the best, so having a standing army became the better option. The mercenaries would also loot, so they were rough on the countries they fought in. It reached the point that they even had terms like joint looting (stealing as a group and distributing it) and wildcat looting (stealing on one’s own and keeping it all for oneself).

Toori: Sounds like something from a video game.

Kimi: Did you even hear a word I said besides “looting”?

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 26|Chapter 26]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 28|Chapter 28]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 26

2015-04-18T20:03:38Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 26: Flower Presenter on the Street==

[[Image:Horizon2A_781.png|thumb]]
''In what season

''Does the strictness of blooming

''Become more lax?

'''Point Allocation (Cheering)

The sounds of the festival danced about the stone and brick city. They gathered together and spread out in the midday sky.

The city was not all that tall. Instead of apartments, the streets were lined with stone and brick houses.

But the dirt roads and roofed sidewalk arcades were all filled with people.

The road could not be seen through the people who were all heading to different destinations or the temptations before their eyes.

The people made countless different noises. Orchestras and bands played and sung the main melody, the countless speaking voices of the walking people formed the low bass, and their footsteps on the stone and dirt created the drum-like tempo. The many sounds and never-ending flow of people drifted toward the fatty, flavorful, and sweet scents of foods at the festival stands. They were further disturbed by the jester and magician shows, but no matter how much the movements slowed, they never came to a complete stop.

And on top of all that movement, spirits moved along the road and through the air.

The wind spirits carried voice messages, the kobolds carried materials to support the festival, and they all remained in constant motion.

All the never-ending action produced heat, but one factor gave them all a breather.

The girls.

There were the Far Eastern residents. A few girls – mostly Far Easterners – were dressed up as they walked down the center of the road. A tall girl with light brown hair and lots of exposed skin took the lead. She was followed by a tall black-haired girl, a silver-haired half-werewolf, and girls with black and gold wings.

The waves of people naturally parted ahead of them, but not to avoid them. Both the men and women wanted to move back so they could more easily see the entire group.

The parting waves of people began hesitantly, grew surprised, and finally filled with breaths of curiosity. The occasional person made a comment while drawing back.

“Are those the girls of Musashi?”

A lot of Far Eastern girls had entered England for the festival. However…

“Those are chancellor’s officers and students with connections to the student council. They’re the main players during combat.”

Of all the gazes turned toward the girls, not all of them were filled with curiosity. Some of the people had body types that pointed toward certain combat styles or wore stockers for spell charms. Those people parted the waves of people and poked their heads out to observe the girls who might become their opponents.

Their gazes held suspicion or doubt and they commented on the girls’ gait, posture, and shoulder movements.

“We can’t let our guard down.”

“Testament. They’re more impressive in real life than in the footage from the Battle of Mikawa.”

“Their breasts are?”

“Their heights are.”

“Testament. I just had to ask. It was a joke, okay? Don’t take it seriously? Okay?”

“If you say so.”

After a short pause, one of them lowered his head.

“Sorry…I lied. I shouldn’t do that. I shouldn’t lie about the important things.”

“No, I’m sorry. I lied too. It’s just that I’m more of an ass man, so I didn’t want to give in.”

“I see.”

Some of the guys in the crowd smiled at each other and placed a hand on each other’s shoulders, but an occasional guy would exit the crowd to invite one of the girls to join him. They were mostly high school aged and some were closer to middle-aged, but they would all start by standing in front of the girls.

“––––– ”

The dancer’s smile and comment from the girl in front would put a bitter smile on their face as they looked up into the sky.

That exchange happened a few times, but suddenly something else happened.

“–––––?”

The boy who exited from the valley of people was younger than all the previous ones. He was still middle school aged. His blushing face was filled with tension, but he still stood before the girls.

But his lips trembled as he tried to speak and he was unable to form the words.

“…!”

The boy bent his right elbow and held it out toward the dancer at the front. He was asking her to take his arm.

The entire surrounding crowd gulped at the action.

“––––”

And then they either laughed lightly or gave sympathetic sighs at what was coming.

Their reactions caused the boy to blush an even deeper shade of red and hang his head.

But with a light laugh, some hair flew through the air. The hair spread out like a cloud filled with wind and then it danced about. The sudden action caused the surrounding people to fall silent.

“–––––”

The girl in the lead removed one of the ribbons in her hair and wrapped it around the boy’s arm. She gently but surely tied the decoration to his proffered elbow.

She then lightly tapped his elbow. It was a rejection and a sign for him to return to everyone else. He looked at the cloth wrapped around his arm, looked at her, and then nodded.

“––––!”

He swung his elbow up to show everyone.

“…!!”

And the crowd welcomed the boy back with cheers and applause.

As she watched the boy be swallowed up by the crowd, the dancer spread her arms slightly and bowed lightly toward them all. A few people cheered and she calmly began walking once more. Once she did, the crowd parted before her.

As they walked, the black-haired girl second from the lead glared at the dancer and asked her a question.

“What was that strange ritual just now, Kimi?”

Kimi did not turn around as she walked in the lead. She merely left behind the words to answer the question.

“It’s simple, Asama. England’s self-proclaimed gentry are challenging the summit’s flower which was discovered in the Battle of Mikawa.”

Asama listened to Kimi while watching out for the kobolds that occasionally cut across the road.

“But they are taking me too lightly. After all, they are all inviting me by saying ‘how about you come with me’ or something similar. I don’t like it. They make such a casual invitation for protection in case I refuse. If I do and people laugh at them, they can laugh it off as if it were a joke from the beginning. Why would I accept an invitation like that? That is why I tell them other guys would be joining us as well.”

“Then what about that boy just now?”

“Ha ha,” she laughed quietly. “He silently held out his arm as if to say ‘come with me’. It was forceful, but it did a nice job of making me pass judgment. He was not the same as the others. He was seriously asking me if he was good enough. I could not respond so lightly to him. He had the right attitude.”

“Then why did you give him the ribbon?”

Kimi responded immediately.

“That’s simple. I can’t let him mistakenly think that dressing up nicely and being forceful is enough to win acceptance from a girl. He had the right attitude, but he still lacked quite a bit. There is also looks, strength, other obligations, his finances, his job, etc. There were still a lot of unknowns. I have no intention of being satisfied by a boy like that. I am sure he will pick another flower one day, but he still has a long way to go before that day comes. But that outstretched arm was not a mistake, so I rewarded him with one of my ribbons to tell him that.”

“Does my brain still have a long way to go? Because that sounds like the reasoning of a drunk to me.”

“If a woman cannot grow drunk on herself how can she intoxicate others with her presence?”

“Um.” Asama lightly waved her hands back and forth. “I’ve never actually been drunk.”

This produced whispers from Naito and Mitotsudaira behind her.

“Doesn’t Asamachi train with sacred sake every day?”

“I thought the shrine banned her from drinking when she started using it as a substitution. Wasn’t that during middle school?”

…''First my chest and now my liver. I feel like it is always body-related jokes with me.

She felt her height was the same, but then Kimi’s hair waved back and forth in front of her.

“I have also been deflecting the ones after you, so you should be thankful.”

“Eh? …Ehh?”

She had not expected that. For some reason, the word “indecent” entered her mind and heat filled her cheeks. She frantically spoke up now that she knew her safety was in the hands of the deviant walking before her.

“U-um, m-make sure you reject all of them, okay?”

“Judge, judge. I am not foolish enough to let any impurities approach Musashi’s main cannon shrine maiden. That would cause trouble for my foolish brother and the others. Just leave it to me. I can speak English.”

“You can?”

“Judge,” answered Kimi. “Knowing the words ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘eros’, and ‘dance’ is enough to hold a conversation.”

“Wh-who let this idiot take the lead!? Oh, I’m so glad I realized this now!”

“It doesn’t matter. Just like on the Far Eastern mainland, a translation spell is in effect on England, so there won’t be any problems. More importantly…”

Kimi turned toward them. She looked at Mitotsudaira, Naruze, and Naito.

“Has anything changed in our search for my foolish brother and Horizon?”

“By the way, where are Seijun and Masa-yan?” asked Naito.

“Masazumi went to a used book sale in Westminster. Masa said something about working with the engine division to repair the Musashi and collect parts for Jizuri Suzaku,” explained Asama. “We will meet up with Masazumi in the park on Oxford Street which runs between Soho and the City. Toori-kun and Horizon will meet us there as well.”

Kimi nodded.

“Heh heh heh. Not much further and we can spy on my foolish brother and Horizon’s date. We are only a slight mistake away from being stalkers, but that kind of twisted concern is so lovely! If Suzu could join us, we could use her sensors to listen in! Let’s eavesdrop! …This would be a lot easier with a ninja. Did that ninja say he is checking on the experimental wheat field with that hooded gentleman?”

“Judge,” said Naito. “Once the festival is over, Tenzou will be leaving England with Musashi, so he probably wants to do as much as possible while he can.”

“Probably,” agreed Asama, but then she turned toward Naruze. “Naruze, you don’t have to sell your printed books like Neshinbara-kun is?”

“You don’t have to avoid calling them doujinshi, you know? Anyway, this event is being held every day this week and our section isn’t until the fifth day. I’ll be taking part again with a different section on the seventh day, though. Neshinbara wrote a novel, so he’s today. Speaking of which, he’ll probably have some trouble. With Shakespeare…” Naruze held up her right arm. “And the whole Macbeth issue, I doubt anyone will want to approach him.”

“What was the name of that Tres Españan academy for young children? The 13th Mutsugoirei Academy?”

“Heh heh heh. If you are going to look into people’s pasts, keep it to the ones you have fallen for, gossiping shrine maiden,” said Kimi. “Whether one’s past has a major impact or not, even incidents in one’s past that leave no memory are part of the environment that shapes them. In that case, learning someone’s past is the same as wishing to live in the same way as them. Understand?”

“Understand what?”

“Shakespeare said she and Neshinbara have the same past. …As a girl, don’t you hope for an adorable future there?”

“You make it sound like you hope for love even from stalkers.”

“What’s wrong with that? If we were not all protected by the law, everything we did would be a crime. So let us enjoy ourselves like criminals in this land with different laws. …Mitotsudaira, what are you looking at?”

In response to Kimi’s question, Mitotsudaira looked to the right.

“There is a park over there.”

The others only had to look. The park beyond the crowd was a square patch of land thirty meters long. It was likely a local gathering spot. A simple bazaar had naturally been set up there, but there was another gathering as well.

“The Landsknechte are recruiting warriors.”

The Landsknechte were a combat club in M.H.R.R. which had been created for the history recreation. They were modelled off of the Kriegs Georgern and its members belonged to academies in M.H.R.R.

…''But in exchange for money, they will fight for any nation as transfer students.

They essentially ignored the national borders.

The world was based around students and the academies disliked the idea of “soldiers”, but the Landsknechte acted outside of the academies. That allowed them to use the history recreation as an excuse to refer to themselves as mercenaries.

Usually, the Landsknechte leader and his close aides would travel to different places while maintaining a supply unit for food and a canteen run by prostitutes. In lands at war, they would recruit soldiers, join the fight, and continue fighting if necessary.

“You sometimes see them in the reservations. For the Far Eastern people to fight in a war to defend the nation with provisional rule over them, they must become transfer students using the mercenary system.”

The unit in the park already had a supply unit which was running festival stands.

They were aided by women whose clothes bore the chicken and squirrel emblems indicating a prostitute. Those women also lined up small items to sell.

''This is a wonderfully lively atmosphere,'' thought Mitotsudaira.

“But they are dying out now that every nation has their own army for the Thirty Years’ War.”

“That is still in its early stages, so they are still quite busy,” said Naruze from behind her.

Mitotsudaira regretted saying they were dying out in front of Naruze and Naito who were from M.H.R.R., but Naruze was looking in the same direction.

“M.H.R.R. does not have a combined national army due to the increasing decentralization of the principalities, so a mercenary organization that is not bound by the principality borders is very useful. Even if the principalities fight, the mercenaries can be united via money if a crisis falls over M.H.R.R.

“Anyone can join, but a chivalrous desire to protect something lies at the base of it all. Their opponent is decided by money, but that means they always have a path that can never be destroyed. Before a battle, the Landsknechte kneel on the ground and kiss the earth. That may be a sign of their desire for a united empire that is impossible with the current divided principalities.”

Before their eyes, men lined up in the park and the leaders accepted them.

A spear with their recruitment charter or “Bat Brief” attached was set up at the park entrance. Next to it, the recruitment commander tried to convince people to join while a hired band played as loudly as they could manage.

In the park, the people were divided between the candidates awaiting inspection and those whose inspection was complete.

And something existed between the two groups.

“That is the Landsknechte’s famous gate of inspection known as the Spear Gate.”

Two spears stood a meter apart with the butt end down. The upwards-pointing tips had a pike lying between them. The makeshift inspection gate used the spell cast on the spears and pike to determine the characteristics of whoever passed through it. Mitotsudaira was fairly certain the spears where from M.H.R.R.’s Eisenritter brand which ensured durability and sharpness with the thickness of the spears. The pike on the other hand was a straight and long weapon from the Holy Knights’ Steel Association brand.

…''That means the mercenaries do not distinguish between Catholic and Protestant.

Supply officers stood to either side of the gate. A secretary stood beyond the gate to record the surname, baptismal name, and birthplace of those who passed through. Occasionally, the inspection gate would emit a chime and the person passing through would begin a discussion with the supply officers.

“You’re an idol worshiper, aren’t you? What? Your closet is filled with holy figurines? Most of your unit is Protestant, so be careful. …Fine then. Our warrior’s compassion will allow you to carry one with you, but just this once.”

It was unclear whether that was actually kind or not, but it seemed warriors handled this sort of thing in a roundabout fashion.

“Why are the Landsknechte recruiting here in England?” asked Asama with a tilt of her head.

“Well, Asama,” said Naruze. “This recruitment is for those in England who aren’t students. The academy rules say only a student can oppose other students. And anyone who joins the Landsknechte temporarily joins the M.H.R.R. academy of AHRRS. That means they are a student, so they can join England as a transfer student and freely protect England from Tres España. It’s a convenient method for those who quit being students for some reason or another.”

“Hashiba is not opposing England, so you can also view it as a way to earn some points here.”

As they spoke, the recruitment commander began performing an oath with those who had passed through the Spear gate.

“Listen up! As Landsknechte, you will abide by the AHRRS academy rules and the 74 Landsknechte regulations of duty! First, when marching, ‘Give your all, Always stay the pace, and Yearn to continue on’. Remember those rules of G-A-Y, and you’ll do fine! Next, to ensure a balanced diet with your provisions…”

As they all nodded at the basic stipulations, they held their right hand and two fingers up toward the commander and gave their oath.

“I swear it on the Testament.”

The girls of Musashi sweated nervously as they listened to the stipulations and oath.

“No running in the halls, keeping a balanced diet, and flattening their milk cartons? Th-that is quite a strict oath.”

“You eat nothing but meat, so you need to add water and bread to balance out your diet.”

“Kimi, I think you would be kicked out the instant they performed a uniform or hairstyle inspection.”

As they all watched the mercenaries, Naruze spoke up.

“Of course, I think Tres España is doing the same thing with the Kriegs Georgern who are the Landsknechte’s rival and the organization they are modelled off of. The Kriegs Georgern are pro-Catholic, so they are on good terms with K.P.A. Italia. Due to his position, the pope cannot own a private fighting force, so he has the Kriegs Georgern protect him. The Landsknechte are more numerous while the Kriegs Georgern are more disciplined, so it’s hard to say how this will turn out.”

“…You know a lot about this.”

“I suppose I do,” she said, but she said nothing more about herself. She instead steered the conversation back toward the mercenaries. “The prostitutes running the canteen are succubi, right? They can give men any dream they want. Any painful memories or farewells in their past can be redone with that power. It’s said that any guy will find themselves crying when they wake up. And the skilled ones can apparently make anyone call her ‘mother’.”

“I see,” said Mitotsudaira. She then had a thought concerning that dream-giving ability. “What would you think if the chancellor wanted to resolve his regrets in that way?”

Her casual comment caused Asama to turn around. She had a surprised look on her face.

“Um…”

Hearing the shrine maiden hesitate, Mitotsudaira belatedly realized her question had been inappropriate.

…''I seem to be lacking in prudence today.

She decided to change the subject, but Kimi asked her a question before she could.

“Mitotsudaira, do you still have my foolish brother’s trail?”

“Eh?”

Mitotsudaira immediately restated her response.

…''Oops.

“Judge. He is up ahead on this road. His hair smells the same as yours.”

“You’re pretty amazing, Mito-tsan.”

“The chancellor and Horizon wash their hair with the same shampoo and Kimi has been taking care of Horizon’s hair every night recently.”

“True.” Kimi had her back to them, but Mitotsudaira heard her laugh. “Just my foolish brother was fun enough, but now I have a little sister who is as cute as a doll and I can touch her with my own hands. My life is trending upwards so much that every day sets a new high score. Just think about it: there is an idiot who is trying to conquer the world and a cement-like girl who actually has the authority to do so…and I am their older sister. So who will hold the highest position in the future? That would be me, wouldn’t it?”

''How is anyone supposed to mentally defeat this girl?'' wondered Mitotsudaira, but Kimi brushed up her hair with a laugh and continued speaking.

“So if I do not keep a level head, the entire world will go crazy.”

“Are you saying you are a balancer for the world?”

…''Even Kimi had to have been surprised when Horizon suddenly appeared. Probably. Maybe. If there is even the tiniest bit of normalness in her.

Mitotsudaira had also not known what to do about that reunion of old friends after ten years, learning that old friend had lost her memories, and learning that she was a Logismoi Oplo automaton. Mitotsudaira had not known how to react to that girl or if she should simply leave things be and see what happened.

…''Either way, I would be leaving it to the chancellor.

Mitotsudaira was grateful that Horizon had approached her during the yakiniku the night before. After all, it had taught her that Horizon was not wary of her. Now she just had to figure out what to do about it.

''At any rate,'' she thought before speaking to the others.

“If we continue to gather this much attention, the chancellor and Horizon will notice us once we get closer.”

“Heh heh. You want to split up? I thought wolves hunted in packs?”

“Would you rather I gave instructions as the pack leader? Split up and track them.”

Just as Mitotsudaira followed up her instructions with a small snort, a shadow suddenly filled the sky.

She frowned and looked up.

A vermilion aerial ship passed by overhead. The logos of a nation and academy that it bore on the sides indicated that it was a diplomatic ship.

“That ship is from Tres España’s Alcalá de Something!” exclaimed Asama. “Why is it in England!?”

“That would be Alcalá de Henares. …And the armada battle may be approaching, but Tres España and England are not complete enemies. Tres España has likely sent an ambassador. As soon as this festival ends, Tres España will probably declare war and send out their invincible fleet.” Mitotsudaira took a breath and continued as she heard a bell ringing to the north. “Either during this festival or at its end, Mary Stuart’s execution will be determined.”

Two people stood on the front deck of the vermilion diplomatic ship floating in the sky. Being a diplomatic ship, the terrace was made so one could view the ground below. Standing there were a girl with two false arms and a lean long-lived man with a mustache.

The long-lived man, Velázquez, spoke to the girl, Gin.

“It looks like we are being confined here, but we should be able to return to the third level. I guess we can’t fly right up to the embassy. …But look, Gin. Isn’t that Mary Stuart in the Tower of London?”

He pointed toward a building on the first level several kilometers away, but Gin only narrowed her eyes.

“I apologize, but you are a mountain-type long-lived race, correct?”

“What? Oh, sorry. My sight is a lot better than yours. It’s a racial difference.”

Velázquez sent his brush dancing through the air and painted a picture in midair.

The picture showed the source of the ringing bell. He painted the Tower of London to provide a magnified image.

In only a few seconds, he completed the image of a fortress with a tower in all four directions.

“The Tower of London,” said Gin with a nod. “It is technically both a fortress and a palace. It exists in front of Oxford Academy, the queen lives there, and political prisoners are kept there.”

“Can you see it?”

“Testament.”

Gin could see a woman looking down from the viewing platform below the tower’s roof. She wore England’s girls uniform. Her hat and the blind covering her face made her age impossible to judge. However…

“She is likely the same age as us, but I cannot say for sure with her face hidden.”

“You say ‘us’, but that’s a wide range if you include me.”

“I was using Muneshige as the standard.”

“Testament, testament. I see. But she is a spirit and human mix. The spirit was a dryad, I believe. She was born between a Celtic spirit and Henry VIII. I don’t like not being able to hear anything, but people are probably shouting insults.”

“No, I do not think so.”

“Why not?” asked Velázquez.

Gin pointed at Mary in the painting.

“Someone who bears herself like this would have a detached attitude if she were being insulted. She would likely look up into the sky. I cannot be sure with the blind in the way, but I think she is looking down into the city.”

“You mean she is exchanging glances with the people?”

“Testament. It is as if she is asking them if they have anything to say to her.”

“Women are scary,” muttered Velázquez before scratching at his head. “What should we do? She’s Catholic like us, so should we go save her?”

“Why would we ruin the history recreation more than necessary? Our visit here is acceptable as long as it leaves no records, but that would be unavoidable if we rescued her.”

“You’re becoming more and more like Juana.”

“No, I have a long way to go,” stated Gin. “It takes one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings to spread your legs and use your breasts like that for the man you are interested in. I have realized how much I still have to learn.”

“…I think you’ve made some kind of major misunderstanding.”

“Let us set that aside.” Gin used a hand to stop him and then pointed toward the ship they stood on. “The armada battle we must fight will begin shortly after Mary Stuart is executed. Once that is over, Tres España’s decline is guaranteed and the nation’s policy will turn toward controlling and stopping that decline.”

“That would be nice, but nations cannot always follow the ideal path. It requires money, after all. Tres España poured more money into the armada battle than any other event in its history, so it could easily lead to our decline no matter what result it has. Everyone is trying to bring the battle to a nice end, but it will be difficult to achieve a result that lets us stand up to the other nations. Whether we can do this or not is…”

Velázquez stopped there and placed a hand on his head as if holding his hat in place.

“Sorry, I know I should keep a more positive outlook as the older one.”

“Testament. You are quite pessimistic. I did not realize you were that kind of person.”

“Really?” Velázquez smiled a bit. “Then maybe I should tell you this: you’re just as ignorant of the world as I thought.”

“That is not a problem as long as I have Muneshige,” declared Gin. She raised her false arms a bit, nodded, and spoke as if to herself. “I am a boring girl, after all.”

“Is that so?” asked Velázquez in a tone that said he did not agree. “So is the meeting over?”

“Why are you using a word from the enemy’s language like ‘meeting’? Our secretary is a very free person, isn’t he?”

“You probably shouldn’t use the English word ‘free’ when saying things like that. …Anyway, don’t forget your job. All the others are kids who have their hands full with themselves and someone else, so I have to keep things running smoothly as your elder. And I’ll do anything to ensure it.”

“Allow me to make a correction. Our secretary is a very kind person.”

“Hah. I already knew that.”

Suddenly, Gin froze in place and Velázquez frowned.

The bell had stopped ringing.

The sound lingered for a bit, but Gin merely stared toward the second level.

“The atmosphere has changed.”

“…? Yes, Mary is gone. She must have gone back inside.”

“Testament. But that is not all. What is this?”

Gin closed her eyes and focused on her ears. She could hear the distant people enjoying the festival.

“A powerful presence has entered the city. No, several of them. The people have sensed these presences which has produced a subtle change in the festival noises. Some are heading toward them and others are avoiding them. I can only say two things for sure.” She took a breath. “They are not attempting to hide their presence and their objective is unknown. Secretary, please land this ship somewhere as soon as possible.”

“What are you going to do, 3rd special duty officer?”

“It is simple. I will join the festival to sound out the objective of these presences. Have you forgotten the mission Lady Juana gave us?”

She went on to remind him what that was.

“We are to declare war and, if possible, find an excuse beyond Mary’s execution so England has no way of escaping.”

As the ringing of the bell lingered in the air above the wheat field, Scarred looked toward the second level.

…''What is this?

The movements of the wind and earth spirits told her something was happening. The spirits that human eyes could not see were worried about the city.

Those spirits were a lot like ether, so ley line disturbances bothered them the most.

…''People using spells or bearing weapons have entered the city without sealing anything off.

And…

…''I know what that means.

She turned toward him and narrowed her eyes.

“We have spent an extravagant amount of time here.”

“Hm?” Tenzou turned around and tilted his head. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she responded with a bitter smile. “Are you interested in the festival on the second level?”

That question caused Tenzou to look toward the second level just as she was.

“How odd,” he said.

“What is?”

“Testament. The noises of the city are not merely those of joy or excitement. I am detecting shades of confusion and surprise. They both sound the same at first, but…”

The wind blew in as he spoke.

That wind seemed to wash across the land.

It contained a heat that indicated the change from morning to midday. It was produced in the warm ocean and city and it met in the middle at the wheat field.

“Ah.”

“Are you all right, Scarred-dono?”

Tenzou moved in front of her to block the wind, but she did not put her cloak’s hood back up. She stood amidst the short and still-growing wheat and used her fingers to brush her hair back into place. The wind weakened, but it did not die down altogether.

The wind spirits were confused. Some were trying to flee the city and some were on their way to see what was happening in the city. Those two groups were running into each other, shaking free of each other, and restraining each other.

But as the wind blew, Scarred narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.

…''Everything has decided to take the first step.

So…

“Shall we head to the upper levels, Master Tenzou?”

“What?”

His tone made it clear he had not expected this question, so she smiled.

“I can go all the way to the first level.”

“Eh? Oh, um…b-but why?”

If she had asked him if he did not want to, he would likely have gone with her.

And so…

“Because I want to go there with you.”

“What?”

Scarred found his confusion a bit frightening. She did not know if he was simply surprised or if he did not feel that way about her in the least, but it did not sit well with her heart.

And so she continued speaking.

“I will guide you to the location of the Princess Disappearance I know about.”

“That would be…”

Scarred watched as a look of realization appeared on Tenzou’s face and then his hesitation vanished. He had realized this was a job as a ninja of Musashi.

“Please do,” he said with a nod.

“Judge,” she replied with a nod of her own. She then looked up at his diligent expression. “But do you mind? There is one thing I must take care of.”

“Judge. What is it?”

“Judge. If we are to go there, we must pass through the city and the festival occurring there. I must first buy things at some of the festival stands and offer some of it to the earth spirits. After that, I must walk around a bit to aid digestion and then take a short rest.”

“I see. So it is the same as a battle.”

“Judge. It is indeed a type of battle. I will be changing into my casual clothes, so please wait a moment. We can meet at the carriage stop up above. A carriage will come by every ten minutes today.”

“Judge,” replied Tenzou with a bow.

As he turned around, Scarred walked toward the village she lived in.

She heard him muttering to himself behind her.

“Huh? …Something about that seems odd. But I suppose it could be true.”

She smiled bitterly and sensed the atmosphere of the city from the noises carried by the wind.

“…”

She closed her eyes, decided to force a smile, and quickened her pace.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 25|Chapter 25]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 27|Chapter 27]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 25

2015-04-18T20:01:25Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 25: Ruler of the Theatre==

[[Image:Horizon2A_761.png|thumb]]
''What are the odds

''Of an uninvited guest showing up?

'''Point Allocation (Feeling of Distance)

London covered a large portion of the southern side of England’s second level. The Thames River was the primary waterway and the city was divided into a few different sections.

The festival was held on the main streets, parades were held daily, and food stands had been set up. And on the side streets, local stands and stores provided food, dancing, and music.

Due to the history recreation, London was divided into two major sections: the northeast section known as the City which handled things such as trade and the southwestern section known as Westminster which contained the political and religious facilities. Between the two sections was the royal family’s hunting ground known as Soho. The areas of Soho bordering the two sections contained a lot of residential land.

The festival was centered on a plaza in Soho and a lot of the surrounding buildings (especially trade warehouses on the City side) were being used for events.

Some warehouses were used for business with Musashi. Some were used to store festival stands and supplies for groups taking part in the festival. Others were used to sell local crops or as dining halls to serve them.

One warehouse to the south displayed the logo of ArchsArt, England’s representative corporation, and the number 16. It was 100 meters long and 50 meters wide, and it contained countless long tables arranged to sell printed books.

It was a convention for selling self-published materials.

The wooden building had the tall roof common to warehouses and it was filled with people. The convention inside was known as the “Incomparably Esteemed Doujinshi-Lovers Club” which the signs abbreviated to “IncEst Club”. This abbreviation concerned some people, did not bother some others in the slightest, and caused a few to accuse the convention runners of false advertising.

The area was very crowded and the only gaps existed in the enclosed area created by the creators’ tables and the snack spots in the corners. It was easy to control the lines by the walls, so a balance between guidance and crowd concentration had been achieved. The lines extended outside, so ventilation was not a problem.

However, there was one area by the wall that had no line or crowd.

The long tables usually had two sellers at them, but the tables by the wall were made for major sellers and thus had only one to a table. This allocation made it clear that a certain seller had no line.

That seller was Neshinbara.

His printed book was placed on the table and he had a decorative fisherman’s flag bearing the circle name “Missed Fish”.

But no customers approached. With half-lidded eyes, Neshinbara sat in his chair and watched the surrounding sellers gradually work through their lines.

While standing in line, people with similar tastes would exchange information and discuss their hobbies. Common topics of discussion were artists with inherited names, those artists’ works, and fan works based on those works.

“As a flat-lover, should I go for Muromachi Room’s new work ‘Flat Chronicles: Volume 20’ first? Or should I go for a new awakening with ‘Non-Flat Chronicles’ from the original author, Imagawa Sadayo?”<ref>Flat Chronicles and Non-Flat Chronicles are a play on words based on the Taiheiki and the Nan-Taiheiki respectively.</ref>

“I know I’ve got to get my hands on ‘A Basara Farewell!’<ref>Basara was a slang term used as an intensifier that was common in the Nanboku-cho period of Japan.</ref> that is supposed to bring an end to the popularity of writing about the Nanboku-cho period. Something new is going to overthrow it.”

“You know Geoffrey Chaucer’s short game collection ‘Canterbury Tales’ that follows multiple occupations, right? What number is it up to now? I tried playing ‘Final Canterbury Quest’ for the next-gen console, but it just confused me when it started with ‘Occupation: Slime – Job: Sticky Liquid’.”

Everyone was speaking cheerfully about things like that. Beyond them was another line for those receiving a light crucifixion as punishment for cutting in line or running through the crowded convention center. The men running that wore a mask and no shirt.

“Okay, the end of the line is back there,” one of them said. “Please form a straight line. It will be over soon enough, okay? You’ll just feel a slight stabbing sensation, so raise your hand if it hur- Run and I’ll drive this scorching stake into you!!”

That area was quite lively.

…''European execution grounds always stink of burnt flesh.

Neshinbara occasionally spotted a familiar face passing by and they would raise a hand in greeting so as not to disturb the lines on either side. Neshinbara would stand up and begin raising his right hand.

“…”

And then raise his left hand which was not wrapped in bandages with spells written on them. The other person would soon lower their hand and walk off to their next destination.

The convention would continue throughout the festival period with novel sales, comic sales, video sales, etc., but any one seller could only stay for one day. The popular works would be sold across the Far East through the Far East Academy Stores, but they would only have so many in stock. Any passionate fans wanted to line up and get their copy as quickly as possible.

And if they were seeking and attempting to acquire what they believed in, the buyers were the main character in their relationship with the work in question.

The high spirits of these main characters would continue even after returning home and speaking with others. It would not leave until the next work was released.

The roof of the building could open and it was opened just slightly, so the morning sun and wind had a way in. Even so, the light had difficulty reaching the walls and the lines to Neshinbara’s left and right blocked the light out like canyon walls.

But as noon slowly approached, the thin line of light rose above the people’s heads. Only then did it finally fall on the floor in front of Neshinbara.

The light should have illuminated a deserted canyon floor, but it was not deserted.

Someone stood there.

The girl wore England’s girls uniform with the skirt and sleeves removed, but she did wear a kinked white coat over it. She wore thick glasses with the sides placed over her long ears, she wore a backpack, and she held a novel and a paper bag.

“Thomas Shakespeare.”

A stir ran through the people forming the canyon walls. They turned curious eyes in her direction, but no one was able to utter an actual comment.

…''Is this what you call awe?

They were curious. They could not look away. They turned their ears toward her to hear any words spoken.

But they were afraid of saying something and having that curiosity turned back on them. More importantly, if anything they said would simply be ignored…

…''Then they might as well say nothing.

But…

“Hamlet!”

A girl suddenly ran out from the line to the right.

With a theatre pamphlet in hand, a girl ran from the line and toward Shakespeare. A woman who seemed to be the girl’s mother frantically walked out of the line after her.

Neshinbara glanced to the right and saw the line was for something titled “Gothic Hamlet Drawings: Costume Pattern Collection”. It was an art book containing costume patterns and design drawings. Different corporations used different interpretations to mass produce clothing with spells and machines, but families in areas with poor distribution were forced to make their own school uniforms based on patterns. That culture had spread to the cities as a way of creating one’s own fashion. This allowed people to wear clothes from the same era as the main characters of the novels and plays in the Testament descriptions.

…''That’s a luxury only possible with the Testament.

Hamlet was one of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies. Its official title was “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, took revenge against his uncle who killed his father and stole the throne and his mother, but he ultimately lost the woman Ophelia who had feelings for him and both killed and was killed by the young man Laertes who could have become his friend. He died after asking his friend to pass the story on to the people. Hamlet feigned madness and faced evil with evil but lost so very much. He was popular with both men and women, but there was another difference between the girl and mother standing in the center of the canyon.

“Even with the generation gap, they both accept the contents of the play.”

Wanting to wear the costumes from the play most likely meant they wanted to become a part of the play.

It was no different from putting on makeup and becoming the ideal version of oneself.

…''That means Hamlet lets some people become an ideal version of themselves.

Macbeth in Neshinbara’s right hand throbbed.

''This is so much trouble,'' he thought while Shakespeare stopped and let the girl face her.

The girl held the pamphlet out toward Shakespeare.

“This!”

Neshinbara thought the girl would ask for Shakespeare’s autograph, but she said something else.

“It’s yours!”

For an instant, Neshinbara did not understand what the girl meant.

But it slowly dawned on him.

…''Dammit!

That one word appeared in the bottom of his gut.

He understood what the girl was trying to say to Shakespeare.

…''Everything she saw, heard, felt, and learned in Hamlet belongs to Shakespeare.

The pamphlet was just the physical form of her memories. She could hold it in her hands and she wanted to express her feelings to the author now that she saw that author.

“Stop that,” said the mother as she frantically ran over, but Shakespeare stared blankly for a moment before responding.

“Testament.” She crouched down to put herself on eye level with the girl. “Thank you, little Ophelia.”

“No. I’m Hamlet!”

“Is that so?”

“Testament.”

“What is your name?” asked Shakespeare with a smile to the girl.

“Ophelia!”

From behind the girl, the mother looked up into the sky to feign ignorance.

“I see.”

Realizing the situation, Shakespeare held her hand over the pamphlet. She muttered something under her breath and fragments of light scattered from her paper bag and into the air. And something was created in place of that scattering light.

“Wow…”

Writing appeared on the surface of the pamphlet in the girl’s hand.

The girl had her back to Neshinbara, but he could see the pamphlet over her shoulder as she held it up. Shakespeare had not written her signature with that spell. A new name had been written next to the title of Hamlet.

“ ‘Ophelia’. Perhaps those two can continue being together one day. …And with that in mind, have this passage from Hamlet: ‘costly thy habit as thy purse can buy’. Do exactly that, girl.”

“Testament!”

With a word of thanks, the girl showed her prize to her mother. From his position, Neshinbara could only see the mother’s bowing back, but he doubted her expression was a bad one.

Shakespeare stood up and slowly turned toward the line to the right. She then spoke to a student midway through the line.

“Could you let this lady and her child in? After all, she did not hesitate to leave the line when her child ran out. I think it is only fair to let her back in.”

Not a word was spoken in response.

“…”

But a space was opened in the line and let the girl and mother in with a bow. Shakespeare lowered her head toward all of them.

“You have my thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it,” muttered someone. It was likely a Musashi resident who did not know Shakespeare very well. “The worst thing to do to a child is give them a bad memory.”

Someone from England spoke next.

“After growing up, you really want to give them good memories.”

“Yeah,” replied someone who could have been from either place. “Ha ha. We at least succeeded on one side of that!”

“Yes,” agreed everyone as the girl and her mother sank into the line.

“Thanks!”

It was unclear who that comment was directed at, so Shakespeare and everyone else responded with either “testament” or “judge”.

Someone then began to move. Shakespeare turned toward Neshinbara and began walking toward him once more.

Her smile vanished and she silently stood before the full pile of books on the long table in front of him.

“Is the seat next to you free?” she finally asked.

Neshinbara had expected her to ask about his book, so he was unsure how to respond.

“Eh? Oh, um…”

“It is, isn’t it?”

A stir ran through the surrounding crowd as she pushed aside the long desk to walk behind it and arrived at his right side. She sat in an empty chair that had been prepared but no one was using.

But…

…''Why would you come over here just to read a novel?

She buried her face in the novel she held and began reading.

The stir in the crowd finally vanished. The only movements were the gentle flow of the surrounding lines and the mother and child bowing both to Shakespeare and those in the line after buying what they had lined up for.

That was the only point at which Shakespeare looked up from her book.

“…”

She nodded and bowed her head a bit. After that, only silence and motionless remained.

As he felt the pressure of that silence, Neshinbara had a question about this foreign name-inheritor.

…''Why is she even here?

The bandages around his right hand and the lack of sales for his book were both her fault. Then again, if one took his earlier criticism of her works as the initial cause, this could be viewed as her revenge.

“…Eh?”

The next thing he knew, she had finished reading her book and begun flipping through the one he had written. The book contained a small short story and a literary criticism. Specifically, self criticism.

“W-wait a second!”

She ignored him. She was completely immersed in reading it, but he did not feel that was because of the quality of his writing. After all, her reading style led her to read anything this way. If he physically took the book from her, he was sure she would counterattack using the curse.

…''Dammit!

He could not interfere. As he endured the joyous stirring of the writing in his right arm brought on by the proximity of its master, Neshinbara waited for the half-lived girl to finish reading the book he had written and place it on the table. And he cut in before she could pull a new book from her paper bag.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

She did not even turn toward him as she answered.

“I see you are still creating things like this.”

“W-well…”

“Are you trying to say you would have written something else if you had written this after confronting me?”

It was possible. It annoyed him that he could not deny her influence on him, but he decided saying nothing would be best. He sat back down in his seat, folded his arms, and faced forward.

“I would appreciate it if you continued doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Please do not look at me.”

It irked him all the more because she was not looking toward him. But if they were ignoring each other like that, was there any meaning in exchanging words?

''Is this a new form of harassment,'' wondered Neshinbara with a sigh.

“Yes, that is for the best. After all, you cannot act with Macbeth in effect.”

Her words bothered Neshinbara, so he responded while still facing forward.

“Why do you say it’s for the best that I can’t act?”

“A lot is going to happen, but it is for the best that you stay like this,” said Shakespeare. “Let us discuss many things.”

''We can discuss all sorts of things today,'' thought Scarred in a wheat field.

In the distance to the north, the third level looked like a towering wall made of earth and stone. The second level could similarly be seen even further away. The sounds of fireworks and low rumble of the people and music resounded in her body even more than the ocean waves.

Meanwhile, Tenzou spoke from directly in front of her while looking at the ears of wheat.

“Hm. You have planted a few different varieties, but I see no problem from a soil standpoint. The Far Eastern style of condensed planting should be possible. If you include legumes, you can grow multiple crops per year.”

“In the European style, the wheat is not simply sown in tilled land. Small ridges like this are made and the seeds are buried inside them. It protects the seeds and makes maintenance and harvesting easier, right?”

“Judge. It takes a fair bit of effort, so it is a decision you must make.” He stood up and turned toward her. “During a crop shortage or when you need the income, it is good to provide the possibility for those willing to put in the effort. Oh, but you should at least redo the waterway.” He indicated a few points on the land. “The current waterway passes over a mostly dirt crust, so the water seeps underground. You should redo it along the line from somewhere near the field – like where that tree is over there – and to that rocky area on the other side. Over the past few days, I laid out some cloth at night to check, and it seems there is bedrock below that line. The water will not seep underground much and any that escapes will flow into the fields on either side. Also, using that line will help when a village is created at the base of the mountain.”

“Judge,” replied Scarred, but it was a sign of admiration rather than agreement.

She saw Tenzou stretch and let out a sigh because their inspection for the day was complete.

…''Honestly, he works so much.

Over the past few days, he had prepared for the spring school festival, helped her in the early mornings, and exchanged ideas with the local people. He had interesting and unique methods for treating crop diseases, searching for water, and other things. Scarred felt his presence was quite significant. In England, people would resolve those problems by listening to the voices of spirits, but not many people could use spirit techniques. The methods were less certain, but anyone could use Tenzou’s methods. That meant a lot.

According to him, his agricultural knowledge was so he could get along with the locals while on a spy mission. She had laughed when she had heard that.

…''He is completely unaware that his current actions are no different from getting along with the locals to spy on them.

Pointing it out would sound like she was suspicious of him, so she had said nothing. She had felt bad for laughing, so she had made a portable lunch for him whenever he went off to prepare for the school festival. When she had seen the box after he returned on the first day, it had been clear others had swiped some of the food, so she had given him even more on the subsequent days.

And this was the first day of the festival.

He was taking a break on the festival’s first day, so they had been together since morning. The water lilies in the spring by the hot spring had begun to blossom, so they had eaten lunch there and stayed afterwards.

Tomorrow, he intended to spend the morning running messages and checking on supplies at the festival. Once the festival began for the day, he planned to take morning and afternoon shifts. He would spend the week doing that.

…''And then he will leave.

She would no longer be able to see him.

Despite her thoughts, he folded his arms as he looked at the surrounding fields.

“Wheat is fine, but I think you can grow some even better crops. Growing rice as they do elsewhere would be perfect, but England has no provisional rule over Far Eastern land and setting up paddies takes a lot of work.”

“Judge. We couldn’t do that even if we wanted to. It requires altering the land on too large a scale.”

Scarred wished they could talk about other things, but time continued on and she could not think of anything to talk about.

“I am sure you have noticed, but England’s crust is almost directly below the ground, so growing wheat quickly leaves the land barren. That is why we need to grow other crops like legumes to bring back the land’s fertility. The practice of growing legumes like clovers to improve the land has been spreading to various areas, but it isn’t quite enough. The spirits like to play around and assist the improvement when they find a four-leafed clover, though. It would be nice if we could grow potatoes which can grow even in land with low fertility, but there is that story about the Fairy Queen saying potatoes are poisonous. That is why IZUMO has been working on breeding a poisonous potato for killing rats. They are calling it the Potato Smasher.”

“I heard they tried to create one that exploded five seconds after being pulled from the ground, but the project was scrapped after the experimental field was destroyed by a chain reaction of explosions. If only the troubles we cause other nations could remain more subdued. For one thing, that isn’t even about poison anymore. At any rate, it seems the Fairy Queen’s rule is not all good.”

“Oh, my. Saying that kind of thing around here can get you arrested for treason.”

“Judge. My apologies.”

As soon as Tenzou spoke, he heard the sound of a bell. It came from far off in the north.

“That sounds like an academy’s bell. What bell is it?”

“Judge. That is the bell in the Tower of London’s chapel,” slowly replied Scarred. “That is the sign of Double Bloody Mary’s…that is, Mary Stuart’s weekly appearance. She simply looks outside from the viewing platform of one of the towers.”

She looked to the north where clouds filled the sky.

“If the armada battle is to begin in a week’s time, she will probably only make one or two more appearances. Once the sounds of the festival vanish from London, it will be time for her execution.”

“Her execution?”

“Judge,” said Scarred. “Master Tenzou…”

She suddenly asked him a question.

“What do you think about the execution of Double Bloody Mary?”

Scarred listened to the ninja answer her question.

“Well…”

He often began a response that way when he wanted to think about it first. She waited a while longer and he finally gave an answer.

“As a ninja, I cannot say anything about a decision that someone like you has made.”

“Then…”

She tried to ask if he approved of the execution, but he let out a quiet breath and continued speaking.

“I am a ninja after all.”

Hearing that, she finally caught on. He was saying that this was not what he actually thought. But no matter what he thought, he could not reject the decision of someone in a higher position than him. And so he said even more.

“Y-you call it an execution, but some other method has been prepared as an interpretation, correct?”

Scarred focused on the fact that he had asked the question more than the question itself.

…''He is hoping it will work out somehow or another.

And what did that mean his true thoughts were? Scarred thought on that fact for a moment.

“Judge,” she said. “An interpretation is being used to make the execution a means of saving Mary Stuart.”

“Judge. That is good…”

Before he could say “to hear”, he stopped and scratched at his head.

“My apologies. I said too much.”

“It’s fine,” she said with a smile.

She appreciated it. She was thankful that he felt that way and she was thankful and glad to have this time with him.

“…”

She heard fireworks in the distance.

As noon approached, the festival arrived at its first peak.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 24|Chapter 24]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 26|Chapter 26]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 24

2015-04-18T19:57:42Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 24: Guide to a New World==

[[Image:Horizon2A_739.png|thumb]]
''If something is convenient

''But you stop just before reaching it

''Is it inconvenient?

'''Point Allocation (Unease)

“Now, let’s get started. Come over here, Masazumi. Everyone else, we will be borrowing the area of the tub near the tap.”

Asama moved toward the edge of the tub on the northern end of the bath and Masazumi unsteadily followed.

Masazumi copied how Asama had her towel on her shoulder and her long hair on top of that, but she was still self-conscious about her body. It did not help that she was comparing herself to Asama. She watched the other girl from a bit behind.

…''She really is big.

She meant her height. Asama was as tall as Naomasa and the Aoi sister. Mitotsudaira was somewhere in between and Masazumi was shorter still.

…''Is this what it would be like to have an older sister?

As she was made painfully aware of what she lacked, she watched Asama check on the tamagushi and charm she had placed in a bucket. The other girl then came to a stop.

“Okay, we can do it here. Um, to prepare…”

Asama picked up the Shirasago-made tamagushi with her right hand, held it up to her forehead, and chanted something. She then spread out the tamagushi with a snap of the wrist, kneeled down in the tub, and placed the tamagushi’s paper decoration in the water.

The light paper decoration sank into the water without resistance and Asama narrowed her eyes as she watched the water soak into it. As if crawling up the tamagushi, small firefly-like jewels of light and something resembling a vine wrapped around it.

“Eh?” exclaimed Asama.

“What is it?”

“Nothing really. It’s just that there should be some filth in the bath after two people bathed in it. But…what is this? Not only is there no filth, but it seems to have been sublimed to a level greater than my purification. Either Tenzou-kun or that Scarred person must have used a sublimation spell rather than a Shinto purification spell. Tenzou-kun is as filthy as the rest of our class, so I assume it was Scarred-san. How strange.”

As light clung to the tamagushi, Asama removed it from the water and brought it to herself.

Starting from the tip, the tamagushi was rapidly dyed in the color pink.

“H-huh? What? Wh-why is there so much impurity in me!?”

“Your wicked thoughts were at full swing back when Crossunite and Scarred were bathing. By the way, what kind of impurity does pink signify?”

“Um, well…”

Asama suddenly looked to the side where Hanami was looking at a sign frame.

The title of the frame read “Impurity Meter (Personal Use)”.

“Um…Hanami? Who…uh…is that for?”

When Hanami noticed Asama, she turned around, frantically hid the sign frame behind her back, and shook her head back and forth.

“Th-th-th-th-this is nothing. Nothing at all. C-clap!”

“No, wait, Hanami. Is that what I think it is?”

Asama’s eyebrows rose slightly as she smiled and tried to peek behind Hanami. The Mouse turned around in an instant and broke the sign frame with a karate chop. She then started clapping her hands above her head to avoid the issue.

“C-clap! Clap!”

“That Mouse is quite well made,” muttered Masazumi.

Asama’s head drooped a bit and nodded, but she recovered after a few seconds.

“Okay, time for a new contract. I have a quota to fill, so I need to focus and do my best.”

That last comment worried Masazumi, but the other girl’s different-colored eyes were looking firmly at her.

“Please sit on the floor here.”

She laid out a meter long piece of thin paper that was shaped like a human’s upper body. It was Japanese paper with visible fibers, but the bathwater did not soak into it. Assuming it was used for spells, Masazumi sat down and Asama fixed her hair. As she did, she removed the towel.

“I will be pouring water on you, so please sit still.”

As soon as Masazumi closed her eyes, hot water poured over her. It soaked through her hair, and poured over her scalp, neck, and shoulders. The warm caress of the water brought a sense of calm. As she sat with her eyes closed and her straightened back to Asama, she was reminded of the past.

…''My parents would wash me like this when I took baths with them long ago.

She wondered what her father was doing now.

Even though it was nighttime, around a dozen carriages were stopped in front of a mansion on Musashi’s surface. It belonged to Konishi, a wealthy merchant. The drivers were gathered around a fire in a waiting area inside the mansion while their masters were drinking aged wine in a parlor further inside.

“Okay, tonight’s viewing party will cover the episodes of Transforming Musician Peterman we have been recording since it began in April. The only advance information we have is that it is a ‘giant hero’ series following the previous series and his special attack is the Petrification Beam.”

“Judge. We have had so many meetings over the past month or so that we haven’t had a chance to watch any of it! Avoiding any information on the divine network was really hard, Nobu-tan!”

“Yes, Koni-tan. We have both experienced the same joy and suffering in this journey. I hope this is the beginning of an excellent series.”

“Judge. I know what you mean. To distract yourself from the loneliness of Masazumi-kun’s absence, you have become all the more diligent. Is that why my delivery department has been visiting your place a lot more often?”

“Judge. I normally have things sent to somewhere other than my home, but simply going around to the different delivery locations keeps me from getting home. Lately, I have grown fond of loading offerings into the storehouse before meetings.”

As everyone nodded in agreement, someone hesitantly raised his hand.

“Um… I actually watched a recording of the first two episodes with my kid.”

The others raised their wineglasses, crossed their legs, and adjusted their positions on the sofa.

“Merely stay silent. If you spoil anything, we will force you out of the committee and the market! After all, you can only ever watch a show for the first time once! Nothing is better than preserving that innocence!”

They all took a sip of their wine.

“Glory to our new meetings and partings, and glory to Vice President Honda Masazumi who we adore in secret!”

“My father is probably having a serious meeting right about now.”

“He does seem like the serious type.”

“Judge. …Ever since the Mikawa incident, I think he has been working to change how he views me. But I sometimes think he’s been trying too hard lately.”

“May I ask why?”

“Judge.” Masazumi recalled what had happened before the transport ship crash and began to speak with an exasperated tone. “He just seems really restless whenever we’re home together. And there have been a few times when he suggested things like seeing an anime movie as father and daughter because he got some tickets from Konishi. He’s clearly trying to build a closer relationship, but wanting to see ‘Las Casas, Protector of the Indians’ is a bit much. Does he think I’m a little kid?”

“He is probably having trouble deciding how to approach a child.”

More water was poured on Masazumi. This action had been repeated several times now and she could tell Hanami was using a sign frame nearby.

“Oh, Masazumi. I am cancelling your contract with Mikawa. Mikawa shrine disappeared when Nagoya Castle went boom. A new shrine is being built aboard Musashi, but the former shrine would interfere with this contract if the previous contract remained in effect. That is why I am cancelling that contract before transferring you to a contract for our shrine on Musashi.”

“Will my contract with the god of my birthplace remain?”

“Mikawa’s birthplace deity works with Asama Shrine, so you can keep that contract. Your contract will be with the same god, but you will be using us as a point of contact since your previous one disappeared with Mikawa. You did make a resident contract at our shrine when you came to Musashi, but you received weak divine protection because you retained your birth contract with the birthplace deity of Mikawa and did not own a handheld.”

“This is complicated…”

“Yes, it is,” replied Asama with a bitter laugh. “The free divine protection of a birthplace contract provides support for your entire body via the parts on your neck, sides, and waist. You did make a resident contract with the Asama Shrine here on Musashi and that provides support for life on Musashi which travels through the sky, but that support was weakened in you due to interference from Mikawa. That may be why you are always about to starve to death.”

“Oh, so I might stop collapsing on the roadside now?”

She thought she felt everyone glance over at her, but she decided to assume it was her imagination.

“Anyway, this is a major contract, so we will throw in the Asama Special of sunblock and dry skin protection for free. You must meet with important people in your position, so that certainly can’t hurt.”

“I don’t really worry about that very much, but I guess that just leaves…”

“Yes. You have completed your contract for the protection of your birthplace god and resident god. In other words, the god of your birthplace and the god of the land you currently live in. They do not actually have names because local deities are simple nature gods. Now, before moving on to the Mouse contract, you can make an individual contract with a god you want to worship. Will you?”

“Is there a reason to do that before the Mouse contract?”

“Personal contracts are made with powerful named gods and spells and the like can be acquired via the shrine in charge of that god. However, that god will usually have a Mouse specific to them, so it is recommended to make the personal contract ahead of time. After all, a Mouse is usually modelled after a god’s messenger, so they are a symbol of that god.

“But you only have a birthplace and resident contract. Those are usually made with nameless local deities that do not have their own Mouse. If you do make a personal contract first, you can later choose a Mouse specialized to that god’s abilities.”

“So not only are there nameless local deities, but there are also named gods one can make a personal contract with?”

“Yes,” replied Asama. “In the Far East, gods are a part of nature and they reside in the land. The earthly gods reside in the Divine States which are governed by the environmental gods that became local deities. On the other hand, the heavenly gods reside in the heavens.”

When the gods had abandoned the planet due to the worsening environment, it had been the environmental gods who had normalized the environment based on instructions left by the gods. But their overly strong definition of “normal” led them to go overboard in creating an environmental balance. When the people had returned from the heavens, they had only been able to descend to the Far East which the environmental gods had left relatively safe. Afterwards, the harmonic world had been created and the people had started the Harmonic Unification War.

“The gods and mankind managed to calm the environmental gods who were doing ''too good'' a job, but we’re still essentially renting space here, aren’t we?”

“The environmental gods were absorbed into the ley lines, so you could say they and the world are now one and the same. Rather than saying they do not have names, it would be more accurate to say they are on too great a scale to have names.”

“I see.”

Hanami then showed Masazumi the sign frame. It showed a site that let one search for a god. It had lists of gods in order of name, ability, sex, court rank, ancestors, and more.

However…

[[Image:Horizon2A_748-749.jpg|thumb]]

“What is with these aggressive categories in the genre search? ‘Loves crossdressing’, ‘peels back the skin’, ‘an older sister is fine too!’, ‘cruel’, ‘crotch splitting’, ‘quick to prostrate’, and ‘always running errands’?”

“There really are gods like that. Shinto is great with genres.”

''It sounds more like it just tries to pander to everyone,'' thought Masazumi. ''Anyway, what should I do?

Hanami opened another sign frame which displayed gods related to negotiations and politics.

…''There are a lot of Amaterasu-types here, but they’re too over-the-top for me. Oh, the God Mosaic is on the list of popular techniques.

“Would it be possible to eventually make another contract for this?”

“Oh, of course. …Just make sure to do it with me.”

The corner of Masazumi’s mouth stiffened when she saw Asama’s smile, but Naruze began adding to her storyboard in the bath.

“And while naked, Asama says to Masazumi, ‘Just make sure to do it with me.’ Okay, the next chapter is going to be great!”

“Ga-chan, I think you just drew up five years’ worth of storyboards.”

''Would the student council’s approval rating drop if I wrote up a bill cracking down on doujinshi events?'' wondered Masazumi with a half-lidded glare.

But then Asama spoke up.

“Well, we can scold her plenty later. …So, um, you can make a personal contract at a later date, but those gods usually have specialized Mice. If you already have another Mouse, the shift can be inconvenient, so keep that in mind. …Anyway, what will you do? Do you want a personal contract? Um…Are you sure it wouldn’t make you feel better to make one?”

“Why did that last part sound like you were trying to sell me something?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Asama smiled and held out a hand to stop her. “For now, would you like to use a generic Mouse as a substitute? A generic Mouse is ranked lower than one under direct control of a god. Their abilities are not specialized, so they may be unable to draw out the full ability of the god you ultimately make an individual contract with. And given your job and status, it would need pseudo-shock absorption, so even a generic Mouse can cost a fair bit.”

“You can’t make it any cheaper? I’m worried about after I graduate.”

“Okay,” said Asama while smiling more than necessary. “In that case, we can keep the cost down with a heavenly blessing contract.”

“A heavenly blessing contract?” asked Masazumi.

“Yes.”

Asama showed her the wooden charm in her hand. She pressed in on a few of the characters written on the thirty centimeter oak board and the characters began to emit a bluish-white light.

“Your Mouse is determined randomly. A choice contract is expensive because searching for a Mouse that meets your requirements takes some effort. In some cases, a request has to be made for a new Mouse to be created via the union of two existing Mice.”

“Is it really okay to decide randomly?”

“It usually produces a dog, rat, fox, or bird as there are large numbers of them. A heavenly blessing contract is inexpensive, but it can produce a powerful Mouse or one that would otherwise be quite expensive. …Oh, just press here.”

Asama handed her the charm. At the bottom was a super-deformed shrine maiden face with the words “press here” below it. Masazumi placed her finger on it, worried about the state of the Shinto religion, and pressed it.

She handed the charm back to Asama who turned around. Beyond her swaying black hair, Asama used the end of the charm to draw a square on the floor.

“Clap.”

Hanami clapped her hands and a glowing box suddenly grew from the ground in front of Asama.

“Oh?”

As everyone in the bath watched on, a charm invoice could be seen on the surface of the glowing one meter square box. It said “To: Honda Masazumi-sama via Asama Tomo-sama. Contents: Mouse. By: God.” Without bothering to read it, Asama tore off the ether seal and it vanished into thin air.

She focused on opening the top of the box and peering inside.

“Oh?” She nodded twice. “Oh, oh?”

“Why do you look so impressed, Asama?”

“Oh, um…” muttered Asama as she circled around to the other side of the box.

''The light from below really emphasizes her breasts,'' thought Masazumi, half in exasperation, as she watched Asama place her hands on the box.

“I have a question for you: what kind of Mouse has arrived?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Then I will give you a hint. Um… It is not a symbol, an inorganic object, a plant, or a person. It is an animal.”

“A fox?”

“Wrong. Have another hint. It begins with a vowel in Far Eastern.”

Masazumi’s first thought was “Is it a dog?” And in the next instant…

…''Is it a dog!?

She had often wanted to own a dog. She liked cats too, but cats had a way of not settling down and making her feel lonely with all empty rooms in her house. A lot of her classmates had owned dogs to prepare them for strange phenomena and to frighten away criminals. She had often seen the dogs being taken for walks on leashes or sitting by their owners in the park. Her general thoughts at those times had been the following:

…''How nice.

''Okay.'' Masazumi nodded. ''Bring on a dog. In M.H.R.R., they would call it a Hund. I think it will be small enough to ride on my shoulder, but a puppy is delightful in its own way.

She swung up her right fist.

“Okay, Asama! Open it!”

“As you wish.” Asama lifted up the box and brought out the Mouse. “Tah dah! It’s a giant anteater!”

“What kind of scam is this!?”

Masazumi saw a mother and a child anteater that were too big to have fit inside the box. The mother was almost two meters long and the small child was clinging to her back.

“Right, right.” Asama looked down at the two. “IZUMO has been working in Kyushu and the New World recently, so they have been creating Mice for people there. Also, having many different types available helps the shrines respond to many different situations and increase the survival rate. Dogs, cats, rats, and foxes are popular, but there are situations they cannot handle. If they were the only ones, they would be wiped out.”

“Sure, but…an anteater?”

“Oh, it eats special food made from ether, not ants, so don’t worry. It can go inside the hard point pocket on the neck of your clothes.”

“But…”

Just as she was going to continue complaining, she saw the mother anteater cry as it tore its child from it and moved away. While still shedding tears, the mother waved its front right paw and disappeared. The child anteater looked absolutely grief-stricken now that it had been left behind.

Everyone began whispering as the child anteater lay on the ground, cried, and trembled.

“Poor thing. If Masazumi doesn’t take it in now, she belongs in the ‘cruel’ genre.”

“Is it just me, or are a lot of politicians cold-hearted people?”

“Masa…zumi… H-how…about it?”

…''I have to take it in to keep my approval rating from dropping!!

Masazumi approached the twenty centimeter anteater and tried to place her hands under its front legs to pick it up, but it merely trembled in her hands.

“…!”

“Wah!” she shouted in surprise as it flailed its legs and tail, but she did not let go. “Are you-…”

Before she could say “okay”, the child anteater rolled up into a ball. Instead of curling its tail around itself, it seemed to hide its face and legs inside its own tail. Masazumi now had a trembling ball of fur in her hands.

…''What am I supposed to do?

Asama picked up on her thoughts and lowered the ends of her eyebrows.

“Um… It seems you received one that is a bit too young.”

“What should I do?”

“You can only wait for it to get used to you. But it cannot perform its job as a Mouse like this, so I can arrange another Mouse for you.”

“Well…” muttered Masazumi.

She could feel it trembling in her hands. With the shock-absorption setting, she would likely have been unable to feel that slight movements of the animal’s heat and fur.

…''But this isn’t about feeling sorry for it.

“Okay.” Masazumi nodded. “It isn’t actually running away. It’s just afraid of the unfamiliar outside world. Once that fear goes away, it should do fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Judge.”

Masazumi gave her judgment. She placed the child anteater in a nearby bucket while it continued to curl up as if trying to hide inside itself.

“Asama, is that all?”

Masazumi’s decision produced a sigh of relief from the others in the bath. Naomasa wiped her face with the towel folded up on her head while leaning her left elbow against a stone in the tub.

“Ha ha. Now you have a kid, Masazumi. Not too long ago, you wanted to be a father, so this is a good change.”

“Uuh…”

Masazumi blushed and everyone else smiled bitterly. Meanwhile, Suzu laughed while leaning against the wall on one end of the tub. Just like Masazumi, scarlet tinged her face.

“This is fun,” she muttered quietly. “Everything has been…more fun…since Horizon…came back.”

She sighed and relaxed her body.

“This is fun…”

She leaned to the side and collapsed onto Adele.

“H-huh? Suzu-san!? W-wait!”

Adele held Suzu up, but Suzu had already passed out. Adele frantically held her up so she would not sink.

“U-um, everyone! Everyone! Suzu-san is…”

Suzu slid down in Adele’s arms but then stopped. Adele frowned at this fact.

“…bigger than me!? Sh-shit…no, I mustn’t swear! Um, Suzu-san, I’ll be lifting you… Wow! I can hook my arm under her breasts! Shit…no, I mustn’t swear. At any rate, I’ve lost! Am I in our class’s lowest caste!? Does failure taste like milk!?”

“Um… Are you trying to say Suzu-san spent too much time in the bath and passed out? Please calm down, Adele.”

Asama entered the tub while having Hanami use a stimulant spell. Adele turned toward her, but her vision was not great without her glasses.

“Ah! Instead of a stretcher, you brought some lovely cushions! Okay, let’s place Suzu-san on top!”

A carelessly outstretched hand grabbed onto Asama’s “chest armor” and knocked her over.

Asama gave her diagnosis of Suzu who had been carried to the beach.

“She has a slight fever. She was heated by the yakiniku fire and then the hot spring, so it is not surprising her body temperature rose a bit. She is delicate, after all.”

“Wait… Then why is everyone else perfectly fine?” asked Adele.

As the other girls hung their heads down, Suzu was asked if she would leave the diplomatic ship and return to Musashi, but she said she wanted to do her job as diplomat. Even on Musashi, everyone would be busy in the coming days and the coming and going of the transport ships would make everything noisy, so England’s first level had been chosen as a peaceful place for her.

Adele and Futayo would go along as her bodyguards.

“Listen up, Bell-san. If they say anything inconvenient or you want to force some kind of demand, just start coughing.”

“I-is that really…okay?”

She received plenty of advice like that. The next day, the three of them took their luggage and travelled to London. The day after that, preparations for the joint spring festival began.

Suzu’s health recovered on the second day of preparations and she began her work as diplomat along with Futayo and Adele in the guest building of Oxford Academy’s central school building group.

Her first job was nothing more than handing Jonson, England’s diplomat in charge, the data gathered by Heidi, but the English group was curious and cautious of Suzu and her two bodyguards who had combat styles useful in battle. The English students in charge of looking after her observed Suzu’s attitude and demeanor to make sure they did not intrude on her lifestyle.

The preparations lasted four days plus one day off. Musashi’s presence alongside England’s third and fourth levels produced excess food consumption over that extended period and the ship’s location meant it primarily affected England’s middle class.

On the night of the fifth day, when festival preparations truly came to an end, large-scale celebrations were held in various places. The following day, the joint spring festival finally began with a combined announcement from Masazumi and Dudley.

After the opening ceremony on the second level, the residents of both nations were allowed to come and go between the two nations and the cultural exchange of the festival began.

Below the clear sky, carriages travelled about and the area grew filled with people, music, dancing, and flowers blowing in the wind.

The week-long festival had finally begun.

In the transport ship, Horizon’s Logismoi Oplo had yet to be found. It could still be detected “nearby” and the search continued.

However, the festival had begun and Toori had challenged Horizon to a date so he could decide on a stance. Also, the others attempted to watch on from a distance.

Many different people moved throughout the festival.

And among them…

“My moment has finally come. I just hope my books made it to the event site.”

Neshinbara looked up at his bandaged right arm as he held it in the air and he walked with a splint on his leg.

Unlike the others, he had arrived on a standard transport ship as if he were a normal person.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 23|Chapter 23]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 25|Chapter 25]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 22

2015-04-18T19:55:56Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 22: Replier on the Chopping Block==

[[Image:Horizon2A_679.png|thumb]]
''What do you need

''To give an answer?

'''Point Allocation (Next Question)

''It’s been a while since I walked on the sand,'' thought Masazumi on the nighttime beach.

She had visited the beach during the summers while her father was still in Mikawa, but she had stopped after her unfinished sex change operation.

While listening to the nostalgic sound of the sand beneath her feet, she faced the others.

“It does not matter that the English residents are still here. We are discussing our stance toward England, so having them hear us should speed up their understanding. Augesvarer, how is the commercial relationship between England and the other countries?”

England’s battle with Tres España was drawing near, so their international connections were bound by religion and the Testament Union. However, it was worth checking to avoid any possible surprises.

“Judge.”

Augesvarer stood up and Erimaki produced a sign frame on her shoulder.

The sign frame showed a map of the area around England.

“Currently, England is primarily trading with Holland and the Protestant principalities of M.H.R.R. M.H.R.R. is backed by the Mlasi Oda forces, but their control through Hashiba is focused on the Catholic principalities. That is why England has not actively tried to form a relationship with Oda’s main forces. Still, it seems Hashiba has been trying various things to form a relationship with England,” she said. “But M.H.R.R.’s Catholic side has used the Thirty Years’ War to suppress the Protestant side, so the Protestant principalities can’t trade freely with England. That is why most of England’s trade is with Holland. Their tariffs are quite low and Holland is also making a good profit off of it, but Holland is fighting the Eighty Years’ War against Tres España and they are too small a country for large-scale trade.”

“That increases Musashi’s value as a trade partner, right?”

“Judge.” Heidi nodded. “Over the twelve days starting the day after tomorrow, we need to do our best to trade our other goods in addition to the meat. The everyday goods we brought from Mikawa and could not trade on the way should sell well.”

“I see.”

Masazumi snapped her fingers through the white glove on her right hand. With that sound, Augesvarer sat down and Masazumi looked across the group again.

“That should be enough on Musashi’s current position. We need to get to what is truly important.” She took a breath. “During Tres España’s attack, we caught a glimpse of a large nation’s strength. And the way England is currently treating us shows how nations deal with each other during war. I think we need to discuss once more how we will face England now and the other nations afterwards.”

She turned toward the naked boy sitting on the sand before continuing.

“We need to decide how we will recover the Logismoi Oplo and how we will settle the Apocalypse.”

As she listened to Masazumi essentially ask a question, Asama felt somehow uncomfortable.

Most of those here were a student council member or an officer, but she was neither. As the successor to the Asama Shrine, she had avoided involving herself in politics. For the same reason, her assistance in battle was not in the form of offense. She instead defended and prevented damage to the city.

This meeting was taking place after everyone ate, so Suzu and Kimi were there as well.

But it was not an issue of being interested in the topic. She was wondering if her presence was acceptable.

''I may have gotten too deeply involved,'' she thought. ''Kimi has it easy. As the one who looks after Toori-kun and Horizon, she can stay here without feeling out of place.

But then a sudden thought hit her.

…''Come to think of it, I don’t think Kimi feels she is out of place anywhere!

Whether at the academy or visiting the shrine, she always had her midriff and the top of her breasts exposed. Asama’s father would warn her not to dress like that because it was inappropriate, but he never seemed to have a problem with Kimi dressing that way.

…''Well, she probably has her own troubles. She has to. I hope she does.

But meanwhile, Asama’s out-of-place feeling only grew.

Masazumi continued speaking in front of everyone.

“There was one important meaning behind choosing to travel from Mikawa to England. As I am sure you all know, England possesses a Logismoi Oplo, so they are our enemy as a Testament Union member. But England is also a final chance for us.”

Asama had a lot to think about, but she focused on Masazumi’s voice.

“In England, we can withdraw Aoi’s proclamation of world domination.”

Futayo reacted to Masazumi’s statement.

“We can do that?”

“Sure! That’s easy! If I seriously say I take it back, no one’ll care!”

Everyone glared at the idiot and he settled down. Masazumi cleared her throat.

“Judge. There is a simple reason why we can withdraw. That is-…”

Before she could continue, Bertoni spoke up while operating a sign frame.

“England has no provisionally ruled Far Eastern land and no reservations. They are an independent land that is truly difficult for a Far Eastern merchant to deal with. Isn’t that right, vice president? We announced we would conquer the world, but our conquest would take the form of gathering the deadly sin weapons which are the key to saving the world from the Apocalypse. Essentially, we said we would conquer anyone who refused to give us their Logismoi Oplo. That statement is backed by the world’s urgency toward the Apocalypse, but it was also caused by the other nations taking the Far East’s land. It gives us the justification to overturn the other nations’ provisional rule and regain the original Far East.”

But…

“But England does not provisionally rule any of the Far East’s land, so the Logismoi Oplo are our only justification here. Conquering England’s land has a different meaning from conquering any other nation’s land. We will be recovering our own land for the others, but here we will be taking their land.”

“Then how do you think we should deal with them?”

Bertoni did not even turn toward her as he answered the question.

“I believe the rest is your job, vice president.”

He was right, so Masazumi nodded and took a breath.

“We need to obtain England’s Logismoi Oplo, but I think it would be best if we did not conquer England. As Bertoni explained, we would be taking land which is not ours, but it would also make for a valuable bargaining chip afterwards.”

“Why do you say that? Not conquering them to avoid taking their land seems only natural to me. For one, it avoids exhausting the resources of both nations,” said Asama. “Why would something so natural be a bargaining chip?”

Masazumi smiled.

“You answered your own question, Asama.”

“Eh?”

Asama tilted her head and Masazumi let out a breath.

…''If I had a sign frame, maybe I could write down what I want to say and provide supplementary information orally.

“It is exactly as you said: fighting each other would exhaust the resources of every country involved. And that does not only apply to England. We are sure to face Hexagone Française and M.H.R.R. later, so it goes for them as well. Not to mention Sviet Rus. If we fight, we will deplete each other’s resources. And all of these countries are currently fighting the Thirty Years’ War, fighting Oda, or dealing with internal conflict. If we begin fighting over the Logismoi Oplo, we will wear them down as well which will show an opening to the countries they were originally fighting.”

“But how can we negotiate with them if we do not fight England?”

“When facing the next country along, we can play a card saying we will not attempt to conquer them so long as a certain condition is met. England will set a precedent. Fighting us will create an opening other countries can take advantage of, so some countries will likely accept our terms.”

“That sounds like blackmail to me. Should be profitable, though.”

“Judge,” said Masazumi. “But it is a valuable card. It influences the fate of that country. And if England or some other country avoids depleting their resources by simply returning their Logismoi Oplo to us without opposition, more will surely follow. The Logismoi Oplo can turn the tide of a battle, but wars between nations are on a much larger scale. Some will decide it is better in the big picture to lose their Logismoi Oplo than to fight us. But…”

“But?” said everyone with a frown.

…''All of this is based on the assumption that this can be resolved peacefully.

It was true that avoiding conflict was best. However…

“The odds of England or any later country agreeing to return their Logismoi Oplo are extremely low.”

After all…

“They will be looking even further into the future.”

What was the future the other countries would be looking toward?

“They will be thinking about the world past the Thirty Years’ War and the Sengoku period. They will be thinking about the world past the Apocalypse where nothing is known. Even in that unknown world, the different nations will continue to fight for power. While dealing with the Apocalypse is important, they do not want to create a powerful enemy by giving the Far East great military might and the credit for saving the world from the Apocalypse.”

She took a breath.

“They will be fine with letting the Far East deal with the Apocalypse, but they will insist that we deplete our resources and lose all our power after the Apocalypse.”

“So they will oppose us?” asked Asama.

Masazumi nodded.

“To be honest, I do not expect anyone to simply return the Logismoi Oplo to us. They may very well ‘lend them to us’ until Westphalia. ''And that is why England is the key.'' How exactly we acquire England’s Logismoi Oplo will act as a guideline for the other nations and decide Musashi’s fate. Will we be able to peacefully collect the Logismoi Oplo or will we sink into the whirlpool of strategies laid out by the nations that are thinking about the world after the Apocalypse? In other words, if things do not continue peaceably with England, Musashi will enter a state of all-out war with at least the Testament nations of the Testament Union.”

Silence fell over the group.

Masazumi looked toward Aoi. While sitting naked on the sand, he double-checked the seaweed on his crotch, stared toward her with a serious expression, and began pointing at his crotch with both hands.

…''I’m not going to comment on it! I’m not!!

While mentally averting her gaze, Masazumi spoke.

“Aoi, I want to hear your policy. How much will you permit in the name of gathering the Logismoi Oplo? Can you say it again now? Are you willing to face all-out war?”

“Well…”

As everyone focused on him, Aoi folded his arms. He finally stood up, but eventually slowly lowered back down again. He then stood up again and repeated the process.

“…”

“Stop performing nude squats!”

Aoi was a bit out of breath, but he still responded.

“Don’t blame me. You’re the one that suddenly asked such a difficult question.”

“Foolish brother,” said the Aoi sister without a smile as she combed Mukai’s hair. “Have you forgotten what happened long ago? Or do you plan to pass that off as something you did while you were still an idiot?”

…''Long ago?

If Masazumi did not know what she meant, it had to be something only this group knew about. She did not know how long ago it was, but she was curious what it was if it would help Aoi make up his mind.

…''Will they eventually tell me?

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up.

“Kimi.”

This voice was Asama’s. She turned around with her eyebrows slightly raised.

“That is important to us, but it was only a starting point. Starting points tend to be simple things, so it becomes difficult later if you try to use that starting point as the standard for everything. That is why we add all sorts of things to that starting point and use the resulting combination as our current standard. Do you understand that?”

“Heh heh heh. No bra shrine maiden, I understand that better than you. After all, I started out with a small cup size, but it became difficult later and I repeatedly had to cast off my old bra. Do you understand the pain of realizing every bra you have bought is now useless!? Not to mention the anger with no outlet when my mother considerately bought me an over bra at that time! It felt like the world was shouting ‘replace your over brassiere!!’ You have it easy in that regard. You face only the benefits of being so huge.”

“Th-there is more bad about having large breasts than there is good! It makes your shoulders stiff and it shifts your body’s balance forward so you have to constantly focus on straightening your back. Also-…”

Asama was unable to continue because Balfette raised her front forearm with her head hanging down.

She hid her expression behind her bangs and glasses.

“I will agree that there is nothing good about large breasts. I can allow that.”

But…

“But having a flat chest definitely damages your pride.”

Everyone fell silent for a short time.

“…”

But then applause began. Masazumi instinctually nodded in understanding of the group of clapping people.

But then…

“No, wait. We need to get back on track.”

When she thought about it, she did not know the details of their past.

They of course knew that, so the Aoi sister shrugged and urged Aoi to answer.

“Foolish brother.”

“Hm…”

Her naked younger brother turned around, scratched his head, and looked toward her.

“I haven’t forgotten. It’s just…”

Before he could continue, the Aoi sister suddenly cut in.

“Heh heh. Foolish brother, that is fine. You do not have to say the rest.”

She smiled and brought an end to that line of discussion.

Faced with everyone’s questioning gazes, the sister narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth in a crescent moon shape.

“The rest of that is a political issue which is not what I am concerned with. I only care that my foolish brother has not forgotten his promise.” Her lips formed a clearer smile. “That was all I needed to check as his sister. I have no intention of checking on anything political for the Far East. …I know. Foolish brother, this is what you mean, isn’t it? You have not forgotten the starting point, but so much has been added on that your foolish and simple mind cannot gather it all together. If that is not it, then bow down before me.”

“Hm. That’s mostly it, but I guess I still owe you a third of a bow,” muttered the idiot with a troubled tone. “I feel like it was all so simple up until Horizon came back.”

But…

“But aside from that, I think I’m overthinking this a bit. As out of character as that may seem. To be blunt, it makes me so happy that I’m too much to handle and I have to tell myself to stay. Sis, you understand, don’t you? You take the wild animal within yourself on a walk and it won’t stop barking and rubbing up against people! You’re such an amazing beast!”

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, I see that your wild animal is on the level of a Spitz. You sound like a cute little toy dog. You could be a Maltese or a Chihuahua, or… Ahh, these breed names sound so dirty! Maltese!? Chihuahua!? You can write them with such dirty kanji! Oh, these are too much to describe even me! Just imagining what an Asama Chihuahua would be is so very dirty!”

“Why would you drag me into this!?”

“Um, enough dog jokes. Let’s get back on topic, Aoi sister…or rather, Aoi.”

Masazumi looked over and the naked boy slowly nodded and folded his arms.

“Well, if I was going to explain my thoughts right now…”

“Yes?”

The idiot nodded.

“You know how Neshinbara and Black Mar are right now? It may be weird or creepy to say I understand, but I’ve been wondering what to do from now on and if what I’m doing is fair to the people around me. In that way, I feel like I’m not all that different from them.”

“Not that different? Neshinbara doesn’t walk around naked,” pointed out Masazumi.

Everyone nodded but began whispering to each other.

“Masazumi really has gotten used to things around here.”

“If you ask me, I think she adapted a lot faster than we did.”

“Hm. Maybe pulling down her pants was the switch to awaken that side of her.”

“You people don’t pull your punches, do you?” muttered Masazumi.

…''So Aoi too has been thinking about a lot of things.

…''It would be a problem if he wasn’t, but I can’t just openly praise him.

Masazumi let out a breath.

“Well, please gather your thoughts before long. As Howard said earlier today, we will have a proper meeting with England after the party on the festival’s first day in about a week. That will determine what happens to Musashi. You do not need to make a clear decision until then, but I want you to be able to say which way you’re leaning. Even if you do not make up your mind, the world will continue to move and create a situation that requires a decision. I would like for you to make up your mind by the meeting on the opening day of the festival.”

“Yeah, I’d like to have an answer by then.” Aoi looked at her and then turned toward the others. “But I’m not very smart, so it’s hard for me to say exactly what we should do. Still, I intend to never compromise on what I think is wrong and what I think is right.” He turned back toward Masazumi. “So could you wait a bit? I’ll definitely find an answer along those lines.”

Aoi spoke in a quiet and calm tone, but Bertoni narrowed his eyes and cut in.

“Definitely? Will you bet money on it? If you are willing to say ‘definitely’, I can draw up a contract.”

“W-wait, dammit! D-definitely probably! Got it!?”

Masazumi and everyone else hung their heads worriedly, but she changed her train of that.

…''He’s an idiot, but he doesn’t leave the important parts to someone else.

He would make the final decision on his own.

…''He may be unreliable, but it is my job to support him.

With that thought, she nodded.

“Judge. Understood. I would like to make a proposal to support the optimal decision for the Far East: everyone, please work to provide Aoi with as much information as you can.”

“Judge,” agreed everyone.

But Aoi suddenly tilted his head.

“What will happen if I don’t make up my mind in time?”

“Normally, we would leave England without deciding anything. After all, the leader of the academy will not have decided on our policy. But if a decision is absolutely necessary...” Masazumi paused. “I will take full responsibility and make the decision under my authority as vice president.”

The phrase “full responsibility” caused everyone’s expressions to tense up. After all…

“Someone lower down will decide the policy that the leader could not make up his mind on. It will display the weakness of Musashi’s political leadership and it will cause a lot of pressure from below. I would likely take responsibility and resign to show that it is not a coup d’etat.”

…''Well, that’s part of my duty.

They had agreed to mutually support each other, so she would have to take responsibility and cover for his mistakes and weaknesses. If Aoi and Horizon remained, the Far East could continue on. She might have to step down, but it was only natural for her to defend the Far East like that.

…''But I would prefer it if that did not happen.

“So personally, I would appreciate it if you made up your mind to a certain extent.”

“Hmm…”

The idiot began thinking. He looked indecisive and unreliable.

…''But I suppose this is actually a good thing.

It meant their king viewed his will as important and was willing to think about everyone else too.

…''He may have a hard time getting there, but he will do a good job in the end.

“Oh, I know.”

Aoi suddenly clapped his hands together and turned to Horizon.

“Go on a date with me at the festival, Horizon.”

Mitotsudaira handed Heidi a fifth empty plate while looking toward Horizon and the naked boy.

…''A date?

“What?”

As Horizon tilted her head, Kimi served some five-grain fried rice to Mitotsudaira via the silver chain.

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, have you put together a proper plan? The trick to a date is to not rely on manuals but to go to all the right places! You might think you have won when you make the girl think you have thought about it yourself yet still done everything she wanted, but that only cuts it in middle school. That is only the starting point! Be extra careful that you do not split the bill while eating! Do not even mistakenly do anything that would ruin the mood like going on the Lackland Experience Tour or the Thames Sewage Ecology Tour! If you are going to choose a tour, you could choose the Mysterious London Execution Tour that I would never go on…Oh, but Horizon can’t feel fear, can she? Kwah! Nice mistake, wise sister!”

“Sis! Sis! Is it just me or did you not give any actual answers in that rant?”

Mitotsudaira thought as the siblings spoke.

''Th-they pass the conversation back and forth too quickly for me to cut in! I’m just not fast enough!'' she thought. ''Where did the enjoyable dinnertime conversations go? Am I not wanted? Then again, Horizon is still wordlessly focused on feeding me expensive meat. I cannot take her lightly.

“Wh-why do you want to go on a date with Horizon now?” she asked the two odd siblings.

“Oh, that’s simple. It’s because there’s so much I don’t really understand.”

“Heh heh heh. Foolish brother, I do not understand that explanation at all! Explain it so your wise sister can understand it!”

“Sis! Sis! If you’re so wise, then why can’t you understand? That makes no sense.”

Horizon struck Toori with a backhand blow. He let out a shriek and sank down to a sitting position as the automaton turned a half-lidded glare in his direction.

“To be honest, I would like to hear why you are speaking like that to someone so close to you.”

“B-but punching them is okay!?”

“Those are two different things.”

“Yes, they really are!!”

Things were growing troublesome, so Mitotsudaira helped up Toori with her silver chains and then lightly wrapped them around him so he could not move. Horizon faced him while sitting politely and tapped the sand a few times as if demanding something of him.

“Now, how about you give an answer to it all?”

“Yeah, but…it’s kind of pathetic.”

He took a breath and turned so he was looking only at her.

“Horizon, I want to see and discuss all sorts of things with you. After all, I skipped past all that and went straight for the confession. So I want to go back and discuss all those things now.”

“What would you like to discuss?”

She tilted her head.

“Well…” He thought for a moment. “I want to return the things you lost because of me. But what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, y’see… You might not be interested in emotions. I made you cry during the Battle of Mikawa, so you might not want any more if emotions are that painful.”

“I will be blunt,” answered Horizon too quickly for him to prepare. “At the present, I feel emotions are unnecessary.”

The automaton’s answer made Mitotsudaira gasp a bit.

…''Unnecessary?

That would mean everything he had done and was doing could be meaningless. And what if that brought him sadness?

“…”

Mitotsudaira did not know what to do, but she instructed her silver chains to prepare to take action at any time. However…

“Mitotsudaira, pass me some yakisoba.”

The silver chains satisfied Kimi’s request by quickly moving a metal spatula and a plate. The silver chains wrapped a towel around themselves as a headband and instantly prepared the plate, the soba, the seaweed, and…

“Oh, I don’t need any pickled ginger. Give me barley tea instead.”

The chain in charge of the ginger slumped dejectedly, but then undulated happily as it stretched toward Heidi who had the small barrel of barley tea. As Kimi took the mid-sized mug of barley tea, Mitotsudaira turned toward Toori.

As he entered her vision once more, he was fine.

He was still alive.

He had not died of sadness. She breathed an inward sigh of relief at that fact.

…''Thank goodness.

As she watched, he looked up in the sky and opened his mouth to speak.

“Yeah, I guess that’s the normal reaction. Emotions are unnecessary. They’re kind of a pain, really.”

Mitotsudaira realized why he was fine. He had likely already predicted that Horizon would not want her emotions.

…''After all, they are on parallel lines.

As an automaton, Horizon sought the best possible decision that contained no waste. And that was why Kimi asked her a question.

“Horizon, our wolf is about to become a watchdog, so could you tell your future sister something? Why are they unnecessary?”

“Judge. To put it simply, I have gotten by for an entire year without them. I have determined that their absence did not cause me any inconvenience. In that case, the effort put into obtaining them would do nothing but add something extra to my daily life.”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” muttered Toori while still staring up into the sky. “Well, even if you say you don’t need them, I long ago decided to get them back.” He lowered his gaze to the sand and scratched at his head with his right hand. “It was my fault, so I have to get them back. You could say I’m reimbursing you by replacing what was lost.”

Reimbursing.

Mitotsudaira almost laughed when she heard that word, so she lowered her head. She heard a few other people stifle their breathing like she had, so everyone’s reaction must have been the same.

…''Why is his sense of responsibility so strong in the weirdest ways?

But she could tell he was serious about this. He was the kind of person who would look at the things he had done from all sorts of joking angles, but in the end, he would always circle around to face it from the front.

…''That is why he is so hard to deal with.

If he was not so insistent on that final position, he would live an easier life.

Once she had suppressed her laughter and raised her head, she found him was looking her way. His gentle eyes looked past Horizon’s shoulder and toward her.

“The thing is,” he began. “I think Nate suspected this and asked about it, but we – Shiro, Neshinbara, Tenzou, and I – thought something smelled fishy back when the Logismoi Oplo were distributed to the different nations. And even ignoring that, what your father, Lord Motonobu, created were the deadly sins. We had wondered if you would get a person if you brought them all together. So, Horizon, even if you hadn’t come back and even if Mikawa hadn’t blown up, we would’ve negotiated with these countries over the Apocalypse. It didn’t have to be with Musashi or the Far East, but we would’ve gathered the Logismoi Oplo and then performed the Eight Sins Combination! Or maybe the Eight-Level Combination – The True Deadly Sin! …Wait, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! But we really did say that! It was wrong of us, so stop glaring at me!”

“How many times must I tell you I am not glaring at you? …For reference, this was the first time.”

“Nwohhh! I don’t even know how to respond to that!!”

Everyone told the two of them to calm down.

Finally, Toori collapsed to his knees once more and turned to Horizon.

“Anyway, we put together a plan to use them in a memorial service for you.”

“Then…”

As Horizon began to speak, it was clear what she was going to say. In his original plan, she had not been present.

“I was never needed for what you are doing, was I? In that case, please stop using the retrieval of my emotions as an excuse.”

Just as Mitotsudaira realized why she was saying that, Horizon continued.

“After all, this makes all of your injuries and all this conflict a direct result of me being here. You say you want to go on a date to see whether I want my emotions or not, but do you want my presence to be the cause of all of that?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then I am not needed here. Wouldn’t it be better if…”

Just as Horizon was going to say “I was not with the rest of you”, Mitotsudaira saw tears dripping down Horizon’s cheeks.

…''Eh?

Mitotsudaira wondered how that was possible, but she remembered something.

Horizon had the emotion of sadness. That single emotion had returned. And in that case…

…''Why?

“I…” she said. “I do not want to be unwanted.”

Horizon’s tears and words caused Mitotsudaira to gasp.

…''Is this…?

She had made her best decision as an automaton, but this was a different decision that her heart wanted.

She wanted to make the best decision that said she was unneeded.

…''But being unneeded or unwanted is sad.

Mitotsudaira understood that sadness.

…''I came here from home all on my own.

But Horizon had no memories and little life experience. With her foundational knowledge as an automaton and what she had read in books, she had a lot of knowledge with little experience to back it up.

…''Simply feeling unwanted makes her sad.

She was like a crying child clinging to her parent so they would turn around.

Mitotsudaira wondered if she had been the same long ago. She recalled a time when her mother had promised to go shopping with her, but her mother had been unable to find her because she was off playing. Her mother had been forced to leave without her and she had run crying after her mother.

…''That came from a desire to not be forgotten.

It was possible what Horizon was feeling was not the same.

Incidentally, Mitotsudaira’s mother had tried to pacify her by taking her to a batting center on the way back from shopping. Her mother had hit a wonderful homerun, but it had broken through the roof. Her mother had said “L-look, my daughter is apologizing too” and used her to earn forgiveness. Mitotsudaira wished there was a way to cut out the unneeded parts of one’s memories.

At any rate, the silver chains seemed to be worried as they gathered around the crying automaton and used themselves to ask if she was okay. However, a few of them lacked the proper number of angles due to being wrapped around Toori.

“Are you okay?” “Okay?” “Ay?” “?”

…''That last one was a bit harsh. And what is with this echo effect?

However, the main boy in question only watched Horizon as she cried. This irritated Mitotsudaira.

“Chancellor, how about you do something?”

“I-I can’t move because your chains have me all wrapped up.”

“Sorry,” said the chains.

They released him and he gently placed his fingers on the teary cheeks of Horizon’s downturned face. He brushed up his hands to wipe away the tears and she held her cheeks out toward him.

“What is it?”

He nodded and slowly whispered to her.

“A girl sheds her tears

Lean in close to console her

Look down to her boobs”

“Fight off the creepy pervert

Provide justice for us all”

On the final lines of the poem, Horizon threw a motionless uppercut at the face peering down at her. The idiot fell to a sitting position and spun around once.

Mitotsudaira watched the series of actions that played out before her eyes.

…''Sh-she does not hold back!

As the idiot rolled across the sand, the silver chains lifted up the metal plate of the grill to move it out of the way and Kimi nodded twice.

“You forgot the seasonal word, foolish brother. No, I suppose you do not need one with a tanka.”

“Y-yeah, but I wasn’t expecting to get a poem in return! W-way to go, Horizon!”

Horizon responded by stretching her right arm into the air and looking down at him.

“I have been studying Masazumi’s book of traditional poetry. At any rate…”

“Let’s go on a date, Horizon.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

Her eyes were half closed, but he gave a thumbs up, raised his eyebrows, and smiled.

“Don’t be stupid. It’s too late to say that now that you let me see you cry! Listen. You’ll go on a date with me, see all sorts of things, eat all sorts of things, have all sorts of fun, let me massage your boob-…hyan! I-I’m sorry! I got carried away, so please forgive me! Now, getting back on track, um…”

He thought for a moment.

“How about you try out this emotions thing to see if you’re interested or not?”

“And what would happen once I ‘tried it out’?”

“If you’re interested, you can try to get back the Logismoi Oplo with me. If you’re not, you can cook some food and wait for me. Either way is fine with me. You are here with us. In my mind, you are already ‘here’ and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone else. So if…if by some chance you become interested in emotions and you want to help us get them back for your own sake…” He took a breath. “We will act based on our expectations of you and you can act based on your expectations of us. Basically, if we’re both thinking about each other, all of our power will be doubled.”

“And if I am not interested?”

“Our original power should be enough. That’s normal and expecting anything more is getting greedy.”

Horizon’s eyes remained half-lidded. However…

“That is a dangerous idea. After all, you are telling me to start a world war if I want emotions.”

“Hold it right there. World domination is my thing. You think up your own idea from your parallel line. Leave all the world domination to me and seek some more enjoyable emotions on your line. And we can start it all by going on a date to see if you’re interested in emotions. What do you say?”

“You wish to carry your doll around town?”

“No.” He took her hand. “I’m going to take your hand and lead you outside.”

That comment brought a thought to Mitotsudaira’s mind.

…''Honestly.

She gave an exasperated yet relieved sigh in her heart. But…

“You continue to mention a date, but what will we do about clothes and the date course?”

“Nate, you can choose the clothes, right? And sis and Asama can handle the course.”

“Eh!? Wh-why are you dragging me into this!?”

She thought she should be angry, but it was already too late. She heard a bitter laugh from Kimi and Masazumi spoke as if to help her out.

“Judge. I don’t exactly approve of our student council president and chancellor determining Musashi’s stance by going on a date, but it’s worth a shot if the Far East’s successor agrees.”

She clapped her hands and the high-pitched sound rang throughout the beach.

“Will Aoi continue with the same policy as the past? What does Horizon want concerning that? As we wait for those answers, I bring this meeting to a close.”

Just as she said that, someone approached from the transport ship. Everyone turned toward them and saw one of the crewmembers running their way. Adele walked out to meet the person and nodded as they spoke to her.

“Um, Vicereine Horizon?”

Adele raised a hand and walked back from the crewmember.

She tilted her head while faced with everyone’s questioning looks.

“I just received a quick report.”

She thought for about three seconds and nodded.

“It seems your Logismoi Oplo has disappeared.”

“What?”

Everyone tilted their heads and Horizon did the same.

“Come to think of it, I had a feeling it was not under my bed when I woke up today.”

“W-wait a second! Is that really something you can lose!? It isn’t, right!? Right!?”

“Of course not. Are you okay, Seijun? You haven’t gone stupid, have you?”

“H-he said! He of all people just said it!”

As everyone tried to calm her down, Horizon retained the tilt to her head and looked at those around her.

Mitotsudaira cleared her throat.

“U-um, everyone, after a short break, we will clean up here and take turns in the bath. While heading back to the ship for a change of clothes, keep your eyes open. It is not that small an object, so let us try to find it.”

She then turned toward Asama and Masazumi who had announced they would bathe together.

“As you are going first, could you hurry up and check?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 21|Chapter 21]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 23|Chapter 23]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 21

2015-04-18T19:54:40Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 21: The Two in the Meeting Place==

[[Image:Horizon2A_639.png|thumb]]
''What is it

''That cannot be done alone?

'''Point Allocation (Misunderstanding)

Masazumi could see the sea from where she sat.

Naruze and Naito sat between her and the sea while Mitotsudaira sat between her and the hill. Balfette and Mukai were sitting among the English and eating with the local children. According to Mukai, she could still hear the periodic odd sound from the upper levels, but the local children and adults had not noticed it.

…''But she never doubts herself and thinks she might be imagining it.

That was just how much she trusted her ears.

…''That level of confidence is rare for her.

As the representative of the English village, Scarred sat with Crossunite, Aoi, and Horizon. Despite being a student council officer, Masazumi had a reason for not sitting with the English.

…''I hold a political position, so they are worried about a spy or attacker.

Naruze, Naito, and Mitotsudaira were her bodyguards.

Mitotsudaira came from Hexagone Française who historically did not get along with England, so anyone plotting something would think twice when they saw her next to Masazumi. Masazumi felt they were going overboard, but she understood why they were doing it.

…''But…

There was one problem.

…''I’ve never really eaten yakiniku.

“How am I supposed to eat this?”

Mikawa had mostly produced vegetables and fish, so the most meat Masazumi had eaten there was the occasional chicken.

She was used to eating at home, so she had never had only a sauce plate, chopsticks, and rice bowl.

…''This isn’t enough!

She was used to having three dishes on the table and there was no soup here, so it all felt horribly lacking.

…''Is the meat really that good? I guess it is different from ham or bacon.

The students who had been aboard the transport ship began to move. Masazumi saw Futayo take command of the grill.

“Ch-chief! After two weeks, meat is so delicious, isn’t it!?”

“Was yakiniku sauce this delicious before?”

“Thick slice,” displayed Tonbokiri.

“Listen up!” declared Futayo. “Everything past this line is my territory.”

''That’s more than half,'' silently commented Masazumi before turning to her right.

There, Mitotsudaira was adding more and more vegetables to her plate.

…''Girls do need their fiber.

Guessing Mitotsudaira was displaying a more normal method of eating than the others, Masazumi began emulating her.

…''I’ll start with some vegetables.

She looked over and found all the vegetables gone from the grill. They had also vanished from the large plate to her side. A glance over at Mitotsudaira showed her plate was empty too. The girl sighed and then smiled.

“Okay, I ate all the vegetables. Now I can eat as much meat as I want.”

…''She really is a wolf!

“W-wait a second! I didn’t get any of the vegetables!”

“Eh? Will you be okay tomorrow morning?”

…''Whose fault do you think it is?

Meanwhile, Naito and Naruze were speaking across the table.

“Margot, I’m sorry I haven’t been very useful lately. …Look, you can eat this meat while imagining it’s me. With chicken, eat the wings! With pork, eat the butt! With beef, eat the legs or arms or whatever!”

“Ga-chan, that sounds great, but I’m pacing myself to have room for the yakisoba and Asamachi’s five-grain fried rice afterwards. Oh, and Seijun? This table eats a lot, so be careful. Ga-chan and I both have wings, so we consume about twice the calories of a normal person and Mito-tsan-…”

Suddenly, a naked boy and Horizon showed up. They both held large plates that required both hands. The plates contained various cuts of meat.

“Hey! Heidi sent these over for Nate.”

As she held out the meat, Horizon gave a satisfied nod.

“You are a carnivore, Mitotsudaira-sama? I will remember that.”

“N-no, I am not exactly carnivorous.”

“You put up a good fight for the past two weeks, so just leave it at that, okay?”

Mitotsudaira hesitated for a moment but ultimately took the two plates with her silver chains.

“Do you love meat that much?” asked Masazumi.

She only asked out of curiosity, but Mitotsudaira blushed.

“That is my nature as a Bête du Personne.”

“I can explain,” cut in Naito. “You know how carnivores and herbivores have different cells in their stomachs and their organs are otherwise different, right? For example, rabbits and guinea pigs have trouble digesting meat while tigers and ferrets have trouble digesting plants.”

“I do think I’ve heard that solid pet food is divided into those two categories.”

“Judge.” Naito nodded. “Herbivores can acquire the nutrients they need just by eating plants, but carnivores can’t eat plants. To gain those nutrients, they eat herbivores and gain the nutrients stored up in their body. Well, wolves are basically carnivores. Dogs are pretty omnivorous, but Mito-tsan isn’t a dog. That pretty much covers it.”

“So…”

…''It must have taken a toll on her to go two weeks without meat.

She had not been imagining it when she thought Mitotsudaira was not eating much.

…''She must have decided going hungry was better than eating grains and vegetables which could make her sick.

If Mitotsudaira accepted Masazumi’s ignorance as an excuse, it showed how tolerant she was.

“So that’s why you brought this over, Aoi.”

For someone who walked around naked, he could be quite thoughtful at times like this. Masazumi wanted to criticize him for not having a clear stance on England, but he was not completely slacking off.

Meanwhile, the idiot had a huge grin on his face.

“Meat beats sweets, right?”

“I-I will eat sweets too. I would love it if you sent some over. I am half human, remember? …Wait, Horizon?”

Horizon was using chopsticks to hold some cooked meat out toward Nate from the side. She expressionlessly held up the sauce-covered meat.

“Judge. Have this entire piece,” she said. “Now, say ah. This is a ceremony to recognize what you have done for us.”

''What is going on here?'' wondered Masazumi as Mitotsudaira blushed and tried to draw back from the meat held up to her.

However, the naked boy circled behind her and grabbed her shoulders. She shrunk down, her eyebrows twisted, and her nose twitched a few times as the steam hit it.

“…”

She closed her eyes, opened her lips with a resigned look, and stuck her tongue out a bit as she received Horizon’s chopsticks. She pursed her lips and drew in the steaming piece of food with the back of her teeth.

“Nn…”

She lightly bit down and slowly swallowed.

She took a breath.

She stretched up a bit and then relaxed as her expression loosened up.

“~~!”

She leaned forward to escape the idiot’s hands and quickly covered her face with her hands.

“Wait, wait! What’s wrong, Nate?”

[[Image:Horizon2A_647.jpg|thumb]]

The excess silver chains twisted their long forms into words.

“Embarrassed. Troubled.”

She tugged and pulled back the intelligent chain that was speaking out of turn. She then slipped from her short chair and her butt fell to the sandy ground. She placed her hands between her legs.

“…”

With her eyes closed, she raised her chin to look up at Horizon. She looked like a baby bird asking for food, but everyone exchanged a glance as she wordlessly stretched her throat up.

…''Is this…?

Before Masazumi or anyone else could say anything, Horizon grabbed the idiot’s hand and handed him another pair of chopsticks.

With the griller and feeder roles set, they worked to feed Mitotsudaira. Everyone watched as the girl continually narrowed her eyes every time she had meat brought to her mouth.

Masazumi sighed and looked around.

…''This got out of hand quickly.

“Hey,” she called out to the others. “Does anyone have any extra vegetables?”

The tables with a mix between Musashi and England had extra vegetables because some had been brought in from the local area.

With Wet Man and Musashi’s princess gone, Scarred was left alone with Tenzou. Tenzou went to hand their extra vegetables to Wet Man and returned.

“Does anyone need anything to drink?” he asked.

“Heh heh heh. Ninja! Get me a beer! Three minutes!”

He was back in thirty seconds. Whenever Scarred tried to speak with him, someone would call out to him and he would quickly return. She was left staring blankly at him.

…''He certainly works a lot.

Only he knew her identity, so her look of admiration was hidden deeply beneath her hood. She tried to do her best for the fourth level village, but he completely outdid her in consideration, effort, and especially problem solving.

The same had happened with the hot spring Wet Man had asked them about that morning.

…''I never thought he could actually do it.

Scarred recalled what had happened a few hours earlier.

They had finished having the kobolds carry the gathered stones and swords of the graveyard to a hill with a nice view. He had asked her if the original graveyard had contained any remains.

…''When I told him no, he simply nodded. He did not question it at all.

That graveyard contained no remains. All it contained was the last thing the people had held and a stone from the spot on which they had fallen.

“Then let us move on to the hot spring.”

His idea was to send water to the hole created when the ground below the graveyard had collapsed.

As a water source, they used the waterway passing between hilltop wheat fields. To create a conduit, they used the unused water pipes the diplomatic ship had brought for the cargo ship.

A few of the living blocks had only been used for remodeling floors and walls, so some leftover walls and a roofs had been set up for the changing room and bath area. They had hired the kobolds to dig up the ground and lay stones for installing the living block.

“Now, all we need to do is pour the water into the hole in the ground.”

She had had her doubts whether that was all it would take, but while they were preparing the floor with the kobolds, new kobolds had poured into the hole along with hot water.

…''It was like magic.

But he had explained it.

“Kobolds are spirits that live along veins of ore and land with those veins is more likely to have hot springs. In other words, land with kobolds has heat sources closer to the surface. That means a hole opened where kobolds are will lead to magma or somewhere close to it. As long as the hole does not open up somewhere else, if you pour water in to fill the hole, a blast furnace level of geothermal heat will warm the water and create a natural boiling pot. Basically, we have artificially reproduced the structure of a hot spring.”

England was a floating island and each level and block had its own crust. Accumulated trash on the surface and side walls would be swallowed up and the internal heat would melt it down like a furnace so it could be reused as part of the crust.

This technique took advantage of that aspect of the crust.

“England’s crust is controlled, so a hole leading down this far is quite rare. But if you understand the system, this is not difficult.”

The mud had left the water they had sent in and the geothermal heat had turned it into hot water which rose back up.

From what she had heard, the Far East’s mainland had a lot of hot springs and a similar method was used to dilute the much hotter springs in the mountains and send them down to the base where health resorts could be built.

The elders of the village understood how rough this area could be on those working the fields, so they had rejoiced. It would also help with the children’s health and with washing clothes.

…''Honestly.

Tenzou had surprised her again and again when he had looked after the spring’s water lilies and removed the graveyard’s swords. And now…

“Okay. I should finally be able to eat,” he said as he sat next to her.

Tenzou sat to Scarred’s left so as to hide her from the others.

He had planned to do everything he could to protect her identity. Luckily, the most dangerous of his classmates had moved to other seats or wandered off, but that had produced a lot of odd jobs for him and he felt bad about leaving her alone for so long.

“Here you go.”

Scarred quietly offered him some grilled meat and vegetables, so he accepted.

Until that morning, he had felt something threatening between the two of them.

…''But working together helped us understand how to get along.

But…

“What is it, Scarred-dono? You aren’t eating.”

“Judge. Um, about that.”

Because she was speaking too quietly for the others to hear, she used more feminine language and she looked awkwardly at Tenzou.

“I was just wondering. How do you eat with your scarf like that?”

…''I had never thought about it. I guess it’s a form of ninja technique. Probably.

He had formed the habit before his earliest memories, so he had never questioned it. In fact, he was a little confused how one ate ''without'' wearing a scarf.

After thinking for a bit, he decided he should give a standard response.

“It is a ninja technique.”

…''Ah, I feel like I just became an incredibly boring guy! But at least I don’t tell terrible jokes like Masazumi-dono.

Scarred nodded a few times in understanding and the action contained none of the harshness she showed while hiding her identity.

…''This is quite a gap.

He found it hard to remember her using masculine language like she had before.

…''She is a good person and a diligent one.

When building the bath, she had not hesitated to work in the dirt to level it off for the floor. When walking through the village, people had called out to her. They were usually thanking her for something she had done for them, so it was obvious she was the type to do work for herself.

…''That harshness came from a misunderstanding and her diligence.

And then…

“You really are diligent, aren’t you?”

“What?”

He had been thinking of her that way, but he had never thought of himself that way. When she suddenly used that word to describe him, he spoke up without thinking.

Scarred was placing meat on top of the grill while facing him.

“Isn’t it a lot of work? I have only seen you today, but you have done so many things and you are always running around doing things for people.”

“Judge. I suppose so.”

It was true that the horrible people around him were a lost cause, but this was a different issue.

“The truth is, I enjoy it the most,” he said. “At least, that is what I think.”

“What do you mean?”

“Judge.” Tenzou grabbed some meat. “You just saw how I perform a lot of odd jobs and get asked to do a lot of things, right? In a way, I am filling in the gaps everyone else leaves behind, but if you think about it differently, this allows me to be involved in more than anyone else.”

Tenzou nodded and ate the meat Scarred had grilled.

Scarred glanced down at his hand for an instant, but she missed the instant he ate it and bit her lip in regret below her hood.

Tenzou inwardly smiled at that and continued speaking.

“I am not involved too deeply in any one thing, so I feel no responsibility toward it yet I get to play the role of the mini-hero. Butting in on so many things is nice and I can give a ninja’s opinion whenever it is needed. I enjoy helping everyone with what they aren’t doing, what they are trying and failing to do, or what they can’t do. I lose interest in things quickly, so being able to pop in for just the best part like that fits my personality well.”

“Then… You couldn’t continue doing the same thing?” Scarred switched from beef and began grilling pork and chicken. “And…doesn’t that put you on the losing end?”

“The losing end?”

“Judge,” she said. “You may gain something from the things you do, but aren’t some of them things you would rather not do? And aren’t there also times when you end up doing things for someone else so they will not suffer a loss? You fill the gaps the others leave behind by doing the things they do not want to do.”

“I suppose so.”

He did not deny it. Most of the requests were unexpected and he would sometimes make a sacrifice for those in the leading roles who kept the situation moving. But…

“That is the point of a ninja.”

“What do you mean?”

“Judge. A ninja is one who acts while hiding his own heart. And so-…”

He was going to give a businesslike answer of “I do not view it as a loss”, but she spoke up before he could.

“But… That means you still think of it as taking a loss, right? You are still human, after all.”

He could not come up with a response to her preemptive statement.

He thought for a bit, considered how he felt about his job, and said “I suppose so” yet again.

“But it is not just the things you yourself hold that have value,” he added.

“…”

“I have little strength and I cannot use many Shinto spells. But if my actions help someone who has more strength, I can be proud of supporting everyone else. The Testament descriptions decide history ahead of time in this world, but the influential people who protect those descriptions and maintain the proper flow of history require people like me if they are to do their jobs. And…”

And…

“Even if I am only involved in just a few of the words written in those history descriptions, that is more than enough for me to feel proud.”

Suddenly, Tenzou recalled an article he had read in the ninja magazine he had bought the other day.

'''“The Three Major Types of Unpopular Ninja”

'''1: A ninja who talks on and on about himself.

'''2: A ninja who denies what the other person says.

'''3: The kind of ninja who reads this article.

…''I fall under all three!!

As he ate more meat, he began to panic and felt like all his strength was being sapped from his butt.

But Scarred suddenly spoke up while sitting next to him.

“Thank you very much.”

…''Eh?

He turned toward her and saw her looking down at the grill with a small smile.

“The others are starting to notice.”

Their voices must have grown too loud because the others were glancing over at them. Tenzou straightened his posture and lowered his voice again.

“But you must have it tough too, Scarred-dono.”

“Eh? Wh-why do you-…?”

“Judge. You look after this fourth level, don’t you?”

Scarred smiled bitterly at that. She seemed to be unsure whether to correct him or not.

…''Did I get something wrong?

But she sighed and returned her expression to normal.

“This is indeed a tough time for England. The country’s religion changed and we must fight a war with another country. The Testament descriptions say we will prosper the most, but what must we do to gain that and how do we oppose the other countries who will try to suppress it? Most of the residents of the fourth level could be called victims of all this. A lot of them were driven here as scapegoats for political problems,” she explained. “England was moved here 160 years ago during the Harmonic Unification War, but our land was remade via our cooperation with IZUMO. The island used to be made of a single rock, but now we are all separated. And it is true that remaking has left us trailing a bit behind in areas such as farming. Master Tenzou, could-…”

She trailed off.

“Um, may I call you Master Tenzou? I have been calling you that, but I never asked.”

“O-of course. Call me whatever you like!”

“Heh heh heh. Mr. Grass! Cider! One minute!”

He was back in five seconds.

Once he sat back down, Scarred nodded and continued.

“Master Tenzou, could you teach us some of your knowledge?”

Scarred continued her request.

“How to cultivate a wheat field, how to create a waterway, and how to build roads and houses. While carrying the swords and stones to that hill and while building the bath, you asked about all of those things. You know a better way of doing them, don’t you?”

The ninja looked toward her a bit, but…

“Well…” He nodded. “I think that might be making myself a nuisance.”

“Why? Why would you think that?”

“The people here respond with ‘Judge’.”

She was left dumbfounded, so the ninja scratched at his head and continued.

“These people have escaped political strife, so I do not know how abundant a lifestyle they want.”

Scarred realized what he was thinking, so she finally spoke.

“S-sorry.”

“I-it’s fine,” he said. “If I keep that in mind though, we have a pedo-…I mean, a life worshipping agricultural expert. It might be best to just give them the knowledge at first. Rather than giving them a method they must use, we can give them methods they can incorporate if necessary. Plus, we will be back next year, so there is no hurry.”

Scarred accepted his point of view. And…

…''Next year.

The people of Musashi would eventually leave. They would return after a year, but with the Apocalypse coming, it was unclear if that would ever happen. However, it relieved her to hear he would be coming again next year. They had had their misunderstandings, but…

…''He does not hate me.

“…”

She suddenly realized what her thought meant and stopped herself.

…''If he does not hate me, what does he think of me?

She felt this was a foolish thing to think and that she was reading too much into it. She felt reversing the concept to reach the conclusion she wanted was improper. But…

“What is it?” he asked.

“Oh, u-um… Nothing.”

He nodded and took back the question while Scarred was thankful for the hood over her head.

''Honestly, why am I thinking such improper things?'' she thought. ''He is a lot like me yet quite different at the same time.

He put himself on the losing end of things and he gained pride from it.

…''On the other hand, I cling to pride. If I could live like him, would I have an easier life?

And…

…''I…

Before her thoughts could continue, something shot between the two of them.

“Stop, you two! Scarred! You must not get so close to this strange boy!”

It was Milton.

Tenzou looked toward the black bird that had suddenly flown between him and Scarred.

He wore the coat of an English boys’ uniform and had three legs.

“Honestly! I was wondering if you were getting along with them, but who is this boy!? Do not get so familiar!”

“Milton. Settle down, Milton.”

Scarred’s words reminded Tenzou of what she had said when he had learned she was a girl.

…''She said Milton would get mad at her.

He had wondered who that was, but he had never expected this.

“A giant hill myna?”

“No! I, Milton, am a splendid crow! A crow! I am Milton the crow! I am also the messenger of death told of in English legend, but the one time I tried it, I got lost and ended up giving the person a long life! The grim reapers were not happy with me, let me tell you!”

“Here you go, little myna-dono. Have some friendly yakiniku.”

“Nh!? Yakiniku from the hand of the enemy? You must think me a-… Delicious! What kind of meat is this!?”

“It is the skin of a Mikawa Cochin.”

“Nwohhh! This may nearly be cannibalism, but this is some delicious Cochin!!”

“Here, little myna-dono. This squash will cleanse your palate.”

“Kh… And now I must eat my favorite food from the hand of the enemy!? I cannot stand this! But I will remain positive and eat it! Also, I am not a myna!”

Milton began pecking away at the squash.

…''There are so many different races in this country.

Musashi had their own half-werewolf who was being fed a few tables over, but it was still interesting to see.

…''But does this Milton-dono act as Scarred-dono’s guardian?

Tenzou felt Milton was in some kind of assistance role like a butler. That was why he had risked his own safety by flying in between her and a stranger.

Scarred on the other hand…

“Milton, this is Master Tenzou, a ninja. He is Far Eastern technician who moved the broken graveyard and built a hot spring for the fourth level.”

“A hot spring!? How… How lewd!”

…''That was fast! He reached that conclusion way too fast!!

Scarred tilted her head with a troubled expression.

“Milton, you had a reason to come here, right? What do you need?”

That question brought fear to Tenzou.

…''N-no, this hill myna was probably worried about her as a man!

That was also why he had flown between Scarred and Tenzou. Tenzou did not know if it was due to the species difference, but his actions were getting across to Scarred yet his feelings were not. This meant he came across as something like a parent.

…''Ahh. When I was rejected, is this how I looked when I was rejected?

He was so shaken up he accidentally made a redundant sentence. He decided to show his support for the energetic hill myna, but Asama suddenly looked toward them while preparing five-grain fried rice on a grill instead of yakiniku. Her sleeves were rolled up and she was mixing a pile of fried rice with two spatulas while Hanami used sign frames to carry out some work.

“Huh? That crow…”

When Milton realized she was talking about him, he slowly turned toward her. Their gazes met and he gently hid one of his legs behind his body. Asama frowned in response.

“Wh-what is a yatagarasu doing in England? They’re supposed to be doing work for the shrines!”

“I-I am not a yatagarasu! Y-yes, I am just a cute little hill myna!”

Asama ignored him and turned a half-lidded look toward Hanami.

“Hanami, contact my father and ask him why a yatagarasu is eating yakiniku in England. He is probably filled with impurity, so we will have to give him a fist cleansing from a stubborn priest at a shrine that specializes in purification.”

“Eeeeee! Anything but that!”

While everyone tilted their heads at this exchange, Suzu spoke up while holding a bowl for the fried rice.

“Yata…garasu…? Yata…grass? Is it a plant?”

“Suzu-san made a joke!” whispered someone.

“Was that unintentional!?” whispered someone else.

“Eh? Aren’t you treating her a lot different from me?” complained Masazumi.

Everyone ignored her and Asama took a deep breath to suppress what she wanted to say to Suzu. She then gave a proper explanation.

“The yatagarasu is a spirit beast type of Mouse from the Far East’s Kumano shrines. It is also one of the information-type Mouse models we use. They can of course act as messengers, but they can also store and supply Blessings. They are supposed to be in the care of a Kumano shrine and perform labor when a contract is made with them, but this one…”

As she spoke, Milton turned his back and started moving away from everyone else.

“Wait a second, you runaway Mouse!” shouted Asama when she noticed.

“I must escape! Secret Technique: Crow of the Night!”

As the crow vanished in the darkness, Asama closed one eye, aimed her bow, produced a flash of light from her false eye, and fired.

“Clap!” declared Hanami.

An indistinct shriek could be heard in the distance and Asama sighed.

“Honestly, spirit beasts are surprisingly unstable, so they need regular care in a stable land. I’m impressed it can survive on its own.”

Scarred nodded in response.

“Judge. England has ley lines running through it, but their supply is limited. I have heard strange phenomena are common on the Far Eastern mainland, but they are not very common here.”

“I see.”

Asama nodded and Scarred began eating once more.

However, Toori turned toward her.

“Cloaked gentleman, if you know so much about the ley lines, do you know about the Double Border Crest?”

“The Double Border Crest?”

“Oh, he means this.”

Tenzou used his finger to draw a diagram in the sand. It was a circle with a horizontal line down the center.

“It is said to often appear along with the mysterious disappearances known as the Princess Disappearances.”

The instant he said that, Tenzou heard Scarred gulp.

…''Eh?

He looked up questioningly and found her drawing back in the firelight. As he wondered what this was about, she spoke up quietly. And she did not use the masculine language she used when speaking to everyone.

“England is looking into that as well.”

Masazumi had barely heard Scarred’s words, but she found them odd.

…''Feminine language?

But she needed to focus on Scarred’s comment about the situation in England more than on that question.

“Looking into it? Where?

“Oh.” Scarred looked up and nodded. “Well…”

After a brief hesitation, Scarred continued.

“If you meet those on the higher levels and gain a friendly relationship with them, ask them about a place called Avalon. If you tell them you learned of it from me, they should let you see it.”

“Avalon?”

“Judge.” Scarred nodded. “A flower garden like Avalon is the safest place in this country of fairies. After all, the fairies would be eaten in a forest, drawn under in a river, taken away on a hill, hidden in a mountain, chased on a road, locked in within a house, and drowned in the ocean. Hence, the flower garden. If you meet the gatekeeper, you should gain some kind of hint toward what you seek.”

Scarred paused for a moment.

“Sorry. I am an outsider now, so I do not know what the current state is. I cannot say much, so please do not ask me to show you the way.”

“Judge. Simply knowing England has some information is useful.” Masazumi nodded and looked between Tenzou and Scarred. “Mr. Scarred, if you remember anything else or have something you would rather not say here, feel free to tell Tenzou. As our 1st special duty officer, he takes care of our intelligence work.”

“Judge. If I have a chance, I will tell him what I know concerning the Double Border Crest and the Princess Disappearances.”

“Judge. We appreciate it.” Masazumi glanced across everyone else who looked back at her in confusion. “Now, we need to have the meeting we missed out on earlier due to England’s representatives arriving. I would like to discuss what we will be doing here. After all, we will be truly entering England the day after tomorrow.”

Suddenly, a voice came from the path to the inlet beyond Tenzou and Scarred.

“Finished.”

“Eh?”

Masazumi and everyone else turned toward the sudden voice and saw a 15 cm dog-like creature beyond Tenzou and Scarred. Masazumi knew it was a kobold, but she had never seen one in person before. Scarred and Tenzou exchanged some words with it and Tenzou pulled a 5-yen coin from his wallet and handed it to the kobold. The kobold forcefully threw the coin to the ground.

“I will take it,” said the kobold as it put the coin in its mouth.

“Kh!” groaned Tenzou. “If I get mad, I lose!”

“Don’t you lose either way?” muttered everyone as the kobold left.

Scarred turned toward Masazumi

“It seems the hot spring and bathhouse are ready.”

“I see,” said Aoi as he fed a third plate to Mitotsudaira. He and Horizon were working together to thoroughly cook the cartilage. “Tenzou, you and the cloaked gentleman go take the first bath together. There might be some kinks to work out, so you two go check on it ahead of time.”

“S-Scarred-dono and me!? N-no, that wouldn’t work.”

“Eh? What’s wrong with that?”

Scarred and Tenzou froze in place and did not respond.

…''They’re both guys, so I don’t see why it would bother them.

Then again, Masazumi still showered at home rather than using Musashi’s general bath, so she was not one to talk. But before Tenzou or Scarred could say anything, Asama looked up from the fried rice again.

“If you don’t mind, could you two hurry it up?”

“Eh? Wh-why?”

She turned a serious expression toward Masazumi.

“Masazumi, you and I will be taking a bath together after them.”

…''What?

For about three seconds, Masazumi had no idea what had just been said. Even after three seconds, she had not figured it out, but that was when Naruze spoke up.

“Reality has outdone the doujinshis! Asamasa!? Or Masa-asa!? Which is it!?”

Masazumi did not understand any of that, but the general atmosphere it brought told her it was nothing good. If people started saying what they thought was going on and she denied those possibilities, she had a feeling it would take five hours to arrive at the truth.

“Asama… Um…” She chose her words carefully. “My sex change operation was not completed and I still view myself as a girl.”

“I-I didn’t meant it like that!”

“Heh heh. Bath shrine maiden! So you meant something even more amazing!? Like body soap! What a sexual term! How wonderful!”

“No! I wasn’t talking about body soap or anything inappropriate!” she shouted. “I was talking about her Mouse!”

She held Hanami up in her hand.

“I keep seeing Masazumi borrowing sign frames from Mito today. Handhelds are unstable in England and during attacks like the one by Tres España. So when I heard we had a bath, I thought I could use it as a place of purification to contact the shrine. That way Masazumi can sign a contract for a Mouse.”

“I can get…a Mouse?”

A Mouse required at least an average plan out of the different divine transmission contracts.

They were autonomous and could be given plenty of additional features, so they were quite convenient. But even if they entered sleep mode while inactive, keeping one around used up one Blessing’s worth of internal Blessing or ether fuel every week. If one was negligent in feeding them, their information density would thin out and they would be destroyed.

…''But in exchange, you get a pet.

When Masazumi had been in Mikawa, the students in elementary and middle school who had a Mouse would always brag about it. Masazumi’s family had been poor, so she had barely even had a handheld.

…''That’s why I wasn’t able to head there right away when my mother disappeared.

That would no longer happen if she had a Mouse. And she did kind of want to raise a small animal type like Heidi’s white fox.

“But…I have no money.”

“Judge. Then we can cover for it with the student council’s divine transmission budget. Shiro-kun, that will work, right?”

“It will, but she will no longer have that money once she graduates. That will cause problems because she will still have to pay for the Mouse.”

Asama smiled.

“If that happens, the shrine will freeze her contract and either buy back the Mouse or hang on to it temporarily. Once she does get some money, she can take it back.”

“Good, good.” Heidi nodded twice. “The Asama Shrine is a monstrous place with only a 2% cancellation rate. Once they get their teeth in you, they never let go.”

“You could just say we have excellent service, you know? Anyway, I will make it a temporary rental with Far Eastern ley line properties, but who is the manager of the ley lines in this area?”

“That myna, maybe?” suggested Tenzou.

“Oh, that’s good. I can have him do it in exchange for keeping quiet about his escape just now.”

“Shiro-kun, I think Asamachi might be a formidable enemy.”

“Yes. Offerings are meant to cover the shrine’s managing costs, but she is so authoritarian that people throw money her way even though she does nothing. She is the enemy of merchants everywhere.”

“Give it a rest,” said Masazumi to the merchants.

Next to her, Mitotsudaira was chewing on the cartilage Horizon had given her and Horizon spoke up.

“Tenzou-sama, shouldn’t you hurry to the bath with Scarred-sama? Once we finish eating, everyone will be waiting. And after this, we intend to perform a ceremony as an offering to the campfire god. We will all dance a super high speed folk dance and the slowest will be thrown into the fire while we all shout excitedly. You do not want to be caught up in that, do you?”

Ohiroshiki suddenly tried to crawl away, but everyone grabbed him and stopped him.

“H-how exciting,” muttered Tenzou.

Scarred then resolutely stood up.

Scarred tugged on Tenzou’s shoulder, exchanged a few words with him, and began walking toward the bath.

As Tenzou followed, he turned back.

“N-no peeping, okay!?”

“Who would peep on you?” muttered Naomasa whose right arm was removed for maintenance.

As everyone nodded in agreement, Tenzou hesitated for a moment and continued after Scarred.

Once the two of them disappeared into the darkness, everyone let out a breath.

“Those two are suspicious,” said Adele slowly.

Adele’s comment brought silence. After a while, Ohiroshiki spoke up as if it was his duty to say something.

“Adele-kun pinpointed exactly what I was trying not to think about.”

“In Ga-chan and my homeland of M.H.R.R, they are developing techniques of making children between two guys or two girls,” said Naito. “As Protestants, England trades with M.H.R.R., so I see nothing wrong with it.”

“That makes it okay?” muttered most everyone else.

Suddenly Azuma looked up. He was sitting politely on a handkerchief spread out on the beach and he was eating yakisoba with chopsticks.

“By the way, I wanted to ask you again about something, Naruze.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Well.” Azuma nodded. “Could you teach me more about sex?”

After Azuma’s final word, Mitotsudaira choked, Asama stabbed her spatulas into the fried rice, Naomasa took a swig of alcohol, Suzu tensed up, the treasurer duo began recording, Adele clenched her fists excitedly, Kimi performed a joyous dance, Urquiaga meaninglessly raised his primary wings, and Naito let out a groan.

“I-I never thought I would be made into the foolish husband of an NTR doujinshi…”

“N-no!? That’s not it, Margot! This is a misunderstanding! That’s all! Right, Azuma!?”

“Right… I don’t really understand, though. All you did was teach me in that underground passageway during the battle. I asked you what it was and you said it was about getting along.”

“Ga-chan, you shouldn’t give a sudden roadside lesson on that kind of thing.”

“Th-that isn’t what happened! Azuma! Why are you explaining this so strangely!?”

Everyone began wondering when Naruze would realize they were teasing her, but Masazumi was fairly certain Azuma did not understand the situation.

“You see.” He tilted his head. “When I said it to Miriam, she got really mad, so I was wondering if Naruze’s explanation or my interpretation of it were wrong. Anyway, she locked me out of our room, so I began knocking on the door shouting ‘Miriam! Miriam! I don’t understand, but I can tell I was wrong! So please have sex with me!’ After that, she sealed the door with a Classic Sign.”

“Oh? Poqou-san did?” said everyone with a nod.

However, Azuma did not pick up on their nuance and nodded back.

“She was in a bad mood and made some excuse about being Catholic and needing to drive out evil. Since she won’t let me back in, I thought I would ask to see if I could resolve the misunderstanding. Could you teach me, Naruze?”

Everyone turned toward Naruze, but she frantically shook her head and embraced Naito’s arm.

“I-I can only teach you so much! So, u-um… Masazumi!”

“Why would you hand this off to me!?”

Masazumi felt a burst of surprise and a flash of anger, so she frantically looked around at the others. At some point, Asama and Naomasa had turned their backs to her and started poking at their grills. They were clearly not going to listen to her. Kimi and Aoi were gesturing welcomingly, but even without hard evidence, she knew for a fact those horrible siblings would turn this into a disaster if she asked them. That left…

“S-sensei!”

The silver chains appeared in the edge of her vision and pointed toward the person in question. Oriotorai was near the ocean with empty bottles stabbed into the sand around her. She was fast asleep with her head resting on a tripod created from three of the bottles. The seaweed on her mouth showed she had enjoyed a full course meal all the way to the yakisoba. Simply put, their teacher would be no use here.

“I would also like to learn about this,” added Horizon.

“Ah! Th-then I will-…gwah! Y-your backhand is wonderful too, Horizon!”

…''That guy never learns, does he?

Meanwhile, someone else raised their hand. Surprisingly, it was Futayo.

“I am not familiar with that word either, so I would like to hear this. I am sure you can give a proper explanation, Masazumi.”

The other girls nodded several times while moving to the other side of their grills to have a proper view. This formed a half circle around Masazumi.

…''I-I’m trapped!

Just as she was wondering who would save her, Mitotsudaira hid a sign frame behind her hair and positioned it so only Masazumi could see it. Masazumi curiously glanced at it.

“Your only option is to make a bad joke!”

…''I don’t want to always be limited to that! And what kind of joke am I supposed to make here? Oh!

“I look forward to Seijun sitting down and saying ‘There are five or sex important things to know here’.”

…''That idiot said it! What is going on!? Is this the end of the world!? This is it. I can’t stand it anymore. I’m just going to die. The commanders during the Three Kingdoms period would “feel shame and die in agony”, but that was due to a rise in blood pressure, right?

However, Azuma, Horizon, and Futayo were staring intently at her, so she had to give some kind of answer.

“Okay, to put it simply…um… when a man and a woman…um…you see…”

“What’s that, Seijun-kun? I can’t hear you! Can you speak uuuup!?”

She swung up her fist and the idiot quickly crawled out of range. She sighed and used the momentum of the breath to speak.

“Anyway!”

Even she could tell she was angry.

“It refers to deepening your relationship with each other! There is nothing else to it!”

Horizon, Futayo, and Azuma all nodded deeply, but everyone else returned to their original seats with exasperated looks. As they did, they began speaking to each other.

“But that was only one thing.”

“Yeah, weren’t there supposed to be five or sex things?”

…''Are all of them against me!?

Meanwhile, Asama spoke up while moving the finished fried rice to a large place sitting next to the grill.

“Masazumi, we can prepare for the bath after this meeting. Before the contract, we need to check over the plan and perform a quick identity check. Is that okay?”

…''I guess I have no other option.

Masazumi sighed and felt a mixture of anticipation and unease, but she decided to keep it all inside for the time being.

“Okay. Before heading to the bath, we can finally have our meeting about England.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 22|Chapter 22]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 17

2015-04-18T19:50:16Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 17: Recluses around the Corner==

[[Image:Horizon2A_489.png|thumb]]
''Is the surprise upon meeting someone

''The same thing as expectation?

'''Point Allocation (Second Time)

Someone walked along a hill.

It was Scarred who wore the usual hooded cloak.

He walked toward the end of the seaside path where the transport ship and diplomatic ship were. That area had become an inlet. Scarred was still a good distance away, but the two ships were clearly visible. The villagers greeted him along the way.

“Oh, Scarred. Do you want some of the fish I caught this morning? I can put it on a coral skewer.”

“The weather is nice today, so I can prepare some water for you if you want, Scarred.”

He gave simple replies and waved while continuing on. His waving hand held the metal stake connected to his ankle by a chain, but the people seemed to view that as a standard part of his greeting and waved back.

Scarred nodded, turned his back, and continued toward the inlet.

“If the graveyard can’t be fixed, it will have to be moved.”

Scarred thought about the graveyard. It was located beyond the beach which had become an inlet after the transport ship’s crash had caused the crust to sink.

…''I must look after that graveyard that is made up of three hundred swords and stones.

However, the area around the crashed ship had been cut off, so that twenty square meter area on the edge of the hill had been off limits for the past two weeks. Scarred had viewed it from a distance and it seemed the break in the hill had caused a crack. Either that crack would have to be fixed or the entire graveyard would have to be relocated.

He also had to worry about the water lilies he looked after at a nearby spring.

“I wonder what happened to them.”

Scarred continued on to the hill visible from the two ships.

He saw some small figures appear from the new grass ahead.

They were brown kobolds that were only about fifteen centimeters tall.

…''If the worker kobolds are out, the ley lines must not have been disturbed.

Scarred suddenly slowed his pace. The path ahead was blocked by a structure growing from the crust. It looked like a hunk of metal.

“This is from when Tres España made a quick assault a while back. That spear is one of San Mercado’s new products.”

Spears, axes, and pieces of ships were growing from the ground. There were quite a few of them. At the bottom was a piece of metal several meters across that looked like a piece of a ship’s foundation.

“The ships I sank were trapped by England’s structure, disassembled by the ley lines, circulated through them, and incorporated into the surface of the ground. I think the crew was sent to the higher levels and exchanged for an exorbitant ransom. Once I’m sure everything is safe, we can dig this up and sell it to the upper levels as scrap metal.”

As he formulated his plan, Scarred continued on.

He waved toward the kobolds and they lowered their heads. They did so in order from biggest to smallest, so it formed a sort of wave.

As they greeted him, Scarred took the book in his left hand and lightly pressed its edge against his face. Scarred then rubbed it across the scar running from the top of his nose to his left cheek.

“The day still hasn’t come that I can be proud of this scar or any new scar. I can only hope to satisfy them by supporting England with my life. But…”

Scarred looked up toward the sea to the left.

“I never expected to receive guests like these.”

He could see the transport ship and the diplomatic ship stopped next to it.

Scarred was already about to pass by where the two ships were. The rising sun was visible behind them and he could see their decks.

About an hour earlier, they seemed to have been having a class on the deck.

…''I had heard the chancellor’s officers and student council were gathered here, but it looks like they form a single class.

They were no longer visible. The transferred cargo was being fixed to the deck, but that work was almost complete.

Scarred could see no motion, but he could hear noises coming from within the ship. Nails were being hammered, wood was being sawed, and occasionally a large object would cause a great impact as it was set in place.

Some sea-horses in the nearby sea were looking up curiously.

…''The crew of that transport ship still can’t leave here.

That was why they were altering the interior of the ship to make it easier to live in.

Scarred thought while walking along the path which was covered with less grass than before. He thought about the ninja who had disappeared inside that ship.

…''What was that about?

He thought about the fact that the ninja had stopped him. Rumor had it he was their 1st special duty officer. Someone of that level should have been able to accurately judge the power of Scarred’s spell simply by viewing it.

…''So why did he stop me?

Thinking about it did not help. Only that ninja himself would know the answer. And…

“I still hold the answer to those three hundred people’s questions of ‘why’.”

Once he passed the hill, the path turned gently inland and the inlet lay ahead.

The hill to the right had a steep slope and it obstructed one’s view of the path around the inlet. Scarred naturally turned toward that path which led to the graveyard.

“Eh?”

Someone was walking down that path which could not be entirely seen due to the slope to the right.

It was that ninja.

They both uttered a quiet “ah” and stopped walking.

Scarred took half a step back.

“Why?” he muttered without thinking.

The ninja frantically shook his hands back and forth.

“No, um. I can explain. Over this hill, there is a graveyard with a lot of swords set up in it. I could see it from the ship and the ground seemed damaged from the crash. I just checked on it and was about to go inform your village.”

The ninja held up a memo. It contained a simple map, directions on repairing the graveyard, and a few other options.

…''Why?

Scarred almost asked that question which referenced many different things, but he held his tongue.

He needed to say something else before asking questions.

They had saved the children. Scarred had made a hasty conclusion and slapped him. He had protected Scarred from a fragment of the ship and been injured. There was something Scarred had to say regarding all of that.

“I must apolo-…”

But before he could finish, the ninja spoke up.

“Are the children doing well?”

“Eh?”

Scarred was at a loss for words, but it seemed the ninja was already waiting for an answer. Scarred realized he had lost his chance to apologize.

“Judge. They are doing fine. Their mother is a banshee, so having her cry could have led to further deaths.”

“Judge. Then I am even more relieved we could save them.”

“Judge,” replied Scarred again.

He was relieved to find he was speaking normally with the ninja. He was doubly relieved that the ninja showed no hostility.

“About you saving the children…”

The ninja gasped and started to say something, but Scarred asked a question before he could.

He asked something he had been thinking about for a while now.

“Why did you stop me?”

Before the ninja could cut in, Scarred added to his question.

“I have heard you are Musashi’s 1st special duty officer. Someone in that position should have been able to comprehend my spell, so why did you stop me?”

“Well, uh…” The ninja scratched at his hat and finally gave an answer. “I don’t know much about spells, so I didn’t notice you were using one.”

“What? That is completely ridiculous.”

As he rejected the ninja’s answer, Scarred had a single thought.

…''Why is he denying what he did?

He had to have a reason. The spell had produced ether light, so it was unthinkable that he could not have noticed. The ninja may have looked calm, but that was obviously a hastily constructed lie.

And if he was going to lie, why would he say he had made a mistake? If he had some reason for his actions, Scarred would have accepted it.

The ninja was not blaming him or denying him. He was merely saying he was careless.

…''He is essentially saying I did the right thing.

“Why are you trying to make this your failure?”

As soon as Scarred realized what he had said, he clamped his mouth shut. He looked at the ninja, but the ninja’s expression was hidden by his scarf and hat.

Scarred wanted to ask so many things, but he could find no way to begin. And this time, the ninja acted first. He began with a quick nod.

“I was careless is all.”

He was sticking with the idea that he had not noticed. He then began to walk past Scarred.

After a moment of hesitation, Scarred stepped aside to let him past. He watched the ninja take the first step.

…''Is this really okay?

Something felt wrong. He felt something similar to guilt.

In the ninja’s mind, the conversation was already over, but Scarred felt differently.

…''Why?

The feeling may have been a misunderstanding, but Scarred felt as if his heart had stumbled.

Why was that ninja choosing his own failure? Scarred thought back on that question.

…''Why is this ninja sacrificing himself? Willingly offering yourself up as a sacrifice is the same as-…

Scarred’s thoughts were about to bring forth more words, but he was interrupted.

“Hey, Tenzou! Can’t you just settle this with that gentleman in the cloak?” shouted someone on the transport ship.

…''Who is that?

Scarred and the ninja turned toward the vertical transport ship. A naked boy stood on the edge of the deck with his toes turned inward. He was swinging his hips back and forth as if guiding the work.

“Tenzou! You said that graveyard needs to be fixed or moved, right? What was it you said? ‘Their souls cannot resteth in peace like this’?”

“Th-that is not how I speak! And you’re using it wrong anyway!”

Scarred did not understand what this meant, but he assumed it was some form of Far Eastern custom.

But who was that naked boy? He was standing around swinging his hips while everyone else was working, so he may have been a new type of spirit that exceeded human understanding. He appeared to have seaweed in both hands and on his crotch, but if he was a spirit indigenous to the Far East rather than a human, it made sense that Scarred had never seen anything like him. The seaweed in his hands suggested he was a type of water spirit. Scarred decided to name him Wet Man.

Meanwhile, Wet Man looked over at Scarred.

“Well, anyway, that settles that! Okay, you in the cloak! What are your plans?”

The spirit’s friendliness sped up the conversation. Scarred held up a thick book he had been carrying in his pocket.

“I intend to check the graveyard, decide whether to repair it or move it, and carry out whichever action I decide on.”

“Okay, that simplifies matters. Tenzou, you go help him.”

“What? But I was planning to help with the work on the ship.”

“Don’t be silly. With me here, what more help do they need? …Eh? What is it, Asama? Why are you smiling with your veins bulging out? …Everyone, stop Asama! She’s pulled out her bow!”

''If that Far East shrine maiden is trying to purify him, he might be an evil spirit,'' concluded Scarred.

Wet Man shouted out toward them while searching for a place to hide.

“Um, well, this is an opportunity for some cultural exchange! Tenzou, you fix or move the broken graveyard with the gentleman behind you. You said the flowers by the nearby spring needed some work too, didn’t you? No one’ll notice if you swipe some tools right now, so take whatever you need.”

Scarred saw the ninja scratch at his hat as if he did not know how to respond, so Scarred spoke up behind him.

“Judge!”

The ninja turned around in surprise, but Scarred did not mind.

This was his punishment for lying and trying to run.

The ninja noticed Scarred was ignoring him and looking up into the sky, so he turned back toward the ship.

“Um… I…”

He was unable to form words of protest and he trailed off. Wet Man smiled.

“Okay, this will be some cultural exchange on the local level. Tenzou, you used your survival skills to build simple living spaces and barricades, so fixing a place like that and gathering useful plants should be a piece of cake, right? You also said you were worried about the water lilies by the spring, so go check on them too.”

So…

“That gentleman knows the land, so get his help and do what work you can. That’s your job for today.”

Scarred nodded and lightly tapped the ninja’s shoulder to say “let’s go”. As he made his way toward the inlet, he suddenly recalled something else.

That ninja had seen him crying.

What should he say about that?

…''I shouldn’t apologize.

He could not find an answer and he heard the ninja walking behind him. He also heard the sound of something being fired on the ship, but he decided he had misheard because the situation was too peaceful for that.

…''Peace, hm?

Scarred wanted an answer that was not a lie. He walked on the path to the graveyard while wondering how to receive that answer.

As noon approached, the color white reflected the sunlight coming from high in the sky.

The reflection came from a white domed building with the emblem of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares. The building was labelled “Medical Division” and its outer perimeter was lined with hospital room windows. Clotheslines made of rope hung in the windows and the white sheets, towels, and clothes also reflected the sunlight.

The color red suddenly moved within all that white.

A female student was hanging laundry out to dry in a south-facing window on the building’s third floor. She was short and had two false arms, one of which wore an armband reading “3rd Special Duty – Tachibana Gin”.

Gin finished hanging up all the laundry in the basket by the window and let out a breath.

She turned back toward the rest of the white room and looked at the bed.

A young man slept in that bed. He was tall, had short blond hair, and his eyes were still closed. Gin moved aside from the window so he could see the sky. She circled around to the other side of the bed and looked up at the blue sky while he slept.

“When will you finally wake up, Muneshige?” she muttered. “What am I supposed to do from now on?”

''Really. What am I supposed to do?'' thought Gin as she asked her question.

She sighed and looked down at Muneshige.

The white cloth placed over him had white crosses extending from the side and from the holes opened in it.

“Your injury is so bad even the cross-shaped medical Testamento Firma heavy charms do not last long.”

The crosses which were sticking into his body like stakes were made from combining charms with metal or wooden panels with spells written on them. They were hard, additional functionality could be added through their sockets, and they could be used continuously so long as ether fuel was supplied. The same type of system was used in Gin’s false arms, her Arcabuz Cruz, and other devices like gods of wars. The medical ones being used here primarily substituted for and strengthened the circulatory system, metabolism, and digestive system. It would purify and regulate the blood, efficiently circulate the digested materials, and eliminate waste.

The additional charm attached atop the cross driven into the base of his right leg was turning black.

Gin pulled a replacement charm from the hygienic wooden box on the bedside table. All she could do was remove the old charm, throw it away, and attach the replacement.

“My happiness to have something to do may show just how helpless I feel.”

After finishing the replacement, Gin checked the other heavy charms, but none of them needed replacement. With nothing left to do, she opened her mouth to speak.

…''Come to think of it, I actually have something to say.

She had spoken about the attack on Musashi countless times over the past two weeks, but there was also plenty to say about her daily life.

“This morning, the Nappa cabbage at the market was at a good price.”

According to the health committee, four months would be needed to fully heal Muneshige’s legs. His right leg was especially bad after kicking off the air twice.

…''They said he might never walk normally again. If that happens…

He would lose the inherited name of Tachibana Muneshige. The inherited name of the postman Garcia could also be lost if he could not walk.

He was being kept asleep to help him recover and that would apparently continue for another two weeks.

What would his position be once he opened his eyes? Or hers for that matter?

But once he could move again, he could make some kind of decision no matter how insecure his position was. That was why Gin had decided to hope for him to wake up but to not reject him.

The health committee had decided to wait until he woke up on his own rather than trying to force the issue.

“And until then I am supposed to speak to him to give him some kind of relief.”

He was being healed. His body was recovering and he was able to dream, so she took the time to call out to him and speak to him so he could wake up at any time.

…''They told me to make sure he had some connection with the outside world.

She wanted the same thing, so she told him so many things.

She did not actually like speaking and was not very good at it. She did not know how her father had felt about it, but he had not taught her how to make daily conversation or how to laugh. He had instead taught her how to use a weapon and how to fight.

For the history recreation, Tachibana Gin had to have the skill necessary for her father, Dousetsu, to accept her as his heir despite being a woman.

She had trained to fulfill that role. Her father must have had incredible resolve to fulfill the history recreation with his small daughter who never seemed to grow any taller or more muscular.

In the end, she had earned the inherited name.

“But now I am a girl who does not know how to speak with people.”

Her everyday life had been focused on training and maintaining her strength. If she had not done so, she could have lost her inherited name. At first, she had been afraid to lose the protection of her father.

…''And later, I was afraid to lose that identity because it was all I had.

As a result, she knew nothing else. She did not know what it was like to play with, speak with, express herself to, or head out with girls her own age. She had needed to recreate history, so it had been crucial that she maintained the strength that her father, the Peerless in the West, expected of her as Tachibana Gin.

And so…

“I wonder if he understands what I say to him?”

She was only giving him reports, so she was not entirely confident that she was actually ''speaking to him.

When she thought back, she realized he had spoken a lot. He had said so many things to her.

…''At first, I found it annoying to have him tell me about other people.

But she now realized that she had gotten quite used to it.

He had spoken when they woke up in the morning.

He had spoken when they ate meals.

He had spoken at school.

He had spoken on their way home.

He had spoken as they shopped.

He had spoken as the whole family sat together.

He had spoken as they bathed.

He had spoken as they went to bed at night.

At some point, she had started to forget how important any one aspect was.

“Is this what people call everyday life?”

Suddenly, Gin noticed the facial hair on his cheeks was getting a bit long.

“…”

Tachibana Gin understood that she was a perfectionist. Otherwise, she could never have lived a normal life using those giant false arms. Also, combat required both speed and accuracy.

…''When did I shave him last?

Three days ago. That meant it was about time to shave him again. She pulled a cloth, a razor, and a stick of soap from the bedside table’s drawer. Her preparations were complete.

“Testament.”

However, shaving was quite difficult. The size of her false arms was of course an issue, but there was a bigger problem: her perfectionism meant the razor was perfectly sharpened. The slightest mistake would cause a fatal cut.

But there was nothing to be worried about. That same perfectionism meant she could operate her false arms perfectly. Using that thought to give herself confidence, she held the blade toward him and prepared to shave.

She brought the blade down toward Muneshige’s neck.

“…”

But he suddenly stirred.

“…!?”

Gin frantically drew back the blade because his unexpected action had brought his carotid artery toward it.

He continued breathing calmly and stopped moving, but she was sweating and breathing heavily.

…''Wh-what a frightening person!

She brought the hands of her false arms to her cheeks.

“Even while unconscious, you make my heart race.”

She had read in a book that one’s heart racing at someone’s casual actions was a sign of lovesickness.

She had just received that exact symptom here. Plus, he was asleep, which far exceeded the level of “casual”.

…''Taking that into account, this must be great love or even extreme love. This lovesickness is on the level of the plague!

Gin regulated her breathing, prepared the razor again, and brought it toward Muneshige’s neck once more.

“…”

For a second time, he stirred a bit and brought sticky sweat to her brow. She realized she had lost her chance to attack due to being lost in love and she felt all the more embarrassed.

“I was careless!”

''Love is not needed here. I am shaving his beard,'' she thought. ''But he does seem full of openings today.

This had happened before. Before the attack on Musashi, she had decided to give him an especially close shave as she would not return for a while. He had moved a surprising amount that time.

…''I held his chin in place with my left arm, but the Valdés siblings arrived and stopped me.

The first time she had tried it, she had decided to attempt it head on. A health committee member had stopped her once she mounted him. The razor in her hand had apparently led the boy to think she was trying to kill Muneshige. She was still not sure how someone could make such an extreme misunderstanding about a scene from everyday married life.

However, she had to learn from her mistakes and better herself. Also, finding an efficient method was the duty of a good wife.

“Today I will experiment with a two-bladed approach for improved efficiency.”

For some reason, Muneshige seemed to grimace and tilt his head away, but she decided she was imagining it. While holding a razor in each false arm, she leaned over him.

“Here I go.”

She held up the razors.

“D-do not make a rash decision, Tachibana!” cried a sudden voice behind her.

Someone tried to restrain her, but ended up pushing her and knocking her off balance.

“Ah.”

The two razors forcefully stabbed forward.

Gin looked forward.

Muneshige’s face contained a look similar to resignation. The razors had stabbed to the right of his neck and above his left ear. They were stabbed into the bed, but their blades were less than a millimeter from his skin.

…''I have to say, my aim was perfect.

Gin pulled out the razors and turned around. There she found…

“Felipe…Segundo? That is to say…chancellor?”

“The short, late middle-aged man looked up and backed away when he heard his name. He did not bother to fix his worn-out uniform and shirt and he grabbed the bucket and mop he had brought to the door.

“Um, well… Do you mind if I clean in here?”

“I can handle that, chancellor.”

…''This is the same as ever.

After holing up in his room to complete his work running Tres España, the chancellor would clean the academy’s buildings and grounds with an apologetic look on his face. When he went out to the city, he would speak with the people while acting like a normal citizen.

Gin wondered if it was hard doing all that, but there was something else she wondered even more.

…''Does he have no time for himself?

She had once never had any time for her own life. She had never left her father’s mansion and she had spent all of her time on training.

…''But the chancellor spends all his time on others. And if you try to tell him that, he merely smiles as if he has no other choice.

His expression told one he did not want time for himself and that this was his only option.

Gin did not like delving into other people’s business. Just as she was skilled at certain things, her experience had told her everyone had a place they fit best. That was why she did not say anything more about the chancellor.

“Testament,” she said instead. “This room was left to me, so you can continue on to the next room.”

Or…

“Or do you think it is inappropriate for me to remain here with Muneshige now that his inherited name will be removed?”

“No, I do not think that,” said Segundo with a shake of the head. His voice was surprisingly clear. “I do not think it is ever wrong for someone to want to be with someone.”

“Even if they are a stalker?”

When she saw Segundo lower his head in thought, Gin admonished herself for speaking without thinking. She had a bad habit of seeking a perfect answer like that.

“Was the one who decided to remove his inherited name-…”

“Testament. Juana made that decision. I believe she had a few different reasons, but one of them was definitely Tres España’s finances.”

“If the title of Peerless in the West is damaged, will fewer people invest in Tres España?”

“Testament. Even in our own country, people will stop investing in wartime goods and weapons. After all, the reputation of the Peerless of the West is related to the trust people have in brands like San Mercado.”

“Then you hope giving someone else the name will hold on to that trust and the clients it brings?”

“Testament.” Segundo nodded, pressed the mop against the edge of the bucket, and wrung it with his foot. “It will also create a good opportunity for San Mercado and the other domestic brands to renovate their weaponry. Redoing the overall design can help with PR and meet the demand for domestic manual labor jobs. Most importantly, it is a good opportunity to redevelop the weapons which have become overly focused on gunfights due to our conflicts with P.A.Oda over the past few years. We can cheaply sell the old weapons in emerging nations and the New World.” He took a breath. “And the people who are stuck in the way of the old wars can renew themselves as well.”

That comment caused Gin to gulp.

…''This man really is the chancellor.

She knew that was an insulting thing to think, but she had to ask about it.

“If you are thinking about all this, why do you also do the routine jobs like cleaning? If you took the lead and instructed Lady Juana to carry out the ideas you just mentioned, she would…” Gin hesitated but decided to go through with it. “She would not look down on you so much.”

“You are overestimating me. Also… I have to follow the Testament descriptions and support our decline.”

Segundo gave a resigned smiled.

“Everything I just said is common knowledge in the newspapers and the divine network. Also, there is something else Juana and the others know about…”

“Yes?”

“The next inheritor of the title of Peerless in the West will not be from Tres España.”

Gin froze in place for a moment, but finally spoke.

“Testament. In other words, the Tachibana family will move. According to the Testament descriptions, Tachibana Muneshige leaves the Ootomo clan and begins serving the Toyotomi clan which is now known as Hashiba.”

Gin saw the man standing before her nod.

“The general consensus is that Hashiba will still be willing to pay a fair amount for the title of Peerless in the West.”

“Testament. I understand,” said Gin. She had her own understanding of what it meant for Muneshige to lose his inherited name. “When P.A.Oda or Hashiba from M.H.R.R. arrive, we could have stood up to them under the flag of the Peerless in the West or negotiated the transfer of that name.”

But…

“But Muneshige lost and the value of that name has dropped. Hashiba no longer desires it so badly. So instead of opposing them with the next inheritor of the name, we can show our friendship with Hashiba by selling them that Urban Name.”

“Testament. If we do not choose the next inheritor, we will show we do not wish to oppose Hashiba, M.H.R.R., or P.A.Oda. They will owe us a favor and they will be unable to attack us or oppose us as easily. The stability and expectation that brings will stimulate investments in the non-wartime side of the economy. We have focused on war and the New World for so long that our mainland has been hollowed out, so bringing investments to our internal economy is exactly what we need.”

Segundo paused for a second and sighed.

“Sorry. I know this is not how you want things to go.”

“Testament. Hearing that is enough,” said Gin. “By the way, have you discussed all of this with Lady Juana?”

“She can handle it all without being told anything.”

“Testament. But I think it would make a difference if she knew her superior thought the same things and made the same conclusions.”

She was going to add “and she might not look down on you so much”, but he cut in.

“I don’t like ordering people around.” He gave the same resigned smile as before. “I just have no confidence after I failed so severely in the past.”

“Would you mind telling me about it?”

“I’m not sure.” Segundo placed the mop on the floor, squeezed the handle, and lowered his forehead onto his hands. “You know the vice chancellor and 2nd special duty officer, Takakane and Fusae? That ghost duo died due to certain circumstances, but they remain with us because they held certain regrets toward each other.”

“Testament. I heard they both died during the double reproduction of the Battle of Lepanto and the Battle of Itsukushima. From what I hear, many people with inherited names were lost during that fierce battle.”

“Testament. That’s right. It happened before you were born, didn’t it? That set Tres Portugal down the path to a union with Tres España, but those two are still supporting Tres España as ghosts. And…” Segundo scratched at his head. “If you died, would you still stay with him?”

Gin looked down at Muneshige.

…''Well…

She had a sudden thought about what Segundo had said. He had not asked if she thought Muneshige would stay with her if he died. That had likely been out of consideration to the fact that she was looking after him as he recovered. Gin decided to respond to his consideration.

“Testament.”

She answered in the affirmative and Segundo looked up.

“That is a good thing.”

He gave a slight smile and Gin was able to guess something from that smile.

…''Could it be?

“Was that not the case for you, chancellor?”

Gin’s father had once told her that many sacrifices had been made during the Battle of Lepanto and Itsukushima.

During the battle, Tres Portugal and Tres España’s militaries had wanted to create a formation to the east. To do so, they had built a city on the coast of the inland sea and had their families live there.

But that city had been targeted.

…''A lot of people lost their families.

That had accelerated the spread of people who insisted on pure blood and wished to abolish all immigration.

“It’s hard to say.” Segundo gave another resigned smile, turned his back, and placed the bucket in the hallway. “You take care of this room. I’ll start out here. …Oh, and don’t bother telling me if you are going anywhere.”

He turned back as he walked out into the hallway.

“I think the time is coming when you will have to make some kind of decision. But no matter what Juana says, try not to hold a grudge. This is all because I haven’t done a proper job.”

“Testament. Do not worry. I am not ignorant of Tres España’s current state. …But if I were to accomplish something before long, would it be possible to restore Muneshige’s inherited name?”

“He would end up going to Hashiba. Are you sure you want that?”

“Testament. As long as I am with him, nothing else matters.”

Gin faced the chancellor’s back as he began mopping the hallway and she spoke a truth of her own to match the truth he had told her.

“After all, he is the one who cut off my arms and gave me an everyday life in their place.”

Study:
[[Image:Horizon2A_518.png|thumb]]

Map of England

Toori: Nee-chan! Nee-chan! We’ve made it to England, but what does it look like!? All this confusing stuff about blocks and levels has me really excited, so could you tell me!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Excitable brother, listen to your sister’s explanation and feel the excitement fade away. This is more or less what England looks like.

Top right: Scotland

Top left: Ireland

Middle left: Wales

Bottom left: England

Upper right: Oxford Academy

Middle right: London (Anglia)

Lower right: River Thames

Bottom: Musashi

Kimi: The entire kingdom is four territories and the representative one is England. And while England is in charge, the other territories currently oppose them. The different colors represent the four levels with the darkest being the fourth level and the lightest being the first level. Each level is not a pure slab. Amid the color divisions, the layers overlap and split apart. Also, a shallow ocean surrounds the fourth level, so the gaps seen here are actually almost impossible to see.

Toori: Nwooooh! It’s all so confusing I can feel the excitement fading away, away, away!

Kimi: Could you try to lose interest more quietly?

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 18|Chapter 18]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 13

2015-04-18T18:59:36Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 13: Conversations between Worriers==

[[Image:Horizon2A_403.png|thumb]]
''What do you call something

''That unlike a spark

''Is small yet does not disappear?

'''Point Allocation (Non-Interference)

“Complain, hm?”

Naruze’s suggestion to “complain to each other” was met with both annoyance and resignation from Neshinbara.

He would have preferred attaching reasons to his thoughts rather than doing something as unproductive as complaining.

…''But I am worrying.

The reason for this was simple.

“Well, I suppose I am being exposed to enough criticism to want to complain.”

“Yes. I tried searching your name on the ship’s divine network and what I found made me feel bad. Seeing a classmate shamed like that is not fun. I decided to show my support.”

“Eh? You’re on my side?”

“No. I joined them in criticizing you and agreed with them as much as I could, but it seems I was on an entirely different level from them because they all backed off. They left just when I started a new thread. It’s sad they can’t do any better than that.”

“A-are you trying to complain or insult me?”

“Never mind that,” said Naruze.

The corner of her mouth rose in a half-bitter and half-scornful smile and she spread her wings toward the night wind to keep her balance.

“Checking everyone’s opinions gave me a general understanding of the situation. The damage from the attack and the shelling left Musashi damaged.”

But…

“It may not have been this bad before, but this is hardly the first time we have been damaged. When you took command as strategist during the Battle of Mikawa, some of those who fought in the battle were injured and Musashi was badly damaged. We were injured too. But there was one obvious difference in this battle.”

Neshinbara gave the answer before Naruze could.

“We didn’t win. Right?”

''It’s when you win that the injuries and the losses gain meaning,'' thought Neshinbara.

“It’s all meaningless if you don’t win.”

They had excuses and explanations for the outcome, but that would not quell people’s emotions.

Checking the records of other countries showed people forcing the blame onto each other whenever they lost. The blame for a loss or failure had to go somewhere.

“By pushing the blame on someone else, people can accept the loss because it ‘wasn’t their fault’.”

“Musashi has an upper age limit on students, so even if the children try to support you, their parents will not forgive you. When their children come back injured, they feel like saying ‘I told you so’. Plus, they will not want to blame their own children, so they will point the blame in your direction.”

“I’m really glad you understand.”

''I’m not very tough if I feel like that helps,'' thought Neshinbara.

“I have to use the divine network in my duties as secretary and I need to obtain all sorts of information to fulfill my role as strategist, but that means I have to see what people are saying about us.”

“Even in the historical records, defeated generals are said to have received horrible criticism. This may be part of that curse.”

“Judge.”

Neshinbara sighed and leaned up against the railing. On top of the railing, Naruze took a step away to the right and used her wings to balance herself again.

“In the Three Kingdoms Period of China, military commanders were often said to ‘die in agony’ or ‘die in a fit of rage’, but that was likely due to the stress their position put on them. Dying in agony likely referred to a heart attack and in a fit of rage was likely stress related, but I hear it was difficult to reproduce that in the history recreation.”

“I know asking this to a history nerd will bring us off topic, but what did they do?”

“Judge. The direct resolution was to give them enough stress to kill someone before letting them retire as an interpretation of the historical figure’s death.”

“For example?”

“Well, they would trick them onto a hidden camera show where Diaochan would invite them over, but when they jumped into the bed, they found Lu Bu instead. Lu Bu would then announce ‘Welcome, welcome! And surprise!’ ”

Dong Zhuo and most of the early commanders ‘died in agony’ like that. But once Lu Bu retired, people grew suspicious of hidden camera shows. And when China split into the three kingdoms, Zhang Fei tried to fill Lu Bu’s role, but that was not enough to “kill” the Shu commanders. Later, when Guan Yu went to Wei, they began to use games of strip mahjong that were divine broadcasted live to “kill” the commanders who refused to give up. However, that method was banned after Xun You copied it, discarded Cao Cao’s winning tile, lost all of his points, and died in a fit of rage.

''Gambling should be avoided,'' thought Neshinbara.

Afterwards, a national Death Recommendation Committee had been created.

“They would pay off the author of the five-line poem series the commander read to give it a bad ending where the heroine died or their favorite play would be forced into a depressing end where everyone died. There were some incidents where the enraged commander strangled the author or organizer, but for the most part, the ‘agonizing deaths’ of the commanders of the Three Kingdoms Period were recreated like that.”

Neshinbara nodded a few times and suddenly realized something about himself.

“I guess I can still keep going if I haven’t reached that state yet.”

“Musashi would be in trouble if you died, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

Neshinbara’s Mouse informed him that another thread about him had been created on the academy’s divine network. He checked the title.

“That’s what I thought. …I used to do the same thing with strategists and other occupations.”

“What same thing?”

Neshinbara took a breath and opened his mouth. He spoke the opinion that was most commonly being sent his way.

“I would say they should have done it my way. Everyone says that kind of thing.”

“Yes, but they are free to do so. When I sell my books, a lot of people look through it, say something similar to that, and leave without buying it.”

“And how does that make you feel?”

“I could kick their ass if I wanted to, so it doesn’t really matter. …What’s with that look?”

''Technohexen are scary,'' thought Neshinbara. But then he had a further thought. ''No, most of our class is like that.

Was it just a bad environment?

''But,'' he thought. ''I hope I can vindicate myself.

If he could still hope for that, he still had a chance. He was still hoping for his own continuation.

…''I need to do my best.

He vowed to win next time. Winning gave it all meaning.

From that point of view, the festival after the Battle of Mikawa had been important. That festival had let them all feel first hand that they had won.

“I need to do my best to make sure my achievements warrant a festival.”

“You should have gone to today’s festival. Why didn’t you?”

Neshinbara’s answer was simple: he raised his right arm.

The moonlight illuminated the bandages wrapped around the lower arm where the curse was written. Words were written on the white cloth of the bandages, but they were not fully suppressing what lay beneath.

Strings of glowing text leaked out from below the bandages.

“Macbeth. Shakespeare’s spell continues to curse me. Macbeth is a usurper who kills the king, so the curse means I will harm Aoi-kun.”

In other words…

“Shakespeare cursed me and I have no choice but to take a path apart from the king.”

Naruze’s eyes widened as she looked down at him. She took in a deep breath and spoke.

“I’m using that!!”

…''This will work great!

Naruze was sure of it.

“If I have you use that line while naked at a decisive point, it’ll be perfect for convincing the female readers! I could draw up a storyboard around just that one line! Your leg was injured, so how about I set the story in a hospital!?”

“Don’t ask me. That kind of thing has never really interested me.”

Naruze shrugged, shook her head, and took a breath.

“Heh heh. Well, you own the rights to your likeness, so how about I pay you a royalty of 10%?”

“Wouldn’t that 10% be for my human rights, not for using my likeness?”

As long as he let her use him in her doujinshi, she did not care either way.

“Anyway,” muttered Naruze. “You can’t go along with the rest of us with that cursed arm, so why don’t you ask Asama to-…”

She was going to ask why he had not had it purified, but the spell bandages on the arm were proof he had already consulted Asama. The fact that the curse still remained could only mean one thing.

“Is that a kind of curse that can’t be purified away? Does she have to shoot it off?”

“Yes to the first question, no comment to the second. Macbeth will not disappear until the play is over. Macbeth kills the king, but that is the proper course of the play. There is nothing impure about it. Trying to purify it drives it away temporarily, but it does not eliminate it. It seems plays are difficult to purify in Shinto because they are used as offerings to the gods. Asama-kun said the only two options are for Shakespeare to end the play or for it to leave England. It may be possible for me to get the part removed from me, but then the curse will move on to someone else as an understudy.”

“Does it really matter if you let it transfer to someone who doesn’t have to work as secretary?”

“And what if that person is manipulated into killing Aoi-kun?”

That was indeed a bit of a problem.

…''He always imagines the worst case scenario which makes him hard to deal with. But that might just be how strategists think.

Neshinbara used his cane to adjust his position.

“It’s easier if I keep the curse because I can try to handle any situation that arises. But that also means I can’t stay by the king’s side or do my job. My right hand is trying to kill the king, so even when I try to write, it tries to indirectly bring the king to his ruin or otherwise cause a scandal while I’m not paying attention.”

“That’s quite a mischievous right hand.”

Naruze’s thoughts then turned to the enemy he had faced.

“What was that about 13 and the 13th Mutsugoirei Academy that Shakespeare mentioned? Do you mind if I ask?”

“Are you going to use it in a doujinshi?”

“Of course. It would weird if I didn’t,” she replied immediately.

Neshinbara brought a hand to his forehead for a moment.

“W-well, I suppose it’s better than having a rumor spread based on something you completely made up. But to be honest, there isn’t much information left about the place.”

“Really?”

Neshinbara gave a small nod.

“Even those of us inside the academy had little knowledge of its place in the outside world, so we just knew of it as an overall unpleasant place. I did some investigating afterwards and it seems it was an orphanage built by Tres España’s previous chancellor, Carlos I. It was meant to begin accelerated education for gifted children at a young age. Facilities like that are everywhere these days, but this one was a bit different.”

Naruze listened carefully.

“This facility was intended to create people with inherited names.”

“Create people…with inherited names?” repeated Naruze.

“Yes,” lightly replied Neshinbara with a shrug. “Carlos I was both Tres España’s chancellor and the Holy Roman emperor-chancellor, but he was more a resident of M.H.R.R. than of Tres España. This meant Tres España was often missing its chancellor. To make up for that, they opted to gain plenty of inherited names for people’s own personal power or to strengthen the country as a whole. However, nobles and rich merchants wanted their descendants to earn an inherited name and they needed a way to immediately fill the gap if a bearer of an inherited name was lost in an accident.”

“So they created that orphanage?”

“Judge,” answered Neshinbara without looking toward her. He stared straight forward into the air. “It seems an academy originally built for some other purpose was remade. The rumor is that its original purpose was to create students for the Testament Cross-Borders Unit.”

“Was that last part a joke?”

“I’m not sure.” Neshinbara tilted his head. “But all of it came to an end during my generation. After all, one of us almost died.”

“…”

“She was talented. More than me. When she put words together… well, you know how people’s sense for words doesn’t change as they get older, right? Their sense tells them what words to choose from their vocabulary, so a greater vocabulary gives them more words to choose from. Still, their sense for what words to choose doesn’t get any better. Even now, I can tell she was talented. But she was weak to pressure.”

“Wait.” Naruze lightly kicked Neshinbara’s back. “If you don’t want to say this, you don’t have to.”

“If you don’t want to hear it, you don’t have to listen.”

''He annoys me sometimes,'' thought Naruze and that thought seemed to have reached Neshinbara.

“How about I skip ahead?”

“I can’t use this in a doujinshi anyway.”

“Thanks. I would prefer that. …Anyway, a lot happened and someone was being sent in to inspect the academy. The night before, we were sent out to be ‘transferred’ somewhere else. We decided to run away, so we jumped out of the mobile carriage and walked for four days while praying to the crosses standing along the mountain path. We made our way to the border with Hexagone Française and we decided to go our separate ways to whatever land we wanted. We promised to pretend not to know each other if we saw each other again.”

And yet…

“I wonder why she broke that promise.”

“So this was like a terrible face-to-face class reunion? …Hm. It had to do with a girl with a major inherited name, so I thought the story would be a little more risqué.”

“Naruze-kun, have you always been so good at giving such straightforward comments? Anyway, I hear that academy was shut down. Tres España’s secretary, Velázquez, is in charge of their orphanages and hospitals, so it fully shifted over to being an orphanage once Felipe Segundo took over.”

“I see.” Naruze nodded. “You went through a lot, didn’t you?”

“I did. But that’s fine.”

“And you’re going through a lot now, too.”

“Judge, I suppose I should say. If possible, I hope to go to the next event in England for a change of pace. Do you think they’ll have one?”

Naruze could tell he was trying to change the subject, so she went along with it.

“Well,” she began.

But a sudden noise other than the steam whistle filled Musashi.

It was a familiar voice blaring from the ship’s external speakers.

“…ait! Wait, Kimi!”

It was Asama. Her voice sounded a bit rushed.

“You need to stop Toori-kun from buying that filthy game!”

Naruze’s expression froze in place as she turned toward the anti-wind walls surrounding Musashi Ariadust Academy. Neshinbara recalled that Okutama’s primary broadcast room was located at about the center, so he looked in the same direction with half-lidded eyes. However, the loud voice continued.

“I have to put the cause of the death on the report to the magistrate’s office, and I don’t want to have to put ‘surprise ascension into heaven due to a shock in a porn game’ or ‘collapsed naked in front of a sign frame displaying a porn game’! And my shrine would fill out a document for the cancellation of his contract, but what will the future generations of the Asama family think when they look through the documents and see ‘reason for contract cancellation: left the earthly plane via porn game’!?”

Asama’s voice was followed by Kimi’s, but Naruze and Neshinbara exchanged a glance.

“Should someone tell them they accidentally turned on the mic?” asked Naruze.

“It’s too late now. …Oh, but you could send a divine message.”

“Judge,” replied Naruze as she lowered her shoulders and sent a divine message to Asama.

A short moment passed and then…

“Eh? Oh, no! They can hear us outside!? Um, hello, everyone. If you can hear this, please raise your hand. …Oh, don’t worry, don’t worry. I won’t shoot you if you raise your hand.”

“That stupid shrine maiden. Just because her sanity level is always low is no reason to go completely crazy here.”

“I know what you mean,” said Neshinbara with a sigh.

He looked up into the sky and spoke again after hearing the ship-wide broadcast click off.

“I may be down, but everyone else is full of energy. I want to save them, but I have nothing to save them from when they’re like this.”

A few different people were speaking within a room labelled the “Okutama Central Broadcast Room”.

They were having a simple meeting among the major forces of Musashi.

Asama brought up the first item on the agenda while dressed in her shrine maiden outfit.

“U-um, we chose the broadcast room because it’s soundproofed but ended up having trouble due to accidentally flipping a switch, but that’s over now. Heidi, you said we should have official permission to land soon, right?”

“Judge,” replied Heidi who stood to Asama’s left in the merchant work clothes she wore as her normal clothes.

She and Erimaki opened a few sign frames and she smiled toward Asama.

“We are still only allowed to land on the fourth level, but tomorrow we can use the diplomatic ship to bring all sorts of supplies the transport ship is lacking. Asamachi, Kimi, can you two create a list of what you think the girls might need?”

“…Eh? Ehhh? With that monster of a girl?” cried Asama while pointing at Kimi.

Kimi on the other hand was already peering at a sign frame along with her Mouse named Uzy.

“Um,” began Asama uncertainly.

The flower of the summit turned toward her.

“What is it, Asama? Just to be clear, I am not trying to send them anything weird.”

“What are you planning to send them?”

“Well, the girls will need supplies to deal with their dry skin and hair. They will also need hairpins and toiletries such as toothbrushes. Also, I’m sure they could use some changes of clothes, some curtains, and some towels.”

Asama looked around the room with a dumbfounded look and then placed a hand on Kimi’s shoulder.

“I never expected a serious response. It looks like you’re actually capable when you try.”

“Heh heh heh. Heretical shrine maiden, an emergency like this is no time to be joking around.”

“Nee-chan! Nee-chan! What should we send for the guys!?”

“Heh heh heh. An excellent question, foolish brother! The guys need nothing other than porn games! But with no PC to install the games on, they can only read the boxes and grooves on the Black Disks while they pleasure themselves with tears in their eyes! That is truly what you call a crying game!”

“Nwaahh! I knew she couldn’t hold back forever! What are you planning to do when England inspects what we’re sending!?”

“Eh? Surely they will understand if the guys place a hand on their shoulder and look them in the eye.”

Asama hung her head and Heidi placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, try to come up with a list like that. It would help if you could prepare the spell-related items.”

“Understood. What time will we make the landing?”

“Judge. They have received our request, so we should have approval by morning. It’s convenient that their city runs twenty four hours a day due to all their non-humans. That also means they consume a lot of goods, so we should be able to sell a lot.”

“I see,” commented Urquiaga and Asama before looking to the back of the room.

Everyone followed her gaze. A naked boy was using binoculars to stare out the window toward England.

''He’s worried about Horizon,'' thought Asama. ''His excitement has been a bit forced for these past two weeks.

He showed no sign of brooding over it, but his actions did seem forced.

“We can finally meet up with them tomorrow,” she said loud enough for him to hear.

There was a lot they all had to do.

“Toori-kun, aren’t there some things you have to tell Masazumi when you see her?”

“Eh? D-did I make any mistakes she’s likely to find out about?”

“I won’t ask any further about that, but you should apologize first and foremost. …And that isn’t what I meant. Masazumi will be the one discussing what relationship we will build with England and what we will do from here on, so she probably wants to hear your opinion.”

“Really?”

Toori turned around with the binoculars still held up to his eyes. With the binoculars in his left hand trained squarely on her breasts, he started grabbing at empty air with his right hand.

“Seijun can make a good decision without my input, can’t she?”

With half lidded eyes, Asama jabbed at the binoculars with her bow. As the idiot held his face and rolled around on the floor, everyone else backed away a bit.

''He likes to hide what he really thinks,'' thought Asama with a sigh.

“Remember what Masazumi said during our class before the attack? She said she would need your decision eventually. Toori-kun, I know you don’t like this kind of thing. I know you don’t like saying it yourself because you have a tendency to take too strong a stance when you do. But…”

Toori remained motionless.

''I hope this is getting through to him,'' she thought. ''And I suppose this isn’t my place to talk when I’m not in the student council or the chancellor’s officers.

A shrine maiden was normally not meant to take part in earthly conflicts. She decided to say nothing more, but Kimi elbowed her in the side. She knew what Kimi meant, but she still turned toward her.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Heh heh. I see you fully intend to get involved in this. How about you ask my foolish brother if there is any way for you to help?”

Toori turned toward them with a question mark expression.

…''Ah.

He would tell her whether she could be involved or not. She felt her pulse quicken, so she raised her eyebrows and tugged on Kimi’s hand. She then headed for the exit with Kimi in tow.

“H-honestly! We’re outsiders and you’ve told us what you need from us, so we’ll be going!”

Asama was aware she was blushing and that those around her knew it.

“Kimi, the reason you’ve been late to class a lot lately is because you’re waiting until Toori-kun wakes up, isn’t it? It isn’t your fault Horizon is gone, so you don’t have to stick with him.”

“Oh, are you taking me away with you? I quite like it when you get a little forceful.”

“Th-that isn’t what I… H-honestly!”

They had known each other for so long that Kimi could always tell what she was thinking. That made her difficult to deal with. She began half-seriously denying what Kimi said, but Heidi and Urquiaga cut in.

“I think you are quite motherly, Asamachi. You make everyone’s bentos.”

“Yes, but there is a rumor that is only because she made too many grain substitutions as offerings and is making secondary substitutions via others.”

“W-wah! Why would you bring that up now!? And Kimi! Stop trying to slip away from me. Kimi! Listen, Kimi! It’s getting late and you’ll feel terrible tomorrow if you don’t get enough sleep, but…”

Suddenly, the naked boy in the back of the room placed a hand on a desk to help him stand up. He accidentally pressed the button for a divine transmission in the process.

Asama’s voice reverberated throughout the entire ship as she pulled on Kimi’s hand.

“You’ll feel wonderful if you let me take you to bed!”

As Neshinbara and Naruze watched the lights of England from the academy port, they heard something break through the anti-wind wall in front of them.

“Eh?”

They turned around and looked up into the air where a naked boy was sprawled out and spinning vertically through the night sky. Asama’s flustered face and bow appeared in the human-shaped hole in the wall up above.

“H-huh!? He only flew that far because of his boke spell, right!? Right!?”

But before she could check, a transport ship rushing into the port ran into the idiot and knocked him back toward the hole. He rotated in the reverse direction, flew through the hole, and caused another sound of destruction inside the building. It all ended in a “gwaaah!” in Urquiaga’s voice.

The transport ship came to a sudden stop and the crew could be heard speaking.

“Ahh! I just hit someone! D-damn. I thought it was the chancellor, so I panicked and mixed up the gas and the brake!”

“And which one did you intend to use, comrade? If your instinct was the same as mine, drinks are on me tonight. Also, that dent on the front is definitely the chancellor’s outline! You got him!”

“Oh, you’re right! So it ''was'' the chancellor. That’s a relief.”

Neshinbara saw the two men high-five each other and head back inside the ship while laughing uproariously.

''Even at night, everything’s the same as always,'' he thought with half-lidded eyes.

The person next to him suddenly moved.

The girl had six large black wings on her back. Neshinbara looked up at her where she stood on the railing next to him.

“Naruze-kun, what’s your complaint? You promised to tell me, remember?”

Neshinbara ignored the fact that the black-winged Technohexen did not turn toward him.

“I’ve finished with my complaints, so now it’s your turn. What has you out on the back of the ship tonight?”

The Technohexen nodded slightly.

“Margot is on the other side of the ocean.”

“Then why are you here? I thought the broadcast room was in charge of receiving messages from them.”

“Do you really think she would send me a message? She doesn’t want to worry me, so she won’t say anything. If she sent a poorly-made message, I might suspect she’s forcing it to sound good.”

“Judge. So you worry too much, is that it?” Neshinbara turned toward England. “But I do wonder if she knows what you’re thinking right now.”

“Don’t be stupid, glasses boy. You hope to be a published author like that? Actually, you already had one short story published in a magazine, didn’t you?”

“It was so bad I’d rather forget about it.”

“It still gives you some sort of authority.”

“Judge.” Neshinbara scratched at his head. “But I quit soon afterwards. After all, I was half-worked to death on the student council with no time to focus on writing anything for any more prizes. You can still find the records of me bragging on the divine network, though.” He took a breath. “I hope to catch up with actual results someday.”

“If you keep saying it will be ‘someday’, you will never catch up.”

“You like giving advice, don’t you?”

“You can just say I’m too quick to find fault. As a Technohexen, anything else would be rude.”

Naruze brushed up her hair and reached for her wings. The two wings in the center were her primary acceleration wings that expanded vertically. She rubbed the left one under the joint and stuck her fingers under the feathers.

“It feels a lot better when Naito does it.”

“Someone! Someone, help! There’s a perverted exhibitionist girl over here!”

“Idiot, stop shouting the kind of joke I would expect from the chancellor. This is important. It helps me remain sane while thinking about what I’m lacking. I’m amazed the chancellor put up with this for ten years. And he’s dealing with it now, too.”

“Really?”

“Judge,” said Naruze yet again. “I can tell to a certain extent. You can deal with having someone who won’t even send you a message for fear of worrying you, but it requires trust in them and the ability to find happiness in the fact that someone is thinking about you. Heh heh. I sound like Mitotsudaira.”

“Are Technohexen always this talkative at night?”

“A hopeful author shouldn’t turn into a critic at night,” she said. “But without Weiss Fräulein, I’m just a burden that can’t do anything right. I hate it.”

“I think you did well enough.”

“But I doubt I was able to eliminate Naito’s worries.”

The wind blew through, rustling the black wings of that Weiss Hexen.

“I wanted to show Naito that I was fine on my own and without Weiss Fräulein, but all I did was head out to the front line without thinking and get blown away. …Even if it was Asama who did that last part.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well, either way, I’m just a poor actor who has no choice but to get off the stage. You seem to still be on the stage, but I-…” Naruze trailed off and traced her right fingertips across the railing. “No, forget it. I shouldn’t be saying this to you right now. People will continue complaining about you until we know how to deal with England and Tres España. In fact, it will probably get worse. We overcame some skilled people to earn our positions, so people have certain expectations of us. You should continue worrying over the issue until you decide what to do about Macbeth.”

And…

“You may not be able to join us with that curse, but find some time to speak with Adele. She is thankful for what you did.”

“Why would she be thankful? I don’t get that at all.”

Neshinbara thought he saw the Technohexen smile.

“Why does everyone in our class like to ignore things that could help them? You’re all so hard to deal with.”

She faced backwards and jumped toward the school building such that she moved down within his vision. Her wings caught the air and produced a clear sound as she gently descended toward the floor.

Despite the distance between them, Neshinbara heard her wings as she landed.

“Is that enough?” he asked.

“Judge. After all, Margot doesn’t like long greetings.”

He heard her feet touch the floor and then heard her spin around. She now had her back turned to him, so he turned back toward the ocean. He did not have enough composure to watch her leave.

He instead listened to her receding footsteps and a voice joined them.

“Neshinbara, I think we are fairly similar.” She took a breath. “And I think you have it worse.”

“Honestly, you go to a lot of trouble, Velázquez. I choose not to carry a handheld, after all.”

That voice could be heard below the night sky.

Two men walked along the central path toward one of the white domed school buildings of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares.

Walking along that tree-lined and black stone path was a middle-aged man in a worn-out shirt and carrying a paper bag and a long-lived man in a white cloak.

One was Tres España’s Chancellor and Student Council President Felipe Segundo and the other was Secretary Velázquez.

As they walked toward the school building, long-lived Velázquez adjusted his wide-brimmed hat and looked toward the white fortress walls surrounding the school building. He raised a paint-stained sleeve and pointed toward one of the walls.

“That wall is being resurfaced soon, so do you mind if I make a painting on it, boss?”

“The ceramics club from the academy in Salamanca wanted to make a mosaic with blue pottery from Tres Portugal. More importantly, Toledo’s translation center wants you to make some illustrations for a children’s versions of the Alfonsine tables that they’re translating into different languages. Could you focus on that for now?”

“That’s based on Mlasi observations, isn’t it? P.A.Oda isn’t going to sue them over copyright, are they?”

“Testament. This was Juana’s idea, so she likely has a way of handling that.”

“Boss, you think highly of that girl, don’t you?”

“Girl? She’s older than me, just like you. You’re both long-lived.”

“Growing older is not the same thing as feeling time passing slower and feeling useless, boss.” Velázquez smiled. “It’s said that Tres Españans use the money they have, give in to their passions, have a party, and forget everything unpleasant, but that only applies to the humans. I’m not about to reach that level.”

“It doesn’t really matter, but could you stop calling me boss?”

“Sure,” agreed Velázquez. “Should I call you commander like during Lepanto?”

“I wish we could go back to that time. Back then, we could invite the girl we liked to dance at the ''falla'' festival and give in to our passions just as the saying goes.”

Segundo sighed and adjusted his grip on the paper bag. It contained vegetables, dried foods, smoked foods, and other foods. Velázquez glanced inside the bag.

“Do they never bet alcohol on those chess games?”

“No one is going to bet something more important than their own lives. But I’m sure Juana will be mad that I brought this much back with me. She won’t let me bring back anything but fruits and dried foods.”

Segundo seemed to suddenly recall something.

“When you see her, tell her to boil the dried foods to get the salt out before giving it to the cats.”

“Why don’t you tell her, boss?”

“She hates me.”

“I don’t see you trying to change that.”

As they spoke, they passed through the large gate at the front of the fortress. They passed by the Henares logo and the carved name Takamine Castle which gave the school building meaning for the Far East.

The dome-shaped school building was visible thanks to the lights coming from the rooms and the passageways circling the outer wall at each floor.

Segundo noticed a faint light on one end of the fourth floor.

“Do you think our combined living room has been a bit cramped lately?”

“It’s only until the end of the war with England. I have some work to do in the back, so do your best.”

“You’re abandoning me to Juana’s wrath?”

“Testament. It’s not so bad, boss. If you have a woman scolding you, you aren’t completely lost.”

Velázquez laughed and gave Segundo’s back a push.

Segundo sighed.

“Here I go… Or should I say ‘I’m home’?”

His shoulders drooped as he entered the school building along with Velázquez.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 13

2015-04-18T18:56:14Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 13: Conversations between Worriers==

[[Image:Horizon2A_403.png|thumb]]
''What do you call something

''That unlike a spark

''Is small yet does not disappear?

'''Point Allocation (Non-Interference)

“Complain, hm?”

Naruze’s suggestion to “complain to each other” was met with both annoyance and resignation from Neshinbara.

He would have preferred attaching reasons to his thoughts rather than doing something as unproductive as complaining.

…''But I am worrying.

The reason for this was simple.

“Well, I suppose I am being exposed to enough criticism to want to complain.”

“Yes. I tried searching your name on the ship’s divine network and what I found made me feel bad. Seeing a classmate shamed like that is not fun. I decided to show my support.”

“Eh? You’re on my side?”

“No. I joined them in criticizing you and agreed with them as much as I could, but it seems I was on an entirely different level from them because they all backed off. They left just when I started a new thread. It’s sad they can’t do any better than that.”

“A-are you trying to complain or insult me?”

“Never mind that,” said Naruze.

The corner of her mouth rose in a half-bitter and half-scornful smile and she spread her wings toward the night wind to keep her balance.

“Checking everyone’s opinions gave me a general understanding of the situation. The damage from the attack and the shelling left Musashi damaged.”

But…

“It may not have been this bad before, but this is hardly the first time we have been damaged. When you took command as strategist during the Battle of Mikawa, some of those who fought in the battle were injured and Musashi was badly damaged. We were injured too. But there was one obvious difference in this battle.”

Neshinbara gave the answer before Naruze could.

“We didn’t win. Right?”

''It’s when you win that the injuries and the losses gain meaning,'' thought Neshinbara.

“It’s all meaningless if you don’t win.”

They had excuses and explanations for the outcome, but that would not quell people’s emotions.

Checking the records of other countries showed people forcing the blame onto each other whenever they lost. The blame for a loss or failure had to go somewhere.

“By pushing the blame on someone else, people can accept the loss because it ‘wasn’t their fault’.”

“Musashi has an upper age limit on students, so even if the children try to support you, their parents will not forgive you. When their children come back injured, they feel like saying ‘I told you so’. Plus, they will not want to blame their own children, so they will point the blame in your direction.”

“I’m really glad you understand.”

''I’m not very tough if I feel like that helps,'' thought Neshinbara.

“I have to use the divine network in my duties as secretary and I need to obtain all sorts of information to fulfill my role as strategist, but that means I have to see what people are saying about us.”

“Even in the historical records, defeated generals are said to have received horrible criticism. This may be part of that curse.”

“Judge.”

Neshinbara sighed and leaned up against the railing. On top of the railing, Naruze took a step away to the right and used her wings to balance herself again.

“In the Three Kingdoms Period of China, military commanders were often said to ‘die in agony’ or ‘die in a fit of rage’, but that was likely due to the stress their position put on them. Dying in agony likely referred to a heart attack and in a fit of rage was likely stress related, but I hear it was difficult to reproduce that in the history recreation.”

“I know asking this to a history nerd will bring us off topic, but what did they do?”

“Judge. The direct resolution was to give them enough stress to kill someone before letting them retire as an interpretation of the historical figure’s death.”

“For example?”

“Well, they would trick them onto a hidden camera show where Diaochan would invite them over, but when they jumped into the bed, they found Lu Bu instead. Lu Bu would then announce ‘Welcome, welcome! And surprise!’ ”

Dong Zhuo and most of the early commanders ‘died in agony’ like that. But once Lu Bu retired, people grew suspicious of hidden camera shows. And when China split into the three kingdoms, Zhang Fei tried to fill Lu Bu’s role, but that was not enough to “kill” the Shu commanders. Later, when Guan Yu went to Wei, they began to use games of strip mahjong that were divine broadcasted live to “kill” the commanders who refused to give up. However, that method was banned after Xun You copied it, discarded Cao Cao’s winning tile, lost all of his points, and died in a fit of rage.

''Gambling should be avoided,'' thought Neshinbara.

Afterwards, a national Death Recommendation Committee had been created.

“They would pay off the author of the five-line poem series the commander read to give it a bad ending where the heroine died or their favorite play would be forced into a depressing end where everyone died. There were some incidents where the enraged commander strangled the author or organizer, but for the most part, the ‘agonizing deaths’ of the commanders of the Three Kingdoms Period were recreated like that.”

Neshinbara nodded a few times and suddenly realized something about himself.

“I guess I can still keep going if I haven’t reached that state yet.”

“Musashi would be in trouble if you died, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

Neshinbara’s Mouse informed him that another thread about him had been created on the academy’s divine network. He checked the title.

“That’s what I thought. …I used to do the same thing with strategists and other occupations.”

“What same thing?”

Neshinbara took a breath and opened his mouth. He spoke the opinion that was most commonly being sent his way.

“I would say they should have done it my way. Everyone says that kind of thing.”

“Yes, but they are free to do so. When I sell my books, a lot of people look through it, say something similar to that, and leave without buying it.”

“And how does that make you feel?”

“I could kick their ass if I wanted to, so it doesn’t really matter. …What’s with that look?”

''Technohexen are scary,'' thought Neshinbara. But then he had a further thought. ''No, most of our class is like that.

Was it just a bad environment?

''But,'' he thought. ''I hope I can vindicate myself.

If he could still hope for that, he still had a chance. He was still hoping for his own continuation.

…''I need to do my best.

He vowed to win next time. Winning gave it all meaning.

From that point of view, the festival after the Battle of Mikawa had been important. That festival had let them all feel first hand that they had won.

“I need to do my best to make sure my achievements warrant a festival.”

“You should have gone to today’s festival. Why didn’t you?”

Neshinbara’s answer was simple: he raised his right arm.

The moonlight illuminated the bandages wrapped around the lower arm where the curse was written. Words were written on the white cloth of the bandages, but they were not fully suppressing what lay beneath.

Strings of glowing text leaked out from below the bandages.

“Macbeth. Shakespeare’s spell continues to curse me. Macbeth is a usurper who kills the king, so the curse means I will harm Aoi-kun.”

In other words…

“Shakespeare cursed me and I have no choice but to take a path apart from the king.”

Naruze’s eyes widened as she looked down at him. She took in a deep breath and spoke.

“I’m using that!!”

…''This will work great!

Naruze was sure of it.

“If I have you use that line while naked at a decisive point, it’ll be perfect for convincing the female readers! I could draw up a storyboard around just that one line! Your leg was injured, so how about I set the story in a hospital!?”

“Don’t ask me. That kind of thing has never really interested me.”

Naruze shrugged, shook her head, and took a breath.

“Heh heh. Well, you own the rights to your likeness, so how about I pay you a royalty of 10%?”

“Wouldn’t that 10% be for my human rights, not for using my likeness?”

As long as he let her use him in her doujinshi, she did not care either way.

“Anyway,” muttered Naruze. “You can’t go along with the rest of us with that cursed arm, so why don’t you ask Asama to-…”

She was going to ask why he had not had it purified, but the spell bandages on the arm were proof he had already consulted Asama. The fact that the curse still remained could only mean one thing.

“Is that a kind of curse that can’t be purified away? Does she have to shoot it off?”

“Yes to the first question, no comment to the second. Macbeth will not disappear until the play is over. Macbeth kills the king, but that is the proper course of the play. There is nothing impure about it. Trying to purify it drives it away temporarily, but it does not eliminate it. It seems plays are difficult to purify in Shinto because they are used as offerings to the gods. Asama-kun said the only two options are for Shakespeare to end the play or for it to leave England. It may be possible for me to get the part removed from me, but then the curse will move on to someone else as an understudy.”

“Does it really matter if you let it transfer to someone who doesn’t have to work as secretary?”

“And what if that person is manipulated into killing Aoi-kun?”

That was indeed a bit of a problem.

…''He always imagines the worst case scenario which makes him hard to deal with. But that might just be how strategists think.

Neshinbara used his cane to adjust his position.

“It’s easier if I keep the curse because I can try to handle any situation that arises. But that also means I can’t stay by the king’s side or do my job. My right hand is trying to kill the king, so even when I try to write, it tries to indirectly bring the king to his ruin or otherwise cause a scandal while I’m not paying attention.”

“That’s quite a mischievous right hand.”

Naruze’s thoughts then turned to the enemy he had faced.

“What was that about 13 and the 13th Mutsugoirei Academy that Shakespeare mentioned? Do you mind if I ask?”

“Are you going to use it in a doujinshi?”

“Of course. It would weird if I didn’t,” she replied immediately.

Neshinbara brought a hand to his forehead for a moment.

“W-well, I suppose it’s better than having a rumor spread based on something you completely made up. But to be honest, there isn’t much information left about the place.”

“Really?”

Neshinbara gave a small nod.

“Even those of us inside the academy had little knowledge of its place in the outside world, so we just knew of it as an overall unpleasant place. I did some investigating afterwards and it seems it was an orphanage built by Tres España’s previous chancellor, Carlos I. It was meant to begin accelerated education for gifted children at a young age. Facilities like that are everywhere these days, but this one was a bit different.”

Naruze listened carefully.

“This facility was intended to create people with inherited names.”

“Create people…with inherited names?” repeated Naruze.

“Yes,” lightly replied Neshinbara with a shrug. “Carlos I was both Tres España’s chancellor and the Holy Roman emperor-chancellor, but he was more a resident of M.H.R.R. than of Tres España. This meant Tres España was often missing its chancellor. To make up for that, they opted to gain plenty of inherited names for people’s own personal power or to strengthen the country as a whole. However, nobles and rich merchants wanted their descendants to earn an inherited name and they needed a way to immediately fill the gap if a bearer of an inherited name was lost in an accident.”

“So they created that orphanage?”

“Judge,” answered Neshinbara without looking toward her. He stared straight forward into the air. “It seems an academy originally built for some other purpose was remade. The rumor is that its original purpose was to create students for the Testament Cross-Borders Unit.”

“Was that last part a joke?”

“I’m not sure.” Neshinbara tilted his head. “But all of it came to an end during my generation. After all, one of us almost died.”

“…”

“She was talented. More than me. When she put words together… well, you know how people’s sense for words doesn’t change as they get older, right? Their sense tells them what words to choose from their vocabulary, so a greater vocabulary gives them more words to choose from. Still, their sense for what words to choose doesn’t get any better. Even now, I can tell she was talented. But she was weak to pressure.”

“Wait.” Naruze lightly kicked Neshinbara’s back. “If you don’t want to say this, you don’t have to.”

“If you don’t want to hear it, you don’t have to listen.”

''He annoys me sometimes,'' thought Naruze and that thought seemed to have reached Neshinbara.

“How about I skip ahead?”

“I can’t use this in a doujinshi anyway.”

“Thanks. I would prefer that. …Anyway, a lot happened and someone was being sent in to inspect the academy. The night before, we were sent out to be ‘transferred’ somewhere else. We decided to run away, so we jumped out of the mobile carriage and walked for four days while praying to the crosses standing along the mountain path. We made our way to the border with Hexagone Française and we decided to go our separate ways to whatever land we wanted. We promised to pretend not to know each other if we saw each other again.”

And yet…

“I wonder why she broke that promise.”

“So this was like a terrible face-to-face class reunion? …Hm. It had to do with a girl with a major inherited name, so I thought the story would be a little more risqué.”

“Naruze-kun, have you always been so good at giving such straightforward comments? Anyway, I hear that academy was shut down. Tres España’s secretary, Velázquez, is in charge of their orphanages and hospitals, so it fully shifted over to being an orphanage once Felipe Segundo took over.”

“I see.” Naruze nodded. “You went through a lot, didn’t you?”

“I did. But that’s fine.”

“And you’re going through a lot now, too.”

“Judge, I suppose I should say. If possible, I hope to go to the next event in England for a change of pace. Do you think they’ll have one?”

Naruze could tell he was trying to change the subject, so she went along with it.

“Well,” she began.

But a sudden noise other than the steam whistle filled Musashi.

It was a familiar voice blaring from the ship’s external speakers.

“…ait! Wait, Kimi!”

It was Asama. Her voice sounded a bit rushed.

“You need to stop Toori-kun from buying that filthy game!”

Naruze’s expression froze in place as she turned toward the anti-wind walls surrounding Musashi Ariadust Academy. Neshinbara recalled that Okutama’s primary broadcast room was located at about the center, so he looked in the same direction with half-lidded eyes. However, the loud voice continued.

“I have to put the cause of the death on the report to the magistrate’s office, and I don’t want to have to put ‘surprise ascension into heaven due to a shock in a porn game’ or ‘collapsed naked in front of a sign frame displaying a porn game’! And my shrine would fill out a document for the cancellation of his contract, but what will the future generations of the Asama family think when they look through the documents and see ‘reason for contract cancellation: left the earthly plane via porn game’!?”

Asama’s voice was followed by Kimi’s, but Naruze and Neshinbara exchanged a glance.

“Should someone tell them they accidentally turned on the mic?” asked Naruze.

“It’s too late now. …Oh, but you could send a divine message.”

“Judge,” replied Naruze as she lowered her shoulders and sent a divine message to Asama.

A short moment passed and then…

“Eh? Oh, no! They can hear us outside!? Um, hello, everyone. If you can hear this, please raise your hand. …Oh, don’t worry, don’t worry. I won’t shoot you if you raise your hand.”

“That stupid shrine maiden. Just because her sanity level is always low is no reason to go completely crazy here.”

“I know what you mean,” said Neshinbara with a sigh.

He looked up into the sky and spoke again after hearing the ship-wide broadcast click off.

“I may be down, but everyone else is full of energy. I want to save them, but I have nothing to save them from when they’re like this.”

A few different people were speaking within a room labelled the “Okutama Central Broadcast Room”.

They were having a simple meeting among the major forces of Musashi.

Asama brought up the first item on the agenda while dressed in her shrine maiden outfit.

“U-um, we chose the broadcast room because it’s soundproofed but ended up having trouble due to accidentally flipping a switch, but that’s over now. Heidi, you said we should have official permission to land soon, right?”

“Judge,” replied Heidi who stood to Asama’s left in the merchant work clothes she wore as her normal clothes.

She and Erimaki opened a few sign frames and she smiled toward Asama.

“We are still only allowed to land on the fourth level, but tomorrow we can use the diplomatic ship to bring all sorts of supplies the transport ship is lacking. Asamachi, Kimi, can you two create a list of what you think the girls might need?”

“…Eh? Ehhh? With that monster of a girl?” cried Asama while pointing at Kimi.

Kimi on the other hand was already peering at a sign frame along with her Mouse named Uzy.

“Um,” began Asama uncertainly.

The flower of the summit turned toward her.

“What is it, Asama? Just to be clear, I am not trying to send them anything weird.”

“What are you planning to send them?”

“Well, the girls will need supplies to deal with their dry skin and hair. They will also need hairpins and toiletries such as toothbrushes. Also, I’m sure they could use some changes of clothes, some curtains, and some towels.”

Asama looked around the room with a dumbfounded look and then placed a hand on Kimi’s shoulder.

“I never expected a serious response. It looks like you’re actually capable when you try.”

“Heh heh heh. Heretical shrine maiden, an emergency like this is no time to be joking around.”

“Nee-chan! Nee-chan! What should we send for the guys!?”

“Heh heh heh. An excellent question, foolish brother! The guys need nothing other than porn games! But with no PC to install the games on, they can only read the boxes and grooves on the Black Disks while they pleasure themselves with tears in their eyes! That is truly what you call a crying game!”

“Nwaahh! I knew she couldn’t hold back forever! What are you planning to do when England inspects what we’re sending!?”

“Eh? Surely they will understand if the guys place a hand on their shoulder and look them in the eye.”

Asama hung her head and Heidi placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, try to come up with a list like that. It would help if you could prepare the spell-related items.”

“Understood. What time will we make the landing?”

“Judge. They have received our request, so we should have approval by morning. It’s convenient that their city runs twenty four hours a day due to all their non-humans. That also means they consume a lot of goods, so we should be able to sell a lot.”

“I see,” commented Urquiaga and Asama before looking to the back of the room.

Everyone followed her gaze. A naked boy was using binoculars to stare out the window toward England.

''He’s worried about Horizon,'' thought Asama. ''His excitement has been a bit force for these past two weeks.

He showed no sign of brooding over it, but his actions did seem forced.

“We can finally meet up with them tomorrow,” she said loud enough for him to hear.

There was a lot they all had to do.

“Toori-kun, aren’t there some things you have to tell Masazumi when you see her?”

“Eh? D-did I make any mistakes she’s likely to find out about?”

“I won’t ask any further about that, but you should apologize first and foremost. …And that isn’t what I meant. Masazumi will be the one discussing what relationship we will build with England and what we will do from here on, so she probably wants to hear your opinion.”

“Really?”

Toori turned around with the binoculars still held up to his eyes. With the binoculars in his left hand trained squarely on her breasts, he started grabbing at empty air with his right hand.

“Seijun can make a good decision without my input, can’t she?”

With half lidded eyes, Asama jabbed at the binoculars with her bow. As the idiot held his face and rolled around on the floor, everyone else backed away a bit.

''He likes to hide what he really thinks,'' thought Asama with a sigh.

“Remember what Masazumi said during our class before the attack? She said she would need your decision eventually. Toori-kun, I know you don’t like this kind of thing. I know you don’t like saying it yourself because you have a tendency to take too strong a stance when you do. But…”

Toori remained motionless.

''I hope this is getting through to him,'' she thought. ''And I suppose this isn’t my place to talk when I’m not in the student council or the chancellor’s officers.

A shrine maiden was normally not meant to take part in earthly conflicts. She decided to say nothing more, but Kimi elbowed her in the side. She knew what Kimi meant, but she still turned toward her.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Heh heh. I see you fully intend to get involved in this. How about you ask my foolish brother if there is any way for you to help?”

Toori turned toward them with a question mark expression.

…''Ah.

He would tell her whether she could be involved or not. She felt her pulse quicken, so she raised her eyebrows and tugged on Kimi’s hand. She then headed for the exit with Kimi in tow.

“H-honestly! We’re outsiders and you’ve told us what you need from us, so we’ll be going!”

Asama was aware she was blushing and that those around her knew it.

“Kimi, the reason you’ve been late to class a lot lately is because you’re waiting until Toori-kun wakes up, isn’t it? It isn’t your fault Horizon is gone, so you don’t have to stick with him.”

“Oh, are you taking me away with you? I quite like it when you get a little forceful.”

“Th-that isn’t what I… H-honestly!”

They had known each other for so long that Kimi could always tell what she was thinking. That made her difficult to deal with. She began half-seriously denying what Kimi said, but Heidi and Urquiaga cut in.

“I think you are quite motherly, Asamachi. You make everyone’s bentos.”

“Yes, but there is a rumor that is only because she made too many grain substitutions as offerings and is making secondary substitutions via others.”

“W-wah! Why would you bring that up now!? And Kimi! Stop trying to slip away from me. Kimi! Listen, Kimi! It’s getting late and you’ll feel terrible tomorrow if you don’t get enough sleep, but…”

Suddenly, the naked boy in the back of the room placed a hand on a desk to help him stand up. He accidentally pressed the button for a divine transmission in the process.

Asama’s voice reverberated throughout the entire ship as she pulled on Kimi’s hand.

“You’ll feel wonderful if you let me take you to bed!”

As Neshinbara and Naruze watched the lights of England from the academy port, they heard something break through the anti-wind wall in front of them.

“Eh?”

They turned around and looked up into the air where a naked boy was sprawled out and spinning vertically through the night sky. Asama’s flustered face and bow appeared in the human-shaped hole in the wall up above.

“H-huh!? He only flew that far because of his boke spell, right!? Right!?”

But before she could check, a transport ship rushing into the port ran into the idiot and knocked him back toward the hole. He rotated in the reverse direction, flew through the hole, and caused another sound of destruction inside the building. It all ended in a “gwaaah!” in Urquiaga’s voice.

The transport ship came to a sudden stop and the crew could be heard speaking.

“Ahh! I just hit someone! D-damn. I thought it was the chancellor, so I panicked and mixed up the gas and the brake!”

“And which one did you intend to use, comrade? If your instinct was the same as mine, drinks are on me tonight. Also, that dent on the front is definitely the chancellor’s outline! You got him!”

“Oh, you’re right! So it ''was'' the chancellor. That’s a relief.”

Neshinbara saw the two men high-five each other and head back inside the ship while laughing uproariously.

''Even at night, everything’s the same as always,'' he thought with half-lidded eyes.

The person next to him suddenly moved.

The girl had six large black wings on her back. Neshinbara looked up at her where she stood on the railing next to him.

“Naruze-kun, what’s your complaint? You promised to tell me, remember?”

Neshinbara ignored the fact that the black-winged Technohexen did not turn toward him.

“I’ve finished with my complaints, so now it’s your turn. What has you out on the back of the ship tonight?”

The Technohexen nodded slightly.

“Margot is on the other side of the ocean.”

“Then why are you here? I thought the broadcast room was in charge of receiving messages from them.”

“Do you really think she would send me a message? She doesn’t want to worry me, so she won’t say anything. If she sent a poorly-made message, I might suspect she’s forcing it to sound good.”

“Judge. So you worry too much, is that it?” Neshinbara turned toward England. “But I do wonder if she knows what you’re thinking right now.”

“Don’t be stupid, glasses boy. You hope to be a published author like that? Actually, you already had one short story published in a magazine, didn’t you?”

“It was so bad I’d rather forget about it.”

“It still gives you some sort of authority.”

“Judge.” Neshinbara scratched at his head. “But I quit soon afterwards. After all, I was half-worked to death on the student council with no time to focus on writing anything for any more prizes. You can still find the records of me bragging on the divine network, though.” He took a breath. “I hope to catch up with actual results someday.”

“If you keep saying it will be ‘someday’, you will never catch up.”

“You like giving advice, don’t you?”

“You can just say I’m too quick to find fault. As a Technohexen, anything else would be rude.”

Naruze brushed up her hair and reached for her wings. The two wings in the center were her primary acceleration wings that expanded vertically. She rubbed the left one under the joint and stuck her fingers under the feathers.

“It feels a lot better when Naito does it.”

“Someone! Someone, help! There’s a perverted exhibitionist girl over here!”

“Idiot, stop shouting the kind of joke I would expect from the chancellor. This is important. It helps me remain sane while thinking about what I’m lacking. I’m amazed the chancellor put up with this for ten years. And he’s dealing with it now, too.”

“Really?”

“Judge,” said Naruze yet again. “I can tell to a certain extent. You can deal with having someone who won’t even send you a message for fear of worrying you, but it requires trust in them and the ability to find happiness in the fact that someone is thinking about you. Heh heh. I sound like Mitotsudaira.”

“Are Technohexen always this talkative at night?”

“A hopeful author shouldn’t turn into a critic at night,” she said. “But without Weiss Fräulein, I’m just a burden that can’t do anything right. I hate it.”

“I think you did well enough.”

“But I doubt I was able to eliminate Naito’s worries.”

The wind blew through, rustling the black wings of that Weiss Hexen.

“I wanted to show Naito that I was fine on my own and without Weiss Fräulein, but all I did was head out to the front line without thinking and get blown away. …Even if it was Asama who did that last part.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Well, either way, I’m just a poor actor who has no choice but to get off the stage. You seem to still be on the stage, but I-…” Naruze trailed off and traced her right fingertips across the railing. “No, forget it. I shouldn’t be saying this to you right now. People will continue complaining about you until we know how to deal with England and Tres España. In fact, it will probably get worse. We overcame some skilled people to earn our positions, so people have certain expectations of us. You should continue worrying over the issue until you decide what to about Macbeth.”

And…

“You may not be able to join us with that curse, but find some time to speak with Adele. She is thankful for what you did.”

“Why would she be thankful? I don’t get that at all.”

Neshinbara thought he saw the Technohexen smile.

“Why does everyone in our class like to ignore things that could help them? You’re all so hard to deal with.”

She faced backwards and jumped toward the school building such that she moved down within his vision. Her wings caught the air and produced a clear sound as she gently descended toward the floor.

Despite the distance between them, Neshinbara heard her wings as she landed.

“Is that enough?” he asked.

“Judge. After all, Margot doesn’t like long greetings.”

He heard her feet touch the floor and then heard her spin around. She now had her back turned to him, so he turned back toward the ocean. He did not have enough composure to watch her leave.

He instead listened to her receding footsteps and a voice joined them.

“Neshinbara, I think we are fairly similar.” She took a breath. “And I think you have it worse.”

“Honestly, you go to a lot of trouble, Velázquez. I choose not to carry a handheld, after all.”

That voice could be heard below the night sky.

Two men walked along the central path toward one of the white domed school buildings of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares.

Walking along that tree-lined and black stone path was a middle-aged man in a worn-out shirt and carrying a paper bag and a long-lived man in a white cloak.

One was Tres España’s Chancellor and Student Council President Felipe Segundo and the other was Secretary Velázquez.

As they walked toward the school building, long-lived Velázquez adjusted his wide-brimmed hat and looked toward the white fortress walls surrounding the school building. He raised a paint-stained sleeve and pointed toward one of the walls.

“That wall is being resurfaced soon, so do you mind if I make a painting on it, boss?”

“The ceramics club from the academy in Salamanca wanted to make a mosaic with blue pottery from Tres Portugal. More importantly, Toledo’s translation center wants you to make some illustrations for a children’s versions of the Alfonsine tables that they’re translating into different languages. Could you focus on that for now?”

“That’s based on Mlasi observations, isn’t it? P.A.ODA isn’t going to sue them over copyright, are they?”

“Testament. This was Juana’s idea, so she likely has a way of handling that.”

“Boss, you think highly of that girl, don’t you?”

“Girl? She’s older than me, just like you. You’re both long-lived.”

“Growing older is not the same thing as feeling time passing slower and feeling useless, boss.” Velázquez smiled. “It’s said that Tres Españans use the money they have, give in to their passions, have a party, and forget everything unpleasant, but that only applies to the humans. I’m not about to reach that level.”

“It doesn’t really matter, but could you stop calling me boss?”

“Sure,” agreed Velázquez. “Should I call you commander like during Lepanto?”

“I wish we could go back to that time. Back then, we could invite the girl we liked to dance at the ''falla'' festival and give in to our passions just as the saying goes.”

Segundo sighed and adjusted his grip on the paper bag. It contained vegetables, dried foods, smoked foods, and other foods. Velázquez glanced inside the bag.

“Do they never bet alcohol on those chess games?”

“No one is going to bet something more important than their own lives. But I’m sure Juana will be mad that I brought this much back with me. She won’t let me bring back anything but fruits and dried foods.”

Segundo seemed to suddenly recall something.

“When you see her, tell her to boil the dried foods to get the salt out before giving it to the cats.”

“Why don’t you tell her, boss?”

“She hates me.”

“I don’t see you trying to change that.”

As they spoke, they passed through the large gate at the front of the fortress. They passed by the Henares logo and the carved name Takamine Castle which gave the school building meaning for the Far East.

The dome-shaped school building was visible thanks to the lights coming from the rooms and the passageways circling the outer wall at each floor.

Segundo noticed a faint light on one end of the fourth floor.

“Do you think our combined living room has been a bit cramped lately?”

“It’s only until the end of the war with England. I have some work to do in the back, so do your best.”

“You’re abandoning me to Juana’s wrath?”

“Testament. It’s not so bad, boss. If you have a woman scolding you, you aren’t completely lost.”

Velázquez laughed and gave Segundo’s back a push.

Segundo sighed.

“Here I go… Or should I say ‘I’m home’?”

His shoulders drooped as he entered the school building along with Velázquez.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 12

2015-04-18T18:54:34Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 12: Those who Wait in a Place of Yearning==

[[Image:Horizon2A_377.png|thumb]]
''How wide

''Has the night opened up?

'''Point Allocation (Direction)

The sky was filled with the colors of the night and two lights could be seen in that night sky.

One was the giant floating island of England and the other was the eight ships of Musashi floating to the south of England.

The floating island and ships would occasionally produce clouds. From the direction of the wind, clouds would gather around England and scatter and clouds would form around and trail from the corners and points of Musashi’s frame.

England was motionless, but Musashi would sometimes move. The clouds would scatter along with the waves of the ships’ waterlines whenever the ships gently changed their orientation or position. By adjusting their position in relation to the wind, the ships tried to cause as little disturbance to the air currents as they could.

And occasionally other ships would appear in the sky to the southeast.

They were Dutch transport ships.

Sometimes it was just one and sometimes there were multiple, but they would all travel to England and then return.

Musashi’s ships would alter their movements as if watching the flow of ships coming and going. As Musashi took time to change its direction, scars were still visible on it. The port side was ripped up as if a long lid had been removed.

However, the wind struck them and produced noise with no regard for the damage.

This produced a whistle-like noise that was sometimes low-pitched and sometimes high-pitched. It was of course audible from Musashi, but England could hear it too.

England was surrounded by a shallow sea on the fourth level.

A long structure was stabbed into the southwestern side of that sea.

It was a ship.

The transport ship bore the crest of Musashi Ariadust. Water spray rose from the stern of the ship that pointed toward the sky and about a third of the ship was sticking down into the shallow sea.

The ship was sitting in a location that had originally been on the shore, but the ship’s weight had caused the surrounding area to collapse down like a mortar, forming a shallow inlet.

The moonlight illuminated a figure on the ship which was standing up vertically. The ship’s gravitational control allowed this figure to sit perpendicular to the wall-like deck, so they were parallel to the water’s surface.

“Mitotsudaira, I will take over now.”

Hearing that voice, the silver-haired girl named Mitotsudaira turned her golden eyes toward the speaker.

“Oh, Masazumi? Isn’t Futayo next? …And my shift is not over yet.”

As Mitotsudaira turned around with a blanket draped over her shoulders, she saw Masazumi without her coat or the sleeves to her inner shirt.

Masazumi approached Mitotsudaira who sat on a barrel.

“Futayo will apparently be protecting Horizon. She said she can’t let her guard down on the final night.”

“Judge. That is very like her. So how is Horizon?”

“Judge,” said Masazumi with a nod and a glance toward the hatch she had come from. “We don’t really know why, but she’s sleeping again. I don’t know if it’s because she lost consciousness from Akedia Katathlipse’s restraints, but she’s been sleeping for almost twenty hours a day. She doesn’t know the exact reason herself, but she said her OS is optimizing itself for handling that unfamiliar attack.”

“Having an automaton body must be tough.” Mitotsudaira smiled in the moonlight. “Anyway, the chancellor and the others will be arriving tomorrow, won’t they? I doubt the chancellor will be able to leave Horizon alone.”

“No, he won’t. There’s definitely going to be some kind of commotion.”

“Yes.”

The two girls lowered their heads, but Masazumi recovered first. She sighed and shrugged.

“At any rate, today makes two weeks. We deciphered the earlier whistle message from Musashi and it seems things have been officially decided with England. The diplomatic ship arriving tomorrow will provide personnel and materials to aid us as planned, so this is our last night living like this. You can go back to your room and sleep. It’s been a while since you got to sleep before ten, right?”

“Judge,” said Mitotsudaira with a gentle sigh.

Just like Masazumi, she had removed her coat and the sleeves of her inner suit, but she had also removed her side skirt. However, she hid herself with the blanket draped over her. She smiled with a hint of bitterness.

“After two weeks, this unexpected adventure is at its end.”

“Judge,” muttered Masazumi with a sigh of her own. “We’re stuck here and England cut off our divine transmissions, so we’ve barely been able to contact Musashi.”

As they were in England’s territory, England had set up protection against the divine transmissions that travelled via ley lines. If they tried to force a transmission through, England would intercept it. That could be used against them in negotiations later, so they had communicated by light and sound instead. England would naturally have realized they were communicating through the lights and Musashi’s steam whistle, but they had not told them to stop or even asked about it.

“England must not want to completely oppose us.”

“Judge. But as someone originally from Hexagone Française, this situation is a bit humiliating. I would prefer if they came at me as an enemy.”

“Is there anyone still alive in Hexagone Française who was around during the time of the Norman Conquest or the Hundred Years’ War?”

“Judge,” answered Mitotsudaira. “With the exception of some special clans, we werewolves have the same lifespan as humans. During the Norman Conquest, most of Europe’s non-human races moved to England, but those were mostly the serfs.” Mitotsudaira stopped speaking for a moment, but finally continued. “Most of the nobles and knights remained in their homeland, so during the Hundred Years’ War between England and Hexagone Française, former countrymen were forced to fight one another. Our ancestors fought on the vanguard, but we did so with pride. And eventually, a young female French knight was sent to the warfront to fulfill the history recreation. From what I have heard, it was her death that saved us.”

“So Joan of Arc was included in the history recreation?”

“Judge. And do you know what happened not long after she was burned at the stake to fulfill the recreation?”

Masazumi thought for a moment before answering.

“The Harmonic Unification War?”

“Judge,” answered Mitotsudaira from beyond her long bangs. “It may have been convenient for England and Hexagone Française that the Hundred Years’ War ended so abruptly. There were political problems and both countries wanted a way to settle the vaguer areas of the history recreation such that their country did not decline. They ended up keeping their mouths shut using the Harmonic Unification War as an excuse and then never opened their mouths again until their lifespans reached their end. It is often said there is no more to history than what is recorded. What we learn about in classes is oftentimes not what actually happened in the history recreation. It is merely what was recorded as the ‘proper history’. Most of what actually happened in the Hundred Years’ War was never recorded.”

“I see,” said Masazumi.

As a member of a non-human race, Mitotsudaira could easily be distanced from the others due to her abilities and the legends surrounding her race. She would occasionally give self-deprecating comments implying something had happened in the past, but she had gained something by experiencing that past.

…''Well, I’m not about to compare her past to mine. And that’s why I should stop asking questions.

Mitotsudaira would eventually talk about it if she wanted to or the others would learn about it some other way. And once that happened, she might be on an even footing with her classmates who had also experienced her past.

…''But do you really want to be on even footing with an idiot like Aoi?

“…What is it? Why are you lowering your head like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

''Why are you worrying her?'' thought Masazumi with a bitter smile.

Mitotsudaira had never spoken about anything like this before. It was likely due to the time, the place, and the fact that they were alone. In that case…

“I don’t think this two week adventure has been all that bad.”

“It is not over yet. We have not received permission to leave.”

“But with more people here, things will be livelier. And we’ll have supplies: food, clothes, and beauty products to return your damaged hair to normal, Mitotsudaira.”

“Who was thoughtful enough to send that?”

“The Aoi sister would be a decent bet, but Asama can be pretty understanding.”

Mitotsudaira’s expression changed. Her eyes opened in surprise, but they soon bent in a smile.

“You know more about the others than I do. And you can speak positively about them like the chancellor.”

“Please don’t compare me to him.”

Seeing Mitotsudaira’s slight smile brought a smile to her own face.

For the past two weeks, they had been forced to live within the transport ship. The position of knight and 5th special duty officer had been a heavy burden during that time. However…

“You can finally relax, Mitotsudaira.”

“But we cannot return to Musashi just yet. It is a lot of trouble, but we have no choice.”

She smiled, but their requirement to stay on the transport ship weighed most heavily on her.

…''This is a lot different from her life as a knight.

The ship was oriented vertically and it was not equipped with living spaces. It acted as a place to escape the rain and wind, but it was lacking all the other necessities of life.

Even those like Masazumi who was not picky about clothes or food and those who lived in small underground rooms on Musashi had found it oppressive. But there had been one saving grace.

“You two, I will take over now. The ship will arrive tomorrow, so you girls get some sleep.”

Tenzou.

Masazumi turned toward the approaching boy who wore his uniform like a ninja outfit.

…''The scary part is how even that ninja’s clothes look the same as when we arrived.

She had heard that he had underwent survival training since before he entered elementary school and that his ninja relatives had taught him a lot, but watching him for the past two weeks had left her convinced it was true.

And so she nodded toward him.

“Having you with us has been a huge help.”

Tenzou stopped five meters away and lowered down in a preparation to flee at any second.

“Y-you’re plotting something, aren’t you? You are, aren’t you!?”

“…What have Aoi and the others been doing to you? Are you okay?”

“And if we were plotting something, why would we tell you?”

“I suppose that’s true. …Wait. Why aren’t you denying it?”

“Just calm down,” said Masazumi while waiving her hands.

…''But it really is thanks to him that we’ve lasted this long.

After all, most of them had never before been enclosed in a small area with so much lacking.

But he had undergone survival training and he held the position of 1st special duty officer. He had acted on his own, exchanged ideas with those from the naval clubs, and prioritized securing and distributing water.

And once they had water, he had given the boys a large area to live in and had given the girls individual smaller areas.

Thinking back, that allotment was unfair to the boys.

…''But he gave it some thought.

When the boys had found something they did not like, they had taken pieces from the broken areas and remodeled their single area into a large boys’ room.

Meanwhile, the girls had been able to remodel their small areas as they saw fit. The small size left little work for the remodeling and they functioned as individual rooms that protected their privacy.

The boys had primarily handled fishing, managing the ship, fixing the ship to the crust so it would not fall, and gathering the water that welled up from the bedrock. The girls had primarily handled cooking, laundry, and communications.

The officers and student council members had carried out their own duties. Futayo and Mitotsudaira had acted as emergency lookouts, smashed or carried heavy objects, and been the lead fishers. Masazumi had contacted Musashi and acted as judge when trouble arose. The three of them had been given a few other special jobs, but one stuck out in particular.

“I never thought we would continue classes and training here.”

Masazumi saw Tenzou scratch at his head and smile bitterly.

“Well, when we don’t know what’s going on outside, studying the different counties is all the more important. Having a meaningful way of killing time is useful when you’re suddenly thrown out into the middle of nowhere.”

“Judge. I never thought our teacher’s way of lecturing would come in handy here. It’s not much different from having someone else teach the class.”

“Judge,” said Masazumi with a nod.

By learning about the political situation in England, they could learn how they would be treated and what kind of country they were currently in.

Mitotsudaira was a French knight, so she knew England’s past history and relationships with other countries from the wary viewpoint of Hexagone Française.

Futayo had given lectures and hands-on training in combat and how to move as a solid unit, but she sometimes needed an interpreter because she was too skilled herself and could be a bit clueless. Having a way of “confirming one’s strength” was important in an uncertain situation like this.

There was also Tonbokiri. It had been modified with parts from the ship and springs had been used to automate its extension and contraction mechanism. That had allowed Futayo to easily catch fish with it.

…''She can use its cutting power to split the ocean and catch the fish within.

Because of this, people had started referring to the spear as “the great dragonfly” and “the dragonfly god”. Recently, the boys would fall to their knees and bow down three times when Futayo appeared with it. That was apparently a jinx to bring about an excellent catch.

“But this camp life should improve starting tomorrow.”

“Yes. That fire from earlier was a disaster, though,” muttered Mitotsudaira with a sigh.

“We really are inexperienced,” said Masazumi with a bitter smile.

“Is that for what I said before? But you are right. A knight is meant for castles and the battlefield.” Mitotsudaira turned to Tenzou. “I am thankful you transferred me to the night watch. The moonlight revitalizes me and I would get sunburnt during the day. …I do not know if Futayo is fine with that, though.”

“With Tonbokiri, she has somehow become the leader of the boys,” said Masazumi. “They’ve started placing sun-dried objects and shell necklaces in front of her room as offerings. The other day, they were making offerings with a giant stone currency they made at some point, but I made them throw those away.”

“They have turned into an uncivilized tribe, haven’t they? But that should improve tomorrow. I want to take a bath that isn’t in boiling water and sleep in a bed I can actually stretch out in.”

“Then do not worry,” cut in Tenzou. “I asked Shirojiro-dono for those materials last time. The girls really do have it hardest at times like this.”

Masazumi and Mitotsudaira exchanged a glance and they both nodded.

“Why has such a considerate guy never had a girlfriend?”

Masazumi’s question led to the two girls exchanging a longer glance.

The moon was out, but the night was still quite dark as they spoke.

“It’s probably that ninja outfit. A guy who wears that at all times would be out of the question.”

“Judge. I see. The flaw was so large I didn’t notice it at first.”

“S-stop! Don’t discuss this like I’m not even here!” Tenzou folded his arms. “Also, I have already decided my girlfriend will be blonde and well-endowed.”

“Is that so?” Masazumi exchanged another glance through the darkness with Mitotsudaira. “Hey, Mitotsudaira. Why do guys set up needlessly high hurdles for themselves?”

“Judge. It may be that when they do that, they can delude themselves into thinking their failure is due to no one meeting their standards rather than due to their own unpopularity.”

“I see. What’s the point of having pride like that? I don’t understand it at all, but should I feel sorry for him?”

“Nwohhh! You girls don’t show any mercy, do you!?”

“Calm down.” Masazumi held up a hand to stop Tenzou and then smiled. “How about you join us in our eventual meeting with England? Fairy Queen Elizabeth should clear your hurdle.”

“I can tell the difference between a hurdle and a gantry crane,” commented Tenzou.

Mitotsudaira smiled at that.

“Well, you did help us out a lot. Is it tough fulfilling your role as 1st special duty officer?”

“No. I always carry the ninja tools I need for training.”

“Ninja tools?” Mitotsudaira tilted her head. “Do ninja even use actual tools to train? For example, I thought you trained your jumping strength by jumping over a growing stalk of cannabis.”

Mitotsudaira was correct. As a child, Masazumi had read Masked Ninja: Russian Akakage. In that story, the ninja had cultivated fast-growing cannabis and jumped over it every morning to naturally train his jumping strength. That alone could not possibly be enough to train, but a group of freaks who hid their faces for their entire lives likely had a secret method.

Tenzou nodded in agreement.

“That training method was used up until my father’s generation.”

“Really?”

At the prospect of learning a ninja secret, the two girls leaned forward with intense curiosity. Tenzou nodded again and explained.

“My father’s generation grew a large amount of cannabis in the ship’s planter because they thought they could use some if it for their own personal training. But they accidentally brought it back to their rooms, accidentally grew a whole lot more, accidentally rolled it, and accidentally smoked it. They naturally ended up in the magistrate’s office and-…”

“I get the feeling I’m about to hear something that will get me in trouble, so stop there. And for future reference, did adding ‘accidentally’ to everything hold up in court?”

“No, no.”

Tenzou shook his hands, so Masazumi decided to pretend she had never heard any of it.

“Oh?”

Mitotsudaira suddenly looked to the east. She looked toward the top of a cliff illuminated by the moonlight.

“Is that…?”

A cloaked and hooded figure stood atop the cliff that had once been a hill.

This was the figure the villagers referred to as Scarred.

Mitotsudaira moved her nose slightly as she looked at the figure a few dozen meters away.

“That person occasionally shows up and watches us.”

From what she had heard…

“That is that Scarred person you protected when the ship crashed, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say protected…”

Mitotsudaira did not understand why he was arguing. However…

“He tried to save those children, but that means he might be a local leader or someone with power on that level. He made sure those children made it home, right?”

“Judge. I saw the spirits secure the boat you put the children on.”

It had been Mitotsudaira and Futayo who had saved the three children from the crashing ship.

…''It was nothing too amazing.

Just before the ship had crashed, they had thought up a few different methods of rescuing the children.

The most effective idea was having Mitotsudaira jump between the ship and the ground and saving the children with her silver chains or having someone quick on their feet like Tenzou doing the same minus the chains.

But they had no way of seeing what lay ahead of the ship’s bow and they could not place a lookout there when they knew it was about to smash into the ground. If they charged underneath the falling ship without confirming the children’s locations first, it would lead to disaster. Also, they needed time to run out from under the ship’s wide bow and they had no way of knowing how the children would react while panicked.

…''Charging in and saving them would have been risky.

As a knight, she felt it would have been possible, but they had wanted an absolute guarantee. After all, killing British residents would hurt the Far East’s diplomatic standpoint.

That had left only one option. Masazumi shrugged and muttered that option aloud.

“I never thought you would make your way through the bow.”

Their method of saving the children had been to destroy the ship’s bow before the crash.

They had broken through it and taken the children in through that hole.

…''And to do that…

Mitotsudaira thought back.

They had used a single method.

Futayo had used Tonbokiri to repeatedly cut the edge of the front wall of the bow like a barrel’s lid. She had then cut once down the center and Mitotsudaira had used her silver chains to open the surface from within like a pair of double doors.

They had known Tonbokiri could cut through a ship’s inner shell due to its attack on Regno Unito during the Battle of Mikawa, but Mitotsudaira felt Futayo’s actions here had gone well beyond that.

…''The transport ship is made up of several frames.

Futayo had run down the inside of the vertical ship as if it were rising.

She had used the frame as footing to accelerate down faster than gravitational acceleration and she had cut the very frames she was using for footing.

By the time Mitotsudaira had taken even a few steps inside the ship, fragments of the metal pillars had been flying through the air like fallen leaves.

By the time she had swept those fragments aside to create a path, Futayo was already charging toward the bow.

And Futayo had turned toward her and said, “Well done.”

With that one comment, she had cut open the front wall.

…''She took action without giving a single thought to what I would do.

Mitotsudaira had just barely made it in time, but she did not know if Futayo had simply been ignoring her, had trusted her to make it in time, or had been trying to rush her.

As a result, the opened front wall had swallowed up the children like a snake striking its prey.

“I am glad we could save them.”

The children had simply been sitting on the ground.

Mitotsudaira and Futayo had landed next to them, protected them from the rubble and the pieces of the ship that were destroying the surrounding area and themselves, and cut apart any piece of the ship that was breaking in an unfortunate way.

A massive number of parts had flown and danced through the air, but spiraling silver chains had formed a protective wall and Futayo’s high speed attacks had beat down anything that threatened to make it through.

In the end, the impact and weight of the crashing ship had caused the crust to sink down and water had flowed in from the ocean, so the two girls had scooped up the children and climbed up the ship which was standing on end.

Mitotsudaira felt they had done well, but after appearing on the deck, bathing in the applause, and retreating into hiding, they had both collapsed to the floor.

The silver chains and Tonbokiri had also done well. But…

“…”

It was not noticeable now because she was wearing gloves, but Mitotsudaira had fingernails broken on both hands.

On her right, it was her middle and ring fingers. On her left, it was her middle and index fingers. Because her left hand was not her dominant hand, she had put too much strength into the index finger.

As a member of a Loup-Garou family line, she healed quickly. That was one ability of the race, but high-speed healing of nails had a way of leaving them looking bad. That left natural healing at human speed as her best option.

…''I could always get a manicure, but…

A manicure let heat remain in the tips of the nails and the discomfort could confuse her actions.

“Well, we saved the children. That is enough.”

“This isolated state is a real problem. We can’t contact the village through Musashi and the residents of the fourth level won’t approach us,” said Masazumi. “But that guy in the cloak seemed really surprised to see you on the deck with the children.”

“Judge.”

Mitotsudaira looked up toward the cliff.

The figure in the cloak happened to look over toward them at the same moment. The hooded silhouette was clearly visible in the moonlight.

The figure clearly looked at Mitotsudaira and nodded.

…''He is probably British…

But Mitotsudaira still courteously nodded in return.

The figure turned to Masazumi and bowed again. Lastly, the figure looked toward Tenzou.

“…”

They quickly nodded and immediately turned around.

And the figure left.

…''Eh?

Masazumi expressed Mitotsudaira’s question.

“Crossunite, did you do something to make that guy hate you?”

If someone else thought it looked the same, Mitotsudaira decided her concern was legitimate.

“Does he resent you for interfering while we rescued the children? Although, I doubt someone would charge in there if they simply wanted the fame.”

“I don’t think I did anything,” muttered Tenzou with a sigh. “I had a good reason for rushing in and covering for them and I thought the reason was obvious after living on Musashi for so long, but it may not have been as obvious to them.”

“What? …What was obvious?”

Mitotsudaira did not understand what he meant, but she got the gist of the issue.

“Do you mean that person made some kind of misunderstanding about your actions?”

“Judge. My actions seemed incredibly natural to me, but…” Tenzou then brought a hand to his head. “No, I should not be arguing my case here. It would be best for both of us if I simply say I went too far.”

“What?”

Mitotsudaira and Masazumi both tilted their heads.

“Why wouldn’t you clear up a misunderstanding that paints you in a worse light?”

“Well… Because it allows this person to avoid any shame. That is my duty as a ninja.” Tenzou held his hand palm up toward the two girls. “I will take over now. I am in charge of communicating with Musashi tonight.”

“Judge.”

Mitotsudaira nodded and stood up off of the barrel she had been sitting on. She was reluctant to miss out on hearing what Musashi had to say, but she would see them tomorrow. She felt a small pain in the fingernails placed on the edge of the barrel and she and Masazumi passed by Tenzou.

Tenzou nodded, so she responded in kind and suddenly looked toward the moonlit hill.

Recalling the cloaked figure from earlier, Mitotsudaira began to think.

…''The 1st special duty officer said he was fine with the misunderstanding as long as it benefited the other party, but what would my king have to say about that depressing way of thinking?

“Hey!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from the sea to the south.

“Ch-chancellor!?”

That cry of confusion was accompanied by lights appearing in the fourth level village and the higher levels of England to the north. However, the idiot’s voice showed no concern.

“Can you hear me, Horizon!? Tonight Musashi Ariadust’s broadcasting station will be holding an…international intercourse? Is that what you’d call it?”

“Heh heh heh. That is my foolish brother for you. …But the correct term would be ‘diplomatic meeting’.”

“Oh, wow! I’ve got a genius for a sister! But I like international intercourse! It sounds erotic! Let’s have i-intercourse! Intercourse! And let’s cross some forbidden borders to make it international! …Wait, Asama! Why are you holding your bow and arrow up at such close range? And why are you smiling?”

After the sound of an arrow firing, the broadcast filled with static.

Mitotsudaira was disturbed by how perfectly she could picture the scene in her head, but she quickly realized Masazumi and Tenzou had the exact same expression on their faces. That realization led her to speak in a voice filled with a relieved bitterness she had not used in two weeks.

“They have Neshinbara who was cursed and is being blamed for the attack and the damage to Musashi, but I see nothing has changed.”

“Why do none of them ever change?” muttered a voice on the opposite side of Musashi from the transport ship.

Specifically, this was on the edge of the academy supply port on the rear of Okutama.

The academy supply port was used to moor the ships bringing supplies for the academy or to be used by the clubs. It was a flat landing spot measuring over 100 meters square. It was located on the lower rear portion of the three anti-wind walls surrounding Musashi Ariadust Academy on either side and the back. It was truly the rearmost portion of Okutama.

The outer edge of the supply port contained a passageway with a railing and club rooms for the ship and transport-related clubs. It was nighttime and Musashi was not currently participating in trade, so only the standby lights were on. As the area was behind the school, one could only see the sky, the walls, and the light from the windows on the walls.

But someone stood on the edge of that port. A few sign frames were opened around Neshinbara. He rested his right elbow on the railing, rotated his body, and leaned back on the railing.

He leaned the cane in his right hand against the railing next to him and looked at his left leg. From the shin down, the leg was covered in bandages and a splint.

“Honestly. People are even saying I’m using this to exaggerate my injury for sympathy.” He saw the Mouse on his shoulder open a new sign frame. “Ahh. Did someone start a new thread on the academy’s divine network? This one’s an inspection, hm? …People are saying all sorts of things on the journal sites and the student council’s site is getting an amazing number of divine messages. …And every single one of them is saying what I should have done differently.”

He sighed. His gaze was turned toward the sign frame that displayed a diagram of Musashi. The damage to the ships was displayed with lines and colors.

“And…”

He turned to the sign frame displaying those injured in the previous battle and the one displaying the financial losses to buildings and such.

After checking on all that information, Neshinbara muttered to himself in the darkness.

“This is tough. I thought I was prepared, but it’s different once everyone is doubting you and denying your actions.”

…''I think I did as good as could be hoped…

“But everyone is saying that my efforts were inadequate or worthless and that there was a better way.” He sighed. “They’re saying it would have been better had I not been there.”

As he sighed again, he heard a sudden voice.

“Oh? I noticed you haven’t been coming to class and you didn’t show up at the festival, but is this where you’ve been?”

Neshinbara turned around toward the voice coming from up in the sky.

Even in the darkness, he could see someone with black wings.

“Naruze-kun.”

“Judge. I hope you can remember at least that much, you shut-in.” She landed atop the railing next to him. “How about these two losers take some time to complain to each other?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 11

2015-04-18T18:50:17Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 11: Groups of National Leaders==

[[Image:Horizon2A_341.png|thumb]]
''What should one do

''Before facing each other?

'''Point Allocation (Pace)

The afternoon sun entered a room on the western side of a residence with eaves. The large Japanese-style building sat next to a pond and two figures sat with their foreheads facing each other in a tatami mat room decorated with awards and trophies for the baseball team and track and field team of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares.

The two spoke while sitting on the tatami mats with sheets wrapped around their naked bodies.

“Fusae, in the attack on Musashi, shouldn’t I have gone forward at this point?”

“You could have done that, Taka, but that would have left an opening in the back which normal students would have had to fill. Bringing everyone out like that is fine if we were going to settle things there, but I avoided sending you out because it didn’t look like we would.”

“Hm.”

Takakane nodded and stared at what lay between them.

It was a chess board. However, three battlefields created from the wood and squares were connected vertically and they were labeled “Musashi”, “Transport Ship”, and “Command Ship”.

“The biggest problem was Ju being stopped.”

Fusae picked up the queen sitting on the back of the command ship and used her fingernail to press the crest carved into the bottom that allowed her to change its settings. A ''cadena firma'' made from crosses and the San Mercado logo appeared above the piece.

“I certainly didn’t expect Musashi’s chancellor to appear there.”

She put down the piece and the squares on the board between the queen and the transport ship all emitted a blue light.

She did the same to the knights on either side of the queen and the light increased.

“I wanted to go all out from the beginning. Our goal was to make a powerful assault, but I sent Ju out to give ourselves a political victory as well. I thought we could use that to make a quick victory and get out of there. I never thought Ju would make such a girlish scream.” Fusae thought for a moment. “Hmm. I guess using people like objects isn’t the way to go. I need to think of them as people. Some say you can never know what will happen when people are involved, but that ignores the idea that people are unpredictable animals and still doesn’t look at them as people. …I did some of that myself this time, so I need to rethink how I do things. Maybe I was a little too full of myself after our victory in the previous war against Hexagone Française.”

Fusae leaned forward and placed her forehead on the chess board.

“Taka, aren’t you going to comfort me?”

“It was your mistake. Once you make up for it, I’ll comfort you plenty for any sadness left over.”

“Y-you make it sound somehow dirty.” Fusae raised her head, but her smile was a bit lacking in strength. “Anyway, do you think I’m better at commanding than I used to be?”

“That’s a difficult question.”

“Testament. So I’m hopeless, is that it?”

“Why do you always try to hurt yourself like that?”

“I can’t be hurt now that I have this body. And the last one to hurt me was you,” said Fusae with a smile.

“Y’know,” began Takakane as he folded his arms. “That was part of the history recreation.”

“Testament, testament. Women are fine with just the fact itself, but men always need an excuse.”

“Hmm.”

This time, Takakane placed a hand on his forehead and thought. He could not come up with anything to say and color returned to Fusae’s smile.

“Well, we achieved a lot of our political goals in the attack, so that’s good enough. They got away, but we didn’t lose. And we got two shell hits in later. At the very least, the other countries won’t be able to label Tres España as the loser. That will help out Tres España as a whole and it will give meaning to the exhaustion and injuries everyone received.”

“I don’t entirely get it, but is it really that important?”

“Testament.” Fusae nodded and picked up a piece from the chess board. “Let me explain. This will involve Tres España’s future as well.”

Takakane folded his arms as he stared at the pieces lined up on the chess board in the afternoon sun.

“What is Tres España’s plan for the future?” he asked.

“Testament. Ju would be able to give the best answer, but she can be a bit tight-lipped. Anyway, my view is that the Armada battle is going to happen before too long.”

“The one we lose? Of course, we intend to make it an effective win by staying on the retreat.”

“We are preparing for that, but things are heading toward the Peace of Westphalia due to Musashi’s actions in the name of saving the world from the Apocalypse. The countries which had previously been hesitant will begin to act because Musashi has.

“And the country with the most to gain from Westphalia is Hexagone Française, the winner of the Thirty Years’ War. Also, Holland, Switzerland, and Sweden have their independence recognized and England indirectly benefits from the conclusion. So many countries will be involved in the Peace, but Musashi’s password of ‘saving the world from the Apocalypse’ will drag even more countries in: Qing, Russia, and others.”

Takakane frowned at those two countries mentioned.

“But Qing and Russia have nothing to do with Westphalia. Are we supposed to accept importation of ramen and vodka because of the Apocalypse? Then again, we already have ramen. The tonkotsu kind.”

“You mean Founding Emperor Ramen? Our paella shops are having a hard time against that place. …Anyway, I’m sure those countries will show up to make it an ‘international conference’. Musashi’s participation itself is an interpretation. Officially, the conference will recreate history, but it may also have an unofficial side that leaves no records. That will cover saving the world from the Apocalypse and determining whether Musashi was in the right or not.”

In that case…

“We need to change our focus and think about how to take as little damage as possible in the armada battle. Also, we need to think about how to actually gain an advantage while maintaining an ‘interpretative loss’ of the battle. We only have about half a year to come up with something before the Peace of Westphalia on October 24, but I doubt England will give us any longer to think than they have to.”

“Then when will it happen?”

“That’s up to England which is the worst part. I’ll explain that, too.”

“Now, then,” said Fusae as she slid aside the chess board sitting between her and Takakane. She attached another board vertically and pointed to one corner. “This board is England, okay? And this one is Scotland.”

“And?”

“Chancellor Henry VIII made England Protestant under the Anglican Church, but Scotland disagreed and remained Catholic. …Now, Mary Stuart was the queen of Scotland, but she was forced to flee to England where she was imprisoned on the charge of attempting to assassinate Elizabeth.” Fusae removed her hand from the board. “One of the causes of the Armada battle is the execution of the Catholic Mary Stuart.”

“Our leader sure has an exciting reason to go to war.”

“Well, it’s part of the history recreation. Plus, this is just one link in the chain of conditions leading to the battle. Tres España has essentially been waiting for its chance to attack, but we made too many warships meant to be used in the Seto Inland Sea during the Battle of Lepanto. That’s made it difficult to secure the wartime harbors we need and to create the Grande y Felicísima Armada made up of ships meant for the open sea. However, England has been putting off the execution of Mary.” Fusae opened a ''cadena firma'' which displayed a list of England’s representatives. “And they created an organization known as Trumps which is made up of their representatives. I’ve heard the name comes from the fact that the king on playing cards is based on Elizabeth’s father, Chancellor Henry VIII, or the fact that the mark for the suit of clubs is based on Excalibur. That’s why Excalibur takes the place of 13. Also, the vice chancellor and vice president are both counted as 10, so there is no 11.”

'''12. Chancellor: Elizabeth – Also Student Council President. Fairy Queen and user of Ex. Caliburn.

'''10. Vice Chancellor: Robert Dudley – Skinny woman. Testamenta Arma user.

'''10. Vice President: William Cecil – Fat woman.

'''9. Secretary: Ben Jonson – Black athlete poet. President of the literature club.

'''8. Assistant Secretary: Nicholas Bacon – Hammer user and trickster. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.

'''7. Treasurer: Charles Howard – Naval admiral. Wealthy common sense man. No combat ability.

'''6. Thomas Shakespeare – Logismoi Oplo user. Half-lived race. Vice president of the literature club.

'''5-1. Francis Drake – Hard Wolf and naval vice admiral. Essentially the commander. Testamenta Arma user.

'''5-2. John Hawkins – Drake’s companion. Swimsuit man.

'''5-3. Thomas Cavendish – Drake and the others’ underclassman. Mermaid woman.

'''4. Grace O’Malley – Female Pirate of Scotland. Elizabeth’s friend.

'''3. Christopher Hatton – Lord Chancellor and Living Bones.

'''2. F. Walsingham – Automaton leader of the public morals committee. Spymaster.

'''1. Walter Raleigh – Far Easterner. Elizabeth’s wartime advisor.

“That sums it up. …Why are you so quiet, Taka? Can you barely contain your desire to fight?”

“No.” Takakane tilted his head and poked at the list. “Unlike us, they’re mostly literary types. One disappearing ball pitched underhand by a Valdés and they’d be dead, don’t you think?” He paused for a moment. “Also, there are a ton of truly strange people in this list.”

“I was trying to decide if I should say that or not.”

“And it’s more of a monster land than I imagined. It’s like an animal kingdom.”

“I was thinking about saying that too.”

“I’m glad we’re relatively normal.”

“I’m not sure outsiders would see it that way.”

“Hmm,” they both groaned while looking down.

They remained motionless for a while, but Fusae finally clenched her fists near the floor.

“I-I need motivation.”

“He! Na! Res!”

“Ohh!”

The two of them synchronized and regained strength of will, but then Takakane relaxed his sitting position again.

“But there’s nothing we can do if England decides when it begins.”

“Isn’t that why we attacked Musashi?”

“What do you mean? I thought that was meant to show our position to the Testament Union and to gain the right to speak to Musashi in the later conference.”

“There was more to it than that. And the success of that attack should let us guide the armada battle to its beginning. They won’t have solved the mystery of our strongest ship, San Martín, so we should have the advantage in the battle.”

“Y’know,” said Takakane. Fusae tilted her head and Takakane scratched below his short hair. “You really look like you’re enjoying yourself when you talk about strategies and tactics.”

“Testament. I decided to never fail again. I deeply immerse myself in it and enjoy it so I won’t fear failure. That’s very Tres Españan, don’t you think? It’s often said we use the money we have, give in to our passions, have a party, and forget everything unpleasant.”

Fusae placed her hands on the floor as if stretching forward.

The chess board between them was the one used to explain England’s situation.

“Did you realize why I slid it to the side?” she asked while looking up at Takakane.

“Because we can’t win,” he said expressionlessly.

He went on to raise his arms and tumble backwards in a pose of resignation. Fusae laughed, slid up to him, and lowered her head over his, but she heard a sudden voice from the garden.

“Ah! Wah! Brother! Fusae and the team captain are having an impure couple’s relation!”

“Foolish sister. Your brother has some advice for you: when they are married, it is not impure. It is simply obscene.”

“Shut up, Valdés siblings. Why are you here?”

Takakane looked up and saw the siblings wearing track suits.

The younger sister, Flores, raised both hands with a carefree smile.

“Why are we here? Well, um… to mooch lunch off of you!”

The Valdés sister proudly puffed out her chest.

“Fusae said she found a good restaurant, remember!? Y’know, the food union’s Paella Emperor! It’s supposed to rival Founding Emperor Ramen!”

“Fusae, a chain restaurant doesn’t count as good.”

“But you can stick around forever with the orange juice. It’s a product of Valencia.”

“That’s right! Girls need a place to chat! …Oh, but we didn’t know you were searching for a new way to take your afternoon nap with the captain. Speaking of which, what would you call this method? A fork!?”

“Sister. Why would you want it to drop? Personally, I would go with a slider, but you need to calm down. …Anyway, what do you say, captain?”

“No thanks, you idiot. It’s kind of creepy when you show up so suddenly.”

The brother turned to his sister, but the sister was already staring strongly up at him.

“Did you hear that? He called you an iiidiot! An iiiidiot!”

“Sister, the captain is a tsundere. You need to understand that. As such, I am now certain I have his trust.”

“You don’t have to keep up the idiot act, Valdés… Now, you two,” said Takakane. “Have you ever hit a literary type with a pitch?”

The siblings both froze in place for an instant. Finally, the brother turned to his sister. But she averted her gaze and shook her head back and forth.

“N-no, I’ve never done anything like-… Brother, don’t put your hand on my shoulder! I haven’t! Really, I haven’t! The ball slipped from my grasp is all! That idiot may have been photographing the girls’ practice, but it was an accident that I hit him square on! …But to be honest, it did feel really good.”

“You don’t have to confess anything, Valdés sister,” said Takakane with a sigh.

“Anyway, captain,” said the brother. “The real reason we are here is because the chancellor has apparently disappeared. He hasn’t come here, has he? Lady Juana is searching for him, but can’t seem to find him.”

Takakane tilted his head and turned to Fusae. She was clinging to him while buried in the sheets so the Valdés siblings could not see her face, but her long ears were bright red. When he saw her head shake left and right a bit, he lightly embraced her back.

“She says she hasn’t seen him. Oh, but Valdés.”

Both the brother and sister looked up in confusion. Takakane jerked his chin toward the entrance.

“I’ll search for him today, but ask Velá next time. You can contact him by his handheld.”

“Velázquez?”

“Testament,” said Takakane with a nod. “He and the chancellor have known each other a long time. If you ask him, he would find him by nightfall.”

“Well, if that’s done, I want to eat some lunch,” said the sister.

“You heard her, Fusae. Get up already.”

“Make me,” said Fusae while lying completely limp.

Takakane sighed and pointed toward the Valdés siblings.

“Fine, then. I’ll contact Velá. …One of those letters has come for the chancellor again, hasn’t it? Tell Juana he’ll be back by nightfall. Also, you two wait outside. We’ll be right out once I have Fusae ready.”

Takakane looked away from the Valdés siblings, looked toward Fusae, and then looked up in the sky. The blue sky of early afternoon seemed to stretch up forever.

“There are problems no matter where you look. If Musashi wants to deal with those who live on the ground, they have to do things our way. They’re probably discussing England and us right about now, but that’s only going to get worse. This is getting dangerous.”

He sighed and lowered his shoulders.

“And England is probably having a meeting after gathering the Trumps.”

Four massive crust blocks floated in the air. The adjoining blocks were arranged with two aligned north and south and two to the northwest.

The floating island was located approximately three thousand meters in the air.

It was known as England.

Each of England’s four blocks had a narrow multi-layer structure on the upper level. The first level had the academy, the second had the cities, the third level was the broadest and it contained the farmland, and the fourth level was very thick and supported the others. The fourth level also contained the coast and a shallow ocean.

The blue sky lay above and the blue ocean lay below. The third level was mostly covered by the green of forests and mountains, and the wheat of the farmland spreading out below was also green. This was the season of colors for England.

The academy at the center of each first level functioned under the college system. The development around those formal and historic school buildings was built on the second level.

The central school buildings were protected by fortresses, but they had no classrooms. They were only built with a student council room, various living rooms, a faculty room, a library, a reference room, and other such rooms.

Among the four blocks, the largest central school building was the one on the first level of the southern block of England. It was Oxford Academy of Anglia.

The central school building was designed like a palace with a great hall and an audience room. It had a maintained nature park and a waterway, and it was currently filled with the light of midmorning.

As a school building and specialty facility, it was quiet and few people walked by.

Currently, two students with guard duty walked atop the thick fortress wall surrounding the school building on their way to the fortress gate tower. They were chatting as they walked along and looked toward the silhouette of Musashi visible in the southern sky.

The one to the front was a bigfoot beastman and the one in back was a lizard beastman.

“Spring is just about at its peak, isn’t it? How about you? Are you in your periodic puberty?”

The bigfoot continued speaking while pinching at the hair on his chin.

“It’s going to get hot soon, but I hate growing in my summer coat. But if I got my hair removed permanently, I’d be indistinguishable from an ogre. You have it easy there. You lizards are always so cheerful in the summer.”

“Don’t be stupid. Summer may be nice, but you can’t underestimate the heating costs for a lizardman to make it through winter. Last year, my old man forgot his portable heater on his way to buy some smoking tobacco and ended up hibernating next to the store.”

“Testament,” said the bigfoot with a nod. He did not stop walking. “I remember that now. We’re actually pretty delicate. In games, we always charge right at the adventurer, but that isn’t gonna happen. Why attack a penniless adventurer when you can work at a mountain hut? I’d rather use my strength to do some easy heavy labor and have the girls thank me than make painful memories hunting humans.”

“Testament,” said the lizardman with a nod. He pointed north with his rifle. “You should think about switching to the college in northern Scotland. The history recreation allows more interaction these days, so you shouldn’t have any trouble there.”

“I could, but you’d have to return the games, Black Disks, and Gold Disks you borrowed. Especially ‘Merlin’s Destruction of the Round Table for Dummies!’ That one’s rare, so I can’t have you never returning it. Also…”

The bigfoot looked through the sky from south to west while walking. To the south, Musashi was visible in the distance and the shadow of the Divine States was visible even further in the distance. And to the west…

“There’s the war with Tres España. I can’t go until that’s over.”

“Is that really anything to worry about? You saw Ex. Caliburn, didn’t you? As long as we have that, England can’t lose. …Of course, it can’t fire repeatedly and it can’t be fired outside of England.”

“That’s why the other countries haven’t claimed it’s a weapon of mass destruction meant for invasion.”

The two lowered their gazes toward the front of the academy visible from the edge of the fortress wall they were walking along. Outside the fortress gate was the path to the city of London on the second level and an old fortress with tall towers in four directions.

That fortress was the royal residence known as the Tower of London.

The highest level of each tower had a hatch which could be opened or closed, so the inside was not visible at the moment. However…

“England’s royal and noble criminals are imprisoned in the Tower of London. Excalibur was relocated to the northwest tower and supposedly no one has ever pulled it from the piece of crust which acts as its pedestal. Rumors say its sword attack that protects England uses the power of the criminals’ confessions. The current prisoner is-…”

“If you say it, you’ll end up bloody. The English royal family has been dangerous for a long time. You know the history, right?”

“Yeah. England’s grudge began two generations ago in the age of Chancellor Henry VIII.” The lizardman stopped walking and slid his hand horizontally across his neck. “Well, according to my old man, Chancellor Henry VIII never even touched Ex. Caliburn. He always boasted about his ability to pull it out, he was known as the almighty king, and he apparently had connections with all sorts of countries, but he must have been aware he wasn’t qualified to be king.”

“Why not?”

“The legend of Excalibur says the one who can draw it is qualified to be king. If he ever tried and failed to draw it, he would lose the right to be king. He might have been afraid of that.”

As he spoke, the lizardman looked toward the southeastern tower of the Tower of London. Lace curtains hung in one of its windows and his gaze moved toward that white color.

“Can’t see her today.”

“The prisoner? Don’t tell me that’s why you took this part time guard job.”

“Testament. I’m from Scotland, after all. It gets so cold there that the heat expenses are no laughing matter.”

The lizardman suddenly looked toward the bottom of the fortress. He had noticed movement in the city. However…

“…?”

He stopped in place while looking down. The bigfoot frowned when he noticed.

“What is it?”

“Look,” muttered the lizardman.

A man walked along the path to the fortress gate.

He had dark sin, wore glasses, and was bald. A white tank top covered his tense body and rectangular cases over a meter long hung at either waist.

Each of his footsteps was accompanied by a metallic noise and he walked across the stone pavement with light steps.

“That’s the athlete poet and secretary, Ben ‘9’ Jonson,” said the lizardman.

“Does he have some business at our school building?” muttered the bigfoot. “The student council and chancellor’s officers have nothing scheduled for-…” He trailed off and corrected himself. “No, wait. The entire school building was made off limits today. We weren’t told, but there have been rumors for a bit now, remember? In other words, today is…”

He trailed off again.

Several other figures had come up behind Ben Jonson.

People walked up the stone-paved path. They were not gathered together. They were scattered in pairs or alone, but they were all headed to the same place.

The first one after Jonson was a Hard Wolf with a naval-style uniform.

“That’s the vice president of the ship club, ‘5-1’ Drake. He’s attacked Tres España’s New World fleets and given England enough money to rival a year’s budget. Despite being a pirate, he has the title of knight.”

Next to him was a young man carrying a three-pronged lance and wearing a racing swimsuit, cap, and goggles.

“He’s the captain of the ship club, ‘5-2’ Hawkins. As Drake’s colleague, he’s an excellent partner during wartime and an assistant who can carry out independent missions. He looks like a pervert, though.”

Someone was speaking to Drake and Hawkins via sign frame. Hawkins’s sign frame showed two women aboard a ship somewhere. One was a mermaid with her tail fin submerged in a cradle-like device that doubled as an aquatic bed and the device for controlling ships.

“The mermaid is the ship club’s manager, ‘5-3’ Cavendish. She uses all of her spells solely for controlling all of the club’s ships. I had thought she and the previous two had left for the New World after the attack on Lisbon, but it looks like they’ve returned here.”

A woman spoke with Cavendish while grabbing a donut from a pocket on the ship control device. She wore a hood and scarf with a woven ivy pattern. She was a dryad with ivy and leaves spilling from within her black hair.

“She’s the representative of Ireland, Grace ‘4’ O’Malley. Our queen calls her a friend and she protects the northern and western seas. She strongly scolds her husband, has a ton of kids, and lives a wildly free lifestyle, but she can be trouble when it comes down to it. She’ll charge into the enemy fleet with her quick, small ship and get real results.”

Behind Drake and Hawkins was a boy dancing lightly despite carrying a hammer in a giant case.

“That’s the head of the state club, Nicholas ‘8’ Bacon. He’s a trickster, the queen’s advisor, and he holds the Great Seal of England which gives him the right of decision.”

Behind Bacon was a man wearing glasses. He wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and worried with his neatly parted hair.

“That’s the president of the ship club and the treasurer, Charles ‘7’ Howard. He can’t fight, but he carries out his duties as treasurer with his massive wealth and his great skill at using it. He owns the British fleet, but he leaves all authority concerning its use to Drake. He’s incredibly generous, so he even compensates any injured soldiers. He’s a powerful merchant.”

One figure walked a fair distance back from the others. He was a Living Bones who wore a cloak over his upper body. A necklace decorated with small compressed skulls hung around his neck.

“That’s the Lord Chancellor, Christopher ‘3’ Hatton. Not only does he judge people like crazy in trials, but he also rescues the souls of the people he judges. From what I hear, he’s searching for a way to finally rest in peace.”

And lastly, two figures walked behind all the others.

[[Image:Horizon2A_362-363.jpg|thumb]]

One was a Far Easterner. He had long bangs, broad shoulders, and a slender body. His casually worn uniform was equipped with several swords that were simply a hilt and guard. They had a cap attached rather than a blade. He carried another such sword over his right shoulder, but this one measured over a meter and a half long.

“Walter ‘1’ Raleigh. He’s a remnant of the Far Eastern Amako clan, but he instructs the queen’s army and acts as the queen’s wartime advisor. It seems his other Urban Name is Trident, but it was apparently given to him by a third party. He never speaks.”

The final figure walking alongside Raleigh was a female automaton.

She was a puppet. She wore a female uniform with the skirt and coat removed, but her arms and legs were not attached to her body. They instead moved along with the movements of two cross-shaped blades floating above her back.

“That’s the head of the public morals committee, F. ‘2’ Walsingham. She exterminates other countries’ spies within England while gathering information from those other countries using her own intelligence network.”

That was ten in all. The two beastmen knew what the total should have been, but they did not even exchange a glance.

“Vice President William ‘10’ Cecil and Vice Chancellor Robert ‘10’ Dudley, aka ‘The Two Tens’, are waiting inside the school building. ‘12’ is the queen and ‘13’ is represented by Ex. Caliburn, so the only member of Trumps missing is ‘6’ Shakespeare.”

“Why are they all here?”

“I don’t know, but I know who had to have called them in. It was-…”

Just before the lizardman could speak the name, a voice whispered in their ears from behind.

“That’s right. Our Fairy Queen, Her Highness ‘12’ Elizabeth.”

The two of them jumped in surprise and turned around.

A dark-skinned face wearing glasses was grinning quite nearby. The two of them stared at the morning sun reflecting off the glasses.

“Ben Jonson…”

“Just call me Ben, bros. I’m having a good time every night at the Mermaid on Cheapside, so stop by if you have time. Today, ‘6’ Shakespeare and the queen will be coming. You’re interested in royalty, aren’t you? Especially you, Torn.”

Ben turned toward the lizardman. He ignored the lizardman gasping at having his name spoken and turned toward the closed lace curtains on the southwestern tower of the distant Tower of London.

“She lost her last chance to avoid execution when she could not pull out Ex. Caliburn. Ah, I feel like my feet are about to recite poetry, bros.” Ben spread his arms, moved away from them, shook the cases hanging from his waist, and looked up into the sky. “At any rate, keep up the good work, bros. In the two weeks since Musashi’s arrival, we have finally all gathered for an emergency meeting. We will be discussing what to do about Musashi and I am sure Musashi has their own ideas on the matter.”

He gave an exaggerated bow and tapped his right foot. As soon as the metallic noise rang from the sole of his shoe, he vanished. All that remained was one last sentence in his voice.

“Tres España and Musashi are both making plenty of plans.”

A certain white-walled hallway smelled of disinfectant and never turned out its lights.

It was the hallway of a hospital. Walking on its marble floor were two women wearing red uniforms.

One was tall, had long ears, and wore glasses. The other was short and had two false arms.

Both of them carried wicker baskets as they walked through the hallway which was filled with the afternoon sun.

The tall one lowered the ends of her eyebrows and smiled toward the short one.

“Sorry about the trouble, Tachibana Gin. You did not have to help.”

“Please, call me Gin, Lady Juana. I am helping because visiting Muneshige has shown me the meaning in this sort of thing. …Also, I found this a bit surprising.”

“Surprising?”

“Testament,” replied Gin.

She was a special duty officer, but she had no real connection to the student council. Also, the student council had the political power and right to recommend people or approve people for inherited names, so they had some power over her. It had been Juana who had told her Muneshige was to lose his inherited name. However…

“I was surprised to hear the great Juana, one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, was handing out flowers and snacks to the sick and to the children.”

“The great Juana…? I…” Juana smiled amid the shadows of the white hallway. “Well, I can imagine how you think about me and view me. They write the same things in the newspapers and on the divine network.”

“Testament. Do not worry. The divine network contains fan clubs filled with people who love how harsh you are. A recent survey asked people what profession they wanted to see you in. I believe the top three results were female teacher, female office chief, and female inquisitor. Female class representative was an honorable mention, but was disqualified for the age mismatch.”

“I don’t really understand this. Is female teacher really a unique profession?”

Gin tilted her head as she walked.

“I once asked Muneshige-… Oh, I should explain. As 1st special duty officer, his job includes handling information, so he had investigated this kind of thing. Anyway, I asked him if it was really that hard to distinguish between a profession and a genre. Oh, and according to him, I am a ‘female fiancée’. It seems redundant to me.”

“I still don’t really understand. At any rate, I will keep in mind that I am apparently suited toward being a female teacher. …Oh, turn right here. We will head outside toward the children’s building.”

Juana used her knee to push open the door leading to the outdoor passageway.

''I thought she would have more of an air of importance,'' thought Gin when she saw that.

The wicker basket Gin held radiated faint heat and the smell of butter. The heavy scent that filled her nose was not often smelled in the Tachibana household that primarily ate Japanese food.

“Is this homemade?”

“Testament,” replied Juana as she walked out underneath the afternoon sun. “The dough has to ferment, so I set it sit out last night before going to sleep.”

“I see. I make my preparations directly after dinner.”

“Oh? Why that early?”

Gin thought it would be best not to answer that, so she changed the subject.

“Do you do this to relieve stress? I think you should sleep at night.”

“No, I enjoy having something to focus on. And I can use a spell for compressed sleep.”

“Testament,” replied Gin as she followed Juana out into the sun.

They were headed for the hospital atop the hill across the plaza. To their left, they could see several domed school buildings surrounded by the walls of Alcalá de Henares. The city at the foot of the mountain spread out beyond that. Juana seemed to be concerned about the eastern end of the city, but that only contained the slums and the hospital for those with low incomes.

“Lady Juana, are we taking these snacks to the other hospital too?”

“Testament. When I made the suggestion, that man insisted I give them out ‘evenly to everyone’. I thought that would be impossible, but bakeries around the city are cooperating. This is the only hospital that gets the ones I baked personally.”

By “that man”, she likely meant Chancellor and Student Council President Segundo. She would often mention him in conversation, but Gin did not recall ever hearing her say his name. Gin mentally tilted her head as she walked along the stone-paved plaza.

“Does the chancellor always say things that get in your way like that?”

“Hm.”

Juana lowered her eyebrows in thought and Gin arrived one step behind her.

“As far as I can see, he leaves everything to you. To be honest…” She felt bad saying this about him, but she wanted to check. “It appears to me he was forced into taking the role of chancellor and president to recreate Tres España’s decline.”

“Gin,” said Juana. Her back was to Gin as she continued to walk. “Watch what you say. He is quite capable. We need to trust him.”

“How can you trust him?” asked Gin. “He leaves almost every job with you and today he has vanished somewhere. Just before noon, you were unsure what to do about a letter addressed to him, correct? You ultimately had the Valdés siblings search for him, but-…”

“Gin,” said Juana once more. “Why do you trust Tachibana Muneshige?”

“Because he gave me a new reason to live,” she immediately replied proudly.

“Then you need not ask for my reason,” said Juana. “It would not help you.”

“Testament,” said Gin with a small nod. “I apologize for asking a question like a sort of test.”

“Don’t apologize. If you asked him that kind of question now, he would likely do nothing but smile weakly.”

“Why does he have no motivation whatsoever?”

“No motivation whatsoever…” muttered Juana with her head lowered a bit.

Gin thought she had said too much, but then Juana spoke without turning around.

“Because he lost his reason to live.”

Gin stopped walking when she heard that. She could tell her eyebrows were bending.

A reason to live. Her reason to live was Muneshige.

What if Chancellor Segundo had something like that, but…

“He lost it?”

When she imagined the same happening to herself, she felt a chill.

“Everyone is looking our way from the children’s hospital.”

Hearing that, Gin looked toward the two white buildings before them. From where they were, they could see the north side of the children’s hospital which was the back side. The patient rooms had no windows on this side and they were only visible from the hallways and the cafeteria, but the children had already noticed Juana.

“…!”

Children shouted within the windows and a group ran out of the building. Gin saw the parents notice them and bow.

The children’s hospital was made up of two buildings, but…

“The right building is for the long-lived race and the left one is for humans. Be careful, Gin. Some of the children have yet to realize the meaning in that distinction and there is no reason to let them know before they have to.”

Gin tilted her head. There was a place for humans and long-lived, but…

“What about the children of the half-lived race which is a mix of human and long-lived?”

“Given Tres España’s insistence on purity, do you really think they have a place in our central hospital? They are so hated because they are indistinguishable from the long-lived,” said Juana with her back turned.

''Lady Juana was selected for the student council as a long-lived elite,'' recalled Gin.

The posture of Juana’s back told Gin she had her own thoughts on those born between a human and a long-lived. Gin also knew Juana could not speak those thoughts lightly due to her position as vice president.

…''But the chancellor and president says those things quite plainly.

When Juana had suggested giving out snacks, he had insisted on doing so equally. He likely meant equal between humans, long-lived, and even half-lived.

And Juana highly valued him and was doing exactly as he said.

“Testament. I asked something I should have known. My apologies.”

Gin adjusted her grip on her basket and lined up beside Juana. When she looked up from Juana’s left, she saw that Juana was smiling. That smile somehow reminded her of that man.

But Juana’s gaze slowly moved from the hospital to the western sky.

A giant flat cloud could be seen above the ocean that travelled from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World.

“Our Grande y Felicísima Armada is being constructed in there, isn’t it? The old fleet made up of fishing boats and ships from the Battle of Lepanto modified for use in the open sea will eventually be dissolved and either used as transport ships to the New World or sold to civilians. Fusae’s San Lorenzo has been repaired, so all that remains are the readjustments to the flagship San Martín,” said Juana as she stared at the distant cloud. “San Martín was able to approach without England noticing and then attack Musashi. I wonder how England and Musashi will see through to its identity. …No, they are both still sounding each other out. They have to decide what to do with that crashed transport ship between them.”

As Juana looked into the western sky, she narrowed her eyes and sighed at the slight hint of evening colors in the sun.

“Will night eventually arrive?”

“According to the Testament, Tres España is known as the empire on which the sun never sets.”

“Testament,” answered Juana with a nod, but Gin saw her close her eyes. Juana formed a self-deprecating smile and said, “As the land of non-humans, you could call England the empire of the night. And the Far East is the land of the rising sun. When the people of dawn arrive at the empire of the night, will their rise be able to cause the sun to set?”

“Well…”

“Testament. I know it is a needless worry. The way I see it, it is reckless to try to stop the sun from setting. And the sun looks all the brighter when it rescues you from the night.”

So…

“I think there are those among the people of the sunken dawn who are struggling to rise up from the night. And that struggling dawn confronts the light of our empire by always trying to hold a new light.”

Just as Juana said that, two figures ran up the slope of the hill to their right. Gin and Juana turned around to find a pair from the baseball team.

“Ah. Look, brother! I told you she’d be here! Lady Juana! Lady Juana!”

That energetic voice belonged to…

“…The Valdés siblings?”

“What is it? This is a hospital, you know?”

Gin nodded in agreement with Juana’s question. She wondered what this was about and saw the Valdés sister arrive ahead of her brother. She bowed, stopped running, and looked up into the sky.

“Apparently, the secretary will find the chancellor and bring him back by nightfall! All right! Odd job complete!”

“Sister, I think such a short notification could be handled by divine message.”

“Testament. Thank you very much. Now, 4th special duty officer, what do you have to report that you could not do by divine message?”

“Testament,” replied the Valdés brother when he arrived. He bowed and suddenly said, “England’s Trumps have made a compromise with the Far East’s Musashi.”

“…Eh?”

Gin understood why Juana was confused.

A compromise meant England was showing understanding towards Musashi.

…''This could be bad if Musashi and England form an alliance.

The European forces would be unable to form a single side of the Musashi vs. Testament Union conflict.

“Could you be more specific?”

“Testament. This is why I opted to deliver the message in person.” The Valdés brother closed his eyes and lowered his head a bit. “The compromise is to allow supplies to be delivered to the crashed transport ship via a diplomatic ship. Also, the crew of the crashed ship are allowed on the fourth level of England. The crew is not yet allowed to return to Musashi, but it seems England wishes to have a trade meeting and a diplomatic meeting with Musashi.”

Gin saw Juana’s face grow truly expressionless upon hearing that.

…''If England holds a diplomatic meeting with Musashi…

“England’s relationship with Musashi will be made clear very soon.”

“Testament,” said Juana before continuing for Gin. “And the armada battle will be soon as well. England must want to make a decision concerning Musashi before their battle with us. But what does Musashi intend to do? Can you gather information on their situation through our intelligence networks?”

The siblings exchanged a hesitant glance.

“Well… Brother? How about you say it?”

“Sister, this is the first time I have been jealous of your standing as younger sibling. How would you like tripping down a flight of stairs together and having our minds switch bodies?”

''Is that based on “Torikaebaya Monogatari: The Emperor is Dokyo and Dokyo is the Emperor”, that Kamakura period sequel to a famous piece of transsexual literature?'' thought Gin.

“Anyway,” said the Valdés brother while scratching at his head. “It seems Musashi and the group on the transport ship are having some kind of festival.”

“A festival?”

“Testament. From what I heard, it isn’t even night yet and Musashi is already firing fireworks horizontally between the ships to ‘see which one is the strongest’ and a member of a visual band dived into the audience but ended up in the hospital because no one caught him.”

“What is that country thinking? …And what about the transport ship?”

“Testament. It seems a female student with some kind of spear is an expert at high-speed fishing. With her as their leader, they are holding a festival in which they use up all of their food reserves. It seems they are worshiping both the spear and the girl with cries of ‘Leader! Leader!’. They also started a fire, but it began to spread and caused panic.”

Gin nodded because she could easily imagine the scene. The other three looked at her speechlessly.

“As the ones who attacked them, we are definitely on the side of order and justice.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 10

2015-04-18T18:48:35Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 10: Hopeful People with Nothing to Do==

[[Image:Horizon2A_327.png|thumb]]
''Can you use the phrase

''“Below the umbrella”

''And not hide?

'''Point Allocation (Chatting Over Tea)

“Well? How is the transport ship doing, ‘Musashi’-san?”

The rooftop of the school at the rear of Okutama created a broad area with an unobstructed view of the sky. Two figures were exchanging words there.

One was a man passed middle age and the other was an automaton dressed as a maid and pouring tea for the man below a paper parasol set. The automaton, “Musashi”, spoke as she poured the black tea from a small teapot and into a teacup.

“Sakai-sama, this is a local Darjeeling. It is expensive, so make sure to savor it as you drink it. Also, perhaps you could close your newspaper. Close it now. I will not tell you a third time. …Judge. Very good. At any rate, this tea is expensive, so I have determined you should give your thoughts on its flavor. Over.”

With a nod, she held out the teacup. Sakai frowned a bit.

“Do I really have to give my thoughts on it if it’s expensive? I don’t think the price has that much to do with the flavor.”

“Judge,” replied “Musashi” with a single nod. “Unfortunately, an automaton’s sense of taste is merely a passive sense based on chemical reactions. It is difficult to determine if a flavor is good or not. However, price is a representation of value, so I have determined that is an accurate standard, assuming the market is not filled with falsehoods. Additionally, the trust in the British market makes it a high-level standard. As for flavor, we automata mostly accumulate records, reproduce food and drink based on those records, gather the reactions of those who eat or drink them, and use those accumulated reactions as a basis for how to make something delicious.”

“But you sometimes give me things that are nowhere near delicious.”

“Judge. You noticed, Sakai-sama? We also must accumulate data on unpleasant flavor or the balance of our knowledge will collapse. And it is you that eats the food, not me. Over.”

“Oh, c’mon. That’s just mean. Does that mean half of everything I eat is going to be disgusting?”

Sakai then glanced over at England to the north.

“Anyway, let’s get back on topic. How is the transport ship doing?”

“Judge. It is in British territory, so the surrounding area is in a state of quarantine so the locals cannot contact them. The 87 people aboard the transport ship are imprisoned within the ship and the nearby land so England can question them, but England shows no intention of performing that questioning right away. Bertoni-sama predicts that questioning will be addressed in the negotiations. Over.”

“I see,” muttered Sakai.

Suddenly, he heard a shallow vibration from the stern of the ship.

“———”

The steam whistle blew. A low, thick noise that one felt shallowly in one’s skin continued for about five seconds.

“…? Is it just me or has Tamako been blowing her whistle really weirdly from time to time? What is this?”

“It is a response to the transport ship. Over.”

More specifically…

“The transport ship has prepared two lights with a deep umbrella over them. They ask questions using a blinking code. The code is quite simple. One light blinks one to five times to indicate the vowel and-…”

Toori’s head suddenly poked up from below the edge of the roof. He looked around and spotted the two on the roof.

“I know how to say ‘boobs’ with it! Okay, that’s all I wanted to say. President, “Musashi”, don’t bother changing the channel. I-…ahh!?”

An arm wearing a track suit reached up from below, grabbed Toori’s hair, and pulled him down out of view.

“Eh? What’s this, sensei? You actually crawled up the wall after me? You must really love me to-… No, don’t throw me down! Today’s the day for non-burnable trash, so wait until Monday, Wednesday, or Friday!!”

“Musashi” gave a quick wave as the voice disappeared and she nodded expressionlessly.

“Toori-sama has become very strange during his separation from Horizon-sama. His abnormality is on the verge of boiling over. Over.”

“Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard you make a joke.”

“All I did was say ‘over’ after saying ‘over’. Over,” said “Musashi” in confusion. “To continue, one of the lights indicates the vowel and the other indicates the consonant row. Over.”

“Judge. And we respond with the steam whistle, is that it? Do we not use the lights because England would see them?” Sakai began counting on his fingers as he recalled the whistles he had heard. “A long whistle means yes and a short one means no. Any time it blows twice or more, it’s usually a random dummy signal, but a single long tone followed by several short ones is some kind of code.”

“How did you know? Over.”

“Because the first one last night was long. The very first question is definitely going to be ‘can you see us’, right? Our response was a long whistle, so that has to mean ‘yes’. Also, no complex response is needed to answer yes or no questions. That means all of those are dummy signals except for the ones that repeatedly use a fixed noise after a beginning sign.”

“Judge. That is very logical. When we have an urgent matter, we begin with a long tone and send the message using only the number for the vowels. Over.”

“I have an urgent matter to send-… Y-you’re too fast, sensei!! At least let me say it has to do with Horizon’s boobs! No, wait! That’ll kill me!!”

“Musashi” waved her handkerchief and Sakai nodded.

“Judge, judge. So they’ve been asking awkward questions and we’ve been giving yes or no answers.”

“Tenzou-sama came up with their method using the lights. Over.”

“I wonder if they’ve caught on.” Sakai turned toward England again. “Well, I guess they aren’t saying something to show they aren’t completely hostile toward us.”

“The problem lies in Masazumi-sama and Futayo-sama’s presence on the transport ship. Musashi does not have its negotiator and vice president or its divine weapon user and vice chancellor, so our negotiations with England are not going well.”

“Who’s in charge? Neshinbara? He’s a literature type like Sakakibara, so he’s pretty eloquent.”

“No.” “Musashi” shook her head and held up her right arm. “The curse of Macbeth has attached to Neshinbara-sama’s right arm, so he is currently suspended from his duties. It seems he attempts to harm his king whenever he tries to do anything. Over.”

“Oh, right. The curse of Macbeth. Can’t Asama-kun purify it?”

“Judge.” “Musashi” nodded and tilted her head while looking at her raised right arm. “From what I have heard, it is not technically a curse. It seems he has been given a part in a play, so it cannot be purified. Plays are dedicated to the gods, so any purification attempt is repelled. It also seems it will fade away and disappear if he leaves England. Neshinbara-sama says he is busy and wishes to make the most of his suspension, so he is not showing up at the academy either. The negotiations are currently being led primarily by Bertoni-sama and Augesvarer-sama. Over.”

“Hm. So Neshinbara was cursed and now he’s ‘busy’? I see,” muttered Sakai.

“What is it that you ‘see’? Over.”

“Well, y’see…”

Sakai slightly adjusted his position in his chair.

“I feel like Innocentius right now,” he commented with a bitter smile while taking a sip of his tea. “Tres España attacked, right?”

“Musashi” turned a surprised look toward Sakai.

“You mean you are already starting to forget? Simply put, I believe you need your brain modified by the ship’s IZUMO Institute. Over. Now, to continue…”

“Wait a second, ‘Musashi’-san. Don’t skip right past my tsukkomi phase.”

“Musashi” ignored him.

“Your brain is of low priority as far as I am concerned, so I shall continue on. The surface areas, the transport ships, and the towing belts have been left in a terrible state, we were struck twice by an undetected ship, and that later attack was also what led to Ex. Caliburn pummeling us. When one seeks someone to blame yet finds nothing, the spiral of thoughts leads to what I believe can be expressed as ‘anger’. Over.”

“Well done. And that is an emotion that will be turned our way quite a bit, so it’s worth remembering.”

“Judge. So that is what one refers to as ‘feelings of gratitude’. I have a lot to learn about humans. This is not logical at all. …What is with that look, Sakai-sama? Oh, is that gratitude? Over.”

“Enough of that. …Anyway, you just mentioned what Tres España did to us, right? That’s what has Neshinbara so ‘busy’.” Sakai let out a breath and looked up at the sky outside the parasol. “Neshinbara was the one in command during the attack.”

“Musashi” nodded in response to Sakai’s words.

“Judge. I see your memories have returned. Well done. …Now, what do you mean? I have determined Neshinbara-sama’s command and plan produced excellent results. Over.”

A smile appeared on the corner of Sakai’s mouth and he pulled a kiseru from his pocket.

“But you just said the transport ships, towing belts, and surface areas are in a terrible state. And there was the second attack.”

“Damage was indeed done, but it was necessary. Most residents had already moved underground and most of the damage was done to Takao, Oume, Musashino, and Okutama which have non-residential buildings such as stores and companies on the surface. There was little damage to people’s homes,” she said. “The damage from the later shells was outside of our expectations, but no one could have predicted Tres España would have a practical stealth ship. Plus, that entire battle was unexpected. As such, his handling of the attack was the best anyone could have done. Over.”

“But we’re stuck here, Musashi is falling apart, and our people are injured and separated from us. It was more of a loss than a win. The original battle was closer to being a tie, so we tried to earn a win by showing off the speed of our gravitational cruising to say we could fight back and could not be caught. But…”

“We ended up showing we could fight back but could be caught? Over.”

“Judge,” said Sakai. Low in the sky ahead of them were the eight ships of Musashi and something was visible on the port side. “We can’t fully repair while floating and without more supplies. We can’t use our gravitational cruising right now and can only continually show off how weak we are. And with some of our people separated from us, the burden has been falling on the representative committee and the 2nd-year committee. On top of that, Musashi’s residents are getting impatient since we can’t choose when we negotiate while England has their hostages. Also, the emergency rations don’t taste very good.”

“Judge. From what I can see on Musashi’s divine network, more and more people want to land at England or move on to the next port. We had plenty of reserves for food and other goods, but it is still only enough for three weeks. The personal indulgences are beginning to run out. Bertoni-sama has bought the trading inventory of the other merchants and sent those goods into the marketplace, but some of those will have to be sold at a loss. Over.”

“While belonging to the student council or chancellor’s officers, a merchant can make a lot of money with their authority. …The other merchants will probably overcharge Shirojiro so a young merchant like him doesn’t use this emergency to grow too powerful. And who is it that created this situation?” He took a breath. “Tres España started it and England prolonged it, but Neshinbara is the one responsible on Musashi.”

“But this was an unanticipated-…”

“If I told you not to underestimate people’s feelings, would you find it unfair? Unfortunately, that’s the only answer I have. This was unexpected, Neshinbara made no clear errors, and this result may very well have been the best possible. You might want to ask the people complaining to do better themselves.”

Sakai took the lighter for his kiseru from its case. The end of the small, folded charm had small red flames hanging down as if it were ink the charm had soaked up. He placed the charm over the kiseru’s opening.

“But…Neshinbara was the one in charge.”

“…”

“Even if it was all unexpected and even if he did the best he could, men like to hope for too much. And when you hope for too much of a past event, you end up with doubts similar to regrets. You begin questioning your every action. Neshinbara is probably looking over the records of that attack again and again. And if he thinks he’s found something he could have done better, he’ll get depressed.”

“That sounds like he is not looking at reality. Over.”

“You only experience reality once, but you can enjoy looking back at something as many times as you want. If something enjoyable happened in the past, you want to do it again in reality. But if something bad happened in the past, you want to think it was not as bad as you thought, so you go back to it again and again.”

“Do you do that as well, Sakai-sama? Over.”

“Well.” Sakai returned the lighter to the case around his neck and let smoke out into the sky with a bitter laugh. “That’s pretty much all I do.”

“Judge. Is Mikawa one of the things you think back on? Over.”

“You have a lot of questions today, ‘Musashi’-san.”

Sakai sat up straight, but continued on to lean forward. He rested his elbows on his lap and held his kiseru at cheek height.

“If Neshinbara isn’t busy, I’d like to ask him some things about the Double Border Crest.”

“The Double Border Crest,” muttered “Musashi” as if rolling the words around in her mouth. “Have you asked Asama-sama about it? Over.”

“I already have a lot of examples like Asama-kun’s. After asking about the people who have disappeared and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance, you end up hearing the same pattern again and again, so there isn’t much point. And when I try to directly ask the temple about it, they say they aren’t allowed to tell me anything.”

“Is the temple keeping the information secret? Over.”

“I can’t figure out why. Asama-kun’s father told me what he knows, but it seems the instruction to remain silent on the issue came from pretty high up. I really don’t want to think about how high up you have to get to control a major temple like the Asama Temple.”

“I see two possibilities,” said “Musashi” as she tilted her head. “Either this silence is meant to conceal some kind of truth or the temples do not know the details and the silence is meant to prevent confusion from spreading through the people. I suggest the latter. Over.”

“Why? The former is more exciting. Everyone loves uncovering hidden truths.”

“If they knew the truth, they would be handling the problem in some fashion. If they knew the details of this strange phenomenon causing people to disappear, a solution to the problem would come first and foremost. They would also need to inform people how to avoid the disappearances. As they are hiding it and not guiding the people to safety, I can only assume they know nothing. In other words, the order of silence is meant to hide their own incompetence. Over.”

“You’re pretty harsh. But if they did know the details, it is true they would make the details known, dispel people’s fears of the Apocalypse by solving the disappearances, and improve Shinto’s reputation in the process. …After all, this is apparently a problem occurring all over the world. After England, we’ll probably visit Izumo, so maybe I can look into it there.”

“Judge. You are curious, aren’t you? That is a good thing. It is much better than spending every day wandering around Musashi and reading in the bookstores without buying anything. Instead of doing that, how about you watch the Black Disk box set of Dangerous Decameron you ordered. ‘Okutama’ is still holding on to it for you. Over.”

“Well, it turns out I bought the sequel More Dangerous Decameron and one of the duo is almost never there.” Sakai let out a puff of smoke. “Well, I want to give Neshinbara time to think, see the people around him making a fuss, and come to his own decision. His surname is based on Sakakibara’s, after all. I can’t have him saying nothing of importance and disappearing like the real one did.”

Sakai then glanced over at “Musashi”.

“Don’t you have something to say about that?”

“No, I do not have the necessary knowledge to comment on your friends. I do wish I had the same level of familiarity with you as the Kazuno that occasionally comes up in your stories. Over.”

“Having two of her would do twice as much damage to the world. You’re fine the way you are.”

“Judge,” she said with a nod.

“Well,” began Sakai while puffing out more smoke. “If Neshinbara finds an answer, I can ask him about the Double Border Crest then. England is a good spot for that.”

“England is?” asked “Musashi” with a tilt of the head.

Sakai nodded and breathed in.

“Spirits and non-human races are easily affected by the moonlight. That’s because-…”

“That is because one of the two moons is made of ether crystal. It is said to have been created long before the Age of the Gods when humanity had yet to ascend to the heavens. What about it? Over.”

“Because England is the country of spirits and non-human races, its research into ether and ley lines is more advanced than any other country. It’s also partially due to joining with Izumo and acting as a neutral party between the Far East and the other countries during the Harmonic Unification War, but they were the ones to come up with some of the names like ATELL. And the strange phenomena come from disturbances in the ley lines.”

“You think there will be a hint concerning the Double Border Crest and the Princess Disappearances in England? Over.”

“I don’t know,” said Sakai. “I’ve looked into a lot of this like I’m a student and I think there’s a chance. England is definitely worth checking out, especially the royal family.” He took a breath. “In the past when people have been spirited away in England or Europe, they were caused by spirits. And the current leader of England is the Fairy Queen. …What is going to happen in England? And how will Tres España handle their attack?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 09|Chapter 09]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 07

2015-04-18T18:45:56Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 07: Creators on the Battlefield==

[[Image:Horizon2A_223.png|thumb]]
''When one creates

''Does one build up?

''Or does one shave away?

'''Point Allocation (Molding)

Naruze questioned the sudden shaking and weight that came down from above.

…''What kind of spell is this!?

The pressure from above had to be some kind of spell. Naruze’s pen was a spell focusing device as well as the summoning device for the Weiss Fräulein which was her spell tool as a Technohexen, but the Orei Metallo on the tip of the pen was dyed in red light. That meant the pen’s ether analysis defense spell had automatically activated.

While the others collapsed to the ground or to their knees, Naruze resisted the pressure and thought about the enemy’s spell.

What was this weight she felt?

Some power was affecting her as if pressing down from above. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see those behind her collapsed or kneeling, but one fact held true for all of them.

…''Their hips fell first, so they landed on their knees.

She then focused on the pressure she felt on her own shoulders, head, and wings.

“Gravity has not been increased. Is every surface facing the heavens being ‘crushed’ from directly above!?”

As if affirming that analysis, the four British students other than Shakespeare stepped forward.

Naruze folded her wings to either side to divert the burden on her back to the left and right.

“Everyone, stand as vertically as you can! If you cannot manage standing, kneel on both knees and straighten your back! Focus on using incantation spells! Aim any projectiles above their heads!”

As she spoke, the weight only grew.

''What kind of spell affects an entire area like this?'' wondered Naruze as she looked forward.

The four standing before her showed no sign of bearing the weight. However…

“God’s divine protection.”

Cecil was floating. Her arms were extended to the side and she lightly swayed in the wind.

“It can’t be…”

Naruze felt the pressure increase and Cecil floated up even further, so Naruze shouted out.

“That woman is ‘handing out’ her weight, isn’t she!?”

“Testament,” said Dudley with a nod. “H-historically, William Cecil was the queen’s Secretary of State and her good friend, but the stress of being envied and his hard work led him to regularly overeat. He became mocked as England’s representative of obesity. H-his may be an honored position, but the men backed away due to the dishonorable treatment. That is why she, England’s greatest competitive eater, was recommended. Her ability is…”

The lipstick-colored lips on that withered face formed a crescent moon. At the same moment, Cecil spoke in a chirping voice from over a meter above the deck.

“The wealthy should give alms to the needy.”

“No, thank you!” shouted Naruze.

Dudley moved forward while holding her right palm out in front. Her footsteps rang loudly as she moved closer.

“Oh-oh-oh dear. How can this fallen angel say that when she is so n-n-n-needy. Especially in the chest. Y-you should at least accept the weight any normal woman would have. Or is that enough to make you unsteady?”

“Kh! Th-that doesn’t matter!” Naruze raised her voice as her entire body trembled under the great pressure. “And I can embrace Margot and bury my face in her chest like this, so it’s perfect if there’s a little extra room here!”

As Innocentius listened to the voices picked up by the Hexagone Française broadcast committee’s parabolic microphone, he wordlessly closed the sign frame and turned to Galileo behind him.

“Okay, let’s get to Pisa like we planned. I bet we’ll scare some people throwing those balls down. Hm?”

“You need to grow at least somewhat accustomed to Musashi’s performance style, former boy.”

Back on the transport ship, everyone turned toward Naito as they focused on Shinagawa via sign frame or sight.

“Oh, my,” said Naito while scratching at her head. She put on her usual smile and said, “I can’t exactly bury her face in my chest even if she embraces me, so we don’t do that.”

“Y-yes, of course. Y-you do not do that, right?” said Mitotsudaira who was unsure what to say.

Naito nodded and said, “Right. It’s impossible with clothes on, so we don’t even try.”

“You mean you do it while naked!?”

“Well, um…”

Naito tried to laugh off everyone’s comment, lightly embraced her broom, and stared forward. Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward Shinagawa which was still wrapped in mist.

“But Ga-chan looks pretty irritated. I hope she doesn’t do anything reckless. She can get really, really reckless when she does.”

With an instantaneous movement, Naruze threw a new water bottle. She “replayed” the spell from before and threw it once more, but it required over twice the ether because the defensive spell protecting her from the pressure was still active.

She targeted Dudley who was now less than ten meters away. It was a short distance, but the weight caused the bottle’s trajectory to drop. Naruze had aimed well above the woman, but it flew toward her stomach.

“How reliable. According to our information, you are from M.H.R.R. and you certainly have that feel to you.”

As she spoke, Dudley’s opened right hand flew.

Immediately afterwards, a sound of impact was followed by a steam explosion.

However, something odd happened around Dudley’s right palm.

“You repelled the explosion!?”

It had been a casual action. She had swept her hand as if sweeping trash from a desk and the explosion itself had been pushed away from her palm just like a piece of trash.

“!!”

The explosive noise was repelled and Dudley and the other three were unharmed.

Naruze, however, shouted into the steam explosion which was brushed to the side.

“Is that the ‘Repel’ Testament Sign!?”

“Y-y-y-yes,” rang Dudley’s voice. “We are to brush aside any difficulty.”

''I see,'' thought Naruze.

This was the ability to repel any power, but all it could do was repel. To use it as an attack, it had to be slammed into the floor or wall with a quick snap. The burden from Cecil was of course meant to hold their enemy down, but it would also automatically slam that enemy to the ground if Dudley merely knocked them to the side.

…''So if these two are working together…

“Qu-quite the clever fallen angel, aren’t you?” muttered Dudley, cutting off Naruze’s thoughts. “A-a-anyway, w-w-we don’t have time, so let’s keep this short. I wanted to show I could make it through without using this. I had hoped to be praised by Her Majesty the Queen, but at this rate, I will not even be praised for stopping Musashi.”

She held her left hand up so it crossed her right hand. That left hand was decorated with a hard object.

“Th-this is one of England’s Testamenta Arma, the great gauntlet Brachium Justitia – Vetus.”

Naruze saw a giant silver gauntlet on Dudley’s left hand. It was wrapped in bluish-white light in a pattern that resembled feathers and that light trailed after the gauntlet as it moved. A few crosses contained in boxes appeared on its surface and it wholeheartedly worked to make its presence known. Finally, Dudley raised the gauntlet in front of her chest.

“Wh-wh-wh-what do you think of this? One of England’s Testamenta Arma is pretty r-rare, don’t you think? And the power granted by the Brachium Justitia – Vetus is…” She pointed the gauntlet toward the floor. “…remote control of the battlefield’s weapons. As a Testamenta Arma, its effective range is not as large as a Logismoi Oplo, but it still works over several dozen meters.”

As Dudley, spoke, Naruze heard countless noises.

Many archers around her had been crushed under Cecil’s weight and they had all held bows and arrows.

…''They’re turning toward me!?

“Do you get it now?” said Dudley. “R-r-r-right now, you are a hostage.”

“…!”

The word “humiliation” floated up in Naruze’s gut. She heard the straining of drawn bows behind her as well as the voices of those holding the bows.

“My hands…”

They could not let go of their weapons. Out of the corner of her eye, Naruze saw everyone moving to take aim. And it was not just the bows. The spears, swords, and everything else were pointed her way as well.

“Kh!”

One person allowed Cecil’s weight to crush her down onto her bow. However…

…''It’s still aiming this way and she can’t let go?

Several female students allowed themselves to collapse, but they grimaced when they realized their bows and arrows were being drawn even tighter than before. They gave anguished groans and shed tears.

“N-Naruze-sama, I-I’m sorry! What am I supposed to do if I end up killing you!? Then you couldn’t draw any more of ‘Asama-sama Shoots’ featuring Asama-sama and Suzu-sama!”

“What!? Whaaat!?” said Asama over a sign frame. “Why Suzu-san and me!? I thought Naruze only drew guys!”

“The guys are my trade. This is for the money.”

“No, it isn’t.”

That final comment may have been spoken using male language, but the voice belonged to a girl.

Behind Jonson, Shakespeare sat in her white coat and with her backpack sitting next to her. She spoke with her face buried in a paperback novel.

“Malga Naruze. You aren’t the type to create something for money.”

Naruze heard clear-toned male language come from Shakespeare’s lips.

“Malga Naruze, you are the head of Musashi Ariadust’s manga research club and have gone by the penname of Black Hair & Wings. You use romances that transcend gender to illustrate your primary theme of physical interactions being a means of accomplishing mental interactions. That theme has not wavered whether the characters are original or based on real people. In other words, drawing people regardless of their gender is your ''Fides''.”

“Oh…?”

Naruze began to mentally sweat as Shakespeare began reading once more without even looking over at her. This sensation could be described as a slight chill, and there was a good reason for it.

…''Black Hair & Wings was my penname in elementary school.

“Oh, right,” said Shakespeare as if she had just remembered something. “I pray you will eventually be able to draw the perfect form of your ''Fides'' that uses you and your partner as the model.”

“…”

Naruze felt herself give a hard gulp.

…''I hadn’t even told Naito I wanted to draw that someday!

Naruze felt something a bit different than simply having a secret exposed. This was something she had not told anyone. It could only have been read in the foreshadowing of what she was doing with her current works.

Naruze did not know if this was her opponent’s intention, but she felt this was a method of “unbalancing” her. And so Naruze spoke into the sign frame which had opened near her face.

“Asama, how about we make a virtual experience doujinshi using spells? By using coordinate gravitational control, we could even manipulate things inside people while not hurting them. And if you have a partner, it could be made mutual.”

“Sh-shrine maidens don’t do that kind of thing.”

“Don’t be stupid. That’s why you make it an unofficial doujinshi. Asama, listen to my speech carefully: If you join, you can start with things that are more elementary. And as a club, you can make the excuse that it’s part of school. We’ll make sure to give you a grand entrance. You can learn a lot and it will make a nice break from the shrine and all its ceremony.” Naruze gave a small smile. “I know. How about we call it ‘What I Want to Do’?”

The sign frame silently disappeared. Meanwhile, Dudley stopped at five meters away.

She looked over and sighed.

“I-I-I see your pointless chatting is over. In that case, I have a demand for Musashi’s officers and student council.”

With a smile on the corner of her mouth, Dudley opened that mouth. Instead of looking toward Naruze, she turned her sharp gaze toward Okutama in the distance.

“A-a-a-acknowledge that Musashi is now under England’s full control.”

Place Musashi under England’s control.

Naruze’s mind jumped up at those words.

…''Don’t be ridiculous!!

However, she also heard something else. Some solid mass struck the deck to her right.

At the bottom of her vision, she saw one of the water bottles she carried for spells. It was meant to be made into a steam bomb, but it should have been nothing but a water bottle as long as she did not put a spell on it.

But something was wrong.

She frowned as the water inside the bottle began to bubble.

…''It’s started to boil!?

Before she could wonder why, Jonson shrugged beyond Dudley. He took a light step and the printing incantation device installed in his shoe printed a letter.

However, this letter was not printed on the deck. It was driven into the air and was wrapped in ether light.

This was a spell.

'''“Ah.”

He leaped into the air, swung his arms to his chest, and lightly spun a full 360 degrees.

'''“Heat dances through the water while its heart is trapped in a cage.”

As he spoke, he typed the same words into the air using the soles of his shoes and the number of bubbles in the bottle increased. Jonson landed and spoke without typing the words.

“You, what did you think of the athlete poet’s poem to the spirits? I cannot do it in a single second like your spell, but it should explode in…let’s say thirty seconds. So…”

The sounds of bows being tightly drawn grew louder around Naruze. The bowstrings started to sound metallic.

And Dudley’s trembling voice could be heard over the straining of the bows.

“S-surrender, students of Musashi. Wh-wh-wh-what is it? I thought the students of Musashi Ariadust made an enemy of the Testament Union to protect a single princess. …Your primary defender is now our hostage. So what kind of performance is this?”

Dudley held up her gauntlet and raised her eyebrows slightly.

“W-will the leaders of this academy abandon one of their own?”

However, Naruze heard an immediate response.

“C’mon, c’mon. Don’t look down on us like that, ladies. We haven’t abandoned her.”

This voice came from a new sign frame.

“M-M-Musashi’s chancellor and president, Aoi Toori!” cried Dudley with a frown. “Wh-why are you naked!?”

Dudley saw the naked boy displayed in the pagan sign frame.

He looked at her with his arms folded, but Musashi’s vice president and vice chancellor could be seen behind him retying a rope around his neck. The naked boy looked back at the two girls.

“Eh? Hey! What are you two doing this time!? I’m not gonna run away!”

“Shut up. We don’t want you wandering around and being a bother while we’re busy rescuing people. And we can’t have you doing anything to Horizon while she’s unconscious. At any rate, hurry up and say what you have to say.”

“Chehh,” muttered the naked boy below his breath. He then frowned toward Dudley. “Well? Um… What is it you want? Hurry up and tell me.”

“Y-you contacted me!!” shouted Dudley as she felt somewhat dizzy.

…''Ah, my chronic high blood pressure.

Her excessively low weight gave her somewhat high blood pressure, so she tried to avoid getting too angry. She could handle slow-going types like Cecil, but not everyone was like that in reality.

''Lucky for them, I am a very helpful woman,'' she thought.

“I-I was asking if you are willing to abandon your friend.”

“Eh? Oh, don’t worry about that. Listen up, okay?”

Just as he struck a pose, the vice president tied the rope to the deck railing behind him and tugged twice to make sure it would not come loose.

“The way I see it…kh!? The way…keh!? Are you not going to let me speak!?”

“Eh? Oh, sorry, sorry. I’m done. You can talk now.”

“O-okay! In that case, listen up!”

“Oh, it has come loose over there, Masazumi,” cut in the vice chancellor.

“As I was saying, I…gh! I…kh! …Keh!? Did you have to pull it a third time!?”

The Weiss Hexen fallen angel visible beyond the sign frame nodded twice. She turned toward Dudley with the ends of her eyebrows lowered in a look of pity.

“Don’t talk to him too much or you’ll catch his stupidity.”

“Don’t lie, Naruze! You can’t catch that just from talking to me! Touching me is a different story, though!” The naked boy took a Y-shaped pose of protest, but soon got back on topic. “Listen. I’ll never abandon anyone! You can count on that!”

“What? Really, Aoi? Even if it was Tenzou?”

“Eh…?”

“Wh-what kind of question is that, Masazumi-dono!? Your personality really has taken a turn for the worse lately!”

“Calm down, calm down.”

The boy in the Y-shaped pose and Musashi’s vice president restrained the ninja with their hands.

“Whatever’s going on in Musashi, the Far East, or the world, I will never abandon anyone,” said the naked boy as he folded his arms. “And listen. Naruze there has more willpower than you think she does. At the very least, she isn’t the type to just let someone take her hostage.”

As those words left the sign frame, something happened.

The fallen angel in front of Dudley swung up her right hand.

…''What is she trying to do!?

What did she hope to do against the arrows and the time bomb?

Dudley did not know what the fallen angel was doing, but there was nothing she could actually do. Dudley gave a command using Brachium Justitia – Vetus on her left hand. She instructed the arrows to shoot the girl.

She had already warned the girl, so it was the girl’s own fault for moving despite the warning.

And so Dudley let out a cry. She had already sent the command mentally, but vocalizing it seemed to drive the meaning home.

“Sh-sh-sh-shoot her!”

As soon as Dudley gave the command, she saw a bitter smile appear on the fallen angel’s lips.

“Too bad. I suppose I will be leaving now that I have exposed the abilities of three of you.”

The fallen angel spoke those words at almost the exact same moment as the arrows were fired behind her back.

Several dozen arrows flew to pierce that fallen angel’s body in an instant.

But something else arrived before those arrows. A line of light flew from the center of Musashi to their right. That white trailing ether light was…

…''A stake!?

No, it was a thick cylindrical arrow with the tip crushed down.

Wondering what it was, Dudley followed the line back to where the thick arrow had been fired. Her gaze moved faster than her body and she saw a female student standing atop the towing belt travelling between the front center ship and the second starboard ship.

She held a giant white bow that had just been fired.

“Th-th-th-the rumored sniper shrine maiden!”

“Who are you calling a sniper!?”

While taking her follow-through breath, Asama waited for the feedback of a hit.

She had accurately read location, distance, and the wind. The divine purification protection had successfully taken the arrow through the area ruled by Cecil’s gravitational burden and Dudley’s strange Testamenta Arma. She had gone to all this trouble for one reason.

…''Blow Naruze away!

It had started with the divine transmission earlier. Naruze’s response had told Asama what she should do. The meaning had been hidden in Naruze’s speech.

…''If you join, you can start with things that are more elementary. And as a club, you can make the excuse that it’s part of school. We’ll make sure to give you a grand entrance. You can learn a lot and it will make a nice break from the shrine and all its ceremony.

Without being told, Asama had known to take the last word of each sentence.

“The elementary school entrance ceremony!”

And Naruze had followed it up with the title “What I Want to Do”.

''In that case,'' thought Asama.

There had been a few different people she had failed to shoot that day approximately twelve years ago. Naruze was one of them. If that was what Naruze wanted, this was a good chance to somewhat make up for her failure twelve years ago. And so Asama had prepared a non-penetrating anti-shock arrow.

“Hit!” she cried as white light exploded above Shinagawa.

Her arrow had crashed into Naruze.

The girl with six black wings was blasted to the starboard side.

The arrow burst the instant it struck and its light expanded with a pressure that pushed the girl out of the way. Due to Cecil’s weight, she did not float well, but she was still knocked a few dozen meters away.

“…!”

She had wrapped her wings around herself in advance, but she still rolled quite a bit.

An instant later, the arrows flew into the spot she had just been in, but now their trajectory took them toward Dudley.

“…!”

Just as Dudley’s cheeks bent in a frown, the steam bomb exploded in front of her.

The white steam hid the arrows and Dudley could not see for a moment.

However, the countless arrows instantly stabbed through the steam. They crossed paths at the spot Naruze had been in, but they continued on to Dudley.

Dudley therefore swung the Testamenta Arma on her left arm.

“Drop!”

The command just barely arrived in time. Only a dozen or so centimeters in front of her, the arrows stabbed into the ground like a thicket with sharp leaves and branches.

However, it did not end there. Instead of breaking through the steam in front of Dudley, something with giant wings blew the steam away altogether.

“A half-dragon!?”

“2nd Special Duty Kiyonari Urquiaga is here!”

A giant body covered in a blue and white exoskeleton charged toward Dudley.

Despite Cecil’s weight, the half-dragon charged forward while partly running and partly flying.

“I will give you a warm welcome, heretic!”

He held no weapon, so he faced Dudley simply by charging forward.

He filled the distance in no time at all, so Dudley did not have time to swing her right hand.

However, someone managed to move in that time.

“Mate, I hope this is not enough to give you trouble.”

Those words were accompanied by the movement of legs covered in white tights and thick shoes. Behind Dudley, Jonson instantly accelerated from a crouching start.

On his third step, Jonson swung his right leg up and struck the half-dragon’s right shoulder with the sole of the shoe.

'''“Express yourselves, oh words!”

The printing incantation devices on the bottoms of his feet wrote printed words in the air using light.

'''“As she stands still, oh wind, pass by her in human form!”

An attack that was not a restraint or a kick struck the half-dragon and knocked him to the left.

As a sound of impact rang out, Jonson landed and clenched his right fist.

“Good!”

Just as he spoke, a figure suddenly appeared before him. It was a boy who had jumped down from the half-dragon’s back.

With a calm look in his eyes, he carried a piece of squared lumber that could be used as a support.

“You are Noriki who defeated Professor Galileo, are you not!?”

“If you know who I am, why bother mentioning it?”

“I see,” said Jonson as he looked to the left.

There, he saw a certain sight. The half-dragon had used the momentum of being knocked away in order to pick up the black-winged girl who had rolled away earlier.

“I see. That charge was a decoy allowing you to rescue the Technohexen and transport a warrior.”

“I’m no warrior,” said the boy with a calm look in his eyes. “I’m a laborer.”

Naruze’s body was unsteady due to the impact and the tumble, so she could only watch the battlefield.

More in front of her than to the side was Urquiaga who stood between her and the British force. The 2nd special duty officer obstructed her view quite badly, but he made excellent cover. Naruze managed to stand up behind him.

“Well done getting here,” she commented.

“We could not have done it without you exposing their abilities.”

“Any more praise and I’m going to feel humiliated, so could you leave it at that?”

“I see Technohexen these days are terribly conceited.”

Urquiaga then moved forward. Naruze tried to follow, but…

…''Kh.

Her wings felt heavy. She could feel heat in the flight muscles exclusive to winged races which were located on her shoulder blades and the lower portion of her trapezius, and she could not gather strength in them. She felt the same heat above her right knee and in the front lower portion of her shoulders.

Those muscles had been tense under the heavy burden of Cecil’s weight and the previous impact and tumble had caused that tension to collapse.

To make matters worse, that weight was still affecting her because she had not escaped its effective range. Each time she moved her body, that heat seemed to produce more weight, so she felt as if her body was hanging down from her bones.

''Like this, I’m only in the way,'' she muttered in her heart.

Urquiaga seemed to understand how she felt because he moved forward without speaking a word.

The half-dragon loosely moved both shoulders around in a circle and took a large step toward the British force.

As Naruze watched, she took half a step back.

…''Damn.

She felt a thick weight over her entire body below her inner suit, so she took another step back.

A few black feathers scattered as she moved away from the battlefield.

Even as she left the noises, movements, and wind of the battle, Naruze kept her back to the rear of the ship and made sure Naito could not see her.

“Dammit…”

She wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her right hand.

She could hear the sounds of the battle beginning once more.

The battle took the form of martial arts underneath extra weight.

Cecil floated and added that extra weight while Shakespeare was immersed in a book. Ahead of those two, Jonson and Dudley fought Noriki.

England’s goal was to stop Musashi and leave it unable to fight. Musashi’s goal was to stop England from doing so.

However, the situation would come to an end once Musashi entered its course around England.

“Just two more minutes! Please hold them off that long!” Masazumi’s voice filled Musashi via Mitotsudaira’s sign frame. “Once we begin circling England, Musashi can reach them! That will mean Trumps failed to keep England untouched. Even if they stop Musashi then, it won’t be a complete victory. Any further fighting will become a matter of pride rather than actual use!”

“You are giving meaning to this battlefield, aren’t you? Your words give different meaning to the situation and point the spotlight away from who wins and who loses,” said Jonson as he took a step away from Noriki, leaped lightly into the air, and wrote words as he spun around. “A very poetic method. There is more to a situation than what meets the eye. You retain the dignity for the ones who created this battlefield by betting on our win or loss, but rather than let those creators speak for themselves, you express that result with different words.”

He took a breath as he landed.

'''“Fly into the sky.”

The instant Jonson both finished typing his spell and landed, the large wooden container under his feet flew up.

Despite the extra weight being placed on the battlefield, the twenty meter tall container rose with ease.

Dudley then struck it with her open palm. With a sound of impact, the box spun around and flew through the air.

“How very light.”

The container fell to the deck and was smashed to pieces along with the furniture loaded inside.

Sounds of cracking and snapping wood rang out as the fragments flew into the air and disappeared. However, no one looked in that direction. All focus was on Dudley.

“C-c-c-can you see this?”

She held one of the arrows that had been fired and stabbed into the deck earlier. She held the arrow vertically over a cargo opening.

“Cecil. F-f-f-focus your ‘handing out’ on this.”

In the next moment, two things happened.

First, the weight bearing down on Shinagawa vanished for only an instant.

Second, the arrow in Dudley’s hand disappeared.

“…!!”

An intense vibration came from the bottom of the opening at her feet.

The ship shook as if jumping up and “Shinagawa” gave a ship-wide announcement.

“!? An unknown object of extreme weight has penetrated the fourth underground level!! The suspension frame and wide block #9 of levels 1, 2, and 3 have been damaged! Beginning native control to prevent secondary damages during cargo transport!” She took a breath. “I have determined this attack is very dangerous! Over!”

Everyone heard “Shinagawa’s” words that could be taken as surprise or a scream.

And in response, two members of the Musashi side stepped forward.

Noriki stepped forward to confront Jonson.

“Noriki, you handle that poet. I will take care of that floating gravity source,” said a voice to starboard.

A single giant form walked toward the battlefield. It was…

“The half-dragon from before?”

“Indeed. I am Kiyonari Urquiaga the Inquisitor.” He calmly walked through the weight bearing down on him. “I have two things to tell you. First, my ancestors were the race that explored high gravity areas. We have become a bit rare as a race, but we have not lost that ability. This much weight will have no effect on me. And second…”

Without nodding, Urquiaga pointed at Jonson.

“Men should not read poetry.”

The silence and motionless brought on by Urquiaga’s words was eventually broken by someone.

It was Dudley. She glanced over at Jonson and slowly nodded twice.

“S-s-s-sometimes his light, conceited style gets on my nerves. I’m left wondering what he is talking about.”

“Mate, wh-whose side are you on!?”

“I’m light, too,” added Cecil.

The weight suddenly increased and the deck lowered a bit. The wooden containers making up the deck were beginning to warp.

That weight was passed on to the ship’s frame, so Shinagawa creaked as the sides were pushed out from the center. The weight of course affected those on the deck as well.

“…Nh.”

Noriki fell to his knees, but held onto his piece of lumber to stay upright. However, Jonson was not affected by the weight, so he sighed and stared at Noriki.

“You are done for either way. We only have a little more than a minute left and that half-dragon’s endurance is a threat, but Cecil can provide more weight and Dudley can throw more arrows. So…”

So…

“You – and I mean that as the plural ‘you’ – are done for.”

“I hope everyone is okay,” said Asama as Kimi walked up next to her on the thick rope passageway connecting the rear of Shinagawa to Musashino.

Kimi observed the warping of Shinagawa that was visible from outside and listened to the ship-wide announcement.

“During the age of the gods, half-dragons were modified as a race to survive in high gravity areas and on high gravity planets, right? They may be a rare race now, but they make an excellent trump card for moments like this.”

Kimi then tapped on Asama’s shoulder and wrapped her left arm under her own chest.

“More importantly, you have nothing to do here, so why don’t you go elsewhere?”

“But…”

“Heh heh heh. As a sniper woman known on an international level, I know you want to shoot people left and right and make some victims bleed, but this is no longer a situation in which shooting will do any good. You need to leave.”

Asama initially wanted to deny most of that yet agree to the ultimate conclusion, but…

“You aren’t going to do anything, Kimi?” she asked instead.

She was essentially asking if Kimi did not want to help given the situation. However…

“No. I am a normal student, remember?” said Kimi casually as she looked toward Shinagawa. “Then again, so is Noriki. But I have no actual combat abilities. And…”

Kimi raised her right hand and placed the index finger on Asama’s forehead. Asama looked up slightly from beyond that finger.

“You are a shrine maiden, so you are not supposed to participate in combat either.”

And yet…

“If you feel the need to do something and force yourself to take part, you will only make things more painful later. In your current state, my foolish brother and the others are hesitant to include you in combat. A proper woman should not force herself into the middle of it all where she will accomplish nothing. Try inviting them over to you without trying to win their favor.”

“I-I’m not forcing myself into-…”

“Don’t bother lying.”

Kimi forcibly cut her off. Asama tried to resist, but she realized growing stubborn would not help.

“You miss out on a lot being a shrine maiden,” lamented Asama.

“Yes. You aren’t allowed to shoot people.”

“I-I think your view of me is a bit off, Kimi!”

“Heh heh heh. The fact that I was only ‘a bit’ off is making me shudder.”

“Huh!? Wh-why is everyone being so harsh with me today!?”

Asama hung her head down upon realizing how useless she was, but Kimi opened her mouth to speak once more.

“Aren’t there others things you can do? All the blood will make you want to shoot something, but you can go heal Naomasa and listen to her complaints. And. Another. Thing,” she said with clear distinction between each word. “You need to trust the others more. They are more than just idiots. After all, they are all people my foolish brother fully trusts. And you fall under that category as well.”

Kimi lowered her finger and lightly pressed in below the edge of Asama’s uniform’s chest band. Immediately afterwards…

“Eh?”

Just like a grape skin being peeled off, the black chest band slipped around below her breasts due to the weight from above. With the band slipped down, her breasts pressed down on the center fastener.

“…!?”

This weight split open the fastener, opening the suit wide from within.

With her body and skin fully exposed from the neck down to below her breasts, Asama frantically wrapped her arms around them to hold them in place.

“Eh!? Ah…kyaaaah!!”

“That’s quite the energetic scream for someone hanging their head like that. Did you not notice I was supporting mine from below?”

“O-of course I didn’t!!” shouted Asama.

She saw injured and non-injured boys gathered on the edge of Musashino and Shinagawa, all with giant grins and pointing their right thumbs upwards, so she fired arrows in both directions.

The screams and other sounds produced by her arrows were accompanied by a metallic groaning.

Shinagawa was creaking under the weight being placed on it.

Everyone frowned and turned cautiously toward Shinagawa.

“Huh?”

But they quickly let out confused voices.

“Is that…?”

The mist above Shinagawa had been sinking down under the weight, but it was now gently floating up and beginning to produce convection.

“Is the weight lessening!?”

As Jonson fought with Noriki over his location, he saw something.

The half-dragon was advancing.

Step by step, that giant form with solid wings approached Cecil despite the weight bearing down on him.

The weight was definitely there. The half-dragon’s feet were breaking out of his shoes and he was leaving definite footprints on the wooden deck.

However, those footprints also meant that he had not stopped walking.

“You really are a half-dragon!”

As far as Jonson could tell, the half-dragon could not freely fly while under Cecil’s weight and he could just barely walk.

“Concentrated attack,” said Cecil lightly.

That meant she was placing the weight such that the half-dragon was in the center.

Cecil’s eyebrows rose, her altitude rose, and the half-dragon’s exoskeleton began to creak. However…

“Not nearly enough!” roared the half-dragon as he took another step forward.

“…!”

Cecil arrogantly poured the weight on, but it took time to raise the weight over the entire area. Instead, she diverted the overall weight toward the half-dragon. And so…

“Are you going to ignore me?”

The boy named Noriki began to move more lightly.

Jonson had a single thought concerning this laborer warrior who opposed him.

…''This boy is dangerous, too!

Jonson faced the opponent who he alternatively attacked and defended against.

Due to the weight, Noriki had sweat on his brow and was relying on pure strength in his movements. Jonson, on the other hand, raised his attack speed with a spell. Noriki chose a certain strategy when faced with that situation where his opponent had an overwhelming advantage.

“You’re focusing solely on defense!?”

“It’s kind of pathetic, so don’t say it out loud.”

The lumber he had used as a support now functioned as a shield as he focused on defense. His arms, legs, and movements stopped, deflected, or evaded attacks. He seemed to take some attacks as feints, but…

…''Even those are throw-away delaying actions used as defense!

Those feints had meaning. They sealed Jonson’s actions as he stood between Cecil and Dudley.

Noriki did not have to win. He only had to keep Jonson from helping the others.

…''This boy is good for someone who is not an officer or student council member!

Jonson observed his opponent as he started mentally writing poetic praise.

“…!”

He saw Noriki with his hands full simply defending and moving his wooden support in and out of place. He was covered in sweat and baring his teeth, so it was difficult to think of any word except “desperate”.

He made up for his lack of skills by going all out. He had stamina and speed, but his arm strength was average for his age. That was his weakness.

One could call him unbalanced and awkward.

It was poetic.

…''But…

“To choose a defensive focus in this sort of short-term battle, you must be on the level of the chancellor’s officers or the student council!”

Jonson received no response. He raised his speed, so Noriki wordlessly worked at his own speed. The boy truly had his hands full now, but he still managed to force his defense through.

He was dangerous.

And so Jonson turned toward Dudley.

“You! Can you fire another arrow!?”

“I-I-I can! More importantly, C-C-Cecil!?”

Cecil was attempting to hold back the gradually approaching half-dragon. She had both palms stretched out toward him and her face was red, but she managed to speak.

“Testament. I can do it.”

“Testament! W-w-w-wonderful, Cecil!”

The fletching of Dudley’s arrow vibrated as if shuddering. This showed that Cecil had reset the distribution of weight.

Dudley released the arrow as if placing it in midair.

“Arrow #2! G-g-go all the way to the primary frame!”

To make doubly sure, Dudley struck the arrow down with her right hand.

The arrow immediately vanished, the weight instantly vanished, and everyone braced themselves for the coming vibration.

“…”

After a moment of silence, a loud noise reverberated from the hole the arrow had vanished into. However, it was not the creaking of metal or the roar of destruction. It was a human voice.

“Owww!!!”

Dudley looked down toward the source of that scream which had been accompanied by a loud impact.

“Wh-wh-what is that round thing!?”

She could tell it was a vassal’s mobile shell, but why was it being held by a half-naked macho man wearing a bucket helmet and why was it staggering unsteadily.

“A-ah. W-wait! Um…Wh-what was that thing that just fell on me!?”

Dudley dropped the next one, but the macho man swiftly placed the mobile shell in the spot the arrow dropped toward.

“Eh? I just have to stand here? Okay, but… Oww!?”

With the sound of a direct hit, the mobile shell floated up lightly from the rebound. However, the arrow did not pierce through.

…''That mobile shell’s anti-impact structure and broad feet are dispersing the impact!?

The ship still creaked, but it only shook lightly.

“I can’t believe it,” muttered Dudley while beginning to sweat.

She recalled seeing that vassal acting as a shield during the Battle of Mikawa. It had not been noticeable then because the mobile shell had only been fired on horizontally, but the anti-impact structures of each part were made to almost perfectly stop even impacts from above. The way the mobile shell bounced up in the rebound was proof of that. Its defenses were set quite high.

The one wearing the shell would have a hard time moving, but their safety was ensured by the perfect defense.

And so Dudley leaped to the port side to her right.

“Kh!”

And she fired another arrow.

However, she saw immediate movement below. Down in the cargo opening, a nude and muscular incubus gave a refreshing smile from the port side wall.

“Ha ha ha! Over here, Persona-kun! Come on over!!”

The macho man named Persona-kun picked up the mobile shell and moved to the port side.

“Eh? Ah? Owww!?”

“Kh,” groaned Dudley.

This time, she leaped to the starboard side and fired an arrow, but a slime was attached to the starboard side wall.

“Yes, now you must come toward me!”

“Ah, wait… Eh? Owww!”

A great vibration and noise exploded out and wind blasted up through the hole, but the arrow did not penetrate any lower and the mobile shell only staggered a bit.

“S-s-s-stop pissing me off!” shouted Dudley with veins bulging on her forehead and an arrow between each of her spread fingers. “It’s time for rapid fire!!”

The noise and impacts of the mobile shell stopping the arrows were transmitted by the recording devices in the cargo area.

The students on the transport ship used a sign frame to watch Persona-kun move left and right while Dudley dropped arrows from above while also moving left and right.

“Tenzou, doesn’t seeing this scene on a sign frame make you want buttons for moving them left and right?”

“Judge. I used to have a black and white handheld charm game like this. It was made by a Kyou corporation and I had the Giant Octopus and Fire games.”

“This is more like the Insane Monkey Man game that had two screens. You move Persona-kun back and forth on the bottom screen while Noriki moves up and down on the top screen to hold the poet back.”

“Oh, I can hear you!” said Adele from within the mobile shell. “That kind of video game is…owww! W-wait! You’re rattling my brain! My brain! My brain!!”

“What do you do when the damage builds up, Tenzou?”

“Judge. You recover by tapping the right button as fast as you can to drink the goop Nenji-dono hands you.”

“You two need to take this more seriously,” said Futayo with a sigh.

“That’s right,” agreed Masazumi.

“Listen,” began Futayo as she pointed at the sign frame and raised her eyebrows. “The two of you need to worry about what comes later. After all, the true challenge begins when you reach 100 points and enter high speed mode.”

“You need to take this more seriously, too!” shouted everyone.

“I-if I get hit by 100 of these, I’m staying home from the academy tomorrow!” said Adele through the sign frame.

“A day off would be enough?” someone muttered, but the impacts and screams continued.

Toori would occasionally give comments like “Pe-yan, not there!” as time passed.

Whenever the arrows were fired, the weight holding Urquiaga down would lessen and he would walk forward. Eventually, he made it within ten steps of Cecil.

Someone shouted out in response to that situation.

“Shakespeare! Help Dudley with the arrows!”

But Shakespeare did not respond to Jonson’s voice. The sign frame footage showed her with her face buried in a book.

“Heh heh. ‘Whose tentacle is this!?’ So they’re bringing back the tenta-collector joke here.”

“Listen to me, you!”

That shout finally caused Shakespeare to raise her head, but she did not close her paperback book.

“Shut up,” was all she said.

She turned back toward the book and closed her covered long ears to shut out the surrounding noise. However, she gave one offhand comment as she immediately losing herself in the book again.

“That’s a pain, so I’ll just write it. That’s fine, isn’t it?”

“W-w-w-wait!”

Dudley’s voice caused the sign frame’s voice device to tremble. She stopped firing arrows and turned toward Shakespeare with her eyebrows raised.

“Th-th-this is an order as vice chancellor! Do not use that power without restriction outside of the mainland! We only brought you with us because you agreed to that, so…”

“I only wanted to go to Musashi’s bookstores after we took control. …Including the used bookstores. Seeing my books with ten yen stickers is quite thrilling. More importantly, Dudley, do your job. Do it for the queen.”

That last sentence seemed to affect Dudley more than the rest.

She gave a snort and a final parting glance toward Shakespeare.

“Y-y-you are an impertinent child, but I will forgive you as you have not forgotten about Her Majesty the Queen. E-e-even if it was a blatant attempt to manipulate me. And in that case…”

Dudley swept her hand across several arrows to fire them.

“Th-th-th-three at once!”

Three arrows. They could not defend against that with Adele as their only shield.

Everyone knew the triple attack would reach the bottom of the ship.

But in the next instant, everyone saw a certain sight.

<The arrows were swept up in the wind and fell to the ground.>

As if swayed by the words which reverberated through the air, the three arrows moving at high speed suddenly lost their speed. It looked like they were swaying in the wind.

No one there had the ability to do that.

If someone had done it, it was a newcomer to the battlefield.

The first to notice the newcomer was Shakespeare as she looked up from her book. She quietly looked beyond the lines of large wooden containers and spoke.

“There he is.”

The person to whom Shakespeare referred arrived on the battlefield.

“Sorry I’m late.”

He released a few divine texts into the air, lightly raised his right hand, and gave his name.

“I am Musashi Ariadust Academy’s secretary, Toussaint Neshinbara.”

As Jonson fought Noriki, he handled his enemy’s attacks with his feet and turned toward the newcomer.

Musashi’s secretary, Neshinbara, ran over from the opposite side of the cargo opening.

A civil official Mouse stood on his shoulder and his hands typed on a sign frame keyboard.

As a literature type, Neshinbara was out of breath. However…

<His breathing slowed and his running legs reliably brought him toward his enemies.>

Jonson saw the bluish-white light of ether scattering above Neshinbara’s head and around his shoulders. As the ether scattered like snowflakes, Jonson realized what it was.

…''Cecil’s weight spell is breaking apart.

Cecil’s spell was not affecting Neshinbara. This was because…

<With less than thirty seconds remaining, he finally arrived at his enemies. And he spoke.>

“Sorry I’m late. I’m just a slow runner is all.”

While dealing with Noriki, Jonson realized something from what Neshinbara said and the feeling it gave him.

“Shakespeare! He is-…”

Jonson trailed off before he could say “an author”.

Shakespeare had stood up with her book in hand.

…''That capricious girl stood up!?

But Neshinbara took action before anything more could happen.

“Sorry.”

<As the enemy stood up, she was suddenly slammed to the deck.>

Neshinbara typed those words into his sign frame keyboard.

<He had broken up and stored the weight bearing down on him, so he was able to strike her with it.>

The text became reality.

“It’s a type of prayer. In Shinto, it can be used as a spell. You just need a god that can pull it off, but with intermediaries, most anything is possible. In my case, it’s Sugawara-style Itsuru, the god of writing.”

<He said.>

“My spell is named Mountains of Words. I pray that the writings I have dedicated will be reproduced in reality.”

<With a great roar and a creaking of the deck, the enemy crumbled to the deck. The falling weight became an impact that struck the enemy and the space around her and produced a powerful explosion of wind.>

An explosion blossomed in front of Neshinbara and a great noise burst out.

<And that left one less enemy.>

Neshinbara took a breath.

…''I’m glad I could finish that quickly by taking the first move.

Once the strategist defeated one of the enemies, the people’s image of the battle would change greatly. That fact would demonstrate that the strategist had put himself in danger on the front lines and that he had the power to handle that danger. And by proving the strategist was useful, opinion of him would be more positive. So…

…''Well, that should be good enough.

The battle was not over, but he needed to focus on covering for the others because Mountains of Words was a slow spell to activate.

The god of writing enjoyed being entertained, so he loved reading the novels and other writings of his followers. Anything entertaining one wrote could be dedicated, but it was not an immediate judgment like money was for the god of commerce. A high quality text was needed to entertain the god of writing. And to use the powers of other gods using the god of writing as an intermediary, the conditions necessary for that god’s power had to be written in novel form. All in all, it took time.

Neshinbara had undergone a semi-high level contract, so he could use his past writings as dedication copy-paste material. That allowed him to abbreviate a lot, but reusing the same text like that caused the dedication efficiency to drop. That was why Neshinbara had his Mouse, Michizane, automatically create copy-paste material from the doujinshi he had written. This gave him a stock of unused dedication copy-paste material.

He had just used dedication copy-paste material from the manuscript he had prepared for a spring event. He had not used his entire stock during the Battle of Mikawa, so he had several doujinshi’s worth to spare.

“Well, that should do it…”

Neshinbara began to turn to the starboard side. He began to turn to look at Dudley, Jonson, Noriki, Cecil, and Urquiaga.

“…Eh?”

But before he could, he saw someone standing in front of him.

It was a skinny long-eared girl wearing a white coat. It was Shakespeare.

She stood within the wind as if nothing had happened. It was as if she had ignored his attack.

And she opened her mouth to speak.

“Quite an interesting spell,” she said as she slowly nodded and stared at him through her glasses. “You could say this is author vs. author. Surely you didn’t think you could burn down a fellow author with expressions at that level.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 06|Chapter 06]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 08|Chapter 08]]
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</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 06

2015-04-18T18:44:05Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 06: Greeter on the Deck==

[[Image:Horizon2A_205.png|thumb]]
''When and where do you say

''Nice to meet you?

'''Point Allocation (Battle Progress)

Someone on the towed transport ship groaned in response to “Musashi’s” request to prepare for battle.

Naito turned toward the bow.

“The problem is where the battlefield is. The bow is almost completely abandoned.”

“Judge,” replied Mitotsudaira with a nod. She turned her golden eyes toward Musashi. “Who will make it to the bow!?”

The transport ship was being pulled by the towing belt in the air behind Okutama. A glance into the sky reminded Mitotsudaira of this fact and she clenched her teeth.

Musashi’s primary combat force had gathered on the transport ship to fight back against Tres España.

Former guard unit member and current vice chancellor Futayo, special duty officers Tenzou and Naito, Mitotsudaira herself, and chancellor and student council president Toori were all there.

…''And most of those down below are supporting members.

“I am heading down!”

“Please stop. I have determined you will not make it in time. Over.”

As Mitotsudaira began to run, “Musashi’s” face appeared in a sign frame.

“Pourquoi!?”

“Judge. The ship cannot be stopped immediately yet will paradoxically arrive very near England in about three minutes. If England can stop us in that time, that is fine. If we can stop them for that along, that is fine too. The time limit is a mere three minutes, so you will not arrive at the bow in time even if you begin now. Also, your transport ship is being provided with buffering control distinct from Musashi’s. Heading here will result in removing or even destroying a portion of that. Working to control and protect the transport ship after that will delay our approach to England. Over.”

“Then…”

Just as Mitotsudaira began to speak, a new sign frame opened. This torii-style frame displayed Neshinbara.

“Then we have only one option: use those on Musashi to oppose England. That’s all there is to it.”

Mitotsudaira watched Neshinbara sigh in the sign frame.

“You have no choice but to leave this to us for the next three minutes. Could you focus on aiding the injured on the transport ship? Whether those injured can stand or not when you return to Musashi will change how the people view this battle,” said Neshinbara expressionlessly. He looked around at all the people on the transport ship he could see. “Sorry. A lot of people were injured.”

Those words worried Mitotsudaira. As a knight who was expected to take part in combat, she understood what role a strategist bore.

…''This will only get worse for the strategist.

They had endured the attack, but it had resulted in a lot of injuries. The city had been damaged, some areas were no longer functioning, and cargo had been lost. Blame would be turned toward the student council and chancellor’s officers at the top, but the most blame would fall on Neshinbara who had given the instructions and authorization.

Every member of the main force on the transport ship understood this, so Mitotsudaira exchanged a glance with Masazumi, Futayo, Naito, and the others before turning back to Neshinbara.

“It is not yet time for the strategist to apologize, is it?” asked Mitotsudaira with a bitter smile.

Letting her worry show at this stage was rude to the strategist and a knight needed to show trust in her strategist.

“Once all of this is over, we can have a small victory celebration and meet up with England. That will give us an excuse to make up for the injuries and damage.”

“I see you knights love your glory,” commented Neshinbara while smiling bitterly.

Mitotsudaira suddenly noticed the background behind him was moving.

“Neshinbara? Don’t tell me…”

“Judge. I’m heading out myself. Bertoni-kun wants to have some fun, but he has his hands full dealing with the commerce and industry groups. And in a direct confrontation, I don’t have to worry about giving instructions to so many people.”

“But…”

Mitotsudaira wanted to say it was dangerous, but he cut her off.

“You understand, don’t you? We were attacked, people were injured, and the city was damaged. Unlike the Battle of Mikawa, we didn’t gain anything, so people are going to be wondering what the strategist was thinking. I need to do my best as the strategist. I need to show them I gave it my all so we could pull through to the end. I want to avoid having the student council and chancellor’s officers criticized because of me. We’re on our way to England which has a neutral relationship with the Far East, so I want to rid us of as much uncertainty as I can.”

He took a breath which developed into a long sigh.

“Three minutes is a long time.”

A sign frame emitted light within a vast white sanctuary.

Someone sat at the top of the carpeted stairs leading up to the altar in the back.

“What is it, Innocentius? And after I went out of my way to bring the large and small metal balls.”

The elderly demon wearing a black uniform looked over at the Papa-Schola who also wore a uniform.

“Just as I was growing bored with the dull direction things were headed, something even less interesting happens,” said Papa-Schola Innocentius. “You heard that, didn’t you, Galileo? The emergency broadcast went out to everyone with an official post.”

“Yes, it seems England has gone out to intercept Musashi. It only just happened, though. As an excellent student, what do you think of England’s actions?”

“England has decided to show a more conservative face to the other countries,” said Innocentius.

He watched a sign frame showing Musashi and England in the distance. The footage was being recorded from the north coast of Hexagone Française. Booths were being set up to sell food to onlookers as a male Hexagone Française student began to speak. He wore the armband of the Catholic joint divine transmission organization named Divine Correspondence.

“Oh, look at that! It seems several people thought to be from England’s Trumps just boarded Musashi! The War Commentator Club provided the following report on those who boarded Musashi: their ages range from child to elderly; their sexes are male, female, and maybe something else; and their combat styles are offensive or maybe not. …Okay, can someone please execute the idiot who wrote this!? Anyway, over to the broadcast room!”

“I don’t see why they would board them. Hm?” muttered Innocentius. “Well, England had two options. One was to hold the Testament Union in check by accepting Musashi, clear the armada battles with ‘interpretations’, and work to resolve the Apocalypse along with Musashi. If they chose that path, they would not need to divide their exhaustion and war expenses between this and the armada battles. Then they could use the Apocalypse resolution to their advantage during the Peace of Westphalia. England could take the lead in bringing about the independence of their Protestant trading partner, Holland. Their influence in the Testament Union would have risen dramatically and they could have become a leading world power.

“However, England chose the other option. They are treating Musashi as an enemy of the Testament Union and reliably reproducing history by refusing their entry. If they do not disobey the rest of the Testament Union, the other countries won’t interfere or pull any unnecessary ‘interpretations’ during the armada battles and the Peace of Westphalia. They may even try to help England out some. Instead of aiming for excessive gain, they chose the reliable route. England may have the Logismoi Oplo of greed, but they’ve managed to restrain themselves this time.”

“But what led them to make this decision?”

“It was Tres España’s attack on Musashi. Musashi opposed the Testament Union, and Tres España chose to respond with an attack. In that case, what is England to do as a member of the Testament Union? If they protected Musashi, they would be making an enemy of every other Testament Union nation. And if England hadn’t intercepted Musashi, Tres España could have sent in their main force to scout out England’s strength and warn them that they were now the Testament Union’s enemy. England would have been charged with a crime and attacked before they had a chance to make any kind of excuse. And as long as Musashi stuck around, Tres España would have continued hounding them. At any rate, England can no longer act as an intermediary between Musashi and the Testament Union. Carrying out the attack so close to England rather than to the west of Tres España gave England less time to make their decision. That was probably Vice President Juana’s idea. The long lived race is a little too clever, don’t you think? Hm?”

Innocentius turned toward the sign frame. Musashi had already grown more distant, but something else had happened as well. The first starboard ship was wrapped in fog and that fog could be seen moving even from this distance.

“Well, even if Tres España’s attack brought this on, England must have resolved themselves to carry out the armada battles soon. If they want to go the reliable route, they’ll want to keep the adventures to a minimum. It’s probably due to how difficult it is to find a reliable path through these troubled times that no country wants to take any major steps toward resolving the Apocalypse. At any rate, now that England has made this decision, they must be planning to tackle the Apocalypse problem on their own. I hear England is performing research into the Apocalypse.

“Today, Tres España used Musashi to show off their strength and to display their loyalty to the Testament Union. And now England has displayed their own loyalty to the Testament Union and exhibited their intent to remain on the reliable path. As a man heading toward the Apocalypse, that is reassuring to hear and it is amusing to see them use Musashi as proof of their loyalty. Of course, it is always possible England’s hostility and refusal to accept Musashi are just for show, but the other countries are likely already working to pressure England away from that.”

“…And have you already done so?”

“Do you want me to say testament?”

“Testament,” said Galileo with a nod.

Innocentius laughed.

“We can’t let up. M.H.R.R. is preparing a Far East force and gathering strength toward the east. But even if we’re busy dealing with that, we still have to do what we can here as the Testament Union,” he said. “But England needs to execute a certain royal before the armada battles can begin. They need to execute Mary Stuart who attempted to assassinate Elizabeth. According to the history recreation, she is Catholic, the former queen of Scotland, and Elizabeth’s cousin. She had a close relationship with Felipe II, the leader of Tres España, so her execution was one of the factors leading to the armada battles.”

“But that Mary is in a complex position for England.”

“Yes. She has a double inherited name with Elizabeth’s older half-sister Mary Tudor, aka Bloody Mary. This Mary represents England’s ‘unfaithfulness’.” He took a breath, looked at the screen, and continued speaking. “England is prepared to start a war by executing a royal and Musashi is opposing them. Now that is a scene you never would have imagined not too long ago, hm?”

Suddenly, a noise burst from the sign frame.

“Was that…?”

An explosive noise reverberated through the sky as Musashi grew more distant.

“Did that do it!?” cried a girl with six black wings.

Large wooden containers covered the floor of that storage district at the front of the first starboard ship Shinagawa. The black-winged girl, Naruze, wore the armband of the 4th special duty officer. She held up her Technomagie pen and faced forward.

A storm of steam produced by her attack rose where the enemies had stood a moment before.

As soon as she had arrived on Shinagawa’s deck, she had made a surprise attack before even looking at the enemies.

The attack was recent enough that she could not see her enemies through the steam.

Naruze used the short time until that steam cleared to check her surroundings.

An archery unit stood behind her, but…

''I shouldn’t expect them to be able to shoot someone if I ask them to,'' thought Naruze. ''They aren’t like Asama. No, I suppose Asama technically isn’t like that either. But she did suddenly start shooting people at our elementary school entrance ceremony.

The tradition was to hold a festival after the ceremony where the upperclassmen and their parents or guardians set up stands.

There had of course been an archery stand. Asama had been urged to play because they assumed a shrine maiden would know how to use a bow, but that had been a mistake. The upperclassmen and adults had been amused by how well the daughter of the Asama Shrine could shoot, so they had made the targets more distant and smaller. As Asama had continued to nervously hit all of the targets, focus on her had grown and her anxiety had reached its max.

“Okay, now let’s try some moving targets! Can you do it?”

That comment had been the biggest mistake of all.

Asama had been so nervous that she had started shooting everything in motion around her. The long combo she pulled off had turned the festival into a disaster. Ultimately, it had been the fault of the upperclassmen and adults egging her on, but Naruze still remembered running away from Asama, who Naruze had not known at the time, as she had targeted Naruze’s back. Naruze had later asked Asama why she had done it and Asama’s answer had been “I was nervous, so I wanted to end it all as soon as possible.”

…''Yes, but I think you were trying to end more than just the archery, you stabbing shrine maiden.

However, Asama was not here. Once she gained her qualifications as a shrine maiden, she had been banned from shooting people. She would still playfully shoot her comrades, but she was not generally permitted to seriously shoot people. The restriction was due to the fact that the power of a god’s servant was meant to be used for purification. Probably.

At any rate, Naruze prepared her next spell.

The foundation of Technomagie spells was preparing internal Auspuff, but that Auspuff was then broken down into ATELL units. The creation of spells required formulas and a focusing device to influence the appropriate space. In some cases, a catalyst was also needed. Naruze went over the basic formula.

…''To apply a change over one cubic meter for one second, I need 10 ATELL.

This was the smallest expenditure unit to operate a spell and each additional change added 10 ATELL. And each other factor included was another value needing to be added or multiplied in.

The rules governing the addition and multiplication of changes did not always match up with the physical laws and they could even change based on one’s level of understanding of the space the spell was acting on. But despite those difficulties, understanding those rules was what it took to perform magic.

''Well, a lot of the knowledge can be troublesome,'' thought Naruze as she held up a bottle filled with water.

The bottle held a liter of water and she used her pen to draw a water thermometer on the bottle’s surface. To draw was to create. It could give life and it could take life away. The result of the spell she applied to the object she drew on was the same thing she had thrown before.

“A steam bomb using heat!”

Heating and acceleration were the specialties of Weiss Techno.

The steam from the previous spell began to thin.

However, she could clearly see the silhouettes of the people beyond it.

The enemy was there and they were approaching.

Naruze did not know if the previous blast had been effective at all, but she completed the second by using her pen to add red to the water thermometer.

As the color vigorously rose up along the bottle, Naruze threw it underhanded.

She targeted the silhouettes approaching through the steam before her. Not even she knew the exact timing, but once the water boiled and turned to steam, its volume would explosively expand. The bottle would compress it and finally burst, sending shards everywhere.

“Herrlich!”

Steam spread out over a large area and dampened the movement of the wind.

After the burst of steam, Musashi’s movement caused it to move toward Naruze and the others as it gathered together. But Naruze received this rough, heated air with her wings rather than her skin.

“How about that!?”

She received a response from the comrades behind her rather than the rough steam-filled wind ahead. She heard victorious cheers as the groups waiting behind her began to move forward.

They all seemed impatient to achieve some great deed themselves.

“L-leave this to Musashi Ariadust Academy’s Body Building Research Group ‘Gol☆iath’!”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! This is a job for the Greek Sun God Research Club ‘Helio-ga-balus’!”

“No, the Buddhist Research Group’s Warrior Monk Unit ‘Buddhist Sentai Mikkyoger’ will handle this!”

''Shut up. I hope my Weiss Techno kills all of you,'' thought Naruze as she prepared her next spell with half-lidded eyes.

The steam cleared up as if splitting down the center and a voice came from within it.

“Ohhhhh, dear. Do we only get the one opponent?”

A few figures stood approximately fifteen meters away.

There were four of them.

…''They’re unharmed!?

The steam explosion should have sent fragments flying everywhere. From as close as they were, they could not have evaded it, but the people standing there were unharmed. Also…

“There’s something wrong with them!?”

The person standing closest to Naruze was a very thin woman with giant metal balls chained to her legs.

Her flesh seemed to have been scraped away, her body seemed made of withered branches, and she wore heavy makeup. England’s female uniform was wrapped tightly around her and her right hand was lightly held up with palm out. She trembled, but her face twisted into a smile.

“I am one of Trumps’ 10s and Oxford Academy’s Vice Chancellor, Robert Dudley.”

Naruze had heard of them. The group that protected Elizabeth, as well as the entirety of England, went by the name Trumps and even had their own divine website.

The historical Robert Dudley was the cornerstone of the army and rumored to be Elizabeth’s lover, but he had left the political world due to suspicion in a murder case. So in England…

…''They gave the name to a woman to avoid that confusion.

“Then that person behind you is...?”

The figure seemed to nod. Standing behind Dudley was someone a head taller than Dudley who was quite tall herself. Also…

…''She’s round.

It was a woman shaped like an egg. She wore England’s female uniform like an eggshell.

“One of the 10s. Vice President. William Cecil.”

She gave each statement slowly as if having trouble breathing.

Next, a man with black skin stepped forward next to Cecil. He had a slender yet well-trained body, wore a white tank top on his upper body, and had two long, narrow cases hanging down from his waist.

Naruze recognized him. Anyone involved in modern cultural works would recognize him. He stared at her through his glasses and noise sounded from the printing incantation devices attached to the bottom of his shoes, but Naruze spoke up regardless.

“I never thought the leader of England’s cultural clubs, the athlete poet Ben Jonson, would be here.”

“You. Trumps was my idea, so I want to be involved as much as I can. And today, I have brought this treasured girl.”

[[Image:Horizon2A_221.jpg|thumb]]

“Judge,” said Naruze with a nod.

She then turned to the girl standing behind Jonson.

…''An otaku. No other word would fit

The girl seemed to have the long ears of the long lived race, her hair was tied casually back, and her bangs were long. Her glasses hid her face, she wore the uniform suit with no skirt below a white coat, she wore sandals, she wore a backpack over her back, and she carried a paper bag.

“You would never think she’s Shakespeare, England’s most famous author.”

“You. Does the charm of the real deal surprise you? Jewels are meant to be kept tucked away in boxes, are they not?”

As Jonson spoke while taking some light steps, Shakespeare stared down at the paperback book in her hand and occasionally muttered something. Naruze on the other hand waved a hand to those behind her.

“Stay back.”

“Eh?” they all asked.

Naruze responded without bothering to turn around.

“That group includes one of England’s Testamenta Arma users and their Logismoi Oplo user.”

Just like Tres España, they likely intended to use Musashi as a stage to show off their strength. In which case…

“We need to make sure we don’t end up being the underdog. Trainers would use weak underdogs that could not even fight back to give their fighting dog confidence, but what do you call them if they can and do fight back?”

“O-oh? If you fight back but still lose, doesn’t that just make you a loser?”

Dudley held out her right palm and began to move forward.

However, someone else stepped forward first.

“Here I go...”

It was Cecil. Despite the great size of her round body, her gait was light and silent. However…

“…!?”

Shinagawa violently shook and everyone toward the front of the ship was slammed to the deck in an instant.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 05|Chapter 05]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 07|Chapter 07]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 05

2015-04-18T18:41:49Z

68.109.59.216:

==Chapter 05: Restraint from Every Direction==

[[Image:Horizon2A_159.png|thumb]]
''Where is the expectation

''For quality of expectations?

'''Point Allocation (Top Performer)

Masazumi looked over her shoulder at Horizon.

She was looking at everyone else, enemies included, more than at Masazumi.

“Why is everyone gathered here?” asked Horizon. “To be honest, I do not know what I should do in front of such a crowd. …Oh, are you telling me to fire?”

“Our side is still on there, so don’t shoot!!” shouted everyone.

Horizon nodded expressionlessly and raised her right thumb.

“How do you like the grip I have on the crowd? I have determined this comes from the quality of my base ability.”

“Um, Horizon? …Can I say something here?”

“Judge,” said Horizon with a nod. She walked up next to Masazumi and placed her left hand on her shoulder. “Okay, everyone. Listen up. Now that I have finished warming up the crowd, Masazumi-sama will say something amusing.”

Masazumi heard the sound “eh?” drop from the bottom of her stomach and down to the ocean below.

…''Something amusing? Wait a second. I don’t know what to do. What kind of expression should I use here?

As Masazumi went over the different human emotions in her head, the Tres Españans exchanged a glance.

“…”

She heard scattered clapping coming from the crowd.

…''Th-they’re expecting something terrible!!

She glanced over at the sign frame next to her face where Neshinbara’s eyes were half-lidded as he made a gesture resembling stretching rubber out between his hands. They had not stopped their cruise toward England, so he was likely telling her to stretch this so they could approach England.

''Then this is okay, I guess,'' thought Masazumi. ''Where is that idiot Aoi when you need him?

She recalled seeing him and Tenzou the messenger fishing through the goods left in the transport ship. She had heard Aoi say, “Oh! This is a vintage ‘Divorced Wife Anne Boleyn’!”

However, the Tres Españans and even the Musashi students including Futayo were waiting expectantly.

…''Is this an interpretation of the exchange of names from the Sengoku period?

And so Masazumi thought. She needed to say something amusing, but she had almost no knowledge in that regard. She thought about going with a Western-style joke, but that would be a disaster if she messed up the nuance. Finally, she went with a reliable option.

“O-okay, um… Let’s get some help from the god of humor from the Age of the Gods.”

Everyone nodded and focused on Masazumi even further. She silently told herself to calm down, took a deep breath, and spoke in as low a voice as she could manage.

“The year is 16XX! Earth is wrapped in the flames of the apocalypse!”

She nodded.

“Hello, I’m Utamaru.”

The joke bombed.

In K.P.A. Italia, Innocentius had been watching the change using a sign frame, but he casually shut off the divine transmission.

In Musashi’s snack shop named Blue Thunder, the customers stared blankly at the divine monitor and the female shop owner wordlessly rotated the device 180 degrees so the footage faced away from them.

In Musashi Ariadust’s faculty room, Sakai continued with the shogi puzzle from the daily newspaper. Oriotorai turned a refreshed smile toward Sanyou who was flustered.

“Yakiniku! Let’s go get some yakiniku!!”

The massive silence brought a sticky sweat out all across Masazumi’s body.

…''Oh, no! I shouldn’t have done this. People expect something of me, I get carried away, and this is what happens! I had a feeling my life was always like this, and I was right!

Horizon silently placing a hand on her shoulder once more only made it worse.

Everyone in the crowd remained silent and expressionless, but after a few seconds, scattered applause started.

“W-wah! Stop giving me scattered sympathy! That hurts the most!”

She waved her arms in denial while holding the box to the cleansing toilet seat “Rapid Fire” she had frantically taken with her when leaving the elementary school. However, everyone had already begun folding their arms and tilting their heads while discussing why the situation had gone this way. Masazumi even saw some of them bring up sign frames and make posts on Musashi’s divine network. Horizon on the other hand…

“Masazumi-sama, to be blunt, you should probably get to the topic at hand.”

…''And who was it that stopped me earlier!? Then again, it was my fault for going along with it. The cause and effect here is like something from a Zen dialogue.

At any rate, Masazumi had to quiet everyone down, so she could not take the time to suppress her blushing.

“Um… Listen up, everyone! To get back on topic, we have no more reason to-…”

Just as she was going to say “continue fighting”, Michiyuki Byakko’s arm moved and she heard two sounds.

…''Eh?

Confused, she checked what the noises had been. The first was Michiyuki Byakko throwing something hidden at its waist by making a quick snap of its lower right arm and wrist. The other was the thrown object flying over everyone’s head with incredible speed and landing before her on the crushed bow of the transport ship.

An object had arrived directly before Masazumi. It had been thrown with the perfect timing to stop her ceasefire announcement. It was a person wearing vermillion. It was a short female student of Tres España with two false arms.

“Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares 3rd Special Duty, Tachibana Gin.”

With those words, she swung both her false arms. The hands held double cross-shaped swords equipped on the outer edges.

Her hat sat down too far to see her eyes, but her voice could be heard. She spoke while light came from the holy spell accelerator on the back of her neck.

“Prepare yourself.”

In an instant, the two swords on the right quickly stabbed toward Masazumi who stood perfectly still.

Masazumi had never experienced actual combat. She had been through something similar during PE classes, but she had never been faced with the combat speed of someone with actual combat training.

As the double swords flew toward her, the first thought in Masazumi’s heart was…

…''U-um!?

She did not know what to do, so she hesitated.

Meanwhile, Gin’s right false arm held a double sword. It resembled two crosses attached side by side and Gin stabbed it straight toward Masazumi’s chest.

Masazumi made a split-second decision but not because of her own will. She heard a dignified voice of someone accustomed to combat.

“Masazumi!!”

Futayo’s cry brought Masazumi to her senses.

She checked her surroundings in an instant. Gin was coming in for the attack.

“…!”

Masazumi could not see Gin’s eyes, but the Tres Españan girl did turn her head a bit toward Futayo on the deck.

That slight movement was a stroke of luck for Masazumi.

She needed to move out of the way, but she also needed to make sure Horizon evaded as well.

“Horizon!”

She swept her right hand back as if protecting Horizon from the danger.

However, her fingers tightly grasped Horizon’s chest. The unexpected feeling of her hand sinking deeply into that chest completely surprised Masazumi. Both her eyebrows and mouth twisted into a frown.

“…Munyu?”

A groan not even she really understood escaped her nose just as the automaton spoke expressionlessly.

“Oh? I have determined Masazumi-sama has risen one step on the ladder of corrupt politicians. Is this because Toori-sama instructed you in the groping survey back in Mikawa?”

“Just get back!!”

The double sword arrived. Masazumi cried out and bent back as it mercilessly targeted her face. She instinctually held up Rapid Fire’s paper box to guard her face.

[[Image:Horizon2A_167.jpg|thumb]]

For usage purposes, the center of Rapid Fire was open, so the double sword pierced straight through the paper box.

“…!?”

Masazumi frantically twisted out of the way of the double sword tip stabbing toward her. Rapid Fire was U-shaped and she held it diagonally, so Gin’s double sword was held from the left and right and could no longer move.

With the blades stopped a few centimeters from Masazumi’s face, she and Gin remained motionless.

Perhaps because her attack had been stopped, Gin clenched her teeth and let out a groan.

“So you had a sword breaker with you. I would expect no less from Musashi’s vice president. You were fully prepared for battle.”

“No… If anything, this was preparation for the battle one has every morning. Or maybe I should say for cleaning up afterwards…”

“Every morning!? Normal students going into politics go through morning training on Musashi!?”

…''What? I think we’re talking about two different things now. Is this information going to spread to the other countries?

As Masazumi thought, shadows rushed toward Gin’s back.

They were the Musashi students who had formed an arc on the enemy ship’s deck.

“Ohhh!”

Normally, they should not have faced an opponent on Gin’s level. They were only attacking because Gin had her back turned. The large false arms attached to Gin’s shoulders were built for strength, so they moved in a straight line and could be slow. While Gin was in a pose to attack Masazumi in front of her, it would take a moment to reach behind her.

The students held no weapons and for some reason had their fingers spread out like birds.

“Officially, anything we do is fair game!!” they shouted.

“That’s still a crime, you idiots!!”

Meanwhile, Gin pulled her double sword from the paper box. Masazumi frantically moved back, but Gin swung her heavy false arms back toward the students rushing in behind her.

“Silence. We are trying to fight.”

The giant wrists on the ends of Gin’s arms suddenly slid outward.

She did not swing the actual arm around. Instead, the wrists on the end of the lowered hands began to rotate.

“…”

As the wrist used some kind of driving force to rotate, the double swords stabbed out into the air at several levels like she was weaving a design.

This was not a human motion. It was a mechanical motion only possible with her false arms.

And just as this mechanical action began at full speed…

“…!?”

She forcibly swung her arms around and swept away those charging toward her.

Gin saw the people around her flying away in the edge of her vision.

The two double swords and her false arms protected her by essentially creating a protective dome around her.

…''I can create a wall.

To her, those arms were weapons. Just as swords and spears were weapons and were not a part of the human body, those false arms could not fully become a part of her body.

She now used them as her possessions.

She heard the sounds of the people she swept away falling onto the ship or hitting other people.

''These are the sounds I heard long ago,'' reminisced Gin. ''I did not have these false arms back then.

It felt so long ago to her, but it had only been two or three years before.

To be exact, it had been two years and ninety-two days before. As her wrists returned to their normal location, she recalled the past following that time.

“…”

A smile appeared on the corner of her lips.

…''Yes.

She had felt unending contentedness in those few years. However…

“I might lose that…”

Gin looked forward where Honda Masazumi and Horizon Ariadust were rapidly moving away. Arms on the ends of chains had grabbed their backs and were pulling them toward the stern of the ship.

“Take this!!” shouted Nate Mitotsudaira as she swung two chains into the air from the stern.

Just as Gin wondered what was happening, she sensed a shadow coming from directly above. It belonged to a wooden container a dozen or so meters tall. It appeared to be empty, but the frame and outer walls gave it more than enough weight.

…''Throwing something like that is just absurd.

As she thought, the massive weight dropped toward her.

Naomasa and Jizuri Suzaku had been lowered to the surface of Tama using one of the containers. She had met up with Asama and Noriki who were working on firefighting and repairs. The three of them saw it happen.

Using her Argent Chaîne, Mitotsudaira threw the giant container toward Tachibana Gin. When Asama saw it, she and Hanami raised both their hands.

“Kyah! She’ll be smashed to a pulp!!”

“Asamachi, are you enjoying this?” asked Naomasa and Noriki gave a nod with half-lidded eyes.

Meanwhile, a new action and noise occurred in the air.

There were two sounds. The sound of a cannon firing was followed by a sound of destruction. Then came the action.

“The container…”

As Naomasa and the others watched, the container was blown to pieces.

The container was completely smashed. The air and top of the ship were filled with a downpour of countless wooden fragments, loosened pieces of wood, and twisted or torn pieces of the metal frame.

A single space was untouched by this downpour. The rotating wrists of two false arms swept the container fragments away from that space. Gin stood in the center of it.

The silhouette of her body, false arms, and double swords were visible, but a new shadow had been added.

Two long cross-shaped cannon floated near her shoulders.

“Arcabuz Cruz. I pulled these from the two-pitch space of my false arms.”

The light of Testamento Firma spell smoke leaked from the ends of the cannons that were pointed toward where the container had been. Gin then turned them toward Honda Masazumi and Horizon Ariadust.

She aimed the two Arcabuz Cruz.

“Now then.”

But before she could fire, something arrived from her left in a flash. Someone unleashed a direct attack with a scraping speed rather than a tearing one.

“I, Honda Futayo, shall be your opponent!”

Gin reacted to the attack from Tonbokiri. She opened her eyes wide and brought Futayo into her field of vision.

“…!”

And she smiled. With her eyes still opened wide, the corner of her mouth rose, she deflected Tonbokiri with both double swords, and voicelessly rejoiced. Futayo corrected her stance in an instant and Gin aimed both cannons toward her.

“I will take back everything you stole from me!”

And she fired the cannons toward her enemy.

Gin’s cannon fire acted as a signal and the battlefield began to move.

Footsteps, people’s movements, the flow of the air, and the sounds of firing weapons shook the battlefield. While standing just forward of the center, Fusae noticed something different about the Musashi students’ movements.

…''They’ve split to the left and right while trying to have us push down the center?

Her gaze raced across the battlefield and she instantly grasped the overall flow of the battle.

“Everyone, fall back to port and starboard!!”

The track-and-field and baseball teams replied from the deck.

“Testament!”

With unquestioned consent, the vermillion Tres Españan uniforms moved with no confusion between male and female. The center split to the left and right as if a paper had been ripped down the middle. Something could be seen through the opening this created.

“The Logismoi Oplo ‘Lype Katathlipse’!!”

Just as Fusae said, Horizon Ariadust was in the process of expanding the Logismoi Oplo.

…''That vice president’s negotiation was the key.

They had planned to use the Logismoi Oplo if the vice president’s negotiation had not gone well.

''Not a bad scenario,'' thought Fusae. ''That Logismoi Oplo is Musashi’s greatest weapon and this is a good way to show it off to another country.

“But I wasn’t opening up this space to let you fire it.”

As she raised her right arm, Michiyuki Byakko raised its right arm as well.

“Ju! It’s your turn!”

As Masazumi supported Horizon, she saw someone new arrive on the scene.

A woman stood on top of the enemy ship’s bridge just in front of where Velázquez had been.

The long-lived woman wore glasses and an eboshi-style hat. Her armband said “Vice President Juana”.

According to Masazumi’s knowledge…

…''She is the political and economic leader who supports Tres España. Also…

“She is one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings who uses a Logismoi Oplo!”

“It is rude to refer to a Catholic by that name.”

Juana gave a thin smile and held in her right hand the giant weapon Masazumi had mentioned. It was a long sword. The sword’s black and white exterior resembled bone and it was two meters long, but she easily raised it.

“My Akedia Katathlipse is already ready to use.”

As sunlight poured down, several sign frames made of crosses could be seen around her.

On the other hand, Lype Katathlipse was still being prepared.

Juana held the long sword up to the right and slowly swung it down.

“Overdrive!”

As she spoke, its power fell upon the Musashi students.

The power that assaulted the Musashi students aboard the transport ship could be summed up with the word “restraint”.

The restraint took the form of rings of bluish-white light. Those rings of ether light were several centimeters thick and they suddenly bound the Musashi students’ bodies.

“This is heavy!? No, is this…?”

A ring wrapped around Masazumi’s chest like a sash and the light gave her a certain feeling.

…''Is this Akedia!?

The restraint felt heavy, but it was not a weight pulling her down. It was a sticky weight keeping her in place.

Juana then spoke up to prove Masazumi right.

“This is the deadly sin of dejection. The power of dejection affects people in the parts of themselves that they understand to be evil.”

As if in response, the Musashi students began groaning as various restraints took hold.

It seemed all of them had something about themselves they felt bad about. As far as Masazumi could see, everyone had at least one place restrained and some people had several. Everyone tried to shake off those irremovable restraints.

“Dammit. Why is this how everyone has to find out it bothers me how my stomach sticks out!?”

“N-no! I really did go to Ueno! I-it wasn’t for your sake or anything!”

“U-um, my breasts don’t r-really bother me. Right, Masazumi? Isn’t that right?”

''Don’t pass it on to me. But I guess this means it does still bother me,'' she thought calmly.

However…

“Horizon!”

Horizon’s entire body was almost entirely covered in restraints. They covered her arms, legs, waist, stomach, chest, neck, head, and even fingers.

“…”

A ring of light covered her eyes like a blindfold, so Masazumi could only see her twisted mouth. However, her body was doubled over a bit and she could only move within the restraints made of light.

“You are an automaton who has lost her emotions. …You must feel that everything about you is ‘lacking’.”

Juana’s words gave Masazumi a chill.

…''Everyone has things like that!

Masazumi wanted to help, so she touched the ring of light binding Horizon’s hand which held the Logismoi Oplo. However…

“!”

As soon as she touched the light, a gasp of pain escaped Horizon’s mouth.

Masazumi’s hand jerked back and she felt sorry, but then she realized why Horizon had felt pain.

“Even if you can fool yourself, it hurts when other people touch on it, doesn’t it?”

This was the overflowing Akedia one felt for oneself. The things one could not help and the things one had hidden deep in their heart now became their enemy and bound them. And one could not hope for help from others because that would be the same as letting them know your faults.

“What are we supposed…?”

Masazumi heard a noise before she could say “to do”.

The enemy units had split to the left and right aboard Tres España’s command ship. Now, the batters from the baseball team spread out on top of an open lane. They fanned out and prepared for a concentrated attack while the Musashi students could not move properly. Masazumi could do nothing more than realize how bad this was which left her feeling inexperienced.

…''What do we do!?

As she mentally groaned, she saw Juana raise her left arm.

She was giving the batters their signal to attack.

But before she could, Masazumi, everyone around her, and all of the Tres Españans saw something. Someone stood next to Juana on the roof of the command ship’s bridge. It was Aoi who had his arms folded while completely naked.

Every single person was left speechless, but Juana had not noticed Aoi.

Masazumi’s mind was unable to react, but her body honestly began to sweat worriedly. Velázquez’s eyes opened wide as Aoi tiptoed by with short steps. Aoi went on and stood right next to Juana.

However, Juana nodded because she still had not noticed him.

“Fi-…”

She swung her left arm down at exactly the height of Aoi’s crotch.

“Waaah!” screamed Masazumi and everyone else.

Hearing them, Juana frowned, stopped moving, and tilted her head.

“What is the matter, all of you? Why are you making strange noises in the middle of battle?”

Fusae frantically spoke up.

“U-um, Ju? You should… You should probably check behind you.”

“Eh?”

Juana turned to her right and looked over the shoulder of the arm holding her Logismoi Oplo.

“There is nothing there,” she said after a few seconds.

“The other side! The danger’s on the other side!”

“The left?” Juana tilted her head. “But I am using Akedia Katathlipse and our side is not affected by it. Well, if you think it is dangerous, I have no choice. Excuse me, secretary, please stand back.”

Juana slowly swept her glove-covered left hand backwards.

“Ah,” was all anyone could say before Juana’s left hand firmly grabbed at Aoi’s God Mosaic as he stood with his arms crossed. She must have felt something as her hand sank rather deeply into the God Mosaic because Juana frowned.

“…Eh?”

She looked to the side and Aoi nodded with his arms still folded.

“Oh, too bad. That’s my ‘real version’.”

Hearing that, she looked down toward her hand, saw the God Mosaic she could not see past, and took a very, very deep breath. While she reacted, the idiot continued speaking.

“I like high places, so I happily climbed up to the roof. I’m glad the effect of my stealth tools didn’t wear off partway up. Now that would’ve been embarrassing! Right!?”

The naked boy directed that last question at everyone present and then turned toward the dumbfounded Velázquez.

“Oh, you’re the president of Team Velázquez! I buy a lot of your porn games! I thought a mosaic tile pattern was best for skin color, but your realistic coloring is great too! Just the title of The Surrender of Breda stimulates the imagination, don’t you think!?”

“O-oh, I see you have an eye for this. But I’m trying to make art, so keep that in mind.”

“Okay! Now, you there. Could you give me that Logismoi Oplo? I’m willing to take it for free.”

Juana’s reaction to his offer was a bit delayed.

She finally looked back down at the location of her left hand.

“Kya…”

“What do you mean ‘kya’? Is just holding it not enough? Here, how about this?”

“Kyaaaaaaah!!”

Juana screamed and instantly and unhesitatingly knocked the idiot from the rooftop and into the air.

She then swung both fists straight down.

“Fire!!”

At the same time as the naked boy was launched into the air, a dark figure suddenly appeared from the open hangar hatch below the bridge. He wore a Musashi student uniform as a ninja outfit and wore a hat deep over his eyes.

“I, Tenzou Crossunite, have used plenty of stealth ninja techniques to steal all sorts of information! Ha ha ha!” He laughed and spread his arms out. Something stretched out between his hands. “Look at this long scroll printout. It’s filled with Tres España’s wartime secrets! Who would think everything was prepared as a diversion to allow me to steal Tres España’s secrets just before we escape using gravitational cruising? Just out of curiosity, where is Toori-dono? He was using stealth techniques along with me earlier.”

A naked boy fell into the arms holding the scroll. The document itself was ripped to pieces which scattered into the sky. The impact of the naked boy’s fall forced Tenzou down into a sumo wrestler crouch, but he somehow managed to bear with it.

“Nwohhh! A-a naked person just fell from the sky!? Nwaah! I went to a lot of trouble to get those secrets! And this is Toori-dono! Nnn, the first time I carry someone in my arms and it’s a self-deprecating naked boy!? Am I cursed!? I am, aren’t I, god!? Cancel this! It doesn’t count!”

A notice from Tenzou’s contract shrine opened next to his face.

“That request is outside my jurisdiction : By, god.”

“Dammit. I just saw the dark side of these contract-loving shrines! Isn’t that right, Toori-dono!?”

“Hey, hey, listen, Tenzou. Isn’t that woman a complete monster to knock me off like that?”

“Y-you aren’t even listening!!”

“Neither are you!?” shouted everyone.

The Musashi students suddenly realized something: the restraints were gone.

When Juana had pushed the naked boy off the bridge roof, she had let go of her Logismoi Oplo.

“…”

Everyone fell silent and looked back toward Horizon Ariadust. She held her Logismoi Oplo up like a wall, stuck half her face out, trembled, and stared at Juana and Tenzou with the whites of her eyes visible on the bottom.

“Y-you thieves! …How was my artificial jealousy?”

“Just fire already!!”

In the next moment, great power erupted between the two ships and the powers crossed paths several times.

What came first was a black line shooting out straight ahead from Horizon Ariadust’s Lype Katathlipse. That line could be called the harbinger of the Logismoi Oplo’s tearing.

The line extended approximately three kilometers and Tres España’s command ship existed near the very beginning of the line.

However, Fusae gave an instruction before the tearing exploded out.

“Descend straight down!”

The command ship forcibly lowered its altitude, but its bow could not lower because it was digging into the transport ship. The command ship ended up tilting backwards.

And something shot by on a straight line toward the back of the tilted deck.

This figure with six golden wings was Margot Naito. She straddled a ''Schale''-covered broom and shot full speed toward the two boys standing in front of the bridge.

In an instantaneous movement, Tenzou hopped onto the back of Naito’s broom while also tossing Toori into the air. Naito then caught Toori with her broom. However…

“Ohhhhh! Gold Mar! The broom is sticking up between my legs into my crotch!”

“That doesn’t matter and we need to get going!”

As Toori bent up vertically, Naito caught him over the nose of the broom while they moved diagonally upward at high speed. Naito used seven acceleration spells at once and the needles of seven speedometer-style Magie Figurs swung fully to the side.

“Herrlich!!”

With a roar, they shot up above everyone’s heads.

In the next instant, four decisions were made to prepare for the instant after that.

First, Velázquez and Takakane reactivated their Testamenta Arma.

Second, the Musashi students activated defensive spell shields.

Third, Tres España’s baseball team began their bombardment.

And last, Fusae’s Michiyuki Byakko and Gin ignored the black line of light coming from Lype Katathlipse and charged forward.

They charged directly forward along the path of the Logismoi Oplo. Of the two who made this decision, Gin swung her two double swords backwards as if they were wings.

“Here I go!”

After those few preparations were made, the preparations were used against each other.

First, the Musashi student’s activated their defensive spells which produced shields. However, the activation speed depended on an individual’s ability to operate and prepare the spell, so Velázquez and Takakane’s Testamenta Arma activated before all of them had finished.

The two Testamenta Arma named Crus Temperantia – Novum and Vetus had the ability to halve speeds and divide power by number of uses.

But the Musashi students thought they could still defend even with their speed lowered. They thought they could make up for the halved defensive strength with how they held the shields and by doubling up the shields.

Tres España’s baseball team then began their bombardment.

The batters’ attacks focused on strength, but the pitchers were different. They used precise control to attack within the gaps between the shields. They mostly focused low and aimed for the defenders’ crotches as they crouched down.

“…Fgh!”

More and more defenders fell to their knees as if their teeth had fallen out, and holes opened in the front line.

However, Horizon fired an attack to support them.

'''“Solid Emotional Expression : Overdrive : Output : 60.”

“…!!”

At an emotional expression level of 60%, countless numbers of tearing power shot out across the weapon’s range of three kilometers. It shot by around the black line which had been sent out first to reserve a spot. Those on the command ship moved toward the bridge in the back so as to avoid the line. However, the tall bridge was still in range.

A great tearing power was produced.

It took the form of black claws. Due to the Testamenta Arma, the massive amount of claws made of black light had their speed halved and strength divided by their number.

Even so, it was enough power to destroy the command ship’s bridge.

Two great forces shot toward it.

One was Gin whose double swords contained ether light, whose false arms swept by, and who fired her cannons. The other was…

“Go, Michiyuki Byakko!”

''Cadena firma'' expanded around both shoulders and Fusae fired ultra vibrations over Gin’s head and by either side of her.

Ether light-covered double swords, cannon fire, and ether-interfering ultra vibration destruction cannons that used the same system all struck the countless tearing claws.

The attacks hit.

While faced by the slowed and weakened tearing claws, Gin swung her body a bit to the left and right and made sure the trajectory of her false arms and double swords was not thrown off.

“…!”

She slashed and produced destruction from the clash of ether with ether.

“…”

Black and pale white flowers blew through the air around Gin. Her swords flew along continuous arcs that created countless flower petals of light. The heat from her false arms produced a shimmering which danced around her.

However, that was not all.

Both Michiyuki Byakko’s shoulders had opened into lion faces and the black and pale white light scattered into a mist around its arms. That mist produced a storm that wrapped around Fusae and Gin.

This ultimately produced a mountain wind of light and darkness. As if riding that wind, the girl with the two double swords created more blowing flowers and fired her cannons repeatedly.

“Is this working!?” she asked while looking forward.

Their dance of wind and destruction had produced a single effect.

They had gouged out a large hole in the central bottom portion of the tearing claws shooting forward.

The tearing was headed toward the bridge, but Gin and Fusae had opened a space.

“The port and starboard divine transmission church towers have been damaged!” shouted a voice over divine transmission.

However, the next statement gave the overall conclusion.

“Also, the central bridge is undamaged!”

A cheer rose into the air from the Tres Españan students.

As if to amplify their joy, an especially large blizzard of flowers and storm of mist came from within the black tearing.

That was the last attack. Gin and Fusae’s defensive attacks had bought enough time for the ship’s tilt to take it out of range of Lype Katathlipse. The wind and blizzard made of light danced through the air, and the black wind gathered together and disappeared.

A girl and a white god of war stood within it all as if brushing aside that wind.

“Sigh.”

They were so filled with exhaustion and injuries that even a quiet sigh could be heard.

The two double swords had all broken as if bitten off partway down. The false arms, the pair of cannons, and the white god of war’s armor all had claw marks gouged out of them. No part of them was unharmed. Michiyuki Byakko had been able to protect Fusae because the damage had come from ether, but some claw marks were visible across her body as well.

However, both Gin and Fusae still had strength left in their gaze. They sweated, they panted, and their hair was in disarray, but they did not lose sight of their opponent.

“Everyone, attack!!” shouted Fusae.

Tres España’s bombardment and charge began once more.

However, the following transmission brought everyone to a stop.

“Musashi is switching to gravitational cruising!! Over.”

The very next moment, Musashi’s giant form vanished, transport ship and all.

“…!?”

The large-scale air pocket created by such a massive object moving so suddenly slammed the command ship and other ships into the air.

Gin’s eyes saw everything that happened during that high speed turn of events.

…''They are going to depart.

She looked forward as her mind raced to find a way to stop the leaving transport ship and Musashi, but Fusae spoke up behind her.

“Everyone, gather in the center of the deck!”

Gin understood what Fusae meant. The severity of a ship’s shaking would be smallest in the center. Fusae likely understood what was coming next, but Gin did not care.

“…!”

She took a few steps forward, but something happened as she tried to advance.

Musashi suddenly moved away.

The atmosphere shook and Musashi’s high speed movement created a vacuum. This produced a mist in the air and a great roar. The departing vessel was already too far to reach by running. Musashi Ariadust Academy should have been directly below, but Gin only saw its back and the stern of the ship growing more distant.

“…!”

Gin fired a volley with her two Arcabuz Cruz.

The shells tore through the atmosphere as they flew in two straight lines for the transport ship being towed away. They pierced the raging atmosphere and mist, and reached the transport ship. One shot dug into the towing belt pulling the transport ship.

The other was on its way to strike the enemies gathered atop the ship, but Gin heard a single voice just before it did.

“Bind, Tonbokiri!”

That voice which reached Gin through the wind caused the shell to explode.

The destruction called in more mist and wind and Gin faced her enemy through the white swirling wind.

This enemy was Musashi Ariadust Academy’s Vice Chancellor.

“Honda Futayo!”

They were too far apart for their attacks to reach, but they could see each other. The other girl’s gaze seemed to produce noise and even pain, but Gin could not look away.

But it only lasted an instant.

Musashi quickly picked up speed, produced a massive steam explosion when it struck the atmosphere, and moved further forward.

As she was left behind, Gin felt a mixture of regret, anger, and hatred sink into the bottom of her gut.

“———!!”

She let out a wordless cry just before the command ship shook violently from the air current produced by Musashi.

Azuma felt the ship shake especially hard just as he arrived back at his room.

The reverberating noises had grown more distant and were now mostly made up of sporadic loud noises, so he guessed the battle was already coming to a close. It had been a mistake to go around to see if anyone had not yet evacuated to their homes.

…''I’m not a combat member, so Miriam is going to be mad I’m not getting back until the battle is already over.

He knew she would start by demanding to know what he had been doing. He knew it could not be helped, but the notebook under his arm felt oddly heavy.

The notebook contained notes on the day’s lessons for Miriam. The girls would take the notes and Miriam had two notebooks she would alternatively give one to them or receive one from them. Today, Naomasa had taken the notes and it described Ohiroshiki’s execution with angular writing and diagrams. Azuma wondered if the vector arrows and output calculations on the diagram of the enema being injected were out of habit due to her occupation.

They had only had the first and second periods that morning and most of it had been spent on the execution, but it must have had some meaning to Miriam who spent all her time in the room. And for that reason, Azuma resolved himself as he arrived in front of the room.

…''I need to go in before I hesitate.

He opened the Western-style sliding door and entered.

He brought himself inside the small room and immediately heard a voice.

“Nooo! I’m going out!!”

He looked forward and saw a girl in a wheelchair and a white, translucent girl struggling in the first girl’s lap.

“Out! I don’t wanna stay in!”

Azuma grasped the situation in an instant.

''Oh, she wants to go out and Miriam is stopping her,'' thought Azuma. He then added, ''She really is a mother.

Meanwhile, Miriam held on to the girl.

“You can’t! It is dangerous outside right now! Are you going to disobey your mama!?”

“I don’t wanna!”

''This is complete mayhem,'' thought Azuma.

He then opened his mouth with absolute confidence.

…''I’ll use a technical term to sound really cool as I tell them to get along.

“S-stop that, you two! Let’s calm down and have sex! C’mon! Hurry up and have sex! As the papa, I will watch over you and make sure you can do it!”

“…Azuma?”

For some reason, Miriam looked as if cold water had been thrown on her. The girl stopped struggling when she saw Miriam’s expression.

“Umm? What was that? Could you say it again? I think I misheard you.”

“Eh?”

“Well… It’s just that I thought you were a serious person, so…I’m pretty sure that was a mistake. Could you say it again?”

“Judge. What I mean is, you have to have sex, don’t you?”

''Does Miriam of all people not realize she was instigating one side of the conflict?'' wondered Azuma as Miriam’s face grew more and more red. ''Is she embarrassed because she realized how immature she was acting toward a child? She really is an adult if she can honestly admit her mistake.

And so…

“Miriam, you are an adult, so you know what to do when having sex, don’t you? That girl is still young, so make sure you teach her.”

“N-no, um…Azuma? How can you say that to a Catholic girl? No, wait…that isn’t what I meant. Um, where did you learn that word!?”

Miriam’s reddened face and raised eyebrows told Azuma she was angry. However…

…''What I’m saying is right, so why is Miriam angry with me?

One possibility did occur to him. Miriam was Catholic and he had been taught that word by a Technohexen. Historically, Technohexen had been rejected by Catholicism.

…''It would only make this worse if I told her Naruze taught it to me.

With that in mind, he kept his answer ambiguous as he told her where he had learned that word.

“Just now, I…had a girl I know teach me about sex.”

While holding the girl, Miriam bent back and took a deep breath.

''What is it now?'' wondered Azuma as she shook her wheelchair forward.

“Oh? Judge, judge. And while everyone else was fighting? Ohhhhhh?”

…''Oh, no. Should I not have said it was a girl? I can’t have her making any misunderstandings about this.

“Oh, s-sorry! But the girl who taught me about it is already committed to someone else.”

“Ohhhhhhhh!?” Miriam bent back again but quickly straightened up. “Y-you’re skipping way ahead here! Reverse adultery!? So wh-who is this girl!?”

“Well, I can’t exactly tell you. But the person they are committed to is another girl.”

Miriam shook slightly and the veins visible on her forehead grew denser.

“…Miriam?”

“Mama, are you really fired up?”

“Th-that is fine. Y-yes.” Miriam averted her gaze and trembled. “I-I knew this was a virtual family, but I-I never thought it was a family where the father would be stolen by a lesbian… Heh heh…heh. This is just like some kind of trap. Was this entire family a trap? Heh…heh heh. Ah hah. What is with this sense of humiliation!?”

Azuma could instinctually tell this was very, very bad. He did not know what, but he had apparently angered Miriam by making some kind of serious mistake. Azuma frantically thought.

“S-sorry, Miriam! I understand I did something wrong, so let’s hurry up and have sex!”

The wheelchair slammed into him at high speed.

The sky rushed by around Musashi fast enough to be visibly noticeable. Tension still covered those on the deck of the transport ship being towed by Okutama.

They had begun healing or providing first aid for the injured students, but the tension remained in those for whom this had been their first battle.

“N-no! I didn’t mean to! I thought you needed a cardiac massage and acted without thinking. Um…It was my hands fault! My hand!!”

“Okay, that leaves a lobotomy as the only option!”

Inexperienced mistakes such as that were happening frequently.

“Horizon!” shouted Toori as he joined the group.

Horizon was limply being held by Masazumi. The uninjured or lightly injured students saw Lype Katathlipse dropped at Horizon’s feet while Horizon herself was very weak and had her eyes closed. However, Toori ran over as quickly as he could while still naked.

“Horizon!”

Everyone’s expression clouded over when he simply called out her name. He may have been naked, but they were still worried about him.

As Toori approached, Horizon suddenly opened her eyes. Her gaze held no strength, but she still spoke weakly when she saw Toori.

“Toori-sama…C-could you come closer?”

“Wh-what is it, Horizon!? Do you have something to tell me!?”

For some reason, Toori wiggled around as he ran over with his arms outstretched to embrace her. Horizon slowly stood with a lowered center of gravity and threw a counter into his crotch using her tightly clenched right fist.

With a dull sound, Toori’s waist jerked back and his knees collapsed underneath him. The other boys gave shrill gasps as they saw it, but Horizon remained expressionless.

“I insist that you put on some clothes. What if you catch cold?”

“I don’t get why you punched me!!”

Horizon nodded and wiped her right hand on Masazumi’s coat, causing the other girl to shriek.

“Judge. It is within the margin of error for a warning.”

At that point, her energy must have run out because she closed her eyes and passed out.

Horizon went limp and Masazumi had to support her once more. Meanwhile, Toori was down on both knees with his legs turned inwards. As everyone turned sympathetic looks his way, he slapped his stomach as if trying to bear with something.

“Nnn… Unfortunately, I didn’t use my boke spell because this was a serious situation… I just can’t let my guard down around you, Horizon! You are a worthy opponent!”

“Why are you acting like some kind of military commander? And you really should put on some clothes. Also, um…”

Masazumi laid Horizon down, took the end of a rope connected to the railing along the edge of the deck, wrapped it around Toori’s neck, and had him sit like a dog.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stay. …Wait, Seijun! What is this? Naked with a rope is one you don’t see every day. And wait, is this a square knot!? Seijun, you really are bad at this.”

“Shut up. You stay here until the ship comes to a stop. You’ll get in the way otherwise.”

That blunt statement led Toori to collapse sideways onto the floor while still naked. Masazumi ignored him and looked around.

“If anyone needs to be transported, quickly prepare them for transport. I’m also worried about Horizon. Mitotsudaira, can you transport people with your silver chains?”

Mitotsudaira shook her head while wearing her blue personal clothes.

“With the height difference, there is no way I can reach. I think it would be safer to wait until the gravitational cruising is over and use the towing belt to bring us alongside Okutama or one of the other ships.” Mitotsudaira looked down at her disheveled clothes. “But this battle gave us a lot to consider for the next battle.”

“Judge. It did and I’m sure the others down below agree. But…”

Masazumi looked over at Rapid Fire’s paper bag on the floor next to her. When Gin had removed her double sword, the contents had broken. It was clearly no longer usable.

“I have to thank Tres España for doing this during the warranty period. Now I don’t have to demand they pay for this next time we meet.”

As Musashi cruised in a straight line at high speed, damage occurred in several places on the ships.

This damage was not caused by the atmosphere, the wind, or the shaking of the ships.

“Asamachi, can you hear me? It’s Heidi. According to ‘Musashi’, the areas with a weak ether supply are in trouble because they have surpassed what their buffering can protect them from. The surface is being treated as roughly as the outer walls, so be especially careful there. I’m on my way around with Shiro-kun. …Oh, and pass this on through the communication network.”

Wearing her uniform, Asama nodded in response to Heidi’s sign frame.

“Understood. I will go around to them all as well. I will be working on tuning the ships after putting out the fires, so call me if you need anything. Okay, um… Hanami?”

Asama looked out across the streets of Oume which was smoking after the fires had been put out. She then gave a few instructions to Hanami.

She looked over a stack of divine messages Hanami had automatically produced.

“Um, Hanami? Just because everyone calls them that does not mean you have to address the messages to ‘cruel bastard-sama’ or ‘flat chest-sama’. Also, ‘die’ and ‘go to hell’ are not proper greetings.”

''The people around me are so outrageous,'' thought Asama just as a nearby building began to groan.

Musashi was shaking as it flew at high speed and low altitude, and shocks would occasionally run through it like a vehicle running over a stone, but this groan was caused by something else.

…''This is due to inadequate ether supply caused by the gravitational cruising.

In gravitational cruising, the space in which Musashi existed was brought under the influence of special directional gravity acting in the direction Musashi was to travel. Simply put, Musashi alone would “fall” in that direction.

…''The basic elements are to produce the gravity source and to specify Musashi as the only target to be pulled by that gravity. Also, there is the ships’ internal gravity control to protect the people and objects aboard.

To ensure they did not destroy the surrounding environment, buffering had to be set up against the movement of the atmosphere created around Musashi. According to what Asama had learned in middle school, the shockwave of the ships’ high speed movement would shake buildings on the surface even at an altitude of 5000 meters. Even over the ocean, it would cause massive primary and secondary damage to aquatic resources and cause changes in the weather. And whatever damages were caused, Musashi would be the one blamed on the political and trade fronts. These buffering spells were used even during normal cruising and they acted as the foundation of Musashi’s defenses while cruising.

…''But they need to be strengthened during gravitational cruising, so the fuel economy gets really, really bad.

“The ether supply within the ship is thrown out of order, so buildings and sections can be destroyed.”

To provide protection during gravitational cruising, each section of Musashi had spells carved into the structures, keystones, and primary pillars. When supplied with ether, those spells would protect the buildings, sections, and people, but the protection in some areas would weaken when the shaking and creaking prevented the ether from circulating properly.

A spell user like Asama was needed to provide adjustments.

“Beginning performance.”

Asama spoke up, reached for the bow named Kataume at her waist, and attached charms to the string.

After attaching around seven charms on either side of the string, she plucked the string and a high-pitched noise rang out.

“Clap.”

The trembling and groaning of the surrounding buildings and floor grew stronger, but gradually disappeared.

Several small forms appeared from behind buildings and within the seams between sections on the ground. They were small spirits produced by the ether disturbance. Their vague outlines formed circular, plantlike, humanoid, or animalistic shapes.

Asama saw them looking around the area with their sensory organs.

“The disturbance has been temporarily settled, but a lot of them showed up. We don’t have to supply ether during gravitational cruising very often, so you can really see where the ether has built up.”

From the clouds flowing by in the sky, it appeared they had reached their top speed. According to “Musashi”, they could continue gravitational cruising for 32 seconds. They would use that time to reach a high speed and then cruise on inertia. They would shift the produced gravity over to keep their altitude fixed and the output would instead be used to protect the ship and those aboard.

Several of the small spirits with large heads pulled out something hidden behind a nearby water bucket. Asama checked the B5 sized object which was tilted in her direction.

“The R-rated porn game Captain Magellan’s Surprising Tropical Heaven? Actually, I think he really did end up in heaven. …Anyway, why did you hide this here, Toori-kun?”

She was blaming someone without proof, but she was certain it was him. Most likely, he had either had no more room at home or something else had come up on his way home after purchasing it.

However, that was not something that should be out in the open, so she admonished the spirits and put it back.

“I hope the spirits don’t make that their home…”

Just as she began imagining a dark future, a torii-style sign frame appeared showing the city message board.

“This is ‘Musashi’. The gravitational cruising acceleration has finished without issue. We will now transfer to inertial cruising and head straight to England. I will contact you again once it is safe to exit to the surface, but you may move freely throughout the underground and residential areas. Over.”

That message from “Musashi” prompted Asama to look ahead to the east. She saw something in the distance.

“Is that…?”

A giant shadow floated in the sky like a black mountain.

It was England.

“We can now visually detect England. Over.”

While making various arrangements for arriving at England, “Musashi” looked forward.

England was a vast mass of land floating above the ocean. It looked bluish-black, the land resembled upside down plates overlapping each other, and the underside’s silhouette looked like a collection of stalactites.

…''England is a floating island nation. It is thirty-one kilometers from north to south, thirty kilometers from east to west, and four kilometers top to bottom.

Just like Musashi, issues concerning weight distribution and warping were solved by not making the land from a single rock. Instead, countless crusts were intertwined as a spell movement structure. These structures then formed four levels from top to bottom and four blocks. Musashi would stop at the land port at the mouth of the Thames, but it would first circle the entire floating island once to both lower its speed and allow England to check that Musashi was disarmed. Simple trade would be performed at the same time, so it took three days to ultimately enter the Thames.

''However,'' thought “Musashi”.

Even if she was deliberately lowering their speed in inertial cruising, they were still cruising at greater than 120 knots. Musashi was over seven kilometers long on average, but it still travelled the distance of its entire length in about two minutes.

They were already less than forty kilometers from England, so it would only take a dozen or so minutes to arrive. That bluish-black island’s structure grew more apparent and its forests and cities became visible.

However, there was a problem.

Musashi’s speed was not dropping fast enough.

''Our only option is to drop our speed while circling England. Two wide revolutions will be necessary,'' concluded “Musashi”. ''The simple trade will not be possible.

Meanwhile, a few ships appeared in the sky near England.

England sent out a maritime pilot to lead the way and a few escort ships. Musashi’s bridge raised a flag requesting a maritime pilot.

“Musashi will now enter England’s territorial waters. We plan to cruise around England to lower our speed, so we will follow England’s guide ship around England. Over.”

At the same moment, a divine voice transmission arrived for “Musashi” over the common divine network. A few sign frames appeared, all with their borders formed with the crosses that indicated Protestantism.

“Notification for Musashi of Far East’s Musashi Ariadust Academy!” said a low female voice.

The notification came from a high-speed crayer already turning to come up alongside Musashi’s starboard side. The crayer had several cannons on either side, its high-speed spell sail stuck forward like a spear, and it drew an arc through the traces of the waves in the sky.

However, the next voice contained a sharp tone.

“This is the escort ship Granuaile belonging to England’s Oxford Academy. I am the captain, Grace O’Malley of the same academy. I have a warning as one of the Fairy Queen’s Trumps!”

“We order you to immediately stop your ship! You have already entered British territory, you are in a battle-ready state, your relationship with Tres España and the Testament Union is unclear, and no cooperation has been established between England and the Far East! If you do not stop immediately…” The speaker took a breath. “England will stop you by force!!”

Immediately afterwards, “Musashi” saw four figures jump from Granuaile and onto the tip of the starboard ship Shinagawa. Those figures all had human form and four shoots of ivy rushed from Grace’s ship to guide them.

“…”

The anti-wind spells and inertial buffer control were pierced and destroyed wide enough for people to pass through.

The destruction produced a low-pitched sound similar to cloth being whipped by strong wind and it was followed by repeated sounds of splintering wood. In an instant, the inside of Shinagawa’s buffer control was dyed white by fog.

“We are under attack! There are four enemies! I have identified them!”

“Shinagawa” sent out a ship-wide broadcast.

“They are from the student council and chancellor’s officers of England’s Oxford Academy. They are from Trumps!”

There were only four of them, but they were the top-level people who supported an entire nation. And Musashi had to confront them.

“All who are able to face them, please prepare for battle! Over!”

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