Horizon:Volume 1 Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Authorities at the Rendezvous Point

Even if you are one with power.

What do you have to do.

To stand in a person's ground.

Point Allocation (Overlooking)

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The sky started to turn from the colour of afternoon to that of evening.

At this time, the sky's blue lightly loses its hue, becoming a colour not quite described by aquamarine or yellow.

Below that particular sky. There existed a town with a vast, flat surface at its center.

In the town, the wooden surface spread out as it hammered flat. Its four walls and surroundings all showed the following display: "NEW CASTLE of NAGOYA ATELIER on MATSUDAIRA."

New Nagoya Castle. The colossal workshop that occupied the majority of Mikawa's streets.

However, at every entrance to the workshop and every cargo loading door, automatons armed for security stood unmoving. Machines were everywhere.

Conversely, there were no people anywhere.

Between the workshop and town, there lay a moat. And on the other side of the moat, there were also automatons patrolling and cleaning the roads of the town, but the majority of the town was devoid of humans.　The entrances and shutters to the majority of the houses were closed.

And now, two figures were walking the streets, on which the long shadows of the houses lay.

It was Sakai and Sakakibara.

Sakakibara was walking ahead, but the one who did most of the talking was Sakai, who followed Sakakibara from behind.

"--So, in our Academy, it seems like there's people who took names. Like Naomasa, and there's Neshinbara, which you get if you take out one of the things in your name. ...Also, are we going to your new place? I never come this far, since I always finish my business at the checkpoint. This place's changed quite a lot too. Tthe canal that everyone threw you in after you kept on complaining that it was hot that one summer was around here, wasn't it?"

"That canal was buried because of the construction of New Nagoya Castle, I took the initiative to take command of that particular project."

"Then, this was the place? Stop stepping all over my memories. You're a horrible man."

Sakai spoke. Uncaring of the fact that Sakakibara had hunched his shoulders up in anger and was walking quicker, he looked around the area while whistling.

His roaming gaze looked over the automatons that were maintaining the ground and the walls of the road. Every one of them was...

"...I thought they were simply cleaning, but this...the words of blood due to the Phenomena are pretty common, aren't they? Like things from beyond, the holes in the floor, those were caused by claws, weren't they?"

"Many things are coming out here, and not just things that had happened in past records. After this year got started, the frequency and type suddenly increased. One night, black figures lined up and marched around the town. We think that it was one type of night wandering. Carriages drawn by headless horses, things that cannot be seen, but whose footsteps can be heard...words of blood appearing on the wall and floor happens every day this year. That's why I don't go outside at night. It seems that Honda-kun does differently, though."

"Does Dacchan still like that kind of thing like he did before? -Well, how's the town's defenses?"

"The Atsuta Shrine's barrier is still effective when it comes to the houses. They need something on the level of a vital point, though."

'Isn't that for the use of a castle?' Sakai shrugged. In response, Sakakibara mirrored the movement.

"Well, the Atsuta style specialises in battle."

So he said before suddenly looking up to the sky.

The sky's colour had faded, becoming thin, and there was the outline of a ship in the western reaches.

Sakakibara said this concerning the rectangular black ship.

"...Immediately after the ship of the Pope-Chancellor, Tres Espana's ship has come. They most likely plan to switch places with Honda-kun's daughter's advance ship and land in the port. That's..."

"It's Tres Espana's Kraken class Inquisition cruiser. In essence, Tres Espana's special squadron, well versed even against monsters. They transport the Andamio de la Ejecución, able to perform Fluid Decomposition on even earth dragon levels. By showing it off, they display the measure of their power. Though it may be in a territory where P.A. ODA's power extends, if there's any incident, they will act without mercy."

Outlined in black by the light shining behind it, the bottom of its stern carried a massive battle platform.

Seeing that, Sakai heaved a sigh.

"The user of the Logismoi Oplo should be riding inside that. That would be because Tres Espana's user of the Logismoi Oplo, one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings, Tachibana Muneshige was the vice squadron leader of the the Inquisition squad. Maybe to escort the Pope-Chancellor? This is really bad...two of the Dragon Kings coming here? It's almost like this is a war-torn territory."

"Well, no continental ports bar the one in the outskirts are currently in operation, so they won't be coming here. They've probably come here to hinder us while showing their forced loyalty to the Pope-Chancellor. Tres Espana, being the great power that it is, won't have any plans of giving K.P.A. Italia, who want to come back from the ashes, a new Logismoi Oplo, will they?"

'I see.'

So Sakai spoke. He looked at New Nagoya Castle, its flat shadow coming into view.

"Mikawa's this popular with every country, but needless to say, no countries can have any exchanges with Musashi, huh. With the clearing out of the populace and the many phenomena, there isn't anybody here - Is that really alright?"

"If I said that it was?"

"-I'd say: 'You can't be hiding something strange that you're doing, can you?"

A breath.

"Our students said this. It's true that the flow of goods from Mikawa is strange. "It seems like they're distributing mementos,' I think they said - What's going on with Mikawa right now? What are you thinking?"

Starting up his feet again, which had stopped at some point, Sakai asked. Sakakibara had stopped as well. Tapping him on the shoulder, Sakai hurried him to start walking.

"What's wrong with Ii? He was in charge of politics and innovation, wasn't he? I want to hear his response..."

"He was spirited away."

Suddenly yet softly, he said this.

"Do you know of the person who's said to have started this spiriting away...the 'Noble'?"

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