Owari no Chronicle:Volume1 Chapter 11
Status: Incomplete
50% completed (estimated)
Chapter 11: Her Fingers
If you draw in one who is waiting
They will become one who is hoping
Instead of merely waiting, they will be hoping
The sun began to sink and the shadows of buildings and people grew slightly slanted.
The rectangular shadows of the school buildings of Takaakita Academy to the west of Tokyo were no exception.
Two deeper shadows stood in the shadow behind the 2nd year general school building on the western edge of the academy.
They were Brunhild and the black cat.
Brunhild was not keeping the black cat from speaking as it gasped for breath. It lay on its stomach and spoke quietly.
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever panicked that much before. I followed my observation target and ran across a gunfight. And I certainly didn’t expect them to all of a sudden target me. I shouldn’t have walked there in this form.”
“If you think about it, you might have become the cat with the most involvement in the history of 1st-Gear. At any rate, I’m glad you managed to escape.”
“You were worried about me? Thanks.”
“Yes. It would be a shame to waste the wonderful relationship we have constructed together.”
“I just learned that the word ‘wonderful’ has more than one meaning,” commented the cat with a sigh.
Brunhild said, “Now, what is this report that was so urgent you had to stop me from going to the cafeteria?”
“The Royal Palace faction surrendered. All of the hawks showed up, but they lost.”
“They lost? With all of them there? Who did UCAT send out?”
“Surely you already know. Who do you think I was observing? The Royal Palace faction’s terrorist attack was just a showy bonus I stumbled onto while tracking him. …He took part in the battle.”
Brunhild muttered the name of their observation target as if to confirm it.
“…Siegfried Zonburg.”
“Yes, but he was only a guest. He was not part of the main force.”
Brunhild’s expression stiffened at that. The black cat grinned and continued speaking.
“It seems this school’s student council president, vice president, and treasurer are part of Team Leviathan. It looked like an automaton also took part as a guest. What will you do?”
“You have to ask? If they are our enemy, I will have to fight them if it comes to that.”
The cat fell silent at that. It slowed its breathing and looked up at Brunhild.
Finally, it spoke.
“Can you do that? This may be you we’re talking about, but you have no grudge against them.”
“If they are our enemy, I will have no choice.”
“They might pass by in the hall and greet you.”
“Do you think they will simply greet me on the battlefield?” asked Brunhild and the black cat stared up at its master.
“True enough,” it said with a nod after a short time. It lowered its gaze and quietly added, “But you are the type of person who still remembers the song Siegfried taught you.”
Brunhild sighed, placed her hands on her hips, and tilted her head.
“I do not know what you are trying to do, but try not to trouble me too much.” After thinking for a moment, she spoke to the cat that was hanging its head down. “Even if they may become my enemy on the battlefield, Team Leviathan is still being formed, correct? Siegfried may be another matter, but there is no guarantee the others will become my enemies, right?”
“Right. The vice president had a lot of things explained to him. Team Leviathan is still not fully put together.”
“Then we do not know what will happen. Unlike Siegfried who destroyed 1st-Gear, they are not yet clear combatants. I will not try to kill someone like that.”
“Yes… That would be nice.”
The black cat raised its head and Brunhild looked back with an expressionless look.
She remained silent and the cat commented, “Is this a wonderful relationship?”
“You shouldn’t have to say it yourself, though.” Brunhild brought a hand to her cheek and smiled bitterly. After a moment, she lowered that hand. “But the Royal Palace faction will likely join with the peaceful faction they originally broke off from. And UCAT will likely recommend they do so. To set the stage for discussions with us, they need to strengthen the peaceful faction as an intermediary.”
“This is getting tricky.”
“Yes. But the Royal Palace faction truly is pathetic. If a battle this small is enough to satisfy them, they should have stopped fighting ages ago. They may have secretly always wanted to return to the peaceful faction.”
“So they went out of the way to cause this commotion and get captured so they could align with the peaceful faction while also sticking to their principles? Is that it? But why?”
“Pride. That’s why. …And that is also why I cannot mock them. The Royal Palace faction regained a small bit of what we lost when we were destroyed. We do not have even that, so we have no room to talk. Now, let’s go.”
With a nod, Brunhild began walking toward the cafeteria.
To keep the cat from speaking, Brunhild gripped a blue stone in her right hand and began to write something in the air.
But she stopped when she heard a small sound.
“Chirping?” she asked.
The black cat looked around and said, “Over there.”
It was facing a line of trees in front of the 3rd year general school building.
High-pitched chirping could be heard from the ground below one of those trees.
Brunhild jogged over and saw it. A fully-fledged but still young bird was repeatedly flapping its wings fruitlessly at the bottom of the tree.
The chirping continued below the afternoon sun.
Sayama and Ooshiro sat at the rest area bench to the east of the grassy area.
Shinjou had gone to report on the situation, so she was not with them. Sayama let out a light sigh at that fact.
The scene around him was no different than it had been before the 1st-Gear attackers had arrived.
The stone wall had not crumbled and the rest area had not been destroyed. The fact that it had all happened inside a Concept Space finally hit home for Sayama.
Everywhere he looked, people were running around in all sorts of uniforms. They were UCAT workers.
After the battle, the knight and his comrades had surrendered and the Concept Space had been neutralized and released. At the same moment, UCAT vehicles had arrived through the Sakashita Gate on the east side of the Imperial Palace. The various vehicles were disguised as a delivery company, a gardener, a mover, a security company, etc.
The people who stepped out of the vehicles were dressed to match the camouflage. This led to their uniforms all being mismatched.
From what Sayama could see, the delivery company was the investigation team, the gardener was the medical team, and the mover was the maintenance team. Unsurprisingly, the security company took care of security at the entrance to the open area.
The knight and his comrades were taken away by those in the delivery company uniform. As Sayama watched them, Ooshiro Kazuo spoke from where he sat to Sayama’s left.
“They were one of the radical factions of 1st-Gear.”
“You said I would be carrying out provisional negotiations with the peaceful faction tomorrow, but is the situation there just as dangerous?”
“Don’t worry. The peaceful faction wishes to talk this out. However…”
“However?” repeated Sayama.
Ooshiro raised two fingers on his right hand with the passing uniformed workers behind them.
“You heard from Shinjou-kun that 1st-Gear has two Concept Cores, correct?”
“I heard they are sealed inside a sword and something called a mechanical dragon.”
“Yes. The first is in the holy sword Gram which is stored in UCAT’s western branch headquarters below IAI headquarters. The second…well, it is inside Fafnir Custom, the mechanical dragon belonging to the City faction. That is the largest radical group and we do not currently know where they are located. The modified mechanical dragon supposedly has separate reactors for movement and weaponry and the Concept Core is sealed within the weapons reactor. That is a very big problem.”
“Fafnir, you say?”
Sayama had heard the names Gram and Fafnir before.
…They are from a European epic poem.
“That is from the Ring of the Nibelung, isn’t it? My grandfather took me to an opera based on that story once. Our opinions on it were split, so we got into a fistfight once we returned home. …But why is that showing up here?”
“That is a trivial detail, so I will explain it later. At any rate, your true negotiation opponent is the radical faction possessing the other Concept Core. When that happens…”
“It would be best to have the peaceful faction act as an intermediary. Is that what the preliminary negotiations tomorrow are for?”
“Yes. Do your best not to cause any conflict. …What we want is to receive the concepts from them and activate them. A lot of them will be opposed to the idea, but in order to apologize for destroying all the other Gears, we have no intention of causing a second war.”
Ooshiro raised his right thumb and Sayama ignored him.
“Now them,” said Sayama. “Basically, you want me to put an end to the grudges from the past, obtain a promise to release the concepts, and prevent the world from growing too far in the negative direction? That certainly is a convenient task you are forcing onto me.”
“The Leviathan Road is a series of negotiations to that end.” Ooshiro then raised five fingers. “Sayama Kaoru, your grandfather, placed five conditions on the Leviathan Road.” He lowered his thumb. “First, in your research, the consenting representatives of each Gear may not disclose information on any Gear but their own. Also, any information related to the destruction of the Gears must be investigated and determined by you and those helping you. No one else may guide you.”
At this point Ooshiro looked toward Sayama.
“Do you have any questions?”
“I was planning to ask all my questions after you had finished. Is that okay?”
“I can never underestimate you.” Ooshiro smiled faintly and lowered his index finger. “Second, members of UCAT are forbidden from revealing or leading you to any information on the Gears or their destruction except for the information given prior to the Leviathan Road beginning and what is needed to introduce the representatives of the friendly Gears.” He lowered his middle finger. “Third, any added helpers will be overlooked, but no one may be forced to help.” He lowered his ring finger. “Fourth, if you choose to take action, UCAT will cooperate to the best of our ability.” Lastly, he lowered his little finger. “The negotiations with 6th-Gear and 10th-Gear are already complete, so you will focus on negotiations with the other Gears instead of repeating negotiations with those two Gears. This must be completed as quickly as possible and by any means necessary.”
After explaining all that, Ooshiro lightly spread his hands downwards and tilted his head.
“What do you think?”
Sayama nodded, brought a hand to his chin, and replied.
“Saying it too bluntly would cause some problems, so I will be more indirect: Was my grandfather an idiot?”
“Oh, nicely said. Now, how about I be a little indirect, too?” Ooshiro held his head in his hands. “That’s harsh!”
“I think I will ignore that and continue on.”
“…”
“He tells me to negotiate, but he refuses to give me any information on my opponent and wants me to feel everything out as I go along? What does he plan to do if I make some horrible mistake out of ignorance? He can just go to hell. …Actually, I suppose he is already there.”
“Calm down and listen. You will be occasionally introduced to representatives to the Gears who approve of the Leviathan Road. And what your grandfather truly wanted was for you to gain experiences rather than knowledge of the past. …Baku there in your pocket was his idea as well.”
Ooshiro reached out and petted Baku’s head as he spoke.
In response, Sayama said, “Before we begin talking about ideas, I still do not believe everything about this situation.”
Sayama smiled bitterly when he suddenly realized he was motivated to do this despite complaining.
I am not calm, he thought. I am still at the stage of deciding whether I will be involved or not.
That thought calmed him down. He had not yet decided if he would accept the right passed down to him. There was a lot he did not understand and he was only at the very first stage where he was being taught many different things. The biggest problem Sayama saw was in the phrase “by any means necessary”. That meant it was already assumed lives would be taken and lost.
It was true that there was no guarantee this could be resolved by talking it out if a radical faction possessed the Concept Core.
The Leviathan Road was a negotiation to prevent the world from falling to the negative concepts and being destroyed.
That meant combat could not be taken off the table and it was worth taking some risks for. However…
…But can I do that?
He had doubts.
That was a question he could not answer just by thinking about it. And so he shook his head.
For a change of pace, he asked Ooshiro about something that had been bothering him about 1st-Gear.
“I want to hear more about what we mentioned before. During the battle, I saw the name Wotan Kingdom on the book loaded into that knight’s rifle. And just now you mentioned the holy sword Gram and Fafnir. Is that-…?”
“Those names are from the epic poem ‘The Song of the Nibelungs’ that spread across Northern Europe and Germany and from the Volsunga Saga, the Norse legend it is based on.”
This explanation came from a voice behind and to the left of Sayama. It was Siegfried.
Sayama turned around to find Siegfried standing with Izumo and Kazami on either side. They had already removed their equipment which was being stowed in a mobile okonomiyaki stand.
Sayama stared at the three of them and asked, “How can that be? Why does 1st-Gear, an alternate world, use the same words as an epic poem of our world?”
“What makes you think it originates from our world?”
That left Sayama at a loss for words. Siegfried nodded his head once and continued speaking.
“The Izumo Aviation Institute once created its National Defense Department and chose skilled researchers and test pilots. A ‘sorcerer’ arrived from Germany and set out to modify the ley lines. However, when the facilities meant to connect Japan to the world and bring the world’s earthly energy to Japan, strange phenomena occurred in various parts of Japan.”
“Strange phenomena?”
“Monsters and worlds that had become legends in various parts of the world appeared in Japan once the ley lines were connected. The alterations to the ley lines increased the connection rate with the other Gears. Concept Spaces repeatedly opened up centered on ten different locations within Japan and we would occasionally battle them. And we realized something.” Siegfried took a breath. “The cultures of the ten other Gears appearing in the ten locations at which Japan’s ley lines were modified greatly resembled the legends, myths, and cultures of the regions those ley lines corresponded to.”
“You mean…”
It was Kazami who answered this time.
“What a pain,” she said first while raising both her palms. “That’s right. Ever since Low-Gear began to exist, it has crossed paths with the other Gears a few times and that has created a few connections. Low-Gear is where the other Gear’s negative concepts end up, but that has given us the characteristics of all the other Gears’ cultures.” Kazami then walked in front of Siegfried and placed a hand on Izumo’s shoulder. And, “Anyway, certain circumstances led to me becoming a member of UCAT. Differences in physical strength can be overcome in Concept Spaces after all. …Sayama, why are you getting involved in all this?”
“I do not know. I still have no reason.”
“I see,” said Kazami with a nod. She formed a gun with her right hand and aimed it at his forehead. “We were in that forest last night, too. I was the one that fired that last shot.”
“…”
“I’m only involved as the result of a certain event and someone I know, but I’ve made it in this deep. If you want to rethink this, this is your last chance, Sayama. Also…”
Kazami lowered her gun hand, grabbed Izumo’s hand, and began walking away.
“Eh? We’re leaving already?” asked Izumo as Kazami dragged him away.
Izumo frantically waved toward Sayama and Kazami looked over her shoulder with a bitter smile. As she continued toward a UCAT vehicle disguised as a pizza food truck, that bitter smile transformed into a true smile.
As if to make doubly sure, she said, “Well, let’s keep things the same as ever at school.”
She then faced forward once more. With her back to Sayama, she dragged Izumo along with her and left.
After watching them leave, Sayama turned toward Siegfried.
The tall old man was also watching Kazami and Izumo leave.
Rather than Sayama or Siegfried, it was Ooshiro Kazuo who spoke next.
“She was trying to help you out there, Mikoto-kun. Kazami-kun is quite nice.”
“I am having difficulty understanding why she needed to act so tough, though. Also, old man, haven’t you ever heard the proverb telling the elderly not to act like they are still young?”
Sayama’s manner of speaking brought a small smile to Siegfried’s lips.
“Such a nostalgic way of speaking. I have not had much chance to speak with you at school, but it seems you have inherited more than enough of the Sayama personality. You really are Sayama’s grandson.”
“You call me his grandson, but I am actually the son of his adopted son.”
That turned Siegfried’s smile into a bitter one.
That bitter smile brought a sudden pressure to the left side of Sayama’s chest. He quickly realized why. During the battle, Siegfried had said he was a former member of the National Defense Department.
…He must have known my grandfather.
For that reason, he went in a different direction with his next question to Siegfried.
“Why is the man who destroyed 1st-Gear working as a school librarian?”
“That library contains documents related to the Concept War. When UCAT makes a request, I investigate it on their behalf. Before that, I worked as a weapon tester for German UCAT, but…”
When he trailed off, Ooshiro finished for him.
“His ability was simply too great. They were unable to determine the pure ability of the weapon. And nine years ago when the previous librarian died, we had him return to Japan after so many years.”
“Then will you be involved in the Leviathan Road?”
“I will only be involved in the negotiations with 1st-Gear. I cannot interfere with the others.” He cast his eyes down lightly and spoke his next words more quietly. “After all, 1st-Gear was the only Gear I destroyed.”
