Owari no Chronicle:Volume2 Chapter 20
Status: Incomplete
50% completed (estimated)
Chapter 20: Heart of Realization
Do you realize it because you know nothing?
Do you not realize it because you know everything?
There are some people who do neither
Even though it was the beginning of the afternoon, the Kinugasa Library was dark.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling were on, but that roof was high and the many bookshelves created shadows.
Three people could be seen within that slightly dark and pale library.
One was Siegfried who was speaking on the phone behind the counter.
One was Ooshiro Itaru who sat in a chair in the center of the stepped floor. His metal cane was leaning against the table.
The last was Sf who was observing a bookshelf in the back.
Ooshiro glanced over at the tall back standing behind the counter.
Siegfried had been on the phone for a while now and he showed no sign of finishing soon.
Itaru sank down a bit in his chair and crossed his legs. He shook the guest slipper around on the end of his sock.
“Itaru-sama.”
He turned toward that voice and found Sf standing expressionlessly with something in her hand.
“Oh, you found one of the blots on the record of my life.”
“Testament. It is your graduation album. But despite being called an album, it is a simple printed book.”
“Now here’s a surprise. A lecture on English from a German-made automaton. I thought that was your enemy’s language.”
“No, my true enemy is the Soviet Union. British and American ones have thin armor, so they are not a threat.”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
“Tes. I am talking about automatons. …What is that look in your eyes? This is common knowledge in the industry. Is there a problem?”
“According to my ‘common knowledge’, the Soviet Union was gone before you were created. Perhaps I am just imagining things.”
“Tes. You are exactly right. However, the Soviet Union lives on in your heart, Itaru-sama.”
“Oh? Another surprise. A doll is speaking about the human heart. And does that mean my heart is your enemy?”
“No, but I have determined it is Soviet-made. Its armor is thick and its attacks are guaranteed to kill, but it has little individuality. It is also worth mentioning that the armor is tilted diagonally. The mass-produced ones are different, though.”
“You can also add that it is quite cold.”
“I have no heart, so I cannot determine that for myself.”
Sf gave an expressionless bow. She held out the musty blue album.
Itaru silently took the velvet-covered album.
He opened it, flipped through the pages, and sighed as he looked through the class photos. Sf then spoke from behind him.
“I see a lot of faces that show there are no thoughts going through their heads.”
“Don’t steal my lines.”
“It is my duty to save you whatever effort I can.”
“What about the effort of throwing you away when you break?”
“Do not worry. I am set to cease functioning at the same time that you are destroyed. There will be no-…”
Itaru closed his eyes and cut Sf off.
“Don’t say it. I’ve heard it so many times already,” he said expressionlessly.
“Testament,” replied Sf.
Sf fell silent and Itaru continued flipping through the album. He arrived at the graduation writings.
“Here it is. Read this ridiculous writing.”
“Tes. Should I read it out loud?”
“Yes.”
“Tes. You have not asked me to read you something in a long time. Not since five days after I arrived in Japan. I have checked my memory to a depth level of 5, so there is no mistaking it.”
“Yes, I remember. As a prank, I handed you a pornographic manga I had confiscated from a worker, but you suddenly began reading it quite loudly. Are you ethical standards set to overseas levels?”
“You never told me to throw it away and reading writings to one’s master is an important job of a maid or butler. However, my lack of emotion leaves me ill-suited for a text with so much shouting and so many sound effects.”
Itaru fell silent. He turned toward Sf with his eyes half-closed and held the album out toward her.
She took it and read, “Title: Stimulant.”
“No, The one right below that one.”
“Tes. Title: Untitled.
Just as we thought the long awaited time had come
A time came where we once more could only wait
We were taught nothing more than the accumulation of time
And new time was not what waited beyond our dreams
What we learned here was how to skillfully exploit time
And an understanding that nothingness is the time of salvation.”
As Sf finished reading the writing, Itaru held his right hand against his face.
“That is so much better when read by someone who works for me. I love this feeling of my hair standing on end.”
“I have determined this was written by you, Itaru-sama.”
“Yes, it was. You could tell?”
“Tes. I could see an intentional effort to make each line 10 words long. Also, I can find nothing more than harassment in the meaning of the text.”
“Hah. You really are an excellent machine. I really mean that, so rejoice and express that joy in your actions.”
“Tes.” Sf expressionlessly raised her arms above her hand and lowered them. “Did that satisfy your demand? If you wish for a more vigorous expression of joy, I can do it three times in a row.”
“The Germans really know how to make a high-performance machine.”
“Testament. Their support is excellent as well. Feel free to use me as you see fit.”
Instead of nodding, Itaru gestured further into the library with his chin. Sf turned in that direction with the album in hand.
“…”
The light blue slipper on the end of Itaru’s folded leg almost fell off, so she first put it back on properly.
She then walked off expressionlessly.
As she did, a small noise came from the counter behind her. It was the sound of a phone receiver being set down.
Itaru turned around and found Siegfried looking at him.
Itaru raised his sunglasses and said, “Men shouldn’t spend so long on the phone.”
“I had not spoken with this old comrade for 10 years. Now, Ooshiro Itaru, what do you need?”
“As Team Leviathan’s supervisor, I came to check on a few things related to the transportation of the holy sword Gram. After all, Mr. Zonburg, you were the most closely involved in the destruction of 1st-Gear.”
The white mechanical dragon Fafnir Custom slept in the base of 1st-Gear’s City faction that existed underground below a gym.
Wind blew through the darkness.
The wind had color. That color was black. The black wind blew back and forth above Fafnir Custom’s body as if dancing and then blew up toward the ceiling. A single small bell with writing carved into it hung there.
The wind struck the bell and the bell rang.
The bell emitted a high pitched noise and the wind suddenly formed a body.
It was a black cat. Specifically, the cat Brunhild owned.
“There we go.”
The black cat twisted in midair and landed on Fafnir Custom’s back. It pressed the inside of its legs against the slanted armor rather than trying to use its claws. It slowly lay down.
“Venerable Hagen,” said the cat.
“I am here.” A palely glowing old man appeared next to the black cat. He yawned and said, “Is this your periodic report?”
“Yes, it is. I have no news like yesterday, so I am just making an appearance.”
“We have nothing new here either. You can go find something to eat outside until the sound of the bell fades away. Nein will not notice.”
Hagen yawned again and the cat looked up at the side of the old man’s face.
“Do you have dreams too, Venerable Hagen?”
“Ah?” Hagen looked down at the black cat and finally formed a smile. “Yes, I do. I was just dreaming of when Brunhild asked for help while crying.”
“Was that when you joined with Fafnir Custom? …Why did you decide to do that as a member of the royal family?”
“I was the only one there with enough social status to lead everyone. And when we moved to this world, it was necessary to release the concepts inside it to create a concept space the people of 1st-Gear could live in. That meant someone had to join with Fafnir Custom.” He placed his chin in his hands and let out a meaningless sigh. “I did something inexcusable to Brunhild…no, to Nein. How is she doing with Siegfried?”
The black cat remained silent. It looked away from Hagen and took three breaths before finally responding.
“Sh-she is observing him. …And she is keeping her distance to…yes, to make sure she is not found out.”
“I see,” said Hagen with a nod.
He had a smile on his face, but the ends of his eyebrows had lowered a small bit.
“I see,” he muttered again. “Hey.”
“Wh-what is it?” asked the black cat.
Hagen nodded once, looked forward, and then looked down.
“What we must do for our respective positions can be a lot of trouble. But…”
“But?”
“At the very least, I want you to remain her ally.”
The black cat listened to what Hagen said and nodded in understanding within the dim darkness.
In the next moment, a knock came at the door to the room and a woman in a simple white outfit entered.
She was in a hurry. Her pace was quick as she entered and impatience could be heard in her voice.
“The investigation… The investigation is complete. It was exactly as you said, Lord Hagen.” The woman took a breath and continued speaking once her breathing was regulated. “A transport plane is preparing for takeoff at IAI headquarters. Most likely, the holy sword Gram will pass by over our heads tonight as it is transported!”
Siegfried’s words reverberated through the Kinugasa Library.
“So Gram will be transported tonight. 1st-Gear’s Leviathan Road will finally begin in earnest.”
Siegfried stood behind the counter while Itaru remained seated.
“My father must be going senile to leave this all to some kid. The provisional negotiations supposedly ended fine, but from what I hear, those negotiations were a sham.”
“You certainly are harsh.”
“I’m kind to myself. And that is what saves the smart ones. They run away from me.”
“Do you hope Sayama Mikoto and the others will withdraw from the Leviathan Road?”
“Only kids make decisions based on what they hope for.” Itaru pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. “But once Gram is stored in UCAT HQ, the real negotiations with 1st-Gear will begin.”
“And that will be the true beginning of the Leviathan Road?”
“Yes. If he is still involved then, he will be unable to back out. Gram’s arrival is the time limit for Sayama Mikoto. He must decide for himself by then.”
Itaru reached to the end of his crossed leg and returned the slipper Sf had fixed to its half-removed state.
He shook the light blue slipper with the tips of his toes and asked a question.
“Who were you on the phone with?”
“I told you it was old comrade, didn’t I? He was delighted that Sayama Mikoto has begun to take action. He said Sayama Mikoto will likely learn all sorts of things while not knowing what direction he is headed, just like we did long ago.”
“And about one in a hundred of the things he does will be successes?”
“Yes. One only arrives at the truth after many failures and doubts.” A small smile appeared on Siegfried’s lips. “I remember when we first learned of the Concept War in the National Defense Department days. Yes, that was when it was found out that I was only pretending to cooperate with the National Defense Department and that I had come to destroy the ley line modification facility for the German region.” His smile grew bitter. “I had yet to destroy the facility and yet it was destroyed. My comrades thought I had done it, so they pursued me and a battle began. It was then that it happened.”
“I’ve heard about this. The sky suddenly split open and a mechanical dragon and god of war dropped down.”
“It was a battle between 1st-Gear and 3rd-Gear. From that point on, we knew that the National Defense Department’s job extended beyond just our world,” said Siegfried. “So much was learned and so much was lost. And not all by us. If Sayama Mikoto accepts the Leviathan Road and charges ahead, will he see it all?”
“Who can say? He might run away or die before that happens. Do you remember what his grandfather would always say?”
“The surname Sayama indicates a villain?”
Itaru nodded and grinned.
“Will Sayama Mikoto be able to hold pride in the evil he commits? I am not talking about a skirmish with a small radical group or provisional negotiations against someone who is going easy on him. When faced with a true opponent, will he be able to settle things by using evil as righteousness? …And before that, will he be able to choose to step onto the battlefield? I do not know the answer to any of these questions.”
As Ooshiro spoke, Siegfried closed his eyes.
“Ooshiro Itaru, you are very particular about the surname Sayama. I heard the reason why from Diana.”
“Then you should understand why I hate that kid. I don’t even want to see him. The surname Sayama that I know is nothing like him. It does not refer to some ignorant kid who is protected by everything.”
“Itaru-sama.”
Itaru’s body relaxed when Sf called out from behind him.
He turned around just as Sf crouched down.
Sf once more silently fixed his slipper.
Itaru stood up, but his right leg trembled and almost gave out.
Sf reached out from the side and silently supported him.
“Here,” she said after grabbing his metal cane.
Itaru supported himself with the cane.
He straightened his back and nodded toward Siegfried.
“But… If the Leviathan Road continues forward, will my comrades take action?”
“Yes, Diana, the survivors of the National Defense Department, and the survivors of the original UCAT will take action. Mr. Zonburg, your friend is still alive.”
“I was just told as much over the phone. You mean Thunderson, right?” Siegfried frowned. “It is a shame that Yankee is still alive. He should be coming here with his great-grandchild within the year, though.”
Siegfried’s comment deepened the grin on Itaru’s face.
Itaru pushed his sunglasses back up to cover his eyes and bowed, all while standing at the bottom of the valley created by the bookshelves of Kinugasa Library.
“View it like a class reunion you think is a mistake, Mr. Zonburg.”
Seeing his actions and hearing his words, Sf belatedly bowed as well. Itaru slowly gave one last comment.
“That is one way to look at our Leviathan Road.”
