Horizon:GT2 Chapter10

Chapter 10: AHHHHHHHHHHH! and Graveyard

How should I react

When the chapter title and image are a complete mismatch?

Point Allocation (Look Away)

●

Adele looked around next to Naito, who was crouching low to the ground.

Adele had her own investigative abilities as a vassal. The knights who vassals served were often given territory to rule. When there was trouble on a knight’s land, their vassals would be sent out to solve the minor cases or perform a preliminary investigation. So Naito was investigating the crime scene while Adele…

“Tenzou-san, what did your investigation of the fire’s spread turn up?”

Vassals excelled at constructing encampments. So to recreate the crime scene, she took the diagram Asama had made and loaded it into an architecture design program she had borrowed from the Vassal League.

…Oh, it read that in without complaining.

The inn had a fairly solid design. She only bothered to convert the units from feet to shaku and tsubo. But she guessed the sign frame only managed to draw the architecture perspective drawing so smoothly because she was using the hidden setting.

“What do you plan on doing once you have a virtual reproduction of the inn?” asked Tenzou.

“Judge. European architecture design programs include castle attack analysis subroutines. So…”

She selected “fire” from the “castle attack options” menu. For “source” and “scope”, she set “oil” and “4 half barrels” respectively. For the locations of the fire source, she checked the sign frame Tenzou opened for her. And then…

“Begin.”

A structure based on the perspective drawing was built on the sign frame. It was a 3D version of the diagram. Based on what she had seen here, the outer walls had been plaster, so she had them set that way in the program too. But…

“Oh, it’s on fire,” said Mitotsudaira.

“Because I’m using the fire attack system. It’s only a simulation, but it should let us see how the fire-”

Before Adele could finish explaining, two people on fire burst from the two-story inn’s entrance shouting “AHHHHHHHHHHH!”.

Before Adele could even say “huh?”, the words <YOU FAILED> floated up onto the screen.

Apparently she had failed in some way. Or rather…

“Did you fail to defend the inn?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect the people inside to run out.”

“Well, the entrance is open.”

“Then let’s close that.”

She locked the door and started the fire again. A few seconds later, there was a loud pounding on the front door and…

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“That didn’t seem quite right either.”

“Can you tell the two inside to stick to their posts?” suggested Mitotsudaira.

“Oh, to not move from their position? Maybe this will do it.”

She started the fire. A few seconds later, two people on fire ran out of the front entrance.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“W-wait, they didn’t stick to their posts at all.”

“Apparently they won’t listen when they’re actively on fire.”

“What if you lock the door in that state?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“I feel guilty making them die over and over from my mistakes,” said Adele.

“Good thing it’s only a game,” said Mitotsudaira.

“I feel like you two are enjoying this a little too much,” chimed in Naito.

Adele couldn’t help but agree. But…

“Based on this, we should assume they were killed before the fire started. Because the killer wouldn’t want them going ‘AHHHHHHHHHHH!’.”

“No, we know that isn’t what happened.” Mitotsudaira gestured toward the ground in front of crouching Naito. “Based on how the blood soaked into the ground and dried, we can tell the fire started before they were killed. The hot ground heated the blood to a boil early on in the process.”

“Which would suggest the killer started the fire, killed them, and then left.”

“About that,” said Tenzou. “I think Adele-dono may be right.”

He showed them an image. It was a monochrome photo, but it showed…

“Is that the front door?”

“Judge. I took a peek at what they had cleared away. It had mostly burned away, but part of it survived thanks to the arrangement of bottles in the entranceway.”

The monochrome image showed the bottom edge of the sliding door.

“It has something like a tan line. And in a completely straight line.”

“Part of it was covered by the other half of the door, preventing it from burning. In other words, the door was partially open at the time.”

In that case, thought Adele, sliding the door partway open and starting the fire.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

“Yeah, that’s what I expected to happen.”

“Did you really have to test that one?” asked Mitotsudaira.

But they knew more about the situation now.

“The killer started the fire before killing them. And he ran away in a hurry.”

“Could that killer be the one who attacked Honda Masazumi-dono?” asked Tenzou.

Adele thought that was probably the case. And that attacker had to still be around. If so, they only had to catch that person. But…

“Oh, quick time out.”

Naito opened a Magie Figur on the ground and asked a question.

“Do we know the state of the two bodies, Mito-tsan?”

●

Mitotsudaira tilted her head.

Mikawa had gone ahead and done that examination.

“I was told the bodies were found here.”

“In what positions? And what were their exact locations?”

The rapid questions led Mitotsudaira to realize Mikawa’s report had been truthful but not very informative. And she could make some educated guesses based on what her nose told her about the blood pools.

“We can assume there was wood flooring here, correct?”

“Oh, and I can simulate that to an extent.”

Adele displayed a 3D version of the back room on her architecture design program. Since this had been an inn, it would have had tatami mats. As for the floor below the mats…

“There would have been some gaps for ventilation, so the blood would have fallen through there.”

Mitotsudaira pointed out the places with the strongest blood scent and Adele measured them out and looked to the foundation.

“Okay. It looks like there were approximately 30cm-wide boards with small gaps between them.”

“How big is a Tatami mat again? 90x180cm?” asked Naito.

“This is Mikawa, so they would use the chukyoma size, which is 91x182cm,” replied Mitotsudaira.

“In that case.” Naito made three 30x182cm Magie Figurs and lined them up side by side. “Three of them horizontally arranged over 91cm with gaps. Set the gaps to half size and add indents on both sides.”

The Magie Figurs’ indent setting lined the three of them up nicely. And then…

“Ga-chan, can you draw wood grain?”

“Eh…es. How…this?”

There was some noise in the signal, but they received the image. Wood grain appeared on Naito’s Magie Figurs.

“I think the floor panels must have looked something like this.”

“You’re kind of a perfectionist, aren’t you?” said Mitotsudaira.

“I do profess a profuse preference for perfection.”

○

Horizey: “I know this is sudden, but did sentence really need to be a tongue twister?”

Wise Sister: “I do profess a profuse preference for perfection. Okay, Asama, say it two times fast!”

Asama: “I do profess a profuse preference for perfection. I do profess a profuse preference for perfection.”

Wise Sister: “Why can’t you be more fun?”

Asama: “Wh-what’s that supposed to mean!? What did you expect me to do!?”

Scarred: “We’re back from giving Master Tenzou and the other boys their soup.”

Wise Sister: “Mary, you say it two times fast! I do profess a profuse preference for perfection!”

Scarred: “I do profess a profuse professerence…for…prefection?”

Wise Sister: “There! That’s what I wanted! You need the confidence to look silly from time to time! But it has to seem natural, or you just come off as tiresome! Now you, Adele!”

Flat Vassal: “Eh!? Um, I-I profess…profess…”

Horizey: “Adele-sama, I can tell you tried, so have some candy.”

Flat Vassal: “I’m not done! I only just started! Anyway, what were you doing at the time, Vice President? At your Musashino house.”

Vice President: “Eh? Oh, I had moved to the Okutama graveyard by then. My mother’s grave wasn’t there yet, but well, it was related to all this, I guess.”

●

Masazumi had walked to Okutama’s bow.

There was a graveyard there.

Since Musashi was Shinto, she had expected a Shinto-style cemetery with only family graves, but thanks to the syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism, this one with graves for individuals was allowed. She found Shinto to be awfully lax about these things, but…

“Is having your own grave on the limited space of the Musashi a sort of status symbol?”

At any rate, she climbed the stairs toward the graveyard.

The artificial hill was built up higher than the surrounding city. From the bow, you took the stairs up to the top of the hill. The stone stairs were quite steep and they had a drainage ditch running alongside them, which just showed how limited land was on the Musashi.

Masazumi could tell climbing these stairs would be a challenge on a hot day as she reached the top and found a bell tower.

A bell and a small shrine were built between white pillars. She knew it was a formality, but she was surprised they had built something like that given the limited space.

She walked to the location her father had told her about and there it was.

“This must be the place.”

The spot was near the shade of a tree and had a good view.

The plot was no more than the dirt ground with no gravestone. She didn’t want to bury her mother’s belongings with the plot like this, so she crouched down and touched the leaf-littered ground.

The soil was damp but artificial. It felt somehow light and chilly.

Is this where my mother is going to sleep? she wondered with a sigh.

“Honda-sama.”

Just then, a familiar voice spoke to her from behind. It was the bodyguard. The girl named Protasius.

She apparently really had followed Masazumi all this way. Masazumi nodded in appreciation but didn’t look away from the dirt.

“Did my father tell you? My mother is going to be buried here.”

“Judge. It is a nice place.”

“No, it isn’t,” Masazumi replied without thinking.

●

“It isn’t.”

After saying it once, she wasn’t going to change her view. It really wasn’t. Because…

“Her final resting place can’t be somewhere so cold.”

“Honda-sama.” Protasius’s voice was firm. “What kind of person was your mother?”

“She was…”

The memories just about brought tears to her eyes.

“She was a kind person. Even when times were tough, she kept going without complaint and always put me first.”

Masazumi hated that she could only come up with cliché things to say. She had read how many books and she still couldn’t come up with the words to describe someone so important to her?

○

Art-Ga: “You might not like what you came up with, but there are people out there who are way worse. I really don’t think you need to worry too much.”

Unturning: “Do you mean the Secretary?”

Flat Vassal: “Date Vice Chancellor! You can’t just name him directly!”

Asama: “I do think it’s just like Masazumi to link how many books she’s read to how well she can talk about someone important to her.”

Horizey: “Gah!”

Silver Wolf: “Horizon! Horizon! Who were you trying to talk about!?”

●

Masazumi had spoken about her mother. And…

“What do you think?”

“About what?” asked Protasius.

“What should you do when someone isn’t rewarded after death for the life they lived?”

“Honda-sama,” said Protasius. “What did you think about your mother’s circumstances while you lived in Mikawa?”

“Well…”

She thought her mother had lived a fulfilling life using what little they had. So…

“I think she was happy.”

“In that case,” said Protasius. “She now has that happiness for all eternity here. Nothing can take it from her anymore.”

Protasius bowed.

“I do not think most people are so fortunate. And…”

And…

“I think her happiness comes from having you with her.”

●

At the time, I honestly didn’t really understand what she meant.

It wasn’t that I had to understand it, but there was a part of it I simply couldn’t understand, which made me want to understand it.

So I asked about that part.

“What does my past self have to do with my mother’s current circumstances?”

“You were a part of the path that led to the eternity she has now.”

“She was killed by a mysterious phenomenon.”

Protasius wouldn’t know that. But she kept her head bowed and responded.

“It is not about how she died. Because that was simply the fate given to her by god.”

I see, thought Masazumi. She knew what to say to Protasius now.

“My mother wasn’t Catholic.”

In Catholicism, everything is a blessing from god. All things were created by the hand of god and both life and death are managed by god’s schedule. So in Catholicism, all death other than suicide is seen as the fate prepared for that person by god.

Or to put it another way, suicide was strictly forbidden because it was seen as defying god’s will.

…That part really doesn’t mesh well with the Far East.

But Protasius had a response.

“This is how I see it because I am Catholic. But…”

But…

“Your interpretation is for you to consider.”

“You mean…?” Masazumi tensed somewhat. “You want me to replace the Catholic way of thinking with the Shinto or Buddhist way and look at the issue again?”

“Judge,” continued Protasius, still bowing. “It is often said that Shinto is lax and can accept anything. Since you are Far Eastern and not Catholic, no one can criticize the interpretation you reach.”

“This feels like I’m being told to study.”

Protasius smiled a little at that. Or she seemed to.

But then she kneeled, and…

“If I may be so presumptuous, I would ask you to keep in mind that all things have multiple solutions. However, some of those solutions are not an option due to some reason or another.”

“And what do you do then?”

We feel like a teacher and her student, thought Masazumi as she asked.

“There are two ways,” said Protasius. “The first is to become someone who does not care about the reason restricting them. You free yourself. You become someone who can choose any solution.”

“Wouldn’t that make you an outlaw?”

“Most people are stopped before they reach that point. Because everyone is born that way.”

And…

“The other way…”

Masazumi thought she knew what Protasius was going to say.

If the first way was about freedom, then the other one would be about limitations.

And how did you find freedom within limitations?

She gave her answer to Protasius.

“You become someone who resists?”

Protasius looked up with surprise on her face, which told Masazumi she was right. She was kind of happy about that. But then Protasius gasped and lowered her head again.

“That is a difficult path to take.”

“What choice do I have? I doubt the path of an idiot outlaw is an option anymore.

“I understand now,” said Masazumi. She stood up from the future location of her mother’s grave and looked up at the tree branches creating the shade. “There must be plenty of proof left in this world that my mother is happy. So maybe she is happy and I just don’t know how to understand it or properly interpret it.”

“I am sure she would be happy for you to see it that way.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“What did she say when you left in the mornings during middle school?”

That was an easy one.

“ ‘Have a good day’.”

Oh, so that’s it. Protasius’s point was a common one.

“No parent is going to cling to their child and tell them not to go, huh?”

“I hope you can understand the meaning behind those words.”

“Judge. Thank you.”

“No, thank you.”

For what? wondered Masazumi, looking down.

But the bodyguard was no longer there.

Had she left? No, she was probably hiding. Masazumi thought she sensed movement in the wind blowing through the trees. Protasius was probably over there.

“Now, then.”

Masazumi had seen what she came to see.

…And I was given some important food for thought.

There were ways of doing things in this world she couldn’t understand.

And there were things which could only be understood by doing things that way.

What would she do if she encountered something like that?

“I should get going.”

She knew that was a question she had no answer for. So right now, she needed to…

“The to-may-toes! Don’t forget the to-may-toes, Masazumi!”

She could have sworn the tomatoes she was carrying on her back talked, but she ignored that and started for the Blue Thunder.

But before she got far, a divine transmission arrived at her sign frame.

“From the Asama Shrine Representative?”

●

Asama responded to the others’ opinions by attempting to establish a divine transmission link with Masazumi.

Masazumi had an information sign frame. Those were generally meant for tourists, so it was only made to receive information and to provide access to Musashi’s sightseeing locations, medical facilities, and administrative services.

But since the Asama Shrine provided the divine transmission infrastructure, she could bypass that system.

Asama started by installing a standard divine transmission program on Masazumi’s sign frame. She planned to start that program and establish two-way communication, but…

…Oh, this doesn’t really need to be two-way, so I could have just sent her a divine mail.

Except Masazumi’s sign frame being for tourists presented a problem there too.

Tourist sign frames were constantly receiving ads to draw the tourist’s interest toward different Musashi locations. So installing a new program would of course have to go through the ad system.

The only way to avoid that would be if Masazumi paid the small fee for the ad-free version, but…

●

“What is with this sign frame? It’s started playing an ad where they’re plucking a white heron to make a luxury down blanket. …Wait, what? I have to pay to skip the ad? I can’t afford that!”

●

Wow, thought Asama.

Masazumi’s sign frame was so cheap it couldn’t install a second program in the middle of installing a first one.

That meant Masazumi was going to spend a while watching ads for Shinto down blankets, Far Eastern printing presses, Hinokagutsuchi mudstone face packs, and things like that.

…How long do those last if you don’t pay?

Asama gulped as she tried to remember, but she decided to look at her classmates to distract herself. And…

“What if you lock the door with those settings?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

…Good! They’re still messing around! I still have time!

○

Silver Wolf: “We were not ‘messing around’! We were running serious simulations!”

Flat Vassal: “That’s right! It did scream ‘AHHHHHHHHHHH!’ a lot, but those were serious simulations!”

Gold Mar: “Wait, I thought you were testing to see if you could make the program glitch.”

Horizey: “Oh, no! That’s two votes for serious simulations and two votes for messing around! But I am willing to compromise and call this one a draw!”

Vice President: “The ads on that thing really did go on forever if you didn’t pay…”

Asama: “Hm… Then let’s try a little harder there.”

●

Asama honestly wasn’t sure what to do.

Stopping the ads playing on Masazumi’s sign frame required elevated privileges. But…

…I didn’t make those ads. Dad did.

That meant her own privileges couldn’t stop the ads. So she sent a divine transmission to her father.

“Hi, dad? I want you to stop the ads playing on a certain sign frame. Can you do that?”

“Eh? Which one? The rice cooker one from before?”

“That was a Kagutsuchi one, so even I can stop it. I mean the ad set that starts with the down blanket.”

“Oh, that one. No can do, Tomo! That one was put in place personally by Sakuya! Not even your old man can stop the down blanket ad set!”

<Taking a nap. By, god.>

Whelp, thought Asama. She couldn’t contact Masazumi for a while. But when she looked to her classmates…

“Then let’s try shutting the door.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

Good, they’re still messing around.

○

Silver Wolf: “Again, we were not messing around!”

Asama: “Fine. I’ll add a correction.”

●

*Correction by Asama.

“Then let’s try shutting the door.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!”

<YOU FAILED>

Good, they’re still burning those people to death.

○

Tachibana Wife: “That’s technically correct, but I feel like it’s still wrong.”

Vice President: “Couldn’t you have at least removed the ‘good’ from the start?”

Flat Vassal: “Hey, um, I keep trying to add a correction, but it won’t let me.”

<The same section can only be corrected once per day. Because it makes things more exciting. By, god>

Flat Vassal: “That’s not what a god of childbirth should be saying! And aren’t gods supposed to be more generous than this!?”

Asama: “Oh, I wouldn’t say that if I were you, Adele. You’ll get yourself divine punished.”

Smoking Girl: “By the way, Adele, didn’t you complain that sim froze if you made more than 256 people scream at once?”

Flat Vassal: “Hey, don’t give me that look! I wasn’t doing it to relieve stress, I swear!”

Tachibana Wife: “Anyway, what ended up happening at the Mikawa crime scene?”

Gold Mar: “Okay, back to the mystery solving team!”

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