Chapter 196 - The Reservoir and the Citadel Overlooking It
The horse carrying me and Marmie clip-clopped its way east. The sun was strong, but a soft breeze carried away the heat.
We were in a grain belt. Fields of wheat stretched on endlessly, with watchtowers placed at regular intervals among the golden ears—no doubt to detect monster attacks. Two horses had been prepared for us, but Marmie claimed she couldn't ride and clung to my back. From her practiced movements, I suspected she was hiding the fact that she could ride just fine.
"Did you get in a fight with Fam before we left?"
When I wasn't around, she was the party's leader. I'd asked her to look after the house, but a sliver of anxiety remained. I could only pray that Mizuki and Maira would provide solid support.
"…I told her I was your girlfriend, and she got mad."
"…"
It felt like those two spent more time fighting than getting along. I wanted to tell her to be nice, but it was a delicate subject, so I couldn't say anything.
"Try not to say things that'll get on Fam's nerves. If she gets truly angry, it's all over, you know?"
"…Mash, what would you do if one of your friends said he wanted Fam to be his girlfriend?"
"I don't have any friends, so that would never happen."
That was a tough question. If it weren't my friend but some random guy, I'd probably be scratching my head for the rest of my life, unable to answer.
"…Mash."
"What is it?"
"…You won't allow any of us to find another lover."
"That's right."
I couldn't answer the unspoken question of whether it was okay for me, but her statement was correct.
"…I might have said this before, but I plan to love you forever, Mash. But I'm different from Fam. If you die, I might look for someone else."
Her grip on me tightened, and she pressed her head against my back.
"You don't need to be bound to me even after I'm dead. You can live freely, Mo. But as long as I'm here, I want you to be with me and only me."
"…I've already decided on that, so I think I'll be okay. But I understand Fam's feelings so strongly. I want things to stay like this forever. I don't know if I can truly bear it when that time comes. I might end up trying to find a way for you to live forever, Mash."
Her lifespan was more than ten times my own. I was reminded of her former fiancé, Zeno Leafclout. He was said to be studying mind control and immortality. I'd thought him eerie and unsettling, but perhaps he began such research out of a loneliness like hers.
After riding for a while, a small, tree-covered mountain came into view. I could see a stone aqueduct stretching toward a mountain pass. Atop the summit stood a fortress with a towering spire.
"Don't tell me that's the Starunion family's villa. Do me a favor and tell your mother that's not a villa. It's called a citadel."
I pointed at the spire. It was a sturdy stone fortress, just like the ones I'd seen on our journey to Migul.
"…Mash, she's not my mother. She's your mother-in-law."
Following the aqueduct, we climbed the mountain and arrived at the shore of a large lake. We dismounted and took in the view. It was an artificial lake, created by damming up several low mountains to store water. The surface was calm, without a ripple, but the chirping of cicadas echoed from the surrounding trees.
"…The water stored here is sent to the city and the surrounding fields. That's why they built a fort to guard it."
"I see. So the people in the city drink this water?"
I could create water with magic, so I didn't need it, but the vast majority of people couldn't use magic. Marmie shook her head.
"…This is for industrial use. The water for daily life is piped in from a source further east."
"Maintaining this must be a lot of work. Do they use lead in the waterways?"
In my old world, I'd read in a book that lead pipes were used for drinking water in ancient times, causing widespread lead poisoning. However, another book claimed that was an exaggerated popular myth, and that the effects were minimal as long as the water was flowing.
"…The person who made this reservoir said not to use lead pipes for drinking water."
"The person who made this lake? Don't tell me…"
Marmie nodded at my words.
"…Yes. Okita Soji."
His name again. Okita Soji swung his sword for the dog-eared race. The dog-eared race hailed him as a peerless hero and continue to wear his iconic light blue. Okita Soji built a city for other races. He led many people fleeing persecution and founded Migul. Okita Soji fought the God of the End. He challenged the deity without a sword, was defeated, and passed away without ever returning. And now, Okita Soji was said to have created this irrigation lake.
A man who carried the weight of multiple legends from my old world. Was Okita Soji truly a single person?
A gust of wind blew, rippling the surface of the lake. The breeze caressed our cheeks and fluttered Marmie's hair, which shimmered in the sunlight and carried a sweet fragrance. Marmie narrowed her eyes, gazing at the ripples spreading across the water. Then, she gently took my hand.
It was at that moment I thought I saw the reflection of an old church bell tower on the water's surface for just an instant. I thought it might have been the reflection of the citadel, but the citadel was behind us.
"…There was a settlement here before this lake was made."
It seemed she had seen it too. It wasn't a hallucination.
"Really? But wasn't Okita Soji transferred here a thousand years ago? Could a building that old still be standing?"
"…The water in this lake doesn't circulate, so the stone buildings don't decay."
"Is that how it works?"
Marmie nodded.
"…It's a fish reef now."
She pointed, and I saw the dorsal fin of a large fish gliding through the water. I looked around, but there was no one fishing. This was a water source, so it was probably a no-fishing zone. If so, there was no point in creating a fish reef. I felt her hand tighten slightly around mine.
"…When it was decided that the settlement here would be submerged, the villagers were supposed to move to Migul. But a few people objected and said they would remain. They were elderly people who wanted to live out the rest of their days quietly in their village."
Her tone was a little subdued, her gaze fixed on the water.
"Was it a dog-eared village?"
She shook her head.
"…On the day the village was to be flooded, the objectors were nowhere to be found. Everyone settled on the idea that they must have gone to Migul with the other villagers, and the sluices were opened. The settlement sank beneath the water."
"Hey, Mo, what are you talking about? Are you trying to get me to throw you in the water?"
She didn't react to my words. It seemed she intended to continue her story.
"…The people who confirmed it returned to Migul and reported to the former residents, but they were told the objectors had never arrived in the city. While everyone was wondering what had happened, the settlement's bishop turned pale."
Her own face looked paler than usual, as if drained of blood. Had she been possessed by something evil?
"I think I know where you're going with this. It's a story I've heard in my world, too. But I'll hear you out to the end."
Her gaze flickered to me for a moment, and she gave a small nod.
"…He said, 'The day before, they came to borrow the keys, saying they wanted to clean the church as a final service. The key to the hidden room was on that ring. It can't be…' The bishop shook his head, trying to deny his own imagination. The truth is unknown. But no one ever saw them again."
Until just a moment ago, the occasional breeze had been light and cooling. But the wind that blew after she finished her story was laden with the lake's humidity; it was strangely lukewarm and clung to my entire body. The cicadas fell silent, and a hush fell over the area.
"…There is one more clue as to their whereabouts."
"What's that?"
"…If you walk this lakeshore at night, a humid wind like this sometimes blows. When it does, countless arms appear, covering the surface of the lake. They are white, clearly not of the living. And the hands reaching from the water grab the hands, feet, body, head, and hair of anyone who approaches the lake, and drag them into the water."
The story seemed to be over. She gave a small shiver and fell silent.
"And you're saying those are the hands of the people who stayed behind in the church's hidden room?"
She nodded.
"Enough hands to cover this entire lake?"
She nodded again.
"Just how many villagers stayed behind in that settlement?! How big was this hidden room in the church?!"
I didn't know the exact size, but it looked to be at least a kilometer to the opposite shore. If enough people to cover that area had met their fate with the settlement, it would have been less of a village and more of a metropolis.
"…Maybe about a hundred arms?"
She revised her estimate downwards.
"A hundred people? Or fifty people, two arms each? Isn't that still too many?"
"…Maybe the hands of the people who were dragged in were added?"
"Why are you asking me?"
I placed my hands on her cheeks.
"Why are you trying to scare me?"
This world had monsters, after all. From humanoid ones to creatures that could only be called abominations. What difference did it make if ghosts were added to the mix? In my old world, the supernatural wasn't accepted, which is why it was scary. If you just thought of ghosts as another type of monster, they weren't scary. Though, there was the fear of not being able to win against one. Getting caught off guard was scary, too. Things that moved creepily were also scary. Slimy, dripping, cold, and lukewarm things were scary. Not knowing when or where they might appear was scary. The possibility of being cursed was scary.
I was getting confused. I'm not scared of ghosts, I told myself firmly.
"…The suspension bridge effect?"
She said, tilting her head. It's the psychological phenomenon where sharing a frightening experience can mistakenly create or intensify feelings of romance or attraction.
"I don't get it… Was it your mother who told you to tell me this story?"
"…I told you before. She's not my mother. She's your mother-in-law."
"So it was your mother-in-law who told you to aim for the suspension bridge effect?"
Marmie nodded.
"You said you weren't scared of ghosts, but you're actually scared of these kinds of stories, aren't you? You were freaked out by the headless cow, too, right?"
"…I'm not scared. I don't get freaked out."
If that were true, the suspension bridge effect wouldn't work. But her mother seemed to think it would.
"You brought a change of underwear, right?"
With Cecily and Aira gone, there was some free space in my storage. I'd allocated a corner of it to Marmie, but she hadn't brought any luggage besides her wand and a nightgown. She had a tendency to assume other people would prepare whatever she needed.
"I don't have a spare pair. But I have laundry magic."
"I see… so it's okay if you wet yourself, then."
"…I-I won't wet myself! What about you, Mash? Are your pants okay?"
"I'm an adult, so I won't wet myself."
If it came down to it, I could just wear Mizuki's underwear like Fam does. I had a special pair saved.
"…Hmph, I'm an adult too, so I won't wet myself either!"
Her answer told me she was probably scared after all.
"…Actually, several of the guard knights have really gone missing recently. Mother told me to solve it with you."
Marmie changed the subject from underwear.
"If that's the case, we should have brought everyone. What are you going to do if we have to fight monsters?"
"…Mother isn't worried. She thinks that even in the worst-case scenario, Racshell-sama will save us."
"Grrr…"
Summoning the goddess was my last resort. I wanted to resolve this without resorting to that.
"Can't be helped. Let's go to the fort and ask the garrison what's going on."
Marmie nodded at my words.
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