Chapter 67 - The Defense of Nielen and the Night Before
We all followed Karpana to the room she had told us about. It was larger than ours, furnished with more luxurious items. A large bed sat in the center. It felt like a room for a noble or a wealthy merchant.
"Mash-sama, thank you for taking the time to come."
Karpana and two of her handmaidens were there. Just like last night, she wore a hood that covered her face. Her appearance seemed to startle Hyakka.
"Right, let me get straight to the introductions. These are the transferees I mentioned last night. This is Chihiro, and this is Hyakka."
I made a point of introducing Chihiro first.
"I'm Chihiro, an adventurer," she said with a slight bow.
"Hyakka here!" she added, flashing a peace sign. Karpana nodded and removed her hood.
"I am Karpana, granddaughter of the chief of the Wandering People."
Karpana bowed in response to the two of them. Then she guided us to a rug on the floor, gesturing for us to sit. It was embroidered with a complex pattern—perhaps something they had brought with them rather than a fixture of the room. We sat in a circle. One of the handmaidens brought us drinks. I was hoping for more Ayran, but it was chai this time.
"I hear you're going to help defend the city."
"Yes. Last night, Mash-sama said that the city must be protected from the Big Hoppers. We will lend what little strength we have."
"Well, that's a huge help. But why are ya callin' him Mash-sama?"
Hyakka asked the question for me. It occurred to me that I hadn't told Karpana to stop using the honorific.
"Karpana, you don't need to call me -sama."
"Mash-sama is, after all, Mash-sama."
She was the same type as Fam.
"Alright. Then I'll call you Karpana-sama."
Karpana frowned, her gaze fixed on me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She shot a look at her handmaiden as if pleading for help. She seemed genuinely troubled.
"...Mash-sama is fine."
She let out a sigh of relief at my words. Was it really that big of a deal?
"Mash-sama, Racshell-sama told us to search for the word of god. Do you have any clues?"
"Karpana, do you know what the Ark is? It's a holy relic brought here during the war of the gods."
"Yes. It is said to have been brought by the fifty gods, excluding the God of the End and the five goddesses."
She nodded. So there was a term for them: the fifty gods.
"Maira here is from the church, and according to her, the Ark contained a jar, a staff, and a mirror."
"I know of that as well."
Karpana nodded again.
"A similar story exists in the world we came from. I don't think this is a coincidence. The artifacts in our world were lost to time. I believe the Ark in this world was brought over from ours."
I looked at Maira.
"You've said the same thing before."
I nodded at her. Since she didn't object, I decided to continue.
"But in our world, it wasn't a mirror that was placed in the Ark, but a stone tablet."
"Is that so..."
Karpana seemed lost in thought. Perhaps she had realized something.
"It's said that the word of god was written on that stone tablet."
"I see. So, we should be looking for that mirror, then?"
She nodded in agreement.
"Karpana. I realized something while talking with Mizuki. Racshell is trying to make us do something, but it isn't for our sake. Be careful."
"Are you, her lover, the one saying that?" Karpana asked, surprised.
"Her lover?"
Hyakka jumped in.
"All the girls here are. You'd better watch out for Mash," Mizuki said.
"Wait, Karpana isn't!"
I frantically denied it. This was bad, especially in front of Hyakka and Chihiro.
"Close enough, isn't it!"
"Mizuki, Karpana-san is different," Fam interjected, coming to my rescue.
The conversation had gone off the rails. I brought it back to the original topic of the city's defense.
"Before that, we will bring you dinner."
At Karpana's words, a handmaiden left and returned with food. It was mostly the same as what we'd eaten two days ago.
"My apologies. There isn't much variety."
"No, it's delicious, so I don't mind," I replied, sipping the Ayran that was served with the meal. Its unique saltiness was an addictive taste. Fam was drinking it beside me as well. When I glanced at Hyakka, she was grimacing. Apparently, it wasn't for her.
"We are pleased that you enjoy our food," Karpana said.
"Are the Wandering People strong?"
"My profession is Sun Priestess, but we have about eighty others in combat-oriented professions who are level thirty or higher."
Her group consisted of twenty wagons. I hadn't asked about their exact numbers, but assuming six people per wagon, that would be a total of one hundred and twenty people.
"Eighty people... To be honest, in our party, only Maira has reached that level."
"Well, ya can't help it if you've only been in this world for a month. It'd be impossible for us, too," Hyakka said. Was she trying to comfort me?
"What about you two?"
"Me and Chihiro are both Paladins. We're both level 25."
Neither of them looked like a Paladin. In the first place, they shouldn't have any faith in the god who summoned them. Who were they trying to kid by calling themselves 'Holy' Knights?
"Hm? You're thinkin' something rude, aren'tcha?"
"No, but... why do you have the same profession?"
"I dunno. Ronron just decided it for us."
I see. Just like Mizuki and I started as adventurers, it must have been the recommended profession from their summoning god.
"Mash-sama. Could I please ask you again to let me join your party? I believe I could protect you."
"Like I said before, I can't do that," I replied, glancing at Cecily. She wore a placid expression as she wrapped some naan around a piece of curry and ate it.
"How were the areas where the monster fluid was scattered?" I asked Fam.
"The places where the stalls and shops are gathered, and the guild, had a particularly strong smell. It seems to have been spread in the residential district and around the government buildings as well."
"What about the places where it wasn't?"
"Uninhabited areas, parks, and such. Also the palace, the church... yes. We've purified the Mateo Trading Company, our inn, and the area where the Wandering People's wagons are staying. The rest of the area is too vast to handle."
This time, Maira answered. If she had purified the fluid at the Mateo Trading Company, then Claire should be fine. Avea was with her, too.
"Can I assume the palace is the residence of this city's ruler?"
"Yeah. The Governor lives there," Hyakka confirmed with a nod.
"Master, it has also been spread in the area where the nobles live," Fam added.
"So, everywhere except the Governor's palace, then?"
"Yes," Fam nodded.
"Hyakka, is it not possible that the ones orchestrating this incident are the rulers of this city, or someone from the church?"
"That's— That's impossible!" Maira cried out.
"Now, now, let's hear Mash out, shall we?" Hyakka said, placating Maira.
"Yesterday, Hyakka mentioned that the culprits might still be in the city. I was thinking about that. If they simply held a grudge against this city, they wouldn't need the monster's corpse. They could just spread the fluid and leave. But by leaving the monster's remains in the city, they've prompted the citizens to prepare countermeasures."
"Ah... so you're sayin' they plan to be thieves at a fire? Distract everyone with the monsters, then steal somethin' in the chaos."
I nodded. But since I didn't know their objective, I couldn't take the thought any further. Politics, religion, robbery—anything was possible.
"Is the position of Governor rotational? Is this city a democracy?" I asked, voicing a sudden question. What kind of political system did this city have?
"Nah, it's hereditary, so it's basically a monarchy. But people would notice right away that the palace and the church were the only places not hit with the fluid, wouldn't they?"
"But they haven't noticed, have they? I bet this city is just as discriminatory against non-humans as the last one. Decisions are probably made only by humans."
It was bad enough that Fam felt she had to pretend to have a slave crest. In the previous city, there were inns that didn't allow non-humans.
"Well, there is that. Even our Moos and Korne get some nasty looks sometimes. But back to the topic, if the culprits want to avoid the monster attack, then their hideout would have to be the palace or the church. I get that. But even if it's not known now, it'll be obvious later. They won't be able to hide it, will they?"
Moos and Korne were, if I remember correctly, the men from the Bovine Race and Rhinoceros Race.
"I think so too. That's why I don't think the mastermind is from this city. Their interests must have aligned with someone here, and they're being sheltered by one faction or the other."
"Not the church... it can't be. It's true that those who serve the church are just people. We are no different from anyone else. I admit that some may act unjustly. I admit that some may ask for slightly larger donations. I am one of those fools myself. Last night, I was of no help to you. But for us, as an organization, to do something that would harm the people of this city... For you, of all people, the one sent by Racshell-sama, to say such a thing..."
Maira's voice had lost its strength, but her clenched fists trembled slightly. I felt bad for her, but I didn't worship Racshell as a god in the first place. I glanced at Mizuki. She had an unreadable expression on her face. I had just told her I didn't trust Racshell.
"Maybe you're right. The Governor's side is the one stationing soldiers and managing entry to the city. And even with reduced guards, it seems the Governor's palace will still have fifty soldiers remaining," I said to Maira, trying to offer some comfort, but I wasn't sure if my words reached her. She just looked down and fell silent.
"I'm in on that theory. We'll patrol around the Governor's mansion. You guys can protect the church. I'll let the guild know, just in case."
Hyakka snapped her fingers.
"Wait, I have no intention of guarding such a dangerous place. We're F-rank adventurers. If what we're imagining happens, I'm confident we'll be taken out just as we imagine."
"Mash-sama, let us take on that duty," Karpana interjected.
"No way. The city's short on guards as it is. If the Wandering People pull out, it'll be a total disaster."
We were on our way back from Karpana's lodgings. Night had already fallen. We had parted ways with Hyakka and her group, and now there were six of us. This was a terrible situation. In my attempt to create an escape route, I'd somehow ended up guarding the one place where we were most likely to encounter the deadliest enemy. When I thought about it, at least with the Big Hoppers, I knew their appearance and attack methods. But how were we supposed to fight against people who could steal a pink Big Hopper from a swarm of monsters capable of destroying a city, bring it inside undetected, and stake its corpse to the ground? To make matters worse, I had deeply hurt Maira's feelings. That was the hardest part. She had been silent ever since that conversation and wouldn't even meet my eyes. I should have spoken to her in private before bringing it up. If we had talked just the two of us, she wouldn't have let her emotions show so openly. I wanted to apologize to her, but there was nothing I could say. I could call Racshell and the gods Maira worshipped 'gods,' but I couldn't share her faith. I wished that all of this was just my paranoia. I wished the culprits had already fled.
"Maira."
"...Yes."
"Let's hold hands on the way back to the inn."
Maira took my hand. There was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn't put it into words because I didn't know the path to reconciliation. But as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, she squeezed back. We walked side by side in silence through the night streets. As we did, Fam took my other hand.
"Master, about the mirror from earlier..."
Fam spoke up.
"Do you know something?"
"Could it be one of the items in here?"
Fam showed me the list of special skills she'd received from Racshell. It was too dark to see clearly, so I let go of both their hands, borrowed a lantern, and checked it. The section of the list she had opened was blacked out, but one item was readable.
"Pretty Body, Pretty Smile, Pretty Medical... What the heck is this?"
Who would acquire skills with such ridiculous names? Hyakka, maybe? No, as a practical Kansai native, she would surely prioritize utility over a name like that.
"A little further down, Master."
"Yata no Kagami..."
I gasped.
"That can't be it, can it? That's one of the Three Sacred Treasures of the imperial family from our country. The Ark of the Covenant is a story from the Middle East, so they shouldn't be related, right?" Mizuki cut in.
"There's a theory that when the kingdom collapsed, one of the tribes took the lost Ark of the Covenant and brought it to our country. As one piece of evidence, the mikoshi is said to be modeled after it. Also, according to someone who saw the Yata no Kagami about a hundred years ago, it was engraved with writing in a Middle Eastern language."
"You actually believe a story like that?" Mizuki asked.
"Mizuki, do you think that just because our home was an island nation, it was a closed cultural sphere, aside from some influences from neighboring countries?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's a mix of cultures, customs, and religions from a much wider area than you'd imagine. For example, there's a myth about a divine couple creating the world with a spear, but similar myths exist in surrounding island nations as well."
"So you're saying it wouldn't be strange for the story of the Ark of the Covenant to have mixed with our country's myths?"
I nodded. But Mizuki looked only half-convinced. I had thought the same thing myself.
"I don't know anything for sure at this point, but I'm pursuing one possibility."
"I want to hear it," Mizuki said.
"What if the transferees are prophets, or descendants of the king from the fallen kingdom?"
"So, our blood reacts with the Ark, and—setting aside the dubiousness of it all—it grants wishes. Based on that, the theory that the Ark of the Covenant was brought to our country is correct. And we are descendants of the one who brought it."
"Exactly," I nodded.
"But if that's the case, then the Ark of the Covenant wasn't lost. It's somewhere in our country, in our original world. That would make it a separate object from the Ark in this world."
"The timelines of the two worlds aren't synchronized. We don't know at what point it was brought here. It could be something that happens in the future."
"Hmm... When you put it like that, it just sounds like a stretch. Like anything could be possible."
"It's a prediction, so that can't be helped."
I understood Mizuki's reaction, but I had a strange conviction that I was getting closer to the truth.
"According to you, Mash, you and I, Hyakka, Chihiro, Emma... and Yuuki. We all thought we were strangers, but we're connected by our ancestors, aren't we..."
Mizuki looked up at the night sky.
"If that's the case, does this mean Karpana and her people don't have to search for the mirror anymore?"
"No, according to the legend, there are three mirrors."
"Three..."
A shadow fell over her eyes. Mizuki's expression changed to one that clearly said she found this all to be a pain.
"If the Yata no Kagami is the one, then there's only one left to find. The first one had a revelation carved directly onto it by a god and was given to a prophet, but the prophet smashed it."
"What is with that story...?"
Mizuki's question was perfectly valid. But explaining it would derail the conversation completely.
"Well, a lot happened. The next time, the revelation was carved onto two stone tablets."
"So that's why there are two left. I get it, but how do you know all this?"
"Same reason as you, Mizuki. I got interested because I thought it was a weird story," I replied.
"Master, I think I will acquire this special skill," Fam said.
"Reconsider. If you acquire that skill, there's no going back."
If possible, I didn't want her to take a special skill that was essentially a key item. The Jar of Holy Oil, which was supposedly also in the Ark, was a super-powerful item that, when broken and its contents spilled, allowed everyone in the world to use magic. It was best to assume the Yata no Kagami had a comparable level of power. If it came down to it, I wouldn't be able to get her to safety.
"It's too late for that. I am with you, Master."
It was the same old Fam.
"We're together even if you don't get that skill."
"Liar! I am acquiring this special skill. We will be together, absolutely!"
With that shout, Fam ran off toward the inn by herself. I couldn't bring myself to make a stupid joke about how we weren't together right now. First Maira, and now I'd hurt her too.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, or rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me to keep going. I'll do my best. And thank you, as always, for pointing out my typos.