Chapter 79 - Akizuki Uta and Her Words
"I wonder when the mirror was taken, and by whom…" Maira said.
"The church basement isn't exactly under constant surveillance. However, there's always someone at the entrance desk, so if we ask them, we might find out."
"There was no one there yesterday."
Of course not, I thought. Not with all that chaos. I wanted to say it to Maira but held my tongue. Verification is important.
"Is there anyone who knew the mirror was stored there?"
"Among those in the church, I knew, for one. Besides me, the Governor and his circle… and there may be others who know the circumstances of the original burial," the priest replied.
So the Governor definitely knew. And they were complicit in the attack on the church. Still, the situation was such that it wouldn't be surprising if anyone knew. We couldn't narrow down the suspects.
"What about Isaac?"
The Men in Black mage. He had escaped after the battle. Cecily picked up a small scrap of cloth. It seemed to have been caught between the sarcophagus and its lid, falling out when it was opened. It was the same gray color as the robe he wore yesterday. There was a slight scorch mark on it. I didn't remember damaging him, but if it was his, then Mii's attack must have grazed him. Still, it was Mii and Kei, the transferees, who wanted the mirror. It didn't seem like something Isaac would need.
"Does that mean he snuck back in among the injured after escaping? That's some serious nerve…"
He had the build of a warrior despite dressing like a mage. He should have stood out.
"The church was closed yesterday. And yet, after our battle, the injured came pouring in. Don't you think he was the one who spread the rumor, telling people to go to the church to cause a panic?"
What Cecily said seemed entirely possible.
"I see. We should be able to confirm that right away."
"I'll go ask."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she was out of the room. Aira followed after her. They had barely participated in the conversation since we'd arrived. They must have been getting restless. Still, to think he moved the coffin lid by himself when Chihiro and I couldn't lift it together… What terrifying strength.
"Look at this."
Mizuki was holding Uta's smartphone. It must have charged a bit, because the power was on. It was amazing that it still worked after a hundred years. Given that Uta's body was preserved in an unchanging state, there must be some sort of mechanism at work in this space, or perhaps in this coffin.
The display she showed me was open to a calendar. It showed a date ten years ahead of my own phone's calendar. There seemed to be a memo written there. Mizuki opened it.
I want to live. Please, just let me wait until my first child is born.
"…"
So she knew she was going to die. I looked away from the phone and back at Uta. She really did just look like she was sleeping. Mizuki closed the memo and scrolled back through the dates. The entries began in the same year we were transferred.
While I was fighting with my boyfriend, I was transferred to an unfamiliar world by someone claiming to be a god named Racshell. I can't go back.
That's what the memo said. I'd felt it before, but perhaps because she never expected anyone to read it, the writing style was quite stiff. And Racshell—she's already being called a false god.
"It's possible that all transferees are summoned from the same year in our world."
Let's say the war of the gods happened ten thousand years ago. If a hundred people were transferred every hundred years since then, that would mean ten thousand people have been brought to this world. That's a considerable number. Wouldn't someone notice that many people disappearing? Furthermore, if they all share the same ancestors, wouldn't the supply start running out soon?
"Master, by any chance, do you know someone named Okita Soji?"
Fam's question seemed to come out of nowhere, but then I remembered her profession was Mibu-Rō.
"I know of him. He was called Mibu-Rō in my original world, too."
"Was he a friend of yours? Could it be that you were also a Mibu-Rō, Master?"
Fam's eyes were sparkling with an intensity I'd never seen before.
"No, unfortunately, he died more than a hundred years before I was born. Was there a transferee who called himself that?"
"Yes. He is a hero in the legends of the dog-eared race. Everyone reveres him."
Fam nodded deeply. The sense of familiarity I felt in her behavior came from this. He had passed on our lifestyle customs to the dog-eared race. And he left his name in this world, and by some principle, even left the profession of Mibu-Rō for them. If it really was him, then my hypothesis is wrong.
"…Hey, no way, that's impossible!"
Hyakka interjected.
"Okita Soji was sick! After losing the war, he was hidden by a gardener where he'd fled, but he never recovered and passed away. He even has a grave. I read the novels he's in, read the manga, and rented and watched the entire historical drama. I begged my dad to take me to visit his grave, but we could only pay our respects from a distance. I'm sure of it!"
Hyakka seemed to be a passionate Okita Soji fan.
"I've heard that when Okita Soji was transferred, he was suffering from an illness. They said it was consumption. In the end, this illness was the cause of his death."
Fam said.
"…"
Hyakka and I exchanged a look. The word 'consumption' came from Fam's mouth first. What was going on? But then, a thought occurred to me. Fam is afflicted by a curse. Its symptoms resemble consumption, which might be why people thought it was contagious and left her alone. And could the guardian deity enshrined in her village be Okita Soji? Why would he, a man respected by the dog-eared race, become a village guardian and curse its people? To find the truth, I'd have to visit her hometown.
"Was that Okita Soji's swordsmanship similar to mine?"
"Yes. I haven't seen it myself, but you use the same weapons as described in the legends of Okita Soji, Master," Fam answered.
"Fam, I hate to break it to ya, but that guy's a fake. The real one was drop-dead gorgeous. There's no way he was like this old man! Don't ruin my dream!"
"Mmph! The Master is the most handsome man in the world!"
Fam squared up to Hyakka. I felt bad for her, but I was fully aware that I was a plain-looking old guy. That said, Hyakka's rose-tinted glasses were pretty intense.
"Hey, Fam just said our weapons were the same. The old man part has nothing to do with it."
I made sure to point that out to Hyakka.
The conversation had gone completely off track. I shifted my gaze back to Uta.
"What does she mean by 'first child'?" Mizuki said.
"She must have specified 'first' for a reason."
That would mean the current Governor isn't her descendant. It seems there was some kind of conflict back then. But that was a secondary concern.
"Still, she really does look like she's alive."
Perhaps because I'd just read her memo, her slightly swollen belly seemed to move. I reached out to touch it, and every woman in the room glared at me. A careless mistake. I honestly didn't have any lewd intentions, but given my track record, they weren't likely to believe me.
"Was she ill, I wonder?" Maira murmured, as if to herself.
"Shall we find out? I doubt I can cure what the people of her time could not, but she must have left those words because she had some kind of diagnosis," the priest replied.
"You can do that?"
Instead of answering me, he placed a hand on her body and began to chant something that sounded like a spell. Still, I couldn't accept that this priest, a pervert who'd touch Hyakka's butt, faced no protest from the women. Since that was the case, I decided to give Hyakka's rear a pat myself. I circled behind her so no one would notice.
"Hyaah!"
Hyakka let out a shriek as I touched her.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing, all of a sudden…"
Her face flushed crimson as she looked at me. The complex expression—a mixture of surprise, confusion, and embarrassment—was irresistible. So this is the kind of face the priest got to see. It made me jealous. She brought her face close to my ear.
"A-Are you, maybe, asking for a kiss at a time like this? L-Later. Not in front of everyone."
The priest remained motionless, his hand still on Uta, continuing his chant. We were left with nothing to do.
"Seriously, Racshell is terrible. I bet she never intended to tell us anything from the start!" Mizuki said.
I thought so too. But what was her purpose in putting us in this situation?
"Mizuki. I don't think it's that Racshell-sama won't say, but that she can't say," Fam answered.
"Why can't she? She's a goddess, isn't she?"
"Come to think of it, I'd forgotten Racshell is imprisoned. Does that mean the other gods have forbidden her from telling transferees their purpose or the situation?"
Fam nodded uncertainly. Racshell had lost the war of the gods. Since then, she's been cut off from the other gods and confined.
"At the very least, it seems Racshell-sama is especially fond of you, Master, and you, Mizuki."
Fam stated it as a fact. Her thoughts seemed to be gleaned from Racshell's own emotions.
"Speaking of which, she was screaming something during the fight at the guard tower. Did you hear it, Fam?"
The moment she screamed, my own mana reserves had dropped significantly.
"I couldn't hear the words. But it felt like she was saying, 'Run.'"
I looked at Hyakka and Chihiro, who had also been there. They both shook their heads. Still, 'Run'… that was no small thing. To summon us to this world only to say that—what was she thinking?
"Now that I think about it, when you first met Racshell, didn't she say something to you at the end, Fam?"
"She told me two things. At the time, I was angry with you and Racshell-sama out of jealousy."
I nodded. It was the day after she and I had been intimate for the first time. I had also been intimate with Racshell.
"I was really, truly, incredibly angry."
Fam seemed to be reliving the memory, restating her emotions from that time.
"That's right. It was the first time I'd ever been that angry."
So it was a deeper anger than when her village was attacked and she was thrown in jail. But, if possible, I'd like her to move on to the next part.
"To me, in that state, Racshell-sama said, 'Is the person you truly love the ideal person you envision in your heart? Or is it the person you are touching right now?'"
"I get it… and she's right, but for Racshell to be the one to say that feels incredibly manipulative," Mizuki replied, her expression unconvinced.
"What was the other thing?" I prompted Fam.
"…I don't want to say it right now. But I promise I will tell you someday. Is that… okay?"
"Yeah. If you don't want to say it, you don't have to. You don't have to promise, either."
I placed a hand on Fam's head and stroked her soft ear. What on earth could she be hiding?
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, or rated this story, thank you very much. Your support is a great encouragement. I'll do my best.