501 - Leonardo's Perspective: The Divine King's Blood and the Blue Flower Spirit
...To think that the terrain would become this unrecognizable just because the snow disappeared.
The shape of the mountains shouldn't change that easily, but simply because there is no snow, I cannot find the entrance to the cave I have visited once before. There must be a small room that Tina called an 'elevator' or a staircase exit somewhere, but I could not find those either.
...Should I go back to Tina... back to Christina for a moment?
Since she herself told me to stop treating her like a child and to call her 'Christina', I intend to correct my habit, but it is not easily ingrained. To me, the impression of 'Tina' as 'my cute little sister Tina' is strong, so it was difficult to be conscious of her as 'Christina, a single woman' just because she has reached a certain age. I feel like I could quickly correct it if it were as 'Christina, my grown-up little sister', so I must be resisting seeing Christina as a woman. I am, first and foremost, 'Tina's big brother'.
Thinking that I cannot leave her alone for too long, I interrupt my search for the entrance and return to Christina. Seeing me, Christina's face brightened and she smiled. Even the way she lifted herself from the rock she was using as a chair to welcome me was cute, but Christina is my sister. Unfortunately, I feel nothing but affection for my little sister.
...Three more years until twenty... or is it almost two? Even so, I wonder if I could ever see Tina as a woman.
Since I have known Christina since she was eight, I can only think of her as a child. Since I was entrusted with her as a big brother by her namer, Solomon, I can only think of her as a little sister.
It is possible to become husband and wife on paper or in form, but for us to become husband and wife in the true sense would likely be more difficult than Christina thinks.
...Hm? What is Tina distracted by...?
Christina's gaze, which had been smiling at me, suddenly shifted to the side. Just as I thought she looked slightly surprised with her eyes wide, Christina began to wander off to the side instead of coming to me.
...Is that...!?
Finding a human figure where Christina was looking, I quickened my pace. I wanted to secure Christina before the figure made contact with her, but the figure began to leave the area as if fleeing from the approaching Christina.
"Tina!"
I called her name, putting my will into it to tell her to stop, but Christina's feet did not stop. There is no way she didn't hear my voice, but Christina continued to chase the figure.
...Jasper!?
As the figure wove through the trees, the deeply pulled hood swayed, revealing a profile hidden within. The face hidden beneath the hood was that of a man I knew, but it was also the face of a man who should not be here. Jasper had died two years ago. I had confirmed the body, and I had been present at the site where the body was burned. The man walking through the trees could not possibly be Jasper.
"Tina!"
I shouted once more, but Christina did not stop. Christina chased the figure with Jasper's face, and then, suddenly, she vanished. It was an event so brief, a mere instant, that I suspected it was an optical illusion. However, as if to show that Christina had certainly been there, the nursery spirit that should have been perched on Christina's shoulder fell plop onto the ground covered in undergrowth. The nursery spirit also seemed not to understand what had happened, blinking rapidly before clutching its head and spinning around in place. The black Shiba was in the same boat, circling restlessly around the spinning nursery spirit.
...Leaving even the spirit behind is surely too strange, right!?
It might be possible to outmaneuver a human, but something with the power to repel even a mysterious existence like a nursery spirit seems to have taken Christina away. No matter how I think about it, this involves spirits. Even though Christina herself can negotiate with spirits, I cannot leave this alone.
"Calm down, Kalisa."
I caught the nursery spirit that continued to spin on the ground and placed it in my palm. Perhaps the change in perspective changed its mood, as the nursery spirit blinked blankly and then let go of its head. It must have finally come to its senses.
When I asked if it knew where Christina had gone, the nursery spirit tilted its head once. Then, it seemed to finally remember who it was. After taking a deep breath, in the next instant, it looked angry and pointed toward the Dawn Tower.
"Was Tina taken to the Dawn Tower?"
The nursery spirit in my palm nodded vigorously. As if to say 'Let's go quickly, let's chase her', the nursery spirit began to pull on my thumb.
"Kalisa, I still haven't found the entrance to the tower... do you know it?"
There is no way to chase her if I do not know the entrance. In the worst case, I would have to enter even by cutting down trees, but in a situation where I am attacked by tree roots the moment I ready a weapon, I wonder if I could even swing an axe to cut down a tree.
As I looked at the nursery spirit, who had a troubled expression as if it didn't know, the presence nearby increased. It was not as clear a presence as a human's, but I could certainly tell. A number of spirits, far beyond the order of magnitude of the spirits that had been around until now, were gathering around. Perhaps the spirits of the entire Erath Great Mountain Range had gathered.
--Even if you ask, it is useless.
--That child is a created child, after all.
--Moreover, she is a potted plant.
--Because she was created by humans.
--Because she is not correctly connected to the world, she is unsuitable for guiding the way.
--In that regard, we were born properly.
--Because we are correctly connected to the world, we are good at guiding the way.
The nursery spirit's face distorted with frustration as the spirits stepped forward one after another, claiming they could guide the way. I did not understand the affairs between spirits well, but seeing the nursery spirit's reaction, what the spirits were saying was likely true. Because the nursery spirit was a spirit created by human hands, its abilities were limited, and because the surrounding spirits were naturally born, they did not have the limitations the nursery spirit felt.
"...Can you guide me to Tina?"
When I asked the surrounding spirits for guidance, the spirits who had been whispering all shut their mouths at once. Amidst a strange tension, the one who stepped forward was a spirit with the upper body of an old man and the lower body of a goat.
--If it is I, I can undoubtedly guide you to that girl.
"Then, can I rely on you?"
--In exchange for your name, I shall guide you.
Rather, it was stated flatly that it would not guide me except in exchange for my name, and I was inwardly impressed. I had intended to move the spirit voluntarily without specifying a reward, but this time, the spirit (opponent) was one step ahead. Once it was declared that it would not guide me except in exchange for my name, it was impossible to extract a concession.
...At times like this, spirits bound by words are truly troublesome.
If it were a human, the conditions could be changed through negotiation, but spirits are not human. Precisely because they are not bound by a physical body of flesh like humans, spirits have a mysterious ecology where they are bound by words. There are fairy tales and legends left behind about using that to trick them, but the gap for tricking them had been closed first. In this state, if I want the spirit to guide me, I have no choice but to offer my name.
--Anyway, you must be reaching your limit soon. The wind was saying. That you almost cut off your friend's arm with that monstrous strength.
Hearing about almost cutting off a friend's arm, I remembered last year's tournament. There was indeed a time when I misjudged the strength and almost cut off Alf's arm, not just the sword but along with the shield.
--Because you are using the body of a king in a human's form, you are reaching your limit. The Divine King said he would wait until you die, but the time you can live as yourself is short.
At the words that followed, telling me to return that arm to the king, I instinctively grabbed my dominant arm. When I felt the gaze of spirits and it pained me some time ago, it must have been this dominant arm.
"...What about my arm?"
I have no recollection of it, but from the spirit's perspective, my arm is not my arm. Since I am told to return it, there must be someone who lost the arm that should be returned. And that person is an existence the spirits call the king.
--That is not your arm.
--That arm is the king's arm.
--That is the Divine King's arm.
--You stole the arm from the king's coffin and made it your own.
--Thief.
--Thief.
The surroundings suddenly buzzed all at once, and due to the excessive noise, I instinctively covered my ear with one hand. Since the nursery spirit was on my other hand, I could not cover both ears.
--Return the king's arm, you thief.
--In front of the other coffin, that child is standing.
--The girl the king made a promise to is standing.
--If that is destroyed, only one remains.
--If everything is destroyed, the king will be pleased.
--The king's journey will end.
I feel there are more voices telling me to return the arm than to give my name. Rather, stealing my name seems to lead to returning the arm.
"...I have no recollection of stealing the Divine King's arm. What does this mean?"
--If I answer, will you give me your name?
It seems that no matter how I answer, they only intend to say 'give me your name'. When the spirit side is this thorough, I feel some kind of intentionality. Someone might have given them a hint, or there is a possibility they are being deceived by a human.
...It seems safe to assume that being separated from Tina was the spirits' intention.
By pulling Christina away from me, they are shaking my composure. In that case, the question is where the spirits acquired the method of shaking a human (me).
"Hm? ...Ow!?"
Just as I thought the nursery spirit hopped up from my palm, it clung to my dominant hand that was covering my ear. I wondered what it was doing with the momentum of its jump, and the nursery spirit bit my finger with all its might.
It had bitten me before, but this time's bite was extraordinary. It was not one of the expressions of dissatisfaction, but I felt a clear intent to attack.
"Kalisa, now is not the time to pick a fight with me..."
It is probably not the time to pick a fight with me. I must somehow appease the spirits and chase after Christina. I tried to admonish the nursery spirit like that, but as the nursery spirit licked the blood seeping from my finger, the surrounding spirits buzzed.
...What? What are they so surprised by...?
The identity of the spirits' bewilderment was soon revealed. On the finger that had been cleanly licked by the nursery spirit, nothing remained, not even a fairy's bite mark. Although the nursery spirit had certainly been licking the blood, there was no red of blood there, only the color of skin.
And, in the time it took to blink once, I would come to know the reason why the spirits buzzed.
"...Kalisa, is that you?"
The change was instantaneous. In the very next instant after I blinked, the nursery spirit's appearance had changed. The nursery spirit, who had the appearance of a toddler the size of a palm, now had slender limbs and was taller than me. The basis of the face was still Kalisa's, but perhaps because it was not human, the features became remarkably beautiful. The nursery spirit had been wearing the maid outfit made by Salisa, but along with the change in appearance, the clothing changed to a deep red long robe. The sight of it wearing an Enomena flower in its hair was closer to the spirits that had decorated trees with human corpses than the nursery spirit until now. It was not just that the appearance changed, but the presence was entirely different.
...I see, the Divine King's blood.
I have no recollection of it, but the spirits said my arm was the Divine King's arm. And the nursery spirit licked the blood flowing from that 'Divine King's arm'. If what the spirits say is correct, the blood that came from my arm is the blood of the Divine King possessing mysterious power. It might not be strange for the nursery spirit to have gained some kind of power.
--What a terrifying thing!
--To think of eating the king!
While shouting that it is terrifying and will touch the wrath of the gods, the encirclement of spirits that had surrounded me thinned. It seems that fearing being caught up in the wrath of the gods, the timid ones began to leave the area.
The grown nursery spirit took a powerful step forward. I felt as if the ground shook with a thud, and this was likely not an illusion. In accordance with the nursery spirit's movement, a small spirit jumped up and fell on its backside.
"Nuoh!?"
Without paying any attention to the frightened spirit, the nursery spirit grabbed me by the collar. I wondered if this was payback for usual times, but I silently followed the nursery spirit as it began to charge through the forest without a word. Until a moment ago, it had just been walking around the ground clutching its head in panic after losing sight of Christina, but now it was walking with a clearly determined destination.
If I cannot ask the spirits for Christina's location, I should follow the nursery spirit for now.
I tried asking the nursery spirit walking ahead where we were heading. The answer to this was silence. Rather, just as I have not heard stories of Christina having conversations with the nursery spirit, I have never heard this nursery spirit make a sound.
...Even the wind spirits talk normally, though?
Wondering if there was something the nursery spirit could not speak of, I set aside other thoughts. For now, I must retrieve Christina no matter what.
"...Where is this?"
When the trees opened up and we came to a place that was like a small plaza, the nursery spirit's pace finally stopped. I looked around, but there was nothing particularly strange. It was just a place that was slightly open in the forest.
"Kalisa, at least a little explanation..."
I wondered if there could be at least some sign of intent. When I demanded that, the nursery spirit again stepped strongly on the ground in silence. Then, as if that impact were a trigger, a small room popped up from the ground.
"...Wait. Is this that? The thing called an elevator...?"
The nursery spirit seems to have found the elevator I used when I came with Christina before. It is hard to tell because there is not a single word of explanation, but there must have been a change in abilities due to growing larger. A place that I could not find no matter how much I searched appeared with a single kick from the nursery spirit.
Once I entered the cave, I would not get lost since I had once explored every corner with Christina. As usual, the spirit lamps were not lit, but since there was another light source, I had no trouble with lighting.
In a sense, it was terrifying that the inside of the cave had not changed at all from before. Even though the snow had disappeared from the outside, the interior of the cave was peace itself. Goblins passed by in the corridors, and occasionally the figures of patrolling Imperial soldiers appeared.
...No, I cannot call it peace right now.
Previously, it was a cave where I walked around as I pleased with Christina, but now I am nothing but an intruder. It might have been different if I had visited as the bandit Jin with long hair and a beard, but now I am in the uniform of the Black Knight of the Ivizia Kingdom and simple armor. It is like infiltrating a military facility of the Zoogary Empire in this appearance, so the moment soldiers locked eyes with me, they drew the swords at their waists, and then they were attacked by tree roots and snatched away somewhere, repeating this process. It did not become a battle, but it is hard to call it peace.
"Who are...!?"
The Imperial soldier who locked eyes with me the moment I turned the corner drew the sword at his waist and was snatched away by tree roots that appeared by splitting the ground. Thanks to that, no unnecessary blood was shed, but I am a little terrified of myself for getting used to this sight.
"...Hm? Your face looks familiar."
"What...!?"
As I proceeded through the cave neutralizing the Imperial soldiers I encountered, there was an Imperial soldier who unusually did not draw his sword immediately. This is rare, and I immediately closed the distance. Fearing that he would move to attack, the Imperial soldier's hand reached for his waist, but I easily caught and restrained it. When I warned him that he would be snatched by tree roots if he drew his sword, the Imperial soldier became quiet. Given that he had ears to hear the warning, this Imperial soldier must have also seen his comrades being snatched by tree roots.
"As I thought... it is a familiar face."
"I have no acquaintances among the Black Knights of Ivizia!"
Wondering where I had seen the face, I searched my memory while looking at the Imperial soldier's face. This face was certainly—
"...Were you contributing pancakes to Tina?"
"Eh? Tina-chan? ...Which means, are you Jin? You're Jin, right? The hairstyle is different... but the build is Jin. You were a Black Knight of the Ivizia Kingdom!"
"...A mere resemblance."
Because I confirmed that it was a familiar face, my identity was revealed, but it can be handled. While I was in the Zoogary Empire, Lanvald was pretending to be me in the city of Grunol, so the excuse that I could not have been in the Zoogary Empire became valid. Lanvald was for that purpose originally.
"More importantly, what is happening to this country? On the surface, the Emperor is dead."
In the first place, I asked the Imperial soldier as a side note why the Zoogary Empire did something as foolish as a declaration of war against the entire continent. Since I have infiltrated the interior of the Zoogary Empire, I want to gather whatever information I can.
"Why would Emperor Edeltroute pass away? That can't be true!"
"Well, it is surprising. Normally."
Even if told suddenly that their own country's emperor is dead, they wouldn't believe it immediately, right? For that matter, they should be confused and not understand why they are being told such a thing. I understood the confused feelings of the Imperial soldier, but for my part, I wanted to hurry and wanted the exchange of information to be concise.
As I matter-of-factly told him about what was happening outside the cave and what I saw on the surface, the Imperial soldier spoke of the circumstances on the Zoogary Empire's side, though half-doubting. Even calling them the empire's circumstances, they were stories that could be heard even inside the cave.
Regarding the declaration of war against the entire continent, it seemed to be nothing more than rumors inside the cave. First, I was surprised by this nonchalance.
"...The security of this cave is regular Imperial soldiers, right? Why have only rumors circulated?"
"The main job of the security here is watching over old man Camille. A war with other countries has nothing to do with us."
Since the job of the Imperial soldiers stationed in the cave is to watch so that Camille does not escape and to watch so that the secrets of the cave do not leak outside, even if the Zoogary Empire itself was trying to start a war with neighboring countries, it seemed to be nothing more than someone else's business for the soldiers here. Despite it being a story about their own country, it is a terrifying level of indifference.
And according to the Imperial soldier who was indifferent even to his own country, as for the story that the Zoogary Empire might declare war on the entire continent, there seemed to be a rumor even inside the cave that 'something amazing seems to have been invented'. As for other rumors, there were many miscellaneous stories, such as several cave soldiers going missing a few months ago, or those people returning to the Imperial Capital with convenient tools from inside the cave as gifts.
"...Come to think of it, was it after those guys disappeared? Old man Camille seemed to be thinking deeply, which is rare, saying 'something troublesome might have happened'."
"When I connect everything, something vaguely becomes visible."
Probably, there was a soldier who took out tools from inside the cave, and they were found in the Imperial Capital. The Zoogary Empire Emperor likely saw a chance for victory in the convenient tools invented inside the cave and declared war on the entire continent without much thought. Camille might have been troubled anticipating this flow.
...What did Camille have stolen...?
In any case, the emperor is dead, and the 'useless child who won't stop fighting' according to the spirits was made into nutrients for the trees. Since the chain of command will be paralyzed for a while, it should be impossible to fight neighboring countries. The war involving the entire continent by the Zoogary Empire vanished before it was born.
"Where is that Camille?"
"Old man Camille has been missing for a little while. I think he's just adding rooms somewhere in the cave again... Ah, was it around the time the old man's figure disappeared?"
It seems that the figures of spirits began to be reflected in the eyes of the Imperial soldiers in the cave around the time Camille's figure was no longer seen. Asking in detail, it was a few days before that impact that was mistaken for an earthquake.
"When you call out to them, they spin around or something, and they're quite charming, though their appearance is eerie."
"Once you get used to it, they're unexpectedly cute. They'll even do simple errands for you."
"Eh? Is that so?"
Since I have heard what I wanted to hear for now, I released the Imperial soldier. Upon parting, I told him about the tree roots. That if he draws his sword and takes attacking action, he will be attacked, and after being disarmed, he will be thrown out to the border of the Ivizia Kingdom, and since he will be naked at that time, he should be careful if he doesn't want to expose his meager parts.
"In a sense, the empire (here) has become a safe country. Since the emperor is gone, if you have a home to return to or a family you want to protect, why not leave the cave and return to your hometown while you can?"
Although few know of the current Zoogary Empire, it is a country without a king. It will undoubtedly become chaotic. Whether one can protect their family by their side at that time likely depends on the choice made at this very moment.
Following the nursery spirit's guidance, I proceeded through the cave and reached the river flowing underground. It is a place where Christina once came to look for Kalisa, and also a place where Camille said he would mourn Jasper and Almel. Looking around the dim space where there was nothing, I suddenly found color on the ground. Wondering what it was, as I approached, I noticed a human figure. Thinking it might be Camille, who I had heard had not been seen for a while, I confirmed the figure's face, and the figure was wearing a cloak with a black hood. I had seen this appearance just a little while ago. It was the man who walked weaving through the trees in the forest on the surface and fled from Christina.
"...Jasper, is it?"
Wondering why Jasper was here, I immediately reached the answer. At Jasper's feet, a lovely flower of pale light blue was blooming.
The conditions had been met from the beginning.
The nursery spirit was born from the Enomena bulb that Christina received from Camille. When growing the Enomena flower, Christina also buried Kalisa's remains in the Enomena pot according to a dream's revelation.
It is not necessarily the case that there was only one bulb from which a spirit is born, and I did not actually see Camille, who carried the remains of Jasper and the others, mourn the two. I could not say it was completely impossible to encounter something in the form of Jasper here.
...If I think positively, is it that bulbs were buried to decorate the graves?
I do not want to think that Camille, who said he would bury the two, actually used even their remains as experimental tools. If so, a contradiction arises with the fact that he said he would let the remains flow down the river in a small boat, but that does not matter now.
"Where is Tina?"
Thinking he probably won't answer anyway, I questioned Jasper. Then, surprisingly, Jasper moved his hand in silence and pointed to the opposite bank of the river. Courteously, rocks that could serve as footholds appeared from the water to make crossing the river easier.
"...If you intend to guide me, don't separate me from Tina from the start."
To the complaint that accidentally leaked, there was a reply in a girl's voice. Surprised by the voice, when I shifted my gaze back, Almel, in the appearance I had seen once, was standing where Jasper should have been.
--Both Jasper and I intended to guide you. It is just that you were stalled by other spirits (people).
"I see, so being separated from Tina was the spirits' own staging. You are quite clever."
This is seriously strange. While there are not a few moody spirits, I have seen only spirits who are basically generous and do not lie. I cannot believe that they intentionally separated Christina and me, and took the violent method of saying they would guide me to Christina if I gave my name. If anything, this is a human way of doing things.
...As I thought, the spirits seem to be instigated by someone.
Crossing to the opposite bank, I found a horizontal hole hidden in the shadow of a rock. The nursery spirit jumped into it without hesitation, so I followed. Walking through the dim passage, I hit a staircase, and this time I climbed that staircase relentlessly.
It was a dark and narrow staircase, but at one point, the surroundings suddenly became bright. Looking around the bright surroundings, stone walls surrounded the area in a circle, and the white stairs were pearl-colored. Seeing the change in surroundings, it seems I have left the cave. If anything, far from the entrance to the Dawn Tower, I seem to have already entered the tower.
When I finished climbing the stairs, I could find Christina's black hair in the center of a wide room.
Standing in the center of the room, Christina, though bewildered, was pointing the gun in her hand at the 'Spirit's Seat' and Camille standing before it.