304 - There are Rabbits on the Moon
"Peace? I don't know what you mean all of a sudden. Besides, what about you?"
In the courtyard of the Rufens Royal Castle, Aria was performing her daily training. The sight of her swinging her spear and sweating was once merely rough.
But now, there is a hint of allure to her. Nearly two years have passed since we met, perhaps Aria has grown up?
"My peace?"
Having asked Aria about peace and been asked back, I crossed my arms. Looking down slightly, I gave voice to my honest thoughts.
"As long as no disasters occur, I suppose it's peace for now."
Inside the orb, the Third Head was laughing loudly.
『Ahahaha, it really is a matter of life and death, isn't it!』
Who do you think caused this situation? Well, it's my responsibility too, so it's not just the fault of the previous heads.
Aria looked at me as if she were repulsed while wiping her sweat with a towel. She draped the towel over her shoulder and thrust her spear into the ground.
"...Don't you think it's better to think about things like that after everything is over?"
"Even if you say 'after everything is over'... look, basically, even if I win against Celes, the problem is what happens after the win. There's no doubt it'll become incredibly busy."
I wanted to think through whatever I could while I still had the time.
Aria looked toward me.
"Well, even if you talk about peace, I can't really imagine it. Even when I was in Banseime, skirmishes broke out somewhere every year. When there were wars on the scale of several thousand people at the border, children often spoke the names of the knights who distinguished themselves."
In her daily life, it was natural for fighting to be happening somewhere. Aria had an expression that suggested the word "peace" didn't quite click with her.
"Well, I think it's fine to think about it after winning against Celes. If I don't win, then thinking about it is just a waste of time."
That was certainly true. Thinking that, I shrugged my shoulders. Then, Aria spoke.
"So? Did you make up with Novem? It'll be a problem if you two are fighting."
"It's not exactly a fight, though."
Aria, who said it would be a problem if Novem and I got along poorly, pouted slightly.
"Listen. The reason Novem was able to maintain various balances was because she's the closest to you. If something happens there, Novem's... how should I put it... her influence? Her speaking power will weaken. I won't be responsible if you're pushed into taking a massive amount of wives as a result."
That would be a problem. Thinking that, I decided to talk with Novem.
Novem's room.
The Valkyries stood guard, keeping Novem in a state of temporary house arrest. Normally, there were many jobs I wanted her to do, but for now, I had her stay in her room to get some rest.
When I came to the room, Novem began preparing tea.
"I have not prepared any sweets. Shall I order some?"
The room Novem used was clean, but there were few belongings that seemed to have been brought in by her.
Thinking back, Novem only bought the absolute bare minimum. I had given her various small gifts, but she kept those things tucked away carefully.
"No, tea is fine. Also... about the previous matter."
Novem's hand brewing the tea seemed to stop. The Third Head inside the orb also reacted.
『It's rare to see Novem-chan flustered, or rather, does she care this much?』
After preparing the tea in silence for a while, Novem sat on the sofa, took a sip of the tea she had prepared, and then spoke.
"...Are the previous heads also listening?"
The Third Head did not answer the gaze directed at the orb.
"Right now, only the Third Head remains. The others... they entrusted various things to me and fulfilled their roles."
At that, Novem smiled slightly.
"They fulfilled their roles, then. That is good. However, it is a bit regrettable. I wanted to meet them."
Inside the orb, the Third Head muttered.
『I don't think you should have. There are a lot of mysterious parts about them.』
To divert the conversation away from the orb, I decided to ask Novem what I wanted to know.
"That aside, Novem. Is it a bad thing if I aim for peace?"
Novem lowered her gaze to the cup in her hand and began to speak slowly, bit by bit.
"Lariel-sama, what is peace?"
"It's vague, so I don't know. Well, when I asked myself and the people around me, the answer that came back was the tranquility of oneself and one's surroundings. Perhaps humans only focus on things close to them."
If oneself and one's surroundings are at peace, other things are surely like a fire on the opposite bank. I wonder how many people are not like that?
"Peace is an illusion. Yes. It is like a cloud. It looks as if it is there, but in reality, it cannot be grasped. It is drifted by the wind and changes shape. It is something that has almost no form."
I said to Novem.
"So, you're saying I shouldn't aim for it?"
Novem looked up. Her expression was serious.
"...If anyone else said it, it would be dismissed as nonsense. However, if Lariel-sama says it, it will have a great influence on the future. Lariel-sama's words will be misinterpreted, used for convenience by people of later generations, and will ultimately disparage Lariel-sama himself."
I'm not that amazing of a person, though?
Well, if I aim to be Emperor and obtain that chair, my name will certainly remain in history.
But would it be to that extent?
"Even if we don't keep fighting uselessly forever, there are still many monsters and bandits. Shouldn't we at least aim for a slightly more peaceful world? Besides, there's no telling what will happen hundreds or thousands of years from now."
When I said that much, Novem looked at me and smiled weakly.
"If you were to unify the continent and Lariel-sama carried out a good administration, let us say. The continent would develop greatly, and in several thousand—no, in several hundred years, people would even be able to go to the moon. No, if Professor Damian or Monica-san the automaton put in their full effort, they could probably go to the moon in a few decades. In such a world... do you believe, Lariel-sama, that monsters and bandits would be a threat?"
From inside the orb, a serious voice spoke.
『The moon, huh... I'm a romantic, after all. I'd be happy if there were rabbits on the moon. If the Fifth Head were here, he'd surely be dancing with joy. I wonder if the rabbits on the moon can talk?』
...I want him to be quiet.
"The moon, huh. Well, if Damian puts in his full effort, it seems like a lot of things would be possible. But he's a pervert just as he is, so I don't think he'd be interested in that."
Novem looked at me sadly.
"No, Professor Damian's wish would likely be granted if he went to the moon. To be precise, I believe he would make great progress. Because there... ancient facilities are likely still preserved."
"Facilities? Not ruins?"
I opened my mouth in surprise, but that wasn't what I wanted to ask.
—Why does Novem know such a thing?—
The memories of the Evil God? While I was thinking that, Novem drank her tea again and averted her gaze from me.
"You must have heard various things inside the orb. How much have you come to know?"
I spoke honestly.
"About how Novem inherited the memories of the Evil God—Novem who is the Evil God—and how Celes inherited the negative memories of the Goddess Septem. Also, the reason why your clan continued to support my clan from the shadows, I suppose."
Novem smiled.
"If you know that much, then the conversation will be quick. Yes. Lariel-sama has the right to hold the continent in his hand. The time has come for the Walt family to take back everything that was once stolen by Banseime."
I drank my tea, and inside the orb, the Third Head spoke with a lack of interest.
『...But you know, it's only natural that the ancestors had it snatched away, right? Even if you say there's a right to it, I think Banseime would be angry. Or rather, if the positions were reversed, they'd be like, "What are you talking about?" Well, I'll still lend my wisdom to make Lariel win, though. Prosperity and decline are like a set, after all.』
"I don't follow. In the end, what does that have to do with peace?"
Novem looked at me expressionlessly.
"It does. Because the humans who once left the Earth and expanded their living sphere even to the moon—they perished slowly within peace. They were completely wiped out. And, by Lariel-sama's hand, there is a possibility that such a demise will occur again."
I was surprised, and my hand trembled. The tea remaining in the cup shook, and I gasped as I looked at Novem.
"Perished? No, well... certainly, the ancient civilization perished, but saying they were completely wiped out is a bit much."
If they were completely wiped out, then what on earth are we?
Then, Novem wore a dim smile.
"I may tell you. How did humanity perish? It is a very foolish story, and not interesting at all. However, that is what I wanted to say. What peace brought was not only the prosperity of humanity, but the end that should be most avoided as a species: extinction."
Just as I was about to open my mouth to question Novem, the room's door was knocked with tremendous force. Surprised, I looked back toward the door, and before I could answer, Shannon burst in.
"L-Lariel!"
"W-what is it! You surprised me! Stop it. Stop with the violent knocking at a timing like that!"
Novem's face, wearing that dim smile, was scary. She is a beauty, but that only made it scarier. And I felt a silent pressure telling me to prepare myself if I wanted to hear any further. Because of that, and the surprising knocking sound, my heart was pulsing so hard it felt like the sound could be heard.
"Novem, come too! Monica says new information has come in! C-Celes is—"
Hearing Celes's name, I stood up from the sofa.
Did she attack at this timing? That's what I thought.
The place where we gathered was not the conference room, but the dining hall we used.
There, Monica and the Valkyries were drawing pictures on paper. Monica and the Valkyries drew in detail, almost like painters, but the eeriness of the drawings outweighed any artistic quality.
Monica stopped her hand when I arrived. Shannon hid behind me, looking at the pictures Monica and the others had drawn.
"Hie!"
What was drawn there was truly hell.
"What is this?"
When I picked up one of the sheets, everyone gathered there frowned. Monica spoke to me.
"Information from the dispatched Valkyries. It seems they have constructed the grave of Maisel Wolt. It appears to be a large-scale project, and it seems tens of thousands of people were mobilized to perform the work. The number of people involved alone must be in the hundreds of thousands."
It's surprising that they could gather that much manpower at this time, but if they move people on that scale, there's no way there won't be problems with the harvest. They couldn't have gathered only people from the urban areas. I truly cannot understand what Celes is doing.
"A grave? ...Hey, wait a minute. Then, what is this picture? Why is Father here?"
Monica's face was serious. She wasn't in a mood to joke. Nor would she use such a way to comfort me.
"According to the information, it is undoubtedly Maisel Wolt—the father of the chicken coward."
Drawn there was the figure of my father, who had come to visit his own grave. And in a different picture—.
"And this is the situation at that time. To ensure he is not lonely, they have buried the workers who participated in the project alive."
It was just disgusting. How could someone do such a thing?
While I held those doubts, Novem looked at the picture I was holding.
"...It is a skill created by Septem. It seems she has become able to master multiple skills."
I looked toward Novem.
"What kind of skill is it? Don't tell me she brought Father back to life!"
Does a skill that can do even that exist? While I was thinking that, Novem spoke to me.
"Lariel-sama, Goddesses and Evil Gods are just what people call them. We do not have that much power. I believe she is extracting records from a part of the corpse and reproducing them. Should I say it is like a doll of the skill user?"
He hadn't come back to life. While I felt disappointed, I thought in my heart that it was for the best.
Miranda took charge of the situation.
"...Let's convey this to the countries surrounding Banseime. She's no longer sane. This will serve as a justification for the overthrow of Banseime."
The Third Head spoke to me.
『Lariel, Miranda-chan is taking charge of this place because she thinks Lariel is depressed. You mustn't forget that. Also... the story has become too big. The ancient people were unexpectedly wiped out. And Novem-chan, who knows various things... shall we talk a bit?』
I agreed with the Third Head's opinion. While directing my gaze toward Miranda.
"Sorry. I should have been the one to say it. Monica, summarize the materials. Also, Eva."
"W-what?"
To Eva, who had a pale face, I said.
"...Spread the song. Have them sing of the atrocities of Banseime. I'll prepare the money for that. Sorry, but I'll use anything I can use."
Faced with Celes's excessive actions, which almost seemed to give us a justification, my anxiety grew.