kscans

Chapter 117 - Research and Conclusions

I headed to the historical documents section to research Hihi'irokane. It was a metal I'd never heard of, which meant it was likely lost to modern times, and its very existence was uncertain. Of course, Adamantite comes from the Greek word adamas, used to describe incredibly hard substances like diamonds or certain metals. I only knew that because I once wondered if Adamantite might exist on Earth and looked it up online.

Putting together everything from the items I'd encountered and the stories I'd heard in the other world, I had come to a conclusion: the two worlds had been secretly interacting for a long time. This idea seemed plausible.

The monsters I'd met, the types of ores, the cityscapes—if you assume that the worlds exchanged information for goods, it all made sense. However, in Earth's history, any mention of other worlds is presented as fiction. In other words, there are no records of anyone traveling to another world; they've all been erased.

A similar case is Avalon, the isle of fairies—a legendary island where fairies were said to live. Some theories suggest it might be Glastonbury. If you interpret that as a reference to another world, it becomes a convincing story.

Monsters from various myths and legends. At first, I just thought, 'Oh, they exist here,' and didn't give it much thought. But after encountering so many monsters and historical figures from Earth on my journey to the Empire, I could no longer dismiss it as coincidence.

That's why I was here, in the historical documents section. Here, you could find all sorts of history, including things not taught in school and even occult topics dismissed as far-fetched. I was particularly interested in the history of legends, myths, and the occult. It has been discovered in recent years that stories deemed unbelievable are often deleted from official historical records. So, if I looked at books that recorded such tales for being ambiguous or simply interesting, I might find something related to the other world.

Sometime before, I had idly looked up the Old Testament online and saw a picture of Behemoth. The head was different, but parts of the body were similar. This suggested a high probability that a past traveler from another world saw a Behemoth and tried to leave a record of it for posterity. It seemed that past generations didn't believe them, but I could only offer my thanks.

I picked up a Bible and flipped through the pages. Besides Behemoth, there were Leviathan and Ziz, three creatures created by God to symbolize land, sea, and air. So there were two others. Lurud-san said Behemoth was extinct. A part of me hoped the other two were extinct as well, while another part wanted to meet them.

Would they look different from the illustrations? How intimidating would they be? My curiosity as a human, even before being a hunter, was piqued. But if they did appear, I wasn't sure I could win. Just because I beat Behemoth didn't mean I could beat them. Strength wasn't just about levels; location and matchups were key. Behemoth was a land creature, so we fought on the same turf, and I won. But the other two were creatures of the sky and sea. That was a terrible matchup for a human. I couldn't move freely in the water or the air. I wasn't that much of a superman.

Well then, after a thorough look at books about monsters, I started searching for the metal called Hihi'irokane. This proved to be difficult, as I couldn't find any books that mentioned it. I looked through sections on ores and precious metals, but found nothing. Just as I was about to give up, a certain book caught my eye: the Takeuchi Documents.

I don't know why it stood out, but I picked it up. Looking at the table of contents, I found a page on 'Hihi'irokane.' Feeling a sense of fate, I quickly took a seat.

The Takeuchi Documents. A collection of apocryphal texts purported to be ancient documents. They were said to be written in divine-era characters and transcribed by imperial decree. The contents covered the origins of the emperors, Jesus Christ, and the five-colored races—things that would have been considered unusual in Japan at the time. I turned to the section on Hihi'irokane.

It was described as a legendary metal used in ancient Japan according to historical apocrypha. Both its raw materials and processing techniques were lost, but it was used in the creation of the Three Sacred Treasures. Its properties were said to be lighter than gold, harder than diamond, and eternally unchanging. Furthermore, it possessed incredible thermal conductivity; when used to make a teapot, a few leaves were enough fuel to provide sufficient heat. It was also called the 'shining metal' or 'sun metal,' and its shimmering surface was said to have a fantastical presence.

'Shining,' huh? The Hihi'irokane I saw was more of a purplish color. Well, it was part of a living creature's skin and contained carbon fiber, so it must have changed. The description seemed a bit exaggerated, but this was a great find.

I had thought about using it to process my armor, but I decided to use it for my Japanese sword instead. Right now, my sword was a mix of Tamahagane, a pyrophoric alloy, Adamantite, and Rhenium. To add Hihi'irokane, I'd have to remove one of the four. Considering the effort I put into making it, it was a painful thought, but I had no choice. I decided to remove the Adamantite. I would use the Adamantite for my armor instead. Hihi'irokane would be unsuitable for armor; its superior thermal conductivity made it poor for defense.

I returned the documents and went to find Tina, who had come to the library with me. We had gone our separate ways after entering. After a short walk, I found her in the martial arts section. I couldn't see what she was reading, but she had a serious expression on her face.

As I approached, she looked up. "Shinsuke. Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I’m done. What are you reading?" I peeked over her shoulder. The book was titled Shinkage-ryū, Yagyū Munenori. Another famous name from Japan. Yagyū Munenori. The father of Yagyū Jūbei, an unparalleled master of his time, known as a peerless swordsman. He served the shogun, participated in famous battles like the Shimabara Rebellion and the Siege of Osaka, and achieved numerous feats. He also studied Zen under the monk Takuan Sōhō and was said to be skilled in military strategy.

He was particularly famous for an event during the Siege of Osaka. When seven assassins attacked the shogun, Hidetada, he was said to have cut them all down in an instant. A master of speed and efficiency.

"Are you interested in him?" I asked.

Tina replied, "I am. The book doesn't go into detail about his sword techniques, but it's well-written on strategy and philosophy. Especially this section on shinpō, the mental arts. It discusses grasping the opponent's movements and psychological state, and achieving and maintaining one's own mental state. In other words, by knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, you can move advantageously and achieve victory. It’s a book of strategy."

"I was deeply impressed by this. In our world, being constantly on guard against attacking monsters and bandits day after day is mentally and physically exhausting. I'm no exception. But this book describes how to deal with that. By applying this, I might be able to become stronger. That's what I believe."

She went back to reading her book. There were places with books in the other world, but they were mostly for preservation and weren't very open, nor did they contain techniques useful for battle. They probably only had grimoires. I hadn't been back since then, so I didn't really know.

Not wanting to disturb Tina, I decided to read another book myself. An hour later, as I was reading an encyclopedia of armor a short distance from Tina, she approached me.

"Shinsuke, thank you for waiting."

I closed my book. "Are you done?"

Tina nodded. We left the library. It was around noon. We had a quick lunch at a nearby burger shop and then went shopping. My final objective was to restock my field rations. I bought miso, preserved foods, and canned goods at a supermarket. I also bought some katsuobushi. I wanted Tina to taste a dish made with it.

After finishing our shopping, we headed home. We spent a while relaxing in the house. There was no reason to hurry.

I sat on the veranda, drinking tea. "Looking back on it, this world and the other one have been connected for a long time."

Tina responded, "You mentioned that at lunch. Is it really true? At least, in my world, there’s no knowledge of other worlds. But it makes sense if you consider that they might be hiding it. There would be a reason." She sipped her tea.

A reason, huh? In this world, the main reason it’s not widely known is that many people wouldn’t believe it. But in a world where magic exists, there must be a good reason to hide the existence of other worlds.

Speaking of which, I remembered that Minotaur, Danmes, used the word ‘Otherworlder.’ He promised to tell me more if I won, but I was so exhausted at the time I forgot. A series of troubles followed, and I completely forgot until now. Since I cut off his arm, I probably won't see him again. If I do, I can just ask him then. But that would mean Danmes's boss, Sidoor, also knows about ‘Otherworlders.’ I don't know how long he's lived, but he’s at least twice as old as a human. He had that kind of intimidating presence.

If that's the case, I have to consider the possibility of other high-level monsters, on par with Sidoor. Because Sidoor can't be the only special one. During that battle, when I thought something was in the sky, I sensed multiple presences. I don't know how many there were, but there couldn't have been that many. Like the Four Heavenly Kings or the Seven Heroes in anime and manga. Few in number, but incredibly powerful. It wouldn't be strange for such beings to exist. Even if I were to investigate, it's possible that only the top officials in the country would know about them. The medieval period is full of secrets.

I might be able to ask now, but that would be straying too far from being a hunter. I'm just someone who hunts monsters, using or selling their materials to live. I have no interest in things like the truth of the world or defeating the final boss like a hero. I did when I was a kid, but now that I'm an adult, I'm the type to avoid unnecessary trouble. It feels a bit sad, but it's far better than causing sorrow to the person I love who is right beside me.

I sipped my tea, thinking about what lay ahead.