kscans

Chapter 159 - The Legend of Okita Soji and Those Who Inherit His Will

After dinner, it was time to head back to the room. I thought Avea would be coming to pick up Claire, but she said she was staying in our room tonight. Her wings were fluttering. It was probably a nervous flutter. She used to restrain the fluttering in front of company members and customers, but in front of me, she had started to try and communicate by fluttering her wings. I took it as a form of affection, but it was a shame that they all looked the same to me. Shizuka and Reeni parted ways with us there. I always wondered. Why was Reeni so attached to Shizuka? Come to think of it, she had said the mother who sold her was a prostitute. Was she seeing her mother's image in her, someone in the same profession? She had to be lonely. But I couldn't think of any words to say to her.

"Is it alright for me to stay by your side from now on, Master?"

Famu murmured beside me as I was thinking about Reeni. Until now, "like"

was a word I had only spoken to her. She must have been hoping that today, of all days, I would say it only to her. But the fact that I liked all of them was the truth, and I didn't want to lose my party members by maintaining an ambiguous attitude. I could say "like"

to her, but I think I had been unconsciously avoiding saying it to anyone else. I took Famu's hand.

"It's just as I said before. We'll always be together. No matter what."

"...Yes."

We entered the room where Cecily and Aira were waiting.

"Alright, are you going to tell us about Famu now?"

Cecily said, crossing her arms. I explained that her village had been attacked by a group of mercenaries and bandits called the Crimson Brigade, that she had been put up for sale as a slave, and that I had bought her in the city of Richel after she had traveled the reverse route of our journey to Miglutt.

"How much did you buy her for?"

That was a difficult question. I looked at Famu, and she nodded.

"Five Mana Seeds."

"Isn't that strange?"

"What is?"

"It's too cheap. It's hard to say this, but with a face like that, it's strange she wouldn't sell. Even if it wasn't you, Mash, there should have been people willing to pay a much higher price, right?"

"She was suffering from an illness. When we met in Richel, she was emaciated and on the verge of death. If it hadn't been Mash, no one would have paid money to buy her. At that time, Mash shouldn't have had any such ulterior motives,"

Myra explained to Cecily. I wished she would stop putting that sting in her words. As I thought, she had been a little angry for a while now.

"Hold on, I wanted a companion for my adventures. Of course, I had ulterior motives. If Famu had been a boy, I wouldn't have bought her."

I didn't want to be praised in a weird way, so I made that clear.

"Out of gratitude for saving me, I intended to offer my body. But, although Master immediately touched my chest and did naughty things, he never went all the way. He waited until my feelings had settled, until I could understand what kind of person he was. He says he bought me as a slave, but at that moment, he freed me from slavery. So I could have run away at any time."

As I thought, her perception was considerably romanticized. Myra was nodding, so she must believe it. And Claire was looking at me with eyes full of respect.

"I was raised this way and came to Miglutt, freed from my status as a slave, but my father will likely never free my mother from slavery. Not that she was treated particularly harshly,"

Claire said. Her mother's current value was probably as a hostage to prevent her from acting against Mateo's wishes in Miglutt. This was common sense in this world.

"So, Famu, what did you learn about Mash at that time?"

"That he is the person I will devote my life to serving."

"Right, right. And despite that, you ran away saying I was a fake. More importantly, wasn't the reason for going to Miglutt to break your curse? But thanks to that, you weren't bought by anyone until you caught Mash's eye?"

Famu's village had a guardian deity enshrined there. In exchange for protecting the village, it was said to make one of the village children sick. The duration varied from person to person but lasted several years. Famu had contracted this illness, and being separated from the village had worsened her symptoms.

"So, why do you pray to me every morning?"

I interjected.

"That's... because you are a god, Master."

"I'm not a god. You know that better than anyone!"

"Normal people don't summon Lady Laciel and do lewd things to her!"

"Laciel isn't the kind of god you think she is!"

"That's why I pray to you, Master!"

Would she really pray to me every morning for a reason like that? After a few days, she should have realized there were no benefits. I felt like she had a reason and was trying to hide it. Was it guilt for being the only one who was happy, and a prayer for the victimized villagers? But having her pray to me for that was a problem. She seemed intent on remaining silent, so I gently pinched both her cheeks. The expression she made as she resisted with a "Hmph"

was cute, so I lightly bobbed her head up and down.

"Alright, alright, stop playing around. So, you met Chicchi in this city, right?"

Cecily brought the conversation back on track.

"Yes. Chicchi was from the same village, but by the time the settlement was attacked, she had already become a 'city dog' and left."

"City dog?"

"Yes. The dog-eared people have three ways of life: city dog, village dog, and stray dog."

"Stray dog?"

It was Mizuki who repeated the words. I wondered what she found so appealing about stray dogs.

"Those who find a lord and serve are city dogs, those who live in groups are village dogs, and those who desire a life of freedom are stray dogs."

Even though it was Mizuki who asked, it was a problem that Famu looked to me for a reaction.

"I was a village dog. But after meeting you, Master, I became a city dog."

"I see... so you didn't become a stray dog..."

Mizuki muttered, sounding disappointed for some reason. I wanted to ask what she was trying to find out, but the conversation seemed like it would get derailed, so I decided to keep quiet.

"The most important thing to me was living with everyone from my settlement. But I was just pretending to serve you, Master, and didn't even try to go and help the people from my settlement who were suffering the same fate as me. I was a fake city dog. When I met Chicchi, I felt like she saw right through me. I thought she scorned me. I became ashamed and ran away, intending to become a stray dog."

"I see, so you were going to become a stray dog after all..."

I was so preoccupied with the points Mizuki was latching onto that Famu's words weren't sinking in. I had heard this story once before, and everyone else seemed to understand, so I kept quiet.

"Then, I was caught by you, Master, and decided to run away with you, but then we were caught by everyone else."

"That was a real pain!"

Cecily said, sounding angry as if the memory had just resurfaced.

"Mash is always saying 'together' this and 'together' that. I thought it was truly awful,"

Myra said. We had already sat in seiza to repent, and now she was bringing it up again? But then I saw that Mizuki, Cecily, Aira, and even Claire were all looking at me. I felt like I finally understood the implication in Myra's words. In the end, she had been the angriest of all.

"Honestly, I was scared that Famu would go somewhere and disappear. I thought, if that's the case, it would be better for me to take Famu and run away so we could stay together. It was just a spur-of-the-moment impulse, there was no logic to it!"

"The fact that you can just decide to run off somewhere on impulse is the problem!"

"I get it. Next time, I'll definitely invite you too, Myra. And if it won't be a bother, I'll invite everyone else too."

When I nodded, she nodded back. Having her around to teach me about society was convenient in many ways.

"So, you talked to Chicchi today, right?"

At last, we reached the main topic.

"It seems Chicchi wants to rebuild the settlement. She asked me to help."

"She said that before, didn't she? So?"

Cecily prompted her to continue in a slightly cold tone.

"I told her that I serve you, Master."

"While Famu is looking for her village people, Mash can just have someone else join the party, right? Like a black panther warrior or something, there are plenty out there, aren't there?"

"...I don't want that,"

Famu replied.

"Why?"

"I don't want to answer."

"Who was it that said they would tell us everything after talking to Chicchi?"

At Cecily's words, Famu took a deep breath as if to compose herself.

"Because I... I love you very much, Master. I don't want to be apart from you."

"I see. Well, that can't be helped. So, did you tell Chicchi who Mash is?"

"No, but she seemed to have an inkling. She also seemed to know about your duty, Master."

The incident with the pirates must have spread as a rumor. We were leaving for Miglutt the day after tomorrow, so it was no longer relevant.

"Hold on. What's my duty?"

"That you would be the one to liberate the old imperial capital from the Demon Kingdom. Chicchi said it's a dangerous duty, so she wants to help when the time comes, and she would secretly call upon the dog-eared warriors as well."

"...Is that something I have to do? I have no intention of doing such a thing."

I had no plans to stick my neck into a conflict between nations. Resolving it through war to prevent a war between the Empire and the Demon Kingdom was not the act of a sane person. I couldn't risk the lives of my party members.

"Besides, the dog-eared people were discriminated against by the Empire and forced to retreat into the mountains, weren't they? They have no obligation to risk their lives fighting for the Empire, do they?"

I didn't think there was a right or wrong side to that story. In fact, they would be justified in hating them. And yet, both Famu and Chicchi were willing to serve humans as their masters and, if it came to a fight, gather allies to help. They were an overly good-natured group.

"I have heard about that from the Bishop of Heilon. Would you mind if I explained?"

Myra, as sharp as ever. I nodded.

"This was during the late period of the old Empire's rule over this world. There were repeated civil wars and changes of emperors. In addition, famines were frequent, and they could no longer suppress the incursions of tribes from the frontier. Furthermore, the Demon Kingdom rose in the east and was expanding its power."

"This is going to be an epic tale."

Even so, it sounded like a story I had heard somewhere before. There was an empire in our world that had met a similar fate.

"My apologies, I will try to be brief. Against this backdrop, the old Empire split into east and west. The rulers at that time were human. Both rulers acted to benefit their own race. In particular, the western ruler tried to transform the nation into one dominated by humans and began to exclude other races from the political stage. Many races were driven out of the western world."

The land was divided, the reach of national power shrank, and a fight over a smaller pie began.

"By the way, is the current Empire a remnant of the old western Empire?"

"No, after that, it collapsed due to an invasion by other tribes from the northeast and split into several small nations. The one that unified them was the Western Kingdom, which is the current Empire."

"I see."

"Let's return to the era when the old Empire was split into east and west. The one who led the persecuted dog-eared people at that time was Okita Soji."

"He was an otherworlder hero, right?"

"His origins are unknown, but I believe he possessed three Divine Graces."

"The Yata no Kagami, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, and the Yasakani no Magatama?"

"I do not know the specifics, but perhaps..."

Her eyes flickered slightly at my words, and then she nodded. She must have also heard from the Bishop of Heilon about the three special skills that a hero summoned by Laciel must possess. She had learned that Mizuki and I lacked the qualifications of a hero. But we could put that conversation off for later.

"A-Anyway, there are various legends leading up to this, but I will omit them and say that he built a city in what is now Miglutt. It is said that other races who were driven out of the Empire also gathered in that city. It would be nice if the story ended there."

Myra paused for a moment.

"It seems they discovered that iron ore could be mined in the mountainous region east of the city. The old eastern and western Empires learned of this and sent their armies. They somehow managed to defend the city, but then the old Empire's forces decided to directly seize the quarry and invaded the mountainous region. At that time, several hundred dog-eared people were in the mountains to survey for iron ore."

"This is somehow different from what I imagined..."

The God of the End had yet to make an appearance. And it was a gritty story.

"Okita Soji headed to the mountainous region to save them. However, although the enemy soldiers had withdrawn, he could not neglect the defense of the city. So, he entrusted his sword to his wife and headed to the mountains alone."

"His wife?"

"Yes, it seems she was someone who originally lived where the city was built."

"...That sounds familiar somehow,"

Mizuki said. I also had an inkling, but for now, I decided to hear the rest of the story.

"The soldiers of the old Empire were driven back by Okita Soji and the dog-eared people. However, after that, a powerful monster appeared. The dog-eared people believe it was the God of the End. Okita Soji was defeated in the battle with that monster. It is said that his attacks had no effect. On top of that, it seems he was cursed by the monster. He was able to descend the mountain, but it seems he was unable to return to the city..."

"He lost even with his special skills? What happened to the monster?"

"Yes. That is what the legends say. It is said that the monster disappeared to an unknown location after defeating Okita Soji."

"The monster was in the form of a white boar, wasn't it?"

Mizuki interjected.

"That's right."

Myra nodded in surprise.

"That has to be a god, then. I think it's the true identity of the guardian deity that cursed Famu."

"Is that so?"

"Probably. But I'm not certain."

I said this to Myra, but in this world, Hekatonkheires appeared as a monster. It could be a monster that mimicked something from our original world.

"Did he say 'Miglutt is the finest land in the country' and fly away as a white swan? If so, then he's not Okita Soji, but..."

Mizuki said. She was thinking the same thing as me.

"What does that mean?"

Famu asked Mizuki.

"It doesn't really mean anything, but there's a poem about a country called Yamato. 'Yamato is the finest land in the country, with its overlapping green fences, Yamato, nestled in the mountains, is beautiful.'"

Could 'overlapping green fences, nestled in the mountains' not be replaced with 'many races'? The poet was different, but it certainly seemed to encapsulate the ideal of Okita Soji, who tried to create a salad bowl of races.

"It seems his descendants founded the city-state of Miglutt. The royal line has died out, but the city's crest certainly depicts a white swan."

I thought it should be called Okita's city, not Miglutt, but there must have been some twists and turns. Mizuki and I looked at each other. That otherworlder had intended to become Okita Soji, but what he had accomplished was similar to another hero.

"Therefore, it is not that the dog-eared people resent all humans. And, since Okita Soji was also a hero summoned by Lady Laciel, Lady Laciel is a special goddess to the dog-eared people as well."

If that was the case, then the city of Miglutt itself was likely to have a strong faith in Laciel.

"The legends passed down among the dog-eared people are a little different, but it's generally the same,"

Famu said, nodding after hearing Myra's story.

"So what happened to the ore vein?"

"It seems it wasn't a very large amount. It was exhausted soon after."

And yet, the remaining dog-eared people settled there. Because it was a place Okita Soji had protected. And Famu was supposedly his descendant. She probably held that pride as well.

"...I'm getting confused, but what about the discussion between Chicchi and Famu?"

Cecily attempted to steer the conversation back on track for the umpteenth time.

"Yes. Chicchi is going to start seriously searching for the settlement's people. It was decided that I will join them after you have fulfilled your duty, Master."

"You want to rebuild the village too, don't you?"

Famu nodded.

"I understand. As I said before, I think we'll get information during our journey. When we do, let's check it out together."

"Master..."

Famu whispered.

"Please wait,"

Claire spoke up.

"Mash, you are gathering information on the Crimson Brigade, but do you intend to fight them?"

"...I do. And I have a purpose now. If we're going to rebuild the village, we need to make it a place where they can live in peace. I will eradicate them, and on top of that, I will make other bandits realize that plunder is not worth the cost."

"Master. That is not what I wish for."

"No. I can't forgive them. But I can't involve anyone else, so I'll do it alone."

"That's not acceptable. I have seen Famu's condition when she was brought to the church. And please do not forget that I am your companion as well. Your anger, your joy, your sorrow—they are ours as well,"

Myra said.

"Me too... if that's what you're thinking, Mash..."

Mizuki murmured. But I knew she had a strong aversion to killing. It would be better not to take her, even if she got angry at me later.

"I'm going to the magic academy. But I'll help you then. We can't let people like that get away with it,"

Cecily said. Aira nodded in agreement with her.

"That is a problem. I cannot forgive the Crimson Brigade. But that does not mean it is alright for you all to get hurt. If anyone is going to be hurt, I will forget my grudge."

"Famu, if we leave them be, they will attack someone else. We have to stop them."

I was making it sound noble, but it was just that I couldn't forgive them.

"We should be able to get detailed information about the Crimson Brigade when we get to Miglutt. Let's talk about it again then."

I said we would talk again, but my mind was already made up. And now, the next problem was Cecily and Aira.