kscans

Chapter 177 - Raid on the Elven Palace and the Library Incursion

Famu and I knelt on the floor, the cold of the marble seeping through our clothes. I placed my right hand over my lower abdomen, just above my thighs, then layered my left hand on top, lightly touching my thumbs together to form a circle.

"Is this right?"

Famu asked.

"Yes. Your hands should be cupped as if holding a bowl. Don't close your eyes completely; keep them half-lidded, your gaze fixed on a point about your own height in front of you. Breathe slowly, and clear your mind of worldly thoughts."

"Clear my mind of worldly thoughts... Is Master truly capable of that?"

"Hmph. You've gotten awfully cheeky lately, haven't you? Don't forget, you've become quite the temptress yourself compared to when we first met!"

"Hey, that's—"

Just as Famu started to retort, a staff tapped each of us lightly on the shoulder.

"Now, now. Focus,"

Maryanne said. We corrected our posture and continued our meditation in silence.

But what exactly was this state of 'nothingness'? You couldn't achieve it without wanting to, yet as long as you were consciously trying to achieve it, it remained out of reach.

As I pondered this, Maryanne's hand pressed against my solar plexus. It was a soft, small hand. Considering her swordsmanship, she must have trained relentlessly. Her hands should have been hard, with calluses at the base of her ring and pinky fingers, but I couldn't feel them through my clothes.

"Mash, your attention is wandering,"

she chided. I once again fell into the routine of telling myself I was nothing.

Just then, I felt a warm mass of heat inside my body, right where her hand was touching.

"You felt a warmth where I placed my hand, yes? The shape is difficult to describe as it differs from person to person, but that is your mana. As you breathe slowly, imagine circulating it throughout your body."

Maryanne removed her hand, but the ball of heat remained at my solar plexus. Following her words, I slowly moved it. I guided it through the center of my body to the top of my head, then out to my arms and fingertips, and down to my legs and the tips of my toes. I brought it back to my solar plexus and let it spread throughout my entire body.

"Alright. You may open your eyes."

I didn't feel like anything in particular had changed. And yet, I now understood that mana existed within me. It seemed strange that I hadn't been able to perceive it before.

Beside me, Famu was opening and closing her own hands, staring at them intently. She was likely experiencing the same sensation.

"So this is the power I'm supposed to channel into my sword?"

"Exactly. You must perceive everything, right down to the tip of your blade, as an extension of your own body,"

Maryanne said with an encouraging smile.

"I think I get it, but I'm not entirely sure... I'd like to try it on Mizuki's butt. Can someone lend me a staff?"

"What the heck!"

Mizuki smacked me with a staff.

After that considerable detour, we finally arrived in front of the library. We all exchanged tense nods, but no one made a move to touch the door.

"There might be a poison arrow trap."

"...My home has no such dangerous contraptions,"

Marmi replied to Reeni's comment.

"Isn't this when Mash is supposed to open it? He's the only guy here..."

Mizuki suggested.

"That's sexist."

"What? You haven't done a single cool thing all day. Show us you can be cool for once!"

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I cleared my throat to steel myself.

"Wait, I have a bad feeling. I'll open it."

"What kind of feeling?"

"A feeling that Mash is about to do something stupid."

"..."

She should have just opened it from the start, then. Annoyed, I grabbed her by the cheeks as she reached for the handle and gave her a kiss.

"Mmph, mmph!"

Her resistance was weaker than I expected, so I tried to deepen it with my tongue, only to be whacked from behind by a staff.

I turned to see Myra, her cheeks puffed out.

"What do you think you're doing in a place like this!"

"I almost bit my tongue thanks to you."

It was a blow that offered a glimpse of Myra's true strength. I'd nearly bitten Mizuki's tongue along with my own.

"That's enough! I'll open it,"

she declared, pushing the doors open. Nothing happened.

"Why didn't you do anything to me!"

"What's that? Fine, you asked for it."

I swept Myra into my arms.

"H-Kyaa!"

As I moved to push her to the floor, I realized that Cecily, Aira, and Marmi's mother, Marina, were all staring at us from inside the room. The three of them were sitting at an exquisite, glossy wooden desk, books spread open before them, perched on chairs of a matching design.

"Mash, Myra... are you two morons? What have you come here for?"

Cecily asked.

"What about you? There's a huge commotion going on outside, and you're just relaxing in here with your studies?"

"A commotion?"

She tilted her head.

"...Mash, I forgot to tell you. This library is enchanted. It's soundproof, and it's designed so that even if there's an earthquake, this room alone will be protected,"

Marmi explained.

"How convenient!"

Was it some kind of Area Guardian room? I scanned the interior.

The vast space was filled with neatly arranged bookshelves, every single one packed tightly with what looked like parchment books. A peculiar scent filled the air as I breathed in.

"So, what did you come for?"

Cecily asked again.

"I came for Mo. I love Mo. I'm going to make her mine. I'm taking her with me on my journey!"

"Is that really something you should be saying while holding another woman?"

Cecily's question made me realize I was still clinging to Myra.

"Alright, Myra. I'm counting on you to handle the negotiations."

I helped her up and let her go.

"What are you talking about?! After we barged in like this, do you really think anyone will listen to a word I say?!"

Myra, my most anticipated asset, had already dropped out of the fight.

"Mo, are you serious?"

Marina's gaze fixed on Marmi. Her eyes were cold, completely different from when she had welcomed us the day before.

"...Yes. I... I love Mash."

Marina's gaze shifted to Patricia. Patricia let out a short squeak and froze, standing ramrod straight. Was even the girl who'd nonchalantly punch Wake terrified of her? Maryanne stepped between them, as if to shield her.

"Marina-sama, I am Maryanne One-Land. I have come today with a request."

Maryanne met Marina's gaze without flinching. As expected of the head of the One-Land Family.

"This is not a place you should be."

"On the contrary, I am here for the future of Miglutt."

"The future? You deployed your forces in the name of your people. Do you have any idea how much of a disadvantage that put this country in?"

Maryanne had advanced her army to the border to subjugate the Crimson Brigade. It was an act that could have provoked the Demon Kingdom and sparked a war. An invasion of the mountains where the Crimson Brigade had fled was something Miglutt's senate would not permit.

"What is a city? A country? A nation? For whom do they exist? I simply acted as I believed was right."

"The ones you tried to save are not of this country."

"Marina-sama. The world is changing. The scenery we see today may look the same as yesterday, but it is not. Surely you, more than I, can see the great tides of change, can you not? Can Miglutt truly remain an exception? The hero from another world is here. I am here, as is Marmi, and the princess of the Earth Dragon Kingdom."

"The princess of the Earth Dragon Kingdom..."

"Her name is Yanan Mognato-sama."

Thrown into the conversation so suddenly and now the focus of Marina's icy glare, Yanan scratched her cheek, looking troubled. Having been removed from the line of succession and having served as a knight commander, she looked even less like a princess than Marmi.

"Uhh... well, it would be great if our countries could, you know... get along..."

She sent a desperate look my way.

"And you. What do you intend to do with my daughter?"

Now her gaze was on me. I had to say something. But nothing came to mind.

"...I'm going to the Demon Kingdom. I will defeat the Demon Lord."

Marmi answered in my place.

"Mo, you will be silent,"

Marina snapped, her eyes still locked on me.

"Marina-sama, the throne of Miglutt has been vacant for a long time. I wish for Mash to become the king of this city."

"What?! You—I just met you yesterday! What do you know about me? Are you an idiot?"

I immediately regretted calling her an idiot, but the words were already out. Maryanne turned back to me and smiled.

"Maryanne, no matter what wonderful ideals you hold or what brilliant policies you devise, I can't become king. I have neither of those things. You were born the head of one of the Four Regent Families, yet you're unable to exert your political influence because it's been suppressed by those around you. You're losing the power game."

"Mash, you speak as if you've seen it all yourself, though we only just met. But you're right. By the time I realized it, it was too late. However, I refuse to believe it must always be this way. You came to this city with the arbitrator of the dog-eared race at your side. You wield the same weapon and use the same sword style as Okita Soji. And they say you can even summon Laciel-sama. Mash, you have allies here. You are not alone. I, too, told you I would offer you my all."

"You did?"

"Yes. The words may have been slightly different, but it was during our duel..."

She nodded firmly. She didn't seem like someone who had been suppressed at all. There was a power in her eyes. They shone with a noble, beautiful light.

"But calling on Laciel to make people listen is the wrong way to go about it."

I decided to keep quiet about the fact that I'd summoned her countless times to subdue my enemies.

"Yes. You are saying you do not wish for that kind of world."

The more I talked with her, the more it felt like everything was escalating into a major affair. She was like Myra, but while Myra seemed to see the world I carried, Maryanne seemed to see my entire philosophy on life. In that sense, she was more like Famu.

Just then, Cecily, who had been listening to our exchange in silence, stood up.