Volume 2
Chapter 1 Part
2
Distant
Reverberations, Desire to Set the Field Ablaze 2
Translator : PolterGlast
It was around 9:00
p.m., just before the fourth bell of the night, when Akira and the other
members of his team arrived at the 8th garrison's camp, staggering due to extreme
fatigue.
The guards had
probably already left for their patrols, and the camp was so quiet that it even
felt eerie.
In such a quiet
atmosphere, the trainee soldiers, without bothering to wash their faces, ran
through the camp and pounced on the rice balls that had been prepared for them
in the dojo.
The large portion of
rice balls made of white rice and a handful of herbs roasted to perfection,
elicited uncontrollable cheers from the crowd.
Basically, there are
two types of duties required of a trainee soldier: training in the morning, and
night shift from evening to midnight, or assisting and accompanying regular
members when they are not on duty.
In addition to this,
the majority of these youths are on apprenticeship during the day in order to learn
to work.
Even nowadays,
although monthly salary systems have finally begun to take effect, the basic
remuneration for apprenticeship is skills and a place to sleep.
Naturally,
opportunities for them to eat were quite limited, so the rice balls served to
them morning and evening after work were a precious source of energy for them.
"Oh, damn, it's
delicious!"
Someone said so
unbearably as the white rice balls and herbs rapidly dwindled away.
"You can say that
again! Without these, we wouldn't even survive in the garrison."
Someone else responded
to his words between bites of the rice balls.
Another boy nodded his
head in agreement to this exchange.
"......Even so,
Isn't the captain a little too strict these days?"
"It can't be
helped. The captain is busy training the new protector."
".....Oi., leave
it at that."
"What? I'm sure
you guys are thinking the same thing.
After the Hyakki
Yagyo, he's the only one who receives favoritism, isn't he?
I even heard that a
very important person took guardianship of him.
Kaah~, I'm so jealous!
They should have done something for us, too."
"Oi~!!"
"So, you
know......."
When he turned to his
admonishing friend, he saw Akira standing at the entrance to the dojo, and he
was at a loss for words to continue due to the awkwardness of the situation.
However, Akira did not
make any particular comment but instead disappeared toward the office.
In the midst of this
unpleasant atmosphere, Kansuke, who has been promoted to leader of the drill
squad, stood up from his seat.
"......I know you
have a lot to say, but you're way out of line. Akira has only been a protector
for less than a month. And yet, he's been treating us so well merely because
he's our former squad leader. Think about it. Have there been any casualties among
our drill soldiers in the past month? We've been protected by him all along,
haven't we? ―And we all know that it wouldn't have been like this if it were
any other protector. So stop your rotten gibberish and celebrate the fact that
Akira made it out of the drill squad alive."
There was no rebuttal.
Everyone present understood that this was a fact.
With the silence of
the team members in the background, Kansuke left the dojo.
"Akira."
Akira had given up
eating and was on his way home when Kansuke's voice was heard from his back.
"I brought you
some food."
"......
Thanks."
Although his treatment
improved drastically when he became a protector, his daily life and way of
thinking could not be suddenly changed.
Akira's food was still
provided by the garrison, and he was still living in a tenement house in a
corner of Karen.
He thanked Kansuke and
accepted the rice balls wrapped in a newspaper.
"Sorry. I used
you as an excuse to unite the team members."
"We have
discussed about it before. So I don't mind."
The unity of the drill
squad was an urgent matter for Akira and Kansuke.
After all, right after
Akira became the leader of the squad, he stepped down from his position as
squad leader, and the responsibility was transferred to Kansuke without even a
proper handover.
As a result, the
internal situation of the drill squad became so volatile that it seemed as if
it might collapse overnight, and as a temporary measure, the two took a tactic
to unite the squad by directing their animosity toward Akira.
This kind of method of
demonizing someone may provoke excessive negative reactions.
Although they were
aware of this, the reason why they dared to take this measure was simple.
"Even those guys
are not stupid enough to mess with me now that I've become a protector. That's
why, I'm the best person to be used as a tool to unite them."
"...Sorry."
"It's all right.
―I'm going home. I leave the rest to you."
He was no longer the
leader of the drill squad. Akira thought that he should refrain from any
further involvement in his former team and said so.
Entrusting the rest up
to Kansuke, Akira headed for home this time.
In the darkness, with
the insects buzzing, Akira strolled along the pathway beside the rice field,
where grains of rice were swaying.
Although it was dark,
the moonlight illuminated the surroundings better than usual, so it was not so
difficult for him to walk.
Just as the appearance
of the tenement house became vaguely visible in the moonlight, he lifted up the
fish basket he had set up hidden in the stream that ran beside the rice paddy.
When he shook it
lightly, he felt something wriggling around in the basket.
His cheeks loosened up
upon seeing that he had caught a decent number of loach.
Tomorrow, after
morning training, he would be on his day off, so he decided to enjoy the luxury
of a Yanagawa Hot Pot with a boiled egg.
Although he had
prepared himself for it, it didn't mean he wouldn't feel any of the negative
comments made by his fellow trainee soldiers.
His unknowingly
stirred emotions were easily restored upon hearing the loaches wriggling in the
basket.
To drain the mud, he
threw all the contents of the fish basket into a basin filled with well water.
*Splash, splash,
splash*. From the fish basket to the basin, three loach, some river shrimps,
and some pond snails tumbled into the basin.
As if to emphasize
their vitality, the loach splashed in the water.
He roughly brushed the
droplets off his cheeks with the edge of his sleeve and bit into the rice balls
he had just received.
......Eventually, he
finished his meal and lay down on the futon with a bloated stomach.
The fatigue that came
over him suddenly became a weight of lead and pressed down on him.
"............Aa~,
so tired."
His voice unintentionally
leaked out, triggering an intense drowsiness that lured his consciousness into
the darkness, blurring the line between reality and dreams.
It had been a hectic
and intense month.
The memory of a month
that passed in the blink of an eye flashed through his mind.
Just before his
thoughts fell into darkness, Akira recalled the events of a month ago in his
dream.
―One month ago, the day after the Hyakki Yagyo.
Loud commotion
tormented Akira's ears.
"......Ugh."
It sounded like a
shouting match that was one step away from killing each other, and his
vigilance rose faster than his thoughts could process that this was no ordinary
situation.
He seemed to have been
asleep for quite some time, and his thoughts, which soon became clear, told him
that his physical condition had completely recovered.
What he saw was a
simple ceiling made of cedar planks, and Akira was lying on a simple bunk made
of steel tubing.
―I've never seen this ceiling before.
He was tempted to say
so, however, in reality, it was a ceiling he was already very familiar with.
It was a corner of the
infirmary in the garrison.
"―You finally
woke up."
"Captain Asogi
......"
Half-awake and looking
around, he saw Asogi Genji sitting in the corner opposite to Akira.
Despite the freshness of
his body and the bright sunlight streaming in through the window, the
expression on Genji's face was somehow menacing.
Trying not to be aware
of this uncomfortable feeling, Akira turned his attention to the commotion
echoing in the corridor.
"What's this
commotion about...?"
"It has nothing
to do with you- ............, no, it does, but Niikura has it under control.
Don't worry about it
for now."
―If you say something like that, it makes me even more
concerned.
He wanted to retort,
but the atmosphere was not conducive for such a remark, so he decided to read
the room.
Genji nodded to Akira,
who remained silent, and then opened his mouth again.
"There are many
questions I want to ask you, but for now, let's start with this,
―Akira, what the hell are you?"
"........................Pardon?"
Akira was taken aback
by Genji's words.
What the heck
was he saying just now?
"I am, who I am.
It's me, Akira."
He said the only
answer he could come up with.
But Genji's stern
expression only grew increasingly stern.
"Are you making
fun of me? ―I was asking you, 'what exactly are you?' "
"I'm not making
fun of you or anything.
―Why are you even asking me such a question?"
"......Let me
change the question then. ―How much do you remember about yesterday's
events?"
"Yesterday?"
When asked this
question, Akira's thoughts finally connected with reality.
He clearly remembered
that he participated in the Hyakki Yagyo as a trainee soldier.
However, the only part
that remained clear in his memory was when he confronted the rampaging ogre
with a single spear.
From that point
onward, all that remained was a fragmented memory, almost as if he was driven
wild by a fever, in the midst of an elation that had crossed the line.
Even so, he traced the
few memories that remained and connected them together.
"......I feel
like I had some kind of ridiculous dream. I was flying in the sky, and before I
knew it, I was holding a sword, and when I swung it around, the giant ogre and
the orochi were obliterated."
If he were to speak
honestly about it, he would be sure to be treated as a weirdo right off the
bat.
It was so unrealistic
that he was embarrassed to even mention it.
He was prepared to be
laughed at, but the stern expression on Genji's face remained unchanged.
"If you were to
say that your memories of it all have been erased from your mind, I would have
thrown all the troublesome matters out in front of you. Well, you seem to have
the gist of it, so that's good. ―All that nonsense you've mentioned, it's all
real."
"............Wha?"
Putting Akira, who was
taken aback, aside, Genji mercilessly confronted him with the reality of the
situation.
"About your
battle records, as far as we have confirmed, there were two giant ogres and
their leader, Kutsunagahara's apparition, all of which were annihilated with a
single strike.
The number of lords
was probably about 10, and the number of other defiled beasts was more than
100, but the exact number remained unknown. Either way, it's merely a matter of
margin of error."
"M-Merely a
margin of error, huh?"
"That's only
natural. You've managed to eliminate two Youmas
and their leader. Even with this alone, you have achieved a feat unheard of for
an individual. At this point, you have simply surpassed the upper limit of
three individual merits, excluding the heads of the eight families. Your
achievements were so great that the mere fact that you have annihilated a horde
of defiled beasts is not even worth mentioning in the discussion of war
merits."
At best, It'd like
nothing more than a bonus.
Genji ended the
conversation with a wave of his hand.
"And so.
......When it comes to discussing merits, naturally, anyone who has achieved
them will be talked about. Think about it. A "gaijin" soldier from
outside the province suddenly incinerated most of the Hyakki Yagyo with an
unprecedentedly powerful attack. Thanks to it, from yesterday until now, the
upper echelons and the 8th garrison have been in the middle of a chaotic
situation."
After making such a
bold remark, Genji looked at Akira directly in the eye.
"Here's the main
issue. ............You are now under suspicion of being a spy."
"A spy!?"
Akira screamed at the
suspicion that he had never thought would befall him.
"Why!? I'm just a
commoner, you know!"
"If it were
merely that, this wouldn't have happened. I repeat, you have single-handedly
annihilated the Hyakki Yagyo. Furthermore, by using a ridiculously powerful
spirit vessel, like a crazed person."
"A spi-... rit,
vessel, you say?"
"As you just told
me, you were using a sword-shaped vessel. I saw you use it, but it was not in
your hand when you fainted. Well, there is a high possibility that it fell into
the river during the chaos, so the entire garrison is now sweeping the
riverbed."
"Was that sword a
spirit vessel?"
"Of course, there
is no other weapon that can contain spiritual power.
So the next question
is, where did that sword come from?"
After racking his
brains, he re-folded his arms.
It could be seen from
his manner that he was not at all relaxed about the situation.
"At first, I
thought you were using a spirit vessel of a fallen protector, but since the
number of protectors and spirit vessels matched, I knew right away that it was
not the case.
In the first place,
there is no other spirit vessel registered in my unit that is capable of
performing the Kihoin-style Hidden Transmission except for mine, so no matter
how one thinks about it, there is no logical explanation for its origin."
Although the term
"spirit vessel" is used generically, Akira knew that there are rough
grades among them.
They are simply
classified by the amount of spiritual power they can hold, but as far as Akira
knew, the grade A or B was determined to be the one that could release Hidden
Transmission.
Thinking up to that
point, he realized the anomaly contained in Genji's words that couldn't be
overlooked.
"Hidden
Transmission? Don't tell me, is it me?"
"That's right.
The Kihoin-style's Hidden Transmission, [Higannue].
You unleashed it.
There are many people who saw it, so I won't allow any excuses.
"..........................."
Akira tried to make
some excuses, but there were no convenient words to say, and his mouth opened
and closed meaninglessly.
I didn't do
it. No. It wasn't me.
It's easy to say so,
but it's harder to prove that he didn't do it.
Besides, people saw
him do it.
Even if he were to say
he had no recollection of doing it, no one would believe him.
"A high-ranking
spirit vessel of unknown origin. When Commander Banda of the 1st garrison heard
that a commoner from another province had used it, he suspected you of being a
spy."
"Um, how could it
be connected to me being a spy?"
"......Spirit
vessels are controlled under very strict regulations. They are even used to
prove the bloodline of nobility, so the strictness of it is probably more
severe than you think.
In other words, the
moment you use a spirit vessel, it will be considered a criminal act.
Furthermore, there
have been records of incidents in the past where someone from another province
tried to become a nobleman by stealing a high-ranking spirit vessel."
The commotion that is
happening outside right now is because Commander Banda and the Military Police,
who have come to capture Akira, are engaged in a disagreement with Vice Captain
Niikura.
Genji said so while
sighing.
"But, that hardly
indicates I'm a spy,-"
"Yeah, I don't
think you're a spy, either. It's been three years since you joined the
garrison. And to begin with, if you were a spy, it would not make any sense if
you did not sneak away amidst the chaos of Hyakki Yagyo."
After saying so, Genji
let out a heavy sigh.
"You are
currently in a very bad situation. After all, you almost single-handedly
annihilated the Hyakki Yagyo. Originally, this achievement was supposed to be
awarded to the head of the eight families, but you ended up snatching it away
from them. Thanks to this, Commander-in-chief Banda has completely lost his
standing."
―And also, his plan to save his own skin by blaming me
for his blunder was also completely ruined.
Genji knew exactly why
Banda was in such a panic.
Perhaps the reason for
suspecting Akira of being a spy was a desperate move to dismiss Genji from his
position on charges of collusion or failing to detect a spy.
In other words,
protecting Akira is directly equivalent to protecting Genji's reputation.
―But this guy is hiding something.
There is no proof. But
Genji's intuition told him so.
In order to protect
Akira, he needed to find out what secrets Akira had.
With this in mind, he
glared at Akira in an intimidating manner.
"The reason for
the commotion outside is that Commander-in-Chief Banda has come to arrest you
with the government officials in tow, and I've asked Niikura to stall them.
He wants to use you as
a sacrifice to resolve the situation. If you were to be handed over to him, you
might be falsely accused of anything and imprisoned.
In order to protect
you, I need to bring this matter to an end before that happens."
Do you understand? He
said so as if he was trying to make a point.
"For now, I need
you to tell me where you got that sword and any other information you can think
of. According to the survivors, you didn't have it when you entered the battle,
so you must have gotten it afterwards."
In their current era,
the concept of human rights was nothing more than a juvenile concept that had
barely begun to sprout.
Crimes and suspicions
of crimes were treated almost equally, and the rights of the suspect were as
good as nonexistent.
Since the world's way
of dealing with crimes was to eliminate suspected criminals, it was painfully
obvious to Akira that the best course of action was to clear his suspicions
before he was caught by the authorities.
He frantically
searched his memory in response to Genji's words.
"U-, umm, ......,
I-I've had it with me for quite some time......, r-right. Its name-......"
"―No need to
answer that."
When I called
for its name, I had it in my hand before I knew it.
Just as Akira was
about to answer so, the sliding door to the infirmary was lightly pulled open,
and a clear voice reminiscent of the chime of a bell interrupted Akira's words.
――――――――――――
TIPS: The Grades of
Spirit Vessels
There are four grades,
from the top: A, B, C, and D.
As mentioned in the
story, they are roughly classified according to the amount of spiritual power
they can contain.
Simply put, since
spirit techniques are divided into Kyokuden
(End Transmission), Okuden (Hidden
Transmission), Chuden (Middle Transmission),
and Shoden (First Transmission), the
grades are divided in accordance with these.
In the case of the
C-rank, it is assumed to be able to withstand actual battle, while the D-rank
is used for practicing spirit techniques.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
Coatl45
Kcx1
Kyle Wiggins
Marvin Sanchez
Matthew Shuler
Swagaraga
[Gold]
-
[Silver]
Adrian Betancourt
ArUnInAcTiOn
Benjamin Ernst
CoolmanMTD
Damian Karis
Daniel Saldana
Glasses Kun
heath gore
LemonLover
Matzar1
Nazmun Saikat
Thiago Leite Denedai
Zyran
Abhinav Choudhury
Alden H
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Duncan Rodgers
Eric Martinez
Hikari Ashta
Genetic Deadend
Michael Park
Nathaniel Reyes
TheOrganizetionXIII
Стас Удрис
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
