Volume 2
Chapter 1 Part
4
Distant
Reverberations, Desire to Set the Field Ablaze 4
Translator : PolterGlast
―Baratatata.
A black-painted steam
car bearing the Kihoin family crest sped through the main street with light
echoing sounds.
Akira and the others,
who were now inside the car, could clearly see that the people around them
hurriedly moved aside to give way to the car, which was so distinctive from the
other steam cars around it.
Normally, riding on
the latest machines would be an exciting experience, but right now, Akira was
feeling uncomfortable, like a needle stuck in a haystack.
After all, inside the
car were Tsuguho and her escort, Niikawa Natsu, with Saki and Akira sitting on
the opposite side of them.
With question marks
filling his mind, he glanced ahead.
Niikawa Natsu. The
girl who was introduced to him met Akira's gaze with an emotionless expression
on her face.
The pressure naturally
made him lower his gaze, but this time, he moved it to his side.
He felt an
out-of-place sense of camaraderie with Saki, who was desperately trying to
control her body as it began to act weird and endure an expression of
half-crying that she couldn't hide.
―Oh, a comrade.
This carefree thought,
which would undoubtedly provoke murderous intent from Saki if she were to hear
it, strangely restored his composure.
"―My apologies,
Akira-sama."
"Y-Yes!"
Tsuguho's sudden voice
made Akira straighten his back without realizing it.
Seeing this, Tsuguho
revealed a troubled smile.
"The situation is
a bit hectic, so we need to go to a place that will not allow anyone else to
intervene and cause potential damage. You may feel uncomfortable here among us
women, but please bear with us for a while."
"Then, I have a
favor to ask of you, Hime-sama. Please, I beg you to just address me as Akira.
I don't have the status to be called "sama" by someone from the Four
Sovereigns."
"......Well,
then, Akira-san. Fufu~, indeed. I, too, prefer it this way. Then, in return,
please address me as Tsuguho."
...... It
would be much more comforting to be called just "you".
Please at
least call me that. Although it was my suggestion, why did the situation
deteriorate in a direction that made me feel even more uncomfortable?
Akira felt his back
get wet with cold sweat due to the unreasonable situation.
He hoped for help from
those around him, but Niikawa Natsu, who should have been in a position to
remind Tsuguho, didn't even move an inch.
―She is not going to help.
Akira quickly gave up
on her and glanced at Saki.
In contrast to Natsu,
Saki was fidgety, her fingers darting in the air as she looked at them with a
silly expression on her face.
―...... This one is not possible either.
Akira, a commoner, and
Tsuguho, someone at the top of Shumon Province, were directly exchanging words.
Although they were aware
of this unusual situation, they were probably too afraid to do anything to stop
it.
"............Thank
you for your consideration, Tsuguho-sama."
Akira lightly bowed
his head, emphasizing the "sama" as a compromise at best.
After responding with
such a straightforward response, he decided that it was too late to hesitate in
speaking out and asked Tsuguho a question while carefully choosing his words.
"Umm, earlier,
thank you for covering for me in the matter of the spirit vessel.".
"You're welcome.
Besides, I didn't mean to cover for you. I was merely telling the truth."
"With all due
respect, Tsuguho-sama, you said that you lent the spirit vessel to me
......."
As a matter of fact,
Akira has no recollection of being entrusted with a spirit vessel belonging to
Kihoin.
When he implicitly
asked if this was a temporary measure to avoid being captured by the
authorities, Tsuguho lightly shook her head.
"There is no
mistake about it. Akira-san, with all legitimate rights, has been bestowed with
a spirit vessel belonging to Kihoin by Aka-sama."
"Aka-sama?"
"Yes. I am not
permitted to mention her name, so please pardon me. ―I believe you met her at
the temple."
He remembers.
The extremely lovely
girl who smiled at him in Bankyū Daigaran, who was like a flame itself.
―Shuka.
".......That
girl, huh."
To be honest, it was
unclear what kind of position Shuka had in Kihouin, but it was not difficult to
imagine that she must have a great deal of influence.
"Yes. The spirit
vessel was given by that person, and it was nothing but a legitimate gift from
Kihouin. Please rest assured. Without a doubt, that vessel has been handed over
to Akira-san."
Tsuguho tried to
explain it to Akira, while always wearing a gentle smile so as not to cause
Akira to distrust her.
The first impression
she got when she actually met him was that he didn't have such a brash
personality, yet he was suddenly given such enormous power.
She had no idea what
direction the boy in front of her would take when he realized this fact.
That's why she needed
to build a mental foundation that would allow him to wield his own authority as
soon as possible.
―In order to do so, there must be someone who can guide
Akira's hand.
To understand Akira's
current situation, she gradually extracted information from him, while
discussing everyday topics and hinting about his love life.
Using the information
she had extracted to identify Akira as an individual, she then glanced at Saki,
who was finally starting to relax a little, next to Akira.
Luck was on her side.
It was Tsuguho's
greatest luck that a member of one of the eight families of the same age, a
daughter of Rindo, was now sitting by Akira's side and Akira seemed to have no
animosity toward her.
With various thoughts
in each of their minds, Kihoin's steam car sped down the main street toward the
south.
Then, about 2 hours
later, just as Tsuguho had predicted, Akira and the others found themselves on
the edge of a seemingly empty wilderness.
There was nothing as
far as the eye could see, except for a few bushes and a few boulders.
"...... Um, where
are we?"
"Kutsunagahara.
This field is the place where yesterday's apparition took place."
"Eh!?"
"Because it was
incarnated here, that apparition is called the Kutsunagahara apparition. ―A~a, don't worry. The incarnation of a monster
requires a considerable amount of miasma. This is indeed one of the largest
pools of miasma in the province, but since the essence of the miasma has been
consumed by the incarnation, there should not be enough of it left to give
birth even to a single demon fire."
Hearing her words,
Akira's expression turned from nervousness to relief.
However, it would be
impossible for him to feel comfortable when he heard that this place was the
birthplace of that monster.
The expression on
Akira's face was somewhat uneasy.
"......Umm,
Tsuguho-sama."
Saki hesitantly opened
her mouth.
Even if it was safe,
she had no idea the purpose of being brought to such an unsettling place.
"Why did we come
here?"
"As I said
before, because it was convenient. I chose this place for two reasons. One is
that I don't want anyone to see what is about to happen, and the other is that
no matter what happens, there will be no casualties."
They set foot in
Kutsunagahara without any proper equipment.
With Tsuguho leading
the way, they walked for several minutes with the bewildered Akira and Saki in
tow.
The four of them stood
in front of a rock slightly over Akira's height.
"I think this is
the right one. ......The size is just right."
"I concur."
Niikawa Natsu, who had
been silent up until then, gave a small nod of affirmation, took Saki's hand,
and moved further behind Akira.
After doing so,
Tsuguho turned to Akira once again.
"The reason I
brought you here is very simple. I want Akira-san to understand himself as he
is now. That is my sole purpose."
"Y-Yes."
"I am aware of
your dissatisfaction, but I must dare to point this out to you.
Not only Akira-san,
but everyone tends to have a lack of understanding about themselves. So, to
help you understand it, ―Please slash this rock."
"Yes,
............ hu~h!?"
Akira felt unhappy
when he was told that he didn't know anything about himself, but the next
unbelievable words made him doubt the sanity of the other party.
"Do you mean,
...... this boulder?"
"Yes. If with its
size, it should be able to absorb a good amount of the spiritual energy
blast."
No way, she
was serious.
Akira's cheeks
twitched as he looked at Tsuguho, who was still smiling, but not joking at all.
Rock-slashing is a
feat that is easy to understand and proves that the pinnacle of one's
swordsmanship, as demonstrated by the master swordsmen of fairy tales.
Takamagahara's
swordsmanship is specifically designed for slashing.
The act of slashing is
far more delicate than an amateur can imagine.
Naturally, it is not
designed to be used against a solid object such as a boulder.
Even if one were to
succeed, it is clear that a sword that has not been reinforced with spiritual
power would lose its durability with a single blow.
And those feats
belonged to the swordsmen of the past heard in stories, and that was it.
Akira has learned the
Kihoin style of swordsmanship, but because he does not possess a high-ranked
spirit, he is only a 4th grade, one level below 5th grade, which does not even
reach the level of first transmission.
He has no skills to
meet the reckless demands after suddenly being brought to the middle of a
wilderness like this.
―Besides, to begin with.............
"......I don't
have a sword with me though."
Akira pleaded for
mercy, timidly showing both palms as if to prove that he was bare-handed.
"No
problem."
Are you trying
to tell me to slash a rock with my bare hands?
Finally, Akira began
to doubt the sanity of the nobleman in front of him.
Tsuguho, perhaps
unaware of Akira's disrespectful thoughts, continued to spin her words.
"Because
Akira-san already has a sword. You just haven't pulled it out of its
sheath."
"........................"
There was no hint of
mockery in her words. Naturally, Akira's voice of rebuttal was silenced.
"The sword is the
domain, and the scabbard is the power of words. In order to pull out the sword,
you must seize the scabbard. While saying so, Tsuguho also went behind Akira.
First, pretend that you are holding a sword, prepare your mizu-no-kamae*1, and then attack with your feet
forward."
*1 The
sword is held with the tip of the sword pointed toward the opponent's eyes.
At the instruction
given over his back, he hurriedly assumed the stance he had become accustomed
to in practice.
However, with his
hands grasping the empty air, the core of his stance was completely unsteady.
Time passed by. Trying
to do something rather than just sit idly by, he remembered his practice, and
with his hands still in the air, he raised them overhead.
―However, nothing significant happened.
A moment of silence
fell as he kept his hands raised.
A damp, stagnant wind
blew through Kutsunagahara.
The smell was not very
pleasant, but Akira was very grateful for the coolness brought by the breeze,
and he squinted his eyes at the coolness that lingered on his forehead.
"Akira-san. ―What
did you see when you faced the giant ogre?"
At that moment, Tsuguho's
whisper slipped into his ear.
―What was I thinking at that time?
Facing the impending
death of the giant ogre, from which there was no escape.
That's right. It was
Shuka's smile and a single-......,
"Flame."
The mutterings that
fell out of his mouth still brought a feeling as if invisible parts had been
clicked into place, or as if there was a focal point connecting Akira to the
world.
The world that had
seemed somewhat blurred before greeted Akira with a completely different
vividness,
Power returned to his
hands and torso, which had only been gripping the void.
―I can go.
Akira's body, mind,
and spirit shouted out their conviction in elation.
"Be
Glorious――Jakuen, Gayō~~!!"
*Roar*. The heat that
seemed to scorch Akira himself erupted from his tanden, whirled around, and
converged in his hands.
It gained physical
form momentarily, and Akira swung it down with all his might.
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