Volume 2
Chapter 2 Part
1
At Kamotsu,
Walking into a Headwind 1
Translator : PolterGlast
―July 30, 3999, at Bankyu Daigaran, Shumon Province.
"Akira. Fufu~.
You came, you came."
"Akira-san.
Welcome, thank you for coming. Please enjoy your time here."
From the depths of
Bankyu Daigaran, which was filled with gorgeous lights, Shuka seemed to be in a
good mood as she strode up to Akira, who was visiting for the fourth time.
Behind Shuka, Kihouin
Tsuguho expressed a welcoming smile.
"It's been a
week. Shuka-sama, Tsuguho-sama."
The first and the
second time, he was so nervous that he could see the vision of the afterlife,
but after the fourth time, he became accustomed to it.
Akira followed suit
and responded calmly.
"No, Akira. Come
closer. Aren't we supposed to be sitting together?"
Shuka slid her young
body into the space between Akira's legs.
She looked up at Akira
with a childish yet charming smile, along with the ethereal fragrance of
Agarwood rising through the air.
"Would you like
to drink some Henwakamizu? Tsuguho has boiled some Su, would you like some snack to accompany it?"
"Yes. We have
good cow's milk, so please enjoy it."
"Thank you.
.......I'll have some then."
A situation that Akira
had always dreamed of.
The smile of a
peaceful, happy life that he longed to return to.
"[The Holy Church
of Guidance], is it?"
The light sweetness of
the milk fat melts smoothly on his tongue.
While enjoying the
unique taste of the fresh Su, Akira
tilted his head at the unfamiliar name that came up in the conversation.
"In Takamagahara,
it's known by that name. ―The official name is the [Holy Church of Ariadne],
which I'm sure you've heard of before."
"Ah, I've heard
of it before. I remember it was in my junior high school lesson about world
affairs."
He flipped the corner
of his memory while answering the question.
"The largest
religion on Western Tomoe Continent, was it? I remember there's a headquarters
in the country of Vansuir."
"Yes. That
knowledge suffices. Vansuir has ruled over the Western Tomoe Continent
spiritually by spreading the doctrine of its own divine pillar, St. Ariadne, as
its main deity throughout the Western Tomoe Continent."
"They're not very
nice people. You'll understand once you meet them."
"Ruling, huh? But
how is that possible?"
Only one Great Divine
Pillar can rule a single Dragon Den.
This is common
knowledge that even Akira knows.
A single Divine Pillar
cannot rule over multiple dragon dens, and vice versa.
In other words, there
is no way to draw more blessings than the spiritual power brought forth by the
dragon dens, and it should be theoretically impossible for one country to
spiritually dominate an entire continent.
"There are
loopholes in every matter, you know. ...... In their doctrine, they define St.
Ariadne as the one true and only divine pillar, and the other divine pillars as
subordinate deities. They truly believe that the other pillars should be under
Ariadne, and that it is their duty and right to rule and control them."
"........................"
Akira was at a loss
for words at the sheer arrogance of this thought.
"The Divine
Pillars and Dragon Dens, which are positioned as subordinate deities, will
always have their own blessings exploited by Ariadne, and will never be able to
achieve prosperity beyond Vansuir. ―Under this ideology, Vansuir quickly swept
across the Western Tomoe Continent."
"They sound like
quite a troublesome people."
It was a bit of a
cliché, but that's the only impression that came to mind when he heard it
again.
"It's not a
particularly unusual ideology. Even Akira-san might be familiar with it, since
in the broadest sense, Nirvanaism is also one of these religions."
"The Nirvana
religion refers to the one practised in temples, right?"
"Yes. Nirvana
religion originated from Baratush, but it is also a religion that succeeded in
taking root in Takamagahara about 3,000 years ago, crossing the sea. It is a
doctrine that preaches about the afterlife, that is, the next life after death,
and this is how it was widely accepted by the people. Originally, Baratush
propagated the Nirvana religion with the aim of spiritually dominating the
Eastern Continent. So coming to Takamagahara was part of that."
"...... Is
Takamagahara being invaded by Baratush?"
Although there are not
many of its practitioners, the Nirvana religion is a common religion in
Takamagahara.
Especially when it
comes to funerals, it is no exaggeration to say that the Nirvana religion is
the sole provider of funeral rites.
However, Tsuguho
quietly shook her head and denied Akira's question.
"Although they
succeeded in spreading their Nirvana religion, they had a major setback
regarding their control of the Eastern Continent, so it did not happen. A
loophole is a loophole after all. There are dangers that the straight path does
not have."
Tsuguho dropped the
tea leaves into the sufficiently heated teapot and let them slowly blend with
the hot water.
"A divine pillar
defined as the only god becomes inherently incapable of tolerating other divine
pillars. In other words, they have to continue making other divine pillars
their subordinate deities."
Akira listened
attentively to Tsuguho's explanation, while moistening his tongue with the tea
offered to him by her.
"Simply put, the
One and Only God does not tolerate defeat. To be defeated means to recognize
the other divine pillars. This would mean that the One and Only God would cease
to be the One and Only God. Contradictions in the faith cannot be avoided and,
worst of all, it will collapse from within. The Ariadne Holy Church, having
devoured the divine pillars of the Western Tomoe Continent, will have its fair
share of repercussions."
"...... Does that
mean, the Ariadne Holy Church has won many battles in which defeat is not an
option and has taken control over the Western Continent? Is that God really
that strong?"
"No, not that
strong. But s/he is exceptionally troublesome. ...... That guy's phenomenon has
a human form."
Shuka responded in a
good mood as she rested her back and head on Akira.
A phenomenon is a kind
of concept itself, in which the nature of a divine pillar governs.
For example, just as
the deities seated in Takamagahara each preside over the five elements of the
world's structure, each of the divine pillars presides over a different
concept.
Ariadne's phenomenon
is said to have a human form.
Which means, .......
"The believers of
this divine pillar are capable of interfering to a certain degree in any domain
where human beings exist, even if it is ruled by another divine pillar. It
could be said that Ariadne's nature is such that she is specialized in carrying
out invasions in the name of religion."
Faith and invasion.
There are many
different gods in the world.
While thinking so in a
daze, Akira poured the undiluted milk into the roasted tea.
"............ So,
what's up with this [Holy Church of Guidance]?"
Because of Akira's
lack of knowledge, he was very late getting to the point.
Feeling bad, he asked
Tsuguho to continue the explanation.
"To the south of
Karen, there is a territory called the Hasebe Territory.
I heard that in recent
years, followers of the [Holy Church of Guidance] have settled in an abandoned
village on the outskirts of Kamotsu, the capital of that territory. If
Vansuir's intentions are behind this, we must stop its activities. ―Since this
is a good opportunity, I've decided to order Saki-san to investigate.
Akira-san, I would like you to accompany Saki-san as her escort."
"Sure. Though, I
don't know to what extent I can be of help, I will do my best not to get in
Saki-sama's way."
It was Tsuguho's
request, to whom he was greatly indebted. Akira had no reason to refuse, and he
replied with an honest affirmation.
"Yes, please.
However, you don't need to worry about it. In fact, the investigation is just
an extra."
"An extra?"
"Yes. Originally,
this type of investigation is the responsibility of the local feudal lord to
resolve. In this case, it is Hasebe Territory's local feudal lord. However,
because the lord in question has been insistent that it be resolved, Kihoin is
now obliged to dispatch personnel to help. The personnel to be dispatched were
named Saki-sama, so the investigation was just a pretext, and our intentions
are clear."
"Saki-sama? Is it
by any chance the young lady from the Eight Families!?"
Akira was taken aback
by what he was told.
Saki's family is of
such high rank that, with the exception of the girl in front of him, it is
unrivaled by most of the nobility.
Akira himself was
originally from one of the eight families, but even if he were to be excluded
due to his special circumstances, it was beyond rude and almost outrageous to
call out a direct descendant of one of the eight families by name.
However, Tsuguho shook
her head while smiling.
"There should be
no problem, although it's somewhat impolite. The lord of the Hasebe territory
is called Kuga Houri. He is Kuga Ryota-san's biological father, whom I believe
you are also acquainted with, Akira-san."
"......
A~a."
Kuga. He couldn't help
but let out a gasp of understanding upon hearing that name.
Does that mean the one
named Rindo Saki is also the daughter of the head of the family?
As he recalled, the
Kuga family ranks second among the eight families, so it would not be
surprising if the fifth-ranked Rindo family is regarded as a subordinate.
If that was the case,
they might at least be able to summon him for whatever the reason.
"Regarding the
[Holy Church of Guidance], it shouldn't be such an urgent issue, as the
distance between us and Vansuir is too great. More importantly, Kuga Houri
probably wanted to use that as an excuse to court Saki-san. ...... Currently,
Saki-san is serving as Akira-san's mentor, but just before that, she was
working with Ryota-san at the behest of the heads of the family."
"Is it perhaps
because of me?"
"...... No.
Regardless of whether Akira-san was involced or not, this issue has been
happening for a while now. Because Kihoin's intention was to move Rindo
somewhat opportunistically, there was a discrepancy between the decisions of
the two heads of the family. As a result, Kuga, who was dissatisfied with
Rindo's decision, intervened, and hence the basis of this appointment."
"In order to
resolve the issue, I will have to be separated from Akira for a while. I'll
feel lonely, but it can't be helped."
In contrast to
Tsuguho, Shuka pouted her lips, seemingly a little dissatisfied.
Indeed, if he were to
go to another territory, he would be away from Karen for at least a few days.
It will be difficult
to fulfil his promise to visit Shuka at the end of the week.
"―I am
sorry."
"It's fine. Do
what you have to do."
Although she was still
somewhat dissatisfied, Shuka nodded her head in a surprisingly understanding
manner.
*Rustle*. She wriggled
her body as her clothes made a rustling sound, and entwined her delicate hands
around Akira's neck.
"Shuka-sama?"
In Akira's surprised
ear, Shuka whispered something in a seductive tone.
"Don't ever
forget it, Akira. This mistress has given you everything. Let it be known that
your will is entirely my decision."
"―T-Thank you
very much. Shuka-sama."
Even though his
thoughts were clouded by the fragrance of Agarwood rising in the ethereal
atmosphere, Akira managed to respond albeit in few words.
"―Akira-san, it's
been a month since you became a protector, have you experienced any
inconvenience?"
"...... No. I
haven't been paid yet, but I'm being treated fairly well. Thanks to
Tsuguho-sama's guardianship, there has been no inconvenience. However,
......"
"Is there
something troubling you?"
Akira, who had been
enjoying shellfish together with Shuka, pondered for a moment upon hearing
Tsuguho's question.
"It's about my
training."
"...... A~a. I
have received the report from Saki-san. As of now, you have mastered four
Shoden and two Consecutive Techniques. Isn't that more than enough to meet my
expectations?"
"Thank you.
―However, according to Captain Asogi, my physical strength is not sufficient.
In fact, when I had an
arm-wrestling match with Saki-sama, she overpowered me with her raw arm
strength without even invoking the [Aragamioroshi]."
At that time, the
explanation given by Asogi Genji was that there was a difference in the pure
training between Saki and Akira.
Since [Aragamioroshi]
is multiplying one's physical strength, the raw physical strength one possesses
is the foundation and absolute value.
If that is the case,
then Akira understands that physical training is an absolute necessity, as
pointed out by Asogi Genji.
Also, Akira fully
understood that there was no way that his physical strength could improve
rapidly after just one month of training.
―But it's frustrating. I want to get stronger, more quickly.
The result of the slow
progress of the training, in contrast to this desire, made Akira impatient.
"...... That's
because your perception of Asogi and Saki is wrong."
"Eh?"
In response to Akira's
expression of concern, to which he did not expect an answer from anyone, Shuka
answered innocently.
Akira's reaction was a
little delayed, as he did not expect it to be responded to.
"Well, I would
say that your perception is wrong, or rather, ......, the point from which your
perception starts is wrong."
"Yes, it is just
as Aka-sama said. Akira-san, you can see that you are moving your muscles to
lift the sake cup in your hand, right?"
Akira looked down at
the sake cup that he had been playing with in his palm.
"Yes."
"Naturally, the
more muscle mass you have, the greater your physical abilities, including your
arm strength."
Tsuguho took a sip of
the roasted tea from her own teacup.
"Now, please try
to recall carefully. ―Are Saki-san's arms thicker than Akira-san's?"
"―No. But I also
don't think she was invoking the [Aragamioroshi]."
He didn't need to
recall.
Her arms were healthy,
yet slender with a hint of femininity.
Akira could definitely
tell, without having to think about it, that she was thinner than him.
But he was also
certain that there were no signs that Saki had invoked [Aragamioroshi].
"Yes. There is no
doubt that Saki-san was not invoking [Aragmioroshi]. ......Therefore, your
starting point of perception is wrong."
"Tsuguho, that's
enough."
Tsuguho was about to
explain further, but Shuka raised her right hand to stop her.
"I would be happy
to tell you, but if you try to understand this kind of stuff with your head,
you'll never master it. In order to master it, you have to comprehend it with
all your heart and soul. You don't need to worry about it. ―You will soon
understand it. Believe in my words and just wait and see."
The twin azure eyes,
shimmering with complex colors, shot through Akira's gaze proudly.
Shuka stood up,
showing Akira a pair of matching shells in her palm with vermilion color coated
on their backs.
"You may doubt,
Akira. Doubt is the act of wondering. ―That is precisely how comprehension is
to be achieved."
*Chime, chime*. As a
slight summer breeze stirred the wind chimes, Shuka returned to her kamiza (seat of honor).
A young child
reminiscent of a crimson flame seated on the kamiza gleefully delivered an elusive prophecy.
"Fear not, Akira.
You must believe in
yourself.
Don't ever forget it,
Akira.
When you understand
yourself, you will call upon this mistress.
All you have to do is
wait for that time. I, too, will look forward to that time."
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: About Su
Su is a Japanese
cheese made from slow-cooking milk.
It is a very luxurious
food, not only because of the time and effort involved, but also because of the
large amount of milk used.
Basically, it is
treated as an offering for the gods.
It tastes like cheese
with a mild flavor.
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