Chapter 0688 Transfer Operation
-x-X-x-
An hour on foot from 'Rinshan Kaiho', where Ryo and Abel were staying.
The group arrived at the lake in question.
There were quite a lot of people around the lake.
People who were probably involved in the construction, people who were probably from the magistrate's office, and people who seemed to be the local residents…
"Even though the anomalous phenomenon is happening, there are lots of people here? Is this really okay?"
"Maybe it's an anomaly that doesn't harm people?"
Neither Ryo nor Abel had any idea what was going on at all.
As the group approached, a man came over.
A face Ryo recognized.
"Ryo-dono, Abel-dono, thank you for coming. I'm sorry I couldn't go to meet you this morning."
It was Deputy Magistrate Hyuran.
"Something strange happened?"
"Yes. Rather than 'happened,' perhaps I should say it appeared…"
"Appeared?"
Hyuran grimaced in response to Abel's question, while Ryo tilted his head.
"It's on the far side of the lake. I'll guide you there."
With that, Hyuran began walking.
Ryo and Abel followed him, along with the five members of Winter Thunder.
"Are those people praying?"
Ryo asked while looking at the gathered crowd.
"Yes. They're local residents."
After answering, Hyuran continued.
"For the time being, we've also told the construction workers not to go any further. So only people from the magistrate's office are on the far side of the lake."
After walking for a while, they reached the far side of the lake.
A little distance away, an old man wearing what looked like blue clothes was standing there.
But that…
"That is not a human."
When Abel said that with obvious certainty, Hyuran nodded.
The blue old man even seemed to be shimmering slightly.
Suddenly, the old man began to walk.
It seemed he had recognized the group and was coming closer.
"He hadn't moved at all since appearing in the middle of the night…"
That was Deputy Magistrate Hyuran muttering to himself.
The words seemed to snap the five members of Winter Thunder back to reality.
They took up combat stances.
"Wait! "
But then came a sharp voice of restraint.
It was Ryo.
"Ryo?"
Abel asked suspiciously.
"He feels similar to my master."
"Your master?"
"Yes. My sword master. The one who gave me this robe and sword."
"Oh…"
Abel nodded at Ryo's explanation.
Something that is not human… and is in Rondo Forest.
Ryo also stepped forward a little to match the approaching blue old man.
He did not go too far, so that any conversation they exchanged would still be audible to Hyuran and the others…
The blue old man stopped about five meters in front of Ryo and opened his mouth.
"Hm."
With only that one word, he gazed Ryo up and down.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Ryo, an adventurer."
Ryo decided to greet him first.
"My name is… it cannot be spoken by human mouths. But that would make conversation difficult. You may call me Sanputou."
"Then, Sanputou-san."
A conversation was established between Sanputou and Ryo.
Once it became clear that conversation was possible, many problems would often move rapidly toward resolution… usually.
"You… Ryo was it? To wear the king's robe, put on the king's shoes, and carry the king's sword… You are quite favored."
"Ah, so you are indeed related to my master."
Ryo's robe and the like had been given to him by the Dullahan who had trained him in swordsmanship in Rondo Forest.
That Dullahan apparently was the Water Fairy King.
In other words, this blue old man before them was a relation of the Water Fairy King?
"Hm, to call the king your master… And this 'droplet' overflowing from your body. You are not human. Nor are you an elf, a spellno, or a vampire… of course, not an akuma or a dragon either… how puzzling."
"No, I'm human."
Ryo declared that with complete confidence.
That reaction must have been unexpected.
The blue old man blinked repeatedly.
"No, but…"
"I'm human."
"Even so…"
"I am human."
"I see… Very well, human Ryo."
"Yes, please treat me that way."
The blue old man gave up resisting, and Ryo nodded deeply.
It is a secret that, in the back, a certain swordsman muttered, "Ryo really can push people around."
"Um, so, the one who broke the equipment and the embankment was you, Sanputou-san?"
"Yes."
Ryo cut straight to the heart of the matter, and Sanputou agreed.
That was not the issue.
From Ryo's point of view, Sanputou—who seemed like a companion or even a relative of the Water Fairy King—was certainly not a bad being.
And he did not doubt that this was an extremely powerful existence.
If there was a lake where such a being resided… and the embankment and equipment had been broken there, then it was probably the result of Sanputou's actions.
That inference held.
At the same time, there must also be some unavoidable circumstances.
"Could you tell us why you're doing this?"
"Right now, in this lake… The humans are calling it Kanro Lake, yes? In that Kanro Lake, a Baoyi is about to be born."
"What!"
The one who cried out in surprise at Sanputou's answer was Deputy Magistrate Hyuran, who had been listening from behind.
But not only him—the five members of Winter Thunder also widened their eyes greatly.
Only Ryo and Abel were not reacting…
"Um… Sorry. We're not from the Eastern Countries, so we don't really know what this Baoyi is."
Ryo said apologetically.
Abel also gave a small nod.
It was Deputy Magistrate Hyuran who explained.
"I had guessed as much from your attire and the color of Abel-dono's hair. A Baoyi is also called a 'treasure fish'… It is a precious species that is rarely seen."
Hyuran paused once, then continued.
"But even more than that, it is also called a 'national treasure.'"
"A national treasure?"
"Yes. There is a legend that areas where Baoyi dwell become fertile and are guaranteed to become prosperous countries."
"That's amazing."
Ryo was impressed by Hyuran's explanation.
But then Ryo noticed that Hyuran's expression was not bright.
"But your expression doesn't look very good, Hyuran-san."
"Yes… The Baoyi are a precious species, but they hardly ever lay eggs, and it takes a long time for the fry to hatch from the eggs."
"Time? How long?"
"I've heard it takes five years."
"Five years for an egg…"
Even Ryo was surprised.
Then he understood.
He understood the meaning of Hyuran's expression.
It meant they could not afford to wait five years.
"But it's a precious species, isn't it? Enough to be called a 'national treasure'…"
"Just so. If this were only a river-management project for Chuarou, we would have persuaded the magistrate and somehow bought ourselves time. But…"
"So it also involves other lords and, by extension, the central government."
At Ryo's words, Hyuran answered with a face full of anguish, and Abel showed his understanding.
Sanputou, who had silently listened to the humans speaking, opened his mouth.
"Well, that is how it would be."
An existence that likely has a life span far longer than that of humans seemed to understand even the affairs of the human world.
"And so, for the next five years, I had intended to keep obstructing things."
"What a muscle-… no, what a forceful way of thinking."
At Sanputou's determination, Ryo almost let the plainly too-honest word "muscle-brained" slip out.
"We are well aware that this is entirely a matter of human convenience, and I imagine you may well be angry…"
"I am not angry. But I have no intention of stepping aside either."
Sanputou stated this firmly in response to Hyuran's words.
Ryo tilted his head and asked.
"Are you angry that humans are changing nature to suit themselves?"
"Intervening in nature is human instinct, is it not? I too have watched humans for tens of thousands of years. I've learned at least that much."
The blue old man answered with a laugh.
"But if you do too much…"
"If you overdo it, it comes back to humans, and humans perish. That is true of everything, is it not? Whether living beings or monsters, if they eat too much of what is needed as food, it rebounds on the continuation of the species. The truth of living things is the same in all things. If you overdo it, it rebounds on yourselves. Am I wrong?"
"I see."
Ryo nodded.
The being before him seemed to transcend human emotions by far.
Humans destroying nature is part of human principles.
He does not blame them for it; as an independent species, he does not interfere.
If they overdo it, it returns as the destruction of the species.
If humans overdo it, humans perish.
It is not some other species that destroys humans.
The consequences of human actions return from nature… That is what he understands as the principle.
At that point, Ryo brought his thoughts back to the situation before him.
Probably, even if they left it alone, the conflict would just continue for five years.
Sanputou would keep obstructing the disappearance of the old Kanro Lake, while the human side would keep trying again and again to shorten the delay in the construction period… such a conflict.
"It's common for public works to be delayed because of landowners' circumstances, but… if the military gets involved, things will become troublesome."
Yes, if the human side tried to solve things by force and ended up using military power, the result would probably not be very good.
If it were the central government of Darwei as it was now… Ryo did not think the Emperor or Prince Ryun would do anything so foolish, but the local officials who did not want to report construction delays to the central government were not necessarily the same.
Or perhaps the central government's local administrative contacts…
So Ryo made the obvious suggestion.
"Couldn't the Baoyi be moved to the new Kanro Lake?"
"Hm, impossible. They already have eggs inside their bodies. In this state, their stamina is at its limit. Moving them is impossible…"
Just as he said that much, Sanputou fell silent.
He brought a hand to his chin and began to think.
The group watched him intently.
If the Baoyi could be moved, everything would be solved.
But everyone there understood that it would be difficult.
If it were possible, Sanputou would have done it, they thought.
Hyuran and the five members of Winter Thunder also sensed that he was an existence with that much power.
An existence that transcended humans by far.
After a while, Sanputou lowered the hand he had placed on his chin.
Then he stared at Ryo and opened his mouth.
"That 'droplet' overflowing from you, Ryo… Is it always overflowing?"
"Um… By 'droplet', do you mean that thing the elves call the 'fairy factor', and the akumas call the 'fairy droplet'?"
"Yes, that is it."
At Ryo's confirmation, Sanputou nodded.
Because the name differs depending on the human… or rather the species or existence, it had to be properly confirmed.
"To be honest, I don't know myself, but it seems to overflow constantly. One of my acquaintance's spirit beasts said that this extended their lifespan."
Ryo remembered that the spirit beast in Niels's village had said something like that.
"I see!"
Sanputou widened his eyes and nodded once.
"Ryo may be able to do it."
"Ryo's fairy factor is amazing. It doesn't do anything for Ryo himself, though."
"Yes… If possible, I would have preferred something like making me invincible, or letting me regenerate instantly even if I'm injured."
Sanputou was delighted, Abel was a little amazed despite his surprise, and Ryo lamented that he wanted more practical effects.
"
A fairly large
Still, compared with the four
However, the water-magician who had created the
"What is it, Ryo?"
"No, there will be a huge amount of water this time, so it will be heavy. Besides, if I move it over a distance of one kilometer, the Baoyi in the water will be under a lot of strain. Even with
"Floating it? Isn't that a bit too difficult?"
Abel answered Ryo's idea by saying it would indeed be difficult.
Ryo stared at Abel.
And then he got an inspiration.
"Abel, as expected of you! That's a brilliant idea!"
"…I didn't say anything."
That's right, Abel had said nothing.
"
In the place where the
"That speech podium thing… isn't that the one you made in the city of Rune?"
"You remembered it well. It's the one Abel stood on during the enthronement ceremony."
Ryo praised Abel's memory.
"That thing… flew in the air."
"Yes, yes. That's the one. I'll blast out
Ryo's image was air hockey.
In air hockey, air comes out from the table and makes the puck float, but this time, he would spray water from an ice platform to make it float.
Because there would be no friction with the ground, it should be possible to push it even with a single finger, and above all, because it would not pick up the unevenness of the ground, the Baoyi in the water should not be stressed either.
"The Baoyi relocation operation, commence!"
"Yeah…"
And thus, the Baoyi relocation operation, as Ryo called it, began.
Ryo put his hand into the edge of the lake.
"Um, there are two Baoyi, right?"
"Yes. You figured that out well."
"Yes, it's one of my specialties."
He was only using
In the first place, their presence was different from that of other fish.
Were they about one meter in size?
They were large for freshwater fish, but more than that, something was different.
Ryo's sonar analyzed targets by using the vibrations of water and their reflections.
Because reflections varied according to the substance of the 'target', analysis was possible.
When he thought of it that way, the Baoyi's 'presence' might be something that made them fundamentally different in material composition from fish…
(Not living beings, and not monsters either?)
Ryo felt that, but he did not say it aloud.
If only Sanputou and Abel were nearby, that would be fine, but Hyuran from the magistrate's office, who could be considered a local official, and Winter Thunder were also there.
"I'll turn the water around the two of them into coldless ice and place them on this platform as they are. Sanputou-san, could you tell the two of them?"
"I understand."
Sanputou gently closed his eyes.
Ten seconds later, he opened them.
"They say it is fine anytime."
"Understood. Then…
When Ryo chanted, the water around the Baoyi was cut out as ice.
The "aquarium" was then lifted by icicles and slowly moved to the lakeshore.
"
The aquarium was slowly transferred from the icicles to an ice path, and then slid onto the ice "speech podium"… where it quietly froze in place on top of the podium.
"Yeah, okay."
Ryo checked various things and nodded in satisfaction.
The next moment, the speech podium carrying the aquarium rose about five centimeters from the ground.
"Then, let's depart."
Ryo quickly suggested setting off.
The water inside the 'aquarium' clearly contained a considerable amount of air.
A one-kilometer move would not cause the Baoyi to suffocate.
Still, it was an environment different from usual.
With eggs involved, it was better for them to spend as little time as possible in such an environment.
The group departed.
It was one kilometer from the old Kanro Lake to the new Kanro Lake.
However, because the road had many ups and downs, it took about twenty minutes.
"It really does look light."
Abel called out to Ryo, who was walking beside him while pushing the 'speech podium'.
Ryo was walking while pushing it, but it looked incredibly light.
"Of course. That's the amazing thing about this speech podium. Once we get back to the kingdom, I'll advertise that even heavy cargo can be transported like this easily."
"Advertise?"
"I'll promote it and produce alchemy tools like this speech podium and sell them. Money will come in by the bucketload!"
Ryo answered happily.
But Abel, walking beside him, was tilting his head.
"What is it, Abel? Are you going to say something like, let me have a cut in that right, since it was my idea that made this possible, so hand over half the profits?"
Ryo asked with an obviously wary expression.
"No… This podium floating like that, that's because of your water-attribute magic, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"If you made the podium as an alchemy tool… that would mean making it float with water-attribute magic too, right?"
"Yes, that's right?"
"What kind of magic stone would you use for that?"
"Huh?"
For a moment, Ryo did not understand the meaning of Abel's question.
But after thinking for a while, his expression stiffened.
And then…
"Blue… a water magic stone… I guess?"
He answered in a small voice, almost a murmur.
Yes, Ryo understood too.
"Water magic stones are precious. No, you could even say they hardly circulate in the general market at all. Because…"
"They can only be obtained from underwater monsters. And underwater monsters are difficult to capture…"
Ryo almost collapsed to his knees, but quickly forced himself to stay conscious and put strength into his legs.
Right now, they were in the middle of transporting the Baoyi.
"Tch… I'll solve that problem after we return to the kingdom. For now, I'll focus on the transport."
"That's right, that would be best."
Twenty minutes later, the group arrived at the new Kanro Lake.
Following the opposite procedure from the old Kanro Lake, the 'aquarium' was lowered, and the two Baoyi were transferred to the new Kanro Lake.
"How is it?"
Ryo asked Sanputou with a tense expression.
"Hm. Both of them seem to be lively. They appear to be in better condition than when they were in the other lake. That is thanks to you, Ryo."
"Oh, that's good."
Sanputou smiled, and Ryo smiled too.
Hearing their exchange, the group rejoiced.
The Baoyi relocation operation had succeeded.
Yes, the Baoyi 'relocation' operation had succeeded.
"Actually, I have a matter I'd like to consult you about in private, Ryo."
"What is it, Sanputou-san?"
"Actually, the lake over there has other fish as well…"
"Eh…"
Indeed, he had seen that with sonar a moment ago.
There had been quite a number of fish in the old Kanro Lake…
"I thought the loss of life due to human development was the natural order, but… watching the Baoyi being relocated…"
"You don't need to say any more. Leave it to me!"
Ryo struck his own chest with his right fist.
A gesture meaning, 'Leave everything to me'.
Abel watched from behind with a shrug.
His lips moved as if to say, "Ryo really is too kind."
Four hours later.
"And with this… Haa, haa… the relocation… haa, haa… is complete."
This was the very definition of being in a state of utter exhaustion.
Well, Ryo was somehow still standing on two feet.
"Ryo, thank you very much."
The blue old man Sanputou bowed deeply.
"No, no, I haven't done anything that major."
Ryo answered with a smile.
He was tired, but this was when he ought to act tough.
"As expected of the man the king had his eye on. We water fairies will never forget Ryo's devotion."
Saying that, Sanputou disappeared.
After he vanished, Ryo realized that he should have asked many things.
"Darn it…"
Ryo sank into despair over his own blunder, and fatigue washed over him.
But the work was not over yet.
"Representing the Chuarou magistrate's office, I offer our thanks."
Saying this, Deputy Magistrate Hyuran also bowed deeply.
Behind him, the five members of Winter Thunder did the same.
And farther behind them, several hundred people bowed as well.
They were the local residents of Kanro Lake.
Some of them were crying.
They bowed again and again.
"Oh, no, no, it really wasn't anything that major."
Ryo was happy to be thanked, but apparently he was the sort who felt embarrassed by gratitude that was too deep and came from too many people.
In the end, they stayed at Rinshan Kaiho that night as well, and Ryo and Abel departed from the city of Chuarou the following day.
Naturally, they rode Andalusia and Feiwan, while four huge
"This time, it was a very peaceful adventure."
"Well, yeah."
"Abel looks very dissatisfied."
"Dissatisfied? No, I'm not dissatisfied or anything."
"That's a lie!"
Ryo condemned him in a strong tone.
"You were expecting a more chaotic, blood-pumping, flesh-stirring battle, and you were thrown off by how anticlimactic this was!"
"No, I wasn't hoping for anything like that."
"Hmph. Even if you lie, I can tell. People in barbaric close-combat jobs like swordsmen must all be like that."
"There it is again, Ryo's prejudice."
As always, Ryo and Abel bantered back and forth, and their beloved horses neighed happily as they carried them on their backs.
The peaceful return to the kingdom had only just begun.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0688 Bonus Side Story: Traveling Musicians, Ryo and Abel
-x-X-x-
"We should have departed from the city of Chuarou, but…"
"Did another city happen to be right next door…?"
Ryo looked bewildered, and Abel was bewildered as well.
Of course, the two of them were riding on Andalusia and Feiwan, and the ice
And yet, the two of them could not understand the situation.
In front of them was a castle gate.
A huge gate, the kind you would find at the entrance to a city.
And yet, thirty minutes ago, the two had left the city of Chuarou, where they had resolved the transfer issue at Kanro Lake, and had once again hurried onward on their journey.
And yet, they had arrived at a city almost immediately.
Probably a different city from Chuarou…
And what was more, right in front of that gate…
"Abel-sama, and Ryo-sama, I presume. We have been expecting you."
They were courteously greeted by an elegant old man, who bowed deeply.
"Yes we are indeed Abel and Ryo… but old sir, is this a different city from Chuarou?"
Abel asked on their behalf.
"This is Soupun-sama's manor, the estate governing the entire region including Chuarou and the surrounding area."
"The manor gate…"
"Wow, it is huge."
The old man answered, and Ryo and Abel were astonished by the scale.
It was so large that they had mistaken it for a city gate.
Even if he was a lord, it was hard to imagine this being the gate of a private residence…
The two were politely guided inside.
After leaving Andalusia and Feiwan in someone's care and entering the building, they found a man standing respectfully at the entrance, bowing.
"I am Count Soupun of Veevee. I am overwhelmed with joy to be able to welcome such renowned guests to my residence."
After introducing himself and addressing the two, Soupun bowed deeply once more.
Conversely, Ryo and Abel were the ones left bewildered.
"Ah… Lord Soupun, please raise your head. As for the matter of Lake Kanro, we only did what we had to due to the circumstances. It was only natural as adventurers."
"Not to mention, the residents asked us for help—and so did the water fai… those who are not human."
Abel and Ryo replied.
"Yes, of course. I have also received a report from Deputy Magistrate Chuuran*. In fact, it was only a few dozen minutes ago. I was truly fortunate that you passed in front of this residence. Otherwise, I would have had to run after you." (TLN: Written as Hyuran prev. will keep a lookout for which is it.)
Soupun answered with a smile.
"But that is not all."
"Hm?"
"Sorry?"
Soupun bowed again and continued.
"You are Duke Rondo and his escort, Albert-dono, are you not?"
"Ah…"
"Er…"
Faced with the smiling question, the two hesitated over their answer.
"I was also present at the site of the Kyoonkai."
"Ah…"
At Soupun's words, Abel could only nod in the end.
Ryo nodded silently.
"To have been helped by two people so honored by the Emperor, and then to let you leave my territory without offering hospitality would be a lifelong disgrace for Count Veevee. Please, for the sake of my honor, accept my hospitality."
"Ah…"
"With you saying that much…"
And so, the two were treated to a delicious meal.
It was almost enough to call it a life of wine, women, and song… though that would be going too far, but truly, dish after dish kept coming.
Still, while eating, there was something that bothered Ryo just a little.
They were dining with Soupun's family in a broad indoor space like a lecture hall.
A huge table had been placed there.
According to Soupun, it was apparently a place used when holding banquets with senior officials or high-ranking military officers.
And in one corner of that lecture hall was an object covered with a cloth.
Only the upper structure could be seen, so Ryo could only imagine what it was…
Once everyone had had some alcohol and were feeling pleasantly tipsy, Ryo stood up and walked over to that 'object'.
Then he gently lifted the cloth.
"It really is! Shen-Lon!"
Indeed, what was there was a grand piano.
"Shenlon?"
Abel did not really understand.
"Look, the piano."
"Oh, a piano."
So 'piano' was understandable.
"I ordered it at that Kyoonkai and bought it, but…"
Soupun said that much, then glanced at the woman beside him.
Soupun's wife, whom he looked at… merely smiled warmly.
Yes, she smiled and brushed it off.
She seemed to have grown tired of practicing the piano.
"Learning an instrument takes time, after all."
"That is true."
Ryo nodded, and Abel agreed.
In response, Soupun's wife nodded repeatedly as well.
Soupun quietly shook his head and sighed.
After that… for some reason, a violin was also brought from the music room…
And the two of them ended up having to perform.
Preparations proceeded, including the piano.
Then suddenly, as if noticing something, Ryo raised his head.
"What is it?"
"I just wanted to check the pitch of the piano…"
Ryo answered, approached the piano that was being moved, opened the keyboard lid, and pressed the A key.
A.
"Ah, the pitch is correct. I'm glad it isn't off by a semitone."
Ryo felt relieved, closed the lid, bowed to the people preparing to move it, and returned to Abel's side.
"Off by a semitone?"
"Yes, it wasn't off. It was the usual pitch."
"With a violin, you adjust the strings before every performance. Do you do that for pianos too?"
"Normally, it is once a year or so. Of course, before a concert, a tuner will do it… but a piano that no one has played, like this one, is dangerous."
Ryo nodded with emphasis.
Naturally, Abel tilted his head, not understanding.
"Long ago, in my homeland, there was a musician named Brahms… well, perhaps more of a pianist, really. He was traveling with a violinist. And at a concert in one city… just before the performance, the venue was changed, and when they tuned the piano, all the keys had gone down by a semitone."
"That is a serious problem. A violin only has four strings, so it can be adjusted quickly, but that piano has many strings, doesn't it?"
"Yes, yes. The opening time was approaching, so there wasn't time to retune it."
"…So what did they do?"
"They performed with the piano raised by a semitone."
"Raised by a semitone?"
Abel frowned.
It was hard to imagine with a violin.
"The piano is an instrument with white keys and black keys, and they are offset by semitones."
"So they ended up having to play the part that was supposed to be on a white key on a black key?"
"However, there is no black key between E and F, so that is a semitone difference, and there is no black key between B and C, so that is also a semitone difference…"
"Black keys here, neighboring white keys there… I have no idea what that means."
"Yes, I have no idea either. He did it almost entirely by improvisation. As expected of Brahms."
For some reason, Ryo nodded vigorously.
"Could Ryo… do that?"
"Absolutely not."
Once again, Ryo nodded vigorously.
"I'm glad it matched properly this time."
"Yes, indeed."
Both of them nodded firmly.
"Now then, for the performance… which of us goes first?"
"Would you like to try playing together?"
In response to Abel's question, Ryo made a rather offbeat suggestion.
The piano had only recently been born in this 'Phi', so naturally Abel had never played it together with a piano before.
Incidentally, Ryo had never played together with a violin either, back when he was on Earth…
"Wha… t… together…?"
Uncharacteristically, Abel was dumbfounded.
But then came Ryo's gospel.
"Abel, please just play Paganini's '24 Caprices' as always. I'll accompany you."
"Accompany me?"
"And if you get into the mood, feel free to improvise some variations."
"Improvise some variations?"
"I might do it too, so… think of it as a jazz session!"
"Jazz? Session?"
Abel could not understand a single thing Ryo was saying.
But this was Abel.
"Well, fine. Let's just give it a try."
Immediate decision.
A king's decision.
The speed of judgment of someone accustomed to taking responsibility for the outcomes of his own decisions.
Once the preparations were complete, Ryo sat down in front of the piano.
Abel stood up, holding the violin.
And then…
He launched into the familiar opening from the characteristic phrase of the '24 Caprices'.
Ryo's piano accompanied it.
Entwined, chasing each other… and sometimes colliding.
In Caprice No. 24, the characteristic phrase—the 'theme'—appears again and again.
They must not miss that… and beyond that, let themselves be carried wherever the music led!
They wove and connected, and a new 'Variations on a Theme by Paganini' was born.
Only, it was a one-time creation.
The audience was swept up in the vortex the two created.
Soupun's family, his retainers, and even the horses.
Music affects all living things.
A great force that transcends every boundary.
A great force created by the two of them.
And it made all who heard it happy.
The day after the impromptu concert, the two departed from Count Soupun's residence in Veevee.
"Wow—music really is wonderful!"
"That it is."
"I think the key to world peace is music."
"World peace, huh? That's a grand notion."
Ryo asserted it, and Abel gave a wry smile.
"Someday, when King Abel sets out on the path to world conquest, the key to making it succeed will be music."
"Yeah, I think the moment you say 'conquest', it's already pretty far removed from 'peace.'"
"A king must not fuss over trivial details."
"First of all, I prefer peace."
"So you make neighboring countries feel at ease and then strike without warning. What a strategist."
"I really don't think that is something I should be hearing from Ryo."
The premier duke and the king were always mindful of the country's safety.
"I think this place is actually quite far from the center of Darwei."
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"And yet the piano has spread even to places like this."
"Probably because it is such a wonderful instrument. Well, if you can play it, that is."
Abel shrugged.
Playing an instrument is by no means easy.
Even though a piano makes sound when you press the keys… that does not necessarily mean it is truly 'playing'.
"But someday, I feel like it will cross cultural boundaries and even make its way to the Central Countries."
"It will."
Ryo was only speaking from a hunch, but Abel seemed certain.
"Why are you so confident?"
"Because people like good things."
Abel said decisively.
"Even if it is something difficult to master, it will eventually become widespread. I think that is a quality people are born with."
"Abel is really good at grasping the essential part of things like that."
At Abel's words, Ryo nodded in admiration.
Because Ryo completely agreed.
"It'll probably come here along the roads we travel."
"We'll have to keep walking toward the Central Countries, too."
Abel said, and Ryo declared his resolve.
In response, Andalusia and Feiwan neighed.
The two men and two horses continued onward toward the Central Countries.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0689 The Place Abel Returns To
-x-X-x-
Ten days after Ryo and Abel left Count Veevee Soupun's mansion.
"Abel, you are His Majesty the King, aren't you?"
"That is true. I am the king."
"A king can sometimes use state power to oppress the people, can't he?"
"I have no memory of ever doing that, but I suppose there may be kings like that."
Abel deftly sidestepped Ryo's provocative argument by converting it into a purely general discussion.
"They say there are a lot of bad kings, which means Abel must be a bad person too, right?"
"Yeah, I have no idea how you got to that conclusion."
Apparently, it was a debate that had nothing at all to do with logic or how arguments were supposed to develop.
"Come to think of it, Ryo, aren't you the premier duke?"
"Huh? Well, yes, I suppose that is a possibility…"
Sensing an ominous undertone in Abel's words, Ryo tried to brush them off.
"A duke is also on the side of the powerful, right? One of the higher-ranking people among those who use state power."
"S-some people might think of it that way, or they might not…"
"So in the end, Ryo must be a bad guy too."
"I strive every day to be a duke who stands with the people."
Ryo countered Abel's declaration with his usual principles.
There was no lie in his statement.
…Probably.
The party proceeded while exchanging such harmless conversation.
Naturally, each of them rode their own trusty horse, and behind them followed five enormous ice
Yes, before they knew it, the number had increased from four to five.
It was the result of Ryo buying more supplies while saying things like, "Once we leave Darwei, we have no idea when or where we'll be able to resupply."
Ryo was not the sort to travel by guesswork and impulse, but rather someone who traveled very methodically!
"When it was just you and me, you were ridiculously careless though…"
"Of course. It is fine for Abel to endure hardship, but I cannot make Andalusia suffer."
Hearing Ryo's words, Andalusia neighed happily.
Ryo, on his own, believed that Andalusia understood human speech perfectly.
Then, at that moment—
"Hm?"
The word slipped unconsciously from Ryo's mouth.
Abel, riding Feywan alongside him, also heard it.
"What is it?"
At Abel's question, Ryo tilted his head and continued moving for a while…
"
A transparent wall of ice was erected around the party.
It was Ryo's ice wall, prepared on the assumption that they might be attacked.
Because it was '10 layers'.
"An ambush?"
"I still think it is reconnaissance, but… probably thieves or bandits, or people of that sort."
"This region would count as a frontier area for Darwei, I suppose."
"We have only passed through small villages these past two or three days, after all. But I do not think there is any logic that says public safety should be allowed to get worse just because it is the frontier."
"That is true, but reality tends to turn out that way, does it not?"
Ryo grew indignant on behalf of the people living in the frontier, while Abel, as king, shrugged at the realities of governing a nation.
No one liked poor public safety.
Being able to live in peace and security… for both the people and the country, that was one of the most important and wonderful things of all.
He couldn't think of anything that would justify sacrificing public safety for.
"Peace, safety, and security are the best."
"That's right."
Both Ryo and Abel were adventurers who knew the value of peace.
"Hm?"
A minute later, Ryo tilted his head again.
"What is it?"
"The surveillance has increased."
Ryo answered Abel's question, but he seemed to be bothered by something.
"Does that mean an attack is imminent?"
"No, it is just that… I think the new observers are from a different group."
"Hm? So you mean there are people from two organizations watching us?"
"Yes, yes. That is how it seems."
Ryo nodded at Abel's words.
"We were supposed to camp out tonight, right?"
"Right. At least, the map we were given did not show any large towns. If it is a village, no one is going to let us stay in their house, and realistically, all we can do is borrow an empty lot at the edge of the village, right? In the end, that means camping."
Both Abel and Ryo were adventurers, so they were used to camping.
Although even if they called it camping…
"I'll surround us with
"Ryo really is convenient."
"Heh heh heh, such is the true value of water-attribute magic."
"It feels less like water-attribute magic and more like Ryo himself is just… not normal."
Ryo puffed out his chest proudly, and Abel mildly corrected him.
Either way, they would not be staying at some luxury inn with a guest room and an open-air bath.
That much was certain.
As they went further.
"Hmm…"
"What is it? Something else happen?"
Once again, Ryo tilted his head, and Abel asked.
"The two groups that were watching us seem to have started fighting."
"Oh, so that is what it was."
Abel nodded at Ryo's report.
It seemed he had considered that possibility.
"So in other words, those two organizations were already fighting over this land. Then we wandered into the middle of it. They each thought we might be the other side's new fighting force, and so they kept watching us…"
"Ah, I see. That would explain it. At least."
"At least? Do you think there is some other possibility?"
At Ryo's suggestive wording, Abel now tilted his head.
"Maybe one of them is a bandit group Abel used to lead."
"What?"
"Before Abel became king… no, perhaps before you formed the 'Crimson Sword.' That bandit group was a horrible bunch, cruel and vicious, doing every kind of evil deed imaginable. And all of it must have been Abel's fault for leading them."
"…"
"The people who were watching were delighted and shocked that the former cruel and brutal leader Abel had returned, but they were not the only ones who found Abel. The magistrate's office people in this land, who had once suffered terribly at Abel's hands, also found him."
"…"
"They attacked the bandits' watchers. They were thinking that if the surviving bandits were to join forces with their former leader Abel, they might once again suffer misfortune. That is the truth behind the battle happening now."
"…"
"Of course, after that, Abel turned over a new leaf and became successful as an adventurer. You even became king. But even so, the bandits you had left behind still had not forgotten Abel. They must have lived believing that one day, that ruthless Abel would return and lead them again…"
Ryo finished his tale.
For some reason, he looked very satisfied.
Abel, on the other hand, said nothing.
Naturally, he was not satisfied at all.
"As I always think, how do you keep having one delusion after another like that?"
Abel said with a sigh.
"I know, not bad, right?"
"I am not praising you."
Ryo looked embarrassed for some reason, while Abel shook his head.
Of course, it was all Ryo's imagination.
After a while, the fight seemed to end.
And five minutes later, three people were standing and waiting in front of the road the two of them were traveling.
Ryo immediately understood that they were the ones who had been watching them earlier—bandits or maybe mountain bandits.
When the two approached, the three knelt on one knee and bowed respectfully.
Then one of them opened his mouth.
"Welcome back, Abel-sama."
"…"
Abel was too stunned to say anything.
"I knew it."
Ryo murmured, nodding with a knowing look.
"Abel's past, which should have been buried away, has now been brought to light."
"No…"
Abel was so confused that he could not even refute Ryo's words.
But one thing still slipped out of his mouth.
"This has to be a mistake."
"Criminals always say that."
Ryo condemned him.
"They clearly said it, didn't they? 'Abel-sama.' "
"Well… that is… true, they did say that…"
"Abel, you should admit it."
"First of all, the story you just told is nothing but your own imagination, Ryo. Isn't it strange that there would be a situation that overlaps with that?"
Abel resisted with plain common sense.
"The story that came to mind must have pierced through to the truth. I have seen Abel many times up to now. I remember everything you have said and done. The story imagined from that must have brought to light Abel's past, which you yourself had not been conscious of and had not been aware of."
"No friggin' way that is true!"
"There is a saying: 'Truth is stranger than fiction.' No matter how unbelievable it is, facts are facts. No matter how much you try to hide the truth, it is impossible. Heaven sees all!"
Ryo deliberately mixed up 'facts' and 'truth' as he pressed the matter.
Abel, unusually, was thrown off balance and cornered.
Of course, even if Ryo tried to accuse Abel, it would not lead to anything constructive.
Yes, this was a futile line of questioning.
At that moment, they noticed the three men's gaze as they watched the two of them with puzzled expressions.
"Look, Abel, they are waiting for your word."
"No, even if you say that…"
Ryo urged Abel on.
Abel looked at the three men kneeling on one knee and opened his mouth.
"Hey, aren't you mistaking me for someone else?"
"And even now, you're still saying that, Abel…"
"No, I mean, you say that, but…"
Ryo shrugged in exasperation, while Abel, still confused, replied.
The man in the center of the three spoke.
"Your red hair, your well-known appearance, and the sword on your back—is that not a magic sword?"
"Well, yes, it is a magic sword, but…"
"See?!"
Ryo goaded him.
But Abel had begun to doubt the man's words.
"You said 'well-known appearance', did you not?"
"Yes."
"You do not know me personally, but heard what I looked like from someone else?"
"Yes. We heard it from the previous boss, who died a year ago."
"I see."
At the man's answer, Abel nodded deeply.
The confusion vanished from his face.
Then he turned to Ryo and said,
"You heard him? That is what it means."
"What a disappointment. It was so close."
"What do you mean, so close?!"
Thus, the suspicion that Abel had once been the leader of a bandit group was cleared away.
"I would like to hear in detail what that boss supposedly said."
When Abel said that, the man in the center began to speak.
"The previous boss sometimes saw the future."
"Precognition?"
At the man's words, Ryo muttered without thinking.
Abel gave Ryo a quick glance, then silently returned his gaze to the man.
"The previous boss spoke about Abel-sama… no, King Abel, at the very end of his life."
"You mean… a dying declaration?"
"Yes… We, the survivors, interpret it that way."
When the central man said that, the two men kneeling on either side both began to cry silently, without making a sound.
"We have long been fighting against a certain… faction."
The man in the center chose his words carefully as he began.
"The previous boss led us for many years, but he lost his life in a large-scale battle one year ago. At the very end, he told everyone about King Abel before he passed away."
"So the… opposing faction you are talking about is the one you were fighting just now?"
"As expected! To think you could even figure that out."
The three men were astonished, since Abel's offhand guess had been correct.
Of course, this was because Ryo had informed Abel of what he had detected with sonar.
Because of that, Abel could glimpse Ryo standing behind him with his arms folded, nodding along with a "yes, yes", and he could not quite put his feelings into words.
After letting out one big sigh, Abel continued.
"Well, if you drove them off, that is a good thing, isn't it?"
"Because the other side were cultists… humans."
The man in the center answered with a grimace.
"Because they were cultists? That means… the real enemy isn't human, right?"
Abel pressed him on the meaning behind those words.
"Yes. The former boss said that it was that thing…"
"That thing… no, first of all, who are the people you're fighting?"
Abel asked.
But the man in the center slowly shook his head.
"I am sorry. I do not know the details. Only…"
"Only?"
"The former boss said this: 'The Djinn cultists'."
"Djinn?"
"Cultists?"
At the man's answer, both Abel and Ryo tilted their heads.
"By Djinn, do they mean that Djinn?"
"I don't know. Though, as Ryo said before. The Djinn… back then it was Spellno, I think. That the Spellno had invaded from the Central Countries and were a nuisance…"
"Yes, I asked the Phantom King about it. From his reaction, I think that was the case. This is just my guess, but maybe they closed the 'Corridor' to keep them from coming in."
"And since there are no Djinns left in the Central Countries anymore, it would be fine to open the Corridor again."
Ryo and Abel developed their inference.
"If that is the case, then it is strange, isn't it?"
"Right. The fact that there are people in these Eastern Countries called 'Djinn cultists' is strange."
That's right—Djinn should not currently be in the Eastern Countries, and yet there are people who seem to revere them… wouldn't that be logically odd?
"It seems like they do appear in legends and such, so maybe they are using that to gather followers?"
"That sounds most likely."
Abel also nodded at Ryo's reasoning.
There are religions like that, after all.
"But if that is the case, the person leading the believers, the sort of cult leader, is pretty capable, isn't he?"
"…Is that so?"
"Just forming an organization is already pretty hard, you know. Raising money, gathering people. And on top of that, they apparently have an armed group willing to fight these people?"
"Isn't this more something Darwei should be dealing with as a nation?"
Abel shook his head slightly.
But then, the next moment—
"
Clang.
Ryo and Abel reacted at the same time.
Ryo constructed an ice wall, and Abel drew his sword and charged out… and intercepted the opponent's sword.
The man had suddenly appeared there.
He had light-blue hair and red eyes, and though he was as tall as Abel, he was far more heavily muscled.
Abel stopped the man's downward strike with his usual magic sword.
"Ohhh."
The light-blue-haired man grinned, lifting one cheek.
"I had not heard any report that there was a magic sword user among them. So, you must have joined recently."
"Ryo, take care of the defense. I'll handle this guy."
"Don't worry. I am already defending!"
Ignoring the light-blue-haired man's words, Abel and Ryo continued their conversation.
"Magic sword user, did you say you would take me on?"
"Light-blue hair, if you did not hear me the first time, should I say it again? I will take you on."
"Interesting!"
The light-blue-haired man shouted that with a vicious expression.
Clang, clang, clang…
The flurry of attacks began.
The force and speed were tremendous.
A human would have a hard time taking it head-on.
But…
"You are deflecting everything?"
"What is the matter, light-blue hair? Is that all you got?"
"Magic sword user!"
In response to Abel's taunt, the light-blue-haired man increased his sword speed.
But Abel's defense could not be broken.
"Tch."
The light-blue-haired man clicked his tongue and leapt backward.
He had created distance in an attempt to change the rhythm of the fight.
But then he tilted his head slightly, as though someone somewhere had called out to him, and he frowned.
And then…
"Seriously?"
After muttering that, he sheathed his sword.
Though Abel kept his sword ready, he sent the man a suspicious look without letting his guard down.
"We'll pick this up later."
"Hey, hey, are you running away?"
Abel taunted him.
He understood that the man was a formidable enemy, but he still had not gathered much information.
If he exchanged a few more blows, he could get more information… so he taunted him.
"Hmph. In time, you will end up fighting me until you are sick of it. See ya."
After saying that, the light-blue-haired man vanished in an instant.
Yes, at a speed even Ryo's sonar could not follow.
It had not been able to track him when he appeared, and it could not track him when he left either.
"That is unbelievable."
Ryo said bitterly.
"It seems the former boss was right."
"Abel?"
"I know because I have fought them before. That light-blue-haired man just now is a minion of a Djinn."
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0691 The Strange Tale of the Djinn Cult I
-x-X-x-
"That light-blue-haired man… defeated the former chief."
The three men muttered with faces full of anger.
"That light-blue-haired guy was definitely one of the Djinn's retainers. Did he and that former chief fight each other?"
"Yes, for many years… No one other than the former chief could fight him on equal terms."
The man in the center answered Abel's question.
"Wow, that's amazing. That thing is definitely a monster. Yet to have been able to fight it…"
"No…"
Abel praised the former chief, but the three men did not sound convinced.
"Compared to when he fought the former chief…"
"He's become absurdly stronger…"
"To be honest, he wasn't that strong before."
The three said it plainly.
Their faces had gone pale.
It was because they had witnessed the enemy become unimaginably stronger.
He had, of course, been strong before.
In the end, the former chief was defeated, after all.
But his current strength…
No, his current speed…
"It was unbelievably fast."
Ryo nodded as well.
"His sword flashes were certainly sharp too… but was it as bad as you said, Ryo?"
"Yes. His body movement… how should I put it? When he appeared and when he left, my sonar couldn't catch him."
Ryo frowned.
"Did he… just move here normally?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, wasn't that
"No way…"
Ryo was startled by Abel's words.
It was true that it would make more sense if he had suddenly appeared by
"Come to think of it, the red-robed Djinn from the Western Countries, Merlin-san, was good at
Ryo muttered as if remembering something.
"That's right, the Akuma Jean-Jacques is good at
Thoughts spilled from his mouth.
"They can use six attributes… or at least the four attributes of wind, fire, earth, and water, like the attribute magic we use. My hypothesis that those may have branched off from gravity into the other four attributes isn't necessarily wrong, right? Gravity-type magic would fall under the category of 'attribute-less magic'—that is, from attribute-less magic, the other four attributes branched off? Of course, that also connects to my hypothesis that 'magic power is gravity from the extra dimensions' but… Djinns who can directly handle gravity would be better at using the four attributes than we are? No, that would be too much of a leap."
Though he did not speak loudly, Abel and the three men could only listen to Ryo in silence.
"In physics, all the 'forces' in this world can be classified into four types: The strong force, the weak force, electromagnetism, and gravity. The four attribute magics can all be considered to be based on electromagnetism. In other words, they are caused by the motion of electrons orbiting the nucleus. The strong force and weak force are forces that act only within an extremely narrow range— at the level not just of atoms, but even of the atomic nucleus that forms atoms. They barely interfere except over a microscopic distance… Including magic, they are not something we recognize in daily life, nor something we need. It was said that these three forces—the strong force, weak force, and electromagnetism—would eventually be expressible in a unified equation. Yes, the so-called unified field theory. But even after comprehending that far, gravity alone is still… incomprehensible. Even the physicists who left their names in history—geniuses among geniuses among geniuses—still have no prospect of creating an equation that expresses all four forces, including gravity… And creating an equation is synonymous with 'understanding it'. In other words, if you cannot make an equation, that means you do not understand it."
The fusion of theoretical physics, magic, and magic power.
It was a special act that only Ryo could perform.
"I think gravity alone should be regarded as something different in kind. Compared to the other three forces, it is far too small… so weak that you could almost call it negligible. And yet no one can ignore it, and although the other three forces seem likely to be explainable in a unified way, there is absolutely no prospect of doing that with gravity alone."
Ideas kept overflowing one after another.
"The four forces, including gravity, were originally one force at the birth of the universe. Then, as temperature and pressure dropped, gravity separated first, then the strong force, then the weak force, and they split into four forces. Really? Is it heretical to center one's thinking on gravity? Is it strange to think that gravity is the main current, and that the strong force, weak force, and electromagnetism branched off from it? No, I need to return to theoretical physics properly and study it again… Ah, if only I had come to this world while remembering all those beautiful equations…"
Ryo closed his eyes and recalled the equations lying at the bottom of his hazy memory.
His expression was calm, yet it gave off an atmosphere that could even be called delight.
"Hey, Ryo."
"Eh?"
At Abel's call, Ryo opened his eyes in surprise.
Abel and the three men were looking at him.
Only then did he realize that he had been speaking his thoughts out loud nonstop.
That was a little embarrassing.
"Ah—um… the one just now was a retainer, but is the Djinn itself present as well?"
A question to cover up his embarrassment.
"It probably isn't."
But Abel answered Ryo's question immediately.
"Eh? Why are you so sure?"
"If it were, I'd have been crushed easily."
"I see."
The Djinn's retainers are strong.
Extremely strong.
So strong that it is difficult for ordinary people to resist them.
However, the Djinn themselves are even stronger.
So strong that they make everyone recognize that resisting them at all is pointless.
"Either way, I'd like to hear a little more detail."
"Please, come to our village."
In response to Abel's words, the man in the center called out.
The men on both sides nodded as well.
Abel glanced at Ryo.
Ryo gave a small nod.
Of course, Ryo had no objection.
They would need to rest somewhere anyway.
No, even if Ryo and Abel had to endure any amount of hardship and suffering, that would not be a problem—but he did not want Andalusia to have to suffer.
Then Ryo realized something.
"Um… I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?"
"Huh…"
Abel was startled by Ryo's words.
That was right. The two of them had not given their names.
"I'm Abel, and this is Ryo."
"I'm Ryo. Nice to meet you."
Abel and Ryo introduced themselves.
Though Abel was apparently already known, so it was really only Ryo.
"My name is Ronja. These two are Batta and Hatta."
The man who had been answering their questions and seemed to be the leader introduced himself as Ronja, then introduced the other two.
"Good, then let us visit the village. The big ice cargo can stay outside the village, but it would help if you could let the two horses in."
"Of course. That ice… baggage is also fine to bring into the village."
Ronja nodded at Abel's question.
And so, it was decided that Ryo and Abel would stay in a frontier village that was at odds with the Djinn cult.
After thirty minutes of travel,
The village came into view.
"That is our village, Farafao."
Ronja's guiding voice sounded a little happy.
"A village…?"
"Wouldn't towering castle walls be more appropriate…?"
Abel and Ryo were shocked by the exterior of 'Farafao Village'.
Yes, they were honestly shocked.
Since they had been told it was a village, what Ryo and Abel had imagined was a peaceful little settlement.
A village that would fit the description of rustic and pastoral perfectly.
Since there were hostile forces nearby, they had thought there might be a fence of some kind.
But even then, at most, something like a rough palisade… made of logs.
Reality was different.
What their eyes could see was only the wall.
And unmistakably, it was stonework.
What came to Ryo's mind was the stone walls of Japanese castles.
Among them, it was the kirikomihagi style, with stones neatly cut into square shapes and stacked together.
It described a gentle curve and became steeper toward the top.
The so-called fan slope.
Beautiful.
"It's truly art."
After his surprise, Ryo let out a sigh of admiration at its beauty.
"Well, I do think it's impressive, but…"
Abel did not seem as moved.
"Honestly, how can you see such a beautiful castle wall, or rather stone wall, and not be impressed? As a king, I really think that is questionable."
"Even if you say that… it's completely different from the walls of the royal capital…"
"That's only natural. With that kind of mindset, I'd like to lecture you for about an hour on Lord Kato Kiyomasa's Kiyomasa style."
For some reason, Ryo seemed full of indignation.
Kiyomasa style was a method of building stone walls in which the lower part was made gentle for stability and the upper part was given an inward curve.
Ryo, who was from Kyushu, still remembered being deeply impressed by the stonework of Kumamoto Castle, built by Kato Kiyomasa.
The village's castle wall called that to mind.
Such an artistic castle wall… but even so, questions arose.
This wall was probably more than five meters high.
As a 'fence' protecting a 'village,' it was far too enormous and far too strange.
"Originally, something like this should not be possible."
"Well, I've never heard of it… but there's no harm in a village having huge castle walls, is there?"
"It's not harmful. But economically, it is impossible."
"Is it?"
"To put it simply, it's the same logic as poor people not living in mansions."
"I kind of get it, and kind of don't…"
Ryo's analogy seemed to be only barely acceptable even to Abel.
"Well, in any case, this stonework is wonderful."
Ryo nodded in satisfaction.
"The one who directed the construction was the former chief."
"Oh!"
"The chief said he wanted to build a 'yagura' at the corner of the castle wall, but he passed away before that could be done."
"What!"
Ryo was surprised by Ronja's explanation.
That surprise was, of course, because he wondered whether the former chief had been a reincarnated person.
"Was the design also done by that former chief?"
"No, the design was based on a design document."
"A design document?"
"In this region, there was a castle called Kumamo Castle. It had a very unusual shape… From what I hear, it was a truly special castle with a shape not seen even in other regions of Darwei. Using that castle's design documents as a reference, he planned to stack the stones and then build a yagura on top of it."
"Kumamo… Castle…"
What came to Ryo's mind, naturally, was Kumamoto Castle…
"P-please, I absolutely have to see this Kumamo Castle…"
At Ryo's words, Ronja put on an apologetic expression and replied,
"Kumamo Castle is no longer there."
At that moment, Ryo's face… if one were to give that scene a title, it could be nothing other than 'Despair'.
"No way…"
"Yes. It was attacked by the Djinn cult and destroyed five years ago."
"What a tragedy!"
At Ronja's explanation, Ryo frowned deeply, clearly showing his frustration.
But after a while, he lifted his head.
"Kumamo Castle may have been destroyed once. But it will definitely be revived someday! I will prophesy it here: it will certainly come back to life."
Ryo declared this firmly.
"Actually, there was a village near Kumamo Castle. Four years ago, rich iron ore deposits were discovered there, and in recent years, it has become a town and achieved quite remarkable development."
"Oh! So the will of Kumamo Castle was not extinguished after all. What is truly valuable is inherited."
"Why is Ryo so attached to Kumamo Castle?"
Abel did not understand as he watched Ryo fervently celebrate its revival.
Of course, he had no way of knowing that Ryo was overlapping Kumamo Castle with Kumamoto Castle.
"Even Kumamoto Castle, which collapsed in an earthquake, was restored by human hands. Kumamo Castle, destroyed by the Djinn cult, had its will inherited by people as well! "
For some reason, Ryo thrust his right fist high into the air.
Abel watched him coldly, as always.
But Ronja, Batta, and Hatta all looked somewhat awkward.
Noticing that, Ryo asked,
"Um, why do the three of you have those expressions?"
"The town… now called the town of Juraju. Juraju has developed very much. But they have absolutely no intention of restoring Kumamo Castle…"
"What did you say?"
"The former chief reached out to them. Asking them to restore Kumamo Castle. But the people of Juraju refused. That was exactly four years ago, and I think it was because the ore deposits were discovered and they became busy developing that instead…"
"Oh…"
Ryo slowly shook his head sadly.
Of course, he had no intention of condemning the people of Juraju.
He understood that it was one choice among many.
And yet…
"There's no going around it, Abel!"
"Me?"
Abel was startled by the sudden turn of the conversation.
"Let's restore Kumamo Castle with our own hands!"
"No, wait. Things like that should depend on how the local people feel, right? If they are not up for it and we push ahead, it will not produce a good result."
"Grrr…"
Ryo was silenced by Abel's perfectly reasonable point.
Then Ronja added,
"In place of the people of Juraju, who do not want restoration, the former chief tried to restore Kumamo Castle here in this village."
"I see!"
Ryo came back to life.
"In other words, this towering castle wall is the manifestation of having inherited Kumamo Castle's will. How wonderful."
"Well, when you think of it that way, it does seem amazing."
Ryo trembled with joy, and Abel once again nodded as he looked at the huge castle wall.
Seeing the two of them, Ronja and the other two men looked happy as well.
The five of them, along with two horses and five
"It's wonderful! This curve is indescribable."
Ryo lavished praise on the curve drawn by the stone wall.
"It feels like a wall thrusting up into the sky."
Abel admired its height.
"Open the gate!"
When Ronja shouted that, the gate swung open to both sides.
It was basically a wooden gate, but iron plates had been attached to its surface.
"A countermeasure against fire arrows, perhaps."
"Probably. A wooden gate could burn down."
Abel nodded at Ryo's words.
Of course, the castle gate Ryo knew at Kumamoto Castle was made of wood.
When the party entered the gate…
"Ronja, you made it back!"
A woman who appeared to have only just reached adulthood said that happily.
"Chief, we had a wonderful encounter outside."
That young woman seemed to be the current chief.
Ronja turned back and introduced her.
"As you can probably tell at a glance, this is King Abel."
"Oh…"
People gathered around them.
Every one of them wore a shocked expression.
Standing in front of Abel, the chief bowed her head.
"I am Anju, the one entrusted with Farafao Village. King Abel, please allow me to make your acquaintance."
"I'm Abel. I heard about the former chief from Ronja-dono. Well, we were immediately attacked by the Djinn's retainer."
Abel said with a smile.
The villagers seemed shocked to hear that.
They began talking to the people next to them.
"The Djinn's retainer, could it be…?"
"Yeah. That light-blue-haired one."
"The enemy who killed my father!"
At Abel's answer, Anju frowned and forced out the words.
"I see. So the former chief was Anju-dono's father."
"Yes…"
"That bastard told me that we would meet again someday."
"What!"
"That caught my attention a little. I'd be grateful if you let us stay in this village for a while."
"Of course! "
Even with her eyes wide open, Anju answered immediately to Abel's proposal.
Ryo, Abel, and their two beloved horses were welcomed into Farafao Village.
"I am Ryo Mihara, Duke of Rondo, and I am the first vassal of King Abel."
"Ooh…"
"Let us work together to support King Abel!"
"Ooh! "
The villagers of Farafao grew excited by Ryo's speech.
"Come, come, Ryo-san, have a drink first!"
"Whoa… whoa, whoa, whoa!"
"Come on, drink it down! "
Ryo downed it in one go.
"Ooooh!"
"Nice drinking!"
"As expected of King Abel's first vassal!"
"Nah, it's nothing impressive."
Ryo and the villagers grew lively over the banquet.
Abel watched them from a little distance away.
He shrugged slightly.
Standing beside him was Ronja, explaining various things.
"Sorry, my old man is…"
"No, Banjo-dono was it? Well, fundamentally, Ryo is a natural people-charmer."
Ronja apologized because his father had poured alcohol into Ryo's mug, and Abel laughed, saying it was no problem since it was Ryo.
But Abel's gaze then drifted to a woman sitting further away, quietly tipping back her cup alone.
"Anju-dono is…"
"Yes, the chief has been like that all year."
Ronja answered Abel's words.
His expression mixed sadness with loneliness.
"Unless we settle matters with the Djinn cult somehow, she may not be able to move forward."
"That's a troublesome situation."
Abel frowned at Ronja's words.
If they were only dealing with the 'cultists', it might be manageable.
But the enemy had 'retainers'.
Monsters who, by themselves, could stand against thousands or tens of thousands of humans.
Abel shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to the map spread out before him.
"That town that formed near that Kumamo Castle… was it the town of Juraju? Is it really that big?"
"Yes. This village is fairly large for a village, but even so, the population is only about five hundred people at most. But Juraju Town's population is approaching one hundred thousand."
"One hundred thousand? That's pretty huge."
Abel was surprised.
But at the same time, he tilted his head.
Along the road they had traveled, there had not been any town that large.
"I heard that the road you two came along headed north on the north bank of the Southern River… and then changed direction to the northwest partway through, so I imagine you came this way."
Ronja said this while tracing the spread-out map with his finger.
"This Farafao Village is around here on the map."
The place he pointed to was at the upper left of the map, right at the very edge.
"So this really is Darwei's frontier."
"Yes. To be honest, you could almost say this is right at the limit of where the authority of central Darwei reaches."
"Authority?"
"Yes. The town of Juraju that I mentioned earlier grew large thanks to the iron ore deposits, but a garrison of the Northwestern Border Guard is stationed outside the town. There are about four thousand soldiers there. This area is the frontier, after all, so there are bandits and highwaymen and the like. They are there to eliminate them."
"I see."
Abel nodded at Ronja's explanation.
Once a country reaches a certain scale, there will always be frontier regions in any nation.
And frontier regions tend to have worse public order than places where the central government is located.
That is why one of the barometers of a nation's governing ability is how secure its frontier is…
To stabilize public order, you inevitably need 'force' in the form of an army or police.
Of course, it must be a force that can be controlled.
And it also has to be a certain degree of strong force.
The two of them did not know it.
That night, the Northwestern Border Guard garrison was attacked.