Eiko took out the symbol that marked the high priest of Suhara and scanned the code on the back. It was in letters that only the high priest could see.
“An assassination mission. With this girl?”
“It’s the Demon King’s pet at the Academy. The Demon King got him. I’m there now. I’ll let you see what I’m seeing.”
She used the communicator’s video transfer function to show the school behind her. This was enough to shock the servant.
“Oh my. This must be dealt with, yes?”
“I’ve taken over the role of Suhara’s high priest. This is a special exception that only Suhara can grant. We are currently at war, and I’ve been entrusted with emergency command powers by my father. I will take the lead in this war. Contact all the relevant organizations. Let the media in on it, if you have to. I’m going to attack the Academy and bring an end to this, so that the seat of High Priest will be ours officially,” Eiko ordered. The servant must have understood the situation, because they hung up and promised to call back later.
Of course, the servant knew what she meant. The high priest was chosen by election from the other priests. In a normal election, there was no way Eiko would be chosen. But if she could win a victory here, it could be possible.
“My family’s motto of ‘win no matter what’ is a good one, isn’t it? It’s overflowing with dreams and possibilities.”
Eiko smiled, and started to think about where to place her troops on the Academy grounds.
○
Junko cried for a long time. She only noticed that anything was wrong after she saw her tear-swollen eyes in the mirror, realized how stupid she looked, and forced herself to smile.
It was then that she heard a knock on the bathroom door. It sounded urgent, so she answered.
“What is it?”
“An emergency summons,” one of the ninjas said.
“For the whole Hattori clan?”
“Yes.”
Emergency summons were only used in times of war, so this could only mean that war had begun. Junko instantly thought of Akuto.
“I’ll be right there.”
Junko violently rubbed down her face with the towel. She was ashamed that her eyes were still red, but there was nothing she could do about it. As she walked down the hallway, the servants were running around frantically. It was 3:00 am, but the mansion reminded her of the school dorm in the morning.
“Where’s father?” she asked, grabbing one of them. He spoke quickly as he answered, like he was in a terrible hurry.
“The master fought that monster and succeeded in driving him away, but he was unfortunately unable to finish him. Now he’s gone to the storehouse to get the clan’s treasure sword, in order to slay the monster once and for all.”
“What did you say?”
Junko was shocked. She’d only known that there had been some kind of fuss over her, but evidently something strange had happened.
“Don’t worry. The Iga ninja army will slay the man who deceived you even if it costs us our lives!”
The ninja’s eyes were shining as he spoke. He wasn’t in a hurry — he was burning with loyalty towards her and the clan. When she noticed this, Junko didn’t know what to think.
—Oh no... What did he do?
Junko headed for the storehouse. The ninjas raised their spears and katanas high when they saw her, screaming things like “For Mistress Junko!” “Defeat the wicked Demon King!” and “Show them the power of the Iga ninjas!”
—They’re all fired up... Is this all because I screwed up...?
“Father!” She cut across the yard to reach the storehouse. The door was open, so she yelled inside.
“Is that you, Junko?” Yozo answered.
Junko hadn’t been told not to go inside, so she entered. This was the perfect place to talk, since no one would interrupt them.
“Father, what happened?” she asked.
Yozo was holding a katana level in both hands.
“It seems there was some misunderstanding. It was partially my fault, but he had no intention of joining the Hattori clan from the start.”
“That’s because I didn’t tell him what was going on. The responsibility is mine.”
But her father’s response was the opposite of what she’d expected.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. He’s made a terrible choice. He’s defied the gods. Now we have all the excuse we need to fight him.”
“What do you mean?”
Yozo explained to a shocked Junko what had happened in the forest. This was the first she’d heard about the Teruyas’ assassinations.
“Father!”
“I know what you’re going to say, but that’s just what society is. You’ve been a class rep at the Academy, so you must understand a little. And if you want to change things for the better, you need power. And power often looks ugly from the outside.”
“...I understand.”
She knew what he was getting at. All she could do was nod.
And then he showed her a video on the communicator.
“He’s sealed himself within the Academy. This is what’s happened to your school.”
Junko was astonished to see the demon castle.
“Then father, this battle is...”
“To defeat him. Eiko Teruya is in command.”
“Not the leader of their clan?”
“Akuto Sai slew Keizo.”
“...Impossible!”
Junko knew Akuto’s personality, so she instantly denied it, but Yozo just shook his head.
“He was strong. I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow was able to kill Keizo.”
“That’s not what I meant, he...”
“Your personal feelings don’t matter. I’m sure that part of this is hard to accept, but we are followers of Suhara, and we must obey. Whether you dislike the Teruyas, or whether you’re enraptured with Akuto, you must think of only one thing: fighting to protect our family.”
There was nothing Junko could say to that.
“And if we fight, we must rejoice in our foe’s strength. Akuto was strong. Before, I couldn’t beat him. That’s why I’m drawing this.” Yozo showed her the blade he’d been carrying.
“That’s our treasure sword, the Sohaya no Tsurugi...” Junko whispered.
It was held in a sharply curved and undecorated sheath.
“It’s said that we were given this when the clan converted to worship of Suhara. But...”
But... Junko knew what followed after those words. But no one had ever been able to draw it from its sheath.
“And you’re going to do it?”
“It’s the only way to fight him. It amplifies the mana in one’s body, and makes the wielder vastly more powerful.”
The Sohaya no Tsurugi was made at the same time as the gods. The rumors said it was created to test the limits of what could be done with mana. It was said that each god’s worshippers had a similar item, but most were concealed, or unusable like this sword.
Yozo gripped the hilt hard, trying to draw out the blade. But the blade seemed to have fused with the sheath, and wouldn’t come out.
“Well then, why do you suppose it won’t come out?”
Suddenly there was a voice at the entrance. Yozo and Junko turned around.
“Mother.”
“Grandmother...”
It was Yozo’s mother and Junko’s grandmother. She was a small woman with a gentle look on her face, but she’d managed to get behind them without making any sounds — she was no ordinary woman at all.
“It must be because I am not experienced enough, or that I lack the right to do so,” Yozo said, and his mother softly laughed.
“You’ve always been a little odd. You’re a good person, but only interested in bettering yourself. That narrow view has kept you from noticing a simple truth.”
Her words were harsh, but Yozo couldn’t deny them.
“A truth...?”
“That’s right. Even if mana
is a reflection of the mind, and something that comes from the gods as they watch the deeds of man, there are some things that it cannot see. You cannot draw the sword because you aren’t acting in the way for which it was built. How could there be any deeper meaning than that?”
She took the sword out of Yozo’s hands.
“Anyway, all you ever want to do when you see someone strong is fight them, and you keep killing them. It’s a bad habit. You seem to think your job is to fight people, and you’re wrong. You can’t be allowed to have a sword like this. I’m giving it to Junko.”
Her grandmother handed Junko the Sohaya no Tsurugi. Junko was surprised, and tried to give it back, but her grandmother ignored her and continued to lecture Yozo.
“And another thing, Yozo. You let the Teruya girl have command of this battle, didn’t you? If you get stronger, it will only help the Teruya consolidate their rule. Of course, I understand that you have to fight for the clan and for our god, but you’re only doing this because you get to fight a foe that might kill you. Even as a grown-up, you still don’t understand this...”
“I have preparations to make,” Yozo said. With that, he escaped before he could listen to any more lectures.
Junko’s grandmother watched him go, and when he was gone, she gave Junko a charming smile.
“It’s the child you met at the station when you forgot your luggage, right? A lot’s happened, I assume, but do as you like. Yozo will take responsibility, at any rate.”
“But Grandmother...”
“Don’t worry about it. Your first impression was the right one.”
Junko didn’t know how to respond. But for some reason, she felt her face turning red.
“R-Right...” Junko nodded and stared down at the Sohaya no Tsurugi, but she had no idea how to use it. “This can’t be drawn, can it?”
“That’s right. It’s up to you whether you believe in the gods or not, but they can’t actually sense people’s feelings. It’s the same with this sword. There’s no point in yanking at it. You can probably only draw it when you’re doing what Suhara wants done.”
“I-Is it that simple?”
“That’s right. And once you’ve drawn it, you may do what you like. You need to have faith, not in yourself or in your god, but in the living people who care about you.”
“Grandmother...”
“So no matter what decision you make, it won’t bother me.” Her grandmother smiled.
“I understand.”
Junko nodded and tied the sword to her waist.
○
It was the Teruya’s ninja army that first arrived on the grounds of Constant Magical Academy. They were called “ninjas,” but except for the special forces they were ordinary soldiers. Their primary weapons were assault rifles and katanas. There were 500 of them in all.
In most magical battles, firearms were essentially useless, so many of the more powerful soldiers didn’t carry guns. The normal soldiers carried rifles, since they weren’t very good with magic. The assault troops, however, were armored warriors carrying spears, halberds, and war axes — a variety of weapons that each reflected their wielders’ tastes. There were 100 of these strong warriors.
This was almost all the firepower that the ninja army had, and it was the size of a battalion. Eiko Teruya, the commander, had gathered the leaders together and was ordering them to make camp.
There were cameras watching her. The media had arrived before the Hattori, the other armies, and the knights, and they had permission to broadcast. It was the middle of the night, but the whole capital city was watching as the school turned into the Demon King’s castle.
Of course, the Demon King was being depicted as an enemy of all humanity. And there was also the fact that most of the enemies here were probably going to be demon beasts. Unlike wars between humans, there were unlikely to be any ethical problems with showing it. Everyone was surely watching it for the entertainment.
Eiko’s biggest goal, to gain popularity for herself, was proceeding nicely. If you didn’t know what she was really like, she would appear to be a brave, gallant girl. Fortune was on her side, as well. Three members of the Hattori arrived just when the cameras were watching her.
Yozo, Junko, and Yuko made for a perfect camera shot as they arrived in her tent. The strong, bold Yozo, and the two beautiful girls — not to mention the fact that one of them was a famous idol.
Yozo hadn’t expected the cameras to be here. At this rate, he’d be contributing to Eiko’s quest to gain popularity. But even so, he had no choice but to obey her.
Junko and Yuko didn’t like it either, but they too had no choice. Junko kept a serious expression on her face at all times, but Yuko was able to smile and wave to the cameras as she usually did.
Yuko’s health had recovered after Akuto left. The influence of the demon beasts wasn’t gone, however. She was hiding it with her combat uniform, but the black blood vessels on her neck were still growing. But even so, she’d recovered her good cheer when she’d heard they were fighting the Demon King. In fact, she was even more cheerful than before.
Yozo gave Eiko a polite greeting.
“The Iga Ninjas, under the command of the Hattori clan, have arrived.”
Eiko nodded with a relaxed expression on her face.
“I hope you’ll work hard under my command,” she said, and then her eyes settled on Junko’s sword. It was the divine vessel of the god Suhara, and she’d always been unhappy with the fact that the Teruyas didn’t control it. Eiko smiled to herself; maybe this would be her chance to get it.
“Junko and Yuko, your unit can lead the charge.”
The Hattori had brought a battalion of 600 as well, but most of them were ninjas in the true sense, not trained for open combat. It would be very dangerous for them to lead the charge. But since the whole world was watching the broadcast, they couldn’t refuse. Eiko might be able to get the entire Hattori clan killed. That was her plan.
Both Yozo and Junko realized her intent. Yozo tried to speak anyway, hoping he could resist this somehow. He could come up with any number of reasons, probably. But Yuko cut him off.
“All right! We’ll go in first and defeat all the demon beasts! We won’t leave any for anybody else!”
Yuko had always been a free spirit, but she wasn’t the type to go around saying things like that. Both Yozo and Junko looked at her in surprise, but they couldn’t stop her. She was more used to the eye of the camera than any of them.
Yuko quickly turned to promising viewers that she’d take the lead herself, weeping false tears as she promised to slay the demon beasts. The Hattori’s retreat was cut off, and they were forced to join in the strategy conference without a chance to object.
At the same time, there was a report of an Imperial Army Sky Carrier arriving. It was a mobile fortress carrying an entire brigade of 2,500 soldiers. It had its own energy-generating engine, and it could also disperse mana into the atmosphere. The ability to create an environment around it where mana could be used made it unstoppable in magical combat.
The sun rose just as the carrier, the “Genkaku,” arrived. It made an awesome silhouette against the sunrise. It was the same size as the demon castle that was formerly Constant Magical Academy, and it settled itself about a kilometer away.
Now Eiko had 3700 soldiers at her command. The knights were going to be arriving soon, too. The people watching at home had been expecting a light-hearted spectacle, but now with the arrival of the legions of troops, they felt the full impact of the extraordinary situation.
○
Hiroshi had been watching from above, and was shocked when the Hattoris and the Genkaku arrived. He didn’t know exactly what Akuto was thinking, but as someone who knew how this had all started off, he couldn’t help but laugh at how out of hand things had become.
—What do I do...?
Hiroshi couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something bothering him.
There was a lot of information com
ing into his suit’s visor, including the television broadcast. He was disturbed to see how Yuko was acting. As a fan, he knew how she normally was on television, and now he knew first-hand how she behaved at home. Seeing how she was acting now, he knew there was something terrible going on with her.
—What can I do for her? Fight all those demon beasts? Fight that huge carrier? No way...
But when he thought of how far things had gotten out of control, Hiroshi felt angry at Akuto for causing all this.
—Sure, I wanted to be strong like him. But this wasn’t what I meant. Did Akuto give up something important for the sake of his own greed?
Hiroshi couldn’t help but wonder.
—Come to think of it, this suit was made for anti-magical combat.
He called up the suit’s capabilities on the visor, and the suit responded by displaying the information. He looked in detail at the mana canceller. He was amazed at what it could do: it was capable of nullifying all mana within a several hundred meter radius.
—If I use this... Could I maybe defeat them both?
Hiroshi looked between the demon beast-covered castle and the carrier.
—If that’s the case, there’s only one thing I can do, and one thing I should do.
Hiroshi made his decision and began to descend. Yuko and Junko’s company was already in position. He landed in the middle of them.
At first, the fully-armored ninjas were cautious, but all of them knew that Brave had saved Yuko. Furthermore, his nickname among the people was “Brave the Demon Beast Slayer.” So when they saw who he was, the tension turned into cheers.
The media’s cameras caught sight of Brave, too. Hiroshi saw himself displayed in his own visor’s video feed. It made him feel a little weird.
But it wasn’t the ninjas or the media who was most happy to see him, it was Yuko. She ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You came! Of course you did! Let’s wipe out those evil demon beasts together!” she said with a look of joy on her face.
Hiroshi could feel almost painfully how much she had changed.
“I’m not here to kill the demon beasts. I’m here to protect you,” he whispered.
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 4 Page 11
