“...What?”
The crystal creature. I know exactly what you mean, Leen. That mysterious beast from the ruins underneath the old capital. The one that regenerated, absorbed magic, and couldn’t be hurt by blades.
“For you see, that crystal creature... One has appeared in Mismede, as well.” Leen’s words not only surprised me, but made a strange chill go down my spine.
“It was a day before you returned home. The palace received an urgent message from Lairesse, a town in western Mismede. It warned of a strange phenomenon that had been happening there over a period of a few days.”
“What was that?” Leen took a sip of the black tea that had been prepared for her, then leaned forward in her seat slightly. On the other side of the table, there was Yumina, Linze, Yae, and myself. Paula was seated right next to Leen.
“The ones who discovered it were a group of children from Lairesse. What they found was... a crack, of sorts. A crack, suspended in thin air in the middle of the forest. No one could touch the strange crack, but everyone knew it was very real.”
A crack in empty space...? What the hell? Was it a spell or something?
“Soon enough, the children noticed that the crack was growing bigger each day. One of them decided they should tell the adults about it. After that, the village chief sent a message to the capital.” Leen placed the teacup back on the plate. So, the messenger reached capital the day before we returned to Belfast, did he?
“What we found was carnage. Utter carnage. What was once a home was now a warzone, teetering on the edge of annihilation. A crystal creature was killing them... No, it was slaughtering them. It had no remorse. The soldiers and I tried to fight, but we stood no chance. Swords could not harm it, spells were absorbed by it. It regenerated when shattered... It was like battling a nightmare. Half of the soldiers were maimed beyond recovery. The village could not be saved.”
“Sounds just like the one we fought... Did you manage to defeat it?”
“Somehow, yes. Just barely. When I found out it was vulnerable to magic that dealt physical damage, I used Earth spells to hit its head with a boulder that weighed several tons. Once I shattered the core in its body, it stopped regenerating.”
The red core again... So it ceased all activity when it was destroyed. That meant it was definitely the same type of creature that we fought.
“I wanted to do more research on that monster, so I went to Charlotte to get her to help me. It was then that she informed me of a similar event in Belfast. I was quite surprised when she told me that you were the ones who defeated it.” Leen looked straight at me with quite a wicked-looking grin. I felt like a frog being eyed by a snake. It was actually making me sweat, so I would’ve preferred her to stop sooner rather than later.
“There was another thing she told me. You can cast any Null magic, right? That explains why you could use [Program].”
“Well... what can I say here? I’d be thankful if you didn’t talk about it too much.” Dang it, Charlotte, don’t spill all the beans! Come to think of it, the poor girl was probably forced to talk under duress... Guess she couldn’t keep anything in when this demonic teacher got in her ear.
“The few surviving villagers told us that the crack in space was destroyed, and the crystal creature came out of it.” From the crack...? So it wasn’t like with us, where it just awakened in the ancient ruins. Leen took out a piece of paper from her pocket and spread it out on the table. The creature displayed on the paper was unlike the crystal creature that we had defeated. This one had a different shape.
The one we encountered in the ruins had an almond-like body and six thin, long legs. Overall, it was like a cricket. But the one Leen presented us with had an almond-shaped head — rather than body — and instead of having legs, it was just very long.
If the one we fought was a cricket, then this one was a snake. A crystal snake with a winding body. Kind of shaped like a katana that had been bent one too many times.
“This one’s shaped differently to the one we fought. The one here in Belfast was more like a cricket. It attacked us by extending its legs.”
“Ah. The one we faced in Mismede used its tail to impale people and shred groups apart. It was like a sharp, precise blade.”
The shapes of the two creatures were different. Still, it was clear that they were the same type of creature. If I had to compare, I’d say it was similar to grouping butterflies and praying mantises into the same group. That group being “insects,” of course. It seemed pretty reasonable to deal with it like that.
“...A long time ago, when I was still a young girl, an elder of my kind told me a story. She spoke of a race of monstrous beasts that emerged as if from nowhere. They brought the world to the brink of ruin, and were known as the ‘Phrase’... Their bodies were pure crystal, said to be completely invincible. But in the end, they disappeared as spontaneously as they had appeared. The world simply returned to normal...”
“So, you think the Phrase and the crystal creatures could be one and the same?”
“I’m afraid I do not know. The elder is no longer with us, and she told us that it was merely a tale she heard when she was a child. Also, we fairies only began to have contact with outside species a mere hundred or so years ago.”
If those beasts were really the same as the stuff in the story, where did they come from? Is someone controlling them like summoned creatures? But then why would they attack people? No amount of thinking could answer those questions of mine.
They’re strong, but they aren’t invincible. If one appears again, we just have to kill it. And if there’s a mastermind behind it all, we’ll just drag him out and beat the crap out of him, too.
“Well, nothing will come from us just thinking about it. They aren’t creatures I’d be pleased to meet again, but if they do appear, we’ll simply defeat them like the first one.”
“Reasonable indeed. Oh, by the way, while Olga is away, I will be staying in this country as the Mismedian ambassador.” Is this fairy serious? Oh Charlotte, you poor girl...
“I’ll be visiting here every once in a while, so let’s get along. Also, Touya, you can use [Gate], right?” Ah, dang it... She’s sharp. I went out of my way to resort to trickery to keep it a secret, but since it came out, Mismede would likely turn wary and begin doubting the alliance.
As if reading my thoughts, Leen adopted a faint smirk.
“No need to make that face. I won’t tell anything to the beastking or the other Clan Patriarchs. I’m gentle to my own, you know?”
“Your own?”
“Oh yes. You will be my disciple, won’t you?” Leen’s grin had turned sadistic. Good lord. This is the textbook definition of blackmail. As I wracked my mind trying to figure out how to respond, Leen started laughing.
“Eheh... it was a joke, silly. I don’t like forcing people to do what they don’t want to do.”
That’s a total lie. You were at least half-serious there! As I glared at Leen, the door to the living room opened up. Through it came Cecile and Renne, carrying trays with a teapot and sweets.
“I-I’ve gone and b-brought more tea for you’s— you!” Renne’s way of speaking made it clear that she was extremely nervous. Fidgeting something fierce, she placed the plate with the sweets on the table and refilled our empty teacups. Cecile was watching over her with a smile on her face.
“E-Excuse me.” Ah, she stuttered. The two left the room after that. That wasn’t too bad at all. In fact, it was pretty good, considering it was her first time. Go Renne!
“I see that you employ someone exceptionally young. It didn’t seem like she was used to dealing with guests. A newcomer, I assume?”
“She just started, yes. I’d be grateful if you tolerated any clumsiness from her.” I took a sip of the tea Renne just gave me. It’s a bit too hot, and it’s brewed way too strongly. Well, it’s only natural that she wouldn’t be as good as Lapis or Cecile yet. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.
“Ba
ck to what we were discussing, though. You can use [Gate], right?”
“I can, yeah. Though, it has the negative of only letting me go to places I’ve visited.”
“Ever heard of the Null spell, [Recall] at all? It allows you to read people’s minds and gather their memories. By using it, you should be able to open a [Gate] leading to places known to the person whose mind you read.”
Really? I’d never heard of that. Wonder where she learned about it... Oh, right, most fairies are born with Null spells, so maybe it’s only natural for her to know.
“I want you to use this spell in conjunction with [Gate] to get me to a certain place. There’s a ruin I want to examine in that country.”
“I’m not fully getting it, but... what place are we talking about?”
“The far east — the easternmost part of the world, even. The Divine Nation, Eashen.”
“Eashen...?” I instinctively looked at Yae. She looked pretty perplexed, too.
Eashen was the country which had lots of similarities to Japan from my original world. I had always been quite curious about it. And now I had a chance to go there.
“This girl was born in Eashen, right? If you read her mind, you should be able to make a [Gate] that leads to Eashen.”
“W-Wait! T-Touya-dono is going to read my mind, is he?!”
“Don’t worry. As long as you’re properly conscious, [Recall] only lets the caster take the memories you allow them to have. You don’t have to worry about him seeing memories you don’t want to be seen.” Unable to properly fight back, Yae turned pensive. Well, it was natural for people to have sides to them they wouldn’t want anyone else to see. Even if there was no risk of that, she couldn’t help but worry. I was confident I’d be just like her if our roles were reversed.
After a long moment of hesitation, Yae nodded.
“The Null spell, [Recall], works by harvesting memories from the person’s mind through touch. The most efficient way of touching in this case is a kiss.”
“What?!” screamed all of the girls in unison.
“It was a joke.” Leen’s words seemed to drain everyone of their strength. I’d really like it if she wiped that grin off her face. Curse this sadistic gothic lolita! She played us like a fiddle!
“Alright, now calm down, stand here, and face each other. Hold each other’s hands, too.” Leen dragged both myself and Yae, and made me stand before her. There were other methods, apparently, but until I got used to the spell, we had to do this to have the greatest chance of success.
Leen grabbed my hands and connected them with Yae’s. They’re soft... Way softer than I’d expected... I didn’t think anyone could use swords as much as Yae and still have such lovely hands... Crap, now I’m getting all nervous!
“Ahh...”
“E-Eek...” When I raised my head, my eyes met with hers. She was staring at me, face red as a beet. That expression is just unfair! It’s making me even more embarrassed.
“Alright, close your eyes. Now Yae, try to picture the landscapes of Eashen. Make sure the image is as clear as possible. If you picture something vague, the [Gate] will have a small chance of transporting us to a place that’s only similar in aesthetic. When the image is clear, Touya, place your forehead against hers and cast [Recall].”
Doing as I was told, I began focusing my magic and placed my forehead against Yae’s. The pleasant smell that assaulted my nostrils almost made me lose my focus, but I was able to keep myself together and cast the spell.
“[Recall].” Something began to flow into my head. A large tree... Is it a camphor, maybe? There’s something near its base... It looks like a torii arch, one of those traditional gate arches you’d find at a shinto shrine... Oh, I can actually see the little hokora shrine as well... Two lion-dog statues on either side of it... What I saw was clearly a hokora shrine inside a forested area. I could only assume I was observing Yae’s memories of Eashen.
“I see it.” I opened my eyes and met Yae’s gaze. Sharing memories with someone was quite a strange experience. I felt as though I had been there countless times.
“Ahem!”
“Whoa!” Yumina’s forced cough made me come back to my senses and let go of Yae. The fact that we were just holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes made us both turn bashful and look away from one another.
“If you actually saw Eashen, I would like you to open a [Gate] now. Are you able to?” Oh, how I’d like to wipe that grin off your face... I pictured the place in Eashen I just saw and opened a [Gate].
Once I walked through the portal of light, I stepped out into a forest with a large camphor tree, under which there was a torii arch with a hokora shrine, protected by the two lion-dog statues. Everything was exactly as I saw in Yae’s memories.
“There is no mistaking it. This is indeed my homeland, Eashen, it is. We are at the grove of the village shrine near my hometown of Hashiba.”
Yae walked through the [Gate], looked around, and confirmed my success.
There I was, at the easternmost country in the world. I’d finally taken my first steps in Eashen, the Divine Nation.
Interlude I: A Day Off in Mismede
“So this is Mismede. What a bustling place!” A few days after I made the bicycles, I fulfilled my promise of using a [Gate] to take Sue to Berge, Capital of Beasts.
We weren’t alone, of course. Yumina, Kohaku, Leim — Ortlinde family’s butler and Laim’s younger brother — and a number of escort knights of both genders accompanied us.
That was only natural, given Yumina and Sue’s royal status. Well, I didn’t think the guards were really necessary, considering that this stealthy little adventure of ours wouldn’t last more than two or three hours, but it never hurt to be careful.
The knights and Leim were wearing clothes that allowed them to blend in, but they were still armed.
“They are selling so many strange things! I must buy something for mother and father! Touya, let us go over there!”
“Yep, yep. As you wish.” Sue innocently pulled on my hand, leading me through Berge’s streets.
Compared to Belfast, Mismede isn’t exactly a safe place to be. Well, both are kind of on the same level when compared to the safety of the world I used to live in. I don’t mean the crime rates or anything. More the general roughness of the population. It was especially common to find brutish people among the beastmen, even compared to other demi-human species.
Many might assume that the king’s nature has something to do with it, but I disagree. It’s more likely that beastmen — especially those with predator qualities — are predisposed to aggression from birth.
Oh, look. There’s a street brawl starting right now, even. Doesn’t look like a fight to the death or anything, just fisticuffs. The people passing by didn’t intervene, treating it like a daily occurrence not worthy of a second glance.
Not only that, the fighters themselves didn’t look like strangers to each other. It felt like a fight between two great friends.
I’d began to realize that what looked like “fights” to outsiders was merely “messing around” to the beastmen. But again, that was probably their nature.
It was nothing I wanted to get involved with, at any rate. As Sue and I walked through Berge’s streets, I put more force into the hand that held hers.
She led me straight into a fancy-looking accessory shop. The nonchalant manner in which she chose such a luxurious place made me aware of just how blue blooded she was.
“Father should like this pipe. The tiger carving makes it look very cool! What should I get for mother, though...?” Sue took a pipe with a silver tiger decoration embedded in it, and handed it over to Leim. Then, she stood before a case full of other accessories and began thinking. While she did that, Leim paid for the pipe and had it wrapped.
As I was looking around the shop, trying to find anything the girls would like, Yumina tugged at my sleeve.
“Touya, isn’t that Arma?”
“Hm?” I foll
owed her gaze and looked through the window to see a girl walking through the streets all by her lonesome. A pair of twitching fox ears and a fluffy tail... There was no mistaking it. It was Arma, the younger sister of Olga, former Ambassador to Belfast.
I lightly knocked on the window. Arma heard it, stopped walking, noticed us and ran over while wagging her tail. She made her way to the entrance and ran into the shop.
“Heya Arma. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Me too! I didn’t even know you were in Mismede!” I gave Arma a casual greeting, and she responded in kind with a cheery smile on her face. Yumina and Arma held hands, seemingly overjoyed. The fox girl didn’t seem to care that Yumina was a princess.
“Are you shopping, too, Arma?”
“I am! What’re you buying, Yumina?” Yumina introduced Sue, and the three began a peaceful little exchange.
Hesitant to take part in their girly chat, I went back to searching for accessories. Getting something for the girls seemed like a good idea.
«Master, is that not Olga and Lyon?»
“Huh?” Kohaku suddenly beamed a telepathic message into my head.
I took a look through the window and, sure enough, I could see a man and a woman walking through the streets with wide smiles on their faces.
Indeed, the fox was definitely Olga, and she was accompanied by Lyon, the steadfast Belfastian knight.
Lyon’s still in Mismede? He’s dressed pretty casually and has a dumb look on his face, so I guess he’s off duty.
“What’s wrong, Touya?”
“Look at that.” I pointed outside, causing both Yumina and Arma to close in on the window and take a look at the two.
“Think they’re on a date?”
“Most probably.”
“Wait, big sis is on a date?!” Arma’s eyes opened wide, as if she didn’t expect it at all. Why are you that surprised, kid? Olga seems like the kind of beauty who’d be super popular with boys.
Then again, you can’t deny the fact that her serious vibe wards people off. Combined with her beauty, it sort of creates an air of coldness and unapproachability. That image melts away as soon as you meet her, though. The girl’s sweet as candy.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 2 Page 17
