“There’s been no word from them yet, but the Empress has guards with her. She should be fine.”
Marine had asked to be brought directly the Empress. He wanted to go to where the Jeweled Branch was. If Hiroshi could get him there, a war would become much less likely. According to the king, it was a better shot than just sending him back to his men, anyway.
“Why did you just make contact with your country instead of going back?”
“I’m the King, but it’s a republic. Which means I don’t have absolute power. The nobles have a say of their own. If they all come together, I can’t go against them.”
“And they’ll choose to fight?”
“We hate the Empire. Even more, after what just happened.”
“I can understand that.”
“I told them I was alive, but they’re more than eager to deploy the army. I have no choice but to let them. But our goal is to use the Jeweled Branch to seal away the terrifying Faceless Power,” Marine said.
Hiroshi realized that their version of the Faceless Power legend was different.
“The Faceless Power is terrifying? And why do you have the Empire? There’s a lot of things I want to ask you. Can you tell me the whole story?”
“The Republic is made of people who fled the Empire. We went to war because we opposed the God system, and lost, and escaped to the bottom of the sea.”
“Why the bottom of the sea?”
“It was the only unexplored frontier. The fact that we could do genetic engineering was a part of it too. And the greatest reason was...”
“The greatest reason?”
“...No. Never mind. It’s a sad reality,” Marine shook his head.
Hiroshi didn’t ask questions.
“Our country is every bit as old as the Empire. We forbid any contact with the Empire, and for the most part that was followed. Some people from the Republic went to the Empire, but nothing came of it except a few rumors.”
“You can find rumors of monsters appearing anywhere. But I can’t believe the gods missed that.”
“No, we use mana as well. We simply looked like unbaptized foreigners, I’m sure. We have our own system instead of the gods. A system where everyone can use magic equally.”
“Doesn’t that result in war?”
“You can only use magic in proportion to your individual mana. There are rules against enhancing your mana like that Devil did. And those rules are followed. Some humans have more mana than others, but no one has that much. It’s not that different from any society where the use of weapons is allowed.”
By “Devil” Marine was referring to Kei.
“And that’s why you lost the battle?”
“We were equipped with mana weapons and mana cancelers. But his combat abilities went far beyond that. That’s all there is to it. We realized for the first time that the greatest weapon is the ability to control mana particles with the human mind. And at the same time, we felt new respect for our ancestors who rejected that weapon. There is only one power that can surpass that.”
“What is it?”
“A sealed weapon. From before Mana Civilization. It’s called a Nuclear Fusion Blast. You’ve at least heard of it, right?
“I know that it’s the ultimate energy. And of course, that it’s completely uncontrollable.”
“Mana civilization exists because we abandoned it. What does that tell you?”
“...Wait, are you saying that the Faceless Power is...?” Hiroshi gasped. But Marine laughed and shook his head.
“No, that’s incorrect. This is what the Republic says about the Faceless Power: It’s the power that forms the foundation of the mind. And that’s why it’s believed to bring true liberation. We think it’s something that needs to be studied, not used.”
“The Republic says its a power that will guide people,” Hiroshi said. Marine seemed to think for a moment.
“I’d like to say that a legend is a legend, but that seems too optimistic to me. You can take a more pessimistic view, and say that there’s no way it can be a power that guides people.”
“The Marlay legends say that if a good heart uses it, it will lead to good results. And if a bad heart uses it, it will lead to bad results.”
“Isn’t it strange how that assumes an absolute basis for good and evil? Of course, ‘true liberation’ is a rather vague term, but given the implied image of destruction and creation, it can’t be something that’s safe to touch.”
“You’ll probably get along with the Empress and her bodyguard then.” Hiroshi smiled. His visor wasn’t covering his face, so Marine saw his expression.
“Then not everyone is trying to unleash that power?” Marine smiled.
“Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Before long, they arrived at the Marlay village.
○
“We’re here,” Nonimora said excitedly.
The tower was close. It was so big now that it extended past the eye’s field of vision. If you craned your head all the way upward you could barely see the light at the top.
“We need to contact someone when we get to the village. I’m sure a lot of people are worried. Wait, is there a way to contact the Empire from the village?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
“You can use mana in the village, so yes.”
“Then can we teleport to get back immediately?” Korone asked.
“Yeah. Something might have happened while we were gone.” Akuto nodded. But Nonimora shook her head.
“The Village doesn’t have enough energy to teleport you all the way to the Empire.”
In the same way that mana wasn’t infinite, there was a limit to how much energy could be used as well. Magical civilization just used the energy that was supplied to it. In the Empire, the energy traveled through the Earth, and sometimes through the mana itself, and could even be used over water. But here in the Marlay village they were surrounded by mana-absorbing trees and only got energy from their own generators.
“And you can make contact, but if you’re sending it through high-altitude mana, it won’t be very efficient,” Nonimora added.
“But your power was really strong, wasn’t it?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
He was referring to the incredible speed with which her plants had swallowed up the school, and the speed she’d shown in battle.
“Just like I said before, I’m using a little of the Faceless Power. A good heart gives you good power. It’s not that difficult.”
Nonimora laughed innocently.
“The Faceless Power, huh? I don’t know what it is, but the Marlay were closest to it, so it seems like their legends are the most reliable.”
“Anyway, when we get there I want to eat something,” Keena said.
“You haven’t had any rice, come to think of it.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have that much. We eat Mok-Mok.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. It’s good. And when you come to a new place you should eat new food. Hey, you know, you were really upset yesterday but today you’re fine. Did he give you Hem-Hem? Depending on how you do it it can make men and women get along a lot better.”
Nonimora poked Keena’s butt with her elbow.
“Come on...” Keena blushed.
“Guys, we’re out of the jungle, but...”
Just like Akuto had said, when they passed between the last of the huge trees they came upon a clearing. They could see a village with buildings made from wood.
“Oh, it’s the village. We’re back!” Nonimora said happily.
There seemed to be about 10 to 20 small villages in all around the area. None of them had buildings larger than 2 stories, and the roofs were made of simple grass. They were all dotted along a path that ran down the center, and in the distance they could see a river.
“Hello!”
When they heard Nonimora’s voice, several people poked their heads out of the windows. They all had skin the color of Nonimora’s, and eyes filled with
curiosity.
“The Chief’s back!”
“Get the elder!”
More and more villagers started to appear. There were men and women of all ages, but no one seemed to be working that hard, because the faces of the children and the adults seemed equally cheerful. Most of them were wearing casual outfits, but a few of them were wearing clothes similar to Akuto.
“Well, people are really loose around here. They’ll probably be rude to you in some way or another, but while you’re here, loosen up too. Though I guess men don’t like girls who are loose during pak-pak.”
Nonimora started to walk further into the village.
Akuto, Keena, and Korone followed, and the villagers stared at them in curiosity.
“Hehehe...” Keena waved at them, and they waved back.
Korone held up her fingers in a V sign, and some of the villagers copied her.
When she realized this, she wrapped her right hand around the back of her head and pulled on the upper side of her left ear. Again, some of the villagers laughed, and did the same.
Then she pulled her elbow up to her face, like she was wrapping her arm around her neck, and licked the end of her elbow. The villagers tried to copy her, and realized that they couldn’t. Surprised, some of them began to frantically bring their elbows closer to their faces.
“Don’t start any weird trends,” Akuto said.
Korone expressionlessly spun her elbow at a strange angle.
“This is one way to identify a Liradan. If you ever need to tell the difference between a Liradan and a human, please try it.”
“Who put that function in?” Akuto asked, but then a moment later Nonimora told them that they’d arrived at their destination. It was what seemed to be a park at the end of the village. At the center was a building that seemed to be modern, even by imperial standards. This village was a strange mixture of natural and artificial architecture, and it was hard to say which was more dominant.
The residences seemed to be made of primitive, natural materials, but the buildings that maintained the infrastructure seemed to be even more modern than the empire. But the building in the park seemed to be different from those, too.
If anything, it reminded them of the buildings they’d seen on the lunar city. It was probably built during the earliest days of the Empire. A tower stretched out of it like a tall, thick tree. This was where the Faceless Power was supposedly sealed.
“This is where the ship that goes to the stars is?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
The building seemed to be 5 stories tall. To Akuto, it seemed to be about the same size as a decently-large general hospital. It was far too small to hold a spaceship.
“That’s right. The ship isn’t that big. It’s about the size of several trucks from your country,” Nonimora said, just as an old man walked out of the building.
His face was covered in deep wrinkles, which seemed to bury both his eyes and mouth. In fact, his face seemed to be composed of nothing but wrinkle lines. He must have been unfathomably old, Akuto thought.
“Oh, Elder!” Nonimora cheerfully waved.
The wrinkles on the elder’s face parted, and they heard him speak.
“Welcome home. Who’s this?”
“The new Empress of Japan and her guards,” Nonimora explained.
Keena and Akuto introduced themselves, and the elder spoke in a low, difficult to decipher mumble, which may or may not have been a laugh.
“Hoo... hoo... hoo... Then the Jeweled Branch is here.”
“Yes.” Keena took a box out of her bag. Nonimora explained the situation.
“Yup. We brought it here. Keena Soga, the Empress here, says that she’ll let me be Empress. But she wants to talk about it first, so we came here.”
The elder nodded.
“Very good. Come inside, then,” he said, and started to walk. Akuto and the others followed him inside.
The place felt to Akuto like some kind of lab.
“The Jeweled Branch is the key to the ship that goes to the stars, but that’s not all,” the elder said, to no one in particular.
“Nonimora told us that it lets you use the Faceless Power.”
“That’s right. But not the whole story.”
The elder got into an elevator. He waited for everyone else to enter, before pushing the button for the 5th floor. The elevator ascended and the doors opened, revealing a wide open area with no walls. The area was dominated by a large, thick tube. It was the tower that ran through this building. There was a hole at one point in the tower’s wall. If “hole” wasn’t the right word, then perhaps a door which made passage to the cylinder’s hollow inside possible.
“This is the ship that goes to the stars.” The elder pointed inside.
Just like Nonimora had said, on the other side of the hole was a vehicle whose exterior was smooth, flowing lines, the side of several trucks. No, perhaps it only seemed like a vehicle because of what they’d been told earlier. It was like a missile, laying on its side. It was silver, with no windows, and not even a single word of lettering on it.
“The Faceless Power is sealed within this. We are capable of using a fraction of its strength without any outside help.”
Nonimora nodded out at the elder’s words, but it was hard for Akuto to accept.
“So what is the Faceless Power, exactly?”
“An inexplicable power. No, that doesn’t tell you anything. If I had to explain it, I would say it’s the human psyche itself. The psyches of tens of thousands of people, all stuffed into one thing. What you see here is only a fraction of it, but it still has incredible power.”
“I don’t think there’s many things you would need that power for...” Keena said. The elder nodded.
“Correct. But you must know this anyway. Think of the Faceless Power as a living thing. It’s said that the Jeweled Branch chooses the emperor. Which means that the Faceless Power is what chooses the Emperor.”
“Why do you know that?” Keena asked, and the Elder touched the side of the tower.
A mana screen appeared.
“I am a third generation researcher. Of course, we have nothing left to research now, so we just pass on what we know.”
“What do you mean you have nothing left to research?” Akuto asked. The Elder let out another one of his strange laughs.
“Hoohoohoo. We know it’s a lump of human psyches, but knowing that doesn’t mean we can do anything with that knowledge. This is what we say when we talk to someone who’s got a little education. What’s inside this ship is a device which fixes a force field in place. An empty vessel, you could say. But when we attached devices to measure electrical and magnetic energy to it, it responded. The tip of this tower reacted to it. Though by “reacted”, I mean all it did was change color slightly.”
“It reacted even though it was empty? Are you sure it wasn’t just some kind of mistake?”
“We’ve confirmed it’s creating energy from empty space. It’s possible that the Faceless Power is an infinite power.”
“Infinite...” Akuto fell silent.
“But what’s inexplicable is the reason that I called it human. The Faceless Power changes its response in reaction to human emotion. Just as Nonimora said, those who have lived in this village a long time can use a portion of it for themselves.”
There was something in his words that Akuto found hard to believe.
”But are you sure you’re not making a mistake? What kind of power can understand human feelings?”
“Everyone, of course, assumed it was impossible. But we know we’re dealing with a living thing. Emotions are nothing but inputs and outputs. No matter how complex the process, it’s immediately obvious that there must exist some kind of rule. The problem isn’t that, it’s that power is coming forth out of completely empty space. If anything, this supports the unscientific way of thinking that says that consciousness doesn’t come from an arrangement of complex amino acids, but from empty space. But that’s what we’ve
got. It’s the truth, and there’s nothing to be done about it.”
“The truth?”
“The Faceless Power has taken a liking to Nonimora. She can interact with it better than anyone else. Even dogs have certain humans they like and certain humans they don’t, right? But those likes and dislikes can’t be explained by science.”
“So even if we find it hard to believe, the truth is still the truth.”
Akuto shrugged. But that gave rise to another problem.
“Then the reason you sent Nonimora is...”
“Correct. The Empress must consider how she will approach this power. At a minimum, if the Faceless Power likes her more than it likes Nonimora, that poses a problem.”
Regardless of what you believed about the Elder’s explanation, the fact remained that if the Empress was able to use a power like this, it would pose political problems.
“But first, we must return the Jeweled Branch to its proper place,” the elder said.
“Return?” Keena said, confused. The Elder pointed to the Ship that Goes to the Stars.
“Except for the Faceless Power, everything here, including the tower and ship, were made in the early days of the empire. We know exactly what they were made for and how to use them. Of course, this includes the Jeweled Branch. It exists to control the Faceless Power, but primarily as a safety valve, to destroy it should that be necessary.
“To destroy it...”
“For that reason, the Jeweled Branch is said to choose the next Emperor or Empress. We can assume in doing so, it’s deciding whether or not to annihilate the Faceless Power.”
“Then it’s not like if you use the branch, you become the only person who can use the Faceless Power, right?”
“Some people, like Nonimora, become able to use it just by being near it. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Then...” Keena opened up her bag and took out the box, and removed the Jeweled Branch from within it. It was a small branch, glowing softly, with several jewels attached to it. The Elder touched the surface of the ship, and a hole that looked like it was meant to fit a ball appeared.
“That doesn’t look like a spot to put a branch into...” Keena said, confused.
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 11 Page 10
