The Kingdom of Curelia was found on the eastern edge of the western
continent, bordering the Allent Theocracy. The kingdom's location on the
easternmost part of the continent and the long mountain range that separated
it from Allent and Langeais meant that it was fairly isolated and could only trade
with Panaches through the occasional airship.
However, with the introduction of the eastern continent, Curelia soon found
new trading partners in Refreese, Belfast, and Mismede. They'd suddenly found
themselves with new points of avenue across the sea, not so far away. It was a
surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one indeed. They could export their magical
engineering tools and Gollems, while importing magic artifacts and knowledge
of spells. There was also, of course, an influx of new culture, art, and food that
they'd never seen before.
Curelia had found itself plunged headfirst into a new era of booming
commerce. And because so many exotic goods were now centered in Curelia,
merchants from all over the western continent were willing to brave the
mountains to find them. By doing nothing more than moving goods from east to
west, Curelia built up gradual prosperity in the wake of the two united worlds.
The many merchants of Curelia built great ships and set sail for the eastern
shores, dreaming of success. The sea that separated the two continents was
fraught with danger, and had no shortage of gigantic beasts...but even that risk
did not deter the noble dreamers. Some of those ships met ill fates, ending up
as wreckage beneath the waves...but they still set sail.
The coastal city of Alpris was one such bustling hub from which enterprising
merchants set out. And yet, that port town was now caught in the throes of
disorder and chaos.
The people who lived by the docks had found themselves under attack by
hideous half-fish creatures that emerged from the briny deep. The threat came
from more than just the creatures, though. They were accompanied by
quadruple-armed, slender Gollems and Rock Giants that stood as high as four
meters tall.
The Fishmen attacked any humans they saw, the four-armed Gollems set
anything flammable ablaze, and the Rock Giants simply crushed and smashed
any structures in their path.
A flourishing settlement had been reduced to a burning nightmare in the span
of a night. The guard Gollems and knights posted to Alpris tried their best to
fend off the attackers while getting the townspeople to safety...but the fire and
wreckage meant that no matter what, the town itself would surely be lost.
Amid the burning chaos, people could do nothing but let out screams of fear
and despair.
A figure stood atop a nearby bell tower, looking down at the carnage.
"Nice, very nice. Hot flames, crumbling buildings, and echoing wails of death.
It's very nice indeed!"
The figure was a young man with ashen hair. The lower half of his face was
covered by an iron mask, but his eyes were clearly lit up with amusement. It
was obvious that the view of the ruined port town was bringing him nothing but
joy.
The boy was dressed like your typical adventurer. He had a purple-blue cloak
on his back, and a peculiar spear in his hand. The spear was an eerie metallicpurple, with the freaky design of a glaring eyeball resting on the butt end.
"Come, Wistaria. It's time for your feast," the boy said as he hefted his spear
aloft. Then, a strange black mist rose from the town below...and got sucked up
into the spear itself.
This black mist came from the bodies of the fleeing townsfolk, rising out of
them and funneling up toward the spear. Nobody down there could see it, of
course, but every person it came out of fell down on the spot, no longer able to
move. They were still alive, but their eyes had lost all vigor.
The metallic-purple spear, Wistaria, shone with a brilliant luster as it absorbed
the miasma from the people below...and as it moved one step further toward
fulfilling its purpose as a wicked vessel.
"All righty, let's see!"
As he spoke, the boy twirled his spear in the air. Seconds later, countless
lightning bolts lurched from its tip, raining down on every ship anchored in the
harbor below. They were blown to smithereens almost instantly.
"Ka ha ha ha ha! What a blast! I should do this some more. How about...?"
"Are you still playing around, Orchid? It's time for us to leave."
Before the boy could choose his next target, a man in a diving helmet
appeared from behind him, a metallic-blue hatchet hanging at his waist.
"What's the deal, Indigo? Why do we gotta leave?"
"Our objective isn't destroying the town. It's harvesting negative emotion."
"Yeah, I know that! Take a good look, I sucked up plenty!" Orchid exclaimed
as he waggled his spear around, showing off its new sheen.
The black mist the spear had sucked up contained the negative feelings of the
people in the town. Or, to be more specific, it was their terror and fear.
Of all the negative emotions like anger, hatred, sadness, or emotional pain...it
was fear that was the easiest to harvest from others. It was an emotion that
came from man's most basic self-preservation instincts, an emotion that could
easily dominate one's mind entirely if pushed into the right situation. And a
person whose feelings were consumed by a wicked vessel became a living
corpse. If you lost your feelings, you lost your soul, and you'd be nothing more
than a husk of a person.
"I can't say I'm fond of this method of collection, Orchid."
"Well, it's a whole lot faster than getting people hooked on drugs, isn't it?
Your way of doing things is such a hassle, Indigo."
"My method increases the purity of the emotions I harvest, Orchid. This
momentary fear you inspire in people isn't nearly as profound. It's better to
slowly build up negativity, anxiety, and dependency in our victims over time.
That way, their despair is far purer and far higher in quality."
"Tsk... Yeah, yeah."
Orchid clearly didn't care to hear what Indigo was saying. He found the man's
explanations far too preachy, which might've been appropriate, since Indigo
used to be a priest.
"If you've gotten what you need, then we need to leave at once. If the knights
come in from the capital and we're still here, things will become needlessly
complicated."
"Yeah, guess I agree that'd be a pain in the ass. But it could be fun, y'know?"
"No matter how strong you and I are, we're not ready to take on a nation's
army. Not yet, at least."
"Tsk. Man, you're such a stick-in-the-mud."
Foamy blue waves appeared beneath the two men, and then they sank into
the magical waters at their feet, disappearing in a flash.
As if sensing the absence, the Fishmen, Rock Giants, and Gollems stopped
their attack and turned back to the sea. It was later found that some of the
wounded townspeople had vanished into the sea as well, after taking on
appearances similar to the Fishmen.
The town of Alpris was wiped off the map that day. There were only a few
adventurer's guilds on the western continent, and even though Curelia had a
good relationship with the eastern continent...they did not have a guild branch,
nor did they have a representative on the world stage. Thus, it took some time
for this information to reach the rest of the world.
◇ ◇ ◇
"A concert hall?"
"Yes, we can invite traveling minstrels, poets, and musicians to perform there.
You could consider it a kind of entertainment facility for those passing through
Brunhild."
"Hm... Sounds interesting enough."
Kousaka seemed to be on board with Sakura's proposal. She had a point,
since the only venues for music right now were taverns or the central park.
Taverns were fun because they felt like a live music venue with food and drink,
but inviting guests from other countries to them was a bit awkward.
Kousaka immediately went off to find Naito and plan out the construction
road map. They were both working as hard as ever. I appreciated their support,
but I didn't think I'd seen either of them ever take a vacation... At the very least,
I knew I'd have to force some time off on Kousaka at some point.
"But why this idea for a concert hall all of a sudden?"
"Yoshino said... She said one exists in the future...and that she and I perform
there together."
...Wait, that's why you brought it up? I guess Yoshino leaked some more
spoilers. Still, if we're gonna have one eventually anyway, there's no harm in
building it now.
In a real speak-of-the-devil kind of moment, Yoshino suddenly appeared out
of nowhere in my office. I'd told her not to brazenly use [Teleport] like that, but
she still did it anyway.
"Father! Mother! Look at this! It's from Doctor Babylon!" Yoshino exclaimed
as she held out something in front of her. It was a guitar, but smaller. Kind of
like a child-sized guitar, or something. What surprised me the most was that it
appeared to be an electric guitar...or, more specifically, a Stratocaster.
Sakura had bought a bunch of books on music theory from Earth when we
were on our honeymoon. She'd bought a handful of actual instruments too...so
had Doc Babylon used those things as reference materials to create this,
perhaps?
Yoshino started to play the guitar with a pick, and the sound rang out loud
through the whole office even though there wasn't a connected amplifier. In
other words, this wasn't just an ordinary electric guitar. It was a magical artifact
created by Doc Babylon that'd presumably been enchanted with [Speaker].
Yoshino was happily strumming at the strings, and I couldn't help but be
amazed. I was by no means a learned guitarist, but even my ears could pick up
that she was playing wonderfully.
Hm? This intro... Wait, this song of all songs? How does she know that one?
Did she hear it from me or Sakura in the future?
It was one of the most famous songs performed by a band led by one of the
greatest guitarists in rock history. He tragically died at the age of twenty-seven,
but his legacy left behind a massive shadow that future musicians had to stand
in. I wondered if Yoshino could pluck the guitar with her teeth like he could. A
purple haze, much like the one in the song's title, seemed to surround Yoshino's
body... I thought it might've been caused by her singing, but it was Sakura who
had started to sing.
A mother-daughter music combo?! Wow, this is great!
Sakura's voice began to shift as the song went on, her tone hitting different
segments between husky and bluesy as she matched her daughter's rhythm.
She had a tremendous understanding of music, that was for sure.
I couldn't help but tap my foot to the rhythm of Yoshino's guitar strumming. I
used to listen to this song a lot as a child, since it was one of my grandpa's
favorites, so it really got to me.
"Using performance magic to play music is good, but it's always more fun to
do the real thing!" Yoshino said, giggling after the song had come to an end.
Performance magic was a special ability that took musical sound waves and
channeled them as magical power. It was similar to Sakura's vocal magic.
Yoshino much preferred playing instruments to singing.
If we built a concert hall, I'd have loved to hear them play there...but I
wondered if we'd be able to finish it before they had to go home. If we used
Babylon to rush construction, then we'd have it in time, but I didn't want to
take jobs away from all the hard workers of Brunhild. It was a fine line I had to
strike a balance on.
"My liege. Are you well and able right now?"
"Hm? Kohaku?"
I suddenly received a message from Kohaku.
"There is something of an issue at the adventurer's guild. Lord Kuon and Miss
Allis are in a spot of trouble."
"Huh?"
They're in trouble at the guild? Why? What could've happened?
I raised a curious eyebrow, but wasted no time in opening up a [Gate] to go
check it out.
◇ ◇ ◇
I passed through the [Gate] and ended up at the guild. The place was noisier
than usual. Even the adventurers who you'd normally find in the tavern next
door were all gathered around the entrance to the monster dismantling yard.
I began wading through the crowd of people to go and see what the fuss was
about, only to bump into Misha, the catwoman receptionist.
"What's going on here?"
"Er, well...I think it'd be quicker if you saw for yourself. Come this way," Misha
said as she took me behind the counter, then toward the dismantling yard.
Brunhild's adventuring guild had a fairly sizable yard around the back.
Typically, guild yards weren't that big, since it wasn't every day that
adventurers brought in especially large kills, and even in the cases where they
did, those kills were usually split up in advance and hauled in on wagons.
However, Brunhild wasn't a typical place, hence our atypically large yard.
People like Ende and I were capable of using storage magic, and there were also
people like Yae and the others who could use the storage function in their
smartphones. Plus, with Nia of the Red Cats and Noir's master Norn
adventuring around these parts, big game was just more common around here.
I walked out into the yard and saw a giant monster taking up a ton of space. It
looked like a giant wolf with obsidian fur...except it also had wings...and its tail
looked to be some kind of snake. Its eyes had already rolled back to white,
while its tongue was lolling out of its mouth. It was very, very dead.
Guildmaster Relisha was there, directing her workers, but her expression was
one of perplexion and shock. Nearby, Kuon and Allis sat on a bench, Kohaku and
Silver by their side.
"Oh, Your Majesty. You've finally arrived."
"Sorry, did my uh...I mean, my relative's kid and his friend do something?"
"I wouldn't say it's that they did something... Or wait, maybe they did
something extreme...?" Relisha mumbled, a strained smile on her face. She
wasn't sure what to say.
"Sorry, fath—er, Your Majesty... Allis and I wanted to earn a little pocket
money by hunting down some beasts, but this monster attacked us out of
nowhere in the northern forest. It wasn't too strong, so we defeated it and
brought it back to the guild... I hadn't expected to cause such a commotion,"
Kuon said, calmly explaining the situation. It was about what I'd expected.
"I've never seen a monster like this before. Have there always been things like
this around Brunhild? Did it come in from Regulus, maybe?"
"I would have to say no. This is no ordinary beast."
As I was pondering the wolf-thing, Relisha walked over and flipped open a
book in her hands. The book had a picture of a wolf monster that looked
identical to the dead one, but the text on the page was incomprehensible to
me. I wondered if it was some ancient language.
"This beast is known as Marchosias. It is an atrocious beast that spits fire and
has steel fur. Its strength would be considered silver-rank in the modern day."
"Interesting... Wait, in the modern day?"
Relisha's phrasing confused me slightly, so I crooked a brow.
"Marchosias were supposed to have gone extinct three-thousand years ago.
No, they might've even been extinct by that point. This is a legendary beast,
hence the confusion and commotion today."
Wait, huh?! It's extinct?! Don't tell me Kuon and Allis killed the last one?! If
this was Earth, they'd totally get in trouble for killing an endangered creature,
but thankfully, this is another world. There are plenty of nasty beasts out there
that people wouldn't have an issue with wiping off the map. Goblins and Orcs
are first and foremost among them. I don't think anyone would object to making
those things extinct...
"So what's the issue, exactly?"
"I can't really put a price on the raw materials. I'm not sure where to even
begin with something this ancient and legendary. And, well, we can't exactly
purchase it if we don't know what to pay..."
That made sense to me. There was no precedent in guild history as far as
dealing with one of these things went. But on the other hand, this was an
adventurer's guild, so they didn't just want to let such promising materials go to
waste. It was a conundrum indeed.
"How about we put the carcass up for auction?"
"That could certainly work, I imagine it would sell for a very high amount.
However, it was brought in by children, and auctions can't be set by underage
people..." Relisha said as she glanced over at Kuon and Allis. It was never simple
around here, that was for sure.
Kuon raised a hand, then said, "What if we were to sell it under your name,
Your Majesty? We'd be happy to give you a cut of whatever it sells for."
"Huh? You sure?"
"Of course. So long as I, and Allis, get our due, of course."
"Sure, works for me. I wouldn't have much use for the full sum anyway."
I wasn't going to pocket my kid's hard-earned cash, but I was willing to hand it
off to people who would be in charge of it so it wasn't wasted. Yumina and
Ende, in this case. In the meantime, I gave Allis and Kuon a gold coin each as an
advance payment. It was equivalent to a hundred thousand yen or so, so it felt
a little weird to hand it out as pocket money, but I had little choice...
"So this thing was in the north woods?"
"It was. We were looking for prey around the entrance, but couldn't find
anything. Then, after we ventured deeper, it jumped out and attacked. It was
probably the reason we hadn't had any luck finding other creatures. Might've
scared them all off."
If it was a silver-ranked monster, that would've put it at the level of a fully
grown Dragon. The fact that a monster like this was in close enough proximity
to Brunhild's castle town made me feel a little anxious. Kougyoku usually kept a
watchful eye on Brunhild's borders...so had this thing just slipped past the
radar? In any case, I was glad the kids had found and killed this one. If it had
gotten too close to the town, it could've really hurt someone.
Since the worlds had been joined, new mana pools were cropping up all over
the place. It had resulted in the creation of more Behemoths and other unusual
species. Relisha had told me that the presence of Behemoths often led to
monster stampedes too... And so, with that in mind, it might've ended up with a
stampede in Brunhild had the situation not been brought under control. I felt
somewhat lucky.
"Kohaku. Can you check with any animals in the area about unusual monster
sightings?"
"Of course. I'll have them sweep the local area as well."
Good. I doubt there'll be any more, but I don't want to take any chances. This
thing could still have cubs or a mate or something.
The very fact that it was alive against all odds made me want to be thorough.
Plus, magical beasts and monsters worked differently from ordinary animals, so
it could've been born from a different species altogether. Goblins were capable
of that. This Marchosias might've just been born to an ordinary wolf, as a quirk
of magic mutation.
"Hey, Your Majesty? Can we go now? I'd like to go eat with Kuon."
Allis pulled me out of my pondering with an impatient little request.
"Oh, sure thing. I'll handle the rest."
"Yay! See ya, Your Majesty! Look after this thing, please! Let's go, Kuon!"
"Huh? W-Wait, Allis!"
Allis suddenly tossed Silver (still sheathed) at me, grabbed Kuon by the sleeve,
and the two of them were gone in the blink of an eye.
"Heeey! Ya little twerp! Don't go treatin' me like some kinda pest! Let me go,
boss-man! You don't want the kiddo fallin' into her wicked web, do ya?! She's a
harlot!"
"Hey, don't call her that. If you say that in front of her dad, he'll probably snap
you in half."
I sighed quietly as Silver flailed around in my hands. I didn't want to let him
go, since I figured Allis didn't want a third wheel on her date...if it was even a
date. I didn't know. I wondered if I should ask Yumina about that kind of thing.
"Hyaaah!"
"Oh."
Silver suddenly slid out of his sheath and flew through the guild at Mach
speed. The adventurers all started to panic and jump out of the way as the
blade whizzed past them through the air.
Welp, he got away. Allis is probably gonna get mad at me...
"...What was with that sword?"
"Oh, uh, don't worry about it. Anyway, about that auction?"
I didn't want to cause any trouble by telling Relisha too much. Plus, it wasn't
like I actually knew that much about Silver.
Wait, wasn't Quun supposed to be looking into that? Well, whatever.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Hm... This is troubling..."
"What's troubling?"
Linze, who happened to be knitting nearby, heard me mutter. And so, I saw
no point in hiding my issue.
"Just some stuff with Kuon."
"What about Kuon? Is he okay?"
"Oh, he's fine. It's just..."
I wasn't sure exactly how to put it, but compared to the other kids, Kuon
didn't seem as close to me. He was definitely close with Yumina, but it felt like
he treated me more like an acquaintance than a dad.
"It could just be that boys aren't as attached to their fathers, maybe..."
"Yeah, I guess. I was kind of the same."
When I was a little boy, my parents were always busy with work. That was
why I had such a strong relationship with my grandpa. I never thought my own
son, who had the same name as that grandpa, would end up feeling so distant
from me. Life certainly came at you fast.
"Why not go do something with him? I read in a book from Earth that fathers
and sons often play catch with each other."
"Playing catch, huh...?"
Playing catch sounded fun, but...where exactly would I go with that? I knew
the kind of kid Kuon was. If I tried kicking up a conversation by asking how he
was, he'd probably just say he was fine and we'd stay silent.
The real issue was that I didn't really know much about Kuon. I didn't know
his interests or his favorite food, for example. Usually, I'd have learned those
things as part of raising him, but he showed up with a several-year head start
on me...
All right, that's it. I've gotta learn more about my son. Time to ask his sisters
for help.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Kuon's favorite food? Hmm...I think cold tofu or chikuzenni? Oh, he likes
matsutake mushroom soup as well."
"That's way too bland!"
I asked Arcia about Kuon's preferred foods, and her replies weren't the kind
of things I'd expect a child to like. If anything, it was the kind of thing I'd expect
an elderly person to enjoy...
Our household ate a mixture of western and eastern foods, but we mostly ate
Japanese cuisine because I happened to enjoy rice. From that perspective, I
could see how Kuon's tastes might have developed...but wouldn't a kid usually
prefer curry or hamburg steak?
"What kind of food does he dislike, then?"
"I don't think he dislikes anything in particular. He sits and quietly eats
everything he's served. Oh, though I think he said he found Xenoahs cuisine too
rich once."
...Xenoahs cuisine? I've had that before, I think. It was some kind of weird
purple soup with an eye in it. It was a bitter taste, for sure. I think the best
comparison for flavor would probably be battery acid. But hey, I've never
actually eaten a battery, so I can't say for sure.
In any case, I didn't think it was fair to classify that as food he didn't like. I
mean, it was the kind of food I could barely imagine anyone liking, since it was
near lethal!
I thanked Arcia and headed off to speak with Elna. She was closer to Kuon's
age, so I figured she might know some more.
I know Linne's actually the closest to Kuon's age, but... Well, I don't really
think I'd get much out of her...
Elna was sitting by a window in the castle, her nose stuck in a book. Elze was
sitting next to her, fast asleep. Seeing my wife like that, with her slovenly
sleeping face, was a bit funny. Elna didn't seem to care, though. Presumably,
the two of them had been reading together, but Elze dozed off.
"Things Kuon likes? Animals. He talks to cats a lot."
"Huh? Kuon can talk to cats?"
Wait, he has that power? I don't remember any of his mystic eyes doing that. I
know there's one that can control animals, but...
"He has Kokaku translate for him. But otherwise, he communicates with the
cats using body language. A lot of cats live in Brunhild in the future, and all of
them know Kuon."
What the...? Is my son the Grand Duke of Cats or something? Oh, though I
guess if Kohaku's his companion, and Kohaku's the master of animals like
cats...that makes him the master of them in turn? So then, he's more like an
emperor, I guess? The Emperor of Cats... But wait, I'm Kohaku's master, so what
does that make me?
"He talks to birds too."
"Oh, you mean with Kougyoku?"
Cats and birds were the eyes and ears of Brunhild. Everything they saw and
heard was communicated to Kohaku and Kougyoku, who, in turn, relayed the
information to Kousaka, Lain, and Tsubaki. Only crime-related matters were
relayed, though. We weren't snoopers. And in the event of a sudden emergency
or criminal matter, cats or birds could lead our knights to the incident.
"So Kuon likes animals, huh...?"
"I'm not sure if it's the animals he likes, really. I think maybe he likes talking to
them more."
"So he's a talkative person? I never would've guessed..."
Though I guess if he's only talkative with animals, that's a bit different...
Seems fine, though. He's not hurting anyone...and I don't think he's a
misanthrope.
"He says that if we want to make Brunhild a better place, we need to think
about the animals. They see things that we don't, so he thinks he can help you
by factoring in their perspective."
"What a good son!"
Damn, I might cry... He's so thoughtful!
I looked up and pinched the bridge of my nose, sniffling slightly.
Thinking of his parents and the country at such a young age! That's my boy!
He's truly Yumina's son!
"Shut uuup... What's the noise all about..."
Apparently, my excitement was a bit much for Elze, even if most of it was
internal. She woke up, so I explained to her that I was asking Elna for
information on Kuon, and Elze reached out to wrap her arms around her
daughter.
"M-Mother?"
"Elna's just as good a kid as Kuon, y'know? She's studying so hard to help us."
"Huh? Really?"
I looked at the book in Elna's hand. It was a translation of a medical textbook
that Leen had brought back from Earth after our honeymoon. Fam, from
Babylon's library, had converted a lot of material from Earth into tomes
readable in this world. Though the cover said it was an introductory textbook, I
could tell it wasn't for children.
"I-I just wanted to help my family in whatever way I could, that's all... I can
use the [Recovery] Null spell, so I wanted to expand my medical knowledge and
help in other areas..."
"What a good girl!"
"Isn't she?!"
Elze cried out joyfully right after I did, squeezing Elna tighter in her arms. I
leaned in and stroked my daughter's hair. She was quiet, but she had a very
kind heart. I wondered if Elna might be interested in taking over Brunhild's
national medical care in the future...only to be reminded that she'd probably
leave Brunhild behind after getting married.
My heart... My poor heart...
I shook my head to dispel those awful thoughts, thanked Elna for her help,
and bid the two of them farewell.
I think I've got a good grasp on his interests by now. Time to find him and see
if he wants to spend some time with his old man.
◇ ◇ ◇
"So, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
Dammit! He did exactly what I thought he'd do!
I'd thrown my pitch, and the kid had hit a home run. I didn't have any retort.
We were watching a match near the shopping district. It was a weekday, and
it wasn't a national match with our knight teams, so there wasn't much of a
crowd. The bleachers we were sitting in were almost empty, actually.
Our baseball stadium was open to anyone to play in, for a small fee, so on
weekdays like this, baseball fans would gather and play games together. Then,
people with free time would come and watch them play, just like we were
doing now.
I wanted to talk to him in a place where we weren't likely to be interrupted,
but I'd kind of fumbled my first question, so I wasn't sure how to follow it up.
"So, uhhh...you got much going on? Any problems lately?"
"Not especially, no. I have no real issues. Oh, he hit the ball."
Ugh... This is a hopeless fight, isn't it? He's just calmly watching the match...
No, I can't back down here! I need to get through to my son!
"Say, Kuon...you got any hobbies?"
"Hobbies? Well, I suppose I might? Though I'm not sure if I'd call it a hobby,
exactly..."
...What's that mean? I mean, I guess I don't really have any particular hobbies
either... Does listening to music or watching movies count? He's my son, so
maybe we have similar interests...? If I can just find some common ground...
"Does model-making count?"
"Huh?"
Model-making? Like plastic model robots or dioramas?
"Oh, here. Sometimes I make them to help me unwind. Like this one, here."
Kuon took out his smartphone and showed me a photograph on it. It was a
picture of ships lined up in a harbor, waiting to set sail... Something felt off
about it, though.
W-Wait, wait...is this fake?! No way! It looks so real!
"Is that a diorama?!"
"Yes, it is. I made it about a year ago."
He would've been five at that point. He was seriously that good at it even at
such a young age? One of the ships leaving the port, the dash of the waves, the
little people unloading cargo at the docks... I'd thought it was real at first. It was
seriously professional-grade stuff. Not that I'd ever actually seen a professional
diorama, of course. It was just kind of a gut impression.
"Some of the finer details were only possible thanks to some magical tools,
however."
I asked a little more and learned Quun had helped him with that. Still, I'd
definitely heard of dioramas that used motorized parts and other stuff, so it was
no less impressive. If anything, Kuon being able to work with specialized
equipment like that was even cooler.
I told him that, only to be met with dismissal.
"It's not that impressive. You can perform similar feats with [Modeling], no?"
"Well, yeah, but I still think there's a difference... Mine's just magic..."
Kuon's response stunned me a little. We clearly weren't looking at it the same
way.
On Earth, there was no such thing as magic, so the skills one developed
through hard work became a legitimate strength. I considered my magic to be
cutting corners, or cheating, in a way, so it wasn't nearly as impressive.
However, the people who lived in this world viewed magic as a natural and
normal force, so using it was fine. It wasn't recognized as sneaky or
underhanded. Instead, it was just another thing a person could use.
It was true that my [Modeling] spell could do similar things, but I definitely
couldn't compare to Kuon when it came to natural talent in actually creating by
hand. I could use Babylon's workshop to mass-produce dioramas, but even
then, it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't feel as authentic. Kuon's skill was
nothing to scoff at. If he entered a diorama contest back on Earth, he'd surely
have won the top prize.
"Oh, actually..."
I got a sudden idea. I ran a web search for dioramas on my smartphone and
projected a bunch of images into the air for Kuon.
"Wow! The details on these are incredible! Look at that one, it's a whole
submerged town!"
Kuon showed a childish sense of excitement as he marveled at the dioramas.
It was the first time I'd ever seen him act his age. It reminded me of when I was
little, making my own plastic models. I only ever assembled them, though. I
didn't paint them or make scenes or anything.
"Have you tried making any since you arrived in the past?"
"Oh... I've been really busy since I got here... Plus, you need materials and
tools, which I don't have."
Apparently, he needed the resin from a particular kind of tree monster and
some glue-like substance you could only get from specific Slimes. On top of
that, he didn't have his paintbrushes or palette knives. He'd left all of that in his
room in the future, after all.
"All right, let's go gather that stuff, then."
"Huh? No, isn't that a bother? Some of the materials I need are quite rare and
we'd need to travel and..."
"Relax. It's all good. I have [Gate] and [Search], so we're golden."
As far as the tools went, I was sure we'd find the right things for the job in the
Babylon storehouse.
It was just a matter of collecting the materials, really. After that, my son could
get to work. Oh, though, we'd need paint too. There were a lot of paintings of
spirits in the Allent Theocracy, so I could only assume we'd find plenty of art
supplies over there.
"Okay, time to go. Full speed ahead!"
"Oh, but I... Um..."
I grabbed Kuon by the hand and opened up a portal, jumping us through to
the other side of the world, to the start of our search in Allent.
The art supply store we entered in the Allent Theocracy was fully stocked.
There were numerous brushes and shades of paint throughout the store. I told
Kuon he could buy anything he wanted, but he still seemed rather reserved
about the whole affair. And so, I decided to make this diorama into an official
commission. In other words, it was work, which meant if he wouldn't want to
do it half-baked, he'd have to make something special.
With that in mind, Kuon finally let go of his apprehension and asked, "What
kind of diorama do you want me to make?"
"Huh? Oh, uh...right... What about our castle?"
"Brunhild Castle, then?"
I didn't really have anything particular in mind, so I just said the first thing I
thought of. Kuon didn't seem to mind, though. He took it to heart and
immediately began placing various art supplies in his basket. He methodically
walked from row to row, grabbing specific items I didn't recognize. The kid was
probably already imagining how the diorama would turn out.
After we finished buying the goods, Kuon sent a list to my smartphone.
"Adhesive Slime fluid... Cushionturtle shell... Elder Treant husk?"
I had no idea how he'd be using this stuff, but I knew where to get it. And so, I
sent Kuon to Babylon's storehouse, where he could request any tools he
needed from Parshe.
While he was busy doing that, I headed off to the adventurer's guild in order
to get the materials he'd asked for. Unfortunately, the Cushionturtle shell he
needed wasn't available, so I needed to hunt that myself.
Well, I could always sell the nonshell parts, so I figured that was a nice little
bonus. The shell was surprisingly soft and sproingy. It was kind of like a sponge.
The turtles were resistant to blunt damage due to that aspect, so I killed them
with slashes instead.
I returned to the castle and found Kuon's room already had a base for the
diorama built in the middle of it. That was fast!
"Uhhh... I've got your materials..."
"Oh, please set them down here."
Kuon was wearing a cloth mask on his face, along with a pair of goggles. He
was shaving away at the diorama base with a magical tool that resembled a
grinder. Presumably, he was trying to create a rough surface to represent the
ground.
I put the materials down in the corner and watched Kuon at work. He was
working so diligently that I couldn't help but ask if there was anything I could do
to help. He told me to start soaking the Cushionturtle shells in different shades
of green paint, dry them out, then shred them into little pieces.
I headed out to the courtyard to do that, then came back. By the time I
returned, Kuon had already sculpted most of the roads and moat trenches
around the castle.
"Oh, Touya."
Yumina was sitting on the couch in Kuon's room, with Kohaku by her side.
"I came to call him down for dinner, but I didn't expect to see him working on
something like this. What an adorable hobby."
"Yeah, I never knew about it before today. I think he's a little too skilled to call
it just a hobby, though."
Kuon was probably excited about making a diorama for the first time in a
while, so he didn't stop even when dinner was ready. I had Arcia make some
rice balls and sandwiches and brought them to his room so he could eat while
working. I should've probably brought him down to eat properly, but he wasn't
a very picky eater, so it didn't really matter at the end of the day.
"Once Kuon gets going, he just doesn't stop. If you don't take advantage of his
little breaks to get him to call it a night, he'll work until morning."
I took Frei's words to heart, since I didn't want Kuon working all night. I made
him stop when the clock turned ten. His incredible focus was probably how he'd
gotten to this level of skill. I had Yumina take him to the adjoining bedroom and
let him rest. He could continue after a full night of sleep.
The diorama was already taking on a rough shape. Normally, it would've
taken more time than this, but the magic tools seemed to make everything
more efficient. I was pretty amazed, though... I hadn't expected that spongy
shell I'd torn up to end up being used as decorative shrubs and trees.
I looked at the grass he'd put down on the ground and wondered if it was
actually real... It kind of looked like moss up close, but I couldn't be sure. I
wanted to touch it, but I didn't want to risk messing anything up and upsetting
Kuon.
I smiled quietly as I left the room, wondering how the finished product would
look.
◇ ◇ ◇
I pulled away the cloth, prompting everyone in the room to shout in excited
surprise.
The completed diorama of Brunhild Castle was now on display behind a glass
case in our lobby. I was in the middle of unveiling it for the first time. Kuon's
sophisticated representation of the local area was so high quality that I felt it'd
be a waste to just keep it to myself. This way, everyone who visited us would be
able to admire it.
Everyone in the room was immensely interested in the display.
"Wow! It's so detailed!"
"Incredible... Even the grand duke and his family are there..."
There were miniature figures of us included in the little scene. Yae, Hilde, and
Elze were fighting in the sparring grounds. Linze, Leen and Sakura were sitting
on the balcony enjoying a spot of tea. Yumina, Sue, and I were sitting
underneath the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard, enjoying a great number
of lunch boxes that Lu had piled up. There were other little individuals dotted
here and there too. Karen and Moroha, Prime Minister Kousaka, and other
members of the castle staff too.
Everyone had their eyes glued to the glass case, trying to spot little details
inside.
I turned to Kuon with a grin and said, "You sure put a lot of detail in, huh?"
"I'm very particular about the small stuff, yes. I want to get all the tiniest
details down, but I still like to add my own flourish as well."
You definitely have an eye for detail, that's for sure. I can understand your
feelings as a creator, but you might've overdone it with all the minute things!
Still, everyone was happy, so there wasn't anything to worry about.
"Could you teach me how to make one next time?"
"Hm? But you can do something like this with [Modeling], can't you?"
"Yeah, but I want to make it without magic...like you."
"...I-If you really want to learn, then sure," Kuon replied, then gave me a shy
little nod.
I think our bond just deepened a little right now.
I wondered what I'd make with Kuon's help. I'd probably want to start with
wood... I felt it'd be cool to make a miniature magic train track or something. Or
maybe we could add to the castle diorama and do the whole town? It was
exciting to think about all the possibilities.
As I pondered the matter, I ruffled my son's hair. I was a very proud dad.
◇ ◇ ◇
Kuon's diorama proved incredibly popular...and not just by the people in the
castle either. The other world leaders were very impressed when they saw it
during the next meeting.
To the surprise of nobody, King Belfast was especially proud of his grandson's
work. He declared his own desire for a diorama, so Kuon made a display of
Belfast Castle. And since Brunhild Castle's design was based on Belfast Castle, it
didn't take him quite as long for that one. Only a few days or so of work went
into it.
After that, the other world leaders asked for their own dioramas as well. I told
Kuon he could refuse, since I didn't want to strain him...but he said yes anyway.
He was too diligent for his own good, frankly.
I didn't want him to get so into it that he'd forget to eat, drink, or sleep, so we
made him stick to a schedule that wouldn't completely overtake his life. It
wasn't quite the same kind of limit as the old "you can only play video games
for one hour a day" rule, but he was allowed a certain period of time per day for
him to work on his dioramas.
Allis was very angry at me, as Kuon ended up spending less time with her as a
result.
"There are dioramas in most every entry foyer around the world in the future,
indeed, but I did not expect them to be made by Kuon's hand from the past..."
Yakumo muttered to herself as she looked over one of his most recent works.
Kuon himself had commented on the fact that the first diorama he'd ever
seen was the one of Brunhild Castle. He'd never expected the one that had
fascinated him in the first place to be his own creation. Had he never made this
diorama in the first place, the future Kuon may never have been interested in
making dioramas... I wasn't sure what to make of this kind of influence on the
future. Surely this had to count as a time paradox of some sort... But then again,
the time spirits were supposedly working in the background to stop that kind of
thing.
"Time spirits are hard workers. They're probably tweaking cause and effect in
all sorts of places to make sure the future stays the same," Moroha said as we
watched Yakumo and Kuon sparring on the training field.
"So you're saying the future's basically fixed? Like, whatever we do will lead
to the same thing?"
"Not necessarily. The power of a god, or divine miracles granted to people,
can alter the flow of time. Besides, time spirits can make mistakes too. That's
usually how coincidences or accidents come about."
"Huh, they can make mistakes like that? I was kind of imagining time spirits as
living clocks or something. Didn't realize they could mess up."
"Ha ha ha ha... Time spirits are still people, even if some of them might look
like clocks."
Makes sense. I guess if gods can make mistakes, then it's only natural spirits
can as well.
"Still, I'd say it's fair to assume nothing that happens here is gonna impact the
future very much, other than the wicked god thing, I guess. Oh, looks like it's
game over."
I looked over and saw Yakumo's banged-up wooden sword disarm Kuon,
sending his weapon sailing into the air. They'd been clashing for quite a while.
"If Kuon doesn't use his mystic eye, Yakumo's got the upper hand in
swordplay. He's very tenacious, though. Good for him."
Though he'd lost to Yakumo, Kuon was still a very strong fighter. If he used all
his mystic eyes properly, he could probably be a match for Yae.
Yakumo and Frei were the only gold-ranked adventurers among my children;
the rest were silver. If I had to guess...in terms of pure combat ability, excluding
magic, Elna was probably the weakest among my children. But even then, Elna
outclassed the average Brunhild knight in terms of raw physical output.
My children were gamebreaking presences, that was for sure. But given that
they were literal demigods and had been trained by literal actual gods since
they were young, it was to be expected...
"Hmm... Yakumo's the big sister, so she should go easier on him..."
"If she went easy on him, it would not be training, it would not..."
Yumina grumbled a little, leaving Yae to comfort her as best as she could.
Albus sat by her side, silent as ever. The white crown really wasn't much of a
talker.
"Raaargh! He shoulda used me! Hey, kiddo, ya shoulda used me! I'd have
brought out way more of yer potential than that lame-o wooden sword!"
The silver crown, on the other hand, never shut up. It clearly wouldn't have
been fair to use a Gollem weapon during a training match, but that didn't deter
the thing.
Kuon came back from the training field, swapping out with Linne. She seemed
to be bristling with energy.
"Good work out there, Kuon."
"Phew... My eldest sister is exhausting at times... She could've gone a little
easier on me..."
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"What?"
Kuon had said the exact same thing as Yumina, prompting Yae and I to spit
out our water. I noticed Yumina's narrowed eyes, so I kept myself from laughing
any further.
"You do not seem to enjoy fighting much, you do not," Yae said, speaking up
as she watched Linne happily square off against Yakumo.
"That's right. I'm more interested in reading than fighting. Still, I know it's
necessary to have strength in this world, so I train. If something were to
happen, I wouldn't want to sit on the sidelines."
"Ohhh! See, Yae? Isn't my boy amazing?! What an admirable little man he is!
Oh yes, I'm so proud!" Yumina exclaimed as she wrapped both her arms around
Kuon and started doting on him. Kuon simply stared forward into the abyss,
letting his mother do as she pleased.
"Yumina-dono's growing a little more extreme lately, is she not?"
"Extreme... Yeah, that's one way to put it..."
Out of all the mother-child combos, Yumina was definitely the one who'd
shown no signs of calming down with Kuon. I wondered if the fact that he was a
boy had anything to do with it. I definitely had a habit of doting on my
daughters more, at least...
Still, Yumina wasn't even close to being on the level of the Xenoahs overlord,
so it was fine in my book.
I heard footsteps approaching, and turned to see Doc Babylon. Elluka, Fenrir,
Quun, and the professor were with her. It was certainly rare to see them down
on the surface world, and rarer still for them to be at the training grounds.
"Yo. I asked Cesca where you were, which is how we found you."
"Is something wrong? You finished with the Over Gear yet?"
The Babylon Dev Team was currently working on an Over Gear for Albus, one
that could dive deep into the ocean. They hadn't been giving me many progress
reports, so I wondered if it was already complete.
"The Over Gear isn't finished yet, but we've finished the knight Gollems."
"The knight Gollems?"
I'd heard that there were Gollems in Brunhild in the future, apparently
involved with my knight order...but I hadn't realized Babylon was the one who'd
made them.
"Anyway, take a look. Quun?"
"On it."
Doc Babylon snapped her fingers, prompting Quun to whip out a storage card.
She shook it a few times, and two knightly looking Gollems fell out of it.
The knight-type soldat Gollems the professor went around with were in full
plate armor, and they looked like any other fully armored person might. These
Gollems, on the other hand, seemed to have been designed to be immediately
recognized as inhuman.
One was about the same size as an adult male, with a sword at its waist and a
shield on its back. The other was bigger, presumably modeled off Ogres or
similar creatures. It was probably just shy of three meters tall. They both looked
incredibly sturdy, so there was no doubt in my mind that they'd been built for
power. Both of them were white matte on the base, with black accents along
their frames. They kind of reminded me of police patrol cars.
"Let me introduce them. These knight Gollems models are Swordsman and
Guardian, respectively," Doc Babylon explained as she pointed at the two of
them triumphantly.
So the smaller one is a Swordsman and the bigger one is a Guardian, huh?
"Why did you make two types, why did you?"
"Swordsman models are for antipersonnel incidents, while Guardian models
are for accidents or emergency disaster relief. In short, the Swordsman series is
built for fighting human opponents, while the Guardian series is more for
clearing debris or fixing upturned carriages. It made more sense to me to have
specialized departments."
The Guardian model was also fitted with a fire extinguisher, apparently. The
idea of a Gollem with that kind of focus was interesting to me.
The professor suddenly stepped forward, following up on Doc Babylon by
saying, "By the way, the strength of the Swordsman model has yet to be
properly configured. We thought we'd have the knight order help with
determining that."
"Yet to be properly configured? Why not just make it as strong as possible?"
Yumina asked. She seemed confused as she challenged what the Professor said,
only for him to respond with a faint smile.
"If we were to base it on the strength of Moroha here, for example, it would
be too much strain on the machinery. Not that the Swordsman models could
even begin to replicate her strength...but the point still stands. We need to
determine optimal strength for the good of the machine."
...Yeah. I don't think you could ever build a machine that matches up to a
goddess like her.
"The strength needs to be measured enough to not burden the machinery,
yet flexible enough to adapt to almost any enemy on the fly. That would be the
optimal solution, which is why I would like some of the knights here to fight it."
"So it's like a final systems check, then?"
It'd be no good if the Gollems we had were too weak to help the knights, and
it'd be worse if they were so overpowered they broke down after a few
deployments. If they weren't capable of changing their strength on the fly, that
could be trouble when apprehending criminals too.
The knight Gollems were going to be mass-produced, so we needed to
balance all of that with a relatively cheap cost. If we didn't have to consider
expenses, we could just do whatever, but reality wasn't so accommodating.
"That sounds pretty interesting. I'll be happy to test this thing out," Logan,
patrol captain of the knight order, said as he stepped in from the sidelines to
volunteer himself. We had no issue with that, but only on the condition that
both parties used wooden swords. I didn't want the Gollem getting broken so
soon after completion.
"Ready... Go!"
Logan charged in with his sword. They exchanged blows twice, then three
times...and the Swordsman Gollem fell to a blow on the side of its head.
"Huh? Isn't that too weak?"
"It's currently set to minimum strength. It needs to do some mock matches to
learn moves, techniques, and pattern prediction."
Huh, so it's machine learning? Wait, then it'll get stronger over time?
The Swordsman Gollem fought a few more knights, losing most of the
encounters. But slowly, it began to improve its performance until it was winning
most of its battles. Eventually, it had become capable enough to defeat Logan.
"I shall be its next foe."
The next person to stand before the Swordsman Gollem was none other than
Kokonoe Jutaro, Yae's elder brother. He was an Eashenese samurai, but he was
staying in Brunhild along with his fiancée, Ayane, and Moroha had been giving
him special training for a while. I hadn't realized he was on the training field
today, but apparently he was.
Jutaro and the Swordsman began their clash. At the start, the Swordsman
seemed to have the edge over the samurai, but Jutaro continued to press the
advantage until he had the tip of his wooden sword pressed up against the
machine's neck.
"That's enough. Any more and it'll overheat," Elluka said, putting an end to
the Swordsman Gollem's training. The Gollem bowed and then retreated from
the training field.
"It's almost as strong as Jutaro. That's no small feat."
Jutaro was among the finest fighters from Eashen...though it rarely seemed
that way here in Brunhild, given how overpowered so many of the people here
were.
"I'll be making five of these things and deploying them to the castle's knight
garrison. Touya will have master authority, while subauthority can go to the
knight commander and vice-commanders."
That made sense to me. Gradually introducing them would get everyone used
to their presence. Brunhild probably had the most Gollems out of all the
countries on the eastern continent. Noir, Albus, Rouge, and Viola were all seen
around town now and then. And Olba Strand's trading company had recently
begun opening up a dedicated Gollem trade sector.
Thinking on it, the people of Brunhild were probably used to Gollems well
enough at this point, especially considering the fact that Frame Gears were a
national staple.
After all that, we headed back to the castle. Kuon, Yakumo, and the other kids
went to the bath straight away. I was about to head to my office to look over
some documents, but then Tsubaki suddenly stepped out from behind a nearby
pillar.
Agh! That shocked me. You don't have to do that every time, you know?!
"I've two reports to make. The first is that a port town in the Kingdom of
Curelia has been destroyed. The wicked devout are believed to be responsible."
"Curelia?"
Uhhh...is that on the western continent? On the eastern edge? I remember the
pumpkin pants prince mentioning something about them wanting to join our
alliance... So the wicked devout did something there? Shit...
According to Tsubaki's report, the town was attacked by Fishmen, four-armed
Gollems, and giant stone men. Some of the survivors had lost their minds
entirely, while others were taken over by the Fishman curse and headed into
the sea. That certainly sounded like the wicked devout to me.
"Didn't we tell Panaches to keep an eye out for any settlements by the sea,
though? Surely they would've told their neighbors."
"If they did, I don't believe the warning was well heeded. There's never been
an attack this catastrophic before."
It sounded awful. The occasional village got hit, but it was never as big as this
before. Destroying an entire port town was like a declaration of war. We
needed to be more vigilant. Everyone needed to be.
It was really annoying that we couldn't predict where they'd emerge like we
could with the Phrase, but I knew that was asking for too much... It wasn't like
the enemy would freely tell us "Hey! Here's where we're gonna hit next!" or
anything.
I started typing up a smartphone message to every world leader I had direct
contact with. I told them to be extra vigilant and to inform me of any suspicious
sightings immediately. Any country with an adventurer's guild would be much
easier for rumors to travel through. If they got me information fast enough, I'd
be able to use my magic to send their national knights to the attack sites
instantly.
"And the second report?"
"An unidentified magical beast appeared on the fringes of the Regulus
Empire's territory. Their local guild chapter killed it, but at no small cost. The
problem is that this beast is a complete mystery. It's an entirely new species."
"A new species?"
"Here is a photograph," Tsubaki said as she sent a picture to my phone.
Whoa... It's all bloodied, gross.
It was a full photo of a monster with the body of a lion and the head of a bird.
It also had bird limbs, so it was clearly some kind of Chimera.
I briefly wondered if this creature could be a new monster made by the
wicked devout.
"It's unlikely, as they did not find any crystal structure in its body."
The Gollems and Fishmen controlled by the wicked devout had red and blue
crystalline octahedrons embedded in their bodies, but apparently, that wasn't
the case here.
So why has this thing appeared now? Who would know about this kind of...?
Oh, wait. There might be someone.
I bade Tsubaki farewell after hearing her report, then headed up to Babylon.
"How... How rare."
Fam, the keeper of Babylon's library, crooked a brow as she looked up from
her book and saw me.
...Bookwormy as ever, I see. Nah. You've ascended beyond a bookworm.
You're a full-blown book addict.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm wondering if you know anything about this thing," I asked as I
approached Fam's counter and showed her the picture on my phone.
"Quite the unusual kink you have there, master. Is showing bloodied animals
to young girls at random how you get your rocks off?"
"No. It isn't. I'm asking about this monster. Is it a new species?"
Fam adjusted her glasses as she looked over the image. Eventually, she
hopped down from her seat and walked over to a bookshelf, then pulled a book
out and brought it back.
"It's most likely... Oh, here."
Fam opened the thick book and thudded it down on the desk in front of me.
There was an illustration of a magical beast there that looked nearly identical to
the one on my phone. However, the writing was in Ancient Spirit Script, and I
wasn't actively casting [Reading], so I couldn't tell what it said.
"Ipos. A magical beast that was also known as Ipes or Ayporos depending on
the region. It was a particularly aggressive species that inhabited the Ilpanema
Woodlands, but its meat was considered so delicious that it was hunted to
extinction by the local tribes some five thousand five hundred and seventy-four
years ago."
"Hunted to extinction? So the species is gone?"
"Correct."
It's not a new species, but one everyone thought was extinct? Wait, hold on!
Isn't that the same story with the thing Kuon and Allis killed? That Marchosias
wolf thing? Wasn't that supposed to be extinct too?
"What the hell does this mean?"
Magical beasts thought to be extinct were apparently making a comeback.
Had they come from Palerius Island or something? That place had been left
behind by time, but that didn't really make sense...
"Did they...come through time?"
Had some unknown force pulled these monsters from their own eras and into
my own? It wasn't an impossible scenario. My children had traveled to the past
from the future, so why couldn't it work the other way around?
Was this the work of another timequake, perhaps?
"I'm gonna need to consult an expert."
I hurriedly pulled out my phone and dialed Granny Tokie's numbe