Vol 2 Chapter 3 (2/2)
just how red and puffy her eyes were She recalled the words of her
grandfather The one whom Sora had insulted so
Perhaps it had been Jibril's speaking, or perhaps there was a reason she
remembered them now
”Ahhn, jeeeeeez~~~~~~!”
Throwing off the blankets, Steph got out of bed
Part 5
Elchea national library
She had gone in countless time already, yet this time Steph quietly stole inside
Sora and the others were, as usual, in the back room
Having made up her mind, as she approached the room the door opened
slightly
Peeping in, there was Sora and shi+ro, and Jibril as well
”Master, it's about time you rest”
”Nnnjust a bit longer”
Flipping through a book, without taking his eyes off the map, Sora answered
absent-mindedly
Jibrilspoke as she drew a blanket over shi+ro, sleeping huddled in Sora's lap
”However much you look, it's impossible to defend the folly of the previous
king”
Jibrilflashed a glance, as if aware of Steph's presence, and startled she hid
away
Although however much she tried, there was no way she could hide from
the Flugel
That didn't seem to be the case for Sora however
Showing no signs of noticing anything, Sora replied in an unhappy tone
”--It's not like that's my sole intention I simply noticed an [anomaly]”
”Rather, you're 'finding' one for Dora-chanwouldn't you say?”
”I'h these records to determine what not to do when
setting about dom conquest! That's all!”
Sora seemed quite dissatisfied with Jibril's wry smile
”So, what's the anomaly?”
”Rightthere are several”
As Jibril laughed in a sour
”The thing --ould the Eastern Union [erase
memories]?”
As a deterrent, the result would be no ers The benefits would
be slim
Placing her hand on her chin, Jibrilseriously considered
”Having expanded their territory sothemselves to defense
doesn't seem too far of a stretch”
”It's natural to think so The only one who challenged them this decade was
the previous king after all”
If that was their goal, then they were most successful
Ifso however, then why had the previous king fought eight times?
”Well, that's how Imanity is after all ♪”
To Jibril who said so laughingly
”I had also worried over that But soe”
Sora spoke deadpan
”It's not so a 'sensible' person responsible for the lives of millions
would do”
It was as if Sora had read her mind
Behind the door, Steph drew a breath
”Then I examined the continental territory of the Eastern Union”
As he spoke, he pointed to the map
”To start with, thisbet that
[first]”
According to Jibril's books, thepoint of [alumatite] was 3000
degrees
With the y Imanity currently possesses, it has no
value
”Next, these plains They've become the cornerstone of the Eastern Union's
extensive agriculturethe previous king bet them [second]”
They hat they are noever due to the Eastern Union's
development
At the tis], and
worthless as land
”Third was this coal mine That's a resource Imanity also cannot utilise
Likewise the fourth, fifth, sixth tihth time when he bet the
royal palace, the previous king never once bet [so of value]”
Butelse Sora jabbed at the map
”All of the Eastern Union's continental land--all of it [used to be Elchea's] did
it not?”
The continental land which the Eastern Union had won
All of it had been gained fro
”All the continentalresources the Eastern Union needed, had been gotten
fro?”
”That's just the result The thing is before all this, the Eastern Union had no
continental land”
Which meant:
”The ones ere cornered--was the [Eastern Union]”
An advanced technological nation like that, even able to utilise resources
requiring a 3000 degreepoint
A civilisation like that would [absolutely require] continentalresources
In this gaames, even 'trade' would be
deterames
For the defensively orientated Eastern Union, it could be said to be a critical
situation
”But what the previous king had consistently been playing for was 'one of the
Eastern Union's coastal cities'”
That would provide ical advancements
It was a good bet
If it was the Eastern Union that was pressured however, he should have been
able to press for more
Why then had he continued eight times
Doling out land useless to Imanity a little at a time
”The only conclusion I can come up with, is that it was intentional”
Why--did the Eastern Union persist with its disadvantageous amnesia
Why--did Elven Gard challenge four times
Why--no wait Wrong
”Whydid the previous king stop after eight times?”
Consider the reverse
Not how ed, but why they stopped at the number
they did
Right up to the eighth tiered only
things of little value
The seventh or ninth tiood
Why eight?
Having thought that far
Sora cale hypothesis
”What if the previous king, had not been losing his memory?”
Spreading out the ures, he collated the data he
had collected together
He stared at the borders spanning many years, and rapidly confirmed his
thoughts
It was still a theory full of holes, yet worth considering nonetheless
There were two particularly glaring holes
How had he avoided losing his memories
And--
As Sora was in the
Sheepishly, as if reluctant to speak up, Jibril muttered
”Master Master, your classification certainly is 'Imanity'”
”Nn, eh? Of course it is?”
Still deep in thought, Sora looked at Jibril who had interrupted his thinking
”But not all of Imanity acts as wisely as Master”
She said this euphe to come up with a
legiti's folly
These words were as far as she could go speaking as a servant to her master
A servant is not allowed to doubt their master; Jibril chided herself
But Sora spoke without hesitation
”There are definitely [those who have it together] as well And generally,
those guys are--incomprehensible”
This tilared at the data compiled on his tablet PC
”Trying to understand that is my 'duty'”
It was as if he had read Jibril's mind
”Jibril, it's alright to speak freely”
”Imanity here is small, powerless, coarse and uncivilized Why do you believe
in [the Imanity of this world] who from your perspective, mentally and
physically, must be no more than animals--that's what you wanted to say
right?”
”--No, that's not quite”
That was exactly it
Whatever follies the previous king had committed, it should all be able to be
put away by blaeneral
Sora and shi+ro, by their own admittance, were classified as Imanity
However the reason Jibrilfollowed them was because they were not [lower
organisms] such as Imanity
Sora and shi+ro were two beings who broke the mold of all common sense
Thus Sora's folloords
”The answer is quite simple--I don't believe in [humanity]”
”Eh?”
Both Jibril, and Steph listening in outside, couldn't believe their ears
”shi+ro and I are not from this world, so you must think that we're different
fro is different back where we
ca me”
Sora's face as he spoke those self- words was--in various ways,
full of despair
--That world of the past, covered in optic fibre
A world that had been coence
and cultured wisdom
And yetthat technology had simply led to a vast flood of information
As for whyall pointed towards that wherever they were, humans were
foolish things
”Hues, that never will”
As Sora spoke in disgust, Steph clenched the key in her hand
--There was no way she could entrust her grandfather's key to Sora after all
There was no wayshe could believe in this man
Thinking so, Steph began to move away
”However--I believe in [that possibility]”
--But Sora's words did not stop
Dusting the ground next to Sora as if preparing to sit, Jibril knelt down
”The reason is--her”
Sora spoke as he stroked shi+ro's gently sleeping face, her head in his lap
Packing so much information into her little head, she must have been
exhausted
”If humans were all useless trash like me, ould have been lost in despair
long ago”
His expression as he caressed his sister's cheek
Compared to the man as so full of frustration and hopelessness earlier-
-belonged to a completely different person
”They definitely, exist”
The gentle brother half closed his eyes, as ifstaring at the light
Full of adirl, whose chest softly rose
and fell
”People's--the smallness that you felt, happens because of our foolishness, yet
it is through that we learn, that we rise up to possibly reach even the Gods;
such wishes and dreams are what her smallframe representsthe hope of
[genius]”
””
”Hey, I'm an idiot after all”
He laughed wryly
”I' my own kind Really, the world is filled with them--
enough to make me sick”
However
”Butshi+ro is different”
As he stroked the face that lay on his knees
”The day when I first o”
As if re what happened yesterday, Sora's eyes drifted away
”She had been a child only three years old But what do you think the first
thing she said hen she heard my name?”
”Rea, llyhow 'empty
[11]
'”
--Not understanding, Jibrilfrowned
Explaining, Sora chuckled
”A three year old, already juggling es, saas
superficially laughing along with the crowd and hit me with that double
hable isn't it?”
His words contained neither self-depreciation nor anger
Rather as if in a fever, Sora laughed fearlessly
”[I was entranced] The [geniuses] I had always been thrilled by, were real”
What his worthless iination had cooked up had jumped out to be before
his very eyes
He asked himself, how can she do that
And asked again, why can't I
Co a co
person
”And as for enius]'s 'brother'”
He laughed bitterly again, yet there was resolve mixed in
”Despite how apart ere, I longed I decided to believe Even one as
useless as me, if I utterly worked my ass off, even if I couldn't follow her into
that realm, then I could at least come close”
”That's why I don't believe in 'humanity'”
--As he doesn't believe in himself
”That's why I believe in that 'possibility'”
--As he can believe in shi+ro
”Humanity's potential is infinite It's just that that potential can go in either
direction”
Therefore humans can be infinitely wise, or infinitely foolish--if that's so
”If I'h, then maybe I can one day catch up to my
infinitely wise sister?”
--A perfect revolution
S so, Sora continued to tenderly nuzzle his little sister
Kneeling seiza next to thereat interest
--He himself probably didn't notice
Overlooked that at the time, he himself had only been 10 years old
That at 10 years of age he had unraveled the essence of the words of that
three year old child, and accepted them
Even respected them
And then thought of what to do about it
He had realised that he couldn't win that way, and so set about carving his
own path
So like thatsomeone who can do thatould you call
them?
He who called himself a fool--he himself, probably didn't realise
”--I see, the [line between genius and stupidity is fine indeed]--those are
profound words”
Jibril likewise looked overhead
Gazing up at a sea ofstars in the endless night sky beyond the skylight, Sora
spoke
”In our original world--humans have flown the sky, and crossed the stars”
”--Speaking freelyI can't believe it”
”Exactly, no one could Even humans themselves”
But there were those who believed, who dreamed
Precisely because they were born without wings, they gazed up and longed
for the heavens all the more
At last, with their own hands, they soared up into beyond upon wings of iron
Then they dreaher, even further, until they reached the very stars
themselves
Because they are born with nothing, they could yearn--to aim at that which is
'far away'
--If we don't have it, then we'llfind it
--If we can't find it, then we'll make it
--If it still can't be obtained, then keep searching until the world's end
[Being born with nothing]
Precisely because of that fact, they are the [proud weak], the proof of
humans infinite possibilities
”They're definitely there in humanity, [those who've found it] Not one of the
countless ienius”
Not trying to understand that, would be a sin
Because the words of a genius are too obvious to themselves, such that they
cannot explain it
”So the duty of conveying that, falls to us common men”
”If you don't believe in the 'start' then there can be no 'beginning' Same for
the previous king”
Laughing so, Sora looked down at the ain
Jibrilsimply closed her eyes
She produced a s
”I believe in what master believes If master will believe in Imanity, then I will
simply follow you until the end That is all”
Hiding outside the door, listening to that exchange, Steph's mind whirled
Endlessly randfather's back had been so big and
warm
Gentle and warm, the back of a man who ceaselessly believed in people
--”When you meet the ones who you believe from your heart you can entrust
Elchea to”
Cold and calculating, a man who has always doubted people
He was far different frorandfather, but because of that
He was someone who believed in the capability of people more than any
other
Would it be alright to entrust to hirandfather left her
She herself did not knohat it was for--but
If it was hirandfather be satisfied
Would he praise her'you chose a good person'
”Sora”
Creaaakslowly pushi+ng open the door, Steph saw Jibrilfaintly s and
Sora looking surprised
Steph sirim determination
”There's so I want to pass to you”
Part 6
The next dayin the royal bedroom, now Steph's bedroom
Four people: Steph, Sora, shi+ro and Jibril ithin
”--Is the general gist of it”
Having spoken everything she remembered, Steph described the history of
the key
The first words that came in reply
”--They're definitely ero books”
And so
Steph intensely regretted her choice
”T-there's no way that's the case! How the heck did you get that from my
description!”
”But he was in such a hurry to shut your father up”
”He, he said that was so different!”
”In the [previous world] shi+ro and I ca
statistically 90 of men hid away”
”80, also hidero, goods”
”Yep Well, this is an important key Steph I had been worried there were no
[side dishes] in this world”
With no words left to her, Steph fell backwards onto the bed in silence
”But oes yet”
”Ero books are absolutely always hidden in the bedrooht
here Without a doubt”
”If it's a hidden room we've [found it already] It's probably the one over
there”
”Huh---?”
At those words, Steph got up in a hurry and turned around
Falling off the bed, Steph chased after Sora and the others
”Firstly--the bed is tilted shi+ro fell off after all”
A few days ago Sora had indeed waken up inconsolable, Steph recalled
”So if you push the bed and look closely, there really is an incline Look at the
decorative scales engraved on the plates at the foot of the bed The scale is
tilted to the left,on the
left”
Indifferently
With no catharsis whatsoever, Sora blandly revealed the mystery
”Next, the bookshelf on the left The intervals of the shelves are not uniform
Even though the shelves of the one on the right are”
”Eh, rightth, that's certainly so”
”They're irregular, but by and large the pattern can be divided into large and
small”
He pointed at the rows ofshelves from the top
”If you take this as 0, the result is 01, 00, 11, 10 Converting to binary that's
1, 0, 3, 2 In this rooes is the
encyclopedia”
Saying so, Sora took the encyclopedia from the shelf
”Now the first word on page 1032 is, in the language of Ihthouse]
Well~conventionally it'd probably be referring to a candelabra or chandelier,
so fixture”
Sora walked over to some candles mounted on the wall
”There's been an indent drawn through that word in the middle, as if with an
uninked pen”
As he spoke both Jibril and Steph looked
There was indeed a faint dent
”So it's referring to the candles on the left side of the room, specifically the
[middle] candles Furthermore that word is connected by three arrows on the
left which point to related entries So--”
He tilted the candelabra three times to the left
”Finally, one single arrow to the right points to [harbour] on page 605 as a
related item Basically--”
He then tilted the candelabra once to the right
Once he did, the candelabra slid out
--Within were four dials
”shi+ro solved it from here, so I'll pass it on”
Tagging hands, shi+ro turned the dials
”[lighthouse], [harbour]I innumber of
line, intersections”
Clicking sounds could be heard
”Perfectlyfour, digitsanswer, [2642]”
As Steph and Jibril looked on stunned
Sora, as ifshowing off rapid ic tricks, clapped his hands and rushed them
to the next step
”And with that behold, behind the curtain, one of the blocks of the wall
somehow lifts out!and it's pretty heavy, so earlier it took both me and
shi+ro some considerable effort, but screw that now Jibril, if you please”
”Ah, yes, as you will”
Jibrilfocused slightly
”Once you do that, well, as we said--”
Rumble rumble rumble
”The bookshelf moves~”
Behind that now displaced bookshelf was--
”So that looks like a locked door The key should be for that, right?”
Taking out the key he had obtained from Steph, Sora spoke leisurely
----
Too leisurely
Too leisurely, and too unceremoniously
Thishad desperately planned
out with all his cunning--
With even Jibril being taken aback at this carefreeness, Steph shouted out
”J-ju, just when did you figure this out!!”
”Like I said, the day shi+ro fell off the bed”
”Nod nod”
--No wait
Please wait, thought Steph
”Would that be the day you ed Jibril to a
game?”
”Ah, you have a good memory”
”That's trauet even if I wanted to! More
importantly----!”
--Steph looked back on that day, fro
Steph had lost at black jack
They had then proceeded to decimate the nobles--then they had visited the
libraries
”Just when did you find the time to solve all this--!?”
”Frouess?”
Without any fuss, they had solved it in such a trivial amount of time
This
As if it were just to pass the time
Steph was stunned, but it was as if Sora wasn't even aware of their own
achievement
”Well, that being said we couldn't find the key, so this is as far as we got”
”B, but ree, even without a key--”
”Ah, yeah we could have picked it easily, but cheating in a puzzle game like
this would be boring”
Sora laughed, and shi+ro nodded
Right, this is all, just a game to them
Loosening up, Sora coughed
”Now then--let us go worshi+p the treasure books hidden within, ah, I'll
blindfold shi+ro first”
”muuno, fair”
”Time is impartial Please wait seven years”
”Haven't I been saying they're not ero books!?”
Sora turned the key he had gotten from Steph in the keyhole
With the sound of refined fittings creaking, the door opened
------
Even Sora who had been expecting ero books just a while ago
Why could it be
As one--they gasped
All of them
In there was a study, with no s
Alongside bookshelves crammed with books were sentimental accessories,
tables and chairs, all covered in dust
But contrary to the peacefulness, so unearthly could be felt
A feeling that one should not enter here so carelessly, which would stop
anyone's feet
Sora cleared his throat, and slowly passed through the door
And looked over the book placed in the centre of the desk that was still
open
He brushed a hand over the unreadably dusty pages
Just one state hand
”Fro us back, I
leave this to you”
Sora painstakingly turned the page, and read what followed
”I was not a 'wise king'”
”I could perhaps have been re But for the
sake of he who is not I, that will bring a resurgence, I willingly take this
shales I have encountered, I believe
that the path of the next king will be cleared”
””
Sora stood silent, motionless, and both shi+ro and Jibril who understood what
all this meant were likewise
--Here was a lory
In a lifetiames with other nations
The Eastern Union alone had been challenged eight times
Ato uncover
and expose all their secrets
--As it was, Imanity stood on the brink of destruction
His own actions had hastened it
Yet knowing that he had set out on a series of offensives, as if he were a fool
Beginning fro the
stratagems of the enemy, he was despised and reviled
This was the record of a man who understood all that--
It was true after all
”The previous kinghad [not lost his memory]”
”No hy!”
Even Jibril herself had not been able to avoid a the Eastern
Union,
But Sora realized
It was just a guess--but it was almost certainly the truth
”Jibrila rich idiot comes into your casino If you wanted all his money,
[ould you do]?”
”--I'd teht be able to win, however many
timesittook”
Realising thus, Jibril's eyes widened
”The previous king dove in Eight ti over the land--
so that it may one day be won back”
But even if his ht to
stop hi out
Therefore, most likely
”The condition must have been 'you cannot tell anyone in your lifetime”
Meaning--[after death] was not included
And so With a body unable to use ic like the elves
He was the only one who had grasped the contents of an unrecordable game
”----[The next king, will be Iambler]was it”
”Un”
Sora , and shi+ro also understood the intent
He--probably had known
He hadthat other countries would
definitely send their own agents
Even so--he had calculated that the one ould overcome all and be
crowned, would be a 'person'
Because of the interference of other countries, he could only pretend to be a
loser and leave this record for those ould follow
Having concluded that if he fought straight up he could not win, he instead
kept this immaculate record
”Steph”
”W, what?”
Perhaps not understanding the situation, Steph was confused at Sora's serious
tone
”Your grandfatherno, the [late king]ithout a doubt [your
grandfather]”
Sora recalled how Steph, in order to figure out their tricks, had bet even her
panties
He had been held in contempt by every other nation, and even his own
people
Yet he had continued to play the fool, and devoted hi
Within his heart, he had prepared himself to the uttermost
Without ever losing belief in the 'king ill bring us back'--was this faith in
the human race?
He had been betting
That froe one able to
overwhelm all the others
The possibility was almost zero, but he believed in the possibility that wasn't
zero
Fa life
For the sake of final victory, he had lived a life of defeat and shame
The siblings who had been entrusted as the 'king ill bring us back'
simply stood
Looking down at his shi+rt which read [I ♥ Humans], Sora spoke
”Hey Jibril, for a guy like this to have existed--it's unbearable right?”
”I, guess so”
She felt she could see a glimpse of what her master believed in
Jibril, in order to change her perception, closed her eyes
Sora took out his mobile, and opened the task scheduler
He tapped his fingers
Without a doubt, what he had written was:
”Objective- absolute conquest of the Eastern Union”