Chapter 202: Mysteries (1/2)
“Now then, what do you want to start with?”
Kaoru said calmly, setting up a lighthearted atmosphere.
Pochi and Chappie, seeming to have sensed that, stopped hiding behind me.
They must have decided to, rather than thinking of her to be malicious, assume that she was more approachable than she looked.
“Chappie.”
“What is it, father?”
“What we’ll be discussing now is strictly confidential. Understood?”
As if in response to the pressure in my voice, Chappie’s face grew serious.
He seemed to have gotten a grasp on my intention-
“-I don’t understand all those difficult words!”
God damn it.
“No one outside this room is to know what we’ll be talking about. I’m serious. You got it?”
“Not even Bright?”
“Not even Bright.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
When he finally got the message, Chappie fell silent, then moved over to sit between Pochi and me with a worried look in his eyes.
I wondered if he sensed something different – I hadn’t seen Chappie be like this since he was a baby chick.
He was more worried than scared… that was the impression I got.
“Kaoru.”
“Yes?”
“First of all, how did you know that Pochi and I came from a different era? I know that the Evil Eyes are wonderfully powerful, but it doesn’t make sense that you knew that information before you activated the Evil Eyes. Could that have something to do with Jun’ko, your sister you mentioned earlier?”
Kaoru cast her eyes down and nodded quietly.
I knew it – it was her sister’s Evil Eyes.
The ones Kaoru had, were probably the natural variation, imbued with the magecraft of information analysis.
That would make them the same type that Melchi had, though the latter had gouged out her own eyes to implant them in.
Makes me wonder if Melchi could erase titles as well…
Well, that’s not important for now – gotta ask about Jun’ko.
“Your sister, Jun’ko… What is it about her Evil Eyes…?”
“Future vision… well, not quite, but it’s definitely got a high level of prediction capability. Prophesizing, if you will.”
…Ah, so that’s it…
“So how about I tell you this? Young Polco is meeting with my sister now in order to add some color to a murky future. Makes sense to you now, doesn’t it?”
“It’s understandable, yes. The fact that I’m here today, the purpose of my visit, and that I’m from another era – one should know all those if they actually have the ability to prophesize events.”
“D-does that mean she knows everything about the future?!”
Pochi asked, surprised.
Again, this was after Kaoru had said that it wasn’t outright future vision, but it’s certainly reasonable that Pochi would want to ask that.
“She could only predict the futures of those she talked with, but not her own.”
“I see, so that’s why Master Polco brought Master Bright along with him…”
“Right, young Polco has brought here a boy who will likely go on to become an important figure in the Holy Nation. That’s what I’m talking about.”
…Huh?
What’s that sense of discomfort I just felt?
“Is something the matter, Master?”
“…Father?”
“Ah-ooh?”
Even Leon – who had been in my shirt this whole time – tilted his head as if to ask me what was wrong. Gah, what an adorable kid.
“Heh heh heh, the little boy seems to be behaving himself well enough. If I remember right, he’s the one with young Hudl’s blood in him, isn’t he?”
Hmm?!
“Who’s this Hudl she’s speaking of, mother?”
“Goodness, Chappie… didn’t we already tell you a while ago? He’s the… uh, who’s he again, Master?”
Pochi held her head as she asked me, I put my hand out in front of me to stop her.
“…Master?”
Hudl is the current Holy Emperor, the very ruler of this Holy Nation.
Although to her, he was an Emperor of another nation, it was still strange for one to address him so casually.
Besides, Holy Emperor Huld should be at quite an old age now.
Right… I should have already wondered when Kaoru, who looked to be middle-aged, called Polco, who looked almost the same age as her, ‘young’.
Also, there was what I thought right then…
[An imposing mass of arcane energy that seemed to be swallowing me up. Like, there was absolutely no murderous intent in the air, but it felt as if I’d be killed if I were to let my guard down. Hmm… Actually, I think I might have felt something like this before. Huh? From where, though?]
…Now I remember where I’d first felt THAT from.
…Freaking Tūs.
That guy was the only one I knew whose actual age was close to mine. Kaoru had just about the same aura as him.
And she called me just ‘Asley,’ unlike how she referred to anyone else…!
Now that I’d realized that, Kaoru grinned subtly as she waited for my next question.
“…I hope you don’t mind me asking, Kaoru… how old are you?”
“Why would you need to ask that, Master? From how she looks… she should be between forty and fifty, right?”
“Do you even remember how old we are, doggo?”
“…Oh, I see.”
Just because someone looked older than us or her didn’t mean that they actually were, after all.
Pochi and I may look quite young, but we were practically ancient.
And considering that information about the God Drug was already around by the time I was born, despite the fact it may or may not actually exist…
How did rumors of it get spread in the first place?
That’s right – that means there were people who’d had it before Tūs and I did.
“I’ve stopped counting for hundreds of years now… but it should be close to two thousand. “
Both Pochi and Chappie were taken aback.
Chappie awkwardly turned to Pochi and asked,
“Mother, what is even going on anymore…?”
“A-at least she’s been working hard despite living for so long… unlike my Master here.”
So that’s how the doggo sees me, huh?