Volume 8 Chapter 3 Part 3 (2/2)
They looked beyond the crowd with a skill and found a large horse carriage slowly proceeding in the middle of the street. In Hinomoto, horse carriages were probably the main means of transport.
Among the voices they heard, some were mentioning the name ”Ichinose”.
Inside the carriage was a large bear beast, a female beast next to him, with a human man sitting across from them.
”Schnee, can you see?”
s.h.i.+n asked his companion. Schnee felt that s.h.i.+n's mood had changed and looked towards the carriage, understanding what he meant to say.
”Yes, it appears it was true that something is going on.”
”Kuu?”
Yuzuha, the only one incapable of usingThrough Sight, couldn't follow.
”Ichinose Juugo, Rokuhara Kai, no problem here. But that Tamamo is different. She's not human.”
”Tamamo?”
Yuzuha reacted before Schnee could. Still in fox mode, she spoke not via Mind Chat but through her voice.
”Do you know her?”
”.I think, I've heard the name.”
Yuzuha tried to remember, but then whimpered as she ultimately couldn't.
”Well, we know that things probably won't end peacefully.”
Tamamo's species was White Tail. Like Yuzuha, it had a human form, but it was without a doubt a monster.
As far as they could see, however, the other pa.s.sengers of the carriage -Juugo and Kai-had no status ailments.
”They're not being controlledI suppose?”
”Certainly doesn't look like it, they're not affected with Charm.”
Seeing a monster mingling among humans was a bad sign, but they couldn't do anything at the moment.
s.h.i.+n knew that certain monsters, like Yuzuha, coexisted peacefully with humans.
”We can't confirm anything now, so I'll talk with Karin later. There are more important things to do now.”
”That's true.”
s.h.i.+n talked while looking away from Juugo, and Schnee nodded in response.
On s.h.i.+n's map, there was a symbol heading in a straight line to the Kujou main compound, ignoring people and buildings. It was a neutral green color, but the fact that it was hiding its presence was terribly suspicious.
”At first glance, it does not seem too fearsome, but what should we do?”
”Let's go after it. It would be great if it was just a spy, but for it to come right after seeing that White TailI have a bad feeling about this. I'm sorry to say this during the festival.”
”We looked around a bit, and you gave me a present. It's enough.”
Schnee understood that it could be troublesome later to ignore it, so she had no objections. Thanks to the present, her mood was perfectly happy too.
From the symbol's movements, they predicted that it was moving on the rooftops: s.h.i.+n and Schnee then went to a solitary alley and used Hiding to conceal themselves.
They didn't change their clothes, but Schnee replaced the hairpin with the original one.
As they followed the symbol, they saw a group clad in very similar clothing as the ninja squad that had attacked s.h.i.+n before. Ninja clothing often have similar designs, so at first glance it isn't possible to distinguish them.
”Hm? This isn't the way to the main compound.”
s.h.i.+n was following the ninja group, but realized that they were not heading towards the main compound. The most important building in that direction was the residence where Haruna was resting.
”Their target is lady Haruna!?”
The first ninja group had targeted Kanade and Karin. It would not be strange if they targeted Haruna, a daughter of the Kujou house like Kanade.
s.h.i.+n's prediction was correct: the ninja group drew their weapons and a 3-cemel wide spherical object, then penetrated the residence without a sound.
”Don't let even one run away. We're hunting them down.”
”Understood.”
One of the group pointed a blade at Ei, who happened to be pa.s.sing.
Before the weapon could strike her however, s.h.i.+n appeared behind the attacker and struck him down, burying him underground.
At the same time, he released an aura of crus.h.i.+ng intimidation towards the other invaders, to oppose their infiltration of the residence.
”W-what!? S-sir s.h.i.+n!?!”
”I will explain later. I'll go crush the attackers, please gather everyone in the residence and protect lady Haruna!”
”!! Understood!! Intruders here in the residence!! Come out, men!!!”
Ei was wide-eyed in her astonishment, but quickly grasped the situation and loudly called for help.
They probably had a fixed protocol for emergency situations: less than 30 seconds after Ei's call, armored men came out in a rush.
”No need to capture them alivecut them down!”
As soon as the commander-looking man spoke, the men around him a.s.sumed the look of warring demons.
s.h.i.+n thought that they might have had a difficult time against the enemies' smokescreens, which had the effect of causing poison and paralysis, but the residence's soldiers dealt with them without trouble.
Some men matched the intruders' blades within the smokescreens, then countered and sliced the enemies' necks.
Others launched their spears to pierce the intruders' torsos.
Others would face intruders, protected by their ninja blades and gauntlets, and cleave them in half, protective gear and all: the difference in fighting power was overwhelming.
Maybe because of Haruna's presence, it appeared that seasoned veterans had been stationed there.
Some of the intruders with higher levels had been defeated by s.h.i.+n and Schnee, so the attack by this mysterious group was quelled in an instant.
”We thank you for your a.s.sistance.”
”I have had the honor of meeting lady Haruna once. I could not stand by and ignore these people's foul plans. I must ask though, would you not have wanted to capture at least one alive?”
”Preserving lady Haruna's wellbeing is of higher priority. In Hinomoto, no a.s.sa.s.sins that knew their sender's ident.i.ty would ever operate like this.”
Some would even allow themselves to be captured, then use skills to explode within enemy lines. Even if captured, they wouldn't leak information and could cause damage and casualties, so they were always cut down on the spot.
After s.h.i.+n and Schnee explained why they were tracking the attackers, Karin arrived. She had apparently rushed there as fast as she could, so her breathing was slightly ragged.
”Lady Haruna!?”
”She's completely safe and sound.”
s.h.i.+n felt that this information had arrived too quickly, but chose not to say anything.
Because even after the battle ended, the man he thought to be the commander of the residence's soldiers kept his eyes on s.h.i.+n, without letting his guard down one second.
s.h.i.+n had explained that their presence was a coincidence, but the commander was still wary of them.
It certainly wasn't pleasant to be doubted, but for men in charge of security as they were, keeping the stance of never letting one's guard down was important.
”What about the intruders?”
”We have dealt all of them. We could not find anything to determine where they came from.”
They had already checked if there was any information to be extracted from the corpses. They only used equipment and tools that could be found pretty much anywhere.
s.h.i.+n heard that it was not possible to find out where the ninjas had come from by using the Listen skill. He talked about what happened to Karin, then s.h.i.+n, Schnee, and Karin returned to the Saegusa house.
According to Kuyou, despite the attack on Haruna's residence the inheritance ceremony would be held without delays.
”I think they will increase security though.”
Few ruffians would think of targeting the Kujou, but still few was not zero. It was an unavoidable fate for such a large clan.
No matter the era, there are always those dissatisfied with the people governing.
In Hinomoto there existed an organization specialized in a.s.sa.s.sinations, which would target anyone upon request.
s.h.i.+n heard about such criminal groups in the mainland too, so he wasn't surprised.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked about Ichinose Juugo.
”Sir Juugo, huh. You have heard that the Ichinose family holds the ideal of an unified Hinomoto, yes?”
”Yes, I've heard it mentioned”
”After the Kujou and the Yaejima divided the country under their respective rule, for a while the Ichinose showed intentions of becoming independent. The Yaejima and other houses of the west restrained them, but it looks like the current head is planning something. We have received reports that soldiers in the Ichinose domain are on the move. They might be planning to do something during the inheritance ceremony.”
”And it will be held even if you know that?”
”Expert warriors from all over Hinomoto will gather for the inheritance ceremony. Average soldiers wouldn't hold a candle to them. Even if something happened, it wouldn't even become a battle.”
In the past, during a similar ceremony, someone had similarly planned dirty deeds. According to Kuyou, the plot had been squashed immediately.
They were not acting out of arrogance, but excessive security would be a burden. They had no proof that the Ichinose were really plotting something after all.
Just in case, s.h.i.+n decided to tell them about Tamamo.
”Hmm, I never heard that sir Juugo had a female partner.”
”Really. I only saw this with a skill, so I have no actual proof of her presence, but I am sure that I did not see wrong. I thought that it would be better for you to know.”
”I am grateful for your advice. I will try to look into this too.”
Kuyou did not doubt s.h.i.+n's words.
”Oh, on a different subject, is Black Moonusable by anyone? I heard that certain high-grade weapons choose who can equip them, so this was on my mind.”
”You are truly knowledgeable. I heard that once there was such a limitation, but not anymore.”
Having stats higher than a certain level or ignoring the decrease in the weapon's power due to insufficient stats would allow anyone to wield it.
After talking with Kuyou, s.h.i.+n gave four cards to Karin, who was walking beside Schnee.
”Sir s.h.i.+n? These are”
”Please keep them with you, just in case. After what happened today, I have a bad feeling.”
”..understood. I will definitely return them to you.”
Karin checked the cards' ill.u.s.trations, then held them against her chest while nodding. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
The next instant, a severe chill ran down s.h.i.+n's spine. What he saw after slowly turning around was Schnee smiling and looking at them.
”(Just in case! Just in case, okay!? I don't have any weird intentions!!)”
”(Oh my, I haven't said anything, though?)”
Schnee's smile was terrifying. As they say, eyes can speak as clearly as the mouthbut in Schnee's case it was not only her eyes: her Mind Chat, expression, and presence all showed how bad her mood was.
s.h.i.+n, almost panicking, shook his head left and right and explained himself frantically. He could have given the cards to Karin in secret, but the situation would have turned even worse, or so he instinctively felt.
”Kuu kuu”
While looking at the three, Yuzuha cried as if saying ”there we go again”.
5 days after Schnee's arrival.
s.h.i.+baid, Filma, Tiera, and Kagerou also arrived at s.h.i.+n's location.
As they had now become a large group, they thought of moving to an inn in town, but after Kayo's plea, it was decided that they would all stay at the Saegusa house.
They planned to stay in town until the inheritance ceremony was held, so that time limit was the condition. They could not impose on the Saegusa forever after all.
”So that's what happened! Aah, we sent Schnee first for nothing!”
”What do you mean?”
”You were always traveling as 3 people or more, right? So I thought to let you two stay by yourselves for a while. I should have told Schnee to take it more seriously.”
Filma sighed, looking disappointed. She had no intention of hiding her plan apparently.
”It was Filma that proposed I come here first, to be clear.”
”Just what do you have in mind!?”
”I heard that she waited 500 years. Is it bad for Schnee to have a good time once in awhile? Or do you have some other maiden in mind?”
”I don't, but the situation here is complex and but if we really were by ourselves, I cannot say that nothing would have happened”
”Oh, you don't deny that?”
All party members knew of Schnee's affection towards s.h.i.+n. If they had stayed in an inn by themselves, the chances of something happening between them was not zero.
s.h.i.+n had expressed his plans to return to his original world, but it was not something he wanted to achieve no matter what.
Only the G.o.ds would know if he would be able to dodge Schnee's approach.
”I think I know the kind of person I am. I couldn't say that I would never go with the flow in such situations”
s.h.i.+n was not insecure or undecided, but his will wasn't unshakable steel either.
”Oh, now that's a good thing to know.”
”You're planning something again, you've got it written all over your face”
”Definitely not a wholesome plan.”
”She never learns, does she.”
”Hey!! s.h.i.+baid, you too!?”
s.h.i.+baid spoke through a sigh, probably tired of their conversation.
”So, when will that inheritance ceremony thing start?”
s.h.i.+n had already informed s.h.i.+baid and the others of the inheritance ceremony. Also because the divine katana s.h.i.+n had crafted was the final reward, s.h.i.+baid was interested in the outcome.
”5 days from now. I'm sorry to say this after you just arrived, but some trouble happened. A battle might break out.”
”Eh, what? I heard that Hinomoto's a peaceful place though?”
Tiera was surprised to hear the word battle. She had heard about how safe and peaceful Hinomoto usually was.
s.h.i.+n explained about the circ.u.mstances.
”I just don't understand. Why are they so fixated on uniting the country?”
”Who knows. Even if they did so through military power, it's not like governing it would become any easier. What do you think s.h.i.+baid?”
It was not exactly like j.a.pan's Warring States period, but as Hinomoto was now in a similar situation, s.h.i.+n asked for s.h.i.+baid's opinion, who had partic.i.p.ated in the founding of the Empire.
”Without understanding the head of the Ichinose family, I cannot say anything. Such things change depending on who is leading the various groups. In the era after the natural disasters wrecked the land, many countries were founded, but each underwent a different fate.”
According to s.h.i.+baid, several countries had tried invading others hoping to unify the continent under their rule.
The areas where monsters sp.a.w.ned and the natural barriers formed by mountains, however, led to the current situation. Despite this, some countries still haven't given up their ambitions apparently.
Some countries governed while thinking of their citizens' well-being, others had become military states, so it was not possible to give one single answer.
”Well, I have just heard that the Ichinose are acting suspiciously, but I don't know anything decisive. It would be great if nothing happened, but please stay alert.”
”Hmm, understood.”
Both Filma and Tiera nodded to s.h.i.+n's words.
In the end, the ident.i.ty of Haruna's attackers was a complete mystery.
s.h.i.+n, however, did not think that Juugo, Kai, and the monster Tamamo would simply sit back and do nothing.