Volume 9 Chapter 2 Part 5 (1/2)
”Hngh?”
Feeling the warmth of sunlight, s.h.i.+n opened his eyes. He understood right away that he was in his room, inside of Tsuki no Hokora.
As he pulled himself up, he noticed something silver next to him.
”Schneewait, why?”
Seeing Schnee, sleeping while lying on the bed, fully woke up s.h.i.+n.
His memories before falling asleep were hazy. He remembered completing Dojigiri Yasutsuna, but he couldn't remember what happened after. He only remembered the feeling of being buried in something soft.
After a few minutes of racking his brain, he managed to recall having entrusted the katana to Schnee.
”What happened then?”
He was concerned whether Dojigiri Yasutsuna could be used as a container. s.h.i.+n's senses deemed it perfect, but he couldn't be sure unless Kagutsuchi confirmed it.
As there was no other way, he decided to wake Schnee and ask her.
”Schnee, wake up, Schnee.”
”Hn.n? !?”
Schnee woke up as s.h.i.+n called her name and shook her shoulders. She emitted a half-asleep mumble at first, but after noticing s.h.i.+n was awake she sprang up to her feet.
”Ah, er.how are you feeling!?”
”Just fine, so please calm down. How long was I asleep?”
Staying in the smithy for a long time, s.h.i.+n had lost track of time. Gradually, he wasn't able to tell if it was morning, day, evening, or night anymore.
”Let's see, you have been sleeping since yesterday morning, so one full day, I'd say. Kagutsuchi said that the katana you made can be used as a container. They should already be starting the transfer of consciousness.”
”I see.aaah, that was hard!”
With a big sigh, s.h.i.+n dropped back down on the bed.
Thanks to Schnee telling him what he wanted to know, s.h.i.+n felt as if a large weight had been removed from his shoulders. As he was now, he couldn't craft a better version of that katana.
Focusing so completely on blacksmithing made him realize that there were parts of the blacksmith skill that he hadn't completely mastered.
”It's just time for breakfast. Will you eat too?”
”That's fantastic. I'm actually starving.”
s.h.i.+n nodded while pa.s.sing a hand over his stomach.
He hadn't noticed how empty his stomach was while crafting, but now hunger was attacking him in full force. His stomach would start growling very soon.
s.h.i.+n and Schnee moved to the living room and found Mitsuyo putting plates on the table. As her eyes met s.h.i.+n's, she looked away for some reason.
”Ergood morningright?”
”Yes, that's rightgood morning.”
After that curt greeting, Mitsuyo disappeared into the kitchen. s.h.i.+n's head was full of question marks because of this reaction.
”Isn't she pretty different than the usual?”
”Is she? To us, it doesn't look like she changed much though.”
Schnee tilted her head to the side, not understanding what s.h.i.+n could be referring to.
”Ah, s.h.i.+n! Did you rest enough?”
As Mitsuyo left the room, Tiera came into the living room from the kitchen. The plates she was carrying contained bacon and scrambled eggs.
”Yes, I'm fine. I don't see s.h.i.+baid and the others, though-”
”They're with Kagutsuchi, to see the consciousness transfer process. Mitsuyo is helping with preparing breakfast. They should finish any moment, I think.”
s.h.i.+n asked while looking around the living room and Tiera replied. She then added that Yuzuha was a.s.sisting the process, so she was with them too.
”I see. I'm sorry for having you do everything here, but can I go there too?”
”It'll be fine if Mitsuyo helps.”
”I'll take s.h.i.+n there then.”
s.h.i.+n and Schnee headed to Fuji's shrine, as Tiera saw them off with a smile.
After crossing several forks in the path inside the shrine, they arrived in a room roughly 20 square mel large.
On the pedestal in the center of the room lay two Dojigiri Yasutsuna; the one s.h.i.+n's party had recovered from the dungeon and the one he crafted.
Baby Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha were on the pedestal too. Around the pedestal stood Filma, s.h.i.+baid, Munechika and Tsunetsugu, silently observing the process.
”Piyo-!!!”
The process seemed to be reaching its conclusion. As baby Kagutsuchi cried loudly, a faint light rose from the tattered Dojigiri Yasutsuna. As the small light left, the katana quickly deteriorated and turned into a lump of iron, as if the flow of time around it had suddenly accelerated.
The light slowly floated in midair and was gradually absorbed by the Dojigiri Yasutsuna s.h.i.+n had crafted.
”Piii-yo”
As the light was fully absorbed by the new katana, Kagutsuchi lay down, visibly exhausted. Its ball-like fluffy body was rolling back and forth on the pedestal.
”Kuu, you worked hard.”
As to praise it for a job well done, Yuzuha supported Kagutsuchi's body to prevent it from rolling around. They didn't appear to be on especially good terms before, but maybe they found something in common.
”Thus, was it a success?”
”Pii.”
Just as Kagutsuchi cried in reply to Tsunetsugu's question, something changed.
The new Dojigiri Yasutsuna rose in midair and s.h.i.+ning with light. As the light dissipated, a black-haired young man in armor appeared in its place, with Dojigiri Yasutsuna hanging at his waist.
The handsome young man and his straight, proud posture exuded the atmosphere of a natural born warrior.
”Yasutsuna!!”
”hm? Munechika and Tsunetsugu? This ishm, who are those people? What happened to lord Kagutsuchi?”
The young man Yasutsuna opened his eyes after hearing Munechika's call. He seemed to be perfectly conscious. After confirming Munechika and Tsunetsugu's presence, he cast a sharp glance in the direction of s.h.i.+n's group.
His worry about Kagutsuchi signified that his memories, up until being swallowed by miasma, were intact too.
”Calm down, Yasutsuna. These people are our saviors, they put forth their utmost efforts to save you.”
While calming Yasutsuna down, Munechika explained how s.h.i.+n's group explored the dungeon to retrieve him, how s.h.i.+n attempted and succeeded in crafting an Ancient-grade weapon to save him.
”Is that true!? I might have been ignorant of it all, but how could I act so disrespectfully to my saviors! My deepest apologies!”
After hearing the explanation, Yasutsuna bowed his head energetically. Maybe a symbol of his serious personality, his body was angled in a perfect 90 degrees bow.
”Lord s.h.i.+n, Lady Schnee, Lady Filma, Lord s.h.i.+baid, n.o.ble divine beasts. I offer you my most heartfelt grat.i.tude for a.s.sisting me and my fellows in this endeavor. If you were ever in need of my strength, please do not hesitate to say the word.”
Yasutsuna spoke fervently, his head still bowed.
At that same time, Tiera and Mitsuyo entered the room.
”I see everything went well, I'm relieved.”
”good grief, don't make people worry like that.”
The sight of the young man she had not seen before made Tiera realize that Kagutsuchi's process had succeeded. Next to her, a sullen-looking Mitsuyo let her sharp tongue loose.
”I am sorry, Mitsuyo. I am perfectly fine now. You are lady Tiera I suppose. You have my grat.i.tude for everything you have done for us.”
”I am just glad you are safe and sound.”
Yasutsuna spoke to both newcomers with a smile. He had heard all the names of the members of s.h.i.+n's group, so by elimination he had guessed that the person next to Mitsuyo was Tiera.
”By the way, Munechika, I don't see Kunitsuna.”
”Because Kunitsuna is not here. I don't know if you remember, but you two were swallowed by miasma. We're going to go rescue Kunitsuna next.”
”is that so. That time”
Apparently, Yasutsuna still retained memories of that moment. He then spoke with a saddened expression.
”Is there anything I can do?”
”Do not fret. You have just transferred to a new body, you surely are not familiar with it yet. You have to start from mastering your new body.”
Yasutsuna offered to help, but Tsunetsugu dissuaded him. Having just transferred his consciousness, he couldn't move his body as freely as before yet. Tsunetsugu related Kagutsuchi's message, that he needed time to familiarize himself with it.
”Hmm, it is true that it still feels unnatural. I suppose I would weigh you down if I came with you as I am now.”
”There's nothing to worry about. I'm going with them next time.”
Mitsuyo's announcement was followed by Yasutsuna's dejection.
”What are you saying? The one going will be me again, obviously.”
”Munechika, you touched Yasutsuna when he was still tainted by the miasma and are not in your best condition, right? We know that my Odenta Mitsuyo can be reinforced too, so I will go.”
Mitsuyo's question to s.h.i.+n a few days before had been caused by her consideration of the possible effects of miasma.
She knew that miasma could taint weapons, so she had been waiting outside the dungeon in case something happened to Munechika and she had to be replaced.
”Kh, now you said it”