Three days earlier.
The window of Utsuwa’s room afforded an excellent view of the city below. The city of the Keybinder, always so bustling, was quiet, as if someone had doused its proverbial flame. There were fewer people out than usual, and half as many wizard lamps shone on the streets. The only thaumatheria in the sky belonged to the security forces, and even the wizard carriages appeared listless as they moved along the roads.
Utsuwa kept a close eye on all this from the window of her room. It made her terribly sad. She had thought the coming of the visitors from the Forbidden Land meant the dawning of a new era, that it heralded the unfolding of some wonderful adventure.
Suddenly, though, the people of the Forbidden Land were her enemies, her beloved Har Bell was a traitor, and she couldn’t see that beautiful lizard Kudo anymore. It turned out the contingent from the Forbidden Land had harbored criminals who plotted to overthrow the Exinov. And to think, they would go so far as to kill a gatekeeper─!
Utsuwa loved the gatekeepers that swam through the sky above the city. They were a kind of symbol of freedom to her─but on that day, it had all come crashing to the ground.
Utsuwa shuddered. “It was so…so scary…”
She had been at her window, looking longingly toward the harbor, and had seen the whole thing. Seen those black tentacles take hold of the gatekeeper, seen them shred it into chunks of flesh that rained down from the sky.
The wailing of Danna Ryl, Keybinder of the tower, had been horrendous. She had been born a ruler, and had garnered nothing but respect and awe throughout her life. No one opposed her, and all sought her loving embrace.
Utsuwa knew, though─knew that Zaza Ryl of the Twisted Horns was always saying Mother was too kind. And Utsuwa had been proud of how kind Danna Ryl was, but…
“The invaders from the Forbidden Land have robbed us of our peace and stability. We need the strength to fight, and so we cannot continue to allow the Nurabehn, burden that they are, to live and frolic at their ease. We need more of them in the farms, more of them converted into mana. If the Forbidden Land is overflowing with mana as they say, we need only gather our remaining strength, invade, and take it from them. After our world is again made replete with mana, then we may grant the Nurabehn their freedom once more. In war, a monarch must gather soldiers, who in turn must give their lives for their ruler. This Nurabehn issue is no different.” Such was Zaza Ryl’s entreaty to the Keybinder.
Through the gates of their towers came a great many of those Exinov known as “keys,” yet not a one of them contradicted Zaza Ryl’s words. And so Danna Ryl decided to abandon her previous kindness. At Zaza Ryl’s recommendation, she had ordered the construction of the very Nurabehn farms she once so firmly opposed. It had been determined, too, that the Keybinder of the tower would take sole possession of all mana potions received from the Forbidden Land delegation. The mana of the city’s residents was then restricted, which was what had made the streets so quiet.
“Mother…”
It was early afternoon, and, having just finished lunch, Utsuwa tried to talk to Danna Ryl. Today, as usual, Zaza Ryl of the Twisted Horns was serving at her side. This man with the rectangular goat’s pupils, always bowing so deeply, was terribly kind to Utsuwa.
“Whatever is the matter, Lady Utsuwa?” Zaza Ryl asked in his master’s stead.
“Utsuwa wants to go and play in the city… Utsuwa hasn’t been able to go out at all recently.”
Ever since the day the gatekeeper was brought down, Utsuwa had been somehow too frightened to leave the tower. As the days wore on, however, she became frightened of staying in her room as well. The words that reached her ears there scared her.
Zaza Ryl quietly approached her and went down on one knee. Once he was at her level, he met her eyes and smiled. “That is a fine idea, Lady Utsuwa. At present the people are scared of the invaders as well, you see, and if you were to show them the same solicitous care you always do, it might serve as a brief distraction from their worries.”
“Y…You really think so…?”
Utsuwa glanced over at Danna Ryl, who nodded. “You are me, and I am you. In other words, you are the Keybinder. You need not seek permission from anyone─you have never done so before, have you? You freely walked the city of your own accord.”
Utsuwa nodded─she had always been free to do as she wished before all this happened. No one ever refused her, nor scolded her for going into town on a whim and enjoying its pleasures.
“But now, Utsuwa…thinks things might be a little different…”
“Oh my…” Danna Ryl covered her mouth with both hands.
Zaza Ryl stretched out his long arms and gently embraced Utsuwa, patting her back as if she were his own daughter. “You’re very clever, Utsuwa, and have a fine eye for such things. You carefully think things through, and have the presence of mind to restrain yourself. But please, let yourself be at ease. This city is protected by the Exinov. There is nothing for you to fear.”
+++
At Danna Ryl and Zaza Ryl’s insistence, Utsuwa dragged herself into town. It was less that she actually wanted to go, and more that she simply didn’t want to be in the tower any longer. So without any real idea of where to go, Utsuwa wandered aimlessly until she found herself in front of the thaumaturgical goods store she and Kudo had visited together.
The place was deserted, with a sign on the door that read, Closed due to mana shortage. Thaumaturgical devices wouldn’t function without mana, so shops that dealt in them had no choice but to close when the mana supply dried up.
“But…some of the people who do have mana might still want to buy something,” Utsuwa mumbled to herself, shaking her head. She knew that hardly anyone had mana anymore─and even those who did would pretend they didn’t. Danna Ryl was gathering mana for the war with the Forbidden Land, so the moment someone was discovered to possess a significant amount, it was sure to be taken from them.
“…Utsuwa will just go home then,” she sighed, turning to leave. Recalling Kudo’s words to her that day, Utsuwa didn’t feel like going to visit any of the sweets shops she used to frequent. Utsuwa had proudly announced that any store she visited would get more customers, so the proprietors were glad to serve her even if she didn’t pay─but Kudo had rejected that idea out of hand, and he hadn’t been kind about it.
─What’s that all about anyway, walkin’ around trumpetin’ that you’re the ruler’s daughter? If you think what they got’s worth payin’ for, then you should pay for it. Gonna draw the same crowd if you pay for the food as if you don’t.
And Utsuwa had realized he was exactly right.