The roots of her nightmare seemed to run extremely deep. While Miyo thought she had erased as much as she could, there was no guarantee the terrible vision wouldn’t return with time.
“Thank goodness… Oh, Izuko, isn’t that great? Just seeing this girl asleep with such a peaceful look on her face is more than enough. Thank you, Miyo. You have no idea how grateful I am.”
“Don’t be, I didn’t do very much. I’m just happy Izuko can finally get some well-deserved rest.”
Miyako had tears in her eyes. Miyo could understand. It must have been almost as hard for the people in Izuko’s life, being unable to do anything about the girl’s obvious suffering.
But…
There was the content of the dream. Had all that actually happened? If so, it was a serious matter.
“Miyako.”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Does the word ‘aberrant’ ring any bells?”
The moment Miyo asked this, Miyako’s face clouded over. It was as though her previous joy had instantly evaporated.
“…Where did you hear that word?”
“Inside the dream. Do you have any idea what it refers to?”
“I do. But, well, I can’t talk freely about it. It’s something that would have serious repercussions on the Miyakoujis’ reputation.” Miyako appeared unsure about just how much she could say. Her tone was low and hesitant. “If you really want to know…you should ask the family patriarch.”
“I see.”
They didn’t want to accidentally wake Izuko up, and so Miyo returned to the parlor with Miyako.
All the women who were gathered there asked at once whether the treatment had worked. Miyo gave almost the same explanation she had given Miyako, and they heaped praise on her for an extended amount of time afterward.
“Miyo, we truly can’t thank you enough. You did great.”
“Sure did. Everyone here really wanted to help that girl. You’re real modest, but you actually turned what everyone here hoped for into reality. You’re a genuine paragon to Gift-users everywhere.”
Showered with such overblown praise, Miyo couldn’t help but feel self-conscious and embarrassed.
She had been able to use her Gift to help someone. But she had done it in her own way. As long as she could protect family and friends close at hand, that was enough for her, and this incident had helped her reconfirm that.
For that reason, the word aberrant clung to the forefront of her mind.
While Miyo was joining the women of the Miyakouji family for a casual tea party…
Kiyoka was heading to the Second Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit station.
Located to the southeast of the city center, the army facilities of the old capital were clustered around a comparatively less dense part of town. Among the different bases for each division and regiment, there was a station reserved for the Second Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, albeit one much smaller than its counterpart in the capital.
Kiyoka had never been a part of the Second Unit, but he had visited their station many times before.
After parking the Miyakouji automobile he had borrowed, Kiyoka headed inside the station.
He had reached out in advance, so he was let through after a cursory identification check.
“Well, well, glad to see ya.”
Waiting in the commander’s office was the man currently leading the Second Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, Zen Koumyouin. Kiyoka hadn’t seen the hardened commander since his wedding last spring.
“Hello.”
“Ha-ha. Go on, take a seat.”
Although Kiyoka didn’t wish to stay very long, he sat down on the sofa at Koumyouin’s behest.
Koumyouin then got up from his desk, walked steadily over to the sofa opposite Kiyoka, despite missing one leg, and began to brew tea himself. Everything about the process was chaotic—the amount of tea leaves and hot water he used, the brew time, and even the movement of his hands as he poured them each a cup.
Looking at the scattered drops of water with disgust, Kiyoka took the beverage Koumyouin handed him.
“You’re at the Miyakouji place, right? How’re they all doing?”
“It’s the same as ever over there. Lord Komon appears to have his hands quite full.”
“Figured.”
Koumyouin made a grand shake of his head, as if to dispel the troubling thoughts, and slurped his tea.
He must have dealt with the Miyakoujis in some form or another since he was transferred to the old capital and made the unit commander. Clearly the man had opinions of his own regarding the family.
For today, however, Kiyoka didn’t plan on delving any deeper into that subject.
“Koumyouin, can we skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point?”
“Knock yourself out.”
After hearing the man’s reply, Kiyoka took out a sword from the sword bag he had in his hands.
Koumyouin’s gaze sharpened when he laid eyes on the blade.
“I didn’t want to think it, but…guess I was right. Been a while since I’ve seen that sword.”
It was a singular tachi long sword in a black sheath. It had a metallic heft that required ample practice and training for someone to lift and swing. The hilt was white and the handguard gold. Its unique design was recognizable at a single glance, and its intense presence took the breath away of most who laid eyes on it.
The name inscribed on the magic blade read SETSUJITSUTO.
It was Kiyoka’s favorite sword, the one he had left behind on the mountain after sealing away the Earth Spider.
“You took it with you?”
“I did. The seal was undone, and the Earth Spider was long gone by the time I found it.”
For a split second, Koumyouin’s face darkened bitterly when Kiyoka invoked the Grotesquerie. But the man was a battle-hardened hero. As to be expected, his face instantly went back to normal, and he spoke without showing any signs of agitation.
“…Was this hunk of metal always so…normal?”
“No.”
Koumyouin had instantly noticed the sword’s change in state.
That being said, if someone had been familiar with the blade in its prime, they wouldn’t have needed Gifts or arts to notice the difference.
This blade had once possessed such tremendous power, yet it was almost all gone at this point. The gap between its past and its present incarnations was obvious.
“The sword appears to have lost most of its power after the Earth Spider broke the seal. Now it’s too dull to cut anything.”
“Ahhh, I get it.”
Koumyouin appeared to have surmised what Kiyoka was getting at based on the way the conversation was going.
“Basically, you’re hopin’ to get the sword back in functioning condition again.”
Kiyoka silently nodded.
Magical blades were unique. Naturally, they were different from regular swords, and more aptly described as a type of arts catalyst. Their effects and characteristics were endlessly diverse, varying widely depending on the sword, with the quirks and talents of the blacksmith who forged it or the practitioner who filled the sword with power greatly influencing the end result.
When repairing arts catalysts, the fastest and most surefire method to get the weapon back in working order was to seek out the original arts practitioner who had crafted the blade.
However, magical blades were extremely long-lasting weapons. The creator of Setsujitsuto had departed this world a long, long time ago. So what was Kiyoka to do?
“Can I get an audience with the Grandmaster?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’d wager he’s probably at home today.”
Kiyoka and Koumyouin both understood everything without saying very much. Nodding, Kiyoka gulped down the rest of his tea and rose from his seat.
“I’m sorry I have to leave so soon.”
Kiyoka bowed slightly, but Koumyouin waved his hand.
“No worries. Pop in again when you got more time on your hands. But check in with the others, okay?”
“I will.”
Kiyoka took his sword and went to leave the office before Koumyouin suddenly stopped him.
“Oh, and if you need some backup with the Earth Spider case, you better tell me, ya hear? We’ll happily clean that thing up for ya if it’s givin’ ya trouble.”
While his tone was joking, there wasn’t a hint of a smile in Koumyouin’s eyes. He was serious. If the opportunity presented itself, he genuinely wished to finish off the Earth Spider with his own hands.
While Kiyoka understood the sentiment, realistically he had no intention of getting the Second Unit involved.
“…We won’t need your help, Koumyouin. We’ll handle it just fine ourselves,” Kiyoka asserted before leaving the office for good this time.
Koumyouin was a skilled Gift-user. Despite losing one leg, being demoted to rank and file, and transferred to the Second Unit, he’d still managed to work his way up to commander with his effort and skill.
However, going up against the Earth Spider was a different story. The fight would prove difficult for the man.
And Kiyoka had lost enough people he was close to for a lifetime.
After leaving the station, Kiyoka hopped back into the automobile.
He had gone around to all the Second Unit members. Each and every one of them he was familiar with, Kaoruko included, had told him to ask them for help if the Earth Spider was giving him trouble, so he was sick of hearing it.
By the time he climbed alone into the automobile, he felt a bit exhausted.
The real tough part’s next.
He couldn’t afford to be tired now.
His next destination wasn’t too far away. East of the crowded cluster of military buildings was a small mountain with shrines and the like. Kiyoka was headed to the small hermitage built at its foot.
The thatched, wooden hermitage looked old and ready to fall over at any minute. To anyone unfamiliar, it might have seemed like an abandoned ruin.
When Kiyoka arrived, the resident had already come out to see him.
“It has been too long, Grandmaster.”
“The Kudou boy? It has been a spell.”