Chapter 110

Governor of the Fourth “…iss? Little miss, aren’t you getting off here?” A voice calling to her prompted Maya to open her eyes. She was on a train in the middle of the night. Her body must have been exhausted after the earlier chaos. She’d passed out in her seat, even knowing someone could be chasing her. Lifting her heavy eyelids, she saw a train conductor in uniform. He’d checked her ticket earlier and evidently remembered her destination, for he’d gone out of his way to rouse her at her stop. “Are you all right? Where are your mommy and daddy?” “Of course I’m all right. Don’t treat me like a child. I’m perfectly fine on my own.” Maya snapped sharply at the man and stood from her seat in a huff. The friendly conductor looked bewildered by her attitude but brushed it off as a child’s unpredictable behavior. Her oversized white kimono fluttered as she stepped off the train and onto the shabby platform. The north wind blew through, rustling her kimono’s sleeves. Maya was dressed far too lightly for the weather, especially for a child, which made her stand out all the more. Locals never neglected their cold-weather clothing. The people at the station looked Maya’s way with confusion and concern, not suspicion. She clutched the sleeves of the kimono with her small hands. A night had already passed since Michele’s attack. Maya wasn’t worried about Michele chasing her. Hakua had invited Maya to visit her. Someone as loyal to Hakua as Michele wouldn’t interfere with the Lord’s request. However, Maya had been traveling with Menou. Her description might have already been sent to neighboring towns. Maya had to be cautious of the Noblesse knights, who weren’t part of the Faust chain of command. Maya was painfully aware of her own weakness. First, she had to dress in a way that wouldn’t draw attention. Even she knew that her current outfit stood out here. Maya slipped into an empty alleyway and touched her hand to her shadow. Her hand slipped easily into the bit of darkness on the wall, into the Concept Dimension of Original Sin. This was the source of the Pure Concept of Evil lodged in Maya’s soul. Summoning power through a connection made by the Guiding Force that existed in both this world and that dimension was the foundation of Concept of Original Sin Conjurings. Maya drew out a hooded robe from this dark dimension. The world linked through her shadow was almost like a part of her body. While some people compressed such dimensions to use as weapons, others like Maya used them as a storage space. She was capable of hiding inside it as well, but since the shadow was fragile enough to be broken by a child’s careless step, she could easily wind up trapped inside. After pulling up the hood, Maya returned to the main street. There was more than enough money in her coin purse. She had nothing to worry about. “…I want something sweet.” The sun was already nearing the center of the sky. Maya entered the first restaurant that caught her eye, despite not feeling hungry. She got confused looks for being a child alone, but she was led to a table without comment. Maya ordered a sweet sponge cake. Once she’d tasted the treat, she let out a sigh. That calmed her a little. She’d been on edge this whole time, but after considering the situation rationally, she realized there wasn’t anything to be panicked about. “Three days until the appointed time…” Maya recalled the appointed date and time. She steadied her resolve. In three days, she would meet with Hakua. “That’s right. I’m allowed to do whatever I want. There’s no reason I need to listen to Menou. I’ll make her regret thinking I’m useless!” Maya whispered, kicking her legs, which didn’t reach the floor in this chair for grown-ups. Now that she felt more relaxed, her cheeky overconfidence was back. “Menou treats me far too much like a child. Except she still won’t do anything I ask, and she’s always so…” Her complaints trailed off when the door to the restaurant opened. The person who approached the host wore a sword at his hip. Only Noblesse knights, who were charged with maintaining the peace, were allowed to carry weapons openly within city limits. His arrival was likely just a coincidence unrelated to Maya. If they knew who she really was, they would’ve sent more than one person. Still, Maya’s face tensed. And the knight noticed her expression. “You there…,” he called to her. For now, his tone remained more kind than accusatory. Perhaps he thought Maya, a child here alone, had gotten lost. The knight must have concluded he should make sure she was all right. However, Maya’s reaction was extreme. She was wary of pursuers, after all. Considering her weakness, she wouldn’t be able to escape if she was captured. So what was she supposed to do? “Nngh!” Maya hopped out of her chair, hesitated briefly, then bit into her pinky finger with a canine. Blood welled up from the wound, and a few droplets spilled to the floor. “What in the world?!” Ignoring the knight’s confusion at her sudden act of self-harm, Maya focused the spirit within her body. She drew Guiding Force out of her soul, which resonated with her spilled blood. Guiding Force: Sacrifice—Chaos Collusion, Pure Concept [Evil]—Summon [Roly-poly Rocks, Rolling Heads] The blood turned into red Guiding Light and spread across the floor like a corrosive acid. Then the ground pulsed. The brick flooring swelled and shifted, changing shape. Despite being inorganic matter, it moved as lithely as a living thing as soon as it absorbed Maya’s blood. A stone statue powered by a Concept of Original Sin. It was a monster known as a gargoyle. “A-a monster?! Was that a Concept of Original Sin?!” the knight exclaimed in shock. Maya couldn’t spare any attention for his reaction. When she used the Pure Concept, she felt a sliver of her soul get shaved away. A memory had been consumed. The exceptionally powerful Pure Concept conjurings used by Otherworlders came at the price of their memories. What had she just forgotten? And what would she become when she forgot everything completely? The sights inside the fog still clung to her mind, faint yet unmistakable. She never wanted to return to Pandæmonium again. Maya shouted to suppress her fear and anger. “Go!” The gargoyle obeyed Maya’s order and attacked. While the knight defended himself, Maya broke into a run. As she fled past the unfolding battle, she caught a glimpse of the terrified faces of the crowd. “Ah!” It was shockingly painful to have people fear her. She knew that her sister wasn’t here to save her. No one in this world would protect her without asking for anything in return—not anymore. And not just here, either. No one like that remained in her old world, either. She was utterly alone. “Ah…” This wasn’t like Japan, where she was unconditionally adored. The pain of Maya’s loneliness made her chest ache. It was because she was so alone that she wanted to know. She wanted to believe. She wanted to hear that what she saw a thousand years ago was some kind of mistake. She wanted Hakua to say it to her face. A girl relaxed and ate snacks on a luxuriously soft couch in a sumptuously furnished room. A soft cookie crumbled in her mouth, releasing rich butter and sweet sugar that tickled her taste buds. While she enjoyed what could only be described as life in the lap of luxury, the girl had only one thing to say. “At this rate, I’m going to get fat.” She did nothing but eat and sleep, like a symbol of sloth and depravity. Sahara found herself growing bored of all the extravagance. She was currently in Grisarika Kingdom, a region that had recently undergone a revolution thanks to the surge in popularity of Fourth ideology. It might not even be a kingdom for much longer. The Noblesse royal family could be a thing of the past soon. The caste system that had been in place for a thousand years was being cast off. “I have to admit, Menou’s shamelessness amazes me sometimes…” As she sipped on black tea, Sahara marveled from an outsider’s perspective at how skillfully she’d manipulated things to keep the unease in Grisarika Kingdom to a minimum. Menou had reassured the people by publicly announcing that the late Archbishop Orwell, the most respected figure in Grisarika, had been preparing for this reform before her death. Even Sahara had been impressed at how Menou utilized the name of someone she’d killed.