“You treated them quickly. You have our thanks.” The quiet yet firm words of gratitude came from the young byuma woman sitting in the rearmost seat—the bodyguard and escort, Yamato’s Samurai General Shura. “To win back our independence, we’ll need the strength to stand up to the empire again. Your aid in getting our soldiers fighting fit has been a huge help.” “As a doctor, I would prefer that no combat took place at all, but…I recognize that the only way that can happen is if Yamato presents a military large enough to make the empire think twice about carrying out their invasion. It’s a sad situation, but it is reality.” “I also put Bearabbit in charge of repairing and reinforcing your frontline defenses,” Tsukasa added. “By the time Grandmaster Neuro finds out that he’s lost Yamato, gets his lords together, and deploys his army, Bearabbit will have things well fortified.” If Yamato put on a big-enough display of force, it might dissuade Freyjagard from reclaiming the nation. After all, it had barely managed to control Yamato the first time around. Neuro was one thing, but the Freyjagard lords probably weren’t too excited about another invasion. Tsukasa went on, saying, “If you manage to get Freyjagard to the negotiating table, we’re prepared to use our position as the Seven Luminaries who preach equality for all to censure the empire for condoning Mayoi’s unjust governance and to assist Yamato in securing its independence diplomatically.” “Ever since our war of reclamation, we seem to find ourselves in your debt repeatedly. As Yamato’s samurai general, I offer you our gratitude. Thank you, truly.” Shura bowed gratefully … …but when she raised her head, her expression was gloomy. “And I’m sorry. After all you’ve done for us…we’ve yet to return the favor. I wish we could have provided Aoi with a better blade…” Shura turned to the seat beside hers and glanced at the weapon Aoi carried. The sword’s name was Mikazuki, and its sheath was lapis lazuli blue with delicate gold filigree. Aoi had required a new blade to replace Hoozukimaru, and Kaguya had gifted Mikazuki to her as thanks for her part in the war. Mikazuki was a fine weapon, but there was a good reason why Shura gazed at it so apologetically. Unlike Byakuran and Hoozukimaru, Mikazuki lacked the strength to withstand the full range of Aoi’s techniques. “There is little sense pining over that which does not exist,” Aoi replied. “Besides, while Mikazuki may be inferior to Byakuran and Hoozukimaru, it is still a magnificent blade in its own right. Even if it cannot endure my full power, wielding eighty percent of my strength will still allow me to fight comfortably, that it will.” To Aoi, there was no need for Shura to look so sorry. She understood that the Yamato government had given her the greatest endowment it could. At the moment, Mikazuki was the mightiest sword in all of Yamato. It was a blade that, by all rights, should have belonged to the samurai general, yet it was given to Aoi instead. Aoi felt bad seeing Shura look so dejected over the gift. As a matter of fact… “I, too, am sorry for relinquishing something akin to one of your national treasures to Shishi.” …Aoi felt she ought to be the one apologizing. During the fighting, she gave the sword Shura lent her to their foe Shishi. Shura shook her head. “Byakuran wanted to return to him. I know that better than anyone. There’s no need for remorse. Actually…I’m grateful.” There was a hint of pity in her expression, but it was accompanied by a definite tenderness. Shura had once snapped, “No talking about him,” and refused to mention Shishi, but she was a different person now. Learning the truth about Yamato during Kaguya and Tsukasa’s tea party had shaken her so badly that she’d fled from the room. However, she ultimately came to terms with what being Yamato’s samurai general meant, just as Kaguya expected. In the process, her feelings about her father changed, too. “I have nothing to offer in return, but I intend to make up for it by working hard to keep you all safe.” “Thank you, Shura,” Tsukasa replied. “I feel better knowing you have our backs.” Then it was time. “We’re…here,” Ringo said from the driver’s seat, and the truck stopped. When the group disembarked, they found a spread of dense, verdant trees in front of them that stretched as far as the eye could see. Adel’s journal had spoken of a forest that concealed the elf village, and this was it. Lyrule took a deep breath as she stepped off the truck. “It smells so naturey,” she said in surprise. The air there had a different quality than Elm’s woods. It was more vibrant and intense. It was probably because of how many of the trees there were broad-leaved. Between them and the dense undergrowth, the forest was like a green void. They couldn’t even see thirty feet in. The primeval vista, untouched by the hands of civilization, was enough to give Akatsuki some pause. “W-wait, we’re supposed to go in there on foot?” Tsukasa nodded. “We certainly aren’t getting the truck any farther.” “It’s pretty darn overgrown in there,” Shinobu noted. “You sure you know where we’re going, Tsukes?” “Adel’s journal gives a rough idea of the village’s whereabouts. Using that knowledge, we scanned Ringo’s satellite photos until we tracked down the exact spot.” The settlement was originally a secret, sequestered from the outside world, making it difficult to locate, even by orbital camera, but Tsukasa and the others had eventually succeeded. “I already logged the village into our GPS, so we don’t have to worry about getting lost. If we head in now, we should arrive by tomorrow evening.” If Tsukasa could declare that with such confidence, then there was little room for doubt. Akatsuki believed in Tsukasa, but his expression remained skeptical. “I mean, even if we don’t get lost…we’ll still end up covered in bugbites, right? I don’t like the sound of that one bit.” “The problem is that you’re wearing shorts, Akatsuki, m’lord. Shall we lather you with mud before we go in?” Aoi offered. “Mud?! I don’t want to get all dirtied up; that sounds filthy!” “Covering yourself in mud will protect against bugbites and sunburn, though,” Lyrule explained. “Wait, really?” Aoi nodded. “Indeed. Back when I fought in the jungles of Southeast Asia, we all did battle drenched head to toe in mud. Carrying around bug spray would have increased our loads, and the higher air temperatures may well have made the cans explode. But mud doubles as camouflage, you see. It protects you from foes and beasts alike, that it does.” “I mean, I guess… But it’s still mud…” “I have insect repellent made from peppermint oil. Do you want some?” “Whoa, Shura, you’re a lifesaver! Thanks!” Akatsuki replied. “Yo, hook up your girl Shinobu, too. Mud would mess with my makeup something nasty. Ringo, you want in on this party?” “Y…yes, please!” Peppermint essential oil drove off bugs, and with how often Yamato soldiers had to do battle in their nation’s mountain forests, they never left home without the stuff. Everyone shared Shura’s supply and dabbed it on their exposed skin. Once they were about finished… “Are we ready, then?” …Tsukasa addressed the group. After everyone gave the okay… “All right. Then I’ll take point.” …he took the lead and guided the group through the thickets and into the deep, dark forest. Ahead stood the elf village, and hopefully the Prodigies would uncover the world’s secrets there. At the same time, there was a small hubbub over in the Republic of Elm. The thing was, some Seven Luminaries angels—Shinobu and Co.—had stormed an Elm detention facility to bust out Shura and Kaguya. The angels were supposed to be on Elm’s side, yet they’d committed an egregious crime. Now the national assembly had to decide what to do about it. However, it really was just a small hubbub, and that was because, in their heart of hearts, the people of Elm always knew the angels would eventually leave them. This day was bound to come, and by actually attacking Elm, the angels gave Elm the option to cut ties with them. They didn’t want to get in the way of Elm’s independence. Assembly Speaker Juno thought it was very like them to make such a move, but at the same time, she felt their concern was unnecessary. Since the election, Elm was determined to walk on its own two feet. The angels shouldn’t have worried. The Freyjagard Empire’s governance of Yamato was inhumane, and Elm hadn’t condemned it out of a desire to suck up to Tsukasa and the other Prodigies. The assembly had mulled over and discussed it, and in the end, they made a choice they believed was their nation’s will. At this point, having the angels offer an easy out for Elm to distance itself from them didn’t change much. Elm’s national assembly was going to act with unified resolve and do whatever felt necessary. News was that the empire’s civil war had ended, and Neuro ul Levias had emerged victorious on behalf of the existing regime. It wouldn’t be long before Freyjagard reacted to Elm’s decision. The fledgling democracy had made it clear that it would stand by the ideology of equality for all, and now it was time to see what the largest autocracy in the world had to say about that. Depending on how it all shook out, there was a good chance that Elm’s relationship with Freyjagard would sour. If so, Elm had to ensure the safety of the imperial exchange students. There were basic humanitarian reasons to do so, of course, but allowing students specifically invited into the country to get hurt would stain Elm’s reputation. Thus, the national assembly elected to take preventive measures and moved the exchange students to a heavily defended state guesthouse. For all the supposed outward benevolence, this was a strictly political move. The students in question found the measures stifling. Considering the restrictions on when they were allowed to go outside, it was hard to blame them for feeling like they were under house arrest. Presently, Elch was visiting the state guesthouse’s lounge in his capacity as a state bureaucrat and apologizing to Nio Harvey and Cranberry Diva, two of the imperial exchange students, about the current state of affairs. “I’m really sorry about all the hassle. We doubt that anyone would actually come after you guys just because you’re from the empire, but we can’t afford to take any chances.” Nio was well versed in matters of state, and he responded to Elch’s apology with understanding. “Oh, don’t think anything of it. We appreciate the Elm government’s concern.” However, there was a hint of gloom in his polite smile. Cranberry was sitting beside him, and her expression was sullen as well. Such reactions were entirely reasonable. Studying abroad kept Nio and Cranberry out of direct danger, but their homeland was still going through unprecedented turmoil. “From what we’ve heard, the Bluebloods were wiped out. Are…are your families okay?” Elch inquired after drinking some black tea. The two students nodded. “My family should be fine,” Cranberry said. “Those Blueblood fuddy-duddies were all stuck in the past—no eye for progress. We Divas never got along with them in the first place.” “And I come from a line of knights all loyal to Emperor Lindworm, so we’ve never had any ties to the Bluebloods, either,” Nio added. “Oh, that’s good to hear,” Elch replied. Had their families sided with the Bluebloods and fallen out of the current regime’s favor, Elm would have to shelter the students until they could return home safely. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. And it was comforting to know that the two students hadn’t lost their families while away from home. Elch breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, even if Elm and the empire come to blows, we’ll still make sure you get back home to your families safely, so you don’t need to worry about anything on that front.” The comment earned a grim smile out of Nio. “That’s good to hear, though I do hope it doesn’t come to that. I still have a lot I’d like to learn from Elm.” “Yeah, me too,” Cranberry agreed. “Say, Nio, do you really think the empire would start a war while we’re still here?” There was no joy in her expression. Nio sank into thought. “Hmm… That’s a good question. Honestly, it’s hard to say what Freyjagard will do. Things are probably still muddled in the wake of the insurrection.” “B-but we nobles couldn’t even control Yamato in the first place. Won’t everyone see this as a golden opportunity to give it up and be free of the responsibility?” “There are definitely going to be people who view the situation that way, yes. The problem is, will the imperial nobles’ pride allow them to take that option?” “Yeah, you’ve got a point,” Elch agreed. “The empire just lost all its northern territories. If they lose Yamato and the massive chunk of land it represents to the east on top of that, the first thing the emperor does when he returns from his New World expedition could be to chop Grandmaster Neuro’s head off. The land may not be that valuable, but they can’t just relinquish it completely…” “And also…,” Nio added, “I don’t have any idea why the Four Grandmasters act as they do.” “Huh?” Elch replied. “What do you mean?” Cranberry asked. “To put it bluntly, we knew there was no value in occupying Yamato since before the war. Emperor Lindworm only invaded on the insistence of the grandmasters.” In other words, Yamato could be incredibly valuable in a secret way. If so, there was no way the empire would back down. If worse came to worst, the situation could devolve into an all-out war. With the Bluebloods defeated, Neuro held all the authority, and he was one of the grandmasters who’d pushed for seizing Yamato initially. When they realized that, the mood in the room sank like a rock. Nah, c’mon. Elch shook his head. He couldn’t let things get depressing. “Hey, look, there’s no sense in worrying ourselves sick over stuff we have no way of knowing. More importantly, is there anything you two need to make your stay easier? The Elm government’s not trying to obstruct your education or anything. If there’s stuff you need to keep learning, then by all means, let me know. I’ll do what I can to get it for you.” “I appreciate the concern,” Nio replied. “Personally speaking, I have free access to the library, and the government officials and other people are helping me with my surveys, so I’m all set.” “What do you mean, ‘surveys’?” “I’m trying to trace back the contents, processes, and outcomes of all the provisional government’s policies so I can aggregate them and come up with my own interpretation of Mr. Tsukasa’s ideology when he devised them. The more I work, the more I’m reminded of how nations really are formed from the connections among their citizens.” “But Freyjagard’s an autocracy, right? Doesn’t that make it pretty different from Elm, what with how everything feeds back to the emperor and all?” “Oh, not at all. All governance systems require many people to keep everything in working order. Look at the present situation: His Grace put Grandmaster Neuro in charge of running the country while he’s off on his expedition.” Nio posited that there were tons of things to be learned. “Mr. Tsukasa made a lot of decisions that looked rash but ultimately bore fruit—chief among them being his revolution against the Freyjagard Empire. The more I study his actions, the more I believe that he views the causal relationships between governments and people differently than most others. We tend to operate off vague impressions, hopes, predictions, and personal rules of thumb, but his actions seem rooted in something deeper. After all, Mr. Tsukasa isn’t the kind of person to risk other people’s lives without a firm, logical reason.” “I mean, he’s probably just that sure of his and the other angels’ skills. With a team like that, who wouldn’t be?” “I don’t think that’s right.” “Huh?” “Mr. Tsukasa wasn’t confident at all. It was only over a short period, but I worked closely enough with him to discern that much. He had no self-confidence whatsoever and stewed over his decisions more than anyone I’ve ever seen. He agonized… But at the end of it all, he was still willing to take the initiative on all sorts of bold moves, and he made sure that they succeeded. My hypothesis is that he wasn’t relying on luck or experience. Rather, he processes political phenomena through models that are almost mathematical in nature.” “…?” “If you take political happenings as the aggregate of a series of strategic interactions among individuals and organizations all acting in their own self-interest, then devise a method to model those interactions mathematically, you can simulate the future without any sort of special talent or magic. Such a capability would be a huge boon to His Grace’s government.” “That sounds…cool?” “Oh-ho-ho! Nio is putting in some fine work, but I won’t be bested that easily,” Cranberry declared. “After inspecting and assembling the blueprints for the angels’ generators and machines so many times, I’ve got them packed into my brain backward and forward! Now it doesn’t matter if I return to Freyjagard! I can re-create those designs whenever I want! Once I join the imperial workshops, I’ll have Freyjagard modernized in a flash!” “Dang, that is impressive.” “And that’s not all! Once Freyjagard is ready, I’ll set up a special laboratory specifically for Panjandrum research! We’ll start with the winch Panjandrum I made to storm that fortress, then build Flying Panjandrums with wings on their wheels that’ll let them float. Next will come reinforced armored Panjandrums with even more smashing power and, someday, even remote Panjandrums controlled via electronic waves! Fighting wars in person will become a thing of the past and viewed as an act of barbarity! You heard me! The Panjandrum will bring world peace! Do you get it?! You get it; I see it in your eyes!”
Chapter 112
16 min read