“You’ve done something quite troubling. To think you would insult the Sovereign in such a way.”
Gratos was in deep lamentation over this. Was this because of Saya’s safety, or perhaps the safety of Agartha that he continued to protect to this day?
“I didn’t mean to make fun of Kyou.”
“I wager you didn’t. However, noble society doesn’t take such statements at face value. Nobles are creatures who chatter about what they’ve read between the lines.”
“Are you not the one who robbed Lady Saya of the chance to learn by locking her away, Your Excellency?” Lernaean cut in.
“Everything was done with Lady Saya and the land of Agartha in mind.”
“You did all that for my sake?”
“Yes. Just as I said yesterday, your body truly was weak. As a child, you were always sleeping. Haven’t you ever found it strange that you possess no memories from before your time in the Garden?”
She did. Indeed, Saya had no memories from outside the Garden. Not only that, she didn’t even remember how long she had been in that place. Those never-ending, unchanging days seemed to stretch back forever.
“Lady Saya. It seemed that you were born too early. Even after your birth, you continued to sleep as if still within your mother’s womb. Regardless, you were slowly growing little by little. With our long lifespans, we could wait for your growth. Thus, we placed you in the care of a cradle until you grew up to be healthy. That was the Garden’s purpose.”
A cradle was meant to house a growing child, but it was something very different.
“I grew up a long time ago, though. Why wasn’t I let out of the Garden?”
“We thought to do so when you showed proof of being an adult. In other words, when you came into possession of a blood caliber.”
Gratos’ explanation contradicted Saya’s knowledge.
“Kyou said that royalty don’t possess blood calibers.”
Gratos and Lernaean exchanged meaningful looks.
“He even told you about that? Err, how should I put this? First things first—members of royalty do in fact possess blood calibers. However, theirs take on a significantly different shape from the rest. In that way, saying they do not possess blood calibers is not exactly wrong.”
“A different shape?”
“It was once called the royal caliber. It does not take the shape of a weapon. Even I have only seen it once, a very long time ago. Back then, it took on the shape of a swarm of butterflies. To this day, I have never seen anything quite so beautiful.”
“A swarm of butterflies?”
That certainly differed from a weapon made of blood.
“The royal caliber is proof of the Sovereign’s power. It dominates everyone and everything nearby, forcing them to submit.”
“Does Kyou possess that? It didn’t seem like it to me.”
“That’s the other thing. This truly is a secret known only to a select few.”
Gratos slightly lowered his voice. The door was shut, so it was unlikely anyone was listening, but the gravity of the matter simply urged him to do so.
“Even the Sovereign is not aware of this... He cannot manifest the royal caliber. However, it is far too cruel to tell him so. Thus, we told our liege that royals lack blood calibers entirely. Fortunately, there were no other members of royalty to speak of. Very few people knew of this in the past, so it was easy to conceal the truth.”
Blood calibers were the very manifestation of a noble’s pride. That was what Jubilia had said, anyway. If so, those who lacked them bore a considerable amount of shame. Saya could understand why Gratos had gone so far as to deceive Kyou to keep that hidden.
“Anyway, you’re saying I was locked away in the Garden because I’m not an adult yet?”
“Yes. If possible, I would like you to return there immediately. I’m sure you’ve heard from Lord Granapalt already, but your life is in danger.”
“Because I don’t possess a blood—no, a royal caliber? I have no means of defending myself.”
“Your arrival here was nothing more than an unfortunate accident to begin with. I am opposed to how Lord Granapalt has treated you, but we are at least in agreement about this situation. We would like for you to hide yourself until the situation calms down. Not in the Garden, which has already been compromised. We shall prepare another location for you.”
Saya cast her gaze to the floor in silence.
“Please be at ease,” Lernaean said. “An attack like the one on the Garden will never happen again. The one who was managing that place was slowly embezzling the security funds over a long period of time. That’s why the security was full of holes. They’ve already been dealt with, and we’ve tightened up our inspections. Such a thing will never happen again, I assure you.”
Saya was well aware of that. In all likelihood, Lernaean had been the one who’d inspired the manager to embezzle those funds, but he would never admit it.
Thus, she made her decision. No matter how she tried, it didn’t seem like she could avoid being locked up in another place like the Garden once more. Some part of her had known this from the beginning. As such, she wanted to at least get something out of their meeting.
“Very well, but I have one condition. Gratos, I would like you to answer a few questions.”
“If that is all, then ask away.”
The man before her eyes essentially controlled the world. Saya decided to have him address the doubts lurking in her heart. She had figured out a little about herself by now; it was the outside world she remained ignorant of.
“Why are the commoners and Crestfolk tormented so?”
After a short pause, Gratos replied, “Do you see that box over there?” He pointed to it. The fish swam about in the swaying, glimmering water. “This is something that existed long ago, before the creation of the land of Agartha. This box is completely airtight, and there are plants and small fish within. The fish eat the plants and breed, while the corpses of the multiplying fish become food for the plants, allowing them to grow. It’s completely isolated from the rest of the world. Normally, light is required to raise plants, but it seems this glass has some sort of mechanism which renders external light unnecessary. It is said this was created by the Intelligence.”
Even though she felt somewhat perplexed by the sudden change in topic, Saya silently waited for him to continue.
“This box has remained sealed for over a thousand years now. However, the world locked inside has carried on. If the small fish were to multiply too quickly, they would eat up all the plants, leading to the fish’s extinction. If there were too few fish, there wouldn’t be enough material to feed the plants, causing them to wither. The inside of this box is maintaining an extremely dangerous equilibrium. Agartha is just like this box.”
“How so?”
“Are you aware of the shape of Agartha?”
Saya shook her head.
“Agartha is surrounded on all sides by enormous mountain ranges. They are high enough that it’s impossible for humans to cross over them and survive. These mountains were created by the power of the Intelligence to isolate Agartha from the rest of the world.”
“The rest of the world?”
Lernaean opened his mouth to say, “That’s—” but Gratos stopped him with his gaze.
“That’s a secret known only to a few nobles. Before the creation of Agartha, the world was a vast place. The land of Agartha is but a tiny portion of the world itself. Long ago, the world was populated by over ten thousand times the inhabitants currently living in Agartha. However, all those lands are no longer populated. Agartha is the only exception.”
“Then, what of the rest of the world?”
“It is an impure world filled with poison and miasma, although no one can confirm it for us. They say just entering such territory causes one’s muscles to rot and one’s bones to dissolve.”
“How do you know if nobody can go there?”
“The Intelligence taught us. Agartha is a small box the Intelligence left for us in this world which can no longer be inhabited by humans.”
The small fish swam around in the glass box as bubbles floated to the water’s surface.
“The Sovereign, nobles, commoners... and the Crestfolk. They survive while maintaining a dangerous equilibrium within this sealed land of Agartha. Much like how these fish cannot live outside the water, we are also incapable of living on the outside. All we have is the incomplete immortality granted to us by Amrita, as well as the land itself. That’s why we drew the lines in the sand.”
Gratos closed his eyes. It was as if he was recalling ancient memories. In doing so, he seemed to age rapidly.