Chapter 7

Chapter Six The Fate Altered by the Giant —from Diane Rain continued to fall. The weather in Britannia at the beginning of spring was unstable, so rain itself was not rare. But a rain so violent, and that continued for so long, was very unusual. It had already been several days. The showers became stronger each day and showed no signs of stopping whatsoever. Yet another day had passed since Diane became confined to that place. For the woman, who was part of the giant clan, it was difficult to find somewhere her large body could escape the rain. After wandering among the mountains, she crouched in the shadow of a huge rock she’d finally found, holding her knees. “Chief…I wonder how he’s doing.” Diane didn’t really know what had happened. She’d been summoned by Zaratras, the Captain of the Holy Knights, regarding some kind of grave matter, only to find him stabbed to death. What’s more, before she knew it, she found herself surrounded by the kingdom’s Holy Knights. If she and the others tried in earnest, then destroying the capital might have been easy, but they couldn’t possibly do that. At that moment, all they could do was split up and run. We were supposed to rendezvous later, but as for where and how…we didn’t decide a thing… Diane’s large frame was easy to spot, and news of her sightings seemed to circulate immediately. How many Holy Knights had she battled until she found that rock? From the information she gathered in those moments, it seemed that Zaratras’ younger brother, Dreyfus, and Hendrickson had taken command. Were they the masterminds? She didn’t know. The only thing she did know was that they, the Seven Deadly Sins, had been set up by somebody. As to who—she no longer cared, figuring that it was just the way humans were. “I don’t care anymore…” Her stomach was empty and she was drowsy. She had a feeling that some time long ago, she’d held her knees in the shadow of a boulder, alone like this. As to when, though, she couldn’t remember. The rain continued to hammer down upon the boulder. She could hear the rumbling noise of rushing water from somewhere. She remembered that there was a creek not far from where she sat. It had to be the sound’s source. But—somehow, it’s a little strange… It was too ferocious for a stream, and occasionally she even felt tremors in the earth. Diane reluctantly left the shelter of the boulder for the rain and began walking through the forest. Oh! Peering through the shadows, she swallowed her breath. The sheer volume of it was incredible. The muddy flow swallowed up huge boulders, snapped trees at the roots, and rushed downstream in a powerful torrent. Actually, wasn’t there a human village downstream? She’d caught a glimpse of it the day before in passing. If a current of such strength reached that settlement, it would be gone in a moment. Did everyone escape already? It’s been raining for so many days…They must have run away long ago… Still—some people might have missed their chance. Diane shook her head emphatically. “Nothing to do with me.” All humans were selfish and cunning and only thought about using others. Yes, they were always like that. Always. “…” Diane dropped her gaze to the ground. But maybe, that village—is the one we passed through a few years ago on a mission. All of the Seven Deadly Sins had stayed in an old castle on a lake farther downstream. But Diane the giant, unable to enter, had slept alone on the bank. At that time, a few mischievous children had come all the way from a nearby village to see the giant. Hiding timidly, but with twinkling eyes, they had peered up at Diane. “It doesn’t matter, really.” Diane clenched her teeth. Then slowly, she knelt and pushed both her palms against the ground. “Why am I doing this?” Magical power surged from her body. It was swallowed by the earth. Before long, off in the distance, she heard intense tremors. 1 “See? We’re starting to see it,” Griamore said, pulling his horse toward the carriage. Elizabeth’s head poked out from a window. “Really? Where?” “Ellie! Don’t stand, it’s dangerous!” Veronica’s voice came from inside, but Elizabeth wouldn’t listen. She leaned out until her shoulders were nearly outside as well. “You don’t need to do that, you’ll see it clearly if we go a little further—see?” The carriage slowly rounded a bend in the mountain road. Before long, a large lake stretched before them. “Wow!” “There. You see it, yes? Near the shore on our side, on that island, is the royal villa.” It was just as Griamore said. On the lake’s placid, glimmering surface, which reflected the mountains on the opposite shore, floated a small island, upon which stood a cozy little castle. “That’s where sister is!” “Ellie, it’s dangerous so sit! We’re almost there!” Rebuked by Veronica, Elizabeth’s face finally withdrew from the window. “Is it true that I visited once before as a baby?” Just her voice was audible through the window as she spoke to Veronica. “It seems so. I was still young, too, and don’t remember anything,” Veronica replied. Hearing that, Griamore called to Gilthunder, who rode a little ahead of him. “Do you remember, Gil? We went there as well, years ago—were we about six?” “Who knows? Were we?” Gilthunder answered curtly. “I don’t recall much of it either, but I think we played hide and seek in the courtyard. Looking at that castle now, I feel like I’m starting to remember.” Griamore narrowed his eyes and urged his horse forward to line up beside Gilthunder. “Hey, are you really not going to stop by the castle? Princess Margaret is there, isn’t she?” “I’m not,” Gilthunder said without looking over. “You’re more than capable of dropping Veronica and Elizabeth off at the castle on your own.” “Yup, yup. Let’s go on ahead. I’m burning to test it.” Howzer, who was walking his horse in front of the carriage, loosened his reins slightly to approach them. He was carrying a long spear under his arm. He badly wanted to try out the new weapon he had received from Dreyfus, the Holy Knight Captain. “You there, keep the chattering in moderation,” Holy Knight Nicholas called out from the other side of the two horses pulling the carriage. Y-Yes, responded the three apprentices, who were childhood friends, before quickly separating their horses. Their destination was not the royal family’s villa up ahead but a small village farther north. Werewolves had appeared near the village, which was called Isula, and killed several inhabitants. The report had reached the capital only recently. It was decided that Nicholas would investigate the state of affairs, and the apprentices were ordered to accompany him. Hearing that Isula was in the same direction as the royal villa, Veronica demanded that she be brought along and ended up following in a carriage. Before long, the party saw a forked road ahead of them. The path on the left swerved from the mountains and headed down toward the lake. The path on the right continued on, toward the village of Isula. “Well then, I’ll escort Princesses Veronica and Elizabeth to the villa.” Griamore stopped his horse and raised a hand toward Nicholas and the others as the carriage turned its nose to the left and began to clatter down the hill. “Ah, send Princess Margaret my best regards. Take care.” “Yes, sir. After I say hello, I’ll catch up to you!” Watching Griamore follow after the carriage, Gilthunder halted his horse for just a moment. Past the brush-laden, untamed hills was the lake’s sparkling surface. The bright summer sun shone high in the heavens. From where Gilthunder stood, the island and castle floating on the shining mirror of a lake appeared as silhouettes, with only the shapes of the two towers and the keep’s roof in distinct relief. Neither the windows nor the yard was visible. Margaret was there. Gilthunder gazed at the silhouette wistfully. Even those few seconds of reflection were interrupted by the ringing caw of a raven from above. Gilthunder quietly spurred his horse and caught up with Howzer and the others. 2 “Hmm…so this is the first time a werewolf has attacked humans?” Nicholas stooped uncomfortably to ask the elderly man, who stood only half as tall as the Holy Knight. “That is so. Originally, up until about three years ago, this area wasn’t even connected to the mountains where the werewolves live. Yes, that was right after the news spread of the Seven Deadly Sins’ mutiny.” The elderly man, who was the village mayor, stretched up to point at the distant mountains. “That year, there were torrential rains in these parts, and this village was almost swallowed by the rising stream. At the last moment, however, the flow shifted.” “The flow shifted?” “Indeed. West of the village, you saw a large difference in elevation, did you not? Now it is a garden, but the stream flowed there before. A mountain upstream collapsed, and the terrain transformed—” The village of Isula was a small settlement of houses dotting a narrow bit of flat land between the mountains. The villagers grew vegetables in tiny plots and kept goats and sheep in the hills. It seemed there were also people who hunted. “I see. So the stream’s course twisted further away. You narrowly escaped death.” “But with that mountain collapsing, a previously impassable cliff was leveled, and the wolves began to come down from the Black Fog Mountains on the other side. It seems the wolf-men’s territory was also up there…Last month several were killed.” “I see—how many werewolves?” “There were two then, and a hunter felled one of them. As for how many more…” “It doesn’t matter!” Howzer blurted out impatiently. “Who cares how many, let’s just wipe them out!” “You know we can’t do that.” Nicholas smiled bitterly. “Anyways, we’ll scout it out before Griamore returns.” “Yes, sir,” Gilthunder nodded. Thank you kindly, the village mayor lowered his head. “But how odd—wolf-men…Their numbers are already very few,” Nicholas remarked as he trod the mountain path that continued from Isula toward the Black Fog Mountains. “I hear they’re quite strong,” Howzer said. “Only on nights when the moon is full or nearly full. During the day, not so much. To begin with, as the name ‘wolf-man’ suggests, only some males are able to assume a perfectly human form, or so I’ve been told. Well, the females rarely leave their territory, so we don’t actually know…” “In that case, let’s just attack them during the day.” “In theory this is true. However, if it’s a matter of their territory shifting due to a change in terrain, there might a way of settling this peacefully by addressing that issue.” “Seriously? How boring!” Howzer hoisted his spear. “Now, don’t say that. It’s always best not to get into a fight,” Nicholas, who was a large but kind man, chided with a smile. Listening to their conversation, Gilthunder alone walked in silence. These parts were cool even in the summer, and at such a high elevation, they didn’t see many large trees even deep into the mountains. Instead, large boulders and naked cliffs continued endlessly, and a white haze that was neither cloud nor fog hung just above them, reducing visibility. The ground was so thoroughly sodden that tiny rivulets had formed in several places. “Hmmm—this area?” Nicholas, who led the group, halted. “It seems this is where we enter their territory. Sure enough, the paths around here look new—now, what to do.” “I’ll go and look a little further,” Gilthunder said and began to march on without waiting for Nicholas’ reply. “Hey, be careful. Don’t venture too far.” “I’ll go too!” Gilthunder heard Howzer but hurried on without waiting. He wanted to be alone. He’d come so close to Margaret and still couldn’t meet her. When he first received his mission, his heart thrilled to the idea of approaching her at least, but now, after passing that place by, his heart only ached. I wanted to come. I shouldn’t have come. Tossed about by those two sentiments, Gilthunder just clenched his teeth and proceeded along the mountain path. 3 “It really is pretty, dear sister!” Elizabeth happily spread out the hem of her dress with both hands. As she did, the light filtering through the stained glass made her white dress look like a beautiful piece of rainbow-colored cloth. They were at the north villa, in the basement chamber that Margaret had found. “To think that such a secret was hidden in this puzzle…I wonder who made it.” Veronica, too, spoke with admiration as she held the puzzle up to the stained glass. Margaret smiled but didn’t reveal that the answer to her sister’s question was the Seven Deadly Sins. Veronica had always abhorred the Sins as strange, evil people, and since Zaratras’ death, she disliked hearing even their names. “Your Highnesses, the meal is ready for you in the dining room,” Grace, the maid, came to call them. “I want to eat here—you held big sister’s birthday celebration in this room, didn’t you?” Elizabeth said, a little dissatisfied. “Perhaps tomorrow we can have them bring it down here,” Margaret suggested with a chuckle before gently pressing on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Now, go on up. You too, Veronica.” “Okay!” the younger sisters answered brightly and followed after Grace to exit the chamber. After watching the two of them leave, Margaret stood before the stained glass again and looked up at the beautiful geometric pattern. Every time she came here, her heart felt just a little lighter. Was it because memories from a distant day seemed to envelope her? “Hmm, I see.” A woman’s voice suddenly spoke right beside Margaret and made her jump away. “Vivian!” It was she who stood there. Vivian wasn’t wearing a mask, but in her right hand, she held the staff shaped like a monster’s hand. “ ‘The one who solves it all shall kiss the witch and gain an invitation to the banquet’…” Vivian grabbed the puzzle from the tabletop and, like Veronica, held it up against the stained glass. “I know this handwriting. It belongs to one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Goat’s Sin of Lust, Gowther. ‘Kiss the witch’—huh.” “Vivian…please give it back,” Margaret pleaded. Vivian, however, merely narrowed her eyes and continued to gaze at the puzzle. “So you kissed that woman’s name in this puzzle, and found this chamber.” “Yes…” “But that doesn’t mean you’ve solved this puzzle.” “What?” Vivian laughed triumphantly. “ ‘An invitation to the banquet’—this room? You think?” Holding the puzzle up to the stained glass once more, she slowly recited some kind of spell. Then, all of the letters written in the puzzle sprang up in the stained glass as well. “Stained glass with the same pattern as the puzzle…Naturally, there’d be another twist,” she muttered and stepped up to the wall. Tracing her finger over the floating letters spelling MERLIN, Vivian hesitated for a few seconds before knitting her brow and whirling around to face Margaret. “Nope! Your Highness, you do it.” “Do…what?” “It’s obvious! ‘Kiss the witch.’ ” Margaret squeezed the hem of her dress but saw fit to do as Vivian said. Placing one hand on the stained glass, she softly pressed her lips against the “R” of MERLIN. Then… “Ahh!” Just like with the puzzle, a bunch of letters inscribed in the stained glass sparkled and flickered and leapt out into the air to form a sentence. But these letters were no longer from the alphabet, somehow having turned into runes used by magicians. Margaret couldn’t decipher it. The moment Vivian saw the line, her face changed color. “That woman…So she was hiding it in such a place!” “Vivian!” Margaret cried out. She had a bad feeling. But not sparing the princess another glance, the witch vanished with a single wave of her staff. 4 The fog steadily grew thicker as Gilthunder walked the narrow path. Until moments earlier, there were still signs of Howzer behind him, but not anymore. Perhaps he’d taken a wrong path somewhere. Had he? Or had Howzer? Either way, Gilthunder needed to turn back. No matter how lengthy a summer day, these were the mountains. It was already growing dark. Still, he pressed on. He began not to care where he was going, or why. He just wanted to disappear into the fog. As the thought crossed his mind— Rustle, came a sound from up ahead. Gilthunder’s hand shot to his sword’s hilt. “Who goes there?!” “Wait!” bade a mild voice. She appeared in the fog—a young woman, slightly older than Gilthunder. She had a slender build and wore hunting garments. Her silver hair was tied up behind her head. “I’m Blanca. I’m a hunter from the village at the northern foot of the mountains. I strayed too far and lost my way.” “This path leads to the village of Isula, in the hinterlands of Liones.” Gilthunder squinted and looked over the women’s appearance. There was nothing particularly suspicious about her. “I see. So I must have passed over the ridge and come out on the other side.” “If you go straight down this path, I think you’ll find my group. Please join with them and leave the mountains. I’m sure it’s past sunset now.” “What are you going to do?” Blanca asked, tilting her head. “I’m…going a little further.” “I heard werewolves prowl past here. It’s dangerous.” “I know.” He did. “It’s dangerous—that’s why I’m going.” “I see—so…” Blanca’s voice grew quiet. “You’re also—out to slay wolves.” Something about her tone made Gilthunder shudder, and he did a double take. “I…” Blanca’s blue-gray eyes flashed in the fog. Gazing into Gilthunder’s, she suddenly took a deep breath. Ooooo… Howzer stopped in his tracks when he heard a wolf’s howl in the distance. Realizing that he’d lost sight of Gilthunder somewhere along the way, he was retracing his path. He gripped his spear and listened. The howling echoed amidst the rocks and fog, and he couldn’t pinpoint its source. “Gil!” The fog swallowed up his call. He couldn’t tell how far it traveled. “Gilthunder! Hey!” Did the wolf’s howl reach Nicholas as well? Was he heading this way? In any case, clearing away the fog seemed like a good idea. Just when Howzer started to think his wind magic might be up to the task— “……” A human shadow swayed onto a boulder just to his right. “Gil!” It was Gilthunder. Relieved, Howzer smiled at his friend. “Hey, did you hear the howling just now? I wonder which way it came from. Did you see a wolf?” “…” “Anyways, let’s return to Nicholas. Or do you want to look for the wolf together?” proposed Howzer, laughing. It was at that moment. Gilthunder suddenly raised his blade and leapt from the boulder. “Whoa!” Howzer jumped back immediately, but Gilthunder struck again the moment he landed. Howzer used the shaft of his spear to block the sideways swipe just in time. “What the heck?!” “Dead…” “What?” “You’re dead.” Gilthunder’s eyes were hollow, and they didn’t settle on anything. Seeing this, Howzer finally realized that Gilthunder wasn’t in his right mind. “H-Hey, Gil! Wake up!” “I’ll avenge them—you’re dead! You humans are all dead!” “Gil!” At close quarters, Howzer would be at a disadvantage with his spear. Frantically dodging Gilthunder’s blade, which swung again and again, or parrying it with his own weapon, Howzer shouted, “Gil! What are you doing?!” The words fell on deaf ears. Gilthunder’s sword closed in, giving Howzer no time to think. Eh, I don’t have a choice! Shoving Gilthunder away forcefully, Howzer held his spear aslant. Fortunately, his friend was weaker than usual, robbed of his mind. It seemed he couldn’t even use his magical powers. “This would’ve been difficult a little while ago, but with Lord Dreyfus’ spear…” I’ll blast him away without hurting him, and then… Howzer imagined the wind blowing. He wanted to seal Gilthunder’s movements, and also signal Nicholas if possible. With his current skills—with this spear, perhaps he could pull it off. “Here goes, Gilthunder! Wall Shock!” A swirling mass of wind blasted Gilthunder away. Then from beneath his floating body struck a tornado. “Rising Tornado!!” “Aaahhhh!” Gilthunder’s scream echoed, and the fog scattered. 5 “I see…so this is Merlin’s magic square.” Hendrickson looked around with his arms crossed. He was deep under the royal family’s villa, in a different spot from the chamber that Margaret and the others had found. That room was right beneath the keep, but this place seemed to be positioned under the tower. The nearly perpendicular walls and floors carved into the natural cliff were covered with complex patterns. “With this,” flared Vivian, “even considerably difficult fusions will be feasible—yes, for instance, beasts and plants, or even fish can be combined.” Hmm, Hendrickson pondered. “You said the other day: crossing strong animals helter-skelter only unbalances them because their powers conflict.” “Yes. And I don’t think using a magic square would change that.” “Right, no matter how strong the synthesis, it might be pointless if it has the intellect of a beast.” “I’m sure that’s true…” Vivian looked up, her face pale. “Um—you cannot be planning on using humans?” “Hah…” Barely listening to Vivian, Hendrickson murmured with a hand on his chin, “What’s amplified through a demon’s blood are emotions that the subject already felt. And not simple ones like anger or fear, but rather, inner conflicts like envy, resentment, and rancor—they tend to create the best responses.” Vivian quaked at his flat voice. What was it that allowed him to be so cold-hearted? Restoring the demon clan so that chaos would engulf the world again. There, only the truly strong would reign as beacons of light and guide people. Overturning a world filled with a deceptive, false peace, so that the insulted might reclaim their pride. Was the man aspiring to become a demon god for the sake of that ideal? “Yes…it’s worth a try. Before we turn to humans.” “Hendrickson…” The man chuckled at Vivian, who was trembling. “Don’t worry, I won’t use humans yet. Apparently, there are fitting subjects not far from here.”