Despite knowing this, I did not refute the existence of ghosts. The reason I did not was because there are some things more sacred than the honesty of a priest, and I had to protect their honor. It is no surprise that the blast wandmakers were angry. The tunnel extension would not have been possible had it not been for their utmost efforts. Without their help, we could not have completed excavation in such a short span of time. We were able to fulfill His Lordship’s excessive request. However, what awaited them once their work was complete could only be called betrayal. In the underground space that they’d so labored over, a magic wand was placed. I am pleased that His Lordship is so passionate about defense, but I never expected he would go so far as to invite Rednoff. Even I have heard tales of that man. In reality, I am still skeptical of that wand’s power. Everyone who has used it sings its praises, yet I still feel that the power and utility of blast wands surpass it. But there is no doubt that both blast wands and magic wands are wisdom bestowed upon us by the Lord. It is not my place to personally choose which to stand behind. Nevertheless… It seems that Rednoff, too, has lost himself slightly—no, significantly—in his old age. One might almost be inclined to believe he wanted to be imprisoned in that underground room. I personally heard him say, “Thank heavens no one can disturb me here.” According to the people who watch over him, he spends the majority of his days crafting wands. And when he is not crafting wands, he is jabbering nonsense. He speaks not to himself but to someone the observers cannot see. Almost as if he were conversing with a ghost… I met Rednoff last night as well. He grinned at me and said, “I can make the ultimate wand.” I cannot determine whether or not he is still sane. But that is nothing more than a triviality in the face of the blast wandmakers’ wrath. If we are to take the ghost stories at face value, then they have clearly placed a trap within the passage. I hope my suspicions on what they are plotting are nothing more than a misperception on my part, but we must verify it before we are thrown into a situation that cannot be undone. Before it is all blown away. A knock at the door brought Yuui back to herself. The light shining through the window had shifted far away. Noon had passed before she realized it. She set the book on the table and called “enter” toward the door. Nova entered. She didn’t often show up around this time of day. “They have decided, to hold dinner. It was, Seyoh’s suggestion,” she said. She’d come to inform Yuui. “Dinner? Not the meeting?” “No. The meeting participants, were all invited. That includes you, of course.” “I thought these were supposed to be secret gatherings? That’s why we hold them in the middle of the night…” “It is a dinner, and nonparticipants were also invited. Not people entirely, unrelated, though. Those two wandmakers, and some others, apparently.” “Some others?” “Yes. Some others,” said Nova curtly. “Anyway, not many people move around, during winter. Holding the meetings during night or day, has negligible effects on their secrecy. And the need to use lamps at night, renders the difference pointless.” “Perhaps… When will it be?” “Tonight.” “And when was it scheduled?” “Five days ago.” “I see…” Yuui let out a little sigh, but she’d become used to this sort of sudden development. “All right. I will attend.” “Okay.” Nova nodded. “I also, have information on the investigation.” “Huh? What investigation?” “Into the threat letter from the other day, as well as the attack on you,” said Nova emotionlessly. “First, I don’t believe, it had anything to do with Old Order forces.” “How can you be certain?” “I investigated.” “How?” “I spoke to members, of the Old Order.” Yuui waited for further explanation, but Nova didn’t give any. She seemed to think this was a sufficient explanation. Yuui decided to just interpret that as Nova doing Yuui a favor in her absence. “Ummm…” Yuui collected herself and asked, “You said ‘first.’ What else do you have to report?” “Yes. There are some among the participants, who are voicing suspicions that it is an act, that it’s far too convenient.” “An act… By whom?” “Seyoh.” “What?” Yuui was disappointed. “He told the others about the threat letter. They seem to believe, it doesn’t actually exist, that it would make sense if it was a hoax he concocted.” “That’s baseless conjecture. What could he possibly gain from doing that?” “Yuui, didn’t you suspect someone, on the inside?” “Uh, well… Yes, I did. I just think Seyoh doesn’t have much of a motive. Would he really try to destroy the meetings he’s worked so hard on?” “They’re saying it’s actually the opposite, to move the meetings along,” countered Nova quietly, wary of who might be outside the door. “Make the participants feel threatened, to light a fire under the debates. They are saying, his enthusiasm went too far.” “Huh… Then they’ll probably question him at the dinner.” “It seems to me like Seyoh himself, is aiming for that,” said Nova with a tilt of her head. “He is creating a situation where he can defend himself, since the meetings won’t happen so long as there are suspicions.” Yuui nodded as she listened, though she still felt some of what Nova had described didn’t add up. “But if the threat letter was a result of Seyoh’s overzealousness, then that doesn’t explain the attack on me. Or do they suspect I am collaborating with him?” she asked. “They say, Seyoh launched a pretend attack. He is near that location, and there isn’t anyone else who could accurately target you.” “What was his goal, then?” “You’ve drawn the attention of everyone. They would all band together if you were in danger.” “That seems like a stretch.” She didn’t know who’d claimed that, but she doubted even they believed the ideas they were putting forward. These monotonous winter days were amplifying their worthless imaginings. With a condescending smile, she asked, “And who exactly was it who said these things?” “Rolphie.” “Huh?” “Or perhaps it was Hemsley. But he doesn’t seem like the kind of person, to offer information.” “Uh, no, that wasn’t what I was concerned with…” Yuui had just been taken by surprise at hearing the unexpected name. She started to wonder why someone who hadn’t even attended the meetings yet was saying that but quickly stopped herself. She knew from experience there was no point in speculating about the behavior of Munzil’s apprentices. 4 Yuui and Nova left the building temporarily before the dinner that evening. They made it look like they were coming from a different location, the same as they did for all the meetings. Though Yuui didn’t understand why the charade was necessary at this point. This time was different because they went to Mellay’s manor first. Yuui had invited Mellay to walk with her and Nova to the dinner. Nova had insisted this would be safer. She had claimed that, while the situation would be the same as it was when they were last attacked, it would be easier to predict the enemy’s actions. “Though if I didn’t go outside, I wouldn’t require protecting,” said Yuui as she looked back. “No one will be suspicious if I just happened to be the first to arrive once in a while.” “You, think?” Nova looked at Yuui. “Responding with a question…? Yes, I do think.” “People have, different ways of thinking.” Nova nodded, expressionless. “You will feel better, if you go outside sometimes.” “What?” Yuui twisted her head back, feeling like that last statement had come out of nowhere. Yes, it may be healthier for her to go out than to stay shut in her room all the time, but it wasn’t something that she could do given her position. Yuui decided it must have been one of Nova’s rare jokes. There was no way the charade they’d been playing out this whole time had been for Yuui’s mental health. They arrived at Mellay’s manor, and the old woman immediately stepped out. Her usual attendant was behind her. “Thank you for coming, Minaha,” said Mellay as she walked down the steps of the entryway, holding out a hand in Yuui’s direction. “I see Rolphie and Hemsley are not present today,” replied Yuui as she took her hand. “They were only my guests that one time. I’m sure they’ve already headed off to the meeting place.” The two of them walked slowly through the snow-covered streets, not bringing up the two wandmakers’ suspicions about Seyoh. They were four people in total, including the two attendants walking behind them. There were other people out and about, perhaps because the blizzard had ended and turned into mild weather. The citizens didn’t seem to have any particular destination in mind; instead, they appeared to just be getting some fresh air. Each of them was enjoying the momentary peace and quiet in their own way. The afternoon sun was warm, and the snow on the roads looked to be melting. “It seems you speak with Seyoh often,” said Mellay, as if the thought just suddenly occurred to her. “I also wish I had the opportunity to do that.” “He is looking after me in a way. We naturally have many opportunities to talk,” replied Yuui. “And our discussions are rarely of any interest. Primarily just administrative types of topics.” “Oh… That’s not quite what I’ve heard.” “And what is it that you’ve heard?” asked Yuui with a slight smile, interested. “For example, that you once said faith is not academic.” Yuui was taken aback to hear the words she’d said but since forgotten brought up again. “That is… Yes, I did indeed say that…” “No need to be so anxious. I’ve suspected that you weren’t born into Marayism. That’s the value you bring, the combination of lack of knowledge of the faith along with objectivity.” Mellay smiled. “And I also have no intentions of finding fault in what you’ve said. I just feel as if you are misunderstanding something, Minaha. It appears as if you have things backward.” “In other words, you mean to say faith is academic?” “That would not be flipping the order. What I want to say is that academic studies are a religious pursuit.” Yuui couldn’t help frowning, though Mellay couldn’t see her face beneath her hood. The old woman continued speaking, her words unbroken, since she hadn’t noticed Yuui’s reaction. “I am nothing more than a humble member of the clergy, but wouldn’t you say that academic study is a human pursuit that attempts to uncover the world’s structure and laws?” “That is how I conceptualize it, yes,” said Yuui with a nod. “But isn’t that strange? How are academics capable of such a thing?” “I don’t understand your question.” “Who guaranteed that the world even has structures and laws?” “……” “Even the thought that the world has set rules is predicated on the belief that someone—in other words, a creator, a god—made the world. Don’t you agree?” “No… We don’t require a guarantee,” Yuui argued back. “Both structure and laws are naturally discovered through a series of objective observations. That is the foundation of academia.” “Then why do people conduct those observations? Don’t they do so because they believe that the world does have structures and laws?” said Mellay slowly. “Or, if they do discover a law through their observations, what allows them to be certain of it? Do academics not even slightly consider the possibility that it was all some massive coincidence?” “…I’m not sure I understand what you mean.” “That is exactly why theology is the foundation of all other academic disciplines. It’s not a question of which is above the other. Sometimes, we come to better understand the scriptures thanks to the advancement of academic study.” Mellay stopped a moment, then said, “But that is why I feel like all academics hold faith deep in their hearts. That faith is perhaps more genuine than that of people like me. It is a drive to reach an absolute truth, like staring into the sky at the stars you’ll never reach and praying…” The word “genuine” echoed inside Yuui’s mind, while she thought what Mellay said was interesting. The moment she heard that word, her thoughts didn’t turn to priests or academics. She thought of some wandmakers she knew. They didn’t make wands to fulfill their own desires or even as a service to their clients. They made wands for the sheer sake of making them. Were the stars still the same where they were looking…? It suddenly dawned on Yuui how you could make wandmakers members of the clergy like Mellay talked about earlier. It may come down to the similarities between the two. Wandmakers were normally subject to the strict regulations of the Guild, and they lived lives similar to priests or monks. Which meant that, on the outside, they met the requirements to be clergy. The issue was the requirements on the inside, which was essentially proof that all wandmakers had a devout faith in God. That wasn’t all that difficult, either. All you had to do was create an interpretation where the “ideal wand” that wandmakers pursued and “God” were one and the same. Or you could simply argue that the “third arm” that makes an appearance in the scriptures is God telling the Maray Church to wrap things up quite neatly. That would be all it would take for the Church to absorb the craftsmen. Once Yuui realized that, she got goose bumps. She felt like she’d touched on the edge of why Marayism was so widely followed and why the Church invaded country after country. It was because they swallowed everything. For example, if some new discovery that created an inconsistency with the scriptures came to light, they wouldn’t refute either the scriptures or the knowledge. Instead, they would hold a meeting, just like now. There, they would treat the scriptures as an absolute truth while adjusting the interpretation of them to conform with the times. The same thing was happening now. There was no resistance to the Church bringing wandmakers into the clergy. And if they needed to, they would “interpret” the scriptures through logic and reason. This was how the Maray Church historically operated. And then…, thought Yuui, casting her eyes down. Even your ability to stargaze would be attributed to the existence of God. They believed in an absolute and unchanging truth. They were convinced that they would someday be able to connect everything into one because the world had been created by a single god. They were trying to absorb everything in the world, along with certainty. That was the true strength of Marayism. The Lukuttans were completely different. You could never arrive at those same conclusions in the faith from Yuui’s homeland. And there were no stronger ideological grounds in the fight for national supremacy. The people who didn’t follow Marayism were just people to be pitied. Marayists didn’t hesitate to invade and indoctrinate them. They arrived at the location of the dinner while Yuui was still thinking, though it turned out it was taking place in the same building in which all the other meetings were held. The same building and the same room. The only difference was how light it was outside and how the furniture was arranged. 5 There was a single long table running down the middle of the room with chairs on both sides. In front of each chair were plates and silverware. Participants were already gathering there, and quiet chatter bubbled up here and there. Ix and Shuno were led to the seats at the very end of the table. In terms of layout, that meant they were sitting in the spots reserved for the least important attendees, but that wasn’t what they had a problem with. “Wait, wait, wait a second!” said Shuno in a stifled cry, a feat of no small skill. Even so, they sat next to Ix and brought their face close to his. “What’s going on here? How many people are attending this meal?” “Uh…,” said Ix as he looked down the table. “I’m not telling you to count them!” Shuno grabbed Ix’s face and turned it back toward them. “Didn’t that Seyoh guy say he was inviting us here tonight because he wanted to talk to us a bit? How did that turn into this giant event?” “He never said we were the only guests,” replied Ix, his expression unchanged. “And who are all these people anyway? Man, we are totally in the wrong place…” Shuno dropped their head into their hands, which was actually what made them stand out even more. Several people were already staring at them. Some were regarding them with suspicion, almost asking why they were even sitting there. Even the two apprentices didn’t know why they were here, so the other guests must have been even more confused. “Dammit, I thought we were just getting some dinner…” Shuno stared into the distance, their eyes filled with resentment. Diagonally from them on the other end of the table sat Seyoh, the person who’d invited them. He made no move to introduce the two of them to anyone. He instead simply chatted with a smile on his face to the guests nearby. The moment Ix walked into the room, though, his attention turned to someone else. They were sitting across from Seyoh, which meant they were on the same side of the table as Ix and Shuno, just with several guests in between. They were the only person in the room whose face was concealed, yet not a single one of the other people in the room seemed to question this. It was strange for someone to wear their coat inside, and they appeared to be a fairly small person. Ix thought this might be someone he knew well, but the other guests were in the way, so he had no way of confirming. “Anyway, I think our only choice is to stay as quiet as we can and try not to draw any attention,” said Ix. “I’m with you on that. Don’t stand out, stay quiet the whole time.” Shuno nodded. But the moment they decided that, their luck seemed to take a turn for the worse as two far more attention-grabbing people entered the room. “Ha-ha-ha, I’m here!” came a shout along with the sound of the door opening forcefully. Everyone except Ix turned toward the door. Two very similar-looking men stood there as if looking down on everyone in the room. One of them had an arrogant smile plastered on his face, and the other wore an irritated frown. “Oh, come on, don’t all stare at me at once! I’ll be making more of a scene later. Just sit back and relax until then!” said the smiling man, not the least bit perturbed by all the attention. “My name’s Rolphie! This guy next to me is Hemsley. Have you heard of us? Well, even if you haven’t, I don’t care, you know?” Rolphie walked into the room, an arm around Hemsley’s shoulder. But as they were about to pass behind Ix and Shuno, they stopped. Ix’s hands automatically clenched into fists. “Hey, is that the moron?” asked Rolphie. Oblivious to Ix’s reaction, he placed a hand on his head without hesitation and leaned over to look at him. “Whoa, it is the moron! Hey, Hemsley! The numbskull’s here! You are him, right? What the hell are you doing here?” Ix’s only response was to pull in his chin slightly. “Ha-ha-ha, your face looks the same as always, like you just got back from a funeral! Are you still wearing your mourning clothes? But you know, since I happened to bump into you, I should tell you…nothing! ’Cause why would I have anything to say to you? Ha-ha-ha!” This time, Ix didn’t react at all. He just let out a slow breath. “Well, at least take in my awesome figure while you’re here! I would’ve thought even a moron could do that much!” Rolphie lightly smacked Ix’s head a couple of times. “Hemsley, you say something, too!” “Nothing to say.” “Ah well!” Then the two walked pompously off to their seats almost exactly in the center of the table. Rolphie immediately picked up a utensil at his place, called a servant over, and ordered them to do something. Everyone else in the room was dumbfounded for a moment, but the chatter resumed with lively force once Rolphie and Hemsley had settled into their seats. The primary topic was those two, perhaps with a bit of Ix thrown in. “They’re super rude, calling you a moron the minute they see you,” whispered Shuno with a frown. “Cheer up, Ix—you’re not a fool.” “…We had the same master; they’re my seniors,” said Ix, managing to get that much out. “Oh, really?” said Shuno, their fist in front of their mouth. “Then you must have…uh…had a hard time. With stuff.” “You could say that…” Ix had heard they were in town, but he hadn’t expected to run into them this soon. The only good thing was they weren’t sitting nearby each other… Ix didn’t get along with those two very well. Well, he didn’t really get along with any of the other apprentices, but these two were special. They called him a moron whenever they met, though that wasn’t all of it. The real thing was that Ix just felt like they were very different people. He couldn’t understand wandmakers who had no interest in wands. He found they rarely understood each other, and he preferred to just not talk to them. Several other people came into the room and took their seats. A few places were still unoccupied, but the servants came and cleared away the dishes in front of those. After the drinks eventually came, Seyoh stood. “I would like to thank you all for responding to my invitation on such short notice,” he said, sweeping his eyes about the room. “I believe you all may be able to guess without my explanation as to why I have decided to hold this dinner. But first, let us eat. The questioning and accusations can come afterward.” While Seyoh spoke, Rolphie stared at him meaningfully. Despite being the target of that look, Seyoh sat down, leaned back in his chair, and gave an unafraid smile. The food was brought out. Each dish was simple but delicious, in contrast with the extravagance implied by the massive room. Neither farming nor hunting was possible at the moment due to the season, so the dishes all utilized preserved foods. The cook must have been quite skilled to achieve such exquisite flavors with those limitations. The room was filled with lively chatter, though it was almost entirely idle gossip. Ix could intuit based upon what the guests were talking about that many of them were Marayist. The topic of Heaven’s Worship came up, though it wasn’t discussed at any significant length. As the meal continued, the conversations switched to primarily discussions with the person sitting next to you. The atmosphere of the room also seemed to loosen. “Man, that was nice. I’m glad we came,” said Shuno, smiling from ear to ear beside Ix as they brought more food to their mouth. Their nervousness from earlier was completely gone. “Hey, aren’t you going to eat?” they said, pointing at Ix’s plate. “Oh-ho, do you not like this food? Weeell, I’m not that picky, but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t leave anything on your plate at an event like this. I’ve got no choice, then, I’ll just take—” “No, I’ll eat it,” said Ix. “Really? You will? All of it…?” “…I guess I’m fine with just one piece. You have the rest for me,” said Ix. Shuno was practically beaming. “Ah, you’re really giving them to me?” “Yeah.” “…Really? You’re not going to extort me later?” “I won’t, so just take them already. It’s not enough to make up for it anyway.” “Make up for what?” asked Shuno while happily chewing away. “Nothing.” Ix shrugged. He looked forward again and saw the person sitting across the table staring at him. He was a middle-aged man, his hair thinning slightly. He’d been engaged in a heated discussion with another guest until just a moment ago. As Ix grew confused, Shuno noticed the man as well. They looked back and forth between Ix and the man, furrowing their brow in unease. “I-is he angry or something?” Shuno whispered in Ix’s ear. “Maybe we’re not supposed to give food like that…?” “It’s a possibility,” he agreed. The two of them looked at the man, and he suddenly gave them a gentle grin. “Ah, apologies for staring. It’s rude of me,” he said. “The two of you were just making me smile. You must be friends?” “Y-yes,” said Shuno with a glance at Ix. “Right?” Ix nodded without saying anything. “Yes, we’re close friends,” said Shuno boldly. “And why are you at this dinner? I heard earlier that Seyoh invited you.” “That’s right; he asked us here. We didn’t realize it was going to be this large of an event, though.” “Oh…?” The man nodded, looking somewhat surprised. “May I ask the reason why you were invited? You don’t appear to be from Estosha…” “Ah, well, the thing is, ummm…,” said Shuno, uncertain as to whether or not they could talk about the underground passage. They struggled to find an explanation, so Ix said, “We’ve been going to the monastery. To make staffs.” “Oh, I see, that explains it,” said the man with a nod, deciding all on his own that that was sufficient. He adjusted his position in his chair and clasped his hands atop the table. “You must be two very promising craftspeople to be taking a job at the monastery at your age. I can understand why Seyoh would invite you. He does like young and brilliant people.” “Th-thank you,” said Shuno with a slight bow. “But if that is the case…are you content not joining their conversation?” asked the man with a hand raised to indicate the center of the table. There were many people there gathered in rambunctious chatter. Both Seyoh and Rolphie were participating. Although whether you could say Hemsley was also joining in was a matter of opinion. “What do you mean?” asked Ix, turning his eyes back to the man. “I’ve been gloriously defeated,” said the man with a self-deprecating smile. “It is the inner circle that will attempt to solidify a decision while I’m not there. The majority of people have already been swept up by Mellay’s assertions. Even if I tried to make a counterargument, my voice wouldn’t reach them from all the way over here on the end. That might very well be the real reason for holding this dinner. In the normal meetings, the participants aren’t divided like this. I should have realized it the moment I was led to this seat… All that’s left is to determine who was responsible.” Ix and Shuno glanced at each other, not understanding what the man was saying. “Oh, look at me running off complaining,” he continued with a sigh. “They’re discussing the possibility of treating wandmakers as members of the clergy over there.” “Wh-what?” shrieked Shuno, but it was blotted out by a laugh that erupted from somewhere else. “Wh-what does that mean?” “I suppose I can’t help but tell you…,” he said. There were a lot of vague sections in his explanation, as if he was trying to conceal something, but the general gist was that some of the members of the Church were debating that topic. “If that was to happen, you wandmakers would find yourselves under a variety of restrictions. In your shops and in your daily lives as well. You would be significantly less free than you are now,” he said. “B-but it’s just a debate, right?” said Shuno. “Even if something like that is decided in a place like this, it couldn’t possibly make any difference to all the different places in the country.” “…Of course not. It’s best for you to think that,” said the man with a sad smile. “He looks like he’s trying to tell us something, but why does it also seem like he’s pitying us?” Shuno asked Ix in a quiet voice. “B-but it’ll be fine, right? It’s not like they can decide something that huge at a meeting in a place like this…” “Either way, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Ix shrugged. “Even if the world changes, it’s not the kind of problem that people like us can do anything about. This kind of thing is decided by people in another world.” “What do you mean, ‘in another world’?” “Well, above, probably.” “Above?” Ix pointed up, and Shuno followed along to stare at the ceiling, then turned back to Ix’s face. With a wrinkle between their brow, Shuno said, “There’s nothing up there…” 6 Yuui noticed when Ix and the person who’d been with him that one night showed up. She didn’t know why they were here, but she was worried he’d gotten himself dragged into something unpleasant again. Currently, however, she was Minaha, not Yuui, so she wasn’t in a position to casually address him. She would put him in greater danger if her true identity was discovered. With that in mind, she kept quiet. It was a blessing that they were sitting so far away from each other. He would surely realize who she was if he heard her voice. But even if they weren’t in this situation, Yuui likely wouldn’t have been able to speak with him. It was taking every ounce of her energy to keep up with the debate unfolding before her eyes. The transition happened naturally. That was true for Yuui, who already knew what was happening, so the others surely didn’t feel any discomfort with it. They probably never even realized that Mellay was shaping the direction of their arguments. The conversation moved so naturally, almost as if it was to be expected, from idle gossip to the topic of the treatment of wandmakers. There was the discussion of the distinction of magic beasts in Marayism; then the five-legged beast was mentioned, which brought up the topic of wands. The same logic Mellay spoke of before was leading the debate to the same conclusion. Yuui watched it happen in silence. There wasn’t even a tiny gap for her to make a counterargument. The scary thing was that Mellay looked as if she was almost entirely uninvolved. She offered the occasional remark here and there but kept it to a short comment or a quiet murmur, as though she were only half-heartedly participating in the debate. But for Yuui, who had been focusing intently on the discussion, it was clear. Mellay’s remarks were the turning points that nudged the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go, as if it were gently rolling toward that conclusion. Actually, she wasn’t quite leading the discussion. It was unfolding naturally. Anyone who thought about it would eventually reach the same conclusion. Mellay was more like a gentle wind, pushing on the backs of any who got lost along the way. That was the small amount of guiding she did. Small amount? What constituted a small amount? Yuui wanted to laugh at her own thoughts. How many calculations and how much preparation had been needed to make that “small amount” possible? Yuui had spent her life so far being swept along the whole time, wrapped up in the expectations and plans of someone above. She had become just a pawn like that, and all she could do was adapt to the environment she was placed in. Her life was not her own… She already knew that. Even so, she’d had this tiny sensation that she’d managed to take back some of that during the events of the summer and fall. She’d expanded the range she could operate in and thought she would be able to do something within that space. If she had to admit it, she actually thought she, too, could join that world above. That was the reason she’d gone along with the suggestion that she return to Lukutta. But seeing this now, all she could do was laugh. It turned out that the world above, which she’s been only vaguely aware of, was a horrifying place. “But would it be good to make wandmakers clergy? They don’t know how to comport themselves as members of the Church,” said someone. “The current Guild lays down strict standards in order for one to become a craftsman. I hear that most of the more unreserved types are turned away,” replied another. “But there is the problem of their faith,” said yet another. “Obviously, they are followers of Marayism, but do they have the faith sufficient enough to join the religious bureaucracy?” They all fell into thought. Eventually, someone said something that acted as a trigger for others to say no not this, no not that, and the discussion grew even more complex. Once they all finished saying what they wanted to say, there was a moment of silence. “We do have wandmakers here, after all.” The voice came from that one particular elderly woman. It wasn’t something said to the entire group, more like something murmured to the person sitting next to her. But since she said it in the single brief moment when everyone was silent, it seemed to ring out like a revelation. “That’s right, we do,” someone said as they nodded. “Those apprentices of Munzil’s could very well act as representatives of wandmakers…,” whispered another. The participants’ eyes naturally fell on the wandmakers at the table, on the pair of men who looked so alike, the boisterous one and the reticent one. The two were engaged in conversation, or rather, there was a one-sided conversation occurring. Then they noticed everyone looking at them, and one raised a loud voice. “I see, so you want to ask me something? Ha-ha, good! I’ll allow a few questions!” Some of the guests glowered at Rolphie’s tone, but it wasn’t enough of a hindrance to hold back the current flow of the debate. One of the theologians cleared their throat and said, “I hope I’m not stepping on any toes if I go first. What do you wandmakers normally hold in your hearts while you are crafting wands? Is it the face of your client? The money you may receive? Or perhaps…your faith in God?” “Ha-ha, what a dumb question!” cried Rolphie with a laugh. “All craftsmen think of the same thing: the ideal wand, obviously! Right?” Rolphie hit Hemsley’s shoulder, and he nodded. “The ideal wand…?” The theologian grimaced. “And you are both the same?” “Well, about that,” said Rolphie as he placed the palms of his hands flat on the table, “I’m incredibly interested in how much I could sell the ideal wand for, and this guy next to me is searching for the ideal wood.” “My apologies for adding another question, but what is the ideal wand? What exactly does that look like?” “Huh, you don’t know? The ideal wand’s right here in this town!” “What?” “Why don’t you think about it in that head of yours a bit before you open your mouth?” Rolphie pointed down. “It’s under the Chapel! That’s the ideal wand, the ultimate wand!” “That…is true in the stories, but is it actually true?” “It is,” said Rolphie with a self-confident nod. “In other words, all wandmakers are pursuing that wand?” Yuui secretly wondered what this wand underground was, but the guests were buzzing. It was probably a story that those connected to the Church knew. But at that point, a voice came from the opposite end of the table from Yuui. “Wait.” Looking that way, she saw the gray-haired man stand up, his hands on the table. Ix…, she thought as she looked at his profile. “What do you mean when you say that’s the ultimate wand?” said Ix, staring directly at Rolphie, heedless of all the eyes that were locked on him. “…What do you mean, ‘What do you mean’?” parroted Rolphie. Yuui looked at him and was frightened. There wasn’t a single hint of the smile that had been on his face a moment before. His expression was as cold as ice as he stared back at his fellow apprentice. “Did you actually see that catalyst?” asked Ix. “Yeah, I did,” replied Rolphie with a nod. “And it’s the ultimate wand?” “Yep.” “How can you say that?” “You’re a moron because you can’t figure it out yourself.” It wasn’t Rolphie who said that but Hemsley beside him. He was still looking directly forward, his expression as irritated as ever. “You’ll never be able to see it unless you fix that.” “…Fine.” After seconds that felt as long as hours, Ix quietly took his seat again. Yuui felt the tension in her body drain away. It wasn’t like they’d been pointing wands at each other or even really arguing, but Yuui’s palms were slicked with sweat regardless. It seemed like that might have been the same for the other guests as well, because many of them were gaping at the two. Yuui cautiously looked toward Ix, trying to keep the others from noticing. His expression was as unchanged as ever, and he was speaking quietly to the person beside him. Afterward, the debate started up again like people happened to remember it. In the somewhat relaxed atmosphere, it proceeded largely as expected, as Mellay had planned. They came to the interpretation that the wandmakers who sought the ultimate wand were the same as the clergy who held their faith in God. “But wands are not God. It would be one thing if God had given us wands, but it was Rednoff who created them. A human. To interpret those two as one and the same…,” countered one priest, and a few other attendees nodded in agreement. Even those who had been pushing that argument so far grimaced at the statement and said nothing. That’s when a white hand rose into the air. “May I speak for a moment?” “O-of course, Mellay,” said the priest nervously as he gestured toward her with an open hand. “Thank you. It has struck me that perhaps you are all forgetting the stories.” “Hmm, what do you mean…?” “According to the legend, Rednoff was alone for a long time in the room below the Chapel where he made wands.” This was the first time Yuui had heard anything about this room below the Chapel or these wands, but she guessed it had something to do with the priest’s notes she’d read that morning. Mellay asked the other guests to think about it, then said, “Below the Chapel. If that isn’t a display of faith on par with martyrdom, then what is it? And his success in creating the ultimate wand was nothing short of divine inspiration at work.” Everything clicked for the guess as they listened to what she said. “Striving for the ultimate wand is, to wandmakers, the same as striving to be like Rednoff,” she continued. “Is their drive to emulate his faithful heart at the time not the purest form of faith? That is what I think anyway…” There was no need to even check. Everyone was completely convinced. Mellay’s tone was hesitant. She’d never broken the illusion that other people were driving the debate, and now it seemed that she was simply mentioning a random thought that had struck her. That actually had the opposite effect of lending her words great persuasive power. Now it appeared that Mellay, who had held back until now despite the authority her voice typically carried, had wrapped up the entire discussion. No one else voiced dissenting opinions. The next meeting wouldn’t have any debate; it would only be for confirmation. With this, wandmakers would be subsumed by the Church once the New Order successfully stepped into power. Yuui glanced in Ix’s direction again. Just moments before he had raised an opposing voice against Rolphie. He’d seen this “ultimate wand” or whatever it was. What sort of wand was it? Was it a marvel of a catalyst worthy of being the target of every wandmaker’s aspiration? Or… 7 “All right, let’s get to the real topic of the day!” When Rolphie shouted that, everyone present glanced at him suspiciously, even Ix and Shuno. The dishes had already been cleared away, and the guests were being served after-dinner tea. Steam wafted up from the hot tea, but the room was already warm enough that drinking the beverage was causing them to sweat slightly. “Real topic? Does that mean that wasn’t all of it?” asked Shuno, their head cocked. “They’re making us members of the clergy, aren’t they? Whether they actually can or not is another discussion.” “That’s what it sounded like to me…,” said Ix, just as confused. Rolphie, acting very casual and in control, crossed his long legs, sniffed the fragrant tea, and took a tiny sip. He returned the teacup to the table and looked around the room. “Oh, yes. There was still that topic,” said Seyoh, clasping his hands together. “I got completely swept away by the other subject, my apologies.” “I don’t need your apologies yet!” shouted Rolphie with one arm open wide. “Because soon, you’re going to be apologizing to each and every person here!” Seyoh shrugged and stood. “As you have all been informed, a few days after the last meeting, a letter was delivered to me. The contents were clear and simple: ‘There is a plan moving ahead to blow away this building.’ And you likely know this as well, but a few days before, Miss Minaha here,” said Seyoh, indicating the person in a coat sitting across from him, “was attacked by someone while traveling down the road. Thankfully, she was unharmed, but we do know that the assailant used magic against her. I have thoroughly investigated both cases but have been unable to determine the culprit. Have I missed anything?” Seyoh smiled at the room, then continued. “And what Rolphie speaks of is his accusation that I am responsible for both of these events. Which, if true, is quite a serious issue.” Laughter could be heard in the room from no one in particular. But it died out quickly as strangely loud guffaws burst forth. That was from Rolphie, of course. “Ha-ha-ha-ha, great explanation!” he said, then stood up forcefully. He started walking slowly around the table. “First just let me say: I have zero interest in this! I don’t care who sent the letter or who attacked whomever it is over there! The only reason I’m going out of my way to explain this is because you lot have gotten really pathetic for not realizing who it is by now. Which means I’m saying this all out of the goodness of my own heart! Reflect on that and don’t forget your gratitude while you listen very closely!” His speech was accompanied by overexaggerated gestures and waved hands. “Despite all that, I don’t feel like going into all the annoying details of proof and motive and whatnot! The culprit is obvious even without all that!” “Obvious…you say,” said Seyoh, still standing. He walked down the other side of the table from Rolphie so he was almost directly across from him. “Then let me ask, what leads you to claim that I am responsible for the first incident?” “Everything. The letter was delivered, right? To this building? Otherwise known as your home. Early in the morning,” said Rolphie. “Yes, that is correct.” “Where exactly was it delivered to?” “I was told it was placed outside the entrance…,” said Seyoh, puzzled. “You must get tired playing dumb like that all the time.” Rolphie swept his hair up. “So how did you read that letter? A letter that, if placed on the piles of snow, would have gotten so damp you couldn’t read it?” Ix saw everyone’s expressions grow cold in that moment. “…It wasn’t that damp,” replied Seyoh in a calm tone. “The servants likely picked it up just after it was placed there.” “That is an incredible coincidence!” Rolphie clapped his hands. “But the person who sent it was a serious moron, weren’t they? Come on, putting a letter on the snow?!” “My servants open the front entrance every day at the same time. It is possible the sender investigated before sending.” “Someone who’s sending a tip-off letter? That’s thinking pretty far ahead for something like that!” “Or, and I don’t say this because I personally believe it, but the culprit may be one of my servants.” “Ah, so then you don’t recognize the handwriting of one of the very few servants of yours who can actually write and didn’t bother investigating it after the letter was delivered?” “…Is that all the proof you have for your accusations?” “Didn’t I say that we wouldn’t need anything as bothersome as proof? Even a child knows if you put paper on the snow, it’ll get wet. There’s not any proof of that.” Rolphie and Seyoh glared at each other. Eventually, Seyoh cleared his throat and said, “Then what about the second incident? Is it obvious that I attacked Minaha?” “Of course it is! It’s even more obvious than the last one!” Rolphie pointed at the person in a coat. “It’s not like anyone would attack a person whose name and face they don’t even know!” The room fell utterly silent. Seyoh blinked in confusion and said, “…Is that your reason?” “What about it don’t you understand? The attack was clearly targeting her specifically, yeah? Only someone who knows what’s under the hood would do that. Which is you. Can you think of any other possibilities?” “I can think of a few.” “Then give them here; I’ll shoot down every single one.” “The assailant was attacking at random. The assailant had learned Minaha’s true identity elsewhere. The assailant was a member of the meetings and trying to eliminate her despite not knowing her true identity,” said Seyoh, listing off example after example. “Would someone who’s intelligent enough to have a wand attack people at random in broad daylight? Nope. You’re the only person who knows her identity, so where exactly is someone else going to find out who she is? And seriously? A participant in the meetings? They attacked even though they knew you were on high alert because of the threat letter? Are there any actual morons here? Other than the moron.” “……” It seemed Rolphie had forced Seyoh into submission by refuting his ideas so quickly. Listening to this conversation was enough to give Ix a general idea of what was happening. As it played out, he’d gone from wondering what Rolphie was blabbering about to feeling like he was actually on to something. In reality, Rolphie’s argument was absurd. Anyone could poke as many holes in the defense as they wanted, but it was Seyoh giving up on defending himself that seemed the most convincing proof. But just then, a voice came from beside Ix. “E-excuse me.” Ix looked over to see Shuno timidly raising their hand. “What now?” Rolphie glowered at the sudden interruption. “Ah, whatever. You can speak.” “Well, according to the conversation from before, you think that the ‘blow the building away’ thing is just random nonsense, but…I saw it. There’s blast powder in the passage below the city.” “Blast powder…?” asked everyone in the room, including Rolphie. Of course, Ix had never heard of the stuff before. But he did think he knew what Shuno was talking about—the casks they’d found in the passage that contained a sand-like substance. “Y-yes,” said Shuno with a gulp. “It’s a specialized powder that will explode when you apply pressure and expose it to flame. I saw it underground.” “Was there enough to provide the force necessary to destroy the building?” asked the man across from them in a calm tone. “U-uh, well… There wasn’t all that much, and it was already damp… B-but it might’ve been part of some plot.” “Right,” said Rolphie, though he nodded in an uninterested way. “Unless I’m wrong, this blast powder or whatever has nothing to do with this incident. Be quiet now.” “H-huh? But—” “I agree,” came a voice that Ix knew well. It belonged to Minaha, the woman in the coat. She was going by a different name, but her tone of voice and speech patterns were exactly the same as the girl he knew as Yuui. Everyone turned their attention on her, the girl who hadn’t spoken up even when the topic centered on her. “Are you a blast wandmaker?” she asked Shuno. “How do you know that name…?” Their eyes grew wide. “N-no, I’m not. I make magic wands.” “In all likelihood, the blast powder that you saw was used long ago when that passage was dug. It’s just leftovers.” “H-how can you even claim that?” “I do not know how powerful blast powder is, and I have never seen that underground tunnel. But I do have one question. During the time when that passage was constructed, by which I mean when the Chapel was built, were magic techniques advanced enough to bore through the earth?” “W-well, it would be difficult…,” said Shuno, their voice growing quieter and quieter. “Then which do you think is more likely: Someone obtained old technology and secretly transported it underground, or that the materials from that time period were left there? Time passes more gently beneath the earth.” Once she finished speaking in nearly one breath, she held her hands in front of her as if she were handing back the spotlight. Rolphie took the opportunity to start speaking again, waving his arms. Shuno seemed to almost shrink into themselves as they put their hands on their knees. No one was paying attention to them anymore. “You okay?” asked Ix. “You were thinking of everyone in the room when you spoke; I doubt they think badly of you.” “Yeah, I’m fine… Actually, maybe I’m not,” Shuno said with a weak smile. “Do you mind going outside with me for a bit? It feels really stuffy in here…” 8 When Ix and Shuno stepped quietly out of the room, Ix saw someone he recognized. People who looked like the attendants of the dinner guests were standing outside the room. Among them was Nova, the girl who had been tasked with monitoring and guarding Yuui. Ix wasn’t sure if he should talk to her, but she nodded slightly when she saw him looking at her, then glanced out the window. “I shouldn’t have butted in…,” said Shuno as they walked on unsteady feet. “I’m going to get some fresh air.” “I’ll come with you to the entrance,” said Ix as he nodded back toward Nova.
Chapter 40
43 min read