Volume 6 Chapter 71 From Cheerful To Serious (Partially Malfunctioning)
Magician Mayuri was biting her thumbnail and muttering words in an unknown language. It was scary to ask her what she meant, but Priest Shion cleared his throat with a deliberate cough after glancing at her.
"Since we've made some progress, let's move on to the main topic."
His words shifted the casual, somewhat messy atmosphere to a more serious tone. Seeing everyone's attention turn to him (except Mayuri's), Shion spoke again.
"Normally, this would be Mayuri-san's role, but as you can see, she's not in a state to handle it right now. So, I'll take over. Now then──"
Shion began discussing the incident that occurred in Lunatia during their travels. He mentioned the scheming demon (mazoku), the stolen treasure, the old grudge between the Lunatia royal family and Sanmoto, and somewhere in that land, a sealed calamity.
"So, was the plan to confirm the calamity's location and meet with the shogun?"
Reed, still burdened by something on her head, asked Shion. Shion simply shrugged in response.
"Ideally, I would have liked to meet him directly and explain everything, but unfortunately, we were turned away at the gate. It's a shame, but that's how it is."
The grudge between Lunatia and Sanmoto had long been forgotten due to time. As for the calamity, the Sanmoto family had no idea how it was handled, and even the isolated Lunatia royal family was unsure.
"What do you think about this, Rouza, the third son of the Egawa family?"
I asked, but Rouza, arms crossed, groaned.
"Unfortunately, this is the first time I've heard of it. I don't doubt the stories of Black Blade's friends, but as someone connected to the Shogun family by the lowest rank, I've never heard of any 'calamity' from my father."
It was like being hit with a bucket of cold water. It would have been convenient if Rouza knew about the 'Calamity,' but as expected, things weren't that easy.
"What do you think, Aina-chan?"
Kyunei, who had been listening silently, turned to Aina. She lowered her gaze and placed a finger on her chin, as if her thoughts had already begun.
"...I believe not explaining the circumstances was the right choice."
After a short pause, Aina raised her face.
"Only a few in the Shogun family understand the Sanmoto side of things. If it's considered a tradition passed only to former Shoguns or kept as a taboo, speaking out could lead to detention."
In Lunatia, even knowing about the 'Calamity' was dangerous, so only its existence was passed down. It wouldn't be strange if Sanmoto treated it the same way.
"Yes, we agree. Even if we were detained, there'd be no room to explain..."
"If you poke around recklessly and a problem arises, it could be serious. Crossing a dangerous bridge requires guarantees. After all, we represent our nation."
Following Shion's words, the first-rank mercenary, Gabert, sighed.
Since the 'Brave' noble cause doesn't hold up in Sanmoto, Relix and the others must act cautiously. If caught by the Shogun family, their standing as 'Brave' would be at risk. If rumors spread that the Brave turned against a foreign royal family, it could shake trust in their unifying cause.
"However, this assumes the Sanmoto side passed down the story and the Egawa family inherited it."
Reed and I both tilted our heads—or tried to, but something on our heads prevented it. More accurately, I wanted to move soon. The soft flesh on my head was comfortable, but my shoulders were starting to ache.
Putting that aside, Aina's 'hypothesis' was hard to accept immediately. Mikage understood it first.
"Ah, I see. If the alliance with Lunatia was made over a hundred years ago, before Sanmoto was subdued by the Egawa family, the Egawa family might have no connection to the calamity legends."
In extreme cases, a completely different entity from the Egawa family might have made the alliance with Lunatia.
"──In the worst-case scenario, the family that passed down the legends might have been wiped out?"
"Well... yes, Sanmoto was at war before the Egawa family took control. It's possible they disappeared during that time."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Mikage, who had been speaking casually, also looked strained.
"As Silver Flash said, we're aware of these possibilities. But bringing up the 'calamity' carelessly is too dangerous. Honestly, we're at a deadlock. It's lucky—or a miracle—that we connected with Rouza-san like this."
Listening to Shion, the topic of the calamity seemed more and more stuck. No wonder they reached out to Rouza with desperate hope. If I were in Relix's position, I would have done the same.
'Hey, Touga. You know more about this than Rouza, right? Stop being silent and say something.'
'.........'
Touga, who had been silent until then, showed no response to Gram's voice. It didn't seem like he was ignoring it, but more like he was deep in thought.
Rouza also stared at the azure monk staff (Touga) beside him. It was a treasure passed down before Egawa became the Shogun. Compared to the current owner, Touga should know more about the Egawa family's history.
After a brief pause, Touga spoke to me via telepathy.
'I'm sorry I can't meet your expectations, but the farthest back I can trace my memories is about 200 years ago. Anything before or after that is vague.'
'Hey, what are you going to do with you, a weapon that's getting senile?'
'No matter what you said, there is no answer.'
'You're not useful when it matters most.'
'But... the word 'calamity' strongly bothers me deep inside.'
With a sigh, Gram's words were ambiguous yet strongly stated by Touga.
'I probably know what "calamity" is. But beyond that, my memories are foggy. However, it's certain that "calamity" is connected to the Egawa family──right now, I can't say more.'
Touga groaned, as if tasting bitterness. He must also feel uncomfortable, having memories he can't clearly explain.
From experience, I knew asking Touga more now would be useless. When I first met Gram, he only spoke ambiguously about his background until he transformed into the black spear shape. I assumed Touga was in a similar situation.
Without a clear 'trigger,' Touga would likely never speak the truth. I could only hope the 'trigger' would come someday.
By the way, Reed's snake-belly sword (Slay) wasn't participating in the conversation—rather, it seemed completely uninterested. Even if it heard voices, it would just stir up trouble, so I left it alone.
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