Chapter 8
IT WAS THE MIDDLE of dinnertime, and the food court floor of Epicurean Excess was packed full of people patronizing its dozens of restaurants. And as a place that brought together all the cuisines of the continent, it naturally served drinks as well.
Mira had returned to the Sentopoli business district in order to discuss plans for the Chimera Clausen captives. Now, she wove between hungry customers as she searched the bars within.
Ooh, this one is like an izakaya.
Food samples were displayed in a glass showcase, and branded liquors lined shelves. Reminded of the famous izakayas from her own world, Mira wasted no time and entered through the shop’s low-hanging curtain.
“Welcome! How many in your party?” An employee greeted her brightly, prompting the other staff within to echo, “Welcome!”
It really was just like an izakaya. Mira was impressed. “Oh, my apologies,” she said. “I’m actually searching for a friend. May I take a quick look, anyway?”
“Of course. Feel free to look around!” the employee replied with a cheerful smile. She informed Mira that the seats closer to the entrance were table seating, while the ones in the back were tatami seating. She was even kind enough to tell her the quickest route through all the tables.
Mira thanked her, then walked where she was directed, looking all around the establishment. She received many cheerful greetings along the way. The customers were just as friendly as the staff. After examining the place, Mira said to the employee at the entrance, “Seems he isn’t here. Apologies for disturbing you.” With that, she left.
“Come again some time!” the employee called, just as enthusiastically as before.
Now in a slightly better mood, Mira continued her search through the other bars.
***
The second and third establishments ended in failure as well. The fourth one that Mira stepped into was a fried food restaurant with a striking, Japanese-style interior. This one felt like a hidden back-alley gem…though it was hardly hidden given the crowd of people within.
Mira gave her now-practiced speech to the employees; she informed them that she was searching for someone and looked around inside. The sizzling sound of frying food could be heard from the kitchen. Mira glanced at the tables and saw deep-fried skewers and other crispy delicacies. When someone chomped on a thick chunk of fried meat, it made a satisfying crunch.
This restaurant served many kinds of seafood, including shrimp, squid, and shellfish, but its real draw was the hundred varieties of skewered meats on the menu. There were even some oddballs such as fried cake and ice cream available.
Mira wanted to sit and have a snack herself. But she managed to stifle the urge, swallow her disappointment, and avert her eyes from the delicious fried skewers. Halfway through the restaurant, Mira finally found her target.
“Ah! There you are!”
In the back of the establishment was Aaron, a jug in hand as he plowed through a heaping plate of deep-fried meat skewers. “Hm? Whoa, if it isn’t Little Miss Mira! Sounds like you were looking for me, huh?”
“That’s right. There’s something we need to discuss,” Mira said, glancing left and right.
“…Uh-huh. Guess we’d best go to my room, then.” Aaron caught on quickly and gulped down the rest of the beer in his jug before standing up.
Mira gazed at the mountain of food on the table. Aaron asked a nearby employee to box up the leftovers, ordered another glass of beer, and guided Mira to the room he was staying in. She followed him, practically drooling.
***
On the fifth floor of the Epicurean Excess, Mira savored the fried meat skewers and filled Aaron in on the current state of things. She explained everything, though she left out the finer details for the sake of time.
She told him of the relationship between the War-Torn Burial Ground and Melville Commerce, the alchemist named Johan, the documents about black mist ore, the communication with HQ, the black-market auction venue, Isaac and the outcast hunter she’d captured, and the truth about Sentopoli she’d learned from Isaac.
Aaron was astounded at first, but he accepted it surprisingly quickly. “Huh. I had a feeling someone was in league with them, but I had no idea the whole country was Chimera…” he murmured.
Aaron then updated Mira on the status of their investigation of Sentopoli. However, the investigation had only begun just over a day ago, so it had yet to yield much information. There was only one big lead so far: they’d learned of some mysterious government-run facilities, the purpose of which the residents couldn’t tell them.
He added, “We’ve been looking for them just in case, but now that I’ve heard all this from you, it sounds like priority number one. Man, now I can see why this country developed so fast.”
A cliff at the edge of an inhospitable wasteland had turned into a capital city rivaling those of larger nations in only twenty years. That should not be possible without both wealth greater than that of any other nation and cutting-edge technology. Moreover, this world contained magical powers that exceeded any physical means. And these powers could be quite versatile in the right hands.
“Hmm, yes. If one considers this grandeur a gift from the spirits, it all makes sense.”
But if the leaders of this nation were Chimera Clausen, then that changed everything. They wouldn’t need enormous funds or great mages; as long as they could control the power of spirits, that was sufficient.
Mira recalled the glorious sight of the coastline carved into a terraced shape. When she thought that it had all been created with the stolen powers of spirits, she couldn’t help but look down sadly, unsure how to process it all. However, it was still only a theory; it was still possible that it wasn’t true.
“So, you wanted help figuring out what to do with the assassin and the guy you got the info from, right?” Aaron, on the other hand, seemed convinced that this theory was correct. Fire burned in his eyes.
“Indeed. Where do you think I should take them?” The country and Union would be sure to assassinate them, so Mira proposed using the hidden room at Ebatess Commerce in Roslein. But she was unsure how to ferry them stealthily since she would have to use her summons.
“In that case, I’d suggest using the Isuzu Alliance branch office. They build them with jail cells, just in case.”
The Isuzu Alliance office he referred to was the small building that looked like a residential home on the southern edge of town. It had a room deep underground, but Mira didn’t recall seeing anything like a jail cell.
“Oho, really? It looked like any other cozy household to me.”
“Yeah, most of ’em look like that. I’ve never used it, but the communicator was underground, right? I hear the jail is hidden behind it.”
“You don’t say! I had no idea.” Mira pictured the communicator room again. She was surprised and overjoyed to know that such a useful room was so close at hand.
“No surprise you didn’t notice it. They say Little Miss Uzume hides ’em with her barriers.” Aaron’s words were filled with rock-solid faith in Uzume. Mira could tell that he must have witnessed her doing something truly great.
“Barriers, hm? I see.”
They were speaking, of course, of the magic sort of barrier. The barriers created by mediums were especially large and occasionally colorful. Naturally, the barrier around the Isuzu Alliance base at the bottom of the lake was a magnificent example.
“Well, let’s get right to work,” Aaron said and stood up. “I’ll go to the office and get them ready to receive the captives. Little Miss Mira, you use that stealth guy when you bring them here. We don’t want anyone seeing you.” He poured water into his glass and downed it all at once, probably in an attempt to sober up. Then, he stuffed his mouth full of food to invigorate himself.
“Understood. Carrying around one of this country’s leaders would naturally cause some unwanted attention.”
It wasn’t rare to see apprehended criminals being hauled about in this world, but it was a little different when it came to the leader of a nation. Add in the fact that Chimera Clausen was involved, and Mira knew she couldn’t let a single soul witness her transporting these prisoners.
With a stern look, she picked up a few fried meat skewers and considered when she might use total concealment. One mustn’t go to war on an empty stomach.
***
Even after the sun set, the city of Sentopoli remained bright and lively. But now that she knew this was the result of countless spirit sacrifices, Mira no longer found it beautiful. She closed her eyes in silent prayer as she flew over the city on Pegasus’s back.
Knowing that somebody might be searching for the two lost Chimera members, Mira landed a distance away and warily approached the spot where she’d left them.
“How was it? Any problems?” Mira asked as she stepped into the optical camouflage range.
Wasranvel answered that one suspicious person had wandered by, but that they had not spotted the group. “Have you decided where to take them?” he asked.
“Indeed, I have. Discussing it with a friend was worthwhile; we’ve got the perfect place,” Mira said, satisfied. She ordered her Holy Knight to pick up both of the captives. This summons wasn’t as ominous as the Dark Knights, but it did still look an awful lot like an abduction when it came to transporting captives.
But that would only matter if anyone saw them. Mira and Wasranvel took the lead, while the Holy Knight hauling the two men followed behind. With the whole group hidden by optical concealment, they ran through the mountains toward Sentopoli.
***
A little over an hour later, Mira took a wide detour around the city before bee-lining toward the southern district where the Isuzu office was. It was dead quiet here compared to the city center. But it wasn’t uninhabited; laborers working overtime and occasional patrols could be seen here and there.
The streetlights were scarce, and darkness ruled; the sound of footsteps stood out all the more. Mira and Wasranvel could conceal their own footsteps to an extent, but the heavy clanking of Holy Knight armor would stand out in the worst way possible.
“About half a kilometer left,” Mira noted. “Wasranvel, how long could you maintain total concealment?” She didn’t want any rumors spreading of mysterious footsteps or people being carried around in the southern district on the night of an important man’s disappearance, so she steeled herself to use every last bit of total concealment necessary.
“Hmm… I would say I can hold out for about five minutes.”
“That will do nicely.” Mira judged this to be ample time, ordered him to use it right away, and began running pell-mell toward the Isuzu Alliance office.
Unfortunately, the price of running five hundred meters in just over a minute was that the two captives were violently jostled about on the Holy Knight’s shoulders, resulting in some minor injuries.
***
When they were right in front of the Sentopoli branch of the Isuzu Alliance, Mira left the range of the total concealment and knocked on the door.
She heard a click as it was unlocked. Aaron poked his head out, having arrived ahead of time to prepare to take in the captives.
“I really couldn’t see you. Heck, I couldn’t even sense you.” After looking around warily, Aaron peered behind Mira and noted that he couldn’t sense the captives and spirit that should be there at all. “Are they really here?” he asked, just to be sure.
“Incredible, isn’t it? I had him pull out all the stops since I didn’t want our footsteps to stand out.” Mira grinned proudly and entered the office, confirmed that everyone was inside, and closed the door. “You may stop now,” she declared, prompting Wasranvel to turn off total concealment.
Suddenly, Wasranvel, a Holy Knight, and two pale men winked into existence before Aaron’s eyes.
“Ooh! Now that’s cool!” Even Aaron’s honed senses had failed to detect them until now. He was astounded. “Little Miss Mira, I can’t even count how many times you’ve surprised me by now,” he said in earnest wonderment.
Though he was past the prime of his life, Aaron had continued working as an adventurer. The burning ambition that spurred him to aim for greater heights, despite already being ranked so highly among adventurers, made him excited to see power that he could never hope to comprehend.
“Please, you exaggerate.” Mira played dumb and shrugged off his compliment.
They passed through the hidden door and down to the communicator room. Mira had seen this room once before, with its gray furnishings and black communicator—but now, there was an unfamiliar iron door in the back. Aaron led the way into what seemed to be the secret jail cell.
“By the way, the urgent courier you ordered is here.” Aaron put a hand on the door and then turned, gesturing with his eyes at the corner of the communicator room.
When she turned, Mira saw a familiar red bird.
“Aha, I see. So this is how they achieve that speed.”
The bird was about a meter long, with vivid red plumage and glorious, golden tail feathers. The markings around its face were a watery blue, giving it quite a dignified appearance, for a bird.
Its name was Tweetsuke, an advanced shikigami used by Wise Man Kagura. It had a top speed of over two hundred kilometers per hour. A cord hung around its neck, on which dangled a box bearing a cute cat symbol and the phrase URGENT COURIER.
Mira was beginning to understand how this system worked. “Perhaps I should get this done first,” she murmured. Aaron understood what she meant: it’d be best to handle the mail right away. She felt bad making the shikigami wait any longer.
“Yeah, go for it.”
Mira entrusted the captives to Aaron and ordered her Holy Knight to follow his orders. The summons left her side and stood behind him in waiting.
“Whoa. I feel like a knight captain now.” Aaron gazed at his single subordinate a moment before finally stepping into the next room in a better mood.
***
“Now, Tweetsuke, I entrust you with this.” Mira combined the documents she’d received from Johan with the black mist ore sample she’d harvested. She placed them both in the box hanging from the bird’s neck. On the front, she wrote in large print, Dangerous freight! Do not open near spirits! After packing up the contents, all that was left was to send the bird away.
Right. Might as well.
Once she’d finished, she reached for the receiver to tell Kagura about the many dramatic developments of the past few hours. She knew now: when she picked up the receiver, it would connect right away. Thus she skipped the pointless niceties and declared, “It’s me.”
“Gramps, you’re finally here! Jeez, I’ve been waiting foreveeer!” Kagura’s voice echoed in the small room. Mira looked at Tweetsuke in surprise. “I waited a whole hour, y’know!”
The voice filling the room hadn’t come from the communicator at all; no, it came from the mouth of the bird itself.
“Goodness,” Mira sighed. “You scared me.”
The bird shikigami spoke with Kagura’s voice. It also looked different than it had before; now, it moved with absurdly human-like motions. Apparently imitating Kagura’s body language, the bird put a wing on its hip(?) and glared at Mira. The shikigami was speaking with Kagura’s voice and mimicking her actions. This was something Mira had never seen before, but she quickly realized that it was a new ability.
“What? How are you doing that?” Mira demanded. She put down the receiver and squatted in front of Tweetsuke. Apparently enjoying herself, she picked the bird up and flipped it all around to survey it from every angle.
“Ack! Hey, be gentle! My head is spinniiing!” the bird cried. Its eyes spun as it slumped over lifelessly in Mira’s arms.
***
Kagura had received a painful reminder that Danblf—now Mira—had always loved new abilities and features. In the bird’s body, she managed to escape the little summoner’s clutches. Mira’s eyes were sparkling as she demanded an explanation. Kagura assented with a sigh. This ability was apparently called Synchronized Senses. It allowed one to possess servants created by one’s own mana and receive sensory information—mainly sight and sound—as if it had come through their own eyes and ears. The wielder could even synchronize motions once they were practiced enough.
However, this did not disable the wielder’s senses while they used those of the servant. As such, when Mira had played rough with the bird, Kagura could still feel her own sense of motion. The resulting discordant senses led to extreme motion sickness.
After Kagura’s explanation, Mira demanded of the bird, “If it works on servants created by your own mana, would weapon spirits be able to use it as well?!”
The bird backed away, lest it be shaken around again, and replied, “Umm… I think necromancers have managed to learn it a little, so maybe weapon spirits could do it too?”
Shikigami were all created by the mana of their mage, which meant that their creator could synchronize with all of them. Summons like Valkyrie, Eizenfald, and Wasranvel were only transported to the summoner via mana-generated gates, rather than being created by mana themselves.
But weapon spirits—the summoning of manmade spirits into items made by human hands—were all constructed from mana, much like shikigami. Wise Man Danblf himself had researched this, and it was now a foundational part of the common knowledge of summoners.
Put simply, man-made spirits were merely software. Their hardware had to be created through mana. But the problem with man-made spirits was that they were still in the research stages.
“Hrmm. I see, I see. Then—”
“Let’s talk about that later,” the bird piped up to interrupt Mira. It seemed Kagura knew that Mira’d keep badgering her with questions if she didn’t interrupt. “Anyway, Gramps! You picked up the communicator because you wanted to talk, right? Let’s start with that!”
All of Mira’s attention was focused on the new ability Synchronized Senses, but here she was, unable to beg for more information. Still, it was important to tell Kagura about the captives. Mira gave up on her quest for knowledge for the moment, stopped pouting, and shared the developments so far.
***
Mira told Kagura everything about the auction, the Skyfolk man’s plan to attack in ten days, and the truth about Sentopoli that she’d heard from Isaac. She concluded her story by saying, “And now, as you can guess, we plan to question the assassin.”
“You’re on a roll, Gramps!” After listening to all of it, the shikigami showered Mira with applause. It then patted her shoulder proudly; Kagura’s joy was clear.
“Well, this much is the least I can do. I’d planned to contact you after the interrogation, but if you can see and hear, why don’t I take little Tweetsuke in with me?” Instead of reporting what she’d heard, Mira could simply give Kagura a front-row seat through the bird.
“Leave the interrogation to me. I’ll be right there!” Kagura left her with those words through the shikigami. Suddenly, the bird stopped moving, as if it had been sapped of a soul.
“‘Right there?’ What do you mean by that? Aren’t you already…?” Mira muttered at the lifeless bird. She cocked her head when it didn’t respond. Has she stopped synchronizing her senses? Why not attend the interrogation? Mira wondered, picking the bird up and shaking it a little to see if it would react. She even tried speaking directly into its ear. “Heeey, what’s the matter? Answer meee.”
She shook it rather violently, lifted it high in the air, and even turned it over, but the shikigami did not respond. In the end, Mira decided that Kagura must have hung up. But what could she have meant when she’d said she’d be right there?
Just then, the shikigami in Mira’s hands began to shine out of nowhere. In the next instant, it disappeared, and Kagura appeared in its place.
“Wha—?!”
“Huh?!”
Kagura was suddenly above Mira—and just like her shikigami had been, she found herself upside down.
What happened next was a matter of physics. Mira was not physically strong enough to support her, so Kagura fell head-first. Mira was trapped beneath her; the two banged into each other and fell to the floor.
“Ooouch! Why did I come in so high up?”
“Good grief. What have you done?”
Mira and Kagura lay on the floor clutching their heads. Truly, this was bad luck for both of them.
After Kagura had hung up, Mira couldn’t help but hold the surprisingly light Tweetsuke up high as she turned the bird this way and that. The result of this chance occurrence was what some manga readers might call a fanservice moment. How it differed from expectations, however, was that both of them were—at least physically—women.
Having heard a crash and felt the resulting quake, Aaron peeked into the room to check on Mira. “Hey, Little Miss Mira? I heard a loud noise. Is everything, uh… Bwuh?” He fell silent at the sight before him.
Mira lay with her back on the floor, and Kagura lay atop her. They were facing opposite directions, resulting in particular parts of their bodies being in each other’s faces.
Kagura wore what looked, at a glance, like Shinto-style religious garb. But it had a very unique feature: a chihaya overcoat with a cat-and-toe-bean pattern. Meanwhile, she’d boldly replaced the traditional hakama with a knee-length skirt. The whole effect gave the outfit a distinctly magical-girl style.
“My, is that you, Aaron? Good evening.” Kagura rolled her skirt back down to protect her modesty and turned to Aaron. She must’ve hit her head badly, as she was holding it rather dizzily.
“Could you leave the greetings for later…?” Mira poked her head out from under Kagura’s skirt, having badly bruised her own bottom, and grumbled for Kagura to get off of her.
“Uhhhh…” Aaron fell silent for a short while. He made up his mind to ignore the situation he’d found them in entirely, and instead asked why the Isuzu Alliance Grand Master Uzume was suddenly present. “Well, okay. Why is Little Miss Uzume here, exactly?”
Uzume explained that she had used her magic to swap places with the courier in order to interrogate the captives directly. Mira added that she’d been holding Tweetsuke, which was why Uzume had ended up on top of her when she’d suddenly warped in.
Mira and Uzume stood up as if nothing had happened. At all.
“So you see, I’m here to help you interrogate the man.”
“So it seems,” Mira added. “And I ended up getting caught in the crossfire, resulting in a position like…that. Not that I minded overly.”
“I had no idea you had spells like that,” Aaron mused. “That’s our Uzume for you, though. Well, this makes this easy; everything’s ready, so let’s get this interrogation started.” He masterfully ignored their fumbling and pushed things along, turning around and striding through the iron door as if urging them to follow.
“Y’know, Gramps, I think those panties are a bit too flashy for you.”
“You’re one to talk. How old do you think you are, wearing a pair with a cat on the butt?”
Once Aaron was out of sight, the two stared each other down fiercely. But it didn’t last long. Kagura simply called her a pervert, and Mira, defenseless, hung her head in defeat.
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