Chapter 6
MIRA AND PEGASUS landed back in a corner of the courtyard, where she was instantly surrounded by a crowd of influential people. They excitedly asked how she knew the Spirit King; it seemed conversation had turned to the declaration of victory from earlier. On closer inspection, Jack Grave, Eleonora, and Cyril were all surrounded by little crowds as well.
“To think, the Spirit King’s blessing! You’re just like the Hero-King Forsetia!”
“A new hero for a new age… Incredible. Say, Mira, would you be willing to let me sponsor you?”
“Hey now, Miss Katina. It’s not nice to cut in front of others.”
“That’s right. We should have fair and equal negotiations first.”
Mira described her encounter with the Spirit King to the listening crowd. Before she knew it, she was at the center of a fierce debate. Mira was perhaps the only person in all the continent to have this blessing, and now all these influential folk were fighting to win her strength for their own side.
So involved were they in the debate that they forgot about Mira entirely. She took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed.
***
“You’re a star, Gramps.”
“Ugh. Don’t be stupid; you know I can’t handle those types.”
On the second floor of the party venue, Isuzu Alliance members and spirits were enjoying themselves to the utmost. The first floor was essentially a public-facing party where the heroes of the war were celebrated; the second was reserved for the central figures and spirits to celebrate their victory in private.
“By the way, are you sure you should be up here?” Mira asked Kagura. “Alioth looked awfully busy down there.”
When she’d escaped to the second floor, she’d noticed Alioth stuck in the busiest corner of the party—not because he was a representative of Isuzu, but because he was the general who led last night’s war efforts. He was totally surrounded, fielding questions from the prime minister, government officials, and many other powerful people.
“Him? Oh, pssh, don’t worry about him. I’m gonna make Alioth take care of everything from now on,” Kagura answered matter-of-factly. She gulped down her drink and started telling Mira about the future of Isuzu.
In the short term, Isuzu’s stealth forces would hunt down the remnants of Chimera Clausen. Simultaneously, they would work to smooth any disturbances caused by Chimera Clausen’s destruction. Once they had made enough progress that they could leave the rest to the Guild Union, they would slowly reduce their armaments until they could finally disband as a fighting force. The plan was apparently to actually become the goodwill organization that Isuzu was officially known as. Kagura would leave the rest in Alioth’s hands.
Alioth would take up position as the “true” ruler of Sentopoli, which had once been held by Chimera’s elites. He would conceal the truth that the so-called anonymous nobles who’d formed Sentopoli were actually Chimera Clausen, and inherit the position of a “benevolent noble” himself.
“So you’ve won an entire country? This has turned into a big deal.”
“At first, I considered letting the prime minister handle it all. But when I probed him a bit with magic, I realized his faith in those benevolent nobles was way too high. If we told him they were actually Chimera, he might have a mental break. So for now, we’ll have Alioth take charge of things until he can cultivate some reliable statesmen,” Kagura explained with an exasperated sigh. She added that, since Sentopoli’s land and foundation were secured and maintained by the power of spirits, the loss of Chimera Clausen had cut off that source of support. Without it, unusual phenomena would probably start cropping up around the city soon.
From now on, Alioth and his people would have to secretly figure out a solution for the city. The spirits working with Isuzu would help. They were probably happy to do it now that they knew Mira had the Spirit King’s blessing. Sentopoli may have been founded by Chimera, but the people living there today had done nothing wrong. That was the opinion of the spirits, at least.
“They’re far too kind.”
“Yeah, for real.”
Mira and Kagura murmured to one another as they surveyed the spirits chatting on the second-floor venue. These spirits saw humans not as a monolith, but as individuals.
Case in point: warrior-class adventurers typically couldn’t perceive spirits. But that wasn’t absolute; spirits could reveal themselves to those they acknowledged. And it seemed that all of the warriors here could perceive the spirits at the party, showing just how much the spirits trusted Isuzu.
Despite the threat they’d faced from Chimera Clausen, spirits still remained humanity’s good friend. The two Wise Men were grateful from the depths of their hearts.
***
“So Gramps, just wait for me until things calm down a little, okay?”
“I don’t care as long as you’re home on time.”
Kagura would continue to lead Isuzu until their forces demobilized. After she handed everything over to Alioth, she would return to the Kingdom of Alcait as planned. Mira didn’t mind as long as she was back by next year; she had no intention of demanding she return sooner.
Either way, this was one more Wise Man to tick off the list.
“Well, I’ve found two of you…” Mira sighed.
Mira still had a long struggle ahead of her. She looked around the second floor again. Beyond the spirits, there were many other unfamiliar faces. Among them were a few members she recognized from Isuzu’s headquarters. She suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Kagura. Where are Scorpion and Snake?”
Mira knew the girls well. They’d helped her destroy the co-conspirator Melville Commerce in Roslein, but they didn’t seem to be here today.
“Those two—or rather, all of the Hidden—have gathered in Roslein. Thanks to the country’s connection with Melville Commerce, that place is probably a Chimera hotbed too. The Hidden have their work cut out for them,” Kagura said.
She told Mira more about the situation in Roslein. According to Scorpion and Snake’s report, the official from international legal affairs and the holy knights who accompanied them had clearly intimidated their prey into submission with their overwhelming power. Melville Commerce and the people who’d carried out their evil intent were being arrested one after another. The Hidden left these public-facing matters to the church, while they focused on apprehending those who tried to escape into the shadows.
“Anyway, today’s a day for celebration. Ebatess Commerce threw a party for them, and they’re celebrating in shifts. Scorpion even sent me a message a little while ago: ‘I let Snake drink too much. Help.’ When Snake gets drunk, she gets very…kissy.”
“Oho, interesting. It sounds like they’re having fun.”
The next duke of Roslein would be the CEO of Ebatess Commerce, Urashis Teles Ebatess. The party he was throwing to celebrate the defeat of Chimera Clausen—and perhaps his own rise to power—would be as glorious as any event sponsored by an entire nation.
Knowing her friends were celebrating as well, Mira imagined them enjoying themselves as she savored the endless tables of food at the party.
Hrmm… Snake’s a kissing fiend? I’ll have to keep that in mind…
***
The party went on merrily throughout the night. Everyone introduced themselves to each other, and Mira gulped her drink as she gazed down at the first floor. Adventurers and influential folk were signing contracts left and right down there.
Jack Grave and Eleonora, however, were turning people down one after another. Cyril was constantly refusing, as well, apparently used to this. Alioth had finished formally greeting the power brokers, but he looked exhausted as he chatted with the prime minister. According to Kagura, this was the ideal time to start gathering the information he would need to govern Sentopoli.
“Final decisions technically fall to me, but I’m leaving all the brain work to Alioth,” Kagura said with a smile. Mira began to genuinely worry for the man.
Just as the party was winding down, there was a clamor in the courtyard.
“What now?” Mira murmured, stepping onto the veranda to see what was happening. She looked down and found the courtyard overflowing with people looking up at the eastern sky.
While others crowded behind her to see what the commotion was about, Mira looked up herself and gasped.
“Well, this is new…” Mira’s words prompted others to look up, and they likewise gasped in amazement. The night sky was full of gleaming stars, but even brighter were the innumerable rivers of light flowing through the eastern sky.
“Migratory glowflies, huh?” someone said. “If you can see them all the way out here in the west, that must mean summer’s really here.” Mira turned and saw Aaron with a jug in hand.
“Oho. Is that what that means?”
“Yeah, or so they say. I heard it from a knowledgeable spirit friend a while back. Apparently, they lay their eggs in the snow up in high mountains. The eggs hatch in spring and grow, and when the summer comes and snow melts, they all start heading north. So if you’re seeing migratory glowflies, that means it’s warm enough for the snow to melt even in the mountains,” he explained, watching the seemingly endless strands of light. He added with a sad grin, “This is all secondhand knowledge, though.”
Suddenly, the downstairs was filled with cheers. It seemed someone had finally won over the leader of a famous guild introduced on the airship and persuaded them to sign a contract. The adventurer had made a deal with a major maritime merchant group based in the Ark Continent. His guild was as famous as Jack Grave’s and Eleonora’s, so this was a big win for the clients. It seemed this party was going out with a bang.
“By the way, should you be up here on the second floor?” Mira asked Aaron, gazing at the commotion below. “With your skill, you must be in high demand.”
Aaron shook his head and looked behind him for just a moment.
“Well…I was actually thinking I’d retire from adventuring once this was all over.”
“Gosh, really? You seem like you’ve got plenty of fight left in you.”
Once this was all over. In other words, Aaron was going to end his career with the defeat of Chimera Clausen. His body wasn’t a young man’s anymore, it was true, but having seen his abilities up close, Mira was sure he could keep going for a while.
“That’s exactly why. There are things I wanna do before I’m old and infirm.” Aaron wasn’t reluctant to retire at all; in fact, he grinned as if the real excitement was yet to come. What did he want to do? When asked, he looked up at the sky and brushed the question off. “I’ll tell ya next time we meet.” His voice held the firm conviction that they would meet again.
***
Time passed, the party ended, and the influential leaders of Sentopoli dispersed as things died down. All that remained were the main members of Isuzu and the adventurers who’d helped them.
As the party came to a close, Kagura stood onstage and addressed the adventurers. “Thanks for all you’ve done, everyone. Today, we’ve finally completed our long-held goal. Things might still be a little rowdy for a while, but our contract ends today. Make sure you get your rewards from Alioth.” With tears streaming down her smiling face, she looked out at everyone and declared, “Your work is done! Live long and healthy lives, everyone!”
Her radiant voice echoed through the venue, followed by a thunderous wave of cheers and applause. There was a tiny hint of sadness amid the joy as the adventurers of the Isuzu Alliance dispersed.
The work of the Isuzu Alliance wasn’t done, as they still had to hunt down the remaining Chimera members. But the adventurers’ contracts ended today with the destruction of the core of the organization.
“If you need anything, let us know!”
“We’ll come running any time for you, Uzume!”
One by one, they accepted their payouts from Alioth and headed back to the lodgings Sentopoli had prepared for them. Mira saw them off from the veranda and looked up at the sky once more.
Some time had passed, and the migratory glowflies’ lights had thinned out. The stars above twinkled all the brighter.
“Hrmm? Is that…?” As Mira gazed vacantly at the sky, she noticed something off. She strained her eyes to get a better look. On close, close inspection, there was a wavering light amid the stars. And it seemed to be slowly floating higher into the sky. “Well, that is odd…”
Mira’s eyes followed the light and noticed an even greater river of illumination. Unlike the light of the glowflies, it was almost translucent and changed colors like an aurora, rippling like the surface of water. It was extraordinarily vast, stretching across the sky from end to end.
“Oh, there’s more. Hmm, and more there. But what is it?”
She looked around again and saw more particles of light rising from the ground as if being drawn into the sky. Unlike the glowflies, this sight seemed somehow sorrowful. Confused, Mira gazed at the sky for a long time. She heard the Spirit King’s voice directly overhead.
“They are souls. The lights flowing through the sky are returning to their resting place, the Celestial Shrine of Nirvana.”
“My word… I can’t believe that I’m able to receive a direct response from you.”
“Proof of our strengthened bond. I often spoke with my sworn ally Forsetia in much the same way.”
“I see. So this is another effect of this blessing…”
Souls, and where souls were meant to return. Seeing them was a surprise in itself, but Mira was even more amazed by the fact that she could converse directly with the Spirit King. She gazed down in shock at the symbols on her arms.
“Miss Mira, I want you to witness this for me. Almost all of these souls are those of my kin. With your efforts, they’ve finally been released from their restraints.”
“Understood. If that is your wish, then I will gladly see them off.”
Chimera Clausen’s technology had sealed not just the spirits’ power but their very souls. Mira readily accepted the Spirit King’s sorrowful request and suddenly hit upon an idea: summoning the spirit of song.
“Leticia, please perform Requiem for Your Distant Soul.”
“Request received!”
Suddenly, souls began to rise from all over Sentopoli, joining the parade of lights in their journey to the Celestial Shrine of Nirvana. Leticia’s requiem melted into the night sky, cradling the city and souls in peace.
Her voice continued to echo late into the night. And perhaps thanks to her skill as a songstress, or perhaps out of pity for the unfortunate souls, not a single person complained.
Mira ascended to the roof and watched over the souls in silent prayer. Two souls happened to catch her eye. They were far-off in the eastern sky, reaching for greater and greater heights. Yet they stayed nestled close together, never straying, loath to part again.
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