novelThe Qualification of the Living (1)
| ← Ch.033 | Ch.035 → |
There were many quests that they could challenge leisurely during the holiday weekend, but there was no reason they couldn't put a challenge after school during the weekdays. As to what Kazuki decided beforehand, he would accept the quest immediately on Monday, the day after the date.
On that fated day's lunch break, Kazuki received an abrupt summon.
[First year class two Hayashizaki Kazuki-kun, urgent, please go to Tsukahara of Sword Division. I repeat..."
He didn't understand why the one that called him was not the Magic Division but the Sword Division.
The Knight Academy was divided between the MagicaMagic Division and the Sword Division. This was the first time that Kazuki entered the Sword Division's area. Even though they told him to go to the place of a teacher called [Tsukahara], he didn't know if it was really okay to be here. It'd be fine if he went to the staff room, but...he didn't know where the staff room was located. Kazuki who had no other choice, took out his mobile phone.
"Love, is magnetic! Drawn by Onii-sama's love, the Storm Cat, here I am reporting!"
Immediately after he sent a mail, his step-sister, Kanae arrived dramatically like a force of gale.
"...I feel guilty you know, to arrive that happily just because I called you to guide me..."
"I see, this is the continuation of the previous school tour date that was ruined before by that breast monster from somewhere, right? Kanae is much better in giving a school tour compared to that breast monster! Well then, let me first guide Onii-sama to the Sword Division dorm's room of Kanae! For the time being we're going to spend the break there tenderly..."
"No, I was summoned here so we have no time to do that kind of thing."
"Eeeh!? There was no time for flirting around!? How could that be!?"
While her shoulders dropped in dejection, Kanae guided him from the entrance to the staff room.
"But it's strange, for Onii-sama to be summoned to the Sword Division."
"I'm also completely ignorant as to why I was summoned here. I wonder if it's for scolding."
"That teacher named Tsukahara Hisatada is a gentle teacher, so I think that's not it. His appearance is delicate looking from the glasses he wears, but he gives a feeling of someone who has ulterior motives in his mind. Kanae is poor with that kind of person though."
They hesitatingly advanced through the Japanese-style garden, and then entered the school building that looks like a row wooden house. The building was not particularly high. Inside this two-story building were the classrooms lined up widely and horizontally in a row.
The atmosphere in the Magic Division felt like Europe in the Middle Ages, while the atmosphere in the Sword Division felt like Japan of a long time ago. Even though this was during lunch break, sounds of swords clashing could be heard from somewhere. It was a dear sound that was once a part of Kazuki's daily life.
Here was the Sword Division―the place where he should have been if he had a different fate―wasn't it?
They walked in the warm wooden corridor, "Here is the staff room." and finally arrived at their destination.
"To, to be dismissed when we only just got here...it's so lonely, very lonely...! Where in the world could I vent this uncontrolled love for Onii-sama!!"
"Vent it in your sword training."
"Then, I will become the strongest swordsman―n!!"
This was the two-person comedy act of this brother and sister for the first time in a long while, so
"Call me if Onii-sama is going to come again to the Sword Division, okay☆?" Kanae waved her hand and left.
―When he entered the staff room, one of the teachers saw the uniformed figure of Kazuki and "Here, here." Waved his hand over. Kazuki weaved his way between the desks and headed towards that person.
Some of the teachers were eating lunch boxes and cup ramen, the room was filled with smells that tickled his stomach.
"You finally came, I have heard about you from various people."
Tsukahara-sensei was just as Kanae told him, he wore glasses and looked fragile, a male teacher that had an intellectual air.
"Currently you are under the charge of Liz Liza-sensei right? She was my partner when we were in active duty. She is a teacher with a strong and straightforward sense of justice. Oops, I forgot to give you my name, I am Tsukahara Hisatada. Similar with Liz Liza-sensei, I'm just an underling that still has a long way to go, I teach the practical skills in the Sword Division. Though I was challenged by your big sister and lost, hahaha."
"I think Kanae can improve if she received training from a person like sensei."
It seems Tsukahara-sensei was the type that wield their sword based on theory. Kazuki felt that somehow.
Because Kanae was the type that wields her sword by instinct, she could learn a lot of things from this teacher.
"Hahaha, thank you."
Tsukahara-sensei laughed in the way that he couldn't understand whether he was seriously happy or not. He then jumped the gun on the talk.
"There are some people that want to meet you."
Saying so, he stood up from the desk and urged Kazuki to follow him.
Some people that wanted to meet him...there was no one that he could think of.
Kazuki followed Tsukahara-sensei like he was told.
The two exited the staff room, this time they entered a room labeled as [Reception Room].
Inside were two people he had a recollection of―the two knights he encountered inside the forest of the Haunted Ground. The knights who confiscated the Sacred Treasure Kazuki and the others discovered, who then came barging into his fight with Beatrix, those two.
"Yaa! Thank you for that time before."
The male swordsman amicably said so to Kazuki and with a smiling face.
The female Magica Stigma regarded Kazuki with 'puih' and averted her face.
"I'm a ~Police Knight~ attached to the ~Knight Order of Chubu Jurisdiction~, Kondou Hajime."
"...The same as police knight, Souma Yukari."
The Knight Order was divided into their respective subdivision at eight district with their own jurisdiction zone, which were: Hokkaido - Touhoku - Kantou - Chubu - Kinki - Chuugoku - Shikoku - Kyuushuu, with the Tokyo Metropolis Knight Order Headquarters at the top.
The police knight is the lowest ranking member of the Knight Order. The majority of the knights that just graduated from the knight academy started their career from that rank.
"Knight Academy's first year, Hayashizaki Kazuki."
When Kazuki gave out his name with a slight timidity, the knight - Kondo-san came and gripped Kazuki's hand tightly.
"...Your sword skill left a deep impression on me."
Kazuki reflexively thought of Torazou-san. He felt the same test between those two.
"Err...what kind of business did you come here for?"
There was no way his reason in coming here was just to say that. He didn't understand why they came here with only saying, "that he left a deep impression", instead he got even more confused. Kondou-san released his hand and then moved on to the important matter.
"Both of us have something we want to pass to you."
"I only came because Kondou said he wanted to do this no matter what."
The Magica Stigma Souma-san, that wore a white uniform today, said so with a sullen face.
"Souma-san, didn't he save both of our lives already?"
"Ugh....Well, it'd be unbearable if we died in this kind of mission, so I'll give you my gratitude."
Souma-san nodded her head slightly while saying so.
...Mission? Now that she mentioned it, why were they in that kind of place?
As members of the Chubu Jurisdiction Knight Order, it was not their jurisdiction.
Other than the knights who belonged to the Tokyo Knight Order Headquarters, no other knight should operate here in Tokyo.
"...By all means, this person stands at the top as a swordsman. He is not a bad person."
"Stop saying unnecessary things and go to the main topic already! Kondou!"
"Actually at that time, we had a peculiar little mission at that Haunted Ground....We couldn't give any particulars to you about it, but...unluckily we encountered Beatrix there. The one who cooperated with the Einherjar in Loki's subjugation effort were the guys at Tokyo Knight Order Headquarters, so regarding Beatrix, we hadn't heard anything at all."
Tacit consent for the assassination of the refugee, Lotte―such a story was not something that should be known far and wide. It seems even inside the Knight Order, the members who knew about this were only the minority.
They came to the Haunted Ground because of some special mission and got swallowed up in this scheme.
"After that, they explained the circumstances to us along with the order to shut our mouth."
"This is truly a disgusting story."
Both Kondou-san and Souma-san puckered their faces unpleasantly.
"However after we heard the story...we were wondering if it's you, you can protect that refugee Lotte from Beatrix so then we came here. You plan to do that, right? I thought so."
Kazuki couldn't respond to that honestly. Kazuki glanced at Tsukahara-sensei who happened to be present in the room. Tsukahara-sensei showed a smile in his mouth like he was saying not to mind him.
"Therefore the thing that I want to hand over to you is...this."
Thereupon, Kondou-san placed his hand on the luggage sitting on top of the reception room's glass table. A long, narrow, and robust bag made of cloth―a sword bag. An item used to carry a katana that was sheathed inside its scabbard.
The moment Kondou-san passed over the bag―Kazuki felt the sensation of his magic power being absorbed by the [content inside]. He had a recollection of this sensation.
"Is this...the Sacred Treasure that was dedicated in that shrine?"
"Right, the one that we confiscated from your hands at that time, that katana. After we returned, we made a written report regarding our mission tentatively, but...it was not official because it was only a peculiar mission so various things were quite vague. This Sacred Treasure was also stored in the warehouse without undergoing formal procedure, so there was no proof left behind when we simply swiped this thing and came over here."
"I'm against this, just so you know. This is all on your own."
Souma-san was glaring, Kondou-san laughed indifferently.
"There'd be no problem if you returned it immediately after you are finished with it. Also the content of the mission is a secret, no way they are going to go public with this....Also because you are the escort of Jiisan-sensei's daughter. Hahaha."
Towards Kazuki who was uneasy whether it was okay or not to accept this thing, Tsukahara-sensei let out a laugh.
"Isn't it okay, even if it is properly stored in the Knight Order's warehouse, it can't be used effectively. It'd be fine if you manage the use of the Sacred Treasure moderately. After all as a former knight, I'm also one of the people that felt dissatisfaction towards the way the Knight Order handles the Sacred Treasures."
"I know that Tsukahara-sensei is that type of person, so he contacted Hayashizaki-kun and from the beginning I was to hand this over. Now that I mentioned that, Tsukahara-sensei was always connected with Sacred Treasures illegal channels..."
"Hey, shut up about that."
Tsukahara-sensei, who was smiling warmly, suddenly turned cold and glared at Kondou-san.
"You get too carried away, Kondou." Souma-san also glared to Kondou-san.
"Ehem. Well, anyway it's not righteous to just keep following the rules. I can't possibly think that the government and the Knight Order's way of doing things are righteous. If it's you, you should be able to use this Sacred Treasure in its proper meaning. I have seen your fight with Beatrix, as a swordsman, I genuinely aspired to that level you've shown me. And then, I noticed that the power this katana has will be useful if you want to win against Beatrix. Because of that, I couldn't just stay quiet and do nothing."
The sacred treasure was an item that absorbed its owner's magic power in order to invoke the characteristic magic of the Sacred Treasures, just like Summoning Magic.
This Sacred Treasure...could it become one of the pieces that could fill the difference between me and Beatrix?
Kazuki accepted the bag containing the Sacred Treasure. Kondou-san grabbed Kazuki's shoulder.
"Those that are called swordsmen, sacrificed themselves for their own justice in a straightforward manner. With this katana...I want you to cut apart the dark fate that shadowed the girl named Lotte in your confrontation against that absurdity."
| ← Ch. 033 | Ch. 035 → |