Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Aonia
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By the time we arrived at the Sword Queen Residence, the moon was already hanging high and bright in the sky.
The Sword Queen had been waiting for me, the one who kept saying he was just going to visit Mother and never came back.
She took one look at my exhausted state and Ariel asleep on my back, and immediately grasped the situation.
She took Ariel from me and laid her down on the bed.
Then, after examining her with various tools and prodding her here and there with her fingers, the Sword Queen spoke.
"Her physical balance is disrupted."
"Pardon?"
A chill ran down my spine.
I'd been quietly worried the whole way back here with Ariel on my back.
Worried that something serious had happened. That my little sister might never return to normal.
But the ending had felt so heartwarming, and I'd thought I'd handled the incident well, so I'd let myself relax.
"Where? What's wrong?"
"She used too much power. Or more precisely, she tapped into powers she hadn't used in a long time."
"...?"
Her explanation was vague.
I waited patiently without pressing her.
"Kline. If you starved for days and then suddenly ate a big meal, what would happen to your stomach?"
"Uh? ...It wouldn't digest well."
"And if you walked dark roads for a long time and then suddenly stepped into bright light?"
"Your eyes wouldn't adjust."
"That's exactly what's happened to your sister."
"How so?"
I met the Sword Queen's gaze.
Even though she'd only met us recently, she looked like someone who'd watched over us for years.
"Ariel's non-human nature was starting to go dormant. Like a waterwheel that stops turning without water. You could call it taming."
"Taming."
"Because you showered her with such boundless love. Ariel felt affirmed in her existence, so she had no reason to manifest her non-human traits."
"Wait a minute. But I heard from someone else that because of me, her non-human side wasn't suppressed—in fact, it was awakening."
It was what the prophet had told me back in the capital.
Your sister has changed from her fated path because of you.
Ariel, who was meant to suppress her non-humanity her whole life to seek forgiveness, no longer needed to.
But wasn't that different from what the Sword Queen was saying?
"Yes. For a time, she probably did grow that way, just as you heard. Even I thought so when I first saw her."
"Then?"
"But Kline, haven't you noticed lately? That Ariel has become quite human-like."
"Well, yeah, she has."
"You could say she's progressed to another stage. The first stage is suppressing the non-humanity. The second is manifesting it. And the third is letting it go fully dormant. Ariel was going through that third stage."
"...And then she suddenly manifested it."
"Exactly."
The Sword Queen nodded.
She brushed Ariel's bangs aside with her finger.
The girl was sleeping like the dead.
Probably to repair her unstable body.
"I don't know what happened out there with you two... but there must have been a moment of such extreme danger that Ariel unleashed her non-humanity all at once. And the price of exploding what was trying to stay dormant is steep."
"..."
"If she'd stayed at the second stage, there wouldn't have been a problem. But because your sister was gradually putting her non-humanity to sleep... because she wanted to live as a human... that's why the backlash hit her so hard now."
"I see."
My heart ached.
I get it now.
Ariel. You were becoming human.
Escaping the fated path of disaster.
Turning into an ordinary little girl.
'And I went and wiped out those bandits right when...'
I'd forced her dormant non-humanity to rampage.
"..."
I clenched my fist tight.
It felt heavy.
It wasn't my fault, but as her big brother, the weight of failing to help her was crushing.
If only I'd done better.
Would Ariel have been able to change safely then...?
"So what do we do?"
But I couldn't afford to wallow in despair.
If we hit a wall, we find a way around it.
Whether Ariel's condition was beyond repair.
What I could do for her.
I needed to find out.
"Hmm... She'll feel better once she wakes up. Probably back to the second stage, at least."
"Not the third?"
"No. Once dormant non-humanity rampages even once, you can't go back to that flow. It'll take much more time to get back on track."
"Sigh."
Disappointing.
But fine. Waiting it out was doable.
I could just spend more time with Ariel.
Still... disappointing.
My dream was for my little sister to become a normal girl.
Coming so close and losing it stung.
"Hmmm. But Kline, whatever you think—I see this as an opportunity."
"Pardon?"
What was this now?
I was sinking into disappointment, and she said something odd.
What did my master see?
"What kind of opportunity?"
"You know Ariel's non-humanity better than I do. It was something she'd have to carry like a lifelong illness, never fully tamed. ...But now it's different. After going through these stages, her body has tasted the possibility of normalizing itself."
"..."
"Plus, her current state has her soul deeply shaken, affecting her body too. Ariel is close to perfect unity of body and soul. ...This is a chance. A chance to make your sister human."
Human?
We could make Ariel human?
The Sword Queen had said it would eventually go dormant again with time.
But her tone now implied something more direct. Intentional.
We could make Ariel human on purpose.
"How?"
I replied earnestly.
I knelt. Respect for the master granting me this boon.
"Her 'vessel' is shaken right now. Normally, she'd never allow outside interference, but now she might. If we can intervene properly in her soul, making Ariel an ordinary human isn't impossible."
"You can do that?"
"I told you before. I'm a spirit medium. I've never handled an exception like Ariel, but... it doesn't seem impossible."
However.
The Sword Queen cut herself off firmly.
"It depends on your choice, Kline. Interfering externally means she won't follow the natural process. She might lose her extraordinary powers entirely."
"..."
"Whether that'll make Ariel happy. Whether it's good for your siblings' future. No one knows. Once we intervene, there's no going back. You'll lose the power that makes her the 'strongest.' ...Is that okay?"
"Yes."
I pondered long. My answer was short.
I wanted Ariel to become human.
To be a normal girl and happy.
If that monstrous power that terrified everyone vanished.
Then maybe, just maybe, no one would call her a disaster anymore.
And if someone tried to harm her using that as an excuse.
I'd take responsibility for my sister.
The number two in the world wouldn't forgive them. I'd hunt them to the ends of the earth and exterminate them.
"Hehe. I see."
The Sword Queen smiled softly.
Like she was proud of me.
"Trust me with it. I'll make Ariel normal for sure."
"Yes."
The serious topic ended, and silence fell.
Then I brought up another matter.
The one that would have been the main topic without the incident.
"And um, I'm planning to enter the Azure Dragon Tournament."
"Oh?"
The Sword Queen widened her eyes.
Her face said, Suddenly?
"Last time I mentioned the prizes, you didn't seem interested. What changed?"
"Proving my achievements as your disciple... that's secondary."
"Oh dear. Disappointing."
"I need that prize now too. They say Mother's condition at the sanatorium is critical. Nothing short of a medicine that directly restores the soul will help. And you mentioned Azure Dragon Water is the winner's prize? So I'm going to win it."
"Hohoho. Impressive. Yes, yes. Azure Dragon Tournament victory is fitting for my disciple's accomplishments."
She nodded, humming approvingly.
Then she scanned my face and spoke.
"I see. Then we should head out right away. It's starting soon. As your master, I should give you a gift."
"Pardon? A gift?"
"Yes. Wait just a moment?"
My master headed straight to her room.
I heard her rummaging in a drawer, then she returned.
"Ta-da. Take this."
What she brought was an Oni mask.
Wow. Seeing something straight out of my past life's fiction for real.
"Why would I need that?"
"You weren't planning to compete as is, right? Flaunting 'I'm an imperial citizen' would just draw all sorts of scrutiny and bullying. The Hiiragi family will send people too."
"Ah. But a mask won't change my hair color."
"No, this mask is special. It turns your hair black like an Aonian's when you wear it."
"Why do you even have something like that?"
"I kept it for when I got an imperial disciple to use."
"..."
My master was a bit of an eccentric.
I didn't say freak.
"Anyway, perfect timing. They kept interfering and it was annoying. Ariel ending up like this is their fault too."
"I see. Oh, and the Azure Dragon Tournament normally starts from the round of 128. You'd have to qualify from the bottom. Isn't that a hassle?"
"Looks like it."
"Plus, it's unbecoming for my disciple to start from the preliminaries. Wasting time on unworthy opponents. I'll tell you a shortcut."
What the Sword Queen told me was about a 'special token.'
The Azure Dragon Tournament originally gave special tokens to famous martial arts dojos to favor Aonia's noble families.
If a talented noble kid challenges a dojo and takes their token, they can start from the round of 8.
"Isn't that cheating? What about outsiders or Aonian commoners?"
"Well, if they're jealous, become nobles. I don't like it much either. Anyway, it's fair opportunity. Commoners can challenge dojos too."
"...The dojos will obviously fight tooth and nail to stop them."
"Yes. If you go, they'll probably flail around refusing to give it up fairly. But who cares? My disciple won't go getting beaten anywhere."
"True."
"Alright. Head back and rest. Even leaving tomorrow might be tight considering the tournament schedule. And you've had a long day."
"Yes. Got it."
I stood and returned to my room.
As I opened the door to leave, I turned back and bowed.
"Thank you. You've helped me tremendously."
"No need. A master helping her disciple is natural. Don't worry about it."
"Yes. Take good care of Ariel."
"Of course. We'll miss the tournament spectating to treat her, but I believe you'll win."
"Naturally."
I bowed and closed the sliding door.
Now my tasks were set.
I'd win the Azure Dragon Tournament.
Claim the prize and heal Mother.
Meanwhile, Ariel would become a normal girl under Master's care.
'Perfect.'
Let's keep it going just like this.