The Capital (1)
The 72 Arts of the Demonic Cult.
It was the backbone of the Demonic Cult, refined by Chun Sowol after she unified the Murim world and spent thirty days in the Shaolin Temple’s archives.
Call it the price for daring to leave the greatest under heaven aside and still claim that all martial arts under heaven sprang from Shaolin. Instead of ending Shaolin’s bloodline, she had broken its pride.
“Padir… the atmosphere around here has really changed lately.”
“Ah, this too must be Lord Dantalion’s grace.”
Padir’s body had already looked as if it had been carved from stone; after he took up the arts, it had become a true statue. Sturdy muscle and skin with a faint gray cast made him look like a war god hewn from basalt.
To Modir, who had known him since childhood, the transformation felt almost too extreme, and she found it faintly unsettling—
“Whoa! Brother Padir, what the hell happened to you while we weren’t looking?!”
“Those muscles are insane! What did you do to your body?!”
The faithful who visited the church—especially the young men—could not hide their excitement at Padir’s change. Wanting to look tough and rough was a young man’s desire in any age, was it not?
“Hehehe… I always thought Padir was a kind, gentle man, but lately he’s just so cool.”
“Right? I’d love it if those rough arms wrapped around my waist.”
“That rough exterior over such a gentle heart drives me crazy~”
And of course, a young man’s desire to look good for women was a common thing as well. The women who came to the church found their hearts not only at peace but growing rather full.
Of course the men were falling for mature Modir’s charm, so it was hard to say either of them was at the absolute peak of popularity…
“Enjoying yourself? Happy that the young girls like you so much?”
Around evening, once the faithful had gone home, Modir jabbed Padir in the side and glared at him. Padir scratched his head and answered.
“…Even so, it’s a little uncomfortable. I’m already thirty.”
In the empire, thirty was an age when having a son and a one-year-old grandchild would not have been strange. Honestly, when girls who had not even turned twenty squealed and cast coy glances his way, it was a burden. Dealing with the male faithful was far easier on Padir’s nerves.
At that sincere grumble, Modir’s lips curved up of their own accord.
“Hmm… is that so?”
“It is. And my nose is already three feet under water as it is—how am I supposed to spare eyes for that sort of thing?”
Padir, dressed in robes that resembled a monk’s, drew a worn book from his breast. Modir, struck anew by how odd the clothes looked, asked,
“Do you really have to wear something like that?”
“Because that’s what the person drawn in the book is wearing. I can’t read the writing, so I’m copying everything I can and trying to grasp the meaning that way.”
There were few better ways to understand someone than to imitate everything they did and ponder the meaning within. That did not mean she could understand wandering around in unfamiliar clothes with his chest bared.
Sensing her unconvinced stare, Padir snorted and walked over to a boulder he had parked in the corner.
“Watch.”
With that light word, Padir’s eyes settled. He folded prayer into his breath, gathered the holy power that rose from his heart into his fist, and took his stance.
Every morning, one hundred straight punches, three sets.
If he could not know the original meaning, he would pour his own into it.
First, for the powerless self of the past.
Next, for the god who had granted him a new chance.
Last, for the conviction he had newly taken as his own.
And so he would cast out the demon in his heart and truly hold his god within.
CRACK!!
The lightly thrown straight punch carved a deep mark into the rock. A moment later, cracks raced out from the fistprint and shattered the boulder to pieces.
It was a feat no ordinary human could achieve.
“……”
Yet Padir could not be satisfied. He understood in his bones that this was not the whole of it. Surely the one who had written that book had been far more—
Smack!
“Ow?! M-Modir, what was that for?!”
“You idiot! The faithful worked hard carving that as an ornament, and you smashed it!!”
“I-I thought it was just leftover construction stone…”
“Nice work!”
Modir’s scolding went on until the moon hung over the church steeple. Padir’s mind, however, was still elsewhere.
If he studied this book more diligently and reached even a quarter of the author’s level, he was certain he could be of greater help to the two of them.
Time flowed on, and it was one week before enrollment.
Preparations complete, Yoanna and Emily headed for the carriage waiting in front of the church. Dantalion, who had been waiting inside first, chewed on a yuzu he had smuggled along and thought,
A princess and her attendant… no, a prince and attendant might fit better.
In the midst of a world blessed by the bright sun, Yoanna in her sharp-looking clothes and cloak drew admiration without effort. It was the bearing of a prince riding out to the battlefield, pure and simple.
Emily, on the other hand, was well dressed, yet her eyes darted about as if the attention made her uncomfortable…
She hasn’t grown at all.
She was astonishingly the same Emily as the day they first met. People usually changed after going through something big—what kind of stubbornness was this?
Clunk.
Thomas, once again chosen as coachman, opened the carriage door with formal care and bowed his head. However accidental the beginning had been, spending time together had left him unable to avoid being influenced by Yoanna. More than anything, following her around made him feel as if he were growing younger by the day.
“Thomas, thank you for looking after us again.”
“Do not worry, Saintess. This time I will take every precaution so that we meet no bandits or the like.”
“Eeeh… saying things like that is how you invite misfortune.”
Yoanna laughed softly and pushed Emily inside. She set one foot on the carriage, then paused, turned, and looked over the people of the church.
“Don’t worry about us—go safely!”
“We will not cause the Saintess any trouble. We will work diligently and show you we can be of use!”
“I’ll be a good child! Please come back!”
Those who shared her will saw her off with smiles. To say she was not worried about them would have been a lie. Every night she had fretted over whether leaving was the right thing to do.
But once the heart was set, there was nothing for it but to advance without retreat.
“I’ll be back.”
She answered smile with smile and climbed into the carriage. Thomas glanced at her through the window. The fist clenched in her clothes, trembling faintly, seemed to speak for her feelings.
What a kindhearted young lady.
As if that gentle heart had reached him, Thomas smiled as well and shook the reins. A short while later, the carriage left the city under the farewell of many.
The road from the gateway city to the capital was so peaceful it was almost boring. Following well-maintained roads, they reached the capital in only four days.
And the capital they arrived at was truly…
“I am the second son of House Mahnir! Let this carriage through at once!”
“That is not possible! Rank aside, everyone must have their identity verified when entering the capital!”
“Damn it, my time does not weigh the same as that of lowborn trash like you!”
The place overflowed with brats so crude it made one’s eyes ache. What good was a gate wide enough for three carriages when people thronged in for enrollment and every passage took an age? Hot-tempered nobles poured abuse on innocent soldiers and made a nuisance of themselves.
Watching them, Yoanna frowned and tapped the armrest with her fingers.
Eek!? Yoanna’s about to explode!
At the aura of someone about to draw a sword on the spot, Emily trembled. The image of her cutting the nobles clean in two was becoming all too vivid when—
“For nobles, these fellows show no dignity at all.”
“What?!”
“How dare a lowborn wall-watcher…”
From among the soldiers guarding the gate, a giant figure appeared. Clad in heavy plate, easily over two meters tall, a massive…
“A woman?! What kind of woman looks like that!!”
“Isn’t that a man in drag?!”
…an enormously huge woman.
As if long used to it, she snorted and rapped the ground with a massive iron mace.
“I am Kathleen of House Elstro, captain of the Third Battalion, charged with the capital’s order and the inspection of this gate.”
Only nobles could name a house. Thinking at last that someone they could talk to had appeared, the nobles cleared their throats and put on airs.
“Ahem! See here! How have you trained these soldiers that they show such insolence to a noble—”
“Nobles? All I see are traitors flouting the laws of the realm.”
“What?”
Kathleen reacted as if to buzzing insects and jerked her chin at the soldiers. Spears and swords drawn, they moved as one and surrounded the nobles. A flustered knight drew his blade and shouted,
“Y-you lot!? Do you have any idea who these people—”
CRUNCH!
As if even explaining were a bother, Kathleen smashed the knight with her mace. He went flying like a pebble, tumbling over and over before slamming into the ground.
Just enough force to leave him breathing? Not bad.
Dantalion was rather impressed by Kathleen’s fine control of power. Looked at properly, she was a splendid woman of war, with both skill and strength like a seasoned bear.
“Th-the finest knight of the house, in one blow…”
“S-spare us! It was our first visit to the capital—we committed a discourtesy!”
Wherever their earlier confidence had gone, the lot of them dropped to their knees and begged Kathleen for their lives. She did not seem inclined to kill them, however. Mace over her shoulder, she ordered the soldiers to take away the nobles who had caused the disturbance.
She made an example of them on purpose, didn’t she?
Mm. Solving the problem herself to prevent further trouble before it starts.
Once she had confirmed the nobles were being dragged off, Kathleen raised her voice so that it would carry to the very end of the long line of carriages.
“Anyone who ignores the laws of the realm and runs wild—commoner or noble—will be dealt with according to the law! Wait your turn and you will enter in due course. I warn you to keep the peace!!”
It was a voice that startled even the birds preening on the wall into flight. Those who had been about to side with the foolish nobles shut their mouths tight, and the soldiers at the checkpoint looked at Kathleen with respect.
At that principled conduct, Dantalion felt a fair measure of goodwill.
Close to the ideal of one who enforces the law.
Yoanna seemed to judge much the same; she smiled and said to Emily,
“Doesn’t she seem like a good person?”
“I-is that so? She scares me a little… She seems terribly rigid.”
“That’s what’s good about her.”
With no one left to make a scene, the line moved faster of its own accord. Kathleen’s warning had clearly taken effect; Yoanna’s turn approached at a rapid clip.
“Open the window!”
At the soldier’s order, Yoanna opened it and smiled.
“There are so many visitors—it must be hard work. It’s good to see you all working so diligently.”
“Uh…”
At a smile that seemed to cast a halo, the soldier stared blankly at Yoanna. Kathleen, sighing at that utterly vacant look, walked over and rapped him on the head.
“Aagh?!”
“You fool. Can a soldier of the Third Battalion stop an inspection just because a pretty face has him spellbound?!”
When the soldier who had been captivated by a face fainted, Kathleen took over the inspection herself. Then she checked Yoanna’s face and flinched.
…There was reason enough to be flustered.
Realizing the soldier’s fault was not quite so simple, Kathleen cleared her throat. Pretty visitor or not, an inspection had to be done properly.
“Present your identity plaque and state the purpose of your visit.”
“I’ve come to enroll at the Imperial Academy. Here—my identity plaque and the certificate proving my house.”
Unlike an identity plaque, which a skilled hand might forge, forging a certificate of house was nearly impossible. The sacred seal bestowed by the imperial family was magically treated; when stamped, it left a mana trace.
House Darc… I feel as if I’ve heard the name somewhere.
Confirming there was no problem, Kathleen checked the other two as well.
“Seems in order. You may pass.”
“Thank you. Um, about that…”
“Hm?”
Was there something more to say? Kathleen looked at Yoanna with a puzzled expression. Yoanna smiled as warmly as sunlight and drew out a scripture.
“I like how upright your character is so much. Do you have a god you believe in? If not, I would like to introduce you to a good one.”
“……”
Faced with a type of question she had never once encountered, Kathleen’s words stuck in her throat.
…Was it really all right to let this woman in?