67. The Defense of Niren and the Night Before
We all headed together to the room she'd told us about.
The room was bigger than the one we were staying in, decked out with fancy furnishings. A massive bed dominated the space. It felt like a suite for nobles or the ultra-rich.
"Master Mash, thank you so much for coming all this way."
Karupana was there with her two maids.
She wore the same hood that veiled her face as she had the night before. Momoka looked stunned by her getup.
"Yeah, straight to business—I wanted to introduce you. These are the transferees I mentioned last night. This is Chihiro, and this is Momoka."
I deliberately introduced Chihiro first.
"Chihiro the adventurer," he said with a light bow.
"Momoka here!" She flashed a V-sign.
Karupana nodded and removed her hood.
"Karupana, granddaughter of the wandering folk's chief."
Karupana bowed back to them.
She guided us to a spot with a rug laid out and gestured for us to sit. It was embroidered with intricate patterns. Probably something they'd brought with them, not a room fixture. We sat in a circle.
A maid brought drinks. I'd been craving airan again, but it was chai.
"So, you're pitching in to defend the city?"
"Yes. Last night, Master Mash said the city had to be protected from the Big Hoppers. We'll help however we can, meager as our strength may be."
"Man, that helps a ton. But why're ya callin' Mash '-sama' and all?"
Momoka answered in my place. Come to think of it, I hadn't told Karupana to drop the honorific.
"Karupana, no need for the '-sama' with me."
"Master Mash is Master Mash."
She was the same type as Fam.
"Got it. Then I'll call you Lady Karupana."
Karupana frowned and stared at me. She seemed about to say something but held her tongue. She shot a pleading glance at her maids. She looked seriously troubled.
"...Master Mash is fine."
She let out a relieved breath at my words. Was it really that big a deal?
"Master Mash, Lady Rakushel said to seek the words of the gods. Is there any clue at all?"
"Karupana, do you know what the Ark refers to? The holy relic brought in during the gods' war."
"Yes. It's said to have been brought by the Fifty Gods, excluding the God of the End and the Goddess Five Pillars."
She nodded. So that's where the "Fifty Gods" phrasing came from.
"Myra here is from the church, and she says the Ark contained a jar, a staff, and a mirror."
"I know that too."
Karupana nodded.
"There's a similar story in the world we came from. I don't think it's coincidence. The items from our world were lost over time. I figure this world's Ark was brought from our world."
I glanced at Myra.
"You've said that before, yeah."
I nodded to her. No objections, so I pressed on.
"But in our world, it wasn't a mirror in the Ark—it was stone tablets."
"Is that so..."
Karupana looked lost in thought. Maybe she'd pieced something together.
"Those stone tablets were said to bear the words of the gods."
"I see. So we need to find that mirror?"
She nodded.
"Karupana, talking with Mizuki got me thinking—Rakushel's pushing us to do something, but it's not for our sake. Be careful."
"Even my lover says so?"
Karupana said, sounding surprised.
"Lover?!"
Momoka jumped in.
"All the girls here are like that with him. Watch out for Mash."
Mizuki chimed in.
"Wait, Karupana's not!"
I denied it in a panic. Not good in front of Momoka and Chihiro.
"It's not like that!"
"Mizuki, Lady Karupana's different."
Fam jumped in to back me up.
The conversation had veered off into nonsense.
Time to steer back to city defense.
"Dinner first," Karupana said.
The maids left at her word and returned with food. It was pretty much the same as what we'd eaten the night before last.
"Sorry it's nothing new."
"Nah, it's delicious—no complaints."
I answered while sipping the airan that came with the meal. That unique salty tang was addictive. Fam sat beside me, drinking hers too. Momoka made a face at it. Not her thing, apparently.
"We're glad you like our food."
Karupana replied.
"Are the wandering folk strong fighters?"
"My class is Sun Oracle, but we have about eighty in combat classes at level 30 or higher."
They traveled in a caravan of twenty wagons. I hadn't asked the breakdown, but figuring six per wagon made around 120 total.
"Eighty at that level... Frankly, in our party, only Myra's hit that mark."
"Well, ya've only been in this world a month—can't be helped. Even we couldn't pull that off."
Momoka said. Trying to console me, probably.
"What about you two?"
"Me 'n Chihiro are Paladins. Both level 25."
They didn't look the paladin type. And they shouldn't even have faith in the god that summoned them. Who were they kidding with "Holy" knights?
"Hm? Thinkin' somethin' rude, ain'tcha?"
"No, but... how come you're both the same class?"
"Dunno. Ronron picked it."
Makes sense—like how Mizuki and I both ended up adventurers. Probably the summoning god's recommendation.
"Master Mash, could you still add me to your party? I could protect you."
Karupana said.
"Like I said before, I can't."
I replied, glancing at Cecily. She was calmly wrapping naan around curry and eating.
"How was the monster fluid situation?"
I asked Fam.
"The market stalls, shops, and guild reeked the worst. Residential areas and government buildings too."
"Anywhere clean?"
"Unpopulated spots, parks... Oh, and the palace, church... We purified the Mateo Company, our inn, the wandering folk's wagons—anywhere we're staying. The rest was too spread out."
Myra answered this time. If they'd purified the Mateo Company, Claire should be fine. Plus she had Aver with her.
"The palace—that's where the city ruler lives, right?"
"Yeah. The governor."
Momoka nodded at my question.
"Master, the noble district got hit too."
Fam added by way of clarification.
"Except for that governor's palace?"
"Yes."
Fam nodded.
"Momoka, could the culprit behind this be the city ruler or someone from the church?"
"No way! Impossible!"
Myra cried out.
"Whoa, whoa, let's hear Mash out first, yeah?"
Momoka soothed her.
"I was thinking about what you said yesterday—that the perp might still be in the city. If it was just someone with a grudge against the city, they wouldn't need the corpses. Just spray the fluid and bail. But leaving the bodies lets the city folk prepare countermeasures."
"Ah... So, distract everyone with the monsters, then pull a fire-sale robbery in the chaos. That it?"
I nodded. No clue on motive, though—could be politics, religion, theft. Anything.
"Is the governor position elected? Democratic setup here?"
A random question. What was the city's government like?
"Nah, hereditary—like a monarchy in practice. But c'mon, palace and church being the only clean spots? You'd notice that right away."
"They haven't. This city's probably discriminatory against non-humans, right? Decisions are human-only."
Fam had even mimed a slave crest. Last town had inns that barred non-humans.
"Yeah, that's a thing. Our Morse and Corne get dirty looks sometimes. Back on track—the targets wouldn't want monster attacks either, so palace or church. But it ain't obvious now; it'll be crystal clear later. Can't hide it forever?"
Morse and Corne—cowman and rhinoman guys, yeah.
"Exactly. So I don't think the mastermind's local. Probably hiding with one side or the other for mutual gain."
"The church... wouldn't. Sure, church folk are just people—no better, no worse. Some skim extra donations; I admit I'm one of those fools. Last night, I couldn't even help you with my power. But the church as an organization harming the city? And you—Rakushel's own agent—saying that..."
Myra said. Her voice had lost its edge, but her clenched fist trembled faintly. Sorry, Myra, but I didn't worship Rakushel as a god.
I looked at Mizuki. She wore a complicated expression. We'd just talked about not trusting Rakushel.
"Maybe. The governor's got troops at the gates. Guards are down, but fifty soldiers at the palace."
I tried to reassure Myra, but not sure it landed. She hung her head and went quiet.
"We're in. We'll patrol the governor's place extra careful. You guard the church. I'll loop in the guild."
Momoka snapped her fingers.
"Hold up—we're not guarding high-risk spots. We're F-rank adventurers. If what we're imagining happens, we'll get wrecked just like we imagine."
"Master Mash, let us take that duty."
Karupana cut in.
"Nah. City's short on guards as is. Pull the wandering folk, and it's a disaster."
We were on the way back from Karupana's camp. Night had fallen.
We'd parted with Momoka's group; now it was just six of us.
This was a nightmare. We'd tried carving an escape route, only to end up volunteering to guard the most dangerous spots—prime encounters with the real threat. Big Hoppers at least had known looks and attacks. But these guys stole a pink one from a city-killing swarm, smuggled it in, and staked the corpse? How do you fight that?
Worse, I'd crushed Myra's spirit. That hit hardest. She'd been silent since the talk, avoiding my eyes.
I should've prepped her before that conversation. Alone, she wouldn't have bared her emotions like that.
I wanted to apologize, but what for? I could call Rakushel and her gods "gods," but I couldn't share her faith.
God, I hoped it was all my paranoia. Perp long gone.
"Myra."
"...Yes?"
"Let's hold hands back to the inn."
Myra took my hand. So much to say. I just didn't know the path to reconciliation. But when I squeezed, she squeezed back. We walked side by side in silence.
Then Fam took my other hand.
"Master, about that mirror earlier."
"You know something?"
"Isn't it in here?"
Fam showed me the Special Skill list from Rakushel. Too dark to read well, so I let go of their hands, borrowed a lantern, and checked.
The open page had blacked-out spots, but some were readable.
"Pretty Body, Pretty Smile, Pretty Medical... What the hell?"
Momoka might grab these idiot names. Nah, practical Kansai girl like her would pick real power.
"Master, a bit lower."
"Yata no Kagami..."
I caught my breath.
"That's not it, right? That's one of the three sacred treasures of our old country's imperial family. The Ark's a Middle Eastern tale—no connection."
Mizuki cut in.
"One theory says a tribe took the lost Ark during that kingdom's fall and brought it to our country. Evidence: the mikoshi is modeled after it. And a hundred years back, someone who saw the Yata no Kagami said it had Middle Eastern script carved on it."
"You believe that?"
Mizuki asked.
"Don't you think our old home—an island nation—had a mostly closed culture? Aside from bits from neighbors."
"What're you getting at?"
"It's a massive cultural-religious mix from vast areas. Like the myth of twin spouse gods spearing the world into being—similar tales on nearby islands."
"So, the Ark story blending into our myths wouldn't be weird?"
I nodded. But Mizuki was only half convinced. Me too, honestly.
"Nothing solid yet—just chasing a possibility."
"Tell me," Mizuki said.
"Transferees might be prophets or blood of a fallen kingdom's king."
"Our blood activates the Ark—grants wishes, suspicions aside. That's why the Ark came to our country. And we carry that bringer's blood."
"Exactly," I nodded.
"But then the Ark isn't lost—it's somewhere in our old world's country. Separate from this one's."
"Timelines between worlds aren't synced. Could've been brought anytime. Even from our future."
"Hmm... Feels like shoehorning. Anything goes."
"It's a hypothesis—bound to be."
I got Mizuki's skepticism, but I had this weird gut feeling we were onto something.
"So per you, me, you, Momoka, Chihiro, Emma... and Yuuki. We thought strangers, but ancestors connect us..."
Mizuki gazed at the night sky.
"Does that mean Karupana doesn't need the mirror?"
"Nah, legend says three mirrors."
"Three..."
A shadow crossed her eyes. Mizuki's face screamed "trouble."
"If Yata no Kagami's right, we need the last one. First was handed direct to a prophet by a god—prophet smashed it."
"What kinda story is that...?"
Fair question from Mizuki. But explaining would derail us.
"Stuff happened. Next, two stone tablets."
"So two left. Got it. But how do you know all this?"
"Same as you. Thought it was weird, got hooked."
I told her.
"Master, I'm taking this Special Skill."
Fam said.
"Think again. Once you do, no going back."
I didn't want her grabbing a key-item-level Special Skill if I could help it. The Holy Oil Jar—also supposedly in the Ark—was busted open, spilling mana so everyone could use magic. World-altering power. Assume Yata no Kagami was same tier. Couldn't risk her in a pinch.
"Too late. I'm with you, Master."
Classic Fam.
"You don't need that skill—we're together anyway."
"Liar! I'm taking this Special Skill. Together forever!"
She yelled and ran off to the inn alone. Couldn't land the dumb "not together?" joke. Hurt Myra, now Fam too.
Thank you for reading.
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It motivates me. I'll keep going.
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