Horizon:Volume 8C Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Honest One in the Morning

Umm

Where is the Musashi?

Wait?

Which way is south?

Point Allocation (Right of East)

The first place Olimpia looked after waking was in the mirror.

She checked to see how aged she was.

This was like a ritual for her. She used to find the aging process interesting and looked forward to how aged she would be in the future, but she had grown a bit tired of it recently.

After all, all the amusing things were found outside of her.

The amusement occurred within her aging self, but was not created there. She was only an ordinary woman. But…

“You may come in, Matthias.”

She called out while sitting on the bed and a knock came at the door before it opened.

A man in apron stood beyond the opening door.

“Rise and shine, Olimpia! The puppet Holy Roman Emperor has made breakfast in his role as the pope’s servant!”

“Just so you know, I had quite the awakening.”

“Not a problem. Would you like some hot water? A sports drink? Or do you want to go for alcohol first thing in the morning? I can get you the purest, most expensive water or soup if you want. And I you are hungry, I have everything from porridge and risotto to fried eggs and curry. So what will it be?”

“The smell of the curry is overpowering everything else.”

She sighed and realized the breath was actually a quiet laugh.

The Vice Chancellor had once told her that a woman’s smile was a valuable thing. And that his daughter refused to show him that value. But…

“Matthias?”

“What do you need, Olimpia?”

“Am I beautiful?”

“May I touch you?”

“Testament. If you don’t mess up my makeup.”

“Of course,” he said, wiping his hand off with a napkin before reaching out to touch her.

He first turned his hand around like he was bowing.

He had taken her hand a few times before as well, but…

“I had made some assumptions about your character based on your brother, but your hands are surprisingly normal.”

“There is much I keep hidden. Would you like to see it?”

“Show me.”

He pulled a bouquet of flowers from his pocket.

“Do you like them? These rose thorns do a real number on the spleen. I cannot feel pain, but it still makes me flinch because my nervous system is functional. Would you like to see it?”

“Show me.”

The emperor twitchily flinched.

“There. Did you like that?”

“It isn’t something you see every day.”

“Then I am glad I demonstrated. And…”

Matthias touched her cheek. Her wrinkles were deep and her skin dry. But…

“Beautiful,” he said. “This is form was only created because you were born as yourself. It is unique. And beautiful.”

“I like your, well, fairly nondescript face too. I’ve never seen one more nondescript.”

“How rude! I do sometimes wish I could transform like my brother, but I lack the aesthetic sense for it.”

“Why not study art?”

“A splendid idea! I will paint you.”

“Paint me growing older?”

“Paint your living self. I have more control over what I paint than what I can feel with my hand. I am endlessly jealous, Olimpia. And that jealousy will become an image of you.”

That made her smile.

“Oh, to be young again.”

“But aging is a beautiful thing. Your appearance is a reflection of the life you have lived.”

“Except I am losing my shape.”

“In that case,” said Matthias, smiling and rolling the breakfast cart toward her. “You are approaching your true form. An innocent and unsullied form. I envy you so as one bound by my obligations as a puppet.”

“You can paint anything in a positive light, can’t you?”

“Then answer me this: what are you currently worried about?”

“That one’s easy. I saw it in a dream.”

That act was too dangerous to be permissible without a bedroom located so deep underground. The reverse-aging people’s dreams gained physical manifestation, but she had used a dream-seeking spell on top of that.

“Is there a dragon coming?” he asked.

She simply shook her head.

“I honestly don’t remember it clearly. Not after being woken up so violently. I do wish Hashiba-san’s people could have been smarter about that. I had to view some gory images.”

But…

“There was more beyond that.”

“Yes?”

“Matthias. Do you know what it was? Do you at least have a good guess? Or is there something you are hoping it was?

“Because,” she continued.

She hadn’t seen it clearly in her dream, but she had sensed its presence.

“That must have been the guardian of your task.”

And…

“It was the ultimate happiness and inescapable despair for all who inhabit this world.”

Happiness doesn’t just land in your lap, does it? thought the Reine des Garous.

Dawn was approaching and the children were asleep in the tent. It was about time to wake up, but she had ended up waking first today.

Those children would soon wake up and head to Kyou. She planned to clean up and organize things here before heading to the Hexagone Française headquarters.

The second term would have begun by the time she arrived. Then the political dealings and wars would start back up and her daughter, her daughter’s king, and their classmates would be fighting in the Honnouji Incident and more.

In all likelihood, she would have a hard time waking up to a scene like this in the future.

So the first thing she did was look at each of them in turn and…

“–––––”

She pecked them each on the hair or cheek.

The leader of the Loup-Garous, symbols of terror, marked them hers with her saliva.

To ensure no terrors would dare approach them. She could do them that much of a favor.

And there was one thing here she found fascinating.

…My daughter’s king really has grown.

The sun nudist displayed the makings of a nation’s king, but this boy was a bit different. He had the makings of a people’s king.

It was the difference between being the leader of the system or institution known as a nation and being a leader who brought people together.

For example, the Reine des Garous tended to let her husband take charge because he would support her and put things in order for her. That was not a system or institution. And she felt certain her daughter saw that boy in the same way.

…Thank goodness.

She was so glad her words to him in the past had not crushed his spirit.

Maybe he hadn’t even noticed the possibility of his spirit being crushed.

Long ago, she had invited him and his sister here.

She had remembered this last time and she remembered it again now.

But last night she had received a new answer regarding that memory.

“Now I know why your spirit was not crushed by my lesson on how difficult it is become a king.”

She had felt self-conscious about this before. But…

“Because your great-grandmother was the kind of person who could give you a jam sandwich and call it a secret.”

It was all about happiness.

Before considering if he was doing the right thing, that boy had felt happy.

He had someone like that in his life.

The Reine des Garous’s concerns were irrelevant when he had that kind of happiness waiting for him at home.

He considered what would make people happy rather than what was right or wrong.

How could the lectures and lessons of the adults stand up to that?

After all, even the Reine des Garous had chosen happiness.

She had chosen to live with a human over being queen of the Loup-Garous.

So telling the boy how difficult becoming a king would be hadn’t broken him. He didn’t ask himself if it was right or wrong or if it was possible or not – he asked himself if it would make people happy or not.

Did the boy and his sister realize she was the one they had met that night?

Even if they did, they wouldn’t be aware that he had made her happy here and now. So…

“Nate? Just this once, I will make everyone lunches for your journey today. And the very first one will be for your king. Because…”

She giggled and sank down.

“I have my own secret with your king. One you know nothing about.”

She poked her daughter’s butt with her nose, causing the girl to scream and spring up.

Fukushima was bathed in early morning light.

She was at the observation platform.

She had only just woken. The sun wasn’t out yet, but dawn was fast approaching.

The stairs up the observation platform remained intact, a testament to the skill of the beings known as the environmental gods. But after climbing the full two-story height…

“Ohh.”

The land to the east was lit from behind and she could see something past the patches of fog.

She saw forests, snowy fields, and mountains.

What resembled a distant fortress sinking into the forest had to be the Shibata Team’s fleet. Either they had been instructed to remain on alert or they were preparing for the new term because they had some lights on at this early hour. And…

“Is that…?”

Even further away, she saw Lake Biwa to the south-southwest.

From here, the western side was hidden by the mountain range she was in and it resembled a massive bay.

But a white shape covered a portion of Lake Biwa. That was Lake Biwa Azuchi’s stealth barrier.

Were the others still inside there? Or were they spread out across different training camps like her?

…I wonder.

The wind reached her while she thought.

The morning wind came from the east. And next…

“Oh.”

The light shined in.

The sky had already been bright, so she had let her guard down. The sudden sunlight pierced her eyes far more sharply than the earlier light.

The wind felt cold, but the sunlight brought heat to her night-chilled body. She held her hand out toward the dawn a few times to check. Once her eyes adjusted, she held her hands together and bowed her head.

She took a breath.

Then she turned to view the last thing on her list. She looked more west-southwest than southwest. She looked to the distant sky in that direction.

“Is that the Musashi?”

She saw it there along with the dawn’s light.

It was distant and darkly shadowed, but the sunlight shining on it from the side made it give off a white light.

It was massive.

But that was her enemy.

It was her duty to defeat it. Whether or not she would be successful, she was dutybound to make the attempt.

But it was so massive.

And she was so tiny.

…Honestly.

Had she been wasting her time at this training camp? No, she felt she had done what she needed to do. She had focused more than ever before and spent days on end moving her entire body.

But that had taught her one primary lesson.

“I am weak.”

She had done everything she could to train, but she had still been terrified by a presence she felt in the night.

Maybe my biggest accomplishment during this training camp was reaching a point where I could choose to run away. Will the others laugh at me if I tell them that? Will they be disappointed in me?

She had her eyes on a massive foe at the moment.

She had to confront that enemy soon. The training camp had been preparation for that. But all she had learned was how weak she was and how unprepared she was to face a great power. So…

“I want someone who can accompany me.”

She allowed herself to think of someone in particular there.

Katou Kiyomasa.

She felt comfortable traversing the battlefield with that girl as her partner.

She wanted that.

No, she needed that girl if she was to attack the Musashi. Maybe she was rushing to conclusions here, but she meant every word of it.

“Kiyo-dono.” She voiced the words while staring at the Musashi’s massive form in the distance. “Thou are the only one who I can work with to defeat them and come out of it smiling.”

Fukushima missed Kiyomasa.

She ignored everything that had happened and her own need to apologize. She only felt a selfish desire to see her.

She wanted to see her and demonstrate her new strength. She wanted to tell her she could face any foe without worry and without fear of defeat if she had Kiyomasa by her side. She wanted to tell her she didn’t want anyone else by her side.

She wanted to tell her she wanted to let Kiyomasa handle everything other than her own issues and she wanted to keep doing things that way forevermore.

“That’s right.”

Everything seemed to click into place while she looked to the Musashi.

This wasn’t about her alone.

She remembered it was about the two of them. And…

“I want thee.”

She nodded and realized something.

Ever since coming here, she had barely even tried to remember facing Kiyomasa, being rejected, and being confessed to.

It was now coming back to her in pieces.

Maybe this was just a convenient way of looking at things, but she felt like she was gradually coming to terms with what she had done and the result thereof.

She could finally fully recall what happened then and analyze it.

“Okay.”

But wait.

What was it she hoped to accomplish by remembering and analyzing it?

Were these thoughts a sign that she wanted something from properly analyzing that event?

She wasn’t sure. She was still avoiding the issue, so could she really face it directly? And…

“–––––”

Fukushima bowed toward the Musashi.

She had lost last time and now she was the challenger. But…

“I swear it.”

That was all she did before descending the stairs.

It amused her she was being so decisive when she didn’t even know when she would next face the Musashi head on.

But she felt certain the others were doing the same.

She abandoned her elevated vantage point and descended the mountain to gather her things.

It was time to head back.

It was past 11 AM of September 2 when Tomoe Gozen received word of a Kyou-bound ship departing Hexagone Française.

The Protestants currently had three fleets’ worth of aerial ships stopped at a landport in the hills of eastern Saxony. That wasn’t much compared to the Catholic fleets, but the positioning said they were willing to fire on the Catholic ships as stationary cannons if the Catholics tried to interfere at Kyou.

Tomoe Gozen stood in a tower along Saxony’s city wall. She raised her right hand in a brand new summer uniform and gave some instructions.

“Raise the cannons and attach the covers. If we display an immediate intent to attack, they could take advantage of it. The 2nd term has already begun after all.

“And,” she continued.

She looked into the sky to confirm the Musashi was turning toward Kyou with a buffering spell active to eliminate the noise. She tracked the Musashi’s rotating bow with her raised finger.

“Listen. We must coordinate with the Musashi up there. Saxony Chancellor’s Officers and Student Council, do not forget to stay in contact with Musashi.”

“Lady Tomoe Gozen! Who from Musashi are we supposed to contact!?” asked a girl.

Tomoe Gozen opened a lernen figur and exchanged a few words.

“A girl known as Representative Committee Head Ookubo is apparently the best option.”

“Milady! We are busy enough as it is, but we just received a ‘Let’s Coordinate, Danke’ message from Saxony!”

“I-it was her again, I just know it! She passed them off to me!”

“Milady, now is the time to rebel! Take control of the Musashi and show her what’s what!”

A sign frame appeared in front of those two as they loudly discussed the matter on the bridge in front of the academy.

Musashi: “We are what, statistically speaking, people describe as ‘busy as hell’, but you two must be handling it with ease if you have time to plot a takeover. Over.”

“Kanou-kun, she knows.”

“No matter,” said Kanou. “We just need to do it stealthily, milady!”

Yoshiyasu, who was nearby checking on Righteousness via sign frame, glared at them.

“What does stealth matter when everyone already knows?”

“Azuma, you aren’t disembarking at Kyou?”

The Musashi was turning to the east. Miriam was looking east from the bow deck that acted as one of the Musashi’s frontmost points.

That spot acted as an ether conduit for the ship’s deck and a temporary market was being held there right now. The bow also gave a view down on the European towns below, which had an effect on Miriam.

…So many memories.

That was her mindset when she asked Azuma her question.

“Adding ‘technically’ sounds weird, but it is your hometown, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it would be. And the imperial palace is basically my birth home.”

“Would you mind telling me more?”

Azuma met her gaze when she asked that. She saw a hint of surprise on his face, but that didn’t surprise her. She tended to stay out of other people’s business. But…

“I thought it would be more…convenient if I knew more about you,” she explained.

“That’s logical.”

“Do you know what logical really means?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“It’s a handy excuse for doing what you want.”

After heading out together on several occasions, she felt comfortable saying things like this. Today, she was visiting this Musashino market with the girl in her lap. There were flowers for sale today, probably from Saxony.

She did not like decorating her room with flowers. Watering them was a pain and, if they got dirt and withered leaves on the floor, she knew she would sigh and find the flowers more of a hassle than they were worth.

But what about Azuma? If he would look after them for her, then maybe they could keep flowers in the room. But…

“Tell me.”

“It’s not that interesting, really. And I already told Honda-kun and some others.”

“The Vice President or the Vice Chancellor? And why?”

“Both. They might have to attack the imperial palace or forcibly intervene there, so I told them everything I know about its layout. I really wish I could have been more useful.”

You did more than enough, she thought with an inward smile.

…He really has changed.

Before, she doubted he would have told them that much and he wouldn’t have wanted to do more. Maybe it was his privileged upbringing, but he was accustomed to other people doing things for him, but he never knew how to decide when it was okay for him to do things for others. But now…

“Daily life sure can change people.”

It frustrated her that she couldn’t bring herself to say it was she who had changed him. That was a good and a bad habit of hers.

…If only I were more arrogant.

But those thoughts sometimes pushed her toward being a thoroughly unpleasant person, so she suppressed them. She was a reserved person deep down, so she tended to give up on things and withdraw from things, but…

“Azuma.”

She felt like she could trust her feelings this time.

Because of this boy who had somehow ended up with her and never knew how to give up on things or withdraw from things.

“Will you tell me?”

“Well,” said Azuma, choosing a path through the market. Since the Musashi was turning, most people were approaching the bow to get a look at Kyou. So he chose a path that let them avoid the crowd but continue their conversation. He was used to this by now, but…

“I have no real attachment to Kyou. I noticed when everyone started talking about it lately.”

“Well, this is getting heavy fast.”

Is it? he wondered, maybe because he lacked that attachment. And…

“I’ve never actually met the emperor – who I guess you would call my mother. I begged to see her and even tried breaking in to see her a few times when I was little, but they always scolded me and stopped me. I was usually caught by that Reizei who met with Honda-kun and the others before.”

“My, you were quite the little troublemaker when you were younger.”

“You know, that kind of compliment is kind of depressing when I look at who I am now.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

Miriam thought for a few seconds and then averted her eyes.

“And I suppose that didn’t make you feel much better, did it?”

“That you noticed at all shows you’re trying to do better, which is enough for me.”

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

“If I do better, it improves your score, right?”

She had told him that when they first met, so she gasped and turned toward him again.

“You remember the weirdest things.”

“It isn’t weird.”

Because…

“It means if I don’t get better, it hurts your score.”

Why did that make her hold her head in her hands? Finally, she beckoned him over with her left hand, head still lowered. He leaned in close, curious what this was about.

“Did it never occur to you to let me try to earn some points for myself?”

“But this is my problem.”

“If it’s your problem, why does it influence my score?”

He thought about that.

…Huh?

He felt like he had learned this in arithmetic class. Something about necessary conditions and sufficient conditions. But I’m only good at operating a register. I’m terrible at arithmetic. Regardless…

“I guess what I mean is, to me, your score is my problem.”

“…Can you say that more simply?”

“You’re important to me.”

She looked up, face red and hair disheveled, as people walked by in the market.

“You idiot. You’re not actually supposed to say it.”

She beckoned him over again, so he leaned in close.

“Idiot.”

She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him.

He was confused, but not because he didn’t know what she had done. He couldn’t find any words and had a single thought in his head.

…Do this right.

Should he make sure no one else could see them? No, that wasn’t the point.

“–––––”

He made sure to focus only on Miriam.

He noticed her eyes were shut, so he shut his own and placed his hand on her cheek to support her.

Finally, her lips pulled away like she had just finished pecking him.

“Yes.”

He told her that was all right and opened his eyes.

He saw her looking at him, blushing and smiling.

“I’m important to me.”

And…

“I like people who think I’m important, Azuma.”

“By the way.” Miriam couldn’t look Azuma in the eye as they continued through the market. “Do you not want to visit Kyou?”

“I’m fine staying here.”

“I see,” she replied. “Judge,” she nodded.

That seemed to settle things all at once. Maybe it was immature and no more than an extension of childhood games, but…

“You know what, Azuma?” she said. “Poqou is not my real last name.”

“Eh? So it doesn’t come from the word ‘pork’ and you aren’t from a family of pig farmers?”

She briefly thought about taking it all back, but she decided to view this as his way of showing he was comfortable around her. But…

“It actually comes from taking the word ‘nobody’ and flipping it upside down.”

“Why?”

He was sharp. This was just like him. So she went ahead and explained.

“I come from a fairly rural place – a region without last names. That is, somewhere so far out in the sticks no one needs them. Instead, we use regional names, usually related to your occupation like you suggested.

“But,” she said as the path went around a corner. To her left was the shop selling the ham and vegetable rolls she had been thinking would be good for dinner. She checked to make sure the shop still had some inventory left. “But about all a disabled third daughter could do was spin yarn. Until one day, an important person from the village heard about my disability and reached out a charitable hand.”

“And that’s how you ended up at an academy?”

“I learned so much. I mean, everything was new to me. Especially since I had such an empty head.”

“If only it had been like that for me…”

“I really don’t like the idea of a sarcastic Azuma.”

“I meant that you’re quick to learn.”

“Why thank you.” But this was where the story got tricky. “Someone came to recruit me. Recruit me to a different academy. It was arranged by the important person who had given me my wheelchair and my position at the academy. So I went with the recruiter as a way of repaying that debt. And…”

She hesitated a moment but said it.

“I fell in love a bit and was firmly rejected.”

Miriam had mostly wanted to see his reaction, but…

“You aren’t reacting.”

“Oh, well, I’m just surprised you could do that.”

Does he not understand the nature of our relationship now? she wondered, but they really were two different people. That put her mind at ease and she shrugged.

“He already had feelings for someone, you see. I competed with that girl for the top spot, but then I started wondering why I was doing it and I felt like I was being a little unfair.”

“That was honorable of you.”

“Thank you.”

“But.” She tilted her head. “Does that mean I let her win? Or does it mean I lost?”

She wasn’t sure. Either way, she was here now because of it, but…

“What do you think?”

“About what?” he asked.

“Well, I let her win before the results of the final test were released. And then that school was disbanded, so I still don’t know how the test turned out.”

She had run away. She had done so because she believed that was for the best and that it would make everything easier. But…

…That all happened so long ago.

Was it a sign of dependence if she thought she could get over it all as long as Azuma said something to her now? Or did she just find it all too bothersome to deal with? But…

“Is that why you’re ‘nobody’?” asked Azuma. “The word nobody refers to the concept of ‘an absence of people’. So did you come here to have nobody with you?”

His question didn’t sound like a real question to her.

That was because Azuma immediately raised his eyebrows a hair and nodded. He had been asking it to himself to help himself reach an understanding of the situation. So when he spoke again, it was a different question.

“Did you regret it?”

“Yes, I did. I wondered why I had made that choice.”

“Then I’m thankful for your nobody.”

Because…

“It means all the things you wanted to be important can now be important to me.

“So,” he said, looking around. “What should we do for dinner?”

“We haven’t even bought lunch yet. Classes are starting, but everyone’s skipping and coming here since they’re going to Kyou.”

Oh, honestly.

“Azuma,” she said.

She didn’t know what was going to happen to the world as a whole or to them in particular, but…

“Don’t forget me. Chase after me.”

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