“By the way — those soldiers mixed in with the regulars, the ones in oni masks. What are those?”
“I do not know. Once the mask is broken, they fall. Until then, a spear-thrust or a severed arm doesn’t stop them. As if living corpses.”
Jūtarō-san shook his head as he answered. So — zombies after all, maybe.
Leen leaned out over the parapet, glaring down at the masked soldiers.
“Hmm… Some sort of null-spell — or — failing that, an artifact, I’d say.”
“Artifact?”
“A legacy of the ancient civilization, a powerful magical instrument. Yours isn’t one of those?”
She pointed at the smartphone in my hand. I gave a wry laugh and brushed it aside.
Ancient-civilization magic items. Artifacts, huh. If something like a controller exists for animating the dead, then those masks could be the receivers.
“At any rate, the masked ones are trouble. [Paralyze] doesn’t take, either. Better to wipe them all at once, then.”
”…What did you say?”
While Jūtarō-san watched me with a quizzical look, I searched masked Takeda soldiers on the smartphone map. Pins rained down across the screen around the fortress. I tapped one — all targets locked in.
“Wh-what are those…?”
Someone murmured. I looked up — innumerable small magic circles were suspended in the sky, shedding light. [Multiple] lock-on, complete.
I held my hand toward the sky, concentrated my magic, and released it with the incantation.
“Light, pierce — radiant holy spear — Shining Javelin!”
Flash! — from every circle, light-spears streamed down at their targets. Like a rain of light.
Thoom thoom thoom thoom thoom thoom thoom! — the ground shook, dust and bursts of light shooting up like sparks. Brilliant blossoms of light burst and faded, burst and faded.
When the light-rain ended, more than half of the Takeda force lay fallen, unable to move.
I refreshed the search to Takeda soldiers and re-locked.
“And — [Paralyze].”
The remaining regulars’ bodies seized up suddenly and they collapsed where they stood. A handful must have been carrying charms — they stayed standing, but at the sight of their forces’ devastation they turned tail and bolted.
“That, about does it.”
The Tokugawa soldiers in the fortress stayed stunned for a while. Then the picture sank in, and as one, a battle-cry of victory rose. Voices mixed with joy and relief echoed from every corner of the fortress.
“That was… you?”
Jūtarō-san asked in a rasping voice. He looked at the Takeda soldiers strewn around the fortress with eyes that couldn’t accept what they were seeing.
“More or less. I’d rather not have it spread around, so if you could keep the story quiet, I’d appreciate it.”
At my answer, Elze, beside me, put a hand to her hip and let out a long breath.
“Honestly, getting surprised by this is starting to feel stupid.”
”…I, agree — too late, for surprise.”
Linze backed her sister. Mm — it’s just stacking abilities together. Is that really worth all this fuss?
I stood there with an oddly conflicted feeling, watching the soldiers in the fortress celebrate.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“First, our heartfelt thanks for your aid in this matter.”
In the keep — though keep meant a fifteen-tatami plank-floored room — a portly mustached man in his early forties seated at the upper seat bowed deeply. Tokugawa Ietsu. The lord of this territory and one of the Nine Lords. Tokugawa Ietsu — same pronunciation, different characters.
“No, our coming here was just chance. Please, don’t trouble yourself over it.”
Seated before us, facing Ietsu, was Yumina. We’d cast her as Princess of Belfast and ourselves as her escort — easier for the other side to understand. Yumina’s social skills bail us out every time.
Yae was framed as one of Yumina’s escorts, with our trip here as a side errand born of that connection. Which was basically true, so no friction there.
“That Yae would be Princess Yumina’s escort… astonishing, truly.”
Seated beside Ietsu, a powerfully built man in his late forties was Kokonoe Juubei — Yae’s father. Currently the Tokugawa house’s sword instructor. Long ago he had been the same to Viscount Swordreck’s family in Belfast’s capital, so he’d be familiar with Belfast.
“And the gentleman behind you… the one who saved our fortress?”
Ietsu’s gaze landed on me, standing behind Yumina. Could you cool the intensely curious look, please.
“This is Mochizuki Touya — my escort… or rather, my husband-to-be.”
Aa, Yumina blushed, twisting her shoulders bashfully. Oi! I didn’t sign off on that!? You don’t have to say that, right!?
Ohh — the lord and instructor let out a sound that was either impressed or astonished. No, no, no — that reaction, though.
“I see, that is indeed remarkable. As Princess of Belfast’s betrothed, that feat now makes sense. Truly splendid.”
“Yes — I take pride in him.”
Yumina puffed out her chest as if it were her own accomplishment. Please stop — I’m dying inside. This is mental torture.
“By the way, may I ask one thing — do you happen to know of a place called the Nilya Ruins? We came to Eashen hoping to find it…”
“Nilya…?”
Ietsu thought for a moment after Yumina’s question, then suddenly clapped his knee.
“Ah — the ruins said to hold the Heritage of Niraikanai. I myself am not familiar with the details… Juubei, how about you?”
“As I recall, the Nilya Ruins are in Shimazu territory. But that place lies beneath the sea. I don’t believe one can even enter…”
“Beneath the sea!?”
What is that — an undersea temple? Or does the entrance show itself with the tide?
Either way, we won’t know without going. The location was settled, so let’s head out right away — yeah, no, we can’t.
“The Takeda army — will they retreat after this?”
I asked. Ietsu folded his arms and let out a long hmm.
“They may regroup and attack again. They may bring in more masked soldiers, perhaps cannon…”
Same outcome no matter how many soldiers they bring. Cannon would be a pain, but I think I can flatten them too.
“And yet — these oni-mask soldiers, this sudden invasion — none of it makes sense. Lord Shingen of the Takeda is a warrior who commands the four generals called the Takeda Four Heavenly Kings — but this battle does not feel like Shingen. Could the rumor be true after all…”
“Rumor?”
I asked without meaning to. The answer came from Juubei-san instead.
“That Lord Shingen has already perished. And that the man controlling the corpse, and so the Takeda army — is the Shadow Strategist, Yamamoto Kansuke.”
“Yamamoto Kansuke…”
“Seeing the masked soldiers, it doesn’t sound impossible. He might be a magic-user, or artifact-wielder, specialized in controlling the dead.”
Hearing Juubei-san out, Leen put forward her own read. True — given the corpses being moved on that scale, it tracks. Hijack the Takeda, unite Eashen — that the plan?
Damn it. At this rate we can’t head out comfortably until the Takeda are dealt with.
“If we captured this Yamamoto Kansuke, would the matter settle cleanly?”
“It might — but Shingen’s death is still only rumor. And Kansuke remains shut up at the Takeda main camp, Tsutsujigasaki Manor. Sneaking in and seizing him is hardly…”
Mm. That’s what I was planning, but is it too reckless? Sneaking in alone should be possible with [Long Sense] and [Gate]. A spell to vanish would help avoid being seen — ah.
“Leen. You said you hide the wings on your back with light magic? Can you make your whole body invisible the same way?”
“I can. It just bends light around the target, so I’d be caught the moment someone touches me, but.”
Ahh — transparency is on the table, then. That’d make infiltration easy.
By then I was already thinking through how to break into their main camp. Enemy or ally, less damage on both sides is obviously better.
“You intend to infiltrate, do you?”
Linze, reading my thoughts, spoke up. Of course she’d see right through it.
“If this Yamamoto Kansuke really is the mastermind, that’s the cleanest move.”
“That’s true, but…”
She’s worried about me, but I should be fine. If things go bad, I [Gate] out.
“Problem is getting to this Tsutsujigasaki place. Yae, you been there?”
“No, I have not. Father?”
“I have not either… why?”
“If someone who has been to Tsutsujigasaki is here, Lord Touya’s magic can transfer there in an instant.”
“Goodness…!”
Juubei-san and Ietsu-san both turned wide-eyed looks on me again. I was trying to keep the standing-out to a minimum, but at this point we’ll be out of Eashen as soon as business is done. May as well stop caring.
“I shall guide you to Tsutsujigasaki.”
A voice carried into the keep from nowhere. Not anyone present. I whipped out the New Model Army on reflex and pointed it at the railed gallery that circled the keep.
“Who’s there!”
Beat me to the line. It wasn’t me who challenged — it was Juubei-san.
A figure stepped out from behind the railed walkway.
Whoa — ninja. Obviously so at a glance, given the all-black garb — though black is conspicuous in broad daylight. Then again, we didn’t notice her, so maybe she’s using some kind of perception-blocking magic.
She pulled the black cloth from her face — and revealed a striking beauty. Kunoichi, this is.
“I am Tsubaki — a vassal of one of the Takeda Four, Lord Kōsaka Masanobu. I have brought a sealed letter addressed to Lord Tokugawa Ietsu.”
“What — from Lord Kōsaka!?”
She knelt, drew the sealed letter from her robe, set it down, and stepped back. She was an enemy until moments ago — can’t relax. Juubei-san picked up the letter, keeping his eyes on the kunoichi, and handed it to Ietsu-san.
The whole while, I kept my gun trained on her. Just in case.
As Ietsu-san broke the seal and read, his expression shifted from surprise to grim severity. What’s in there?
“My lord. What does the letter say?”
“It seems the rumor was true. The Takeda army has become a puppet army.”