Chapter 8Chapter 8

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MaruMA:Volume15:Chapter 8Chapter 8

After the night of the chaotic battle gave way to dawn, the country of white sand at the ends of the ocean changed drastically. This is the first time in Seisakoku history that slaves helped soldiers to save the Emperor’s life. Not just the slaves, but the equestrian people and the soldiers all know what happened last night, so it has become an undeniable truth—that the ones who were never recognized as s.h.i.+nzoku saved the Emperor.

The country might not change suddenly, but it is indeed changing, slowly listening to the voices of the oppressed.

“Give my life to this child.”

Sitting on a narrow staircase in the secret port for pirates and smugglers, Hazel Graves is reading a certain woman’s diary. Her finger wanders over the surface, reading aloud any beautiful scenes as though it is poetry,

“Give my everything to this child… When faced with the death of a loved one, any person would descend into a grief where you have to choose between a rock and a hard place.”

Wolfram and I, with two girls grabbing our waists, walk slowly on the uneven stone steps. The salty sea breeze sure feels comfortable.

“I wonder who helped her fulfill her wish. Her son was revived, but Alazon didn’t die immediately. Although this situation is slightly surprising, the fact is that her heart didn’t stop immediately. Instead, she weakly, slowly… pa.s.sed away. For example, by the end of that year she couldn’t move her legs, and by the next year it was her arms. Soon her insides started to rot… and slowly she died. She thought of her son’s life as more important than her own, so she helped him extend his life. Whoever it was that helped her fulfill that wish, it’s just too tragic.”

“If you ask me, it’s more of a horror movie than a miracle.”

“The young Empress Alazon was very lively, but afterwards she rarely showed up in public anymore, so this is the reason why.”

“Does it have something to do with the Box?”

“Well, who knows? According to His Eminence the Sage, that Box can only ‘destroy’, right?”

“It seems so.”

“In that case, maybe it was a G.o.d they wors.h.i.+p, or the soul of a royal in the tombs or the underground tunnel. Think about it, that woman carried a dead baby into the underground tunnel that could fulfill her wis.h.!.+ And besides, that unlucky Box may have some functions the Sage doesn’t know about. Or else—”

With a melodic sound, Hazel closes the diary and hands it to me,

“—It could be a miracle brought by Alazon’s own power. I really can’t say for sure… Eh?”

As though it’s her first time seeing them, she stares at Jason and Freddy, asking,

“So you’re the two lovely young ladies who were worried for me?”

The twins are surprisingly docile and timid, their usual arrogance completely gone, as though they understand it’s not good to probe into someone else’s help. Although I don’t know who taught them that, but how polite of them.

“You girls told me to ‘help Venera’, right? That Venera, is this person here… Hazel Graves?”

The twins raise their heads in unison,

“Hope you can help her.”

“Right, with majutsu.”

“With majutsu?”

Again they nod at the same time.

“That’s right.”

“What do you mean by ‘help’? What do you want me to do? Help her abolish slavery in this country?”

“No.”

“That, we’ll do ourselves.”

What impressive determination.

“Then…”

“Heal her.”

“That’s right, heal her. Heal Venera’s body.”

Even if they ask me to, but Venera… Hazel Graves was just fighting valiantly on the battlefield, it sure doesn’t look like she’s sick. As for the person in question, she can’t understand the common language, so her expression is one of surprise,

“If it’s possible, could you say that in this country’s language? Oh, right, those children seem unfamiliar with the Seisakoku language, in that case English is okay, too, Your Majesty. Are you talking about me? You are talking about me, right?”

“They want me to heal your body.”

“But I don’t remember being sick?”

“They say it’s not a sickness.”

My translation makes the twins nod even harder.

“No, we see, Venera’s soul.”

“Right, light of the soul.”

“It’s weakening.”

“Since the first time we met, the light has been weakening, bit by bit.”

“So you think it’s a sickness.”

“They did do something like a fortune telling before.”

The one who had his fortune told back then wasn’t me, but Wolfram. But back then not only weren’t they talking about weakening or whatnot, they even said he had a king’s aura, so surely that must have made him happy?

“Is what they say accurate?”

Hearing my question, Wolfram thinks back for about ten seconds, his arms crossed over his chest and his left leg stretched slightly ahead, a hint of a smile on the corners of his lips,

“No, it’s not accurate at all.”

“It can’t not be accurate!”

One of the twins, probably Freddy, seems really angry, and can’t help but protest. But Hazel interrupts her,

“Are you done talking about me?”

“Not yet, Hazel. According to these children, your soul… Uh—Um, something like the light was really weak since the beginning, anyway they suspect that you’re not feeling well somewhere.”

“They said my light is really weak?”

Hazel Graves frowns, her mouth tightly closed, as she pulls her hair upwards with her hand,

“How troubling.”

Her eyebrows droop as she says, perplexedly,

“Children, that’s called aging.”

“Eh?”

“If you know how long I’ve lived, you would definitely be in for a shock. Just among the slaves in this country, I should be the oldest. I’m far older than those n.o.bles who enjoy all the best food in the palace, and have the best medical teams waiting on them twenty-four seven. Not only that, even if you go investigate the most resilient family, the Graves, there still isn’t anyone who lived longer than me. However…”

The old lady winks like a child,’

“It’s true that I don’t know how long mazoku lifespans are.”

“Mazoku lifespans are longer than you can imagine. As humans go, however, you are rather long-lived.”

Hazel disappeared from Boston before World War II. Although I’m not too sure how to calculate the time in this world, seventy years have pa.s.sed on Earth. If she was sixty-something-years-old back then, she would be at least a hundred and thirty years old now, and that’s well enough to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Still, what’s surprising isn’t her age, but her strong body despite her age. She can live in such a tough environment even though she’s over a hundred years old, doing back-breakingly hard work, even leading the slaves on a trip with us, and fighting to rescue her comrades. I can’t say that she’s as strong as a mazoku, but compared to humans on Earth, such a strong body is nothing short of a miracle. It’s not just the body of flesh and bone either, even her mental resilience is highly admirable.

But Hazel Graves is telling everyone that her body is weakening. She’s not sick, but aging.

“My eyes, nose, brain, limbs and waist all are. Oh, right, here too.”

She raises her fist and beats her chest. Does she mean her heart, or her spirit?

“Because I’m old, my limbs are already shaking, and they become powerless if I use them for too long. So even if the flames of my soul become weak, it’s nothing to be wondered at; in fact, it’s completely normal.”

Jason and Freddy seem to have figured out what she meant by the simple words she used, hugging my waist as they say,

“Heal her, we can’t save her.”

“Yuuri, use majutsu.”

“Venera, hope. Venera is this country’s hope.”

“Everyone says so.”

Those golden eyes s.h.i.+ne with pleading and hope, until I’m at a loss on how to reply.

“Ah—That can’t be cured.”

Hazel herself has her hands on her waist, smiling really happily. It’s the triumphant smile of a grandmother thinking, “Although my grandchildren said some unattainable fantasy things, but they really are such adorable and bright children.”

“Anyone would become an aged elderly person, that is something unavoidable, and uncurable. Although the rate I’m aging at is really slow, but after a long period of time, what will come will come.”

“Hazel…”

“Since the light of my soul is weakening, that means that I’ll have to embrace that moment soon. I have finally reached a place where I can see the gate to heaven.”

“But to those of us who can’t see something as troublesome as the soul, you are still strong despite your age, and also very beautiful.”

Conrad, used to dealing with women, walks past and nonchalantly says something pleasant to the ears. That is an advanced speaking technique that I can’t achieve, all I know is that he spoke really well.

“Hazel, I can’t heal your aging, but there is one thing I might be able to do.”

Hazel Graves raises an eyebrow in surprise.

I don’t complete my sentence, “I might be able to take you back to Earth”, because I don’t have the confidence. Even Murata and myself can’t be certain when, at what point in time we’ll land, and with so many uncertainties in the conditions, I really can’t be sure I can bring an old lady I just met on the Star Tour successfully. It’s just that, if she wants to return to Earth, there might be a hope of succeeding.

“Your suggestion is indeed very tempting, and I am very grateful, but I want to stay in this country.”

“Although I don’t know what are the chances of succeeding… Eh!?”

I am shocked into raising my head by the unexpected answer, but the adventurer’s wrinkled mouth curves into a mischievous smile,

“I don’t plan to go anywhere. If I return to Boston, those young relatives of mine may welcome me, but…”

She looks at someone in the distance beyond my shoulder, I’m guessing Conrad, or maybe she’s looking past him as well, looking for some other illusion. She sighs, and sings for a short while, but immediately stops.

“Since I’ve started this challenge, I might as well make it a long journey.”

“You have a point.”

“But isn’t it pretty interesting, trying to become this country’s Lincoln?”

“You want to become Seisakoku’s president?”

“No, I don’t want to be anyone great like that. But until now we’re still not sure if we should make someone else as Emperor to replace Yels.h.i.+, maintaining the emperor system, or step in a little and make it back into a monarchy. In any case, I just hope to release the people from this illogical caste system.”

Hazel looks around the small port from the narrow stone steps as she speaks. The people who just left the facility are loading cargo into the mazoku vessels, or accepting unneeded rations and supplies from the s.h.i.+ps. As for the equestrian people who recovered really quickly, they are discussing something on their horses that still refuse to move forward. In such a crowded place, it’ll probably be faster to move on your own two feet.

“After I’ve seen these children released from this tyranny with my own eyes, I plan on a quiet retirement.”

“It shouldn’t take too long, right?”

“I don’t know, only G.o.d knows.”

“Once the dust has settled, you will come to s.h.i.+n Makoku for a visit, right? It’s a great place, and the weather is beautiful.”

s.h.i.+n Makoku’s good qualities flood my brain, and I realize that if I want to explain how wonderful my hometown is, it’s probably not something I can finish saying in an hour or a day, but I can’t say it clearly either, because the more I think back the more I want to just go back already, until my nose starts to burn.

“Don’t ever forget, Venera. You are the goodwill amba.s.sador, after all, you have a duty to come to my country and meet the king.”

“I also want to have a chat with His Eminence, and listen about my granddaughter’s adventures.”

“I’ll warn you beforehand, Murata’s story is really long, so you must stay in s.h.i.+n Makoku for quite some time. Just come to my country for a good rest, there are the hot springs women love so much there, too.”

“You have a point.”

Hazel Graves nods lightly, pulling her hair upwards with a smile.

Lord Weller, who walked past me just now, is now talking to Captain Sizemore near the mazoku s.h.i.+ps.

“Although I can’t order you, could I ask you for a favor as a friend?”

“Of course you can.”

“Then please remove everything sharp, including the tables and chairs.”

“I know, leave it all to me, I have experience escorting those wounded in battle too. Um… not just those who were wounded physically, but in other areas as well.”

Captain Sizemore nods, his expression grim. Although I don’t purposely want to lighten up the atmosphere, I still speak up in a cheery tone,

“Conrad!”

Conrad turns around to look at me with a steady smile.

“Where’s Josak?”

“It seems he’s been taken into the vessel Captain Sizemore arranged for. He’s very quiet, it’s just he looks dazed. Really, causing everyone so much trouble.”

“Even Miss Gisela couldn’t heal him, huh…”

“Even if she could heal his body, we can’t fight poison with poison when it comes to his memories and spirit.”

“Poison!? Then Miss Anissina…”

“No one knows what will happen. Although I can’t be sure, you tend to have an idea already in your heart.”

Conrad murmurs a famous tragedy.

“Shakespeare?”

“Although it’s slightly different, all we can do now is gamble on it. Anyway, even if we have to do it by force, we must bring him back to s.h.i.+n Makoku, we can’t leave him on foreign soil no matter what.”

“Of course.”

When I remember the way Josak looked when his eyes were splashed by the liquid Adlabert brought, and he was rolling on the floor in pain, all the hairs on my body stand on end. But it’s already much better than earlier, that moment when we were separated in the underground tunnel.

Compared to the despair from back then, the uneasiness I feel now is much lighter.

“It’s okay as long as he’s by my side, it’s enough as long as he’s still alive.”

And then I clear my throat, changing the subject,

“Speaking of which, what does Lord Weller plan to do from now on?”

“Until Shou s.h.i.+maron’s close guard land, I still have to watch Saralegui.”

“The job of a bodyguard sure is tough. Ah~~ But since you were trained by me before, you should be used to it now, right?”

“No way, the pleasure in it is completely different.”

Our conversation is like a child who likes to prank people. To the mazoku, this may be a meaningless experience, but I can’t be a rookie forever. I researched economics a little, and I know politics more now. So I nonchalantly ask the suspicions I have from the term ‘politics’.

“I say, Conrad, what do you mean by ‘I went to sow seeds’? Don’t tell me you want to gather up your supporters, and, um… try to regain the throne?”

“Of course not! I’m not made for that.”

He denies it in surprise, but if we’re judging if someone deserves the throne based on their talent, I’d be the least qualified. He tells me,

“It’s impossible, I’m a narrow-minded man. I don’t want to get any position, just to spread my true intention. I want to tell them, my father and grandfather craved peace, not invasion. But it’s really rather difficult to gain their trust… You really are a great person.”

Conrad lowers his head slightly, his eyes narrowed and his smile bitter, exactly like the oldest son. That thought takes me off-guard, and in my daze I forget to ask something really important.

“Um…”

“I know, the s.h.i.+maron s.h.i.+ps seem to have arrived.”

The extravagant-looking s.h.i.+ps block the narrow port until there’s no s.p.a.ce left, meaning Saralegui’s ministers have arrived.

“Once the handing-over is complete, my mission would also be over. At that time, I will catch up immediately.”

“It’s okay if you take your time.”

I forgot to ask, does his ‘catch up’ mean coming back to my side?

But someone has to stay behind.

“I have to stay behind!?”

“Don’t you? Because you and the mermaid are the equestrian tribe’s messiah, right?”

“Why the heck do I have to stay behind!? It’s not like their village was damaged, they’re completely unharmed, y’know!? Why do I have no choice but to stay behind as their designated chef!?”

“Anyway the term messiah is just a t.i.tle, it’s just that this incident made you into an accidental hero, and after this their deals with Yels.h.i.+ and the former slaves will decide the direction of this country, am I right? If you’re there to offer opinions from the side, I would be much more at ease. Because you’re talented, and one of the Ten Aristocrats, plus you’re really familiar with politics and governing territory. Wolfram mentioned before, the n.o.bles’ usual work is like the administrator of the territories. You’re really good at delegating, aren’t you? So I think you would stay behind, and help their administration from a side.”

Adalbert hardens his expression as he uses his finger to touch his proud chin, asking,

“Why must I listen to the Maou’s orders?”

“Eh? Did I make any order? I don’t remember, I just said, ‘I think you would stay behind’, y’know?”

“…I am the man who betrayed the mazoku, y’know!”

“So what?”

“If all goes well, I could even make this country anti-mazoku, y’know!”

“It’s all right, go ahead.”

I don’t have any sense of uneasiness, that really is what I’m thinking. If he can do it, then go ahead, but he definitely won’t do it.

“Besides, you already made a family here, didn’t you? I heard, Adalbert! I heard you have a stern daughter and cute grandchildren? How mean of you not to tell me—As expected of the muscleman, the impressive b.u.t.t-shaped chin! Good job, Grantz’ young boss! From now on, you’ll be living the ‘Doki-doki!? Mermaid Life’.”

Hearing me say that, Adalbbert’s expression becomes very strange—

But I immediately hear something similar from Saralegui’s side, apparently the Shou s.h.i.+maron king Saralegui is somewhere nearby, putting his grieving little brother to sleep. Since he’s acting like the perfect older brother, his men who finally reached this port to receive him aren’t blaming him.

“You’re really not nervous at all? There’s a high chance I would replace Yels.h.i.+ as leader of this country, y’know!”

“If you really did that, it would just mean you have to fight it out with Venera and the others. And we don’t know if you could decide the winner quickly, it might end up taking a long time, and in that case, what about Shou s.h.i.+maron?”

“I’ll leave the best people in the country, it’s not like I’m the only capable one.”

“I’m not talking about the people you leave in the country, what I’m asking is, can you yourself leave your hometown?”

“Otherwise I could follow the original plan, and have Shou s.h.i.+maron and Seisakoku form an alliance, making conditions favorable to our Shou s.h.i.+maron. That way, we’ll have the s.h.i.+nzoku as powerful firepower, and we twins will govern twin countries to control the world’s superpowers. s.h.i.+n Makoku and Seisaskoku’s alliance will fall behind Shou s.h.i.+maron’s, you know?”

“It’s okay, as long as you two get along, after all you are brothers. Go ahead and make up for the blank days in the past as family members, as country leaders that get along. Just like how me and my brother are so close.”

I hope you two will become good brothers who would discuss how to make a move in front of me before doing it, who know each other so well you could be each other’s body double.

“If you want to make any strange contracts, Venera and the equestrian tribes won’t say quiet. To be honest, I don’t know how much longer Yels.h.i.+’s own dictators.h.i.+p could have lasted. But I think you are really skilled politically, much better than I am. I trust that you have the ability to stabilize this country.”

It’s obvious that Saralegui figured out what I’m thinking long ago, but he still pretends, “So?”

“Support your lost little brother. You should lead him towards the right direction.”

“Really, this pathetic little brother is just too much.”

“Don’t forget, there’s a group of people who were tortured by your pathetic little brother for many years. Oh, right, this.”

I hand the pale red ring and the leather-bound book to him. Murata helped me take off the ring. He strung silk thread between the finger and the stone, winding and tying a little before pulling it off. Thank goodness the ring came off before I decided to chop off my finger, it was a great help.

“I think Alazon’s diary should be given to you for safekeeping. The contents are really long, extremely long. Your mother… Alazon…”

Saralegui’s reply is even more decisive than I imagined,

“I knew long ago, I knew she was dead.”

“Why?”

“Father told me. He told me what happened to the person who sent us away from Seisakoku, I heard it was a sickness that made the body die gradually. Today it’s the leg, tomorrow the arm, this year the lips, next year the eyelids.”

“What a terrible sickness.”

“Maybe it’s not a sickness, but a curse. In any case, in the end it wasn’t just Mother’s physical body, but even her spirit was corroded. She even said she could see the dead, that the dead were surrounding her. It was after that I was chased out of the palace, the reason being I don’t have the power I should have. That person even said, ‘You are not my child!’”

He seems to be remembering a scary nightmare from the past, continuing to narrate that terrifying nightmare that he has almost forgotten,

“I still remember it clearly to this day. She let three-year-old me stand in the darkness, pulling my hair from behind so my head was facing up, and said over and over, ‘You are not my child, Saralegui! So I definitely won’t take you away!”

“Could that be she couldn’t let you be taken away?”

“Why would you think so?”

“Read this diary if you have time. It’s okay if you want to read it at night, just read it slowly on your own, this is already yours.”

“Then I’ll take it. Oh, yeah, Your Majesty Yuuri.”

I had turned around and was about to leave when Saralegui asks me unhesitatingly. Although he just faced the fact that his mother died, he’s still a truly greedy, and truly intelligent man.

“Do you know what happened to the Box? While I was caring for my little brother, it seems to have vanished.”

“About that, who knows.”

Just then Wolfram waves at me, so I leave the scene without replying. I really want to throw it somewhere, but I can’t just leave it alone either. That is the sealed, ominous Box that the mazoku destroyed, and sealed. I really want to forget about it, but I think about it with every step, and it presses down on my chest every time I breathe, making me gasp for breath.

“Is your stomach okay?”

As soon as we’re out of Saralegui’s field of vision, Wolfram immediately looks apologetic, even saying,

“Sorry.”

“Oh—That? Oh, right, Wolf, that punch really hurt! Although I was at fault too in the tunnel that time, you were wrong to hit me in the stomach. That is totally DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!”

Although it’s not serious or common, Wolfram looks surprised to hear an unfamiliar term. What a bother, since I’m used to talking to Hazel, I’m starting to use a lot of Earth terms now.

“DOMES… what does that mean?”

“Hm—Something like in the country or a product of the country, I guess!”

“I already told you many times, I will formally ask for my due punishment once we get back…”

“No need, it doesn’t matter if it’s official or not, it’s okay whenever you want to apologize.”

He’s about to say something formal again so I pat his back hard without hesitation, and it gives me a feeling of reality, like “Ah—right here”. I’m here, and so is Wolfram.

“Because we’re already back.”

We’re all here, be it Conrad, Murata… or Josak.

“I can’t say for all of it, but I brought us back with my own strength.”

“Uh-huh.”

The sea breeze caresses Wolfram’s hair, and he nods his head firmly in reply, very naturally extending his hand to me, standing on the side of the port,

“Come home, everyone is waiting for you.”

n.o.body knows how things will turn out in the future, but this country will definitely change.

I follow the creaking staircase as I climb upwards, preparing to return home.

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