[223] 1. Memories of Galliant (3)
"Isn't it already too late? You said it only stays for like ten minutes."
"That's why I said we had to get up fast. I was so busy looking after you lot I forgot. I only noticed because the tourists aren't fewer even at night."
"Ugh, please."
The sea dragon Kaios was said to traverse the three oceans that cross the equator over the span of ten years.
On Galliant Island it stayed for only about ten minutes, and the number of tourists who came just to see the dragon reached a staggering two thousand.
When they arrived at the harbor it was so packed with people there wasn't even room to squeeze through. Walking to the dock seemed impossible.
Someone shouted that there were ten minutes left.
Kanis, who was checking how much shadow the surrounding space offered, grabbed Arin's hand.
"Then—excuse us."
The two slipped neatly under the shadows and vanished. Casting Darkport would let them reach their destination without being noticed.
Shirone and the others stood dumbfounded. Amy trembled with her fists clenched, cursing Kanis's looks. From the animal names and body parts she spat out, she was clearly furious.
"What do we do? Isn't there any way to get inside?"
"I'll talk to the people by the harbor. Wait here."
Jis was about to run for the administration office when Amy caught his sleeve.
"It's already too late. We'll just have to watch from here, won't we?"
Someone shouted there were five minutes left.
At that moment flares shot up from the edge of the crowd and began embroidering the night sky with light. Mages from the continent had come to witness Kaios.
Shirone and Amy looked at each other and grinned.
"Nice! Let's go!"
They rose with teleportation and slipped seamlessly into the flares. In a situation like this, who was a student and who was a mage didn't matter.
Contrary to the expectation that the breakwater would be the most congested, most people had gathered outside the dock, wary of the water.
Kaios had never harmed anyone on Galliant, but dragons were still frightening to most.
By contrast, mages and swordsmen accustomed to life-or-death fighting had gathered inside the dock.
The density of trained veterans—like those you'd see in the mercenary market of the capital—made the dragon's popularity obvious.
"Hey, I saved our spot."
Kanis, who had arrived earlier, greeted his friends without changing his expression. Amy rolled up her sleeves and strode over.
"You traitor! You ran off to save yourself?"
"Is there any need to risk life and limb? We came, so we can just watch."
At that moment the crowd erupted.
Without needing to see what had happened, Shirone and the others immediately pivoted and ran toward the tip of the dock.
A massive wall of water was surging in from the open sea. Judging by its size and speed, it could have flooded the harbor and more.
"Whoa? Whoaaaaa?"
They were terrified. As the tsunami closed to within two hundred meters, their breaths caught.
Just when they thought they'd be swept away, a colossal form rose vertically from the water.
The water's shape collapsed and a vast column—thousands of tons of water—shot up as if drawn to Kaios.
"AAAH! AAHH!"
Shirone and the others screamed as if shocked by electricity. The dragon had pulled the sea itself up. It was magic of an unfathomable scale.
The rising column fanned out like a fountain at three hundred meters above the surface, forming dozens of arches.
Kaios, enclosed by arches spanning over a kilometer in radius, displayed an overwhelming majesty.
Kiiiooooo!
A mournful, beautiful cry stitched across the sea.
At that moment light burst from behind Shirone. People were aiming cylindrical devices at the sea dragon and firing light at it.
"What are they doing? Attacking?"
Jis laughed at Shirone's naive question.
"No, those are optical cameras. They capture light directly. Supposedly they're incredibly expensive. Still, they sell like crazy on days like today. There are even professional photographers who travel the world just to photograph Kaios."
As Kaios moved with a fluid, almost submerged grace, the Galliant autonomous government set off giant fireworks that filled the sky.
According to Jis, tourism revenue was so huge they spared no expense.
The fireworks seeped into the arches of water, and watching the dragon swim through them was the sweetest sight one could behold.
Amy turned to Jis with glittering eyes.
"Jis, thanks. This alone made coming to the island worthwhile."
"Hehe, I promised, didn't I? I'd show you a proper tour."
Tess, moved by the affectionate sight of Kanis and Arin holding hands, didn't want to miss the chance and quietly looped her arm through Rian's.
"W-what are you doing all of a sudden?"
Rian recoiled as if a bug had landed on him, and Tess's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, that's mean. No matter how ugly I am, am I worse than your forearm?"
"No, no—it's not like that. I was just really surprised."
Normally Rian might have been offended, but the spectacle over the sea was so dazzling it made those feelings evaporate.
As if saying farewell, the sea dragon turned toward the audience. The arches spread quickly toward the open sea and a twelve-shot burst of fireworks bloomed beneath the silvery moon.
Tess began to sob.
"Sniff... I don't know..."
Her friends turned to her, startled. Rian, feeling particularly implicated, couldn't hide his embarrassment.
"Why—why are you like that? It's not that I hate it. It's just so sudden—"
"Shut up, you fool. I've grown attached. What am I supposed to do now?"
Her friends' feelings weren't much different.
"We have to go back tomorrow. I don't want to part. Maybe I should become a mage instead. Then I could stay at the school all the time."
"What are you saying? Tess should obviously become a swordsman. When you graduate we can meet anytime."
Comforted by Shirone, Tess nodded repeatedly. She then called Amy and Arin and took their hands.
"Let's write letters to each other, okay? Keep in touch."
Arin pointed at himself.
"Me, too?"
"Of course! You're a member of the Heaven Squad! Where else will you find a friendship this tight?"
Amy remembered the first day she met Tess.
There had been awkward times, but now she loved doing things with her. Who wouldn't love Tess's just and warm heart?
"Yeah. We'll definitely meet again. And next time it'll be just the girls."
"Alright! Heaven Squad formed!"
Shirone and the others turned for home.
Because it was a special day, shops were open twenty-four hours, but they wanted to spend the last bit of the holiday cozily with friends.
When they got home, Jis found a letter in the mailbox.
"Hmm? A letter from the captain? It's addressed to you?"
"Marsha nuna?"
On the day they arrived at Heaven, Shirone had been in no state to say a proper goodbye. He'd fallen into a deep sleep, and when he woke the Parrot Mercenary Company had already left the island.
Shirone unfolded the letter and read it for a long time.
"Ha ha! That's so Marsha nuna!"
Amy narrowed her eyes coyly.
"What? What's in it that's so funny?"
"Uh? Oh, nothing."
"Hey! Give it here! Is it a love letter or something?"
When Amy lunged to snatch it, Shirone willingly placed the letter in her hand.
Amy was the one who looked flustered.
"What, what is this? You're really giving it to me? If it's something important you don't have to show—"
"No. It'll be fine. Probably."
"'Probably'? What kind of answer is that?" Amy muttered as she opened the paper and blinked.
There was nothing written on it.
"What the—? It's just blank paper."
"That's right. But she left a letter."
Tess smiled as if she understood.
"I see. She left a letter."
Shirone gazed up at the distant sky. Everything Marsha wanted to convey was contained in that blank page.
This is Marsha. Someday we'll meet again.
'I should write a letter when I get back.'
He wished Marsha well.
2. Waiting for School to Start (1)
Back home, Shirone spent pleasant time with his parents and, whenever he had a spare moment, wrote letters to his friends.
Marsha had conveyed her feelings on a blank page, but Shirone couldn't match her wit. He therefore poured extra care into filling his own letters.
"All done. Now I just have to send them."
He planned to go to the city tomorrow to mail the letters. By the time they reached his friends, the holidays would be nearly over. After returning from Heaven he had realized the value of everyday life. He wanted to get back to school and see his friends as soon as possible.
"Shirone, come downstairs and eat."
"Yes, I'm coming."
At his mother's call from the first floor, Shirone blew out the candle and left the room.
@
Capital Vashka.
The Merkodain residence in the royal administrative district.
On a modest table unbefitting a first-rank noble sat a nameless bitter herb side dish that a hermit might chew.
Iruki's mother scowled, but the Merkodain father and son enjoyed the simple fare. They disliked how the dullness after a heavy meat meal clouded the mind.
Iruki ate rice with a fork and chewed occasional greens.
Across from him the man who looked exactly like Iruki, only with a few more wrinkles, was eating as well.
Alvino Merkodain, Iruki's father and head of the Mercenary Thunder Company, was not a servant but so erudite that people joked there was no knowledge he didn't know.
Alvino asked at a strange moment.
"How is the entropy problem coming along?"
"So-so. I think I've solved it."
Iruki answered without even looking up. Their relationship wasn't bad, but he'd always thought answering a question needed only ears and a mouth.
When they finished eating Alvino set down his utensils and asked.
"Iruki, what is one plus one?"
"Two."
"No. It's three."
For the first time Iruki looked up. This was a moment his eyes were needed.
"No, it's two."
"Then make it three."
"Why?"
Alvino shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Really?"
"Prove it and bring it to me. If you can do this, you'll be closer to the answer you're looking for. Consider it your last assignment of the vacation."
"That'll take at least six days."
Alvino's eyes lit up.
"Oh? You already have a hunch?"
"No. Father, you're leaving on a business trip in five days."
Iruki continued to eat, one grain at a time. With only the minimum energy to run his brain, a small meal was enough. After thinking without rest the whole vacation, even his servantlike efficiency felt overloaded.
Alvino spoke up again belatedly.
"I won't check. I'll believe you did it."
"This is the first time I've heard you trust me, Father."
Alvino laughed. Even if Iruki failed to unravel the Akashic Record within six days, it didn't matter. He was simply proud his son was already calculating his father's travel time.
"No knowledge can best wisdom. Let's say you won."
"Thank you for the meal."
Iruki bowed and cleared his dishes. As Alvino sipped tea and read the paper, the steward entered.
"Master, a letter has arrived. It's from Arian Shirone."
"Huh? Shirone?"
Iruki rushed forward, his face lighting up, while Alvino pretended to read the paper and sneakily watched his son.
Arian Shirone. After this semester, that name was the one Iruki had said most—3,742 times.
In Alvino's view Iruki was fine material. He had the capacity of a genius and was rich in human feeling.
As a child those traits had caused him trouble, but the son who returned after finishing the semester was different.
He no longer feared his own talent, and Shirone had likely played an important role in that change.