Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Chapter 103

Cold!
My soaked cloths steal my body heat and, the cave also has a sharp chill to it.
As expected of a waterfall's cave.
The cave is a single pa.s.sage but it's wider than I expected, and it has depth.
There're definitely traces of people living here, since there are magic crystal lights prepared along the way.
Furthermore at this point my head is thoroughly cooled, a haze like a clouded sky smolders within my chest.

「What is it, Alice-san? You've been down since a while ago.」
「Makina……」

This child is a child who quickly moves on isn't she.

「I'm sorry, Makina. Even though I should have said I wouldn't do the act of making you explain your matters, to even resort to force……I'm strongly regretting it.」
「Hahahaa! It's fine it's fine, since originally I also should've spoken more about the situation.」

Truly optimistic and bright.
But……last night, I heard Makina's reminiscence that was close to a monologue.
The act of surmising the heart isn't simply doable but, this child is somehow straining too much.
Clear away every danger with that one body.
Sensing that somehow dangerous spirit, I wanted her to speak no matter what it took.
Even if I had to take back what I said before.
It's this child that I just met's issue but, I'm worried to an extent that I think it's mysterious.

「Des.h.i.+? Cold? Alright?」
「I'm alright, Rin-chan.」
「Kyaha.」

I stroked Rin-chan's head when she came over while worrying,
For now there's just a towel covering my head and I wiped my hair but, I also need do something about my clothes I suppose.
And so as Kyuu isn't riding on my head for once those legs are continuously running along.

「Oh, it's a dead end isn't it.」
「Un, and so we've arrived.」

Coming up against the end of the road, I found a blatantly artificial door in the bare rock.
Finally meeting the blacksmith are we.
It's still our objective so could we get s.h.i.+on-san's katana with this?
Umu, I want to take a katana back with us and be praised.
I want to bury my face in her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

「h.e.l.lo～!」

Makina raised her voice while knocking on the door.
A female person's voice came back from within.
Go ahead, it was that sort of kind voice.

「We'll be troubling～ you!」

Makina opened the door without holding back.
Beyond the door is a workshop――or rather there wasn't.
It's regular home's living room.
To say the irregularity, the walls are entirely made of natural rock.

「It's been a while since I've had guests, do you have a blacksmithing request?」

A female person with a small child on her lap answered with a gentle smile.
She's a woman with her hair cleanly braided in three parts.
Does this person do blacksmithing then?

「That's so but, in truth this time it's taking a disciple or rather, it becomes a request that I'd like it if you would teach her the basic concept.」
「Maa? Since that person is stubborn, that sounds like a major undertaking.」

It somehow seems that this person is the blacksmith-san's wife.
Looking at me as I'm soaked she had me enter the bath (natural hot spring!), and then she put out tea with a thank you for coming all this way, so I received a thorough welcome.
Since people coming here didn't happen often, it's that she's happy for the rare visit.
Having come to my senses, that blacksmith-san and I are finally meeting across the table now.
The blacksmith-san who had been working in the inner workshop, seems to have come because he was forcibly dragged out by his wife.
U～n, ossan and obasan's relations.h.i.+p is also like that but, wives are the strongest aren't they.

「Pleased to meet you, I am called Alice. At the Makina over there's introduction I, came to visit on this day.」
「Nn……?」

I'm in front of the the blacksmith-san who seemed to already be in a bad mood, making a beaming smile.
The prim mode for public use is activated.
The blacksmith turned his eyes to that me and Makina, and made a mysterious seeming face.
And furthermore in an instant, he shook his head and brought his gaze to mine once again.

「Ou, it's Izanagi.」

Izanagi……?
Resting his chin on his hand, the sulky blacksmith-san like an evil brat stimulated my memory.

「……To be sure, the name of the katana that my ane used was also, Izanagi.」
「An? Of the guys who use the katanas I struck, there shouldn't be that sort of name though.」
「Ane's name is, said as s.h.i.+on. She's a swordsman who comes from Rinal, blacksmith-sama.」

The blacksmith's bushy eyebrows leapt up on one side.

「Saying s.h.i.+on, is it that s.h.i.+on? The one with inhuman speed.」
「There's no mistake in that.」

If he's someone who knows that speed, there's an image that immediately comes to mind.

「With those ma.s.sive b.r.e.a.s.t.s?」
「There's no mistake in that.」

I made a large nod.
I was faced with a cold gaze, from Saira and the blacksmith-san's wife.

「Well it's fine, but you don't resemble s.h.i.+on do you.」

The blacksmith observed me from top to bottom with a gaze that seemed to contain deep suspicion.

「Does that seem to be so? Our hair color and eye color are just a little different.」
「A little……?」

Provisionally if I said that yes I and s.h.i.+on-san are real siblings, yes we were born from obasan, ossan seems like he'd go crazy wouldn't he.
Ma～, if it's ossan I sense that he'd take in everything with his wide and seemingly loving heart though.

「Living in this remote place, did you come to love the act of suspecting this and that about other people's motives?」
「……cChi.」

While still smiling, let's stab just a little.
But there's something disorganized since Rin-chan is on my lap and, someone else's child is on the blacksmith-san I'm facing's lap.
I wonder if their ages are just about the same amount?
She has this country's characteristic, the same black hair black eyes.
An adorable girl.

「What age is Rin?」
「5 years! Syl-chan is?」
「5 years!」

And, with the present situation the 2 are engaged in conversation together.

「……That was a pointless talk wasn't it, was this about a katana?」

It seems like the blacksmith-san has now completely lost his poisonous air.

「Hai.」
「It's regrettable but, with the materials I currently have on hand, I can't beat out anything but worthless goods though.」
「Materials, is it. Then, is the matter of our Saira receiving teachings on the basics of katana forging doable?」

Since it seems like it would also take some effort to gather good materials wouldn't it.

「Teaching isn't something I can do you know. For that there's nothing but to challenge, the shrine of trials at the mountain's peak.」

Is that the condition to acquire the skill called katana forging?

「Doesn't that seem dangerous?」
「Isn't the fact that the people to strike that haven't become common, something like the proof of that? Relative to the demand that is.」

Certainly I suppose.
And eyepatch also said that if we could forge katana he'd like to buy them.
More than a weapon, I wonder if they don't display their price with a feeling like an artistic curio?
If so the profit is ma.s.sive even if the actual number is rather low.

「Ma, being pointlessly rich is an overdone commodity I suppose.」

And so they're in this remote sort of place?
I see, I guess that means they don't like being decorated.
But, I intend to answer transactions even when they're for the purpose of decoration.
Since it's business after all.
I obliquely gazed at Saira due to the conversation's flow.

P,l,ea,s,e, d,o,n,'t, w,o,rr,y――nya.

And, I feel that she seemed to slowly move her mouth.
Since I can't use lip reading techniques, she intends to speak heart to heart.
I face back to blacksmith-san.

「My ane, wasn't like that you know. She was able to bring out a weapon's power.」
「s.h.i.+on is it, she had a good mastery but, is that still so?」
「More than before. since the katana blacksmith-sama struck for her, broke.」
「It broke!?」

Explaining about how Leoneil's magic sword was the superior katana, and summarizing the details that I couldn't get to regarding s.h.i.+on-san's sword's speed and the strength of her weapon, the blacksmith-san opened his mouth widely and began to smile.

「That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, ended up breaking my katana did she……? Hei, that's great that's great.」

That the katana he forged broke, did that fire him up then?
Having completed its role within actual combat, when the victorious weapon couldn't answer its wielder, they'll also nod when there is something to look forward to as an artisan won't they.

「The request is, rather than that you want a katana to be struck out……the matter was that you want that girl-chan over there to be educated was it?」
「Hai, can you do it?」
「There'll be nothing to talk about if she only acquires the skill and her arms aren't developed, ma, that's up to the girl-chan herself but……If it's for s.h.i.+on's sake, I won't not go and do it.」
「Thank you very much!」

Good artisans, want to deliver their weapons to good wielders.
In that sense, that means there was no need to go out of my way to convince him.
If it's said that he already knew of my ane, thinking then I'll go strike one out is the world's common sense I suppose, no mistake.

「I didn't say I'd do it for free though?」
「That is a matter of course, I'll provide proper compensation.」
「That's welcome but, if you could also bring sake that'd be welcome.」
「I'll act so as to acquire the best.」
「Hei, ojouchan, are you an ojouchan as it appears to the eye?」
「Saa? How might that be?」

Negotiations established!
After this, does this mean it's fine so long as we acquire the skill at the place of the mountain's shrine of forging?

「……But welll, I think that frankly it's best if you stop going to that shrine for the current period though.」
「This year……I did hear that the mountain is angry.」
「If you know that then it makes the conversation faster. There's such a period 1 time in 10 years you see. According to the official notice from the country, it seems it's this year. Apparently, the country's higher up-sans do something and calm it each time you see.」
「……Something?」
「I don't know the specifics. Just well, there's a famous story among the country's people――」

In the end we received 1 day's stay.
Rin-chan is here and, since we didn't want to do a forced march I was truly thankful when the wife said 「Since it's a rare chance」.
I can't fail to add a little extra to their compensation.
I notice that what I have on hand isn't enough so, I'll have Ilya bring it.
Rin-chan and Syl-girl have what might be called a child's special privilege but, in just one night they thoroughly came to get along well.
With our mood clear as well, it's true that we turned to the royal capital again and began advancing but, u～mu.

――Calm the mountain by offering a living sacrifice.

That seems, to be the famous rumor about calming the mountain circulating among the public.
I try organizing various things in my head.
First our objective is a katana.
We brought Saira with us for that purpose and, we'll have to challenge the mountain shrine.
However, it seems that somehow this year is the year with that mountain's anger.
I'm told that if that's ignored there's no knowing what sort of natural disaster will occur.
On each of those times it seems that As.h.i.+taka kingdom, performs some sort of countermeasure.
Regarding what that countermeasure is……there isn't nothing to say.
Since that custom existed in not this world but, even the world I had lived in.
And so, the problem is from here.
According to Makina for some reason we, were attacked by people related to the country.
Provisionally if what the country does is via living sacrifice, if what's desired of that living sacrifice is magic power……the objective is me?
My gut won't settle down……
The sort of matter where they knew of me and so they attacked would become the statement that, they know that I'm Alseid kingdom's Alice-san.
Thinking about that background, that I was attacked could become an international problem couldn't it.
This might be pretensions but, I come to sense that it seems like Kran would become angry right?
Then, is that to say that Makina is on the side of the people who want to prevent that?
Such a thing as that countries aren't monolithic organizations is something obvious so, that does have consistency but.
But, I feel that the resolution that that child holds, isn't like that sort of thing……
U～～n?

「There might be no alternative to danger, when heading toward the mountain's shrine in this period.」
「I, if Alice-san turns back then I'll comply with that nya.」
「No good no good, I should have already said that turning back is forbidden.」
「Des.h.i.+, I want to eat dango!」
「Kyui!」

Ah～～～～～～～～, mou!!

「Let's eat dango.」
「Yatta!」
「You're being overwhelmingly pampering toward Rin!?」

Forgive me Makina.
She's cute, to a degree that even I don't know what to do.
And also since I don't know what Kyuu is sayingーokay?
I beg of you, don't insist with kyui kyui.

「Makina, the royal capital's dango shop is?」
「I don't know, I'm sure it could be anywhere～」

Makina puffed her cheeks.
However if they're this popular, when we leave the country we need to return after visiting the dango ossan's shop and buying some as gifts.

「Makina, it's not good to be angry!」
「Being told that by Rin, like, it makes me want to go gunya you know.」

Gunya?

「That's a novel sound effect but, more importantly to climb the mountain, from the royal capital is it near?」
「That's so. In terms of travel distance it might be take an inn in the royal capital once and set out early in the morning? Since there's a lodging facility partway down the route, stay there. Summit in 1 night 2 days.」

I see, since there's still the summit's shrine's trial that becomes a plan to summit without pus.h.i.+ng ourselves does it.

「Do you know about alt.i.tude sickness?」
「Hai, as general knowledge.」
「Un, frankly I think it would be best to leave Rin but……」
「Rin will also go!」

I don't understand well but, there's a strong will of the sort that's firmly opposed to leaving someone behind.

「Ma, it's fine. If it comes down to it I'll give you a ride and, I can also make the s.p.a.ce comfortable with magic.」

Oh, I can also give rides, you know?
I couldn't turn that into words and say it.

「Since the mountain path is maintained, it's fine even if you don't worry that much you know.」

Fu～n?
Like Mount Fuji isn't it.

「Oh……tto.」

While we're having such a conversation, there's another earthquake.
It isn't all that large but, it's shaking enough that we understand that.

「…………A little, early.」

I ended up hearing Makina's mutter.
No matter how I think about it this child really does know something.
But we've observed her be with us this much, and I don't think she'd act in a bad manner toward us……

「Makina?」
「Un?」

Watching Makina with her brows wrinkled as if she's troubled is, hard.

「If there's something, please discuss it with me okay?」
「……」

Ah, her severe expression vanished.

「Un, I'm well……uun, it's nothing.」
「Ehー, surely it isn't nothing? I can tell that much.」
「Ahaha, it really is fine. Just well, about me……watch okay. I want you to firmly, watch I guess.」

Since what she made there was a sad seeming face that didn't seem to match her age, I couldn't find the words to give to her.
Up until now, people who put out this sort of presence are something I have seen.
Aim, acting for the sake of the children.
In addition Leymia, straining her body for the sake of Leoneil.
The thing that those two shared was……self sacrifice.

「Makina, do you not think that heroes survive?」

Since I've become anxious, let's put a bit of a nail in this.

「Nn～, I think that heroes surely……it's better for everyone's sake and such, if they cease to be.」

At this time I didn't know anything, besides the sort of thing that somehow Makina and I seem to have different senses of heroism.

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Next time 『Royal Capital Sumeragi』