Chapter 153 : Chapter 153
Chapter 153: Specter of the Past (3)
A moment of silence hung in the air.
“……If.”
The one who broke the silence was Toric, who spoke with great caution.
“If Rine… if that mage friend really is the being who was called that, Shurine… then Lord Pariah’s attitude would be somewhat understandable.”
If she was the ‘False God’ who was driven out by the revolution Pariah instigated.
“He clearly… tried to kill Sister Rine.”
“It wasn't just trying to kill her; he seemed to utterly despise her.”
And we, who were by Rine’s side, were merely swatted away like interfering insects.
“If he had seriously intended to, we would all have been dead by now.”
But he only subdued us, telling us to stay put.
Especially Toric, who was the first target, would know this better than anyone.
“Lord Pariah was a master of skill who will be remembered in the history of the Kapers.”
Furthermore, having been active as a Kaper himself, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the ‘skill difference’ between us and him.
“It would certainly be no exaggeration to say he is stronger than anyone you have encountered so far.”
…I also agreed with the Dwarf's words.
Sure enough, the ‘Primordial’ immediately acknowledged it.
That meant that not only Kain, whom we had recently faced, but also.
That arrogant usurper bastard is weaker; that Elf just now is stronger.
He was stronger than Luce.
Even with the conditions of being the ‘Second Generation’ or an ‘Avatar,’ he was a person who had virtually killed an entity that was undeniably a god.
Of course he would be strong.
“…‘False God’?”
“…As far as is known, yes.”
Assuming that Rine was the Shurine who was chased out, Pariah’s hostility toward her would be somewhat explained.
However, if that was the case.
“If we follow the current Governor's claims, that is.”
The question of Why could not be avoided in the first place.
Why did they drive out ‘Shurine’?
And not only drive her out completely, but why did they despise her so much and wish to kill Rine—who, far from claiming to be a god, had lost all her power and memory and become a slave?
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned back to Rine.
Rine was still sound asleep… or rather, stopped.
At least in our party, she was just a skilled mage companion who always wore an expressionless face, yet was clearly showing her emotions more frequently lately.
But if we suddenly brought up ‘False God’ or anything, it wouldn't quite resonate with them.
“…So?”
Sure enough, Ibi seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then spoke in a tone that suggested that kind of thing didn't matter right now.
“What do you mean she won't wake up?”
“Rine was in a state where she had lost all her memory and power. She was recovering some of it while traveling with us, but it hadn’t fully returned yet.”
This was slightly different from Toric’s case, where his skill had simply rusted from not holding an axe for a long time.
In Rine’s case, it was forcibly taken away.
More accurately, it was suppressed.
“But she suddenly used 「Time Stop」, didn’t she? A magic that is said to be usable only by a god.”
And that suppression—the ‘curse’—not only prevented Rine from regaining her original power but also served as a means to immediately subdue her in case she ever did recover her power.
“Of course, her body was bound to suffer an overload. But that won’t be the only reason.”
In short, a kind of ‘kill switch’ was embedded in her.
To prevent her from ever returning as Shurine.
To be able to control her instantly if there was any sign of her returning.
However, they couldn't kill her for various reasons, so they settled for ‘stopping’ her like this.
“…Are you saying they would have taken out an insurance policy?”
“That’s my guess.”
And that was the truth.
“Whether Rine is truly a god or not, we actually saw it, didn't we? Her using magic known as the power of a god. But such a powerful being was turned into a slave with no memory or will. They certainly had the skill to embed that kind of insurance.”
And they must have had a reason.
I immediately added.
“They didn’t kill her; they made her a slave, specifically. A being whose very existence could be a massive threat even without her power.”
Whether or not she had divine power, keeping alive a being with ‘legitimacy’ leaves a bad taste.
For example, a faction might emerge who believes that Shurine is the only rightful ruler of Shurina and that she was unjustly driven out, attempting a restoration she doesn't even want.
“That’s why factions who succeed in a revolution usually don’t spare the former leader.”
Because just by being alive, regardless of their will, their mere existence becomes a seed of chaos.
“That is, if they don’t have a reason to keep her alive.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rine, who has been with us all along, had no awareness of being Shurine. Her Shurine self was practically killed. Why go to such trouble? If they were so afraid of Shurine, they should have just killed her. Instead of taking this risk and even putting a curse on her.”
“So, there was a reason why they had to keep her alive, at least?”
“Yes.”
And I actually knew that reason.
In a word, it was because she was the source of the ‘power’ they possessed.
If Rine died, the ‘power’ they possessed would also vanish.
That's why they couldn't kill her.
“Of course, as I said before, it’s an intuition. A conjecture I made because the ‘Primordial’ told me this wasn’t an ordinary mana overload.”
Of course, I couldn't explain all of this myself right now.
“Whatever the case, we have to break the curse in the end. Then I think Rine will be able to wake up again.”
“…We should go to Shurina after all, then.”
At that moment, Lily spoke with a rather resolute tone, as if she had made up her mind.
“I agree with Lord Yubin's opinion. At the very least, Sister Rine's… symptoms do not seem like ordinary mana overload.”
“Yes. The answer will definitely be in Shurina.”
The answer to the curse placed on Rine.
“The ones who put the curse on Rine, and the ones who can break it.”
The answer to the question of why such a curse was placed in the first place.
“And the reason why Pariah is chasing Rine.”
All the necessary answers, and more, were in Shurina.
Therefore.
Companion Quest
「Wires and Chains」
Find a way to awaken Eastwood in Shurina.
--
We had to go to Shurina.
***
The problem was that Shurina would hardly welcome Rine.
Naturally, she was chased out by those who now rule Shurina.
So, this would be different from the other cities, where at least they didn't try to stop us.
Even the closed-off—and ultimately hostile—Krom was visited only after receiving Kain's invitation, so the situation was different from this time.
“We have to sneak in.”
Therefore, we had to find a way to get Rine into Shurina, avoiding the security checkpoints.
The current Shurina was a republic in name, but it was practically a military dictatorship under Governor Kurt, a former soldier.
It was no exaggeration to say that everything happening in the city was reported to Kurt.
Therefore.
“It won’t be… easy.”
It was just as Toric muttered.
Perhaps because they were both Elven cities, Shurina and Krom had some things in common.
Meaning they were closed off.
While not as extreme as the Dark Elves, the Northern Elves of Shurina were also not particularly welcoming to outsiders.
To put it kindly, they were detached; to put it bluntly, they didn't care about others.
If the Dark Elves were ‘hostile’, they were ‘ignoring’.
Because of this, ‘humans’ moving around inside Shurina were bound to stand out.
“After the revolution, the current Governor practically locked down Shurina.”
Of course, right now, we had to first figure out how to even get inside.
“First, if Lord Yubin’s words are correct, we should be around here.”
Toric spread out the map of the Shurina vicinity that he had received from Logan and pointed to a spot.
“Then we should be able to reach Shurina in about four to five days.”
As expected of the north, close to The Wall, dangerous monsters appeared, but that part wouldn't be a major problem for us now.
The problem was upon arrival.
“Why? Can’t we just walk in like we did before?”
Ibi asked, sounding confused.
“It's one of the 12 Cities, isn't it? So if we say we're allies of another city, won't they just open the gates, saying 'Welcome'?”
She was referring to the 「Insignia of Alliance」 we received from Stout and Daian.
“It’s similar to the Krom situation.”
“What?”
“In Krom, they didn't accept anyone, whether they were allies of another city or not.”
After all, to them, the other cities were subjects to be conquered, not allies.
“Then what, are those guys also desperate to invade other cities?”
“No, that’s not it. Rather, they simply aren’t interested in the other cities.”
For the reason I mentioned earlier—being detached and so on—even if you presented proof of being an ally of another city in Shurina, the only reaction you would get was, ‘So what?’
In the end, they think those cities are ruled by short-lived humans, who are inferior to them.
It’s like, Why should we, who live ten times longer than them, bother to uphold a promise that will disappear within 100 years anyway?
They understood what the 「Insignia of Alliance」 meant, but they showed an attitude that they were simply unwilling to uphold that ‘promise’.
“Shurina is the only one, along with Krom, among the 12 Cities that does not maintain embassies with other cities.”
There was practically no diplomatic relationship.
In short.
“That means we won’t be able to avoid the security check.”
“Damn Elves. All of them are just insufferable bastards.”
Ibi clicked her tongue with a Tch, and grumbled resentfully.
“It won't be just a simple security check either.”
“You’ll undergo a very intense inspection.”
“You talk as if you’ve been there.”
“…Well, I’m a Bard. I could hear various rumors.”
Actually, I had been there.
“Especially for outsiders coming from outside the city, they don't just inspect identity or luggage.”
“I hear they even investigate the person's past. They judge whether this person is a threat to their city or not, or so they say. So it’s common for people to be held at the checkpoint for days on end.”
“No, why on earth?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because it’s a military dictatorship?”
“Regardless of the justification, a strong order is necessary to maintain a regime seized by military force. …In a general case, that is.”
But we just found out that their case was not a general one.
“…Oops! A-Are you perhaps saying they are looking for Sister Rine…?”
Correct.
They were greatly wary of the ‘vanished’ Rine returning to the city.
And we were in the position of having to somehow bring Rine, whom they were desperately looking for, back into that city.
“…Shit.”
Ibi let out a hollow laugh, perhaps having instinctively realized that it wouldn't be easy at all, and finally muttered an expletive.
“So what, what are we going to do?”