CHAPTER 316: THE CAPITAL WHERE MARTIAL MIGHT RESOUNDS TO THE HEAVENS

 

～Aun’s POV～

「Oooh…」

The sound slipped out of me before I knew it.

About ten days had passed since I received Shiranuemaru Hoshimeguri from Kunimitsu and left Jinri Town the following morning.

We had made our way through a steep mountain road, and when the view finally opened up before us, the sight that spread out ahead was unlike any town we had visited so far.

What lay before us was a massive outer wall. A long line of people trying to enter the capital from the highway stretched out before it.

Beyond that stood row after row of Japanese-style buildings.

And in the center of the city, where countless tiled roofs overlapped like layers, a chalk-white castle keep towered as if piercing the heavens.

「So that’s the capital of the Bukyo Kingdom—Amane-kyo. The greatest city in this country, huh?」

「Mm. It’s huge.」

「This is… beyond what I imagined.」

「Kyau～」

Yurai let out an admiring cry beside us, and even Magarasu seemed restless somehow.

We had visited all sorts of towns since coming to Bukyo, but this was the first time we had seen a sight with this much impact. And the one more surprised by it than anyone else was, unexpectedly, Kinu.

Her fluffy tail swayed softly as she looked around in every direction, and I could tell she was turning over everything she saw in her mind.

「It feels… strange somehow.」

「Well, it’s your first time seeing the city, after all. And unlike other countries, Bukyo’s got its own unique culture rooted here, right?」

「Mm. That’s part of it, but it feels like the air surrounding the city itself is different from anything before. What I can feel from the people lined up there is anticipation, pure delight, excitement… nothing but positive emotions. Of course, some people are nervous too. But it doesn’t feel bad.」

「The Shurasaki Festival, huh? Zen said it was the biggest festival in this country.」

「Kyuui!」

「All right. Then let’s get down to the highway and line up with everyone else.」

「Wait, Aun. Is it truly all right for me to enter Amane-kyo with you? I know it sounds odd to say this myself, but the Tengu race is treated as monsters. I may end up dragging you into trouble…」

「Well, if that happens, it happens. You’re already one of us, Magarasu. If trouble starts, we’ll get dragged into it with you at full power.」

「Mm. But I don’t think it’ll turn into the kind of thing Magarasu is worried about.」

「Right. Leaving Jinri Town aside, no one in the villages or towns so far noticed you were a Tengu, did they? The crow mask might have something to do with it, but no one would ever think a Tengu had left his village and was trying to enter a city.」

「I-Is that how it works…?」

「That’s how it works. Besides, when you get down to it, everyone here has monster roots anyway.

Kinu and I fall under the demi-human category, but Yurai’s race is Behemoth, you know? Look at her dignified bearing. She’s got a face that says, ‘I’m harmless’, doesn’t she?」

「Kyauu!」

「Mm. If you act confident, most people surprisingly don’t care. Also, the Shogun said it during the Sphin Seven-Nation Council. Bukyo has a custom that dislikes careless Appraisal.」

「Exactly. So don’t worry too much about it.」

「I see… If all of you say so, then I shall accept it as such.」

「All right, then let’s go.」

Once we descended to the highway, all sorts of details that had been hard to make out from a distance came into view.

Swordsmen carrying greatswords on their backs.

Warriors shouldering spears.

Samurai with katana at their waists.

Hunters with bows on their backs.

Nearly everyone walking along the highway, men and women, young and old alike, carried weapons. There were even some whose race was impossible to tell at a glance.

Normally, with this many people lined up like this, they would be wary of each other.

But just as Kinu had said, a strange atmosphere drifted through the place.

There was fighting spirit, but no hostility.

It felt as if an excitement almost like fervor dominated the area.

「Warriors have gathered from all across Bukyo, after all.」

As we lined up at the very back of the queue, a familiar voice reached my ears.

I turned toward it and saw a man sitting on a large boulder beside the highway rise to his feet while looking our way.

Long black hair.

A sword at his waist.

A pleasant, familiar voice and a polite way of speaking.

Beside him, a huge white tiger lay sprawled out, and even as he spoke, his left hand showed no sign of stopping its fluffing.

「Zen!」

「You arrived quite late. I was just about to grow tired of waiting.」

「Sorry. A lot happened.」

「I imagine it did. Even so, you obtained the finest weapon, did you not?」

As he said that, Zen’s gaze turned toward my left hip.

He must have sensed it too—the abnormality radiating from Shiranuemaru.

「Yeah. Kunimitsu did the best work I could’ve asked for. Actually, you waited for us out here?」

「Indeed. Once you entered Amane-kyo, there was a chance we would have difficulty meeting. But waiting is no hardship, you know? I have Mii-chan and Pii-chan with me, after all.」

「Hm? Pii…-chan?」

「Oops, it seems that slipped out. My apologies, but I cannot hand information to a rival.」

「Well, fair enough! I’ll save the fun for later, then.」

「…By the way, who might this be? Did he begin traveling with you after Jinri Town?」

Zen’s gaze turned to Magarasu as he spoke.

Judging from Zen’s reaction, he had simply voiced a question, and he did not seem to think Magarasu was a Tengu. At this rate, we could probably say he was an avian and get away with it.

「This is Magarasu. He joined us back in Jinri Town. He’s a little shy around people, so he doesn’t talk much, but he’s a good guy.」

「I-I am Magarasu. It is an honor to make your acquaintance.」

「Likewise. I apologize for suddenly asking such a rude question without knowing you were shy. I am Suigetsu Zen. Aun and I are comrades, and for the moment, rivals aiming to win the Shurasaki Festival together. Will you be participating in the Shurasaki Festival as well?」

「No, this time I intend to watch together with Yurai. I understand very well that I have not yet reached that level…」

Magarasu answered while gently stroking Yurai’s head, a calm expression on his face.

Over these past ten days, Yurai had grown attached to Magarasu too, and Magarasu had often played with her along the way.

「Heh heh. That practiced hand with which you pet Yurai-san… I see you are quite the connoisseur yourself.」

「Connoisseur? I—」

「Yes, yes. You need not say another word! Magarasu-dono, you too are one of my comrades!!」

「Is… that how it is? Well, I certainly do get along with Yurai.」

「Kyaau!」

「Bwofuh!! Fluffy and cute Yurai-chan sharing an innocent friendship with Magarasu-dono!? Precious!!!!」

「…A-Aun?」

「This is his normal mode. Don’t worry about it.」

Zen’s weird switch was flipped partway through, but the conversation proceeded peacefully (?) enough, and after several hours of waiting, we passed through the enormous gate leading into the city and set foot in Amane-kyo.

「Now then, shall we head there at once?」

「Hm? Head where? We just entered the city, so where are we going already?」

「Is it not obvious? To submit our entry applications for the Shurasaki Festival tournament.」

◇　　◇　　◇　　◇

The inside of Amane-kyo was even more incredible.

Every street was packed with people.

Weapon shops and armor shops stood in rows, and alongside the teahouses, countless stalls lined the streets.

Amid all that bustle, nearly every voice I heard around us was discussing the Shurasaki Festival.

「Who do you think the favorite to win is this year?」

「The Suigetsu family’s son is entering, right? Suigetsu Zen, was it? I hear he’s incredibly skilled.」

「No, no, this year it’s got to be Onigawara Gantetsu. Looks like he’s gotten even stronger than last year.」

「Hey, did you guys hear!? Apparently, a shinobi family is taking part this time!」

「Does that mean a disciple of Lord Kurofuyu, one of the 【Shikisai】…!?」

「Goodness, this year’s lineup is stacked! This is going to be worth watching!!」

Voices like those came from all over the place.

And what surprised me most of all was this:

「Seriously, almost everyone’s carrying a weapon.」

Nine out of every ten people walking around had some kind of weapon on them.

Swords, katana, spears, naginata, bows. Even those who looked unarmed at first glance seemed like they might be hiding concealed weapons, and apparently there were also many disciples of schools that specialized in barehanded combat.

As I looked around while thinking about that, Zen spoke up.

「Weapons are one’s pride.」

「Pride?」

「Indeed.」

Saying that, he pointed at an old man walking ahead of us.

A single katana hung at his waist.

He was quite elderly, but his back was perfectly straight.

「It is the idea that one’s weapon is oneself.」

「Huh…」

「And that is precisely why no one draws lightly.」

I see. That did make sense.

Even though so many people carried weapons, the city’s atmosphere was strangely calm.

No one swaggered.

No one threatened anyone.

A country that acknowledged and took pride not only in one’s own martial path, but even in the martial paths of others.

That was likely the essence of the Bukyo Kingdom.

As we continued walking, we turned a corner after Zen, and a massive samurai estate came into view.

A large hanging banner was draped from its roof.

『Shurasaki Festival Martial Tournament Participant Registration Office』

The instant I saw those words, my heart began to pound even harder.