Volume 2 Chapter 30 The Great Villain Of The World, Prepares To Return Home Ii
A few days later.
As time passed, various things became clear.
Some soldiers from the Jinkyo Tribe started to speak up.
They admitted that there was an organization called the 'Golden Feather Syndicate' near their king.
They also mentioned that these people were bringing along children around ten years old.
However, the 'Golden Feather Syndicate' doesn't always stay with the Jinkyo Tribe.
They move around with the king's permission and sometimes go far away.
Then, before they know it, they return to the king's side.
Zeng Taiga seems to be desperately continuing his martial arts training after the recent battle.
He lost an arm, but still, there are stories that no one in the Jinkyo Tribe can match him.
...How incredible is he?
I wonder if the game developers messed up Zeng Taiga's stats...
Kai Shuujaku hasn't said a word since then.
Shuu-sensei and Gaku Kiryuu are still interrogating him, but he remains silent.
I had the chance to meet him just once.
I asked him a question then.
──Do you know about the historical book called 'History of Swordmaster'?
I called it a historical book... well, it's not exactly the name of a game.
If Kai Shuujaku knows this term, then he might be a reincarnated person.
Maybe it's a person from the 'Golden Feather Syndicate,' or perhaps his son, Kai Yougetsu, is a reincarnator.
I thought about asking, but... there was no answer.
Instead, I got a look that said, "What is this guy talking about?"
I guess there really aren't any other reincarnators besides me.
If that's the case... the 'Golden Feather Syndicate' might have decided that Aika Country is doomed in their own way.
They really are a troublesome bunch.
I tried asking Kai Shuujaku about Kai Yougetsu.
It was too strange to know the name, so I said something like, "Think about your family and children," but there was no reaction to that either.
He might have already made up his mind.
After the interrogation, I thought about that.
It was 2 days later when the cleanup of the fort and the questioning of the enemy soldiers were finally done.
In the afternoon, the chief of the 'Bokou Tribe' and Gaku Kiryuu called everyone in the fort to the square.
We, the envoys of Aika Country, were there too.
Along with the people from the Jinkyo Tribe and Kai Shuujaku.
"We, the 'Bokou Tribe,' have decided to make 2 important decisions today!!"
Gaku Kiryuu raised his voice to the gathered crowd.
The square was filled with many people.
There were young middle-aged men with fur collars, women, and elderly people.
It seemed like people from the 'Bokou Tribe' settlement had come too.
"We have been attacked by the Jinkyo Tribe. Fortunately, with the help of the people from Aika Country, we were able to win, but this victory is thanks to their strength and our luck. If we had made one wrong move, we would have become subjects of the Jinkyo Tribe."
"Unexpectedly, we have been thrown into a battle that risks the fate of our tribe."
The chief took over Gaku Kiryuu's words.
The male chief looked around at everyone and said,
"We can never let our people face the same situation again. Therefore, we have decided to take action. What Gaku Kiryuu will say from now on has the approval of me, the chief, the high-ranking members of the tribe, and my daughter Kaine. I want you to listen with that in mind."
Saying this, the chief bowed his head.
Next to him, Gaku Kiryuu looked around at the gathered people and declared,
"As our first decision, we, the 'Bokou Tribe,' have decided to establish a friendly relationship with Aika Country."
He announced this.
"Although we have hardly interacted with other countries or tribes, we have realized through this incident that we cannot protect our tribe that way. The Jinkyo Tribe is despicable and strong. To protect our tribe, we need to borrow the strength of trustworthy people. This is the decision we have made!"
There were no opposing opinions.
The gathered people of the 'Bokou Tribe' quietly listened to Gaku Kiryuu's words.
"However, the other party is a great nation. It will be difficult to have an equal relationship. We will likely have to submit, but... I believe the people of Aika Country are worthy of our trust."
Gaku Kiryuu continues.
"Everyone knows about Gen Shuuyoku, right? That person once treated our comrades. Now, she serves the younger brother of His Royal Highness the King of Aika Country. Gen Shuuyoku, who was a traveling doctor, has stopped wandering to serve someone. They should be someone we can trust."
Gen Shuuyoku once helped the 'Bokou Tribe.'
She have also shown her strength in this battle, making them a reliable person.
If that person serves a country, it must be trustworthy.
──Gaku Kiryuu keeps talking like this.
"And the people of Aika Country risked their lives to help us in this battle. Such people are worth entrusting our lives and what is important to us. Those of us who fought alongside the chief and the people of Aika Country think so. Is there any disagreement!?"
For a while, there was no response.
People were murmuring and exchanging words with those nearby.
Then, voices began to rise.
"──The envoys from Aika Country came all the way here to form a friendly relationship with us, right?"
"──Those people helped us."
"──I believe they are worth trusting!"
Voices of agreement filled the square.
Confirming this, Tanshi-san stepped forward.
"We have come here to form a friendly relationship. Our feelings have not changed."
Tanshi-san declared.
"I want to make sure that when incidents like this happen, we can protect the people of the 'Bokou Tribe.' To do that, I want to set up a fortress in the border area, where the soldiers of Aika Country and the 'Bokou Tribe' can be stationed. This way, we can exchange information with each other. It should also deepen our friendly relationship!"
He definitely does not look down on the 'Bokou Tribe.' He wants a cooperative relationship.
This will be formalized in writing.
He has already informed Ryougen-kun about it in a letter.
However, he wants the 'Bokou Tribe' to appear as if they are submitting.
This should serve as a deterrent against the invasion of the Jinkyo Tribe.
Tanshi-san explained all of this.
The people of the 'Bokou Tribe' raised their voices in agreement.
──If we are to form a friendly relationship, it should be with someone we can trust.
──That trust is right in front of us: Gen Shuuyoku-dono of Aika Country and his companions.
──We can trust them.
──It would be great if they could act as intermediaries.
Such voices filled the square.
In contrast, the members of the Jinkyo Tribe wore bitter expressions.
Of course, they would.
Their invasion ended up bringing Aika Country and the 'Bokou Tribe' together.
The intentions of the Jinkyo Tribe completely backfired.
"Now, I will share the second decision."
Waiting for everyone to calm down, Gaku Kiryuu continued.
When he waved his hand──2 girls appeared from deep inside the fort.
One was Kaine Shurt, the chief's daughter.
The other was Nona Kiryuu, Gaku Kiryuu's daughter.
They were both wearing decorated clothes.
Their outer had strange patterns sewn on them, and around their necks were necklaces made of various colored stones.
Together, they were carrying a wooden box.
The box looked quite old.
Its surface was covered in dirt.
It was as if it had just been dug up from being buried for a long time.
Could that be──
"This is the 'Secret Book of Chaos' given to us by Suimei Shin-kun."
Gaku Kiryuu said this without changing his expression.
The square was filled with murmurs.
It wasn't just the people of the Bokou Tribe. The soldiers of the Jinkyo Tribe were surprised too.
Kaine Shurt and Nona Kiryuu placed the box on the ground.
Seeing the chief and Gaku Kiryuu nod, they opened the lid of the box.
What appeared was a wooden tablet.
It was a long, thin piece of wood with writing on it.
I've heard it was used a lot before paper became common.
"Suimei Shin-kun ordered that this secret book be kept without showing it to anyone. We have protected it. Until now, it has worked well for us. But..."
Gaku Kiryuu continued while staring at the box.
"The existence of the secret book is already known to the Jinkyo Tribe. They are obsessed with this secret book. They even sent in users of the same 'Four Fiends Technique' to get it. This time, with the help of the people from Aika Country, we were able to defeat them. But... next time, luck may not be on our side. We cannot let our friends from Aika Country be put in danger because of our obsession with the secret book! Therefore, we must make a decision!!"
Gaku Kiryuu waved his arm.
At that signal, several soldiers stepped forward.
What they held were firewood and jars filled with oil.
And, they had torches lit with fire.
It was clear what they were about to do.
"Suimei Shin-kun said that if this secret book is used 'correctly, it can be a trump card against the other 3.' This probably means that if we dispose of this book at the right time, it will become a trump card against the other users of the 'Four Fiends Technique.' This way, they won't be able to gather all the 'Four Fiends Techniques.' So, there is only one thing we must do!"
"──STOP IT!!"
A scream was heard.
"STOP IT!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO!!"
The one shouting was Kai Shuujaku.
He was completely restrained but was desperately trying to move forward.
His eyes were wide open, foam was coming from his mouth, and he was struggling as if he had lost his mind.
"THAT IS A TREASURE THAT CAN NEVER BE OBTAINED AGAIN!! IF IT IS LOST, IT CAN NEVER BE RECOVERED!! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO BURN IT, YOU GUYS!!"
"Yeah. I will burn it!!"
Gaku Kiryuu answered immediately.
"Suimei Shin-kun said to use this correctly. We will follow his words! By burning it, we will stop your invasion and protect our tribe! We will erase 'chaos' from this world and prevent all Four Fiends from gathering. That is the correct way to use it!"
"Stop!! Please, just stop!! I will do anything. Please! Just that...!"
"Is there anyone who opposes using the 'secret book of chaos' correctly!!"
Ignoring Kai Shuujaku, Gaku Kiryuu shouted.
"──I will follow the judgment of the tribe leader and Gaku Kiryuu-dono!!"
Immediately, the response from the 'Bokou Tribe' came back.
"──If it is to prevent disaster, Suimei Shin-kun will forgive us!"
"──If it means being taken by the Jinkyo Tribe... then we will burn it ourselves!!"
"──We have come together by protecting the secret book. Thus, the 'Bokou Tribe' united. Then... maybe the role of the secret book is over."
People raised their fists and shouted.
There was no one opposing.
In fact, the invasion of the Jinkyo Tribe had made the people of the 'Bokou Tribe' resolve themselves.
There was no stopping it now.
"...AH, AH, AAAAAAA. AAAAAAA!!"
In contrast, Kai Shuujaku turned pale.
He knelt on the ground, screaming.
And while he was being watched, the 'Bokou Tribe' made their decision.
"Girls who are tasked with protecting the secret books, throw the books into the fire!"
""Yes!!""
The stacked firewood was already blazing.
In that fire, Kaine Shurt and Nona Kiryuu threw in the wooden tablets.
They also threw in the box that held the tablets.
Everything related to the 'Secret Book of Chaos' was turning to ash in the flames.
"The decision has been made."
Gaku Kiryuu declared.
"We, the 'Bokou Tribe', will now walk a new path. There will be hardships, but please, I ask for your cooperation. To protect our tribe and aim for a better future, we need everyone's strength!!"
"""Uoooooohhh!!"""
That marked the end of the meeting.
The people of the 'Bokou Tribe' gathered around the fire and began their feast.
Kai Shuujaku and the soldiers of the Jinkyo Tribe were taken back to their prison.
As Kai Shuujaku was led away, he looked pale like a dead person.
He had completely failed.
He lost the invasion and caused the 'Secret Book of Konton' to be lost.
Given his obsession with the 'Four Fiends Technique', he must be in shock.
"I'm sorry. Gen Shuuyoku-dono and Kou Tenhou-dono, Sui Kaou, could you please come here?"
One of the 'Bokou Tribe' soldiers stopped us.
Behind the soldier were Gaku Kiryuu and the chief.
"I'm told that the chief want to talk to you in another room."
"Ah, that's fine."
Shuu-sensei nodded.
We, Gaku Kiryuu and the clan leaders, headed deeper into the fortress.
We arrived at the mansion where we fought Kai Shuujaku.
It was a small room at the very end, in a dead end.
When we entered, Kaine Shurt and Nona Kiryuu were there.
In front of the two of them was a small box.
It was old... even older than the box we just burned.
"This is the real 'secret book of chaos'."
Kaine Shurt and Nona Kiryuu announced.
They both bowed their heads and touched their foreheads to the floor.
"From now on, Kaine and Nona will become hostages to Aika Country."
"But before that, we want to hand this over to Gen Shuuyoku-sama."
"This is strictly personal."
"We want you to keep it a secret from others."
"We will give the secret book to someone who can seal the 'Four Fiends.'"
"That is the decision of the Bokou Tribe."
"This is what Suimei Shin-kun meant by... the correct way to use it."
"We believe this to be true."
""Please do so.""
Kaine Shurt and Nona Kiryuu declared this while still bowing deeply.
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