Chapter Four: Motley Crew II

After confirming that there were no more questions, the director left the stage. At some point, the girl known as Orthoclase had also disappeared from the hall.

The door to the building slammed open on either side. From outside, an avalanche of men and women in their late teens – dressed in light blue uniforms – descended into the building.

The man who’d referred Shuou to this job had told him about Gemstone Academy: a military school attended by the children of nobles. At this academy, the students learned how to behave as members of the ruling class. They received training in academia, horse-riding, swordsmanship, and how to use Crynetic Energy.

Their vibrant, multicolored Miracrystals were dazzling to the eye.

I see, Shuou thought as he observed them.

The students’ vivid Miracrystals were as beautiful as jewels, worthy of being crowned Gemstones. Calling out their lot numbers, the young nobles searched for those they’d be taking the exam with, forming groups.

Over the din, a woman could be heard shouting the number of Shuou’s team. “Seventeen! Does anyone have card number seventeen?”

“We’re over here!”

Raising his hand, Kumokari shouted back at her. His deep voice carried well, echoing even louder than the noisy hall. Relying on his signal, two girls finally appeared before them. An attractive, blonde-haired student stiffened upon seeing Kumokari. Watching her stand stock still, eyes wide open, Shuou bemusedly wondered if he’d looked like her a little while ago.

“Y-you guys can’t be…” she trailed off.

All at once, the three of them thrust their number seventeen cards in front of her. Seeing this, the female student hung her head, her face going pale.

“This… This is too much!” she complained loudly.

The other student – a characteristic girl with wavy, blue hair similar to her uniform – looked away listlessly, showing no interest in them.

“Pipe down, Aise,” she said in an easygoing voice, her tone as dry as sand.

“What!? You don’t have any reservations about this group, Shitori?”

The girl named Shitori looked over Shuou’s team with drowsy eyes. “Not really. What’s the big deal?”

“I see three big deals! A huge gay guy! A frog! And this morose fellow who’s hiding his face! What’s with this circus troupe?”

The blonde student named Aise pointed to each member of Shuou’s team, giving her honest impressions. Though he could understand her feelings, being called “morose” by a girl he’d just met was rather unpleasant.

”Now, now, there’s no use crying over spilled milk,” said Kumokari. “Let’s pull ourselves together, and—”

When Kumokari tried to pacify the student, she replied coldly, her rage filled eyes sharpening. ”Quiet. Don’t address me so casually, commoner.”

“…Yes, yes, understood.”

When responding to Kumokari, she’d adopted an arrogant manner of speaking. From the outset, she’d disdained them, refusing to look or think any harder because of their lowborn status. Apparently, those three Brights and this arrogant woman were of the same variety.

Conversely, the other student had maintained a disinterested attitude since the very beginning. Compared to her domineering friend, Shuou much preferred her.

Two boys stepped out of the crowd, approaching the blonde girl. “Hey, Aise,” said one of them, his voice containing a tinge of mockery. “Looks like you drew the short straw.”

In sudden contrast to her agitated shouting, Aise’s voice and expression hardened. “What do you want?”

The two male students sneered. “Oh, I just wanted to see what sort of commoners our top student – the Countess Mordred – had drawn. What a laughable bunch. And you’re already at a disadvantage being teamed up with Shitori.”

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Hmph. Look at the guys we drew. They’re all former mercenaries who earn livings escorting merchant caravans across the Abyss. If not for the rules, I wouldn’t mind trading one of them for a loser on your squad.”

Behind the male students, Shuou spotted a group of men with numerous scars on their faces and bodies peering in his direction.

”I see,” said the blonde student. “Since you guys are all talk, they’ll serve as the perfect babysitters for you.”

“What did you say to me…?”

“I’m going to pass this test on my own merit. I’ll use my unmotivated partner and these strange commoners to the best of my ability.”

“Whatever. I’ll remember what you said. And I’ll make you regret it.”

Once they’d finished speaking, the male students promptly returned to their original location.

“So dumb,” said the other female student, twining her light blue, wavy hair around one finger. “Hey Aise, we’ve shown our faces. Can we leave now? I want to head back to the dorm and get some rest.”

”…Fine. I have no business left here either. You lot, go to bed early to prep for the exam. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be working you to death.”

The blonde student spoke to them off-handedly, not even meeting their eyes.

“She willfully prattled on, made a big fuss, and then issued a declaration,” said Kumokari.

“Jiro didn’t like them… ish. Arrogant. Really annoying.”

“Aha. That’s the first good thing you’ve said. I agree.”

Shuou glanced sideways at Kumokari and Jiro, both laughing as if this were someone else’s problem. On the other hand, he was starting to have regrets, wondering if he’d chosen the wrong job.

Leaving the barracks, Shuou’s team of three began heading towards the designated inn. Looking back, he discovered two armed Squires who’d been tailing them for quite some time. In all likelihood, this was to prevent them from abandoning the test and running away. Being wary of partway abandonment was fine, but if they were going this far, the military must have truly struggled to gather participants for this exam.

Since they’d been given a simple map, Shuou’s team didn’t lose their way, but the inn was still a fair distance from the barracks. Dead leaves danced in the wind, carrying with it frigid air. Moreover, looking at the dark clouds in the overcast sky further deepened Shuou’s melancholy.

“Hey, is this road safe?” asked Kumokari.

Following the map, Shuou had entered the backstreets to use a shortcut. They walked through the complex, unpopulated alleyways, so different from the main roads. Having no familiarity with the area, Kumokari looked around anxiously.

“It’s safe,” said Shuou. “We’ll save a lot of time going this way.”

“Really? Well, okay then. We still have plenty of time to spare, so there’s no need to hurry.”

“We’ll avoid crowds this way, too.”

Shuou found walking through crowds tiresome. For some reason, he tended to attract gazes from pedestrians: always an unpleasant experience. With Kumokari and Jiro following him, he didn’t want to travel down high traffic roads, where everyone would whisper to each other about them.

Turning left and right down the narrow roads of back alleys, they arrived in an open lot. Countless gravestones formed organized lines across the vast square, the pale landscape of winter further emphasizing the air of desolation hanging over the area.

After walking along the outside of the cemetery for some time, they came across a group of people gathered in front of a stone altar. As Shuou’s team started to walk past the group, they noticed a few men exiting an inner building, carrying a coffin to the front of the altar.

“That’s…” Shuou trailed off.

“Looks like a funeral,” replied Kumokari.

A funeral.

As Shuou stopped to examine the situation, an elderly man left the group, walking towards them. “Were you three acquaintances of the deceased?” he asked.

“No, we weren’t,” said Shuou.

“I see. Well, this must be the hand of fate as well. If you’d like, please stand witness to his Return of Soul.”

“But as outsiders, we couldn’t possibly…”

“The old man who passed away was an amiable fellow. The more people who sent him off, the happier he’d be.”

From beside him, Kumokari elbowed Shuou. “How about it? I don’t mind. And like I said, we’re okay on time.”

“What about you, Jiro?” asked Shuou.

“Jiro’s never been to a human funeral. So kind of wants to see one… ish.

“Alright,” said Shuou. “We’ll join you, then.”

Standing at the back of crowd gathered for the funeral, Shuou’s team watched over the ceremony. Except for them, everyone had solemnly donned their black mourning attire. Wearing normal clothes, Shuou worried that his team stood out, but since they were watching from very back, no one seemed to mind.

From the open coffin, the corpse of elderly man appeared, his face deeply lined. With a shout, the men who’d carried the coffin lifted the body of the deceased, placing him atop the altar on a polished pedestal of black stone.

The old man – his body bereft of blood – appeared to be looking towards the heavens. Despite knowing nothing of this old man, Shuou realized that many people must have loved him. The sorrowful cries emanating from the crowd proved this.

A young man stepped forward, placing the corpse’s right hand over his chest and his left hand on the pedestal. The black stone pedestal protruded so that only one’s left hand could rest atop it. Afterwards, the essence of the Return of Souls was explained, and bereaved family members read their final words to the old man.

The ritual of breaking a deceased person’s Miracrystal and restoring it to the heavens was called the Return of Souls. To all lifeforms that possessed one, Miracrystals weren’t mere stones. Deep within their centers, each Miracrystal contained a nucleus called a Life Core. After the shattering of a Life Core, the owner’s body would crumble like dry sand, scattering like ashes. The particles created by the body’s decomposition at this time were called Stardust.

A Miracrystal’s core was directly connected to the owner’s life. When crushed, one’s being would transform into Stardust, returning to the heavens. Such was the natural law of the world.

The final words of farewell came to an end. Holding a ceremonial, pointed hammer, the young man who’d placed the departed’s hand upon the pedestal stepped up to the altar. After situating the point atop the departed’s Miracrystal, the young man raised the hammer overhead.

Holding it aloft, he then swung the hammer downwards.

As the end of the hammer bit into the back of the departed’s hand, the hard sound of his Miracrystal breaking shook the air. In the blink of an eye, the corpse – it’s Life Core shattered – disintegrated into luminescent particles of Stardust, swirling into the heavens. Mixed among the Stardust that shone bright white, sparkling grains of red and yellow also appeared from time to time.

Dazzlingly beautiful, Shuou forgot to breathe as witnessed this scene. Among the many lifeforms in existence, humans emitted the most splendid Stardust, it was said. Love and joy, hatred and sorrow. Through the intermingling and warring of their many contradictory emotions, human beings came into existence. If ever repeating oppositions and a refusal to accept one another polished the light of life, the beauty of human beings would be beyond question.

A long time ago, Shuou had read about the Return of Souls and the glow of human Stardust in a book. However, to fully describe what he’d seen in words or writing would be difficult. In this world, there were many things one needed to experience with their own eyes and body to understand, he strongly believed.

As if melting into the clouds, the Stardust swirling towards the heavens finally disappeared. Despite having been there until this moment, the old man’s corpse had vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place. Lying ephemerally atop the black stone pedestal, only the shattered Miracrystal provided evidence of his life.

***

“That was a lovely funeral,” said Kumokari.

Leaving the cemetery, the party had headed towards the designated inn, arriving in no time at all. The inn was quite large and comfortable, sporting a beautiful interior. According to the proprietress, the military had rented out this inn for today and tomorrow.

On the first floor, there was an open space to enjoy food and drinks, while the actual sleeping quarters were on the second and third floors. Shuou’s team had been given three rooms at the back of the second floor. Currently, they were sitting around a table on the first floor, enjoying the food and drinks they’d ordered.

“What did you think, Jiro?” asked Kumokari.

“Very illuminating… ish,” Jiro replied while relishing his fish cooked in butter.

“Hmm, this frog is more diligent than he looks.”

Shuou thought so as well. Despite being a little strange, this white Demiphibian had acquired a language entirely different from his own. That alone showed him to be quite the hard worker.

Outside, the sky had grown completely dark. Overflowing with exam participants drunk on liquor and victuals, merry laughter filled the first floor of the inn. If possible, Shuou should have discussed the food with Kumokari and Jiro, returning to his room to rest. However, the atmosphere changed dramatically when the former mercenaries from the briefing arrived at their table.

“Hey, pervert!” one of them shouted. “I’m talkin’ to you, ya queer! The way you talk’s been grossin’ me out. It’s spoilin’ the booze!”

The mercenary who’d come to quarrel had glazed eyes. Shuou didn’t know how long the man had been drinking, but he appeared quite intoxicated already. Not responding to the man’s provocation, Kumokari continued drinking at his own leisure.

“Ignore him,” Kumokari whispered so that only Shuou and Jiro could hear him. “If we don’t engage, he’ll leave eventually.”

“Hey, you listenin’ to me? You’re a man, but you’re wearin’ fuckin’ makeup! It’s disgusting!”

“How disgusting,” someone had once said to Shuou. “Get away from here. Shoo, shoo.”

Triggered by the mercenary’s remarks, he recalled words spoken to him in the past.

“What’s with this kid? Don’t show your face around here. It’ll spoil the food.”

“What an eerie child. He must have been abandoned because of his face.”

“How pitiful. If not for his face, someone might have taken him in.”

“Scram! You’re making me lose customers!”

Shuou remembered the gazes of adults looking at him: the ugly orphan. Disgust, pity, contempt, and ridicule. Eyes containing those shades of emotion had looked down upon him.

Stop! Don’t look at me with those eyes!

“You must be havin’ a hard time, boy,” the former mercenary sneered. “Stuck with this frog and a pervert reeking of makeup. Bwahahaha!”

Without thinking, Shuou touched his eyepatch. Underneath, he had a hideously inflamed face.

“…Are you having fun?” he asked.

The former mercenary frowned. “What was that?”

“Wait, Shuou!” cried Kumokari, trying to stop him.

It was pointless. With so many negative emotions circulating inside his mind, Shuou couldn’t restrain himself.

“Are people who look different from others really that funny to you!?” he yelled.

Shuou realized he was shouting. As the surrounding noise quieted, a tense atmosphere began hanging over them.

The man’s vile sneer turned into a grim expression. “Yeah, it’s pretty funny. That’s why I laughed. And I don’t need a young brat like you telling me off.”

Walking over to his seat, the man poured the drink he’d been holding over Shuou’s head. The liquid, which reeked of alcohol, drenched Shuou’s hair, traveling down his face and onto his clothes. Flinging his chair backwards, Shuou stood, hitting the table with all his might.

“…You wanna go?” asked the former mercenary.

The two stared each other down. However, the arrival of several intruders caused the tense atmosphere to subside.

“What are you lot doing!?”

Having heard the commotion, a group of Squires surged towards them.

“Shit,” muttered the former mercenary.

Seeing the Squires, his group disappeared into the back of the establishment.

“Let’s head upstairs, too,” said Kumokari.

Leaving their food on the table, Shuou’s team withdrew to the second floor. The intervening Squires had seen their faces, but no one stopped them for questioning. From the Squires’ perspective, whatever happened after the commotion had settled down was none of their business.

Arriving on the second floor, the trio entered the closest room, which belonged to Kumokari.

“Goodness, you’re soaked,” he said.

Once Shuou had stepped inside, Kumokari wiped his head with a towel. Due to having alcohol spilled over him, an unpleasant, bittersweet smell emanated from his hair.

“That’s enough,” said Shuou. “I can do it myself.”

He tried to take the towel, but Kumokari wouldn’t concede. “No, no, let me handle this. Since you got angry on our behalf, this is the least I can do.”

You’re wrong.

Shuou gritted his back teeth. He’d been angry on his own behalf, not his comrades’. After reliving those unpleasant memories, he’d simply vented his frustrations on an outsider.

“Hey, why don’t you take that thing off your face?” said Kumokari. “It’s wet, t—”

Kumokari reached towards Shuou’s face. In response, Shuou used all his strength to sweep the large man’s hand away.

“Huh…?”

Following the dry sound of one hand slapping another, an awkward air flowed into the room.

“…Sorry,” said Shuou. “I’ll handle the rest on my own.”

Shuou flew out of the room, ignoring the voices trying to detain him.  Entering his own room, he sank into bed, his hair and clothes still wet. Body as heavy as a lump of iron, he didn’t want to move a single finger. He didn’t want to think about anything. Even after walking through the Abyssal Forest for an entire day, he’d never felt so exhausted.

Just like that, sleep swallowed him whole. Thus, his second night after arriving in Murakumo came to an end.

***

Woken up early the next morning, the exam participants exited the city’s west gate, forced to descend the mountain and walk to the meeting point. The fresh morning air provided no benefit to their sleep-deprived, staggering bodies.

Their starting point appeared to be where the mountains changed into flatlands. In front of the Abyssal Forest sprawling before him, Shuou could see a number of Alabaster Roads.

“Shuou, look over there,” said Kumokari.

Looking in the direction Kumokari had drawn his attention to, he found a squadron of the former mercenaries from yesterday. Noticing Shuou’s team, they glared back menacingly. Because their assigned positions were close to one another, Shuou wondered if his team would have to travel down the same Alabaster Road as them.

Quietly enough to go unheard, Shuou sighed. He could sense trouble looming on the horizon.

Original text: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4006r/6/