CH 42

“It’s so swift…”

“It’s really like a carriageー”

“Even this isn’t quite up to its full potential, though.”

The three of us, riding on a motorcycle with “Frozen Cloud” written on the side of the vehicle, are passing by people on the streets of Japoterasu West, attracting their gazes as we move along at about the same speed as a carriage.

Well, I suppose it’s inevitable that we would be the center of attention.

There is no animal pulling the vehicle, and its shape is significantly different from existing carriages and tanks, making it no wonder that this vehicle would garner a lot of attention.

Incidentally, the name “Frozen Cloud” is the name of this motorcycle. Since Matsunami-san didn’t bother to mention it, it probably is of little importance.

“So, Sora-san? Any reaction so far?”

“None at the moment. I can devote my full attention to the searching, and with the help of the monocle and Cerbeiraoli-sama’s power, I can search practically the whole area at the same time.”

“I understand. Right now, we are at… the bank of the Yamato River east of Amenoyama, so we will go clockwise around the West Town, then through the upper bridge of the Yamato River, and then patrol the East Town.”

After hearing what Sora-san is saying, I conclude accordingly and drive the “Frozen Cloud” along the bank of the riverside.

Even so, Sora-san is fairly proficient in conducting searches as long as she has a place where her concentration can be maintained.

The complexity of the contract and an ordinary God could not have exhibited such a high degree of searching ability, even if I am uncertain of what type of God Cerbeiraoli is.

“And by the way, Akira-san.”

“Hmm?”

“You were rather tired the last time you were made to drive, but are you all right?”

Toki-san, who is seated behind Sora-san, calls out to me as the West Town industrial district and the bridge over the Yamato River come into view, wondering about my condition.

“Oh, about that. Over the past week, I’ve learned the art of handling divine power in many different ways, including the ceremony of salt separating… And I am not using my full strength at all right now. There’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“Then that’s well and good. But please take proper rest when you get tired.”

But Toki-san goes back to monitoring her surroundings, perhaps content with my response.

But if I grow tired, I suppose I should follow Toki-san’s advice and take a rest. Going into the “Maze” while suffering from exhaustion would undoubtedly result in the loss of my life.

[The art of handling… huh. Anyway, the previous week has taught me a lot about Akira’s lack of singing ability.]

“(Shut up!)”

[Why is your singing so noticeably out of tune while you can dance regularly despite the dance requiring a unique gait? When it is that awful, it’s already a kind of talent.]

“(Grrrr…)”

As I ride between the buildings in the industrial neighborhood while keeping an eye out for pedestrians, all of Ys’ criticism of my training comes flooding into my head.

No, the fact is that I’ve never been talented at singing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t naturally produce those high-pitched notes. My voice now is rather low for a woman. There are limits to the sounds I can produce.

“I’m going to speed up a bit now that the road is clear. Both of you be careful.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Increasing the amount of power I apply to the “Frozen Cloud,” I accelerate and speed through the city at the same, or even greater, speed as if I were driving a carriage at maximum capacity.

Yeah. As I thought, increasing the amount of power I put into it works out fine.

There is no denying that the training I have gotten from Ys has greatly increased my capacity to manage divine power, despite all she has stated to me to the contrary.

In truth, the greater the speed of the “Frozen Cloud,” the faster the amount of power consumed, but at this speed, it seems that consumption and recovery are still in balance.

“Speaking of which, Akira-san wears her hair in a bun when riding a motorcycle.”

“It’s a pity that Akira onee-sama’s attractive hair is being hidden…”

“Even if you say so… it seems dangerous if my hair gets caught in the wheels.”

“I know that, but…”

The “Frozen Cloud” that has been carrying us ultimately makes a clockwise circle around West Town and enters the top bridge slowly, which is located upstream within the two bridges over the Yamato River.

The two bridges spanning the Yamato River are broad enough for horse-drawn carriages to pass one another on the bridges and are constructed to be so solid that even something as heavy as “Frozen Cloud” can cross them without any issues, which is hard to believe that the bridges are made of wood.

Given that it is allegedly over a century old, I am enthralled as to how someone in the distant past managed to create something so eclectic.

“And I can see East Town now.”

“Is that it? It’s more of a fort than a town, after all.”

“It’s kind of formal, isn’t it… Oh, there’s no reaction at the moment.”

A cluster of structures that appear to be solid and composed of the same material as the Divine Sanatorium’s walls eventually emerge in front of us at the end of the upper bridge.

[Akira. Why is this place so formal? Compared to West Town, the vibe here is strikingly different.]

While riding through the city at the most reasonable speed I could with “Freeze Cloud”, I contemplate what I should say in response to Ys’ question.

In conclusion, what crosses my mind is to… well, I should simply tell her the truth.

“(It was a long time ago, but I heard that East Town was a real fort.)”

[What do you mean?]

“(I am also unaware of the specifics. But there was once a city to the east of Japoterasu that was ruled by a God who was antagonistic to the Gods of Japoterasu, including Susanoo-sama, and there was a battle between that city and Japoterasu.)”

[Hmm…]

“That reminds me, why was the city that was assaulting Japoterasu ultimately destroyed?”

“Who knows? I have no idea, Toki nee-chan; the only thing that the textbook state is that it perished abruptly. I mean, why are you asking me all of a sudden?”

“Eh? Akira-san and someone’s voice… No, it’s nothing.”

“Okay? The name of the city hasn’t been passed down to us for some reason, and we have no idea what’s going on, but it’s a bizarre narrative nevertheless.”

Our conversation continues as we ride through the streets of East Town in “Frozen Clouds”.

Yeah. Since it hasn’t rained in a few days, there aren’t any puddles, and there are no mirrors left out in the open that we can see, so as far as the “Maze” is concerned, everything looks to be going smoothly.

The time now is… a little after noon.

Perhaps it’s time to stop, my appetite is growing.

“We should stop somewhere and have lunch, you guys.”

“I agree.”

“Roger that. In that case, the carriage stop over there should be a decent site to stop.”

“Right.”

Then, I pull over to the side of the road and park it there while loosening the force I exert on the “Frozen Cloud”.

Now that we have conveniently arrived in East Town, I would want to indulge in a little something different from what I often consume.