Arc 7, Chapter 45 - 'Konkon”

Arc 7, Chapter 45 - “Konkon”

――Tiger at the front gate, wolf at the back gate. [1]

Strictly speaking, his situation was different, but it was a saying that crossed Subaru’s mind.

The fact that it had taken him a while to come up with even that saying really showed the difficulty of Subaru’s circumstances.

Al: [Nearly a hundred enemies!?]

Looking out the back door of the inn, Al’s voice cracked as Taritta told them the startling news.

In response, Taritta nodded quietly saying,

Taritta: [Yes. We’re surrounded. It seems more likely out of caution than hostility...]

Abel: [Sure, merely one or two people would be one thing, but it is difficult to ignore when they number close to a hundred.]

Keeping his voice low, Abel spoke to Taritta, who shut the back door.

As Taritta lowered her chin at his words, Abel’s gaze turned from her towards Subaru. His black eyes narrowed through the oni mask, his sharp glare pinning down Subaru’s heart.

And then――,

Abel: [――You have problems aside from being surrounded, do you not?]

Subaru: [――Ah.]

Abel: [Against all reason, your limbs have shrunk. Anything could happen.]

Mixed with a faint sigh, Abel spelled that out, having guessed the abnormality with Subaru.

Because of his words, Subaru felt his cheeks become warm with shame. From the knowledge that Abel had been able to notice his disorder, and also from the awareness that he was holding them back.

He would rather even pretend that there was nothing wrong with himself.

However――,

Medium: [Subaru-chin, are you okay?]

The voice of Medium, which had comforted the troubled Subaru just before, made him stop.

Being stubborn in this situation would not solve anything. In addition, not only Subaru, but also his friends, Medium included, would suffer the consequences of his stubbornness.

So――,

Subaru: [Actually, I feel like... My memory’s getting weird. I’m having trouble remembering things that I should remember, and that’s probably not good.]

Al: [...That’s why you were so strange a moment ago, huh?]

Subaru swallowed his frustration and frankly spoke to Al, who was struck speechless.

Al, too, must have felt there was something strange about Subaru’s earlier behavior. Talking about the details made him feel uneasy as well.

What had happened to Subaru was no stranger to Al.

Abel: [――. Anything specific?]

Subaru: [...I couldn’t remember the name of an important family member. No! Uh, it’s just that it took a while before I could recall it.]

Al: [Bro, this ain’t the time to pretend you’re fine...]

Subaru: [I’m not trying to pretend I’m...]

Subaru was about to reflexively answer, “Fine”, but then he stopped himself, wondering whether he was or not.

He really didn’t want to say it so plainly that he’d forgotten the name of someone so important. Subaru remembered Beatrice, remembered Emilia, and remembered Rem.

He also remembered the friends he had left behind at the mansion.

Subaru: [So it’s not like I was trying to...]

Abel: [Tell me exactly what your condition is.]

Subaru: [Huh?]

Abel: [Have you forgotten? Or does it take you a long time to remember? Which is it?]

Upon being asked this question, Subaru clammed up.

Abel’s question, as he neared one step closer to him, was firm, and had a sharpness that did not allow for lies.

There was a numbing sensation in his brain, and he was unable to pull his consciousness away from the man in front of him. As Subaru fell silent, Abel asked again, “Which is it?”,

Abel: [You cannot see what is occurring in your environs, and now you cannot see what is occurring inside your own head.]

Subaru: [――N-no! It’s not that I forgot, it’s just that I’m having trouble remembering! That’s right, just because I can’t recall quickly, doesn’t mean I forgot!]

Abel: [...It takes a while to remember, huh?]

Subaru quickly responded to the cruel inquiry, and Abel quietly accepted his answer.

It was an explanation that Subaru himself didn’t know what to make of. So it was surprising that Abel did not outright dismiss it.

In fact, annoyed with Abel’s behavior, Al intervened with “Hey”,

Al: [What’s the difference? Why’s that a big deal to you in this situation?]

Abel: [There is a big difference. There is a world of difference between forgetting and having difficulty remembering.]

Al: [Huh?]

Al grumbled in displeasure, but Abel did not answer any further.

He looked back at Taritta listening to what was happening outside, leaving the bewildered Subaru and Al to their own thoughts.

Abel: [What is happening outside? They have yet to move, correct?]

Taritta: [For now, they’re just concealing their breath. Even though their encirclement should be complete by now.]

Abel: [Then that signifies we have not met their requirements.]

Taritta: [Requirements, is it...?]

Abel stroked his chin thoughtfully, without responding to Taritta’s puzzled look, and then looked back at Subaru once more.

Unable to keep up with the speed of his thoughts, Subaru flinched as Abel turned back. Closing the distance between him and the one taken aback, Abel put his face close to Subaru’s and asked,

Abel: [――What do we do for those outside to attack us?”

Subaru: [Eh...]

Abel: [Answer. The conditions for those outside to attack us are...]

Subaru: [T-that, even if you ask me...]

The question was repeated through the oni mask, and Subaru caught his breath, tensing up.

“I don’t understand it, even if you ask me”, he thought. At any rate, even if he remembered what had happened before he Returned by Death, it had been such a sudden and unexpected death that he could not comprehend it at all.

If only he had more information, he’d be able to give Abel a better idea of what to do――.

Abel: [Answer.]

However, Abel trampled on Subaru’s hesitation and confusion, directing him a question. With Subaru unable to answer, the man donning the oni mask grabbed him by his young shoulders in a fit of rage.

Abel: [Answer! Natsuki Subaru!]

Subaru: [I-I don’t know! A-as soon as we go outside, they’ll attack us! That’s all I know!]

Replying upon being threatened, Subaru opened his eyes and clutched his chest.

Once again, he impulsively revealed the information he had obtained through Return by Death. He was afraid that the penalty for violating the Taboo might come back to haunt him. But nothing happened.

Neither the stoppage of time around him, nor the evil hand that made him pay for his stupidity, manifested.

But instead――,

Louis: [Uu!]

Having gotten between Subaru and Abel with a snarl, Louis protected Subaru with her back towards him as she glared directly at Abel, who had adopted a hardline attitude.

Abel’s arm was forced away from Subaru’s shoulder by Louis, sending her a disapproving look. However, Louis was soon joined by a reassuring ally, Medium.

Medium: [Abel-chin! Don’t bully Subaru-chin! I’ll tell big bro!]

Abel: [...What should I do, being told that? In the first place, he just gave me necessary information. ――Going outside is the trigger, huh?]

Abel shrugged his shoulders at Medium’s reproachful glare, without even feeling remorse.

His thoughtful expression caused Medium to say, “Geez!” as she put her hands on her hips, directing her eyes at Subaru rather than Abel.

Medium: [Subaru-chin, are you okay? Abel was scary, wasn’t he~?]

Subaru: [It’s not like I was scared. I was just a little surprised... Yeah.]

Medium: [Really? I hope so. You’re a strong boy, a strong boy, Subaru-chin.]

As she said this, Medium’s hand stroked Subaru’s black hair with gentleness.

The kindness of her touch, and the fact that he was being praised as a “strong boy”, made him feel ashamed once again. But in fact, he couldn’t deny that his racing heart was slowly calming down.

He thought he really was losing it.

The relief he felt at being comforted by Medium aside, more troubling were the unspeakable feelings of reluctance and fear he felt towards Abel.

He couldn’t resist Abel’s will, and so, he kept getting pushed around.

It was like――,

Al: [It’s like a child and an adult. And I’m not just talking about looks.]

Subaru: [Ugh...]

Al’s voice came from beside the downcast face of Subaru, as the latter gripped his chest.

Subaru’s face tightened as he felt he was being judged by Al, whose tone of voice was harsh, still reeling from his earlier conversation with Abel.

Because of his words, “a child and an adult”, Subaru’s doubts were cleared up.

Yes, Al was right, that was the appropriate way to describe it. In fact, the current interaction between Subaru and Abel was similar to the power dynamic between a child and an adult.

Not just in appearances, but also in mind, as if the latter were being pulled along by the former.

Abel: [――Listen. I think I know who we are up against.]

Taritta: [D-do you really...!?]

While Subaru was experiencing an unfathomable sense of dread, Abel spoke in a low voice.

Abel’s words made Taritta’s eyes widen in surprise. It was not only her who was surprised, but also everyone else present. To be more precise, everyone except Louis, who was not following the conversation.

At any rate, Abel got everyone’s attention and nodded with a “Yes”.

Abel: [From the conditions presented by Olbart, and the hundred enemies identified by Taritta... If we exclude those possibilities that cannot be, we can, naturally, narrow down the options.]

Al: [So, what do you think, oh clever Abel-chan? Who’s after us?]

Abel: [――It is Chaosflame]

Al & Medium: [Chaosflame... this city?]

In response to Al and Medium’s question, Abel nodded grimly.

He then looked over at Subaru and the rest, whose expressions showed that they still hadn’t put his answer together, and continued,

Abel: [Chaosflame... That is, the residents of the Demon City. Those standing outside poised to attack, I am sure they are the very people residing in this city.]

△▼△▼△▼△

――Abel made a clear statement that the inhabitants of Chaosflame were the enemy.

Subaru: [――――]

At Abel’s declaration, Subaru opened and closed his mouth in disbelief. ――No, not only Subaru, but Al and the others had their own reactions of astonishment as well.

Just before that, Abel hurled his final words towards Taritta’s back, as she headed for enemy territory.

Those were――,

Abel: [Taritta, there is no need to hold back. Spare no quarter. ――No matter who they are, no person in this city is easy to kill.]

It was ominous advice, which could not be called either encouragement nor a winning strategy.

△▼△▼△▼△

――The moment she stepped outside, hostility swelled mightily quickly.

Tasting it on her brown skin, Taritta’s narrowed eyes scanned left to right over the entire area in one go.

For the People of Shudraq, who lived as hunters in the jungle, understanding the terrain and situation at a moment’s notice was an essential skill. Taritta was no exception.

――No, Mizelda, her sister, had entrusted Taritta with the role of chieftain.

Therefore, Taritta must excel in these skills, more so than her fellow Shudraqians. And indeed, she did.

Taritta: [――Ah.]

With a light gasp born at the back of her throat, Taritta assessed the number of hostile forces directed at her.

Around her, there were about a hundred people with the will to fight, but less than twenty of them had seized their hostility onto Taritta, who had rushed out the back door.

In addition, the number of those able to move quickly among them would be even smaller.

First thing would be to get the feet of those who turned around to――,

Taritta: [――No good.]

Her mind flashed back to the advice given by Abel just before she had taken off, to spare no quarter.

Abel was a prideful, good-looking man. He met all the requirements of Mizelda’s taste in men, and Taritta was not good at dealing with him. She was weak to pressure and went along with the flow without resistance. Plus, when confronted with someone with a nature like that of her sister or Abel, she would be rendered unable to express any of her opinions.

That was why Taritta preferred someone who would listen to her. Particularly because she would take time to settle on an opinion, and would reel at being rushed.

From that perspective, Flop, who had stayed behind at Guaral, was quite――,

Taritta: [――Hk, what am I thinking?]

Blushing red with momentary shame, Taritta drew her bowstring as if to vent.

A moment later, arrows were released from the bow―― three, at the same time. Taritta’s archery skills manifested, with each arrow aiming at a different prey.

One flew straight and two flew in a curve, as they cut the wind along the alleyway outside the inn, and pierced their targets.

Three men who had turned to face the rushing Taritta and made an attempt to step towards her, were shot in the neck and chest respectively, instantly robbing them of their fighting power.

Taritta: [Hunting is comfortable.]

It suited Taritta, because she was not required to talk to anyone.

The prey did not expect Taritta to speak, nor did she want to communicate with them. The only dialogue that occurred was that of her arrows and their meeting the enemy.

Even so, the result dubbed life and death need not be produced at the end of a conversation.

???: [――ROHH!]

With a roar, several shadows rushed into the alley, replacing the men who had been shot through.

The first thing that entered Taritta’s field of vision was an oxman; his body so massive that, to gaze upon it all, she had to look up. A man with short, thick horns at the top of his head was ferociously using his frame to charge, all while unleashing a battle cry.

A direct frontal hit would pulverize every bone in Taritta’s thin body.

However, there was no way to escape to her back, or to her side. Even if she jumped upwards, there was a good chance she would be grabbed by the legs.

With that in mind, Taritta lowered herself and darted forward.

Oxman: [Wha――!?]

Perhaps because those actions were unexpected, the oxman’s eyes widened and his throat tightened. Taritta extended her legs towards the oxman’s face and used it as a foothold, punting him in the snout.

Bending her knees to stifle her momentum, Taritta’s body revolved with ease in midair, using the face of the oxman, spewing blood from his nose, as a foothold. Then performing a half-turn, she adopted an upside-down position while airborne.

Taritta: [――――]

As she spun around, she secured a three-sixty-degree view, including the area behind her, which she had not been able to see previously. She was able to assess the shadows of buildings, the rooftops and scaffolding present in the city, and even those attempting to attack her from these positions.

Taritta: [These won’t not be enough arrows.]

As she said this, she pulled out the arrows from the quiver on her back, put them on her bow at a dizzying pace, and repeatedly fired three shots in rapid succession to reduce her enemies.

The number of arrows was disproportionate to the number of enemies she had assessed. With no choice but to cut down the enemies with the highest priority, Taritta used her intuition of many years to target the ones with the most ability.

Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling she felt at the sight of those who entered her field of vision――,

???: [Woaaa――?!]

The raging arrows glided through the air akin to a tempest, and those pierced through were blown away by the impact.

Following Abel’s advice, Taritta attacked about thirty enemies with merciless attacks to the vitals, aiming for everyone’s chest and neck, and the eyes and mouth of those she could, hoping to inflict a fatal wound.

After this first engagement, however, she had already run out of arrows.

The only thing she could do now, to retrieve the arrows that had been utilized, and to continue serving as a decoy as long as possible――,

Taritta: [...Well this is, a bit unexpected.]

As she moved to retrieve the arrow from the downed enemy, Taritta stopped in her tracks.

Taritta, as a warrior of Shudraq, had killed countless beasts in her life. Even if the beast’s shape was slightly different, the creature’s feedback to having its vital point pierced could be witnessed at the moment of her bow firing.

And based on that experience, she was confident that she had sowed the lives of those she had shot through.

???: [Guhgu...]

And yet, none of those who groaned and rose to their feet had lost their lives.

Even if they had not flat-out perished, they should have been on the verge of death. However, those that stood up stared at Taritta with eyes that were not bereft of the will to fight, let alone on the verge of death.

In those eyes that gazed at Taritta, a change occurred.

Taritta: [What, in the world is that?]

Taritta frowned and questioned the oxman as he stood up. The man did not reply, but the change that had occurred to him was so alien that it seized her attention.

――A scarlet flame was covering his right eye.

Oxman: [――――]

Those whose pupils were ablaze were not restricted to just the oxman.

All those who had fallen after being shot by Taritta regarded her with a scarlet flame in one of their eyes, be it the right or the left one.

Those whose eyes were burning were not restricted to just those who had been shot by Taritta.

Those who had come to the scene later to surround Taritta had scarlet flames in their eyes as well. Flickering flames that burnt, all the while scattering sparks.

And amazingly, flames similar to those burned away and healed the wounds of the oxman.

The kicked and smashed nose of the oxman, and the arrow wounds of those who had been shot through, had all been undone, completely.

Taritta: [...A few words were not enough, Abel.]

The scene and Abel’s earlier advice came together, and Taritta let out a sigh.

Although she did not know for certain, her belief was that Abel had thoroughly anticipated this situation. If that were the case, he should have endeavored to make his words more understandable.

And beyond that, her head pounded with the desire for purely convenient thoughts, as she was not good with someone who hurried the conversation forward.

However——,

Taritta: [My role is to be a decoy, not to annihilate the enemy.]

Hence, in terms of focusing on her role, it was safe to say that it was working well.

And then——,

Taritta: [...They’re breaking the arrows, it seems.]

The arrows that had shot through them were breaking one after another, as they slipped out of their bodies. The arrowheads that she was supposed to retrieve were lost, and Taritta became unable to use her archery skills.

However, it would be a mistake to think that this would leave her with no options.

Taritta: [Both daggers and throwing stones can be used for hunting.]

As she said this, Taritta dropped low and held the dagger she had tucked inside her formal dress and the bow she had lost the arrows to shoot with together.

Taritta’s battle to fulfil her role had only now begun.

△▼△▼△▼△

Subaru: [——Hk, Taritta-san, awesome...!]

Subaru’s voice trembled as he ran, at the sight of the people whose eyes and wounds were ablaze.

Taritta had been sent out for a fierce struggle, but her skill was far beyond Subaru’s imagination.

In all honesty, it was safe to say that Subaru had underestimated Taritta’s ability to be an effective member of Shudraq, given her reserved and quiet nature as a late bloomer.

Just before, he had also seen how helpless she had been against Olbart.

Of course, because Mizelda had nominated her to be the next Chieftain, he knew there would be no gap in ability between her and Kuna or Holly.

But the precision of her aim, the speed of her shots, and the way she was able to take on an overwhelmingly large number of people made it seem like she could be as good as, or even better than, Mizelda.

Subaru: [But still...]

Even evaluating Taritta to have a high level of skill, it was hard to shake off the strangeness of those attackers.

In the first place, their appearance was strange. After all, none of them wore armor, nor did they have any sort of weapons. They were unarmed.

From the looks of it, they were pretty much the same as many of the people they had been passing by since the previous day, in Chaosflame―― they were just another citizen of the Demon City with an appearance that stood out somewhat.

These citizens had surrounded Subaru and the others, and after being on the other end of Taritta’s transcendental bow-and-arrow technique, they stood up without a hitch despite being mortally wounded.

From a distance, it could be seen that the attackers included women and children, and Taritta must have been disturbed that they were not actually a group of strong warriors.

She had done a great job of attracting attention, and at Medium’s signal, Subaru and the others ran out into the city. But should they really escape, and not back up Taritta?

Unsure of what was the right thing to do, those options kept spinning around and around in Subaru’s mind.

Next to Subaru, Abel, carrying a bag on his back, witnessed the same scene.

Abel: [So indeed, the entire city is covered by the Soul Marriage Technique.]

Al: [Konkon...? Oioi, Abel-chan, the hell’s that?] [2]

Abel: [It is the mechanism of the collective that faces Taritta without backing down.]

Al, who was running in a daze, asked a question to which Abel gave an inadequate answer.

Although Subaru couldn’t quite wrap his head around what was going on, one thing was clear. ――Abel had a clue about the relationship between those burning eyes and the attackers.

Subaru: [Abel! Don’t keep secrets from us! Tell us everything!]

Abel: [――. It is one of the supposedly lost secret arts spoken of in ancient literature. It is called the Soul Marriage Technique; by sharing a part of one’s soul with others, value is added to it.]

Al: [I don’t get it! The fuck’s that supposed to mean?]

Abel: [To put it another way, souls united via the Soul Marriage Technique share a fraction of their power. And in this city, there is merely a single wielder of the Soul Marriage Technique――]

Urged on from both sides by Subaru and Al, Abel gave them the most abridged answer possible.

Despite that, the content was still difficult for Subaru to understand, but, somehow, he managed to pick up its nuance.

In other words――,

Abel: [――It means that everything that composes this Demon City shares the power of Yorna Mishigure. Therefore, this city is a land that shall not fall easily, no matter how many armies you dispatch against it.]

Notes:

[1] A Japanese idiom for a situation in which it is obvious that even if one difficult problem or disaster is solved or avoided, another difficult problem or disaster will be faced, henceforth making it extremely difficult to escape danger.

[2] Konkon is usually an onomatopoeic word used to refer to the cry of a fox, in this case, however, this word is used in the chapter for the technique that Yorna uses to make the citizens of Chaosflame stronger, “Soul Marriage Technique”, read in Japanese as “Konkon Jutsu.” Seeing how Yorna is a fox demi-human, the pun should be obvious. Abel uses the Kanji in writing (魂婚) for Soul Marriage, which is pronounced “konkon”. However, Al doesn’t really get what he’s referring to, hence his reaction, and saying the pronunciation out loud.