Tatakau Shisho Volume 4, 4: Life of a Certain Livestock – Part 1

Volu 4, Chapter 4: Life of a Certain Livestock – Part?1

Bantorra Library, Fifth Level of the Underground Labyrinth. In one of its corners were Noloty and Minth.

They were conducting special training as close as possible to actual combat. The two have continued fighting for several hours. They were going to keep fighting until both of them decide to resign due to their wounds. Noloty was the one who received the most damage, though.

She kicked the wall and jumped. She headed for the head by dropping her heel from a high place. Minth’s shooting attack easily intercepted her. His bullets were only light wooden blanks, but they still hurt.

“You’re lacking variations in engaging the enemy by close combat. Try to co up with more ways.”

He grabbed Noloty’s scruff after she collapsed and raised her. But when he removed his hand she fell down with a flop. Let’s leave it at that, thought Minth.

He carried Noloty and headed for the Labyrinth’s exit. Suddenly, he felt soone approaching from behind.

“…Aah, it’s you, Minth.”

“Old lady?”

Minth said. Ireia, whose ti had been stopped, was revived.

“Seems like it’s been a long ti.”

“Yeah. You’ve made us worry.”

Minth and Ireia began walking side-by-side. He made a general explanation of how the incident ended. Ireia was shocked at hearing about the loss of Feekiee and Mokkania.

“Did anything happen afterwards?”

“No, it’s been peaceful ever since that. More or less the only thing that’s changed is Mirepoc having gone to look for the guy called Lascall Othello.”

“Lascall Othello?”

Ireia stopped in place.

“Old lady, do you know anything?”

The color of confusion filled Ireia’s face.

When Mirepoc went to the Central Security offices, Kalon talked to her while he was on duty.

A ssage ca from Bantorra Library. It was addressed for Mirepoc and ca from Ireia. It only said to “please contact in your thoughts“. She imdiately connected to her with Thought Sharing.

‘So you’re back. I’ve been worried.’

Ireia imdiately cut to the chase. Sothing about her seed desperate.

‘I’ve heard about it. You’re looking for Lascall Othello.’

‘Yes.’

‘I will also co to assist you. I’ll be heading there right away.’

Mirepoc was surprised at the sudden offer.

‘That isn’t needed. Didn’t you hear the Director’s decision? She left it for the two of us.’

‘Is that really fine?’

‘We have only one enemy at the mont. Because I’m about evenly matched with her, there is no need for reinforcent.’

Mirepoc didn’t say she was worried about Lascall’s identity. Ireia seed troubled.

‘…If that’s what the Director decided, we have no choice but to follow her orders.’

How strange, thought Mirepoc.

‘Did you find out anything about Lascall?’

‘No, almost nothing.’

‘…I see.’

‘Do you know anything about Lascall?’

‘There’s sothing that bothers .’

‘What is it?’

‘Don’t you find it strange? Hamyuts-san had been very involved with Lascall Othello.’

‘…’

Thinking about it, it might have been so. Hamyuts was the one who shelved both the investigation of Lascall and Mirepoc’s proposal.

‘Perhaps Hamyuts-san knows sothing about Lascall. If she does, I wonder if she isn’t trying to intentionally not beco involved with it.’

‘There’s no way. You’re overthinking this.’

‘Perhaps Lascall Othello is a matter that mustn’t be touched upon.’

‘…There’s no way.’

‘A thing that mustn’t be touched upon even with battle strength on par with Hamyuts’s… what can that be?’

‘…You’re overthinking this, Ireia-san.’

‘I might be.’

Mirepoc cut off her Thought Sharing. The bad feeling she had since yesterday beca even worse.

Mirepoc started talking to Kalon while he was taking care of paperwork in the Central Security station. Seeing it, the other carefree sheriffs whistled at him.

“What is it?”

“This isn’t terribly important, but… when you were investigating Lascall Othello, have you ever felt so sense of danger?”

Kalon stared at her in puzzlent.

“What kind of danger?”

“…No, it isn’t really important…”

“Thinking about it, plenty of people ca to ask about Lascall lately. I wonder if that’s so new fad.”

“…It might be.”

“You, Mattalast-san, that ginger and a weird boy. Four people in such a short amount of ti.”

Kalon said sothing that caught her attention. The ginger must’ve been the rusty woman. But who was the strange boy?

“A boy ca to you?”

“Yeah. I told him the sa I told you and sent him ho.”

Why was he silent about such as important manner? Mirepoc sent her thoughts to Mattalast.

‘…How strange. Is there soone who looks for Lascall other than us and the Cult?’

‘Should we look for him?’

‘As soon as possible.’

After inquiring the boy’s appearance from Kalon, Mirepoc left the Central Security station.

She walked throughout the city looking for the boy. The children in schools around said they didn’t know him. So is he a tourist? Mirepoc scoured the lodging houses around.

Just who is that boy? Is he from the Cult? No, the rusty woman already t Kalon. He should be unrelated to them.

Just as Mirepoc was about to board the tram, a voice ca from behind.

“Wait.”

She turned around and was astonished. The rusty woman stood there. Mirepoc instinctively brought her hand to the sword at her side.

“Stop, we can’t battle here. Besides, I’m not in that kind of mood.”

It was just as the rusty woman said. Mirepoc let go of her sword. Also, in contrast to their last eting, Mirepoc could feel that the woman was disheartened.

The tram she was supposed to ride left without her.

“Hey, you, what have you been doing all this ti? You didn’t seem to be doing anything since coming here.”

“…You know already. I’ve been pursuing Lascall.”

“Huh, I think it’s a waste though.”

The rusty woman said in an indifferent voice. Mirepoc recalled that she had sothing she wanted to try and ask.

“I have a weird question.”

“What is it?”

“Lascall Othello might be a being that mustn’t be touched upon.”

At that mont Mirepoc saw – the rusty woman looked upset.

“What’re you saying?”

The rusty woman shook her head. But even Mirepoc was able to see she was just trying to bluff.

Just as I thought. Lascall is forbidden even for the Indulging God Cult.

“Is the conversation over? See ya.”

The rusty woman went away. While she gazed at her back, Mirepoc was thinking.

Just what am I searching for?

For the first ti, Mirepoc thought… that Lascall Othello was scary.

It beca night.

Mirepoc visited Kalon’s apartnt one more ti. She tried looking for clues about the boy, but even when looking for threads about Lascall, there was no one to go to other than Kalon right now.

He warmly welcod her.

Just as she set foot into his apartnt, Mirepoc was startled.

There were no piles of materials in the room. There were no piles of ancient docunts and books on the floor. Even the bookshelves were empty. The room had nothing in it.

“Kalon-san, what happened to all your material about Lascall Othello?”

“What are you talking about?”

He turned his face to Mirepoc in puzzlent.

“You were investigating Lascall Othello.”

“…Lascall Othello?”

Kalon’s expression and the state of his room couldn’t have been a joke. It was probably the Fiction Obliterating Cup Argax. Mirepoc recalled its existence.

“Well, but I’m happy to see an Ard Librarian up close though. It’s just like I’m inside a movie.”

Kalon spoke in an easygoing manner. Was he thinking Mirepoc ca to visit him? He excitedly started looking for so tea-cakes.

“Anyway, when did I et you? My recent mories are fuzzy.”

Mirepoc walked out of the place without a single word.

The enemy was on the move. They were erasing all those who had a connection to Lascall. First was Kalon, so who was next? Moodly? Or her? She couldn’t grasp their actions nor their identity.

Just what are we looking for?

Mirepoc stood still at a street corner and kept thinking. She had to keep looking for the boy, but her feet wouldn’t move.

She ran the information she heard about Lascall in this city inside her head.

A being that the Indulging God Cult have hidden. Even their believers weren’t allowed to know its identity.

A being that took control of the Cult’s Books and prevented them from falling into the hands of the Ard Librarians.

A being that existed for hundreds of years, carrying around the Books of people.

A being that erased all those who pursued its identity.

And a being that even Hamyuts didn’t want to get involved with.

If all the above information was true, it couldn’t have been human. Mirepoc didn’t have the power to battle a non-human opponent.

Was she going to challenge an opponent she had no chances to win against?

‘Mirepoc, what are you thinking about?’

At that mont, she received Mattalast’s thoughts.

‘Mattalast-san. Should we really continue this fight?’

‘What’re you saying?’

‘…Right. Even you tried sending away, Mattalast-san.’

‘What are you thinking about?’

‘We shouldn’t know about Lascall Othello, right? I’ve seen it written that all those who pursue Lascall Othello die.’

‘…’

‘That’s right. If soone who can control Books actually exists, be would be in the domain of a God. There’s no way the power of an Ard Librarian would be able to reach that.

Lascall Othello is a being far beyond the reach of us Ard Librarians.’

Mattalast was thinking about sothing for a while. He then sent further thoughts.

‘Mirepoc. Wait there for a bit. I’ll be right there.’

After transmitting this, Mattalast cut the connection.

Mattalast ca after a short while. He suddenly hit Mirepoc’s head. He only used his palm, but it was quite a powerful blow. She held her dizzy head.

“Hey now, Mirepoc.”

Mirepoc rembered. When she was a trainee he used to smack her head like this while scolding her.

“Relax.”

“…Yes sir.”

“You are free to imagine the enemy and fear them. It’s fine to investigate the enemy, but stop having stupid thoughts.”

When she was told so, she beca a little calr. The anxiety in her heart didn’t disappear, but her head cooled down.

“Mirepoc. Think well. What is that whole nonsense about everyone who pursues Lascall dying?

Who died? Neither I, you nor Kalon-kun were killed.”

“…Right.”

“I’ll say this clearly, you fell right into the enemy’s trap.”

“The enemy’s trap?”

Mirepoc asked back. However, Mattalast didn’t explain to her what he ant by that,

“It’s useless with your current state. Rest for a while. You can also keep looking for that boy later.”

“What do you an by rest?”

“Just what it sounds like. You can just take it easy at so café or anywhere, just do sothing to cool off your head.”

Mirepoc hung her head. This was the first ti she received such an order.

“Mattalast-san… what did you an by falling into the enemy’s trap?”

“You will understand once you cool off your head.”

After saying so, Mattalast went up and left.

Starting the next day, just as she was told, Mirepoc lay off her work.

How pathetic, she thought.

Perhaps the enemy was strong – this much had caused her to lose her temper. She couldn’t face Mattalast or her allies after that.

Nothing happened in the first place. The city was peaceful. It’s not like anyone was killed. She just overestimated Lascall by her own accord and was afraid of his non-existing shadow.

Mirepoc walked around the city while at her wits’ end. She drank coffee, went around shops without buying anything, and cooled off her head.

In fact, she was practically discharged. It ca as a shock to her.

Suddenly her feet stopped. There was a violin-playing girl at the street’s corner.

Not again, Mirepoc thought.

The one playing the violin was the rusty woman.

She seed to have noticed Mirepoc since a while ago. She silently lowered her violin and looked at Mirepoc.

“So we et again.”

The rusty woman said.

“Seems so.”

She thought so yesterday as well, but the woman sounded listless. Did sothing happen?

While fiddling with the violin’s strings, the rusty woman said,

“So you’re also not going to fight now? I don’t really mind fighting here.”

“I’m on a day-off.”

“Yeah, you said so yesterday. I laughed. You’re quite sothing, lady.”

The rusty woman grinned.

“Do you not fight because you’re off duty?”

“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Fighting I an. I only fight because that’s my job.”

Fuun, the rusty woman snorted.

“Eh, well. I also said that yesterday, but I’m not in a mood to fight.”

“So you won’t fight because you don’t feel like it?”

“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Fighting I an. I only fight because I want to.”

She showed Mirepoc a broad grin.

That woman was difficult to deal with.

Ever since she first t her, she felt like she lost the ntal battle against her. Why was that? It wasn’t an issue of the power gap between them. It was sothing on a more spiritual level beyond that.

“Are you going to listen?”

The rusty woman said as she lifted the violin’s string.

“…Perhaps I will.”

“Watch now and pay later.”

The rusty woman closed her eyes and quietly began playing. Mirepoc was thinking as she listened to the violin.

That’s quite foolish of to do.

However, I feel suitably foolish right now.

What am I doing? Although I ca this far trying to pursue Lascall, I only ended up relying on Mattalast.

I’ve never felt my own powerlessness until now.

Al was also thinking.

Was she pathetic? She could at least kill the woman in front of her. However, that was all she could do.

She was absolutely beaten by Mattalast, and then saved by the one supposed to be her enemy – the Overseer of Paradise. She wasn’t even able to grasp any clues about Lascall whom she was chasing after.

She was weak. That fact beca increasingly heavy on her mind.

Both Al and Mirepoc thought of the sa things at the sa ti.

Just what were they doing? In order to not admit they were powerless, weren’t they just involving themselves in a useless struggle?

After she finished listening to the violin, Mirepoc took small change from her wallet and threw it. She wasn’t sure of the lody’s quality, but she felt the musical performance was sad.

“Let tell you one thing.”

The rusty woman said as she received the small change thrown at her.

“I can sohow tell why you’re weak.”

“What do you an?”

“You fight while looking for a right answer. Should you kill? Shouldn’t you kill? You fight while thinking about that sort of thing. And that’s why you’re weak. I noticed this when I fought you for the first ti.”

Now that she ntioned it, it might have been so. However, it shouldn’t be sothing wrong.

“That’s what being an Ard Librarian is. We’re fighting for order, after all.”

“Then that’s no good at all, young lady.”

Al used her sa lines from when they fought for the first ti.

“I’m not like you. Whether it is right or wrong, I simply kill. You can’t do that.”

For a split second Mirepoc was convinced, but then she pulled herself together.

“Do you think I am the kind of fool to take advice from my enemy?”

“…Right, no fool would take advice from their enemy.”

Their conversation was probably over. Thinking about the fact that she had foolishly wasted her ti, Mirepoc started walking away.

“Hey, Mirepoc.”

“What?”

“We’re weak.”

She didn’t question the intention behind those words. Because she could hear these words ca from the bottom of her heart.

“What’re you going to do from now on?”

“I will do whatever I must do. That is all.”

After answering so, the rusty woman laughed.

“You’re right. There’s nothing to do but that.”

After parting from the rusty woman, Mirepoc started thinking.

It seems like she was encouraged. And it also seed like she herself had encouraged the rusty woman.

She will probably fight to the death with her once again. When that ti cos, will their conversation right now have any aning?

I should be grateful to Mirepoc. Thinking this, Al walked around the city.

She found a single clue. There was a piece of paper inside Mirepoc’s clothes. She probed it with her Sensory Threads while playing the violin.

Al knew a single na that was written in Parney’s last note.

Olt. This was the na of a man who was an executive of the Indulging God Cult. He was supposed to have left the Cult due to his advanced age.

Could he possibly be in this city? Al spread her Sensory Threads to search around.

The False Man Olt Gowla was responsible for managing information. He either eliminated or manipulated information that seed like it might connect to the Indulging God Cult. For that purpose he supposedly managed newspaper companies and in addition to that even film studios, theatres and other entertainnt companies were under his control.

Does that an this man once worked for Parney? It’s certainly possible.

After half a day, Al found an old man who lived in one of the city’s corners. Just as expected, Olt was in Fullbeck City. He lived in a desolate place that Al had neglected to search.

Al set her foot inside his modest… no, poor-looking house.

“…How careless.”

Al said. Only one lock protected the house’s door.

A man sat in a rocking chair. After a long ti of not seeing him, he beca an old man that was so withered to the extent that it seed strange he was still living.

“Were you not even able to arrange a single person to protect you?”

Al asked.

“What will a few troops help against an opponent that can find ?”

Olt answered with a hoarse voice.

“So, are you from the Indulging God Cult? Or perhaps the Ard Librarians?”

Olt turned his face to Al. It seed his eyesight was also lost to old age.

“…The Cult. Or more precisely, a traitor to the Cult.”

“I see.”

Saying this, Olt slowly rose up.

“The one holding Parney Parlmanta’s Book is you.”

“Indeed.”

“It is admirable how you’ve hidden it till now.”

“I cut off connections from both the light and the darkness. Since no one knew , no one knew to reach .”

“Why do you have Parney’s Book?”

“Lascall Othello gave it to . She could not ascend to Heaven. Because of this, at the very least she wished to stay by the side of soone who knew her.”

“Lascall…”

Al murmured without thinking. Olt questioned her.

“Are you perhaps Al?”

“Yeah.”

“I rember you well.”

“Why?”

“There are but few False n that yearn for True n like and you. So I felt sympathy for you in that sense.”

“…Were you also like that?”

“Yes. Parney was a pitiful person. She destroyed the happiness she wished for with her own hands.”

“I have no interest in Parney. What I wish to know is only about Lascall.”

“Lascall?”

“I ca here to find his identity.”

Olt smiled faintly. And he pointed to a Book left in one corner of the room.

“You will probably understand when you read it. You see, Lascall exists in a different plane than us.”

Al stared at the Book. This is her goal, for which she ca here. For this she betrayed the Cult, manipulated Winkeny and killed the False n.

So why did she hesitate now?

“Are you not going to read it? That should be your goal.”

She recalled the Overseer of Paradise’s words. She shouldn’t be able to reach the truth about Lascall.

That being the case, perhaps this Book will not yield any results. Is that why she hesitated?

Or was it a trap?

“Will you not read it?”

Or was he just confident that Al could not reach Lascall’s identity?

“…You can also stop if that is what you wish.”

What did she hesitate about? She would understand if she saw it.

Al extended her hand. Her fingers touched the Book and the mories ca flowing in. They were the mories of a pitiful woman who had once belonged to the Cult.