“Kaede, huh? Is he possibly a reincarnator? Nemus, are you a former Japanese?”
“I’m Nemus!”
It’s Nemus’ usual sentence, but he shouts it out, full of spirit. And then he energetically bends his upper body, bringing his rectangle face close to my face.
The weird movements of his twig eyelashes are cute…
But, Nemus is crying. Gem-like tears are spilling out of his crystalline eyes. Each of the tears is very pretty as it falls. They look mysterious, as if liquid has accumulated in a transparent, crystalline egg. Those tears drop down from his steely wooden collar to the decollete. The decollete is a very deep collarbone similar to a marble fountain disk. As they slid down along the decollete, the tears leaped off the bones’ edges which looked like bending and winding ski jumping hills.
Beneath the decollete, an unusually shaped sternum follows. That sternum has many layers of folded wood and metal, which seem to have had a Damascus finish applied to them, as if countless swirls are coiling while bining with each other in plex patterns. A huge crest and a huge broach with chaotic, geometrical patterns are installed on his sternum. Its surface reminds me of a 『shriveled pear』 or 『a grimace full of pain』.
Rather than one part of his torso which maintains such a mysterious shape…it’s about Nemus’ heart – the meaning why he’s brought his face so close to me that it actually fills my entire field of vision.
I wonder, is it okay for me to take this as his reaction to my question whether he is a reincarnator? …I mean, he can’t say anything but “I’m Nemus”, so it’s kinda unclear. And I don’t have a Nemus inspection-like skill like Moga does. That’s why I can’t read what he’s thinking or feeling.
For starters, let’s think about a way how I’ll understand the answer from his body language.
…His crystalline eyes stare at me while I’m pondering about all that.
“…Nemus, umm, is it alright for me to interpret you having brought your head close as you prehending my words?”
“I, am Nemus.” Nemus opens his mouth, and says. His lips and teeth are made out of wood and a sharp-looking, steely material.
“Okay, then I’ll go on with the conversation based on that assumption. So, assuming you’re a reincarnator and if this just now meant to be a confirmation, could you vertically bend your big trunk once? And if you mean to deny it, please shake it sideways.”
“…I am, Neeemus!”
Nemus seems to have understood me. But, where are Nemus’ ears actually located? Oh, well…that doesn’t matter now anyway.
I think Nemus is hurrying after hearing my words, but his body still moves slowly with the joints in his torso creaking. Still, he properly answers me by vertically bending his body.
So he’s confirming, meaning Nemus is a reincarnator, huh?
“…Reincarnator… If I assume that Kaede was your former name, would that make you a former Japanese woman?”
“I…am…Nemus.”
Another confirmation. So, she’s Kaede-san, huh…? Judging by the name being somewhat old-styled, she maybe es from the Heian period (794-1185 AD)?
Well, as result of plex phenomenons or the existence of high-ranking gods, who govern the dimensions that interfere through other worlds, quantum-based multiverses, many-worlds interpretation, and divine ID operations, many people seem to have been transferred or reincarnated into his world from various epochs including past and modern days… It’s possible that she came from any era and world.
Pelneet alone already houses quite a few reincarnators and transferees such as Diviner Kazane, Manabu who mands firebugs through his mallet, Kirie who works under the second prince right now, Tanaka who runs a sweets store with wonderful ice, and Taichi who possesses a divine, right arm who allowed him to create ten-ten-dutea. There might also be non-Japanese around as well. Even on my Earth, there were some beings who were born while having memories of their past.
The stories in Tibetan Buddhism about that are quite famous. According to that kind of Buddhism, all living beings are part of an endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth. That circle of transmigration allows your soul to live eternally, even if your body perishes temporarily. Though there will be no end if you consider this in regards to karma…
Well, Pelneet might have so many because it’s a labyrinth city. No, in the first place, I’m me, right?
The Beginning. The previous white space where I had been sucked into through that cosmos-like, black vortex. A chair and table awaited me there. Just when I thought that the chair’s surface had awfully many decorations, I found out that those were actually faces. Many, many, black eyeballs appeared out of the eye sockets of those faces. That army of eyeballs scanned me while repeatedly zooming in and out like a camera.
The beings who created the white space where such things exist…are they aliens with a highly advanced civilization capable of traveling through dimensions? Gods? Or maybe both?
Blood-smeared boots had been casually left behind underneath the table. Did those boots…belong to someone? It’s also strange that they fit my feet perfectly.
Since I’ve lived for a long time in the underground after reincarnating, those boots naturally became worn-down and tattered… I don’t think there’s any particular meaning behind them since they weren’t really anything special to begin with, but…no wait, blood was clinging to the boots. That means, the blood was carried over to the world here from a world in another dimension. Would that be okay in regards to germs and such?
Blood…the race before Light Demon Lucival was Half Vampire. And I became a Light Demon Lucival by choosing . Has the blood anything to do with vampires? …I guess I’m overthinking here.
Moveover, this vast universe, and a world where gods roll their dice. A world filled with mana and magic where the gods have formed an eternal connection extending over past, present, and future without altering the true form of things while all phenomenons are ever changing. Its universe follows somewhat different physical laws from the universe I know of. A world where I want to believe that it’s not a world that has been programmed in advance. Though I possess no more than trivial knowledge about it, even if I include the universe I know of…
And then there’s the reason why I was reincarnated on this planet among all the countless galaxies spreading across the navy blue, aubergine night sky. It’s a planet with the appropriate distance to the sun, allowing for life to exist. Is it a coincidence that I arrived on this planet consisting of abundant water and nature? I wonder about it every time, but am I dancing on the palm of Fate God Ashura like people dance on Buddha’s palm? Is it 『because it’s just right』 like the girl appearing in Britain folklore?
My formidable enemy Takebayashi mentioned that he was being influenced by the power of the Forest’s Reincarnation God Goddeath or some such. Is it actually the effect of the Reincarnation Seed of Dimension Tearing which Kazane’s party had obtained from a rainbow-colored treasure chest on the tenth floor of the labyrinth?
…The Reincarnation Seed of Dimension Tearing, huh? It was sold from the Radford Empire to Seven Florseil… In the end, it’s the item considered to have bee the main cause for Takebayashi and the others to have been transferred into this world.
That Takebayashi was a human, but at the same time he was a strong fighter using skills and powers based on the blessing of a god I’ve never heard of. The words of him as a warrior, who had grown by surviving many years on battlefields, were no lies. He used a sword style where he had mastered an exciting, magnificent, and unique dual-wielding style…it was as skillful and mighty as the sword style used by Galroh, the leader of the Shadow Wing Brigade.
Galroh used a two-handed sword, but…in the fights with Takebayashi and Galroh…
As I continue my lengthy deliberations while imagining the stylish ten blade nails of Hoffmann…
“…I, I, am, Nemus…” Nemus talks to me with a gentle, low voice as if worrying about me.
Occasionally I end up realizing my own foolish ignorance, but it looks like it’s shown on my face this time.
“…Sorry. So, Nemus, would it be better for me to call you Kaede as it’s written on your shoulder?”
“I am, Nemus!”
She calmly shakes her body left and right. So, it’s a no. Nemus is Nemus, eh? A woman is hidden within, but she appears to prefer her name to be Nemus.
No…if I assume Kaede-san existed within the steel tree for such a long time that it actually felt like eternity…it might be inevitable for her to reach the conclusion that it’s fine to call her Nemus at this point.
Well, this is just my own selfish guess, though. Thus it might be pletely wrong as well.
Nemus has been continuing to shake her body while I’ve been pondering. There’s life in the swarm of twigs growing out from her torso and shoulders. Small buds with new leaves are growing, multicolored flowers are blooming, and red, dry leaves are still stuck on the twigs. The countless twigs, which are branching out in all directions, are trembling like a field of flowers that’s visited by a gust of wind while she continues to shake.
And then the red, dry leaves sadly flutter down after having served their purpose. Even the moss clinging to the wood’s surface falls off as if sliding down. The moss then sticks to her huge legs. All kinds of bugs, who have been nesting in the holes and trenches on the surface of Nemus’ body, crawl out of their hiding.
Fallen leaves and bugs? It does have a charm. The circle of life is continuing in Nemus’ body. If now it only snowed as well, she could represent all four seasons on her body. Those holes look like a golden caterpillar like Catiza could creep out of them.
Still, the whole is a very mysterious life form. Suddenly Rollodeen moves after having her interest piqued.
“Nn~, nyanyano.” She meows as if saying, 『Nemus’ body is funny ~nya』.
And then she circles around on the spot as if chasing after her own tail. It looks like she plans to match Nemus’ left-right shaking with a weird dance. Rollodeen continues to move sideways just like I’d do when rotating on my toes while delivering cat punches at Nemus’ huge legs.
I watch Nemus dance as well… It’s almost as if my Spirit value is being sucked into those small holes… That mysterious dance looks like it’s got a hypnotic element.
Rollodeen has bee pletely engrossed with tapping Nemus’ legs. Seeing how she’s a panther right now, the pads on her paws’ soles are naturally big as well.
As those two keep messing around, I keep gazing at the falling red leaves, which drop from branches that look similar to those of maples, just like the kanji suggests.
“…Nyaa.” Rollodeen also notices the red leaves. “Nnn――”
She wields her forepaws as if doing kung-fu. She splendidly hits the leaves, as they sway in the wind, with her sharp claws, cleanly bisecting them. Since she also unleashes a cat punch every once in a while, it looks like she’s dancing.
Going by the gloss of her black fur as black panther, which is called puma in America, and her movements resembling a kung-fu panda from some movie, I guess you could call her a kung-fu puma… But, at the same time her doing this jabbing training means that she’s not watching our vicinity.
“…Rollo, please watch the surroundings for now.”
“Nn.” She stops her cat punches while growling throatily.
“The vampire Hoffmann, and especially the Death Butterfly people, who are trying to revive their god, might e to pick a fight with us. Please stay on guard.”
“Nyaa.”
Rollodeen tears her eyes off Nemus after answering with a clear, high-pitched meow. And then she immediately moves her nose, sniffing the air. My partner shifts her head around to take in the surrounding scent.
Suddenly, her head stops while pointing diagonally to the left front, as she apparently smelled something bothering her. She takes one step forward with her left forepaw. But then turns her head my way, staring at me with her red eyes.
“Partner, I’m going to be fine.”
My partner acts as if nodding.
“Nn, nyao――”
After meowing once more, she extends her left forepaw once more, and starts running. Her long tail isn’t swaying. Going by her speed, she seems to have sensed a monster diagonally to the left front.
Higlia keeps gazing at the powerful and smooth way of Rollodeen’s running. Her blue eyes are adorable.
Rollodeen leaps on a decayed tree that looks like it’s going to crumble apart anytime soon. But, using it as a scaffolding, she immediately uses her hind legs to leap to the front. For a short moment, she flies through the air. As she does, she releases tentacles to the left and right front. The tentacles stab into two thick trees on either side – I guess they serve as replacement for their usual anchors – and then she instantly accelerates by using the force of reeling the two tentacles back into her torso again. It’s a terrifying acceleration that makes her look like a single streak of lightning. Rollodeen vanishes between the trees while only leaving her afterimage behind.
I keep watching the movements, which befit a divine beast, together with Higlia. She had been occasionally mingling with the rescued people including Moga, Nemus, Arry, and Taack while using a haughty tone, but she kept all kinds of conversations going, giving me the impression that she’s rather sociable.
But, in the end, she appears to be a basically polite woman. Since I’ve been focusing on my conversation with Nemus and Rollodeen, I haven’t listened in on her much, but she got quite excited during some conversations that interested her.
『The military forces of the Tree Apparition King have been expanding their sphere of influence』
『A goblin telka has a hundred testicles』
『Don’t underestimate intelligent orcs』
『Isn’t there a user of Silver Light Spiders and the among those who have been rescued?』
『If there isn’t, the woman, who acted so intimately with Shuuya back then, must have been a warrior at the level of a division mander, possessing a precious bloodline, just like she hinted at with her talk about “family”…』
At this moment, the children asked her, “Difishion komanda?” and “What’s a difishion komanda?”, but Higlia didn’t answer their question.
『Unknown Skill Search Church? I’ve never heard about something like that. Rather than that, just how many adventurers are currently investigating this area?』
『Recently, the neighborhood of the 【Ancient Keel Tunnel】, which continues to the 【Graveyard of Ancient Gods】, has been rather noisy. Battles with people, who are operating based on various ulterior motives of the underground world such as the underlings of Ancient God Go Rad, have been going on all over the place. Make absolutely sure to not get close to them. The underground is a vast, different world. Think of it as being connected to an abyss of darkness. You’ll go astray in the realm of the dead』
The karmnian man and old human, who heard Higlia’s warning, said, 『Graveyard of Ancient Gods?』, 『Is there such a place in the Sea of Trees?』, 『I’ve never heard of it』, 『Silver-haired, pretty lady, you appear to be quite a formidable adventurer』, and 『Your blue eyes are beautiful』, turning into seduction midway, but it didn’t cause any change on Higlia’s expression.
『Are the black nobleman and the powerful vampire, who fought the Death Butterfly woman earlier, truly unrelated?』
『I’m satisfied since I could get revenge for Zacksel…besides I told Shuuya my name…afterwards, we’ll together…on the divine bedding…』
And such she said. Higlia directed a womanly look at me while mixing words oozing with her affection for me at some points in the conversations with the other people. However, she didn’t tell anyone about her being an ancient wolfwoman. It’s probably because she understood from her earlier conversation with Nora that there are big differences between human and ancient wolfmen.
Once I meet her eyes now, she bashfully averts hers, just to look back at me soon again with a slightly shyness coloring her face. When I cast a smile at her, she mutters under her breath, “Shu-Shuuya, please don’t be too hard on me during the duel…”
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t plan to duel you.”
“W-What was that!?”
Her expression dyes in shock as if you could hear a wham from it. Even so, Higlia has been maintaining the pretty E-line on her slender chin.
However, look, I’m sorry, but I’d like to avoid troublesome matters if possible. I have to return to Quiche’s village while taking Arry and Taack along. I’m also worried about my friend’s butt…though it should be fine as long as Helme doesn’t do anything weird.
While thinking about all that, I shift my eyes back to Nemus who’s stopped her weird dance. Her crystalline eyes are pointed at Moga.
“Nemus, we must go back to the exploration party we lost on the way, you know?”
“I’m Nemus.”
“Yes, the dwarven professor who tried to cut off your arms and legs.”
“I, a, m, Neeemus.”
“Hahaha, do you hate him that much? But, timewise, they might already be on their way back to Hekatrail, I think.”
“…I, am Nemus.”
“Hmm? You’re not all that eager? It looks like you had a chat with Shuuya, but is there something bothering you?”
“I’m Nemus!”
“I see.”
Moga spreads his small arms to the sides with the intent to indicate his understanding. The
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