Sakura didn’t seem to be convinced by what Kagali-san said, but she made Kagali-san promise her, “Please tell it to me when I grow up.”
We walked along a paved path, surrounded by forest. No one was around, so it was quiet.
Sakura is riding on Swaying Bear, and I am riding on Hugging Bear.
“So, where are we going?” (Yuna)
“It’s the place where the head of the serpent is sealed.” (Kagali)
She said there are five locations of the seal, the four heads, and the body. We’re heading for one of the sealed heads.
“Oh, by the way, Kagali-san was the one who’s managing the seal, right? Didn’t you notice that the seal was weakening until Sakura noticed?” (Yuna)
According to my memory, Sakura’s prediction said she noticed the seal weakening.
”That’s…….” (Kagali)
“That?” (Yuna)
“I was sleeping.” (Kagali)
“You were sleeping?” (Yuna)
“Etto, Kagali-sama can go asleep for several days straight.” (Sakura)
“I am a fox, not a human. When I sleep, I sleep for days. And on the other hand, I can also stay awake for days. And this time, I drank too much and slept for a month.” (Kagali)
A month?! Isn’t that too much sleep? Also, getting dead drunk while on duty monitoring the giant snake.
“When we came to wake her up, she said, ‘One more month’.” (Sakura)
One more month, she said. How much longer do you want to sleep?
And she said that she had slept for several years in the past.
So, are you really overseeing the condition of the seals?
“I can’t say about the others, but I’ve had my moments of peace too.” (Kagali)
Well, if nothing happened for a few hundred years, that might be the case.
=====
After walking for a while, we saw a temple-like building similar to where Kagali-san stayed.
“In here.” (Kagali)
Kagali-san opened the door and went inside. Inside the building, there’s an ample space and a staircase in the center. Kagali-san touched the magic stone on the wall, and the stairs lit up.
“Sakura and Shinobu……” (Kagali)
Kagali-san said their names, thought for a moment, and then looked at Ruimin.
“…And Ruimin, you three wait here.” (Kagali)
“Why? You didn’t say that when I was here before.” (Sakura)
“Things have changed. It may not be pleasant to look at this time. In which case, bear girl, I don’t think you should see it either, but if you really want to fight the serpent, you should look at it.” (Kagali)
If it’s disgusting, I don’t want to see it either.
“Shinobu, keep an eye on Sakura and Ruimin to make sure they don’t move from that spot.” (Kagali)
“Swaying Bear, Hugging Bear, please keep an eye on Sakura and Ruimin too.” (Yuna)
“Ku~u ~ n”
Well, I don’t think the seal will suddenly be lifted, but just in case.
Leaving the three behind, Mumroot-san and I descended the stairs with Kagali-san in the lead. As we descended the stairs, we found another large space.
“That’s the hole you guys dug.” (Kagali)
Mumroot-san looked nostalgic. Perhaps it was a hole made by a fellow adventurer from those days.
Kagali-san walked to the center and touched something that looked like a magic stone buried in the ground. Then a large magic circle appeared in the basement. The magic circle was several tens of meters in size. Then the magic circle glowed reddish-black and started to flash slowly. The red-black color looked disgusting.
It’s definitely not something I’m comfortable looking at.
As I looked at the magic circle, I felt as if it had moved.
Do magic circles move?
I thought I imagined it, but I wasn’t.
A large, black, circular object inside the magic circle moved.
I stood my ground.
“Is there something…?” (Yuna)
Kagali-san immediately answered my question.
“It’s the eye of the serpent. It glares at you when you come near it.” (Kagali)
The Eye of the Serpent?
Their eyes glimmered and seemed to be watching us.
The fact that she can tell those were eyes made me feel even worse. Surely I shouldn’t let Sakura and the others see those. They might not be able to go to the bathroom at night alone.
Its eyes scanned the area and stopped at a point. If I wasn’t hallucinating, I am sure it’s staring at Mumroot-san.
But when Kagali-san touched the magic stone and channeled the magic power, the serpent’s eyes slowly closed.
“It’s about time to reach the limit. For now, I put my magic into it every day to hold it in place, but the seal could be broken at any moment.” (Kagali)
But if that’s the eye now, how big is that giant snake?
“I’ll look it up a little.” (Mumroot)
Mumroot-san walks toward the magic circle.
“Try not to provoke it.” (Kagali)
Mumroot-san walked over the magic circle while checking it and occasionally put his hand on it. He repeated that many times.
“It’s a terrible situation. It seems I couldn’t seal it completely.” (Mumroot)
“It’s amazing that we’ve been able to seal it for hundreds of years. It’s just that we’ve lived in peace for so long that we haven’t thought about what to do if something goes wrong, and now the bill has come due” (Kagali)
“Remembering it gives me a headache. We’re living in a barrier. And we were saved by Missy.” (Mumroot)
In the case of Mumroot-san, the monster that had been sealed up was not revived. It’s just that the monster got into a place that people can’t get into. And I don’t think there’s any way to deal with that.
“Peace cannot be maintained without doing anything. Samurai and soldiers keep security and protect against the threat of monsters. That way peace is maintained.” (Kagali)
“But I don’t think a big threat like Orochi would be easy to deal with, would it?” (Mumroot)
“There was plenty of time to think. Yet, I and the people of the Land of Harmony, did not do so.” (Kagali)
Indeed a few hundred years is plenty of time to think.
“But at the same time, a few hundred years is plenty of time to forget. As generations pass, the memory of those days fades and the sense of urgency disappears.” (Mumroot)
I also don’t understand what people mean when they talk about the war in the past. I know it’s not good, but I don’t know how much fear and suffering people felt back then, or how desperate they were.
When it comes to the Warring States period, I only know them like in a movie or in a story.
“I, who put up the wards to keep the men out, was one of those who didn’t think anything of it. Because of that, we are losing our strength even before the fight. Mumroot, my desire to have you on the island led me to put the seal and wards on top of each other.” (Kagali)
Perhaps it was impossible to keep those she thought might come to see her by entering the ward.
Even if I parted from Fina, I would use it if there was a way to meet.
“The peaceful people of the Land of Harmony and my selfishness have brought us to today’s situation. I’m sorry you had to go through all this trouble yourself. I wish you would let me give you some advice. ‘Don’t do anything stupid’.” (Kagali)
If I had the same problem as Kagali-san, I would at least try to avoid people. The bear house was similar to that in a sense.
“I don’t think so. It’s important to protect yourself. But did you ever think of living in a castle or something?” (Mumroot)
“No matter how heroic I am, I’m still just a fox who has lived for hundreds of years. I can’t stay in the same place. Only a few people knew about me. If I stay in the castle, some people will think I’m crazy. Besides, I feel more comfortable alone.” (Kagali)
In other words, you’re a hikikomori just like me.
“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused Mumroot. I’m really sorry.” (Kagali)
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind if you rely on me, And I’ll help you as much as I can.” (Mumroot)
“I appreciate it.” (Kagali)
Kagali-san smiled happily.
Hey, I’m here too. Do you think it would be wrong if I told her that?
“So, Mumroot-san. Are we going to be able to manage?” (Yuna)
I asked Mumroot-san, who’s examining the magic circle while listening to Kagali-san’s story.
“As Kagali said, the seals and wards are intricately intertwined. If we break one ward, all the connected seals will be broken.” (Mumroot)
“Mumroot, can’t we break the seals one at a time? If it’s one at a time, I think we can manage with less effort.” (Kagali)
“There is a way, but we’ll have to wait and check the other seals before we know if it’s possible.” (Mumroot)
=====
We walked up the stairs and came back to where Sakura and the others were.
The three of them were resting, leaning against Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.
Then we went to the second and third magic circles in the basement where the big snake was sealed.
“One more head, then the body.” (Mumroot)
“So, Mumroot-sama. Do you think we can manage?” (Sakura)
“If we do anything to it, there is a good chance we’ll break the seal. The only way to reseal it is to weaken Orochi’s power once and for all. So I’m talking to Kagali, and we’re trying to figure out a way to deal with it one head at a time.” (Mumroot)
“Is it possible?” (Sakura)
“We think we can get by with temporarily strengthening the wards at the other sealing points. However, in the meantime, we need to weaken one of the heads and seal it.” (Kagali)
“How much time do we have?” (Sakura)
“We don’t know how much power Orochi has accumulated, so we don’t know how much time we have. It’s a race against time. The only question is the strength of the force. Is it just me and Missy after all……” (Mumroot)
“They’ve been collecting them at the castle, but I can’t count on them because of the wards.” (Kagali)
“If the seal is broken. Soldiers are supposed to gather near the harbor. Also…” (Shinobu)
Shinobu looked at Sakura with some difficulty.
“What is it?” (Sakura)
“It’s been suggested that we put a wizard on the ship to guide the serpent away from the land.” (Shinobu)
“Does that mean they’ll fight from the ship?” (Yuna)
“No, it’s not. It’s just a way to lure it away from the country.” (Shinobu)
“Then the ship is…….” (Yuna)
“They won’t make it back alive. If the serpent attacks, the ship will sink.” (Shinobu)
“Then, that means.” (Yuna)
“It’s a suicidal move.” (Shinobu)
“Wait, I didn’t know anything about that.” (Sakura)
“It was done in secret to keep Sakura-sama from worrying. But, according to Sakura-sama’s prediction, nothing has changed after that. That’s why the king thinks it will fail. But the others are going ahead with it as a last resort.” (Shinobu)
“I don’t want to do it that way.” (Sakura)
“If we fail here, the serpent will turn towards the Land of Harmony anyway.” (Shinobu)
If Sakura’s prediction was correct, there was little hope of success.
“And in doing so, it could go to another country. I can’t believe we’re forcing the disaster of our country on another country.” (Shinobu)
“I don’t know how Sakura feels, but the higher-ups have to think about protecting their people first, before other countries. If Suou makes such a decision, you can’t blame him.” (Kagali)
“…………”
“And that’s why I’ll do my best not to let them do that.” (Kagali)
Kagali-san puts her hand on Sakura’s depressed head.
“Yes.” (Sakura)
Sakura looked up and replied.
I don’t want it to come to the town of Mereera, so I want to subdue it here.
=====
Author’s Note:
After confirming the seal, the battle with Orochi is about to begin soon.
※ The next post will be posted 4 days later.
=====
