K -R:B-

Chapter 1

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K R:B by Azano Kouhei

2 (pages 32-55)

What lied at the root of his life was a certain “question”.

He had been called prodigy since he was very small. With a brilliant mind and matching excellent athleticism, he always stood head and shoulders above the rest, no matter what task he was given. His ordinary parents of ordinary birth were genuinely happy to have produced such a splendid son. His older brother, who resembled their parents, also took pride in having the overachieving younger sibling.

He was fully aware of how vastly superior he was to his parents, brother and the people around him. Incidentally, that superiority became the root of isolation and solitude, breeding a certain brand of cynicism and the feeling of resignation in him. However, he was not nearly stupid enough to let it warp his personality. He sincerely accepted the affection he was showered with, and, carrying neither modesty nor arrogance to excess, continued to walk the path he believed to be “right” in the earnest.

His life was completely devoid of failures and defeats, and there was hardly any sorrow or anger to speak of present in it.

However…

The “question” burdening him never quite disappeared.

For humans, there are things they can do and things they cannot.

People find their path in life among the things that they can do.

And for some reason, he was able to see their path, their “answer” of sorts, clearly. He could see right through the people he met to the persons they were and predict with uncanny accuracy what position would be most suitable for them.

…No, it did not apply only to people. He could perceive with astounding clarity the significance and the ideal shape of all sorts of objects and affairs. It was all too clear to him and he was satisfied. Needless to say, he was not conceited enough to hope to understand the whole of creation. Things he did not understand were aplenty, because the world was a wast place, of which he was aware - at the very least, he had properly accepted the fact that things beyond his understanding were bound to exist and the world was nearly limitless and profoundly deep. This acceptance was a sure sign of a wise man.

Despite all of his brilliance, there was a question he could never find the answer to, no matter how he tried.

Who was he?

Acting like he knew everything and producing the results like no task was difficult to him, in the end, what kind of being was he?

For humans, there are things they can do and things they cannot. Except, he could do most things. Easily, too.

People find their path in life among the things that they can do. Then, how should someone like him, who could do such a great many things, live his life?

Were the people by his side to know that he, always so calm and composed, had been having these thoughts constantly bearing on his mind, they would doubtlessly be very surprised and puzzled. To him, however, these concerns were an inescapable shadow cast on his life.

Who was he?

He had learned the answer when he was 21.

†

It was sudden and dramatic, yet at the same time it was the moment he had been waiting for quite a long time.

Omitting various fatalistic viewpoints and stating concise facts only, it was an incident involving hijacking of a pa.s.senger plane by terrorists in the sky 12,000 meters above the ground.

The terrorist group that hijacked the international flight en route from Los Angeles had 2 objectives. The first one was to make known their enmity and criticism towards j.a.pan as the country that, thanks to its explosive growth in the postwar period, was now dominating half of the world economy, as well as towards a chain of its core corporations. The other objective was to extort a vast ransom from the wealthy j.a.pan. In that sense, rather than putting them in the same category as political or religious terrorists, it might be more appropriate to call them an armed criminal group. Either way, they were not professionals, but neither were they amateurs, and their plan, while by no means perfect, was, nonetheless, well-devised.

Their downfall was one small but unfortunate detail. A young man - Munakata Reishi - who happened to be on that flight.

Munakata carefully observed the hijackers, noting that they were not trained soldiers but civilians who were only good at unrefined brawling. He had also had to conclude that it was precisely because they did not receive any specialized military training that, should something unexpected occur, the possibility of there being victims among the pa.s.sengers would be alarmingly high.

By all rights, it was not a situation where a single civilian such as himself had any business meddling in. Unfortunately, in this case, it did not look like they had any time to wait for the authorities to intervene on their behalf. So Munakata had made a prompt decision and, when a gap opened in the terrorists’ formation, he charged one of them, appropriating his weapon. Not giving not only the terrorists any chance to notice his attack but also the pa.s.sengers time to start panicking, he successfully neutralized the two other terrorists that still remained in the pa.s.senger cabin.

What he did not expect was that a young woman - she was even younger than Munakata himself - also aboard that plane would quickly catch on his plan and help him. She seemed to be somewhat proficient in martial arts, but taking action in their situation still took a lot of courage and fearlessness. What impressed him about her the most was how “on-target” both her decisions and her actions were.

It just may be possible then, he judged and, enlisting her help without a moment’s delay, started working in coordination with her. The young woman met his expectations splendidly, and the two of them had managed to completely suppress the terrorists without letting anyone so much as get injured.

Two civilians in his early twenties and not even twenty yet respectively had accomplished the feat of seizing the control of the hijacked plane back from the terrorists. What they pulled off was not simply reckless, it was borderline crazy, but the pa.s.sengers and the crew members who witnessed them do it could only bat their breath before Munakata and his female helper calmly performing a miracle.

However, a serious problem still arose, only it occurred soon after the incident had been deemed resolved.

It was by pure accident that a bomb that the terrorists had set suddenly detonated. Even the terrorists themselves were left shocked by the unexpected explosion. The cause was not established until much later, but it seemed that the bomb had a manufacturing defect, and the fuse malfunctioned. Luckily, the airframe did not break down immediately upon the explosion, but the plane lost stability, starting on its descend towards destruction.

In a flash, the inside of the plane turned into h.e.l.l. The frame of the plane shook, the seats rocked forward at an angle, and every thing that was not fixed in place was thrown into midair. The luggage got jolted out of its storage slots, and the cabin windows, unable to withstand the force bearing on them, shattered, wind immediately forming a vortex because of the difference in the air pressure. Agonizing cries filled the cabin as the people were overcame with maddening panic.

Still, even in the middle of that pandemonium, Munakata’s thinking processes kept running. He kicked that vastly superior brain of his into top gear, searching for the measures he could take. Despite calmly concluding deep down inside that there was nothing he could do in his present situation, he did not give up, continuing to grope for a way to deal with the crisis.

Not because he did not want to die. And neither because he thought that it would work out somehow.

It was simply because he thought that it was the “right” thing to do that Munakata did not abandon hope. ‘This is what I must do,’ he believed and, therefore, continued exploring for a way out, devoting the whole of his body and mind to the task. That was likely his very first actual experience of being “serious”.

Shutting out the screams and noise, he let thought fill every fiber of his being. Synapses frying, in all the mind-blowing seriousness, he hunted for an answer that did not exist anywhere in this world, sp.a.w.ning new and new branches of thought and exploring an infinite number of them.

Suddenly, he became aware that his heart was pounding like a drum.

Something had linked to his heartbeat.

And then—

What he felt first was confusion. For Munakata, that feeling was something exceedingly rare, but when he realized his situation, he, indeed, felt bewildered, and his thoughts ground to a halt. The next thing he felt was a surge of interest - one of his bad habits - that made him forget even his utter seriousness from just a few moments ago and take joy in the unexpected turn of events instead.

In the darkness that appeared to be the perfect nothingness, Munakata alone was floating. No, it could be that his five senses simply shut down on him. In other words, he had probably died. And this was probably the so-called “afterlife”. How very fascinating. If a little boring. a.s.suming that this state would last forever, or at least for a lengthy period of time, dying was not exactly easy for human beings, huh, he contemplated.

Or, could it be that eventually his sense of self would disappear, and so would this feeling of boredom? No, to begin with, basing his reasoning on the concept of time may have already been meaningless. What was happening to him presently? His thought processes seemed to still maintain their chronological logicality, but he had no means to verify it conclusively. No, wait, wasn’t the feeling of boredom he was experiencing at the moment proof that the pa.s.sage of time, that is, the phenomenon of the flow of time still existed, and that the feeling he experienced towards that phenomenon had not been lost? This was truly fascinating. And still a little boring.

Except, suddenly, Munakata was not bored anymore. For he sensed that he was not alone: there was something out there lying quietly. At that moment, the darkness of nothingness transformed into the s.p.a.ce where the notion of “self and others” existed.

What Munakata had sensed was a giant disk-shaped mineral.

A slate.

Thump, his heart throbbed. At the same time, the center of the Slate lit up, and the veins of light that creeped across the Slate’s surface twinkled with beautiful pale blue radiance.

Thump, thump. The light veins were matching Munakata’s heartbeat, their glow getting brighter. Upon a loser look, there were geometrical patterns carved on the Slate’s surface. The light flow followed them, adjusting its wavelength to match Munakata’s heartbeat all the while.

Munakata recalled that just before getting “called” to this place, he felt that his heartbeat was linked to something. That something was this Slate.

The sight of the pulsating Slate was both grand and mechanical. It was as if the integrated circuit made in time immemorial, having obtained the catalyst in the face of Munakata, was put into operation.

The circuit directly linked to “fate”, with the “world” on-board.

As his excitement grew, Munakata’s heart rate was accelerating. Matching it beat by beat, the brightness of the light emanating from the Slate was also intensifying. Before the enthralled Munakata’s eyes, the Slate was fully enveloped in the light, and then the light engulfed Munakata as well. Munakata’s mind blanked out, and from the Slate, all sorts of things flowed into it.

The Slate’s memories.

The Slate’s power.

And the Slate’s will.

Munakata had learned that he had been “chosen”. But the moment he, despite himself, tried to take a closer look—

He was back in the pa.s.senger cabin of the falling plane.

The scene painted over with despair that he witnessed then hardly differed from the one imprinted in his memory. His thoughts started to spin around the concept of time perception again, but with a tiny smile, he pushed them aside and focused on the problem at hand.

Relying on the information he had just been given, he called upon his “power”.

From Munakata’s entire body, vivid blue light surged forth. The radiance spread, placing the surrounding s.p.a.ce under the “reign” of Munakata’s will. As they were being engulfed in the light, the people were freed from the grips of fear, their sanity recovering. And not only that. Paper cups, magazines and other things that were flying around froze right in midair, and even the roaring wind stopped suddenly. The blue light filled the inside of the pa.s.senger cabin and kept spreading, enveloping the whole plane. Not stopping there, the radiance expanded beyond it, forming a sphere with the plane at its center, and when the sphere’s radius reached about 500 meters,

“—Oops.”

Munakata had released the fail-safe of his “power”. The spreading power responded immediately, obeying Munakata’s intention as if delighted. With a clear “clink” sound, the sphere transformed into a shining blue cube with each side about 100 meters in length and trapped the entire body of the plane that was already on the verge of breaking down within it. It was very quiet inside the giant cube as if the time itself came to a halt within that s.p.a.ce, surrendering to “Munakata’s order” that defied even the laws of physics.

Pushing his gla.s.ses up a little with a fingertip, Munakata observed the result of his “power’s” application, nodding to himself in satisfaction.

Then, he suddenly looked up.

It was impossible to see through the ceiling of the plane’s cabin, but he sensed that above his location, a single enormous “sword” - the crystalline embodiment of his “power” - floated high in the skies.

Munakata’s sword.

The Blue King’s sword.

For a while, Munakata stared at the ceiling above him, then lowered his gaze back to look at the situation in the cabin.

The crew and the pa.s.sengers, having witnessed an undeniable supernatural phenomenon taking place right before their eyes, were sh.e.l.l-shocked and completely lost for words. The young woman who worked in collaboration with Munakata just a short time ago was not an exception. She was still clutching at the seat she gripped earlier in a desperate attempt to try and maintain her balance, her lips were pursed tight and expression stiff.

Evidently, she had no idea what was going on. And yet, despite the odds, she, just like Munakata only a little while back, had not given up. Although she was fully aware of the fl.u.s.tered state she was in, she still tried to confront this new mysterious situation.

So she indeed was a person of great talent conforming to his preferences. Munakata gave another, much more p.r.o.nounced nod at the thought.

“–Awashima-kun, was it?”
“Y-Yes…”
“It appears that my "question” of many years has been answered,“ he addressed the woman who was clearly tense with nerves, in a manner seemingly as cool as ever. Deep inside though, Munakata was feeling refreshed and elated. The young woman was waiting for him to continue, but he only smiled brilliantly and looked up again.

Just who was he?

"A king, huh… I see. I just didn’t understand.”

†

“I understand the particulars and see no problem. In the face of the Fourth and the Blue King, Munakata Reishi, I a.s.sent to Protocol 120 and shall succeed the Blue clan in accordance with it.”
“…Good. Then, as of now, command authority of Scepter 4 that was transferred to Timeless Palace is relinquished in behalf of the Blue clan. I’ll arrange for the necessary procedures regarding your official position to be handled immediately, as well. After that, do what you want.”

The one who told that to Munakata was an elderly man highly unusual in both appearance and bearing.

For one, he was a real giant. His height was easily over 2 meters, and what’s more, his thoroughly tempered body was radiating mature vitality. He had snow white hair and a matching snow white beard. Although his strenly looking face was lined with countless wrinkles, what old age endowded him with was not senility but dignity and overwhelming presence.

Even though all he did was simply stand there, his aura was so intense that it easily overpowered everyone in the vicinity. The grandeur akin to that of a steep peak that this old man possessed had already transcended age.

He was the Second and the Gold King, Kokujouji Daikaku, the great ruler standing atop the seven kings, guided by the Slate.

“Regarding the official position you are speaking of, am I to understand it is in Annex 4 of Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau?”
“That’s right. You’ll be the head there. Officially, at least.”
“Should I take the civil service examination, then?”
“…I can let you sit for it, if you so desire?” Kokujouji returned unimpressed, raising one brow slightly.
“No, thank you. I have no such desire.” Munakata retracted his question with a smile.

For all intents and purposes, the exchange looked perfectly casual, but a third party, had such been present there, would have questioned Munakata’s sanity. After all, there existed extremely few people who would dare to crack jokes on their first meeting with Kokujouji.

As to Munakata’s qualifications, actually, there would not be any problem even if the procedure was handled through proper official channels. Munakata was only 21, but he had already graduated from a university overseas skipping grades and even finished the master’s program. Additionally, invitations from several ministries and government offices that he had received could be mentioned for his track record. And now, with Kokujouji’s word added, there was no way Legal Affairs Bureau would refuse him the post.

Kokujouji Daikaku.

Many who knew this power broker that controlled political and business circles of j.a.pan and brought the nation unprecedented prosperity simply referred to him as “His Excellency”. The one behind j.a.pan’s drastic change, from the miserable state it was in after its defeat in World War II to the world leading economic power, was this man. He and his clan, Timeless Palace, as well as countless enterprises, agencies and all sorts of organizations under his umbrella had laid the foundation of present day j.a.pan and were now playing the role of the backbone supporting the national interests.

It was none other than this elderly man, currently towering before Munakata, who was the true ruler - the king - of this country.

And…

The source of Kokujouji’s, and well as Munakata’s, “power” was lying beneath the feet of the two kings.

In the heart of always crowded Nanakamado, the driving force behind the j.a.panese nation, there stood a towering skysc.r.a.pper - Kokujouji’s castle - commonly known as Mihashira Tower. The place where Kokujouji and Munakata were currently having a face to face meeting was a certain room inside that tower - the Slate Chamber. Just as the name implied, in that s.p.a.cious room, an enormous mineral was enshrined beneath the cover of tempered gla.s.s - the very Slate that Munakata saw earlier on the hijacked plane.

That Slate had been discovered in the middle of World War II and was named after the place where it was found, the “Dresden Slate”.

When Munakata’s consciousness linked to it before, he partly shared in the Slate’s memories. But those memories started only from the time when the Slate was dug out from an inner wall of an old church bas.e.m.e.nt in Dresden. Why was it sealed in a church wall? How was it brought in there? To begin with, was it man-made or not? And for how long had it been existing? No memories that could answer that kind of questions were left in the Slate. Research was being conducted to clarify those points, but most of things pertaining to the Slate still remained shrouded in mystery.

In contrast, the exceedingly unique phenomenon that was present in the Slate - or perhaps, was symbolized by the Slate - was researched fairly well in the closing period of WWII, in 1944, after the Slate had been excavated, by a scientist Adolf K Weismann and his sister, Claudia Weismann.

According to Weismann’s theory, the essence of the phenomenon that the Slate enacted was “to choose particular individuals among the species possessing sociality and to bestow the properties of a probability singularity upon them, as well as the ability to alter probability at will.” It was a supernatural power that was grounded in a specific attribute governed by a power’s holder that allowed the holders to manifest their will in objective reality and could even interfere with the laws of physics.

That was the gist of what the Slate did, selecting “kings” and granting them “power”. For supernatural power holders, starting with kings, this Slate was the progenitor that gave birth to them.

—It would perhaps be prudent to describe it as the mysterious stone that had changed history of the world behind the scene, then.

That was what Munakata thought to himself when he was escorted to the Slate Chamber and came before the Dresden Slate, immured in the floor, for the first time.

Munakata’s description was by no means exaggerated. It was a hard fact that Kokujouji, who brought the Slate to j.a.pan soon after the war ended in defeat, put that “power” to a good use and built the prosperity j.a.pan was enjoying today. After the Slate was moved to j.a.pan, all the kings were born only in that nation, and it was obviously due to the Slate being there. The Slate, that was lying dormant underneath Munakata’s feet, was the source of supernatural power, as well as the actual center of the world - or, perhaps, it also could be described as the coordinates indicating the main course of history and fate.

—And I, too…

Munakata, too, had been pulled in by the gravity the Slate emanated.

What kind of panorama would wait for him at the destination he was about to start on towards?

“At any rate, I now have a summarily understanding of what Scepter 4 is. Regarding the logistical support personnel that were in the care of Timeless Palace, I shall leave them at their posts. The problem is the disbanded combat troops - or rather, reorganization of the Swordsmen corps. Luckily, I was able to enlist a very competent woman for that purpose, but please understand that restoration of the combat formation and power to the level it was on previously will still take time.”
“If you revive Scepter 4, many former members will want to return,” Kokujouji pointed out solemnly in response to Munakata’s comment.

Clansmen did not lose their power after a king’s death. The logistical support staff still had theirs, and so did the former fighters of the Swordsmen corps, who either transferred sections or changed the line of work entirely. Those brave battle-tested warriors were full-fledged clansmen of the Blue clan even now.

However…

“Yes, about that…” There was a slight change in Munakata’s tone. “The Swordsmen corps are the core of the clan, and the pillar of support for the entire organization. Moreover, the public order maintenance duty cannot be carried out with any guarantee unless that part is under strong control. Therefore, I shall handle every matter pertaining to personnel selection personally and as I see fit.”

Munakata was not asking permission, his choice of words was that of someone notifying the other party of a decided matter.

The Gold king was, most likely, unrivaled as the most powerful king both when it came to his own power granted to him by the Slate as a king and to the influence and organizational capability his clan possessed. Protocol 120 was enacted and upheld precisely because this man was the leader. Although they both were equally kings, compared to a new king like Munakata, Kokujouji’s status was on a completely different level.

But still, they were a king and a king, and it had to be established - all the more because Scepter 4 was an official body connected to the prominent authority of the nation that was Kokujouji and his clan, Timeless Palace. Taking the relationship between the two clans from now on into account, Munakata could not reveal any excessive reverence of Kokujouji nor be too humble. He did not mean to be impolite, of course, but he needed to show that things that concerned him would be decided by him only.

His fears, however, seemed to have been unfounded.

“As I said, do what you want,” Kokujouji responded without hesitation.

The reply was curt, but it meant a great deal. Munakata nodded.

“Well then, once my status is settled, I shall start selecting my troops. Wherefore, I have a favor to ask of Your Excellency if you please.”
“What is it.”
“In order to find necessary capable personnel qualified for Scepter 4, I would like to check the civil service sector first - in particular, the police and national defense force. If a person I found suitable wishes for it - no, depending on the target person’s position, it might come in the form of an order… In any case, would it be possible for Your Excellency to also make necessary arrangements on your end beforehand so that the transfer or job change procedures for parties I handpick for my swordsmen corps would be handled in a swift fashion?”

Munakata stated his request without the slightest change in his composed countenance.

Quite the pluck he had before this old king, but, to his defense, it was a notoriously known fact that, for better or for worse, civil service offices were vertically-structured organizations. If their personnel was to be high-handedly headhunted through an order by another department - especially by a youngster barely over 20 - it would cause inevitable resistance. Even if Munakata could not care less about incurring their enmity, it would be troublesome to have paperwork obstructed and delayed at every turn.

Kokujouji responded to Munakata’s request almost without a pause, and again, favorably, “I will. Although I doubt it will be necessary.”
“Do you mean to say by that that the authority of Scepter 4 still exists, sir?”
“It’s decreased, but it didn’t disappear completely. In short, it depends on how you go about using it. Still, I will put in a word as well. The faster Scepter 4 is revived, the better.”

Kokujouji’s replies may have been curt but straight to the point.

Just like he said, officially Scepter 4 was nothing more than part of Legal Affairs Bureau, but in actuality it was a supernatural regulation organization with its own independent chain of command. It was a well known fact in the upper echelons of every ministry and agency that the organization had Kokujouji’s backing, so no one, not even the Cabinet, could meddle in its affairs easily. In the first place, to the government, the very fact of supernatural power holders’ existence was a constant headache. So for them, an organization that supervised and managed such people was essential.

Though, despite stating that fact, Kokujouji still promised Munakata to put necessary arrangements in place. In other words, he wanted to show that he would cooperate with Scepter 4 spearheaded by Munakata - that is, essentially with the Blue clan - with no efforts spared.

Moreover, Kokujouji, despite wishing for speedy revival of Scepter 4, also stated his intention not to interfere with personnel selection in any way. Naturally, the obvious fastest way to make Scepter 4 functional again was to draft the clansmen of Munakata’s predecessor in active service, but Munakata clearly indicated that he was not going to adopt this method, and Kokujouji essentially accepted his judgement, entrusting the overall initiative and leadership wholly to Munakata.

Was that open-mindedness of his due to his general policy of noninterference with the other kings and their clans? Or was he trying to a.s.sist the new king in his quest for independence as a wise senior?

Whichever was the case, as far as Munakata was concerned, Kokujouji’s att.i.tude towards him was beyond reproach. That in itself could be taken as a good sign, because at the early stages of the Blue clan’s formation, the Gold clan could become not only the greatest support one could have possibly asked for, but also the greatest menace.

Or…

“I have to say…” Kokujouji opened his mouth, and with a start, Munakata’s gaze focused on the elderly king, observing him closely. “I’ve seen quite a few kings in my lifetime, but I’ve never met anyone who adapted to his new situation as fast as you did.”

This was the first time Kokujouji addressed Munakata first since the beginning of the audience.
“Oya.” The elderly king’s unexpected impression appeared to surprise Munakata. “Is that so? How unexpected.”
“What is?”
“If I had to answer… Not only myself, but all those who had became kings shared the recollections and information that the Slate had acc.u.mulated and, thus, should have realized it, too: they should have seen with clarity what they needed to accomplish now that they became what they had through the mechanism such as that. Differences in the clans’ standpoints and nature are bound to exist, of course, but I do not think that there is any room for hesitation where their guiding principles are concerned.”

That was Munakata’s frank opinion.

For example, even for the meeting with Kokujouji, Munakata put on his predominantly blue uniform, not unlike military or naval dress-code in design. The uniform was that of Scepter 4.

Guided by the memories and knowledge he had gained from the Slate, Munakata had already visited the headquarters of Scepter 4 - that is, the stronghold of the Blue clan. He went there straight from the airport too, not long after he had awakened as a king. And that was because he had understood at once what he needed to do as a king and acted accordingly and efficiently. He had redesigned the Scepter 4 uniform for the same reason.

He, however, by no means thought that his course of actions was something peculiar. Having learned history a.s.sociated with the Slate, even a child would grasp what duty a king was ought to fulfill. Furthermore, that fate was irreversible, and one could only accept it. Bluntly put, even the time wasted on worry could be better spent elsewhere.

Any given problem should be answered with the most appropriate action. That was all there was to it.

However…

“If all the kings had no doubts and saw clearly what they needed to do, do you think you would be experiencing this change of headship yourself right now?”
“…”

At Kokujouji’s remark, Munakata’s shoulders jolted just a little. He did not give an immediate answer, choosing to right his gla.s.ses quietly instead - a habit he resorted to when he wanted to hide his expression.

Another Blue King existed before Munakata.

His predecessor’s name was Habari Jin. Needless to say, Munakata had already familiarized himself with the details of Habari’s death that took place 10 year prior.

The then Red King, Kagutsu Genji, “failed” as a king.

His Weismann level - an index indicative of stability of one’s probability alternation ability - crossed far over the vertical, and the enormous power that he, as an Extra-Alpha individual, possessed, lost the reins and went out of control. The evidence of a king’s power, the Sword of Damocles - a ma.s.sive crystallization of energy - dropped down on its master’s head point-first, as if to put to death the king who strayed from his path.

That phenomenon was referred to as Damocles Down.

The result of it occurring was utterly gruesome. The area of about 100 km in diameter around the epicenter where the Sword of Damocles had crashed simply vanished. What was formed in its place in the aftermath was a giant crater. The number of casualties could not be counted with precision, but the government’s rough estimates were said to go up to 700,000 lives. Among the authorized officials, the event - the ghastly nightmare - was remembered as the “Kagutsu incident”.

Habari was one of the people who lost their lives during that Kagutsu incident.

He knew that Kagutsu’s Weismann level hit the limit, and, as the Blue King, the enforcer of order, he tried to stop him from going out of control. Ironically, the fight between the Red and the Blue Kings became the proverbial last drop to Kagutsu’s Weismann level, and Habari got caught up in Kagutsu’s Damocles Down.

“…That incident happened because of doubts and the wrong path those two Kings chose… is that what Your Excellency is saying?” Munakata inquired, wiping any expression except for a complete blank off his face.

The look in Kokujouji’s eyes became slightly distant. “…I have no intention of pushing all the blame on those two. Nor I think that their paths were necessary wrong.”

Munakata’s expression turned dubious at the words that fell out of the elderly king’s mouth. Habari, who tried to prevent the Damocles Down and failed, could be justified in a sense, but Kokujouji spoke as if even Kagutsu, the main cause of the whole mess, could be pardoned as well?

“Then, Your Excellency, should I take your words to mean that that disaster was meant to happen?”
“…One of the possibilities that the Slate bears became reality, that’s what it was.”

The way Kokujouji put it seemed somewhat brutal. By that line of reasoning, be it the Swords of Damocles or kings themselves, they all were but one of the possibilities that the Slate held turned real. Had the Slate not been put to use, history and society would have looked very different today, there could be no doubt about it. Even the fact that at the moment Minakata and Kokujouji were holding this kind of conversation was but a result of a possibility that the Slate represented.

Still…

—Such a viewpoint may indeed be brutal, but that does not make it incorrect, does it…

The Slate system bestowed both the “power” and the “sword”. If the power was used wisely, the benefits to be reaped were big, but in case of a mistake, the damage dealt from the sword was tremendous.

The pivotal existences that were to make use of the system were kings that were chosen by the system itself arbitrary. There was no guarantee that the chosen persons would be suitable for the system.

When Munakata linked with the Slate, he, beyond a shadow of doubt, perceived the Slate’s “will”. However, that will was too different from that of a human being to be measured with human criterions. Depending on what approach he chose, he could have interpreted it in any way he pleased. Thus, it was only conceivable that each king who came in contact with the will of the Slate understood it in his own, unique way.

Still, if, for instance, he was to a.s.sume that the Slate did have some kind of “individuality”, it immediately raised the question: was it offering the system to mankind in good intention? Or in malice?

—One of the possibilities that the Slate bears, huh…

When Munakata tried to confront the challenge he was presented with again, he found the issue to be of great interest, but, in the end, aimless.

It was pure speculation that would never go beyond the category of a thought experiment. And if Kokujouji, who had spent the better part of the century reigning as a king, could afford to mull over it, Munakata, only a freshly enthroned king, had more than enough of other things requiring consideration on his plate.

For one, even if it was the Slate that chose him and gave him power, he had no intention to rely on it. The Blue King’s ideals complied with Munakata’s own ideals. In which case, what was left was only to silently follow the path he believed in.

And also…

As the leader of Scepter 4, he could not ignore the existence of the Gold King, Kokujou Daikaku, even if he wanted to.

There was also another king whose existence he, as the Blue King, could not disregard.

“…Your Excellency. There is something I would like to ask you about… What kind of person the current Red King, Suoh Mikoto, is?”

Perhaps, he was led up to this topic by Kokujoushi. The Gold King had to know from the start that for the Blue King, aware of the Kagutsu incident, the Red King was a target he simply had no choice but to pay attention to.

Sure enough, the elderly king sized Munakata up with a piercing gaze, as if probing into the next possibility that the Slate bore.

“…He, too, is the Red King. In the same way that you are the Blue King, Munakata.”

The elderly king, who knew Kagutsu Genji and Habari Jin and was now looking again at Suoh Mikoto and Munakata Reishi, was not wordy, his reply being only those few solemnly murmured words.

Munakata accepted his words and adjusted his gla.s.ses once more.

†

After Munakata had left, Kokujouji just stood there in the Slate Chamber for a long time, staring into s.p.a.ce, lost in thought.

What was going through his mind was the past and the disaster he failed to prevent. Needless to say, he took certain measures but, in the end, they fell through. For Kokujouji, too, that was a bitter memory, a disgrace not erased easily.

After a while, he murmured quietly, “…Get me Miwa.”

A Gold clansman, standing by in the adjoining room, immediately dialed a number and turned the directional receiver towards his master. A quiet dial tone resounded near Kokujouji, and on the seventh ring the line connected.

"It has been quite a while, Your Excellency. Did something happen?’ a soft voice answered on the other end.

The sharp glint of Kokujouji’s eyes softened just a little. “Sorry to bother you when you’re retired, but I need to talk to you. There is something I want to trouble you with.”

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