Tatakau Shisho

Fragment: An Apple, Flowers, and the Passed Stone?Blade

“I don’t understand what’s going on with that Book seller.”

Mirepoc said.

She was in Bantorra Library’s on-site hospital wing.

A week had passed since the battle with Cigal Crukessa. Mirepoc had been admitted to the Library’s hospital. Both Mattalast, who was in the next room, and Hamyuts, who was in the next room after that, laid down their wounded bodies.

Mirepoc had no injuries, but she was forcibly admitted due to the fear of her having contracted Dragon Pneumonia. She was dissatisfied to have been hospitalized over nothing like that.

Other Armed Librarians headed for Toatt Mining Town. Due to Shiron’s cure, it seemed that there were no casualties.

Mirepoc, who had nothing to do, thought back and tried to reason about the past events.

Her conversation partner sat next to her on a chair and peeled an apple.

“You mean that person who gave Shiron-san’s Books to Colio Tonies-kun?”

“Yes. I just can’t understand what’s going on with him.”

“He certainly is a strange person.”

Mirepoc was talking with Ireia Kitty, an aged Armed Librarian who was in active duty.

Her age was probably around sixty years old. She smiled towards Mirepoc as if she were her grandchild.

She was an elderly woman, slightly plump and dressed in an elegant apron dress.

She was Mirepoc’s senior, but due to being friendly she was able to easily strike up conversation with anyone.

She was a woman who people trusted in a different sense than with Hamyuts.

“There are plenty of odd things here. Just him having the fragments of Shiron’s Book was odd by itself, but he even passed those to Colio Tonies three times.

That is too much to be a mere coincidence.”

“Was that Book seller involved in something important?”

“I believe so. There’s no doubt.”

Mirepoc strongly nodded.

“But, I don’t think he’s an enemy. He indirectly helped save the Director and kill Cigal. He’s a third party aware of the situation but not an ally…”

“It might have just happened to be that way. Even God couldn’t have expected Colio-kun to beat Cigal.”

“Still, there should be something here.”

Mirepoc held up her hair while thinking. Ireia was cutting an apple with elegant hand movements.

“What did Hamyuts-san and Mattalast-san say?”

“They didn’t say anything. Mattalast doesn’t know anything. And when I asked the Director about the Book seller she only said ‘Really? That’s strange’.”

Mirepoc said while imitating the tone of Hamyuts.

“When I’m discharged from here I think I’ll pursue that Book seller. There’s definitely something going on with him.”

“This apple is delicious.”

Ireia passed the plate to Mirepoc. Mirepoc obediently received it and the two of them started grabbing the slices of the apple that was cut into eight parts.

When only one apple slice remained, Ireia opened her mouth.

“Lascall Othello.”

“Huh?”

Mirepoc’s hand that extended to grab the apple was stopped when she heard that unfamiliar name.

“Children right now may not know of it, but when I was young there was a fairy tale circulating in the Library.

The Book seller Lascall Othello.

He was a Book seller that found the ones dead people desired and gave their Books to them. Such was the rumor whispered around.

Girls in love called the name of Lascall Othello so he could pass their Books to the boys they couldn’t confess to.”

Mirepoc, who had no interest in love stories, answered coolly.

“…What is that supposed to be?”

“Aren’t you interested?”

“…I’m not a romantic person.

But it does add up.

In order to grant Shiron’s wishes, this Lascall Othello carried her Book to Colio.

Certainly sounds like a fairy tale.”

“…Mirepoc-san. Did Hamyuts-san really not say anything about Lascall?”

“She didn’t.”

As Mirepoc answered, Ireia put a hand on her cheek and thought with her eyes closed.

She had assumed a serious expression at some point.

“A while ago, there were suspicions that perhaps Lascall Othello actually exists.”

Mirepoc didn’t know of this. It was probably from before she became an Armed Librarian.

“If he were to actually exist, he couldn’t be allowed to trade and traffic Books. The previous Acting Director ordered some Armed Librarians to investigate him. I was also involved.”

“…What were the results of that investigation?”

Ireia shook her head.

“Nothing came out.”

“You found nothing?”

“No. The investigation was aborted.”

Ireia’s tone became very serious.

“That investigation was cancelled five year ago. It was just after Hamyuts replaced the Acting Director.”

“…”

“Yes, Hamyuts stopped it. Immediately after she assumed office. She said it was due to it being a waste of time and effort.”

Mirepoc made a bored answer.

“Then that settles it. Lascall Othello doesn’t exist. That’s it.”

“But is that really true?”

“What is?”

“I wonder if Hamyuts-san actually thinks Lascall Othello doesn’t exist.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps Hamyuts-san…”

Ireia stopped talking. Mirepoc waited for her to continue but she merely shook her head while smiling.

“Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

Ireia said and picked the last piece of the apple.

Around the same time, in a distant place…

The storm as well as the terrifying calamity created by Dragon Pneumonia and Cigal Crukessa have already passed away from Toatt Mining Town.

The Armed Librarians had already made the medicine for all the sick people and restored the various destroyed houses and shops to their former state.

A single man stood in this town.

He was at a small vacant lot on the outskirts of town.

It was the place where Hyoue Janfus and Carthello Mashea, as well as Colio Tonies and Cigal Crekessa, have lost their lives.

The man looked at three flower bouquets left in the corner of that vacant lot.

They were three bouquets of the same size with the same flowers. It was probably the same person that brought all three here.

The flowers were probably intended for Carthello, Hyoue, and Colio. The man knew that there was no person who would mourn Cigal Crukessa’s death.

So, who put those flowers here? He didn’t think Hamyuts would do such a sentimental thing.

Mirepoc? Mattalast? But they didn’t have any connection with those people.

It surely was Ia Mira, that kind-hearted escort lady. Recalling her face, he suddenly broke into a smile. It was rather considerate of her to leave flowers for Hyoue Janfus who she didn’t know at all, the man thought.

That man was called Lascall Othello.

He was the Book seller who passed Shiron’s Books to Colio before.

“Let’s get to work.”

Lascall muttered.

His tone was completely different than when he was dealing with Colio.

It was a polite tone that seemed to also have unfathomable depths to it.

Lascall Othello leaned on the ground and pulled a dagger from inside his breast pocket.

It was a small dagger. It was of a size that probably made it convenient to be cutting fruits with.

Its hilt was made of oak, and it was shaped like a human arm. However, the shape of the hand was like that of a human who gasped in agony as their hand tried reaching the sky.

The blade extended from around where the elbow would be. It was a straight, double-edged blade around the same length of the hilt.

Oddly enough, the blade was made of stone.

Lascall held that stone blade with a backhand grip and lowered it to the ground.

“Memorial Weapon – Passed Stone Blade Yor.”

Lascall called the name of the dagger. And then that dagger – Passed Stone Blade Yor – pierced through the ground.

As it did, the ground surrounding it hardened in the blink of an eye. When Lascall pulled out the dagger, the part of the ground gouged out became a single Book.

It was supposedly an impossible phenomenon.

Only Past God Bantorra could fossilize a person’s soul, and it could not be made artificially no matter what kind of Magic was used.

It was impossible for humans and even for Future God Orntorra or Present God Toitorra.

However, Lascall Othello made the impossible happen with Passed Stone Blade Yor as if it was natural.

The man took out a sticky label from a toolbox. That label was of the kind that Librarians and Book sellers used regularly.

He stuck that label and then wrote the name of the Book‘s owner on it with a charcoal pencil.

‘Cigal Crukessa’

The man took the Book from inside the soil and brushed it off.

He then muttered,

“I was surprised he managed to corner Hamyuts, but… it didn’t go well at all afterwards.”

He said while looking at the Book.

“However, it was good I was able to obtain it.”

Saying this, he put Cigal Crukessa’s Book inside his bag.

“The value of the Indulging God Cult had fallen.”

Then, after muttering something under his breath, he disappeared into the ground as if his body melted.