[181] 4. Reversal of the Law (2)
"Alright, I'll explain. This place is called the Outer Hell. Some call it Purgatory."
"Purgatory? Here?"
"Yeah. It's the prison of the land—where heretics who reject the Law live. Now I get it. You denied the existence of God back in the land, so you got cast down here."
Shirone didn't correct her misunderstanding. Explaining it wouldn't make her understand, and it wasn't exactly wrong. No one in the group believed Anke Ra, anyway.
"Seeing you use magic, you must be descendants of the Nor. How pathetic. Once you've fallen into Purgatory, all you have left is death. You'll die in the end."
"True, we'll die in the end. But the same goes for you."
Kanya lifted her chin a little, a touch smug.
"Not at all. I am a subject chosen by God. That guarantees me eternal life."
Shirone remembered the myths of Kergoth. If someone could grant eternal life, they could be called a god.
But it didn't feel real.
Living things age and eventually die. Even magic couldn't stop death.
Realizing who Shirone's group was made Kanya noticeably more at ease. She hated heretics, but these people were pitiable—people who hadn't even had the chance to receive God's power.
"It can't be helped. You're lucky. Come with me. I'll show you a place to stay."
"Why are you suddenly being nice? If you're a subject and we're heretics, shouldn't you hate us?"
Kanya turned, already knowing no one would follow.
"Judging by how suspicious you are, you really are Nor descendants. If this were Heaven they'd have driven you out, but this place is different. In Purgatory no Law can protect a subject. We're in the same position. Anyway, we must hurry. It gets dangerous after sunset."
The cliffs rose higher the deeper they went into the valley. It was a lonely place without a single insect—just damp air and echoes. In that vast natural space, only their footsteps were heard.
"Don't tell me something weird is going to come out of here."
"Don't worry. The Whirlpool Serpent's Valley is governed by a single, powerful Law, so there aren't dangerous monsters like lone predators roaming about."
"What kind of Law?"
"The Whirlpool Serpent. It's said to be a creature that's lived here for over ten thousand years. But it's probably asleep now. It doesn't wander during the day. That's why we have to hurry. We need to reach the Nor's Shelter before the sun sets."
"You said earlier we're descendants of the Nor, right? Then are the Nor not subjects?"
"Of course they're subjects."
"Then why is there a Nor's Shelter in Purgatory?"
Kanya sighed but remembered where they came from and explained further.
"There are three races who dwell in Heaven. The Nor are one of them. Subjects have their lifespans fixed at birth; when that lifespan ends, they are granted eternal life. But some among the Nor couldn't accept that. They escaped to Purgatory and built an independent community."
Shirone didn't quite grasp the idea of lifespans being predetermined at birth, but he let it pass. At least it sounded less strange than the promise of instant immortality.
More than anything, he was grateful for Kanya's consideration. Because she thought Shirone was a Nor descendant, she was guiding them toward Nor society.
"Thanks, Kanya. That's kind of you."
"Don't be ridiculous! No subject is kind to heretics. We're going because we need something, so don't get the wrong idea. Once we reach the Nor's Shelter, pretend you don't know them at all."
Despite the harsh words, she couldn't meet Shirone's eyes.
At Kanya's affectation, Rena puffed her cheeks and added, "That's right. My sister's going because she truly needs something. I'm going because I really want to help."
"Ha! Thanks. Rena, you're considerate."
Rena's cheeks flushed at Shirone's compliment.
Kanya stopped. She understood the sensitivity of that age; it was natural for a girl to be attracted to a stranger, but as a subject under the Law she couldn't permit such thoughts.
She grabbed Rena's wrist and dragged her to the cliff edge. While Shirone's group stared in confusion, Kanya hissed in a whisper.
"Rena, what on earth are you thinking? You know you can never be with a heretic. Even harboring that feeling is blasphemy."
"I know. But that brother—"
"If it's forbidden, it's forbidden! Even if you're immature, being handsome isn't everything. Choosing men like that will be trouble."
"How would you know, sister? You don't have a boyfriend either."
"You'll understand when you're older. Anyway, listen to me, okay? From now on, be cold to that man."
"I don't like Shirone because he's handsome. I like him because he's kind."
"Kind? Him?"
Kanya stared at Rena, dumbfounded. How was she supposed to take her sister's words?
He was undoubtedly an odd boy. But that feeling existed because he was a heretic. Free-spiritedness breeds corruption. In that sense, associating with Shirone was dangerous.
"Say it clearly. Do you prefer someone handsome, or someone kind?"
Rena was fourteen—old enough to feel love. One day she'd be a mother too; Kanya felt the need to change her sister's way of thinking.
"Of course both. He should be handsome, but he also has to be kind."
"Huh. You're impossible to figure out."
"It's fine, sister. I won't fall in love with someone I've only seen for a day. And… we're the same as them for now, aren't we?"
A subject entering Purgatory without permission was a violation of the Law. They might be punished, but it was something Rena couldn't give up on.
Still, Kanya regretted bringing her sister along.
No matter how much longer Rena's lifespan might be, it had been an irresponsible decision for an older sister.
"Sorry, Rena. I…"
"I know, sister. And I begged to come. You don't have to take all the danger alone. I want to give Mom that present too."
Kanya stroked Rena. The child who once cried for milk had grown so much. She hoped the divine would grant her eternal life.
She was a lovely child—surely Ra would do that for her.
"Right. Let's go."
The valley was turning into a maze. Narrow forks and shallow streams made the air damp.
Amy, using her crimson eyes, noticed that Kanya's route was all over the place.
It was the typical movement pattern of someone lost.
"It's pretty messy. Is the Nor's Shelter still far?"
"We're not heading straight there. We don't even know where the Nor's Shelter is."
"What? You said earlier you were taking us to the Nor's Shelter."
"That's just the destination. There's no way we subjects who live in Heaven would know the place a Nor who fled Heaven built."
Sensing Amy's bewildered look, Kanya added, "Don't worry. There are ways."
"What ways?"
"Using drones. The Nor's Shelter is an open market anyone can enter. Guides sent from the market wait in the Whirlpool Serpent's Valley. We just need to find that person. So we're scanning for places people might be staying with drones."
Shirone looked up at two drones flying overhead.
Those flying machines would be called ancient relics in the original world, but despite that name their technology was incomparably advanced.
He wondered what Neid's expression would be if he showed him these.
"Okay, I get the drone is scouting, but how do we see what it sees?"
Kanya tapped her temple. "It's linked to my head. They call it a frequency."
"Frequency?"
"Think of it like an invisible signal—kind of like sound. It's retinal-vision tech. When the drone broadcasts to my frequency, an image is projected onto my eye. Look closely at my left eye."
A field, like an electric charge, flickered in Kanya's pupil and a bird's-eye view of the valley unfurled. Though smaller than the pupil, its resolution was high enough to make out the scenery.
"This is what the drone is seeing from above. You might not catch all the detail, but to me it fills half my vision. It's a screen formed directly on the retina."
"Incredible technology."
Tess couldn't hide her envy. She'd always been obsessed with ancient relics, and drones in particular could change the face of reconnaissance warfare.
"Where do you get something like that?"
"It's not bought, it's issued. Only the Mecha tribe are given them; you receive a drone when you turn twelve."
"Could you get one and give it to me?"
"No. The numbers are strictly controlled—if you sneak one away and get caught, you'll be severely punished."
"I see. I want one too…"
"Other subjects envy the drone as well. But it's tied to a personal code, so no one else can use it. If the owner changes, an alert sounds and it immediately goes to sleep."
Tess grew more upset knowing it was only for one person. She wanted it, but if it was state-issued she couldn't buy one even with money.
Jealous, Tess fell silent.
"We found a place a Nor might stay. It's not far."
Kanya broke into a run and soon reached a cave.
A drone landed on the back of her hand and transformed into a gauntlet.
A final-capture image of the landscape appeared on its surface. Comparing the view with what she saw, Kanya said this was the spot and moved toward the cave.
At that moment Tess raised a hand to stop her. "Wait. I smell blood."
"Smell blood? I don't smell anything."
"Heh, of course not. I've been trained since I was a child. That machine probably can't detect scent, can it?"
"What are you talking about? Mecha technology can distinguish 140,000 different smells. The drone just doesn't have that feature."
Only then did the group realize there had been a subtle rivalry between Tess and the drone.
Sure—the drone's reconnaissance was extraordinary. Rian, however, found it pathetic that Tess felt jealous of a lump of metal.
"Enough. Hurry up. Don't feel inferior to a strange object."
At Rian's words, Tess relaxed and traced the residue of the blood scent with her sensory schema.
She stepped into the cave, scanned the interior, then spent a long time looking back and forth outside.
After analyzing, she turned to the group. "The blood scent is coming from deeper inside the cave. Someone's definitely in there, but they don't seem to have come outside."
"Why? There's no smell outside?"
"No. On the contrary, the blood scent is stronger inside, so I infer they haven't left."
"But you checked outside longer."
"It's part of the manual. If there were blood outside, the cave would likely be a trap."
"Then for now it's not a trap. Let's go in."
Shirone cast the illumination magic, Shining.
When a globe of light rose above his palm, Kanya and Rena flinched. Though the Nor used magic, none in Heaven had ever seen magic like this.
"Sis, look! He made light out of his body."
"Yes. People from the land use strange magic."
"Yeah. But that… doesn't it look exactly like that?"
"Rena! Thinking that is blasphemous. Pray silently that you were wrong."
Rena's face fell. The fact that her sister noticed without a word meant she had been thinking the same thing.
In any case, blasphemy was a sin, so she asked Ra for forgiveness in her heart.