Chapter 118: The wise and the Lorel Union

Hm…

Three demons huh. I don’t know what bigshot of which country she is from, but if she has demons infiltrated in her own escorts, that’s dangerous.
The woman that suddenly talked to me, looking at her heavily armed escorts she was bringing along, that’s how I thought. In the past, I met the demon general Rona-san who was disguised. It is probably magic, but there are three demons that are most likely using the same spell and infiltrating the hyumans. Is it affecting the vision or is it affecting the perception, I wasn’t told which it was, but whichever it is, it doesn’t work on me. This time as well, I see them perfectly.
Their looks are completely different, so it is obvious. Just the skin color makes the difference clear.

“In this place it seems there’s no need to mind about the public gaze and we can proceed smoothly”

“…..”

Looks like this woman hasn’t noticed that there’s demons mixed in. If she really is using them while knowing full well about their identity, she would at least not bring them here in a place filled with international figures. It would be like bathing in gasoline and participating in a campfire.
In this world it is difficult to gauge the age by appearance, so this woman that has brought me outside of the party’s main hall, I can’t tell just how old she is or in what position she is in. I can tell she is an important person by the atmosphere of the surroundings.
The music that was played in the hall can be slightly heard in this salon-like place we are in. In the space with no people around, there’s only me, the woman, and also the escorts.

“You guys, leave for a bit. Let’s see, if there are people trying to enter here, tell them to please not. Something like that”

Saying so, she points at the entrance. A pure white skin that even looks unhealthy, slender arms and legs that make you hesitate to grab them. If someone asked me what kind of person she is, I would without doubt answer: ‘a weak-looking person’. Also, it strangely makes me feel nostalgic. This should be my first time meeting her though…

[I am sorry. Since I a while I have been thinking but, no matter what, I can’t seem to remember you. Have we met somewhere before?]

It would be a problem if rumors run around that a teacher made a disturbance in an event, so I wanted to get this over with in a quiet manner and followed her all the way here. It looks like the other side knows about me, but I don’t remember her. That doesn’t feel right. Could it be she just one-sidedly knows about the company’s Raidou? Or did she learn about me from someone else? Well, it does seem she has some business with me to the point that she cleared out the people to speak with me.

“Written communication… Ah, no, this is our first meeting Raidou-sama. I was interested in you, that’s why I invited you in this way. When having escorts it just gets exaggerated, I am truly sorry. Please do forgive me for that, as it is something I can’t help because of my position”

A single word. With just that, she was able to accept written communication huh.
Information about me must be leaking around more than I thought huh. Well, it is better to have people know than to explain every time though.

[Now then, before enquiring about the reason of that interest, can you please tell me first the position you are in and your name? Not knowing the name of the other party when already facing face to face like this just doesn’t feel right]

“… You are right. I am from the Lorel Union and one of the people taking care of the priestess-sama and kamuro, name is Sairitz. About our Lorel Union, how much does Raidou-sama know?”

Priestess and kamu… ro?
If my memory serves right, in Lorel, they are existences that are extremely important. The priestess is the fulcrum of the nation’s spirit and the kamuro is one of the prospects. When hearing kamuro, my head writes it as ‘baldness’ which means a prostitute’s apprentice though. But it seems the meaning here is a lot different. It is not about prostitutes and courtesans but about aiming to be a priestess. The impression is different. And, when talking about Lorel…

[Actually, I have never been there and I don’t know much about it, but I know that it is the union of three regions to become a nation, and the person called priestess is a woman that possesses strong power and a person that is able to interact with several high spirits. I have heard that the words of the priestess have power even in political fronts, so in Lorel it is quite the status. Also, because the relationship is closer to spirits, the religion is stronger towards spirits than to the Goddess. What I know of it is that… they have a peculiar culture and excel in the crafts department]

It is famously known that Lorel possesses several unique techniques. Even if I say they esteem the spirits, that still ends up in being affiliated to the Goddess, so I haven’t learned too deeply about it.
Their techniques are highly skilled, and there’s a symbol called priestess. My impression is on that level.

“… I am surprised. You really know well. You must have studied well. Have you thought about opening a business at our country as well?” (Sairitz)

[Of course, if it’s allowed, I will in time. I have just begun my business, but I have big dreams]

“I see. At that time, please do give me a word. I will assist you” (Sairitz)

[Thank you very much]

The conversation stops. With a smile, the woman promises me her cooperation. While maintaining a gentle smile, she looks at me with narrow eyes as if gauging me. It feels like I am being appraised here. Looks like she doesn’t mind my outward appearance, so maybe she is searching for anything she can find out. It feels like she is surveying every inch of my body.

Lorel Union.
It is one of the four major powers and a country I have never gone to. Different from the other three countries, the Union is a collection of several powers into one country. It seems the three small countries gathered under the name of the priestess. In terms of map location, it is at the south side of the golden highway we crossed, it is at the other side of the high mountain range where the Inland Sea should be. No problem in thinking of it as Shikoku.
Other aspects would be that they seem to possess a peculiar culture, but maybe because their national character is a closed one, there doesn’t seem to be much information around. That’s why their characteristic techniques and the existence of the priestess stands out even more.
Culture, priestess, highly skilled techniques. When hearing just its characteristics, I feel like it is similar to Japan. If the priestess is replaced for something like his Majesty the Emperor, then it would fit perfectly.
Maybe because there’s three countries gathered, it’s a nation that its race is not uniform. Their skin and hair color have quite the variations, and it seems there are few that mind it. It does hurt that there’s not much information around, but it is a country I would like to visit at least once.

Oops. The issue right now is not that. It is about why she got interested in me. Is it me, or my store? That’s the first thing that is in my mind.

“But there truly are curious things huh” (Sairitz)

The woman was the one who broke the silence. Being all smiles, I can’t read what she is actually thinking. The power of readings memories, if it were to activate at this kind of moments, it would be very helpful!

[What is it you are trying to say?]

“You, who said that you have never visited Lorel Union, for some reason, are using something that only a few selected are taught” (Sairitz)

Something? Using? Lorel possesses highly skilled techniques, so maybe it is related to the eldwas?

“At the Kuzunoha Company’s sign, there are two characters written in it right?” (Sairitz)

Ah, well… I did write kanji in the wooden sign though.

“That’s the writing of the wise. From the four major powers, no, in this whole world, there’s only a few in Lorel that know of it. Why is it used in the name of your store I wonder?” (Sairitz)

Writing of the wise you say? That’s kanji and it’s used by us Japanese.

[That is one of the writings I have been using since small. It is indeed mysterious. I came from the border’s wasteland, but maybe someone from your country came to the border’s wasteland and taught the writing? It’s not like I know all the characters in detail you know. It’s also my first time hearing the name ‘writing of the wise’]

It was probably an otherworldler that came to this world and taught them kanji in a strange way. But I have the all-powerful and convenient word, wasteland. From my experience here, most of everything can be resolved by saying this. In a sense, I am being saved by the wasteland.

“An interesting opinion. But that’s impossible. In the case the people who know the writing of the wise, head outside the country, the information regarding it will be all recorded. From the people that have done so in the past, there’s not a single one who has travelled to the wasteland” (Sairitz)

What?! This is the first time she retorted. Also, records she says? In this world where most of everything is done sloppily? I am surprised she can be so confident about its certainty.
Then, next hand.

[But I do know how to write it and am using it. Then it must have been someone you didn’t know of that put his feet on the wasteland. In everything, you must prioritize the facts. As long as this fact exists, someone must have taught this writing]

“True. I have to accept the truth properly. Just as you said, there might be the chance the writing of the wise was taught at the wasteland. But I have a slightly different thought in mind”
(Sairitz)

[Let’s hear it]

“The writing of the wise, as the name implies, is the writing that the wise possess. In other words, if it’s a clever and wise one, it wouldn’t be strange for that person to know it from the very beginning” (Sairitz)

Wise she says. Could it be, as in sage?

[You are overestimating me. I am not so clever to be called a wise man. I am just a mere person that opened a store]

“… Raidou-sama. The wise differs a bit from the word sage. The wise possess impossible knowledge that’s respected. We just call it that way” (Sairitz)

Eh? The turn of affairs is strange?

[I don’t understand your meaning well]

“The wise is a general term used for people that are not even from this world and have come from a faraway place. What I think is that you are also a wise-sama. Am I right?” (Sairitz)

Wise stands for otherworldlers huh. What a troublesome name they have placed. It is an enclosed country that’s why the details of it can’t be fully understood just throughw documents, so well, can’t be helped.
Kanji is the writing of the wise huh. That store name, I was thinking about using it as a conversation starter for the time the heroes hear of it by word-of-mouth, so I didn’t think too deeply of it. Who would have thought that the kanji already existed, moreover, it is pretty classified information. I do think kanji is a peculiar writing, but I don’t really think it is such an important thing to be made classified information. Because you know, it is just writing. In a world where most places use the common language and numbers, I really don’t think it should have that much value.
Anyways, it seems right now I am being suspected of being a wise huh. No need for doubts, that’s actually true though.
What should I do? Admit it or feign ignorance. As long as I don’t know the objective of this woman, I feel like feigning ignorance is the better choice.

“Ara, is there no answer? Also, there’s another reason why I think you are a wise-sama. That is, your name. My name is Sairitz and the accurate writing is written like this” (Sairitz)

I maintain my silence (I was actually just thinking about how to handle it though) and without hurrying me, the woman named Sairitz stood up, walked to my side and placed a finger on the table.
The slender finger shines and the kanji for color and ritz are written. She didn’t actually use ink, it just followed the trace of her finger. Oh, it is written correctly. More than Japan, it’s a name that might fit China better.

“And my family name is like this. It may be an unnecessary explanation, but it is read as Kahara. Kahara Sairitz, that’s my full name. In Lorel, the wise-sama are greatly adored and most of the people have similar names. The name giving is done in the spirit temple, we call it Yashiro. There, many parents that have given birth to a child will go there to ask for names. They give out several options that fit the child, and the parents will decide on which, is how the custom goes” (Sairitz)

Hana and then hara, making it Kahara huh. So even the way it is read starts from the family name. Practically the same as Japan. To the point that I think the name Aya Tadashi doesn’t sound female-like. The kanji is not spread widely, so when placing names, they leave it to the people related to the temple. She said it is called Yashiro, so it is probably someone like a Shinto Priest that uses the knowledge to place some options. Even though they serve under the spirits and the Goddess, are the priests in Lorel allowed to study kanji? She did say only a few selected, so that may not be the case, but it must be troublesome.

“There are also times when the names of the wise are used exactly the same. That’s proof of how much those personage are respected and adored by the people, but the name Raidou-sama also resembles the names of our country, is what I think” (Sairitz)

…

“Also, your face features as well. It is thought that the wise-sama are people that are born from different seeds than us hyumans. The wise-sama, more than their appearance, what’s inside proves of more importance. There are records saying most wise-sama didn’t have a beautiful outward appearance” (Sairitz)

Oioi, is that true? There’s a country that has truly made contact with otherworldlers. Is that the reason why it is enclosed? Being all secretive about it, that’s not fair Lorel. Are the techniques also the result of the concepts of our world? The part where they are aware the hyumans and humans come from different seeds makes it sound pretty convincing. Leaving aside all that about the inside being more important than their appearance.

[Is it okay to tell such an important thing to someone like me? I am, you know, not a wise though]

“Are you misunderstanding us Raidou-sama? We think of sheltering the misfortunate wise-sama that receive unjust discrimination in this world” (Sairitz)

Misfortunate huh. From what I heard of Root, the people that came here from our world are mostly because of accidents. It seems they know quite a bit.

“It may be fine right now, but in time, you will face problems. If it’s Lorel, we will welcome you with open arms. We intend to do what we can for you” (Sairitz)

[This is a problem. It seems there really is no reason for me to be sheltered by you. If I find a wise-sama, I will suggest them to go to your country]

“… Looks like you won’t trust us huh. Understood. I will leave it at that for now. It isn’t something that can be rushed after all” (Sairitz)

Maybe she could tell that my attitude went stiffer, or maybe she thought the matter would not progress. She pulled back pretty easily.

“Right, Raidou-sama, there’s something I would like your opinion about. Is it okay?” (Sairitz)

[If you are fine with someone like me]

“The two heroes that the Goddess-sama uses. We think those two are also wise. Raidou-sama, what do you think of the heroes?” (Sairitz)

[A question I have no way of responding. I am sorry but, it seems my opinion will not be useful. I have never met them before, so there’s nothing I think of them]

Without bringing any dissatisfaction in my answer, Sairitz-san silently stood from her sit. Bowing once, she turns back and walks to the salon’s entrance.

“I see. Ah, right, right” (Sairitz)

After breathing out a big sigh of relief after being released from the tension, Sairitz-san talked to me. Without waiting for my response, she continued.

“Raidou-sama’s store sign, it’s lovely. The Kuzu referring to medicine and the Ha for the plants. Is your current strong point medicine?” (Sairitz)

[It’s the name of a plant, not the character for medicine. Well, it is not wrong to say that I want to spread medicine though]

“… As I thought, you know the writing of the wise well. Before returning to my country, I would like to meet you again. Well then, excuse me” (Sairitz)

Ah.

Why is it? I feel like I have lost in some way.

There’s no reason to stay in the salon that has only me now. Let’s return to the hall.

Previous Chapter  l  Next Chapter