Chapter 152: The Country with Branches
“I’ve got the general flow figured out,” Dinoss said, taking a sip of coffee with a face that looked like it was about to sigh.
“Did you really understand?”
“The flow, right!? The premise is all wrong!”
“Well, it’s just that Gene got what he wished for,” Retze chimed in.
“Yeah.”
That’s right, just as Retze said.
“There are plenty of things to poke at, like why you wished for that or why you didn’t think it was strange along the way.”
Stop affirming me just to bring me down right after.
“Now that you understand the flow, I have two questions,” Dinoss said, holding up two fingers.
“Yeah?”
“What about Kadal?”
“My guardian spirit.”
Dinoss buried his head in his hands.
“I want to ask if it’s not the Spirit of Order, but I’m too scared to ask…”
He muttered something under his breath.
“That’s the Kadal I’m talking about.”
“Stop hitting me with the finishing blow!?” Dinoss shouted, suddenly lifting his head.
“What’s the second question?”
“Why is the name ‘Konkon Staff EX’!? It definitely had a solemn vibe, right!?”
He sounded a bit desperate.
“Honestly, I was just focused on getting the Konkon Staff. Thanks to that, I ended up with the ideal staff.”
“Whose thanks are we talking about!? It can’t be us, right?”
“Just let it go; soon, Note won’t be able to come back,” Retze said, glancing at the butler, who was slumped over the table. That was an uncharacteristic sight for a butler.
The King’s Branch selects spirits for the ideals it has sworn or wished for. If one wishes for military strength, there will be many fire or mineral spirits; if one wishes for a bountiful country, there will be many earth spirits. And what everyone thinks is that there are no Black Spirits.
Black Spirits are usually transformed from normal spirits, so it’s not that they don’t exist at all, but they tend to escape. Additionally, the small remnants scattered by Black Spirits are said to be purified.
As a result, the rate at which humans turn into Demon Beasts in the city has significantly decreased, and while Demon Beasts may go wild at times, they generally avoid approaching willingly.
The Spirit’s Branch is a degraded version; while spirits do not emerge from the branches, if many spirits gather, they can be born. If done well, it could even prosper more than the Royal Capital.
The ‘Spirit’s Branch’ without the Spirit’s Branch is a pseudo-effect created by Spirit-Possessed humans working hard. It depends on the abilities of the managing humans and consumes Magic Stones, making maintenance costs quite high.
Moreover, it seems to have limited effectiveness against Demon Beasts, so dealing with them relies on human effort, like building walls or deploying soldiers. Well, the border regions are the first to be hit by floods, so walls are built everywhere.
The ones confirmed to possess the King’s Branch are Shurmtus, where my sister is, Pasture, where I’m indebted to the bathtub and the carpenters, and Marina, located on the Cavil Peninsula in the homeland of Naruadeid.
It’s rumored that the island nation Iswael, located between the northern tribes and Shulm and the Land of Ruin, probably possesses it.
“There are quite a few places that have it.”
“Since the Empire of Nakahara collapsed, the tribes have been fighting among themselves, so the effective range is narrow. Each has different ideals, so even if they pass around the Spirit’s Branch, it just weakens it.”
Ah, so the scarcity is about the Spirit’s Branch.
If a four-centimeter body can clear the ideals, then once received, the King’s Branch would likely last longer.
“Even if you say there are many, it’s still less than ten, right? There are over 300 countries just in Nakahara.”
Dinoss emphasized.
That’s right; here, there are so many countries that it feels like the lords of places smaller than Japanese cities claim to be nations. Some countries with branches are about the size of a prefecture, and they’re split up all over the place.
Especially in Nakahara, countries rise and fall so quickly that I can’t even remember their names.
“I think I understand most of it, but I don’t really need that effect.”
“Your master is a Spirit magnet, and there are no issues with Demon Beasts. I can call spirits without bias, but I’ll be Konkon-ing according to your wishes!”
“Ah, that sounds peaceful. Just don’t reveal my origins, okay?” Retze said, resting his chin on his hand, speaking nonchalantly.
“Most of the King’s Branches are stored deep within palaces, adorned with various Magic Stones…”
The butler, slightly revived, chimed in.
It’s like the branch of the jewel from the tale of Kaguya-hime, sent to fetch suitors.
“I prefer being outside! But I’m all for the Magic Stones!”
“Then let’s go poke at some Demon Beasts.”
“Are you really going to poke at the Demon Beasts with that!?”
Dinoss was noisy for a while, but he finally settled down.
“Now that the complicated talk is over, let’s have some drinks and snacks.”
Since we had ice today, we could make highballs or on the rocks, but since we were playing cards, we started with the familiar wine.
The snacks included pickled herring and olives, oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, cheese and prosciutto, smoked salmon and cheese, thick omelet, smoked oysters in oil, mini tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese—all skewered as pinchos.
It’s convenient since it doesn’t get my hands dirty and helps me see what people like or dislike. I’m a bit worried since I’m trying so many unfamiliar things.
“If I eat too much, the kids will get jealous and scold me.”
Dinoss grumbled while being the first to reach for the food.
“Ah, should I bring some pound cake as a souvenir?”
“Please! Whoa, that has a kick!”
He must have eaten the pinchos with pickled green chili, anchovy, and olives.
Dinoss seems to eat anything I offer. Retze picks things that look cooked, while the butler often waits to see what others eat before trying.
“Ah, damn it! Who’s stopping at five?”
“Ho ho! I’ve reached the Ace, so it’s from the King now.”
“What!? You’re getting used to it too quickly!”
“It’s a simple rule.”
We were playing Seven Pairs, but the rule was that once a row reached Ace or King, it would change from lining up in order from seven to starting from Ace or King. If I had stopped at ten, I would have reached Ace.
After devouring potato chips, the Ex-Staff said, “I’m going to sleep!” and turned into just a stick. Since the top was shiny, I wiped it with a wet towel, and the butler looked a bit forlorn.