The Glitter of That Sword: Prologue
Prologue I
Once, in an era of war.
People harbored their own intentions, wishing, fighting, and dying.
That was the situation even in the capital, where the ruler of the country sat at the height of prosperity in the previous era.
It was a terrifying time where people were frightened and could not even see hope for survival.
Gradually, people's fear turned into anger, and as if in response, the country, centered on the capital, was engulfed in flames. It was an era where everyone suffered and life felt meaningless.
Amidst all this, a hero appeared.
He gave hope to the suffering and frightened people. There was a man like the sun who united the countries that held many ambitions and unified this land of Hinomoto.
The beginning of that man was meeting a lovable yet merciless lord who possessed the power to kill gods and Buddhas and a great charisma that captivated people. Meeting that person, being discovered, and despite his low birth, he was able to become a warlord himself.
The magnificent lord was cruelly betrayed and killed. However, the man avenged that enemy, succeeded the lord, and unified Hinomoto.
The hero could obtain anything: wealth, fame, glory.
However, although the hero had obtained everything, he was not blessed with a child of his own.
After much deliberation, he decided on his nephew as his successor.
The nephew was excellent not only in martial arts but also in academics, tea, poetry, and various arts. Even if he was evaluated as mediocre in later ages, he was by no means incompetent.
The man thought to entrust his succession to such a nephew. Many vassals were convinced of this, and it was widely announced to the public.
But shortly after that, the hero had a child.
The hero, who was overjoyed, declared that this child was the true successor.
The hero, who wanted to ensure his own biological child succeeded him, decided to frame his nephew along with the vassals who did not want the nephew to succeed.
Foolishly, the nephew fell into their trap, was framed, and ended up committing seppuku.
The story of the nephew who tragically lost his life was supposed to end there.
With this, my feelings should have reached the Prince. I should have been able to correct that person's mistake.
That is what I thought. I believed that it would surely happen.
However, my wish did not reach him.
In this era, human life is treated more lightly than in the future.
That is because so many people lived and died so easily.
But even so, the weight of life surely was not much different from the future.
If a loved one dies, it is sad, and it should be sad. And people grow through such partings, and I wish for it to be that way.
That is precisely why people should not be killed easily. There should be no such thing as dying without meaning. There is no way it should be treated lightly.
I wish for that strongly.
Because I wish for it, even if I do not regret the decision at that time, I continue to suffer even now.
Prologue II
One day, a memory from sometime ago.
Hey, do ghosts exist?
Back in high school, a friend asked me that casually.
He probably asked because he knew I was the son of a temple priest.
Hmm, I wonder. Maybe they do?
I answered vaguely.
They might exist, or they might not.
The thing is, I live in a temple myself. Furthermore, there is a graveyard right behind my room.
Despite that, I have never experienced such a thing even once.
I have never seen such things, nor have I heard their sounds. I have never experienced a single thing.
Depending on the person, that might be a happy thing, but for those who like that sort of thing, it might be a disappointing story.
What's with that vague reaction?
The friend who asked the question leaked his words, looking dissatisfied.
Well, that's true. I think I said something vague myself.
(He probably wanted to hear me say that they exist.)
As I was thinking about what kind of words to return, another friend joined the conversation from the side.
I think they exist. At least it would be more interesting if they did. Ghosts, gods, the occult, UFOs. It's definitely more interesting to think that they all exist.
...
Oh, what a wonderful way of thinking.
In this day and age, the existence of most such occult things has been scientifically denied. Science has become the mainstream of the era, and modern people do not deeply believe in such things. That is why they look for such things for fun and enjoy them.
That's not what I wanted to hear. I want to know if they really exist.
The friend who spoke first answers, looking dissatisfied again.
(This is also a correct reaction.)
There is nothing more I can answer on that topic.
Because I answered that they exist at the beginning.
I have never seen a ghost, and I have never seen a god or a UFO, but they surely exist.
Because I know something even stranger than those things up close.
Since someone like me exists, magic also exists. This world isn't just what you can see, so ghosts and yokai must exist too. If you only believe in what you can see, you'll have the rug pulled out from under you by such things, Inori.
This is an important word that I heard a long time ago, taught to me by someone close, and have continued to believe in ever since.
Next:https://note.com/dragoon_tung/n/nb0a7dcf58505