Chapter 62

To begin with, what is the actual difference between a Holy Relic and a regular item?

Put simply, it is a distinction of “deducibility”: the principles behind a regular item can be inferred, whereas the principles of a Holy Relic defy even the attempt at a hypothesis.

It is a rather ambiguous boundary, but since even magic—the very foundation of this world—remains vaguely defined, it is an unavoidable reality. Magic items, being products of magic, inherently possess principles that are difficult to pin down.

In short, if an item is crafted using magic, its underlying logic is bound to be obscure, making the classification itself just as murky.

Conversely, there are items that produce phenomena that simply cannot be attributed to mere magic, no matter how much one stretches the interpretation—even if one assumes the item was crafted by a magical genius over hundreds of years. Those are Holy Relics.

For instance, most Holy Relics are indestructible. You could strike one with an attack capable of leveling a city, and you’d be lucky to leave a scratch. This cannot be replicated regardless of the magic used, the degree of reinforcement, or the rarity and strength of the materials used as a base. It is impossible to even theorize how such a thing could be created. This is the same reason why the walls and floors of dungeons themselves are classified as Holy Relics.

On the other hand, take the sword known as “Homura,” said to be held by the Isu detective Masakado. When swung, it erupts in hellfire. It is a rare item discovered in a dungeon by the grandfather of the current King of Isu, but it is not a Holy Relic. Even if every sorcerer and Flame Elementalist in the world cooperated, they could not create an item that perpetually emits flames as powerful as Homura’s.

And yet, they could create an imitation. In short, while perfect reproduction is impossible due to an overwhelming lack of technical skill and mana, the basic principles can be replicated. Therefore, it is judged not to be a Holy Relic.

Since Holy Relics are, as the name implies, considered remnants left behind by the gods, any nation that classifies a “principle-deducible” item as a Holy Relic would find itself in a severe dispute with the Church.

To be honest, every nation would love to classify their important items as Holy Relics to keep them under state control, but there are troublesome circumstances that prevent them from doing so.

“I see.”

Ray slid off the table and returned to his seat.

“So that is your claim. In that case, you won’t mind if I appraise that compass right here and now.”

“Now, I wonder about that.”

Django’s eyes darted cautiously around the room, scanning everyone’s faces from under his brow.

“You aren’t ignorant of the reason why I’ve been running from the investigations of your country and others until now. Do you really think I’d trust you enough to hand over the compass?”

What did he mean by that?

But before I could interject with a question—

“As for myself, if the country of Pace intends to force the issue here, I shall have no choice but to make it an international incident,” Hayanosin said, offering Ray a smile with eyes narrowed into thin lines.

“Hey, wait a minute!”

Bob shouted, grabbing one of the bolts that had rolled onto the table.

“As far as Shark is concerned, you’ve called one of our people a member of the Blue Wolves. We need the grounds for that to be made clear. Let’s get on with the investigation.”

He then hurled the bolt straight at Django.

“Well, that’s reasonable. What’ll it be, Old Man?”

Hauser, who had caught the bolt between his index and middle fingers, turned to ask Django.

“I know. Van, as the person being treated like a criminal, what do you think?”

I felt a surge of panic at the sudden question, but I suppressed it and maintained a calm facade.

“Well, first, please explain the process of how this compass pointing at me serves as proof that I’m a member of the Blue Wolves. I know you used that ‘Kijiitsu System’ or whatever.”

“Ah, right.”

Django’s eyes widened as if a realization had struck him.

“We hadn’t gotten to that part yet. It slipped my mind. Yes, the whole thing started when I had Kijiitsu investigate an incident thought to involve the Blue Wolves. Though I say Kijiitsu, he is a different person from the Kijiitsu that you, Van—and Watch as well—know.”

That made sense. The Kijiitsu back then had certainly died, and apparently, being killed was the role’s primary function anyway.

In that case, “Kijiitsu” was a title or a role name rather than an individual name. He was likely something Rose could produce over and over again.

“By the way, the reason Kijiitsu has the epithet ‘The Genocider’ is twofold,” Rose added. “First, because any witnesses to the truth usually end up dead. Second, by spreading such a dangerous nickname, it helps prevent rumors about the fact that Kijiitsu has died multiple times from becoming too prominent.”

A countermeasure against organized crime—and one that used illegal means and something bordering on torture, at that. I could easily imagine it resulting in many deaths among those involved. Since the role involved diving straight into criminal organizations, fulfilling that role was essentially synonymous with the destruction of said organization.

As I nodded in understanding, Hauser was also nodding repeatedly, looking impressed. It seemed even he hadn’t been told the finer details regarding Kijiitsu.

“So, in other words, it wasn’t the Kijiitsu that Watch and I knew, but the next generation, or the one after that,” I said, putting my general interpretation into words.

“Correct. That Kijiitsu was killed. In an incident involving the Blue Wolves, no less. I had him approach a group I considered suspicious. Which means…”

“The culprit is a member of the Blue Wolves, or at least an associate,” Watch chimed in with a steady voice.

“Indeed. And the compass, as you can see…”

Django held out the golden compass once again.

“It is pointing at Van. It is undoubtedly Van. If you doubt it, try moving.”

“Then, I’ll take you up on that.”

I stood up and approached Django.

The compass in Django’s hand was indeed pointing directly at me.

If I shifted to the side, the compass needle shifted by the exact same margin. The same happened if I moved in the opposite direction.

I see. No matter how you looked at it, the movement of the needle was linked to me.

“Hmm. Would you mind lending that to me for a second?”

“No.”

“Eh?”

I was surprised to be rejected so flatly on a proposal I assumed would be accepted as a matter of course.

“I don’t trust you,” Django said, tucking the compass back into his breast pocket as if to guard it.

“Hey, enough of this,” Ray interjected. “Do you really think anyone will believe your story about the compass if you’re this uncooperative? Van and the rest of the Shark delegation should have the right to investigate it. Besides, I see no reason for you not to trust them.”

Ray’s counterargument was sound, but Django’s eyes gleamed with a predatory light as he smiled, as if he’d found a weakness.

“Ho? So, conversely, you’re saying you’d fully trust a conclusion reached by the country of Shark if I handed it over to him?”

“…”

“For instance, if Shark concluded that this compass is a fraud and not a Holy Relic at all, you’d be perfectly fine with accepting that result, right?”

“Tch.”

Ray clicked his tongue coldly.

Finding no words to retort, he stopped pressing the issue.

What was going on here? Was there some hidden subtext? I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

“Oi, oi! Then what was the point of gathering us all here?” Bob barked, taking over for the silenced Ray. “Did you bring us here just to listen to your pedantic quibbling?”

He had a point. If Django was going to refuse even a basic investigation of the compass that served as his evidence, how did he plan to move the conversation forward?

“I gathered the ‘interested parties’ of this case here to discuss exactly that.”

“That?” Neitz knit her well-shaped brows.

“Yes. How we are going to proceed. If we favor one side, another won’t be satisfied. I’ve spent my whole life wading through the gutters of this world. I know well enough that if a major move is made regarding me, it creates ripples in the dark underbelly of every nation. That’s why I want to settle this in a way that causes the least friction—a way everyone can agree on. I’m getting old, you see. I’m tired of outmaneuvering national interests, inciting conflicts, and threading the needle just to secure my own profit.”

Django let out a small sigh, his bearded cheek twitching in a weary smile.

That sigh truly sounded like the fatigue of a man his age. Despite that, his eyes seemed to glint with the intensity of a beast, and my intuition screamed at me not to let my guard down.

“Hehe. A mutual agreement between Pace, Isu, and Shark on how to handle this matter… you’re asking for the impossible,” Neitz laughed, sounding thoroughly entertained by the chaos.

“You expect us to just sit down and decide what to do? Absurd,” Ray spat out, though he closed his eyes as if deep in thought. “But it’s true that even if I were to appraise it on my own authority, Shark and Isu wouldn’t trust the results.”

“Naturally,” Bob said, puffing out his chest. “In the first place, this is a matter between the country of Shark and Django. It’s ridiculous for Pace to even be involved. We’ll be summoning a Holy Relic Appraiser from Shark shortly, so Pace can back off.”

“Now then, I’m afraid I must object to Shark handling the entire appraisal,” Hayanosin cut in with a gentle tone.

“Are you saying you don’t trust us?” Bob snapped, looking ready to bite.

“Shark would never admit that one of its own key figures is a member of the Blue Wolves. It is only logical that we cannot leave everything in your hands. Furthermore, you say this is a matter between Shark and Master Django, but I am the client who initiated this entire affair. It is only right that I—and by extension, the country of Isu—be included in the discussion.”

Hayanosin deflected Bob’s hostility with a calm, unwavering demeanor.