第１９３２堀：始まりはどうだったのか？ (Part1)
### Chapter 1932: How Did It All Begin?
How did it all begin?
**Side: Yuki**
It wasn't as if I had specifically tasked Kirue and the others with finding some grand discovery when I handed them those documents and reports. However, given how busy things have been lately, their insights felt sharp enough to be considered genuine discoveries.
They claimed they didn't need any credit, insisting that we should be the ones to investigate the details, but from my perspective, what they’ve uncovered is more than enough to be called a significant contribution.
Well, once this New Continent issue settles down, I’ll have to make sure they get some kind of reward. No, they’d probably protest that a reward is unnecessary, so I’ll just have to slip it in as a "bonus." But for now...
"Ah, that’s right. You did mention asking Princess Suena about the summoning magic circles. And the court mages who served her, too."
Listening to the timeline and suggestions provided by Kirue and her team, I decided it was time to examine the history of the New Continent from the ground up.
And the ones who held the deepest, oldest knowledge of it were the Ohe Kingdom.
That led me to seek out Kagura, the diplomat I had entrusted with those negotiations.
"I never really got the full story from you, Kagura. You’ve had quite a lot on your plate since then."
"Yes, well, it wasn't exactly sudden, but I was sent as an envoy to the Jeyaes Kingdom, and after that, there were reports to the Princesses, distributing the catalogs... and meetings with the envoys from the southern nations..."
Right. I had entrusted Kagura with the negotiations with Ohe, but she had been even busier than I realized.
"And Miyabi-san, Elder, I apologize for leaving so much of this to you."
I bowed my head to the two of them.
Indeed, for the negotiations with Ohe, I had relied on the Elder of Eris’s village, as well as Miyabi, the Queen of the High Elf nation, to act as advisors. I wouldn't say I had abandoned the matter, but it was close enough.
Both of them had cultivated a fair amount of rapport with Ohe, so I knew I couldn't leave them out of this discussion.
"Don't worry about it. We go back a long way, Yuki. Besides, it wasn't entirely a waste of time, was it?"
"Indeed. The fact that Ohe is a nation primarily sustained by elves was quite fascinating."
"True. Managing a country of that scale is no small feat."
Certainly, for Queen Miyabi, who leads the High Elf nation, there might be lessons to be learned from a country with such vast territory.
Though...
"Well, for starters, I lack the land. And the citizens. It’s not like the demi-humans are fleeing to us; they’re already gathered in the beastman nations and others. I mean, peace is fine, but there’s no room for expansion."
Miyabi-san laughed as she said it.
She has absolutely no interest in territorial expansion. Having broken away from the elves to gain independence, her nation isn't the type to just welcome anyone and everyone.
The only reason we were able to build a friendship with them was because of Miyabi’s late husband. He was also Japanese. That was our sole, yet unbreakable, connection.
Well, if some idiot from Japan were to meet Miyabi-san, she’d likely reject them outright. It was just that her husband’s tastes and sensibilities happened to align with ours.
But that’s beside the point. Right now, the priority is understanding the summoning in Ohe, its background, and the timeline.
This current turmoil is tangled in many threads, but there must be a starting point somewhere.
The primary candidate for that origin is the word "Demon Lord."
Even on this New Continent, the people recognize the "Demon Lord" as an entity that leads monsters and brings harm to humanity. Yet, no matter who I ask, the truth of what that entity actually is remains elusive. There are no clear historical documents like those found in the Rogari or If continents—only oral traditions.
No, perhaps the information exists if I search hard enough, but the reality is that I haven't had the time to gather it.
Then again, it wouldn't be strange for the nature of the Demon Lord to be passed down through oral tradition. It seems bizarre that the people of Ohe, the King of Ohe, and even the King of Giadana know nothing about it. They don't even have a clue.
"Miyabi-sama, the talk about your country is fine, but shouldn't we be answering Yuki-sama’s questions now?" the Elder gently chided her.
"Oh, right. You’re quite right. Though, first, we should hear about Kagura-dono’s investigation into the summoning."
Yes, as Miyabi-san said. First, I need to hear from Kagura.
"Understood. Though, as I said before, I only analyzed the summoning circles after hearing about them from Princess Suena and the court mages. I’ve already included it in my report, but are you sure you want me to go over it again?"
"Yes, please."
As I said that, Kagura took a breath and began to speak.
"To start with the summoning circles, it seems they have existed for about a thousand years, judging by the history."
"The King of Ohe mentioned something similar. Though, even he didn't really understand the existence of the Demon Lord."
"That’s right. For Princess Suena, it was less about the Demon Lord and more about the desperate need to summon a powerful individual capable of breaking through and repelling the Allied Forces."
"That makes sense. Even if you defeat a Demon Lord, only the monsters stop. Or rather, there’s no guarantee the monsters would even stop. If the location and appearance of the Demon Lord are unknown, it’s far more rational to crush the Allied Forces right in front of you."
Miyabi-san was right. It’s only natural to prioritize defeating the clearly hostile army in front of you rather than wasting resources hunting a Demon Lord who might not even exist, or who remains unseen.
That is, assuming you don't have the option of calling someone in from elsewhere.
But putting that aside, let's talk about the history of the summoning circles.
"A thousand years, huh? The term 'Hero' wasn't used, right?"
"Correct. Those who were summoned were called 'Heroes' [Eiyuu]. But they weren't treated as disposable, nor were they considered 'Only Ones.' You can have as many heroes as you want, right? But a 'Hero' [Yuusha]—well, it might be a stretch to say for the whole world, but one per continent is usually enough."
"The fact that they don't have that distinction means it’s unlikely that Japanese people or anyone from Earth were summoned."
"That would seem to be the case. The word 'Yuusha' only holds that special meaning for the Japanese. In other words, no Japanese or people from Earth have been summoned to that New Continent."
"Is that something we should call fortunate?"
The Elder seemed conflicted about whether to view the absence of Earthlings and Japanese as a good thing.
For us, it certainly is fortunate. It means fewer people disappearing from Earth. It means fewer families left to weep.
But, at the same time...
"...It’s not my place to say, given that I was the one who summoned Yuki, but since they performed a summoning, there is no doubt that they made someone cry somewhere. I don't think there’s a 'good' or 'bad' to it. It is a sin, all the same."