Deku Up! 6

*Cozy's Notes : This is a pretty chatty chapter. Maybe it's because I've recently read Fate/Stay Night, so my writing style is slightly affected. If it appears weird, please forgive me. Alright, let's see... 'Dear Cozy. How is it possible for warriors like the ones in Rugnud to exist in a world like that? Magic seems so drastically overpowered!' Response : The contents below.*

T : "... Deku, what's a, uh..."

Totta gently closed the book with a troubled look on her face. Seiene was lying flat on the ground, with her sitting on the region between his back and butt. He seemed too relaxed, and smiled to himself on the ground silently, enjoying the sensation of being... Crushed.

Deku couldn't get used to that. Why would anyone find delight in being crushed?... Or perhaps he was delighted that his sister was interacting with him? Still, to sit on your own brother...

That wasn't something Deku could consent to. If his own big sister sat on him, his spine will give way with certainty.

D : "A what, Totta?"

Deku compressed another pile of sand into a small boulder of sandstone, and tore a small chunk of it out.

T : "... Hi-a... Hi-a... Something... ?"

D : "Hierphacon."

T : "Yeah, that. What's that?"

Vesja's tale was a bit early for Totta to read, he thought. Deku cut another brick out of the sandstone, and continued stacking them on the pile.

D : "... The Hierphacon is a magical artifact used by the warriors of Rugnud to gain an advantage against magi."

T : "'By the warriors'? No one else can use it?"

D : "Nope."

That seemed to peak Totta's interest. She twisted her body slightly, and along with her movement Seiene could probably feel his sister twisting above him since he looked up in wonder... And a silly smile on his face.

The kid's twisted. That was the only thing that came into Deku's mind. He's either twisted to the state where he could only enjoy sensual pleasures, or his senses have warped to the point of being incapable of perceiving joy in a way normal people could.

T : "What kind of advantage does the Hear-thing have against magi?"

The way she planted her arm straight onto his thigh, and the way she kept her legs crossed and her feet on Seiene meant that she was pressing against Seiene with her full body weight.

... Isn't that dangerous?

D : "Have a seat, Totta."

Deku stomped on the floor, and the sand next to him bulged and rose to form a plain stone stool for her to sit on.

Totta finally got up from Seiene and sat next to Deku as he continued the reparations of the library.

D : (Ah. He stopped smiling.) "... Alright. Before we start, Totta, do you know what's the difference between an assumed history, and a true history?"

T : "... Uhm..."

Totta closed her eyes and tried her best to construct a suitable answer.

T : "I think, uhm... An assumed history is the general knowledge of the historic event, often known across the lands as general knowledge. Assumed history is known by commoners who aren't capable of magic, right?"

It was not an ideal answer, but she roughly understood the essence of it.

D : "Good. So how does it differ from true history?"

T : "True history is... Uhm... True history is important! And... It shouldn't be revealed to others carelessly!"

D : "And do you know why?"

Totta was stumped at the sudden question aimed at the void in her head.

T : "... I give up."

D : "True history refers to the detailed descriptions of a legend, inclusive of a legend's past and intensive detail on the subject's actions. True history is considerably more potent because of the fact that the contents of true history can be used in spells without the fear of it being recognized easily - Thus the need to shroud it in secrecy."

Her face warped to one of acceptance as she nodded in agreement to his answer.

D : (Don't nod like you knew the answer all the long, you idiot...) "In any case, Hierphacon is a relic created from Rugnud's true history. Normally, information like this would be withheld severely, but Rugnud has no need to keep its history a secret."

T : "Why not?"

D : "Because it was revealed to prove Rugnud's strength in the first place."

Deku absorbed the pile of bricks to his side, and transitioned them to a place further to his right, to make room for a new pile.

D : "Rugnud, as a whole, is a country with its pride and military might focused around warriors. They have no desperate need for magic - And thus they have no need to hide their history as intensively as their opponents do."

He began pulling another chunk of sandstone toward him to cut into bricks.

D : "Also, Hierphacon is revealed on purpose to send a message towards the magi of the world - We cannot expect our magic to work against them."

T : "What made Hierphacon so special? What message was it supposed to send?..."

Totta swung her legs widely, thirsting for more information.

D : "To understand that first, you must first know what Hierphacon is."

Deku set down the bricks and stones for a breather. It wasn't getting the work done, but he had made significant progress on the destroyed wall. If anything, this was a well-deserved break.

D : (Wow, this is going to be a while. I feel thirsty just thinking about it.) "... Hierphacon is the sheathe of a nameless sword held by Fergus, a child soldier. Supposedly, Hierphacon was an experiment performed by a hired Great Sorceror during that time - The child, Fergus, was to fight a childhood friend of his in battles while the sheathe was to remain invisible. Whenever Fergus won the sparring match, he would keep his sword in the invisible sheathe, and everyone would acknowledge that the warrior has won."

He reached down for a tankard, and sipped the soothing tea from it.

D : "When Fergus lost the battle, he would not sheathe his sword, claiming that he did not bring his sheathe with him that rendered his friend's magic ineffective. Through that lie alone, everyone not involved with the Grand Sorceror's plan believed that the sheathe was the contributing factor to Fergus' success."

T : "How would you even know if the sheathe was the reason why Fergus lost? It doesn't make sense how a sheathe allows him to succeed against magi!"

Totta looked at him with a confused expression. It made too little sense for her to understand.

D : "That's the point, Totta - Hierphacon's existence in itself is one big contradiction."

T : "Hah?"

D : "Just as how Sha'koth strived to create the impossible through deception, the point of the plan was to pretend that the sheathe's presence nullified the opponent's magic. By possessing the sheathe, Fergus was able to achieve victory against his friend's magic, and by not possessing it he could not ward off his friend's magic."

T : "He had the sheathe on him all the time, didn't he?"

D : "Yes, he did. But nobody else knows that. Fergus was simply instructed to walk away without sheathing his weapon when he loses. By doing so, he creates the illusion that the sheathe's presence allows him to nullify all forms of magic against his magus friend. Hierphacon's existence is doubtful in itself - I sometimes wonder if it was a real, invisible sheathe, or if the Great Sorceror constructed a sheathe made in air to give the illusion that the sheathe was there."

T : "But... That would mean that they all lied."

D : "It may be a great, big lie, Totta, but it is a legitimate weapon. People seen wielding the Hierphacon would not be touched by magic."

Deku patted Totta on her head gently.

D : "Besides, everything in existence has its weakness, magic included. Don't look so glum."

T : "... Then what's the weakness of Hierphacon wielders?"

Totta looked up at Deku, her hair swaying gently from a draft that hissed through the unfinished wall.

D : "The problem would be the fact that the sheathe itself repels image power. Magic that bolsters your strength, magic that heals your wounds, they will all fail when cast upon a wielder of the Hierphacon."

Deku noticed the warm afternoon draft flowing in, and resolved himself to finish what he started. He cut another rock into the shape of a brick again, and continued stacking the pile neatly.

D : "The physical state of Fergus was also reflected in the story, you see. Fergus is a child soldier. For a child to become a soldier is unthinkable by itself - His skills with his sword were at a Squire's, no matter how you would look at it."

T : "How does his physical state relate to Hierphacon?"

D : "When Fergus fought, he was told to give it his all. He did know how to fight with a sword, to a certain degree - But his identity as a child is bound to get many looks on him."

Deku hurried his fingers at the sudden alteration of the warm draft into a chilly breeze.

D : "He was certainly no Knight, and his strength does not befit a knight. When he fought well, you would think that Fergus was given ample chances to use his strength to his fullest. But when he lost, he could simply blame the fact that he did not have his 'sheathe' with him."

T : "... I... I still don't understand. What am I not seeing here?"

D : "You're not seeing the fact that he could simply blame his poor performance on the sheathe's absence if he didn't feel like disgracing himself. In other words, when he performed poorly, his opponent was allowed to create the vision of victory, so his magus friend won."

T : "The vision of victory..."

D : "... In other words, image power."

Deku took another sip from the tankard, and looked back at Totta. She had the look in her eye that yearned for the liquid he downed.

D : "... This tea's quite bitter, though."

T : "Let me have it!-"

D : "-if you insist. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Their daily interactions with each other had become something completely natural.

D : "Because Fergus was a child soldier, they expected nothing of him. His image in the heads of the servants, maids, aristocrats and observers wasn't the best, so there was nothing to be surprised at. He was simply a kid with a sword fit to be a Squire in their eyes, one without notable skill or technique, one that would not leave an impression on others. Through that, the debate on whether the Hierphacon nullifies its own wielder's image power is unclear, even now.

Deku wiped the accumulated sweat and grime on his fingers and palms upon his pants, and continued working.

D : "Because of his inexperience, it wasn't hard to believe that he had no skill at all. It wasn't hard to believe that he lacked skill. His image in their head was so simple that he did not seem affected, whether he was wielding the sheathe or not. It's that belief which makes the sheathe's ability to enfeeble the owner possible."

He chuckled, upon reaching that point.

T : "? What's so funny?"

D : "If you think about it from an outsider's point of view, the only reason why this weakness existed was because they didn't use an adult, but a child. Though I suppose having a naive, pure child free from conceit contributed to the realism of the tale, had they simply asked an adult to suppress his techniques when he was losing, and show his techniques when he was winning..."

He grabbed at the tankard Totta held with both hands and took a sip out of the refreshing tea, before handing Totta the drink once more.

D : "... It's such a pity. It was so close to becoming a weapon that could completely nullify the opponent's magic."

Deku wiped the liquid on his lips with his wrist.

D : "... Though, I understand why he chose to do this - Had the Great Sorceror created a weapon that could nullify all magic, that would be unthinkable... Well, not that it's completely bad, if you look at it another way."

He frowned when Bael's image formed in his head. He knew it would happen eventually.

He knew that magic was taking a gamble itself, that only men of the strongest mental fortitude ought to perform it. After all, it was only natural that something of great power could help as much as it could afflict ruin with the same vigor.

But he couldn't hide his disgust at Bael becoming disillusioned by it.

... Was he, really?

Perhaps, Deku was distraught for another reason... Did he really hate image power? Or did he hate the fact that Bael succumbed to it? Or perhaps, just maybe...

... Was he irritated by the fact that Bael was never that strong to begin with, even after knowing her all this time?

T : "So the sheathe can nullify all image power, huh?..."

D : "... Yeah. At least, the original Hierphacon is. Imitations of the sheathe don't perform as well as the original - They can only nullify the simplest magics, but that's to be expected of a fake. Still, because of the tale's nature, Hierphacon nullifies its own wielder's image power, meaning that people who properly train their bodies are the only ones who can use them without penalty."

Deku got up and raised himself to the gigantic hole on the wall and ceiling.

D : "Let's call it a day, Totta. I think this should be enough bricks."

Deku pressed his hand against the wall, and a yellow liquid in the form of a net was shot from his other hand pointing away from the wall. It grabbed at the pile of bricks stacked on the floor, and absorbed it all into his body at a range. Simultaneously, the hand that pressed against the wall flooded the empty space without bricks with the yellow fluid, which faded off.

And the hole was no more. Finally, after working for three days, Deku was done with setting the bricks in place.

D : (Alright, the wall and ceiling's finally done. About time! Let's see what I can repair in the playroom.)

Deku lowered himself carefully, and packed his stuff up along with the tankard.

Hoisting Seiene and Totta up by their stomachs, he carried the two children through the wooden door.