“……yes that’s right.”
Those were also the words that Jin had said to Kuro Usagi. He had said that if Kuro Usagi were to leave now, the Community would definitely be unable to hold up.
Be it the children who have been entrusted to her care or Izayoi and the others whom she had invited to join the Community.
The one who carried all the burden was none other than Kuro Usagi, herself.
“……I’ve heard from Asuka that the [Moon Rabbit] that you speak of is that of the legend?”
“YES. All the rabbit race in Little Garden have the same origin and that is the [Moon Rabbit]s.”
— The [Moon Rabbit]. In order to save an injured old man, a rabbit willingly leapt into the flames to offer its body and blood. That was one of the stories in the collection of Buddhist teachings. In Buddhism, suicide is seen to be a great sin. But the rabbit’s act is seen to be one of mercy and self-sacrifice, leading to Indra’s summon to create the first Moon Rabbit.
And the rabbits of Little Garden were the descendants of that [Moon Rabbit].
“Because of our ability to draw our power from the core of Little Garden, a [Moon Rabbit] will experience a change in color from the hair to the rabbit ears when they use their power. But there are also some differences between individuals too.”
“Oh I see now. So that means the alarming roll of thunder three days ago had also been Kuro Usagi’s doing?”
“Yes, a small portion of rabbits can call on the power of our first ancestor, the Herald of Indra to possess the Authority to wield Indra’s weapons. If up against normal opponents, Kuro Usagi will never lose!”
*Hei Hei* Kuro Usagi proudly puffed her chest and perked her ears in pride.
“But when you want to join Gift Games, they will limit the qualification of the Participants right?”
“Well……yes, that’s true.”
Her rabbit ears flopped down once more. Observing the rabbit ears that easily showed her true feelings, Yō and Asuka were quite impressed by that function.
“But it’s still quite surprising. Because when we talk about [Moon Rabbit]s, it’s something that's so well known that it can also be found in the records of Man’yōshū[2]. And it’s something that is quite famous in my world.”
“Is ……Is that so?”
“Nn—But, We do not intend to let you jump into the fire. Because we, the three of us……were summoned over by your invitation letter after all.”
Holding the invitation letter in her hand, Yō reached out her hand to lightly rest it over Kuro Usagi’s hand.
‘You shall cast aside your family, friends, possessions and everything in the world of yours.
And come forth to our [Little Garden].’
For the trio who have been summoned by that letter, this was a catch phrase that really struck a chord in them time and time again.
And the whole reason why the trio who have already been sick and tired of their previous worlds were able to muster up an enthusiasm in life was all thanks to Kuro Usagi who approached them with that phrase. Truly that and for no other reason.
If she were to leave for another Community, then for what reason did the trio come to Little Garden is a question that one might ask.
Giving a smile as she seemed to have reached a decision, but also partially one that signaled her surrender, Kuro Usagi opened her mouth to give her reply:
“……Well, Kuro Usagi apologizes for having said such irresponsible words. Don’t worry. It’s fine now.”
“Is that so? Then it’s about time that we start discussing the battle strategies already.”
“Yep, if only there were some constructive context to work on, we would be good to go.”
—EEH? Although Kuro Usagi let out a sound of having been lost amidst the discussion, the duo continued to discuss their matters while paying her no mind.
“I think the only way would be to just participate in Gift Games and obtain any kind of Gift that we can get and just continue in this pattern.”
“No. Time’s too short to do that. If we want to prepare something that the other party will want to lay his hand on no matter what the cost is….we will first need some information and context. Kuro Usagi, do you have any clues on that?”
“Eh? Eh?”
Although Kuro Usagi looked as though her thoughts had been thrown into disarray, but she had caught on to what they were discussing.
In other words, Asuka and Yō had not given up.
Not giving up on Kuro Usagi while not abandoning Leticia.
Asuka and Yō had come to find Kuro Usagi to discuss the battle strategy even though they hadn't met Leticia before. Those kind of feelings reached Kuro Usagi and the rims of her eye started to redden.
“Asuka-san, Yō-san…… Kuro Usagi’s really thankful for both of you.”
“If you want to thank us, do that after we have brought the person back. What’s more important currently is the battle strategy. Is there something that can be used to tempt the other party into accepting our negotiations besides Kuro Usagi……or is there a way to make the opponent play a Game against us with the Vampire girl as the bet?”
“That……That would really be some useful item….”
Having said that, they could only look for a solution in this direction. Kuro Usagi used her hand to prop her chin as she started to run though the options.
There were many precious gifts that slumbered deep in the Community’s treasury and it ranged from precious swords, Divine spears, Enchanted Bows and many other famous weapons and equipment but each and every one of them had many requirements to be met to be usable, making them items that were picky about their owners. Although there were also some Greek artifacts in their storage, Kuro Usagi couldn’t imagine Laius to be that sort of person who would want to collect items that related to his cultural history.
Looking from how they, [Perseus] had invaded their territory to the time when they had conversed in Shiroyasha’s shop with Laius.
Just judging from the character that he displayed from the events above, Kuro Usagi didn’t think that those items would be able to interest Laius enough to make the case negotiable.
“……No, it’s really tough. [Perseus] is an organization that leans most of the authoritative power towards the decision of the Community leader. If we want to nudge [Perseus] into action, we can only think from the direction of instigating Laius into action for there’s no other way. Shiroyasha-sama had said that he’s a person who’s addicted to drinking, enjoyment; and lustful. If we don’t know his interests, there’s really no……”
“Then, let’s look at it from a different direction shall we? Is there a kind of situation where even if Laius holds the final say, [Perseus] will still have to make a move?”
*Uu?* Kuro Usagi started to contemplate that line of thought. It wasn’t that there existed no such objects but it’s just that if they wanted to obtain it, the amount of time left to them was overwhelmingly inadequate. If only there were a few more days, they might just have a plan to solve it ……
“Do you guys know of the story where [Perseus] fought against Gorgon to seek justice?”
“Eh?”
Kuro Usagi’s abrupt question caught them by surprise but they replied without much confidence.
“When mentioning [Perseus], I only know of it being the name of a constellation. And Gorgon should be that snake-haired monster right?”
“Yes. The one who assassinated Medusa was a knight called Perseus.”
—The legend of Perseus' crusade against Medusa.
He had received the four Gifts from the Greek Gods and journeyed to launch his crusade against the Gorgon.
With a pair of shining wings sprouting from it—Hermes' boots.
A weapon that’s able to behead the Gods—Harpe.
The protection of Pluto’s armor—Hades' Helmet.
Although there was another Gift that is the shield of the God of war Athena, but it would seem that it has already been lost in the world of Little Garden.
Commanding the powers of all these powerful Gifts, Perseus still understood that his power was still unable to match up to Medusa. Hence he used the Hades Helmet to turn invisible and successfully beheaded her when she was asleep.
And in an ironic way, the head of the Gorgon became the greatest Gift that ensured his success on his future ventures and quests.
“Is that so? Then, is there a problem with that legend?”
“Communities that possess a certain level of strength may want to boast about their own legends and sometimes prepare Gift Games that would allow the re-enactment of the legend. They would only allow Participants who meet a certain criteria to challenge that Gift Game. And the bet would be their legend—and Flag.”
Asuka and Yō seemed to have realized what Kuro Usagi was getting at and they drew a sharp intake of breath.
“Flag……! If we can get that, maybe we will be able to use it for our negotiations!”
“Yes. But since it is challenge to the legend, it needs certain special conditions to be met. One must clear two of the Gift Games proposed by the other party and provide the evidences. And both of them are harsh trials that would require a few months or years to clear……but unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time.”
“I’m coming in!”