Free Web NovelChapter 900: The Arrival of the Imperial Capital Celebration
"Heave-ho~"
Having hauled the heavy suitcase off the shuttle flight and this far was already her limit. The young woman, her hair just brushing her shoulders, braced her hands against her knees and breathed a little unevenly. "Huff... finally, finally we’ve reached the Imperial Capital."
At that moment, a man’s voice came from behind her.
"Imperial Capital, Imperial Capital—the Capital of the Empire. What did you expect? Who told you to insist on showing off? You had intelligent machines to help and refused to use them. Serves you right. And what was that about ’Komachi is all grown up now, she can help carry things for Mom and Dad’? Honestly, my foolish little sister, did you even think about how much you stuffed into that suitcase before we left..."
The tone was exaggerated, tinged with schadenfreude and the casual teasing familiar between siblings.
"Eh? Onii-chan, that’s too much! That line scores very low in Komachi points, you know!"
The young woman puffed up her cheeks and turned her head, her slightly youthful face—bright, clever, and brimming with vitality—glowering unhappily at the newcomer.
"Ha, really? If my score is that low, then Onii-chan will just have to sadly settle my adorable little sister into a hotel first—just in case my angry sister causes trouble."
The man laughed as he removed his peaked cap, revealing short ink-black hair the same color as the young woman’s. Even the stray ahoge atop his head was strikingly similar. If one had to describe his appearance, he was the clean-cut, mildly handsome type.
Although a pair of dead-fish eyes slightly ruined the aesthetic, paired with his tall, sturdy build and the tailored uniform of the Imperial military system, he carried a distinct sense of authority. A young grassroots officer of the Imperial auxiliary forces, the kind whose appeal grew the longer you looked.
"Hachiman the Great Bodhisattva, still so close with your little sister as ever. As expected of the famous siscon of our XVIII—Auxiliary Army 11th Legion."
"Yeah, Hikigaya, your sister’s about to graduate from the National Women’s University in the Edo District of Area 11, right... Brother-in-law Hikigaya! Look at your little brother here—"
Not far away, other auxiliary officers who had arrived at the Imperial Capital aboard the sightseeing shuttle and had just settled their accompanying family members immediately began to jeer. Judging by their uniform insignia and color scheme, they belonged to the same legion.
Among them, a particularly broad and burly officer with center-parted white hair shouted the loudest.
"Get lost, get lost!" As the saying went, capture the ringleader first. Laughing and cursing, Hikigaya Hachiman took a quick step forward and used his height advantage to hook his good friend’s neck with his arm. "Yoshiteru Zaimokuza, you loud-mouthed bastard." His bulging bicep flexed slightly.
"Cough cough cough... Hachiman, y-you forget your friends when you see a pretty face! No, when you see your sister!"
"Hold on—inspection patrol!"
Amid the scuffle, someone suddenly howled. Swish swish. They smoothed out wrinkles in their uniforms, straightened their caps, and tidied their appearance in one fluid motion. The rowdy "rabble" from moments before instantly turned proper, standing upright and staring straight ahead.
Thud thud.
Outside the automatic doors at the end of the boarding bridge, several Imperial Capital airport police officers holding terminal tablets passed by. They paused briefly at the exit corridor of this gate, glanced around a few times, then walked away.
"Whew... Hey, even though we’re on leave, once we step off this airbridge, we’ve officially set foot in the Imperial Capital. This isn’t the shuttle assigned to our legion where you can fool around. Relax, but don’t be reckless. Be serious. The Capital is crawling with officials—high-ranking nobles, military generals, government governors, our auxiliary and support force higher-ups, the Celestial Soldiers of the Imperial Guard, and Astartes and Custodian angels everywhere."
"Don’t embarrass our XVIII Conquered World—11th Tourist World, got it?"
The auxiliary colonel leading the group—also Hikigaya Hachiman’s former superior—rebuked them with a stern face.
"Yes, sir!" ×N
Hearing this, Hikigaya Komachi, who had been overly excited at the thought of coming to the Imperial Capital, was pulled closer by Hikigaya Hachiman. His parents exchanged a glance, worry plain on their faces.
"Dear, we’re just ordinary commoners. At most, upstarts. Hachiman’s achievements might be well-known in Chiba, but the Imperial Capital... is this really a place we can come to? What if we offend some important figure..."
"I heard that those great nobles of the Empire—every one of them has estates spanning provinces and counties, with fiefdoms measured in planets and star systems." Mrs. Hikigaya’s voice lacked confidence. The Imperial Capital—the dwelling place of the divine... it was too distant from the world they lived in.
Unattainable.
"There’s nothing to be afraid of. Hachiman earned this. It’s an official invitation from the Empire to attend the ceremony. We’re not some arrogant nouveau riche who don’t know the rules. As long as we don’t overstep and watch our words and actions, what danger could there be? Touring the Imperial Capital properly will make this life worthwhile." Mr. Hikigaya spoke boldly, but the slight tremor in the hand holding his wife’s betrayed that he was not as confident as he claimed.
"Let’s go."
Hikigaya Hachiman adjusted his tie and came to stand beside his parents and sister, clapping his hands lightly.
"Just like Dad said, there’s nothing to be afraid of. And about those nobles and such—Mom, have you been watching too many soap operas? Their circles and upbringing are on a different level. As long as we don’t pick fights or do anything stupid, they won’t care about us. Our lives will never intersect."
"What do you mean ’do anything stupid’? Hachiman, don’t use crude language at home."
"Sorry, sorry. Slip of the tongue."
Following the flow of the crowd through the wide deck, Komachi seemed to remember something and asked, "Oh, right! Onii-chan, I remember—it was many years ago. When you had just returned from enlistment and earned your military academy candidate qualification, we went to the Moon Banquet Festival at Totsuki Tea House Culinary Academy. We met that white-haired big sister—an Imperial Capital noble. Do you remember her?"
"You still remember that?" Hikigaya Hachiman said, slightly speechless.
"Of course. Her bearing was charming, her figure light and graceful—someone you could only admire from afar, like a goddess. She had the elegance of a fairy maiden and the poise of noble grace... If only I could have that kind of..."
"Stop dreaming." Hachiman mercilessly crushed his little sister’s daydream. "Impossible. No hope. Literary girl, keep your feet on the ground." His left hand formed a knife-edge and lightly tapped her head.
"You should think about what comes after graduation—continue your studies and broaden your horizons, or use my military rank benefits to get a local civil service position in Chiba."
"Oh." Slumping forward in disappointment, Komachi drooped her shoulders, but quickly regained her energy. "Got it, got it. I’ll follow Sister Yukino’s path and continue my studies."
"Onii-chan, do you think there’s any chance we’ll run into that big sister again during this Imperial Capital celebration?"
Komachi was sensible. Of course she wanted to stay in the Capital, to try and find that big sister who had left such an important mark in her memory and to take in all the Capital’s splendor. But she also knew that with their family’s circumstances, it wasn’t a matter of difficulty—it was impossible for her to remain in the Imperial Capital.
Hachiman only smiled without answering. "Maybe. Don’t get your hopes up. After all, the Imperial Capital..." As they passed through an arched gateway, he turned to look out the porthole window. "...is too vast."
Colossal buildings and statues pierced through the firmament itself. Before such grand and boundless structures, everything else faded into insignificance.
"There are billions upon billions of visitors."
"Wow!"
Komachi’s bright, watery eyes lit up brilliantly as she exclaimed.
Passing through the monumental arched gate lined with solemn statues, crimson-gold banners of triumph hung down along both sides of the corridor, silently proclaiming glory. Ahead, their view suddenly opened onto a towering hall that stretched beyond sight.
Beneath the colossal pillars and statues, beings of differing uniforms, races, and identities entered the sectional halls of this spaceport from their respective boarding decks. Gilded lights shone from all directions onto the mosaic crystal-polished floor. Voices clamored, people surged.
Here, they were like a stream merging into the sea, blending into the tide of pilgrims heading toward the Imperial Capital.
Along the lengthy corridor of the hall, besides the disciplined tribute-bearing soldiers and the jubilant ceremonial tourists, there were many devout believers clad in robes heavy with religious symbolism.
They walked in utmost humility.
Some stared in rapture at the proportionally distorted figure of the Lord of the Empire in the starry dome above—the Divine Empress above all creation. Some sang sacred hymns with incomparable reverence and devotion. Some kowtowed three steps at a time, tears streaming down their faces. Some even kissed the base of the Divine Empress’ statue, so overwhelmed with emotion that they fainted...
And so on.
The word "fanatics" automatically surfaced in Hikigaya Hachiman’s mind.
"Pilgrims under the Seventeenth Legion of the Astartes Angels, perhaps."
—
—
20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven
