Chapter 195 - 2-77
The whirlwind days of our stay in the Kingdom of Orta finally drew to a close as the day of our departure arrived.
While Sarah and the knights prepared the luggage and carriages, Louis-sama and I offered our farewells and gratitude to Prince Ricardo and Prince Isaac. They seemed loath to see us go, and we spent a considerable amount of time talking that morning. Prince Isaac even presented me with a transcript of Orta's historical records, requesting that I share any new discoveries regarding the history of the previous Dark Saint.
Prince Ricardo granted us permission to enter the shrine again—the one only members of the Orta royal family could unlock. This time, Louis-sama accompanied me.
"So this is the shrine you mentioned before, Rachel. Strictly speaking, I shouldn't even be allowed in here."
"Prince Ricardo and Prince Isaac have entrusted us with uncovering the truth of our shared history. To be granted entry to such a sacred place and given important historical documents... I am truly grateful."
"They have nothing left to hide. This is Prince Ricardo's way of showing his resolve—that the Kingdom of Orta will walk alongside Dutoit from now on."
"Yes. With this, the Kingdom of Orta and the Kingdom of Dutoit can finally join hands in the truest sense."
I realized once again how similar Prince Ricardo and Louis-sama were, both in their way of thinking and the future they envisioned. As long as they looked in the same direction, their bond would only deepen. The rift between our nations, once like a wall of ice built over long years, would surely melt away in an instant. Recalling how they had spoken with such earnest expressions just before entering the shrine, I felt certain of it.
"By the way, you seemed to be in deep conversation with Prince Ricardo earlier. Did something happen?"
"No, just a final farewell. And a bit of a report."
I wondered what kind of report he meant. Noticing my puzzled look, Louis-sama's expression stiffened slightly as he spoke.
"It seems Prince Ricardo confronted the King regarding the murder of Count Banks. He pressured him to abdicate the throne in exchange for keeping the matter from the public eye."
"...Did His Majesty the King agree to that?"
The King of Orta was famous for his obsession with the throne, showing no sign of naming a successor. Rumors had even circulated that he might choose a distant relative over his own sons, despite Prince Faust and Prince Ricardo being the most likely candidates. I found it hard to believe such a stubborn man would settle the matter so easily just because the Count Banks case was brought up.
"I don't know the specifics of their exchange, but they apparently argued quite a bit. In the end, he agreed on the condition that the Duchy's authority be dismantled."
"His Majesty's resentment toward the Ducal house must have been profound."
"Indeed. It seems his true desire was to avoid passing the throne to Minerva's sons, even if they were his own children."
Whether the King had been obsessed with Madam Banks or the throne itself while hating his wife, or if his heart had been consumed solely by a desire for revenge against Lady Minerva, only he would ever know. Regardless, a King and Queen who threw their country into chaos and embroiled innocent people in their schemes to satisfy their own desires were unfit to rule. Yet, such serpent-like individuals swirled within aristocratic society, always busy pulling each other down. To face them without being swept away—that was the strength I aspired to have.
That was why I hoped to support and build a nation alongside people like Louis-sama and Prince Ricardo.
"I believe Prince Ricardo will be able to rebuild this country."
"I'm sure he will... eventually."
Louis-sama nodded with a soft smile, his eyes sparkling. He placed a hand around my waist as we walked slowly through the shrine. I explained the paintings lined up along the walls to him, just as Prince Isaac had explained them to me before. We eventually stopped in front of one particular portrait.
"So this is the rumored portrait of the Dark Saint. I see... she certainly shares a similar atmosphere with you, Rachel. Though, hearing that she was Prince Isaac's first love makes it a bit complicated to look at."
Louis-sama groaned with a conflicted expression. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, causing him to look startled for a moment before his eyes narrowed into a crinkled, boyish smile.
"This painting has a charm that draws you in. I can certainly understand why she was Prince Isaac's first love."
Just then, I felt something brush against my legs. Startled, I looked down to see Kuro circling my feet, his black tail swaying.
"Meow."
"Oh, Kuro. Did you come here too?"
He seemed to be in high spirits. When I picked him up and stroked his neck, he closed his eyes and began to purr loudly.
"It seems Kuro likes this room."
"Nya!"
"You're quite cheerful, Kuro. Is there something that caught your interest?"
Kuro squirmed in my arms, suddenly looking around and meowing repeatedly. I scanned the surroundings to see what was bothering him, and that was when I noticed something strange about the portrait of the Saint we had been looking at.
"Oh... what is this?"
"Rachel, what's wrong?"
I took a step closer to the painting, searching for the source of my unease. A faint, shimmering blue light was emanating from the area near the Dark Saint's left hand.
"Um... this painting..."
"Yes, the Saint's. What about it?"
"Look, right here! Letters are appearing where there was nothing before!"
The sudden light gradually formed words upon the canvas. At my voice, Louis-sama leaned in as well, staring intently at the painting.
"...Hmm, I can't read it."
"Are these ancient characters? I wonder what they say?"
"Sei... re, o... no, that's not it. It's slightly different. Hmm, I don't recognize this script. It's quite old, even for ancient languages. It would be a struggle just to find an expert who could decipher this."
The characters belonged neither to the Kingdom of Dutoit nor the Kingdom of Orta. Their shapes differed from the ancient languages taught at the academy. Louis-sama checked them character by character, but deciphering them seemed impossible.
"I wonder why these letters appeared now, and what they mean. It's so mysterious."
"Did someone call?"
I jumped as a voice suddenly sounded from behind me.
"Nya! Meow!"
"Nel-sama!"
Holding Kuro, who meowed happily, I turned around to find Nel-sama smiling playfully.
"Dark Spirit King, it has been a while."
"Yo! Princey and Rachel, glad to see you're both doing well. It's been boring since you guys left, so feel free to come visit whenever you want."
"Hehe, we certainly will. By the way, Nel-sama, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"Well, I promised to give you a pendant like the one Princey has, didn't I? It's finished, so I came to deliver it. Here, take it."
As if remembering something, Nel-sama held his hand out into the empty air. A golden pendant appeared in his palm. Prompted, I held out both hands, and the pendant was transferred to me with a light metallic clink. I looked down at the cold metal to find a teardrop-shaped magic stone pendant top on a gold chain. The magic stone, a deep purple similar to a high-clarity amethyst, sparkled as it caught the light.
"It's beautiful. Thank you so much."
"If you pour your mana into it and focus your thoughts, it'll connect to me. If I give permission, it'll open a path to the Spirit Land. You can come in through that path."
"Meow!"
"Is such a thing really possible? That's incredible."
"Well, I am the Spirit King, after all."
Nel-sama puffed out his chest with a look of satisfaction. Beside me, Louis-sama peered at the pendant, seemingly lost for words in his surprise. Nel-sama had previously shown great interest in the pendant Louis-sama used to connect with his contract spirit, Van. He had mentioned making something similar for me, but I hadn't expected him to bring it so soon. To be able to enter and leave the Spirit Land whenever Nel-sama permitted... I stared at the pendant in a daze, overwhelmed by its significance.
Just then, I felt a weight on my shoulder. I looked up to see Nel-sama using my shoulder as an armrest while he carefully observed the painting in front of us.
"So, you can't read these letters?"
"No. they appear to be some kind of ancient script..."
Nel-sama placed a hand on his chin, narrowed his eyes, and hummed in thought for a moment before speaking.
"'When the Spirit Country becomes one, light and darkness shall merge again, and the sleeping dragon shall awaken'... that's what it says."
"A sleeping dragon? Were those the words written in ancient script?"
While Louis-sama and I stared at him with wide eyes, surprised by how fluently he read it, Nel-sama's face twisted in distaste.
"Ugh, this is bad. A story about dragons? I hate those guys."
"Dragons? Um, what do you mean by that?"
"Ah, first off, 'Spirit Country' was the common name for when Orta and Dutoit were a single nation. As for the sleeping dragon... who knows? Ah, maybe the previous Dark Saint sealed it away. Perhaps the seal loosened because a member of the Dutoit royalty was allowed into this room."
Nel-sama nodded to himself as if he'd figured it all out. However, I couldn't even understand thirty percent of what he was saying. I listened to his voice in confusion. Spirit Country was a common name... I've never heard that before. Regardless, what did Nel-sama just say? If I recall...
"When the Spirit Country becomes one, light and darkness shall merge again, and the sleeping dragon shall awaken."
"Ah, if you're the one to read those words..."
Nel-sama panicked as I repeated the phrase, as if I'd said something terrible.
"What?"
"What is this light?!"
A powerful light flashed from the painting, making me squint and furrow my brow. The light formed a ring around my left wrist, glowing blue as it changed shape.
"A bangle... when did this..."
The blue light transformed into a golden bangle, settling onto my left wrist. It was decorated with water ripple patterns and encrusted with numerous emeralds along the top and bottom edges. I tried to pull it off with all my strength, but the bangle wouldn't budge.
"...Louis-sama, this is a problem. It won't come off."
"What? Why on earth..."
"This... it's the same one the Saint in the painting is wearing, isn't it?"
"Did it appear because Rachel spoke the ancient tongue?"
Louis-sama took my hand suspiciously and touched the bangle. There had been no reaction when Nel-sama read the words, but it appeared when I did. This suggested that, just as the Saint in the painting wore the bangle, a Saint chanting the ancient words was the key.
"It must have been put to sleep within this painting. Rachel, I'm sorry, but that bangle has chosen its owner. You won't be able to take it off now."
Nel-sama let out a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders as if giving up.
"W-what should I do?"
"Well, since you woke it up, you've got no choice but to take responsibility and raise it."
"Raise it? Um, raise what?"
Nel-sama patted my shoulder sympathetically, then began looking around warily.
"Whoa, crap. It's already waking up! I'm getting out of here before things get annoying."
"Wait, Nel-sama! What do you mean by 'waking up'? What's going to happen?"
Nel-sama stuck out his tongue and made a face, then raised his right hand to summon his staff. He tapped the floor lightly, and his body began to fade.
"Nel-sama! Wait, I still—"
"I'll give you one piece of advice: dragons are persistent, clingy bastards. Be careful!"
I reached out to stop him, but my hand only cut through empty air as he vanished in a hurry. Only questions remained.
"Advice... what could he have meant?"
"Who knows. He certainly left in a rush."
"Yes. I still had so many things I wanted to ask him."
"But speaking of dragons, the rumor that the Empire's royalty are descendants of dragons is quite famous... I wonder if it's related to that?"
The most powerful nation on the continent was the Tratia Empire. Having expanded its territory through sheer military might, the Empire was famous for its dragon blood, and the extraordinary physical strength of its people was said to be the secret of their power.
"I believe it's said that the Empire's progenitor was a golden dragon—a Dragonewt who possessed both human and dragon forms."
"Yes. Perhaps because of that, they are said to be fierce, bellicose, and prone to crushing everything with power. Along with the Dragon Mountains, the imperial citizens have lived alongside dragons. In the old days, it's said they rode on the backs of giant, fire-breathing dragons and flew freely through the skies. However, the number of dragons used for war gradually dwindled, and rumors say they eventually went extinct."
"I wonder why Nel-sama brought up dragons so suddenly. I can't imagine there's a connection between spirits and dragons."
Louis-sama and I looked at each other and tilted our heads. Even on the same continent, the Kingdom of Dutoit and the Tratia Empire were in the northwest and southeast, respectively. There was almost no contact between us. Moreover, the difference in national power was too great. It would be unbearable if we accidentally provoked them and were dragged into a war.
"We need to find a way to investigate this bangle."
As Louis-sama looked up after touching the bangle again, his eyes widened. He froze as if time had stopped, staring at a single point.
"Rachel... there... on your shoulder."
"Eh? My shoulder?"
I turned my gaze toward my left shoulder, where Louis-sama was pointing. The moment I saw it, I gasped in surprise.
"Kyuu."
There sat a creature unlike anything I had ever seen. Its pure white body was draped around my neck and shoulder, and it let out a cry like a sleep-talker while keeping its eyes closed.
"Wait... could this be... a dragon?"
"Unless my eyes deceive me... it is a dragon. If it were a snake, it wouldn't have limbs, even if it's small."
It slid its small body, about thirty centimeters long, closer to my neck. Kuro, whom I was still holding, poked the dragon's head with his front paw as if wary of this sudden, strange presence.
"Meow."
"Kyuu."
The dragon shook its head in annoyance at Kuro's poking. However, it didn't open its eyes and simply began to sleep peacefully again.
"H-how cute! This little one must be a baby. Oh, look at how soundly it's sleeping."
What is this?! This adorable creature! It's sleeping while making little noises...
Kuro stared at the tiny dragon with wide, curious eyes. My heart throbbed at the sight, but Louis-sama lowered his brows in concern.
"It certainly looks lovely, but... if it really is a dragon, it likely possesses great power even as a child. We must be careful."
"That's true. But why did this little one appear so suddenly? I'm sure the bangle has something to do with it."
"Yeah. Does this mean the seal has been broken? I hope this doesn't lead to anything disastrous..."
Louis-sama and I looked at each other with wry smiles. On the very day we were finally supposed to return from the Kingdom of Orta, it seemed we had awakened something quite extraordinary.
"What should we do with this little one?"
"...It can't be helped. For now, we'll report this to Prince Ricardo and then consider taking it back with us. The bangle won't come off, and when the Dark Spirit King told you to 'raise it,' he was likely referring to this dragon."
"Yes. Well then... I look forward to being with you."
Ignoring our confusion, I gently stroked the head of the dragon still sleeping against my neck. Even in its sleep, the dragon leaned its head into my finger.