kscans

Chapter 27 - The Neighboring Forest and the Little Person, Part Two

"Mmmhmm."

Chihiro looked at her thumbnail, which was dyed gold.

It was the proof of her pact with the Forest Master. They exchanged their magic, and a part of each of them turned gold. She was told that she only needed to touch and let her magic flow, so Chihiro touched Merda’s eye with her left hand and channeled her magic.

Chihiro was now learning magic. Golden magic was an independent attribute, and apparently, no one but the first king knew how to use it. For now, all she could do was release it.

When Chihiro channeled her magic, thin, thread-like golden magic burst forth from Merda’s eye and writhed as if to envelop her small hand. The converged magic was absorbed into her thumb, and her thumbnail shone gold. One of Merda’s left compound eyes had also turned gold.

《Fufufu. With this, we are connected. If anything happens to my king, I will know immediately.》

Merda’s eyes looked truly happy. Remembering Merda gently stroking her gold-dyed compound eye, Chihiro’s own eyes curved into an arc.

If it made her that happy, I should have made the pact with her sooner.

With her strong modern consciousness, Chihiro had seen the idea of being unconditionally obeyed as something akin to slave labor and had felt a strong sense of aversion to it. Since then, she would occasionally feel something slip out of her. This was probably the supply of magic from the pact.

The moment it left, a shiver would run down her spine, but it only happened about twice a day. It did not tire her, and there was no problem.

In other words, this was not slave labor, but a give and take. It was a ritual to properly receive Merda’s protection by paying the reward of magic. In fact, the previous arrangement of paying a price to receive honey now seemed like treating her as a day laborer, which, in retrospect, explained why Merda had been so antsy. She had gone from a shift-based part-timer to a full-time employee. For Chihiro, who had experienced the job scarcity of what was called the employment ice age, it was something she could sympathize with.

I'm so sorry, Merda.

Belatedly, the little person clasped her hands together in her heart.

"Let’s take a break here."

After traveling by carriage for half a day, they came to a small clearing at the edge of an open forest. There was a space to stop the carriage, a fence to tie the horses, and various other things. A little ways off, there was a small stream and several hearths. The hearths even had roofs to protect them from the rain. It was a place like a campground from her previous life.

"Whoa. Is this a rest area?"

"It’s not just a rest area, you can also camp here. It’s more of a multi-purpose clearing. See that? That’s unique to Frontier, it’s a tree that wards off evil. If that’s planted, no monsters can come within a hundred-meter radius."

In the center of the clearing stood a large tree. Its lush, rustling leaves were evergreen, and they had a faint golden glow.

Have I seen this somewhere before?

Chihiro cast a net into her memories, and recalling a tree she had seen on television in her past life, her eyes widened.

That’s it. The Kininaru Ki. That big tree called a Monkeypod, or a Rain Tree.

The moment she remembered, that familiar phrase played in her head, and she couldn’t help but hum it. Hearing this, the knights tilted their heads in puzzlement.

"That’s an interesting song. ‘Kininaru Ki’? That’s a clever way to put it. This is called a Rain Tree."

"Huh?"

What? It has the same name as the one on Earth? Then did the one on Earth have monster-repelling effects too?

The strange similarity made the little person unconsciously look up at the peculiar tree.

"Here you are, sorry for the wait. Chicken and egg risotto."

During their break, which also served as lunch, Adoris prepared a light meal. In the clearing, there were several tables and benches made from large trees split in half lengthwise, and Chihiro’s group decided to eat at one of them. The risotto served was piping hot, but unfortunately, it was made with barley. It was a dish Chihiro had taught him as an application of the white sauce she had made for a stew before. It should have been called oatmeal, but there were other dishes like that, so she had deliberately explained it as risotto.

Well, at least the feeling is there.

As Chihiro and the others were slurping their risotto, someone called out to them.

"Provide that dish to us as well."

When Chihiro turned around, there stood a well-dressed man.

Undaunted by the knights’ suspicious gazes, he stood silently, holding what appeared to be a personal plate.

"Excuse me, but who might you be?"

To Dolphen’s polite inquiry, the man flashed a malicious smile and sneered.

"I am of the house of Earl Main. The young master took an interest, saying it smelled good. You should be honored."

Earl Main... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere.

Before Chihiro could float a question mark, Dolphen’s face contorted, quickly becoming grim.

"You again. How many times must you be rude to Chihiro-sama before you are satisfied?"

"Wha... How dare a mere knight..."

"Idiot, stop it!"

A man who seemed to be the other’s companion hurriedly stepped in.

"You are the young lord of the Marquis Kigris house, are you not? My deepest apologies for the rudeness."

"Guh... A marquis?"

I remember this pattern too.

Munching away, Chihiro watched to see how things would unfold. And then, the main act appeared.

"How long will you keep me waiting? I am hungry, you know."

A slightly chubby boy in lavish attire. He was looking up at the adults with a sullen face.

Ah, now I remember. The young earl who charged into the castle kitchen. I think his name was Rallphred or something.

Clapping her hands in her mind, Chihiro finished her meal with a look of understanding. Seeing this, the boy stomped his feet and pointed at Chihiro.

"See, she’s eaten it all. You have a portion for me, don’t you?"

What? Were you planning on snatching mine?

Next to the wide-eyed Chihiro, Adoris also murmured in exasperation.

"Why would I? This is our food."

Stared at with eyes that looked upon something unbelievable, the young earl and his attendants faltered. Sighing at this, Dolphen stared intently at the attendants and jutted his chin.

"If you are going to speak of earls, then you should know who this person is, should you not?"

Only then did the attendants seem to notice Chihiro’s presence.

Well, she was surrounded by large knights and eating at the same table, so maybe she had blended in and gone unnoticed. After staring at Chihiro for a moment, the attendants’ eyes widened. Then they began to tremble violently.

"Golden hair? What? Surely not?"

"There is no ‘surely not’ about it. It is plain to see."

"What? What are you talking about?"

A little bit of chaos.

"If you continue to blather on, I will have to report this to His Majesty."

When Dolphen said that, the attendants, holding Rallphred, once again fled like rabbits, shouting, "Our apologies."

Ah, déjà vu.

Smiling wryly, Chihiro and the others, having finished their meal, decided it was best not to linger and escaped from the clearing. As they moved away, Dolphen’s voice reached Chihiro, who was still staring at the Kininaru Ki in the distance.

"It is said that that monster-repelling tree was planted by His Majesty the First King. At night, it glows with a faint golden light, and though it is dim, it can be seen clearly in the dark."

Dolphen explained that it was a place of rest with a very reassuring light.

I see. A faintly lit place in the pitch dark would indeed be welcome and reassuring.

Though their break had been marred by an unpleasant incident, the little person found herself wanting to see the faintly glowing Kininaru Ki someday.