kscans

Chapter 44 - The Sea Forest and the Little Person ~Four~

"Katsumi-sama. What in the world do you intend to do?"

"Hm? Just what I said. I'm going to do my best to get along with Sakura-san. Causing trouble with Frontier would be a bad move, wouldn't it?"

After returning to the inn, the people from the Empire and Katsumi discussed what to do next. Simply demanding Sakura's return would not get her back, nor would Sakura herself likely agree. Therefore, they had to explain the circumstances behind their desire for her to return, and they broadly explained their intention to oppose the current emperor.

For the people, for the country, and to save its many women. With Sakura, a direct descendant of the imperial family, and Katsumi, a pure-blooded Japanese person, it would not be difficult to oust the current emperor. Many nobles of good conscience were already on their side. If they were to act, it had to be now.

The long war with Frontier, spanning hundreds of years, had not been meaningless. From the brides they had welcomed from neighboring countries, they had learned the common sense of the world. They learned of the foolishness of mistreating only women, treating them like livestock. That was nothing to be proud of. It was a barbaric practice worthy of contempt.

Katsumi-sama, the new person they had sought, had told them the same thing. Such a culture did not exist even in the Japan of a thousand years ago. It seemed they had been laboring under a grand misunderstanding for many years.

Half of the brides returned to their homelands within a few years, and the terrible discrimination against women within Kilfan became known to other nations. Though other countries had at first praised Kilfan's civilization for not relying on magic, they now maintained only formal relations.

Frontier, a nation of law renowned throughout the world, was the exact opposite of Kilfan. The fact that their close neighbor was such a country only highlighted the Empire's own depravity.

The previous people they had sought were individuals who had only made the Empire more arrogant, but Katsumi-sama was different. He was a calm, intelligent man with a gentle demeanor, much like a person from Frontier. It was an ancient custom for a sought person to be welcomed into the imperial family. He would be welcomed by the nobles and the common people alike. The fact that they had Princess Sakura, a woman of marriageable age, seemed nothing short of divine providence.

This was a once in a lifetime chance.

It was a unique opportunity to overturn the Kilfan Empire from its very foundations. They could not let it slip away.

However, the cornerstone of this plan was Sakura-sama. The long held reverence for the imperial family was deeply rooted, and it would be easier for the people to accept Sakura-sama as empress, with less friction, than for Katsumi-sama to become emperor. The level of trust in a new emperor would be completely different as well. Though they understood that the sought ones were Japanese, the ancestors of the Empire's people, they were in the end visitors from elsewhere. It would likely be difficult to accept one with unquestioning obedience.

That was why they had to have Sakura-sama, no matter what.

Katsumi looked at the Kilfan men with their solemn faces and offered a faint smile.

"Haste makes waste, you know. I still have more than a decade. Let's take our time."

His innocent smile calmed the men's hearts.

That's right, being hot-blooded was a bad habit of Kilfan. How many blunders had they made because of it?

"Well, let's try a few things. First, we need to get a proper understanding of Frontier."

The Kilfan men nodded deeply at Katsumi's words.

However, things were about to take a turn for the bizarre. This was Kobito-san quality for you.

"We'll go to Kilfan."

The young girl's nonchalant declaration made the Kilfan men's faces freeze. Katsumi's did as well. The Kobito-san glanced up at them and smiled innocently.

"What's wrong? You wanted Sakura to come back, right? If we're with her, Sakura will be with her. No problem, right?"

No, there's a huge problem with that!!

It was a moment when the feelings of every single person present were in perfect alignment.

Looking at the stunned Imperial contingent, Romel sighed inwardly and recalled the conversation from the previous night.

The night after their meeting with the Kilfan men, the Kobito-san had gathered everyone from Frontier and made a declaration.

"I think I'll go to Kilfan."

The little girl said it as if it were nothing. It was with such casualness, as if she were just going shopping nearby, that Romel almost nodded in agreement, but he managed to hold himself back.

"How did we arrive at this conclusion, I wonder?"

Romel wanted to praise himself for managing a smile, even if it was a dark one. He hoped they would forgive the twitching corner of his mouth.

"Because they won't give up, you know? Probably. I wouldn't recommend letting 'that' into Frontier, though."

Everyone present understood what the Kobito-san meant by 'that'. It was undoubtedly the otherworlder called Katsumi. The young man who had seemed the calmest among them. But at the same time, the people of Frontier had seen through him as a cunning and untrustworthy person.

While Frontier was technologically inferior to other nations, its application of what it had was outstanding. It was a flexible country, sensitive to the subtleties of human nature, and adept at deflecting the medieval emotional arguments thrown at it from other countries. In Arcadia, where brute courage was rampant, it was a nation that had built a unique culture of its own. It was an advanced nation that had polished its inner self. Polished so much, in fact, that it was like a den of demons. Their society was one where you would be ridiculed if you could not grasp the unspoken meaning in witty verbal spars and reply appropriately. Their diplomacy, which made full use of these skills, was second to none.

In other words, deft wordplay was their specialty.

Among the Frontier party, even Dolphen, who might be considered a meathead, held a strong suspicion of Katsumi. It was probably something close to hating one's own kind. In the eyes of the young man with the gentle smile, they had sensitively perceived a faint light of amusement.

"Well, yes. That was definitely the face of someone enjoying himself. He's toying with them, isn't he. The Kilfan men."

"That boy seems a little twisted, I think. In a different way than the Empire. He feels unstable, like he's all over the place."

"Ah. I think I know what you mean. There's this instability, like he's given up and nothing matters."

The speakers were Romel, Sakura, and Adoris, in that order. Dolphen just nodded slightly, a bitter look on his face. Each of them had offered a rather accurate analysis of Katsumi based on his appearance and words. The Kobito-san was momentarily wide eyed, but if they understood that much, it would be easier to explain. With a grin, the little girl told them of her scheme.

"...Are you serious?"

"No, that's... But is there any other way? Hmmm, for now, I suppose I should consult His Majesty."

"This child is always thinking up reckless plans. What will you do if you fail?"

This time, the speakers were Dolphen, Romel, and Sakura. Adoris was silent, a distant look in his eyes.

And so, the Frontier party's secret meeting ended. The next day, they would head to the royal capital, taking the Kilfan men with them. This was because the Kobito-san and her friends needed to prepare for their journey to Kilfan. Until then, they decided to welcome Katsumi and the others as guests of honor.

They couldn't let them out of their sight, after all.

On the smirking Kobito-san's shoulder, Pochiko-san stared intently at Katsumi.

"So this is the city of Lumiere. What a beautiful place."

On their way back to the capital, the Kobito-san took a slight detour to visit Lumiere, a city located west of Gesperista. Lumiere, which jutted out into the sea much like the Boso Peninsula, was surrounded by coral reefs. No matter which way one approached, it offered a scenic ocean view. The buildings were predominantly whitish, giving it a strong Mediterranean feel. The temperature was higher than in the capital. Though spring had not yet fully arrived, the summer like weather brought a faint sheen of sweat to the skin. A vast coral reef stretched from the city's edge far out to sea. This was the Forest of the Master.

Even though it's only about a two day carriage ride from the capital, the climate changes quite a bit.

As the Kobito-san looked around curiously, something caught her eye. It was a round fruit crowned with spiky leaves. There was no way the Kobito-san would miss its distinctive silhouette.

"A pineapple field!!"

Uwaaa, that's right, Merda said on my birthday that she brought them from the south. ...Wait a minute.

A disagreeable thought occurred to the Kobito-san. The pineapples she had served everyone at the baronial family's party. Where had they come from? She stared at Pochiko-san, but Pochiko-san just tilted her head and acted charming.

Kuh! You're cute, but! Could it be you borrowed them without permission... I can't think of any other possibility.

Seeing the Kobito-san staring at her with a tense expression, Pochiko-san buzzed her wings happily and snuggled closer with a bububu sound.

Ah, fine, whatever! Can't be helped!

Chihiro hugged the snuggling Pochiko-san tightly and ruffled her fuzzy body.

Pochiko-san looked blissful.

It can't be helped, she's a magical beast. If there was any damage, I'll pay for it.

With a wry smile of resignation, the Kobito-san continued to gaze out of the carriage window while holding Pochiko-san. She hadn't been able to do much sightseeing in Gesperista, so she was fully intent on having fun here.

"I hope there's something delicious to eat♪"

The Kobito-san chirped with a kyakkya sound. The carriages, one carrying the Frontier party who exchanged wry smiles at the heartwarming sight, and the other carrying Katsumi and his men, entered the city of Lumiere.

They did not yet know of the storm that would rage through Lumiere that night.