kscans

Chapter 47 - The Sea Forest and the Little Person ~Seven~

"So, that's the plan. We're getting the Master's children back from Kilfan. And while we're at it, let's declare war. A complete and total break."

That was the original plan.

They would receive permission from His Majesty the King, declare a severance of diplomatic ties, and announce Sakura's defection. They planned to issue a small threat to ensure Kilfan would never interfere with Frontier again. However, Kilfan's villainy, which went above and beyond, had set the Kobito-san off.

If this incident hadn't occurred and they hadn't noticed Kilfan's actions, monsters might have poured out of the withered Sea Forest and into Frontier. Chihiro explained that possibility to Romel, her lips twisting into a cruel smile.

"Can you believe it? After poaching in the Sea Forest right under our noses, Frontier was almost dealt a devastating blow."

Standing defiantly on the Master's head, the young child's bright blonde hair streamed in the wind. In her eyes, golden pupils shone brightly. Though she was backlit by the moonlight, their gleam was as clear to Romel, Dolphen, and the others as the stars in the night sky.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That's what they say, but my creed is to pay them back a hundredfold. I'm going to crush the Kilfan Empire. I won't accept any objections. We'll do it by ourselves if we have to."

Around the little girl swarmed countless magical beasts.

You probably could, couldn't you.

Romel let out a dry laugh. The knights looked confused, wondering what 'an eye for an eye' meant.

If your eye is put out, you put out an eye in return. If your tooth is broken, you break a tooth in return.

In other words, it meant you should retaliate for what was done to you, but it also served as a warning not to do more than that. As the Kobito-san explained this, one of the knights timidly raised his hand.

"Then, doesn't paying them back a hundredfold go against the meaning of that warning?"

The Kobito-san turned a faint, beastly smile on the knight who had voiced his simple question.

"When someone picks a fight, you're supposed to buy it at a high price, aren't you? If someone slaps your right cheek, you have to at least give them a slap back and a kick, right?"

Slap... back?

The knights tilted their heads again at the unfamiliar words. Only Katsumi turned pale and trembled.

It's not just a slap back and a kick. You're planning to beat all their vital spots to a pulp, aren't you.

Ignoring the shivering Katsumi, the Kobito-san discussed the plan with Romel and the others. They decided to send half the knights back to Lumiere to inform the royal palace of the situation, while the remaining half would ride into Kilfan.

"What are the specifics?"

Romel, having resigned himself to the fact that there was no stopping her, asked the Kobito-san to grasp the full picture.

"Let's see. The annihilation of the coastline, the destruction of military facilities, kidnapping the emperor from the castle to hang him from the walls, and a declaration of severing ties. I suppose?"

As she ticked off the list on her fingers, Romel felt his consciousness begin to fade. Each item was an act of hostility far exceeding a mere declaration of war. The moment they kidnapped the emperor, the Kilfan Empire would be finished.

That's basically the same as occupying Kilfan, isn't it? We don't need a country like that, do we?

His question must have been written on his face. The Kobito-san's eyes, which were watching Romel, darted away overtly.

"Well, you know... Delicious food is innocent, right? And there are things we won't be able to get if we sever ties. So I thought we should take what we can get."

While such a dangerously violent proposal would be unthinkable in modern times, it was a frequent occurrence in the medieval period. In the past, entire desert nations had been destroyed just to obtain a single silkworm cocoon. The balance of power could easily shift based on the emotions of a ruler. There were even examples of it changing over a single peppercorn.

So that's what it was!!

The Kobito-san was greedy when it came to food.

This time, the other side had shown clear malice. It seemed her plan was to use that to her advantage and plunder everything she possibly could.

Her cute, apologetic smile looked demonic.

Romel was afflicted by a splitting headache as he imagined the cleanup that would follow.

However, he was still royalty, no matter how rotten.

He quickly composed himself and had Dolphen and others skilled in water magic wash everyone. Furthermore, with a composite magic of wind and fire, he flash dried them. The effect of the magic rippled out with a buwari sound, leaving everyone looking crisp and clean.

"We are, for all intents and purposes, representatives of our country. Our appearance is important."

He lightly adjusted his collar, a familiar, nonchalant smile on his face, and cast his gaze around. The drenched knights also straightened their backs and began to move. After seeing off the Paanyus of those who would report to the royal palace, the Kobito-san looked at the Master of the Sea Forest.

"Come to think of it, I didn't ask your name. I'm Chihiro. And you?"

<>

"Well then, shall we go?♪"

Larger sea snakes guarded their flanks, and an overwhelming number of magical beasts followed in formation. Romel and Dolphen looked up worriedly at the Kobito-san perched on Tset's head, but they breathed a sigh of relief when they confirmed the faint barrier being cast by Mugita on her shoulder. When she had returned from the sea, the Kobito-san had been completely dry, wrapped in a soft, membrane like object, and it was still there now.

So that is the power of the neighboring country's forest, specialized in protection.

Romel was stunned when he suddenly realized that the same protection extended to them as well. A golden mantle, flexibly expanding and faintly glowing. It enveloped all of the Frontier forces proceeding by Paanyu.

"Us too?"

The Frontier members exchanged wide eyed glances. The frogs watched them with amusement. Romel returned their gaze with a cynical smile and thanked the gods for letting him be born in such an interesting era.

The descent of the Golden King, the revival of the Master's Forest, the various cultures budding from the seeds that had been sown, even the stagnant diplomacy had been revitalized. Not just Frontier, but Arcadia itself was on the verge of a new era.

'Fun is contagious. If you're going to be a fool anyway, you lose out if you don't dance!!'

Being made to dance was supposed to be a bad thing, but the Kobito-san danced. She took the lead and danced her heart out. The Kobito-san, who rushed forward with all her might as if to say the one who stands out wins. They didn't know who was pulling the strings, but Frontier had stepped onto the stage. Now, all they could do was dance with the Kobito-san until the end. Their leader was the Golden King. They had not a shred of regret.

Shaking off his thoughts with a hint of desperation, Romel glared at the yet unseen Kilfan Empire.

They had made a fool of Frontier to this extent. This time, they would crush them completely and utterly.

With this incident, the royal palace should realize that their past reconciliation had been a mistake. Invasion of territorial waters, destruction of property, and the resulting risk of a stampede. These were sufficient reasons to declare war. They were far more legitimate reasons than using Sakura or Katsumi as a pretext. In a way, it was an act of foolishness for which he almost wanted to thank them.

The knights' Paanyus, leading a great horde of monsters, raced straight towards the Empire.

As the night began to pale into dawn, the Kobito-san, sitting on Tset's head, started to nod off. Pochiko-san, who had been flying above, grabbed her under the arms to support her body. Held by Pochiko-san, the Kobito-san's head lolled forward as she slept with a supisupi sound. A larger bee landed on Tset's head, slipped under the Kobito-san, and offered its fluffy body as a pillow. The Kobito-san snuggled into the fluff, rubbing her cheek against it happily.

It was a fair distance to the Empire. A nap would do them good. As the Kobito-san had fallen asleep, the speed of the trailing group had slowed slightly. Romel and the others slowed down to match them. When they reached a small island at the edge of the Empire, Romel took out a sealing orb from his pocket and smashed it on the ground. Inside was a complete set of writing tools. He used them to compose a letter and asked a bee to deliver it to the Imperial Castle. They were already at the edge of the Empire. At the bee's speed, it wouldn't take long to reach it.

"Now then. How will the emperor react?"

Not even trying to hide his dark smile, Romel instructed the knights to take a nap as well. They set up an irregularly shaped tarp and spread out a thick rug like a shelf to make a space. Dolphen received the sleeping Kobito-san from Tset's head. They laid the peacefully sleeping Kobito-san in the center, with Romel and Dolphen on either side. Next to them, the knights also lay down and took a nap. The island was surrounded by a swarm of monsters. An ironclad guard. There was no need to worry about surprise attacks or anything of the sort.

Adults napping with a child. Romel pictured the idyllic scene, utterly devoid of tension, and gave a wry smile.

A war like this isn't so bad.

As he thought this and let his consciousness drift away, Romel was unaware that his own way of thinking was being contaminated by the Kobito-san.

Kobito-san quality, which could turn even a normally tragic war into a peaceful excursion.

Surrounded by kind adults and magical beasts, the Kobito-san's peace is protected today as well♪