kscans

Chapter 49 - The Sea Forest and the Little Person ~Nine~

"What? What is that?"

Just as the letter of reply had stated, the Empire accepted the Frontier party from the coast to the imperial castle without any resistance.

From the five ships that docked at the port, thirty members of the Marquis's Knight Order disembarked from each, leaving a few behind as lookouts as they headed for the imperial castle. The castle was visible from the port, and Romel explained to the Kobito-san that this coastal port town also served as the castle town.

Building the emperor's castle right at the country's entrance. Are they stupid? Have all the emperors through the generations been stupid?

The Kobito-san directed a look of exasperation at the castle. Leading the nearly two hundred Frontier knights and the magical beasts, she headed for the imperial castle, while the others smiled wryly as if to say 'of course'.

The imperial castle was of an ambiguous architectural style, neither Western nor Eastern. The long, low wooden structure could be called Japanese style, but behind it were stone buildings and tall towers that looked like later additions. It was like some kind of amusement park.

Then, the Kobito-san and her party were guided into a large hall in the stone building, where they looked at the woman sitting on the throne with exasperated eyes. The woman stood up, walked before the Kobito-san, and knelt, bowing her head so deeply that the nape of her neck was visible. Her white neck trembled in small, constant shudders.

"My name is Hito Sakura. All responsibility for this failure is mine. I ask for your magnanimous judgment."

The Frontier party was stunned. The Kobito-san glanced at the people lined up on either side as if crowded together, and called out a few from among them.

"You there. Yes, the one in black clothes. And you over there, and the person to your right. Come here."

Confused by the instructions of a girl who was clearly very young, the three people stepped forward. The Kobito-san directed a sharp gaze at them and spun her words with venom.

"Is this person the Empress, without a doubt? As far as I heard, it was supposed to be a man named Rikuto."

A great stir went through the surroundings.

The three who had been called furrowed their brows and looked pained. They moved their lips several times, but no words came out. And then, an idiot who couldn't read the room jumped forward.

"The Emperor is that person. There is no mistake. Do with her as you please."

The man wore a vile, smirking grin. His narrow eyes curved in his square face.

Romel's eyes glittered ominously, and he narrowed them.

"Then let us hear the voice of the people. Those who believe this woman is the emperor and desire her judgment, step forward."

With a rustling sound, more than half of the people in the hall stepped forward. Some hesitated, wondering what to do. Others didn't move a muscle. They amounted to less than a tenth of the total.

But that was enough.

With a sly grin, the Kobito-san had the three she had called out, along with those who had not stepped forward, moved to a separate room. The three in question had worn expressions of clear bitterness at the scene before them.

No matter the place, there are always people of conscience.

"Now, let us continue our talk. Your Majesty the Empress. The crimes you have committed are great. I do not mean to rake up the past, but for a long time, Frontier has been greatly inconvenienced. Despite our desire for improvement and the signing of a non-aggression pact, we have this sorry state of affairs. How do you explain yourself?"

There was not a shred of warmth in Romel's words.

"Punish me as you see fit. If you desire my head, I will give it to you."

The woman declared bravely, though she was trembling.

Just then, the Kobito-san shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Restrain everyone in this room!!"

With a great nod, the Frontier knights broke sealing orbs one after another and immediately unleashed their magic. The orbs contained countless ropes. They manipulated them, and in an instant, they had bound up everyone in the hall. The people of Kilfan didn't know what had happened. It was over in a flash. The hall was filled with wriggling caterpillars wrapped in rope.

"You who acknowledge this woman as the emperor must surely have the spirit to follow Her Majesty the Empress in death. We will pass judgment on everyone here and make that Kilfan's punishment. You have no objections, do you?"

"Wh...?"

In the room painted with a single shade of astonishment, the idiot who couldn't read the room spoke up again.

"Isn't the punishment supposed to be for the emperor? Why us as well?"

The Kobito-san glanced at the man thrashing about like a caterpillar with eyes that could cut, and her lips twisted into a cruel smile.

"Because you tried to deceive Frontier. Are you making a fool of us? Not only did you switch heads, you put up a fake."

The caterpillars were collectively struck dumb.

They knew everything?

Finally realizing this, the caterpillars were stunned, and not a single one could look away from the Kobito-san. Among them, the unbound woman in front of her crumpled to the floor. She trembled violently, prostrating herself as if stuck to the ground.

"...I am truly sorry. I could not defy His Majesty the Emperor's command... I have no words of apology that I can even utter."

Looking at the woman who was frozen in fear, the Kobito-san gave a slight jerk of her chin to the knights. From the center of the knights who lined the hall as if to fill it, Sakura appeared gracefully. She stood with her back straight, dressed in a magnificent bluish-purple kimono, her black hair tied up high and adorned with an elegant hairpin and braided cord ornament. Her radiant appearance and beautiful face were a sight to behold.

With a divinity that set her apart from the other Kilfan people around her, the room fell into a dead silence.

Then Sakura approached the woman in front of the Kobito-san and had her raise her face.

"You have been treated cruelly. Come, stand up."

The woman who raised her face stared at Sakura before her in disbelief.

"Is that you, Sakura-sama? Truly?? Um... I wonder if you remember... I am Momiji."

"Momiji? My, you've grown so much. I didn't recognize you."

The two of them beamed with bright smiles. It seemed this woman was an acquaintance of Sakura's. In that case, it would be fine to leave it to Sakura.

Thinking this to herself, the Kobito-san glared at the countless caterpillars lying in the hall.

"Now then. Where might His Majesty Emperor Rikuto be? The fool who would try to deceive Frontier with a fake emperor?"

Sensing that it was all over, several of the caterpillars flicked their eyes to the same spot. Naturally, the idiot who had been chiming in from the start was rolling around there. Sakura, who had brought the now standing woman to the Kobito-san's side, also looked down on the man with a sharp gaze.

"Brother. There is a limit to foolishness. How pathetic."

Emperor Rikuto stared at Sakura, who was lightly shaking her head, and his eyes darted about restlessly.

"Someone, seize these people! Will no one help me!!"

But from nowhere, no one came.

The imperial castle had already been taken over by countless magical beasts. Only the people in the hall were unaware.

The smirking little girl was gazed upon with dread by Sakura's brother, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps.

Does this kind of thing, being too late, also count as getting what you deserve?

Recalling a standard phrase from light novels, the Kobito-san came to the lone conclusion that truth is always stranger than fiction.

The sky, which had been clear when the Frontier party arrived, had begun to cloud over, as if to represent the fate of the country.

"Now then, what should we do. First, as the one responsible, should we behead Emperor Rikuto, or hang him. Which do you prefer?"

At that, the idiot let out a scream, jumped up, and began to wriggle as if intending to escape.

Is this guy an idiot?

The Kobito-san's eyes were fixed on him. The rest of the Frontier party must have felt the same. Without a word, they stomped on Sakura's thrashing brother.

"The rest of them can be made into criminal slaves for forced labor. Imprisoning them or punishing them would be a waste of tax money."

"That's right, that's the safest option. The mines are always short on hands, so that would be a help."

The little girl wrote smoothly with a pen in her hand. Together with Romel standing beside her, they created the heartwarming illusion of a drawing session, but the content of their discussion was outrageously violent.

After she finished writing, the Kobito-san gave a small nod.

Sakura signed the document. She had Momiji prepare the imperial seal, and with it stamped, the document was complete.

The Kilfan people who had been watching the series of events unfold twisted their faces in despair. Noticing this, Sakura's brow furrowed sharply.

"Oh my. They went to the trouble of giving me power. Did you really not imagine this level of retaliation? What fools."

Sakura chuckled with a kusukusu sound.

She held no grudge against the country, but she was full of grudges against the poisonous insects infesting it. The hatred from having been tormented for so long and having her beloved killed ran deep. This was a once in a lifetime chance to settle the score. Sakura was not so good natured as to let it pass.

Romel nodded with a look of understanding, a slightly ironic glint in his eyes as he looked at Sakura's brother.

"Why not make the execution a cup of poison? We don't need to make an example of him, it would probably be counterproductive. Let's spin it as a heroic tale of an emperor who sacrificed himself for his country. It's infuriating, but it will save us trouble later on."

Looking at Romel's sharply raised eyebrows, the Kobito-san had no choice but to nod. Even if he was a vicious tyrant, a lack of courtesy would leave resentment in people's hearts. Moreover, the Frontier side was in a position equivalent to invaders. It was better not to incur unnecessary grudges.

And so, a cup of poison for the emperor's suicide was prepared. Just as a knight held Rikuto down and was about to force him to drink it, two bolts of lightning were unleashed from the dark clouds swirling above the castle. They pierced through the castle roof and struck the hall where Rikuto was about to be executed. The lightning that fell with a deafening roar was like a person shaped light, as if to protect Rikuto.

<>

A voice echoed directly in their heads.

Instinctively freezing, the people around them prostrated themselves with a rustling sound. Even Pochiko-san and the others had their chins pressed flat against the floor. Seeing the Kobito-san tilt her head in confusion, Romel tugged on the hem of her poncho.

"Chihiro, kneel! That which is before us is the Creator God!"

The Kobito-san's eyes widened as she looked up at the light before her. The light flickered several times and resonated with a soft voice.

<>

Eisa? A guest? What does that mean?

The two lights flickered apologetically at the puzzled Chihiro. For some reason, she could understand the subtleties of the light.

<>

"No."

At the Kobito-san's immediate reply, the air in the hall froze solid. The gods shattered the air, which had grown so tense you could almost hear it crack. The gods' voices were clearly amused.

<>

The gods are making a concession??

They must have understood the content of the conversation. Both the people of Frontier and Kilfan watched the proceedings with their eyes wide, holding their breath.

Hmm, it seems they don't intend to harm me. They really want to save this idiot. But something's strange. He doesn't resemble Sakura at all. Are they really siblings? What's the reason for protecting him and not Sakura?

The gods stroked the head of the pondering Kobito-san. It was like a mother soothing her child.

<>

Looking up at the sorrowful gods, the Kobito-san felt a strange sensation. She felt like something similar had happened somewhere before. But where?

However, shaking off the elusive, mysterious feeling, the Kobito-san focused on reality.

"I understand. In exchange for not laying a hand on him, I'll take the others. Can you move all the people who don't want to be in this country, who want to escape, to Frontier?"

At the Kobito-san's unexpected words, not only the gods but everyone in the hall raised a question mark. Ignoring them, the Kobito-san continued.

"And also, all types of Kilfan's products are to be ceded to Frontier. Every year, we will receive one tenth of the production amount. Even if ships can't leave Kilfan, it's fine if they come from Frontier, right?"

At the faintly smiling child, the gods looked to the heavens.

<>

Then they gave a slight nod, indicating their affirmation.

<>

"Well then, since you're gods, broadcast our conversation so far to all of Kilfan. You can do that, right?"

<>

Seeing the Kobito-san's expression suddenly go blank, the gods laughed as if they had pulled one over on her.

<>

With those parting words, the gods became a flash of light and were drawn up high into the heavens.

Chihiro stood frozen, watching them go in a daze. She suddenly felt many eyes on her and turned around.

Lined up there were eyes of astonishment.

Every single one of them was staring at the Kobito-san with a gaze that was a mix of awe and terror.

Ah, I don't know the circumstances, but I have a strong feeling I've done it again. You gods...

Quietly averting her gaze, the Kobito-san was flustered by the unexpected turn of events. ...My condolences to me.