kscans

Chapter 55 - The Twilight of the Gods and the Kobito-san ~The Fourth~

"It’s really coming along, isn’t it?"

"There are a lot of people and plenty of supplies, after all."

Just when she thought they were surveying and deciding on roads and districts, temporary housing had already been built while the Kobito-san was bedridden. The rows of two-story temporary houses were planned to become cheap lodging houses for short-term stays after the town was completed.

"Is there a demand for that?"

A cheap lodging house was a place for a no-frills, communal-sleeping overnight stay. As the name implied, you paid a fee for firewood and cooked for yourself at the hearth. There were no private rooms or bedding, just space to lie down and sleep with everyone else. Would Frontier really permit such a primitive and dangerous type of lodging? Guessing what the Kobito-san was imagining, Katsumi burst out laughing.

"No, no. Not like the ones in Japan’s skid rows, but the kind where you can stay overnight in a private room. The concept of lodging without meals doesn't seem to exist here. An inn usually means a set package of a room with breakfast and dinner. So, to explain the idea of simple, cheap lodging, I talked about cheap lodging houses where you could stay for the price of firewood. They seemed to like the name, so everyone just calls them that."

I see.

More immigrants might come from Kilfan in the future, and there's a possibility of people moving to this new land from other places as well. So they want to keep the temporary housing, but maintaining the facilities costs money, and they want to charge at least a minimum fee.

That stopgap measure was the cheap lodging house.

Things would probably change once the town was up and running and they had a better handle on production and construction. Eighty percent of the private houses were already built. The farmland and pastures were almost complete, and they were currently planting rape blossoms and wildflowers on the land that had been tilled with Frontier’s earth magic. They were also making progress with tree planting, and the wilderness, which lacked the benefits of magic, had been completely transformed.

The power of people is truly great.

They just wanted greenery. The people of Kilfan said they couldn’t feel at ease without greenery, so they were diligently raising seedlings.

Maybe I should go get some more seeds and seedlings?

Katsumi gave a light tap to the back of the head of the Kobito-san, who was pondering this with a serious face.

"You were just thinking something bad, weren’t you? We’re close to Frontier, so we won’t have trouble with food. Don’t push your luck, or things will get warped."

How did he know?

Pochiko-san tapped Katsumi’s right hand, the one that had hit the Kobito-san, with her foreleg. She seemed indignant, her nostrils flaring with a rare "mofuu."

"Hey, I wasn’t bullying her. Right?"

He might be used to the Demon Lord, but was he weak against bees? Katsumi was clearly flustered. They were both from Earth, after all. Once they broke the ice, it didn’t take long for them to become friendly.

"Pochiko-saaan, Katsumi’s bullying me!"

As the Kobito-san crouched on the ground, feigning tears, Pochiko-san buzzed her wings sharply and lunged at Katsumi. As Katsumi ran around in a panic, Maya intervened to protect him, but overwhelmed by Pochiko-san’s ferocity, they got tangled up and fell to the ground. Still, Maya desperately tried to stop Pochiko-san. As Pochiko-san raised her leg to strike, Maya was sent flying by the blow, and for a moment, it seemed like the letters "aaaaah" were written on her back.

Finding the adorable struggle too amusing, the Kobito-san couldn't help but burst out laughing and quickly revealed her prank.

"Just kidding♪ Thanks, Pochiko-san♪"

Beckoning to the two dumbfounded bees, the Kobito-san gathered magic in her palm.

"Sorry, I just wanted to play a little prank."

The previous animosity was gone as if blown away by the wind. The two bees pushed and shoved, excitedly sipping the Kobito-san’s magic, completely content.

"Hey you… Pochiko-san was seriously scary."

"I just felt like playing a prank for some reason. My bad, my bad."

As Katsumi wiped away a genuine cold sweat, a loud buzzing sound came from behind him. The bees that had been helping with the town’s work must have sensed the Kobito-san’s magic. A huge swarm, easily a hundred strong, was descending upon them. Hurriedly dodging them, the Kobito-san unleashed a new burst of magic for the gathered bees.

Bees swarmed to the band of light.

As the Kobito-san watched the happy bees, she happened to see Katsumi enter the swarm. Without looking at anything else, he caught a single bee and came out of the swarm. The bee struggled in Katsumi’s arms.

"You already had some, didn’t you? Let the others have a turn, Maya."

Katsumi came close to the Kobito-san, pointed at Pochiko-san clinging to her shoulder, and declared firmly.

"Look, look at Pochiko-san. She’s satisfied with what she got."

Perhaps feeling awkward, Maya clung to Katsumi’s back, out of his sight.

"Honestly."

Katsumi’s face relaxed in resignation.

The Kobito-san’s eyes widened at the sight. The two of them were so natural together. And Katsumi could apparently tell Maya apart from the other bees.

This is how it should be.

The Kobito-san broke into a wide grin, her face lighting up with a tickled expression. Tamer, cheat, none of that matters. Bonds can form between humans, animals, and even magical beasts. It’s not about logic.

Two people playing with a giant bee.

The Kilfan immigrants watched the entire scene in silence.

At first glance, it was a grim, horrifying sight, but for some reason, it was a comforting, everyday scene. The people of Kilfan were gradually getting used to the way things were in Frontier.

Around the time this peaceful scene was unfolding in the wilderness.

Cyril and her group were in Frontier’s northwestern territory.

"It has been a long time, Marquis Ansbackh."

"Well, well… some familiar faces. And what brings you here this time?"

The mansion Cyril and her group visited was that of Marquis Heivleihell Ansbackh. He was the one who had sheltered them in the past and sent them to the royal palace. He was also Second Consort Habirush’s father, and his great-grandfather was related to the Castrato royal family. He was a spy who had infiltrated the marquis house, which had strong ties to the Frontier royal family, through the guise of an international marriage between nobles. His mission was to steal knowledge of magic from the Frontier royal family and report it to Castrato. During the previous divine oracle, he had taken advantage of the fact that his own child possessed the iris and sent Castrato’s agents in with the marriage.

Habirush, who had been drugged since birth and was at her father’s beck and call, married into the royal family without any question and gave birth to a royal child. A daughter with the iris was born, and then another divine oracle from the gods. This could only be providence. Surely, their goal would be achieved. They would obtain the child who was the Golden King.

When news came that Consort Habirush had given birth to golden-haired twins and they had secured one of them, Heivleihell’s heart danced with anticipation. It was the culmination of a long-held wish, passed down from his great-grandfather for over a hundred years.

And yet…

Heivleihell looked at the dozen or so people before him. The fools who had squandered a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Cyril glanced at the glaring Heivleihell and placed a document she had been entrusted with on the table. It was a royal decree from the Castrato royal family.

"As it says here, we are to secure the Golden King by any means necessary. If you could create a small opening for us, we will sneak in and capture them."

Heivleihell looked at Cyril, who confidently sipped her tea, and let out a deep sigh.

"Impossible. You may not know, but the Golden King has already awakened and formed a pact with a Forest Master. If you try to lay a hand on them, you’ll be minced meat in an instant."

With the previously standoffish diplomacy becoming more active, it had become difficult for Heivleihell to send information abroad. Thus, Castrato was unaware that the Golden King had awakened and that the pact was complete. This had all happened in the last year. It was a matter kept almost entirely secret from foreign countries. It was information known only to the marquis house, which had always taken princesses from the royal family as wives. Ordinary nobles did not know yet.

"The Golden King was a distant relative’s daughter. Her name is Chihiro La Giorge. She is now the king’s adopted daughter and lives in the royal palace. She is surrounded by the children of the Master she made a pact with, so we can’t get near her."

"My lady… what happened to Fatimah-sama?"

Cyril’s voice was strained, trembling. Heivleihell snorted and answered as if it were of no consequence.

"The child wasn’t in the place I was told. I wasn’t informed until ten days had passed. She was probably already dead and disposed of, or there would have been a huge uproar if she had been found alive. She must be dead."

Cyril’s comrades had failed to start a riot, but they had tried various means to sneak into the royal palace. However, none of their attempts succeeded, and what's more, their suspicious activities were detected by the palace, forcing them to flee the country. As a last resort, they had asked Heivleihell to check for them. Even Heivleihell couldn’t wander around the royal palace without his attendants and retinue. If he were to set foot in the back work areas dressed so conspicuously, he would be the center of attention. Making up various excuses, it was nearly a month later that Heivleihell was able to have a maid check the designated room. He couldn’t let the palace maids and servants suspect any suspicious movements, and bribing a low-ranking maid required a considerable amount of money. Remembering this, Heivleihell made a face as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.

"Is the consort in good health?"

"Ah. Her caretaker maid is still the same. She is still immersed in her dream world."

All of Consort Habirush’s attendants and guards were under Heivleihell’s influence. They were not from Castrato, but they were easy pawns who moved for money. On the other hand, he had to be wary of betrayal, but he had them tightly controlled with a system of mutual surveillance, snitching, and rewards.

"A magical beast escort, you say."

Cyril racked her brain over the unexpected obstacle.

How should they deal with this? If the Golden King had already awakened, it was actually convenient.

According to the divine oracle, the Golden King could create forests and move Masters. They could immediately fill the country with magic and revive magical arts.

A direct approach is not wise. We need them to come to Castrato of their own free will.

Thinking this, Cyril took out a vial from her pocket. The slender, palm-sized vial contained a light purple powder. At the sight of the familiar substance, Heivleihell’s face twisted slightly.

"Let us use this on the Golden King. Unlike the diluted liquid, this should have an immediate effect."

This powder was a brainwashing drug concocted by Cyril. It had been used on Fatimah before and was still being used on Consort Habirush. The recipe for this drug was also something passed down by divine oracle, protected and inherited by Cyril’s family for generations.

"The Golden King is a young girl. It might be surprisingly easy if you slip it into some sweet treat or drink. However, creating the opportunity to serve it will be the real challenge."

"An opportunity will present itself soon. This territory has a Master’s forest, after all."

Heivleihell’s eyes widened in shock.

The country of Castrato lay on the other side of the northern wilderness. The Ansbackh Marquisate of Frontier, which guarded that border, was located in the northwest of the capital, and within its domain was a Master’s forest known as the Western Forest.

Being the Golden King, she would surely visit on a pilgrimage. It would not be difficult to invite her to the lord’s mansion at that time.

Heivleihell watched Cyril, who wore a moist, elegant smile, and smirked himself.

Unaware that they were counting their chickens before they hatched, the Kobito-san let her thoughts wander to the Western Forest.

"I wonder if there’s any delicious food in the Western Forest’s territory? Since it’s a marquis’s domain, there might be food from the neighboring country of Castrato to the north. I’m looking forward to it, aren’t you, Pochiko-san♪"

The Kobito-san, who remains unshakable anytime, anywhere.

Though her daily worries are endless, the Kobito-san always enjoys life to the fullest♪