kscans

Chapter 56 - The Twilight of the Gods and Kobito-san ~Five~

"How did it come to this?"

Kobito-san was currently in the middle of being summoned to the castle.

Apparently, after a fierce debate reached a stalemate, they decided to hear from the little girl who authored the proposal notebook. The two opposing factions faced each other across a long table, sparks flying between them.

Surveying both sides with a tired gaze, the King placed Kobito-san on his lap and began the meeting. Kobito-san looked suspiciously at Romel, who stood beside them. As if to apologize, Romel held up the fingers of one hand together in front of his face.

Well, he looks exhausted, so I guess it can’t be helped. You’ll owe me big for this, Romel.

Noticing the corners of Kobito-san’s mouth curl into a grin, Romel looked up at the ceiling with a slightly distant expression.

Amidst this, the meeting, which had been proceeding in an orderly fashion, gradually began to heat up.

"It’s exactly as this notebook says. Things that foreign countries are capable of, our own country is not. This is a grave situation."

The one who began to speak so loudly was Count Glacius, a tall, well-built man in his early thirties. He had a gallant air and a robust physique. His honey-colored hair was neatly slicked back, and the brilliant, fierce light dwelling in his light brown eyes left a strong impression. At a glance, he looked every bit a military man, but he was in fact a civil servant. According to Romel, he came from a family that oversaw agriculture and forestry, and had long felt a faint sense of crisis about the richness of the forests, which never seemed to dwindle no matter how much they were logged. It was obvious that this was a blessing of magic. He was one of the few who questioned it. What’s more, the surrounding countries had lost their magic, and their agriculture, let alone their forests, was in a precarious state. If Frontier did nothing and stood idly by, and if by some chance the magic were to disappear, wouldn't an unprecedented disaster befall the kingdom?

His vague anxiety had hit the mark.

Kobito-san’s submitted notebook described the instability of magic, which he had sensed but couldn't quite grasp, and its harmful effects. Furthermore, it detailed the potential damage that could arise and the countermeasures against it.

This is it.

His eyes opened wide, the count used every means at his disposal to investigate the actual conditions of the neighboring countries and came to this meeting prepared.

"In Frontier, we have abundant harvests without any effort, and plants and animals grow quickly. This is impossible in other countries. It is Frontier that is abnormal."

It had been several hundred years since the magic in the surrounding countries had been exhausted. Many things were lost, and to help those nations, Frontier expanded its farmlands and worked to provide food aid. Unlike other countries struggling even to eat, the well off Frontier developed as a nation during that time, evolving into a rare constitutional state.

As a result, every country held Frontier in high regard.

As Kobito-san silently listened to the count’s impassioned speech, a theatrical sigh came from the opposite side of the table.

"And what of it? It simply means our country is a prosperous one, beloved by the gods, does it not? Why must we tremble in fear at the thought of magic disappearing? The Forest Masters are in good health, and the people are well. Is that not the answer? Enough of this nonsense."

The one who spoke in such a dumbfounded tone was an elderly man. This was Marquis Vanfel. He let his pure white hair flow back in a soft, loose style, and his light blue eyes glinted darkly.

According to Romel, he was the head of the conservative faction, and he looked down on non-magical civilizations as inferior from the start, apparently unable to comprehend Count Glacius’s points at all.

"What do you make of the gods’ blessings? Is it not a gift left and passed down to us by the Golden King himself? Surely, connecting and protecting it is the way to repay the gods’ grace."

"And where is the guarantee that it will be eternal? Who can say that Frontier alone is special?"

"The Golden King descends upon our country. That is the answer. It is a grace no other country has. Do you seek an assurance from the gods? Such arrogance. There is a limit to faithlessness."

"The gods are the gods. I am saying that while we should be grateful for their blessings, we must not neglect our own efforts."

"The very act of doing something so vulgar is disrespectful. It is tantamount to not believing in the gods. Can you not understand something so simple?"

It was a pointless, back-and-forth argument.

Ah, this is hopeless.

With a lukewarm smile, Kobito-san tilted her head.

"Is this discussion even necessary?"

The little girl’s high, clear voice echoed through the hall, and the people lining the table fell silent as if doused with water. Then, she slowly picked up the notebook and tapped its surface lightly with her fingertips.

"What’s written here is just one example, you know? If this isn’t done, I can predict much greater damage. Do you want to hear about it?"

With a bright, innocent smile, Kobito-san looked around at the many people sitting at the table.

"By all means."

In contrast to Count Glacius, who leaned forward eagerly, Marquis Vanfel stood up from his seat with a loud clatter.

"Absurd. I cannot bear to listen to the ramblings of a precocious child. A mere last-place princess in name only."

The marquis had not been invited to the royal banquet and only knew of Chihiro as the King’s adopted daughter. These matters were confidential, known only to the royal family, the knight orders directly involved, and their subordinates, all of whom were under a gag order. Ordinary nobles were only aware that the monster causing a stir in the castle was a servant of the Golden King and that the Golden King had already descended.

At that, Kobito-san let her hood fall. Her golden hair fluttered softly. Seeing it, the people in the hall stared with uniform astonishment.

"Sorry for being a precocious child. Can’t be helped, can it? I’m the one who can do whatever I want with that magic, after all."

They were surprised that the little girl sitting on the King’s lap was the author of the notebook, but to think she was the Golden King herself was beyond imagination. Flustered by the unexpected situation, the assembly hastily rose from their seats and knelt on the floor.

"Ah, you don’t need to do that. Please sit. Let’s get down to business."

She was a person who would become the King’s adopted daughter. It wasn't strange for her to have golden eyes. Therefore, no one present had questioned the fact that Kobito-san’s eyes were gold. However, it was a different story if her hair was also gold.

Having one or the other might be rare, but still possible. But there was only one person who possessed both.

Faced with a living legend, the people trembled and held their breath. Among them, only one person, Marquis Vanfel, remained standing calmly.

"And what of it? Are you saying you intend to meddle with the miracle brought by the gods?"

"That’s right. I wonder if the gods regret giving magic to the world. I think magic will soon disappear from the lands of Frontier, too. That’s why we have to improve the soil by hand, immediately."

Looking the marquis straight in the eye, Kobito-san declared it clearly.

"Do you get it? This isn’t the time to be debating whether to do it or not. The only choice is to do it, and what’s more, it’s an emergency that must be done urgently. Stay out of this, you old fool."

Kobito-san’s eyes burned from deep within their sockets. The marquis, called an old fool, flinched at her fiery gaze. "This is why it’s a problem when idiots are in charge. Romel, hurry up and make a schedule to start developing compost and green spaces. If the Forest Masters’ forests wither, we’ll have to create new ones, so we have a mountain of things to do."

Romel nodded, exasperated. His Majesty the King was in a daze, unable to keep up with the situation. The debate had shifted from a pointless argument of "to do or not to do" to the operational planning of how to carry out the development.

Count Glacius was energized, like a fish back in water.

It was convenient to have the right person in the right place.

While one side was vigorously discussing, the other side stood there, dumbfounded. The conservative faction, led by the marquis, was opposed, so they no longer had any business here.

"You all are useless, so you can leave. You have other work, don’t you?"

The little girl’s cold gaze. At her words, the members of the conservative faction grew flustered. The plan described in the notebook was a massive project. In a sense, it was a crucial undertaking that would determine the fate of the nation. To be uninvolved in it would lower their own standing and severely tarnish their family names.

Only now did the conservative faction realize the blunder they had made, and they all turned pale.

They looked at Kobito-san with pleading eyes, but without giving them a single glance, the little girl jumped down from the King’s lap.

"Well then, I’ll leave the rest to you. I have to go."

"Chihiro? Where to?"

"To the planned site for the Kilfan nation. In the unlikely event we don’t make it in time here, that place will become Frontier’s food storehouse."

At Romel’s astonished expression, the little girl offered a mischievous smile.

"What? Did you think I was helping them out of charity? With such a huge amount of money involved, I wouldn’t do something like that. I’ll have them pay back every penny I spent. With interest."

Kobito-san, having realized a part of the gods’ intentions, had been making this plan from the start.

Soil improvement, greening, and cultivation were things the Japanese excelled at. The land reclamation would likely proceed without taking much time. With the help of Frontier’s magic, it would accelerate even further. If the northern wilderness became farmland, Frontier would be able to manage even if the worst happened. With that ulterior motive, Kobito-san had gathered immigrants in Kilfan and welcomed them with thorough preparations.

Hope for the best, but always prepare for the worst, right? People from the old days sure said some wise things.

Faced with the ever-prepared Kobito-san’s foresight, the adults were at a loss for words.

Dangling from Pochiko-san who was on the ceiling, Kobito-san danced and cackled as she exited the hall.

When it comes to food, you never mess around, do you?

Romel let out a faint, dry laugh, but as long as it was for the good of the country, he wouldn’t complain.

Casting aside such useless thoughts, they stared at Kobito-san’s notebook and began to plan for nationwide soil improvement and the development of non-magical tools. Some of these things were already perfected in other countries, and above all, they had many immigrants from the technologically advanced nation of Kilfan.

The despair of ruin was dispelled, and Frontier had grasped a single spider’s thread of hope.

Whether this would lead to fortune or misfortune, only the gods knew.

Paying no mind to such things, Kobito-san soared through the sky. Wrapping the adults around her little finger, Kobito-san is full of energy today.