kscans

Chapter 1 - Prologue ~My Brother's Ordeal, Part One~

In a certain world, there once lived a king.

The king, who possessed shimmering golden hair and eyes like the sun, would play with monsters, connect the land with its people, and travel the world spreading great happiness.

A king who linked forest to forest with magic, moisturizing the land and promising bountiful harvests. For the light that seemed to dwell in his eyes, the people called him the Golden King, revering and praising him.

The king created a country called Frontier in a world named Arcadia and soared across its skies. Among his descendants, on rare occasions, a person would be born with the same brilliant eyes and could use the same powers as the first Golden King.

Following the example of the first, these Golden Kings journeyed across the world.

However, as time passed, this was forgotten, and the people destroyed the very forests the Golden Kings had connected.

As a result, magical power vanished from the land, magic declined, civilization was forced to regress, and an unsettling atmosphere spread across the turbulent world.

Amidst that turbulent world, there was one exception. Frontier, with its unshakable history, had properly maintained its forests. It was the last nation in the world, the final inheritor of magic.

While dealing with countries now scrambling to reclaim magic and an aggressive neighboring nation across the sea, Frontier quietly observed the world.

It was then that a new Golden King was born. This new Golden King embroiled the entire world, picked a fight with the gods, and created a new era.

Two souls resided in a single body. One of them was a reincarnated person from Earth. For her audacious way of tearing through the castle and flying around the world, she was given the nickname Little One.

This Little One, who overcame numerous hardships to seize victory, was a soul borrowed from Earth. An activator, dropped into Arcadia to correct the world's distortions.

When the world returned to its proper form, she had to be sent back to Earth. But the gods, who felt a great debt to her, promised her a next life of her own choosing.

And she chose.

She wished to return to her family in Arcadia once more. She asked them to grant her a continuation of her life.

The gods heard her plea and reincarnated the Little One as the child of her foster parents in Arcadia.

In her previous life, the legend of the Little One came to a close, unknown to anyone. In an Arcadia that had welcomed a new era, not even the Little One herself knew that the legend of the Golden King, who would build the very foundation of magic, had just let out its first true cry.

On the birthday of the twins born into the Drago family.

The Little One, her sealed memories now unlocked, was overjoyed to have a continuation of her life. Her family and close friends rejoiced at their beloved daughter's return.

But this was also the beginning of a new secret.


"This is top secret."

A little girl sat primly on Drago's lap, holding up an index finger with a serious look on her face as she addressed five adults, who all nodded gravely.

The man with loosely tied beige hair and pale grey-blue eyes was Romel. With his elegant demeanor, he looked every bit the aristocrat and offered a faint smile, his lips curling slightly.

"If word got out that the Golden King has descended again, it would be no simple matter. It's best we keep this a secret among the five of us here."

As Romel nodded in understanding, Dorfen asked him a probing question. This man had grey hair and sky-blue eyes. His sturdy, powerful build made it clear at a glance that he was a warrior.

"Shouldn't we at least inform His Majesty?"

"Why?"

Staring at Dorfen with a straight face, Romel offered a dark, sinister smile. Dorfen had to use all his willpower to suppress the chill that shot down his spine.

"You might not know this, but the moment she became Fatima-sama, my elder brother started doting on her like mad. Ahhh, really, he's so completely infatuated with Fatima-sama he probably wouldn't feel a thing if she were in his eye."

Emitting some kind of simmering energy, Romel muttered with a low chuckle. Fatima-sama was the princess whom Chihiro had previously possessed. On the verge of wasting away from a complicated and strange set of circumstances, Chihiro had awakened within her, allowing the princess to survive as a street urchin. In the end, her soul, which had been caught in a net of salvation, was returned to her original body, and she was said to be cherished by her royal parents.

Good for you, Fatima.

As the Little One found herself lost in sentiment, she heard Romel’s voice, low and crawling along the ground.

"Why should I have to inform my brother, who is so content with Fatima-sama, of Chihiro's return? It has nothing to do with Chihiro, who is no longer a child of the king."

He must have had his reasons. As Romel laughed with shaking shoulders, Dorfen, facing him, could do nothing but nod rapidly.

"But, well, even if she is the Golden King, the Chihiro of today is my true child. If anything happens again, I'm seriously leaving the royal palace."

Drago stated it plainly.

He was the foster father of Fatima, whom the former Chihiro had possessed. A kindhearted royal chef, he had taken in the Little One when she had become a stray for reasons unknown and raised her with an abundance of love. He had dark brown hair and deep green eyes. His beard was so bushy it seemed to connect with his hair, and he nuzzled it against Chihiro, still holding her tight and refusing to let go. At first glance, he looked just like a bear from the forest.


"I agree. We can live perfectly fine somewhere other than here," Sakura concurred, holding Chihaya on her lap.

She was a former princess from the neighboring country across the sea, the now-defunct Kilfan Empire. Even among the people of Kilfan, a nation founded by transmigrators from Japan, she had features that strongly reflected her Japanese heritage. After a life of many strange and complex turns, she had decisively married Drago.

Even the Little One had been shocked by this.

But having these two, the most dependable people she knew, as her parents was the most reassuring thing in the world.

As if to protect the little girl who couldn't help but smile brightly, the two of them spoke with finality.

Romel nodded and showed his agreement as well.

"Of course. In fact, if the King were to permit it, I'd want you to flee immediately. We will not let Chihiro suffer anymore. We will be resolute in our protection."

The words from Romel were unexpected.

The four of them exchanged puzzled glances.

They did not know. They did not know how much Romel had regretted. How he had suffered from shallow, tormented sleep, plagued by nightmares when he could sleep at all. How he always felt like he could hear Chihiro's voice from somewhere, and would unconsciously search for her, wondering if she was crying.

The guilt of having made such a small child bear the fate of the world.

He hadn't been able to let her do anything a child should. He should have let her play more freely, more innocently. Instead, he had embroiled her in the palace's affairs, made her carry the weight of Frontier's, and in the end, she even had a direct confrontation with the gods. He had heard she was nearly cast into the abyss of the netherworld. It was an outrageous story.

For a life of only two years, that was just unbelievable, wasn't it?

He sincerely wished that this little girl, who had lived through such a turbulent life, could spend the rest of her days in peace and leisure.

"You don't need to go near the royal palace. Just play, learn, eat, and sleep as a child your age should. You are a child who should be protected by adults. We were truly, truly wrong."

Romel took both of Chihiro's hands. As he held her soft, small fingers, he once again bristled with guilt like a hedgehog. The others could understand his feelings.


"That's right. Frontier has overcome its crisis. From now on, let's live happily," Drago and Sakura said with a smile.

"Then please make me your exclusive guard once more. I shall dedicate this sword to you for my entire life."

Dorfen knelt, offering the sword at his hip with a sincere gaze. Chihiro frantically shook her head from side to side.

"No, Dorfen, you're the son of a marquis, aren't you? Isn't being a count's daughter's guard beneath you?"

"I am the second son. I am of a station where I must eventually earn a knighthood and become independent. Please take me in, Chihiro-sama."

Ah, so that's how it is.

As Dorfen smiled gently, Chihiro's face showed her understanding. Only the heir could inherit the title. In that case, Dorfen's only choices were to leave home or stay on as a dependent and help the family. Or perhaps enter a political marriage to connect two houses.

"Daddy, can we hire Dorfen?"

Drago gave a magnanimous nod to his beloved daughter, who looked up at him timidly.

"We live on the palace grounds, so we've never needed to hire anyone like that, but my station is one where having ten or twenty guards wouldn't be strange at all. With Dorfen, there's no doubt he's the right choice. He's more than welcome."

Though he had no domain, Drago, now a count, received a massive annual stipend. It was enough to establish a residence in the noble district and employ dozens of servants. It was just that Drago, with his commoner disposition, was unfamiliar with such matters and simply paid them no mind.

Chihiro let out a sigh of relief at his answer. Just as she was about to accept Dorfen's sword, a tremendous knocking sound came from the entrance.

Naya went to see who it was, looking puzzled, but froze on the spot. Kicking aside the motionless Naya, a familiar giant honeybee entered.

"Merda?!"

《My king!》

Merda frantically waved her limbs, staring intently at the little girl held in Drago's arms. Black hair and jade-green eyes. But the golden magic dwelling within her was real. It was not the powerful, surging magic of before, but a quiet, glittering flame hidden within. Like the light of a lantern, it was modest but illuminated its surroundings with a warm glow.

《I thought it might be so. But, these eyes, they felt you. Ahhh, welcome back, my king.》

Merda's golden eyes resonated with Chihiro's golden thumb, glowing faintly. Stroking her eye, Chihiro narrowed her own in nostalgia.

"I'm home, Merda. You survived. That's good."

《Yes, yes, my king!》

From behind the trembling Merda, a black and yellow striped snake and a palm-sized frog leaped out. With practiced movements, the two coiled around the Little One's arm and shoulder.


"Mi-chan, Mugi-ta!"

Then, lagging behind Merda, several more bees arrived. One of the bees, hovering in the room, clung to Chihiro’s shoulder and pressed its head against her insistently.

"Pochiko-san, you've been well too?"

The little girl and the monsters danced around with cries of joy.

The adults, seeing this sight they had not witnessed for so long, felt a wave of nostalgia and something welling up in their chests. Drago was already standing speechless, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall.

Unlike the adults who exchanged emotional glances, the only other child present let out a scream. The elder of the twins. He had dark brown hair like Drago and pitch-black eyes inherited from Sakura. Those eyes were wide with terror, trembling violently.

"Ahhhhh!"

Terrified by the monsters that had suddenly appeared, Chihaya screamed, his eyes wide. He clung to Sakura's chest, frozen and letting out a piercing shriek.

"Gyaaaaaah!"

"Oh my, oh dear, it's all right."

Sakura hurriedly went upstairs, carrying Chihaya, who was crying his eyes out and could not be soothed.

Watching them go, Chihiro bit her thumb, looking a little thoughtful. The little girl tilted her head, unconsciously sucking her finger. Her cuteness was almost calculated. The men's expressions softened without them realizing it.

"Monsters are a no-go for my brother, huh?"

As Chihiro's eyes welled with disappointment, Romel and the others wore troubled expressions.


"Mugi-ta and Mi-chan should be fine, shouldn't they?"

Though a bit large, those two were of a normal size. But…

The honeybee was almost half Chihiro's size.

"Pochiko-san might be too much. He might get used to her eventually, but for now, she should either stay in the forest or hide somewhere Chihaya can't see, like on the roof or under the eaves."

Pochiko-san, who had been clinging to Chihiro’s shoulder, froze as if struck. Her expression was one of pure despair, and while Romel and the others felt sorry for her, they couldn't help but feel a warm, fuzzy feeling. The monsters really were expressive. Or rather, their very atmosphere colored the mood of the room.

What to do.

Sucking on her finger, chu chu, Chihiro had a flash of inspiration.

"Maybe it would be better if there were a lot of them?"

The Little One's face lit up, leaving the surrounding adults perplexed.

Wait, wouldn't that just multiply the terror?

Ignoring the adults conversing with their eyes, Chihiro asked Merda to dispatch the other bees.

There were no bees at the royal palace now. With the Golden King gone, there was no reason for them to be there. So Chihaya didn't know that bees used to soar through the palace, nor had he ever seen one.

They had Romel explain the situation to the King. Keeping Chihiro's return a secret, he spun a tale that Merda was sending bees as a gift to Drago's children. Since bees had often loitered around Drago's residence even after Chihiro was gone, the King agreed without any suspicion.

And so began the Little One's "Monsters Are Friends" grand strategy.

A prayer for Chihaya, who would undoubtedly be tormented by nightmares tonight.