kscans

Chapter 10 - The Past, the Present, and the Little One, Part 2

"After that, let’s see. I suppose it was Flowers. Prince Marcello enrolled in Frontier’s noble academy."

He had apparently already graduated, but he had studied abroad for about two years. Believing in the revival of magic because Moruto’s forest had survived, he had come to learn its fundamental principles. He was said to have been an extremely diligent student, and because Frontier was under the influence of the Golden Ring, he had apparently gained a small amount of magic. He was moved to tears when he became able to use simple daily life magic.

"It was quite heartwarming. I believe his attendants were also able to learn basic magic."

"Oh."

The Little One leaned forward.

Wait a minute. I can't even use it, isn't that unfair?

In her past life, as the Golden King, she couldn't use any other kind of magic. What about this life? If she recalled correctly, one was granted an attribute upon receiving baptism and could then use basic daily life magic. Those with high magic were born with it. It wasn’t something that could be increased or decreased through effort, it was a natural gift. She had learned that one's general magic level was determined by their hair and eye color. By that standard, Chihiro's appearance did not suggest a high magic level.

However…

Chihiro stared intently at her own hands.

She could release magic because she had learned how in her past life.

With a `fon` sound of popping air, several ribbon-like strands of light wrapped around Chihiro’s hands. The people around her stared, their eyes wide.

"Impressive. If you can manipulate magic to that extent, you must have quite a lot of it."

Her magic level was probably higher than Romel’s, a member of the royal family. It even looked as though she already possessed an attribute, despite not having been baptized yet. But her base was likely golden magic. It was warm and soft, seeping into one’s heart and evoking a sense of nostalgia, as if reminding them of something long forgotten.

A warm feeling filled the room.

Ah, this is it. The space, the life, where the Little One is. The leisurely flow of time I had long forgotten. Romel’s eyes softened with deep emotion.

"What else… Kilfan, I suppose. There was a bit of an uproar, but have you heard about it from Drago and the others?"

The Little One shook her head from side to side.

"It was around the time you two were born. The principal nobles of Kilfan proposed Sakura’s enthronement."

It apparently took about two years for the new kingdom of Kilfan to get on its feet. Then, a conference was held to establish a new royal family, and they remembered that Sakura, a direct descendant of the imperial line, was living in the neighboring country.

She was the most legitimate banner they could hope for.

And now they had Katsumi. An ideal candidate for a husband.

The nobles of Kilfan, dreaming of a royal restoration, approached Frontier with their proposal, only to be surprised that Sakura was already married. They were doubly surprised to hear she was pregnant, and when Sakura was no longer an option, they suggested her child instead.

But they were brusquely turned away by Drago, who was devoted to his wife and child, and they gave up.

Some still hadn’t given up, however, and were apparently still watching for an opportunity.

This was all news to Chihiro.

Smiling at her, Romel sipped his tea.

"That’s the deeply loving Drago for you. He would never hand you over. And Frontier has no intention of doing so either. Well, there’s a possibility your children or grandchildren might marry into their family."

Therefore, Romel explained, the Gyorgy family was both a noble house of Frontier and the royal family of Kilfan. As long as Sakura was their mother, that fact could not be overturned. Even if a new royal family were to be established in Kilfan, that family would pledge its allegiance to Sakura’s clan. In a way, the new Kilfan was a vassal state of Frontier. Or more accurately, of the Gyorgy family.

Ugh… this is getting complicated again.

The Little One couldn’t help but bare her gums in a grimace.

There were other issues as well. Frontier’s ongoing soil improvement projects. Reforestation, and the accompanying improvements in agriculture and animal husbandry. Diplomacy with other nations was also proving difficult, largely because Frontier could no longer export food as it once had.

"If we can’t raise our fallen production levels… it could, in the worst case, lead to war."

The Little One involuntarily looked up at the ceiling.

Haaah… it's the same everywhere, isn’t it.

Most of Earth’s past wars were fought to take something. They would dress it up with a noble cause, but at their core, they were wars of plunder to secure resources and labor. About seventy percent of wars were like that, and many of the rest involved religion. Well, to be honest, more blood has been shed in the name of religion, but Arcadia only has the one Creator God, so that’s not a problem.

The Little One crossed her arms with a grunt.

Food is important. Just being hungry is sad, and if you add cold or sickness to that, you start to feel like you want to die.

That kind of despair robs most people of their sound judgment and steers them toward the worst possible outcome.

Right now, they were in an age of a precarious tightrope walk called a food crisis.

As he gazed at the silent little girl, Romel felt a distance in her heart. The Little One’s heart, which had kept its distance, was now rapidly approaching the world of politics, with Romel at its center.

This isn’t what I wanted, though.

I wanted her to grow up laughing and playing innocently, like a child.

But the critical situation was pressing in on them, whether they liked it or not.

For now, it was just a glimpse of what was to come, but if this continued, it would undoubtedly cast a dark shadow over the Little One’s era. To avoid that, they had no choice but to solve the problem while it was still small. The paradox of having to borrow the Little One’s power to protect the Little One’s future.

Romel was tormented by their own inadequacy.

However, in truth, the Little One had noticed Romel’s desperate struggle.

Romel was running himself ragged trying to handle the situation. He would never ask Chihiro for help, not even if his mouth were torn open.

Romel wanted Chihiro to live her days peacefully. Understanding that, Chihiro had been allowed to do as she pleased. She hadn’t gotten involved with the palace because Romel didn’t want her to. It was her own will too, but she was happy that the adults around her were trying to protect her.

However, after hearing about Frontier’s internal affairs from Katsumi, she realized she couldn't just stand by, which was why she had rushed to this place.

Sitting back and waiting was not Chihiro’s style.

The future was something you grasped by struggling and worrying. It wasn't something given to you, nor did it just fall from the sky. You gain nothing without effort. Things obtained through a stroke of luck often lead to trouble later on. Things were designed to balance out like that.

Well, I'll have you help me out, though, Romel. You’re an adult, so I’ll leave the troublesome stuff to you.

Though she didn’t say it out loud, the Little One grinned mischievously. Romel sighed at her wicked smile.

I can't win against you. You really are that kind of creature, aren't you.

A wry smile, one he hadn’t worn in a long time.

This too felt nostalgic and pleasant to Romel.

And so, several years passed, with the civil officials doing their best in diplomacy, consulting with and receiving advice from the Little One, and the Little One diligently training each day while lending her mind to Romel. The twins grew into fine children.

"Hya-ha!"

Objects went twirling through the air.

They were two small children, lightly descending an almost vertical cliff face, `ton ton ton`.

Using the slightest protrusions as footholds, they expertly slid down the slope. At times, they would leap great distances, using nearby trees as stepping stones. They would grab a branch, swing around, and without losing speed, leap to another foothold.

Their movements were as light as a dance.

The knights watching from below stood frozen, their mouths agape in astonishment.

Free running and parkour.

The Little One knew of them as things that had been popular in Japan. Having learned acrobatics, the two naturally began to use those techniques for movement as well. It was more like parkour. They moved quickly without any wasted motion.

That was during training.

As soon as it was over and they were dismissed, the twins let loose. They started a game of tag, bouncing around the cliffs and forest. Today was outdoor training. The twins, usually confined to the castle, were returning to their wild nature in the great outdoors they were seeing for the first time.

"Hiro, you cheated!"

Chihaya, attempting to leap to a distant branch, was knocked down by Chihiro, who took advantage of his time in the air.

"If your feet touch the ground, you lose, Nii-ni."

The impact from Chihiro sent Chihaya flying out of the woods in an arc. However, he used the momentum to push off again and just barely managed to cling to a rock on the cliff face with his fingertips.

"I didn’t touch! Here I come!"

He nimbly scaled the cliff, `pyoi pyoi`, and once he had gained enough height, he gathered power in his legs and shot into the forest like a bullet.

The monkey-like twins zipped and rustled through the canopy.

"What are they doing?"

"…Little monkeys?"

"…They’re sure enjoying life."

At that last comment, the knights who had finished their training burst out laughing.

"""""No doubt about it!"""""

The twins tilted their heads at the sudden explosion of laughter, and their game of tag continued until Dorfen stopped them.

"My body’s getting pretty strong now."

As she ran home, the Little One did a somersault. From there, she went into a series of cartwheels with a twist, finishing with a moonsault. It had taken her about a year to master all that. In parallel, their weapons training continued, and in the past two years, they had completed the entire knight apprentice and covert ops apprentice curriculums. Of course, only the curriculums. There was still a mountain of things to do, such as practical application, academics, and improving their proficiency.

And this autumn, the two would turn seven.

It was the age when they would receive their baptism and be recognized as full-fledged citizens.

"We can finally go outside the castle, right?"

"I’m excited, Hiro."

Chihaya, who was also running, mixing in acrobatics, smiled happily.

Unlike when she was the Golden King, the Little One, as a noble, was not allowed to leave the castle grounds until her baptism at age seven, in accordance with common practice. Normal nobles did not let their children out of the mansion until their baptism at seven. It was rare to let a young child who couldn’t even use daily life magic go outside.

In the royal palace, they would not be allowed out of the rear palace.

Frontier was a country that treasured its children. The higher one's status, the more excessive this sentiment became. They were always with adults, and any outings were confined to a carriage. It might be different for commoners, but the twins, who were nobles at least in name, had to abide by this. Her past life, where she had rampaged about with the authority of the Golden King, ignorant of all these things, had been the exception.

"I want to register as an adventurer and travel around."

As she smiled, visions of the orphanage and the Lords of the Forest filled the Little One’s mind.

Nearly ten years had passed since then.

Her arms and legs had grown, and she was changing from a toddler into a child, but what was inside the Little One remained the same.

She giggled, her eyes softening as the sight of her home came into view. The Little One sniffed the air, wondering what was for dinner tonight.

Chihiro, ever true to her desires, had forgotten.

She had forgotten that upon turning seven, she would have to enroll in the noble academy. And that her parents and Romel were steadily making preparations for it.

A pitfall was being dug at the feet of Chihiro, who had no doubt that her pilgrimage would be smooth sailing. She would only remember this when she was being fitted for her baptismal robes.

"Whaaaat?"

In the near future, a familiar, nostalgic scream would rise. The Little One did not yet know that future.

A prayer for the future of the twins, which was supposed to be so bright. ♪