kscans

Chapter 102 - The King of Castrato and the Little One

"Huh...?"

Arriving at the royal palace, the Little One doubted her own eyes at the sight before her. The magical power that had been extending from the palace grew darker and denser as they approached, and by the time they reached the gate, the rising magic was so thick that she could barely see ahead.

"What in the world is this...?"

Count Jaizary, who had disembarked with the knights, also stared up at the palace with a stiff expression. Hyrulia did the same. Only the knights from Frontier, accustomed to magical power, narrowed their eyes slightly as they gazed at the eerie, black rising magic.

"This is a magic power runaway. ...It’s surprising that someone in Castrato possesses this much magical power, though."

The members of the Little One Squad said it was rare but not particularly surprising. So this was a magic power runaway.

She knew of it in theory, but this was the first time she had seen it.

Dorfen gave a wry smile at the Little One's declaration.

"It happened when you shielded His Highness the Prince Regent in the Queen’s forest, too, Chihiro-sama."

"It did?"

The golden ribbon that Chihiro had unleashed when she covered Romel would have resulted in a disaster just like the one before them if the Queen and the honeybees hadn't absorbed it, he said.

"Such magic power runaways are often caused by children."

"They can’t control the magic they’re not yet used to. If left alone, they’ll lose consciousness from magical exhaustion. You know that too, right?"

The knights of the Little One Squad explained with grins.

Ugh. My embarrassing past is spreading.

"Well, it’s a good thing it wasn’t flame or water. When those run wild, many people get injured."

"However, this is dark magic, isn’t it? To think there is someone besides Cesare-dono who can use it."

At a question separate from the magic power runaway, everyone’s eyes turned to Chihaya. Unfazed by the focused gazes, Chihaya lightly closed his eyes and brought Cesare to the fore.

"This one is not using it. They are enthralled by it. It seems there is someone inside with a large vessel for magic, just like that girl there."

Cesare glanced melancholically at Hyrulia.

"Me? You mean me?"

"Ah. Come to think of it, people with lighter pigmentation have larger amounts of magical power, don’t they?"

Even if she was currently in a state of exhaustion, Hyrulia’s maximum magical power was probably high. Though flustered by the unexpected words, Hyrulia, upon hearing Cesare’s explanation, looked up sharply and turned back to Count Jaizary. Count Jaizary was also nodding with a grim face.

"There is one person who fits that description. The second prince, His Highness Louis Charles."

According to the two with serious expressions, the second prince had a cognitive disability and hadn't appeared in society for a long time. He was dreamy and unreliable, and if someone wasn't constantly with him, he would wander off somewhere.

Hmm? That sounds...?

The Frontier party gasped at the familiar description. And they all remembered the report from the covert ops that morning about Consort Habilus.

While the party was frozen in front of the royal palace, up in the top floor of the tower, Prince Charles was smiling to himself.

"Now I can rest easy. See?"

An eerie shadow floated around him, forming a large hand that gripped Charles’s body from behind. Stroking the black fingers, which were thicker than his own arm, Charles wore a blissful expression. He gazed into the air with an ecstatic look and let words fall from his thin lips.

"Oh, I see. You’re here?"

Suppressing a quiet chuckle, kusu kusu, Charles descended the tower. In the room he left behind was a large magic crystal. The man-sized crystal pulsed faintly, and the dew that formed on its cold surface dripped down like tears, potari potari. A shadow writhed as if licking the dripping drops. Only a penetrating silence and coldness remained in the room.

"For now, we have to do something about this."

As the Little One’s party looked up wearily, the sound of footsteps approached from behind them.

"Count’s daughter! What is the meaning of this?!"

It was Augfel, running up with soldiers in tow. He had been at the adventurer’s guild, so he had apparently escaped this calamity.

"What do you mean, what is the meaning of this? That's what I’d like to ask. I came to apply for the delegation of the ducal family’s authority to Count Jaizary, and this is what I find."

Seeing the girl shrug her shoulders dramatically, the soldiers who had apparently run to report the emergency also nodded gravely.

"Yes, it was sudden."

"Something like a mist overflowed from inside the castle and swallowed people up in an instant."

These soldiers were gatekeepers and had apparently witnessed the black mist crawling around like a living creature, swallowing up the people of the royal palace. And so, they had run straight to report to Augfel, who had said he was going to the adventurer's guild.

Listening to the soldiers’ story, Augfel looked up at the royal palace with an expression of disbelief. The magic leaking outside was just a small fraction. Magic was also leaking from all the palace windows he could see, and it was clear that the inside of the palace was filled with black mist.

"How did this happen? Are my brothers safe?"

Augfel muttered as if delirious. With a nonchalant smile, Cesare swung his arm. A gust of wind instantly blew through, clearing away the mist near the palace entrance.

"It is originally my magic. A few impurities mixed in are of no consequence."

Licking his lower lip, Cesare cleared away the mist with satisfaction. Following his lead, the Little One also released her golden magic, neutralizing the dark magic. It was something they had done every time they encountered a Dark Magic Crystal. They were both used to it.

But she could definitely feel the resistance of something else.

As the Little One stared at her own hands in wonder, Augfel knelt before her and pleaded as if in prayer.

"Please! Save my brothers!"

His face was twisted in anguish. Nodding firmly at his eyes, which wavered with anxiety, the Little One broke into a wide grin.

"You got it! Now, let’s hurry."

Ruffling Augfel’s hair, mosha mosha, the Little One helped him to his feet and stepped straight into the royal palace.

She did not yet know that here she would learn of a fate from her past lives and a conspiracy that was literally eroding the entire world.

"This should be about as far as I need to go."

Having completely repaired the fissure that had split the earth, Joker finally unburdened his shoulders and returned to the western forest, praising his children. Behind him, the border town of Castrato was visible.

He did not know that in the royal capital beyond, one end of the gods’ long-standing worries was secretly stirring.

"Ugh..."

"You can still move? Quite impressive."

Deep in the caverns beneath the Castrato Royal Palace. The large something lying there poked at a thing wrapped round and round in mist, clearly amused. The thing wrapped up was a human. An old woman with completely white hair was pinned to the wall, looking like she was in pain. Magic crystals grew from her feet. The crystals, which glittered like black quartz, were growing all over the old woman.

"It is not enough... You alone. Come quickly, emissary."

Something that had been huddled at the feet of the pinned old woman moved. It then approached the large shadow as if crawling.

"Please... stop."

It was a man with long silver hair and red eyes who squeezed out the words with ragged breaths. His sooty hair was stiff and creaky, his skin was dry and lifeless, and he looked up at the large shadow with vacant eyes that reflected nothing.

"Stop? We are just getting started, are we not? The Lord’s control that bound this country has finally disappeared."

As it said this, the large shadow spat out countless orbs from its mouth. The black orbs seemed to have a will of their own and flew about playfully.

"It is food. Help yourselves."

At its words, the countless orbs swarmed.

"Hyaaah!"

"Uagh! Stop! ...Ahhh!"

The magic crystals growing from the old woman were sucked away by the swarming orbs and quickly disappeared. They seemed to be sipping magic from the huddled man as well, and the man gradually lay down limply.

"Hmph. You should be honored to become food for my cute children. You, who are an O-saki or an emissary, are of no use."

Muttering this lowly, the large shadow looked up to the heavens.

"We are the ones who can truly save humanity and bring them happiness. Just you wait. It is almost time."

Do the gods not give humanity anything but trials? Apostles of such beings should just disappear.

In the caverns of the Castrato Royal Palace, the large shadow fell asleep.

In its dream was a young man.

"Ah, I’ve been waiting. I’m free."

"That is right. You are free. I shall grant you any wish."

The large shadow in the caverns took the form of a dragon and stroked the young man in the dream with its tail. The young man’s name was Louis Charles. Having been a resident of a dream world for many years, the gods’ elixir had made his constitution highly compatible with the otherworldly.

And he had seen it.

The Little One from ten years ago. He had watched the events on Joker’s silver bed until the very end.

That is my bride.

An adorable girl who had merged with Fatima, her black hair and golden eyes wide open. Charles rapturously murmured the memory, which was still vivid.

"She’s here, right? My bride. My cute, cute golden princess."

"Is that so? I do not sense her. But if you wish for her, I shall bring her to you immediately."

"Yes."

In the dream, filled with a blackish-purple mist, the two smiled to themselves. As his magic was being sucked away by the black orbs, the silver-haired man looked at the sleeping shadow and pressed his finger to the ground.

Please run, Lord. And you, Golden King! Run!

Before the man huddled with a tragic expression, the Little One will arrive. He does not yet know of the future Little One, who will appear, potepote, with her formidable companions in tow.