kscans

Chapter 109 - The Little One and the Seaside Forest

"It was a no-go. I’m sorry."

At a table in the Adventurer’s Guild, the Little One apologized to Augfel with a pathetic look on her face. He chuckled wryly and shook his head slowly.

"It can’t be helped. We are dangerous people, after all."

The royalty of Castrato, a country that had been an enemy for a long time. It seemed that there were not a few people in Frontier who found them detestable. In fact, even among the knights who were supposed to be guarding and monitoring them, there were voices of dislike.

Is it a case of hating the priest for the sake of the monk... I didn't expect even Romel to be so stubborn, nyo.

Romel's thinking was somewhat different, but the Little One didn't know that.

However, the soldiers who had actually fought against Castrato were fed up with the repeated, fruitless conflicts, and there was a not-insignificant faction that firmly refused to recognize the Castrato brothers as guests. Although it had shrunk considerably now, until the Crown Prince of Castrato began to participate in the government, the Frontier side had set up a garrison on the outskirts of the border count's territory, and many soldiers were stationed there permanently. This was to track down and intercept any enemies that the magicians had missed. There were thousands of enemy soldiers scattered across the vast wilderness. While most could be wiped out with magic, there were always some who slipped through the cracks and caused a ruckus.

"It was a very tiring job. A few days after they set up their camp. Sometimes it was weeks. We would just stare at each other, then play cat and mouse."

The soldiers all agreed that it was more mentally than physically taxing. The hardships of the field were palpable. It wasn’t without casualties either. As the proverb goes, a cornered rat will bite a cat, and desperate enemy soldiers would resist with their lives on the line, sometimes inflicting not-so-light injuries. Even though they could be healed with magic, just because they were healed didn’t mean the memory of the pain inflicted would disappear.

All these things had slowly piled up, creating the current situation.

Augfel patted the head of the girl whose brows were furrowed, henyori, and thanked her again.

"It’s fine. Just being able to stay in Frontier like this is a huge thing. Thank you."

Augfel grinned.

In fact, it was true.

If it hadn’t been for Romel’s grand entrance, they wouldn’t even have been able to set foot in the noble district. They would have been cowering in fear of their pursuers, relying on Fel’s adventurer connections to hide somewhere in the borderlands. Thinking about it, the current situation, where they were living without any inconvenience in a large mansion with guards, even if it was for monitoring, was incredibly fortunate.

Augfel’s frank, gentle smile touched Chihiro’s heart, and she slumped in dejection, unyuu. You don’t know a person’s true nature until you’ve known them for a long time.

"I hope everyone quickly realizes that Fel and Charles are harmless."

It was probably an innocent remark, but at the Little One’s words, the smile faded from Augfel’s face. A faint, ephemeral, philosophical smile, as if his soul had left his body.

Ah... right... That’s probably never going to happen.

Remembering Charles’s massive rampage last night, Augfel’s mouth twitched.

"I’m going to my bride’s place!"

Charles’s eyes rolled around as he crystallized the knights with his dark magic. The Frontier knights shattered the black crystal that grew with a paki paki sound and glared at their opponent. Black crystal grew on humans by absorbing their magic. If it was just starting to grow, it could be shattered with a fist. If it was broken while they could still move, it wouldn't be too bad. But if they were solidified to the point of being unable to move, it was game over. The frogs were a great help in this. The frogs that always accompanied the knights associated with the Little One protected many of them.

"It is the strict order of the King’s younger brother. You are forbidden from leaving the mansion."

The knight calmly repeated the same words while shattering the magic crystal that had grown on an unsuspecting colleague.

"I’m tired of hearing that! Why are you getting in my way?!"

Charles, whose mental state was childish and fragile, frequently threw tantrums. Ever since he came of age, the one who had comforted him was the bride he would one day welcome. The black-haired princess he had thought of and yearned for for over ten years. He was on the verge of going mad from the dilemma of her being right there, yet unable to meet her.

"Get... out... of my... waaaay!"

An explosive burst of dark magic.

It was always Augfel who stepped in between the knights who were pushed back by the pressure.

"Stop it, Brother!"

Magic crystals grew all over his body as he hugged him with all his might, encasing him with a biki biki sound. Charles froze at the sight and hurriedly absorbed the magic crystals, making them disappear.

"Fel? Fel, I’m sorry!"

Augfel soothed Charles, who was crying as he carefully removed the magic crystals, and smiled weakly.

"Let’s be quiet, okay? The lady count is right there. She’s not running or hiding. You’ll be able to see her once our country settles down and we can invite her."

His younger brother patiently explained that it was impossible right now, and his older brother sobbed, poro poro. With each repeated tantrum and explosion, Augfel was also at his wit’s end.

His magic depletion was also serious. Augfel had stayed in Frontier for a long time, so he had received a proper baptism at the church and had a decent amount of magic. The magic crystals grew by absorbing that magic. The internal magic lost each time was draining his life force.

Ah... I might die.

It wasn't enough to make him faint, but it was still tough. Moreover, since he did this every few days, his impression on the knight order was probably the worst it could be.

With a distant look in his eyes, Augfel saw the Little One off, then went shopping and returned to the mansion they had been given. Frontier’s food situation was wonderful. It was delicate and beautiful, and above all, delicious. The sweets were completely different from Castrato, where they only had things like fruit jellies or dried sweets, and even honey was a rare treat. He was surprised by Frontier’s cuisine, but the sweets were exceptional. Baked goods, fresh pastries, candy, and syrup. The crunchy texture and sweetness of the semi-dried fruit made with sugar was a shock he still couldn’t forget. The cuisine wasn’t just salt and pepper either, but a wide variety of things like cream, bouillon, and fond. There were dozens of types of soup alone, and it was amazing in a good way.

"The base of the sauce changes depending on the type of meat. Who came up with that? There’s a limit to luxury, you know."

The Little One and Kilfan had taught them, but it was only because of the rich Frontier that they could reproduce it.

While enjoying Frontier’s cuisine, Augfel bought Charles’s favorite sweets and headed home. On the way back, his eyes were captivated by a puppet show.

He watched from a distance for a while, then his face lit up and he asked the people around him where he could arrange for a puppet show.

"Wow! So cool!"

Charles enjoyed the paper-story and puppet shows with a huge smile on his face.

They paid an extra fee to have them perform in front of the mansion, and Charles was engrossed in the powerful acting. Afterwards, he excitedly rattled on about the story and became absorbed in reading the original stories. He started looking forward to the paper-story and puppet shows that came every day, and he began to talk less about the lady count. Even when he did mention her, he didn't throw a tantrum, but spoke in a very calm manner, wondering what she was doing or if she was well.

"Haa... thank goodness."

Augfel patted his chest in genuine relief, and the knights looked at him with pity while smiling fondly at the happy-looking Charles.

"That was a great idea. The paper-story and puppet shows are interesting, so I think it was a good decision."

"...Thank you."

Augfel chuckled wryly at the knights’ sympathetic gazes. Come to think of it, Charles didn’t know anything. He had been confined to the palace since he was drugged, received a run-of-the-mill education, and had no fun or joy. The only happy story he remembered in his hazy memories was about his bride. A shining light of hope in his monotonous daily life. If he was dependent on that and didn't look at anything else, then all he had to do was provide something that would catch his eye. Seeing the children engrossed in the puppet show, Augfel had an idea.

A thrilling stage play, different from simply reading a book or being told a story. A play where you are drawn in and engrossed by the actors’ lines and movements.

It was a hit. ...It’s actually really interesting.

Augfel himself, who had brought it, was just as engrossed as Charles.

"It was amazing, right? The way the Knights of the Round Table were!"

"Yeah, it was great! Horses and lances are so cool!"

The Castrato brothers chatted excitedly, waa waa, their eyes sparkling.

But the paper-story and puppet shows were like summaries. The gazes of the surrounding knights softened as the two of them bought the original stories and became absorbed in reading.

It’s really amazing. Where did the idea of turning an entire story into pictures or acting it out with puppets come from? I seriously respect it.

Augfel savored the peace that had finally arrived, engrossed in reading with his brother with a huge smile on his face. The two of them had escaped a serious crisis, but the Little One had no way of knowing.

"I really want to take them with me."

The news would reach her as she cried her eyes out, uwaaaan, but that would be a little while later♪