kscans

Chapter 121 - The Secrets of the Claudia Kingdom and the Little One

"What is this?!"

"It’s not just ordinary thread! Blades are completely useless against it!"

"What in the world is it…? What just happened?"

It was the Little One’s favored spider silk. A thread so strong that it could only be cut by turning mithril, the stuff of fantasy legends, into scissors. Iron and steel weapons were as good as blunt instruments against it. It was a resilient thread that had sealed a fissure in the earth of unknown origin. The title of Lord of the Forest was not just for show. The fissure, sealed with an impenetrable layer of silk, was strong enough for a carriage to travel over it. The only thing that could sever something that repelled any impact was mithril. The ultra-rare metal mithril was only produced in Flowers, and naturally, the technology to process it was also exclusive to Flowers. Though it was a closely guarded secret, they had spared a small amount for their friendly neighbor, Frontier. The Little One had used it to order a pair of scissors.

"Scissors?"

"Scissors."

Needless to say, an indescribable conflict had washed over the people of Flowers.

Well, for one reason or another, only the scissors and needles gifted from Flowers for tailoring the twins’ clothes could make a dent in this spider silk.

Slamming another hopelessly nicked knife to the floor, the ferociously growling Claudia knights glared resentfully at the silk-sealed underground staircase.

"What is Frontier planning?!"

"We underestimated them because it was just two children. I never imagined they had that many monsters hidden in their carriage."

"Wasn’t Claudia the only one who could control monsters?"

"They say that Castrato also commands monsters. Frontier is a nation of magic. It wouldn’t be surprising."

A distorted perception was rampant in the Claudia Kingdom, which had commanded the Lords of the Forest for generations. That certain nobles could control monsters. Since the neighboring country of Castrato had put this into practice, this mistaken belief was never corrected, and thus they came to a strange understanding of the current situation.

That was why they did not even remember it. The existence of the Golden King.

The Claudia side was bewildered by the sudden uproar.

"Oh? Have they arrived?"

Half a day had passed since they had barricaded themselves in. That was fast. She had thought it would take at least another day.

The Little One praised the honeybee that had entered through the clerestory window with a "good work."

"Looks like the preparations are complete. Shall we go?"

The Frontier party smiled brazenly at the grinning girl.

"Captain!"

A man in the red uniform of the Royal Guard came tumbling down the long staircase. His face was contorted in terror, and his teeth were chattering.

"From the south…! An army of monsters!"

The man called captain stared with wide eyes.

"Can everyone make it?"

Before the Little One stood nearly a hundred beast-humans. They were all in tattered clothes and exhausted, but with a decent meal and a cleansing by magic, they had been restored to a semblance of humanity. Especially the meal. Piled in a corner of the prison were what were clearly sacks of animal feed. Understanding that this had been their food, the Little One sealed all the sacks into an orb and, in their place, served the meal that Adonis and Zack had made. The Frontier party was filled with righteous fury at the beast-humans who said they were seeing a warm meal for the first time. They brought out their own personal stashes of food one after another, and soon the prison was packed with twice the amount of food the Little One had provided.

"May we… eat?"

A beast-human asked timidly.

"Eat. For now, just eat. We can talk after that."

Tears were all the Frontier party could offer in response to the beast-humans who erupted with joy.

"It smells good. It smells so good my stomach is rumbling."

"Is this food? Can we eat this?"

"It’s warm. I’m so happy."

Simple words tumbled from their lips in a chorus of murmurs.

It seemed the majority of them were beast-humans who had been born in the prison and had only ever eaten animal feed. They were fascinated by this thing called "cooking," which they were seeing for the first time. Their innocent appearance stoked the fury of the Frontier party to a fever pitch. The knights’ eyes filled with scathing contempt.

"Is the Claudia Kingdom really necessary?"

"The commoners aren’t responsible, so it’s just the royal family. They’re the ones who are unnecessary."

"You’re right. A royal family that oppresses its people deserves to fall."

"Let’s destroy them. A good person will become king in their place."

"""""Agreed."""""

Dorfen gave a wry smile at the knights, who had reached a conclusion through self-debate and were now nodding in unanimous agreement. Knights were those who swore allegiance to God. It was because the king, as God’s proxy, protected and governed the people that knights protected the royal family. If that fundamental premise crumbled, knights could become the royal family’s greatest enemy. Furthermore, the Little One’s unit had been influenced by their master’s disposition and was beginning to cultivate a unique set of values and concepts.

If the one on top is an idiot, crush them.

Dorfen felt a complex mix of emotions, unsure whether to be pleased or to lament, as he caught a glimpse of the merciless side of them that could so calmly declare they would destroy a royal family.

While watching the beast-humans silently devouring their meal, the Little One was also racking her brain. In Arcadia, where civilization ranged from the early to late medieval period, might was right. It was normal for the powerful to trample the weak. The Little One had turned this to her advantage and done as she pleased. This time, too, she could probably manage with brute force. However, in the Claudia Kingdom, the Lords of the Forest were said to be on the side of the royal family.

Something’s going on, isn’t it? What could it be?

The Little One’s actions were fundamentally based on the modern civilization of Earth. She would search for a compromise that was as mutually agreeable as possible. That was why she had managed to get by without any major conflicts until now. But this time, it might be difficult. The beast-humans belonged to the King of Claudia. They were his property. The Little One, who was trying to steal them, was, by any measure, a robber. To justify this, she had to thoroughly intimidate her opponent. To make them understand that defying her would have dire consequences.

For that purpose, the Little One had sent messengers to each of the Lords of the Forest.

She had asked them to send as many of their kin as they could spare to the Claudia Kingdom. Imagining the monsters that had gathered in response, the Little One’s face lit up with delight.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? Well then, shall we head out once we’re ready?"

Now with full bellies, and having been washed clean after being dazed by the deliciousness of the meal, the beast-humans and the Frontier party gave a firm nod.

"We have been told that we are not allowed to leave here. We will receive a terrible punishment."

Before the panicking beast-humans, the Little One ordered her monster unit to destroy the clerestory window. The honeybees’ wind magic sliced through the air diagonally, and a spiraling tornado bored a large hole in the wall. With a deafening boom, fragments of the wall scattered about, only to be swatted away by the frogs’ protective barriers.

Chihiro turned to the beast-humans, who were frozen in place, and her lips curled into a grin.

"The King of Claudia may have ordered that you not be let out, but I want to get you out of here. I want you to eat delicious food and live happy lives. I will absolutely protect you, so anyone who can believe that, come with me. If you can’t believe it, you’re free to stay. I won’t force you. Decide for yourselves."

Decide for ourselves?

The beast-humans exchanged dumbfounded looks.

They had never in their lives decided anything for themselves. They just existed here. They gave birth, raised their young, and once the children reached a certain age, they were taken away, forced into training, and shipped out.

Their days were spent just praying for the future of their children.

They couldn’t imagine a life of eating delicious food and living happily. They didn’t know it. Humans fear the unknown. Just as that fear was about to erupt from them, a voice spoke.

"Can we eat delicious things like this every day?"

A small cat beast-human asked nonchalantly.

Smiling, the Little One took the cat beast-human’s hand and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, you can. Eating delicious meals every day and growing big is a child’s job. That’s the kind of life I want to promise you."

Hearing a concrete explanation, the beast-humans’ fear subsided. If they had to work either way, it was obviously better to have delicious food included. For the beast-humans who had only eaten animal feed for so long, the meal they had just had was a clear and tangible benefit.

Life sparked in the eyes of the beast-humans. The Little One did not miss it.

"Alright! Let’s go to a world where we can eat delicious things freely! I’ll guide you to a country where children can live with smiles on their faces!"

Triumphantly, the Little One held hands with the cat beast-human and headed for the hole in the wall. Swept up by her cheerful demeanor, the other beast-humans also began to walk outside, protected by the Frontier knights.

Bringing up the rear was the Lord’s child.

Its footsteps pattered on the floor as it glanced back at the prison. The Little One did not see the scathing light in its eyes, as if it were spitting on what it saw.

The Little One did not yet know that she had put a deep crack in the curse-like yoke that had held the Lords of the Forest captive for so long.