kscans

Chapter 126 - The Secrets of the Claudia Kingdom and Little One

"Hero!"

"Hm? Niini."

Chihaya, having finally caught up to his sister, narrowed his eyes as if glaring.

"So? What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing much. Just tell them that since the beast-humans have been freed, the Lords of the Forest are free too."

Chihaya was somewhat taken aback by Little One’s bright smile. He had expected her to storm in and do something like slap the King of Claudia’s cheeks until they were swollen. If Little One could see inside Chihaya’s mind, she would surely have tilted her head, wondering just how her brother saw her. Well, given her track record, it couldn’t be helped. But for Little One, it was just another page in the book of memories, water under the bridge, something she wouldn’t even recall unless prompted to salvage it from her memory, so her self-awareness was dim.

However, Chihaya had forgotten that one should not take Little One’s words at face value.

He could not imagine the ripple effects that this action would cause. If Romel had been there, his expression would have changed in an instant.

The Lords are free now, which means, we haven't forgotten our grudge. You'd better remember that.

Payback was coming, twofold, for the beast-humans’ sake as well.

Up to this point, it was still manageable. Not good, but still reversible. The problem was the survival of the forests.

The Claudia Kingdom existed thanks to the blessings of the forests. With two of the Lords’ forests adjacent to its borders, vast greenery spread across the land, allowing a nation to thrive even in such an arid place. Donautil was the same. The border nations were lands sustained by the natural blessings spread by the Lords' forests. In the past, with the help of the golden magic, they must have been incredibly lush. The border regions have preserved their ethnic cultures better than the magic-starved central areas. One could see a certain surplus in them. A foolish country that, knowingly or not, had forsaken such blessings.

By swapping the Lords, they had further impoverished the land, and the precious greenery was on the verge of death. All this, despite having two of the Lords’ forests within half a day’s flight by honeybee. The blessings of the Lords’ forests had sustained and protected a great deal of plant life. Those forests, too, had lost the golden magic and were withering year by year. If they were connected by the Golden Ring, there was a chance of recovery, and above all, magic would be revived. The borderlands, at the forefront of this, would surely bustle with activity. The borderlands, far more blessed than the central regions that suffered from magic depletion after losing their forests and Lords.

What would happen if they lost that?

Imagining the final outcome, a cruel smile appeared on Chihiro’s face.

A frog in a well knows not the great ocean. Yet it knows the blueness of the sky.

The royalty and nobility of Claudia had lived in their small world, unaware that the world had begun to change. Fools who did not cherish the solid foundation beneath their feet, but rather disdained and destroyed it. If the Lords’ forests had been healthy, a future of no change would have awaited them.

".....We might need to prepare to accept refugees. I should probably let Castrato know, too."

Chihaya watched his sister suspiciously as she began to mutter to herself. The Claudia Royal Palace was now right before their eyes.

".....So, as you see, due to a new pact, the previous agreement has been nullified. My apologies♪"

As Little One tilted her head, cutely placing a hand on her cheek, the King of Claudia and his court were speechless.

How did it come to this?

That was the unanimous sentiment of everyone on the Claudia side.

They were surprised when she suddenly descended before the king from the skylight, but they were doubly surprised by the content of her words. The Claudia royal family had accepted the good fortune their ancestors had acquired and had greedily devoured it for ages. They couldn't understand what was wrong with that at all, and it was hard to accept. That was why they were furious with Little One, who was trying to take it all away. They seemed unable to comprehend that it was a blessing they had stolen from the beast-humans and the Lords of the Forest in the first place.

Humans are doubly sensitive to being deprived than to depriving others.

"That is..... um, a contract with the previous king. Isn’t this a bit too one-sided?"

In place of the king, who was still frozen in utter rage and astonishment, a man who appeared to be a civil official questioned Little One.

"Contract or not, it was a verbal promise without a single written document, wasn't it? Moreover, you just forced a one-sided submission without any compensation. Is that a contract? Is that what you call it in Claudia?"

Little One sneered, a hint of derision in her voice.

"I want to praise the Lords for so faithfully upholding such a promise. So....."

Sipping the tea she had been served, Little One glared up at the King of Claudia.

"From now on, no interference. I have told the Lords as much. To unleash the true nature of a Lord of the Forest."

A stir went through the room, and the faces of the Claudia contingent looked at each other. They must have been aware of it themselves. Of their numerous, utterly cruel deeds. Of the danger that the resentment from those deeds might be directed toward Claudia. It was common knowledge throughout the world that the power of a Lord of the Forest was disaster-class.

But then, one man interjected.

"Please wait, why? How?"

His eyes wide with astonishment, the man leaned forward and placed his hands on the table.

"What are you talking about, Baron Wisley?"

The King of Claudia, having apparently remembered how to speak, looked at the man called Wisley with suspicious eyes. Baron Wisley, unable to hide his excitement, explained with animated gestures.

"The Lords are intelligent magical beasts. Communication is possible through writing. So I understand how the princess learned of the internal affairs of the Claudia Kingdom."

After saying that much, Baron Wisley stared intently at Little One. It was an eerie gaze, a mixture of curiosity and desire. Little One instinctively recoiled with a small pyat, only for the baron to inch closer, which resulted in Chihaya placing the tip of his rapier at the baron’s nose.

"Don’t come any closer. .....I’ll slice you."

"Hih? I, I apologize."

The baron hastily pulled his face back, while the Claudia knights stared at the scene, speechless.

What was that just now? I couldn’t see him move at all.

Ignoring the gawking knights, Chihaya sheathed his rapier in the scabbard on his lower back. Wearing it on the back instead of the side was a sign of a knight apprentice. It was a custom designed to take time to draw, requiring a moment’s breath to seek the judgment of those around. That one breath would allow for a decision to stop or assist. It was meant as a safety feature..... but no one had seen Chihaya’s draw. A terrifyingly fast and precise sword tip. It was not the skill of a child who had yet to come of age.

Leaving the knights frozen for a different reason, the baron in question continued his enthusiastic explanation.

"Yes! You can converse with a Lord! But you shouldn’t be able to command them!"

Those around him couldn't understand what the overjoyed baron was trying to say. But the twins could.

Acha~, Little One thought, sticking out her tongue as she realized her slip-up.

"The only one who can command the Lords of the Forest is the Golden King herself! Your Highness! As a student of history, I am deeply moved! To think the day would come when I could witness a legend with my own eyes!!"

Finally understanding what Baron Wisley was saying, the members of the Claudia court once again lost their words. The girl across the table had jet-black hair reminiscent of leopard lily seeds and jade-green eyes. Nowhere could a hint of gold be seen. But there was some logic to the baron's explanation.

"Could it be.....?"

Little One sighed at the King of Claudia, who was holding his breath, and pulled off her lace gloves.

"Ah~, this is a pain. That’s right, I’m the Golden King, nyan."

The multiple layers of cats she wore fled in all directions, and Little One, back to her true self, exposed her left thumb to everyone's eyes.

A solemn radiance that seemed to melt into the air. A soft light, like the sun. Mentally, she was in the mood to raise her middle finger, but Chihiro would not do something so vulgar.

"You’ve lost the beast-humans, you’ve lost the Lords of the Forest, you guys are on the brink, you know? Of course, Frontier won’t be providing any support either. You’d better figure something out with the money we paid you, right?"

Giving them a mental middle finger, the girl's soft kufuri laugh was, in effect, a death sentence. It would be much later that Claudia would realize this.

Five years later, Pascal would rebuild the Claudia Kingdom as its new leader, but that is another story.

And so, the secrets of the Claudia Kingdom that had bound the Lords of the Forest were exposed to the light of day, and the Claudia royal family, which had long devoured the blessings of the beast-humans and the Lords, was forced to pay the price.

Whether they could pay it in full was uncertain, but from now on, it was their own responsibility~♪ said Little One, soaring through the sky.

She always, everywhere, goes her own way♪