kscans

Chapter 130 - The Beast-Human Village and Little One

"Yaffai! Is everything going smoothly, nyo?"

"Ah, Your Highness."

This was the wilderness west of Kilfan. A location from which the forest on the Flowers border could be faintly seen to the northwest. Little One had created a forest, and the cleared central area was being developed into a village. The frogs summoned a spring, its stream flowed toward Flowers, and was becoming a decent-sized river. Using this river, fields were being cultivated along its banks.

This was the village for the beast-humans and refugees.

Upon hearing of the new village construction, a crowd of artisans from Kilfan rushed to the scene. As true creators, they would come running with delight whenever something needed to be made. With the artisans' full effort, houses and facilities were erected in no time. A windmill of a type never seen before was installed in a high place, and a waterwheel that also served to pump water began to turn with a gisshan gisshan sound. The beast-humans and refugees could only stand and stare with their mouths open.

"This is..... huh? The water is moving on its own?"

"It can thresh grain? Why? Huh? It can grind flour too?"

The artisans smiled wryly at the new residents, whose faces were covered in question marks. They tried to explain that this does this and that happens, but the people, lacking the foundational knowledge, could not understand.

"It’s okay! It’s fine to just think of it as ‘that’s how it is,’ nyo!"

Even Little One understood the logic but not the principle. But she knew how to use it. And that was enough. The girl declared as much, and the new village started with everyone nodding in agreement.

All the beast-humans and refugees came to Frontier, but only the priest remained in Castrato. Castrato had a church, and that church was enraged and greatly incensed by the recent events. They had apparently sent express horses to every church in Claudia, ordering an immediate withdrawal. The orphans, too, of course. They said they would take all of them into other churches. In that case, Katsumi offered to accept them in Kilfan, so a great migration was currently underway. Kilfan was a country of Japanese people. They welcomed gods from anywhere. Kilfan had adopted a syncretic version of Shinto and Buddhism as its state religion. As a result, it had mysteriously become a country where divine oracles from Earth's gods would descend. The church of Arcadia was also quite keen on the idea, seeing it as a good chance to build a church in Kilfan. The various motives aligned well, and it was decided that a priest would be dispatched from the church built in Kilfan to the beast-human village.

Incidentally, the various church members who had caused trouble in Frontier had already been dealt with. The discrimination against orphans and the prejudice and persecution toward the orphanage came to light and were reported to the church headquarters in the central region. The Frontier church was severely reprimanded for behavior unbecoming of a church that teaches faith and mercy, and all those involved were kicked off to strict monasteries in remote areas. Little One didn't have a good impression of the church, but she understood that the lower ranks are prone to corruption anywhere, so while she didn't trust them completely, she held a reasonable amount of confidence in them. So she decided to leave church matters to the church.

Then, around the time the beast-humans and refugees had settled down, a surprising fact came to light.

Mārya, a Lycan, was reunited with her daughter, Sasha. And apparently, her age was over sixty.

"Nasha was my child when I was forty."

The old woman, who looked like she would live much longer, declared with vigor.

"Huh? Isn’t the average lifespan of a beast-human around fifty?"

"If you mean the average lifespan, I suppose it is something like that."

"There are occasionally those who live long lives."

Sasha and Mārya exchanged glances and tilted their heads at Little One, who asked with a dumbfounded expression.

And so, Little One asked for more details.

She held her head at what she heard and couldn't help but crouch down.

"The magic of average life expectancyyyy."

Average life expectancy is measured by how long people live after being born. In other words, the most common age of death becomes the basis for the average. In a civilization at the level of the early Middle Ages, with poor nutrition and sanitation like Claudia, child mortality was naturally high. Furthermore, most beast-humans were slaves. They were sent to the battlefield, forced into heavy labor, and many died in battle, with a high probability of dying from illness or accidents. As a result, the majority of beast-humans died by the age of fifty. Only the few who survived this harshness could live out their natural lives. This had drastically lowered the average lifespan of beast-humans.

Ahhhh, Japan's Edo period was like that too! Misinformation produced by the trick of statistics!!

.....Which means.

"If there are no wars and the living environment is good like in Frontier, Sasha can live a long life, can't she?"

"I..... suppose it would be so?"

Unlike Sasha, who didn't quite grasp it, Dorfen, who understood the logic, had his eyes wide open.

"Nfu~♪ I wonder what they’re talking about right about now?"

Dorfen was fond of Sasha. Though he hadn't shown it due to the difference in status and race. Also, Sasha's desire for marriage was weak, so it seemed he was hesitant to say anything. The short lifespan of beast-humans must have also been a sticking point. No parent wants a future where their child dies young. Especially the generation under the influence of the golden magic, who lived long lives. It seemed to be gradually shortening, but they would still likely live to be around a hundred. Because of all these conflicts, Dorfen hadn't even voiced his feelings.

Now that it was revealed to be a misunderstanding, all that was left was their feelings for each other. As if the accumulated affection had broken through a dam, Dorfen dragged Sasha off somewhere.

"I hope they can be happy, nyan♪"

If Dorfen and Sasha’s feelings were mutual and they wanted to be together, Little One was prepared to kick down any enemy.

The two returned late that day, feigning nonchalance but with a faint blush on their cheeks, exchanging furtive glances. The people around them looked at Chihiro, who had a knowing, warm smile, with curiosity.

Adonis and Zack, who were close to the pair and of a similar age, were sensitive enough to guess. Those who couldn’t guess were Chihaya and the knights.

"What’s wrong? Hero."

"Nyah, just thinking it's spring already. Spring has come to the Little One Squad too. Yep♪"

Dorfen and Sasha blushed at Little One's roundabout words, which sounded like something an old aunty would say.

"Spring, is it? It certainly has gotten warmer."

"Once spring comes, summer will be here soon. A tough season for armor."

Chihaya nodded with a convinced look at the knights’ weary faces. Uris and the others seemed to have subtly caught on and were looking at the muscle-brained members with a hint of exasperation.

"That’s right, we get a vacation after the pilgrimage, right? I need to contact my girlfriend and bring her a souvenir."

He, who had previously fought with his girlfriend, followed Little One’s advice and had recently not forgotten to be considerate. His complaints had turned into doting, but he was as lively as ever.

"Spring is dawn..... huh. Another year begins."

It wasn’t a promising start, but it was a new spring where Sasha was reunited with her family.

All’s well that ends well.

Though Little One thought this and smiled, kufun, she didn't realize that this end was in the midst of a new beginning. When she finished her final pilgrimage, she would learn the truth for the first time. That the one she had to defeat was not the Dark Spirit King, but this world itself.

Little One did not yet know that the trap set by the Higher Beings would soon be complete, and the curtain would rise on a fierce battle.