kscans

Chapter 147 - The O-saki and the Emissary

"Right then, shall we get the carriage moving?"

After a stop at the giant centipede’s forest, Little One’s party had the Honeybee Carriage set them down just before the border of the Sucaraba Kingdom, which was visible in the distance. When they had visited the forest on the opposite side before, they hadn’t entered the Sucaraba Kingdom. They had been in a hurry, and they hadn’t wanted any extra trouble. The kingdom was relatively tolerant and had permitted the Honeybee Carriage to fly so long as it didn’t enter their borders, so they had taken advantage of that generosity.

"I wonder what kind of country this is. This is so exciting, isn’t it?"

Hyrulia captured Little One, who was gazing at the border village from the window, and smiled gracefully.

"Let’s get you ready before we arrive at the inn. I shall polish you up."

Her twilight-colored eyes formed a crescent but held no laughter. The knights watched with wry smiles as the girl was led away, letting out a little "unyaa". Their entry into the Sucaraba Kingdom should have been no problem, as they had sent a messenger ahead during their stay in the Torzebisont Kingdom.

That was how it should have been.

"Huh?"

Upon arriving at an inn in the border village, Little One’s troupe was suddenly surrounded by a large number of soldiers. There were soldiers in light armor standing in a line with weapons at the ready, and what appeared to be knights clad in metal armor.

Suppressing the mononoke who were beginning to act threateningly, Dorfen stepped down from the carriage to speak.

"What is the meaning of this? This carriage belongs to the party of Frontier’s special goodwill envoy. We have been granted permission to enter the country. There should be no issue."

The knights faced him and exchanged glances. A man who appeared to be in charge raised the visor of his helmet and shouted loudly.

"It is a summons from the Crown Prince! You will come with us!"

The Crown Prince?

So that’s why they dispatched a unit all the way out to this borderland and lay in wait. They meant to take them by force. A quick scan revealed at least a hundred men. Most of the soldiers wore light armor. About ten were clad in full plate. The weapons they held were mostly bronze. Their military strength was laughable. Dorfen couldn’t help but look to the heavens and ponder for a moment. When he glanced toward the carriage, he saw Little One peeking out the window, a grin splitting her face.

Right. I thought so.

In Arcadia, with its strong medieval feel, if you let yourself be underestimated, it was over. Strength was justice. The soldiers before them brandishing their weapons operated on the same logic.

"We are entering this country through the proper channels. If you intend to use force, we will push our way through."

When Dorfen waved his right hand, many of the mononoke unleashed their true power. The frogs provided protection while the honeybees cast wind magic. What scattered over the heads of the lined-up soldiers were spider threads running in every direction.

"We will take you by force if you resist!"

"Try it if you can. You lot are not even a match for our knights."

In contrast to the smirking Dorfen, the soldiers cowered. The moment the spider threads released into the air entangled their targets, the spiders pulled them taut.

"Uwah?"

"What is this!"

"It hurts, it hurts!?"

Panic ran through the hundred soldiers as they were bound tightly by the threads of the Lords’ Kin, which could not be cut even by a blade. The honeybees, not missing their chance, used wind magic to blow the soldiers away. The armored knights were helpless, their movements completely restricted by the fine, entangling threads.

"With threads like these! Nngh, mmph!"

The threads wouldn’t break, no matter how much strength they used. They were thinner than ordinary sewing thread, so fine they were nearly invisible, yet their efforts were utterly futile. The threads were so thin they hadn’t even noticed being entangled, delaying their reaction. The unit of one hundred men was reduced to a writhing pile of caterpillars.

It wasn’t just that the knights weren’t needed, the mononoke troupe was far stronger than the knights. With faint smiles on their faces, Dorfen and the other Frontier knights glared down at the people of the Sucaraba Kingdom.

"It appears an order has been given to capture us. What shall we do, Chihiro-sama?"

A lone girl appeared before the soldiers, who were squirming and groaning.

Her black hair fell in lustrous waves. Her pale eyes were reminiscent of budding new leaves. Her slender form was draped in a magnificent outfit. The wrap-front dress, which gave off a modest sheen, looked like silk but also seemed to be something else entirely. It lacked silk’s distinctive smoothness, and the patterns drawn on it were of a design they had never seen in the Sucaraba Kingdom. It was then that they gasped. They had noticed the pattern was drawn directly onto the cloth. It was not dyed, nor was it sewn. The fabric was like a single painting. They stared at the pattern, which had clearly been drawn with a brush, and at the three-dimensional embroidery and tsumami-zaiku flowers that adorned it. All of it was an encounter with the unknown for the people of Sucaraba.

The difference in technical skill could be measured by this one outfit alone. The soldiers were one thing, but the men in armor who appeared to be knights must have been of some standing. They swallowed hard at the splendid sight of the Little One who had stepped down.

"Thank you for such a rough welcome. You said it was a summons from His Highness the Crown Prince, but is His Majesty the King aware of this?"

With a swish of her knee-length dress, Little One stood before the man who had shouted loudly.

"We are merely following orders."

Little One looked down at the man, who muttered bitterly. She opened her fan and smiled demurely.

"Oh, is that so? In that case, I shall ask at the royal palace directly. I will ask His Majesty the King why His Highness the Crown Prince picked a fight with Frontier."

"We are not picking a fight! Urk…"

The man looked up, intending to offer a hurried explanation, but his throat froze before he could continue. What entered his vision were inorganic eyes, devoid of any warmth. Overwhelmed by that clear, cold gaze, the men, who were likely seasoned soldiers in their own country, couldn’t move a muscle.

They had weathered different kinds of battles. Her fighting spirit, forged in struggles not just for life and death but for the fate of the world against the gods themselves, had not diminished in the slightest.

What were these dime-a-dozen men to her?

"What foolishness. In the Sucaraba Kingdom, is attempting to abduct someone by force of arms considered gentlemanly? Unfortunately for you, in Frontier, the going rate is to repay malice a hundredfold. I suppose we shall have His Majesty the King take responsibility for the Crown Prince, who has so kindly ruined our goodwill visit."

Wait, isn’t that going rate a rule only for you, Chihiro-sama?

The thought crossed the minds of Little One’s troupe, but they did not say it aloud. However, someone who could not remain silent at this juncture jumped out.

"A communication from His Highness, the Prince Regent!"

It seemed Darvy had been giving a live commentary on the proceedings. As a result, an objection had apparently come from Frontier. Little One clicked her tongue at Darvy’s interruption. The magic user and his son stared in disbelief.

Did she just click her tongue? What kind of princess is she!

They set up a water mirror before the restless Sucaraba soldiers and connected to the Frontier royal palace.

"A pleasure to meet you. Can you hear me? I am Romel von Riglet, head aide to the King of Frontier. I hope you will remember me."

The men of Sucaraba widened their eyes upon hearing he was the head aide to the King.

"I have been briefed on the general situation. Why did His Highness the Crown Prince order the abduction of Princess Chihiro? Depending on the circumstances, Frontier may lodge a formal protest."

Romel spoke in a roundabout, sugarcoated manner, but his point was clear. It was outrageous to try and kidnap them the moment they entered the country, despite them having followed proper procedures and been granted official permission to visit.

"Frontier is a nation of magic. We can maintain constant contact like this. Please inform His Highness the Crown Prince that such a contemptible act as trying to do things in secret is impossible."

Romel’s gentle expression instantly transformed into a sharp, ferocious one. Stared down by his cold, calculating gaze, the soldiers of Sucaraba hung their heads powerlessly.

"There is no need to visit such a country. Just take the Honeybee Carriage and take a detour."

It was Little One who retorted to Romel’s dispassionate statement.

"Whaaat! But I haven’t even done any sightseeing yet, nyo!"

"Your safety is more important than sightseeing, isn’t it?"

"I don’t know who this Crown Prince is, but I’ll just fight him off, so it’s fine."

"There is nothing fine about that, is there? I can only see a future where you make things worse. Not everyone lives in the same world as you, you know?!"

Little One’s troupe nodded emphatically at the clamorous exchange, while the Sucaraba soldiers wore dumbfounded expressions.

"Okay, so, to the royal capital! It’s fine if I just take these guys and find out what’s going on, right? You’re curious too, aren’t you, Romel?"

"Urk… Well, yes, I suppose I am."

"We’ll fly there in the carriage, so it’s not dangerous, and if we sense any danger, we’ll just fly away and escape the same way!"

Little One possessed the ability to do just that. Even Romel couldn't deny it.

"Understood. You are only to hear them out. Do not, under any circumstances, stick your nose into any trouble, got it?"

This was the compromise reached by the two after their breathless argument.

"Yay! Let’s give the King of Sucaraba a firm warning, and then we can take our time sightseeing on the way back, okay?"

"So that’s what this was about after all, you—!!"

Ignoring Romel’s roar, Little One had the spiders weave a net from their threads and put the armored men inside it.

"Huh? What are you…?"

The men, still unable to move, were bundled into the net. The next moment, they were soaring into the sky along with the carriage.

"We’re having you testify before the king. The rest of you soldiers can find your own way back!"

As Little One said this, waving from the carriage window, the spiders snapped their respective threads. The fine threads instantly went slack. Clutching the strands, the soldiers stared blankly as the Honeybee Carriage disappeared into a tiny speck.

What in the world had just happened?

Little One’s troupe, likely with both sides just as confused as the other, made their way toward the royal capital of the Sucaraba Kingdom.