kscans

Chapter 153 - The Arts Theater and the Little One

"Wooooow!"

The children’s eyes sparkled as they ran about.

Autumn was deepening, and the difference between day and night temperatures could be felt on the skin. It was around this time that the outer grounds of the Arts Theater were opened to the public. Beyond the tall fence enclosing the formal gardens, a simpler garden spread out, with plants close to their wild species planted to form a forest. On Earth, it would be called a forest park. Of course, the one who created this forest was the Little One. The meticulously planned forest received plenty of sunlight, dappling the paved stone paths with bright shadows. Numerous stalls and vendors lined up with the outer fence at their backs. Benches were placed everywhere to serve as eating areas, and trash cans were also installed. The people who visited were full of curiosity about this newly unveiled forest park.

"Is this not a wild strawberry? How unusual, with summer nearly over."

"Are those chestnuts?"

"No, I think they’re acorns, aren’t they? See, they have little hats on."

The children and teachers from the noble academy chattered away excitedly. Even the supervising teachers had eyes shining with the same curiosity as the children.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! I will now hand out the autumn plant collection kits. Please line up."

An academic staff member from the Arts Theater waved a twenty-centimeter-square paper box in one hand. It was about three centimeters thick and packed with various supplies. There were fifteen sheets of thin, translucent paper like paraffin paper, ten small metal clasps with screws, and two meters each of leather cord and hemp string. And finally, a small set of portable scissors and a knife.

"You do it like this... See? You can preserve them beautifully, can’t you?"

The staff member picked up fallen leaves dyed red and yellow by autumn and demonstrated by sandwiching them between the paraffin paper.

"And with this one, you do it like this... There? You can make a charm."

The staff member twisted a metal clasp into an acorn, threaded a cord through the clasp, and hung it around their neck. It was quite amusing to see teachers mixed in with the children letting out a collective gasp of "Ooooh." The academic staff demonstrated various other activities, like making cuts and holes in large leaves with scissors and attaching a string to make a mask, or using a knife to shave a thin branch even thinner to create a balancing toy, earning cheers from the children.

"Normally, this set is for sale, but for today’s unveiling, His Majesty the King has provided them for free. Please, everyone, enjoy yourselves. ...Incidentally, it’s for sale for adults."

The teachers, who had been murmuring in interest while holding the autumn fun sets, flinched.

This was also the Little One’s idea. A collection set to enjoy the four seasons. Any starting point was fine. She wanted people to discover many joys for themselves. The forest held a mountain of treasures. A truly deep forest was full of dangers, but she wanted people to learn how to play and how to walk in a safe forest like this one.

And she wanted them to not shun the forest, but to respect it and learn the right way to interact with it.

The forest wasn't all good things. There were dangerous creatures and plants, too. To foster interest in such things and encourage careful learning, the Little One planned to build a library soon. Fortunately, Frontier had an academy that even commoners could attend for free. Children who had completed their Baptism were obligated to attend. It was a system similar to the compulsory education of Earth, which had surprised the Little One at first.

"Developing human resources is important, you know?"

The Little One could only nod at Romel’s casual statement. But in reality, many children only attended for two or three years. Once they reached ten, children became important workers. It seemed parents were not pleased about having their children tied up at school for long hours.

...What a harsh world, nyo.

And so, in the end, only wealthy children attended, creating a gap in education.

For the working-class commoners who believed that being able to read, write, and calculate change was sufficient, there existed an insurmountable emotional wall that could not be overcome with ethics. If it was like this even in the relatively wealthy Frontier, one could imagine how it was in other countries.

In other nations, literacy among the common people was nonexistent. At best, it was limited to officials of the privileged class, with the noble class monopolizing most knowledge. She fondly remembered teaching basic letters and calculations to the people she took in from Donautil. The former Donautil nobles, exiled as criminals, had been surprised by the fact that such skills were necessary to live in Frontier. Well, that said, the knowledge of the commoners who prioritized labor over learning was limited, to the point where even the decimal system was a bit shaky for them. The fact that Arcadia’s numbers were character-based was also a curse, and it was undeniable that calculations were still difficult.

...Should I introduce them? Arabic numerals.

The Little One’s eyes sharpened as she found herself longing for the number zero. With just a single zero, most of the troubles with calculation would disappear. This was a secret known only to the Drago family and Kilfan. She wasn't sure if it was alright to just toss Arabic numerals into a world that lacked the concept of mathematics. Really, the shepherd who discovered zero was a genius.

The Little One was endlessly plagued by worries.

Oblivious to Chihiro's troubles, the first public unveiling of the forest park, bustling with people from the noble academy and the royal capital, came to a peaceful end.

"That was amazing! The food was delicious, and there were so many unusual stalls, like for glasswork and silverwork."

Chihaya, chattering excitedly, was thoroughly pleased after having his caricature drawn by an eccentric artist. Perhaps drawn by the name of the Arts Theater, the public area was filled with things not often seen elsewhere, like various artists and stalls selling paintings and sculptures. There were various motifs carved from stone and wood, ranging from the standard plants and animals to legendary monsters. The stalls, lined with a collection of items from all times and places, were fun just to look at. Some were practical items like ashtrays and paperweights, which caught the eyes of the adults. She even witnessed an unexpected sight where, for the various paintings on display, the frames surrounding them were more popular.

"I don’t need the painting, so knock that off the price!"

"I’m selling the painting!" cried the shop owner with tears in his eyes.

Right? The Little One couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

Outside the Arts Theater's outer fence was the forest park. The stalls were open to anyone, but since the number was limited, it was by reservation only. The Little One's eyes went wide when she heard that it was already booked up for the next six months.

After several more openings like this, once people had grown accustomed to the forest park, the area inside the Arts Theater's outer fence was finally opened to the public.

Unlike the forest park outside, people were awestruck by the magnificent garden that had been prepared. Sighs of admiration escaped here and there, and an air of unknowing tension filled the space.

Seeing this, the Little One smiled to herself. If she could surprise the people and nobles of Frontier's royal capital, who were relatively accustomed to beautiful gardens and flowers, then it was a great success.

As the Little One’s shoulders shook with a quiet fuffuffu, Romel and many others gazed at her with exasperated eyes.

"What should we do about her?"

"We can only leave her be, can’t we?" Romel casually declared in response to Chihaya’s murmur.

"Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. It is a magnificent sight."

"I want something like... that for the Castle of Sweets, too."

To Dorfen's admiration, Zack voiced a simple desire.

"That girl, again..."

"No, but it’s well made, isn’t it?"

"Head chef, it’s not fair for you to have all the fun."

Caught between a bewildered Sakura and a Drago whose eyes shone with delight, Adonis couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"It is Chihiro-sama, after all."

"Indeed."

"...How splendid she has become."

Hyrulia and Sasha exchanged smiles. As for Naya, she seemed so overcome with emotion that only tears would come.

Just as the Arts Theater garden, which everyone had their own thoughts about, was completed and on the verge of the main building’s opening, something happened. It could only be called the Little One’s destiny.

The Honeybee Carriages sent to each country.

They had returned almost entirely empty. Except for a few specific, friendly nations.

"...What’s this about?"

The mages who had accompanied each carriage reluctantly explained to the Little One as she peered into the empty vehicles.

"Well... they said they don’t understand the logic of Frontier’s Arts Theater or its monster carriages."

"Huh?"

The Little One tilted her head in confusion. Summing up the mages' report, it seemed they couldn't comprehend the idea of exhibiting works of art, or a building dedicated to it. Of course, they also didn't understand theater. Furthermore, flying by means of a monster was out of the question. They apparently said, "How can we trust a country that sends us something so dangerous?" The response from each country was to wait for them to travel by land.

The moment the Little One understood this, zaa~tto, the surrounding temperature plummeted.

"...Heeeh. Oh, my. Is that so?"

An icy blizzard colored her beaming smile.

"Then that’s fine. Could you please just deliver these letters for me?"

Her voice was cute and lisping, yet the mages felt a sharp sting as if pricked by a thorn. Fortunately, the first floor of the Arts Theater was well-stocked with stationery for sale. Purchasing a set, the Little One dashed off notes on the stationery and sealed them one after another.

"Please deliver these. They’ll probably take their time departing anyway."

The mages accepted the envelopes offered with a sweet smile, boarded the empty carriages once more, and zipped off to their respective countries.

"There’s a limit to how much of a fool you can make of me."

The chill emanating from the Little One as she glared at the sky with narrowed eyes was no small thing, and no one had the courage to speak to her.

However, a few days later, when Romel learned the contents of the letters, he slumped over his desk, wishing he had stopped her.

The letters sent to each country were cancellations of their invitations.

We apologize for inviting you to an incomprehensible event. The mononoke of the monster carriages are the Lords' Kin, Frontier's highest form of welcome, but it seems it was not to your liking. We are incapable of offering any greater hospitality. Therefore, please disregard this invitation. If we become capable of offering hospitality greater than this, we will extend another invitation at that time.

It was a polite dismissal. We will not invite you until we can provide better hospitality than this. In other words, it was the flip side of saying, "Don’t you dare come."

In an Arcadia where magic and magical power were about to be revived, they would be unable to obtain the cooperation of the magical nation of Frontier. For each country, it was as if a spear had been thrust at their throats. The building and the event were unprecedented. It was natural to be suspicious and wary. It was also natural for the mononoke to be seen as dangerous.

But returning the carriages empty had been a bad move.

There was likely a sense of national pride involved. It must have been a way of posturing so as not to show weakness. However, they should have at least sent a single diplomat back. Someone who could act as a buffer and provide an explanation. The nations of Arcadia, isolated and independent, lacked the concept of neighboring countries. Naturally, they were also unskilled in diplomacy. This was because there were no countries they would be troubled to become estranged from.

As a result, the countries that displayed their usual arrogance threw away a once-in-a-lifetime chance to befriend Frontier. Despite the fact that Frontier, too, was not troubled by not being close to other nations.

It would not be in the distant future that each country would come to understand this. And in the few countries that knew the Little One’s personality of forgetting things once they were over, a scene of utter chaos erupted.

"That is why I told you! That person shows no mercy! That’s it! I am going! Mage-dono, let me ride with you as you are!"

Shaking off his retainers who were desperately trying to stop him, Crown Prince Salim of the Sucaraba Kingdom boarded the carriage. He had been fully intending to go, but had been stopped by those around him, who had acted first and caused him to miss the chance to accept the invitation. It seemed the king, too, had been swayed by his retainers and become indecisive.

While Salim was raising a ruckus, another commotion was happening in a different country.

"A monster carriage is dangerous! A mansion to display expensive works of art? There’s no way they would build such a foolish thing! Can you not see you are being deceived!"

The one shouting was Vincent. It turned out this man had used his marquis family’s diplomatic authority to turn away Frontier’s carriage on his own. The Queen and Princess Meg, who had planned to accept the invitation, were furious. He continued to shout until the very end as he was thoroughly reprimanded by the marquis and the Queen, then restrained and taken away by the knights.

"...My foolish son has done something outrageous. I have no words of apology."

Glaring sternly at the bowing marquis, the Queen muttered as if spitting the words out.

"...We shall have to reconsider the engagement, Marquis."

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

The marquis’s blood ran cold at the Queen’s undisguised disgust. Uninterested in such a farce, Meg looked at the Queen anxiously.

"What shall we do, Mother? We have surely given the Princess a very unpleasant misunderstanding."

"It will be fine. That person is not so narrow-minded. It will be enough to convey a proper apology."

"You’re right. I’m sure she will laugh and forgive us."

Around the time the Queen was embracing her worried daughter, a roar of fury echoed in another country.

"What did you do with the invitation addressed to me! I also heard you turned the carriage away! This has gone far enough!"

The scene changes to the Claudia Kingdom.

Lean, who saw the Honeybee Carriage in the sky, immediately contacted the Southern Border Count. Auguste, upon learning the situation, contacted Pascal. The invitation was supposed to go to Pascal, but it had gotten mixed in with the King of Claudia’s correspondence during the purchase of the beast-humans. And the king, after reading it, had tossed the invitation into the fireplace.

"I burned the invitation! Hahahaha!"

Ignoring the King of Claudia’s mocking laughter, the Honeybee Carriage arrived again in the castle courtyard, and Pascal jumped out the window. Along with the Southern Border Count. He received the letter from the mage, and upon seeing its contents, he couldn't help but look up at the heavens.

"How can I ever apologize... Border Count, what should I do?"

Taking the letter from the flustered Pascal, Auguste also narrowed his eyes sternly.

"We will make it in time. We shall board this carriage as it is and offer our apologies directly. The Princess is someone who will understand if we speak honestly."

Calming Pascal with the gaze of a benevolent old man, Auguste glanced at the mage. The mage nodded as if he understood.

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course."

Ignoring the squawking King of Claudia, Prince Pascal and the Southern Border Count boarded the carriage.

And so, several countries escaped the Little One’s wrath and went on to build favorable relationships.

The Frontier Arts Theater, whose name would later resound throughout the world.

It is said that those fortunate enough to witness its birth were blessed with long-lasting good fortune. By the Little One’s sheer force of will, a divine providence.

The happiness promised to kind people would continue to be spun through the Little One.♪