kscans

Chapter 164 - The Hourglass of Life and the Little One, Part Two

"...Wow. It's really all gone."

"You're kidding... I'd heard stories, but..."

Looking down from the sky at the vast, empty expanse of sea where a large island had once been, surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones, the Little One and Katsumi murmured in astonishment. From the royal capital to the territory of Margrave Gespöck, it was normally a five-day journey by land carriage. From there to the area of the Kilfan ruins, it was about half a day by Frontier's ships. A journey of about a week in total, but the Honeybee Carriage could make it in a single flight, arriving in about a day. As the carriage circled high above the waters of the Kilfan ruins, Chihaya murmured as if he had just remembered something.

"Hey, I wonder how that prince from Claudia and the crown prince of Sucaraba are doing now."

Hearing his murmur, the Little One's eyes grew languid and lukewarm.

After seeing off the first group of border nations, the Honeybee Carriage she had sent with letters canceling their invitations had returned with the guests from the remaining border nations.

Each of them offered a deep apology, explaining that some kind of mix-up had prevented them from boarding the carriage that was sent to pick them up.

"There is no excuse for our tardiness. If you tell us to return, we shall. However, we wished to at least offer a word of apology in your presence."

"Indeed. I, too, was unable to push back against my father's opposition. I am truly ashamed and deeply sorry."

"We, too, grew complacent in our power and allowed a young upstart to interfere. I do not mind being sent away, but could you at least allow Margaret to stay? She was truly looking forward to this visit."

Behind the Queen of Torzebisont stood Princess Meg. She curtsied apologetically.

"Margaret?"

The Queen of Torzebisont's eyes blinked as if she had just realized something at the Little One's tilted head.

"Ah, you would not know. The royalty of our country has names from the ancient tongue. Meg is a nickname. Her formal name is Margaret."

Upon hearing this, the Little One's eyes widened in recognition. That was right, the King of Castrato had said that the ancient alphabet existed in the Claudia Kingdom. If so, it was not strange for the alphabet to have also been preserved in its neighboring country, the Torzebisont Kingdom. In fact, given that they used it for names, it was possible that the Torzebisont Kingdom was the true source.

English names often had nicknames that bore no resemblance to the original when shortened. Margaret became Meg, Elizabeth became Eliza, Catherine became Kate, and so on.

Remembering a nostalgic vocabulary in an unexpected place, the Little One's mouth openly curved into a smile.

She welcomed the latecomers, and then, with Fatima, Theodore, and the others on their long winter break, the Little One passed off all the hosting duties to them.

"""Chihiro?!"""

"Entertaining our guests is also the work of royalty, my dear sister and brother♪"

Leaving her flustered step-siblings with only a wink, the Little One had come all the way to the Kilfan ruins.

Well, the people around them have been through this once. There's probably nothing to worry about.

The Little One's education regarding the Arts Theater was flawless. As Chihiro explained this, Romel watched her with a curious expression.

"You're awfully passionate about education, but I wonder why?"

The children in the city and the adults around them. Not to mention the royal palace, the little girl had thoroughly reformed the curriculum for all kinds of education. That disposition had not changed even now that she had grown. It was a casual question from Romel, but the members in the carriage were left speechless by the Little One's answer.

"That's easy, it's so I can slack off."

Huh?

She stated it plainly and then explained further.

"If they learn their jobs properly, I can just delegate everything to them, right? And as a bonus, they can train the new recruits, which drastically reduces my workload. That's why I'm teaching them."

It would be even better if the recipients had some basic knowledge. That's why she also prepared a basic curriculum for schools and training grounds. The Little One's grand achievement of running around the country reforming schools and achieving an astonishing one hundred percent literacy rate, an act that changed the very foundation of a medieval country, was all rooted in a rather modest and delicate ambition.

I want more free time!

A cry from the soul.

"You spent nearly ten years for that? Changing people's very way of thinking?"

"That's right. You said it too, Romel, that it's a waste not to nurture them. I was a toddler, so I had nothing but time."

She had anticipated a future where she would grow up and be swamped with pilgrimages, so she had prepared in advance, the Little One declared.

To think she had been planning that far ahead while still working on her own training. The adults in the carriage were at a loss for words.

"I wasn't this bad, was I?"

"You were similar, but I must say, you never went off the rails at such an angle as this."

The Little One's wildness made even Harold, who had served the eccentrically behaved Romel for many years, unable to hide his cold sweat.

Charging headfirst toward her ambition.

Still moving like a tuna. Stop for a bit, will you?

Exasperated, but watching over her with the fondness one has for something familiar, Katsumi saw the Little One forming a circle with the honeybees and frogs. Even though she was bigger now, her crouched form from behind still resembled a moss ball.

"Can you do it? Then, like this..."

One person and several creatures discussed in low voices.

"Alright, I'm counting on you!"

When the Little One clapped her hands with a pan, the frogs and honeybees all flew out of the window at once. Together with the other monsters in the carriage, they covered the entire vehicle in a protective ward. A gentle, undulating film of magic.

"Go!"

Following the Little One's command, the honeybees dove into the great ocean of the Kilfan ruins with considerable force. The carriage plunged into the sea with a loud zaban, and the shock of it froze even Romel's face.

"Chihiro! What are you doing?!"

"The water's already cold, so I figured it'd be better to go in with the carriage instead of diving. The frogs said they could do it, so I let them try."

Of course they can do it, but could you at least have told us first!

The frogs had a reputation for their protective wards. Their reliability had been proven time and again on the battlefield and in adventures. But Romel screamed in his mind that he would have liked some mental preparation.

There was nothing in the sea as the carriage sank under its own weight. No seaweed, no fish. Just a vast, eerie space of still water. There was no sound, and only faint bubbles were visible from the carriage window. The unnatural, seemingly dead sea sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

"This is creepy... what is this?"

Chihaya unknowingly swallowed and moved away from the window. The others showed their agreement with narrowed eyes.

The place where the Kilfan continent had been was probably dragged down to the abyss, roots and all. As the sunlight gradually failed to reach them and the darkness deepened, a faint light became visible on the seabed. When the Little One squinted, she saw it was a flow of magic. Occasionally, she heard the familiar sounds of pishi, pashi.

"The magic circulation device...?"

Romel leaned his face over the intently staring Little One's and let out a small sigh of relief at the sight of the familiar machine. But then, a large shadow fell over them.

"Huh?"

When they looked up, they saw something covering the entire sky above the carriage.

<>

"You're... the Lord of the Central Forest?"

Pushing the Little One's carriage, the enormous something revealed its form.

"..........A turtle?"

The being that had nudged the carriage with its snout now positioned it directly in front of itself and moved back slightly. It was still so huge that its face filled their entire field of vision, and it was unmistakably a turtle. In her past life on Earth, the Little One had run through mountains and fields and played in the deep pools and eddies of streams. She had seen her fill of turtle faces, but she never expected to encounter one here.

But its size was all wrong.

She couldn't tell where its neck was coming from, but the turtle's head was so enormous it seemed to reach the surface of the sea. Was it not as large as the former Kilfan continent she had seen before? If this was its head, how huge must its body be? It seemed it would easily span half of the Arcadian continent.

<>

That was hardly surprising. It was a being that even Sapphard couldn't form a pact with. It was impossible for his descendants to achieve what the first king could not for physical reasons. The Lord of the Central Forest, who could not reveal himself because of Kilfan. The magic circulation device, sealed deep beneath the sea. Now, it was released.

The people stared in a daze. Seeing the equally dumbfounded Katsumi, the Little One's heart let out a cold spark. The true nature of the lawless one, once called the human pinwheel firework, was on full display. She would not back down, no matter what.

I absolutely will not let you die.

The girl stared at the Lord of the Central Forest with brightly shining eyes.

"I want to talk, just the two of us. Can you do that?"

<>

The area around the carriage, which had landed on the seabed, shimmered greatly, and the water was swept away like a receding tide, kicking up sand. Bright sunlight streamed in, and the Little One raised a hand to shield her eyes as she looked around.

The water... is gone?

Timidly looking up from the window, she saw the open sky. It seemed the sea had been parted in a conical shape.

"...Moses, much?"

Agreeing with Katsumi's muttered comment, the two of them looked at each other, burst out laughing, and broke into wide smiles.

"Sorry to trouble you. I'm counting on you."

"Got it. If this doesn't work, we'll go somewhere else."

Stepping out onto the seabed, which was now dry in a twenty-meter radius around the carriage, the Little One ran toward the turtle, whose snout was just poking out of the sea. Dorfen and Chihaya followed her. However, Dorfen stopped Chihaya.

"From here on, it will be just me. Please wait, Lord Chihaya."

"Why!"

Romel placed his hands on the enraged Chihaya's shoulders, his eyes filled with open suspicion.

"Dorfen, are you not overstepping? First, go and ask Chihiro. We can talk after that."

"Understood. In that case, if Lady Chihiro says no, you must give up."

"Very well. I also wish to hear what my master has to say."

Chihaya looked at the reliable Romel with eyes full of envy. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that he might be turned away if he were alone.

"...I don't want to talk to Nii-nii."

His sister's words pierced Chihaya's heart. It was the first time Chihiro had ever rejected him. The damage was greater than he could have imagined. Chihaya alone might be brushed off, but if Romel was with him, Chihiro might accept them.

As Chihaya clung to that fleeting hope, he saw Dorfen pointing in their direction and saying something to Chihiro. Then, Chihiro turned toward them and made a large X with her arms. From any angle, it was a clear sign to stay away. Not only Chihaya, but even Romel looked as if they were seeing something unbelievable, their eyes trembling as they watched the Little One run toward the giant turtle's face.

Dorfen followed after her.

Why? Why is Dorfen okay, but Romel and I aren't? Why?!

Chihaya collapsed to his knees, grabbing the damp sand of the seabed with both hands. His fingers trembled uncontrollably.

"Yahoo! I'm Chihiro. What's your name?"

<>

"Heh?"

According to him, the Central Forest was born at the same time as the Arcadian continent, to support a world that lacked greenery and water. Apparently, the turtle before her had created the forest there. I dug a cave from below, you see. Made a huge hole and dug it all up. The rocks and stuff I dug out became mountains, the turtle laughed, hyah hya. That became the present-day Table of the Gods.

<>

I see. So that's why the Table of the Gods had such abundant water sources and forests.

<>

"Heah?!"

Then he was just like an O-saki.

The Lord of the Central Forest narrowed his eyes at the surprised girl and told her an old story.

It was the time of genesis.

When the planet had settled over billions of years and the land had formed. That's when It arrived, apparently.

Something in the shape of a long, thin white egg.

And from that something, this turtle was born.

<>

So, the turtle used the shell of the egg it was born from to create the materials for many living things. The shell decayed and mixed with the sea, and from the resulting organic matter, small microorganisms and plankton were born, circulating through the planet.

<>

At the time, the newly born turtle was small in body, and to support the soft, shaky Arcadian continent, it created a cave at the continent's foundation and settled there. The rest was easy to imagine. As its body grew, the turtle became too large and became the cornerstone of the Arcadian continent, unable to move. If it moved, the land would break apart, and it would no longer be able to circulate water to the Central Forest, so it watched over the world in its current state.

<>

The Little One laughed along with the happy-looking turtle. On Earth, this story would make for a spectacular sci-fi epic. Knowing that things beyond common sense like gods and spirit kings existed, the Little One was surprised but also found it plausible. The fact that she was a former Earthling and understood the concept of space was likely a big factor. She thought it wouldn't be strange if other planets had intelligent life and were launching rockets all over the place.

Such a being brought good fortune to Arcadia. That was all there was to it.

<>

The super-massive turtle made a weary, pathetic face.

The Kilfan that Chaos and Abyss placed.

The Little One felt so sorry that her eyes darted around.

Just then, the ever-oblivious Dorfen spoke up.

"If you are not a monster, then a pact is impossible, is it not?"

The Little One's face snapped to a serious expression, and in front of her, the turtle let out a small, muffled laugh. <>

The golden magic it had bathed in for eons had apparently transformed the turtle into a monster. Now that he mentioned it, it made sense. The Queen and the others were the same. Through the golden magic they were given, any creature could transform into a monster. But... that means...?

"Now that the golden magic is gone, won't you age faster too?"

The giant turtle looked at the anxious girl with curiosity. <>

What. The turtle seemed to inherit memories.

It was the same as the Queen. He would pass on all his memories to the next generation and then perish. She didn't know why he came to Arcadia, but the turtle had chosen Arcadia as his final home.

<>

The turtle laughed, kah kah kah.

With magic revived and the land filled with magic power, there was no need to worry about water. He could let the Central Forest end with peace of mind. In fact, the Little One was thanked for it.

<>

Having transformed into a monster in Arcadia, the turtle also possessed the characteristics of a Lord. He just hadn't felt the need to produce any until now.

"That's great, if there are lots of cute sea turtles, the ocean will be safer."

After finishing their lighthearted chat, the Little One brought up the main topic with a somewhat grim expression.

Her serious eyes were shadowed by a cruel light.

Dorfen, who had roughly guessed the situation, stated bluntly, "This is about Katsumi's lifespan, is it not?" and took the Little One completely by surprise. Then, deciding that there was no point in hiding it if he already knew, he was allowed to be present for the conversation.

"If you became a monster because of the golden magic, then you know about the gods, right? Someone precious to me is about to face death because of them... Since you've been alive since the creation of Arcadia, do you have any good ideas?"

With a pained expression, the turtle glanced at the Little One and then swayed its snout, prompting her to continue.

The problems that had occurred with the gods of Arcadia. The people called Seekers who were invited from other worlds to solve them. After explaining the situation, the Little One bit down on her back teeth.

"The lifespan a Seeker is given is about twenty years. I know it's wrong for a life that should have ended to continue. But...!"

Cutting off the Little One's strained words, the turtle smiled faintly.

<>

The gods were the parents of the stars. The Higher Beings, who were the parents of the gods, were, in a sense, the gods of all creation. To pick a fight with them, who controlled the very principles of the world, was an act of madness.

Though he couldn't understand the turtle's words, Dorfen, who had a general grasp of the situation from the Little One's words, watched her with bated breath.

"I'll pick that fight. Even if my opponent is the god of all creation."

An emerald-green glimmer flickered in her sharp eyes. Gazing at that defiant sparkle as if it were blinding, the turtle opened its mouth.

<>

The Little One looked down in despair.

Looking down at her, the turtle continued.

<>

At those unbelievable words, the Little One's head shot up. The turtle gave a magnanimous nod and spoke the core of its idea.

<>

As the old saying goes, the shell of a turtle is worth more than a thousand years. It was a complete reversal of thinking.

A single ray of light descended into despair. To grasp it as a firm spider's thread, the Little One shot to her feet.

And so, the curtain rose on the battle between Arcadia and the Higher Beings, and a triumphant war horn echoed throughout the world.