kscans

Chapter 165 - The Hourglass of Life and the Little One, Part Three

"Aaaah, so this is a water spirit!"

Romel was stroking the slime spirit that Chihaya had obtained, looking utterly delighted. As it turned out, despite coming all this way, Romel had not been able to obtain a water spirit.

"I thought I might have a chance... How frustrating."

Romel wailed. The one attribute he lacked was water magic. Conversely, there was one person who specialized in it.

"It is a cute thing. It is your master. Treat him well."

Dorfen smiled serenely, like a child.

His magic was of a single attribute, but his magical power was immense. He had manifested a spirit with ease. It seems he was not the direct heir of a leading marquis family for nothing. The Little One gave a wry smile at Romel, who was glaring at Dorfen with bitter resentment.

He's such a child.

Standing beside the Little One, Harold murmured with an exasperated tone.

"Men are like children, no matter how old they get."

Stop reading my mind!

The Knight Commander, having spent so much time with the twins, could understand their general thoughts as if they were his own, even if they didn't speak. This was especially true for the Little One, who was fundamentally incapable of subterfuge unless she was consciously trying. Even Dorfen was able to read her. On the other hand, Chihaya was harder to understand. He was basically the same as the Little One, but there was a murderous atmosphere he sometimes exuded. It was thought to be a side effect of his sister-doting, but recently, a vague sense of unease that it might be more than that had been growing in the minds of Harold and Romel. To make matters worse, he was starting to learn how to maintain a poker face thanks to Romel's teachings, making him truly difficult to handle.

"...Please take full responsibility for this."

"Now, I don't think it's entirely my fault, do you?"

In their line of sight, Chihaya wore a faint smile and held up the slime.

"Alright, your name will be Rokurō-kun. Get along with everyone, okay?"

As each of them entertained their own thoughts, the Little One was bidding a reluctant farewell to the giant turtle.

"I'll come again when it gets warmer."

<>

The turtle smiled faintly. Seeing that, the Little One clapped her hands as if she had just thought of something.

"Soleil!"

<>

"That's your name. If you'd like, can I call you that?"

Soleil meant sun. It was a fitting name for him, who could part the sea and illuminate the deep.

<>

Watched by the turtle, who nodded repeatedly with the face of a benevolent old man, the Honeybee Carriage made its way back to the royal capital.

Soleil watched until the carriage disappeared, then closed the sea. And he thought. He thought of his birthplace, now a distant memory. Of his lost home star.

He had not told the Little One, but his home world was no more. By now, it would be frozen over, a giant tombstone. Remembering his final encounter with the people of his star, Soleil's face twisted in sorrow.

Once, the turtle had been one who had obtained eternity.

The turtle, who created land with its own body, possessed a mysterious power to shed its old body and be reborn, creating the next landmass. Every time the turtle was reborn, the people of its home star would rejoice and give him a name.

Why that home was lost, even Soleil still did not know.

"You must flee. Escape, and create a new continent."

There was only one spaceship left. That one was small and could only carry two or three people. Believing that he could fit if he became an egg, the people of Soleil's star gave the spaceship to the turtle so he could escape the dying planet.

"It was because of our foolishness that we misused the continent you created for us. This will not atone for our sins, but if you live on, it will be proof that we once lived."

"Will you tell the people of your new land... that not all humans are foolish?"

"We loved you, our brother. Be well."

In the extreme cold at the end of hellfire, those people remained strong and gentle to the last. Without fighting over the only spaceship, they saw off Soleil, who had shed his previous body and become an egg to fly away, with pure, radiant smiles.

Our heartfelt thanks to you, who gave us land. Be well. May you build a new happiness with new people on a new land. We want to believe that our lives, that the fact we lived, was not in vain.

"If only we had realized these feelings sooner..."

The world would not have been destroyed.

Malice begets malice, and revenge invites revenge.

It is the same everywhere. Soleil's home, which had advanced science like Heiseleap, was a water world. In a world with almost no land, the turtle had desperately created landmasses and then perished. The seawater that seeped through the turtle's shell became fresh water, and the land dug up by carving the turtle's shell became fertile fields. The bone parts carved from deep within could be processed in all sorts of ways, just like minerals.

A different world, with mysterious principles.

People built countries on the many landmasses that were created, and their science developed due to the harsh environment. But one day, someone realized. They realized that the land of the world, which used the turtle's shell as its foundation, was hollow inside.

And when malice spread, hydrogen bombs were used in wars between countries, destroying the land from within. Retaliation invited retaliation, and the land that had been created over a long period was destroyed in the blink of an eye.

What remained was sinking land. Everything would be lost to the sea.

Furthermore, miscalculated hydrogen bomb missiles were fired one after another toward the planet's core.

They had been overconfident in their science. They had created foolish weapons. That karma now bared its fangs at humanity. As a result, the fired missiles exploded, causing numerous ley lines to run rampant. In Japanese terms, it was a massive volcanic chain, like the Fossa Magna.

The great oceans were being filled in by the erupting lava. The immense water vapor that was kicked up by the evaporation. Countless particles of dust raged, covering everything up to where the clouds could not reach. A thick layer of dust enveloped the planet itself, blocking out the light, and the planet's temperature was dropping rapidly. An ice age would surely arrive. The world would be destroyed in no time. The fate of the people who had evacuated to artificial islands was also sealed.

No matter how many turtles there were, a new civilization could not be hoped for. The surface of the planet was dying.

"I'm sorry... I'm truly, truly sorry."

Pressing their foreheads to the freezing ground, the people of his home continued to watch the spaceship carrying the turtle, who was now no longer visible.

To be given as a name the very thing his lost home had prayed for. The light of the sun. How ironic.

Bubbles formed on Soleil's closed eyelids.

Kopori, kopori. The bubbling sounds were the fragments of his tears. The sorrow, the loneliness, the final fate of his home.

<>

Soleil's murmur, addressed to no one in particular, became a bubble and burst fragilely on the surface of the great ocean.

"Haa... What a shame."

Leaping onto Romel, who was still slumped over in dejection, the Little One scrambled up his back, grinned widely, and encouraged him over his shoulder.

"You still have wind, don't you? Once Wilfe's wedding is over, we can just go to the Torzebisont Kingdom!"

At those words, Romel's eyes lit up.

"That's right. The wind spirit is a dragon, isn't it? I've only read about them in stories."

"Yup, yup, it's like this."

With a flick of her finger, a dull gray dragon popped into existence on the Little One's hand. Perhaps because Sapphard's image was so strong, it was not an eastern dragon, but a stocky western one with wings so small you'd worry if it could even fly.

"So this is it! It's great, a valiant form just like in the stories."

A complete change from moments ago, the grown man was now in a fantastic mood. The Little One gave a wry smile and glanced at Katsumi. Sensing the meaning of her gaze, Katsumi gave a small nod.

An inscrutable, conspiratorial air flowed between the two.

Those around them had begun to find their recent constant companionship suspicious, but it hadn't reached the point of anyone saying anything. Adonis and Zac were concerned, but they didn't intervene. They figured there would be an explanation later anyway. There was no logic to the Little One's actions.

Because she's the Little One.

These words were still in effect and did not hinder her actions. There was no problem in not knowing the reason. Chihiro had built that much trust with her companions.

With a few exceptions.

"Isn't that man a bit too familiar with her?"

"...Katsumi has been with us since we were born."

There were those who were suspicious of Katsumi for reasons different from the Little One Squad.

Unlike Theodore, whose voice was filled with resentment, Chihaya, who knew of the Little One's past life, knew that they had been acquaintances since before they were born. But he didn't know the details of their relationship. He didn't know what Katsumi and Chihiro had done to become so close.

Their bond, which he knew nothing about, drove Chihaya mad with jealousy, and he glared at Katsumi.

Chihaya's first memory was of Katsumi sobbing as he hugged his baby sister. It was that day, at the Tanabata festival, after they had enjoyed the Bon Odori. A grown man, and a man at that, sobbing like that. Chihaya had only ever seen his father, Drago, do such a thing, and it was so shocking that the memory was still vivid.

As if on cue, the ever-oblivious Wilfe approached the tense younger brothers.

"You're back. You said you'd be back before the New Year, so I wasn't worried, but you're back surprisingly early."

The Crown Prince should have been busy with his approaching wedding.

Why does he always manage to show his face when Hero is around?

In a way, both Wilfe and Theodore were enemies to Chihaya. They were eyeing his sister, waiting for a chance to marry her. Marrow too. I won't let you. Hero isn't interested in men. She's going to live with us forever.

Seeing Chihaya puff out his cheeks, Wilfe's eyes widened as if he remembered something.

"That's right. There is a marriage proposal for you, Chihaya. It's from the royal family of the Torzebisont Kingdom, so the palace has accepted it for now. Please confirm and give your reply."

"Huh?"

Completely blindsided, Chihaya heard that a letter had been delivered to the count's mansion and took off at a run.

Seeing this, the Little One took the opportunity to slip away from the group.

"Hero? Where are you going? If you have time, let's invite Fatima and have some tea."

Miltisia, who had heard of the Little One's return from Wilfe and had come with him, had apparently been waiting for a chance to speak to her.

"Ah, sorry. I've got a little errand to run."

As Chihiro escaped with a charming, toothy grin, Miltisia's eyes were glued to Katsumi, who was following her. He had brilliant black hair and obsidian eyes, a rare sight even in Kilfan. His features were delicate, but his slightly narrow eyes were sharp and virile, bearing a strong resemblance to the twins' mother, Princess Sakura.

What would be called a classic handsome face.

It was a Yayoi-period face, rarely seen in Kilfan where mixed blood was becoming common. Chihiro also had narrow eyes, but they were large, so it was hard to call her face classic. As for Chihaya, he took after Drago, so his features were far from those of a Japanese person.

Wilfe looked on curiously, noticing Miltisia's entranced gaze.

"Father! Did some weird letter arrive?!"

"Oh, welcome back."

Chihaya leaped onto his father, who was relaxing leisurely on the sofa, and looked up at him with questioning eyes. Realizing what he was talking about, Drago scratched his head.

"Ah, that. What should we do?"

As he asked, Drago instructed Naya to bring the letter.

"Refuse it!"

"Yeah, figured."

Drago gave a wry smile at his son's immediate answer.

But Sakura, who appeared just then, picked up the letter Naya had brought and made a grave face.

"It's not that simple."

Sakura began to talk about when she and her husband had gone to the royal palace to receive the letter after being contacted.

"Please refuse it on our behalf."

Drago had answered the king just as quickly as Chihaya. While the others were taken aback, Sakura sipped her tea with an air of indifference.

"But this is a proposal from a royal family. Is it not an honor for a royal from another country to marry into your family? The Jorje family could even be elevated to the rank of duke."

If it were a royal from their own country, the promotion in rank would be one step. But with a royal from another country, the honor of both nations was at stake, and the highest rank would be bestowed. But that was like pushing on a curtain or nailing a stake into bran. The Jorje family had not the slightest interest.

"If you're going to say that, our house is basically royalty itself. If you try to force this, Kilfan will not remain silent, you know?"

That was right. The Kilfan royal family, which had sworn allegiance to Sakura, had been making overtures to the twins for a long time. If they were to welcome a royal from another country, brushing that aside, they would surely not stay silent. If it were Chihaya's own will, they would give up, but if they learned that the Frontier royal family had pushed the matter, they would surely fly into a rage.

Hearing Drago's explanation, the King of Frontier choked. ...He was not wrong.

The retainers surrounding them were also breaking out in a cold sweat. But they could not simply dismiss an official proposal from a royal family. The king had pleaded with them to at least take it home and ask Chihaya, so Drago had reluctantly brought it back.

However, upon reading it, Sakura's face changed.

"We shouldn't have checked. If we didn't know, we could have just refused...

Reading the proffered letter, Chihaya tilted his head.

"What's the problem with this? It's just a request to become a bridge between our two countries and build a solid foundation of friendship, right?"

"It says they made the appeal to the church, doesn't it? Do you know what the church in Arcadia means?"

In the ten years since she had married, Sakura had spent every spare moment studying the history and laws of the Arcadian continent, which were different from Kilfan's. And through that, she had learned. An oath made in an Arcadian church was an oath to the gods. And if a formal vow was made, it would take effect as a pact with the gods. Before magic was revived, it was just a formality. Many people probably still perceived it that way. But now that the golden ring was complete, if they truly made a vow, it would take effect.

"In other words, if we refuse this proposal and the bond between our two countries is not formed, there's a high possibility that divine punishment will fall upon them. They probably don't know that, though."

The color drained from Chihaya's face with a whoosh.

The Torzebisont Kingdom was just beginning to learn about magic power and spells. They were different from Frontier, where magic had never been lost since the dawn of history. There was no way they would know knowledge that had been lost for hundreds of years.

"...What should we do?"

"What indeed. If we refuse, knowing this, it could be seen as us abandoning the princess."

".........."

Drago, who was ignorant of anything besides cooking, stared into the distance, silent. He generally understood the situation, but he wanted no part of the fallout from interfering.

Unaware of the serious problem unfolding at his home, the Little One had taken Katsumi to the Queen's forest. Of course, the sullen-faced Dorfen was beside her.

"...This is a huge pain, all for you."

"Yeah, it is. My bad."

Dorfen's eyes widened at Katsumi's brazen smile. Pushing away the tense, explosive air with both hands, the Little One muttered in a low voice.

"That's enough, Dorfen. I'm doing this because I want to. If you have a problem with it, get out of the carriage."

Pierced by a gaze that could kill, Dorfen reluctantly backed down.

When the Little One's party arrived at the forest, Melda came to greet them. Glancing at the giant honeybee's innocent gaze, the Little One prompted Melda to join the conversation and explained what she had heard from Soleil.

"...To delay death. Is there such a method?"

<>

"To defy the gods is something that must not be done. You will suffer the same fate as Icarus, whose wings were melted and who was scattered to the winds, Lady Chihiro."

He knows about Icarus?

Though they couldn't communicate with each other, Melda and Dorfen were somehow in sync. The Little One gave a wry smile and continued.

"This isn't about whether we do it or not. Doing it is the only option. And it's a situation that requires haste. So enough with the pointless objections, let's have a constructive conversation."

Speaking a line that felt somehow nostalgic, the Little One looked around.

Katsumi, with a dazed look on his face. Dorfen, his brow furrowed in anguish. Melda, hesitant and bewildered.

And from there, the Little One's secret scheming began.