kscans

Chapter 21 - # The Golden King and the Little One

"I found it hard to believe even after hearing it from Father. Are you truly Chihiro?"

Wilfe gripped the Little One’s small hand, his face contorting.

From the king? What on earth had he said?

Romel, too, seemed unable to grasp the meaning and was looking at Wilfe with suspicion. The king glanced at them all, then produced another book.

"This is the diary of Sapphard-sama, the first Golden King. It is written here that he was a reincarnated person."

"A reincarnated person?"

Drago and the others wore expressions of confusion.

While they understood that Chihiro was a visitor from a world called Earth who had been born in Arcadia, they did not understand that this was called reincarnation, a cycle in which souls transmigrate.

Only Romel and Chihiro, who understood, widened their eyes and exchanged a look, wondering that such a document had been preserved.

According to the king, Sapphard, the first Golden King, had written many documents for the sake of his descendants. Most notable among them were the records of the Golden King and Sapphard’s personal diary. Only these two were written with golden magic, crafted so that only another Golden King could read them. The content was likely too sensitive to be made public.

The diary recorded that Sapphard was a reincarnated person, that he retained the memories of his past life by the grace of the gods, and that he founded Frontier and traveled the world with the Queen.

"This is a royal secret, revealed only to the successive kings of our line. Reincarnation. I came to believe that you are one such person."

If that was the case, whose reincarnation was she?

That was what he could not figure out.

The king agonized over it. However, the answer lay in the period of turmoil about ten years ago. It was something Romel had said when they discussed that complicated and bizarre problem time and again.

‘She said the royal palace killed Fatima. Her tone was as if she were speaking of a stranger. I suppose it can’t be helped. She likely wanted to say that Princess Fatima died at that time. That she is now Drago’s daughter.’

Those words, which he had heard from a grief-stricken Romel, had made him nod and feel a sense of dismay, thinking it must be so.

But what if it was not some kind of metaphor, but the literal truth?

What if Chihiro was not Fatima at all, but a completely different person?

The king felt as if the thick, tangled fog before his eyes had suddenly cleared.

Was it not because that someone had disappeared that Fatima’s memories were lost? The Golden King was that person, not Fatima. That was why, at the same moment that person vanished, Fatima ceased to be the Golden King.

If he thought of it that way, all the pieces of the puzzle fit.

If so, the person inside the young girl before him now was…

The King of Frontier was familiar with the concept of reincarnation. After all, the first Golden King who founded Frontier was one such person himself.

That was how he had arrived at his answer.

Wilfe, as the next king, had heard this story from his father. He was told that the young girl at the center of the recent trouble might be the reincarnation of the Little One from ten years ago, Chihiro. The rumors of the dun-colored spirit had turned the king’s suspicion into certainty.

Hearing it, Wilfe had thought it was an absurd tale. Impossible.

But what if it was true?

He remembered his shock when Fatima had forgotten him.

They had not been particularly close. Still, Wilfe remembered the warmth of his family, who would gather whenever there was an occasion. His parents, who were usually too busy to see each other, and his siblings, who rarely emerged from the rear palace, would all gather as if by prior arrangement only when Chihiro was present. They would leisurely drink tea and smile over trivial topics. The Little One had forged that warm bond.

After she was gone, the former coldness had spread through the royal palace once more.

A palpable atmosphere where one’s mother’s family was treated as kin, and all others were excluded.

It had only returned to how it was before, yet after experiencing that warm time together, the chill in the air felt many times colder.

Wilfe pictured the state of the royal palace over the last few years, and he shivered involuntarily, gritting his teeth.

The negative effects of losing the Little One remained even here.

"You, you’ve returned… Ah, enough of this. We need no pretenses. Welcome home, Chihiro. Let’s live together again."

At Wilfe’s feverish words, Drago and the others’ eyes went wide with shock.

"What are you saying! Chihiro is my daughter!"

"But inside, she is the Chihiro from the past, is she not? Look at this finger. Does she not possess the mark of a king? Is it not natural for her to live in the royal palace as the Golden King?"

"Now hold on, that’s too much of a stretch, isn’t it? Have you lost your mind?"

"Then she need only become a member of the royal family. I believe she was a candidate to be Prince Theodore’s fiancée. If need be, I would not mind marrying her myself."

"Ah… about that? It’s been called off. Chihiro’s fiancé in this life is Romel."

"What? Huh? Uncle’s fiancée? What is the meaning of this, Uncle! You, you have a taste for little girls?"

"I’d rather not hear that from you! You were just spouting nonsense about marrying Chihiro yourself! What do you intend to do about your fiancée, the duke’s daughter!"

The men shouted at one another in a clamorous uproar.

Pure chaos.

As even Romel joined the fray, only Sakura watched them with an unsettled gaze.

"That’s enough out of all of you. What does it matter if Chihiro was the Golden King in her past life? It’s all the same, isn’t it? She is Drago’s daughter."

That was right. The previous Little One had also been Drago’s daughter.

The men, suddenly brought back to their senses, looked down with abashed expressions.

"I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, but the Golden King is one who possesses golden magic, correct? Not a member of the royal family, right?"

As Sakura pierced the king with a sharp gaze, Wilfe hurriedly held up a hand to stop her.

"No, that’s not right! The Golden King is one connected to the royal family of Frontier, the same as royalty!"

"Be quiet now. Was the first Golden King royalty from the start? He was the founding king, not royalty, correct? Everything has a beginning, and when it continues unbroken, people fall under the silliest delusions. No matter how venerable a family line may be, if you trace it back, the first generation was always a newcomer who rose through the ranks."

Having stated her point bluntly, Sakura fixed her gaze on the king once more.

"If you intend to take away the child I have so carefully raised, I trust you are prepared for the appropriate retaliation? If you intend to brandish your authority as the King of Frontier, then I will have no choice but to draw my own family’s treasured sword. Have you forgotten? I may not look it, but I am a former princess of Kilfan, and I hold immense influence over the current Kilfan."

Her eyes narrowed, and a meaningful arc formed on Sakura’s thin lips.

While its military might was inferior to Frontier’s, Kilfan’s national power and technology far surpassed it. In fact, it was Kilfan’s technology that had supported Frontier during its period of turmoil a few years ago. The reason Frontier could still live in peace without significant damage was entirely due to the generous support from Kilfan.

Power was not just about military strength.

If Kilfan were to withdraw its support now, Frontier would face a disastrous situation in every field.

Sakura glanced at the royal family members, who were holding their breath, and her expression softened into a smile.

"But well, given the circumstances? If you are in trouble, I suppose we can lend a hand. However, I will not allow you to interfere in Chihiro’s life. Or Chihaya’s. If you make such a blunder, our family will simply go elsewhere."

Their title of nobility was in name only, without land or subjects. They could not be more mobile. The king, sensing that these were no empty words, was visibly flustered.

"I only wished to confirm. I have no other intentions. I would be content if you continue to live as you have been."

"Father?"

The queen stopped Wilfe, who was lashing out with unconcealed indignation, with her fan. The discussion proceeded, leaving the grumbling crown prince aside, and in the end, the Little One’s secret was to be kept hidden among those present.

The Little One explained her connection to the gods and the flow of events, including those of her past life. The king and the others turned pale, understanding that the world had been on the brink of destruction without their knowledge.

But that was all in the past now.

Thanks to all of it, Chihiro had been able to be reborn as Drago’s child. In a way, she was grateful.

"But, Chihiro. Even if it was a past life, I was your father. I could do nothing fatherly for you. In this life, please let me do at least a little."

"That’s a misunderstanding, too, you know? Your Majesty’s daughter was Fatima. I was merely a lodger in her body. You cherished her, didn’t you? Thank you for that."

It was a gentle rejection.

The king’s heart ached with a small throb.

Ah, that smile. How nostalgic. The innocent laugh of a child. It was not just Wilfe, but how much despair and disappointment must have swept through the palace when that smile was lost. Her mere presence warmed and soothed others. Such a rare person was one of a kind.

But she had returned.

He had desperately wanted to welcome her back into the royal family, but the people around her were even more formidable than before. Above all, Frontier itself was stable thanks to its connection with the previous Golden King. He could not destroy that, and those around him would not let him.

Fortunately, the Little One herself was fond of Frontier. If nothing happened, she would surely remain here.

He must not wish for too much. Was not the result of wishing for too much what had happened last time?

The king had learned a little. If he just left her be, the Little One would stay right where she was.

The young girl in question beamed at the enlightened king. That knowing smile reminded His Majesty that this child was a creature who was always thinking. When she wore that expression, she usually brought turmoil with her.

The king braced himself, and the Little One spoke words that did not betray his expectations.

"Now that we’ve laid everything bare, I guess there’s no need to be secretive anymore. You see, I have to go on another pilgrimage. The Creator God-sama asked me to. So, your cooperation would be much appreciated!"

She flashed a grin and dropped the bombshell.

While the king’s eyes darted back and forth in a state of "huh? what?", the Little One was perfectly pleased.

Well now, you never know how things will turn out for the best. The saying that every cloud has a silver lining was certainly true.

The first time she heard that proverb, the Little One had thought it just described some stubborn old man, but now she felt she finally understood its meaning.

With this, traveling to other countries with the cooperation of the royal family would go smoothly.

The Little One gave a thumbs-up.

The gods, who seemed to say they would make a path if there was none, flashed through her mind, and a bead of cold sweat trickling down the Little One’s face was just a charming detail.

Overcoming the wall that stood in her way and picking up the bonus of the royal family’s cooperation, the Little One forges ahead cheerfully today as well.

There are no enemies in her path.