kscans

Chapter 4 - The Gods' Oracle ~Getting Started~

"Ah…"

With a complicated smile, Commander Harold let out a low groan. His fiery red, lion-like hair and sturdy, powerful build marked him as a seasoned warrior.

A formidable opponent had appeared before him.

Twin siblings, a brother and sister, clad in blue and green ponchos.

Their large eyes were wide open as they looked up at Harold with a sincere gaze, standing defiantly with their mouths set in a firm line.

"Could you please say that one more time?"

Not hiding his wry smile, the Knight Commander asked, and the Little One answered loudly and clearly.

"We want to become apprentices in the Knight Order!"

Letting out a choked sound, Harold looked up at the heavens. Then he shot a sharp glance at Dorfen, who was standing behind the twins.

"Dorfen, what is the meaning of this?"

Dorfen tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow with a composed expression.

"It is the children's wish."

Giving up on the man who answered so nonchalantly, Harold looked down at the twins in question.

"The Knight Order is not a playground. To become an apprentice, one must take an exam and pass. The age to take that exam is set at thirteen or older, upon reaching adulthood. Unfortunately, you have not yet reached that age."

He showed no mercy, even to children. Harold explained logically, his stern gaze fixed on the twins. The Little One gave a large nod and raised her voice even louder.

"We'd be fine being apprentices to the apprentices! Please let us observe every day!"

Her speech was unlike that of a three-year-old. Had he seen something like this somewhere, sometime before? Narrowing his eyes, Harold gazed at the Little One.

Silky black hair and jade-green eyes. Her rather delicate features and slightly upturned, cat-like eyes greatly resembled Sakura-sama, the former princess of Kilfan.

And a feeling of longing welled up in his chest.

As expected of Sakura-sama's child. So composed. It's as if I'm looking at the Little One.

The little girl who had once run through the royal palace.

The Golden King who had rewritten Frontier's conventions and prejudices, brought new knowledge, and built the foundation of the current era.

While leaving behind achievements that rivaled the first king's in some ways, she had vanished from the public stage. Having lost all memory of that tumultuous time and her golden eyes, she now lived deep within the palace as a simple princess.

This must be the will of the gods.

The gods had caused her memory to regress so that the young princess, her hardships over, could live as a normal, innocent child.

This was the conclusion the palace officials had reached. It just felt right. However, to be honest, it was a conclusion they had to reach to be able to carry on.

A deceptive answer to dispel the overwhelming disappointment and despair that had swept through the palace four years ago.

The lost memories and eyes were for the Little One's happiness.

By believing this, the people had found a semblance of closure. They would forget about the Little One and accept the current princess.

But…

How could they possibly forget?

That cheerful smile, those innocent eyes sparkling with mischief.

Though they pushed it to the bottom of their hearts, the shadow of the little girl would flicker into their minds when they least expected it.

And now, she was right here, before him again.

Her appearance was completely different, yet the aura emanating from her entire being was exactly like that of His Lordship.

A challenging gaze that held both hope and expectation. A free-spirited nature that surely did not even consider the possibility of failure. If he were to say no here, she would surely tilt her head and ask "Why?".

Just as His Lordship had done.

Harold let out a great sigh, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Very well. You may observe. I will not ask why. You people are that kind of creature, after all."

Sensing something unsaid in his words, Chihiro and Chihaya exchanged puzzled glances, but Dorfen and Harold met each other's eyes and smiled discreetly.

《Because she's that kind of creature.》

This was Prince Romel's catchphrase.

When people were being run ragged by the recklessly charging Little One, he would watch with an exasperated look, yet he observed her quietly. And he would say it. She is that kind of creature.

A similar phrase had been prevalent in the kitchen as well.

No matter what trouble the little girl caused, they would say.

《Because she's the Little One, after all.》

There was no more fitting phrase to describe that unconventional child. It was a clever expression that conveyed everything perfectly.

And so, with permission granted, the Drago family twins would begin their training with the Knight Order.

"Brother, let's go."

"Wait, Hiiro. Where's Pochiko-san?"

Early the next morning, the two changed into their usual overalls and were about to head to the Knight Order's training grounds, but for some reason, Chihiro wasn't with Pochiko-san.

The twins always relied on the bees for long journeys. It was quite a distance from their home to the training grounds. Her brother, who had arrived with his personal bee, Tarō-kun, found it odd that Chihiro didn't have Pochiko-san with her.

"What are you talking about? We're running from here. Obviously."

"Huh?"

Stretching her short limbs, ichi ni, the Little One broke into a wide grin.

"Running is the best way to build stamina, you know."

"Ehh, even though we're learning swordsmanship?"

"Stamina is important for everything. Let's do our best!"

Chihaya had heard Chihiro's plan to learn swordsmanship at the Knight Order and, admiring the cool knights, had jumped on the bandwagon, but he was already on the verge of giving up.

Why do we have to run if we're learning swordsmanship?

Leaving her brother with a question mark plastered all over his face, the Little One took off running.

"Brother, if you don't come, I'm leaving you behind!"

The sister ran without looking back. Chihaya hurriedly chased after her. Dorfen also followed at a brisk pace, watching the twins run, tetteke tee, with an amused expression. It wasn't a full-out sprint, just a cute little run, so Dorfen's brisk pace was enough to keep up, given the difference in their strides.

Chihiro ran while controlling her breathing, ho ho, while Chihaya ran frantically, his chin up.

Even in this, there is a difference, Dorfen thought with quiet admiration.

Each with their own expression, the three trotted along the path that would take an adult about thirty minutes, taking several breaks along the way.

When the twins finally reached the training grounds, they waved at Harold, whom they saw in the distance. Well, only Chihiro was waving both arms energetically. Chihaya was panting zehi zehi, supported by Dorfen.

Comparing their appearances, Harold's eyes widened.

"You ran here?"

"Yup. We'd be doing the same thing here anyway, right? It saves time to get it done first!"

The little girl beamed.

No, saving time… That's not how a toddler thinks, you know?

Remembering how he used to make such mental retorts four years ago, Harold's lips curled into a slight smile.

"Originally, I was going to have you start with five laps around the outer perimeter. But you've already run more than that. Well then, shall we move on to the forms?"

"Yes!"

Chihaya stared at his sister, who raised her hand energetically, as if she were a monster.

Why…? I'm like this, and yet.

Forcing himself to swallow with ragged breaths, ze ha, Chihaya also raised his hand, determined not to be outdone.

I won't lose. I'm the big brother!

Looking down at the contrasting pair, Harold nodded deeply.

"That's the spirit. Now, let's practice swings with wooden swords."

Harold had prepared slender wooden swords for the twins. Handing them over, he gave them detailed instructions.

"You cannot use proper swords yet. If you push your undeveloped bodies too hard, you could end up with a lifelong injury. So, you'll use these."

What Harold brought out were thin rapiers. They were a fifth of the weight of a normal sword. It seemed these wooden swords were replicas of rapiers. They were also a little over half the length, just the right size for the twins to handle.


"Even this should be heavy for you. First, get used to the weight and practice swinging. Do it at a pace you can manage, and rest when you're tired."

Then Harold beckoned Dorfen over with a finger.

"Teach them the forms. Start with the downward slash and the sweep. Don't let them do parries or draws yet. Make them focus on the stop, nice and slow."

He tapped Dorfen's chest with the back of his fist, and Harold returned to the Knight Order's drills.

Watching him go, Dorfen turned to the twins.

"I have been entrusted with your instruction. Shall we begin?"

Dorfen grinned.

"First, the frontal strike. Like this."

Dorfen held his sword at the ready, raised it straight up, then slowly brought it down, stopping it perfectly at a slight downward angle.

"Please repeat this form. Always stop at the end. Be mindful of this as you raise the sword again. Be sure to stop once each time. You must not simply swing it around, alright?"

The twins nodded deeply at Dorfen's words and began their practice swings. Dorfen also repeated the demonstration in time with the twins.

This is… tougher than I thought.

Get in position and swing down.

It was just that, but it wasn't working.

There was the weight of the wooden sword, but first of all, she couldn't swing it straight down. And the stop was wobbly. A quick glance at Dorfen showed him swinging at about the same speed, stopping perfectly and following through straight. Even though his movements were faster than theirs, his stops were precise, making his motions incredibly beautiful.

So elegant. I want to be like that, too…

Chihiro gripped the wooden sword tightly and traced the form over and over again.

Not to be outdone, Chihaya also repeated the form.

The knights, watching the two toddlers practicing their swings with rapt attention from a distance, stared with astonishment.

"Hey, what's with them?"

"They can't be more than three or four, right? That's some incredible concentration."

"Aren't their forms starting to look pretty good? Oh, one of them fell."

"Whoa, but he's getting back up. Not even crying, that's impressive."

Repeating the same thing over and over is much harsher than it looks. It's not a feat that children, whose willpower and perseverance are still undeveloped, can manage. Remembering how the princes had given up and started crying after just a few minutes in the past, the knights let out dry laughs.


"If only the princes had that much grit."

"They'd be a bit more respectable by now."

It was still fresh in their minds how the second prince, upon entering the noble academy, had been inferior to the other students in swordsmanship and had come rushing to the Knight Order for guidance. A few years before that, the first prince had been in the same boat. It seemed His Majesty's bloodline had a weakness for martial arts.

"His Majesty was the same."

The knights could still not forget the words that Commander Harold had muttered with a scowl.

Dorfen suggested a break to the Little One, who had been swinging her wooden sword with single-minded focus, and asked a question with a vague sense of foreboding.

"But why swordsmanship all of a sudden?"

Sipping the fruit water Dorfen had brought for her, the Little One narrowed her eyes plumply.

"I'm going to become an adventurer. I can register after my baptism at seven, right? I want to master the basics of martial arts by then."

Dorfen accidentally swallowed the fruit water along with a gulp of air and began to cough violently. He tried to say something, but the fruit water that had gone down the wrong pipe prevented him from forming words. While Dorfen was coughing, geho geho, Chihiro looked up at the sky.

If Chaos and Abyss are right, the next pilgrimage will be to the frontier. To the ends of the world. Even flying with Pochiko-san and the others, it would take several days of non-stop flight. There would be camping and many dangers. The monsters would protect her, she thought, but it was better if she could fight too. She wanted to build up her stamina and skills and start in perfect condition. The Adventurer's Guild was a worldwide organization. If she registered as an adventurer, it would probably make things easier in other countries.

"Adventurer registration… Hiiro, you're going to become an adventurer?"

Chihiro returned her brother's dumbfounded stare with a mischievous smile.

"An adventurer, huh. I wanted to be a chef like Dad, but being a knight is cool too… I can't decide."

Her brother had a troubled look on his face.

Though exhausted, it had been a fun day. When the twins returned home, they were greeted by Drago's loud crying.

Apparently, word that Chihiro was going to become an adventurer had reached him from somewhere.

And so, the Little One continued on her own path, running from the constant lectures of the Bear in the Kitchen♪