kscans

Chapter 41 - A New Pilgrimage and the Little One, Part Seven

"How much longer until we get there?"

"According to the map, about two more days. It’s the closest border forest, after all."

Watching the landscape of occasional deserts amidst the wilderness, Chihiro rested her chin on the windowsill. In Arcadia, the contrast between lands was stark. There were lands that were barren, dry, and withered, and lands that held water and were lush with green. The wilderness was truly a land of death, where not even the familiar cacti of Earth’s world grew. Just looking at it was depressing. How long had this desolate land, without a single crack, been deprived of the blessing of water?

The ground is rock hard, too. I want to use my golden magic.

Chihaya, Dorfen, and the others glanced worriedly at the sister who could do nothing but sigh.

In fact, the Little One had a plan. It was also to carry out that plan that she was heading for the border forest. Of course, her primary objective was the covenant. But after the incident in Bastok, the plan she had brought with her had taken on greater importance. I wonder if it will work. I hope it works.

As the Little One let out a long sigh, Hyrulia spoke to her.

"So many sighs. Come, let me make some tea."

Chihiro nodded at her words and sat down at the table. But she was absentminded even with the tea that was served. Unconcerned with the worried looks of those around her, the Little One’s sighs did not cease until they reached the border forest.

And so, they finally arrived at the border forest.

The Frontier party was speechless at the sight that spread before them.

In terms of size alone, it was probably larger than Frontier’s forests. But the trees were thin and sparse, with less than half their leaves, and the bare wilderness and desert were patchy. There were some areas of deep green, but they were by no means numerous. This was little more than a savanna with a bit of fluff. It was not a land that could be called a forest at all.

How could this be.

Dorfen grabbed the hand of the Little One, whose face had frozen. Chihaya was equally stunned, but Adonis placed his hands on his small shoulders.

"Reality is often like this. Come, let us find the Lord."

"Right. Life is made of irony and setbacks. Let’s go!"

With a grin, Dorfen and Adonis lifted the twins into their arms. They stepped into the vast wasteland that could hardly be called a forest, and the Frontier knights lined up on either side of Dorfen and Adonis, who were leading the way. Leaving Canon and Fugue to guard the carriage, the other monsters surrounded the knights. Chihiro’s eyes flashed with a light as thin as a needle as she glared at the forest that was being transformed into a savanna by human hands.

This too is survival of the fittest, a law of nature. But.

A cold flame flickered in the little girl’s eyes, and a faint laugh escaped from her lips, which were twisted into a gruesome smile. Puzzled by the small, leaked laugh, Dorfen glanced at the Little One, and his eyes widened in shock. There stood a little girl with a smile he had never seen before. Her eyes were pained, yet her face was a tearful smile, as if she was enjoying herself immensely.

"Lady… Chihiro?"

Dorfen’s words did not reach her as he trembled and fought back a chill. Chihiro, her eyes still holding a dark light, spun words as sharp as a razor.

"I’m selfish, nyo…"

The knights were speechless at the Little One’s sudden transformation. It was precisely because they knew of lush, green forests like the Queen’s that the sight before them seemed so tragic. They had been surprised by the thinness of the forest at the Flowers border, but this was on a completely different level. There were beasts in the sparse, open forest. Monsters too. But perhaps they were intimidated by the monster troop led by Pochiko-san, for they only loitered at a distance and did not approach.

After a while, they came to a grassland that spread out before them. It had a different, independent atmosphere. Soft grass grew up to their calves, and colorful flowers bloomed with a wild beauty.

"This is it."

Staring at the endless grassland, the Little One got down from Dorfen’s arms. Instantly, the grassland billowed in the wind. A high-pitched sound echoed, and something appeared before them.

《Are you the king?》

"Probably."

Whether she was a king or an O-saki was no longer clear. Still, she understood what she had to do, what she could do, and what she wanted to do.

A sly smile on her face, a small whirlwind of wind swirled before the Little One. It then burst like a bubble, and a single person appeared. A man with brown skin. He had long, messy hair with several strands of what looked like braided reeds wrapped around it. He was naked except for a single piece of cloth wrapped around his waist. In Earth terms, he looked like a native from a bygone era.

The Frontier knights stood there, dumbfounded.

"A human? The Lord here is a human?"

Dorfen muttered, holding his breath.

《No, I am not.》

Once again, a clear, high-pitched sound echoed, and the wind raced across the entire grassland, swirling into a vortex. The knights involuntarily flinched at the sudden gust of wind, and Dorfen hugged the Little One protectively. When the wind had blown through and a booming sound was heard, countless people and a small hill had appeared. They were people with a similar appearance to the first human. People of all ages, from children to adults. And the small hill looked down at the Little One.

《Allow me to reintroduce myself. I offer my thanks, O Golden King.》

A thought descended from above.

The hill she looked up at in amazement was not a hill. It was a giant human. It was probably twenty meters tall. It had a form that Chihiro knew well.

"An oni…?"

The giant human, who was smiling faintly, had small horns on either side of its forehead. Because of its short, crew-cut-like hairstyle, its unusual features were clearly visible. The other people were probably oni as well. But their hair was so long it covered their eyes, and their horns, which were not very large, were hidden.

《My name is Legion. And you are?》

"I’m Chihiro!"

The oni before the loudly answering little girl placed both fists on the ground and bowed its head deeply.

《Truly… I am grateful. Your power was a great help.》

He must be talking about the magic stones she had sent before. Even with those, this was the result? Chihiro looked around and shivered.

"Let’s make a covenant! Now!"

The Little One ran over and nimbly climbed Legion’s body. She then jumped onto his shoulder, scrambled up to his ear, and patted his cheek. The small creature was ticklish. Legion gently reached out and placed Chihiro on his finger.

《By all means.》

Closing his large eyes with a warm gaze, he offered his head to the Little One. Placing both hands on his eyelids, the little girl poured all her magic into him. In that instant, a golden band stretched out. It wrapped around Legion, raced across the grassland multiple times, and enveloped the entire forest area before emitting a bright light with a loud sound. The golden band burst with a pop, and sparkling light rained down on the land.

From there, many new lives sprouted.

In the blink of an eye, the forest was revived, and deep, dense, lush trees covered the land.

The excitement that never faded, no matter how many times he saw it.

Dorfen and Adonis narrowed their eyes at the nostalgic sight of the Little One. It was a scene they had witnessed many times in the past. The golden magic that revived even the land of death. The many forests that would not be lost as long as there was a covenant.

Dorfen and Adonis exchanged glances and smiled at the rookie knights who were too surprised to speak.

"It has begun. A new legend."

"Yes. No one knows the old legend. From here on out is the true legend of the Little One."

The salvation of the world that took place ten years ago was an achievement known to only a very few. It far surpassed the achievements of the first Golden King who founded Frontier, yet there was no one to record it. There was no way to prove the fact. The achievement, known only to the gods, was rewarded with a new reincarnation. So Dorfen and the others had no complaints, but they were frustrated that she could not receive praise from the people. Adonis was a commoner. That frustration was less for him, but for Dorfen, it was so infuriating that his heart bled. Many among the royalty and nobility looked down on the Count Jorge family. A cook who rose from commoner status. A barbarian who obtained the rank of count just by picking up a stray child. An outsider who seduced Her Highness the Princess through a stroke of luck. Many malicious rumors, embellished with not just back and tail fins but also belly and pectoral fins, circulated in high society. For Dorfen, who was with that family and knew all the circumstances, to have baseless rumors spoken of as if they were fact was a humiliation that made him want to scream.

Who do you think you have to thank for being alive and chirping? Are not those who enjoy rights based solely on their lineage without doing anything the true outsiders? What do you know of Lady Chihiro? What do you say, without knowing of Lord Drago’s anguish and conflict!

Dorfen, trembling all over as he suppressed a scream, saw his small master.

This is where it begins, Lady Chihiro. Finally, the world will be made aware of your preciousness.

Dorfen, looking up at the sky that had already turned crimson, smiled with deep emotion at Chihiro, who was playing with Legion. The cute little girl hopping and jumping around. The large oni bowing its head and weeping. At the fairy-tale-like scene, Dorfen’s vision blurred. With their own thoughts in their hearts, the Little One took a step forward on her pilgrimage. It was a small step, but it was a sure step towards an era-making new stage.

The Little One squad, who had been watching the dreamlike scene with longing, would be speechless again the next day when they witnessed the Little One’s true nature, but they did not yet know of that future.

"I’m selfish!"

The little girl of tomorrow, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s. The Little One, who will stand tall in the future, is full of energy every day♪