kscans

Chapter 73 - The Foreign Prince and the Little One

"What is thisss!"

Marrow’s eyes were wide, and his face was split in a huge grin as he let out a shriek.

They were currently soaring through the sky by honeybee flight. Marrow was pressed against the window, squealing with delight. Around him, Masahad’s subordinates were crouched on the floor, trembling. Since the escort knights were also riding with them this time, Prince Romel had pulled an all-nighter to modify a magical tool, doubling the interior space. It was for this reason that their departure had been delayed until the next morning.

"This is… also magic?"

Masahad looked around the interior, his expression tense. When he had stepped into the carriage he’d been guided to, he found a vast room. He had gone outside several times to check the exterior, much to the Little One’s amusement.

"That’s right. It’s space-expanding magic, nyo."

The ride was smooth and the space comfortable. In no time, the Frontier Royal Palace receded into the distance, and they were now flying over Yāman. Since it was still light out, the plan was to head for a farming village on the Flowers border. The night before, just as the Little One had been about to depart, a frantic-looking Prince Romel had stopped her.

"Please! Just wait until I’ve prepared the official documents? And for goodness’ sake, change out of that dress!"

It was only then that she noticed. The Little One was still in the same attire she had worn when she rushed out of the royal palace.

Promising to have everything ready by the next morning, Prince Romel gave instructions to Sasha and the others, and the Little One was captured and put in the bath.

The rest, you can imagine.

Swayed by the warm water, the Little One drifted off to sleep with a soft "supiii". The culprit was her child’s body, which tired easily and craved indulgent slumber. As a sigh of relief went through those around her, word must have reached the detached palace, for the two from Donautil also got some sleep at their residence and came to the count’s manor early the next morning.

"I wasted six hours."

"We had our own preparations to make, so it couldn’t be helped."

The whimpering Little One was consoled by the exasperated gazes of those around her, and at long last, she set off in the pilgrimage carriage.

"But why are you helping us?"

Saving them offered her no benefit. Nor did it for Frontier. In fact, one could even say they were a nuisance.

As Masahad asked with suspicion, the Little One narrowed her eyes and looked at Marrow.

"Do you need a reason to help a friend in Donautil?"

Is that all?

The second prince couldn’t help but stare.

"If he dies, Chihiro will cry."

Chihaya answered bluntly. He had slyly boarded the carriage before the Little One and her group.

"There’s no logic to the young lady’s actions."

"That’s right. She just flies off anywhere, like, ‘I don’t like this, so I won’t let it happen.’"

The man staring at Masahad with a fixed gaze had black hair and black eyes. His slightly dark skin resembled that of the Donautil people. He might have been of mixed blood. Next to him was a man with a gentle smile. He had reddish-brown hair and deep brown eyes. His translucent white skin was characteristic of the people of central Arcadia, including Frontier.

These attendants seemed to have no questions at all about this great commotion. A large knight never left the Little One’s side, holding her on his lap. The surrounding knights also wore nonchalant expressions.

And then there was the interior of this space.

Just like in Donautil, it was designed for sitting on the floor with cushions. The thick rugs and carpets made for comfortable seating. There were tea and light snacks set on a low table. Along the way, they took a lunch break in a large clearing with trees, and Prince Masahad was amazed when numerous items emerged from a ball no bigger than his palm.

"Is this also magic?"

"It is. A single one of these can store about a carriage’s worth of goods."

Masahad broke into a cold sweat at the numerous displays of magic he had witnessed.

The Frontier army required no supply lines. Their fodder, food, and weapons could all be sealed within these palm-sized spheres. With just a few carriages loaded with these spheres, they could likely fight on expeditions for months. They could distribute and use supplies efficiently, with no dead stock.

What a world. He was so astonished he was at a loss for words. It was a country beyond all standards simply for possessing magic. And then, at the lunch prepared by Adonis and the others, Prince Masahad tasted an even greater sense of defeat.

"No, I just… I don’t see how we could ever win against them."

In the farming village, they were warmly welcomed, and Dorfen and the others set up a tent in the square. It was a large party this time. Yet there was only one tent. In Frontier, that was sufficient. Riding in the carriage were the twins and their attendants, the usual knights, plus the two princes and their five trusted retainers.

These retainers had clung to the two princes when they declared their intention to return to Donautil.

"You’ll be executed if you return! Please, reconsider!"

"We will secure a safe place for you to live! Let us flee!"

The retainers did their utmost to stop Masahad and his brother, practically biting at them. It seemed their loyalty was genuine.

"Well, we can fit a few more people. Why not bring them along?"

With the Little One’s words, they had accompanied them, though they still cast suspicious glances her way.

This time, the usual knights were also riding in the carriage. So they needed a tent that could accommodate everyone, including the princes. The carriage was equipped with beds, but they couldn’t possibly sleep in the same room as a princess of another country, young as she was. Since the tent could also be furnished with simple beds, Masahad’s retainers reluctantly agreed.

"This way, please."

As the princes stepped into the tent, they once again found themselves smiling wanly.

The inside was spacious, and the two beds at the far end were covered by canopies. Simple cots were lined up on the left and right. There was nothing to do but laugh. The interior was ten times the size of its exterior.

"We will use the beds on the sides. Your Highnesses may use the ones under the canopies at the back."

It seemed the guards would stand watch in shifts, as there were about ten beds for the knights. The beds, three on each side of the canopies at the back, were apparently for Masahad’s retainers.

"Are you telling us, nobles of Donautil, to sleep alongside knights?"

The men’s faces twisted in open disgust. Glancing at them, Uris replied with polite formality.

"Our unit commander, Dorfen-sama, is the son of a marquis."

Uris glared, moving only his eyes. Though he was of common birth, he held the Little One in high regard ever since she had thoroughly bested him in the past. At the time, he had been a young upstart who had just earned his knighthood, and she had snapped his arrogant pride right at the root.

Knowing that the lead guard was a high-ranking noble, the men from Donautil fell silent.

Seeing the princes silently get into their beds, Uris’s face soured.

We prepared beds for you, and you call it sleeping alongside us. I should make you truly sleep on the floor with just a blanket.

With a glint in his eyes, Uris left the tent to stand guard.

The road ahead looked trying.

The knights, smiling wryly, extinguished the lanterns, and the curtain of night gently enveloped the darkened tent and carriage.

By tomorrow evening, they would reach the Donautil border.

Unlike Flowers, which had a culture similar to Frontier's, this was their first time visiting a truly foreign land. The Little One's heart pounded with sheer excitement, and she found it hard to fall asleep.

"Chihiro!"

"Haeh? Prince Marcello?"

A familiar young man approached, mounted on a galloping dapple-gray horse. With a gnome on his shoulder, he drew near with a cheerful smile.

"I read the letter. Is there anything you need?"

It seemed Prince Romel had sent a honeybee message. The Little One handed one of the documents to Prince Marcello.

"It’s written in here. Other than that, I just need permission to fly through your airspace."

"Ah, I heard about that from Romel-dono. Here is the permit."

In exchange for the document, Marcello also handed her a letter.

So the Crown Prince himself is running errands.

She furrowed her brow for a moment, but she was grateful that the letter had arrived so quickly. It was originally supposed to be delivered to Prince Romel, who would then forward it to the Little One via honeybee message.

"Thank you. Now we can fly right over Flowers."

The Little One smiled softly.

"Still, to think you’re mounting an assault on Donautil. We’ve deployed our army to the border as well. If anything happens, you can flee here."

Donautil was located even further northeast of Flowers. A great desert lay between them, and in the past, it had been a country with which they had fought fierce battles. Though things were peaceful now, the past still lingered, and the relationship between Flowers and Donautil could hardly be called friendly.

"Thanks. But I think we’ll be fine."

The nations of Arcadia were often isolated by deserts and wastelands, each country self-contained. They neither invited nor informed other nations of a monarch’s death or accession. They would only find out later from spy reports. They were completely independent territories. What happened within them was unknown to the neighboring countries.

"Be careful."

"I will. We’re off."

Seen off by Prince Marcello and his men, the Little One headed straight for Donautil.

An evil hand was creeping toward an unsuspecting Donautil.

The people of Donautil did not yet know of the descent of the Golden King, who in a past life had made even the gods kneel.