kscans

Chapter 95 - The Beginning of the End, Ten

"This is a pretty lively town."

"It’s a large town for one near the border. I wonder how many hundreds of years it’s been since we came this far. It was probably around my grandfather’s generation."

The Age of Disappearance.

The Little One rolled the words, known to her only through knowledge, around in her mind. A time of madness when the earth lost its magical power, leading to chronic starvation, and the flames of plunder rose up all over the world.

Really. Food is important.

Crushing the long, superficial text of history, the Little One revised it into a concise sentence. The long-winded speculations of historians are short when summarized.

To feed their crying, hungry children, adults went to steal food from other places.

That was all.

The streets were bustling with people. Many of the houses lining them were made of dry bricks. The countries of Arcadia, lacking in greenery, primarily had brick or stone architecture. There was a checkpoint when entering the town, but for some reason, they were allowed to pass through without issue.

"We have been informed by His Highness the Prince. Welcome to Castrato."

The guards let them through the gate with awkward smiles. Their faces twitched at the sight of the spider pulling the carriage and the monster squad surrounding it, but still, she didn't sense any animosity. In Donautil and Bastok, they had been greatly feared. As the Little One tilted her head, Hyrulia giggled in amusement.

"In Castrato, high-ranking nobles keep monsters as pets. So while it may be unusual, the fact that you have monsters with you is taken as a sign that you are of noble birth."

Ah, the Little One’s face showed understanding.

She did say that. Hmm? Wait a minute.

"Right now, Castrato and Frontier have severed diplomatic ties, right?"

"That is correct," Dorfen answered coolly.

"...Without magic stones, you can’t keep monsters, can you? How do they get supplies?"

"Who knows? I have no desire to find out."

"They must have stockpiles, no? The Ansbach family was providing quite a bit."

"Well, those are probably running out by now. I wouldn’t know."

The escort knights cut the conversation short.

...They are really disliked.

The roots of this run surprisingly deep, the Little One thought with a wry smile. The knights were in full armor, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Frogs sat on their shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and snakes were wrapped around their biceps. Inside the carriage, where they were all on standby, the Little One, scowling, was captivated by the sight of the fountain in the plaza they had entered. There was a familiar small stage-like carriage. A paper-story show was being performed on the stage of a carriage pulled by a cute donkey, the open doors revealing a picture of a familiar character.

"Isn’t that ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Nils’? No way, it’s spread this far?"

Standing next to the wide-eyed Little One, Zack and Adonis also looked on with round eyes.

The theater business, which began with the paper-story shows the Little One had conceived, was now on track and becoming a major industry representing Frontier. The paper-story shows and puppet shows based on fairy tales and legends had sent Frontier into a frenzy, and in the past few years, they had developed to the point of having a core fanbase. Furthermore, the theater was nearing completion. The theater, built on the outskirts of the castle town, was to be surrounded by a park where people could relax and enjoy the flowers of the four seasons. It would be lit up with magic lanterns, and security would be hired from the Adventurers’ Guild to provide a safe and secure park.

The theater was scheduled to have its premiere on the twins’ birthday. The first performance would be Hamlet.

When it comes to opera, you can’t leave out Shakespeare, right?

The girl couldn’t help but grin. For the time being, the main performances were planned to be stories from Earth that the Little One knew. It would take time to turn stories from this world into operas. First, the concept and mechanics of theater had to be understood, and people from all fields had to be trained to turn lines and emotions into songs. Over the past few years, the people who were finally taking shape were working hard. In the not-so-distant future, an opera produced in Arcadia would be performed.

For now, it was a time to nurture that concept.

"What’s that? It’s different from in Frontier."

The children watching the paper-story show were holding something that looked like bread wrapped in paper.

"Ah, that is Paon."

"Paon?"

The Little One had heard that word before. She recalled it was the Portuguese word that became the origin of the word ‘pan’ for bread.

Does that mean bread? No, in both Frontier and Castrato, bread is just called bread, right?

Hyrulia explained to the puzzled girl.

"It is a hard-baked portable ration for travelers. It is very salty, and thin slices of it are eaten with vegetables or fruits on top."

"I see, I see," the Little One said, listening intently, but Dorfen frowned.

"That is not something tasty, you know. It is a portable ration."

What? They give that to children?

The Little One was taken aback, and Hyrulia nodded with a troubled expression.

"It certainly isn’t delicious, but... it is also the staple food for commoners. Putting stewed vegetables or fruits on it makes it a feast."

It seemed the food situation in Castrato was not good. Furthermore, she learned that the paper-story show was free. It was a volunteer activity run by the local lord for the entertainment and charity of the children.

"The one who obtained that paper-story carriage is the Border Count. He is actively incorporating things from Frontier to contribute to his domain."

Good-hearted people are everywhere.

He probably wasn't looked upon favorably by the royal palace. Still, his stance of steering toward the best to aim for the best could be highly praised. The Little One smiled warmly, thinking she could become friends with the lord of this place. Passing by the excited faces of the children, the group discussed whether to take lodging or continue on and camp for the night. Of course, the Little One was not one to choose camping here. She looked up at Dorfen and the others with big, pleading eyes.

A familiar pout.

"Sightseeing, is it? Can’t we do it later? We can stop by on the way back."

The Little One fidgeted and squirmed. Zack picked her up and popped something into Chihiro’s mouth. A candy with a faint bitterness.

"This is coffee candy?!"

"Yeah. A sample. Is it good?"

It seemed he had evaporated the water from coffee, mixed it with skim milk powder, and made it into a candy.

When did he do that!

"It’s yummyyy~♪"

If it’s already this far along, I want that other thing.

"Hey, hey, instead of mixing this into the candy, could you make it into a paste and wrap it in a plain candy, like this..."

A classic coffee candy from Earth. As the Little One desperately tried to explain how to recreate it, Zack, still holding her, gave Dorfen a little wink. Dorfen nodded slightly and had the carriage move on. It becomes complicated when you consult her. If they just continued on the road and started camping, the Little One wouldn’t complain. It would end with a single "Oh, okay."

The Little One Squad knew this well.

Pique the Little One’s interest, turn her gaze elsewhere, and let things proceed by default. The knights smiled wryly at the two of them who seemed used to it.

Getting their way was originally the Little One’s specialty. The members of the Little One Squad were steadily learning it.

And so, as the Little One and her party gradually closed the distance to the Castrato royal capital, a cry rang out in front of the royal palace.

"Open the gate!!!"

It was Augfel, shouting at the top of his lungs. He looked like an adventurer, but there was no way the palace staff would mistake the prince himself. They hurriedly opened the gate and ushered Augfel in, horse and all.

"Where have you been all this time?! His Majesty the King has been looking for you!"

This was his first return since he ran away two years ago. Of course, his disappearance had been discovered, and the missing prince, a political pawn, must have shaken Castrato to its core.

But none of that mattered.

"I wish to have an audience with my brother! Send a messenger at once!"

Breathing heavily, the third prince jumped down from his horse. The gatekeepers looked at him suspiciously and sent word to various places.

That the third prince had returned.

From here, a commotion like a kicked beehive would erupt in the Castrato royal palace.

The Little One, who becomes the center of trouble whether she is present or not.

The King of Castrato would learn of the threat of the demon king, who was steadily closing the distance, a couple of hours from now.

Godspeed♪