kscans

Chapter 97 - The King of Castrato and the Little One

"This is the royal capital?"

"It is. We might be the only people from Frontier to have come this far."

In the old days, Castrato was a neighboring country with diplomatic ties, and they had even arranged a marriage with Count Ansbach. During the lost era, they had invaded Frontier, but were scattered by elite mages much like today, so it never amounted to a major war. Then, around the time Frontier's food aid had become established and things had settled down, they signed a peace treaty on the condition of a marriage into the Ansbach family. Apparently, the daughter of the Ansbach family fell for her suitor, and the peace was concluded in a somewhat haphazard manner.

But now that I think about it...

An image of the drug Cyril used floated in Dorfen’s mind. He later heard that it was a divine elixir, a mind-control drug that erased one's ego and made them completely obedient. The Little One, who possessed golden magic, had been unharmed, but normally, a single dose was apparently enough for almost complete brainwashing. If this had been used on the daughter or the head of the Ansbach family in the past, it would explain why the marriage was arranged so forcefully.

It was pointless to dwell on it now, though.

As Dorfen gazed melancholically at the city, he heard the Little One’s cheerful voice.

"Hey, hey! What are we doing for food? And lodging? It’ll still take another day to get to the palace, right?"

The Little One’s large eyes sparkled, her face shining with excitement. However, Chihaya, standing beside her, answered with his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No. We’re not getting an inn. We’ll proceed directly to the palace."

"...You noticed, huh? They don’t seem like a big deal, though."

"The very fact that they’re stationed here shows their ill will. They’re underestimating us."

Something lurked in the city's shadows. Chihiro felt gazes from all directions and narrowed her eyes with a grin of amusement, while Chihaya made no effort to hide his irritation. The knights of the Little One Squad, who hadn't noticed, tilted their heads in confusion.

Covert ops, I see. They’re good at hiding their presence.

Come to think of it, Cyril and his group were also skilled at erasing their presence and aura. They must have been part of the covert ops as well. But from the perspective of the twins, who had been taught by Frontier’s "Wedge," the most skilled covert unit among all nations, this was mere child’s play. The spies, who thought they were hidden, were practically exposed.

"Should we use the Mononoke Squad?"

Chihaya gave a small shake of his head to the Little One, who suggested letting the honeybees do some cleaning.

"Those types have no consideration for their surroundings. If you carelessly dispose of them, twice as many good-for-nothings will come running."

Cesare twisted his lips into a cynical smile.

Ah, human wave tactics are a pain.

The two switched places as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Those around them didn’t even have time to notice who was who. For a time, the twins had a tense atmosphere between them, but it was resolved when Chihaya, worn down by the Little One’s reproachful gaze, made a concession.

In the end, he was a brother with a weakness for his sister.

"True enough. Hmm?"

As she surveyed the hiding spies, the Little One’s gaze was suddenly drawn to a merchant caravan. Several large cages were lined up, and inside them were creatures resembling large boars and wolves. But she could tell at a glance. The faint magic drifting from them told the story. They were undoubtedly monsters.

"Huh? What? Monsters in the middle of the city? Is that allowed? Look at that!"

The Little One Squad cracked dry smiles at the spectacular case of the pot calling the kettle black. Peeking out the window, Hyrulia wore a look of exasperation, an expression that also contained an unspeakable disgust.

"They are a cleaning service. They buy unwanted monsters and put them on display."

Raising monsters was considered a pastime for the high-ranking nobles of Castrato. It seemed that old monsters, long kept on a chain, were sold to sideshows and eventually sold off for their materials.

Well, what an enterprising spirit.

In Arcadia, where even humans were made into slaves, monsters were no different from livestock. The Little One felt pity, but she didn't harbor the arrogance of feeling sorry for them. As long as she accepted the eating of meat, such hypocritical feelings were presumptuous. Everyone cared most about their own circle. She couldn't spare any salt for those outside of it.

With a straight face, she thought such useless thoughts while glancing at the cages. Chihiro tried to be pragmatic, but reason and emotion were two different things. What was stated before was the opinion of reason, an unconscious warning. But the Little One was a creature of emotion. While swallowing the warnings of reason, she acted as she pleased.

"Hey, Hyrulia. Can I, like, buy them?"

Hyrulia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the question. She placed a finger on her lips and pondered.

"You can. However, I imagine they will be quite expensive. In Castrato, having a monster under your command is a status symbol."

If money can solve it, that’s a blessing.

The Little One had the carriage stop and trotted over to the caravan’s wagon, teke teke. Seeing the girl and her knightly guard run up, the men of the caravan began to stir. Her clothes were well-made. The woman at her side was also beautiful, and they looked every bit the aristocrats.

"Hey, hey, could you sell me these cages and all?"

Stunned by the beautiful, black-haired girl who pointed at the monster cages with an innocent smile, the caravan men exchanged glances, said, "Please wait a moment," and hurriedly dove into a tent. After a few moments of loud voices from within the tent, a young man burst out.

Seeing him, the Little One’s eyes widened. He had black hair and black eyes, and was dressed in a casual kimono, worn off his left shoulder. Underneath the kimono, he wore black silk garments that fit his body’s lines. His brilliant red kimono, with its elegant design of large peonies, was layered over purple. His appearance was that of what one would call a kabukimono in Japan, a flamboyant eccentric. Gold and silver jewelry dangled from his neck and arms. His knee-high long boots were also decorated here and there with jewels and gold chains. His long black hair was tied back loosely in a single knot, and his languid figure made him look like a consummate man of pleasure.

"You want to buy a monster, young lady? What a strange whim. Do you think you can train it?"

Narrowing his slightly drooping, almond-shaped eyes, he looked down at the Little One, clearly amused. You’re one to talk, she thought. Judging by your clothes, are you related to Kilfan?

Smiling wryly to herself, the Little One gave a big nod.

"Of course. How much?"

The man watched the girl’s beaming smile with amusement, placing a hand on his chin as if to appraise her.

"Let’s see. With the cages, that’ll be one hundred gold coins."

"What?!"

Dorfen, standing behind the Little One, cried out. A commoner’s monthly income was one gold coin, if that. Even for a noble, an average annual income was around fifty gold coins. Of course, that was the salary paid by the state and was separate from tax revenue. One hundred gold coins was a marquis-class salary. It was not an amount one should pay for such near-death monsters.

"You, are you kidding me...!"

The Little One lightly raised her right hand, stopping Dorfen before he could finish shouting.

"One hundred gold coins. Got it."

With that, the Little One ran back to the carriage and had two leather pouches brought over. Inside each were fifty gold coins. Handing them over, the girl grinned broadly.

"So these guys are mine now, right?"

Taking the bags of gold coins, the man stared at the Little One with an expression of disbelief. Then he noticed that her carriage was being pulled by a spider monster and that other monsters were swarming around it, and the color drained from his face.

"Alright then. You guys are free! Come on out!"

With a light wave of her hand, golden magic shot out from the Little One’s fingertips like ribbons. It traced an arc to each cage, and the moment it touched them, they burst into powder with a pop. The golden dust danced around the monsters and was absorbed into them. After a moment, the listless monsters stirred and rose to their feet. They looked around in a daze for a moment, then kicked their legs and began to smash the cages with their bodies. The posts and planks shattered with a loud cracking sound.

"Whaaaaaa?!"

Amidst the caravan men who screamed and fled in surprise, only the black-haired man stood there, dumbfounded. The monsters broke out of their cages and approached the Little One.

Snapping back to his senses, the black-haired man shouted in a panic.

"Run! I can’t believe they still had this much strength left! Hey, you lot! The magic stones...!"

Before the flustered, black-haired man, who had drawn the sword at his waist, the monsters knelt before the girl and bowed their heads.

...Huh?

Stroking their obediently lowered heads, the girl smiled like a flower.

"You’ve been through a lot. It was tough, wasn’t it? Let’s go home."

With that, the Little One mounted a large boar and began to move at a slow plod, poku poku, keeping pace with the carriage. The other monsters fell in line beside it.

Leaving the dumbfounded caravan behind, the party departed as if nothing had happened. The black-haired man couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events. What in the world had just happened?

His name was Kazuki Tachibana. He was the grandson of the old man the Little One had met in Kilfan. He was an eccentric who had left the newly reborn Kingdom of Kilfan to wander the lands and build his own merchant caravan. He disliked stability and dearly loved his current rootless existence, but the foundation of it all was the knowledge and technology of Kilfan. Using these things skillfully, he led a sizable caravan despite his youth.

Even the knowledgeable Kazuki had never seen a child like that.

...Wait? Have I seen her before? With her black hair, is she of mixed Kilfan descent? Is that why? Did I see her in the homeland I left? No, the age doesn’t match. I left Kilfan eight years ago. Back then, that girl would have been a baby.

While Kazuki agonized, the Little One proceeded on her merry way, doing as she pleased. With the long line of monsters, the carriage was now almost an afterthought for the Little One Squad and the Mononoke Squad. It was a foregone conclusion that the Castrato Royal Palace, upon their arrival, would be plunged into a crucible of shrieking chaos.

Namu♪