Hi! A lot of stuff happens this chapter despite it being a bit short~ There isn"t even a picture. Actually, I noticed that since there are 11 chapters in this book while still being the same length as the other books, the chapters are about a page in Word shorter than in As.h.i.+taMa.
Chapter 7
Standing before the cloudy, dark green water, I secretly worried.
My eyes are bloodshot from crying last night for the first time in a while and I want to rinse them out. But was.h.i.+ng my face with this water would be inviting an eye disease on myself. Come on conjunctivitis with blepharitis. I tried taking off my sungla.s.ses to see if the color would change, but the dark green just turned mossy.
It happened when I had just decided to suck it up and do it.
“Uwah!”
I thought a large leather bag had floated up, but the surface of the river broke and a kappa appeared. (1)
“A kappa!?”
What rose out of the water was a normal human child brus.h.i.+ng their wet hair out of their face.
In the warm morning sunlight, he had swum over from the other side of the river that we couldn’t even see and, without getting permission from anyone, climbed up on deck. Maybe the crew was used to this sort of thing because they don’t say anything to the soaking wet kid.
The legs and arms sticking out of his white s.h.i.+rt and shorts aren’t st.u.r.dy looking enough to call him a young man. He’s barely ten. The boy places the leather bag he’d dragged with him in front of me. It’s the same size as he is.
“Greetings.”
He’s kind of like a European who has some asian blood… or maybe just the fact that he has single fold eyelids and a small nose makes him seem a bit asian. Of course, his eyes aren’t black and he has reddish brown, tight waves.
“I’m David from Copperfield’s. I hope you’re enjoying your journey.”
“Thank you. Did you swim here all the way from the sh.o.r.e pulling along this bag? That’s awesome.”
“What is? Me swimming? I’m used to it. It’s my job, after all.”
“But aren’t you cold? It’s almost winter.”
“I’m fine. I’ll dry off. Right away. I’m used to it. Do you need anything? Cigars? Soap? I have everything… sheep food..? Well if a subst.i.tute is okay I can dig up something.”
He had a perfect business smile and customer service voice.
Flynn had been invited to breakfast by Commander Mountain Range and Murata had been fis.h.i.+ng in the river since the morning. After settling our stomachs with some snack food, T-Zou and I had absolutely nothing to do. Even so, doing squats on the deck wasn’t very useful for relieving emotional fatigue.
Both my body and heart needed a rest, I knew that, but there have been so many devastating events happening one after another that I can’t relax because I’m so tense.
Thinking it might brighten my mood, I peek at David’s wares that he’s spread out.
“What kind of things do you have? Do you have any souvenirs? Stuff like local food?”
“Of course. How about some s.h.i.+maron chestnuts? They’re tough and delicious.” (2)
The object he pulled out of his waterproof leather bag wasn’t the kind of chestnut I was imagining. It had the appearance of a delicate, round truffle and it had a very nostalgic smell.
“Uwah, ugh it’s bitter! This tastes like seirogan!” (3)
I dig around in my workpants’s pocket with my right hand looking for some of the s.h.i.+maron money I had. Then I remember what happened when we boarded this boat and I ask the merchant, “I only have this, is that alright?”
“Yes, of course. This is Small s.h.i.+maron so that’s normal. I don’t really have enough change, though.”
“But, if a war starts, won’t you not be able to use this money?”
David flashes me a friendly smile and unfastens his change purse from his waist.
“Since I’m gonna use it for food today and tomorrow and also for restocking my supplies, there’s no way I’d still have any of it left by the time the war starts.”
“You even go to the supplier by yourself? That’s cool; I can’t believe it. You’re still a kid.”
“Not at all.”
The merchant waves a dismissive hand as he smiles.
“Next year I’ll be twelve so I’ll be conscripted and I can send money home to my family. But until then, I have to find customers like this and make some money or my brothers will starve. But today I had some luck. Usually there aren’t any other pa.s.sengers on a prisoner transport. I really had some good luck today with a nice adult like you onboard.”
“Daaamn, you’re pretty good. I wonder if I should just buy as much as that money can get me. Give me that hairy thing too.”
“Thank you very much. How about this paper cutter? It’s made out of a rare bone.”
A flock of birds pa.s.ses by overhead. On the surface of the water, there is a cl.u.s.ter of bugs that looks like water striders gliding along.
“The weather has been strange lately,” David said as he wiped the dust off of the goods I just bought. “It’s a strange sky. There must be something like an earthquake coming. The birds are out of season and the fish are being caught in huge droves. It seems like giant squids have appeared in foreign oceans. Why are giant squids that no one’s seen before suddenly coming up from the depths… I really think something’s going on. Something that only the animals can sense. I don’t know if it’s because of that, but the adults in town are starting to tell some scary lies. Like a ghost is haunting the empty house in the forest or graves are robbed right after a funeral…”
“I’m not from around here so I don’t know, but is it not normal for the skies to be cloudy this time of the year?”
“It’s not just the sky, but the animals too. They’re crossing over too much lately. Speaking of too much…”
He adds his anxious thoughts about the room that Flynn’s having tea in.
“There’s a lot of prisoner transfers too. It wasn’t like that before last year.”
“Yeah, I hear that they’re transferring them to a cape near the mouth of the river up north. They say it’s a prison like paradise, good for spending old age in.”
“Everyone said the same thing on the last s.h.i.+p and the s.h.i.+p before that. That they’re going to the cape. There’s a bunch of good fields there for different crops and there’s always something growing all year long. But it’s weird. Sending the prisoners there is weird. I mean, the prison at the cape was closed down two years ago. It’s weird.”
David repeated that it was weird again. I had had my own doubts about the story, but it wasn’t where we were headed so I hadn’t given it much thought. Those guys might have a cruel fate and the jailers and officials lied to them to keep them from knowing. If that’s true, then sadly I can’t do anything for Commander Mountain Range and everyone.
David from Copperfield’s sold me even things I didn’t need and left the same way he came. He’s gonna swim through the dark green, cloudy water to the far away sh.o.r.e I can’t even make out. He’s definitely a bit kappa-like. But next year he’s going to be twelve. He’s going to start the well paid military life. He won’t be dragging around the body-sized leather bag as he swims through a cold and dirty river anymore.
He might become one of the people being transferred on this boat.
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(1) A kappa is a creature that lives in rivers and ponds. This is pasted from my As.h.i.+taMa footnote about them: A kappa is a water monster. The most popular version being a turtle creature with a little bowl-like spot on the top of their head that needs to stay filled with water or they lose all their power. They’re said to do stuff ranging from little pranks to straight up drowning people in the river.
(2) There was a mini-joke in here~ One of the ways to say ‘chestnut’ in j.a.panese is ‘maron’ so the kid said “How about some s.h.i.+maron maron?” People usually just say ‘kuri’ for chestnut.
(3) Seirogan are beechwood extract pills used to treat diarrhea.
It’s already been half a day since he altered the advance party’s trajectory to head towards the Calorian border. The fastest group had already landed in Small s.h.i.+maron. Also, the two units who had quickly went around the Gilbit harbor town should have started gathering information in the autonomous region of Caloria.
Lord von Voltaire had headed down to the research room from h.e.l.l in order to tell Greta the news. However, why exactly does he have to keep visiting that place? Since he’s in charge of the investigation and is supervising all the soldiers in this state of emergency in absence of the king, it’s strange that he’s constantly going to report all of the insignificant details personally.
Next time, he’s going to call them to his office. Gwendal decides this as he pushes open the door.
The soundproofing is perfect as always. As soon as the heavy doors opened, really loud noises drift out.
“Ngaah! That’s not fair Anissi-agh!”
It’s the scream of a child crushed to death. Thinking she might be committing abuse, he runs into the room, but it was just the descendant of the Wincotts, Lindsey, getting his nose pinched until it turned red.
“What did I tell you to call me?”
“Hah… Lady hon Karhelnikaa… egh.”
“That’s right. Calling an older person by their first name on the very first day you meet them is just incredibly rude.”
That’s the number one villainess who pops up in children’s dreams for you (according to the Great Demon Kingdom’s research). She won’t show any lenience even when concerning what a child calls her.
Lindsey squats down on the floor after being released and wipes away his tears with his hand. Before he knew it, Gwendal was thinking to himself ‘that’s a good boy’ as he clenched his fist.
Greta had Okiku Günter in her lap and is discussing something quietly with him.
As he was flooded with ridiculous uncle-like feelings, his eyes met with Okiku.
Having gotten over crying in bed and trying to run away from home, the light in his eyes is strangely different.
“Gwen! Did you find Yuuri!?”
“No.”
The doll spoke to Greta as she was about to fall into despair. The moving parts of its chin and eyelids made clacking noises.
“It’s alright, Greta. Our kingdom’s superior soldiers will definitely find His Majesty.”
“I know…”
Lady Anissina von Karbelnikoff, in the midst of putting an ancient teaching method into practice, is bending over and looking down upon the exhausted child with his legs sprawled out across the floor. What is that wooden puppet standing up next to them!? Gwendal, concerned about his childhood friend’s well-being, a.s.sumes a posture like he’s about to kick it down.
The large man with the almost transparent white skin (completely naked) is Snow Günter being controlled by the Wincott poison. The soul has been taken out… but even so, he’s still alive… when he moves around in that condition, it’s a huge change compared to his super beauty from when he was properly alive.
The s.h.i.+ne in his hair is gone, his skin seems unhealthy, his eyes are cloudy, his jaw is loose and out of position and his cheeks are gaunt. Also, his stomach, b.u.t.tocks and crotch are all flat and as he stands by the pet.i.te Anissina, he just looks like an incompetent giant whose only merit is his height.
He was much lovelier when he was packed in with the snow. Since he’s in the process of becoming a zombie, wis.h.i.+ng he was lovely might be a bit awful.
“Okay, Lindsey. What shall we play next?”
The Mad Magicalist, Lindsey von Wincott and Snow Günter – two people and one body – have spent half the day trying every single game imaginable. The games Lindsey wanted to play were hide-and-seek, Poison Lady Tag, the Super Magic-Powered Yoyo, magical comics, and Mr. Pocket Monster Demon. Anissina’s suggestions were Grudge Demon (the object of the game was the independence of the wife), smas.h.i.+ng demon building blocks (the object of the game was the independence of the daughter), demon forest soccer, dancing for scary dead people spirits and so on. The list is endless.
“It’s your turn to decide. Go on and say what game you want to use Snow Günter for.”
The descendant of the Wincotts sits down hard on the floor and flung his arms and legs out and gazed at the ceiling.
“I’m bored of this!”
“What did you say? Are you sure?”
Okiku Günter’s eyes snap open. A beam burns off a part of the curtains.
“Yeah. I’m bored of Snow Günter. I don’t need him anymore. I’ll give him away.”
Children are cruel.
“Wahohohohohohohoho!”
Letting loose a voice like a happy dog running around in the garden, Okiku rolls around on the floor. The red, killer beams fly around wildly and the nursemaid holding the child screams. Eventually, with a weird sound like a suction pad being ripped off, the soul comes out of its mouth. It wanders around near the ceiling before popping into the stock still Snow Günter.
“… Günter?” asked Greta timidly.
The color in Snow Günter’s cheeks is gradually returning and his back is straightening out. His heart starts beating again and blood is moving through the veins in his body and his chest is starting to function again.
“A great success,” Anissina gloats.
Gwendal is relieved that the small and cute Greta and Lindsey weren’t brought to any harm.
However, the revived Lord Günter von Christ has been joyously reborn. He’s gained new abilities and grown emotionally and has been upgraded to Real Günter. He can no longer be compared to Previous Günter. His current pa.s.sion and att.i.tude towards carrying out his duties make it as if he’s a completely different person.
The ‘Let’s get to work!’ spirit is forming an aura oozing out of his entire body.
“Now ‘at I’m back, iz all righ’. Leave ery’ing ‘o me.”
But, his jaw is still out of alignment.
“Righ’, less star’ wit the piled up wor- achoo!”
And he’s showing off while completely naked.
His body just won’t get used to civilized living after such a long time.
“… These clothes are somewhat p.r.i.c.kly. But I only spent a little time naked… at this rate, His Majesty will come to hate me. His Majesty likes me better when I wear clothes.”
‘You tried otherwise!?’ was what only one person retorted in their mind.
His speech patterns have completely returned to normal. Lady von Karbelnikoff, knowing nothing of restraint or going easy, had reinserted his jaw bone. Completely dressed, Lord von Christ returned to the headquarters of Blood Pledge Castle for the first time in ten days. He starts spouting off little words of wonder.
“Ah… my office I haven’t been at for a while, the castle air I haven’t breathed in a while… achooachooachooachoo ACHOO! The dust- achoo! d.a.m.n it all!”
Or not.
“It’s not that it’s sad that His Majesty isn’t here, it’s sad that I can’t be by His Majesty’s side. Ah, Your Majesty… I offer up the 72nd song of praise of Your Majesty… His Majesty that loves winter, the something something person~”
He’s horribly messing up the lyrics.
Gwendal clicked his tongue. Where did all that determination from before go? With him like this, becoming Real Günter won’t change anything, will it? Greta, who had been sticking her head out the door, quickly drew her head back in.
“Someone’s coming! They’re carrying something huge.”
“Your Excellency! I am reporting without delay!”
“What happened?”
It seems that the guard knows which one of them is safer to receive their orders from. The guard who had run up out of breath kneels in front of Gwendal and showed him his back. What he was carrying was a limp model skeleton on the verge of death.
It was an Ubasuteyama with an uneasy conscience. (1)
This was the first time the heir of the von Wincotts, Lindsey, had seen one of the tribe so he was really excited.
“Please excuse my rudeness. He… this flying skeleton has pa.s.sed its limits with its continued mind connection and has exhausted itself into immobility.”
“That’s fine. Just tell me the facts.”
“Frankly, one of the members of the tribe… Um, I can’t really understand it well. It said it received words from His Majesty.”
“Words? Did it meet him directly?”
“It seems so.”
“And just what was it told?”
The soldier tilted his head to the side and turned his face to his back and the skeleton made a noise like air being let out.
“He said ‘evenin.’”
That’s a greeting, probably. Lord von Voltaire sits at the desk he’s become accustomed to and waves his right hand for the soldier to continue his report.
“Okay, I’ll translate… member, of tribe, His Majesty, saw. Travelling, he was, river, by boat.”
“Not the direct translation. Please translate it liberally.”
“Yes sir. My father’s father’s father, a relative of a far lineage, departed on a journey on a flowing river. He partook of alcohol with a comrade and exchanged the stories of their lives. The river divides the land and flows to the vast ocean.”
The Flying Skeleton Tribe is quite poetic. All present in the room make this new discovery.
“This fortuitous meeting in a strange land was heard on the tidings of the wind by a friend. Those beautiful black eyes gazed fondly upon our ghastly visage.”
“Get to the point! Stop this prose. Well, the prose is wonderful, but shorten it for now.”
“Yes sir! It seems that he had contact with His Majesty on the Longalbalu River heading north in Small s.h.i.+maron. While it was dark, he sent a telepathic message to the nearest buried Earth Skeleton tribe and that one rose from its grave and walked a far distance to the next buried Earth Skeleton tribe and then next to a fallen Flying Skeleton tribe and the message was carried along like that.”
“They do like to be buried,” said Anissina after being silent the whole time. She’s gazing greedily at the bones. That’s dangerous.
“Going north on the Longalbalu River… that means… the cape?”
“It’s heading towards the prison at the cape. It seems to be a prisoner transport.”
“Prisoner transport!? Why is he riding on that boat?”
Saying that he doesn’t know, the soldier falls silent. Sometimes the behavior of King Yuuri was completely unpredictable.
“Wh-what should we do!? Prisoners! If something happens to His Majesty’s body… Ah! His Beautiful Majesty! It’s like throwing a little sheep into a pack of beasts!”
Not having any way of knowing what the sheep was really getting up to, Günter works himself into a panic.
“The fact that you are worried about something like that is strange. If you throw a man into a group of men, all you have to worry about is his personality getting worse,” Anissina stated.
Gwendal had started planning on who to order where in his head. Going himself would be the best, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to leave the capitol to Günter. Besides, the detention facility at the cape was closed two years ago. If the prisoners aren’t being transported for imprisonment, then why are they being moved en ma.s.se?
Where was Lord von Bielefelt’s current location? Since he just up and left the castle, he hadn’t been able to tell him the card relay points. He’s probably with Gisela, so maybe he should rely on her judgment.
At any rate, if Wolfram could head that way…
Greta let out an unbelievable shriek. She’s not the sort of child to cry and scream over something silly. Even the startled flying skeleton flaps its tired wings.
Two guards come carrying a man, half supported and half dragged. At first, neither Gwendal nor Günter knew who it was. The man was unable to lift his head, so he forces his words out while gazing at the floor.
“… Your Excellency… I apologize… for coming… without permission…”
He desperately tries to lift his face. His left eye is closed up with inflamed skin and there are negligently treated burns on his cheek and nose. His grey hair and beard that had turned near-white is just barely covering half of his face.
“Hube!”
Calling his name for the first time in months, Greta runs towards the man.
Lord Gegenhuber Grisela escaped the grasp of the two guards and fell prostrate on the cold floor.
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(1) Ubasuteyama is basically a mountain where old women were abandoned during a time of famine. There’s a story of a son who carried his mother on his back to this mountain and on the way, she was breaking twigs and dropping them so that her son could safely find his way back after he abandoned her there. It’s a lot more touching than my quick summary, though.
That"s the end of this chapter. Seriously, a lot of stuff got crammed in to this chapter.
Poor Yuuri! He was totally crying over Conrad. Although, I"m pretty sure it"s because he"s happy he"s not dead so I guess saying "Poor Yuuri" isn"t warranted in this situation ^-^;;
Also, Günter actually cursed! That"s amazing in and of itself~
Oh, and David from Copperfield"s XD I love this series.