← Previous Chapter | Chapter Index | Next Chapter →

The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

The Hamster Cries

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

『If Lady Elna says she is going, then I shall go as well! I shall hide myself most thoroughly!』 Halburn had thrashed about and protested, but Cross ended the discussion with a curt, 『The Duke cannot go,』 leaving Halburn with the duty of guarding the castle in the King's absence.

『In that case, I shall accompany Lord Vaid. To think this harmless, aged form of mine might finally be of some use.』

Commonwald had looked strangely proud, but no matter how one looked at him, his back was far too straight; to a trained eye, it was obvious that his slender frame was composed of tempered muscle. Elna had sensed it occasionally herself—Commonwald’s movements were those of someone well-versed in the martial arts.

The Head Butler, who was the kingdom’s brain in all but name, had puffed out his chest with confidence, but he was unable to hide his shock when he was promptly rejected as well. He, too, was tasked with remaining behind to focus on the kingdom’s defense.

Recalling these events inside the carriage, Elna made her way toward the country of Marls.

(I became engaged to Cross specifically for this, after all.)

She was done with being left on the sidelines, left only with regrets.

Though it was a massive miscalculation that her own decision to go had resulted in dragging Noma along with her.

---

「...Noma, are you okay?」

「...Fwah. I'm fine-fyu. I'm awake-hyo?」

「No, you were mostly asleep.」

Looking at Noma beside her, Elna saw her head nodding as she drifted in and out of sleep.

Even though it was a neighboring country, reaching Marls would take about a week by carriage.

While that felt remarkably fast for travel between nations, it was because Marls had originally been a part of the Kingdom of Wizrain; the neighboring villages still interacted, and the highways were well-maintained. Furthermore, the carriage had been lightened with the royal capital's specialized wind spirit magic, allowing the horses to run for long periods without rest. This was knowledge she had gleaned from Mrs. Brownie’s lessons, but even if the carriage itself was comfortable, an unfamiliar journey was still taxing.

「Look, use my lap if you're going to sleep. Just dozing like that will only make you feel worse, won't it? If you're going to sleep, just go for it.」

「But I'm Elna's lady-in-waiting...」

「Once you're feeling refreshed, I'll ask you to do the same for me. We have to bypass the Vidrast Mountains to cross the border into Marls. From there, we still have to travel to the city where the talks are being held, so we need to conserve our strength.」

「Come on, now.」 When Elna patted her lap, Noma’s eyes grew bleary, and she promptly sank into the space between Elna’s knees. Seeing her healthy sleeping face, Elna’s lips curved into a slight smile.

(Jipi... when Noma said she was going to Marls with me, he volunteered to be a guard, but he was so frustrated when he realized it was impossible.)

The prohibition on carrying weapons applied strictly to the actual meeting where the Albarul Empire would be present. There were no such restrictions specified for traveling across the border. That said, they wanted to avoid provoking the Empire. Currently, a limited number of knights were guarding the perimeter of the carriage, but that number was scheduled to decrease even further once they crossed the border. For that reason, the guards consisted only of a select few hand-picked by Halburn, and Jipi hadn't made the cut.

(He said he'd be fine as long as he could live a steady life every day, but that wasn't the look on his face back then...)

It was the face of someone regretting their own lack of strength.

Elna understood that feeling very well, because it was a face she had seen many times in the mirror.

By interacting with others, both oneself and the other person change little by little. It was both frightening and something to look forward to. When she stopped by the church where Kakami was before departing, Kakami’s pink hair swayed with surprise as she cried, 『Eeeh!?』

『Elna, you're going on a trip for a while!? Whaaat, are you going to be okay!? If that's the case, you absolutely must take my "Everything-Will-Be-Fine Set"!』

And so, she had been handed various things. To put it in Kakami-speak, they were things like 『A super sturdy water bottle and string』 and 『A lap blanket that's very thin and folds up small but is still warm.』 She wondered if she would ever use them... but they didn't take up much space, and she appreciated the sentiment, so she decided to bring them along. They were currently piled in the corner of the carriage.

Incidentally, she had been worried that the public announcement of the engagement would finally reveal her identity as Cross’s fiancée to the townspeople... but apparently, the consensus was: 『I wanted to see the fiancée's face, but there were so many people I got buried in the crowd and couldn't really tell!』 She wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or feel that she had missed her chance to explain herself.

—And then.

「...Why did you come along too?」

While stroking Noma’s head, Elna let her quiet voice drop.

A small shadow stood up on the sofa opposite her. A tiny hamster with fluffy cream-colored fur and cute, round eyes.

『There was no option of not going, gonsu!』

The Hamster Spirit puffed out its pink nose happily, but Elna couldn't help but wonder why things never seemed to go smoothly—Noma notwithstanding.

『If it's an outing, then of course I'm coming along, gansu! Let's-a go, gonsu~! Puhihi!』

「I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we're not exactly going on a pleasure trip, you know...?」

Elna was slightly worried that this hamster thought they were just going sightseeing.

『I know that, gonsu. Mumu!』

She couldn't help but wryly smile as it puffed out its cheeks and turned away.

「I'm sorry. It was a joke.」

『Muhun... It's about time I've built up enough for my dedicated dance, gansu. I feel like I can do something, gonsu!』

As if saying, "Now, behold!", the Hamster Spirit began to dance in front of Elna, moving its hands rapidly back and forth and shaking its hips with sharp precision. Elna didn't understand it at all, but she recognized it as the mysterious movement the Hamster Spirit performed occasionally.

「Well... maybe seeing those moves will help the other side relax a little.」

She gave it a gentle poke and stifled a laugh.

『That tickles, gansu~!』

「Haha. ...But since I didn't think you were coming, I forgot to bring any sunflower seeds. I wonder if they have them over there.」

『...Could there possibly be a place without sunflower seeds, gonsu...?』

「Of course there is. If you go somewhere unexpectedly, it's more common for them not to have any, you know?」

「Well, it should be fine. You're a spirit, so frankly, it's not like you'll have a problem if you don't eat,」 Elna muttered to herself. At that, the Hamster Spirit convulsed from head to toe—*hamu-mu-mu-mu*.

『That's...! I can't endure that, gansu!!』

The Hamster Spirit screamed, but it had not yet realized the fact that it wouldn't be able to eat sunflower seeds during the entire carriage journey until they reached Marls.

It was a piteous hamster.

『Bery bery unhappy, gonsuuu!』

「Be... eh? Very... what...?」