← Previous Chapter | Chapter Index | Next Chapter →

The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

Reunion with a Friend

Translated by: S3

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

*****

It was ten days later when Elna and her companions crossed the border into Marls and arrived at Crushment, the town where the meeting was scheduled to take place. The number of carriages that had departed from the Kingdom of Wizrain had dwindled along the way; with only Cross, Elna, Noma acting as Elna's lady-in-waiting, a handful of servants and coachmen, and a few guard knights, it was a startlingly small entourage for a King and his fiancée to be traveling abroad.

Crushment was not the royal capital of Marls, but merely a town designated by the Empire for this particular conference. The Empire's attitude was flagrantly one-sided—borrowing the location while refusing any interference from the nation of Marls itself—but perhaps the King of Marls felt more at ease that way.

The response to the messenger magic Cross had sent to Marls had been: 『All shall be as the Empire desires.』 Marls, too, being a small nation caught between the Empire and Wizrain, surely spent its days fraught with worry.

「King Crossgard, it has been a long time! And Elna, you too!」

Having passed through the gates of Crushment and arrived at the lord's manor, Elna and the others were greeted by a beautiful young man with long silver hair tied back in a single bunch.

「...Kyle!? You came for us?」

「Of course. I am the negotiator for the Kingdom of Wizrain, after all. No matter what happens, I'll be there... ah.」

「Pardon me,」 Kyle said, taking a step back from Elna to bow to Cross.

「...My deepest congratulations to you both on your engagement.」

「I have already received the official congratulations from the Kingdom of Marls.」

「Ufufu. I simply wanted to offer my own personal well-wishes.」

「I see. Then I shall accept them from you once more.」

Though their words carried a professional distance, Cross’s expression was soft.

Kyle was the reincarnation of a man named Kylevis, who in the past was hailed as a genius inventor. Kyle himself had no memories of his previous life, carrying only a faint trace of those feelings in the depths of his heart, but his appearance was almost identical to his predecessor.

It was likely a coincidence born from his blood relation to Kylevis’s family, but combined with his looks, Elna occasionally found herself falling into a complex mood. Cross seemed to have made a clear distinction in his role as King, but he likely held a genuine fondness for Kyle the man.

Beside Elna, Noma was staring at Kyle with a narrowed, suspicious gaze, so Elna made a mental note to tell her later that he was alright. Back when Kyle was treated as a guest at Wizrain Castle, it was a famous story among the maids that he had repeatedly acted suspiciously while searching for the sacred sword Chiarore.

Ignoring the Hamster Spirit, who was muttering 『Ask if they have sunflower seeds, gonsu...』 atop her head, Elna kept the conversation safe. 「This must have been hard for your side too, with everything happening so suddenly.」

Kyle’s eyes crinkled in a smile.

「No, no, it was nothing compared to your side... I’ll have the carriages and luggage moved to your accommodations. The servants as well, please. You may all travel by carriage too, but... if you like, I would love to show you around the town of Crushment. It doesn't have the splendor of the capital, but I think you'll find it charming.」

He addressed the latter part of his invitation to Cross with a smile.

「I had given up because the distance from Wizrain made it difficult, but the truth is, I’ve wanted to invite you to this town for a long time.」

The true meaning behind Kyle's joyful words became apparent very shortly thereafter.

---

Upon entering the town, Elna didn't notice the strangeness at first.

「O-ohhh, ohhhh?」

Elna’s blue eyes blinked in rapid succession, and Noma, too, had both hands pressed to her mouth, trembling slightly with a series of *wa-wa-wa*s. Cross, of course, remained as dignified as a King should be, though his inner thoughts were hidden.

The knights from Wizrain all stood with their mouths agape, wearing faces of pure shock.

After all, iron horses were moving. Not living horses. Iron ones.

「A carriage!? This is!?」

「It doesn't... seem to be spirit arts.」

Elna was pointing in astonishment, but Cross was observing calmly with his arms crossed.

The carriages that occasionally passed through the town were, upon closer inspection, drawn by horses made of iron, and furthermore, they had no drivers. Though they moved with a slight unnaturalness, they were agile enough for travel and trotted past with a *paka-paka* sound.

The town itself didn't seem much different from the capital of Wizrain, but for example, the parks were equipped with devices called "faucets" that produced water with just a twist, and people were lined up with buckets. When they passed a shop, the doors opened automatically, and a moderately cool breeze flowed out from within. 『Gonsuu...』 the Hamster Spirit atop Elna’s head sighed, enjoying the cool air happily.

「It is a technology called **Magimechanics** (),」 Kyle, leading the way, explained with a proud puff of his chest.

「Because Marls has a small territory, we receive fewer blessings from the spirits. As I mentioned before, we independently research and incorporate systems that are known as **Ancient Artifacts** in the Kingdom of Wizrain. This is the result. Crushment, in particular, utilizes the most cutting-edge Magimechanics. Technologies tested here eventually spread to all parts of Marls.」

「Ancient Artifacts... they do look similar...」

Elna murmured in a voice only she could hear. She remembered Kyle’s past life—Kylevis.

He had been a bit more irresponsible than Kyle, his speech always had a lingering drawl, and he absolutely loved interesting things. Hailed as a genius of invention, he created various items that are now called Ancient Artifacts. Pots and cups that overflowed with endless tea. Picnic sheets that floated slightly only when sweets were placed on them. Vases that bloomed flowers when you clapped your hands.

His inventions ranged from such whimsical trifles to the massive barrier that enveloped the castle of Wizrain.

「Ufufu. I am actually one of the leading experts in Magimechanics. Ah, ever since I was a child, I’ve loved Magimechanics and Ancient Artifacts so much... I used to get scolded by my parents for taking apart every piece of Magimechanics in the house! The reason I visited Wizrain as an envoy before was partly because I was hoping I might get a chance to see your country's Ancient Artifacts...」

「Ehehe...」 Kyle scratched his head, his long tail-like hair swaying left and right. Elna could almost see the image of Kyle as a young boy.

Then, wearing a strangely mischievous look, Kyle leaned in to whisper to Elna.

「Even now, I'm thinking of all sorts of new inventions. ...Just between us, I'm working on a technology for transporting goods that’s even better than horses.」

「Better than horses...?」

Elna tilted her head and wondered. Kyle looked delighted. Atop her head, the Hamster Spirit looked uninterested, scratching its ear with a foot—*shipi-pipi-pi*.

「...Hmm. Like, using a whole lot of hamsters to carry a ton of luggage, or having hamsters join forces to move something huge?」

「*Nh-ha!*」

For some reason, Kyle clapped his hands together and burst into laughter.

「I like it! I’ll keep that in mind too!」

(What's his deal...?) Elna’s ears turned red, and she quietly puffed out her cheeks. Even a former dragon has a sense of shame. She turned away for a while, but when she glanced back, Kyle and Cross were deep in discussion. Likely, they were talking about Magimechanics...

「That’s the man who was sneaking around Wizrain Castle before, isn't it?」 Noma whispered.

Elna nodded. 「Yes. He looks suspicious, but he’s not *that* suspicious. It’s okay.」

「Really...? Hmm...」

Standing beside Noma, who still pouted as if she didn't quite believe it, Elna watched Kyle’s profile. She had thought Magimechanics resembled Ancient Artifacts, but it felt slightly different. When she wondered why, it hit her.

The water, the horses, the cool breeze—the Magimechanics made in Marls were all things designed to help people's lives.

Kylevis had also enjoyed inventing things to help his friends, but she didn't think his inventions were something that everyone could use on a daily basis.

『I want to make things that make everyone happy.』

The voice of her departed friend suddenly echoed in her mind.

It felt lonely, yet it made her happy.

Perhaps Elna was no longer able to keep these two emotions separate.

A smile formed on her lips of its own accord.

(I see... Your 'everyone' now refers to the people of this country.)

People change. That's what makes it lonely, and what makes it endearing.

「...Elna?」

「...Ah!」

She had been so lost in thought that it took her a moment to realize Kyle was waving his hand in front of her face. Embarrassed by her delayed reaction, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Naturally, all eyes were on her.

「I was just speaking with King Crossgard... This is a prototype. Would you like to have it?」

「A prototype? Of Magimechanics? Or rather... a cloth bag?」

「It’s not just a bag. This bag looks very small, but it can hold much more than it appears. Hmm, I wonder why... The idea just came to me suddenly after I saw you in your country recently. I made it by slightly shifting the internal space from the external space...」

「............」

(Could it be...?) Elna looked off into the distance.

Back in her past life, when Kylevis had blown up his workshop and incurred the full wrath of Vaid, he had said something similar when he was forced to build a sturdier one. He had muttered something about warping time and space inside and out just a little, so that if another explosion happened, he would be the only one affected. (The point was to not blow it up in the first place!)

Cross seemed to have reached the same conclusion, his expression unreadable, but when his eyes met Elna’s, he gave a slight nod. They had both confirmed it.

「Then, I think I’ll take it. Thank you. Hmm, I wonder what I should put inside...」

The Hamster Spirit immediately dove into the bag, but no change was visible from the outside.

「Wow... it really is amazing.」

「You're very welcome.」

She was helping the Hamster Spirit, who was struggling as it repeatedly ducked in and out of the bag's opening, when she looked at her surroundings once more.

A grand carriage passed by.

It was not drawn by an iron horse made of Magimechanics; instead, a large crest was carved into the box-shaped cabin.

A design that called to mind a tiger made of ice—the crest of the Albarul Empire.

*Katan, katan, katan, katan, katan...*

Strangely, the only thing she could hear clearly was the sound of the carriage wheels turning. It was as if all other sounds had vanished. Naturally, her gaze was pinned to it. The carriage windows were covered by curtains, making it impossible to see inside. But for a single moment...

A pair of red eyes peeked through a tiny gap in the curtains.

「............!」

The curtains swayed and closed immediately, and the carriage vanished into the distance.

In an instant, the surrounding bustle returned. Cross remained composed, but Noma and the few guard knights were so tense they had lost their words.

「...The people of the Albarul Empire are being guided to a different set of accommodations,」 Kyle said, lowering his voice as he keenly sensed the atmosphere.

「It seems their arrival was earlier than scheduled... Orders should be issued to the people of Marls shortly. For the duration of your stay, you will have no further contact with the Empire.」

He paused for a beat.

「—The next time you meet the Empire, it will be during the actual negotiations.」