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The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

Vivid Memories. An Unforgettable Story.

Translated by: S3

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

*****

At that moment, Elna, with the same expression she had then, sat huddled small before Cross, who was clutching his stomach laughing.

「You! Would anyone jump!? From the top of the castle to the bottom! From that height! With all their might!」

「...I forgot that people don't jump from high places. No, I remember, but how should I put it... sometimes my head just goes weird like that.」

Of course, she was scolded terribly by Noma afterward. The soldier she was supposed to deliver the lost item to was also completely stunned and weak-kneed, so she reflected on the fact that she had truly done something pitiable.

They were doubtful of Elna's physical abilities, which were impossible for a human, but Noma said in an exasperated voice, "You are incredibly good at wind magic, aren't you?" so she left it at that.

Elna felt bitter every time she recalled it, but Cross continued to chuckle with his shoulders shaking as he sat in his chair.

「Thanks to that, rumors are already spreading that there's a strange maid... Oops. Yes, Your Majesty! A delivery from the kitchen! I'm returning now! I'm disappearing now! Yes, goodbye!」

「Wait, don't sulk, don't sulk.」

A tray rested in the trembling hands of Elna. It seemed to be something made from sugar, which she had bought at a shop during her errand in the rain today. Seeing Elna return with a light step hyoihyoi while lifting a large amount of sugar, screams echoed in the kitchen, and Noma, who had made the request, also nearly fainted, never expecting her to bring it all back at once.

「What is it? I am working, so please do not mind me.」

「I've already told Commonwald about bringing you here. Just let me talk a little.」

I thought I needed to tell you too, Cross said as he stood up, causing an avalanche of documents on the office desk. When he flusteredly waved the fingers of the hand opposite the one holding the tray, a Wind Spirit that came through the gap in the lattice blew a breath, and everything returned to its original state as if time had rewound.

「Sorry. But, as expected of you.」

「If it's something simple, they'll just do it if I ask. Even so, this room. There are quite a lot of spirits, aren't there?」

「I can't see them, but is that so?」

"Yeah," Elna tried to reply, but since they were already swarming all over her body, she screamed 「Daa!」 and thrashed about. "Kyaa!" the spirits fled immediately, but they kept coming back. They weren't playing around.

If nature is close and comfortable like in a garden, spirits will come on their own, but even with the lattice window letting in plenty of light, Cross's office was bustling to a slightly unnatural degree. The usual Hamster Spirit was also dancing on top of Elna's head.

「Right. That's what I wanted to tell you. Look over here for a moment.」

Saying that, Cross thrust out his right hand. He inhaled slowly, then stopped. At that moment, she noticed magic overflowing from Cross's right hand.

「...What is this?」

「A seal. In my case, it is carved into this body.」

—A seal. It was the same as the soldier's lost item. It was said to be magic that could open permitted doors.

With magic that seemed to flare up, a gentle wind was born, and the back of Cross's right hand glowed faintly with phosphorescence. When the spilling light quietly faded and settled, a hole large enough for a person to pass through had opened up in the wall of the room before she knew it, causing Elna to round her eyes.

「...Hm? No, wait, hm? What is this?」

「Elna, this way.」

Because Cross proceeded without hesitation as he said that, Elna had no choice but to chase after his back. While holding the tray in both hands and looking around suspiciously, she went ahead. The path beyond the hole continued straight, and wondering about the strange sound, she was surprised to find the path at her feet was made of thin, transparent glass. Vegetation grew thick all around, as if they were passing right through a forest. Seeing spirits flying around happily, Elna felt exasperated, thinking that with a path like this nearby, of course they would come into the room in droves.

Looking closely at the glass path that made noise with every step, quiet ripples continued to spread from her feet. It felt like she was walking on water.

Avoiding tree branches by crouching occasionally, Elna and Cross advanced while making music just by walking. 「...How far are we going?」「Almost there, almost there.」 It was her umpteenth time asking. Just as Elna was thinking about ignoring him and running away, they finally arrived at an open space.

Squinting one eye to survey the scene, she saw that everything—the surroundings, the ceiling—was covered in green. A single thick tree stretched up leisurely, covering the sky with its branches and leaves. Even Elna looked around at the spectacle, gradually blinking her eyes.

Short grass grew evenly on the ground, lush and fresh. Yet, it was strangely quiet.

「...Is this place beneath the great tree of Chiarore...? The space is twisted...」

—Vaid made the Fire Dragon Elnalfia, whom everyone should have feared, his companion, and boldly challenged the Demon Clan with the sacred sword Chiarore in one hand. Finally, from the wounds where he supposedly pierced the demons, verdure spilled forth in the blink of an eye; grains were born, and the sword Chiarore became a great tree that served as the foundation for the kingdom that exists today.

It is the heroic saga of the First King known to every child.

「That's right. And there is one mistake in that fairy tale.」

Leaving the stunned Elna behind, Cross advanced. Since a white round table and two chairs were placed there, Elna placed the tray on the table and hurriedly followed Cross again.

「The sword in the fairy tale became a great tree, but in reality, it's different. It is simply protecting the great tree and the country.」

Before the trunk, so thick and large that Elna couldn't embrace it even with arms outstretched, a single sword was stuck. In the sunlight filtering through the trees, it looked as if it had forgotten even time. Placing his fingers on the ivy wrapped around the hilt, Cross stared intently and murmured as if suppressing his emotions.

「Generations of Kings of Wizrain have protected this place. And this is also the place where I regained my past memories.」

For Cross, it was surely a familiar sight. But for Elna, it was different. She moved her mouth, trembling. What escaped was a very raspy voice.

「Chiarore.」

When she finally called the name of the sword, the sword responded to Elna. In an instant, her vision shifted, and a great multitude of people were laughing.

People overflowing beneath the great tree clanged jugs together, sending ale foam flying. Flower petals fell down like rain. Children gathered them up, and adults were absorbed in drinking and dancing. The man laughing loudest was named Kenneth, a man like Vaid's right arm. Elnalfia thought he was a noisy man, but of course, she didn't hate him.

Kenneth was in love with a woman named Lulumie, and Lulumie was aware of Kenneth's feelings but was troubled by her own tendency to always act coldly toward him. Elnalfia liked her, who would stroke her scales gently while worrying, even as Elnalfia listened to her troubles. Kenneth had a younger brother who would become a magnificent knight in the future, but now he was engrossed in picking up petals falling from the great tree. Shouting loudly enough to be noisy, he took the lead among the town's children, and before anyone knew it, he had brought out a large cloth.

They brought in tables and chairs until the area was full, cooked good food, ate, and celebrated the beginning of the year. Amidst the purely joyful scene, a tall, black-haired young man stood alone beside the sword. Next to him, Elna stood on two legs as well. She couldn't see the man's face. Elna grimaced and bit her lip, swallowing the emotions that threatened to spill out anyway, thinking she had endured it, but the back of her nose stung.

Before she knew it, tears were quietly running down her cheeks.

「What kind of thing... are you showing me...」

These were people who were already gone.

Everyone, everyone left Elna and disappeared. Even if she screamed "Wait," no one waited. Elna desperately tried to match her walking speed, but it wasn't enough, she couldn't catch up, and terrified of them disappearing, Elna swore she would never make anything precious again.

...No, the one who swore was not Elna, but Elnalfia.

By the time she realized that, the past memories had passed by vividly. A large palm of Cross was gently stroking Elna's head, who had collapsed unnoticed beneath the quiet great tree where no one was present. Tears flowed endlessly. Everything Elnalfia loved had vanished. Beloved memories like ephemeral dreams only became emptier upon waking.

「...Elna, my bad. But surely this guy didn't mean any harm either. It has watched over the country from this spot all this time... The mere sword that a mischievous brat was supposed to be clutching became a story by being passed down among people for a long time, and gained power. It must have just wanted to say it missed you.」

「...Thanks to that, I was made to cry a lot, though.」

「Yeah, stop crying. I'm not good with your crying face. It makes me feel nauseous and hazy.」

「I've obviously stopped crying already. No problem. Even I hate realizing that I've become weak.」

「I'll say it again and again, but you haven't become weak or anything. By the way, speaking of saying it again and again, how about becoming my wife soon?」

「Can we stop casually inserting that into conversation already!?」

From atop Elna's head, the hamster was nodding. It looked like it was affirming Elna's words, but it was probably just nodding along randomly. This hamster had a bit of that tendency.

「Putting that aside. Now Elna, come over here. Let's drink some tea,」 Cross said, heading to a table where a teapot had appeared before anyone noticed. It definitely wasn't there a moment ago, but of course, cups were also provided, and warm steam was rising. Were the swaying yellow vivid petals put inside the cup a gift from the spirits?

「No way. Isn't that an Ancient Artifact <Artifact>? Why is it in a place like this?」

「It's fine. It's a pot and cups that pour out endless tea. Something Kylevis made that remained in the castle.」

「That invention idiot? If it pours out from both the pot and the cup, there's no meaning in having a pot, right? What was he thinking?」

「He probably made it because he wanted to make it. Even I don't really know.」

「He was a weird guy.」

Saying so, as they sat together clutching the cups with both hands and quietly sipping, she felt like crying again. This time, it wasn't because she was sad. Elna's fingertips when she was a dragon couldn't hold a cup that seemed like it would break so easily. It was precisely because she had this present as a human that she could enjoy tea like this. She could come to know new things, one by one.

「Here, Elna.」

「Hm? Hm, hmm!?」

What was thrown into Elna's mouth was a star. It was the snack Elna had brought from the kitchen for Cross. The grainy star-shaped sugar was colorful and cute, but she couldn't imagine what it tasted like. When she bit down, sweetness burst and raced through Elna's entire body. After all, neither in her memories of life as a dragon nor as the adopted child of the Calzeed family did she have memories of eating sweets; this was actually her first time.

At the first "snack" of her life, Elna turned bright red and felt dizzy.

「Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What, is this...!?」

「Even if you ask what. It's just... Yeah, it's good. Want to eat more? No, eat.」

Elna swallowed, shaking her head while distancing herself by pressing her body against the back of the chair as if looking at something terrifying—the colorful star grains inside the jar.

「I-I'll pass. It's t-too delicious. It's really scary.」

「...What kind of reason is that...?」

He must have a sweet tooth. Though looking dubious, Cross threw a konpeito into his mouth, muttering 「Well, true. Something too delicious is best in small amounts,」 and made a sound porin with his teeth. Seeing Cross like that, she inevitably remembered Vaid.

Vaid loved meat and alcohol, but he often laughed saying, 『The secret to living long and healthy is to have delicious things in small amounts.』 To shorten the time Elnalfia, with her long life, would be alone even by a little bit, he lived his human life to the fullest. Like that, he made an effort for her.

It was a short, precious, precious time, like a single blink. Elna gripped the tea cup tightly with both hands, managing to suppress the swelling feelings. When she inhaled and exhaled a few times, Cross was staring intently at Elna. This time her heart made a loud noise in a different sense, so Elna, worried he might have heard, panicked and lowered her face, dropping her gaze to the contents of the cup.

「Earlier, I said this was also the place where I regained my past memories, right? It was when I wasn't even ten yet. I was young, you see. I was honestly confused, not really understanding the difference between when I was Vaid and the current me. I've exposed an unsightly state worse than yours, you know.」

Hearing Cross speak that much, she understood why he brought Elna to this place. It hasn't even been two months since Elna regained her memories as Elnalfia. In the morning, she is still surprised by the absence of her tail, and there are times she looks up at the sky she can't fly in forever. He was telling her not to worry about that. Again, something warm swelled within Elna's chest. But, trying not to let him notice, what came out were twisted words.

「...Cross, aren't you being a little too overprotective of me?」

「Eh? Shall I support you?」

「Is your context okay!? Is the flow of conversation really correct with that!?」

Elna's retorts wouldn't stop. On the white table, the hamster had moved unnoticed and was munching on, puffing out its cheeks. Being a spirit, it ate anything.

『This is delicious in its own way, gonsu. I'll eat more, gansu.』

「Someday your cheek pouches will explode... Not that, um, well.」

「Ah, I forgot to mention, but no one has told anyone that I possess Vaid's memories. It would help if you could keep your mouth shut if possible.」

「Is that so!? Certainly, it would be a huge commotion if it came out that you had memories! Tell me! What did you intend to do if I blurted it out perotto!?」

「I wouldn't do anything. It would be my fault for being careless.」

「You honest person!」

Conversing with Cross made her—out of breath—anyway. Her stamina should be inexhaustible as it's supplemented by magic, but something else was tiring.

「So, what I want to say is, um, not that.」

Don't say things like supporting me or making me your wife so easily.

Even though she wanted to say that, when she opened her mouth, no voice came out, and her heart just hurt. 「...What's wrong?」 When Cross blinked his golden eyes, even meeting his gaze became painful. 「Nothing,」 was the most she could squeeze out. Her chest felt tight.

「Here, eat another piece or so.」

「Yeah...」

Yet Cross took care of Elna diligently, showing the konpeito in front of her mouth. Nodding and leaning forward to eat it, Elna's mood was Elnalfia. Meals when she was a dragon were sufficient with Vaid's magic, but sometimes she ate vegetables and fruits as luxury items. Given by Vaid's own hand, Elna closed her eyes feeling somehow nostalgic while rolling the snack in her mouth; she didn't know that the moment she ate it as if licking it off, Cross's fingertips jumped up as if flicked.

When Elna finished eating and opened her eyes, Cross was staring at his own hand, for some reason busily making a fist and opening it repeatedly. It was somewhat strange, but since it was usual for Cross to be outside Elna's scope of understanding, she decided not to mind it particularly.

「...Come to think of it, like Chiarore, this tree has grown quite big, hasn't it? It was big from the old days, but it wasn't... circular like this, and I think its size was still within the realm of common sense.」

「A, Ah. It must have mixed with the story of Chiarore and gained power before anyone knew. Because spinning words and telling stories is similar to spinning magic.」

「I see... Hey. Like we saw earlier, in spring the flowers bloomed all at once and scattered, right? I liked it because it was like rain. Does that still remain unchanged?」

「Ah, rather than that, it's become something even more amazing.」

「Even more amazing...」

Elna swallowed her saliva. She felt it was amazing even back then, but being told "more," she couldn't imagine it.

The city and the people change. While she thought it was natural since a long time had passed, Elna still felt lonely. Perhaps Cross felt the same. 「They are ones who have watched over the country for a long time,」 Cross spoke deeply while looking up at the great tree, as if addressing a comrade-in-arms. However—.

「Though it might be difficult for me」

the words he dropped were a little unexpected for Elna.