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Chapter 127 Scars of War
The magical mechanized dragon spewed fire from its wings and flew eastward over the wastelands of the Demon realm. The day after our audience with King Seatham, we immediately took off towards Stige.
Riding on the dragon's back are me, Beato, Tokka, Mel-chan, and Joanna. And of course, there's Leah, who had been appointed to accompany us as the representative.
"Onee-chan, look over there! It's a herd of wild cows, they look so tiny from up here!"
Was it Bute-san? She's the petite demon girl clinging to Leah's arm, showering her with affection.
"Yeah, I see them. But, did you like cows that much?"
"I love them! Anything is fun when I'm with you, Onee-chan."
"Is that so? You're quite unusual..."
She's really fond of her, huh...
When Leah found out we were going to Stige, she appealed to King Seatham to let her accompany us, upon which he readily granted. Was it because the king was generous, or was it because he's used to her?
"I really don't understand," Leah said.
No, come on, it's pretty obvious. If someone sticks to you like that and shows so much affection, you'd notice, right?
"..."
"Beato, what's wrong?"
"..."
...What's going on?
Beato, who was just staring intently at Bute-san, suddenly came over to me and nestled up close.
"Are you feeling cold by any chance? We're at a considerable altitude, you know. Should I bring out your jacket?"
"...!?"
For some reason, Beato seemed shocked by my suggestion. Then she puffed up her cheeks and grabbed my arm, hugging me tightly.
I usually understood what this kid wanted to say, but this time, I was at a loss.
"What's going on there?"
"They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But in onee-chan's case, it's not so much that she's oblivious, but rather, she doesn't seem to think of herself as the target."
Tokka and Mel-chan shot me a look of disbelief.
...Well, I'm aware that Beato likes me, you know? But even so, surely it's not in that sense.
"That person doesn't seem to like themselves very much."
"It's like they're the type who can't see themselves clearly..."
"Probably something like that. By the way, Joana-san, are we heading in the right direction for Stige?"
"We are, but our destination isn't actually Stige."
Huh?
Everyone riding on the dragon thought the same thing when Joana spoke.
"W-What do you mean? Please explain."
"Alright. You know that Joana-onee-san is always in touch with Stige, right?"
Of course. She even sent a bird this morning.
"The leadership of Stige, including the queen, is currently in Balmirad. Both countries are cooperating to discuss plans for defeating Taltus."
"Balmirad...? What's that, the name of a country?"
I thought maybe it's just because I'm a country girl and don't know about it.
"...?"
"I've never heard of it either."
"I apologize as well, it's a country I've never heard of."
"I don't know much about human countries, so..."
"I'm only interested in big sis."
It seemed like everyone had no idea. Honestly, I was a little relieved.
"It's natural not to know. Balmirad is a newly established country founded after the collapse of the Deltirad Kingdom. It's a small country located southwest of Stige."
"...Oh, could it be the country built by Barbario and Kamil?"
"I'm surprised, you're right."
I heard about it from Gilius-san before we departed from Stige. I was glad I remembered. Everyone else who didn't know those two well didn't quite understand the situation.
"Even if we go back to Stige now, Raid-san would be the only one there, busy as always. I've heard they're planning to stay in Balmirad for a while, so we should head there. We might be able to establish cooperation not only with Stige but also with Balmirad. What do you think?"
As expected of Joana, her presence was really helpful. Without this information, our trip to Stige would have been in vain. Then, for the next few hours, the scenery remained unchanged. Brown desolate wastelands... Was this how all demon territories look like? However, occasionally, I could see round marks on the ground, like something had crashed into it. Those indentations in the ground resembled the mining site where we fought against Blum.
"Leah-san, what's that thing I sometimes see?"
"Oh, that's a crater."
"A cra-ter?"
"That's what we call it. You know the legend about a red star falling from the sky in ancient times?"
"Of course, but... could that be the mark where the star fell?"
"It's not quite like that. The exact location where the red star fell is still unknown."
I see, if it were a mark from a big falling star, it should be large and conspicuous.
"That crater is said to be the trace where fragments of the red star that collided with the earth scattered. It must have shattered into pieces and scattered all over."
"I see..."
Tokka briefly mentioned a similar story before, didn't she?
"There are many craters in the demi-human territories compared to the human territories. Moreover, that area strangely has a high number of monsters. We can't just leave it alone as the military, so we regularly go out on expeditions."
"So that's why you know so much... Ah, so monsters do appear there."
The red stones. The red stones harboring the power to spawn monsters. They were the material for my sword, a material very conducive to magic, and it would deactivate upon my touch. I gently touched the handle of my sword, which shone mysteriously at my waist.
(In other words, this is a fragment of the red star that fell from the sky...)
"...Ah, I see. We've come this far already."
My thoughts were interrupted by Leah-san's voice, which sounded strained. Bute-san, who had been sticking close to her all along, also looked down at the scenery with a dark expression. Traces of forts and camps appeared in the wilderness. The weathered white bones were left untouched, and then...
"Is that... Fregenta...?"
The castle partially collapsed, and the walls surrounding the town were in tatters. The abandoned ruins of Mel-chan's hometown came into view.
"This is the frontline between the kingdom's army and the demi-human army..."
The magical dragon swiftly passed through the sky, and the battlefield remnants disappeared into the distance of the landscape. There, humans, demons, and other demi-humans alike had fallen victim. Because of Brutogyu and Taltus, many had lost their lives, giving birth to countless sorrows.
"It brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it, Onee-chan...? So many were killed..."
"Yeah, that's right... The guy eating with us one day had his guts spilling out and dead the next day. Those days..."
As two who had fought on the battlefield, they shared memories filled with palpable emotions.
"My hometown... I knew about it, I knew... But seeing it in person, it's painful..."
"Mel... It's okay to cry, you know?"
Mel-chan sank into sadness as she once again tasted the reality of losing her hometown. We couldn't let this happen again. We had to kill Taltus and finally end the ridiculous war caused by Brutogyu. This time, for real.
>Well, I'm aware that Beato likes me, you know? But even so, surely it's not in that sense.
ReplyDeleteAww she's so dumb, what a good girl