Condition
If the continent is different, the inhabitants are different.
If the inhabitants are different, the way of thinking is different.
“Even if that’s the case, don’t suddenly attack us”
A mysterious light that produces the sound of an explosion and heads towards Fiー and me.
It shines spherically for an instant and flies straight over.
“ーーInfinite Sword Dance(Endless Sword)!”
I defend against the light-something with the swords that I lined up in a row horizontally.
The moment the ball of light and the swords came into contact, they caused an explosion before our eyes and produced an afternoon-like brightness even though it’s midnight.
And then a great number of people, who are overlooking us from the coast. In front of them, cannons that were set up in a row had been placed there.
“Are these, cannons……? To think that there are places that are still using them”
“……uh-huh. In this continent, they’re still being used”
Fiー was unexpectedly calm.
While sitting, she’s stroking the White Rabbit she placed on her lap.
Cannons huh……. In the face of an occupation’s power, something like that is meaningless.
It’s merely a product of money; it should’ve disappeared from Fezelis Continent a very long time ago and no longer found anywhere.
But those fellows of this continent, they pack cannonballs into those cannons and aim at us again.
I understood immediately, that in this continent, these cannons are the foundation of battle.
“Wait, we aren’t your enemies!”
“Who do you think is going to believe something like that being told to them? In any case, thou thought it impossible to attack from land, and thus came from the sea, right?”
“Like I said, what are you talkingーー”
“What an unreasonably stubborn fellow. Besides, the only ones who use those unusual power are the bunch of Country of Demise, letting thou live is impossiーー”
“……as usual, Setsuna doesn’t listen to what people say huh”
The mysterious woman who interrupted me. And then Fiー who interrupted that mysterious woman.
A brief silence flows. A short while after that, the mysterious woman, who overlooks us, opened her eyes widely.
“That voice, is it perhaps, Fiー?”
“……yeah. It’s been a while huh, Setsuna”
“Thou had been alive huh. I see, I see……”
she says happily, and I can tell that her eyes are watering even if it’s dark.
A short while after that, we were permitted to disembark.
♢
In Spuhreel Continent, there exist roughly 4 territories.
Lake Metropolis in the North.
Cape of Spring Dreams in the East.
Country of Demise in the South.
Oceanic Garden of Eternity in the West.
And then, we went south from the Fezelis Continent, that positions at the North-West of this world, and arrived at this Metropolis of Lake, that’s on the North.
“It has been a while aye, Elizabeth, Fenrir. Furthermore, Fiー too, thou have become larger……not huh”
“……Setsuna too. As usual, rude, and furthermore, that strange way of talking”
“How rude to call it, ‘strange’. Even though ’twas a tongue handed down in this Lake Metropolis”
It seems Fiー and the girl called, ‘Setsuna’, are acquaintancesーーhowever, it seems this Lake Metropolis isn’t Fiー’s hometown.
And then, we were invited into a building that’s unlike the castles and houses that I know of, a well-ventilated mansion.
“Egil-han, pardon my earlier rudeness. I did not think that thou would actually be Fiー’s acquaintance. My name is Sagiri Setsuna”
In the tatami-covered straw-laid floor room, where we removed our shoes and sit, unlike the places that we’d stayed, the traditional clothing girl called Setsuna bowed deeply.
I guess it’s the difference in culture huh. When I imitated her and bowed as well, she placed her hand on her mouth and chuckled at me.
“Egil-han is not of this continent, aye? In that case, thou do not have to push thyself to bow”
“Is, that so. I thought it’s the etiquette of this continent. I am Egil・Vorts”
“Egil-han……hmm, I see”
Setsuna looks at me in various angles, like she’s observing me scrutinizingly.
Is something strange?
As I’m thinking that, Setsuna goes, 「Uh-huh」, assents something,
“Fiー as well, thou have brought along a rather handsome man. With this, I too can clap and rejoice”
and claps her hands moderately.
It’s dark so it’s not really visible, but there are several tufts of tawny hair hidden in her black hair. The traditional clothing that wraps her thin body is a crimson fabric with white patterns scattered here and there.
Furthermore, it gives off an erotic vibe in some respect. I guess that’s because she ties her abdomen section with a light green sash and there’s a large pair of breasts above that. I was able to check out a rather massive skin-colour cleavage from that cleavage of hers.
And then, Fiー squints her always squinty eyes even further.
“……it’s not the relationship that Setsuna is imagining. Egil is, my owner”
“Owner? Hast thou become a pet or something?”
“……yeah, us family became Egil’s pets”
Setsuna, who makes her mouth into a へ character, tilted her head several times, but after a short while, she went, 「Oh well」, and assented for some reason.
“So, although I am happy that Fiー hath returned, there is some kind of reason, aye?”
“……Egil will talk about it”
“Me huh……”
If you’re acquaintances then isn’t it fine for you to do it?
was what I also thought, but I don’t know when it’ll end if I make the taciturn Fiー talk about everything, and since it looks like there’s no more hostility, I guess me talking about it is the right choice.
“Actuallyーー”
I talked about everything.
And then I heard several stories.
I understood through the conversation that this Lake Metropolis is a place that’s constructed recently, and the bunch that Fiー was saying, the group that Fiー was saying has the possibility of coming to the Nameless Kingdom, was this girl and company.
And it seems the girl called, ‘Setsuna’, is the Lord who’s unifying this Lake Metropolis.
She carefully listens to what I have to say. It goes for Setsuna, as well as the bunch around who are dressed strangely.
‘Is this alright?’, I was getting hopeful, but when I finished talking about everything, Setsuna groaned, ‘Uーn’.
“Well, for us, this Lake Metropolis is like a temporary residence, so I do not particularly mind migrating to a different continent with everybody. The population and the territory in possession are unproportionate anyway. Furthermore, there are also many people here who doth not want to fight, therefore, having somebody to protect them from danger is, most welcomed instead”
“In that caseーー”
“Howbeit, whether thou can protect us all, is a different story. If it ended up with something like, we migrated to a different continent and our kins were killed without being able to receive protection, it would be meaningless for us to have migrated. We would just simply be deceived, right?”
“That’s……”
“As far as I have heard, it is still a fresh newly-built Kingdom, aye. I cannot imagine a Kingdom like that as a place that can protect this roughly 1〇〇〇 residents”
It’s exactly as Setsuna said.
However, I can’t back down here. I have to look for people who will live in the Nameless Kingdom, for the sake of those who are waiting as well.
“……Setsuna”
Fiー opened her mouth and, she stared at Setsuna.
“……That’ll be fine. Egil will protect us”
“I see thou trust him very much huh. I want to believe it if Fiー is saying it, however, thou know, I have to protect all the residents who are staying in this Lake Metropolis. ‘Tis what the previous generations had done, and what I have to do as the Seventeenth Lord. Fiー understands that too, aye?”
“……uh-huh. But it’s probably better than being here. In any case, the disputes between the four territories are unceasing anyway”
“Well, it is exactly as thou say though. ……Uーn, if I convey it to everybody, I think they will follow, but even so, there may also be those who feel uneasy. Yeah……”
Setsuna is folding her arms and racking her brain.
At times, her seemingly endless black eyes stare at me, stare at Fiー, and look at those around.
A short while after that, ‘Pon’, she clapped her hands and smiled sweetly.
“That’s right, that’s right, in that case, I will decide after ascertaining whether Egil-han has the calibre to protect everybody, how about it?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I will have thou stay here briefly, and if more than half of 1○○○ people support Egil-han, we will stay in that Nameless Kingdom, that Egil-han was saying. How about it? That is fine, aye?”
Supported by more than half of 1○○○ people huh…….
I guess that likely means, she’ll judge whether I have the calibre to be able to protect everybody as a King. This isn’t something simple. But there doesn’t seem to be any other way.
I nod several times.
“I understand. I’ll leave the judgement of that to you”
“In that case, ’tis decided huh. But Egil-han……if I say I doth not recognise thou, I will not agree, thou know?”
“I just have to be supported by the residents, right? In that caseーー”
“Nay. ‘Tis a no go if I doth not recognise thou personally, is what I am saying”
Setsuna’s thinking and my thinking didn’t align.
She, while making a sweet devilish smile,
“I am the Lord of this Lake Metropolis. I doth not have the intention of changing that status. Having the Lord and the King be together, ’tis something the residents also wish for”
“What does that mean?”
“Geez, Egil-han sure is dense huh. Minus one point. In other wordsーーI will only follow a man who I recognised, not as a King or whatnot, but as a man”
“Is that perhaps……”
“If I cannot think that ’tis fine even if I am married to you forever, this conversation is nullified”
The situation is changing rapidly.
I have to receive her, who’s the Lord, as my wifeーーsimilar to the girls who are waiting for me, is that what it means?
