Ankoku Kishi Monogatari (WN)

◆Sword Maiden, Shirone

Velos kingdom is the biggest human race kingdom that’s located closest to Nargol.

Sandwiched between the Akeron mountain range and the thriving blue forest, this kingdom was located at the estuary of a river that flowed down to the central plains.

The kingdom’s population is around 150,000 people. Due to the kingdom being located in the demon infested area, there are no other cities outside the rampart. Though the other kingdoms around were poor, Velos kingdom was different from them. Velos kingdom was the biggest source of harvested fruit that resembled apple around this area.

Due to its sweet flavor, there are various requests from other kingdoms to make use of this fruit as a flavor or as an ingredient for liquor.

The fruit of this Velos is exported all the way upto Holy Republic Lenaria, far south from this place.

Currently, Kyouka-san, Kaya-san, and I are inside the royal palace of Velos kingdom. By the way, we entrusted our hippogriff to the horse barn of this kingdom.

Though I pity the other horses, it really can't be helped since there's no other option.

「If it's not Shirone-sama, welcome to this Velos kingdom!」

Eclas is a nice chubby uncle; he talked to us, people who are even younger than his daughter, politely without even showing any unpleasant expression while doing so.

His appearance resembles that Echigos guy. But, their inner personalities are polar opposite of each other.

「Shirone-sama. And over there is the little sister of hero-kun, I presume? 」

Eclas is looking at the one who is sitting on my right in a self-conceited manner, Kyouka-san.

By the right etiquette, instead of sitting, she should be standing since the king of this kingdom is welcoming us while standing. Reiji-kun aside, I do think that she's being rude toward the king.

But Kaya-san isn't even reminding Kyouka-san. Rather, it seems that she took it as natural.

「It's as you say, King Velos. That person is the little sister of hero Reiji-sama, princess Kyouka. She wants to stay in this kingdom for a while. Please set up the arrangements for us」

Kaya-san is saying so in a self-conceited manner.

「Hahaha. Naturally. Please feel free to stay in this Velos kingdom for as long as you want」

Eclas is laughing heartily without even an ounce of anger after hearing Kaya-san telling him so with such rude manners.

There's no malice in his eyes, in contrast to when we talked to Echigos. I thought that he was a kind person when we met him before, but it didn't seem that he changed from the previous time.

We chose this Velos kingdom as our base to gather information about Kuroki.

Though Algore kingdom was closer to Nargol, it's an unsuitable place for us to stay due to the incident that was caused by us last time, so Velos kingdom is our choice as a base due to its wealth.

「By the way, young ladies. The truth is, we're going to hold a ball the day after tomorrow, do you want to participate in it?」

「「「A ball? ! ! 」」」

Our words are overlapping.

We exchanged glance in hearing king Eclas’s offer.

So a meeting of such big shots exist no matter where you are. This might be the so called high society in this world.

Especially in a demon-infested world like this one, humans must cooperate to survive.

Not just inside the rampart, it would be for the best if they cooperate with other countries; for this reason, many high-ranked royalty and nobility of each country often held these kind of gatherings. So to speak, this is a way of communication between the countries.

It was held in the form of tea party, banquet, simple meeting, and ball.

I participated in several ball and banquet parties during my journey with Chiyuki-san and Reiji-kun.

Despite being called as ball, it has various forms; it's not just limited to a ball like in Cinderella story that first came to my mind.

It might be held in a form similar to a dance party like the ones in American movies or folk dance-like ball.

According to Chiyuki, the ball has the same meaning as the lantern festival dance[Obon Festival] in Japan.

But well, despite many disparities, the most common one is a ball where you form a pair of man and woman to dance along with elegant music.

This kind of ball is the one that is usually held in Velos.

「What shall we do now?」

I enquire Kyouka-san and Kaya-san for their opinions.

To be honest, we should participate in it.

It doesn't mean that Eclas is coercing us to participate, but we'll be in his care after this. Not accepting such an invitation might be a bad choice.

We should attend it even if it's just me.

But I feel bad for Eclas if the others aren't too keen to join in.

The reason is because the ball is going to be held for another meaning, namely to look for marriage partners.

We, who came to this world along with Reiji-kun, have received numerous marriage proposals.

Amongst them were legitimate heirs of nobilities and a prince of some country.

Normally, it would be the highest honor for us to receive marriage proposals from those young nobles but, to be honest, I couldn't feel an ounce of interest in all of them.

At any rate, everyone is too brittle. With our level of power, a normal male will have their bone broken just by having us gripping their hand a little bit stronger. For this reason, we must be very careful when we dance. Dancing with that kind of feeble men isn't interesting at all, nor do I feel like accepting their marriage proposal.

In the first place, even without marrying them, for someone as powerful as us, becoming a king in any kingdom is easy. Anyway, I also don't feel the charm of the position called king.

Moreover, they're going to be compared with Reiji-kun.

Thus, no matter how much marriage proposals come from the people who are way inferior to Reiji-kun, it’ll be incomparable. It’s really troublesome.

Rino-chan stopped going out for the very same reason. Nao-chan wasn't interested in the first place. Sahoko-san didn't attend such parties in the first place because she can't stand becoming the center of attention. Naturally, I've also never attended such a party.

As expected with the kind of situation where it'll make us feel bad if no one will be attending, only Reiji-kun and Chiyuki-san have the will to attend such parties nowadays.

Even now, I wish that I didn't have to participate if possible.

Looking at Kyouka-san direction, Kyouka-san doesn't seem too eager to attend it either.

She's extremely beautiful as long as she stands quietly.

Naturally, whether it's in this world or back in our world, many men dreamed of marrying her, too. In fact the number of men who courted her was far surpassing any of us. And then, it seems that she eventually got fed up with that. Thus, I expect that she won't participate in this party.

「Understood. We'll participate in that ball. Right, my lady?」

But then, Kaya-san acknowledges her to participate in that ball.

「Kaya! Why did you decide this on your own!!」

Kyouka-san is flustered.

「My lady! Handling this matter is your job, my lady! Moreover, this is reasonable as you should take some distance from Reiji-sama. I think it's better to use this occasion to know about the other gentlemen!」

「Uuuuh…」

Even Kyouka-san is at a loss for words when facing against Kaya-san’s pressure.

Even the always arrogant Kyouka-san is no match for Kaya-san.

I really can't gauge the depth of their relationship.

Though I feel bad for Kyouka-san, I do think that this kind of job matches Kyouka-san due to her position as the little sister of Reiji-kun. Her figure being wrapped in a ball dress might be extremely beautiful.

「Ha~… I understood, Kaya…」

Kyouka-san and I unwillingly gave in to Kaya-san’s pressure.

「Hahaha, the ball should become more exciting with your presence」

Thus, we decided to attend the ball that is going to be held the day after tomorrow.

◆Prince of Algore, Omiros

Parsish is riding our horse toward Velos kingdom. Despite the fact that we left Algore early in the morning, it’s already night.

Velos is a big kingdom that is surrounded by a rampart and a forest without any urban area. Every tree of the forest bears a sweet fruit called as the fruit of Velos, one of Velos’s specialty.

When I take a glance at the rampart, I could observe the various kind of ornaments that were added all over the high rampart.

Maybe because it's originally a fortress for a battle against demons, Algore’s architecture ended up being a bit rustic.

Different from Algore, Velos is an extremely wealthy kingdom.

Velos’s development is based on their trade and livelihood in this area.

The population is triple that of Algore. Their wealth might be no less than ten times of Algore.

That Velos kingdom, the central kingdom in this region, has now gathered their neighbouring royalty and nobility for a ball under the sponsorship of the royal family. Naturally, we're included as one of the attendees.

Though we came too early for the ball that is going to be held the day after tomorrow, there's a reason for that.

I can't dance. I think it's the same for Parsish.

In the first place, there's no hindrance to our daily life even if we can't dance.

Though I have been trained as a warrior, I’ve never taken any dance lessons. The one who needs to tackle this kind of trouble is only the one who will become the king.

I really want to send a complaint to Montes, my father. Though father should be the one attending the ball, he passed that responsibility to me since he can't dance either.

Algore’s future is directly related to this ball. How can you really entrust such an important job to me?

During the reign of previous king, Qupis, Algore was a poor and isolated kingdom. We need to have a good relationship with Velos kingdom, the biggest kingdom of this region to cancel the isolation policy that had been set on our kingdom.

Since the royalties and nobilities of various kingdom are also gathering in this ball, it became the most ideal stage to cancel the isolation.

If we succeed, we might even manage to provide a good impression to the big shots of various kingdoms in that ball.

That's why, though I'm unwilling, I must attend this ball.

「A ball, I'm going too enjoy this, your highness」

Parsish chimes in, seemingly excited by that.

It seems that, different from me, Parsish is going to enjoy this ball. He shouldn't be able to dance like me, but are you not feeling anxious at all?

Nothing can be done if you can't dance. That's why I want to ask king Eclas to introduce us to someone who can teach us how to dance.

No one can dance in Algore. And that was the reason why I have come earlier: to have a dancing lesson.

It's already night, but we might be able to meet the king.

We headed toward the royal palace.

We told the gatekeeper of the royal palace that the prince of Algore has come.

I really can't get used to this prince title, yet.

The palace guard has come to lead us.

「Ooh, you finally came. Parsish-kun, prince Omiros」

King Eclas gives a warm welcome when we enter the room. He is the prince whose fiancee was snatched by king Qupis.

For that reason, Algore and Velos wasn't on good terms during the time Qupis reigned as a king.

「Our deepest gratitude for inviting us to this ball」

I express my gratitude.

「Not at all, it's for both sides sake, after all. I hope to be on good terms with Algore from now on」

Eclas is laughing heartily. King Eclas is truly a kind-hearted person, and it seems he even allowed his fiancee to elope with Qupis, but the surrounding kingdoms weren't as kind as him and severed any diplomatic relationship with Algore. But then, I really want our kingdom to be on good terms from now on.

「Nevertheless, you've arrived quite early. The ball is still the day after tomorrow, you know」

「The truth is, there's something I wish to ask in regard to the ball」

「And what it might be?」

「As a matter of fact, Parsish and I can't dance. May I ask your majesty to introduce us to a woman who can dance, or someone who can teach us dance?」

Hearing my request, king Eclas laughs heartily.

「Wahahaha, I see. Well, that's good. Shall I introduce you to people who’ve fulfilled both of your conditions?」

「If possible, a beautiful woman would be nice」

Parsish expresses his thoughts with such impudent response.

「Parsish!」

I lost my cool. I don't want to incur the king’s displeasure due to such trivial matters.

「Hahaha, we have many of them. Allow me to introduce the super beauties of our nobilities」

But then, king Eclas didn't seem to mind that. I feel relieved upon seeing that.

「Beauty, huh. That would be for the best」

Parsish expresses his satisfaction in a delightful tone.

I heave a sigh while wishing that no problems would happen.

◆Sword Maiden, Shirone

「It's nice to meet you, my dear princess. My name is Parsish. It's my honor to be able to dance with someone as beautiful as you」

The man called Parsish bows his head to Kyouka-san.

There's a cramp on Kyouka-san’s face.

Though I don't want to say something that discredited someone’s face, the face of the man called Parsish resembled that of a goblin. To put it bluntly, it transcended the realm of ugliness. And to be honest, not a desirable dancing partner.

But since it's not like he also wished to be born with such an ugly face, I chased away such thoughts.

But then, I noticed one thing.

It seems that the man called Parsish made himself look beautiful with magic.

Because my eyes can see through his magic and hence his real face, his lust-filled ugly face is as clear as day to me.

Since Kaya-san’s magical power is around the same level as me and Kyouka-san’s is even higher than mine, they might be able to see through Parsish’s disguise.

Even if not to our level, he obviously has quite an amount of magical power for a human.

We can use magic without any prior training ever since we came to this world. But then, even individuals among the general population possessing abundant magical power in this world can't use magic without prior training.

There's no mistaking the fact that he put in quite a lot of effort in his magic training.

It might have been hard for him to learn the magic to alter his appearance.

And that said person is showing an elegant expression to Kyouka-san.

But then, Kyouka-san face stiffened when she was introduced to a man whose face is a billion miles away from her preference.

The people being introduced to us as ones who don’t have any dancing partner for this ball are that Parsish and Omiros who’s standing beside him.

Eclas paired me with Omiros and Kyouka-san with Parsish.

He might look like an extremely handsome guy in Eclas’s eyes.

And Kyouka-san is more or less our leader for this ocassion. That's why Eclas introduced the best dancing partner to Kyouka-san, our leader.

But in terms of appearance, Omiros is billions time better than Parsish.

「This is the birth of a handsome and beautiful couple. I can't wait for the ball the day after tomorrow」

Eclas is laughing heartily while saying so. Eclas isn't doubting the fact that Parsish is handsome.

Though I don't know what he's going to say once he sees Parsish real appearance, I can't bring myself to tell him that since that Parsish might be troubled by his appearance, too.

「Uhm, may I ask to cha-…」

Kyouka-san is demanding an exchange.

「No, this gentleman is good」

But Kaya-san interrupted her when she was about to ask for an exchange of her partner.

「Kaya!」

「This is your trial, my lady. As long as you can resist this gentlemen, dancing with any kind of gentlemen thereafter will be a breeze for you」

Kaya-san mercilessly expresses her reason.

In fact, opposite to Reiji-kun, Kyouka-san is poor when it came to men.

Thus, I know that Kaya-san wants to change that point of Kyouka-san.

But for her to pair Kyouka-san with Parsish, isn't that more like a desperate measure?

By the way, Kaya-san isn't going to dance. Because she's the type that moves behind the scenes.

Despite telling us to participate, she's the only one who isn't participating. In that point, I'm on the same page as Kyouka-san as I slightly disagree with Kaya-san’s decision.

「Right! Ri-ght! Please change him with Shirone-san’s partner」

Kyouka-san proposes her idea while looking at me with pleading eyes.

「I'm sorry, Kyouka-san… That's a little bit…」

I refuse Kyouka-san’s proposal while bowing to her. I also want to be spared from pairing with Parsish.

When I avert my gaze, Kyouka-san glares at me with a reproachful gaze.

「Uuuh…」

Kyouka-san is groaning with a vexed voice.

「Is there something?」

Eclas inquires us in a worrying tone. There's no way she can tell her complaint to Eclas whose job is to only introduce Parsish to us.

「No… It's nothing. I'm looking forward to dance with you in the ball then… Lord Parsish」

It seems she finally accepted her fate and responded while looking down in disappointment.

Parsish is laughing delightfully when Kyouka-san said so. It’s surely a refreshing smile on his face, but it's nothing more than a disgusting laugh to me who can see his real face.

「Well then, please have a pleasant conversation between the youth. I'll excuse myself for now」

Eclas left the room while laughing heartily.

Which left the five of us in this room.

Parsish is talking happily to Kyouka-san. It seems he's truly delighted to be able to dance with Kyouka-san. By the way, Kyouka-san still has that cramp on her face.

Well, it's a fact that Kyouka-san is an extremely beautiful woman. She was a beauty even before coming to this world, but it seems that her beauty became even more refined after coming to this world.

After coming to this world, the color of her light brown hair had become closer to gold than black; her white skin became glossier. Even if it's not Parsish, the number of men who would want to dance with Kyouka-san would be innumerable.

But then, Kyouka-san’s complexion is rather bad right now, it cast a little shadow on her beautiful face.

I give my sincere prayer to Kyouka-san in my mind and then look at my own partner.

「Best regard… Uhm, I might be lucky to have got Omiros-san?」

「Yes, best regards too, princess Shirone. I'm Omiros of Algore」

Omiros bows to me. What he said made me a little bit curious.

「Algore? Princess Regena kingdom?」

「YOU KNOW ABOUT REGENA!」

Omiros shouted out aloud when I uttered Regena’s name.

「Yes… We met her for a while when we stopped by Algore before」

「I see, it's natural for the wife of hero-sama to meet her. Because I wasn't in Algore during that time…」

Omiros is saying so with his head lowered.

His expression is really gloomy. From his expression, it might not be a trivial matter.

「Tell me, Omiros-san. Could it be that something happened to princess Regena? 」

I'm asking just in case since Reiji-kun would worry about princess Regena if he were here.

「Yes, the truth is…」

Omiros starts to tell me about what happened in Algore.

「No way…」

I'm at a loss for words after hearing the story from Omiros. I never imagined that princess Regena would experience such tragic fate.

「It's a really cruel story, isn't it?」

Having heard the story, Kyouka-san is moved to tears.

「For their families who were against each other to have torn the two of them. It’s just like a tale that I read in the past」

After Kaya-san said so, Kyouka-san and I nod in agreement.

「Yes, I’ve read that story too… It was an extremely tragic story」

「I read that, too. I'm sure that it's a story which tells about 10 representative ninjas who were sent out to kill each other… It's such a sad story, isn't it…」

When I'm saying so, both of them were looking at me with curious faces. Eh？Was that supposed to be a different story?

「It's completely different from the story that I read…」

「Yes, I don't think it's the type of story that depicted a hellish scenery like that one」

Why are you looking at me with disappointed faces? I wonder what’s the matter.

「I do feel bad about what happened to princess Regena, prince Omiros. Let's enjoy the ball to forget such painful occasions! Don't you think so, princess Kyouka?」

Parsish is saying so as he took Kyouka-san’s hand.

Kyouka-san’s face paled when Parsish took her hand.

「Y-Y-Yeah, that's right」

Kyouka-san stuttered to respond while trying to retract her trembling hand.

I expected such a reaction since Parsish is truly an ugly one, but I absolutely won't voice it loud because I might do the same if I were in her position.

Omiros was looking at a different place with an expression of reminiscence. He might be thinking about princess Regena.

He's not Parsish, but I hope that he will enjoy the party even if it’s just a little.

◆ Silver Witch, Kuna

I met with the queen of Karon again.

「Uhm… Where's your excellency?」

The goblin queen is searching for Kuroki.

「Kuroki isn't with me. Tell your business to Kuna」

As if I'm going to bring my dear Kuroki in front of a woman like you.

The goblin queen looks disappointed.

「So, what happened, goblin queen?」

The goblin queen heaves a grand sigh.

「The truth is, it's about the hero Parsish of Algore in the report few days ago… Parsish is, in fact, my son who has changed his appearance with magic, Goz. That son of mine came few days ago and expressed me that he had no ill intentions」

I recall about Parsish after hearing from the goblin queen. It seems he changed his appearance with magic, but he can't fool Kuna’s eyes. His face certainly was of a goblin’s in accordance to the goblin queen’s explanation.

「Is that so, then?」

「I would like to really apologize for asking your excellency for this… But I want to end this matter」

The goblin queen bowed down.

After pondering for a while, I felt bad for the goblin queen, but I didn't have any intention to withdraw from this matter.

The people from that time were definitely speaking Regena’s name.

I couldn't understand the reason why they spoke Regena’s name out of nowhere. I just want to confirm the reason for that. The reason why I'm doing this is to eliminate Regena from Kuroki’s side as soon as possible.

「Understood, I'll tell Kuroki about that. And then, what's your son doing right now?」

I ask that question while hiding my real intentions.

I wonder what that goblin queen’s son is trying to do? That is something that I have to hear.

「I didn’t go as far as asking what he was going to do, but… Come to think of it, he said that he's going to a ball which is going to be held today in a kingdom called Velos」

There is something that I'm curious about after hearing the goblin queen’s answer.

A ball.

I recalled that the word ‘ball’ came out sometimes in the stories that I asked Kuroki to read for me. For some reason, my heart is attracted to that word.

I imagine a scenery where I’m dancing along with Kuroki in that ball. It was such a great spectacle.

「A ball, huh…」

「Yes, it's a ball. I'm sure he said that he needed aphrodisiac after going to that ball」

「Aphrodisiac?」

That's also something that piqued my interest.

「Yes, a drug to invigorate men. It's something created using nectar of the queen bee who lived in the forest of darkness located to the west of the demon king castle. As long as a man drinks that, they'll move their hip like a centaur in heat, and in case of woman, they'll shake their hip like an elf in heat」

Such interesting words came out.

「If you're interested, how about I give you one bottle?」

「Really?!!」

I ended up blurting it out.

「But, with a certain condition」

「Muh… What… Is your condition? 」

I'm on guard knowing that this isn't over yet.

「It's okay, no need to be on guard. I just want to receive a strand of your hair」

The goblin queen’s words betray my expectation. So I just need to give a strand of my hair.

「Understood. A strand of hair is an acceptable price」

After pulling out a strand of my hair, I give it to the goblin queen.

「Yes, I received it. I'll give the medicine later. You should give it to your excellency by mixing the drug with tea. Gufufufu」

The goblin queen laughed eerily. She might be imagining about Kuroki right now.

I have to endure seeing that filthy smile for the time being.

Soon enough, a goblin brought the drug. It's a transparent drug that filled a small and beautiful bottle.

「Let me say my gratitude for the drug, goblin queen」

Saying so, I leave the Akeron mountain range after taking the drug.

◆Sword Maiden, Shirone

On the mirror is my figure that is wrapped by a light blue dress.

My skirt is fluttering around when I swirl my body once.

Yes. It's a beautiful dress even in my perspective.

But I feel like I'm going to lose to the one on my side.

On my side is Kyouka-san wearing a rose-colored dress. Kyouka-san in her dress is really beautiful.

Her well-proportioned style and tight waist; her voluminous cleavage which I can see from the opening of the chest part of her dress. Even me, a member of the same sex can't help but look curiously at her ample breasts.

「You look great in that dress, my lady」

The one who’s praising us is Corfyna, Eclas’s wife. She's a kind woman who doesn't possesses the air of arrogance. Despite being the wife of the king, Corfyna doesn't feel like a queen at all.

This is also my second time meeting with Corfyna.

From what I heard from Chiyuki-san, it seems that Corfyna was originally a merchant’s daughter who fell in love with Eclas when she met him during her time she was accompanying her father for trade in Velos and just like that got married to him. Marrying for wealth and status.

But, Corfyna’s low social status made many people oppose the idea of her becoming a queen.

But after his fiancee eloped with the king of Algore and seeing the depressed Eclas, it seems that the people around him had no choice but to acknowledge their marriage.

Corfyna is an elegant beauty, and Eclas became cheerful again after marrying her.

Due to her background as a merchant’s daughter, Corfyna is well versed in accounting and supports her husband on the financial affairs of the kingdom. Thanks to that, Velos became even more prosperous. Now, everyone acknowledges her as a full-fledged queen.

And standing between her and king Eclas is their son who is turning 5-years-old this year.

Even Chiyuki-san praised her as an example of a good wife. I was told that she went as far as not letting Reiji-kun come close to her to show her love to her husband.

One night has passed since we came to this kingdom; we borrowed these dress from Corfyna for us to wear during the ball.

It seems that Eclas gave a lot of clothes and precious gems to Corfyna. Seeing the vast expanse of dresses in their clothing room, they decided to lend a few of those dresses.

The clothing style and technologies of this world are different for each country. There are countries that have reached extreme heights in these factors, and there are few who are at their lowest.

But, it's quite high for a big country at Velos kingdom’s level.

The ball gown wore by me and Kyouka-san can't be compared even to the ones in our original world in terms of refinement.

「The opening on chest part is too big…」

Kyouka-san is grumbling so.

Corfyna’s breast isn't that big due to her slender figure. It feels too tight in my case, but it must be painful for Kyouka-san who has bigger breasts than me.

For this reason, a modification was made by opening the chest part, thereby turning it into an erotic dress.

「Yup, the opening is too big. But, I think it's really charming. Parsish-dono also seems to be delighted by it」

Kyouka-san’s face displayed a conflicted expression when Corfyna mentioned about Parsish.

In the first place, Kyouka-san doesn't even want to dance with Parsish.

Though I feel bad for saying this to Omiros, I also want to dance with Reiji.

Though I once dance with him, it wasn't for too long since there were many girls who wanted to dance with Reiji-kun were already waiting in line. I want to enjoy it slowly if there's another chance to dance with him.

I want to dance with Kuroki, too. Kuroki isn't very good with this kind of gaudy and expressive buildings like this one and will leave at once. But, he might change his mind once he sees my current appearance.

Since Kuroki’s appearance isn't that bad, I think that he should come to this kind of place once in a while. He shouldn't live in a dark place like Nargol. Hence, I’m definitely going to take him back.

「It's okay, my lady. If he dares to do something insolent to you, I'll smash him by myself」

Corfyna and I smile wryly after hearing Kaya-san’s words.

Let's not ask her which place she's going to smash.

By the way, we were not informed that Parsish-tachi received dance lessons in another place.

But to be able to dance with a beauty like Kyouka-san, they should have that level of preparation.

At any rate, tomorrow is the ball. I have to gather enough information about Kuroki as soon as this ball is finished.

◆Former Governor, Echigos

「Damn it… What should I do now…」

I ponder about my future plans while walking on the streets of Velos kingdom.

After that event, Daigan and I were tied by those ogre-like women with padlock, carried like a luggage with hippogriff, and came to this kingdom.

They let the hippogriff take a rest so many times along the way. The burden on the hippogriff became higher due to carrying us. I wanted to tell them to release us already if possible.

Daigan is in jail right now. They couldn’t leave him out because they don't know what he's capable of if they leave him alone.

As for me, I was released after spending one night in the jail since I'm just a normal human, after paying the maintenance cost for letting me into jail.

Though it was a good thing that I've been released from the jail, I'm penniless now. What should I do from now on?

All my gold are hidden in the secret room in my mansion at Koki country. I have to take it back at all costs.

But, it might take a lot of money to go back to Koki country. Currently, I have no way to gain some money in this kingdom.

What should I do to get some money, then?

This kingdom is kind toward merchants. The reason is because the queen of this kingdom is originally a merchant’s daughter.

The queen is hailed as the textbook of a lady and the incarnation of virtue.

But, she would receive different evaluation from me and my merchant comrades: Calculative woman.

She ignored the hero in the past, but it's just natural. The queen is originally a lowborn daughter of a merchant. She was going to lose her hard won queen position if she were to ride along with the hero’s invitation which would then ruin her family.

The queen won't perform such dangerous actions because the hero won't always come to save the day.

Currently, she's governing this kingdom from the shadows by receiving the affection of the king.

Though I was a wealthy merchant in the past, my business collapsed and I lost everything including my patron due to that queen. Thanks to that, I became a wandering merchant.

Though the queen appears to be a calm and kind person at glance, she's in fact an extremely shrewd woman. And before I know, she has become as one expected of a queen.

The trading rule of that queen is perfect without any loopholes. It might be true that I don't want to earn my income in an honest way. What should I do?

「Wait」

Someone calls out to me while I'm pondering about that matter.

When I turn around, I saw two large men with a seemingly elder woman between them. It seems the one that called me was one of those man.

I don't remember seeing the three of them.

「Uhm, may I ask your business with me?」

I reply with a polite tone. I can feel signs of violence from those big men. Taking my life with those big arms of theirs might be an easy matter.

Let's act humble for now.

「If I'm not mistaken, I saw you once before in Zengu’s house. Your name is Echigos, right?」

Cold sweat trickles down my spine when I heard Zengu’s name.

「It seems I was right」

The big man is laughing. It hit me once I saw something like a tusk in his mouth.

It means that the trio, who know Zengu’s name, could only be ogres. So they can assume human-like appearance, huh?

There are some demons who can assume a human appearance. It's not like have I never heard about that story.

And then, when I look at the old woman.

Thinking through the probable ogres who know about Zengu, the identity of the old woman might be that terrifying mother of his.

I must run away from this place.

「U-Uhm, could it be that you're mistaking me for someone else?」

After saying so, I step back, about to break into a run.

「GUHE?!」

Only to end up falling on that place. My feet felt like they were stuck to the ground.

「Your shadow is stitched to the ground. Do you think that you can escape from this Kujig?」

When I look at my feet, the cane of that old woman is pinned on my shadow. It seems like some kind of magic to seal my movement.

Kujig, I know that name. She's Zengu mother. And then, an ogre wizard hailed as the queen of the blue forest.

The name ‘Kujig the witch’ is famous in the northern part of the continent.

The confectionary castle in which she lives deep inside the blue forest has an extremely sweet scent that it could reach the kingdom of humans that are quite far from it. And before they know, those humans would be drawn by that sweet smell and end up as Kujig’s prey.

The old woman is coming closer. I can see the terrifying tusk growing out from her mouth. My body is trembling in fear.

「Now, spit out everything you know」

Kujig is laughing. It was an extremely terrifying laugh.

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