"Eh!? Father and mother aren't going as well?!!"
I was having a shock as much as I tried to accept it. After all, it wasn't that long I reunited with my parents and they said I have to travel with Leon alone!! And right after breakfast even!
"I'm sorry Charl… Unfortunately, we have an order given directly by the King......"
"The situation has been quite worrisome lately, so we have been traveling around the region to help Aeinsland. Even Melinda is doing the same. We are very sorry for leaving you so soon, Charlotte......"
Uuuugghhhh...... I really wanted to say something but my tongue was tied. After all, I heard something disturbing that most likely held a deep relation with me.
I mean... the King my parents mentioned must be the Warrior King—Arthur Fermata Aeinsland.
He's the seventh king reigning over the Aeinsland Kingdom famous for governing with iron fist and feudal system. Basically, he got no room to compromise when ruling the lands which were his properties and he let the lands ruled by nobles to develop independently as long as riots won't threaten his reign. Well, that would be the simplest way to describe him but...
I often heard Takeru complaining about the behaviors of several people that seemed to bother him for most of the time if not in the past (my parents were, as expected, included in it.) Which meant... the people he mentioned were BAD for me to deal with, for better or for worse. And this Arthur is at the top of the list.
“What kind of order did he issue?” Leon took the initiative this time. And he didn’t need to sugarcoat it.
“Ah, well…” Father scratched his cheek with a troubled smile. Glancing to mother, they nodded and father squatted down in front of us, prompting us to lend an ear. Hm…?
“Actually… Daemonia has annexed the Neutral Sovereignty.”
…eh?
“Because of that, all Territories are alerted. Even the elven and demi-humans found this as baffling but it was already done. When we investigated the border… well, it was overridden by demons.” Father explained, dead serious without shading any lie.
What!? Contrary to my stunned still reaction, Leon scowled.
“Since when?” He asked.
“Six months after Charlotte left the house.” Father answered.
Eh?! Seriously!? How in the… Just how fast are they to conquer the central part of the continent?! I thought Neutral Sovereignty was an even ground to every race!
“Also… the demons left behind a warning to the king. Here’s the copy.”
Nh…? I accepted the papyrus parchment with a hand. Looking at it together, I recited the words loud enough for Leon to hear but restraining from being heard by everyone else.
'You puny beings who ignored my dominion. Know that your days are numbered and your lives are mine to trample. Cower and surrender yourself, for I shall rule over your territories in ten years from now. All you can do is to die meaninglessly or swear allegiance to me. Become my minions for eternity, and I will ensure at least your life… or you will pay for the consequence.'
......yeah. It's so obvious that there's too much pride and arrogance in it. But he has the power enough to prove his words. You wouldn't want to laugh it off as 8th-grader syndrome when he actually conquered the largest yet lawless dominion in Magnis. Now I understand.
Not to mention... it must be related with Ivory. A Demon General and also Aschlazul's direct subordinates. He must have his name stained by having his vassal returning only to fail in killing two children. Well, I could picture a furious Villain torturing the failed General but…
The eyewitnesses are only me and Fei, right?
If the Warrior King who hated internal disputes and preferred to die by his own rules were to get a wind of our involvement……
"......Big sis... Don't tell me..."
"Shh! Sshhh, Leon!!"
"? What's wrong, the two of you? Are you feeling unwell?"
No no no! There's nothing to fear, father!! It's not like I'm hiding a large secret that may cause me to be hung on the scaffold okay!? And Leon, please pretend you heard nothing about what had truly happened before I met Takeru!! It's for the greater good of mankind (mostly me) though you're not a human!
Ah, wait! I already told my parents back at the carriage! Oh no, what should we do!?
Just when I panicked beyond control, mother softened her gaze and she pulled us in to her arms.
"It’s okay, sweetie. You didn’t do any wrong thing. Mommy really wanted to spend more times with you two. I wish I can see you two going to school for the first time...... Don't worry, Mommy and daddy will see you two again as soon as we finished with our business."
...ugh... this is bad. I felt sorry since it was me that ruined the whole plan from the beginning. Now I feared the day the truth will be revealed. I just hope that none would actually be angry and put me in the jail... no. Why don't I think of it this way? So long as the secret doesn't come out then no one will blame me right...?
If so.... I must find something that can cause amnesia! And my prime targets would be Takeru, Fei and Leon! Also those who saw witness of the tragedy of five years ago!!
"It's okay, mother... I'll do my best at school so just you wait for my achievement!!"
"Oh my, I will be expecting the best then! But don't forget to send letters okay? And don't be afraid of telling Mommy your problems, Charl."
"I will, mother!!"
I smiled brightly at mother. She also smiled back but before saying goodbye, father suddenly told me.
"Father doesn't permit you to bring back a boyfriend."
"Eh!?" My dumb response was unexpected, but rather than surprised by the words be just said I was surprised by the sudden change of tone.
When I looked at him, father grabbed my shoulders. He squatted down and then made eye contact!
"Listen up, Charlotte! Men are beasts! They are all wolves ready to pounce on you even from the corner of the cellar! Especially in Raumia which is infamous for having bastards who aimed for your mother with dirty motives!! DO NOT LET DOWN YOUR GUARD AT ANY MOMENT!!!"
How old-fashioned can this guy be!? And are the men in Raumia roaches to emerge from the cellar?!! Don’t tell me they have black big muscular body with a pair of fish eyes?! But anyway, this is too close!! Your face is horrifying me father!!
"Don't forget, Charlotte!! You must never yield to the rotten noble brats! Especially those from Silverash family!!"
Okay okay already!! Please stop it with the bloodshot eyes! It's not good for my health!!
"Dear, stop scaring the children. And what will Charl do if she happened to meet the boy in the kingdom?" Mother said as she dragged father away…
Phew! Thanks a lot, mother!
"B-but! I don't want our daughter to stay close with bad influences! Even more so if with that scumbag!! Not after everything he has done!"
Haa...? What are you talking about? By the boy... did they mean Fei? Well, he probably became a Hero after liberating his country but why the vague description? I’m not doubting his words and I know he can do at least that. Else I’d lose my face as his client.
I wondered if my parents knew about something I didn't know but mother quickly whipped father's neck with a chop of hand, promptly putting him out of commission for now.
"Just study well and have fun, Charl! At the very least the nobles can never be able to touch the current you even with their dirty tricks."
Uh… I guess I won’t comment on this one. "Okay... but what is this Silverash family?"
"Oh, just a bunch of losers. They were defeated by your father back when he crashed the political marriage and taken me away from that place."
Eeehh? So they're the typical assholes with arrogance who tried to force marriage with mother? I did hear she hailed from a powerful aristocratic family in Raumia but it's the first time she mentioned her elopement.
Well, I don’t want to tangle myself with the usual cliché so let's just ignore all the pesky brats when I arrived at school.
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"Ah, so your parents aren't coming with you?" Anise said, sounding slightly dejected.
"Adults have their own circumstances. You can't blame them for whatever things that just happened or you will look selfish in their eyes." I said to reassure herr.
"...that came from someone who have the reason why they didn't come wit—geborrah!?"
What are you talking about Leon? Now Anise is confused you know? And why do you sound like an optimistic absurd-styled insect-slaying samurai? Ah ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa!
"You siblings are very close aren't you~? I'm jealous! I want a younger sibling too!!"
"No way! Leon is MINE so as if I will hand him over even if you begged, Anise!!"
"It's fine right...?! Lend him a bit for me, Charl!!"
Uwah!? This pink haired girl actually dragged my little brother to her! And she's hugging his head!! Hey! This is inside the carriage!! Aren't you being rude and immodest?!!
"....!? Mghmmgbah!?"
"Hyau! L-Leon, that tickled a bit~ such a playful boy aren't you...?"
"Oooooooiii!? Why are you hugging him even tighter?! And Leon, stop messing around like that!!"
"Mghmmgbah mmnh mgaaah!!"
Huuuuhh?! Just what are you saying, otouto-kun? I cannot hear you!! And are you talking or are you just trying to find a chance to taste an older girl's breasts you damn little pervert!!
"...Translation: 'Anise's chest is exceedingly soft you know...' is what the kid said."
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"Aaaaaaaah!? Bastard, so you really ARE groping her breasts!! Hey! Separate, the two of you!! I won't permit any illicit relationship between the two of you!!"
“Noooo~! We already reached the good moments and you have the guts to interrupt us?!”
The four of us messed around like that as the carriage traveled. It certainly made quite a ruckus and might the others be inconvenienced? I only heard these though:
"Damn that kid. Already so popular from such a young age?"
"No, look... judging from their appearances, those girls may be his fiancées."
"What? A noble? How dare he to show off his harem in broad daylight... does he have any shames?"
"Accursed fulfilled maggot! Go die in a ditch!!"
.......oh. Maybe it's not so bad to have Leon gathering the aggro. Rather than looking at me, most men glared with bloodshot eyes at otouto-kun. Now I feel relaxed~
As the travel went on, I exchanged stories with Anise and Alia. Of course the sensitive subjects were left unsaid but we did share some opinions about this and that. Most of the stories were mundane stuffs such as hobbies, favorite food, what colors do we liked etc. Leon preferred to sleep though Anise seemed to take a liking with him.
I wondered if I was jealous or not for having my own sibling more popular than me. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that way and rather than to Leon.... somehow I was irritated of Anise's way to seduce him. It felt ‘forceful’ for some odd reasons.
"Hm... Anise, I think that's enough of teasing Charlotte. She is going to cry at any moment now."
"Wha!? Wh-who's going to cry Alia?!!" Unknowingly raising a pitch in my voice, I yelled at the Aqua Mage.
And yet Anise did as she was told! How come she only listened to Alia?!
"Whoa, alright alright~ I mean, these two are so cute to tease around! I love cute things you know?"
"But that's no reason to use someone's sibling as a doll right?"
"Okay, okay... I understand..."
...just like that, Leon was returned to me. Completely exhausted as he wobbled and sat right next to me. He leaned his head onto my shoulder. Then he whispered.
"...Humans are scary....."
"I think these girls are scarier. No, it's because they're girls that they seemed scary."
".......well, big sister is also sca—"
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing important. Anyway, let me sleep already..."
Hm… alright then. I too was exhausted so I nudged the duo across me to keep quiet. They nodded before chatting leisurely in a quiet discussion. Sigh... the children in this world must have lots of energy to waste for.
But as I closed my eyes to rest, the carriage halted its wheels. Causing me to nearly rolling off the seat because of the centrifugal force. What was that…?
"—Aye, the gentleman over there! Would you mind to take us in your travel for glory? Though coins are more than suited to pay honorable gentleman such as you, but I can entertain your travel with stories and songs!!"
"Hou? A Minstrel huh? Well now, what shall I do...?"
...now the driver was bantering with a person at the roadside. Sheesh, they're rowdy... let me sleep a bit! My stamina is already low thanked to the little devils in front of me!!
But as the talks finished, I heard incoming footsteps. The door of the carriage opened. Light basked in while two figures cheerfully entered the corner of my field of view.
"Oh...? Now what do we have here...?"
"...Hm.....?"
My expression went blank. I could not believe how much coincidences could play in life, but I knew that what I saw was as real as reality could get.
"Franz...? Is that you..?" I asked the man who showed a spirited grin under his nose in disbelief.
"Yah... Looks like Londinionn once again blessed me with a chance meeting with the Little Missy!" The familiar greenclad man greeted with a sing-sang tone.
My drowsiness was blown away. I stood up to make sure I didn't wander in a dream. The truth became more apparent as the man with green hair and easygoing expression approached me.
He's tall. I knew that Franz was an American if I compared him in Earth standard. Still, he matured quite well and I'd rather not see him for a long period of time lest my cheeks turned red. Is it just me or are all men that I’m acquainted with are dropdead gorgeous if not powerful?
But it's just amazing! So coincidences do happen but this? This is just great! The 'feel' threatened me to tear up but once I witnessed a small hooded person coming from behind Franz...
All emotional reunion scene crashed to utter disgust.
"YOU!! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO BRING AROUND A LOLITA AROUND!? WHICH NOBLE FAMILY DID YOU KIDNAP HER FROM TO HAVE A SILVER HAIRED ALBINO DAUGHTER LIKE THIS?!!"
"Uwoaaaaaahh!? Wa-wai! Wait a moment.....!! I have a reason—"
"EEEEEIII!! SILENCE, YOU PEDOPHILE!! I'LL STRANGLE YOU AND CLEANSE YOUR DIRTY HEAD RIGHT HERE AT THIS MOMENT!!"
Drawing out my sword, I yelled as I leaped at the Minstrel!!
"Say your prayer......!!"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!?"
After that... well, chaos be blessed by Blaze. Who would ever think that a playful Minstrel to actually went around with a kid no less than 5 years old? What's more, the girl did not have any resemblance with this jerk!
From other perspectives, there were two girls who smirked as they found something amusing and a boy who literally scoffed as if he saw a storm arriving.
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"Hm... so your name is Lily. That's a pretty name."
".......th... Thank... you..."
The little girl quietly blushed.
Arara, she seemed to be a shy girl though I felt as if I saw her somewhere before. Could it be that she's the one I saved five years ago? The little girl who was chased around by orcs? That made me even more worried why she traveled along the chatterbox over there.
Also, why is her hair and eye color like that…? Silver and red… Somehow, it looked like opposing color scheme to mine.
"......you alive?" A half-demon asked from the corner.
"Bare...ly... Yea... the Lady... seemed to have grown incredibly strong." The charred lolicon groaned.
Hmph! It didn’t matter even if he rescued this girl from the hands of slaver!! The world was already filled with disgusting people doing disgusting things so I couldn’t help it! Not when Franz taught Lily to call him the sacred title for all young men which was: ‘Onii-chan’!!
How could this even happen? Well, I just somehow knew from the confessing sinner that Minstrels had a very wide network to share information. Some used magic. Some used letters. Some wrote in a journal which contained many specific data about specific things or people.
All just for the sake of making a new song. Really, so these guys were stalker paparazzis and they had no limits to restrict their habits of sticking their noses in other business. Takeru-sensei would drop his jaws once he heard a spy blended in his hometown for the sake of researching Japanese customs. It’s sad that the off-limits information and obscure ideals of men were leaked too.
As the carriage moved forward, the girls (including me) once again talked as if chirping. Not that I intended to follow along but Lily was a person I would hug for. She's cute and she behaved like a small animal. What would happen if we fed her? The result spoke the truth.
Imagine a small animal… squirrel or marmot. Hamsters worked the best so let’s just imagine this cute one eating sunflower seeds. And no, not putting the seeds in their magical 4D pocket-like mouth but consuming by eating rapidly. Yes, yes, just like that but this time it’s Lily who was showing the same action like them!
"So cute! Let me hug you!!" A certain idiot said before she was elbowed by a certain mage. Ouch, that must’ve hurt.
"Mhm. Do you want more cookies, Lily?" She wanted to fish her!?
Just what kind of reaction was that to even set up a lure for her?! But before we could see the sight of a hamster eating cookies, the carriage once again stopped with sudden brakes on.
"What the hell is it now!?" As fast as my yell reached the front seat, a thunderous voice entered the ears of everyone present in the carriage.
"Handover your possessions and money!! And surrender the women if you wish to live!!”
Wha… there was a group of thirty or-so burly men with savage faces appearing from the bushes! Although there were not many spots to hide in but it was as if they just appeared in thin air!! Sadly enough, I didn’t try to detect them as their auras were weak enough to be mistaken as wild animals.
Oh, by the way, the carriage was moving along the animal path right beside a small forest. It’s not like it’s an actual forest as there were only a dozen of trees grouped together neatly. With some wild vines and bushes, the place did gave the vibes of a forest. That might be these… rogues’ hiding spot.
Such a bunch of cowards. I knew that bandits always existed in the eras where kingdoms and nobility system were present but not this many. So one could say these guys were a bunch of criminals, escapees and/or ochimushas. How really sad to see these guys wearing similar clothes like soldiers yet armed with blunt and overused weapons. Some axes and bows looked like they would break in one touch you know?
But as everyone excepting a few cringed in fear, an additional announcement flew out. “It’s no use to resist! Now handover our demands! Especially if you have some blondie with green eyes!! You better surrender them quickly and you’re going to live to see another day with those rotten eyes of yours!!"
......
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“...well now. Everyone, why are you all looking at me?”