Meanwhile, there was an issue in Gallaria, heart of the Regulus Empire...
"I'm out of funds..." a young boy said, sighing quietly as he sat on a bench
near the fountain in the capital's central park.
"No cash, kiddo? The people of this era are driven by money too, huh...?" a
small voice leaked out from the blade that was propped nearby. Nobody else
was around, so only Kuon could hear it.
"Is it really that expensive for you to get a ride home, though, kiddo?"
"Nah, it's not that it's especially pricey. I can definitely afford to ride home..."
"So what's the problem?"
"I don't have enough money to buy souvenirs..."
The six-year-old prince let out a sigh. All he could do was shake his head. The
look of bitter resignation on his face was palpable. It certainly wasn't an
expression one would expect a boy his age to adopt.
"S-Souvenirs? Who cares if ya get those?"
"My sisters. My father and mothers won't care, but they'll all complain if I
don't bring them something. I can't go back without bringing them something."
The boy had eight sisters. Elna was polite and graceful, so she certainly
wouldn't complain, but the same couldn't be said for the rest. Even Steph, the
littlest of all his siblings, would kick up a fuss if he showed up empty-handed.
He had no option in this case. But if he bought souvenirs for everyone, he'd
be short of money for the ride home. And if he bought a ticket home, he'd be
short of money for all the souvenirs. He could always buy something cheap or
tacky, but he knew they wouldn't appreciate that.
"I don't have anything to trade either..."
"...What're ya eyeing me up like that for, kiddo? Ain't gonna sell me, right?"
Kuon had no intention of selling Silver. Sure, the sword was a rare and
valuable piece of legacy tech that'd fetch a pretty penny on the eastern
continent, but if Quun learned about it, Kuon would never hear the end of it.
The emperor of Regulus was technically Kuon's grandfather, and he was the
biological grandfather of Kuon's sister Arcia. Unfortunately, there was no way
he could just stroll up to the castle and go, "Hey, I'm your grandson. Could I
have some money?"
"I doubt he'd even believe me if I told him."
The emperor had actually already been informed about the situation by
Touya, but Kuon had no way of knowing that. Sadly, he'd have to live in
ignorance of the simple solution that was nearby.
"In the worst-case scenario, I could just buy some souvenirs, then make it to
Brunhild on foot...or maybe I could hunt some beasts for extra cash? Augh, I
should've earned some money at that elf village," Kuon mumbled, then folded
his arms and let out a deep sigh when suddenly Silver spoke in a hushed voice.
"Kiddo... Eyes up. Look there. What's going on?"
"Hm?"
Kuon looked up and saw a crowd gathered at the nearby fountain. Two men
stood there, yelling to draw in more onlookers.
"Come one, come all! Behold the mechanical marvel from the western
continent! A Gollem! Gaze upon this fine machine slave! It is a fine replacement
for any human worker!"
"That's right! And this machine's special! It's known as a legacy Gollem! It's an
ancient remnant of a bygone civilization! One with a stupendous power! You'll
never find anything like this at such a low price ever again! Come one, come
all!"
Kuon tottered over to see what the two men were yelling about. One of the
men was big and broad, his bald head glimmering in the sunlight. The other
man was small and thin, with a hooked nose and sharp eyes. Behind them stood
a black iron Gollem, a price tag neatly affixed to its neck.
It was about four meters tall, with a bulky torso and a small head. Its arms
and legs were thick as well. At a glance, one experienced with Gollems would
assume it to be a power-type, meant for heavy lifting.
"Can it move? Let's see it!"
"But of course, sir! Say hello to everyone, Gollem!"
At the hook-nosed man's command, the black Gollem raised its arms high in a
sweeping wave. The crowd let out a delighted cheer.
A short, chubby merchant came waddling out of the crowd. He approached
the thin salesman.
"Hm... How much can this thing carry?"
"It can haul an entire carriage of merchandise, my good friend! You could use
it as an escort on long treks, or even use it to carry your cargo itself! At this
price, it's practically a steal!"
The portly merchant pondered for a few moments before finally pulling out a
purse from his pocket.
"Very well, I'll take it..."
"I don't think you should, mister," a voice suddenly called out from the crowd,
prompting the merchant to turn around. It was a boy, about five or six years
old. He had beautiful golden hair that flowed past his shoulders. He held a
sheathed shortsword in his hands.
The merchant couldn't quite place why, but something about this boy felt
different, as if he were no normal child at all. The fact that the boy had advised
him against the purchase rang clear in the back of his mind. The merchant's
beloved elder brother had once told him to always trust his gut. In keeping with
that mantra, the merchant walked toward the blond-haired child.
"Whyever not? It seems to be a good price, no?"
"It would be, if it was a real legacy Gollem. But this is a fake."
"You little brat! Don't go lying about my business! Who do you think you are?!
Scram!"
The bulky, bald merchant came stomping towards Kuon. But the boy was too
fast. He ducked beneath the man's lumbering hands, jumped into the air, and
briefly hovered above the black iron Gollem. He then gently swung the
sheathed blade in his hands down in an arc, thudding it against the Gollem's
head. A dull crack rang out across the area.
"Hear that? It's hollow, isn't it? There should be a Q-Crystal inside. It's the
Gollem's brain, but this one's empty."
Silver quietly mumbled something about not wanting to be used as a blunt
instrument, but Kuon elected to ignore him.
"Q-what? Don't talk nonsense, kid! Hey, get him!"
The skinny man ordered the Gollem to apprehend Kuon, and the bulky
machine reached to grab the boy by the shoulders.
Kuon ducked once again, unsheathed Silver as he spun around, and slashed at
the black iron armor on the Gollem's chest. The Gollem's outer plating was
shredded away in seconds, exposing the innards...revealing the nervous-looking
man cramped inside the Gollem's chest piece, manipulating different buttons
and gear sticks.
"I knew it. It's a Dvergr, not a Gollem."
Dvergrs were engineering machines widely distributed by the Strand
Company. Unlike Gollems, they weren't autonomous and could only work with
human intervention. They weren't widely known among the public, but many
countries employed them in civil engineering projects.
Dvergrs were fairly expensive, but nowhere near the kind of price one might
end up paying for a legacy Gollem. That meant the two men...three if you
counted the guy in the Dvergr, were trying to scam their way into a tidy sum of
money.
Kuon wondered how the small man inside the Dvergr intended to escape
after being sold, but quickly figured he'd probably eject himself in the middle of
the night and run away.
"Tsk! You little brat! Who do you think you are?!"
The bald man ran up toward Kuon and attempted to kick him, but the boy
nimbly leaped through the gap between his legs and struck him hard on the
lower back.
"[Paralyze]."
"Gwegh?!"
The man crumpled on the spot, sounding a bit like a deflating frog.
In the same motion, Kuon danced gracefully past the Dvergr and severed its
arms and legs using Silver's blade.
"Bwah?!"
The machinery fell forward, preventing the man inside from escaping.
"Ugh!"
"Grab him!"
"Eek!"
The hook-nosed man had attempted to escape, but the crowd quickly seized
him and threw him to the ground. Kuon was just about to use one of his mystic
eyes to fix the man in place, but he stopped himself after realizing the situation
was under control.
"Hey, call the guards!"
"Get some rope to tie these bastards up! Don't forget the one under that
hunk of junk!"
The onlookers were quick to act, almost eager to apprehend the men. They
had no idea Kuon could've easily taken the scammers into custody, but the boy
didn't mind. He'd let the mob handle it. He didn't exactly care if criminals got a
little roughed up, after all.
"Ah, young man! Thank you! Those charlatans almost had me fooled, they
did."
The merchant bowed his head to Kuon. Had the boy not spoken up when he
had, then he'd have been tricked into buying a useless product. The merchant
had been so enamored by the exotic sight that he'd allowed it to sway his sense
of reason. He knew that his elder brother would've taken some level of levity in
the mistake, had he learned of it.
"In this era, Dvergrs and Gollems aren't common on the eastern continent. I
can't blame you for falling for it, sir."
"This era?"
"Oh, don't worry about it. Slip of the tongue."
Gollems and Dvergrs were only just starting to emerge in the eastern market,
but most people only knew of them in stories and whispers at this point in time.
Certain discerning merchants had already made trips to the western continents
to see the kinds of different wares over there, but that was a luxury afforded to
few. It wouldn't be so easy for common folk to buy such advanced machines.
"I'd like to pay you back for your help, if I could... Where are your parents?"
"Oh...I'm traveling alone. My parents aren't with me..."
"Alone?! Goodness me..."
The man seemed shocked. Could this little boy really be all on his own? Sure,
he was carrying a sword, but was that really enough? He'd shown some level of
skill at fighting, but he was still just a boy of only five or six years.
"Do you have anywhere to go? I'm on my way to the Roadmare Union, if
you'd like a ride."
"Ah... I appreciate the offer, but I actually need to go the opposite way. I'm on
the way to Brunhild."
That was unfortunate. Had the merchant been going the same way, Kuon
would've happily gone with him. That way he would've been able to buy all the
souvenirs while also securing himself a ride home.
"Oh! Brunhild, you say! What a funny coincidence! My brother owns a store
there, you know?! He's in this very capital, and he'll be heading back to Brunhild
in only a few days. If you'd like to meet him, I could arrange for you to travel
back with him."
"Really?! That would be amazing!"
Kuon happily accepted the offer. Immense relief washed over him as he
realized he could secure the souvenirs. Now he didn't have to deal with his
sisters and their scathing comments. The day had been saved.
The merchant suddenly started waving at someone behind Kuon, prompting
the boy to turn around and look.
"Brother! Over here!"
"It's been too long, Barac. Hm? Who is this boy?"
"Oh, I'm... Wait... Huh?!"
Kuon blinked in surprise. He knew this man. The face was somewhat younger
than the one he knew, yet he knew him all the same. It was Brunhild's royal
clothier, Zanac Zenfield...
◇ ◇ ◇
With the tunnel in Gandhilis finally built, we returned to Brunhild. Quun,
Elluka, Doc Babylon, and the professor elected to stay behind in Agartha to
analyze the Gigantes, however. Some Gollem engineers from Gandhilis also
came to the underground settlement to study the Gollem as well, but they lost
their minds when they saw not one, but two of the five great gollemancers.
"Yeesh, that was a lot..."
"Good work today."
I slumped back onto the couch as Yumina began brewing a pot of tea.
The kids, apparently excited after seeing the Gigantes battle, went off to the
game room to play against each other in the simulators. Elze, Hilde, and Yae
went with them. Ende, not wanting to let Allis out of his sight, tagged along as
well.
"My, I've been away for a little while...but it is pleasant to see the children
getting on so well here," Granny Tokie said, sitting on the couch by my side,
smiling gently as she sipped at the tea Yumina had served. She'd been in the
divine realm for quite some time, so I was a little bit concerned that something
had happened. Apparently, she was fine, however.
"We've still got two to go, though. Yumina's child...and Sue's too... They'll all
get to go back to the future when they're together, right?"
"Well, that is a matter I've been meaning to discuss with you... There is a
small issue," Tokie replied, smiling coyly as she set down her teacup on the
table.
...An issue? What kinda issue?
"Oh, fret not. I can easily return them to the future at any time. They will be
able to rejoin their proper timestream without any hitches. However, there are
a few circumstances that will require them to stay here just a little bit longer..."
"Like what?"
"I am dreadfully sorry, young Touya, but I cannot tell you just yet. Once I've
finished my investigation, I will be sure to let you know. I promise."
Granny Tokie took another sip from her teacup. Her expression seemed a
little muddled. I had a feeling that it wasn't a good sign either... Maybe
something bad was due to happen, something to do with the wicked devout?
That lurch in my stomach suddenly went away as I felt my phone vibrate.
"Huh? It's Zanac. Wonder what he wants."
Zanac was the owner of the international clothing brand, Fashion King Zanac.
He'd made a name for himself all over the world as a wedding dress designer
and a purveyor of fine style. From what I'd heard, his dresses were selling
incredibly well in just about every country on the continent. I'd been so busy
after my own wedding that I hadn't had any time to touch base with him, so I
wondered what he was calling for.
"Er, hello?"
"Oh, hello there! Is this the grand duke? Er, ah... Hold on, sorry? Hm? You
want me to put you on the call? Er, but... Erm... Okay, but please be polite. He's
a royal, you know? Er, sorry, Grand Duke. I'll put the boy on the phone."
Apparently, he was handing me off to someone else. I could only wonder
who.
"Hello there. I'm calling, er...on behalf of Mochizuki Kuon. Do you
understand?"
"What?!"
The new voice on the phone was that of a child, or, well, a little boy. A little
boy who had just said Mochizuki Kuon.
"Er, can you hear me?"
"Y-Yeah! I can! A-Are you him?! Kuon?!"
"I am, yes. I absolutely am. I'm in Regulus. I was lucky enough to meet with
Mr. Zenfield. I would've called sooner, but...I lost my phone."
...So this is Kuon. Is he really a child? He's speaking so politely.
My mind had only just started to process the fact that I was talking to my son,
but all of a sudden, Yumina lashed her hand out and swiped the phone from
me.
"H-Hello?! Kuon?! Is that you, Kuon?! I-It's your mother! Do you
understand?!"
Hey...Yumina, that's rude. I was talking to him...
I tried to get my phone back from Yumina, but she expertly blocked every
attempt. It was like we were playing basketball or something.
"Mhm. Okay. Got it. Stay right there, okay?! Don't you move!" Yumina
exclaimed, ending the call without another word.
Wait, why'd you hang up?!
"Touya! We're going to Regulus! He's in Gallaria, in front of the central district
carriage station! Let's go!"
"Huh? Oh, sure... Yeah, that makes sense..."
I didn't have to worry about the call, since I could just go talk to him in
person. Now that I knew where he was, it was just a matter of warping to him.
I glanced over to Granny Tokie, who gave me a little nod.
All right, time to go pick up my boy!
"[Gate]."
The very second the portal opened, Yumina barreled through it headfirst.
S-Slow down, Yumina... Isn't that a bit much?
I told my remaining wives in the room to sit tight, and then I went through the
portal. I'd opened the other side of the portal to a back alley, since I didn't want
to just step out of thin air in the middle of a busy street. By the time I went
through, however, Yumina was already running towards the main station area. I
chased after her, breaking into a brisk jog. I saw a bunch of lined-up carriages by
the side of the road...and then I saw Yumina hugging a six-year-old boy as
tightly as she could.
Zanac stood nearby, a very confused expression on his face. Next to him stood
what I could only assume to be some kind of merchant who vaguely resembled
Zanac.
"Oh, Grand Duke. There you are. Is this boy really a distant relative of yours?"
"Errr... Yup. That's what he is."
I gave Zanac a lukewarm answer before turning back to Yumina. The boy in
her grip was completely flustered, his eyes darting all over the place. He was
tapping on her back as if to beg for mercy.
"Hey, Yumina! Let go of him, will you? Poor kid's tapping out!"
"Huh?! O-Oh, I'm sorry!"
Freed from Yumina's grasp, Kuon began to wheeze for breath.
...Just how tight was that hug?
He looked short for his age, despite only being six. His physique was slender.
I'd even go so far as to call him delicate-looking. He had the same golden hair as
Yumina, but he didn't look particularly girly.
Kuon looked over at me. His eyes were black, just like mine.
"...Can we talk once we get back to Brunhild? This is a little public."
"Y-Yeah. Sure, no problem. Gotcha."
I thanked Zanac for finding Kuon, and he took the opportunity to introduce his
brother, Barac. They certainly looked alike. Apparently, he was the branch
manager of the Fashion King Zanac chain in Regulus. I didn't even know Zanac
had any siblings. I turned to the new face, thanking him as well. He told me I
had nothing to thank him for, and that Kuon had actually saved him from a
scammer.
Wow... He's already doing wild stuff, I see...
"Hey, Zanac. You want a ride back to Brunhild? I can send you over."
"No, that won't be necessary. I have a few stops left to make in Regulus."
Zanac politely declined my offer. I couldn't blame him, especially not if it was
work-related. On the eastern continent, horse-drawn carriages were still the
primary mode of transportation. Things would probably be easier for Zanac
once the magic train between Regulus and Brunhild was ready to go.
"Touya, let's go!" Yumina yelled over to me, her hand already tightly wrapped
around Kuon's wrist. I couldn't help but notice the shortsword in Kuon's free
hand.
Huh...? He wields a sword, then?
I thanked Zanac and his brother once more, then we promptly returned to
Brunhild.
◇ ◇ ◇
"I'd like to formally introduce myself. I'm Mochizuki Kuon, Kuon being my
given name. This is the first time we'll have ever met during this time period, so
I understand the awkwardness of the situation. It's a pleasure to make your
acquaintance, mother and father."
"Oh, uh, right..."
"Aren't you being a touch stiff? We're your parents..."
Even Yumina found herself blinking in surprise at how formal Kuon was being.
He seemed like a pretty serious kid.
"Oh, I didn't read it as stiff. This is my usual demeanor, so don't worry. I'm
quite a carefree person, I promise."
I didn't quite believe him. The boy in front of me had the air of a formal
businessman. I'd kind of thought that my son would be a little more casual, in
all honesty.
Kuon was sitting on the couch in our living room. He turned to the side and
reached into his backpack, producing a small wrapped box from within. He then
set it out on the table, gesturing toward us both.
Hm? What's this?
"Souvenirs, father. Mr. Zenfield's brother suggested a good bakery. They're
cookies. I hope you find them to your liking."
"H-Hey, are you really six?!"
You even got a gift for us?! You're attentive to the max! What kind of son are
you?!
"Whoa... He's a polite kid, isn't he?"
"Is he really younger than my Linne? I can't believe it..."
Elze and Linze were exasperated as well.
Yumina must've heard them, since she was grinning from ear to ear.
I know you're proud, but isn't that smile a little too wide?
We heard the basic story of where Kuon had landed, how he'd gotten to us,
and how he'd lost his phone. Wherever it was, we wouldn't find it in any
conventional way. There was no recovering it from Elfrau's snowy wastes.
"Guess I'll just have to use the [Apport] and [Teleport] function to summon it
back with its serial number..."
I pulled out my own phone and began looking through my list of contacts.
...Wait. Oh crap. Kuon's serial number isn't in here! Duh! I haven't made his
phone yet! Ugh... Guess I'll have to go look for it the hard way. Wait, no. I can
just go over to the general area and use [Search].
"Touya?"
"No worries. I'll just head over to Elfrau and grab Kuon's phone."
"Apologies for the trouble, father," Kuon said, bowing his head before me.
Hmm... Are you really my kid? You're so formal... Honestly, he feels kind of
distant. It's a little weird.
Yumina was right, he could afford to relax a little. Still, if this was his
personality, I didn't have to take it personally. He was still my son, no matter
how he talked.
I asked Kuon to point out where he'd lost his phone, then warped away to
Elfrau.
"Ack! Cold!"
I found myself chilled to the bone the moment I teleported through. I
definitely needed to find that phone fast.
Let's see here... Damn, it's a little far from here...
I used [Fly] to head over to the general area, then melted the snow and
recovered Kuon's phone. I melted a ton of snow, so I ended up getting wet.
Thankfully, the [Protection] enchantment protected the phone itself.
"All right, all done here. Time to head back."
I warped back to the living room and saw that my other children were already
crowding around their brother.
"Kuon! You're late! Where were you?!"
"Lots of stuff happened... Oh yeah, Linne. Here, have some treats from
Regulus."
"Oh! Wow! That looks yummy!"
"Kuon, did you get in trouble again? I keep telling you you've gotta be more
careful..."
"No, I just happened to get involved with a few things... It's fine... Oh, by the
way, Frei...I got this unusual knife for you while I was in Regulus."
"...Oho. What a strange curve that blade has, even by Regulus standards.
Hmm... I've never seen one quite like this. He he he... Thanks a bunch."
Kuon handed off souvenirs to his sisters, one after the other. He did it so
casually that it seemed like he knew exactly what buttons to press to get the
reactions he wanted.
"Kuon! Kuon! What'd you get me?! Huh? Huh?"
Allis couldn't help but yell out in excitement as she clung to Kuon's side on the
couch. She wasn't exactly trying to hide her affection.
Someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and saw Ende. He
was smiling, but his eyes looked dead.
"Touya... Don't you think your son's just a teensy tiny bit too close to my
daughter?"
Huh? Looks like the other way around to me... You're letting yourself be
blinded, man.
"I don't see Steph or Quun... Are they not here yet?"
"Steph hasn't come to Brunhild yet, but Quun's here. She's just busy in
Gandhilis right now. She should be back before dinner, however," Arcia
answered Kuon's question.
Yakumo said she'd go and pick up Quun later on, so we had that sorted. In the
meantime, I figured my technically-inclined daughter would be busy poring over
the Gollem remains.
Kuon sighed quietly as he heard the news, gripping a small sword by his side
as he said, "What a shame. I had the perfect souvenir for Quun too."
"Hwah?! Souvenir?! Ya don't mean me, do ya kiddo?!"
Huh?! What was that voice?! Was it the sword?!
Everyone stared in disbelief as the sword, still in its scabbard, floated up into
midair.
"Ack! Sorry fer the late introduction! Name's Silver! I'm a humble blade! I
might not be a formal type, an' my edges are a little rough, but it's nice ta meet
you ladies!"
The sword wiggled its pommel slightly in a nodding gesture.
Why're you talking like that? Are you Kuon's henchman or something?
"A talking sword, huh? What is it, an artifact?"
"No. It looks like this, but it's actually a Gollem. Apparently, one created by
Chrom Ranchesse at that. I'm pretty sure he's a he, and he's called Infinite
Silver."
Kuon's answer to Yakumo's question shocked me.
Chrom Ranchesse?! The guy who created the crown Gollems, like Albus and
the others?! Wait, then does that mean...
"Is this the silver crown?!"
"Hoh? That's a name I ain't heard in a long time. Takes me back, sure does...
Though I don't got no crown skill, so I dunno if you can call me a complete
crown."
The sword, Silver, wiggled as if shaking his nonexistent head.
"You don't have a crown skill?"
"Chrom was tryin' ta make a Gollem that could use a crown skill without
havin' a cost tied to it. I ended up comin' outta that."
Albus had mentioned something like that, so the story added up.
Chrom Ranchesse had traveled between worlds over five thousand years ago
with the power of the black and white crowns. But then, he needed to escape
from the Phrase invasion some time later. The problem was that if he used the
black crown's power, he'd have to pay the price and would likely die as a result.
That was why he was trying his best to make a crown that didn't require any
compensation to use its power.
Unfortunately, the Phrase invasion came in full force before he could
complete those new crowns, and the white crown went berserk.
"Hm? Wait a sec... You're a Gollem, right? Does that mean you made a pact
with Kuon?"
"Sure did, sir!"
"What?! You never said anything like that!"
Silver's response caused Kuon to speak up in a panic.
Hm? What happened here?
"I'm a Gollem and an Artificer. If the conditions match up, you get
automatically contracted with me."
Silver seemed awfully nonchalant as he explained the situation. Apparently,
all Artificers that fell under the intelligent weapon subcategory were like that.
Only those who met the right criteria could wield them, and apparently, Silver's
personality was modified by the person who wielded him as well.
"My last wielder was this crazy killer fella. He used to cut people to bits at
least three times a day. The contract was still loomin' over me even after he
passed, so that affected my noggin a bit."
"Ohhh... That's why you were so murder-crazy when we first met? Huh? Wait,
so then the way you're acting and talking now is because of me...?"
Kuon looked deeply bothered by the realization.
"Yup. If you was scareda me, I might have a different personality. But the way
I am now is the perfect match fer you, kiddo! Ya tamed me good!"
Kuon's expression soured further. I just wanted to know what the hell he'd
done to this sword.
Wait, if this is the silver crown, then won't the wicked devout be after this
thing to open the Ark up?
"Silver, do you know anything about the gold crown?"
"Gold? I don't know too much about that'n, 'cause I was mostly kept in the
lab. But if I remember right, Chrom said it was like me. An Artificer."
It's an Artificer? I guess that makes sense. Chrom was from a world where
magical creatures weren't all that common, so the chance to use one as the
basis for his newest crowns was probably a no-brainer.
Artificers had a lot of variety, though. They could be Golems, Gargoyles,
Mimics, or any other kind of construct.
Hmm... Come to think of it, Golems and Gollems aren't all that dissimilar.
Maybe they'd have good synergy if combined...
"What kind of weapon is this sword, anyway?! How efficient is it in battle?!"
Frei asked as she eagerly made grabby hands toward Silver, who was nervously
hovering away from her. I had a feeling this might happen...
"Well, lassie. I can be as big or as small as I wanna be! I'm the perfect sword
fer any occasion!"
"Our father's sword, Brunhild, can do that too. That's not so special," Frei
replied, looking a little bit underwhelmed.
Wow... I guess this thing has [Modeling] applied to it too.
"I-I can slash enemies from a distance as well..."
"Father's sword can also attack from a distance."
"Hah! Well, I betcha his sword can't paralyze yer enemies like I can!"
"Father's sword can do that! He can even swap out ammunition to imbue
other effects like forced sleeping or burning!"
Silver faltered slightly at that revelation, and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry
for the animated blade. Part of me felt a little guilty, honestly.
"I-I can speak..."
My Brunhild definitely couldn't do that...but tons of ancient Gollems had that
capability, so it was hardly unique.
"So he's just a really old, less powerful version of Brunhild...? Sad."
"Gwah!"
Yoshino's casual comment sent piercing damage through Silver's core. The
poor blade drooped listlessly.
Okay, yeah, I feel really bad for this thing...
"Come on, now. Silver still has his uses. He's annoying, and he can't keep
quiet either, but I have to admit he's surprisingly sturdy. You wouldn't expect it,
but he's a functional sword in his own right. He subverts your expectations."
"Dang it, kiddo! Are you praising me or mocking me?!" Silver roared, groaning
in exasperation in response to Kuon's backhanded compliment.
Damn, that was harsh... Maybe my son's got a hidden dark side.
"He's quite similar to you, Touya..."
I pretended not to hear what Lu had said.
◇ ◇ ◇
"You've got seven mystic eyes?!"
"I do, yes. I have seven varieties of the mystic eye, and I can manifest them in
either my right or my left."
I was startled by what Kuon had told me. I'd never heard of more than one
mystic eye in the same person before, let alone seven.
Typically, the person who had a mystic eye had one eye that was a different
color from the other. Homura, one of our kunoichi agents, had a mystic eye that
allowed her to see over long distances. The eye imbued with this power had a
slightly brown tinge to it. In Kuon's case, however, both of his eyes were as
black as mine.
"Could you show me how it works?"
"Of course. Could you summon a [Light Orb] for me?"
I didn't know why he needed that, but I did as he requested and summoned
one.
Suddenly, one of Kuon's eyes glowed a golden hue with a faint blue tinge. The
orb I'd summoned dissipated when he looked at it.
What the heck?
"That was the mystic eye of nullification. It neutralizes magic, but only if it's in
my line of sight."
Wow, that's pretty impressive. That's similar to my [Absorb] spell, isn't it?
"A-Amazing! Kuon! Can you show us more?! Please!"
Yumina was just about bursting with excitement. She was clearly very happy
to learn her son had inherited a power similar to her own. I could understand
how she felt, but she was definitely being a helicopter parent...
Kuon began to explain his seven-hued mystic eyes to us, and how each color
worked.
■Green: The Mystic Eye of Subordination. It allowed him to take control of
animals, magical beasts, and monsters.
■Yellow: The Mystic Eye of Immobilization. It allowed him to freeze objects or
people in place.
■Blue: The Mystic Eye of Nullification. It allowed him to nullify magical effects
in his line of sight.
■White: The Mystic Eye of Intuition. It allowed him to determine whether or
not a person had good intentions.
■Red: The Mystic Eye of Pressurization. It allowed him to exert gravitational
pressure on any object he looked at.
■Orange: The Mystic Eye of Precognition. It allowed him brief glimpses into
the future.
■Purple: The Mystic Eye of Hallucination. It allowed him to create illusions.
When he used any of these abilities, his irises took on a golden hue with the
respective color mixed in. The eyes of Intuition and Precognition were obviously
passed down directly from Yumina.
They all sounded useful to me, but each had its own flaws. For example, his
Immobilization power would break if he blinked, and his Subordination eye had
a twenty-four-hour limit and didn't work on humans. Still, having access to that
many abilities on command sure sounded handy.
"Can you use regular magic?"
"I only have access to the null spells [Slip] and [Paralyze]."
Oh. Those are my two most used spells, aren't they? They're pretty handy
ones.
"That's my boy! I knew our son would be a brilliant little thing!"
"A-Ah, mother... That's a little embarrassing..."
Yumina wrapped her arms around Kuon and ruffled his hair. The boy seemed
to have a bit of trouble accepting her overbearing affection, but it felt like he
was pretty used to it.
"She is so loving and cuddly, she is..."
"I've never seen Yumina like that..."
Yae and Lu were right. No matter how you looked at the situation, Yumina
resembled an older sister who was way too doting toward her younger brother.
"He's pretty stiff, though. Polite's fine, but young boys should have more guts,
don't you think? Just what kind of upbringing did Yumina have him undergo?"
"Hmph! He's fine as he is, I'll have you know. A prince should be well
mannered, graceful, and courteous above all else. That's how my son should
be! He's well educated and pure of heart! Clearly, I raised him perfectly!"
Yumina snapped back at Elze's comment, only for Arcia to speak up in turn.
"Actually, Mother Yumina...you're often busy with state affairs. Kuon's
education and upbringing was largely the product of another party..."
"What?! Who?!"
Yumina and I blinked in surprise, prompting my other kids to slowly turn their
heads to look at a certain someone... It was a particular white tiger cub who
was sprawled out by the side of the couch.
"Hm?"
"Kohaku?!"
"Kohaku has been by Kuon's side since he was a little boy. She even taught
him how to speak."
A-Ah! That's it! The way he speaks is similar to how Kohaku speaks with me!
So that's why he's so polite!
Arcia went on to elaborate, explaining that everything about Kuon from his
manners, his fighting skills, and even his ballroom dancing abilities and general
princely decorum were all taught to him by Kohaku.
"So Kohaku isn't just a bodyguard for Kuon in the future... She's his teacher
too..."
"I see... Goodness, I ought to be proud of myself. I suppose my future self is
still working hard. That's nice to know."
"Ugh... Just what kind of mother am I...?"
Kohaku seemed pleased, but Yumina's shoulders slumped by her side.
"Don't be down, mother. You support father diligently and strive to make our
country a better place. I have a deep and true respect for you, of that you can
be sure."
"Touya! Isn't our son so cute?!"
Yumina began to stroke and pet Kuon's hair again.
...Stop doing that. He's gonna go bald.
As I quietly feared for my son's future hairline issues, the nearby door
slammed open. Quun charged toward the couch, having apparently returned
from Agartha.
"Where's the silver crown?!"
Her words prompted everyone to grimace... She clearly couldn't care less
about her brother showing up.
Quun eyed the sword and immediately snatched it up.
"Aha! To think that the silver crown was a weapon-type Gollem. Chrom
Ranchesse's legacy is in my hands... Mu ha ha ha... The doctor might have the
Gigantes, but I have this! It's all mine!"
"K-Kiddo! This girl's scary! I don't like those eyes! There's somethin' dark in
those eyes!" Silver screamed out in fear.
Leen suddenly stepped in to stop her daughter from fleeing to Babylon.
"Halt. You owe your brother some words of welcome, at least. And that
sword is his, not yours. Is my daughter so selfish? Do you have no shame?
Would you really steal from your brother?"
"Owie!"
Leen karate-chopped Quun's head. I wasn't surprised. She was basically
asking for it.
"Oh, er... Sorry... Welcome back, Kuon. I'm glad to see you're well. Can I take
your sword?" Quun grumbled quietly after being scolded. Her mind was clearly
still on Silver, though, so she turned and made a request. Leen didn't seem all
that impressed by how curt the girl's words were, however.
"Quun..."
"Mother Leen, please don't be angry. Quun is often like this when she wants
something, but it's fine. I originally intended on handing the sword off to her
anyway..."
"Whaaat?! K-Kiddo! Kiddo?! Kiddo?! We're allies, ain't we?! Best pals?! YYou'd never let somethin' so rotten happen to me, right?! Wouldja?! Right?!"
"I originally picked you up for Quun, as a souve... Errrm... It's okay, she'll take
good care of you."
...Were you just about to call him a souvenir to his nonexistent face?
Perhaps Silver's desperate flailing worked. Kuon suddenly changed his
expression and spoke up again.
"Don't break him, Quun. I'll want him back."
"Of course I won't! I know how precious he is! I'm just gonna have the doctor
use [Analyze] on him to figure out how he ticks!"
Analysis magic, huh? I could use that too, but I guess I wouldn't really
understand any of the information I get. It's comparable to running a CT scan on
him.
"I don't like this..." Silver wailed quietly, vibrating his blade as if to emulate
shaking in fear. He really was expressive for a sword.
"Forget about the sword for now! Clothes! We need to get Kuon some proper
clothes! Let's go to Zanac's store at once!"
"Hm? What's wrong with my clothes?"
Yumina's remark prompted Kuon to look down at his front. His clothing
certainly looked like they were of fine make, but the wear and tear they'd taken
over the course of Kuon's journey was definitely visible. Yumina likely thought it
was unacceptable for a prince to dress so shabbily.
"Oh! Lemme come too! I'll come! I can pick out some clothes that'll look great
on Kuon!" Allis exclaimed, placing her hand in the air and jumping on the spot
all the while.
A-Allis, behind you... Behind you... Your dad looks like he's trying his hardest
not to scream in envy...
I looked at Kuon, who simply shrugged and sighed. The reaction made me
think he was used to this kind of thing from Allis and her dad.
"If that's the case, then I'll come as well. Shall we, Elna? I'd love to dress you
up in more cute outfits..."
"Huh? B-But we just bought some the other day..."
Elze's comment prompted Elna to stiffen up and mutter. Elze bought tons of
clothes for all the kids, but she loved dressing up Elna the most. The poor thing.
As much as I pitied her, though, I wasn't going to stop Elze. I was Elna's father,
and frankly, I liked seeing her all dressed up and cute too.
Yumina probably felt the same way about Kuon. She probably had the
motherly urge to dress him up, and I wasn't about to stand in the way of that.
I opened up a [Gate] to an alley not far from Zanac's store.
"All right, go on. Kohaku, Yakumo, you go help them too. Just open up
another portal to come back when you're done."
"Of course."
"Come along, Kuon! Mommy's gonna dress you up!"
Yumina grabbed her son by the hand and yanked him through the portal. Allis,
Kohaku, Elze, Elna, and Yakumo followed after them. I abruptly closed the
[Gate] just before Ende was about to charge in.
"The hell was that for, Touya?!"
"If you're there, Kuon won't be able to relax. Be a little more considerate,
okay?"
"Gah! I just wanted to buy some clothes for Allis, that's all! I wasn't planning
on glaring at your son so he stops acting all flirty with my kid or anything!"
That's exactly what you were planning, man.
Ende growled quietly before opening the doors to the balcony and leaping
away. Zanac's store wasn't too far from the castle, so he was either planning to
warp there or hoof it on foot. Given how fast he could run, it'd probably only
take him about two minutes if he decided on the latter.
Sorry, Kuon... You'll have to bear with Allis's nutty dad for a while.
"Honestly, Ende's such a moronic parent at times. It's not that big of a deal
that his daughter's interested in someone. He should suck it up."
My offhand comment led to Frei, Quun, and Arcia staring at me with
dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
What's the big deal?
"Such an incredible lack of self-awareness..."
"The father I know glares at every boy who comes within talking distance of
us. Do you really think you're in a position to judge Allis's father?"
"Care to repeat what you just said, father? I'd like to record it for posterity."
I'm going to make the tactical decision to ignore everything they just said.
"Anyway, Quun...want me to drop off the raw materials from Gandhilis in the
hangar?"
I turned to my technically-minded daughter, who was waving Silver around
without a care in the world.
You probably shouldn't be swinging that around indoors or... Yep. There goes
Leen with the karate chop again.
The raw materials from Gandhilis were supposed to be provided to us at a
bulk discount, but after the discovery of Agartha and the dismantling of the
Gigantes, Gandhilis decided to let us have the materials for free in exchange for
the debris for the battle. Frankly, I felt a little bad accepting all of that for no
cost at all, but I decided to take the kind offer regardless.
"Mnh... Put everything in the hangar, please. The design is just about
finalized, so we can start production ASAP," Quun said, rubbing her head as she
replied to me.
The number of resources we'd received was beyond extreme, so I couldn't
even begin to imagine what they were going to create with it all. They were
going to make an Over Gear for Albus, but they probably had enough to make a
multipart machine like the Gigantes...
"Just wait and see, okay? Anyway, I'm off to analyze the silver crown!"
Quun whooshed away with all the speed and grace of a raging wind. I had a
feeling that Albus's Over Gear wasn't the top priority in her mind...
"Honestly, she's beyond hopeless... She could learn a lot from Kuon. Maybe I
should have Kohaku educate her when she's born..."
I'm not so sure that'd work, Leen. Kuon's a bit of a special case. Besides,
Granny Tokie said the time spirits are gonna keep things mostly the same, so I
doubt we'll be able to modify her personality to that extent. Still, I guess if we
had enough divinity and made a really concentrated effort...
That meant even the wicked god could've impacted the future if I'd let it
destroy the world, but obviously that didn't happen. Though, that really made
me think that the reason Granny Tokie couldn't return the kids to the future
just yet could have something to do with the wicked devout. After all, they
wielded muddied divinity. It stood to reason that they could interfere with the
future in turn...
"Now that Kuon's home, we should have a feast to celebrate! Mother, let's
compete to see who can cook the best meal for him!"
"Honestly, Arcia... Haven't you learned from your prior losses?"
"Hah... I have learned. I know Kuon's preferences better than you do, after all.
That's why this time I'll definitely win!"
"Hmm..."
Please stop glaring at each other... I can see the sparks flying between your
eyes.
"Arcy really can't win without cheating, can she?" Frei mumbled, quietly
shaking her head and rolling her eyes. The irritation in her voice was palpable.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Oho ho ho... This looks good on him. Very princely."
"He he he... Of course it looks good! He's our son! Anything would look good
on him!"
"Ha ha ha..." Kuon chuckled, smiling awkwardly at Yumina's proud, cheery
face. The poor child clearly felt awkward.
Kuon had returned with his new outfit. He wore a white shirt, a navy blue
vest, a navy ribbon tie, and black pants. The entire vibe of his outfit was fairly
chic and stylish. He looked the very picture of a prince.
Damn... He looks so gallant... Is this really my son? He probably gets that from
Yumina.
I looked over at the mountain of paper bags, wondering just how many outfits
she must've made him try on at Zanac's place.
After Kuon settled back in, Arcia and Lu served a sumptuous feast for the
whole family. Arcia was well versed in Kuon's taste, but apparently, Lu had
bribed Yoshino and Linne with extra desserts to learn about what Kuon liked
too... Thus, the table was filled with all of his favorite meals.
"Grrr... This isn't fair!" Arcia complained as she pouted and stomped her feet.
...You're complaining when you had an unfair advantage from the start? You
don't really have the right.
The two of them pressed Kuon to make a decision on which of the dishes he
liked the most, but he simply responded with, "Come now, this was food made
by my lovely family. How could you make me choose?"
I made a mental note to get him to teach me how to pull that off.
After the meal, Yumina tried to drag Kuon off to bathe with him, but the boy
put up such a staunch resistance to the idea that she was forced to relent.
Unfortunately for him, however, she then changed her plan of attack and
dragged him to sleep in the same bed as her instead. I couldn't blame Yumina,
since she'd been warmly waiting for her son for a long time. She probably
wanted to get as much out of their time together as possible.
"Ah, how nice... I wanna meet Steph soon too."
Sue looked a bit jealous as she watched Yumina drag Kuon off to the
bedroom. The only child who had yet to arrive was Sue's daughter, Stephania. It
was only natural that Sue would feel a bit left out.
I hugged her in an attempt to cheer her up.
"Don't worry about it, Sue. Kuon's here now, so Steph can't be far behind."
"...Mmm. When she shows up, I'm gonna look after her. I'm gonna bathe with
her, and play games with her, and she'll sleep next to me too!"
"Mhm... We'll both sleep with her in the middle, okay?"
"Okay..."
Sue was still a little grumpy, but I was pleased to see that she'd settled down
a little.
Linne and Elna tottered over to Sue, each of them grabbing one of her hands.
"I'll sleep with you tonight!"
"M-Me too... You're our mom as well..."
"Wh-What's with you two? It's not like I'm lonely or anything! B-But... Ahem...
I mean, if you really, really wanna stay in my room... Sure."
Elze and Linze watched the scene with little smirks on their faces. Sue leaned
in and gave both of the young girls a big hug.
In that moment, I felt pretty lucky to have such a kindhearted family.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next morning...
Kuon was carted off to the training ground at the crack of dawn by Yae and
Hilde. They fought against him in a sword match, with the rule that he couldn't
use any of his mystic eyes. He wasn't quite on Yakumo or Frei's level in terms of
head-on combat, but it was clear that even at the tender age of six he was far
stronger than most of the adventurers out there.
According to Yakumo and the other girls, who'd been watching the fight, Kuon
had been trained by Yae, Hilde, and Moroha since he was young. It certainly
showed.
Also, apparently Yakumo and Frei were no match for Kuon when he used his
mystic eyes. Specifically, the mystic eye of Immobilization was the real problem
for them, since he could use it to make them freeze on the spot. They also told
me that if they focused hard enough, they could actually break out of it, but
ordinary humans probably wouldn't be able to do that. Then they went on to
say that if they could make Kuon blink, he couldn't use the effect on them, so
when fighting him they typically went for his eyes right away... That made me
seriously question their training methods.
"Kuon! It's me!" Allis called out to my son from across the field.
Someone's awfully energetic today... Oh? The Phrase girls are here too?
Melle, Ney, and Lycee followed after Allis, who was making a rapid beeline for
Kuon.
"What brings you three here? Where's Ende at?"
"Endymion is working at the guild today. We wished to meet the boy that our
daughter won't stop talking about."
"That's right. Even if he's your son, we have to make sure he isn't some kind
of a creep..."
"Yep. We gotta vet him ourselves."
Damn... Here to evaluate him, eh? Guess it isn't just Ende who's a little off the
deep end...
Melle giggled a little, likely sensing my thoughts.
"If Allis is happy with him, and he's a good boy, I have no objections. I just
want to meet the child who may well be my son-in-law someday."
"Yeah, I guess..."
Melle and the others turned to look at Kuon, who was in the middle of a clash
with Yae.
...They're pretty much unofficially engaged, huh? But that's the kind of thing I
can worry about in the future. Way, way in the future... Wait, wouldn't that
make Allis the eventual grand duchess of Brunhild? Is that okay? Maybe we
should consider giving her parents the funding for a proper ladylike
education...if only for the sake of public relations...
◇ ◇ ◇
"Wh-What are you saying, Touya? I don't understand! Yumina's son? Our
grandson?"
I wasn't surprised by the man's shock. I was in Belfast Castle, breaking the
news to King Belfast and his wife. Prince Yamato, Yumina's little brother, was
napping peacefully against his mother's bosom.
"There was a Space-time accident in the future, and he's kind of been brought
back in time. But he'll be going back in the next few months, so don't worry or
anything."
"I... I... Right. That's not really... Okay."
Yeah, I get it. It's a lot to adjust to.
"And here I thought I was getting used to the peculiarities surrounding you,
but this might just take the cake..."
The king let out an exasperated sigh.
Hey, c'mon...it wasn't even my doing this time.
"It's my first time meeting you in this era, but it is a pleasure. I am Mochizuki
Kuon, Kuon being my given name. Grandfather, grandmother, I'm very happy to
see the two of you in such good health."
"O-Oh, of course... Thank you for your courtesy."
The sight of Kuon bowing his head so reverently led to the king instinctively
bowing his head in turn.
Hah... He really just has that effect on people, doesn't he?
"He's certainly a polite child, isn't he? Especially for his age..."
"He he he! Isn't he?! That's my Kuon! A prince among princes, that's for
sure!" Yumina proclaimed as she grinned and puffed her chest out with pride.
...Yumina, you're really turning into a crazy doting parent. I guess I don't really
have any room to judge, though. Kuon's intelligent, well-dressed, has a kind face
much like Yumina's, and he has a gentle personality to match his looks. Of
course he's a fine prince! I'd love to sing his praises more, but I need to calm
myself... Ugh, I really am just as bad as Yumina...
The king and queen were even more surprised when I told them about the
other children. I conveniently left out the part about how I'd already told the
other relevant world leaders about this as well, of course.
"And all of the other children are girls, you say?"
"That's right. Kuon's my only son."
King Belfast's eyes gleamed with interest and joy at my response.
"Then he'll be the next duke of Brunhild! Incredible, Yumina!"
"Indeed! I did it, father!"
I didn't really get it, but the two of them seemed extremely excited. It was
pretty important for royal families to produce heirs, so I suppose I could
understand to an extent.
Queen Yuel turned to Kuon as she cradled Yamato in her arms and asked,
"Then, young prince...that would make you Yamato's nephew, yes?"
"Please call me Kuon, grandmother. And yes, Uncle Yamato would play with
me a lot when I was a little boy."
When you were a little boy? You're still one... Hell, you're bigger than your
uncle in this time period.
According to Kuon, Yamato Belfast and Edward Ortlinde both played with our
kids a lot. Yoshino's [Teleport] and Yakumo's [Gate] made visiting their estates
a breeze.
Apparently, my kids had a habit of warping into Belfast Castle at their own
discretion, and they felt like they had the run of the place. I couldn't help but
feel a little apologetic about that.
I made eyes that tried to spell out how sorry I was to the king, but then I
noticed Queen Yuel leaning in closer to Kuon.
"S-So then, what kind of person is Yamato? Is he doing well as the heir to
Belfast's throne?! Could you tell me more?!"
"E-Er...of course. Uncle Yamato is a righteous man who puts the wishes of the
people before anything else. He's very in touch with his nation. Father said that
he has all the makings of a true king."
"Really now? Oh my, really?! Well, that's wonderful!"
"Ahhh! Of course! That's my son for you!"
"Mnhhh..."
Kuon's words prompted the king and queen to cheer and rave about their
sleeping son.
...Well, I guess he has my future endorsement? That's nice... I don't think I'd
flatter him for no reason, so it's gotta be true. Guess that means Belfast's secure
for at least another generation.
The two royals asked Kuon a mountain of questions, but he had to dance
around a few of the more specific ones. I didn't even have to step in. Kuon
seemed smart enough to know what Granny Tokie wouldn't want him to
mention. And unfortunately for them, he wasn't half as loose with his lips as
Allis was.
After we returned to Brunhild, Allis dragged him out of the castle. Apparently,
she wanted to take him somewhere. Yumina tried to go with them, but Leen
stopped her. She said that a mother tagging along on a date was a recipe for
disaster, and a line had to be drawn somewhere.
"I only just became a parent...but he's already separated from me..."
"It's not like you gave birth. It's okay."
I patted Yumina on the back. That day still had to come, though... Thankfully,
it was still a while off.
"Your Highness."
"Hm? Tsubaki?"
Just as I was thinking about the future, the head of Brunhild's intelligence
corps appeared before me. I wondered what she wanted.
"We've heard reports of strange chimeric beasts being spotted. This time in a
fishing village along the coastline of Rhea."
Again, huh?
The wicked devout were creating these weird octahedrons that they then
used to create beastly Chimeras.
These half-fish beings had been spotted all around the world. They weren't
especially strong, but if you were bitten or scratched by one of them, you'd be
contaminated by their curse. Anyone wounded by a Fishman would find
themselves running a high fever and a gradual mutation. Eventually, they'd
become a Fishman too. They'd lose their feelings, their memories, their very
sense of self...and then they'd escape into the sea. It was a vile method
employed by the wicked devout to bolster the ranks of their armies.
These Chimeras also had traces of the muddied divinity once held by the
wicked god, so I couldn't even use [Search] to find them. It was a really
irritating situation. I could probably find them by using [Search] infused with
divinity, but the range for that was still too narrow to scour every sea in the
world...
Thankfully, they'd never appeared in Brunhild so far, but Brunhild was
landlocked. We technically owned the dungeon islands, though, which were in
the middle of the sea.
"What's the damage in Rhea?"
"The affected village was immediately evacuated, though some stayed behind
to defend their homes. By the time Rhea's Gollem soldiers reached the site of
the attack, nobody remained..."
That meant the victims had probably been infected, transformed, and fled
into the waves... Their base was presumably somewhere underwater, after all.
I had Sango and Kokuyou order their water-dwelling subordinates to search
through the seas and report anything suspicious, but that hadn't yielded any
results despite the fact that they'd been actively searching for a while.
The reason for the slow going was that while dolphins, seals, and turtles were
intelligent enough to understand the mission, more regular sea dwellers like
small fish couldn't really keep up with the commands and thus were much
slower to get the message.
Damn, guess those fish should've stayed in...school. Heh... He he he...
Either way, I just needed to bide my time and wait for them to come up with
something.
I'd also asked Kougyoku to tell her avian subordinates to keep watch from the
skies too. After all, it was only a theory of mine that they were based
underwater.
Oh! I should have the birds keep an eye out for Steph too! If what the other
kids have said is true, then she'll probably cause a commotion someplace or
other.
I quietly sent a telepathic message to Kougyoku.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Look! Look! Betcha didn't know this bakery was here even back during this
period! The bread's a little different from how we know it, but it's so nice!"
Allis dragged Kuon by the wrist, pointing up at a nearby bakery on the corner
of the street. The sight of it reminded him of how he and Allis would often buy
bread there, or at least, the version of this place in their own era. He wondered
if the fact that the bread tasted different meant that the bakers weren't quite
as skilled as they'd be in the future.
The baker was arranging the bread inside. Kuon recognized his face. Both he
and Allis were familiar with this man. Why, he'd even give them extra pastries
from time to time as a treat. But the face he quietly observed now was far
younger than the one he'd come to be friendly with.
"It's funny, don't you think? How we know many people in this town far more
than they know us."
"Mhm! I feel the same way!"
Kuon had lived in this castle town since he was born, as had Allis. There were
fewer buildings than they were used to, but it was still very familiar and it didn't
take much time for them to get used to it.
The two walked onward until they reached their favorite spot. It was a park
up on a hilltop. There wasn't any playground equipment, just a few benches for
sitting on. Despite the lack of amenities, however, it was a well-known and
popular sightseeing spot that had a scenic view of Brunhild's surroundings.
"Ahhh... Everything feels way more familiar from up here, right?"
"No, I'd argue differently. See that red-roofed house? It's not there in our
time. That small house is much larger where we're from as well. And..."
"Gosh, Kuon. You're too fussy!"
Allis puffed out her cheeks. From Kuon's perspective, Allis wasn't nearly
meticulous or fussy enough. He might have even considered her a bit sloppy.
Though of course, he dared not say it. He'd learned from a young age that if you
started a fight with a woman, it usually ended badly.
"I hope Steph hurries up and comes back to us."
"Indeed... Thinking about what she might be up to makes me uneasy. Without
anyone to hold her back, she might be doing something outrageous already..."
When Kuon thought of his younger sister, the youngest of all the siblings, he
couldn't help but be concerned. Steph was very much Sue's daughter. She was
a chaotic freewheeler who marched to the beat of her own drum. She was the
most free spirited out of every one of her siblings, and so she regularly pursued
fleeting interests on the spur of the moment. Kuon couldn't begin to count the
number of times she'd gotten herself into danger as a result. He quietly hoped
she'd just come home without making a huge mess, but he also knew that was
a futile hope.
When they got caught in the timequake, Kuon and Steph were right next to
each other. That could only mean that Steph was already here, that she'd
probably been here as long as Kuon had. And yet, she wasn't in Brunhild. Either
that was because she'd been dropped off some far distance away or she'd
gotten wrapped up in some kind of incident...
Kuon could only pray that it wouldn't be something with diplomatic
consequences. And as Kuon let out a sigh, a sheathed sword flew from the sky
and smacked right into the ground in front of him, standing on end. It was the
silver crown, Infinite Silver. The one Quun had taken away earlier.
"Kiddo! Do somethin' about that girl, wouldja?! She nearly filed me down!
Scared the proverbial crap outta me!"
"Ah... You escaped from Babylon already? How did you find me?"
Kuon looked up at the sky. Babylon was up there, but the stealth field was
active, so just about nobody could tell.
"Yer my master, kiddo. That's enough to find you. If ya call me, I can find you
no matter where you are. If we're close enough, I can even warp into yer
hand!"
"Wow, that's some utility..."
Kuon was impressed by how useful the sword seemed. If only it didn't have
that dreadful personality. As those quiet thoughts ran through Kuon's mind,
however, his phone began to ring. It was Quun. She was probably calling about
Silver.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Kuon? Is Silver over there?"
"He is, but...did you do something weird to him?"
"No, of course not! I ran a small electrical current through it, then tested its
durability with a little bit of sulfuric acid... I was about to file it down a little, but
it broke free from the workbench restraints and flew off!"
Kuon began to understand why the sword was so afraid. From Silver's
perspective, he'd basically been strapped down and tortured. Quun didn't really
think of him as a person, so she didn't seem to have an issue with what she'd
done, but the poor sword was still trembling.
"Did you find anything interesting out?"
"A little. Silver is a Gollem and an Artificer at the same time. It still has a QCrystal and a G-Cube, but it's fundamentally different from the other crowns.
Also, its blade is at least as powerful and durable as the phrasium weapons our
father made. Though, given that it was created to combat the Phrase invasion
all those thousands of years ago, that makes sense."
Kuon told Quun he'd be looking after Silver for the time being, causing the
enchanted blade to look visibly relieved. He was expressive, for a sword without
any distinguishable facial features, anyway.
Kuon was impressed by what he'd heard. The sword kept on exceeding the
poor expectations it had left him with during their first encounter.
Unfortunately, Silver still spoke, and he was still pretty annoying. So as
impressive as he was, it was hard to offset those drawbacks.
"I wonder if we can fix you properly with the right discipline..."
"What?! Y-You're givin' me scary vibes, kid! Your face is like that fairy girl's!"
Silver exclaimed, then slinked back in a panic. Silver was a Gollem, but he was
also an Artificer. That meant he could probably be trained like a dog. Or at least,
that was what Kuon reasoned. The boy decided it was probably too late for
something like that, however.
"Hmph... Kuooon! You keep talking to that sword instead of me! Quit doting
on it!"
"I'm hardly doting on it..."
Allis grumbled a little. She felt a little left out. It had been so long since she
and Kuon had gotten to go out on a date together, but now they'd been
interrupted. Kuon himself seemed fairly ignorant of those feelings, however.
"Hey, kiddo! Who's this little thing?"
"I'm not some little thing! I'm Allis! Kuon's wife!"
"We're not even engaged yet..."
Before Kuon could finish speaking, Silver suddenly swooped through the air
and started raising his voice at Allis.
"Hah! Think you're hot stuff just because you're his wife, little lady? Well, I'm
his lifelong pal! We're fated to be together! Ever heard of a little saying that
goes 'live by the sword, die by the sword'?! Well, I'm the sword in his life! Don't
think you can take my place, pipsqueak!"
"P-Pipsqueak?! You've got a lot of nerve for a rusty old sword! Brunhild's a
way better weapon than you!"
"Huh?! What'd you say?!"
The girl and the animated blade wouldn't stop yelling at each other. Kuon had
to step in before things got too heated. He didn't want it to escalate to a fist(?)
fight.
"...If you two keep bickering, I'm going to leave. I'll call Quun and Melle on
you."
With that, the argument immediately ceased.
"There. That's better. Now, how about you two make up?"
"But..."
"But..."
The two of them grumbled quietly, prompting Kuon to grin slyly and bring his
phone up to his ear.
"W-We'll make up!"
"W-We'll make up!"
The two chanted in unison. Allis reached out her hand and shook Silver's hilt.
She seemed to be squeezing tight enough for Silver's metal to creak, but Kuon
paid that no mind.
"Now then, shall we go and eat? Oh, wait. I don't have any money on hand..."
Kuon initially had so little money that he needed to decide between buying
souvenirs in Regulus and getting a ride home. In the end, he'd gotten the free
ride, so he went with the souvenirs, but that had just about cleared him out.
"That's okay, I can pay! I got some money from that time I fought the
Needpog Dragon with Linne and the others!"
"Oh, I don't know about making you treat me..."
Kuon felt a bit reluctant. His mothers had always told him that a prince
needed to be kind to women and children and to never burden them. He also
had a degree of personal pride on the line here.
"Hmm... I don't want you to waste any of your hard-earned money on me,
okay? I'll think of something..."
"Money troubles, kiddo? Aren't you a prince? Can't ya just ask yer old man for
some pocket money?"
"We try to be self-sufficient in my family. Even my father makes most of his
money from the adventurer's guild. It wouldn't be right to spend the taxpayers'
coin on personal luxuries."
All of Brunhild's state revenue was allocated back to state development
projects. The living expenses for the Brunhild royal family were paid for entirely
out of the grand duke's pocket.
He earned money from the guild, he had the Strand Company sell his
inventions, and he rented out Frame Gears to other nations as well. Even
though Touya's family was a large one, all those ventures helped him keep
them living in the lap of luxury.
Babylon was definitely a financial sink, however. Development costs never
seemed to stop up there.
"Then how about we make some money?! If we go out of town and hunt
some monsters or beasts, you can cover a meal by trading it with the guild!"
"A beast, eh? Oh, right. I guess I don't need a guild card to do some hunting...
Hm... That sounds like a good idea."
Brunhild's lands didn't have much in the way of monsters. This was largely
because so many adventurers lived in and around the castle town because of
the dungeon island portals. Still, that didn't mean there were no monsters at
all. In fact, if you were to look for them, you'd surely be able to stumble upon
some.
"Well, I'd like enough money to cover a meal with you. Shall we go?"
"Yes! Yay! Just the two of us!"
"Hold it, missy! I'm coming too!"
Mentally tuning out the cries of "You stupid sword!", "You tiny brat!", and
other such argumentative phrases, Kuon picked up his phone to tell his parents
he'd be headed out of town. The boy was always diligent, after all.