Chapter 4: Seeking Rescue
After ending the tea party abruptly, Ruri headed for Jade’s office. Understanding the impact that Beloveds had in this world, she was hurrying to report the news of the new Beloved right away.
In addition to giving a direct report, Ruri also wanted to have Kotaro investigate the Nation of Furgal, the Beloved in question, and the transmigrators. However, she couldn’t find Kotaro or Rin, so she asked the lower-level spirits around her to pass on the message to the pair to come to Jade’s office.
Telepathic communication over long distances was such a convenient trick. However, once you considered the fact that they could even hear the other spirits’ noisy chatter, it was difficult to gauge whether that was a positive or negative. Then again, they were well-adjusted to simultaneously listening and not listening, so it was probably nothing to worry about.
Ruri knocked on the office door and opened it. Not only was Jade there, but Euclase, Claus, and Finn were as well. Ruri realized that saved her some trouble.
“Jade-sama, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, of course. What did you need? Weren’t you having tea with Lady Lydia and Lady Seraphie?”
“Well, something came up, and I couldn’t nonchalantly drink tea while it’s happening.”
“Something like what?”
As Ruri was processing things in her head, deciding where she should start, Kotaro and Lin came into the room.
“You called, Ruri?”
“Yeah. I have a little favor to ask you, Kotaro. But first, let me explain to everyone,” Ruri said, turning to face Jade and the others. “I received a letter from my grandpa via Lydia. And according to it, a lot of transmigrators appeared in the nation bordering the Nation of the Beast King.”
There was some mild shock, but no one interjected, waiting for her to continue.
“And there seems to be a Beloved among those transmigrators.”
Euclase was the first to react, unable to contain their shock at the new revelation. “A Beloved? Are you sure about that?”
“Grandpa said that he doesn’t have any definitive proof and that he only heard it as a rumor. They tried to get Chi to look into it, but he said that it wasn’t his forte and turned him down. He said that Kotaro would be better at investigating since he’s the spirit of the wind.”
Ruri accepted that Chi saying it wasn’t his forte meant that he couldn’t do it, but she assumed that he had no interest in making the effort. That was very Chi-like. It was no surprise that Lydia said he operated on mood and instinct.
“That is why you called for me?” asked Kotaro.
“Yeah, that’s right. The transmigrators seem to have shown up in a nation called Furgal, which is next to the Nation of the Beast King, so I figured it’ll be an issue if they have some sort of impact there, and it won’t hurt to investigate whether the newcomer is really a Beloved,” Ruri replied. A Beloved was like a bomb that might go off at any time. “Kotaro, can I ask you to handle it?”
“Indeed. I mean, if that is your wish, Ruri,” Kotaro said, showing little interest like Chi but never being the one to refuse a request from her. “It is just going to take some time.”
“Okay. That’s okay, right, Jade-sama?” Ruri said, turning to Jade for a decision. She found him and the other retainers with grimaces all around. “Jade-sama? Was it bad that I started making plans on my own?” she asked. After all, Beloveds were not supposed to get involved in politics. However, Ruri wasn’t quite sure what was safe and what wasn’t. Was asking Kotaro to investigate another country safe or not? Where did that fall?
Jade, so deep in thought that wrinkles formed on his brow, snapped out of it. “No, there’s no problem. In fact, I would like to ask you to do so myself, Lord Kotaro. There is no entity more skilled at information gathering than the Spirit of the Wind.”
“If Ruri wishes it, I’ll do it,” Kotaro replied.
He was only taking action because Ruri asked. It felt as though he was saying that he wouldn’t act because the Dragon King asked—that spirits wouldn’t simply obey the will of a mortal. However, Jade and the rest of his retainers were fully aware of that already, so Kotaro’s reminder was unnecessary.
Kotaro walked to the window and opened it. Wind flowed from him, softly spreading. It barely took a few seconds and then Kotaro was right back at Ruri’s side.
“This will do. I sent the order to the wind spirits, so information will gradually come in.”
“Thank you, Kotaro,” said Ruri, petting his fluffy head in appreciation.
Kotaro went along with it, fairly pleased. Rin watched with a raised eyebrow.
In the midst of this, Jade said, “Claus, bring Joshua here.”
“Very well, sire,” Claus replied as he bowed and exited the room. He soon returned with his son, Joshua, in tow.
Joshua’s face tightened upon seeing all of the people gathered in the office. “Uh-oh, I’ve got a really bad feeling.” That feeling was correct.
“Joshua, I need you to go to Furgal and gather intel about the transmigrators there at once,” Jade ordered him.
Ruri tilted her head, perplexed. “But Jade-sama, isn’t Kotaro doing that for us?”
“Yes, he is, but nuance might vary when it comes to info from a spirit versus a mortal. The senses of a spirit aren’t easy for a mortal to understand,” said Jade.
“Now I see. So, it’s sort of like...if you ask two groups to gather information on food, one group will look for restaurants that serve ramen and the other will look for restaurants that serve rice,” Ruri concluded.
“Uh, what? I’m not sure we’re quite on the same page here, but I suppose that’s close enough,” Jade replied, her example being hard for him to grasp.
Whatever the case, Joshua’s trip to Furgal was unavoidable, and his face could not get any more melancholy.
“I’m counting on you, Joshua,” Jade told him.
“As you wish, sire.”
The mood of the room dictated that any reply other than an affirmative one would have spelled disaster, so Joshua walked out of the office, saddled with his “I don’t want to go” aura.
“Supposing there actually is a Beloved in Furgal, will the Nation of the Beast King be all right?” Claus asked, concerned.
Ruri couldn’t wrap her head around his reaction. “Is a Beloved being in Furgal that much of a problem? I’ve come to understand that Beloveds have a huge influence on the world.”
Euclase answered her question. “It’s a big problem. Furgal has been openly hostile to the Nation of the Beast King for a long time. They are a dangerous nation that always schemes to overthrow them. Lady Celestine’s presence has been a deterrent so far, but if Furgal has a Beloved themselves, I wouldn’t be surprised if they figure this is their chance and engage in war.”
“Then will they be okay?” Ruri asked, images of Celestine and Arman running through her mind.
“I’d like to think they’ll be okay with Lady Celestine around, but...” Euclase trailed off ominously as the conversation ground to a halt.
Since there was only so much that they could do from far away, they had no choice but to wait for more information.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
With news of the transmigrators and Beloved delivered, Ruri took Rutile to the hot spring facility that she had built in a town in the royal capital as a change of pace. The facility had been established under Ruri’s leadership, but nowadays, she was hands-off and left operations up to the staff.
It had taken her a pretty long time to realize that a Beloved trying to start up any kind of business enterprise was a mistake in the first place. She had neither the experience or know-how to run an establishment, so that wasn’t surprising. Leaving everything to Amarna had been the right choice in the end.
The children from the slums were cheerfully working, a stark contrast to the dead eyes devoid of dreams or hope from when she’d first met them.
Amarna said the general pattern nowadays was that once the kids had acquired enough knowledge and education at the facility, they quit and found employment elsewhere. In doing so, she had been able to educate one motivated child after another.
Whether Amarna was a strict teacher or the kids had an eagerness to learn, those who worked there were acquiring customer service and clerical skills that they could be proud of no matter where they worked next.
As the person who had started this project on the spur of the moment, Ruri felt both sorry to see them go and happy to see how much those boys and girls had grown. She would be even happier if this momentum kept up and the slums ceased to be, but from her observations of her home world, she knew that it wouldn’t be that simple. Even so, all she could do was hope that as many of them were able to stand on their own feet as possible.
As Ruri watched the kids all working energetically, she couldn’t help but be amazed by the inside of the hot springs. It had been a very, very ordinary hot spring with just a pair of men’s and women’s baths, but it had eventually gained more features, like private baths.
When Ruri flagged down a nearby employee and asked him, she was told that the man formerly of the Nation of the Beast King who put in a lot of passion into designing the facility had installed a few private rooms because he wanted a place to soak without worrying about anyone watching him. Ruri had a blank stare, as this was the first she was hearing about it, but he had received permission from Amarna. There was no way she could complain since she had left Amarna in charge. Also, the rentable private rooms were all given unique designs that captured Ruri’s bath-time-loving heart, so she had even less of a reason to interject.
The private baths seemed to be by reservation only, but upon hearing that one was open, Ruri decided to go in without a moment’s hesitation. She invited Rutile to join her, but the other woman refused, saying that a bodyguard couldn’t be seen defenseless, so Ruri left her on standby outside of the room. Lynn and Kotaro were not in the mood, so they decided to wait outside too.
Though she felt a little sorry for Rutile, Ruri thoroughly enjoyed her private bath time. As she leisurely soaked in the hot water, she suddenly noticed a weird feeling in her stomach. The lower part of her abdomen felt awfully warm. It almost felt as if mana was accumulating around there. It wasn’t unpleasant at all, but it was a sensation she had never felt before.
“What could this be?” Ruri asked herself, patting her stomach but not feeling any pain or discomfort.
This was the first time it had ever happened to her, so she wondered if she should talk it over with someone but hesitated once the faces of the overprotective people around her flashed through her mind.
“I feel like they’d make a big deal out of it...”
There was no way they wouldn’t make a fuss if something happened to a Beloved’s body. Besides, Ruri was already in tune with Jade. Once in tune with a dragonkin, even human bodies become as sturdy as a dragonkin’s and less susceptible to colds and illnesses. In fact, when she’d crushed an apple-like fruit with one hand after the tuning was done, she’d been shocked by her newfound strength. She was proud of having attained such a powerful body.
“Well, whatever. I’d feel bad if I made them worry over something small like this,” she said, deciding to keep it quiet since it wasn’t causing her any pain.
She would later be severely scolded by Euclase.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
A few days later, the heat Ruri felt in her stomach seemed to be growing into a larger and larger mass. One night, she was beginning to worry about her own health and decided it was time to consult someone about it.
“Jade-sama, I need to talk to you about something...” she said as she sat next to Jade while he lay down, placing a hand on her stomach.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s probably not a big deal, but...”
“Hmm?” He looked back in confusion.
Just as Ruri was about to explain, a loud crash could be heard. Ruri jumped at the sudden sound, and Jade leaped up.
“Huh? What?!” Ruri exclaimed.
“No clue. It sounds like something broke,” Jade said, getting out of bed and putting on his shoes. “Ruri, come with me. I can’t leave you alone here, just in case.”
“Oh, yes!” Ruri followed him out of the room.
Kotaro and Rin followed soon after. There were other soldiers on duty running around too, but there were fewer people present now than in the daytime.
“Kotaro, Rin, do you know what happened?” Ruri asked.
“It sounds like the spirits are making a racket,” Kotaro answered.
“Spirits?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Ruri and Jade followed him to a room nearby that was normally unused. Troops had already gathered there and were making a fuss, but they weren’t attempting to go inside; they were only watching.
“What’s going on?” asked Jade, as the troops opened a path at his arrival.
Ruri peered into the room as soon as she was able to and found a huge bird.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a bird this big before. So, this is what crashed in here,” she deduced, looking at the broken window.
The bird had to have rammed into the window at great speed, since there was shattered glass all over the floor. Although not as big as a dragonkin in their dragon form, the creature was limp and covered in scratches.
As Ruri stood, unable to wrap her mind around the situation, Jade shouted out, “Celestine!”
“Huh?!” Ruri exclaimed, unable to believe her ears. She looked back and forth from the bird to Jade.
She was shocked, but then she remembered that Celestine was a bird demi-human. That meant it wasn’t strange for her to take the form of a bird just like Jade turned into a dragon. Upon closer inspection, her plumage was the same tender green as Celestine’s hair.
“What is Celestine-san doing here?” Ruri asked, baffled that not only was the other Beloved here, but she was covered in scars.
However, that question would soon be answered.
“Celestine-san, we have to tend to your wounds at once—”
“Wait, Ruri!” Jade quickly grabbed her arm to stop her from running over to Celestine. That was when a fireball hit Celestine’s body.
Celestine unleashed a pained scream as she spread her giant wings as if to protect someone or something. Ruri had been so focused on her that she had neglected to see there was a person underneath her wings. Although someone else being there was shocking enough, the more shocking thing was who was attacking Celestine. It was the spirits—the beings that were usually allies of the Beloveds.
“But why?” cried Ruri, shocked. She made a frantic dash between Celestine and the spirits trying to attack her, standing between them, arms raised. “Stop!” Ruri yelled at the top of her lungs, causing the spirits to halt abruptly. She was both relieved that the spirits had stopped and enraged at the same time. She yelled as though scolding them. “Why are you doing this?!”
The spirits informed her, as if it were perfectly normal, “Well, ’cause we were asked to.”
“They said not to let ’em get away.”
“And to attack them but not bad enough to kill them.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh, we had a majority vote!”
The spirits innocently nodded, as if they hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Majority vote?” repeated Ruri, confused about what that meant.
Kotaro and Rin came over to her side.
“Get a doctor here at once!” Jade ordered as he stood behind Ruri. Not having to worry about Ruri’s safety now that Kotaro and Rin were by her side, he decided to prioritize tending to the injured Celestine.
“Perhaps there was a dispute between Beloveds,” Kotaro said.
“You’ve seen it before, haven’t you, Ruri? Spirits don’t fight among each other. They decide which wish to grant through discussion,” added Rin.
“Oh...” Ruri blurted, her memory jogged. Back when Cerulanda’s Beloved and Celestine had fought, the spirits had decided whose side they would take by majority vote. “But Celestine-san is a Beloved.”
“If it’s the wish of a Beloved higher in rank, then the spirits will attack, Beloved or not.”
Ruri was so taken aback that she couldn’t speak properly. She could only imagine how terrified Celestine must have been, being attacked by the spirits she thought to be her friends. It was likely a huge shock to her system.
“If I ask you all to stop attacking Celestine-san, will you all listen?” Ruri asked timidly.
The spirits laid down their arms with no resistance.
“Sure!”
“You’re number one, Ruri!”
“Yup!”
There was no malice in any of these innocent spirits’ replies—they were just trying to grant the wishes of a Beloved. That made it all the more terrifying. However, the issue was the one who asked for this in the first place.
“There shouldn’t be any Beloved who would want to attack Celestine-san...” Ruri trailed off as she jogged her own memory mid-sentence. “Was it the Beloved said to be a transmigrator that grandpa wrote about in his letter?”
“Urk...” groaned Celestine.
The noise snapped Ruri back to reality. “Celestine-san, you’re all right now.”
Celestine stared at Ruri before closing her eyes in relief, turning back into her more familiar human form at the same time.
“Celestine-san?!”
As Ruri panicked, the doctor Jade had sent for ran up and checked Celestine. “Looks like she just fainted. However, these wounds are bad,” he stated, turning to Jade. “Your Majesty, may I use the dragon’s blood?”
“Yes. Heal her right away,” Jade replied.
The secret medicine made from dragonkin blood was never used outside of special exceptions. Since it cured any wound or sickness, they took the utmost care in using it. However, there was no need to be frugal when using it to heal a Beloved—a literal world treasure.
“Hurry!” said one soldier.
“Be careful with her!” said another.
“Easy does it!” said yet another.
The few soldiers carefully placed Celestine on a stretcher and carried her away. Ruri and Jade were left in the room, their eyes converging on a single point.
“Are you okay?” Jade asked, kneeling in front of the woman sitting on her knees on the ground.
This unfamiliar person was the one Celestine was so desperately trying to protect from the spirit’s assault. With her big belly, it was clear at a glance that she was pregnant. Unlike Celestine, who was covered in scars, she had no noticeable injuries to be found.
“I’m fine... Lady Beloved protected me,” she replied. Celestine had endured attacks from the spirits, which had left her in her current state, so the look on this woman’s face was far from fine.
“Jade-sama, let’s go to a different room. There’s glass all over, and it’s dangerous to let someone pregnant sit on the floor.”
“Right. Can you stand?” Jade asked, holding out his hand to the woman.
She immediately took it and leaned on his arm. “Please! Please save Master Arman!”
Both Ruri and Jade were shocked by the woman holding on tight to Jade’s hand with desperation in her eyes. However, Jade’s expression turned serious immediately. He was able to guess that something was afoot in the Nation of the Beast King from their guests’ conditions.
“First, let’s switch locations,” he said.
“I’m fine here. It’s a race against time!” the woman insisted.
“Okay. Tell me what happened.”
“Of course. My name is Padparadscha. Although it has not been officially announced, I will be Master Arman’s proper queen.”
Ruri’s and Jade’s eyes went wide.
“Huh?! That means the child you’re carrying...”
“It’s Master Arman’s child.”
Ruri was about to ask when that had happened, but restrained herself. Now was not the time.
Padparadscha continued. “It was all so sudden. Do you know of a nation called Furgal? It neighbors the Nation of the Beast King.”
“Yes,” Jade replied, nodding.
“Then you know that they don’t have good relations with the Nation of the Beast King. They suddenly crossed the border and invaded us.”
“Couldn’t the Nation of the Beast King troops destroy them before they got the chance?”
“Everyone thought so. But the vanguard were Beloveds.”
Ruri and Jade looked at each other, thinking the same thing—these invaders were likely the transmigrators that Beryl mentioned in his letter.
“When up against a Beloved, no matter how strong one’s mana is, it is ultimately pointless. Our troops were almost all wiped out, and their troops marched straight for the royal capital. Given the dire circumstances, Lady Beloved said that only she could stand up to another Beloved and joined in the battle.”
“I’m surprised Arman allowed that. Well...if they were up against a Beloved, then I suppose he had no choice but to rely on Celestine.” Jade accepted the fact with a furrowed brow. “However, if Celestine was attacked by spirits, does that mean she was facing a Beloved of higher rank?”
“That is correct. There were actually a male and female Beloved on the Furgal’s side. The woman was lower in rank, but the man was higher. The spirits around Lady Beloved turned against her, and without any way to fight back, the royal capital fell in the blink of an eye,” Padparadscha said with anguish on her face. “Once a spirit turns against you, you can no longer employ their power. If they used magic on us, we would have to fight with a handicap. Also, the enemy army is protected by the spirits due to having two Beloveds... How could we possibly win?”
If the spirits turned against someone, defeat was certain, even if they were a dragonkin. No matter how strong Arman was, he’d stood no chance.
“What happened to Arman?” Jade asked.
Padparadscha bursted into tears, covering her face with both hands. “Just before the Furgal troops besieged the palace, he stayed behind to buy enough time for me and Lady Beloved to escape.”
“Is that so...” Jade trailed off, his face twisted. Ruri’s face also stiffened as the worst possible scenario came to mind.
Padparadscha tearfully continued. “With a few guards capable of flight, we headed to the Nation of the Dragon King. We figured that since supreme-level spirits accompany the Beloved here, they would surely help us. However, we were immediately pursued. The army was one thing, but the Beloveds from Furgal were after my unborn child, who will become successor to the Beast King, and they sicced their spirits on us.”
“They’re awfully thorough. Not even I knew about Arman having a pregnant wife,” Jade replied.
The newcomers had likely had the spirits gathering information before the invasion, much as Ruri had asked Kotaro to do. She hadn’t heard back from Kotaro yet, possibly because he was still compiling the information. Besides, she had only asked him to investigate the transmigrators and the Beloved, not to find out if Furgal was using their Beloved to wage a war on the Nation of the Beast King.
While the possibility of Furgal misusing a Beloved was on the table, no one had actually thought that they would go through with it. The Nation of the Beast King was an ally of the Nations of the Spirit King and Dragon King, both of which hosted Beloveds and supreme-level spirits. Even if Furgal overthrew the Nation of the Beast King, they would be making an enemy out of the two other great nations.
No one had expected Furgal to do something so stupid. No one had thought them to be that foolish. If they had known this would happen, they should have been a little more careful. However, there was no point crying over spilled milk.
“You said you ran off with some guards, but where are they?” Jade asked, seeing that Celestine and Padparadscha had come alone.
“They stayed behind, one by one, to try to stop the spirits so that Lady Beloved and I could escape. In the end, we were left with no one, so Lady Celestine put me on her back and flew all the way here while protecting me from the spirits’ attacks, even though it would normally be me shielding her from harm...”
Had Celestine prioritized Padparadscha and Arman’s child over her own well-being? It was abundantly clear how desperate Celestine had been just from the extent of her wounds.
“I beg of you! Please save Master Arman and the people of our nation!” Padparadscha bowed to Jade and Ruri while holding her swollen stomach, desperate because she knew that there was nothing she could do but rely on them.
They fully understood her feelings, but they had no idea if Arman was still alive or not. Ruri turned to Kotaro, who stood there, motionless, eyes fixed on something outside.
She hesitated to address him at first, but then called his name anyway. “Kotaro, do you know what is going on at the Nation of the Beast King’s palace?”
“Hmm, I hesitate to tell you, Ruri...” he said reluctantly.
“That phrasing makes me even more worried. Is it a particularly bad situation there?” she asked, searching for the precise information she wanted.
“Not only has the capital already fallen, but the palace has as well. The Beast King and his troops have all been captured by the enemy and imprisoned. To be honest, the Beast King could be killed at any moment. Looks like he’s being tortured as well.”
“Oh no!” Padparadscha screamed upon hearing Kotaro’s report, the strength leaving her body and causing her to tilt over.
Jade caught her before she fell to the glass-covered floor, preventing her from being injured, but the news wasn’t something a pregnant woman prone to emotion should hear.
“Take her to a guest room. And get her a doctor.”
“Sire!”
Jade entrusted Padparadscha to a nearby soldier and ordered another to assemble the royal retainers in his office. Then Ruri followed him as he headed there himself.
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