Chapter 6: The Transmigrators
Jade informed Ruri that Celestine had awakened but fallen back into slumber, so she decided to go see Padparadscha. When she entered the room, Padparadscha looked at Ruri, eyes beset with worry.
“Lady Beloved...”
Ruri smiled to calm her down. “The Beast King was safe. We reclaimed the palace and the capital from Furgal.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Padparadscha’s eyes started to mist up with tears upon hearing the news. She knelt before Ruri as if praying to God, her hands locked together, bowing repeatedly.
Ruri panicked after seeing this display. “Whoa, please stand up! No, actually, sit on the sofa!” That was not the kind of position a pregnant woman should be in. Ruri lent her a hand so that she wouldn’t strain herself and then led her over to the sofa. “You can just take it easy.”
That may have been an impossible task for those who lived in the Nation of the Beast King, since they were so overboard in the way they treated Beloveds, but Ruri wasn’t a fan of being treated so formally. She would like the other woman to treat her normally while in the Nation of the Dragon King, at least, but it seemed to be a tough expectation right away.
“There’s something else I need to tell you, besides the fact that the Beast King and the nation are safe,” Ruri admitted.
“What would that be?” Padparadscha asked.
“The Nation of the Beast King is in disarray, so the Beast King requested that you remain here for a while,” Ruri explained, knowing it would likely be easier for her to relay the news since Arman had asked her to handle things directly as opposed to Jade telling her instead.
“Oh, is that...so?” Padparadscha’s gleeful expression immediately began to fade.
“Besides, moving from the Nation of the Dragon King will put a strain on your body, so I think this is best for you and your child,” Ruri added.
“Right...” Padparadscha nodded, looking sad because she knew it was the best course of action considering the child in her belly.
As such, she gave no objections and obediently accepted the situation.
“Let’s make sure you have a healthy baby that you can show the Beast King.”
It was clear from the expression on Arman’s face when he spoke of Padparadscha that she was not just one of his many wives. If she had been, Celestine probably wouldn’t have risked her life to protect her. Ruri felt ineffectual, as she could only give Padparadscha cliché pleasantries.
The next day, Celestine could finally have visitors, so Ruri went to visit her with Rin and Kotaro in tow.
“Celestine-san, are you okay? I think you should still be lying down...”
Celestine, who was now sitting in a chair after spending the majority of her time in bed since her arrival, replied, “I’m fine. My wounds have completely healed.”
They’d used the dragon’s blood on her, and as far as Ruri could see, there wasn’t a scratch on her body. Her complexion was good, and she had an appetite as she was munching on the sandwiches and scones prepared as snacks for her tea.
Relieved that everything seemed to be okay, Ruri informed Celestine that Arman and the country were safe, just as she had told Padparadscha. Upon hearing the good news, relief came over the Beloved’s face and she expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you so much, Lady Ruri. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am.”
“What are you talking about? I think you’re the one who worked the hardest in this whole ordeal, Celestine-san.”
“Me?” Celestine repeated, her eyes widening upon hearing the surprising sentiment.
“That’s right. You fought against the Beloveds of Furgal and safely escorted Padparadscha-san all the way here,” Ruri elaborated. Naturally, there were also soldiers who had fought for the nation and guards who had fought for the two to escape, but she decided not to say that part aloud.
“But all I could do was run away. I’m the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, but I couldn’t protect the nation...” Celestine said, dejectedly.
It was rare to see her so vulnerable when she was usually so determined and bold. That must’ve been how much that incident had done to her mind and body.
“You risked life and limb to protect Padparadscha-san. If you weren’t around, who knows what would have happened to the child she’s carrying. Also, we might’ve learned of the situation there too late to save the Beast King. It’s all because of the hard work you put in,” Ruri firmly assured her.
Celestine, with an expression that seemed more pessimistic than joyful, answered, “This was the first time I’d ever feared a spirit...” She paused, tried to think about her next words, and continued. “Of course, I knew they weren’t as cute as they seemed. I respected and was in constant awe of them. However, I think I was somewhat conceited about being a Beloved. I was completely helpless against their merciless attack. Despite the fact that I am a tawdry, powerless entity from the spirits’ perspective, years of being pampered as a ‘Beloved’ made me forget that. Should someone so arrogant even be a Beloved? I’m afraid I’d shame my entire tribe...”
Ruri awkwardly smiled at Celestine as she continued to feel down on herself. Perhaps this was indecisiveness brought about by her significant religious faith in the spirit. She seemed to have a strong sense of responsibility as a Beloved. Ruri, who had neither, couldn’t really understand how she felt.
However, Ruri simply stated her own feelings. “You’re thinking about things way too hard. I mean, the same spirits you’d always shared smiles with not only attacked you with an intent to kill but chased you down no matter how far you fled, so of course you’d find the experience scary. In fact, I think it was even scarier because of their cutesy appearances. It was traumatic enough to show up in your dreams. I don’t consider that being conceited.”
“Yes, but...” Celestine trailed off.
“Do you hate the spirits now?”
“No.” She answered Ruri’s question swiftly, without hesitation.
“In that case, there’s nothing to worry about,” Ruri answered with a grin.
Rin flew in front of Celestine. “Ruri is right. Besides, despite what you think, spirits gather to a Beloved of their own accord, so it’s useless to think about you being ‘worthy’ or not. Useless, useless,” Rin said, her words being meant as encouragement despite them sounding harsh.
Celestine’s expression softened slightly, as if she understood Rin’s sentiments. “You have a point.”
“Right, right. You don’t need to think too deeply about it. Spirits don’t think deeply. We stay by your side because we like you. We grant your wishes because we like you. That’s it.”
“But that’s a problem in itself, isn’t it? Hopefully, things work out in the end as they have now, but... Hmm...” Ruri said, ending with a troubled hum.
“There’s no way around it. That’s just the kind of creatures spirits are.”
Ruri recalled the day that Rin had come to her out of nowhere and demanded that Ruri give her a name. It felt like eons ago, but barely a few years had passed since then. Ruri found herself surprised by that fact—which was a little late coming, all things considered.
“I wish that pair of Beloveds had even a fraction of the respect for the spirits and shame toward themselves that Celestine-san did,” Ruri commented, but she knew that whatever she said to the adolescent chunibyo duo would fall on deaf ears After all, not doubting that the world revolved around them was what being afflicted with chunibyo—the delusions of seventh-grade grandeur—was all about.
“What happened to those Beloveds?” asked Celestine.
Ruri had prioritized telling her about Arman and the palace and hadn’t gone into detail about the Beloveds. “We arrested them and threw them in the dungeon. I made sure to tell the spirits not to obey them under any circumstance, and I made Kotaro and Rin emphasize that after I got back to the Nation of the Dragon King, so I believe things will be all right. Still, it seems that not even the Beast King really knows how to deal with them.”
“Yes, I would imagine.”
A sensible country would have followed the rules set by the Four Great Nations and wouldn’t have allowed their Beloveds to meet, but Furgal had used theirs to incite a war. If Arman sent them back to Furgal, they might raid the Nation of the Beast King again. In fact, both he and Jade thought this was highly likely.
The really bothersome part was that the pair outranked Celestine. Beloveds essentially had no restrictions on what they could and could not do. However, the captured Beloveds had taken things too far and ordered the spirits like they were playing some sort of game.
The spirits ignored their orders now that Ruri was around, but it was terrifying to consider what could’ve happened if she hadn’t been. Such dangerous people couldn’t be left to their own devices.
“There are apparently talks about it being safer to have the Nation of the Dragon King or Spirit King take them in,” Ruri informed her.
“Right, the Nation of the Spirit King has the Spirit of the Trees, and this nation has multiple supreme-level spirits in its midst, so they won’t be able to do as they please,” Celestine surmised, looking convinced.
The truth of the matter was that Jade didn’t want to take in those problem children either. Nevertheless, the consensus of Arman, Awain, and Jade was that they should definitely avoid leaving the two in the Nation of the Beast King.
Rin raised her voice in anger. “Then bring them here! I want to see what kind of people they are with my own two eyes.”
“So do I!” Kotaro chimed in.
As soon as the two finished speaking, they charged straight into Jade’s office and both shouted, “Bring them here!”
Kotaro and Lynn were probably furious with those disruptive Beloveds—because they’d gotten Ruri involved, of course. Pressed by the spirit duo, Jade looked extremely perplexed. However, despite the demands coming from supreme-level spirits, his retainers looked hesitant to undertake such a hellacious task.
The room went silent at Rin’s next words. “You can toss them into Riccia’s place. She’ll be sure to train them well.”
Riccia, who could keep the supreme-level spirit of fire eating out of the palm of her hand, could easily train a couple of adolescents. That was the general direction of everyone’s opinions. As such, an agreement was reached that the Nation of the Dragon King would take in the otherworld Beloveds, but it was also decided that they’d take in the other transmigrators who had gathered in Furgal as well.
As expected, Furgal declined, but the people of the Nation of the Beast King—including Arman, who had to deal with Celestine being hurt by their forces—were furious and put down an ultimatum, saying, “If you refuse, prepare for your nation to be wiped off the map.”
Furgal using their Beloveds to inflict harm upon Celestine was a well-known fact at this point, and both nations made it clear that they had no intention of stopping the Nation of the Beast King if they decided to go to war themselves. Arman also used the tied-up royal of Furgal as a bargaining chip. Apparently, the bound guppy was the king’s nephew. Whether because he valued his family member’s life or succumbed to the other nations’ pressure, the negotiations went smoother than expected.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Euclase was sent from the Nation of the Dragon Kingdom to negotiate with Furgal. Perhaps thanks to the combined intimidation with Arman, the deal was sealed easier than expected. The agreement was made that Furgal wouldn’t have rights to the transmigrators, no matter what the reason, going forward. Not too long after negotiations, the transmigrators came to the Nation of the Dragon King. All of them were dark-haired and dark-eyed—a color combination that was familiar to Ruri.
Then again, it seemed some had dyed their hair, since their roots were black, making their heads look like the gradient you would see on a plate of flan. Ages varied from children who looked like they were still students to middle-aged adults, with no particular gender bias.
Also, upon close inspection, there were even children as young as grade school. From the leather-shelled randoseru backpacks they were sporting, they’d probably been on their way to or from school. All of them had worry painted on their faces.
That was understandable. When Ruri had first come to this world, she’d been just as confused, unable to wrap her head around things very quickly. From there, she’d been abandoned in the woods, chased by an excited Kotaro, met Chelsie, and started to live in the Dragon King’s castle, and was now the wife of the Dragon King. One could never tell what life had in store.
Fortunately, in spite of everything that had happened to her, Ruri had come to accept the circumstances of living in this world to the point where she could say with certainty that she was happy now. However, it was going to take time before the transmigrators who’d just arrived started feeling that way. There might even be some that couldn’t accept the situation even with time.
Jade said that he would give these people as much consideration as possible. Therefore, it was necessary to speak to each person individually. The two people selected as supervisors in charge of dealing with the transmigrators were Ruri’s father, Kohaku, and the girl who’d wound up in this world on her own, Sango. They were given the positions with the idea that they would be able to sympathize with the transmigrators’ confusion and worry as fellow inhabitants of the other world. Sango, being younger in age, was perfect, since there were small children.
That was when Ruri put her name in the running. She wanted to know what their stories were as well and asked Jade to let her join in. Much to her surprise, she was given permission. Normally, she would’ve been prepared for a resounding no and concocted a way to convince him otherwise, so Ruri was left stunned. It was so bad that she seriously worried if Jade was running a fever.
However, once Ruri saw an excessive number of guards load up her perimeter as a means to compensate, Ruri mildly regretted her decision. Kohaku mainly took the initiative, asking questions about what had happened when they were teleported, their lives in Furgal, and their hopes for life going forward. At first they were apprehensive, but when they heard that Kohaku was also from the same world and had worked as a diplomat, their shoulders relaxed to a state of half worry, half relief.
The communication skills Kohaku had cultivated as a diplomat were being used to great effect. Those who felt relief ended up being more chatty and divulged all sorts of information. What they learned was that every one of them had been riding the same bus at the time of being transported.
“The path opened up, and everyone on board got rolled in, then,” Rin commented.
Apparently, it was very unusual for such a large number of people to come to this world. People who came here from the other world were rare in the first place, and multiple people coming over was such a rare case that not even the spirits could remember such an incident.
Kohaku’s team had no choice but to convince them that they were simply unlucky. After all, there was no way to return home. Many of those who heard this could not hide their shock and started crying. The children, in particular, combined with their anxiety, were crying inconsolably, leaving Sango and Ruri flustered.
Nevertheless, Coral knew how they felt better than anyone else, so she took up the role of comforting them. Seeing as Ruri’s entire family was living in this world without any issues, she left the job to Sango because she knew that she shouldn’t speak up, since her consolation would come across as sarcastic. However, she couldn’t let them stay depressed forever. She had to have them work with her to come up with a plan to ensure their livelihoods going forward.
The transmigrators were normal humans without any considerable mana. Except for the boy and girl referred to as Beloveds, none of them could even see the spirits. For those who were used to an easy life with electricity in the other world, they were going to have quite a hard time in their daily lives if they couldn’t use magic.
Although that was their general worry, the group’s treatment in the castle of Furgal wasn’t what you would call good. Ruri was shocked when she learned that even the grade school kids had learned how to do chores well enough to manage their day-to-day lives. But aside from that, no one seemed to have a clue about the way of the world here.
Kohaku, Jade, and his other retainers shared the same opinion—the upper echelon of the Nation of Furgal had likely been thinking of ways to make use of the transmigrators and decided to keep them in captivity, preventing them from acquiring any unnecessary knowledge in the meantime. It was a method all too familiar to Ruri, which only helped bolster the negative image she had of Furgal.
With that being the case for the transmigrators, Ruri and the others planned on supporting them until they could stand on their own two feet, but seeing as they wouldn’t be able to make ends meet in their current states, it was decided to give them rooms in the castle, teach them the rules of the world, and give them jobs that fit each individual person. They were even encouraging families to adopt the small grade-schoolers and minors.
The only problem left was the pair of Beloveds. They were both high schoolers, the same age as Sango. Jade and the retainers were naturally present for their questioning.
Kotaro and Rin clung to either side of Ruri, exuding a threatening aura that said that they would thrash either if they tried anything funny. Ruri tried to talk to the two while under the absolute defense of the supreme-level spirits, but the newcomers were whining up a storm. They were not happy about their treatment in the castle.
“Hold on! I can’t possibly sleep in this big common room with others! Get me a private room! I’m a Beloved, you know!” said the girl.
“That’s right! The meals are meager, and I can’t stand the snoring of the old guy sleeping next to me. I’m very sensitive. Improve this at once!” said the boy, both of them yelling in anger right off the bat without even taking a breath.
“We are the chosen ones!” stated the girl.
“Don’t think you’ll get away with treating us like this! If you want to avoid trouble, give us top-class treatment on the double!” the boy ordered.
The two made selfish claims, not having a doubt in their mind that they were special.
While Ruri and the others were just exasperated, there was one person who was taking some heavy damage from this display—Sango.
“Is this how I came across in the beginning?” At first, Sango had been self-indulgent and spouted off about being a Beloved and someone special. “That was a dark period. One of the worst in my life...” Sango had a chance to look at herself objectively due to the duo being close in age with her, causing her to fall into a depression.
“You’re doing your best right now, and you’re good at it, so you don’t have to worry about it, Sango,” Ruri said with a wry grin.
“True. I shudder to even think what would have happened if milady hadn’t straightened me out. She really is a great individual. In fact, she’s my god,” Sango said, reaffirming her faith in Rutile.
While Sango had been changed by Rutile, could the same happen for these two? Truthfully, even though they thought they were special, much like Sango had, they were totally different from her.
In Sango’s case, it felt more like a way to escape from reality.
Her normal personality wasn’t bad. In fact, it was because she was so modest that she’d listened to Rutile and changed her ways. However, Ruri couldn’t sense an iota of modesty in either of the two that stood before her. As far as this pair went, Kotaro and Rin were wary of them because they seemed likely to put Ruri in danger, and they’d told all the other spirits that the pair weren’t Beloveds anymore—the two were basically in the same position as the Beloved of Cerulanda. To be accurate, they were Beloveds but not Beloveds at the same time. That was the verdict of the supreme-level spirits.
Kotaro reported on the situation, stating that in addition to Rin and himself, seven of the twelve supreme-level spirits who had ties with Ruri—Time, Earth, Trees, Light, and Darkness—unanimously agreed, so there was likely no possible way to overturn their ruling.
That made everyone scratch their heads, wondering why the rulers hadn’t just kept them in the Nation of the Beast King in that case. However, Rin responded by saying that it was a personal vendetta against them for treating spirits as mere tools.
Jade, Euclase, and the rest of the retainers massaged their temples as the nation had no choice but to accept the undesirable role. While they all wanted to complain, they would be doing so to supreme-level spirits. It was a pitiful sight to see them have no choice but to swallow their pride and accept.
The two Beloveds hadn’t been able to see the spirits at first, but they’d gradually come to see them as they lived in this world, mirroring Ruri’s and Sango’s experiences. Ruri hadn’t been able to see the spirits at first either.
The two Beloveds had been given the royal treatment in Furgal, according to the testimonies from other transmigrators. Unlike the other transmigrators, who were given jobs and forced to work, they’d been treated like distinguished guests and had never worked, living every day in complete leisure.
As far as food, clothing, and shelter went, the way both parties were treated was like night and day. Perhaps the blatantly different treatment the pair received had caused them to gain a superiority complex and rapidly strengthened the idea that they were special. However, a Beloved was indeed a special entity, so in that sense, one couldn’t necessarily blame Furgal. Beloveds were dangerous beings who were capable of destroying an entire nation, so it was typical to treat them courteously.
Therefore, according to the other transmigrators, the Beloveds were hated because they grew more arrogant by the day and looked down on everyone else from the same world. A constant stream of complaints about them came from the majority of the transmigrators, exasperating Ruri, Sango, and Kohaku. However, that was all a matter of the past. Since they were no longer able to employ the power of the spirits by order of the supreme-level spirits, they were in the same boats as the other transmigrators, unable to use magic even though they had mana.
There was no need to give them any special treatment now. Not even the normally gentle Jade was going to show mercy to the pair who had hurt Arman and Celestine, and they planned to treat them like all the other transmigrators.
No, it would technically be the same, but since those two had had a taste of how sweet the nectar could be, they probably felt way more dejected than any of the others.
Jade decided to put the pair, who had been going on a wild tirade, on sewage cleanup. Normally, it would be a task that could be done quickly with a sprinkle of magic by those with mana, but this was simply harassment. None of the retainers opposed the idea, and Ruri couldn’t help but feel a little smug that the pair was getting their just deserts.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Now that dealing with the Beloveds was wrapped up, Ruri was filled with questions. In Jade’s office, Jade and the retainers were having a tea break.
“So, wait, why are so many Beloveds coming here?” Ruri asked, noticing how odd the overabundance of transmigrators, which included two Beloveds, was.
“You have a good point,” agreed Jade, who had the same question.
It was the supreme-level spirit, Rin, who provided an answer, having the most knowledge of the world. “It could be that Nadasha’s forced summoning has had a lingering effect.”
Ruri’s eyes went wide, not having expected to hear Nadasha’s name mentioned nowadays.
“They forced the path open, making things looser. As a result, it’s become easier to make a path here. And it’s not irrelevant to the whole Beloved matter either. Because Beloveds have mana compatible with the spirits, it’s far easier for their souls to be drawn into this world, where the supreme-level spirits dwell. And two such Beloveds were in the same place. I’m guessing that, combined with the fact that the loosened path is easier to open, they brought all the people who were there with them along for the ride.”
“That seems very likely.” Kotaro agreed with Rin’s analysis.
“Omigosh...” Ruri said with a grimace.
“They’re totally victims of circumstance, then,” Euclase said, pitying the transmigrators.
It made them both wonder how many lives those people had to change before they were satisfied.
“I think that the transmigrators should be allowed to slug the former king and head priest of Nadasha,” Ruri proposed.
“Absolutely,” Euclase agreed, nodding deeply.
“Hey, Rin. Does this mean we might see another big batch of transmigrators? From now on? Always?”
“Not always. The path will repair itself little by little. It may take some time, though.”
“Ah, I see.”
Given that, the only thing they could do was pray as much as possible that no Beloveds ran into each other in Ruri’s world.
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