3
Ladrima, the village in the south of the Bariel baronry, was a small, ordinary village that could be found anywhere.
Far from the main roads connecting the kingdom, it showed little indication of future development. It was just another small farming village in the dominion, known only for its specialty in flowers. The villagers led simple, unchanging lives, and they liked it that way. Because of this, Ladrima was in an uproar over the major departure from the ordinary.
“Um…like, this is why I said we should go in disguise,” Al complained.
“Nonsense. Why must I disguise myself and hide from the public eye? I have nothing to be ashamed of. These commoners are free to etch my glory into their memories.”
“It’s not about shame, it’s about being discreet…but that ship’s sailed now.”
Scratching his neck, Al sighed at the collective stares they were receiving. The people of Ladrima, startled by the sudden visit, were understandably curious.
After all, the dragon carriage that had arrived in their village was a gaudy hunk of gold, silver, and jewels. First, the glittering gold carriage’s arrival, then the ultimate beauty stepping out of it—it was only natural the villagers would wonder if something momentous was about to occur.
The villagers were just as surprised as Al had imagined. Most were focused on the carriage and Priscilla, but he didn’t notice that many of the gazes were also directed at the eccentrically dressed one-armed figure in the iron helmet.
When it came to drawing attention, like master, like servant. That being said…
“Every good investigation starts with asking around to get a lay of the land,” Al said.
“Making such inquiries does not suit me,” Priscilla replied curtly. “Let’s go straight to the stream in question.”
“I knew you’d say that! Schulty, mind taking care of the princess for me?”
His mistress, who hated the sound of knocking on doors, had no intention of following proper investigative protocol. So when she ran out of patience, Al decided to pawn her off on Schult.
But there was no answer from Schult. Al turned around to find the little butler staring somberly at an open book, his eyes eagerly dancing over the words.
“Schulty?”
“Augh! Oop, I’m sorry! I got too engrossed in my book!”
“I’ll scold you for slacking later—what’s that book?”
“Princess Priscilla let me borrow it! If I memorize these stories, I can amuse her whenever she’s bored… She commanded me to learn them by heart.”
Smoke rose from Schult’s little head. To the boy who had only just learned to read and write, it was a gargantuan task. Priscilla’s fickleness and selfishness were constants in their lives, but Al still felt bad for Schult, who was always at her mercy.
“Um, Princess? Why did you get that stupid idea into his head? Don’t you feel sorry for him?”
“Knowledge is life-saving. Schult has so much to learn—things you couldn’t even begin to measure with your short measuring stick. Though I won’t deny, I do love watching Schult struggle with tears in his eyes.”
Priscilla’s fan obscured her lips as she peered at the hyper-focused Schult. Deciphering her grand design was a daunting task (this included deciphering whether there was even a grand design in the first place).
“Okay, Schulty’s getting by in life aside, I think the villagers are reaching their breaking point. Just tell us your big plan already.”
“And that means asking around, I suppose? Oh, very well. Until Schult finishes his reading, I’ll grant you the honor of my company.”
When Al timidly broached the subject, to his surprise, Priscilla was cooperative. Before she could change her mind, Al raised his hand to address the people circling them at a distance and said, “Sorry to scare you all. We’re not sketchy people, I promise. We don’t look it, but think of us as a team of investigators. There’ve been some mysterious disappearances near this village, right? We’ve come to get to the bottom of it.”
As Al indicated his small party of three and explained their objective, the villagers exchanged glances. To be blunt, Al wasn’t at all convincing. His claims of them not being sketchy—a team made up of just a woman, a child, and a man in a helmet—had too many dubious points. Al braced himself, realizing even basic information gathering was going to be a huge obstacle.
But then—
“That woman with you…pardon my asking, but is she the Sun Princess?”
“Oh?”
It was an older man who timidly stepped forward and asked the question. He had short, salt-and-pepper hair and was acting as a sort of representative of the village as he indicated Priscilla with his eyes.
Priscilla steadily met his gaze. With a proud snort, she replied, “I have never once assumed that name for myself. But it is true that the peasants in my domain worship me under that name. One look at my noble beauty, as bright as the sun, and that urge is perfectly understandable, of course.”
“Ahh, I knew it!”
The man’s eyes sparkled at Priscilla’s shamelessly self-centered declaration. His surprise and wonder spread to the other villagers until they all fell to their knees.
“O—O, Sun Princess! You humble us with your presence in our village! The stream… We’ve been discussing what to do about it with the neighboring villages…”
“And news spread all the way to me,” Priscilla finished. “I have come personally to deal with it. I do hope you are not about to say it’s all over, making my journey here completely pointless?”
“N-no, Princess!”
Having grasped the village’s consensus in an instant, Priscilla looked down at the prostrating villagers in satisfaction. Then she turned to Al, who was standing idly nearby, and said, “Al—what do you think you’re doing? The task of surveying the people is your responsibility. I shall leave my majesty on full display. While I do this, carry out your task.”
“Sure, I can do that…but something doesn’t sit right with me!”
Being with Priscilla often made Al seriously question whether he was the crazy one. That was because not once had he ever seen Priscilla’s plans fail.
“But of course. After all, this world bends itself to suit me.”
After saying her favorite catchphrase, Priscilla cackled loudly as Al got to work.
Thanks to the cooperative villagers, Al’s interviews actually went quite smoothly. Once he gathered enough information, he summed it up for Priscilla.
“There’s a forest near the village—the stream’s in there. So just in the past two months, people who go to that stream have been turning up missing. At first, it was villagers, then people who went to look for them, then people who happened by, and then…”
Priscilla frowned. “Then the strange rumor spread, and now every few days, someone who goes near the stream disappears. It’s just a peculiar and absurd story.”
She sounded terribly bored, and the feeling was mutual. It was nothing more than the classic tale of a mummy hunter turning into a mummy.
Al went on. “The village sent out search parties multiple times, but their results varied. Some say a mist appeared in the forest, and before they realized it, there was only one person left. Some managed to return, but others didn’t. It’s just a mishmash of unsolved mysteries.”
“But that doesn’t explain why people keep disappearing. I suppose the fools who enter the forest aren’t limited to only the villagers. What lured the outsiders there?”
Al whistled at Priscilla’s insight but failed to make any sound. Before the raspy breath he blew could upset her, Al cleared his throat and said, “Okay, get this. Right around the time the rumors were spreading, some strange lore about the spring surfaced. Apparently, anyone who goes near it gets swallowed up by mist. And in that mist…you can meet the dead.”
“Ohh. Meet the dead, you say?”
“People say it’s a bridge to the afterlife, but it’s all bullshit rumors. The only thing is, more idiots have been falling for that rumor than you’d think. For now, there are about fifteen victims, but if this gets any bigger, we’ll have a crisis on our hands.”
Unless they got to the bottom of the rumors and whatever was causing the disappearances, the crown getting involved wasn’t out of the question. If it came to that, even if the problem was solved, Priscilla’s position as lord of the land would come under scrutiny.
As someone involved in the royal selection, that was a scenario she needed to avoid. In that sense, Schult was absolutely right to bring the rumor to Priscilla’s attention. Thanks to him, they had a chance to address it.
“So, what’s the plan, boss? We could form a random scout party and crush the problem that way…”
“Of course we’ll go into the forest right now and see this spring for ourselves,” Priscilla replied. “If it’s a problem that can be solved, then I shall solve it myself. No objections?”
“Are you shitting me? Go into the forest…you personally? That’s where the creepy-crawlies are, you know?”
“Nonsense. Why would that be a reason for me to hold back? For a start, my glory repels vermin.”
After making claims that couldn’t definitively be called lies, Priscilla looked perfectly eager to venture into the forest. And there was no way it was for a laudable reason like solving the problem as quickly as possible. However, Al found her approach oddly aggressive. She was eager to put in the work herself, which was very unlike her.
But of course, Al’s surprise couldn’t even begin to compare to how the villagers reacted when they caught wind of Priscilla’s plan.
Their lord approaching them directly and venturing into the forest herself was as shocking to them as if heaven and earth had switched places. They flew in a panic as they tried to stop her.
“B-but, Sun Princess! You can’t put yourself in such danger!” the mayor implored. “If you insist on going, we’ll come with you! The entire village will help—!”
“Hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up!” Al sputtered. “I understand that you’re worried, but the entire village?! Don’t be stupid! If we go with such a big crowd, nobody’ll even be able to move!”
But it seemed the mayor’s crazy idea wasn’t limited to him. All the villagers looked eager to go with Priscilla. The mayor clenched his fist, his voice shaking as he said, “Life under our former lord was a living hell. There are no words that can describe how grateful we are for the Sun Princess taking his place and bringing order to these lands. At least let us serve as her shields!”
“Mmhmm, your devotion is not half bad. Quite admirable for commonfolk like you. Do not forget this pledge of loyalty and service you offered today.”
“Is that really the most responsible reply?!”
Priscilla was enjoying this, but there was no point in bringing along a swarm of villagers who would ultimately hold them back. Al dug deep, somehow finding the words to try to convince the villagers not to assist.
“We really appreciate the sentiment, guys, but there’s no point in having this many meat shields. The Sun Princess’s greatest wish is for you to just stay here and wait for news.”
“A rather convenient distortion of my wishes,” Priscilla muttered under her breath.
“All the Sun Princess wants is for you villagers to be safe! Yes, oh yes! All hail the Sun Princess!”
“A-all hail the Sun Princess!!!”
As Al led a cheer out of sheer desperation, the villagers followed suit. It was all a bit more forced than he would have liked, but at least he had managed to prevent martyrdom today.
All that remained was to get out of there before Al’s spell wore off.
“Let’s go, boss. Life is short, the possibilities are endless. For a hopeful tomorrow—it’s time to skedaddle.”
“Hmm—skee-dattle? Another new word, I suppose. I like it.”
Al tugged on Priscilla’s hand, and she let it happen without getting angry. Meanwhile, Schult trotted closely behind, still reading the book, with a puffed face that looked like it might deflate any minute.
“And now, let us settle this matter handily. Skee-dattle!”
In the highest of spirits, Priscilla whipped out her newly acquired vocabulary as she got the dragon carriage moving. As the golden carriage whisked the trio away, the villagers bid farewell to the refrain of “All hail the Sun Princess!”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login