Maseki Gurume – Vol 6 Prologue & Chapter 1 Part 1

It’s Ko-Fi’s Supporters’ chapter (100/116), enjoy~

ED: Lonely-matter

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Prologue

 

The circular walls were covered with trees.

It was a room in a mansion that had been hollowed out from a large tree that had been growing for an uncanny number of years, with few furnishings and a modest interior.

There was an old woman sitting on a carpet in the middle of the room.

“The beast has begun to move, I should think so.”

Just like in the old days, when the Demon Lord Arche went out of control.

“──The letter from His Majesty and the incident in the port city of Magna. This can’t be a coincidence.”

She muttered in resignation and looked down at the letter in her hand.

The wax stamped on the letter was the seal of the royal family.

She hesitated to reply. In fact, she had received the letter months ago and still hadn’t responded to it. It would have been rude to treat the royal family like that, but she had put off her response.

But she had reached her limit, and it was not her intention to make them wait any longer.

“Sierra?”

She said in a short, intonation-less voice, and after a pause of about ten seconds, the door of the room opened.

“Grandmother, I’m here.”

The person who appeared was a beautiful woman.

“Yes. I have a favor to ask you. Come to my side first.”

In response to the old woman’s voice, the beautiful woman called Sierra stepped onto the carpet. She eventually came in front of the old woman and sat down on the carpet on one knee, waiting for her to speak.

“You know about the port city of Magna, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know about it. It was a tragic event, the villa of His Majesty the First was damaged and sank to the bottom of the sea.”

The old woman nodded when she heard Sierra’s words.

“It is a situation that we Elves cannot ignore. That’s why I’m asking you to visit the villa of His Majesty the First on my behalf. Do you understand why?”

“Because we Elves owe the First Majesty a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid. In addition, many of our people are heartbroken by this incident. That’s why I need to leave this place and offer my prayers at the site of the villa on behalf of my grandmother, the chief.”

The chief heard Sierra’s reply and nodded back in satisfaction.

“You shall take our warriors and head there in formal attire soon. And then──.”

This is where the chief’s main concern began.

“On your way back, I want you to go to the royal capital on my behalf and deliver a letter to His Majesty.”

“Understood.”

She replied solemnly, but she could still see Chris’s face in her mind. It was hard to keep her cheek from relaxing when she realized that she would be able to meet her after a long time.

“Also, I’ll have you deliver the invitation to His Highness the Crown Prince. Let us invite him to visit the innermost part of this land.”

Hearing these words, Sierra was so shocked that she put her hands on the floor.

“Grandmother! Do you mean to invite His Highness to the sanctuary?”

On the other hand, the chief remained calm in the face of Sierra’s surprise, as if it was only natural. On the surface, she is aloof, without the slightest change in color.

She also spun new words without affirming or denying them.

“Now go tell our warriors that you are going to Magna. I will now acknowledge the two letters. Make sure you deliver them to the royal capital.”

“Grandmother!”

“That’s all I have to say. Now go to the warrior.”

No matter how many times she asked, she would never receive the answer she wanted.

Seeing the chief’s stubborn demeanor, Sierra straightened up her posture with resignation and opened her mouth in the same stern manner she had used when she came in.

“──I understand.”

She said this and then quietly left the room.

The chief who remained in the room looked up at the ceiling and lowered her eyes when she had finished watching Sierra’s back. Her lips moved weakly.

“Your Majesty Gail, please protect Ishtalika.”

She prayed into the void with a stifled voice.

 

Chapter 1 – Letter From A Childhood Friend

 

It was early autumn when the colors of the leaves on the street trees were gradually changing and falling. It was on a day, about a month after the meeting with Heim.

When Ain heard about the recovery of the port city of Magna, he was relieved to learn that it was going well.

However, the culprit who had brought the monster to the city had not yet been found. Although it is certain that it was the Red Fox, the fact that not even the slightest trace of it has been left behind is still disturbing.

Therefore, he couldn’t stop praying for information to be found as soon as possible.

 

It was breakfast time.

Ain, who had finished his daily training, walked around the castle.

“──Ah.”

As soon as he entered the castle, he saw Chris holding a letter with her hand on her head in the hall.

“Chris!”

“Ah… Ain-sama, good morning.”

She quickly turned around and let her proud golden hair dominate.

The morning sun shining through the window glass illuminated her profile and colored her picturesque smile. She still has the same inhuman beauty, but the sweet expression she gives to Ain is always dainty.

As proof of this, she came running up to him today───.

(What’s going on?)

Contrary to expectations, today was different from the norm.

She seemed to be a little gloomy… or even confused.

(Is it safe to ask?)

He wondered if it was okay to ask.

In the end, he decided to ask after taking a glance at the letter Chris was holding.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um… I’m not sure how to say it…”

“Okay, so something is wrong.”

At least it didn’t seem serious.

Chris now looked embarrassed, and she didn’t seem to be in any kind of trouble. As if to prove it, she said hurriedly.

“I-it’s just a matter of my feelings!”

“Your feelings? Did someone ask you to marry him?”

“Mmm.”

She pouted her lips in frustration and looked up at Ain with narrowed eyes.

“If it were, I wouldn’t be in so much trouble! It would have been the end of the story if I had just said no to the marriage proposal!”

“So, what’s the reason for your grumpy expression…?”

“Geez! I don’t know! It’s your fault, Ain-sama!”

“Eeh… I’m sorry.”

Ain honestly didn’t know the reason, but he apologized reflexively.

Chris also noticed it when she saw Ain’s face. But she didn’t want him to think she was a bother, so she kept her composure and asked lightly, “Marriage proposal?” But then she decided to forget about the fact that he had asked her that.

Therefore.

“My childhood friend is coming to the capital next week.”

She said, regaining her composure.

“It seems she went all the way to the port city of Magna with a lot of people. She wrote in her letter that she would stop by the royal capital on her way back.”

“Hee… I wonder what they were doing there.”

“It seems it was about His Majesty the First’s villa. I believe the chief was heartbroken. Elves are usually secluded in the forest, and I can’t think of any other reason for them to go away.

Ain couldn’t help but chuckle at the word “secluded.”

But he knew how the Elves live. They don’t interact with other races at all, and it’s rare for them to come out of their villages.

But it’s amazing that they went out and went to the port city of Magna.

“Hmm?”

But Ain still had a question.

“I understand that Chris’s childhood friend is coming, but what’s the problem?”

“It’s not so much a problem, but… it’s already been decades since I’ve last seen her ── Ahem. I have not seen her in years, and I am embarrassed. Sigh… They’re going to come to the castle in formal wear anyway… It’s unnecessarily exaggerated…”

What does she mean by exaggerated? Before Ain could ask, he saw Chris’s exhausted expression and laughed again.

It will come out sooner or later anyway.

Right now, he wanted to work on Chris in front of him more than anything else.

“Anyway, let’s have breakfast together.”

After saying this, the crown prince Ain put his hand on her shoulder.

 

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