Chapter 3

Thats enough of these sea descriptions!

Since Im not a poet, how can I think of pretty words to describe the beauty of the sky, waves and boats! Although Wolfram is very dissatisfied, hes still forced to follow the secret seasickness cure Lord von Christ taught him.

Two hundred and twenty-one the beautiful, sea Mmph! Damn you, Gnter, its not working at all! Two hundred and twenty-two the mother of all life, the sea. Stupid Gnter, just you wait until I get back! Ill put Kiku by your pillow-side every night!

And he doesnt forget to scold him either.

Ive used everything from my father to my great-grandfather a hundred times by now, right? Then four hundred and twenty-three The sea, like my granduncle, hai hahph!

Dont you feel like you suddenly have a lot more relatives?

Thats right, and Im tired of praising the sea! How can something as useless as this help me on a happy, relaxed oceanic journey! Besides, I didnt volunteer to join the navy, its only natural that Id get seasick!

Poor Excellency. Your body and your spirit may have grown, but the snails in your ears are exactly the same.

Hearing her commander, whos younger than her, scold her adopted father with all hes worth, not only is Lady von Christ Gisela not angry at all, she even comforts him.

The snails in my ears? Mmph, what is that?

Oh dear! Dont you know? Everyone has a snail in their ears. The reason people get seasick, carsick, or dizzy when riding a horse, is because that snail is in a bad mood and throws a tantrum. If its slightly more serious, it will even bite away the membrane in your ear canals, and suck up all the owners brain juices! That way its not just a matter of vomiting and dizziness, even your brain juices will leak out of your ears!

Wolframs expression changes visibly, and he instinctively raises his hands to press on his head, yelling,

D-dont say such disgusting things! It must be that, what you call folk tales, right?

Gisela shakes her head with an expression of deep regret,

No. The mini snail in Your Excellencys ear is scampering around right now.

Then according to you, what will happen to me now!?

Wolfram, who never took the medical training courses in the army, definitely has no idea that the Sergeant is best known for her unreal medical horror stories. Facing an innocent reaction that she hasnt seen in a long time, Gisela cant help but smile.

Actually you dont have to act so tragic about it, all you have to do is cheer it up a bit and youll be fine. Please temporarily forget your nervousness about this journey, relax your shoulders, and then the snail will calm down too. Why dont you go with that bunch of No, why dont you try mixing with the crowd, and temporarily forget the worries in your heart?

Lower down on the deck, some off-duty soldiers are passionately interacting with the Caloria reinforcements. Thats putting it nicely, the truth is the cabin door is wide open, and theyre having a huge beer party whether or not theres a roof above their heads. And now it seems to have gone past a mild haze, because there are drunks all over the ground. Some are hugging their bottles of beer and lying on the deck, while others are sitting cross-legged on wooden buckets full of pure water and lecturing yet others.

Looking down at this peaceful scene, Wolframs brow is creased in exactly the same way as his brother.

A bunch of drunks!

Dont tell me youre not good at interacting with uncles?

This has nothing to do with age. You see, theyre the humans sent by Caloria, right? But the soldiers on our ship have mixed with them in such an unsightly manner. Unforgivable. Its so unseemly! They have no self-awareness as mazoku at all!

Indeed, the men stacked on top of each other on the deck, are not differentiated into mazoku and humans at all. Mixed into a mess like this, the only way to tell them apart is by their outfits. Most of the ones in uniform are mazokus, but some of them are in plain clothes too.

That guy drunk out of his wits, is it Adalbert?

It seems like it Goodness! Hes hugging the railing and crying! I dont know whose name hes calling, but just thinking about it is disgusting. Speaking of which, old boy Grantz was always known for his bad alcohol tolerance.

He cant drink!?

Thats right, and there are rumors that he cant stomach it well either.

Just imagining the muscleman losing it after a few drinks, makes Wolfram uncomfortable again. Will he uproot a huge tree and start swinging it above his head, knocking down some houses in the process? Or will he break into a small house with livestock, and then grab a horses or a cows tail How scary, and so his face gets paler and paler.

As expected of Gisela, not only does she watch Wolfram, whos imagining a crazy drunk Grantz, expressionlessly, shes also remembering the rumors on the street about Lord von Bielefeld at the same time. He may look cute, but he has a shocking alcohol tolerance, and he doesnt go crazy after he gets drunk either, could that be true? She wants to verify the validity of this rumor. Compared to that adopted father of hers, who strips stark naked, wears his underwear on his head and starts dancing madly whenever he drinks, she wonders, wholl be more fun when theyre drunk?

So you let him go in a one-on-one battle?

Adalbert is in such a great mood that his eyes are all narrowed as he raises his hand and waves it wildly in front of his face.

Amongst the soldiers on the losing side, there was a young man who obviously looks like a child, but had a very thick beard. His beard was especially weird, so I pulled him out for a closer lookThat man was Maxine. I was going to say that his short mustache looks like it was drawn on, but then I realized it really was drawn on with brown colors! He drew a beard on his face!? A fourteen-year-old brat had such a thick mustache, he really beat me there! So I asked him why, and he said, Because it looks cooler like this. And his hairstyle was really weird too, because he made this place like this.

Adalbert puts down the beer bottle, raises both his hands and starts groping around his ears.

He cropped the whole part upwards! As for the curly hairs that were left, he left them long and tied them into a ponytail, the reason also being, It looks cooler like this. Anyway, his look was to draw his beard really thick, and the crop his hair on both sides upwards. GoodnessIt was so weird, it made him seem old-fashioned! It made me want to determine if his hair on the lower part of his body is also that thick, and also cropped upwards!

He flicks his messy blonde hair, laughing loudly. Hearing his vulgar joke and laughter, Dacascos lowers his head in disappointment. Goodness~. The image of the General among the Ten Nobles that the people idolized so much, slowly falling apart before his eyes. Turns out Lord von Christ Gnter isnt the only noble who fell.

So you guys met under such hilarious circumstances

Thats right, anyway he was laughed at by our entire team to no end, and then, since he was so funny, we decided to open one eye, close one eye, and let him go Wait a second! Thinking about it, our country is too nice to our prisoners of war, they came all the way across the ocean from another continent, you know! Compared to the way were isolated in Shimaron, I cant help but want to tell him sarcastically, Our prisoners of war practically live in paradise. For all you know, a lowly soldier like him would have been happier and more relaxed staying as a prisoner here, than escaping back to his country alone.

Should I call him lucky, or unlucky?

Thats whats interesting about him. But whats even more surprising is that later when we faced off against Shou Shimaron soldiers again, for some reason all the soldiers had exactly the same beard and hairstyle as Maxine. And regardless of age, too. Maybe they want to get his luck, too. But the truth is the real reason behind it is that his beard is too hilarious, so we generously let him go. If no one said this out loud, no one will know. For all we know, he was idolized as a war god or a hero back home! Aiyathat time we were laughing so hard we couldnt fight!

I-is that soSo the reason their entire army crops the hair on both sides upwards, has such a shocking truth behind it Hehehe

Dacascos touches the worlds simplest and beautiful head, and then sighs deeply.

So the legend that man will never die, is partly due to me. Only, Nigel doesnt seem to have any recollection that we met when he was young.

Adalbert grabs the beer bottle Dacascos left beside him and start chugging it down. Since his doctor and his wife restricted him, he hasnt been drunk in a long time.

Milord really likes them, huh?

Huh? Like? Like what?

Likes the humans.

The seamens favorite strong beer seems to be almost burning his throat.

Your Excellency must really like the humans, huh? Otherwise normal soldiers or someone like me, who doesnt fight, would never hear of the truth behind our superior officers. Mostly theyre just slips of the mouth or rumors spreading everywhere, and we can only guess using our imagination. May I ask, Your Excellency, who can be called the descendant of a famous family Master Adalbert, why on earth would you suddenly abandon our country and follow the humans? Because there are many explanations: Such as someone bought intel about Shin Makoku from you with a large sum of money, or you fell in love with a human girl, everyone can only make such base, old-fashioned guesses

Sitting on the deck, Dacascos puts his head between his knees, just like a girl worrying about love. The back of his head and neck are both very red, looks like he really is drunk.

You like humans, right?

What!? What are you saying? Of course not!

Having heard a completely unrelated reason, Adalbert is so worked up he waves both hands around wildly.

You like them, so you dont want to fight them It must be that.

What are you talking nonsense about!? I hate those mazokus who watched Lady von Wincott die without doing a thing, I want nothing more than to see this cruel country fall to pieces thats why Im using the humans

Recently, I too have been thinking about this.

Dacascos brings the thin bottle neck to his mouth again, but its empty inside, so all he can do is wipe his lips and chin with his fist. The injury he got while working in the kitchen us almost completely healed, but right now its pricking painfully.

Since we were young, we were taught that humans are the enemy, and they must surely hate and fear mazokus too. Even if were walking alone on the streets of a neighboring, friendly country, well have rocks thrown at us, so if we head towards faraway Shimaron, well definitely get even worse treatmentthats something everyone knows. Like when Your Excellency was travelling alone, you must definitely have faced unhappy incidents because of your identity as a mazoku, right? Because mazokus and humans are enemies and we even had a war not long ago, and if were not careful we might start another war soon. Because theyre the enemy probably. Although I only got the most basic education, even my neighbors kid knows something like this. Butbut, Your Excellency

The young kings face floats into Dacascoss mind, and just thinking that he isnt onboard this ship upsets him. Because there are some things he wants to hear from him.

He really wants to ask, But, His Majesty

Dacascos puts his chin on his knees, where the bones are clearly visible, and looks out into the dark and calm sea.

Please listen to me, recently I suddenly got this idea. Its just an idea, that maybe theyre all good people.

Sitting on the ground, Adalbert kicks away the beer bottles and makes a sound.

Because I was lucky enough to stay by His Majestys side, I got to know some humans like Mr. Hyscliff, Lady Flynn and Mr. Fanfan, they may be humans, but theyre good people! I especially respect Mr. Hyscliff, his shiny head is my target! And Miss Greta may be the princess of Shin Makoku, but she used to be the child of humans, you know! But shes really cute~. Although my kid is really cute too, just mentioning the young miss makes me remember her cheerful personality!

Whenever petite little Greta runs past, the dark and gloomy castle corridors seem to lighten up. Whenever she calls His Majesty and His Excellency Wolfram, everyone working in the castle will raise their heads, and smile subconsciously.

Although theyre humans, theyre all good people. I just cant figure it out, why are these good people our enemies? Recently its bothered me so much my hair is falling out.

Even Dacascos himself doesnt know who he should talk about this to. He reaches his hand for his temples where the veins are vaguely showing, and presses them lightly with his fingers.

But to really get to the bottom of the matter, it could be because we lost friends on the battlefield, and lost brothers in the war. If I ask the Sergeant, Gurrier or Captain Sizemore, Ill definitely get a more serious answer; but if I ask His Majesty, Ill get, what are you talking about, Dacascos, isnt that obvious! as an answer, he may even pat my head!

Theres no other country in this world where the king will pat a low-rank soldiers head. But His Majesty is just that unique, so much so that were changing quickly too.

Ever since His Majesty appeared, a lot of things have changed.

Kicking away the third beer bottle with his feet, Adalbert asks in a low voice,

That brat the one called Yuuri, what kind of a king is he exactly?

A-about that hes really impressive you know! His Majesty is really special.

Dacascos desperately tries to use all his vocabulary to praise Yuuri, but no matter how he squeezes his brain, no matter how beautifully he describes him, the feeling that comes across is very ordinary. Faced without any other choice, he repeats impressive and special again, pauses for a moment and then adding,

But recently I feel as though hes forcing himself a little.

Why would you say so?

I-I cant describe it very well, but sometimes I feel that he may be too tired. But thats to be expected! After all, its not easy to rule an entire country, and he was so young when he rose to the throne too. No matter what it is hes doing, if he wasnt trained for it beforehand, or if he doesnt have a certain amount of experience, itll definitely be very hard for him. Did you know? His Majesty is only sixteen!

Sixteen, huh

Although Adalbert doesnt say it out loud, his gaze is floating, as though determining this number.

Exactly! Like when I was sixteen, I may have had more hair than I do now, but I couldnt even tell the difference between an octopus and a branch! But His Majesty really has the aura of a kingAlthough Im not that devout in my religion, but I have no choice but to believe that Lord Shinou is protecting us from beyond the grave, thats why he chose such an appropriate person to ascend the throne.

Although hes only sixteen, I heard that his love life is really colorful! I dont know if its true or false, but I heard that he got engaged to the previous Maous third prince a long time ago?

Thats right, thats true. Thats why His Excellency Gnters nose ran like a river, and he cried while biting onto his handkerchief! But most of the people are happy to see it. In the bet for His Majestys affections, His Excellency Wolfram is rather popular too. But thats unsurprising, since theyre such a good match! Aiya, like that time when the two of them were hiding together in the fruit carton, I thought they were some foreign dolls and couldnt look away! But I spent three months worth of salary to bet on His Excellency GnterIll just take it as my congratulatory present for them.

Dacascos imagines his superior officers crying face every night, as he counts the amount of lottery money he got. This way he can finally pay off the loans and his kids tuition fees Maybe he can still let his wife stop working for His Excellency Gwendal, so he can have a hot meal waiting for him when he gets home. Just because he was imagining such a scene, he instinctively answers Adalberts question.

Is he happy?

VeryAh! Thats not right, youre referring to His Majesty, right!? I dont know if hes happy, but at least he looks very cheerful.

Is that so?

After that Adalbert falls silent, not saying anything at all, and not desperately hugging the railing while yelling a certain someones name either, turning into a quiet, sullen drunk.

Hey~~ Dacchan-san! Come over here and drink with us--! Captain Mountain Range wants to tell you stories of the Seisakoku holy temple--!

Hearing the calls from the Calorian reinforcements onboard with them, Dacascos hastily gets up.

The reinforcements onboard under orders of Flynn Gilbit are all experienced mercenaries. The man like his name, Captain Mountain Range, always has a yellowed skull on his knee, and other than calling it Little Pot, he even talks to it. To others, be it the scars on his face and arms, or his scary appearance and fierce gaze, fill people with a sense of fear. But normally he is indeed a stable man, and well-loved by his men. And the comrades around him are all rather unusual men too, but since Yuuri helped their country through a crisis, theyre not too against mazokus.

Surely theyre most respected mistress, Flynn Gilbit must have spent a lot of time convincing them, huh?

Even they must surely find this unbelievable.

But Dacascos still walks slowly into this group of people that can share these doubts.

Kotsuhizoku shed their skin.

There has always been a veil of mystery surrounding their unique form of life, one that no one can reveal to this day. People cant tell which part of them is skin, and which part is bone, or even whether their body has a torso. Kotsuhizoku and kotsuchizoku sometimes stay in the dark and cold ground, while at other times they discard their old shell in the dry desert, becoming a completely new creature.

On a side note, theres absolutely no way to tell the difference from the surface.

The Happy-Happy Bone Puzzle is a product made of the useless parts kotsuchizoku dont use any more after molting, or when kotsuhizoku put themselves back together after crashing and find a spare piece from goodness knows where. It counts as a recyclable and safe toy, and is highly recommended by the Shin Makoku Child Education Committee.

The advanced level of playing with Happy-Happy Bone Puzzles is to find a combination that fits perfectly together from tens of thousands of bones. Lucky kids can find them within hours, but there are also some who cant find them even after theyre all grown up. Though most children get tired of it before putting it together, abandoning the Happy-Happy Bone Puzzle to think of other games by themselves, thereby saying farewell to their childhood.

Greta is no exception.

Although shes returned to Blood Pledge Castle, she cant find anyone to play with her, so all she can do is stay in her adopted fathers spacious room and obediently play with the bones alone.

Shes already tired of Playing House of Bones and Stack the Bones, and shes even measured the bone density of the larger pieces. The instruction manual said that Happy-Happy Bone Puzzles can build a pirate ship or a haunted castle, but the little girl who lives in a real castle, and has gone sailing around in a royal sailboat, doesnt find any excitement in even the picture of the completed sample.

Greta heaves a sigh that doesnt fit her age, and then puts the palm-sized bone to her ear as though it were a shell.

Wow~~ There are graveyard sounds

She hears the screaming of the winds, a terrified dog howling, and the creaking of a rusted iron door. The rustling of the branches adds to the ominous atmosphere even more. Tomb raiders use a cross-shaped shovel to sig out a coffin, opening the coffin lid to get the treasure map

Waa!

Hearing something like a murmur by her ear, Greta is shocked into throwing the bone puzzle piece onto the ground. But the bone piece doesnt break on impact, seems like its actually rather sturdy.

Just now I think someone said something

She did indeed hear something like a voice talking. After a moments hesitation, she carefully picks it up again, and brings it to her ear. It really isnt the graveyard sound effect, but a certain special language. Not only are all the pronunciations completely different from the language she uses, theres even a very heavy accent, so she cant understand a thing.

Could this be what Yuuri meant by bone-static?

Greta hurriedly gathers up all the bones, wrapping them up in her blanket and carrying them out of the room. At times like these, look for the Poison Lady! There shouldnt be anything Anissina doesnt know!

Anissina Eh?

She roughly kicks the door open with one foot, just in time to see the two silhouettes that were huddled closely together immediately separate.

Eh?

The one who jumped backwards was Lord von Voltaire Gwendal; the owner of the room, Lady von Karbelnikoff Anissina didnt move a finger.

Theres a bubbling green liquid on the table again, while Kiku, now just an empty shell, sits on the book shelf. The room looks no different than a normal research lab.

And yet the atmosphere in the room is completely different from usual.

Weird--?

Gwendal freezes in the stance of someone jumping away, but his expression is starting to change.

Were you guys huddling together just now?

W-w-w-w-we were doing an experiment!

Maybe its because its a forced answer, his tone becomes completely different. The ten-year-old girl, on the other hand, looks at the man twice as tall as her suspiciously.

Could it be that you were in the middle of doing that thing that Beatrice's father and mother do so often, a love-making experiment?

Ah, no, its n-n-n-n-n-n-not what you think

Too suspicious, just looking at it its suspicious. Hugging the blanket, Greta approaches the two step by step. She cannot forgive any man who tries to abduct Anissina, just because hes Gwendal doesnt mean he can make a move on the Poison Lady.

As for Anissina, shes staring wide-eyed and mouth hanging at Gwendals expression of panic, the words men are so useless almost escaping from her lips.

Gwendal, look at you, flustered like this, why didnt you just reject me from the start? Greta, Lord von Voltaire was almost going to cry just now. Hes so nervous because you saw him in such a humiliating state. He said before, rather than to let a woman see him cry, he would rather stuff his head into the bathtubIts just a few tears, and hes already saying such stupid things. The way I see it, he might even think that there are men who never cried from the day they were born!

Gwen, why would you cry?

Regarding His Majesty and Wolframs matter, didnt Lord von Voltaire plan to head for Seisakoku as soon as possible as well?

Gnter, who was chosen as the ambassador to Shou Shimaron, was forced to separate from Yuuri and Wolfram, who had stowed away, by unforeseen circumstances, so now Yuuri was travelling to Seisakoku alone with the Shou Shimaron king. Saralegui seemed like a good person at first glance, but as his motives become clearer and clearer, hes no longer a safe travel companion. Although Wolfram should be on his way to catch up with them, but his power alone cant do much, so they really need reinforcements. Even if Gwendal, with his powerful maryoku, cant quite lead the army onto land, he can never stand by and do nothing.

However, we dont have any information on Seisakoku in our hands at allbe it maps, drawings, or documents, none have anything useful. Therefore, we are completely clueless regarding what goes in within their borders. For future reference, we want to do what we can to collect detailed intel, so I want to use Gwendal, who will soon set foot in Seisakoku, to record the information from within Seisakoku borders.

Anissina, with her passion for research, would never give up this opportunity, of course.

I plan on opening a hole in Lord von Voltaires skull, and then bury the ma-powered surveillance device, Honest Mary But he seems to be very afraid of that surgery.

Before talking about whether I was afraid or not, there is a medical ethical problem here, don't you think?!

Anissina snorts at Gwendals tearful retort, and points at his forehead with her neatly-manicured fingernail,

Ethics? Youre talking ethics with me, in front of these ma-powered devices Oh, my! Greta, whats that bundle in your hands that looks like plunderage?

Only then does the girl seem to remember something, spreading the blanket onto the ground.

My, my, how nostalgic! These are Oh! Stack the Bones High, huh. Back then I used to collect a huge pile of used parts, trying to create a manmade kotsuhizoku!

Another evil game to do with medical theories.

These are called Happy-Happy Bone Puzzles now, you know!

How did the name become so slapdash Oh, right! Greta, there are many small pieces in the Bone High, if you dont put them in a special jar its really easy to lose them!

Not that! Listen to meGreta just received bone-statics, you know!?

Gwendal pushes aside Gretas fringe with his large hand, touching her forehead.

Greta doesnt have a fever!

Then why would you receive what-statics Greta, listen carefully, there arent any aliens in this world, and even if there are, they wont contact you every time.

Who are the aliens? The men?

We are aliens. Sometimes male and female can be in one body.

Anissina straightened her hand, and tapped her throat repeatedly causing her voice to sound strange[1].

Dont just borrow His Majesty's joke material!

Thats not it, Im not talking about Close Encounters or ET, this is real! Greta really received bone-statics! I heard a kotsuhizokus soul scream!

Even if shes only repeating word for word what she heard from her father who grew up on Earth, but when it comes to the unknown creatures out there, shes still more knowledgeable than more kids her age. However what she heard just now was the sound of something living in this world, and not the X-Files Yuuri was talking about. To convince these two, Greta desperately waves her little fist.

But even mazoku can only hear the kotsuhizokus mind transmissions after training for it. Technically, Greta, who never saw kotsuhizoku, shouldnt have this ability

But youre not Dacascos--!

Gwendal, you cant deny something just with your instincts and logic.

Anissina looks sideways at an uneasy Gwendal condescendingly, and then, from the almost-crying Gretas feet, she picks up a palm-sized bone, cocks her head slightly, bringing the bone to her left ear.

Although common sense says its impossible, but Greta may very well be a language genius Poison Lady who only shows up once every thousand years Mm-mm?

She makes a grunt that doesnt fit her appearance, cocking her head even further, one of her pretty eyebrows going upwards.

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm? I actually hear something. Sounds different from the rustling of trees or crabs walking, but its obviously not the same as the sound of the wind entering a room Seems to be a language we cant understand, and it seems like those words arent meant to be heard by a Poison Lady! To a race like the kotsuhizoku thats made solely of bones, this sort of reaction is rather conservative.

Could it be that we really accidentally received a transmission from the kotsuhizoku!? Right, Ill call a deciphering expert here right away. A messenger! Call a messenger!

If you want to call one, you go ahead yourself. Just think about how long that person will take to get past the countless traps to reach this room in one piece. Anyone with even a little intelligence, would think of a more effective way, right?

Resisting the urge to say its all your fault for installing all those dangerous traps, Lord von Voltaires hands cant stop shaking. Completely unconcerned, Lady von Karbelnikoff Anissinas eyes start shining brightly, and she raises a grey pocket that she took from goodness knows where

If it was me, Id use this! Ta-la-ta-ta-ta-ta---! Translation Year

Wait a second! That convenient device is too dangerous!

Gwendal quickly blocks Greta with his tall body, so she cant see the device in Anissinas hands. Maybe even she herself feels its inappropriate? Anissina also puts down her hand, and grabs another device instead.

Oh, dear! How dangerous, how could I do this kind of thing This is something similar, and completely unrelated to ma-powered devices. The one with the real Poison Lady symbol is this one And its the compact version, ta-la-ta-ta! Translation Cold Day!

This time she takes out a little brown teapot.

Let me explain! This is the newly completed Translation Cold Day, just look at its transparent, slender and smooth exterior, theoretically, all you have to do is pour the cool this into your ears, and youll be able to understand all the languages of all the races in the whole world, its a really~ handy invention.

Theoretically.

Gwendal mumbles, looking at the mad magician after her breathless, long-winded speech. The terrifying inventor known as the Red Devil holds up her pointer finger and shakes it lightly.

Whats there to be unsure of? Or do you think theres a mistake in my theory? Lord von Voltaire, come! Ill give you the first honors, bring your ear closer, it doesnt matter left or right.

What!? Youre using me for a human experiment again!?

Didnt you know that a long time ago?

The Poison Ladys lips curve into an eerie smile, approaching slowly, step by step. A long and slender transparent object, occasionally pokes out from the teacup. Curled up in the small container, instinctively raring to go Protecting his head with his hands, Gwendal takes quite a few steps backwards, his armpits and back long since soaked with sweat.

S-stop! Last time I wore those Stuck-up Ears Headband that were supposed to let me understand what cats were saying, and all that happened was my eardrums hurt like hell, it had no effect at all. This proves that Im just not cut out for any experiments to do with ears. Besides, Lord von Christ is more suited for this kind of experiment

Although he doesnt dare to call it a failed product to her face, he has still made his stance clear. Anissinas body composition is mostly Poison Lad, but two thirds of that was created by Gwendals consideration.

Really, theres no use in saying any more!

Stop! Dont waste food! Im telling you to stop aaheewuyewoo

This sort of thing has been happening for over a hundred years, and the victor was decided from the start. Thats why it makes no difference whos rooting at the sidelines. Completely ignoring the war between the fox badger and the cobra, Greta brings the bone piece to her ear again. She can hear itShe really can hear the contents of the conversation.

There is

Even Anissina, whos getting ready to pour the Cold Day, stops because of Gretas voice.

In Seisakokuthere are really, really big temples used to hide the bodies of dead kings Theyre really, really big graves, you know

Greta?

Whilst being ridden by his childhood friend, Gwendal listens to the girls real-time translation.

There are a lot, a lot of shiny jewelry and really rare treasures in the graves So cool! Isnt that rightTerine-shan Um, who is Terine-shan?

Enough, ignore those childish parts. Ah! Greta, you dont purposely have to translate it to sound sophisticated! If its possible, please translate it into simpler words.

Gwendal grabs Anissina with his hands and gently lifts her, pulling her away from his stomach. The Poison Lady forgot to make a fuss of about it, hurriedly rushing to Gretas side,

Impressive! You really are the best language genius Poison Lady since the first Maou ruled the world!

Seems like she cant just be a normal language expert.

How did you translate that!? Information Did you get any related information? Greta, what does it feel like? Does it feel like hua-hua-hua? Or like poh-poh-poh?

Its neither, yeesh!

The excited Anissina desperately grabs Greta, who started translating with relying on mechanical ma-power.

After the interference disappeared, I can hear it really clearly. And its not the secret conversation between kohi and their comrades, how do I describe it its like that thing I played with Yuuri that teletele

Telekinesis[2]?

Telephone game! It feels like that!

In other words, its just a communicator?

And then the three of them fight to put the bone to the ears.

What? Each king has a huge tomb?

Dacascos, who had gotten happily drunk for the first time in a long time, reacts loudly in surprise to Captain Mountain Ranges murmurs. Almost everyone around them is in a drunken stupor, collapsed all over the sea-smelling deck and not budging. The only ones left are the mazoku representative, Dacascos, the human representative Captain Mountain Range, and Terine-shan on the captains knee.

The skull shines yellowish-brown, an endless darkness in those hollow eye sockets. Feeling as though hes meeting his gaze, all the hairs on Dacascos arms stand on end.

And theyre set apart from the temples, too? What a waste of space~ Our country takes the temple as a tomb, thats why we only have one Shinou Shrine, you know!

But that Shinou Shrine isnt the tomb of the previous Maous. Its normal for abdicated Maous to return to their own hometowns, and elegantly live off the rest of their lives. Thus, its natural for them to be buried in their clan graveyards after their passing. The design of the graveyards are more extravagant than the public cemeteries, but theyre not worth envying or anything. At the most, there arent any kotsuhizoku buried there.

WaaSeisakoku takes up such a vast area of landBut why is Captain Mountain Range so clear about it? The way I see it, could it be that you are actually from there No, it shouldnt be possible. No matter how I look at you, Captain Mountain Range must be a human, right?

Lilit Latchie is a meanie, Terine-shan. Because he refuses to talk to Terine-shan, huh.

Even though hes using a childish tone, he still scares Dacascos into shaking. Crap, back then h promised to talk to the skull on his knee whenever he talks to Captain Mountain Range. Rule number 1: Show your respect for Terine-shan.

S-shorr Wait, its sorry.

As long as you know your mistake! Right, Terine-shan?

The drunken mercenary comrades suddenly stand up and start yelling,

Terine-shan is too~ cute--! When we die, we want to become bones as pretty and shiny as Terine-shan!

They dont know that Terine-shan is a kotsuhizoku, and has always looked like that.

In that country filled with shinzoku everywhere, are there a bunch of dead people bones as pretty as Terine-shan buried in those tombs--? It must be that, thats why so many people run in there to steal stuff, right? No wonder theres no end to the grave robbers! Their first priority must be those pretty dead people bones, and then the gold and jewels are an added bonus. Those things can be sold at high prices in other countries, right

Waa! How terrifying, to think that there are other people who dare to dig graves besides the kotsuhizoku and the Poison Lady Annissina! Isnt that right, Terine-shan?

Almost forgetting the promise again, Dacascos hurriedly talks to the target on the knee. As for Captain Mountain Range, hes so happy his face reddens slightly.

There are a lot, a lot of sparkly jewelry and really rare treasures in those tombsIsnt that amazing, Terine-shan?

I heard that Seisakoku was in lockdown, then how on earth do you bring the treasure out? And its gold and jewels from the royal graves, wouldnt it be bad if they were discovered by customs? Right, Terine-shan?

Of course theyd go by boatTerine-shans friends grandpa, is a ship captain specializing in smuggling loot from Seisakoku, right

Right then, Terine-shans friend that Captain Mountain Range is talking about actually refers to himself. Before Dacascos can say what, then shouldnt you be called Ocean Bay Captain instead of Mountain Range Captain?, one of the older subordinates jumps to his feet like a spring, saying cheerily,

Oh, Captain Mountain Range, you and Terine-shan are the ship captains again. Even if its been a long time since we pulled off a big one, we still got a lot of gold and jewels from before, huh. Like the thing we got last time, I heard thats a box that spews fireit should be the fire-spewing box from the legends. I think that one can sell for a really high price.

This time its a box that spews fire, huh Feeling fed up, Dacascos cant help but sigh.

Why does everything go back to cube-shaped things these days. Be it the one the His Excellency Gnter secretly yells about, the one found in Dai Shimaron on orders, or the one that His Majesty and His Excellency Wolfram found on the voyage last time, theyre all boxes. Boxes, boxes, boxes, all boxes.

Could it be that cubes are in fashion in the world right now?

In the royal capital of Shin Makoku, deep within Blood Pledge Castle, in a properly temperature-regulated secret Poison Lady research center, the trio who have the Happy-Happy Bone Puzzle or Oh! Stack the Bones High pressed to their ears, are currently repeating every single word they hear in a shout.

Goodness!

How could it be!

Bone High--!

Gwendals expression changes abruptly, and he suddenly yells at the bone,

Dont let Wolfram get close to Seisakoku! Catch him and bring him back immediately!

But all he sees is the white bone covered with his spit, and theres naturally no reply whatsoever.

Damn it, it can only receive signals!

The bone piece is hurled onto the floor, making a clear noise then rolling to a side, but it doesnt crack, as solid as expected.

Whats the matter, Lord von Voltaire? Spraying your spittle everywhere, its really rude!

Exactly, how could you, Gwen, its so dirty

Their fondness for Lord von Voltaire instantly drops by twenty, this is indeed behavior ladies detest.

You can still be so relaxed!? AaaaIm not mad at Greta, you know! Did you hear what I just said!? AaaaIm not talking about Greta!

Gwendal is so careful, trying his best to avoid hurting the adorable little girl. Having long since lost his normal cool, he uneasily paces around the room.

When they said a box that spews flames, it should be that one, right? Either than that I really cant think of any other boxes that spew flames.

What is that youre talking about? If its just starting a fire, that are over a hundred of those in the prototype warehouse. But if its not just spewing fire, but also freeze rays or touching music, then there arent a lot of those.

Gwendal is so shocked he almost dislocates his jaw, thinking, This mad ma-power scientist, exactly how fast is she making these rare and weird things? She said more than a hundred? If they could have simply borrowed one to use during the war before, who knows what kind of an advantage they might have had

Doing that will go against the treaty, so the idea just flicks past his mind. He must never be led by the nose by the Poison Lady.

By that I mean that'. A box. One of those four most fearsome, most dangerous Boxes, that according to ancient legends, must never be touched.

Oh~~ Youre talking about the ones sealing up the soushu! About that, theres one in the Shinou Shrine, too! Its that completely worthless Winds

Stop that nonsense!

Anissina pulls her childhood friends hand away from her mouth, swishing her red hair, tied way up high, and snorts arrogantly,

Gwendal, youre already over a hundred years old, why are you still so scared? Its just a box, whats there to be scared about? Its already locked up in the Shinou Shrine, theres no way it can escape by itself, right?

Thats because it doesnt have legs. Wait, thats not right. They shouldnt be talking about Winds End, I remember there should be four Boxes according to legend. One of them is Inferno of the Frozen Land, fortunately this Box hasnt fallen into human hands.

Andsowhat--?

Anissina puts both hands on her waist, tied until its slender and tight, unafraid of her own petite frame, and makes a contemptuous pose.

If it appears in the Seisakoku tombs, wouldnt that mean it had fallen into shinzoku hands since at least the previous monarchs time!

Andsowhat--?

If the shinzoku are abusing it why on earth would it be buried in the tombs? I dont understand it at all.

Could it be that they dont need it at all? This proves that they dont mean to use it, right? Didnt we put the Winds End into Shinous tomb, the Shinou Shrine? Were not preserving those Boxes at all, since those filthy wooden boxes cant help increase the majesty of the country in any way. Towards any realities and phenomena unrelated to mechanical ma-power, I believe that seeing is believing.

Right now Gretas red-brown eyes staring at Anissina are sparkling with respect and admiration. Gwendals shoulders sag helplessly, if only everyone in this world was like Anissinabut then the world would probably be destroyed by some other reason.

But if the box that spews fire theyre talking about really is Inferno of the Frozen Land, and if the shinzoku only temporarily buried it in the tomb because they dont know how to unleash its power, what will happen then? And more importantly, if the person or item that carries the Key stumbles across the location of the Box

Anissina watches Gwendal, whose expression has changed dramatically and is so worried hes pacing back and forth, while she sips a health drink that (may) help growth with a chuu noise.

If, if, if, are you a slow-action land tortoise!? Besides, were not even sure who the Key is yet!

Who on earth!?

According to Gegenhubers report, the Key to one of the Boxes, Ends of the Earth, seems to be someones left eye. Back then he fit the criteria very well, thats why his left eye was burned off, but they still couldnt open the seals. More seriously, theres the Key to the other Box, Winds EndLord Weller Conrarts left arm, and that brought actual disaster to Shou Shimaron and Caloria.

Thankfully it wasnt too destructive a result, but thats all because the Box wasnt compatible with the Key. The first time was because it was a fake Key that is close to the real one, the second time was because the Box and the Key didnt match. But the Key to Winds End was the first of all the Boxes and Keys to be created, so it can open all the seals. Only, the Winds End that fell into Shou Shimaron hands doesnt seem to be complete.

According to ancient legend, the descendants of the four clans that sealed up the soushu bear a heavy responsibility as the Keys. Right now the confirmed Keys are the left eye of someone related in blood to Gegenhuber, and Lord Weller Conrarts left arm.

Terrifying ideas keep surfacing in Gwendals mind.

The von Bielefeld has been a prominent clan since before the country was founded. Wolfram is very likely one of the remaining two Keys

Then, the one who defeated the soushu of the wind is Conrads ancestor?

Ah! Then the one who beat the soushu of the earth to a pulp, was Hube and Gwendals great-great-great-great-grandfather, right?

Greta says excitedly, pleased with herself for getting these blood relations straightened out in one go. But as soon as the girl says that, she realizes the horrifying possibility, and adds in a shaky voice,

Then, Gwens left eye is the Key to the earth Box?

Greta, dont get ahead of yourself. Theres no solid proof.

No, its okay,

Only when its related to himself, can Gwendal calmly agree to Gretas hypothesis.

This is a fact that can be guessed at even without any solid proof, but that shiny No, since they mentioned Dacascos name, we can probably determine that the location was on Captain Sizemores ship. And Wolframs on that shipIf Inferno of the Frozen Land really is in Seisakoku, then its really too dangerous to send him there!

Compared to Anissina, sipping her drink looking completely unaffected, whenever it has anything to do with his brothers, Gwendal will become a completely different person, panicked and lost.

Damn it!

Thank goodness hes using both his hands to hammer the table, or he might grab his grey hair and start screaming madly.

It was the same the last time. After he met up with Gisela, they successfully found YuuriThough they accomplished that very well, they indirectly allowed Kinan to steal the Key--- in other words, Conrads arm. Although it was pointless to scold Wolfram for it, it was undeniably a huge loss.

There wasnt any problem with the plan itself, and the contents were conservative and detailed, so even if we failed the losses would be cut to a minimum. But why did the God of Luck abandon us?

The way he looks, hammering the table, is too terrifying. Even Greta is trembling in fear, covering her ears as she says,

Gwen dont hit the table.

Has all your education gone to nothing!?

Dont be like this, Gwen! Dont be mad, just dont be mad!

But!

The fist thats raised once more is held in mid-air by a white handAnissina throws down the silver container and grabs his wrist tightly. As long as those thin fingers exert power, even Gwendal, whos used to easily swinging around large weapons, cant budge an inch. After hes calmed down, Anissinas lips curve into a smile,

Dont act so violently in front of children, look how scared Greta is. I understand your hopes and concerns for your little brother. But these things happen in the world, situations when youve done your all and things still dont go your way. Some people are just that unlucky, so all you can say is that hes born under an unlucky star.

Is Wolfram the Little Prince[3]?

The little girl asks, her voice nasally as she holds back tears.

After releasing her childhood friends hand, Anissina smile brightly at Greta,

Maybe? But he may not be, too! Even if Wolfram is the Little Prince, he probably isnt the king, right? But this may not be an unlucky thing. Even if he cant win on his own, if he gets help from his comrades, and has that certain someone by his side, maybe he can bring out his innate strength.

Who is

Anissina presses her finger against the childs mouth, stopping the question, who is that? Her fingernail has been trimmed oval, shining a healthy pale pink color.

Its okay as long as he himself understands it. Im guessing theyll notice eventually, but that isnt something that can be solved immediately, after all. Right now the matter of urgency is to investigate which clans bear the responsibility of the Keys. If the von Bielefeld clan is one of the four Keys, then a different danger will approach Wolfram.

Anissina walks up to the enormous writing table, and beckons her Poison Lady substitute.

Greta, come over here! This is a good opportunity, for me to teach you properly how to read ancient books and texts.

Reading ancient books!? Youre still in the relaxed mood to do that sort of thing!

You dont have to mind us, Gwendal. Go ahead and do whatever you want! Its up to you if you want to go to the seaside or the beach, if you want to go then just get going. But if youre going to operate solo like your little brother, and then cry loudly when youre in an emergency and dont have enough information, I wont be able to help you there!

Ill solve this myself! As if Id want to listen to your orders even when it comes to my own family matters!

Absorbed in her own task, Anissina doesnt even look at Gwendal, whos lost his calm, and says while holding up the heavy reference book,

Lord von Voltaire, didnt I say that there are some people who, without someone else, wont be able to regain their power, I meant you, you know!

Stop joking!

After hurling the bone in his hand at the table, Lord von Voltaire bolts out of the research room.

Gwendal

Greta looks between the door and Aninssina in a panic. When it comes down to it, this all started when she heard the kotsuhizoku transmission.

Anissina, what to do Gwens mad.

I know, but you dont have to worry about it. He doesnt have the ability to operate alone without us. At the most hell walk to the end of the corridor or the stairs, count to three, and come back.

Its exactly as Anissina said. Not a few dozen seconds later, he walks back in with an expression of sorrow and his head held low.

Because he simply cant find anyone else to discuss this with.