After Returning to the Country Arc – 3: The Flower that Blooms in the Field and the Bird in the Cage

I was in the governmental affairs office, fighting with the documents

that had piled up while I was away in the republic. Why, when I was

working so hard, did the amount of work left not seem to be decreasing?

There was always work I needed to do. I couldn't fight 24 hours a day...

I wanted to go home... This was home, though...

Augh... I can't concentrate anymore...

I had been working in the office all day today, so my mind was

exhausted.

Physical labor brought about lethargy of the body, but mental labor

brought about impairment of mental function.

I leaned back in my chair.

The sense of exhaustion felt stronger than usual.

It's because Liscia's not around...

Ever since Liscia, who had always helped me in a secretarial role, was

found to be pregnant, she had been resting at Sir Albert's former domain. I

still hadn't found time to go see her.

With days going by in which I couldn't see her, I now understood that

Liscia had been a soothing presence, just by being near me. Even when I

was tired, when I looked at her well-balance proportions wrapped in a red

military uniform, I felt like I could try a little harder.

If I told her I'd been ogling her during work, would I be in for another

lecture...?

I wanted to talk to Liscia... No, for now, it didn't even have to be

Liscia. I just wanted someone to talk to.

Sigh... Time to call it a day, I guess.

If I forced myself to work and entered the wrong information

somewhere, it was bound to create more work down the line. I was running

out of concentration, so it would be better to leave the rest until tomorrow

and get some rest.

There was a sudden voice from the terrace, which should have been

vacant.

"Your Majesty, may I have a moment?"

Considering the time, it was probably one of the Black Cats. It used to

make me jump every time I suddenly heard my name, but... it had happened

often enough, I was used to it now.

As expected, the unit's second-in-command, Inugami, was the one to

open the terrace door and come in.

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"Yes, sire. I have something I would like to report."

After I heard Inugami's report, I was left agape.

"Huh? Why is she here?"

"It will do you no good to ask me. I suggest you address the matter with

the person in question."

"I guess you're right... But I'm impressed they knew."

"The one who found her was a member who went to the Republic of

Turgis," the man said. "If any of the other members had found her first, it

would have been dangerous. For her, of course."

"I know. How could she do something so dangerous...?"

I pressed my palm to my forehead and sighed. Seriously, what was she

thinking?

"So, what will you do?" Inugami asked, looking to see how I would

respond.

"...Can you lead her here?" I asked wearily.

"You wish to meet with her?"

"We could run her off, but she's not the type to give up."

"Understood. Please, wait a moment."

Inugami went out to the terrace. He had to be going to get her.

I leaned back in my chair, thought about what was to come, and became

a little gloomy.

◇ ◇ ◇

We now turn back time to around when the sun was low in the sky.

In Parnam, bustling with people who had finished their daily toil, there

was a green-haired girl walking down a shopping street.

"Yeesh, everyone just goes off whenever they want..."

The one who walked along, muttering that to herself, was the

adventurer Juno. The party Juno was a member of had returned from the

Republic of Turgis to their usual base of operations in the royal capital

Parnam.

Juno stuck her hand in the pouch at her waist. There was more money

in there than usual.

Here I am, with hazard pay, but I don't really want to drink alone...

The emergency quest they had taken in the republic had resulted in a

hefty reward.

Even divided between the five of them, the money had been enough to

pay for all of their new equipment, and they had decided they would each

spend the day doing whatever they wanted.

The swordsman Dece had invited the mage Julia, who he had a thing

for, out to dinner, while the brawler Augus had said he was off to party hard

at a place with pretty girls. The priest Febral was childhood friends with the

innkeeper's daughter, so he had said he was going to go see her.

All of that being the case, Juno was now left out.

Sigh... Isn't there something interesting around here...?

"Hm?"

Suddenly, down the road, Juno spotted something. A roly-poly

silhouette that walked with slow, easy steps.

"I think I've found it," she said with a grin. "Something interesting."

The object walking down the street was the kigurumi adventurer, Little

Musashibo.

He had once been treated as an urban legend and viewed as an oddity

by the townsfolk, but because he was now a major character on the Prima

Lorelei Juna Doma's broadcast program Together with Big Sister, he was

popular with the children.

"Hey, it's Little Musashibo!" a child cried.

"He's so round. And so big."

As proof of that, there were children waving to him now. That was an

impressive show of popularity.

Little Musashibo gave the kids a thumbs-up.

Juno tilted her head to the side as she looked at the kigurumi

adventurer.

Come to think of it, I saw a program with Little Musashibo in it, didn't

I? Dece and the others were saying he probably just lent them his kigurumi

suit, but those moves... He looks like the real deal.

For Juno, who had gotten to be able to sense Little Musashibo's

feelings from the way he moved, she could see that it was the same person

(?) inside this Little Musashibo. Not only that, she had previously

encountered him running errands for the castle.

Is it like I think... and he's got some connection to the castle?

Her suspicions were turning to certainty.

Juno tailed Little Musashibo. She kept a constant distance from him,

her eyes on his back as she pursued, and as expected, Little Musashibo

headed for the main gate of Parnam Castle.

Little Musashibo showed something to the guards there, they saluted,

and he was allowed to enter.

Did he show them something like a pass? But, even with a pass, would

they really let such a blatantly suspicious person (?) through?

Even if that kigurumi was appearing in a broadcast program produced

at the castle, there was no knowing who was inside it, so shouldn't they be

more cautious? Or did he have something that would make the guards let

him pass just by showing it to them?

Was he a person (?) with a strong enough connection to the castle that

he would have a thing like that?

Juno understood Little Musashibo less than ever.

Even after waiting for some time after that, there was no sign of Little

Musashibo leaving the castle. That he had only come to run a little errand...

seemed unlikely to be the case.

By the time she noticed, the sun was setting, and the area had gotten

dark.

Maybe I'm right. Maybe he really is connected to the castle. Ohhh, I

wonder how. But it's a castle... It's probably a bad idea to try sneaking in.

If she crossed the walls of Parnam Castle without permission, she

would likely be arrested for trespassing. If that happened, it wouldn't just be

her problem; she'd be inconveniencing Dece and the rest of her party, too.

Hmm, what to do?

Juno was trapped, paralyzed at the border of curiosity and reason. She

did not realize that, at that moment, she had become a "suspicious person

staring at the castle." Or that there was a group that existed to guard against

such people, and expose them if found.

Juno had long since gone from the being the watcher to being the

watched.

Ah!

By the time she noticed, it was too late. There were countless presences

surrounding Juno.

No, how could a scout like me fail to notice until I was surrounded?!

Juno, who excelled at sensing the presence of enemies in a dungeon,

had allowed them to close in on her so easily. There was no doubt her

opponents were skilled.

Wh-What do I do...? What now...?

Juno tried to get a feel for the presences. Polishing every nerve in her

body, she searched for their locations.

When she did, she realized there was only one direction with no people

in it. Despite being otherwise so perfectly encircled, there were no people in

the direction of the castle.

I smell a trap, she thought. It's too blatant, but... it's not like I have any

other choice.

Juno resolved herself, and took off in that direction. The presences

around her moved, too.

They aren't attacking? But I'm still surrounded.

While searching for the presences, she looked for a place where she

could escape. She was running in the direction where there were no

presences, but she sensed she was being led somewhere.

Wait, I'm super close to the castle?!

Having focused on nothing but running away, at some point she had

crossed the castle wall, and gotten close to the castle itself. If she got caught

now, she would be dealt with as an intruder.

Juno clambered up a wall, jumped around on the roofs, and ran around

desperately.

Eventually, she landed on a terrace. There was an open glass door.

C-Can I go in here, hide, and wait them out?!

Thinking that, she tried to enter the room...

"And stop."

"Wha?!"

The young man who came out of the room blocked her way.

"There are important documents in here, after all," the young man said

in a relaxed tone that you wouldn't anticipate from someone unexpectedly

encountering a suspicious person on the terrace. "There are rules against

anyone entering who doesn't have to."

However, as she was on the run, Juno was desperate.

"S-Sorry! I might look suspicious, but I'm not! I was just being chased

and they cornered me in here, so... um... hide me for just a little while!"

Juno ran her mouth as fast as she could, but the young man sighed.

"Calm down a little, Juno. I more or less know the situation."

"...Huh? Why do you know my name?"

"How many times have you asked that question now, I wonder...?"

With that, the young man took another step forward. When she saw his

face, which had up until now been covered by a shadow, clearly, Juno's

eyes went wide with surprise.

"I-It's you! You're the guy we just met in the republic, aren't you?!"

"Yes. We met in the refugee camp, too, I believe," the young man said

with a wry smile and a shrug. "I might add, we've gone adventuring and

drank together, too."

"Huh? What're you... Huh?!"

Then the young man pointed towards the room. In there was Little

Musashibo, approaching with slow, easy steps. Little Musashibo's "head"

was wide open for the flabbergasted Juno to see. Inside, he was... empty.

The young man spoke. "I move it using my own unique magic. I am the

person in the costume, despite being outside the costume, you could say."

"Then you're Mr. Little Musashibo's real identity?!"

"Well, yeah, that's more or less what I mean."

The young man extended his hand to Juno.

"It's a pleasure to meet you... though I suppose it's not the first time.

Still, I haven't given you my name properly, so let me introduce myself. I

am Souma Kazuya. The one who was controlling Little Musashibo."

"Souma Kazuya... Wait, that's the name of..."

While they were shaking hands, Juno's brow furrowed at the familiar

name.

The young man said, with a wry smile, "Do I really make that little of

an impression in my normal outfit? Yeah. I'm the provisional King of

Friedonia."

At this point, Juno's mind went completely blank.

◇ ◇ ◇

It took some time for Juno to recover from her confusion.

"Th-Then what? You're Little Musashibo, and you're the king, so that

means Little Musashibo is the king? ...Ah! Sorry, I need to mind my

manners."

"No, the way you normally talk is fine," I told Juno with a wry smile.

She was babbling incoherently now. "I told you we were comrades before,

didn't I?"

Juno puffed up her cheeks and looked away. "...I don't want someone

who was keeping something so important a secret a comrade."

"I couldn't tell you because it was so important. Besides, even if I had,

I doubt you'd have believed me, would you?"

"That's... Well, maybe not. Fine, I'll act like normal."

With that said, Juno sat herself down on the railing at the edge of the

terrace.

I stood with my back leaned against the same railing, and we were

finally in a position to have a relaxed talk.

Then Juno's eyes started darting around the area.

"What is it, Juno?" I asked.

"Nah, I was just wondering where the presences that were chasing me

up until a moment ago went."

"Oh. Those are my people. I asked them to guide you here."

"Those were your underlings?! I was super scared, you know?!"

"It was your fault for spying on the castle. If you were unlucky, you

might have been killed out of hand for being a potential troublemaker. Who

knows what would have happened if they hadn't contacted me..."

At that reasonable argument, Juno groaned, unable to come up with a

response.

"Um... Sorry," she said. "I just really wanted to know who you were..."

Juno was acting meek. It wasn't like her, so I laughed.

"Well, it's fine. And? How do you feel, knowing my true identity?"

"I'm relieved to have my doubts cleared up," she admitted. "But why's

the king playing with dolls?"

"It was just an experiment at first."

From there I gave Juno a simple summary of how Little Musashibo had

come to be.

Wanting to test the range of my ability, I'd registered him as an

adventurer and had him go all sort of places, he had met Juno and her group

because of that, we'd ended up adventuring together, and so on.

I also explained that I was able to see whatever Little Musashibo saw.

"Wha?! Then you saw when my breastplate melted, too..."

"Uh... Yeah. It's a good thing you didn't end up not just showing your

breasts, but your ribs as—Ow!"

"Don't talk about my breasts!" Juno planted a hard kick in my flank.

I was just paraphrasing Dece, though!

"Ow... Hey, I'm kind of the king, you know?" I complained.

"You said we're comrades, and to act like normal, didn't you?"

My agony must have made her anger settle, because Juno was cackling.

"Come to think of it, what happened to that awful salamander?"

"I sent the military in to put it down," I said. "We couldn't leave it be

forever. We stripped the body down to its bones and sent it to a research

institute. There's a replica on display in front of the museum."

"Those massive bones were that salamander?!"

"Looks like it was the one that ended up showing off its ribs, huh," I

said jokingly.

"It sure did!" she replied, with a big laugh. "I see. Then the hand I saw

when we were eating at the cafeteria was your hand?"

"Yeah. Because of the heat of the kigurumi suit and the alcohol I'd been

drinking, I was a bit out of it, though."

"Ah! That's why the princess conveniently came along, huh." Juno

clapped her hands, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

Was she talking about the time I'd collapsed at the banquet and Liscia

had shown up to collect me? Now that I thought about it, Juno knew Liscia,

didn't she? If you included the time in the refugee camp and our encounter

in the republic, too, she'd also had contact with Aisha, Juna, and Tomoe.

When I told her that, Juno was taken aback.

"Without knowing it... we met some really important people."

"It sure is a small world," I agreed.

"Normally it's a little bigger!" Juno said angrily.

Her reactions were fun, so I was enjoying this.

Then, wiping her smile away, she spoke with a little concern. "But still,

how is it being a king?"

"What's this, out of nowhere?'

"Nah, I was just thinking it must be a hassle."

"Well, yeah," I agreed. "But so is every job, right? Being an adventurer

means you're always putting your life on the line, doesn't it?"

I looked idly into the dark sky. Oh, hey, the stars were out.

"King, adventurer, or baker, it's all the same. If you face your work

head-on, you're putting your life on the line. If you keep trying hard like

that, someone will help you. For me, it was my family and retainers, while

for you it's Dece and your party, right?"

"Sure is. 'The longer you walk, the more hands there will be to support

you.'"

"I've heard that before."

"It's a line from a children's song. The one we sing to children when

they start to walk."

Ohh, the one Juna had sung for me that one time. When I felt like I

might be crushed by my responsibilities as king, and I couldn't sleep, Juna

sang me a lullaby...

It had been a long time since then, and the number of hands supporting

me had gone up, but how far had I been able to walk?

"I'd actually like to ask you something," I said. "What do you think of

this country, Juno?"

"What do I think?"

"I mean, do you think it's a good country? I want your frank opinion."

"Hm... It's an easy country to live in." Juno placed her hand under her

chin and thought as she spoke. "There's a wide variety of foods, and, as an

adventurer, being able to get around by rhinoceros train is nice and easy.

Having proper roads makes quests to protect traveling merchants easy, too.

Oh, also, this country terminated its contract with the guild to conscript all

adventurers in the country in times of war, right? Being able to stay here

and know we won't be drafted if a war comes is good."

"I see, I see..."

Like I thought, it was different from what an ordinary citizen thought of

as a "good country." I didn't often get the chance to hear opinions from

adventurers, so it was interesting.

"Turning that around, it makes it easy for adventurers to gather here,

though," Juno said. "If too many adventurers gather, the competition for

dungeons gets higher, so you could say that's a problem."

"Well, for the country's part, we're happy to have dungeons cleared

earlier."

"For us adventurers, they fill our bellies, and feed our spirit of

adventure. You went on an adventure using that doll, so you understand,

don't you? That exhilaration."

"Well, yeah... I know the stories of your feats of martial prowess are a

source of entertainment for the people, too."

Besides, dungeons played a role in the local economy. That was why

the state shouldn't get involved more than necessary. I wanted dungeon

cores for the Jewel Voice Broadcast, but I also wanted to avoid causing any

unexpected problems.

"So, well, do your best, adventurer," I said.

"Don't talk like it has nothing to do with you! If you can use that doll,

you can be an adventurer too, can't you?"

"But now you know I'm the one controlling it. I was thinking of

stopping the adventuring."

"That'd be a waste, you know," she said. "I know the doll's empty, so I

can use it to slow down the enemy, sacrifice it, or use it as bait without

hesitating."

"You're totally planning to get it wrecked. It wasn't cheap, you know."

"Hey, let's adventure together again. I swear I won't say a word about

who you are."

Juno put her hands together and pleaded, so I shrugged.

"Well, if your tongue slips, I can just have him retire then, I guess."

"I'm telling you, it won't!"

From there we argued over some silly things, and by the time I realized

it, a fair amount of time had passed. It felt like having a good conversation

with a friend I hadn't met in a long time. Talking with a like-minded

companion really was fun.

That was why...

"I hope we can talk like this again sometime." Those words came out of

my mouth naturally. "I want to hear more about the castle town, and about

all sort of other inconsequential things."

"...You want to make me your spy?" Juno asked.

"That's not it. I have better spies available, after all."

"Well, of course you do... I learned that firsthand." Juno clutched her

chest and trembled a little. She must have been truly terrified to be chased

by the Black Cats.

"If I'm in the castle all the time, I feel like I'll be disconnected from the

people," I said. "That's why I want to hear about the little things that went

on in town. Like how one lady was saying, 'These vegetables are too

expensive! Make them cheaper!' or Gonbe's baby caught a cold."

"Who's Gonbe supposed to be?" Juno chuckled and nodded. "Sure.

When I've got free time, I'll chat with you. Is this a good time of day?"

"Let's see. I'll tell the spies to show you in."

"I'm getting an escort from those guys...? Well, it's fine." With that

said, Juno stood up on top of the railing. "We really got talking, didn't we?

Well, I should be off."

"Yeah. Be careful on your way back. I'm looking forward to the day we

can talk again."

"Sure thing. I'll try to have an interesting story ready for when that time

comes."

"All right, I'll have something to eat prepared next time."

"Sounds good. The food in that cafeteria was delicious, after all."

Juno turned to go, but then she suddenly looked my way.

"If you get sick of living in the castle, just tell me. I'll take you on an

adventure anytime," she said with a smile.

"Well, if you get tired of living like a tumbleweed and want to settle

down somewhere, tell me," I replied with a laugh. "I can introduce you to

any number of places where you can live where you work."

"Ha ha, nice comeback. Well, later then."

"Yeah. See you next time, Juno."

Juno jumped down from the railing, bounced along the rooftops as she

vanished into the darkness of night. As would be expected from the party's

scout, she was nimble.

Watching Juno's back as she left, I whispered to myself, "If I get sick of

living in the castle... huh."

That day would surely never come. Because there were people precious

to me here.

There is a debate over which is happier, the flower that blooms in the

field, or the caged bird.

It is meaningless.

The flower and bird each have their own happiness.