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    “No.”

    Arms thin yet filled with life, along with the heat characteristic of children, wrapped around the adult’s back.

    “Yuuri would hug me tighter.”

    The reborn Lord Günter von Christ sniffed discreetly so no one would notice.  He pretends to be oblivious as he walks past everyone and stands in front of Gegenhuber.

    “Even if others say they do not want to listen…”

    The man’s right eye looked up at the beautiful royal advisor.

    “I will listen to you.  Even if everyone becomes disgusted and leaves the room.  Assuming that this is in fact for the sake of the king and the kingdom and for the sake of us demons.”

    Yes, my place of work is here.

    There is no one else besides me who can support the king by serving at his side for the sake of the kingdom, the demons and even for myself.

    --------

    (1)    Language note!  The word for ‘relative’ here is a word that is used when that relative is someone you have to support and it has the implication that this person is being an encumbrance and a burden to you.

    (2)    Another language note!  Hube uses a really old form of ‘I’ that samurai used to use, ‘soregashi,’ and he actually does speak very much like a samurai.  I wanted to point this out because this is the third samurai-like thing with Hube.  The first time was him disguised as a komusou, then there was the old-timey way of saying ‘I’m in your debt’ (that Yuuri isn’t sure if he actually said or not), and now soregashi.  Samurai Hube!

    (3)    Greta struggled with the word ‘cute’ in English here so I figured I’d just make it the Japanese word for ‘cute’ (kawaii) to get the same effect.

    *.*.*.*.*

    I believe you know that I continued to search for the Demon Flute without returning to the kingdom by the order of His Excellency Gwendal.  The result is that I discovered a piece of the Demon Flute in Svelera, buried one piece in a grave in place of the corpse of an infant and another I entrusted to an acquaintance I met on my travels.

    However, I was in no way satisfied with the fact that the Demon Flute was in an esoteric stone excavation site.  Why should the pride of the demons not only be in the middle of a rock formation full of esoteric stones, but also stored deep within it?  I’d think that the esoteric stones that aid the human’s techniques would not be compatible with the Demon Flute that is said to be the embodiment of magic itself.

    If you think that it passed through the hands of blasphemous fellows buying and selling treasures, it’s strange that it was deep within such a place.  It would be appropriate to assume that it was in the treasure vault of a collector.

    On the contrary, if it was in that place ever since some unknown person took it out of the kingdom two hundred years ago, it’s possible that someone intentionally hid it in that rock in Svelera for an important purpose.  I was consumed by such thoughts and wandered in search of the reason.

    At that time, the kingdom of Svelera had put much effort into the procurement of their esoteric stones for the betterment of the kingdom and many of the unemployed citizens began to work in the mines.  I’d even heard that the raw ore of superior quality had a mysterious nature and could only be handled by women and children.

    That was another strange thing.

    *.*.*.*.*

    Grasping the magic stone that warmed at my chest, I gazed upwards.

    The sky above the Longalbalu river was a light grey and completely different than the stone’s Lion’s Blue.  It feels like I haven’t seen a clear sky in forever.  I wonder if it’s the normal weather for this place.  The young salesman from Copperfield’s had also said it was a strange sky.

    “With this slow flow, it seems it will take about three more days to get to the mouth of the river.”

    Flynn, done with her never ending tea party with Commander Mountain Range, quietly sat down next to me.  She adjusts the front of her leather jacket.  I wonder if it’s a bit too heavy for a girl.

    “Those men are unfortunate.  They were born in different places, but they were all rounded up for the dispute with Small Shimaron and when the battle ended, they were treated as prisoners from a defeated army.”

    “In that situation, isn’t there a way to swap prisoners of war?  Weren’t there negotiations to return the Shimaron soldiers captured by the… other country?”

    “We did.”

    That’s right.  Her country, Caloria, was beaten by the same country and forced to become their territory.

    “Norman desperately negotiated to get back the soldiers left behind in battle.  It was a battle that was completely defensive so the only ones sent into enemy territory were intelligence scouts and there weren’t many of them, but… it was futile.  In the end, we were the defeated country and we couldn’t raise an objection against the victor.  The prisoners of war from Shimaron in Caloria were all sent back, but the ones who returned here were only a lucky few… I’m sure it was similar for other countries.  And even now there are men like them within Shimaron who are enduring outrageous manual labor and treatment.”

    Flynn rested her chin on her knees and gazed at the river’s flowing surface.  She looks at least five years younger holding her knees sitting here than when she was in the estate covered in extravagant clothing.

    “… It’s horrible, war.  I hate it.”

    “I do too.”

    Since she spent her youth in an organization like the Plainsmen, she is fully knowledgeable of the life of a soldier.  She’s definitely far more knowledgeable about how those men will act in an emergency and how they are treated than ladies in other countries who live in castles.  Of course, more than me, a Japanese person, as well.

    “That’s why I’m taking you to Big Shimaron.”

    Now that she’s talking about me, I hurriedly turn away from watching the shadows of the fish in the river.  At the stern of the boat, Murata is struggling with his fishing rod and is yelling “I got a big one!”

    “I promised I would explain properly, didn’t I?  I’ll tell you everything, no lies.  Once you hear it, you may think it’s a joke.  Or, you may even approve of it.  But whichever way it turns out, I can’t just keep leading you around without telling you the reason.  If I did, I’d end up just like Lord Saralegi… I don’t want to be like him.”

    I’d heard the name ‘Saralegi’ before.  He’s the king of Small Shimaron.  The large text in the two page ad says he’s very much not like an idol.  Like, he sleeps with both eyes open?

    “Although Caloria is autonomous, it is a territory of Small Shimaron.  If they are going to fight with the demons, then we have no choice but to abide by that.  They’ll take our goods and fortune and, most importantly, they’ll steal all of our young lives… I don’t know why you’re away from your country, but you were born amongst the demons, right Captain?  The Wincotts are one of the founding families of the nation, after all.  What about your country’s soldiers?  Are they also enlisted at 12?”

    “No way!”

    Since Wolfram, at the age of 82, looks the same age as I do, I can’t even imagine what a pure demon at the age of 12 would even look like.  I’ve heard that they decide their lives at 16, so I’m sure they’re allowed to be children until that point.

    “Yes, the swords are too heavy for them to even lift at age 12.  But 12 year old boys are disappearing from Caloria… and from the port town of Gilbit as well.  In order for them to become splendid Shimaron soldiers, they’re called together every year.  I didn’t want to see that anymore.  I also hated that the children who were already taken would be sacrificed after the war started.  It’s probably a sentiment that a military man wouldn’t understand.  It’s okay if you call me effeminate.”

    “… I think so too.  I’m always saying that we can’t have people dying in war.  I’ll say it as much as I need… Right now, you’re calling me a captain, but in reality… in reality…”

    I’m the Demon King.  But I can’t say that.  I’m not really someone called Captain Crusoe.  I’m not really a descendant of the Wincotts!

    “A secret messenger from Big Shimaron came with a proposition.  The Wincott poison is supposed to be in the recesses of the Gilbit Estate.  They wanted that terribly.  Furthermore, they were in a great hurry.  It is the only substance in the world that will let one control another at will.  If a body is afflicted by that poison, it will become a puppet of the descendants of the Wincotts.  Whether it’s alive or not.  I gave them that poison.  In exchange for the lives of the Calorian soldiers.”

    “Their lives?  What sort of deal was it?”

    “Big Shimaron negotiated with Small Shimaron and reduced the military allotment of my country.  Of course, the fact that a secret agreement took place was not brought to light and it was supposedly to deal with the lack of workers loading and unloading cargo at the harbor which they have joint ownership of.  The child soldiers returning to us are, in reality, very few, but those children were freed.  Soon, the second group will come back.  They no longer have to go to battle.”

    Flynn smiled a heartfelt smile that looked almost motherly.  It’s indicative of the fact that she had thoroughly thought out how she was going to raise her children even though she didn’t have any with Norman.

    Murata fishes up a boot.

    “But then why did the bigger Shimaron want the Wincott Poison?  Why did they want something like that?  What could they want to do by turning someone into a puppet… Oh hey, it looks like we changed directions.”

    At the end of the ship, there’s an apparatus for setting the ship’s orientation that the helmsman operates.  Two of the boards that look like a huge fish’s tail and fins are lined up parallel.  They’re gradually changing their angle and the current at the bow has begun flowing diagonally.  It’s slowly slanting to the left.  Maybe it’s going to head near the western bank.

    “They might be getting some more cargo.  They have a great number of boxes like that.”

    The nearly cubical, wooden containers are cramped together on the deck.  At night they block the wind and during the day, they provide shade against the sun.

    “… Big Shimaron also got their hands on a ‘box.’”

    It might have been the wind running across the surface of the river, but she shivered.

    “If that box is opened, an immense power sealed long ago will be awakened… It is said that there are four things in this world that must not be touched… Big Shimaron has gotten their hands on one of them.  If it is released with the proper key, that power will bow to the master and those he deems worthy and it can become a virtuous or an evil weapon.  The secret messenger from Big Shimaron said this:  They’ve already found the key.  Now all they need is to use the Wincott Poison and manipulate the key to their will.”

    “The proper key that will open the lid is a person!?”

    “They didn’t say it was a human.  But, they also didn’t say it was a demon.  The messenger stayed in Caloria for a while and I heard from him that they had used the Wincott Poison somewhere.  I don’t know how they did it, but he said that they had successfully made the one who was the key into their puppet.  However, that is something that I and my country should not pry into.  I’m only fighting for as many of Caloria’s children as possible to not have to go to battle.  That’s when you, Captain Crusoe, appeared.”

    “… With the magic stone that had the insignia of the Wincott family?”

    *.*.*.*.*

    Yes, they were looking for a box.

    Naturally, the king of Svelera did not know the significance of the box nor the power it had.

    However, for those that are attempting to gain authority, it seems that the box is a source of immense power.    For those that are attempting to gain riches, the box can become a great treasure.  While Svelera was digging for esoteric stones, they finally dug that up.  Deep, deep within the rock formation, where only emaciated women and children can reach, in a place like a labyrinth.

    And near that place, the treasure of the demons, the Demon Flute, was sealed.  As soon as they discovered the box and brought it out of the esoteric stone pit, I had my acquaintance inconspicuously sneak down there and secure the Demon Flute.  The power slowly leaking out of the box over hundreds of years may have slowly changed the surrounding bedrock into esoteric stone.  Or, the part of the earth fighting against the power of the Demon Flute may have resulted in its quality being changed.  At any rate, once the two objects were removed, for some reason esoteric stones completely stopped appearing and the Sveleran citizens lost their jobs.

    There are four objects in this world that must absolutely not be touched.  The humans do not even try to know just what sort of mechanisms are built into the box to seal that unknown power or the intentions of the ancestors and how ghastly their history is.  Among the demons, all children know of that horrible evil…

    As someone who knew of that danger, as soon as I learned that the box had been brought to the royal castle I met with the king to persuade him one way or the other to return the box to its original place.  However… did you know?  Did you know what the key is for the box buried at the bottom of the earth?  Each box has its own key.  Each of the four boxes has its own proper key and if you attempt to forcibly open the box with a false key, an uncontrollable atrocity will occur.  The Sveleran royal family eventually tested this with the left eyeball of a certain bloodline of a certain species.

    … That is where I received this wound.  It seems that my left eye, while similar, was not in and of itself a ‘key.’  Considering that a calamity could have come rushing out when they unthinkingly opened the lid there, I’m actually grateful that the result was only this minor wound.

    While I was spending my days regretting my own worthlessness in prison, I met that girl over there.  I entrusted the insignia to her so that she would be able to return to the kingdom.  If it was the previous king’s regent, His Excellency Stuffel, I’d hoped that he’d seize the insignia and send someone to investigate, but…  it seems Greta has held on to the insignia for me till this day… However, I also couldn’t trouble the country by bringing unreliable information after I had been driven out.

    I survived and searched for the box after I escaped Svelera.

    Since Svelera did not have the key – the left eyeball of a certain bloodline – and could not open the lid, they sold it to a large country.  The middleman was Luis Biron and I gained that man’s trust and began to tactlessly search around, but… the only important information I was able to find out was that the box was sold to Small Shimaron.

    The name of the box is ‘The End of the Land.’  It is said to bring betrayal, death and despair to the world. (1)

    ------

    (1)    A language note.  Both boxes are ‘The End of ____’ but the ‘ends’ are different.  The End of the Wind is fairly straightforward.  The wind stops blowing, no more wind anywhere.  The End of the Land, however, doesn’t mean that there isn’t going to be any more land left like the box is going to destroy it all if it opens.  The ‘end’ used here means the limit or boundary.  As in, you were walking and all of a sudden there’s a huge cliff and you can’t go anymore.  That sort of end.  The names are both taken from the wiki page, so I’m not going to change them, but I did want to point the meaning out.

    “What did you say!?”

    Having listened up to that point, Lord von Voltaire’s boiling anger was replaced by surprise.  His clenched fists slowly cooled.

    “The box Shimaron got a hold of isn’t ‘The End of the Wind!?’”

    “No, I definitely heard… ‘End of the Land’…”

    Günter finally stood up from his sadness over the absence of the king.

    “Please calm yourself, Gwendal.  Shimaron is divided into Big and Small.  That being said, they definitely do not have an amicable relationship.  If one of them got their hands on ‘The End of the Wind,’ the other would definitely feel pressured.  It’s not unsurprising that they would then get their hands on ‘The End of the Land.’”

    Even though he’s trying to calm the other man with his words, his own face is pale with tension.  His still wet hair is falling over his shoulder and lying on his chest.

    “That means that two out of four boxes have made their way into the hands of humans.”

    “There are four boxes?” Greta asked an innocently.  No one answered and silence fell in the room.  Eventually, the impatient Anissina explains to the child.

    “Yes, there are four objects in this world that must not be touched.  If you open the lid, an atrocious power and an evil being will be released and the mountains, rivers, land, people and cows will be mowed down and destroyed.  It is something that was sealed thousands of years ago before we became demons.  It seems that the humans believe that they can control it, but it’s not something that can be controlled.”

    “Destroyed as in die!?”

    “In most cases, yes.”

    “Poison Lady Anissina is in the box!”

    The Wincott descendant, Lindsey, started crying.  Anissina simply commented “If I could do something with my power,” and bit her lip.  Information on the other two is limited.  If the humans abuse that power until then, not only will The Great Demon Kingdom’s existence be short-lived, but the majority of the planet as well.

    “This is unacceptable!  Why did you not report something so important to someone with ties to the king!?  Even if you were not allowed to return, there were countless other ways to do so,” Gwendal yelled.

    “Your Excellency… but I reported the bare minimum of the information.  Since I was not accompanied by even the Flying Skeleton Tribe on my journey, I had to rely on commercial messengers.”

    “Like from ‘Fly Fly White Pigeon?’  I haven’t received a single letter from you.”

    “Like I said… I sent them to Lord Stuffel von Spitzweg.  I hadn’t known that Her Majesty Cecilie had retired…”

    Very nearly letting ‘useless ass’ come out of his mouth, Gwendal violently hit the wall.  No, he punched it.

    “That man… Someone find Stuffel!  Drag him here even if you have to put a rope around his neck!”

    Sensing the urgency of the situation, the soldiers who had gathered in the hallway take action.

    “Gegenhuber, is there anything left you have to say?”

    “My… there’s something about my left eye…”

    “Yes, that was unfortunate.  I’ll send experienced healers to the Grisela Estate.”

    His voice was unsympathetic, but that was the best he could do.  He wants to end this discussion.

    “No, that’s not what I meant.  Your Excellency… Your Excellency should take care.”

    “You seem to be implying something.”

    There’s no way he’d just let it go after being told something like that.  Gwendal crosses his arms and looks down at his cousin who has yet to stand up.

    “Like I said, each box has its own key.  The humans know that.  Things that are not keys have no effect, but using things that are similar to the key or even the wrong key will bring about something terrible… Your Excellency, please be careful.  One of the keys to the four boxes is the left eye of a certain bloodline.  And another is-”

    “I’ll keep that in mind.”

    “Please wait,” said Günter, having more of a reaction than the person being warned.  “Why did they use Lord Grisela to test it… No, that is one of my questions, but… are the other three keys to the boxes body parts from special bloodlines?”

    Interrupting the tutor’s questions, the soldier who brought the flying skeleton in yells out.

    “May I interrupt!?”

    Laying his bleached companion on the floor, he grabs the dry, thin wrist and lifts it.  It probably doesn’t have a pulse.

    “This flying skeleton’s brother’s wife’s cousin told him that he received a telepathic message from his son!”

    The family tree of a flying skeleton is completely unintelligible.

    “Translate it.  But no poems.”

    “Yes sir… ‘Father, I am now in the breast pocket of the king’…”

    Breast!?

    “Bfa!”

    Blood shot out of Real Lord Günter von Christ’s nose with an odd noise.

    ------

    That''s the end of this chapter!  Lots of info this time around!  Pretty tense chapter too.  Lots of long, convoluted sentences as well that were resisting becoming English x.x

    Random note: I''ve noticed that cows keep on coming up in random places in this series.  Especially when discussing powerful objects XD   Seriously though, they''ve been mentioned in almost every book I''ve read in the series.