Ballad of the Brave Trailblazer | Chapter 1

[healingbonds]

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Girl: Mister Brook, shouldn’t we head back to the surface at some point? Everyone might be worried.....

Man: You’re telling me to turn around now? Stacy, I get that you’re a scaredy-cat, but you know I can’t agree to that!

Girl: But this staircase feels like it’s been going on forever. Plus, what the old lady told us is bothering me......

Man: "Do not approach Poincaré"....? She sure was a creepy old granny.
And it looks like we’ve made it to the very bottom! Let’s see what lies ahead.....
(Footsteps)
Wh-what’s going on here.....!?

✦✧☾✧✦

Mitile: Ah, I know! It’s a butterfly!

Lennox: Isn’t it a Southern Country bird?

Figaro: No, it’s definitely a bat.

Rutile: Nope~! You’re all wrong! This is a picture of a frog.

Figaro & Mitile & Lennox: A frog?

Rutile: I sketched it this morning, when it was leaping around the courtyard. Isn’t it cute?

Akira: W-was it a frog with wings?

Rutile: These are its legs~! I drew them really big because they were so lovely.

Akira: (Rutile’s illustrations are as unique as ever. Art knows no bounds....)

A peaceful moment of the day, where time flows ever so gently. The Southern wizards and I are chatting away in the lounge.

(Footsteps)

That’s when we hear hurried footsteps dash past the room. After a moment, they turn around and come back.

Cock Robin: Ah, there you are, Sir Sage! Perfect — the Southern wizards are all here too.

Akira: Mister Cock Robin. Did something happen?

Cock Robin: We have an investigation request for the Southern wizards.

Mitile: For us?

Rutile: Did something happen in Southern Country?

Cock Robin: Ah, no! I don’t think we’re talking about a strange incident or an accident.

The brothers — who were deeply concerned about their home country — look relieved.

Cock Robin: Rather than saying "something happened," it seems more like "something was discovered."

Akira: Discovered?

Cock Robin: Yes. An underground palace was discovered in the remote area of Southern Country.

All: An underground palace....!?

We all gape in surprise at the unexpected report.

Mitile: An underground palace....? What is that?

Lennox: It’s a castle that was built underground. But I’m surprised to hear about something like that in Southern Country.

Rutile: Dr. Figaro, have you ever heard of it?

Figaro: Nope. I just learned about it right now.

Akira: So even you didn’t know about it, Figaro.

Figaro: Oh please, Sir Sage. I’m just an innocent youth — the world is full of things I’m unaware of.

Lennox & Akira: ..........

Figaro: Jokes aside. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were ruins that even the likes of Oz and Sir Snow and Sir White don’t know of.
Wizards may live long lives, but the earth and the world carry the weight of an eternity in time.
It’s not a stretch to think that a highly civilized nation might’ve existed in the past, say, hundreds.... or even thousands of years ago, somewhere in this world.

Figaro’s eyes are tranquil, as if he’s counting scratches on a desk. The words of veteran wizards are strangely persuasive.

Akira: So are they asking us to investigate this underground palace?

Figaro: But I’m not sure why they needed to send a request to the magic headquarters. If you’re going to investigate ancient ruins, wouldn’t it be better to send for an archeologist or some kind of specialist?

Cock Robin: Well, you see.... Our client isn’t really interested in the archeological aspects of this underground palace.
Rather, he’s worried that the existence of the underground palace might bring harm to the surrounding lands.....

We tilt our heads in confusion.

Rutile: ....What does that mean?

Cock Robin: Our client works in land development, you see. He only discovered this underground palace by accident, when he was trying to develop the neighboring lands into a village.
And the reason he felt like the palace might bring about misfortune was because he had been told some ominous words right beforehand.
He had finally discovered land with a good water source — he was planning to develop a new village there, when a mysterious old lady appeared before him....

Figaro: A mysterious old lady?

Cock Robin: Yes. And she said this: "Do not approach Poincaré, at any cost. For you shall hinder the slumber of the sinister demon that lies there."

✦✧☾✧✦

Lennox: Do not approach Poincaré, huh.

Rutile: I wonder what that means. It certainly doesn’t seem fun, but.....

Akira: I’m concerned about this "sinister demon"......

After Mister Cock Robin leaves, we take a look at the papers he has entrusted to us and ponder.
They all have no idea what the old lady could mean by the ominous words she left behind.

Mitile: .......

Maybe he’s intimidated by the sinister atmosphere: Mitile looks visibly nervous.

Figaro: The old lady’s ominous warning, and the discovery of a grand underground palace......

Figaro’s long fingertips trace the surface of the paper.

Figaro: I suppose that would be enough to make even the bravest of our adventurers anxious.

Our client’s name is Mister Brook. Apparently he’s the leader of a development group in Southern Country.
The new, inhabitable territory they had discovered might actually be cursed grounds. He wants us to investigate and see if it would be safe for them to establish a village there.

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