Flowers for You, Magic for the Sky | Chapter 2

[healingbonds]

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Oz: << Vox Nox >>

Riquet: ......Yaawn...... How strange...... I’m suddenly so sleepy......

Mitile: I can’t stay awake...... Zz...... Zz......

Oz: State your concern.

Figaro: How horrible...... It’s really time you do something about your habit of using magic to solve whatever problem you run into.

Oz: What do you want?

Figaro: You transformed into a beautiful young girl who looks like Riquet, and completely wrecked the Marsh of Epidemics in Southern Country, didn’t you?
You really messed up the whole ecosystem there. Well, it’s not like I haven’t made my own tweaks. I chased out those poisonous birds, didn’t I?
But after that I left things to nature and just watched over their natural progression. Yet you ruined all of that in an instant......

Oz: A beautiful young girl......?

Figaro: That’s what you're asking? I guess you were pretty cute. You had green eyes like Riquet.
But I could sense your presence. There’s no way I would be mistaken. How about you stop feigning innocence and tell me what’s going on?

Oz: ............
A beautiful young girl who looks like Riquet?

Figaro: Forget that point! Did you base her on someone else? What did you want me to say she looked like?

Oz: I do not know.

Figaro: That really wasn’t you? Then you’re being used as a medium. Was anything taken from you?

Oz: From me? As if I would ever hand over a sliver of fingernail or a strand of my hair, let alone a single drop of blood.

Figaro: Maybe you carelessly forget to clean up? Like a couple of clipped nails, or spilled blood.
A medium created with any part of your body can be used to cast very powerful magic.

Oz: I would not do something so thoughtless.

Figaro: I wouldn’t be so sure about that. That time Arthur fell into the Ravages of Oz, you flew to the South completely covered in blood.

Oz: A rock fell on me as I was about to pick him up.

Figaro: Did it hit your head with a "thump"?

Oz: Yes.

Figaro: Ahaha.

Oz: Do not laugh.

✦✧☾✧✦

Akira: So witches commanding huge, vicious beasts appeared at both the Observatory in the West and at the City of Rain in the East.

Murr: Maybe it wasn’t a witch?

Nero: Not a witch? You mean a wizard transformed himself into one instead? The one I met was a girl of about 14 or 15 with greyish blue eyes.

Cain: And the one I met was a young girl about the same age as Prince Arthur.
She didn’t have a beast with her. Her name was Aureolin.

Nero: I asked for a name too. If I recall, her name was Cyan. What’s about the girl at the observatory?

Murr: I have no idea~! She had red hair and laughed really heartily, like, ohoho! She had a sturdy-looking fish!

Cain: I’m curious about the South. —Ah. Rutile!

Rutile: Ye~s!

Akira: Wow...... That’s a lovely cloth that you’re carrying, Rutile. What will you use it for?

Rutile: It’s for a table runner. Miss Canary chose it specially for the ceremony.
This is the table cloth, by the way. They create a lavish, yet elegant, cozy and wonderful touch when you place them together.

Nero: Canary sure has good taste. The placemats for tea sets and dishware in the magic headquarters are really classy.

Rutile: Right! I was just on my way to help Miss Canary now.
Seems like she’s trying to learn everything from the traditional patterns of each country to their favoured plants in order to prepare for the dinner.
I’ve learned a lot too...... Ah, this won’t do. I’m just going on about my own matters. Did you call me over for something?

Akira: Oh, right. Can we ask what happened at the Marsh of Epidemics?

Rutile: Are you asking about the monster? Or the water beehive?

Murr: The honey from the water honeybees is delicious!

Cain: Did you find one of their beehives? In the past, I found one that was this big.....

Akira: I’m curious about the beehive too, but let’s focus on the beast for now...... Um, was there someone with the beast?

Rutile: There was! A girl even younger than Mitile. I wonder if she was a witch?

Nero: Did she say anything?

Rutile: According to Mitile, she said that it was dangerous because she was in the middle of an experiment. And a giant beast appeared after that.

Cain: Experiment......

Nero: Experiment......? What is going on......?

Murr: Then it means the Observatory and the City of Rain were both experiments too!

Akira: What do you mean......?

Murr: We could also call it training. Girls who can command beasts!
If they had been able to control those beasts as skillfully as the knight Cain rode his horse, the Observatory would have been destroyed!
Boom! Crash! In one go!

Nero: You sure sound happy about the destruction of a beloved building......

Cain: I see. In other words, the experiments were like cavalry training.

Akira: They were training to ride resurrected legendary beasts.......Is that what’s happening?

Rutile: But why would they......? To become friends with the legendary beasts......?

Murr: Rutile, you’re so kind! People like that wouldn’t call it an experiment!
They mean to control and command them: a fearsome and terrible power.

Akira: ............

Nero: That gives me the chills...... Those creatures aren’t easy to command in the first place.
They’re prideful magical beasts, with strength equal to wizards like Oz or Mithra.

Rutile: Mister Mithra...... If the person who tried to destroy the Observatory and the City of Rain managed to control Sir Oz or Mister Mithra......

Everyone: ............

Cain: That’d be bad.

Nero: Extremely bad.

Murr: It makes me tremble with excitement!

Cock Robin: Sir Sage! There’s something I’d like to ask you about the ceremony for the five countries’ peace conference!

Akira: ............

Cock Robin: Sir Sage?

Akira: ......The peace conference...... If those beasts attacked the ceremony the way they did the City of Rain......

Rutile: ......There’d be countless victims......

Cain: Not just that — there’d be war.
Should anything happen to foreign dignitaries in Central Country, it’d turn into a question of responsibility.

Murr: Western Country’s been on the edge of their seats waiting for war to break out because of Central Country!

Nero: And when it comes down to it, Eastern Country will have no choice but to take a stance. Be it with Central, or with the West.
And when the Eastern troops are deployed, the famous Blanchett military family will march. I really don’t want to force the kids into making such hard decisions.

Cain: Prince Arthur will be devastated if he has to fight against Heath and Shino. Blanchett Castle is impregnable after all......

Cock Robin: Um...... This all sounds very unsettling, but is everything all right?

Cain: Yeah. We’ll make sure it is.
Sorry, but I’m returning to the castle. Akira, please ask someone to be your bodyguard for the time being.

Akira: Huh?

Cain: You’re the most important person in this world. I apologize for not being able to stay by your side and protect you, but there are dependable wizards here.
What about Lennox?

Rutile: Mister Leno? He’s behind you.

Cain: Oh...... Lennox! I have a request. But first, can you touch my hand?

(High five)

Lennox: What is it?

Cain: I’m counting on you to be the Sage’s bodyguard. Until this string of unsettling incidents is resolved.

Lennox: Got it. Sir Sage, if you’ll have me.

Akira: I-I’ll be in your care.

Rutile: Mister Cock Robin. Will Miss Canary be present in the discussion with the Sage?

Cock Robin: Yes. She’ll be joining for the final run-down.

Rutile: Then I will come along too. Sir Sage, Mister Leno. Let’s go.

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