Prelude to the Festival and Justice | Chapter 2

[healingbonds]

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Cain: Many travelers who pass through end up going missing.
I once led the troops there to investigate, but we couldn’t uncover anything. This is where the ancient temple was in the distant past?

Riquet: The ancient temple in Western Country was in a separate dimension that was linked to a noble’s mansion. Perhaps it will be the same this time?

Arthur: Ah..... Maybe......

Mitile: Did you notice something, Prince Arthur?

Arthur: There’s something I heard in a bard’s song once: the tale of an ancient city obliterated overnight by a catastrophe, which now lays sleeping along the border of Central Country.
Arthur: They called it the legendary city of Mesa.

Lennox: The legendary city of Mesa, huh...... I used to live in Central Country, but that’s the first time I’ve heard of that name.

Mitile: If it’s an ancient city, I wonder if Mother knew about it...... Sir Oz, you’ve lived for such a long time—do you know anything about it?

Oz: .........

Arthur: Sir Oz?

Oz: ......No. I don’t recall anything.

Akira: (Oz......? He seems gloomy......)

Cain: If we head over there, we might be able to find some clues. Let’s leave at once.
If we’re going to the desert by the border, it might be faster if we take the elevator from the magical headquarters to the tower in Central Country, and then fly from there.

Oz: If it’s just this many people, I can transport us there without all that trouble.

Akira: When you say transport, do you mean all of us?

Rutile: Are you going to open a door through space like Mister Mithra?

Oz: Unnecessary.
<< Vox Nox >>

Akira: ............!

✦✧☾✧✦

The next moment, we land in a stretch of desert wasteland.
Beneath the blindingly bright blue skies, the parched white sand stretches for miles with no end in sight.
Underneath our feet, sand and gravel crumble away.
The coarse grains of sand bring to mind the image of a flat desert.

Mitile: Woah......!

Riquet: Y-You surprised me.....

Rutile: Is this where the ancient temple lies......?

Mitile: There’s just nothing as far as the eye can see...... It looks more like the Southern Country we lived in than Central Country......

Cain: When I was still with the knights, we would cut through this area. It was a pain not being able to just fly through the sky. Plus, there isn’t a single source of water at all.

Riquet: There’s no water? We should have brought water bottles......

Cain: Usually we take the more established land routes closer to the West. You can find wells, villages, and lodgings here.
If the situation comes to it, let’s head there.

Rutile: So there are hardly any people around here......?

Cain: Not necessarily. I’ve met travelers who came here alone, confident in their equipment and stamina.

Riquet: Hmm....?

Mitile: What’s wrong, Riquet?

Riquet: Don’t you hear music coming from somewhere? It sounds like a harp......

Rutile: You’re right..... I can hear it being carried along on the wind.

Arthur: Ah! There’s a shadowy figure over there!

I strain my eyes in the direction where Arthur points.
Between the clear skies that look like they’ve been painted with a blue brush, and the pure white surface of the land, a flickering figure is moving like a mirage.
It looks like a man with a huge load on his back; he also carries what looks to be a plank of wood with one hand, caressing it with his other hand.
Before long, the swaying figure disappears beyond the sand dunes, leaving only a rhythm in the air.

Lennox: A lyre.... It sounded similar to the single-stringed zithers that used to be popular in the past. I wonder if that was a wandering bard.

Cain: A wandering bard...... Even if there are rumours of missing travelers, they might not deter those who are used to traveling on the road.

Riquet: I’ve never met a bard before. What kind of things do they do?

Mitile: I’ve never met one either, but they sing you songs and tell all sorts of stories, right?

Rutile: Yes. Just once, a traveling theatre troupe came to our town.

Arthur: I hear that there aren’t as many bards these days. They came to the castle occasionally; as long as they don’t seem suspicious, they’re welcomed in Central.
They bring news of different countries, and unexpected tales. Most importantly, the court ladies are always delighted. Those who live within the palace look up to travelers.

Cain: I get that. I’m surrounded by people whenever I come back from an expedition. Everyone has fantasies about different countries and borderlands after all.
The feeling of wanting to protect your precious family and the place that is important to you.... The yearning to set out on an adventure is just as powerful.

Arthur: I think that goes for all of us. If I weren’t the prince, I would want to set out on adventures and discover new lands too.

Rutile, Mitile: ............

Arthur: What’s wrong? You’re both making such odd expressions......

Rutile: I love my birthplace, so..... I love exploring the neighborhood, but the thought of going on an adventure to search for new lands has never crossed my mind before.

Cain: Is that so? That’s surprising. Especially since the people of Southern Country were pioneers..

Mitile: We’re not afraid of adventures! I’d like to go on an adventure someday. It’s just..... I’d prefer an adventure where I know we’re coming back.
I don’t want to worry my older brother and everyone else, and it’d be lonely if I couldn’t meet them.... Don’t you feel the same, Riquet?

Riquet: I’ve always been stuck in the same place..... Now that I’ve seen the outside world, I’d like to try going to all sorts of places.
I feel like there’s a brand new me waiting for me wherever I go; the thought makes my heart race.

Mitile: I see..... But what if that meant you couldn’t see me anymore??

Riquet: That might make me a little lonely?

Figaro: Ahaha. There it is: the decisive difference between the Central wizards and the Southern wizards.

Cain: Decisive difference?

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