“Fuum.”
“But those grains are made from even smaller grains. It is said, that those smaller grains are what Void controls.”
“So what?”
“Following the Founder’s mind, and ‘four of four’ would gather… It would be a completely loose situation… in case of the complete Founder’s Void’s power resurrection, the Void spell might have a dreadful effect. Furthermore, the smallest grains' effect could be so big that it may change this world’s existence completely… In fact, there is such a spell mentioned in the prophecy.”
“What spell?”
Julio bowed.
“I would hate to obstruct Your Majesty’s rest any further.”
“Priests always seem to be ardent in propaganda.”
Julio, who tried to leave, was called back to stop by Joseph again.
“Wait.”
“Has your faith in the Founder’s and God’s truth been reignited?”
“I have a question concerning that faith. You, Romalia and these provoking Reconquista… is there any difference between you?”
With a smile on his lips, Joseph gave the profound question to priest.
“Reconquista was a disorderly crowd after all. They were just bunch of kids against the king. They used term ‘to recover sacred ground’ just to unite themselves. I don’t think they seriously thought about getting back the sacred ground from the elves.”
“…”
“Our Romalia is just trying to recover the sacred ground. Besides that, there are no other motives.”
Joseph buried his eyes into the Romalian’s.
“Against Elves' Ancient Magic used to control the sacred ground, there is only the Founder’s Void left as a counter. Well, in any case if we were to use it…”
Julio murmured to himself while turning to leave. Joseph said in a happy voice.
“You are mad.”
With his different-colored ‘moon eyes’ shining, Julio answered gleefully,
“This is what faith is about.”
After Julio left, Joseph took up the doll from the table. The doll had a shape of a thin, brunette woman. After patting it dearly for a while, Joseph brought his mouth close.
“Did you hear it too, cute goddess? Yeah! That’s the right thing you heard! Romalia still does not know truth about us. The fellows that were running after the Founder’s tail for thousands of years, still do not have enough knowledge!”
Joseph brought his ear close to the doll.
“That’s right! It’s like you say, Myoz! They have information, but not the tools. Haha, in this game, we have an unquestionable advantage. The Ruby of Earth, the Founder‘s Censer, the Founder‘s Music Box… three parts are already ours. Aye, Tristain has three too… but they do not have the information. With the knowledge about prophecy and Albion‘s royal family treasure, it could be worrisome. Yet that lass is only interested in money and land. Haha, stupid beyond help! In other words, only we have information and tools. It‘s more than anyone else has.”
Joseph shut his mouth.
“What? Is that so?! Tristain’s user is coming to Albion? Moreover, alone? It’s like a chicken waiting to be cooked! Capture it immediately. We need to get the Founder’s Prayer Book and the Ruby of Water, before Romalian raccoon-dogs do. Hurry up!”
After giving instructions to the doll, Joseph sank into the sofa.
It seemed like he would be able to sleep well tonight.
Joseph, opened the lid of the Founder's Music Box, which was on table’s left.
And… closed his eyes.
After a while, the door next to his bedroom opened. Mrs. Moliere, in slovenly night clothes, showed up.
“Your Majesty, did the guest leave?”
“Aye.”
“Such a rude person, barging in, in the middle of the night! I hate that priest! Just because they believe in the Founder and God, they think they can obstruct lovers!”
Mrs. Moliere ran her hand up Joseph’s neck. And combined hair in lover’s way.
“Hey, Your Majesty. Is it all right?”
“What?”
“You always listen to that music box… Isn’t it broken though? I can not hear anything. Maybe I should have a master to mend it? I know a master with good, crafty hands, who makes me nice jewels. Now, look at this godly necklace. When it comes to that, he is really skillful…”
Joseph interrupted Mrs. Moliere's chat with an annoyed waving.
“You are impeding the appreciation of a beautiful experience. Shut up.”
“…But, I-“
“Let me listen.”
On his finger… in a vivid brown color, the Ruby of Earth shone.
Louise and Siesta arrived to Rosais on the third week of February, it was the fourth day of the Eoro week, and an evening of Raag day.
Usually, it would take twice as much time.
The shipping service between the Albion continent and Halkeginia had many people to serve. There were long lines of people who waited their turn to leave to Albion from the port in La Rochelle.
Unless one uses Her Majesty’s commission to get on board of a private ship.
This way, Louise interrupted the regular order of flights, and arrived in Rosais in just one week.
Louise, upon arriving at Albion, was amazed again.
The reason for that was that port Rosais was even more overcrowded than La Rochelle.
Peddling merchants whose business was war in Albion, speculators trying to get rich, government officials, people who were visiting the ones that they could not due to the war… it was overflowed with big crowds of people from all over Halkeginia.
“So many.”
Louise, who descended from the port, muttered and sighed. From the port, the road to the city was framed with arsenals and commanders, like an exposition of Halkeginia.
Along side the road, a lot of people stood with wooden signs with names on them.
“What are those names?”
Wearing an apron and coat taken from the Academy of Magic's housemaid clothes, Siesta stuck out from under her cap and asked, wondering. She was carrying a big bag over her shoulder. It was packed with their traveling needs.
“They are looking for people who have gone missing during the war.”
Louise said in a sad voice. Though she was wearing the usual Academy of Magic uniform, she had a big leather rucksack over her shoulders as well.
“I wonder if we’ll find… Saito-san.”
Their only clue was an order note given to Louise. There, it was written:
“Stop the enemy at the northeast hill, 50 leagues away from Rosais.”
Though she inquired to the army about the missing Saito, no clues were obtained. Though she thought about meeting Henrietta, she was not in the royal palace. Seems like she went to some conference in Albion.
“Mo, after all the only ones that we can rely upon are ourselves, right?”
“But, why couldn’t we borrow a horse?”
Looking at her, Siesta said,
“We go by foot, there is no distance we can not walk.”
She began to walk… while Louise slumped onto the ground.
“Auu…”
Because she was dragging a heavy bag since she came here, her body screamed.
“Pathetic.”
“We've been on foot since we left the ship. It’s late already, let’s stay for the night and start searching by tomorrow again. You have some stamina, don’t you?”
Saying that, Louise looked over at Siesta’s bag on her shoulder. It was three times bigger than Louise’s rucksack. She was carrying such a big bag, which looked to be heavy.
“I grew up in the countryside. It‘s nothing special,”
Siesta explained nonchalantly.
Of course, there were no rooms to rent. A lot of people that failed to get a room gathered around the hotels and spread their clothes there, preparing to sleep. Trying to find a vacant slot somewhere, led them to the front yard of the command base that Gallian fleet had blown off. The red brick rubble left by the bombardment looked miserable.