Surprise revival! Our pal Boxcards came back to us with a vengeance, wishing to make up for lost time!
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Attack of the Devil Setra
A large desert spread from the east of the Continent to the south. A trade route that had flourished under the Amara dynasty, once known throughout the Continent, had fallen to ruin with the kingdom. At this point only a few people lived in scattered oasis, spread like the remains of a massive cloud of dust.
In a word, it was the hinterland.
The shimmering blaze distorted the view to and fro, the scorching heat stole the color from the shadows as well as the areas under the sun, changing it into a world delimited only by the contrast between black and white.
Those unlucky enough to travel here were people tired of their life, or driven from their cities. Whatever the case, it was an area too harsh for mere travelers to visit.
And yet, two travelers seemed to be heading for one of the island-like oasis, rocking along in a long-haul carriage. Since they were wearing loose cloaks to protect themselves from the sun, no one could tell their build or sex just from looking at them.
“So hot...”
The short one muttered, with a voice sounding like a cool breeze.
“Let’s get into a shop or an inn as soon as we can.”
“Agreed.”
The tall one nodded at the other’s proposal.
With the scorching heat hot on their heels, the two headed for the first inn that caught their attention.
Inside,the world felt completely different. The chilly air gradually cooled their sweat, while the wall of solid stone blocked out the sun, preventing hot air from entering.
“We don’t need the sunshade anymore.”
The tall traveler lowered their hood.
What appeared next was a woman’s face, full of dignity. With a head of short, golden hair, with silver rings woven in that swing from side to side as she surveyed the store.
“...No one seems to be here.”
From a cursory glance, there were no signs of people at the store.
“Maybe it’s nap time?”
The short traveler removed their hood as well, letting out a deep breath.
In contrast with the woman’s golden hair, reminiscent of the sunshine, theirs was a pale silver color, like moonlight.
“If not, maybe it’s worship time?”
“Awfully well-informed, aren’t you, Fio?”
“Well~, I wasn’t an itinerant performer just for show.”
Brushing off the sand at the edges of the mantle he had put on against the sun, Fio turned his eyes to the counter.
Dust hadn’t piled up - someone was regularly maintaining it.
“Excuse me! Is anyone here?”
The blonde shouted towards the counter.
“Say, Leina. What if this is a ghost town?”
Feeling kind of tired, the boy sat on a nearby chair.
“I don’t really think that’s likely?”
If it was an abandoned oasis, the carriage wouldn’t have stopped there.
“However, it is odd that we haven’t seen anyone so far.”
Since they left the carriage, up till they entered that inn, they hadn’t seen - let alone crossed - anyone else. Even ignoring the hot sun, they couldn’t stop the strange feeling creeping up their spines.
“If I had known this, I’d have stayed in the capital.”
Fio sighed.
***
The capital, Gainos. The city where the Queen, at the top of Queen’s Blade, lived.
It had been about one week since Leina and Fio visited the capital, built into the center of the Continent.
They hadn’t gone to visit the central championship every Queen’s Blade participant dreamed of entering at least once, the Great Colosseum.
‘Every way leads to the capital. Every way leads to Queen’s Blade.’
As the saying went, the capital was the biggest relay station of long-distance carriages, with lines running all over the Continent.
There, Leina had heard a worrisome rumor from a peddler she came across by chance: kidnappings were rampant in the desert area.
Of course, the eastern side of the Continent was scarcely populated due to the harsh environment, and public safety wasn’t that great either.
Ever since the fall of the once renowned Amara dynasty, no single dynasty had risen to replace it, and the local city-states constantly got jumbled up.
In that land with no government and no army, the residents had to fend for themselves. If they couldn’t do so, in the worst-case scenario, the village might disappear.
Now that she had learnt of the predicament of the people, Leina couldn’t very well ignore it, so she got into a long-haul carriage right away, and left the capital in no time flat.
***
“You keep making a big deal about ‘traveling to gain skill in combat’, but then you go and use an expensive carriage for long-distance travel. Your rearing as a lady is showing, isn’t it~?”
From the capital to the desert, there was one week’s distance in a carriage. Traversed by foot with no breaks, the same distance would take one month.
“As long as we can reduce the number of victims, there’s no point in questioning the means of transportation.”
“But, aren’t you spending too much money?”
“I’ll do something before our travel expenses run out. I’m not an adventurer just for show.”
Leina suddenly felt someone watching, and exchanged at look with Fio. They saw a woman with loose clothing characteristic of the desert standing behind the counter, as if peeping at them.
“Err~, is there anything I can help you with?”
The woman called out to them.
“This is an inn, right?”
The blonde replied.
“Yes, that’s right...”
No comments:
Post a Comment