3 idiot chapter 131

 Volume 6
Episode 131 – Lack of Ingredients

"Princess, the Longbird came a little late, but it brought this letter... addressed to you."

"Rather than addressed to me, it would be more accurate to say it’s addressed to the representative of this country."

Letting out a sigh, I took the letter from Gil-san.

"Hmm... I feel like I’ve seen this country’s name somewhere recently."

"It’s the country where those people were, isn’t it...?"

The name written on the envelope was undoubtedly the country where they had been.

The Kingdom of Sheila.

It was quite far, and we had no real interaction with them.

Normally, we’d never receive a letter from there.

"I never expected to receive a letter from the king of that country."

"Let’s hope it’s nothing troublesome."

The two of us wore grim expressions as we began to read the letter.

"Hmm..."

"What does it say?"

I handed the letter to Gil-san, whose brow was still furrowed. He immediately took it and ran his eyes across the contents.

And then—

"...Is this really a letter from royalty?"

"Judging by the seal, without a doubt... I guess this is just how casual they are in other countries?"

The letter's tone was, well—extremely informal.

So casual, in fact, that it made me want to write my own letters with the same tone.

………………………………….

[Letter]

Hey there—I'm the king of the country your “heroes” stayed in for a while.

The old man from a place called Sheila.

How do you do.

I'm gonna skip the fancy greetings and all that stiff, annoying stuff, cool? Cool.

Alright, let’s get right to it.

I figure you’ve already gotten the letter about them departing on their journey home, so I won’t repeat that.

Let’s get to the point.

That gear of theirs—it's great.

Looks like the meaning of “black armor” is completely different in your country.

Same with your stance on magical beast meat.

It's good. Really good.

Fascinating stuff.

Taking in new things is a wonderful thing, even if it’s stuff that’s been scorned until now.

I mean, why’s black armor such a no-go anyway? Am I the only one who thinks it looks cool?

Everyone’s always whining about black being bad luck—why can’t they see how badass it looks?

It’s a mystery, I tell ya.

Anyway.

I gave them a little gift.

They helped clean up some of my messes, after all.

They’ll probably hate the way I gave it to them, but... well, if they’re going home, there was no other way.

I gave them “legs” to cross the sea—and also a supersized magic bag.

Would you believe it? It’s even got time-stop enchantment.

So then, rather than giving a favor to them, consider this a favor to your country.

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to saddle you with a bad deal or anything.

Just saying—let’s be friends. If anything happens, I’d like us to be able to rely on each other.

Sure, we’re pretty far apart, so I might not be able to help in an emergency... but hey, making friends never hurts.

So here’s to getting along from here on.

Ah, of course, if you don’t like it, feel free to refuse.

I only lent a hand because I liked those folks.

If you’re thinking, “Like I care,” you can go ahead and tear this letter up. No hard feelings.

We’re too far away to go to war or anything—no one wins from pointless hostility.

It might be a while before I get a reply, but I’ll be hoping for a good one.

I heard your country used to be all about brute strength... but sounds like you’ve changed. That’s good to hear.

A nation only thrives when its people can smile.

From a senile old king, living beyond the sea—and even further beyond that.

P.S.

I’ve sent along the best merchant in our country, so I’d be grateful if you could negotiate with him.

He’ll probably bring up all sorts of proposals, and honestly, he might just settle down over there.

I’m counting on you.

I truly hope we can build a good relationship going forward.

Also, I highly recommend not getting involved if any strange-looking “long-ears” show up.

The recent appearance of large-scale magical beasts and the displacement of summoned individuals are without a doubt caused by that.

Well then, until next time.

[End of Letter]

………………………………………….

"He sure says whatever he pleases, doesn’t he? It’s almost refreshing."

"Hard to believe this is a letter from royalty. Normally, anyone would take it as a provocation. So, what’s our Princess’s decision?"

"Naturally, we’ll join hands. There are a few concerning things mentioned as well, but I don’t see any reason to avoid communication with them."

I have a feeling I could reply to this person with something like “You’ve got quite the eye, Your Grace,” and they wouldn’t get angry.

Actually, I should reply like that.

It’ll be a while before anything from our side reaches their country, but...

That mention of a “large magical beast” must be referring to what was described in the “Hearty Eater” reports—but this “displacement of summoned individuals”? What does that mean?

It clearly relates to the “Hero Summoning,” but something must’ve gone wrong.

And then there’s the “long-ears”—in other words, elves.

Did the elves construct some kind of summoning ritual? And that ritual is having negative side effects—is that what this is suggesting?

As I furrowed my brows and tilted my head in thought—

"I don’t mean to interfere with matters of state, but... are you alright?"

Gil-san peeked over at me, concern in his eyes, apparently thinking I was worried about something else.

"Yes. Don’t you think the fact they lent a hand to that 'Hearty Eater' bunch is reason enough to trust them? We’ve grown used to them, so we don’t even think twice—but how would they appear to a country that knows nothing about them?"

"Ahh... yeah, good point. Normally, they wouldn’t even be allowed to enter the country."

Gil-san nodded with a thoughtful expression.

We’ve grown a bit lax in our awareness, but in other nations, “black armor” still carries a stigma.

They could easily be mistaken for criminal slaves from another country.

And yet this country accepted “Hearty Eater.”

And even went so far as to gain the king’s cooperation.

That would make him a ruler with excellent discernment indeed.

"If he gave them 'legs to cross the sea,' that means a ship, right? I can’t wait to see what kind of vessel they were given. We’ll need to prepare a gift in return."

"Those guys would probably make it back on a raft if they had to."

With contrasting smiles, the two of us began writing a reply to the letter.

It’s not as though it would arrive any time soon—but still.

So I wouldn’t forget this feeling of excitement.

"Please take at least a little break alright, Princess?"

I glanced sideways at Gil-san as he shook his head with a sigh, then returned to writing.

"Somehow, I feel like the harder I work, the faster he’ll come back to me. That’s why—I’ll keep working hard."

"A 'hero’s tale', is it?"

"No, just my delusion. And my wish."

"Let’s hope it reaches them, then."

With that, Gil-san offered a broad smile and quietly left my room.

Afterward, the only sound was the scratching of a quill across parchment.

"I’m sure they did things even more incredible than what’s written in that letter. I want to hear all about it—as soon as possible. Hopefully, from their own mouths. Their hero’s tale."

I know it’s not work that needs to be done right now, but I can’t help prioritizing anything related to them.

It’s a bad habit of mine.

I want to see them again so badly, I instinctively put any information related to them at the top of my to-do list.

Even though my desk is already buried in enough paperwork to make me wonder how long it’ll take to finish it all.

Still—even so.

They’re the ones I admire, the ones I long for to the point I could call it love.

My heroes, who saved me.

Each and every one of them is completely absurd, utterly free-spirited.

Completely ignoring how I feel, flying across the sea and having the time of their lives.

And yet, I continue to think of them.

"I still haven’t forgotten your words..."

“The one who speaks of a hero’s tale not yet known.”

That title gave me a vision—of their dream.

At first, I didn’t understand it at all. They were dark, frightening figures.

But even so, they saw me clearly.

And they said—

“We’ll help you!”

Just how much that one sentence saved me...

These days, I’ve been studying how to use shadows with Hatsumi-sama, and gradually people around me have started to recognize me.

But still—it was them who noticed me first, when I was nothing but a shadow.

But the future of people summoned from another world is unstable.

They’re no exception, their future changed completely.

And yet, even in that changed future—

"I’ll help you however I can… no, I’ll help you with everything I’ve got. —If it comes down to it, I’ll even kidnap the Princess myself and flee to another country."

Even when the circumstances changed, even when the time and place we met changed—

They remained completely the same.

Always free-spirited, always selfish.

And yet, they’re the ones who look at me more kindly and more directly than anyone else.

No matter the situation, even in times when anyone else would be overwhelmed, they would still look me in the eyes and say, “I’ll help you.”

Such a powerful presence—what girl wouldn’t admire someone like that?

I was jealous of the women who stayed close to them. How many times did I wish I could be “on that side” too?

But I am who I am.

And this future they’ve woven for me—

There’s no way I could ever throw it away.

Protecting the peace of this country, of the present—that’s the only way I can repay them.

And yet…

"I'm certainly busy… but I still feel a little unfulfilled."

Pushed by Lord Fortia, drowning in paperwork filled with surprisingly selfish requests.

I know. I know that this is what it means to govern, that this is the work of someone who regulates and constantly considers how to generate profit.

I accepted all of that when I took the throne.

Which is precisely why I can’t run away from it.

I know that.

But still—

"I want to see you. Just seeing you once would give me the strength to keep pushing forward… but…"

I collapsed face-down onto my desk with a splat.

"I'm exhausted… please come back soon…!"

I wailed with a loud bieeeh!, only for Hatsumi-sama to poke her head out from the shadows.

"Princess, is something wrong…? Ah, I see—it’s the usual, then."

"Hatsumi-sama, I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to go search for Hearty Eater."

"They’re definitely on their way back right now, so please hold on just a little longer… Even if you went, Princess, you’d just get lost in the forest."

"But listen, it’s just… everything is so overwhelming right now. I want to run freely through the forest like them, too!"

"Excuse me? You’re underestimating the forest, aren’t you? If you want to run around, do it in the garden. If you, Princess, ran through a forest full of magical beasts, you’d be some creature’s lunch in less than half a day. I’ve traveled with them, so I know—the forest is full of danger. It’s not a place you can just stroll through like it’s yours."

"I… I’m terribly sorry."

Hearty Eater really is amazing.

The pressure they give off is no joke, and even Hatsumi-sama’s aura changes completely when someone says they want to go into the forest.

It’s like she’s about to click her tongue—absolutely terrifying.

In the end, I guess I can only bury myself under piles of paperwork instead of venturing into a magical beast forest.

But, when they come back, couldn’t I just submit a formal request?

Ask them to show me a magical beast hunt, or let me accompany them as forest guards.

Would they hate me for giving such selfish, shallow requests?

But I want to see it—with my own eyes.

The way they fight. The way they live.

But—

"In any case, nothing will start unless I finish this paperwork…"

"I know it’s difficult, but you’re the only one who can do this job…"

"I’ll do my best!"

Hmph! I puffed out my cheeks and sat back up.

I’m going to do it.

I’ll finish everything, and when they return, I’ll go out to greet them.

And then I’ll ask them for that selfish favor I just thought of.

If they say no, then that’s that—but if… if, by some miracle, they said yes—

If they took me to the forest even just for a short time, and I got to see them fight with my own eyes… I’d probably pass out from excitement.

That’s how much I’m “starving” for Hearty Eater right now.

"I wonder when they’ll come back…"

"Princess, how many times have you asked that today?"

Hatsumi-sama gave me a thoroughly exasperated look.

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