Signs of Her“Ooh, Envy! Over here!”
“It has been a while, Ivaal-sama. How have you been since then?”
“Ooh, I somehow stuck my arm back on, but with my age, I can’t move it like I used to.”
“…….I see.”
use ducktape
A few months after Nanaki came to the capital, I visited Ivaal-sama. The Ice Emperor hailed as the hero of the capital lived in a small house in the sixth pentagon, away from the center pentagon, Central, as if in isolation. Even if there is a problem with Nanaki, this treatment of a hero is a bit too much. Since the day I interrupted his battle with Nanaki, he is becoming more frail every day.
why
“Ivaal-sama, how about moving to a slightly better location?”
“It’s fine it’s fine, for this kind of things, it’s better to prioritise younglings with a future rather than an old guy like me with few remaining years. More importantly, how’s Nanaki, does she seem like she can answer the emperor’s expectations? Such a remarkable person can’t be found so easily, look after her properly, Envy!”
ofc
There was no sign of acting in that friendly smile, for some reason I found it sad. Ivaal-sama is certainly old. But that should not have meant that it’s fine for him to die. Despite having dedicated himself to the capital until now, at the very end, instead of seeking peace, he chose to act for the sake of the capital.
dedicated
What could I even do in return for this person, I remember thinking such a presumptuous thing. I was thinking of something he wasn’t even wishing for, that was just self-satisfaction. Even though I did not have the power to save him, the me that kept thinking such arrogant things was just terribly foolish.
in the past~
“Her tone really is the main problem, I’m also having troubles with her lack of common sense.”
“She’s a child that lived without contact with civilisation, give her time. I’ve only conveyed it verbally, but the emperor was quite interested in Nanaki’s strength.”
“I’m still uneasy about letting her meet the emperor. Lately she mostly listens to what I say, but I don’t know what can flip her switch.”(T/N: or ‘trigger her’)
flip the switch
With some education, some common sense can be seen in Nanaki’s conduct. But there are still times when her switch is suddenly flipped. If Nanaki feels like it, she can kill anyone. And a human that can stop her does not exist in this capital. Do you understand how terrifying a thing this is?
bomb
“Unlike the existing Five Emperor candidates, Nanaki already has a G.o.d with her. Once she learns to live in civilisation, then we can conduct the duel for the Five Emperor succession immediately……. In the short time while Nanaki learns to live as a human, this old man will stay alive for a while”
“I’ve been curious about it since a while ago, but where do the G.o.ds the Five Emperor candidates fight come from? I am aware that there are cooperative G.o.ds, but Hiyent=Helios was aggressive. I cannot believe that she was a G.o.d that would bother to listen to what humans have to say……..”
….consipracy?
The crimson G.o.ddess that stands by near me all the time, the golden inferno Hiyent=Helios. There has never been conversation between us. That is likely the same even for Silver, Salia, Ivaal-sama and Raicou. We defeated our G.o.ds and made them obey us. The G.o.d obeys our orders, that should’ve been the standard for transcended beings.
but Nanaki
But Nanaki and Ilveng=Nazgul are different. The first time I found it curious was when I first fought Hiyent=Helios. Why is she in the capital, and even more so, exist to fight people?
a conspiracy?
“A long time ago, I also had the same question. I even dared to try to ask the emperor of that time.”
“That really was daring.”
“Hahaha, the results of youth aren’t things to be overlooked either.”
black history
Even if he is a Five Emperor, doing something like directly asking the emperor about information that was likely intentionally hidden……. I had heard that he was an unprecedented person when he was young, it really seems to have been true.
what generation wa he?
“I didn’t get to hear the details, but it seems that the imperial family has an existence that is humanity’s trump cad. This partner that I fought to become a Five Emperor is not the type of G.o.d to listen to people either. We’ve fought together until this age, but we have never exchanged a word. He has probably already lost to that trump card and been given orders.”
“Humanity’s trump card…….”
“Envy, have you heard of the current emperor’s, Aberta-sama’s friend?”
“The Emperor’s friend? No, I am not aware……”
“Huh, well it’s already from about ten years ago, so I guess that’s not impossible. About ten years ago, there was talk about this wild, young girl that was coming and going from the palace. According to the palace servants, she was always arguing with the emperor, but in fact, they were also laughing together like friends.”
“And that is humanity’s trump card……? But, since I became a Five Emperor I have not heard of such a thing……”
“This is no more than a rumour, but it seems she left the capital. Betraying the emperor, it seems……..”
“Betrayal…….?”
“It’s nothing more than a rumour. And it is about a girl that I’m not even sure existed, that’s it, Envy.”
“…….Okay.”
……mutsuhime?
I obediently nodded at the words of Ivaal-sama who has lived a long time. Even if I thought about it, I probably cannot find the answer, a great predecessor has told me that in a roundabout way.
dont even try
“I’m, a little tired…….. Once you grow old anything you do tires you, getting old really is unpleasant…….”
…….
As I watched Ivaal-sama whisper that in a steadily vanishing voice, he quietly closed his eyes and seems to have fallen asleep immediately. I most likely cannot save this hero. The only thing such a powerless me could do was to gently lay a coat on that exalted body.
pause
pause
Along the path back to Central, I went to buy cake for Salia as thanks for accepting my request to take care of Nanaki while I went to visit Ivaal-sama. This western confectionery that was somehow revived in this ruined world and can be called the intelligence of humanity, is a phantasmal dish which so little is produced everyday that it is impossible to buy one without pre-ordering. Being able to obtain it immediately just by using the name of Five Emperor is an arrangement only available in the capital.
phantasmal cake
The law in this capital is that talent is absolute, the Five Emperors at the peak are the highest priority in every place after the emperor. n.o.body complains about unfairness, everyone lives in this capital, trying to develop the talents they bear. But, Nanaki calls this capital warped.
well, it is
Occasionally, I don’t understand her thinking, having grown up in the wild. To her, I don’t think things like right or wrong matters to her. That’s why she is strong, that’s why she is scary.
unconstrained
“!”
bop
Suddenly, I received a small impact from behind. Knowing what it was without turning around made me feel that I’ve really spent a lot of time with Nanaki.
nanakitackle
“Prey! You have prey!”
“Not prey, food.”
“Food!”
“Good.”
Envy went hunting
Her action of moving her head closer to the box with the cake in it and sniffing are the remnants of her wildness, no matter how many times I say it, she wouldn’t fix it. She would always try to identify things she sees for the first time using her nose. This also has to be fixed at some point, the road ahead is still long, I could only shrug while thinking these thoughts.
sniffsniff
I wondered for an instant what Salia was doing, but I quickly arrived at the conclusion that Nanaki came at light speed, literally. Having been excited by the sweet smell wafting around, there is no way Nanaki would wait until we got back to the room, one of the cakes that I bought a little extra of had to be sacrificed.
envy came prepared
“Here, aan.”
“Gau”
chomp
The wooden fork was bitten through.
don’t feed with hand
“…….disgusting!”
…
Well, if you eat it along with the fork…….
the end
Warning: Do not feed wild Nanakis with bare hands.