11. The Two Kings

“Look! I can see the border!”

LuciaRose, who was riding at the front of the group, cried out happily. Stretching high into the heavens was the Marineforest border barrier that Aquasteed had once erected.

As LuciaRose gazed in fascination at the beauty of the barrier, the escort knights and the carriages began to arrive one after another.

“We finally made it.”

“Lucia, you push your horse too hard.”

Stillca and Stillio, stepping down from the carriage, stretched their limbs with a loud groan. Their bodies had grown stiff from sitting in the carriage for so long.

“I wish I could have ridden a horse instead of the carriage too…”

“Oh, Rio. You’re the star of the day, so you have to make your appearance in a carriage. I’m a knight, so it’s fine for me.”

Puffing out her chest proudly, LuciaRose was dressed in a pure white knight’s uniform. A slender rapier hung from her left hip, and Grimoire was attached to the other side. Her figure was that of a magic swordsman—or rather, a magic knight.

<The Princess does nothing but reckless things, honestly.>

“See, Grimo says so too.”

“Oh, hush! It doesn’t matter; today is going to be a wonderful day.”

LuciaRose, deciding not to listen to such boorish comments, hurried Stillca and Stillio along, saying, “Hurry, hurry!”

Following behind, TiaraRose and Aquasteed stepped out of their carriage.

“Today is the last time we’ll see this barrier. …It makes me feel a bit lonely.”

“It does. But I’m looking forward to the new barrier the two of them will create.”

“That… I feel the same way.”

Exchanging smiles, TiaraRose and Aquasteed had been looking forward to this day.

Several years had passed since TiaraRose and her husband had begun actively entrusting domestic affairs to Stillca and Stillio. LuciaRose was now twenty-five, while Stillca and Stillio were twenty-three.

Furthermore, LuciaRose had already married Haruka—who entered the family as a husband—and was living in Marineforest. In the end, when they sounded out the idea with Akari, an “OK” came back almost instantly. Aquasteed suspected Hartknights likely held his head in his hands, but given how Akari had him under her thumb, he probably couldn’t offer a strong objection. On their side, however, they were happy to have LuciaRose stay in the country, so they accepted the arrangement without a second thought.

And today was the day the throne would be succeeded from Aquasteed to Stillca and Stillio, and the border barrier would be replaced.

Though the two were still young at twenty-three, they possessed sufficient magical power, wisdom, and the love of the fairies. For those reasons, Aquasteed decided it was best to hand over the throne early.

Lately, TiaraRose and Aquasteed had spent much of their time traveling. They had even been talking about going on a world tour once the throne was completely handed over. Truthfully, they were looking forward to it immensely.

Aquasteed slowly touched the barrier and checked with Stillca and Stillio, “You know the procedure, right?”

“Yes.”

“We’re ready.”

Hearing their replies, Aquasteed nodded and took a step back. Replacing the barrier did not involve any grand ceremony. However, the consumption of magical power when replacing it is quite large, so depending on the King, it can take several days. But for Stillca and Stillio, it would likely be finished in an instant.

“Well then, shall we begin the re-erection?”

“Yeah.”

As Stillca and Stillio touched the barrier, the sky suddenly brightened. Appearing there were the Forest Fairy King Keith, the Sea Fairy King Sizulia, and the Sky Fairy King Percy. Their respective fairies showered down celebratory flowers. It was a blessing from the fairies.

“I didn’t think the generation change would happen this soon. So, can runts like you two really handle being King?”

At Keith’s teasing words, Stillio puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

” I’ve studied, so I’ll be fine. Besides, if anything happens, Keith will lend us his strength, right?”

“Ho-ho, listen to you. True… if Rio cries and begs me, I might consider it.”

As Keith chuckled, Stillca said with a serious face, “In that case, we shall do so.”

“No way, I’m not going to cry.”

“Ahaha, what a shame.”

Next, Sizulia and Percy approached them.

“The birth of new Kings. Congratulations on your accession.”

“Congratulations. Let us protect Marineforest together from now on.”

Hearing the greetings from Sizulia and Percy, Stillca and Stillio nodded. By joining forces with the Fairy Kings, Marineforest would surely become an even better country.

“Thank you very much.”

“We look forward to working with you.”

Stillca and Stillio exchanged handshakes with Sizulia and Percy.

“Now then, we shall begin replacing the barrier.”

“Yes, we’re counting on you.”

At Stillca’s signal, Stillca and Stillio began flowing their magic into the barrier Aquasteed had erected.

Rising from the earth toward the heavens, Aquasteed’s barrier was slowly rewritten. The barrier once engraved with TiaraRose’s floral patterns transformed into a design featuring Stillca’s moon and Stillio’s sun as motifs. The shimmering, rainbow-colored light was mystical and beautiful, capturing the eyes of everyone present. Even the knights who had come along as guards found themselves staring at the sight.

“So this is Luca and Rio’s barrier. It’s warm and truly wonderful.”

LuciaRose felt very happy to see Stillca and Stillio’s barrier. At the same time, she swore deeply in her heart that she would absolutely protect this precious country to the end.

Bang, bang-bang! Colorful fireworks rose into the bright sky. Today, a festival was being held to commemorate the accession of Stillca and Stillio to the throne. The Royal Capital of Marineforest was bustling, filled with many visitors.

In the plaza, dancers performed and bards played songs. Everyone’s eyes sparkled at the joyful sight of falling flowers as they prayed for Marineforest’s prosperity and celebrated the accession of the two princes.

Walking down the main street of this city was a trio wearing deep hoods.

“Is it really okay to sneak out of the castle? Luca, Rio! Shouldn’t we go back now? After all, the parade is starting soon.”

“There’s still a little time before then, so it’s fine.”

It was Stillca who responded to the worried voice.

“We’ll be too busy after this to even see the festival. It would be lonely to not participate when everyone is celebrating our accession, wouldn’t it?”

“Honestly…”

The carefree voice came from Stillio. And the one who followed them despite her worry was Elene. Elene served as their caretaker. Since she grasped the arrangements and schedule for today, she had a troubled look, as if saying “there is and isn’t time for this.”

In a few hours, Stillca and Stillio were scheduled to hold a parade to debut their accession. Technically, it was free time until then, but there were countless things to do—greetings to the nobles, preparations, rehearsals.

However, more than those things, Stillca and Stillio wanted to participate in the festival and see the faces and lives of the citizens. If they listened closely, they could hear the voices directed toward them.

“The new Kings are still young, aren’t they?”

“But they are the children of His Majesty Aquasteed and Queen TiaraRose.”

“They are loved by the fairies and think seriously about the country… I think it’s good.”

“Come to think of it, I heard they are actively supporting the orphanages.”

“They developed magic tools, and the city lights have increased too.”

“It’s become very comfortable to live here.”

Hearing these happy voices, Stillca’s cheeks naturally softened. While he liked being shut away in his research of magic tools, it was also fun to come to the city like this and hear the results.

“Ah, Elene. There’s a delicious-looking stall over there.”

“You like those, don’t you? The tapioca drinks Lady Pearl thought up.”

“Ah— I do like them very much, but…”

Finding a stall selling tapioca milk tea, Elene’s feet were drawn toward it. Stillca and Stillio followed on either side of her, like knights.

“…You two like tapioca milk tea as well, don’t you?”

Elene huffed, telling them not to make it sound like she was the only glutton. Finding her reaction cute, Stillca and Stillio laughed and bought three tapioca milk teas.

Eating as they walked, looking at the stalls and buying interesting ornaments, enjoying the songs and dances… before they knew it, two hours had passed in a flash. Surely they would be scolded if they didn’t return soon.

“Let’s head back to the castle, Luca, Rio.”

“You’re right.”

“I wanted to look around more, but it can’t be helped.”

Elene began walking quickly toward the castle. However, Stillca and Stillio followed at a leisurely pace, leaving Elene in a state of constant anxiety. If they were late, the parade wouldn’t be able to start.

“Come, please hurry! Luca, Rio!”

Elene’s distressed voice echoed through the city, but Stillca just laughed, saying “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Riding in a magnificent, open-top carriage, Stillca and Stillio made a circuit around the Royal Capital. Stillca wore a white formal robe adorned with the moon. Stillio wore white formal knight’s attire adorned with the sun. Each had been tailored specifically for this occasion and suited them perfectly.

Whenever they waved, cheers of “Kyaa!” erupted from all directions, with everyone celebrating the accession of the new Kings. Hearing the repeated cries of “Congratulations” was joyful, but Stillca and Stillio realized it also placed an immense amount of pressure upon them.

“Father and the others endured this weight all this time? Amazing.”

“…I wonder if I can live up to these cheers.”

To Stillio’s slightly weak-hearted comment, Stillca laughed, “That’s why we became Kings as a pair, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. With Luca here, I’m invincible and as strong as a hundred men.”

“That’s my line. With Rio here, I can get you to do anything.”

“I’m the one doing it!?”

“Yes. I’m the one who thinks, and Rio is the one who executes.”

“That way it’ll be just right, won’t it?” Stillca said, his mouth curving into an arc. Stillio thought that in that case, the responsibility would be split in half and it might be a bit easier.

Stillca thinks of the ideas, and he executes them. Certainly, if they were to be Kings together, that would be just about right.

“Yeah, I feel like I can manage things well too.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Stillca and Stillio laughed together in the carriage and once again waved broadly toward Marineforest. Thus, the two young Kings were born in Marineforest.

End of 221