Serialized Novel "Obostella" [Chapter 2] Episode 44 "To My Companions" (4)
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…However, Knife, who should have returned home, came back to the shop in less than ten minutes.
"Oh, Knife?"
"The water... it's not coming out..."
"Huh?"
Noticing that it was noisy outside, the three of them stepped out of the shop. People who had come out of their own shops were talking about something in hushed tones. The owner of a nearby inn spoke to Knife.
"Ah, Knife. It's a disaster. It seems the water supply system has broken down, and the water from the lake isn't reaching us anymore."
"What! Really?"
"They say the equipment might have broken due to the heavy rain a while ago, but it's been too many days for that to be the cause. Everyone is saying it's the curse of the giant bird we saw yesterday. I don't believe it, though."
"...!"
Ricardo and Gonan exchanged glances. The giant bird again...
"What are we going to do about water?"
Gonan asked Ricardo with an anxious look. Gonan knew all too well the terror of running out of water.
"Ah, it'll be fine. This city has abundant groundwater and many wells, so most places get their drinking water from there. It's just that using water for daily chores will be inconvenient. There's still plenty of water in the lake; it hasn't dried up, and once it's repaired, things will return to normal."
"I see..."
Gonan looked relieved. The three returned inside the shop, sat on the sofa feeling aimless, and fell silent for a while.
So many things have been happening one after another. It feels like we're being dragged into it, but...
"...The curse of the giant bird... So it really is..."
Gonan broke the silence. Not only did it dry up the northern village, but it's now spreading misfortune even to this glamorous city... A feeling of helplessness, bordering on anger, welled up inside Gonan's chest.
Just then, Milia came down the stairs.
"It's not the giant bird, it's my star of misfortune, surely."
She must have heard the commotion outside. Elene, who had become quite accustomed to her role as an "attendant," followed behind her.
"...Milia... That, too, is just a superstition."
"Why do you believe in the curse of the giant bird, yet call my star of misfortune a superstition? It is a fact that many misfortunes occur around me. You cannot prove it's a superstition, can you?"
Saying this, she sat on the sofa opposite Ricardo.
"Hey, Ricardo. I've been thinking after hearing what Gonan said earlier. As Gonan said, I take pride in being a princess, and there is no doubt that I want to remain one. But even so, it seems I am not permitted to be a princess."
Milia began to speak, looking straight at Ricardo. Ricardo didn't know why she stubbornly insisted that she was "not permitted," but he was overwhelmed and found himself waiting for her next words.
"That's why I want to think about what I should do while traveling with you all. Whether I should yield the throne to Sally, have my star of misfortune removed, or something else entirely... And if we can obtain the egg, then that wish..."
"...Milia, that's why..."
Ricardo held his head in his hands.
"As it stands, the world treats 'granting wishes' as a fairy tale. It's too heavy a burden for me to drag you around for that purpose, and there are security concerns as well. I couldn't bear the responsibility if something were to happen to you. Your life is so precious that my life alone wouldn't be enough to compensate for it."
"..."
"Besides, Gonan and I also have wishes we want to grant with the egg. If, by any chance, we were to obtain the egg, wouldn't we end up fighting over it?"
Hearing this, Elene chimed in from the side.
"Come to think of it, I've been wondering about this for a while, but... does the giant bird only lay one egg?"
"...Huh?"
"Well, if the giant bird has a mate and shares the same ecology as the birds we know, continuing to reproduce, wouldn't it be possible for it to lay multiple eggs? Considering that the legend of the egg is spread all over the world, I feel as though it has brought happiness many times in many places in the past..."
"..."
It was worth her interest in Ricardo's thesis. Ricardo's eyes lit up slightly at Elene's analysis of the giant bird, but he immediately returned to a troubled expression.
"...Elene... that is a very interesting idea, and I would love to discuss it with you, but I wish you hadn't said that right here, right now..."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Elene shrugged.
"...Regardless, I cannot take you with me. I will help you think of a way to return to the castle."
Ricardo told Milia flatly. Gonan looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to speak under Ricardo's intense gaze. Knife was leaning back on the sofa with an expression that suggested she didn't care about anything anymore, watching the situation unfold.
"...I see..."
Milia lowered her eyes and looked sad.
"...That is very unfortunate."
"I wish I had the strength and the means to properly protect you. I'm sorry, even though you relied on me."
Ricardo's smile softened slightly, sensing that Milia might finally give up. Milia turned her sad expression toward Ricardo.
"...Ricardo, if you won't take me on your journey, then I will have to tell the military to detain you and escort you to the royal castle."
"Excuse me?"
Ricardo leaned forward, thinking that Milia had started saying something outrageous again.
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