Editing MaruMA:Gaiden04:Chapter 7.1

===He's still not coming back: Chapter 1 ===

There are many unbelievable things in this world.

	One of them is the space where Shinou’s soul resides.

	Besides, almost no one can set foot in this place, and there aren’t many who can see Shinou through the distorted space either. Even the oracle priestesses, who live in the deepest part of the Shinou Shrine and are in charge of receiving and spreading his decrees, cannot really distinguish the great maou’s appearance.






The visible land underneath his feet disappearing, the man takes a few steps back and sits in his chair.

	As soon as the scenery of the sky and earth vanish, the room that seems to be surrounded by glass walls instantly becomes extremely boring. Although his power is immense, Seisakoku is nevertheless a very faraway land. In order to see what’s happening there, the price he has to pay is intense fatigue.

	The man sighs lightly. He doesn’t care about what happens next anyway.

	Even so, he really didn’t think things would come to a conclusion like that.

	The young maou he chose and the Shou Shimaron king with other intentions headed off to Seisakoku together, and now they’re returning to their countries without sowing any seeds of conflict.

	“Why is his brain so imMAture?”

	The problem is in order to make the new king into an adult who prefers peace over war, he had personally chosen a suitable growing environment, and now that personality is showing its flaws.

	If he could maintain the peace in Shin Makoku, that would still be fine, but it’s not fun if everyone else around him mistook him for a coward. If they just think the king is a coward, that’s also fine, but he doesn’t want outsiders to think that Shin Makoku, or even all the mazoku, are weaklings.

	That new king will bring all the luggage piled onto his boat back, right? Would he think it’s better to have one less problem, and throw them away on the journey back? Now that is worrying.

	And so he calls the only person he can talk to over these past hundreds of years.

	“Ulrike.”

	The girl-like priestess walks up to her master slowly.

	Through his eyes, the girl bowing her head looks extremely normal. Petite and slender, with hair long enough to touch the ground, and even the fingers laced in front of her chest, all of these look crystal clear to him.

	But from her perspective, what she sees is probably different.

	“Did you call me, sire?”

	“That’s right.”

	He suddenly thought of something, and shifts his weight to the right armrest, asking,

	“How do you think I look?”

	“May I ask what do you mean…”

	“Well, for example whether I look completely naked except with a sword sheathe or something.”

	“Ah?”

	She raises her head and opens her mouth stupidly. It’s not an expression that fits this priestess particularly.

	“So I don’t even have the sword sheathe?”

	“How could that be! No, no such thing!”

	She immediately covers her lips, her cheeks slightly rosy,

	“It’s as though you are standing in light, sire… No, it looks like you yourself are emanating light, like a humanoid light.”

	“Oh—”

	This means that this long-lived priestess who looks like a little girl has yet to lose that sense of reverence for him.

	“Is that so.”

	Then there shouldn’t be a naked king like in “the Emperor’s New Clothes” as he said.

	“Speaking of which, you know where the previous maous are, right?”

	“Yes, as long as their maryoku hasn’t weakened, I can roughly estimate their location. But if their maryoku has weakened with age, or if they 
voluntarily sealed it away…”

	“Then there’s no way, is it?”

	“…I’m very sorry I can’t be of help to you.”

	“I didn’t say you can’t help me. In any case, you just have to use this power and you can determine which ship the current maou is on, as well as how far he is on his journey, right?”

	“Yes, as long as his mind and body are healthy. These past few days I couldn’t see the light of His Majesty Yuuri’s soul, so His Excellency Gwendal and Princess Greta who were left behind in Blood Pledge Castle were both really worried, but now he has started shining again. Perhaps His Majesty is still very tired, because it’s just a slight sparkle.”

	“You said he’s shining now?”

	“Yes, and it’s a unique oval shape too, so His Eminence must be with him as well. As long as they’re together, the healthy His Majesty the maou is as bright as a meteor.”

	In contrast to the priestess’ expression of relief, he just hmphs disinterestedly. There’s nothing more frustrating than a chess piece that won’t move as you want it to. Is there another piece he could use, one that would obey him and could please him better… He just murmurs to himself.

	“The previous generation? How about the previous previous one?”

	“Her Majesty the previous maou… Ah!”

	Ulrike looks at the black sphere, and says happily,

	“The previous maou Her Majesty Cäcilie is currently touring on the sea.” 

	“Is that so.”

	The main relaxes his face, and says in a good mood,

	“Cäcilie, is it? My adorable Cherie, she’s just too perfect.”

	She gave birth to three Keys using the bloodline closest to him, and raised them according to his wishes.

	“Of course she’s not in the country, but in the public seas far away from Shimaron soil.”

	“There’s nothing to feel bad about. Wherever she is, the previous queen is still the previous queen. What about the others? Other than Cheri and the current maou, who else can you see?”

	“His Majesty the 24th maou is in the north of Shin Makoku, emitting a weak light. Currently he has retired quietly to his clan’s territory, and is living a peaceful life. But His Majesty the 25th maou sealed his maryoku as soon as he abdicated, saying he wanted to become a normal mazoku, and has since been missing…” 

	Listening as the priestess struggles to explain, he stares at the wall directly in front of him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile that cannot be called calm and mature.

	Even though you said, “I won’t let the Boxes and Keys come together.”

	He remembers what that smart ally of his said so very long ago, before they went their separate ways.

	“Owner of the darkness, it seems to me that things aren’t going as you planned.”

	That place seems to be getting very interesting.

	“If that is truly the case, then there is no reason for me to wait here obediently in this damned boring place.”



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