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shivalriesChapter 2: Kingdom on the Chessboard
T/N: Yuu is the protagonist of Merc Storia, and Merc is his companion, a little fairy girl trapped in a bottle.
---
[Recruitment House]
Yuu: There’s no one here, huh…? Did they just forget to turn off the light?
I wondered what was going on here, with the light still on so late at night.
Merc: But that’s weird. I definitely saw someone through the window just now.
Yuu: Hmm. Maybe they just left for a while?
Merc: (Myu, I don’t want to really think about it, but maybe they noticed us and hid…?)
(Maybe the culprit is watching us from the shadow of a pillar right now~!)
Yuu: (H-Hey, don’t scare me! What do you mean, culprit? Like there’s some kind of crime…?)
Hm? Hey, what’s this…?
Merc: Umm, Yuu-san? What’s wrong? You suddenly stopped.
Yuu: No, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. There’s a picture book on the table.
Merc: It doesn’t seem to belong to the recruitment house. A customer must have left it here.
Yuu: But even so, isn’t this weird? This picture book’s been left open. There are butterfly and flower bookmarks scattered around it.
Merc: I see, I smell a serious incident! By the way, what’s in this picture book?
Yuu: Uh, it seems like the colors are really bright? At a glance, it looks like something a kid doodled as a prank.
The story is, umm… It’s pretty inconsistent, like a puzzle? It’s all jumbled up and hard to read, you know…?
“Now is the triumphant return of our great king. All those who dwell in the Kingdom of Conceit, rejoice!
The chess soldiers were wandering about in preparation for the celebratory feast. On the side, one could see a marching band of animals holding instruments.
It was the kingdom built by him, for him alone. No one could ever predict what would pop out - it was a fantastic, mysterious box of surprises...♪”
[Leo Kingdom - Town]
???: A town, on the water’s surface…? What am I doing here?
Hmm, there’s something gondola-looking floating over there? Did I leave Belmont and arrive in Venice? To save a beloved trader friend of mine?♪ [1]
There are three suns!☆ Rainbow rings around the castle♪ Wahaha, there’s no Venice as weird as this one♪
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koton.
???: Hmm? Something strange came walking up?
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koto koto.
???: Ohh, now they’re coming in swarms♪ I haven’t a clue who you are though, ucchu~☆
???(2): Kotton~☆
???: Wahahaha♪ Life brings strange things sometimes~ But of course “ucchu~☆” is a shared greeting throughout all the universe♪
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koto.
???: Mu, what’s wrong, you guys? You’re all lining up like soldiers.
Like pawns from chess. Wahaha, trying to bury yourself in your surroundings is a sign of corruption, you know~? Don’t just accept things and get complacent.
Pawn (x3): Koton! Koto koton!
???: Hey, I can’t move, you guys! Why are you all gathering around me?!
Pawn: Koto koto koto. Koto koto koto.
???: Because it’s “the triumphant return of the king”? Hold on a sec, I have no idea what you’re talking about! I don’t remember becoming your king!
Speaking of which, do you all live here? I want to go back to a place called Yumenosaki Academy. Do you know where it is?
Pawn: Koton! Koto koto koton!
???: Hmmm. “I know not, but please make haste”? What, suddenly you’re all being so insolent?!
Wah, don’t drag me?! Hey, don’t treat the outfit so roughly…?
That’s strange~? Was I wearing the Knight Killers outfit?
Wahaha, oh well. The Judgment stage, huh~♪ How nostalgic, wearing it now☆
I even got a hand from that blockhead “emperor” that time, to crush Knights, my old home.
Pawn: Koton koto koto! Koto koto koton!
???: “The sun will sink if we idle about here. O Great King, let us make way to the palace”, huh?
Hmm. You’re all pretty shady, but you also seem weirdly familiar.
I don’t even know what’s going on here in the first place. I’ll just go along with you guys for now.♪
Wahaha☆ Since I have the chance, maybe I’ll use my imagination~♪
Pawn: Koton! Koto koto koto!
???: Hyah?! Wait, careful, don’t push me from behind!
Pawn: Koto koto♪ Kotton♪
???: Heeey, it’s nice that you seem chipper! You called me “Great King”, but your treatment of me is pretty weird, yeah?
???(3): I’ve found him. So he has gotten mixed up in here.
It appears it wasn’t because he’d given up on life that the picture book’s paths closed.
But, how strange. The “heart reflection mirror” I gave him is a magical picture book that can reflect the contents of one’s inner heart.
It should only piece together the shape of the brilliant heart. It should have no power to bring him into its world.
I don’t understand. Why was he summoned here…?
The picture book must have been tampered with… while I wasn’t looking?
Well, no matter. The difficult and unique path he has walked up until now… it is not destined to end here.
There must be some reason to him being called here. I will observe him from afar for now.
---
[1] This is a reference to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
---
< Chapter 1: Midday Dream || Merc Storia Masterlist || Chapter 3: The Brilliant Knights >
T/N: Yuu is the protagonist of Merc Storia, and Merc is his companion, a little fairy girl trapped in a bottle.
---
[Recruitment House]
Yuu: There’s no one here, huh…? Did they just forget to turn off the light?
I wondered what was going on here, with the light still on so late at night.
Merc: But that’s weird. I definitely saw someone through the window just now.
Yuu: Hmm. Maybe they just left for a while?
Merc: (Myu, I don’t want to really think about it, but maybe they noticed us and hid…?)
(Maybe the culprit is watching us from the shadow of a pillar right now~!)
Yuu: (H-Hey, don’t scare me! What do you mean, culprit? Like there’s some kind of crime…?)
Hm? Hey, what’s this…?
Merc: Umm, Yuu-san? What’s wrong? You suddenly stopped.
Yuu: No, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. There’s a picture book on the table.
Merc: It doesn’t seem to belong to the recruitment house. A customer must have left it here.
Yuu: But even so, isn’t this weird? This picture book’s been left open. There are butterfly and flower bookmarks scattered around it.
Merc: I see, I smell a serious incident! By the way, what’s in this picture book?
Yuu: Uh, it seems like the colors are really bright? At a glance, it looks like something a kid doodled as a prank.
The story is, umm… It’s pretty inconsistent, like a puzzle? It’s all jumbled up and hard to read, you know…?
“Now is the triumphant return of our great king. All those who dwell in the Kingdom of Conceit, rejoice!
The chess soldiers were wandering about in preparation for the celebratory feast. On the side, one could see a marching band of animals holding instruments.
It was the kingdom built by him, for him alone. No one could ever predict what would pop out - it was a fantastic, mysterious box of surprises...♪”
[Leo Kingdom - Town]
???: A town, on the water’s surface…? What am I doing here?
Hmm, there’s something gondola-looking floating over there? Did I leave Belmont and arrive in Venice? To save a beloved trader friend of mine?♪ [1]
There are three suns!☆ Rainbow rings around the castle♪ Wahaha, there’s no Venice as weird as this one♪
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koton.
???: Hmm? Something strange came walking up?
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koto koto.
???: Ohh, now they’re coming in swarms♪ I haven’t a clue who you are though, ucchu~☆
???(2): Kotton~☆
???: Wahahaha♪ Life brings strange things sometimes~ But of course “ucchu~☆” is a shared greeting throughout all the universe♪
???(2): Koto koto. Koto koto koto.
???: Mu, what’s wrong, you guys? You’re all lining up like soldiers.
Like pawns from chess. Wahaha, trying to bury yourself in your surroundings is a sign of corruption, you know~? Don’t just accept things and get complacent.
Pawn (x3): Koton! Koto koton!
???: Hey, I can’t move, you guys! Why are you all gathering around me?!
Pawn: Koto koto koto. Koto koto koto.
???: Because it’s “the triumphant return of the king”? Hold on a sec, I have no idea what you’re talking about! I don’t remember becoming your king!
Speaking of which, do you all live here? I want to go back to a place called Yumenosaki Academy. Do you know where it is?
Pawn: Koton! Koto koto koton!
???: Hmmm. “I know not, but please make haste”? What, suddenly you’re all being so insolent?!
Wah, don’t drag me?! Hey, don’t treat the outfit so roughly…?
That’s strange~? Was I wearing the Knight Killers outfit?
Wahaha, oh well. The Judgment stage, huh~♪ How nostalgic, wearing it now☆
I even got a hand from that blockhead “emperor” that time, to crush Knights, my old home.
Pawn: Koton koto koto! Koto koto koton!
???: “The sun will sink if we idle about here. O Great King, let us make way to the palace”, huh?
Hmm. You’re all pretty shady, but you also seem weirdly familiar.
I don’t even know what’s going on here in the first place. I’ll just go along with you guys for now.♪
Wahaha☆ Since I have the chance, maybe I’ll use my imagination~♪
Pawn: Koton! Koto koto koto!
???: Hyah?! Wait, careful, don’t push me from behind!
Pawn: Koto koto♪ Kotton♪
???: Heeey, it’s nice that you seem chipper! You called me “Great King”, but your treatment of me is pretty weird, yeah?
???(3): I’ve found him. So he has gotten mixed up in here.
It appears it wasn’t because he’d given up on life that the picture book’s paths closed.
But, how strange. The “heart reflection mirror” I gave him is a magical picture book that can reflect the contents of one’s inner heart.
It should only piece together the shape of the brilliant heart. It should have no power to bring him into its world.
I don’t understand. Why was he summoned here…?
The picture book must have been tampered with… while I wasn’t looking?
Well, no matter. The difficult and unique path he has walked up until now… it is not destined to end here.
There must be some reason to him being called here. I will observe him from afar for now.
---
[1] This is a reference to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
---
< Chapter 1: Midday Dream || Merc Storia Masterlist || Chapter 3: The Brilliant Knights >
