Mayor Jun Kardui

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[Kardui]

Is this how people feel when they lose blood?

The feeling of magical powers oozing out of my body...

Sorry. I'm a little bit tired.

[Hisie]

Wait...leave him alone.

He just fell asleep.

He must be very tired from replacing the magical powers of the Orb.

I'm not so happy about it, but Avant is in the process of making something that will replace the Orb's inner core.

If he suceeds, things will be the way they used to be, right?

Seriously...I can't believe I have to ask him a favor.

....

My head is cluttered with too many things.

The brains of Mayor is supposed to be filled with hundreds of thousands of drawers...

But this is way beyond that.

Ah, I just want to whine. Where did my brother go...?

If other Laphines see me like this, they'll probably be frightened.

Ahahahahahaha-

You see. I feel like either knowledges of a thousand years or memories of a ten thousand years is so useless.

I'm racking my brains searching through all the memories, informations, and history of every Mayor,

but there's no such thing as ways of fighting against the king of demons.

I should probably leave this to an expert?

Mmm...

I don't know who you are, but could you wait until I call you?

I'll have to meet you some day, but now is not the right time.

Welcome to Eclage, stranger.

... this was a popular way of greeting each other, but I guess it's not fun anymore.

Anyway, you who came from a long way away

and reconized by the guardian.

There is a truth that you would like to tell me?

If that's the case, you will be very busy from now on.

You have to do a lot of work in order to convince me, the elders, and many other Laphines.

Of couse I could trust everything you say,

but will other Laphines accept a Mayor Jun who is swayed by a word of a foreigner?

Especially when that Mayor Jun is me. Ah...

Don't you understand?

Here, in Eclage, You have to get more recognition from Laphines.

See, you understood it right.

Um.

I know.

You don't have to make a face.

No matter what I look like to you, I am the history and the spirit of Laphines, and also the protector of Yggdrasil.

Do you think I, who inherited the will of Yggdrasil, don't know anything?

I don't blame you since it is ignorance.

The war of Jotunheim will soon be over.

And it will happen not by constraint, but as a result of mutual agreement.

So, stranger,

don't worry about it and do you want to work with me for Eclage?

Hmm...

I'll tell you when we get closer to each other.

I'm not obligated to talk about this important subject with a person I just met.

For now, I will tell the administrative ruler, the elders, and all the guards

about you,

and you will enjoy all the rights in Eclage as a person who works for the king.

It's a part of building relationships with me, the king of a race. You don't like it?

If that's the case, I guess there's no friendship between the two of us.

Us?

Umm...

Friends who share their secrets from now on?

..Haha...wasn't it funny?

What's up with that face.

Anyway, I allow you to visit anytime.

However, if you don't meet my expectation, you won't get anything.

I'll be looking forward to seeing you, stranger who will be my friend.

Now, you who work for the king!

Work your fingers to the bone for me!

...It's a joke.

I truly want you to become an important figure in Eclage.

Even if you don't, I want you to be recognized as a harmless person who gives benefit to Eclage.

It's going to be tough, but think of it as having insurance.

Some day, a person who remembers your name will be a great help to you.

It looks like you've been doing well.

All I wanted was for you to gain recognition in Eclage, and I didn't intend anything bad by what I did.

Seriously, I called you again right away, didn't I?

.....

You think I did it on purpose to trick you.

I had no intention to do that.

The reason I requested your presence today is

to tell you the unfinished story from the other day. So, I hope you feel better.

Really? What a relief.

Should I continue then?

You were trying to tell me about the confrontation around Yggdrasil the other day.

Now, it's my turn to tell you how I got to know about that.

Listen and just forget what I'm about to tell you.

Yggdrasil and its protector are connected to each other and are able to communicate to a certain extent.

I even knew through Yggdrasil that the strange incident that happened inside the tree was not because of the excessive mining.

It's only natural for you to wonder why.

But when they detected something strange inside Yggdrasil, I couldn't communicate with Yggdrasil for some reason.

So I dispatched a research group in an effort to find out what happened.

But even the research group couldn't come up with better ideas.

According to their report, it was due to the excessive mining.

You already know what happened next.

[

...Mayor Jun could not communicate with Yggdrasil?

What about now?

Everything's fine, of course.

I'm sitting here, yet I have an insight into every truth.

At that time, it might have been the best way to go.

Communicating with Yggdrasil was possible only after the war began and everything became irremediable.

When Mayor Jun was disconnected from Yggdrasil,

there appeared an evil spirit that we've never seen before.

To make things even worse, other protector betrayed and failed in his duty.

No one knew what was going on at that time.

The Mayor Jun, who was disconnected from Yggdrasil for a moment, could not go on

and became obsolete.

So, there came another Mayor Jun, which is me.

After realizing it, I pondered about ways to untangle this twisted truth

for a long long time.

Since I have some problems to resolve myself, too...

Have you met the ones who participated in sealing and purification in regard to the nest of the guardians?

They are the ones among the very few who know the truth.

But they say the same thing.

That it is too late to stop the war.

That this war has been going on for a good while and both sides are too proud to give in.

However, a third party came into the scene unexpectedly.

That is, you, humans.

By the entrance of you people, both Saphas and Laphines are distracted.

I'm trying to use this as an opportunity to change Laphines' thinking.

Saphas, the giants of Jotunheim, know already

that we are not each other's enemy.

So, you don't need to worry too much.

That's why I'm telling you this long story needlessly.

This is the problem that I, Mayor Jun, should solve.

Are you relieved now?

Or are you still worried?

No matter how you feel, I'm sure most of your questions are answered.

Although all your questions are answered, come to see me from time to time.

I might look pretty busy, but actually, I get bored, too.

Oh, by the way, I told the Chief of Staff to give you something.

I have a gift for you. Go and ask the Chief of Staff.

You will find it useful.

Isn't that brooch really really cute?

You can use it to come to Eclage anytime.

This is all I can do for your convenience right now.

Long time no see.

Is there anything you want from me?

That? What is 'that?'

If you ask in a third-person determiner without any context, I wouldn't understand...

I'm a tyrant? Ahahahahaha

That's the best joke I've ever heard.

I've never done any act of tyranny or forced to execute anything at all...

Misery? The cause of misery...

Is that an expression about me?

Where have you been and what have you been doing? Why are you saying these random things?

What you're saying is that Laphines are looking at me with distrust and that they are worried, right?

Haha...I know already, but thanks for caring and telling me this in person.

However, you should be more careful or think again before saying something like that.

Others might think you're telling me this to make mischief between me and Laphines.

Anyway, I'm already like your friend in your heart?

Only a friend would be worried about those rumors.

Well, even if you weren't, let's just say that you were worried about me. I want to make a close friend of you.

Do you remember what I told you before?

We're going to be friends who share secrets.

To celebrate our friendship, I'll tell you my secrets.

Mayor Jun is the one who inherited all the memories of the kings of many generations.

That is, the memories of every king, from the first Mayor Jun to the late Mayor Jun.

It is a vast collection of information and a whirlpool of emotions at the same time.

Also, it is the reason for Donas' existence. Donas are ready to be used anytime.

If something ever happens and I die from it,

then all the memories are transferred to one of the Donas and he becomes a new king, a Mayor Jun.

It's because I'm half Dona and half Papang.

Having mixed blood in the lineage of Dona, a prospective Mayor Jun...

It would be the most frightful thing to Laphines.

Actually I'm not the first king with mixed blood.

However, the first mixed-blood king was a complete tyrant, unfortunately.

Having a mixed-blood king itself is frightful for Laphines. But thinking about the possibility of inheriting the violent nature of the previous mixed-blood king...

I understand their uneasiness.

I tried not to show it, but I was sad and distressed for a while after inheriting that memory.

Upon becoming Mayor, I can no longer forget things. So I can't even forget about it.

Seneth, the first king with mixed blood, hated and cursed the fact that he has mixed blood, which led him toward total destruction.

What Laphines are worried about right now is the same. They're worried that Mayor Jun would fail in his duty and lose his mind...

Haha...the more they're worried, the harder I should try.

Even though I'm half breed, which is discriminated against, I will fulfill my duties

and I will never avoid my fate like Seneth.

It was boring and long story.

It's good to have someone to whom I can open up myself and talk.

That's how I've been enduring all this time.

I sometimes think to myself. If only Seneth had someone he could talk to,

things would have been different...

Now that I think about it, I answered two of your questions already!

I'll give you a chance to pay back next time. Just wait for it!

How do you like staying in Eclage?

Since you people don't have wings, we've made roads for your convenience...

By the way, I'm going to stop talking in a serious manner when talking to you.

Even though I'm Mayor, I sometimes want to act my age.

Mayor is like an endless cycle of previous lives,

and being Mayor is like living hundreds of lives..

...When I'm overwhelmed with all the memories, I act like an old man who is thousands of years old before I know it.

Sometimes I feel like it would be nice to live as Kardui, not as Kardui the Mayor Jun.

Of course I've never tried to do so.

So, the two of us should build good relationships.

I was going to tell you when we first met,

but isn't it difficult for you to travel around Eclage?

It will be better for you to improve your skills.

You'll be able to see more then.

You should work on it since I can't protect you outside of Eclage.

Have you been to Bifrost Tower?

Ah, that's tood bad.

It's one of the main attractions of Eclage.

Then I can trust you and give some works.

My brother is in Bifrost Tower,

and I would like you to deliver a letter to him.

Since this is something personal, I'm aksing you, my friend. Will you do it for me?

Think of this as a way of paying me back.

You will find him on the top floor of Bifrost Tower.

He lives there.

Give him this, please.

Kardui gave a letter to you.

Go to the top floor of Bifrost Tower and give this letter to my brother.

You'll know when you get there.

Isn't my brother so cool?

He is the only one who understands how I feel.

He is the one who comforted me and made my hatred go away.

If it wasn't for him, I would have become like Seneth, who knows?

The other one is pretty important, too. I'll be counting on you!

So, is there any progress...?

...

Huh? Brother?

It's been a while

since the last time we talked to each other like this.

I just did.

I think the security is not as tight as before.

I had no trouble getting in.

I feel like I'm dreaming.

So, if the security is like this, will I be able to see you everyday?

They should keep it this way.

No, brother. Just stay here.

Don't go back to the tower...

You'll get in trouble then.

I'll come more often instead. That should be enough.

I understand that you're so happy to see your brother, but this is enough.

Aren't you embarrassed? I almost felt sick...

If you felt sick, then it's a big problem.

If you ever get sick, I'll guarantee your living from now on.

Poor thing...

Ah, you're right.

So, there must have been some progress since both of you are here together?

It feels so new now that I see you with my own eyes.

I don't know how this sounds to you, but I think it's a good thing that you became Mayor.

Eh? Brother, what do you mean?

You're joking...

I mean it's good to see you bright and cheerful.

If I go on, your companion will really get sick, so I'll get to the point.

I found out where Avant is.

He's living in Eclage.

Moreover, I think he's into some kind of experiments.

No way, is he doing something weird again?

Even if he isn't, I want to interrupt him so badly.

Hehehe...

Me, too.

I don't know what it is, but I would like to see his work.

Avant hates something exceptional that happens out of his routine, right?

Let's make it happen. Let's make tons of exceptional situations.

Should we go now?

Get ready. Let's go.

Go to Avant's laboratory and see what kind of research he is doing.

If it's something useless, it's even better to mess up his research materials.

Just thinking about it makes me so excited!

Take care of my brother, please.

I heard your story from my brother already.

You took care of Avant with your bare hands, right?

puhehehe...

Anyway, I had no idea he would be doing a research on things like this.

Brother, you know what it means, right?

This is a research on extracting the magical powers of the Orb.

He must have gone crazy.

He has been doing everything that is prohibited since forever...

Well...but thanks to that, we're here.

It's soooo irritating though.

Oh...right.

Anyway, this time, he has gone too far.

Did you expect this when you told me to find Avant all of a sudden?

Well, I don't know. I just felt something uneasy from Yggdrasil.

I didn't know what exactly it was, but while I was pondering on it, Avant just came across my mind.

You might think they're not related at all, but the Orb is the essence of all magical powers of us Laphines.

You could say that it is filled with a tremendous amount of magical powers.

If one could extract magical powers from the Orb, just like Avant's research,

he gets to possess great power with no effort.

If somebody steals magical powers from the Orb with ulterior motives and starts using it...

It's a disaster.

When looking at the results, he was close to completing the research.

It's a relief if we're the only ones that know about the results of this research...

The Orb is in danger if there is anyone else who knows about it.

I will heighten security around it.

I will question Avant persistently.

What are you going to do?

I'm glad to hear that.

The Orb is going to be alright if you help us.

Whatever.

You have to keep what you've seen and heard to yourself.

You understand?

Thank you brother.

Both of you should leave the Orb to me and take some rest.

And promise me to keep it secret.

This is a present for you.

I hope my magical powers help you improve.

So, do you guys have any good news?

What was Avant researching about?

What's that look for?

You didn't bring anything?

Did you forget and leave it somewhere? Go bring it.

I commanded the guards to strengthen security patrols around the Orb.

They seemed quite confused since it's all so sudden but...

I'm sure everyone will come forward in honor since it's for the sake of the Orb.

No one would argue when it comes to protecting the Orb.

So, you and my brother talked about such things.

Now that I think about it, he was sponsoring Avant.

No, more precisely, he didn't know that the scholar he was sponsoring was actually Avant.

Anyway, I don't have a say in his personal sponsorship matters.

Just like my brother said, we'd be so glad if you help us.

We need your help.

I've been waiting for you. My brother told me about you.

Since I was so focused on finding Avant, I totally forgot about the Chief of Staff.

Did you find out anything?

On the surface, there is no room for doubt.

He sponsored a scholar by chance, whom he happened to meet by another chance.

Did you tell him that the scholar is Avant?

Did you tell him about the research, too?

But in the end, Shenime didn't know anything about the scholar he was sponsoring and he had no idea about the scholar's personal research?

But he could be pretending not to know anything when he actually knows everything.

We can't find out anything this way...

It's too bad...

So, it's more likely that Avant did a research on his own?

By the way, every Laphine has a great interest in the Orb.

Get you involved? What does that mean?

Tell him about the conversation you had with Shenime.

...Wow..if he doesn't trust me that much, why does he still let me be in this place?

Is it because the authority of Mayor is not transferable unless I die?

No matter how hard I've tried, I guess it wasn't enough to cure mistrusts among them.

Although I was aware of it, hearing it again makes me feel lonely.

Don't take it seriously.

Let them think whatever they want to and leave them alone.

Kar, you just have to remain steadfast in your beliefs.

All that aside, I'm sure Shenime is hiding something.

Otherwise, he wouldn't let a foreigner like you be in charge of the Orb.

You're right, my brother.

He told you to wait and see? A witness hoping that I'm normal?

I thought he was different from other officials and treated me without prejudice, but it was all a lie...

Kar, he is just one of many Laphines out there.

You know it already. It's nothing new.

It's okay. Some day, everyone will recognize

that you're not a doll that needs to be protected, but a ture Mayor.

Right. If I'm just carried away by my feelings, I'm not different from Seneth.

Let's think about the problems we're facing right now.

It seems like I always ask you a favor.

Please help me again this time.

Why is Shenime trying to get you involved in this. Of course he has his reasons like witness or evidence or whatever...

I'm sure there's something more.

I can't get rid of this anxiety..

And it's about you, the Orb, and Shenime.

But I feel so reassured knowing that you, who could be the key to the case, are on my side.

I don't know why Shenime is trying to get you involved, but you should approach him actively.

I'll be counting on you.

I'll be staying here for a while, so come straight here anytime if you ever find anything.

Thanks.

I want to know what this anxiety is about.

Could this be a warning sign coming from Yggdrasil?

I hope my fears about Shenime are unfounded.

I can't be sure of anything right now.

So, I'll leave Shenime into your hands.

There's nothing I can do to help you since I'm not the one who reigns here.

Sorry for asking you too many favors.

Gosh, it's getting even more interesting!

Why on earth is he doing that?

Every Laphine knows about the lightings in the ceiling.

But there is a huge difference between knowing it and letting someone else know it on purpose.

I would like to question him myself, but since you're involved, it will eventually look like I'm the one who caused all this.

Don't be impatient.

Nothing has happened yet.

Instead, shouldn't we be thinking about how to deal with Shenime in the future?

We have to find out why the Chief of Staff want to take you to the lighting room.

Do we just have to wait and see for now.

....What we can do...right now...

I guess there's no other way.

Just in case, I'll send additional troops there.

Do whatever Shenime wants you to do.

For now, we just have to believe...that Shenime did all this unintentionally.

It's all my fault...for making you...go through this.

I'm sorry...

Laphines don't know yet.

Although the Orb's inner core is gone, my brother and I are collecting our magical powers and supplying the Orb constantly.

It's a trick of the eye though...but no one noticed it.

Surprisingly, our magical powers were pretty strong.

Haha...do we have to thank Avant for this?

I'm just two to three times more tired than usual.

If you're asking me about how I feel, magical powers are oozing of my body and it doesn't feel that great.

Would I be able to collect these abundant magical powers and fill the Orb's inner core?

......Don't work too hard.

No matter how much I help, our magical powers will reach the limit some day.

Let's think about that later.

Anyway...I heard from Nydhog.

The Chief of Staff seemed to be manipulated by a subordinate of Morocc.

How could I have not known.

...Was I really a king in name only...

We have to take care of the Orb and Shenime, but the biggest problem right now is

Everyone should keep that in mind.

I see. The situation is not good since the elders is blaming you for the incident that took place in the lighting room.

I just told the elders that the Orb is fine.

What they care about the most is the death of our soldiers and Shenime's whereabouts.

Right. Avant is in the prison, where you were imprisoned for a moment.

I almost forgot that he is the main culprit of this.

You told him about the conversation you had with Avant.

...........

So, in the end, we're all manipulated by Shenime, no I mean, by the king of demons.

Then we return to the problem of

Fortunately, Laphines that you've helped are taking your side.

That's a relief.

However, even if they admit that it was self-defense on the outside,

they wouldn't believe it in their hearts.

Although I was acting in self-defense, it's true that I...hurt the soldiers.

Give me a chance to pay back.

I'll find Shenime, the main instigator of everything. I'll find the Orb, too!

...If you think so,

I'll hold you responsible for this incident and give you an order to find Shinime.

It's perfect if you could find the Orb

but we'll have to get ready for the worst.

I'm going to talk to Avant.

......It was a perfect chance to kill him.

Too bad.

Now I have to ask him a favor.

Kar, everything is going to be fine.

We have protectors here. It will all work out.

Are we pretty much decided then?

Let Kar proceed with the official works and

As for me, I'll stay with Kar since I have to add my magical powers to the Orb as well.

That's good to hear, brother.

I'll manage to guarantee your freedom of action,

so find Shenime, please.

According to my brother, you will be able to find clues somewhere in Bifrost.

The incident in the lighting room is proven to be an act of self-defense.

You're free to go anywhere for now.

Find Shenime, please.

A dead body with a hole...

The Chief of Staff was manipulated, too.

His name was Shenime, right?

Then what might have been the original name of the Chief of Staff...

How is it possible that no one knows it?

Is this because of our mental laziness and carelessness...?

I have to stay alert myself.

The corpse of the Chief of Staff will help in imposing my will on others.

It may be tough, but from now on, I'll prepare to fight against the king of demons.

That's the best I can do right now.

You've been a great help all this time.

Will you stay as my friend now and forever?

May the blessing of Yggdrasil be upon you...