A.N
Fast update. I'm having a middle exam tomorrow, and right after that I will busy with my club activities. So, I'm updating it fast.
I didn't know if I'm making it fast, and ruined the pace of the story. So, I might need your review in this chapter.
Also, since I make it fast, I'm really sorry for any typos or grammatical errors. I'm human, and English is not my language. So, I'm really sorry.
Well, without anymore delay, this is the third chapter of The Melody of The World. Enjoy ^^
The Melody of The World 03
The whole Nishikino Maki's party opens their eyes with an amazed look when they see Akiba by themselves. A huge and pretty city, sliced into four different districts. Each district has their own unique culture, which makes Akiba become one of the most city that you want to live forever.
"What a beautiful view. We can stay here for about a month and we will never bored with it." Rin smile. Her face is busy gazing around the entire city, looking for some places where she can spend her free time.
"If you can say that stuff, why don't you resign from your current position as Maki's personal maid and started your new life here?" Eli asked the orange-haired, practically doesn't happy with the orange-haired words.
"Well, I agree with Eli. You can't say that you want to spend your entire life here before you see the whole city by yourself." Maki adding some salt to Rin's wound, making the orange-haired frowned.
"Or, you can walk around the whole day, before you doing your business here?" A cute voice comes so suddenly, joining the group's conversation. The group spontaneously stopped their conversation and turns their head to see a tall girl, with ash-color hair and auburn eyes standing in front of them. She put her cutest smile to greet them.
"W—What a coincidence to see you here, Kotori-chan. I was going to meet you after we put our luggage on the nearby inn to explain our sudden visit to your beautiful country." Nico step forward, answering the ash-haired girl, which named Kotori.
"Well, you can say that it was a coincidence. Or, you can say that I was waiting for you and your party here for the entire day. You sent us a letter three days ago to me remember? Why don't you come to my office to discuss it?" Kotori offers something.
"We can wait for that, honestly. After a long journey, we have to rest a bit before we focused on the letter that I send. Can you give us sometimes?" Nico asked again. But, out of nowhere, a blue-haired knight come to hold Nico's request.
"I hereby reject your wish to the princess. Princess Kotori was waiting for your entire party for about a day, why don't you just come to her office to make it fast. We're here for our job. You all are our guest, so why don't you enjoying something in our office, while we discuss your main problem there?" The blue-haired knight answering Nico's question.
"Well, well, you don't have to be so rude to our guest, Umi-chan. They might have their own problem. But, Umi-chan's right, guys. Why don't you spend your night in our office, with a nice dining and a place to rest, it should be enough, right? We can discuss your matter there, and no one will be harmed." Kotori put a delicate smile.
"I can agree on that." Maki rise her voice all of sudden.
"Wh—Maki-chan? I'm the one who's in charge once we get here, remember?" Nico wants to cut Maki's voice. But Maki rise one of her hands to stop her voice.
"Enough, Nico-chan. I will take this from now. Excuse us, princess. The name is Nishikino Maki, the only heir of Nishikino Residence in Margot. I apologized for my servant's rude behavior, reject your polite offers to spend the rest of the day in your office. Me and my friend will gladly accept your offers, and we will discuss our matters here in Akiba with you." Maki bow before she end her speak.
"What a polite party leader we have here. So ladies, why don't you follow me to the office? As fast as we start, as fast as we have to discuss your business here." Kotori nods a little before she leads the party to the biggest building in the middle of the city. Umi is following her from behind, without any expression.
They are entering a very large room that can fit for about ten people. Kotori takes a seat on the very large chair behind the table before she continue her speak.
"Now, let's begin our talk, shall we?" Kotori turns her eye to see the redhead in front of her. Maki, who knows that the ash-haired girl asked her, took a step forward and begin her speak.
"Excuse me, Kotori-hime. Today, me and my friends here were asking for your permission to scatter around in the city, looking for a piece. The rumor says that Akiba is one of the country that possess the piece." Maki, without any add lib asked Kotori, directly.
"Well, I know that you and your party coming from a land called Margot to search for the piece, which I know what kind of piece, since I know the entire part of this city. Yazawa-san over there sending me a message, telling me that you are searching a piece of the melody of the world, if I correct?" Kotori asked the redhead again.
"Yes, Kotori-hime."
"And, here on the letter, she says that you wish for a guarantee from me as the princess of this country, which can make you search for the piece with ease without any hindrance?" Kotori asked again.
"Well, we are not exactly begging for your protection and credit. We're just asking you either can we work with peace or not, since we as an adventurer has so many obstacles, including facing a bandit or unwanted mercenary soldiers. We were just asking for a protection on the daylight, not a 24-hours credit."
Before Kotori continues, Nico raises her hands and move forward. "Pardon your intrusion, your majesty. Nico here to explain the contain of the letter to you."
"Turn your sword down, Umi. She's not here to attack me," Kotori turns her gaze to Umi, who draw her sword when Nico speak before she turned her head again to face the raven-haired girl. "You can speak, Yazawa-san."
"Thank you, your majesty. I'm here to explain about the letter I was sent to you a day ago. The truth is, we want to beg for your protection because our party is not a safe party. On our first trip, we were attacked by a huge horde of mountain troll. Troll in Margot is a bizarre occasion. We're don't see them down far from the mountain to the land of Margot to only attack us. We were suspicious that there are any party, or someone who after our party. As her personal mercenary soldier, I can leave my master with ease, knowing that her soul might be in danger. So, I change our first direction to here, Akiba, which I know guarantee their royal guest with so many protections. With that, we can search for the piece of the song with ease, and we will leave this country as soon as we found all of the pieces." Nico explained it all to Kotori.
"So, you were saying that Nishikino-hime here is not safe?" Kotori asked Nico, want to confirm her explanation.
"I'm not saying that she's unsafe. She has her personal maid and her own royal soldier, watching her. I just want some protection from the royal family here so we can finish our job as soon as possible, and with ease."
Eli raises her hand. "I fully agree with Yazawa-san over there, your majesty. True that me here and Rin over there can protect our princess. But, who knows that someone might target her when we're not around. So, I wish that you can work together with us to guarantee our princess's safety and gave her some protection."
Kotori gave a minute pause before she raises her head to give her own opinion.
"Well, I can't give you a licensed permissions yet. But, according to your explanation, I can give you a temporary permission. I will think about your wish for about two days. After that, we will bring this up again on the next meeting. Now, why don't you rest a bit before having a feast tonight? We will give what we have here in Akiba and serve it for you tonight." Kotori gave a delicate smile before she closed the meeting. Maki and the others pardon their presence before leaving the princess's room.
"Well, what are you going to do, Kotori?" Umi, who seems quiet since the beginning of the meeting, finally speak when the party gone.
"Hehehe, I can't tell you yet, Umi-chan. Even I can't tell it yet." Kotori gave a assuring smile to the blue-haired knight.
"Did you really will grant their wish? About that whole protection for them on the entire country. It will give them a whole access in this country, including that part of the city, Kotori." Umi asked the ash-haired girl again.
Kotori turns her eyes to see the knight. Her auburn eyes meet the knight's eyes. "I already told you, right? I've not decided anything yet." Kotori smile again, but now her smile was different. Umi know that smile, her princess might be plotting something.
μμμ
"Why did you stop me at the entrance gate before, Maki-chan? You know that we can't have a night here. Our plan might be ruined." Nico yelled to the redhead, which was her first since they become friends two days ago.
"If you reject them, our plan might be blown either. We can search an inn tomorrow. But tonight, we will have a night here. Besides, I'm exhausted, Nico-chan. We're walking all day out, and have a meeting right after we arrived, with the princess herself. I'm tired, and I didn't want to see your babbling right now." Maki hissed.
"Maki's right, Yazawa-san. We will have to sleep here, tonight. Tomorrow, we have to scattered around the city, looking for the city. We will cut our group into two parts, you and Maki, and me and Rin. With that, we will have an effective time to searching for the part." Eli gave the raven-haired an order.
"And who are you might be? Giving me an order like that? The one who can give me an order is Maki-chan only, my master. You guys have no rights to telling me what to do, even when I tell you that we have to befriend each other." Nico gave a disturbing look.
"Look, I'm trying to read the atmosphere here, and I want to know you better by giving you a task that only you can do it, protecting the princess. I gave you my trust already, so why don't you make me your ally and just do your fucking damn task. We're only having about two days before our next meeting with Kotori-hime." Eli trying so hard to prevent her anger towards the raven-haired.
"Hey, aren't you guys were suspicious by the princess's behavior?" RIn, which seems silent since the meetings, finally open her voice.
"Eh? What do you mean by suspicious? I don't see any difference from Kotori's behavior." Nico asked the orange-haired, confused.
"I'm not saying that she's suspicious. But, Rin can feel that my heart didn't trust that princess. I can't tell why, but Rin can guarantee it."
"So, you were saying that we have to let our guard's up, since the princess itself is suspicious?" Nico asked the girl's again.
"Yes, including her blue-haired knight. Rin might be wrong, but Rin can tell that she will kill each one of us if we laying our hands on the princess. She's on guard, and Rin can tell that the knight might be hiding something."
"Well, if Rin say so, why don't we trust her a little?" Maki gives her own opinion according to Rin's thought.
"Now it's your turn, Maki-chan. What's wrong with all of you? We're talking about Kotori here, the supreme leader of the city of Akiba. We can trust her with all of our soul. She will never betray us." Nico sighed.
"But, you just say that you didn't want to spend a night here. If you trust her with all your soul, you will never doubt her, Nico-chan." Maki turns her eyes to see the raven-haired girl.
"I'm just saying that our whole plan is not safe if we staying here. There might be someone in this building who sneaking around and dressing like one of Kotori's maids, but might be an enemy. I was saying that we can't trust every stranger for our own goods, but I can guarantee that we can trust Kotori. She's one of my friends." Nico explained.
"Hmmm, if Nico says that, I can only say this. We will trust Kotori for now, but it's not hurting leveling up our guard. We will never know when will the enemy attacked us. We have to stay on guard." With that, Maki gave a straight conclusion before moving her feet.
"We will dismiss ourselves, now. Get a good enough sleep for tomorrow. We will look for the first piece of the melody of the world." Maki clasp her hands before she leaves, followed by the rest of the party. Tomorrow, their real adventure as one of the searchers of the melody of the world begins, including the danger that waiting inside the city.
What do you guys think for the third part of the story? Is it getting more interesting? Or not, since I don't add many actions in this chapter. Well, actions can wait, the story is progressing either you like it or not, and we will have a fight soon, I guarantee it.
So, mind to give me some reviews? Or might be a follow or any favorite. I'm not tired of telling all of you guys that your contribution really help me a lot, including those reviews, anonymous or not, and follow and favorite.
Well, I have enough chat. See you on the next chapter ^^