Ashes and Kingdoms

From the edge touched by dark shadows, grass trees wither away. Sneezed leaves, crumbling trunks, and soil dries and shatters with them.

Fields cultivated in tannins, grape houses gleaming nearby to refrain from harvesting, and pastures where cattle and horses once ate green grass. All in a wasteland with no signs of life or dust.

“Hunger” also reached the city of Nakte, where people were gone. The colorful flowers of the garden, the shaped trees, lose their colour as they see. Leaves fall, branches shrivel and break.

The carp frenzies with a raw carp with no escape. Like what the darkness weighs on, I put a crack in the edge of the violet. The water stained the soil, and while the carp jumped and bundled at a shallow bottom, it stopped moving quickly and tingly...... dried up and broke down into pounds.

The hand of famine was also stretched south. Even if it is not possible to dry up the Orne, there are human bridges everywhere. Cross the bridge and expand further towards the rich life of the other shore.

But the time has come for that path to be stopped.

A dense hedge of life between the digits stood in front of a greedy hunger.

The dark shadows continued to devour. And it shall be stuck in the trunk of a giant tree, and the leaves of the periphery shall be shed, and the branches shall be withered. But eat it or not, a new life sprouts.

Still, the hunger didn't subside. Eat more, keep eating more...

People, people, people, everywhere as far as I can see. A new ship arrives at the docking yard that is full of people and spits people out again. Ordos was currently overpopulated.

"I wish this had been the first news, if only it had been a spectator in the ship race."

The shopkeeper's mistress blurred, and the local guests frowned and shook their heads.

"It's not like you dropped your money generously, but now you're running out of stuff over your money, and it's gone until we get there."

"You mean this year's harvest in the middle is wiped out, right? I don't know what to do."

"You're going to have to split it from over there. In the east, see, Dragon Marquis..."

"Master Elecia? I don't know. Well, if His Majesty the Emperor sits in the ground, maybe he'll take pity on you. If we don't have anything to sell, we have to go into business. Damn it."

The twinkle of discontent exchanged with the blur was not limited to just here. Asylum-seekers and locals scatter tiny sparks all the time there. The city council, which had decided earlier that it was impossible to accept all of them, had also divided the refugees among other coastal cities, such as Siros, but the population had nevertheless swelled by as much as it usually did.

Finn, who watched such a city from above, was in trouble in a completely different dimension.

"You have nowhere to go down..."

"Everywhere is gooey. But I'm gonna change my appearance before I bump into you, okay? When you get down there without people, it's going to be a long way to the city."

Sounds like it.

People still fleeing the north are lining up outside the city. Not even inside the city walls, so much so that there are a bunch of people out there that are still making obscure settlements. When we get down to a place where there's plenty of room, we have to stay away.

"We have no choice, let's go down to the square"

Finn gave up and pointed to the square, no more just in words. On the contrary, it was a narrow and painful place for dragon giants at all.

Bright white wings blink and a twinkle winds up. And the men that were in the square looked up, and looked up at the shadow that was overhead, and were a little giddy. Before the twist causes confusion, Lena disappears and Finn jumps a little higher than usual. Soon after I was relieved to get off successfully, the crowd pushed at me.

"Master Dragon Hou! What happened to the Imperial Capital!

"Your Majesty the Emperor!?

"What will happen now!!

People stuffing around screaming at each other, people riding themselves out to hear the answer from behind them. The pushed hedge is about to fall and Finn is about to be crushed.

"Whoa! Wait a minute... it's dangerous!

Finn barely stepped on it, but the man who was in front of him glanced down. I wonder if the child, who was right next to him, falls down strangled. Keep your little leg caught on your father's leg.

Oh no, Lena!

Ugh, Finn called on Lena. At the same time, draw the power of the dragon and gather yourself aware of Lena's wings. As though I had wings on me.

Buzz, and the wind rolled. Focus on Finn's foot, head outside.

――

The whole crowd leaning towards the fin is pushed back by the wind and opens to the outside. Although it wasn't strong enough to fall, everyone backed off by only half a step.

In the eyes of the men who returned to me were wings that were clear to the light. I envelop you to protect the dragon marquis who held the child, with white wings.

The wings faded and disappeared faster than the pompous open mouth closed.

Finn breathed relieved and let the child go, making sure he was okay. The reply is there too, the child rushes to hide behind his father. Finn corrected his posture in a complex mood and looked around.

"Please calm down. The Imperial Capital is now almost deserted. In a while, the last ship will arrive. His Majesty the Emperor will also come by that ship. I don't know what's going to happen... either. Excuse me, please let me through."

That's all he said in the same, sober tone as usual, and he sprayed a hedge to the city hall.

The guards at the city hall were watching the noise in the square, and within the crowd couldn't chase me again, they immediately put Finn through. Finn thanked him and hurried to you, as he also told me where Little Senato was at last. The understudy's clerk-like official disappeared into the back on a small run first.

By the time Finn got to the reception room, he was already ready to welcome him. It was faster than he said and Taz jumped almost like a body hit.

"Let's say, Finn! You're safe!

Greet him with cheerful voices that are still uncontrolled, and often slap him on the arm. Finn laughed bitterly, hitting his fist on his shoulder all in return.

"I'm glad you're doing well, too. You didn't wait too long in Siros."

"You just didn't get into the Orne. Think it's better. I was a refugee over there, but I heard there were more people in Ordos. The captain said... the shipment will be sold out in no time."

"Load?"

"Wheat is just mackerel, it's a living stock. I stopped by Vertier and Comrith to buy it because it would definitely be thin over here. Oh, don't worry, you're not buying so unscrupulous that the North is totally teased. The captain could have done it, but I stopped him."

"You're a total trader."

As Finn said, Senato pinched his mouth with a bitter laugh until then listening to the interaction between the two.

"Thanks to you, it helped. They sold it a lot higher, though. It's been a long time since we've seen each other again, but the best way to open it is if your wallet is packed. Taz seems to care more about money than friendship."

"Wait, come on, boy. In the first place, you said," What do you want? 'Cause I'm gonna skip it or something, though. If you'd been happy, I would have played an inspiring scene without suddenly cutting out a business deal. Back length and mouth are just the same, book, not cute. "

"I wouldn't be happy to be adored by Taz."

"Look at that! You heard me, Finn, this attitude toward the benefactor! I'm not bad, am I?

…………

Asked for his consent, Finn tilted his little nipple vaguely. It's hard not to laugh. Nella spoke for me in his heart.

"It's both of them."

"Uh, even Nella did that..."

"Mr. Taz, about that. Master Phineas is here for you."

Taz looked pitiful when he was told, reluctantly pulling back. I never forgot to stare at Finn and say, "You're a nobleman," etc.

Finn managed to take his serious attitude and coughed it up and cut it out.

"Master Senato, the last ship from the Imperial Capital will arrive shortly. His Majesty the Emperor is with you."

"Have you been evacuated safely? How far is“ hunger "coming?

Senato immediately changed his expression. Finn glances into the universe for a moment and follows the thread of his senses before answering.

"You're already... close. You will reach the Imperial Capital by the end of the day. Actually, that mage is setting a trap on the Imperial Capital. If it works, it'll seal up most of the hunger."

"What the hell!?

Senato was distracted along the way, and Taz and Nella obviously frowned as well. Finn continues the conversation, painfully feeling their mistrust.

"I can't help feeling anxious either. He himself said he wouldn't know unless he tried to make it work. However, if traps work as they aim, bottomless hunger itself will never properly come to the coast. If we lock ourselves up in the Imperial Capital until nothing else is gone and we eat ourselves, we won't have to flee offshore by boat..."

When I said that, Finn was accidentally struck by the feeling that the noodle hair was upside down. From the spine to the neck, a mass of heat runs through.

"Yikes......!!

Unexpectedly leaked his voice, he held the nod with his hand. The heat passes through the skull from the neck and falls through with the force pulled out of the inner depths of the fin. Different sights flashed behind Finn's brain, which ate his teeth and endured.