The king of the Equus tribe had three wives.

　They are called the first wife, the second wife and the third wife.

　The second wife gave birth to Muzio.
　The third wife gave birth to the first son.
　The first wife gave birth to the third son.

　Basically, the younger the number, the greater the family and his position.

　This time, it was the third queen who gave birth to her first son who fell ill.



　''Hmm........''

　Julia palpates the three queens.
　Then she looks at her throat and checks her heartbeat.

　Finally, she checks the soul with her eyes(...).

　'Can it be cured?'
　King Equus watched Yuria's diagnosis with concern.

　Julia nodded.

　'Yes. Somehow. We will treat you. .........I will ask you all to leave the room once. It's a secret ritual.

　Hearing Julia's words, the faces, including Almus and King Equus, leave the yurt.

　After making sure that everyone leaves the room, Julia cuts to the third queen.

　'You are not sick. This is a curse. It's also very clever. It's a nasty type of curse that doesn't have an immediate effect, but it gradually eats away at your body. Do you have anything in your possession that could be used as a medium for the curse?
　''A curse........ What kind of thing can be a medium...?

　The Three Queens are desperate to remember.
　But she can't think of anything that could be used as a medium for a curse.

　Do you have anything that was given to you a couple of months ago, before the disease originated, and you still have it in your possession?　It's something you use on a regular basis.
　That being said...
　"So what did the first queen and the second queen give you?

　Julia approaches the third queen.

　'This pendant was given to me by the Second Queen. It's for a New Year's celebration. She said it is made of boxwood (garnet) from King Domorgal's country.

　The Three Queens are inlaid with a green, shiny jewel.
　Julia takes it and sniffs it to make sure it's right.

　'This one is different. 'What else?　What did the first queen give you as a gift?
　Like this pillow?

　Julia took the pillow and sniffed it.
　Then she frowned.

　'It stinks.'
　I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
　No, not that one, the curse one. Do you mind if I cut this up?　I'll sew it back together later.

　It's an expensive piece of equipment in its own right.
　If you cut it open, of course it can't be restored.

　I don't mind.
　I understand.

　Julia takes out a knife and tears the pillow.
　Wool peeks out from inside.

　Julia sticks her hand into the wool and drags out the source of the smell.
　What came out was the carcass of a centipede.

　'A poisoning.........a typical curse. But it seems to be controlled by multiple drugs to control the effects. The smell is also cleverly hidden. Let's return the curse, just in case. Well, the person who dies is the sorcerer who cast the curse, not the person who requested it.

　Julia puts the centipede in her pocket.
　She then takes several herbs from the medicine chest and makes a potion.

　She rolls the resulting medicine into a round of grass for storage.

　'Thirty of them, take them once a day. It has a cleansing effect. This will help you to recover. All you need to do is to eat a proper meal, get some sleep and build up your strength. That's all. As for the curse I'll leave it up to you.

　The succession issue is a muddy one for both of us.
　If we don't get involved, we'll end up in trouble. I think we should leave it to the third queen for now.

　That's what Julia decided.





　''There's a reason for that.
　Ha, it's tough to be a successor in any country.
　'It's true. It's a problem if they aren't around like our country, but it's also a problem if there are too many of them like the Equus.

　Me and Julia talk over a glass of wine.
　There's no need to use respectful language, as I've paid people off because I have something important to talk about.

　It doesn't seem to be a problem that there are many heirs of the Equus tribe.
　If anything, the queen's character is the right issue.

　Julia and Tetra, are you okay?
　It doesn't sound like anyone else's business.

　'But don't they usually go after the eldest son, Methyl?　It seems like an easy target for the babies.
　That sounds harsh. Because the guards are so tight.

　I see. So it's a desperate measure.
　Besides, it's too early to think that the curse is only on the three princesses.
　Maybe they also put or plan to put a curse on their relatives.

　I have heard that the status of women in the Equus tribe is higher than that of King Rosais' country. The mother has more say in the matter. Isn't that why?　It's easier to do when your backers are dead.
　'Indeed. And low-risk low-return is safer than high-risk, high-reward.

　I'm a cautious guy myself, so I understand how you feel.
　But that's a long time, isn't it?

　Oh, because if it's too strong a curse, they'll find out. Curses are difficult to deal with.
　It's surprisingly unsuitable for assassination.


　What about that guy? Muzio.
　"Oh, you were with Alms last night?
　That's not a nice thing to say. You shouldn't say it like that. It's not the wrong thing to say.

　I'm pretty sure I've had a few drinks.

　"Oh, speaking of which, you're expecting a new horse tomorrow.　And then we'll negotiate afterwards.
　''Yeah, that's right. The distribution of the tyrannical dragon's scales and fangs is also tomorrow.

　I'd like to finish the negotiations as soon as possible.
　I'm reporting that there's no major movement on King Rosyth's hawk flight so far.

　"I think I'd prefer the horse to be white.
　'White ... hmmm, I'd prefer black or red. That's cooler.

　And I'm not a prince.
　I'm a wealthy lord. You don't wear white.

　Well, I'm gonna go home and go to bed.
　You can stay the night if you want, okay?　
　'Fool, it's going to be a big problem. It's going to spark a succession problem over here much later.

　I pull Julia closer and press my lips to hers.

　'So, tomorrow,'
　Yeah.






　Then let's just start with the distribution of the violent dragons. Well, we can't complain about splitting it evenly, right?
　Yeah. The problem is the heart money and the opposite scales. How to separate them?　It's hard to tell.

　Heart metal is a special metal found in the heart of the dragon.
　When mixed with Damascus steel using a special processing method, the dragon Damascus steel is completed.

　But it can only be struck by the people of the desert. It can't be helped if it is.

　Reverse scales are the scales of a dragon, only one of which grows in the opposite direction.
　It is said to be a weakness because it is softer than the other scales.

　Its beautiful coloration makes it highly valuable as an ornament.

　''Actually, I'm about to get married recently. I want a reverse scale. Is that alright?　
　Muzio says, pointing to the opposite scales.

　I'm about to get married and so am I but I didn't send anything to Tetra.
　It would not be good to send Julia then.

　Fair enough.

　"Fine. I'll take the deposit.
　Mr. Ains would either redeem it or process it.

　Honestly, I don't care about the violent dragon.
　This guy's fangs, claws and scales are as hard as iron, but it's hard to process.

　It's just right for making armor, though.

　It's a failing grade for armor when you can't get a few.
　Rather than that, I want a horse.

　We need a horse to replace that bad horse.

　"Don't look so glum. Follow me. We'll let you choose.
　I'm sorry. The money's...
　I won't take it. It's because my men were originally sent to find it.

　Muzio leads me to the stable.

　Any requests by the way?
　Yeah. For grooming, I like red or black. I like a brave one. The last one was a quiet one, but he ran away.

　Anyone else who would run away due to the use of black powder is out of the question.

　
　I'll take a look at that one and see what happens. If it doesn't look good, I'll get another one.

　While we were talking about this, we arrived at the stable.

　I've collected only good horses. The first four from the left are un-neutered stallions for breeding, and the seven from the right are castrated. The first four from the left are un-neutered stallions for breeding, and the seven from the right are castrated. Take your pick as you please.

　I look at the horses in order from left to right.
　The first one is a horse that hasn't been castrated.

　They seem to have a rough temperament but these guys don't seem to be able to run away from being barked at.
　But.........

　I don't think so. I don't think I can do it.
　I mean, he looks like he's not going to let me ride him.

　I'm not bad at riding a horse, but I'm not good at it either.

　I don't want to fall off the horse and die or anything.

　Next I look at the seven horses from the right.
　They seem to be mature and fast.

　Not bad, but....

　Hmmm, poof, that doesn't look good. You got anything else?
　Stable across the street. I put them in there too, just in case.
　I head for the stable Muzio points to.

　"This one right here is a mare, but she's not as good as the ones you saw. But they're not as good as the ones you saw earlier, are they?

　Hmm, you certainly look a few steps inferior to the great horses that were there.

　But I'm not looking for a horse that's fast. I'm looking for a horse that won't run away when the time comes.

　"Can I make a little noise?
　I don't care.

　I take out my tantrum ball.
　I was going to pay him a visit when the wolf attacked me.

　I slam into the ground as hard as I can.
　There's a loud bang and Muzio buckles.

　At the same time, the horse neighs and begins to flail.
　It takes a few minutes to calm down.

　I'm sure you'll be able to tell me from the start if you're going to make such a big noise. By the way, did you get any results?
　Yeah, I'll take that one. I wasn't surprised.

　I point to the red horse.
　It's my kind of horse.

　"That one....I wouldn't do that if I were you. He's got the black spots on his face, right?　Legend has it that horses with black spots attract evil spirits. And his mother died right after giving birth to him. Recently there was a fire in the stable and he was the only survivor.
　Why did you put it in there then? Didn't you collect them to make me choose?
　No, it's a story frame. You know what I mean?

　I don't know. What are you, high school?
　Well, I heard we're the same age, so I'm old enough to be in high school in Japan.

　'Well, what's decided is decided. Besides, it's only a superstition, isn't it?　Also, I can see it as a strong ability to survive.

　And I feel a little sorry for you, being judged by your face.
　But if it's ominous, why have you raised it all this time?　

　You should have crushed him.

　The guy's parents were great horses. He's a very good horse himself. He was a breeder. Well, if you want him, I'll give him to you. Don't blame me if he dies, okay?

　I can't tell you if I'm dead.

　You want to give it a try, by the way?
　'Yeah. It's a problem if you're incompatible.
　'That's better. You don't know a woman or a horse until you get on one, you know. And he's a mare.

　Sorry to get cocky, but that wasn't a very nice thing to say.






　Not bad. Yeah.

　My choice of bad luck horse ran pretty well.
　He didn't flail around a bit, even with the unfamiliar saddle and stirrups installed.

　Kimo is sitting on it.

　'What shall we name you?　Well, later. For now, it's "No Name". Bad luck to a bad horse. Hmm?　Why are you stopping?

　Suddenly the nameless stopped.
　It doesn't move easily.

　When I looked carefully ahead, I could see a black mass moving in the thick grass.
　Is that.........
　You're a wolf.

　Why would you meet a wolf on your first ride? It's broad daylight, and we're near the capital of the Equus tribe.

　You're just having a really bad luck, aren't you?

　'Oh well. I've got a tantrum ball.

　I take the tantrum ball out of my pocket, following the wolf with my eyes as it shrinks the siege.

　'Here, go away,'

　When you throw a tantrum ball at them, the wolves run away as if they are frightened.
　Some of the wolves shrink back and can't move.

　It's cute this way.

　Now, let's get out of here. What's the matter with you? It's just my bad luck, you know?

　And so we made it back to the Equus capital in one piece.
　Now it's time for diplomatic negotiations.