Chapter 35: Scraping the grass

 

     Liz was kneeling on the ground, plucking overgrown grass with her hands. It is in a thicket that grows on the north side of the inner garden, near the wall of the small temple.

     To find the door.

     Earlier this morning, the four candidates, including Liz, were gathered at the festival hall. The chief priest asked them about their progress looking for the door.

     “Today, we gathered to report the progress of the final selection. How’s the progress of each door going? Did you find any hint or something?”

     Liz was at a loss for words since she found nothing. Some of her attention was focused on Sheena. The holy dragon, who leads her to her door, hasn’t shown her anything. Therefore, she’s investigating  the locations where the holy dragon randomly flies, but still, nothing is found.

     She gently looked at the other three.The first person to answer was Manon, “Yes, the black leopard has. I believe that I’ll be able to find it soon.”

     ‘What?’ Liz was surprised and the other two candidates looked at each other—

     “Yes. I think I know where the door is though I’m not quite sure where exactly yet.”

     “Oh, I am the same.”

     ‘Huh!?’

     Manon said that the sacred fruit of the two candidates opened after Anna, the former candidate, returned home. In other words, theirs were much later than Liz.

     ‘And yet, they’re likely to find it already?’

     She was shocked. A scorching feeling of  impatience rose. Liz bit her lips. Her attention has been halved, to Sheena and to her selection. 

     “The Black leopard has been leading me. It’s quite clever.” Manon patted the leopard in her arms, it’s gold eyes narrowed. It is for certain that in their relationship there’s trust between the two. 

     On the other hand, Liz grabbed both sides of the yawning holy dragon.

     “Holy dragon, my door!?”

     “Kyu?” It bent under its wings and began to groom itself in a carefree way as if it’s saying that it’s someone else’s business.

     She was getting impatient and irritated. She gave a great deal of strength holding the sides of the Holy Dragon.

     “Gyu!?” the holy dragon squeaked. Since its round body was tightened up. It desperately flapped, trying to escape from Liz’s grasp.

     “Where is the door—!?”

     “Gyu!!” The dragon tried to bite Liz and she evaded it. The candidates looked at each other, keeping their distance.

     Manon laughed sarcastically, “It sounds like you’re having fun. Liz, you haven’t found anything, have you? We can’t afford not finding it at this time.”

     Liz was irritated, but she was right and Liz couldn’t answer back.

     —and that’s why Liz is crawling in these bushes.

     The dress she was wearing was soiled by the wet grass, but she didn’t mind and continued plucking the grass. The maids often cut branches and weeds around the fields in the backyard and in prominent places. However, due to the fact that the number of their work increased during the selection, it seems that the hidden parts of these buildings can’t be properly maintained. 

     Liz likes it though, the thick grass.

     When she came to the inner garden, instead of taking a stroll, the holy dragon was flying around the bushes. So this time, she stayed there and tried to search for it. However, she only found grass and bugs. 

     Even so, she desperately rummaged through the grass.

     “Ouch!”

     Liz cut the back of her hand with a sharp leaf.

     ‘…I wonder if it’s okay.’

     Suddenly, a sense of uneasiness broke out. Even though she had the desire to work hard, she doesn’t know how to do it, to look for it and she’s getting even more anxious.

     ‘I wonder if this was what Claire felt at that time.’

     She remembers the candidate, Claire, the descendant of Eugene. Before the first selection, she did not come up with a holy bud and asked Liz how to make it grow. Claire herself would not have been able to afford to do it, but she still complimented Liz. She was worried. She wondered if she could be like that herself.

     From within the open windows of the temple, she heard the exasperated voices of the priests.

     “Well, how about you!” 

     “No, nothing!”

     Does it have anything to do with what Lloyd had said to her, “If you find or notice something, you are told to report at once to the chief priest.” She didn’t get to hear him in detail since she wasn’t able to catch what he had said clearly.

     According to the maid’s gossip, the royal palace seems to be getting busy as well. Liz hasn’t seen Keefa since she talked to Sheena.

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     ‘—Let’s stop. I should focus and concentrate now.’

     Liz shook her head, to shake off her thoughts.

     Suddenly, insects flew out between the rustling grass. It’s a black glowing, grotesque-looking insect that had appeared in the room before. She quickly swat it off with her hand, it went towards the flying holy dragon. It caught it and swallowed it.

     Liz frowned, raising an eyebrow. A black stone fell from the wall behind the bushes. Its size is as large as the palm of Liz’s hand. As if processed, the surface is slippery.

     At first glance, it’s just a stone, but for some reason she couldn’t take her eyes off it. There is something that appeals to her mind. Maybe it’s about the door? She looked up at the holy dragon in expectation, but it did not respond at all.

     ‘No? Then what is this?’

     It was dimly glowing among the grass. The whole thing is pitch black. The stone was so polished that Liz’s face is reflected on it. When she looked closely at it, she became dizzy. It is a strange stone.

     ‘Is this what Lloyd said in relation to the chief priest’s message?’

     It looks like a normal yet beautiful stone. However, it feels strange as if it’s piercing into her skin.  

     She stood up to tell the priests in the temple.

     “Kyu.” She heard the chirp of the holy dragon and looked down. She saw a thin string in its mouth. It was a dull orange and its ends wriggling. It’s a worm.

     “Have you caught it?”

     “Kyu.” It nodded with a proud look on its face. It reminded her of the dog in her shared home village. After it had caught something, it would go to her and show it with pride. The moment the holy dragon turned up its head and was about to swallow it, one of the candidates, Rebecca, ran over to them.

     “Wait! Holy dragon, Liz, wait!” she was out of breath.

     “Please give me that worm! It came out of my sacred fruit!”

     “Oh…” She glanced hastily at the holy dragon and looked at its throat. It seemed to have been startled by Rebecca’s loud voice and accidentally swallowed the worm. In other words…

     “Did you eat it….?”

     After a heavy silence,

     “No—!!”

     Rebecca’s screams were heard.

     “—I see.The holy dragon swallowed Rebecca’s worm. Hmm…”

     Liz and Rebecca were facing the chief priest.

     After that incident, she made a great effort to toss the holy dragon into the air, or hit its back, she tried her best for it to somehow spit out the worm. However, its eyes only changed to black and white, the worm just wouldn’t come out. If she doesn’t hurry the worm would soon be digested. She went to a nearby priest about the situation and hastily ran to the chief priest with the dragon in her arms.

     “Is that so?  I wonder if the things that came out of the sacred fruit are cannibalistic. Hm.”

     Cannibalism? Liz was quite stunned by the chief priest stroking its white beard while saying, “ho ho.”

     Rebecca leaned forward, her face is pale. “What shall I do?!”

     “Unfortunately, I do not know. It seems to be tough, but doing something on one’s own is part of the selection. Also, the holy dragon and the earthworm are different from the ordinary creatures. I wonder if it will come out from somewhere.”

     “If it doesn’t come out, would I be disqualified? I still don’t have any details where the door is.” Rebecca asked with a tearful face.

     The chief priest’s face became indescribable. Rebecca, who was trying hard to keep back her tears, left Liz quite devastated.

     “Why did this happen in the first place?” he asked.

     “I’ve always kept the worm in a box, in my room. Unlike Liz and Manon, mine looks really normal, similar to the ones out there. I didn’t know what I should do—.”

     “However, recently, it didn’t look well. So, like a real earthworm, I thought it would cheer up if it touches the soil, so I went to the inner garden with the box. When I tried to place the box in the field, I stumbled over and accidentally dropped the box. The lid opened and it went away.  I tried to catch it, but what’s worse was that it instantly sank into the ground.

     I felt like crying. I kept on searching and digging up the soil. I heard “Kyu” and when I looked back, the holy dragon was flying and in its mouth was the worm. I quickly looked for it and when I found the holy dragon, I was too late—.”

     Once Rebecca finished speaking, Liz bowed. “I’m sorry. I should have noticed when the Holy Dragon came with something near its mouth.”

     “No, I took it outside and stumbled. Furthermore, I dropped the box—” Rebecca looked down looking depressed. 

     The holy dragon sitting next to Liz felt responsible and squeaked out a “Kyu”, dropping its shoulders.

     Liz alternately looked at them. There is only one thing they can do to overcome this situation. Liz faced the holy dragon and grabbed its little shoulder with both hands.

     “Shiro, let’s get it out.” From inside its belly by any means. Liz’s eyes shone. 

     “Kyu…!” The holy dragon gave out a loud cry of alarm.

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