Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
It’d been about an hour since we were told that we would soon arrive at our destination, the capital of this region.
We continued to travel along a peaceful road with a vast expanse of wheat fields stretching as far as the eye could see, with the towering mountain range that divided the kingdom of Nordglacier to the north and south in the background.
“Woah… It’s the capital…!”
The first thing we saw of the capital was a white castle built on a mountain slope. Then, we saw the huge outer wall of the city, cutting through the vast expanse of wheat fields. In front of it, a large river flowed along the wall.
Taking advantage of the natural defense, the city was located in a place surrounded by steep mountains to the north, and two rivers flowing from those mountains to the east and west. The only entrances and exits to the city were two drawbridges above the rivers.
As the city was close to the country’s border, it’s only appropriate that defense was the most important factor in its construction, with beauty being an afterthought at best. And yet, the city’s exterior was as beautiful as a painting.
…Come to think of it, it’d been a while since I last held a brush. If time allowed, I would definitely gather my art supplies and paint something for the first time after so long. I was so excited.
“What do you think, Iris-chan? It’s an amazing place, right?”
“Yes, Tia-san! It’s so beautiful!”
…By the way, over the past few days, Titilia-san and I had grown so close that she started calling me by name instead of “Princess”. In return, I also started calling her by her nickname, at her request.
“Iris-sama, please keep your hood up from here on out.”
“Oh, right…”
As prompted by Aini-san, I hurriedly pulled the hood of my cloak over my face. In this city of Rolandia, my face was widely known, as I apparently lived here for a time. Unlike the towns I’d been to before, if anyone saw my face, I’m sure they’d recognize me right away.
Since the truth of my identity as “Princess Irisria” was still uncertain, we decided to keep my identity hidden as much as possible to avoid causing a commotion.
We crossed the huge drawbridge and arrived at the gate of the outer wall, passing through the ranks of soldiers who saluted as they saw their lord leading the way, and then to the main street.
…What?
“This place… feels so familiar… Why?”
“Why not? It’s much larger than before, but it’s a city that exists in the game, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, but… at the same time, I’m feeling… nostalgic?”
It was as if I had actually lived here and seen this sight before.
I shook my head to clear away the strange sensation and continued onward.
Reiji
I sighed again, for the umpteenth time.
“What are you sighing so much for, Reiji? You seem off today.”
“You know that she and I haven’t talked much for the past few days right?”
I glanced at the carriage. Iris could be seen chatting happily with a girl through the window.
…Could she be avoiding me on purpose?
She only talked to me when it’s something important, and even then, she immediately lowered her head as soon as the conversation was over, and found some excuse to quickly leave elsewhere.
But she never actively hid from my presence, and if I looked over at her occasionally, our eyes often met with each other… so I’d like to think that she doesn’t hate me, but then she quickly looked away. I don’t know what’s going on with her anymore.
“Did I do something to make her hate me?”
“Ah… Well, you’re in the clear, so don’t overthink it too much.”
“Really? If you say so, then it must be true. Thanks.”
Saul wouldn’t overlook or misunderstand anything about Iris, would he?
As I told myself that, I slapped my cheeks to shake off my lingering uneasiness.
Before I knew it, we’d left the city and reached the castle’s entrance, and the Count, who was leading the way, was talking to the guards.
“Welcome back, Leonhardt-sama.”
“As always, you have my thanks for guarding the city in my absence.”
“May I ask who those people are?”
We sweated inwardly and bowed our heads as the guards looked at us with suspicion.
“They’re my honored guests. Didn’t I send a messenger ahead of time?”
“I see. We’ve made arrangements for your guests, as instructed.”
“Mm. Now make way for us, if you will.”
“Yes, sir!”
With a sharp salute, the guards returned to their posts.
We dismounted from our horses, keeping an eye on the women getting out of the carriage in the corner of our vision. We handed the reins to the soldiers who had lent us a hand, and followed the lord into the castle.
Hayato, on the other hand, said “The castle seems stuffy, so I’m going to help with the horses”, and followed the soldiers to the stables.
I think I saw him exchanging a glance with Aini-san right before he left, but she just smiled and said “Oh, my”. I didn’t feel like I could get anything out of her, so I gave up.
“So this is a noble’s castle…”
The castle was likely designed with the surrounding landscape in mind. Its exterior was beautiful, but its interior was simple and focused on functionality.
“Miss Aini, I’m going to leave His Highness and Her Highness in your charge.”
“As you wish. Saul-sama, Iris-sama, I know you may be exhausted from the journey, but please follow me.”
The confused Iris and Saul were then quickly led away by the hand by Aini-san’s firm grip.
“W-Where are we going?”
“There’s no need to worry. It’s a simple examination, that’s all.”
The three of them disappeared into the distance.
The girl who called herself Titilia also exchanged glances with the Count and left, saying “I’ll go check on my room”.
All so suddenly, I was left alone with the Count.
…Well, what should I do in this situation? The Count didn’t seem like someone who’s easy to talk to, given the perpetual sharp gaze on his feature.
As I stood there at a loss, the man in question patted me on the shoulder.
“Well then… If you don’t have anything better to do, I would like you to accompany me for a little bit. Is that okay?”
“I… have no problem with it.”
“Good. Follow me.”
I hurriedly followed the Count, who began to walk away after saying that.
After climbing several flights of stairs, passing through what seemed to be the castle staff’s residence… I had somehow wandered into one of the detached buildings, a corridor that was slightly more luxurious than the others.
If I had to guess, this was the Count’s private study or something like that.
“Sir, where are we going…”
“Reiji-kun, am I correct?”
“Y-Yes!”
His sudden question made my back stiffen.
The Count, however, paid no attention to my reaction. He reached for one of the doors in the row of rooms and opened it.
Inside the room… was an entire library, perhaps his private possession.
In addition, the titles of the books were all serious-sounding, such as history, economics, and political affairs.
This person, who looked serious and honest, must have been studying hard in order to manage this territory.
“What Father said to you before he left… could you tell me about it?”
Standing in front of one of the shelves in the study, which was mostly filled with history books, the Count said those words as he ran his fingers along the spines of the neatly arranged books, as if searching for something.
“…”
Yes, if I were to accept that old man’s proposal, I’d surely get involved with his son more often from then on.
“If I wanted to be by her… Iris’ side forever, he could help with that by adopting me as his son… that’s what he said.”
“So that’s how it is.”
With that, the Count took out a book, gestured at me with his hand and gazed to the sofa across from the coffee table, where I sat down hesitantly. The sofa, which seemed to be of high quality, sank softly when I put my weight on it.
“Now, before we get to the main topic, I would like to confirm one thing about your feelings.”
The Count placed the book on the table and, hiding his mouth with his clasped hands, looked at me with a serious expression on his face.
I gulped nervously.
“Reiji-kun… What’s your wish regarding Her Highness Irisria?”
“I…”
I had expected a question along that line.
This person was once a temporary parental figure for Iris, who, for some reason, was supposed to have lived in this world for some time.
It’s only natural that he would question why I, a nobody in his point of view, was attached to the royal princess he considered his daughter.
But how do I answer his question…?
“I’ll do anything for her… as long as she wants it…”
“Wrong answer.”
I was immediately shut down from speaking. The Count’s sharp gaze intensified further.
“There’s no use in such tepid words. I ask you again… What’s your wish regarding her?”
I…
What do I want with her?
My thoughts were starting to spin around.
So I gave up on thinking too hard about it… and let out my honest desire.
“I… I want to stay by her side…”
Once my words got out, they wouldn’t stop flowing.
“That’s right… I don’t want to get separated from her, ever. I don’t want to give her to anyone else… She’s mine! I’ll… I’ll be the only one for her, and I swear to make her happy as long as we’re together!”
When I came to my sense, I was standing up and shouting in the Count’s face.
“S-Sorry!”
I screwed up big time, didn’t I?
A no-name swordsman like me, shouting in the face of such a powerful nobleman and claiming the princess of this country as “mine”. I couldn’t complain if he arrested me on the spot for the crime of disrespect.
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
“Pfft… Now that’s an answer I want to hear. May you always be so bold.”
However, contrary to my expectations, the Count lowered his head and shook his shoulders with his mouth hidden.
Did this man just… laugh?
I sighed and relaxed my shoulders. I felt like I’d lost a few years of my life.
“But… she’s a princess, and I don’t really have anything to my name… No one would approve of such a relationship, would they?”
“That might be the case. But the truth is… you’re already qualified to stand next to her.”
Thus, he opened the book he had taken out earlier, stopped his hand at a certain page and showed it to me.
“This, is the most reliable document about the Lightwing race that has survived to the present day.”
He then urged me to take a look. As I did what he asked, I saw…
“Is this… Arventia?”
Inside the page was an illustration of the sword, the same Arventia entrusted to me by Iris.
“Also known as Save The Queen. If this document is accurate… the person who’s qualified to pull out the blade is someone who the Sacred Daughter of this generation truly wishes to be with and protect for the rest of her life.”
“What?”
“And she’s already chosen you, given that you’re the sword’s wielder.”
“D-Does this mean…?!”
“The choice has been made, whether she’s aware of it or not. Whether you’re worthy of that position, it all depends on your future efforts.”
“I see…”
I was worried that she was avoiding me, but I could still draw the sword properly like usual.
The fact that I could draw this sword means that she trusts me at least enough to admit that I could stay by her side. Whether or not our relationship can progress from there is up to me. Just knowing that is enough for me now.
“Is this enough to convince everyone, though? I don’t think the royal family, or the nobility will stand for this.”
“They will. According to this document, the Sacred Daughter’s will is given top priority, at least in theory.”
“I don’t get it.”
“That’s because the genetic traits of their bloodline are absolutely dominant, for reasons we’ve yet to discover.”
According to the book, a child inheriting the Sacred Daughter’s bloodline will always be a Lightwing female.
But that didn’t answer how that extinct lineage was suddenly revived in modern times, and why it was Iris who became the Sacred Daughter.
Perhaps it’s a mechanism to maintain the survival of the species as this world’s protector. That’s why their bloodline, their race was considered sacred and worshipped.
“Even though they’ve gone extinct, the ideology is still passed down to the upper echelons of each country… The Sacred Daughter must not be violated. And that… is prioritized over the will of every country.”
Therefore, if the Sacred Daughter wants to be with someone, it’s basically impossible for an outsider to reject it, even if it is a king.
Again, in theory. Things are never this simple.
I couldn’t imagine those prideful people from the privileged class being able to forgive the fact that the Sacred Daughter, whom some of them even wanted to incorporate into their family tree, was snatched away by a commoner. The backlash would be immeasurable.
“So, to answer your original question, if you become Father’s adopted son and a member of our family, we’ll be able to back your position and quell everyone’s displeasure, more or less. Whether you can stay by her side until the end is up to you.”
“You don’t have to go that far for me…”
“Of course, I’m doing this for the sake of my house, and for the prosperity of this territory. I’ll be the most pleased if an adopted son of our family and the royal princess get together.”
His words made my head boil for a moment. To think that even he would use Iris for his own gains.
However, seeing my reaction… probably because I was angry for Iris’ sake, the Count’s expression softened. My anger dissipated as well.
“…Well, let’s just leave it at that. I’d only taken care of her for a short time, but I sincerely wish for her to be happy with the person she truly loves, not being tied to any political intrigue.”
“Sir…”
“If you’ve made up your mind to accept Father’s proposal, you can start referring to me as brother, you know?”
“I’ll… think it over.”
I told him so with a wry smile, and the Count nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s settled, then. I think now’s the time for you to study up a little.”
He took something out of his chest pocket and placed it on the table.
It was… a brass key.
“This is the key to this room. You are free to read any of the books here. Also, if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them when I have time.”
“T-Thank you very much…!”
“From now on, she’ll surely be under lots of expectations… Please continue to be right next to her and assist her.”
“Of course. I don’t intend to hand over that role to anyone else.”
“Is that so? I believe both of you are still in need of my guidance. I don’t intend to hand over that role to anyone else, myself.”
Laughter then escaped both of us.
I was really glad… This is going to be a kind place for her… it made me irresistibly happy.
APM - Translation 