Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
Today began in a hectic manner.
It all started when I woke up and the realization of the mess I’d caused the night before hit me like a storm. My face turned pale at the thought, particularly at the prospect of facing Reiji-san. Unable to gather the courage to leave my room, I spent hours agonizing on my bed.
I caused trouble and worry for everyone around me, to the point that even Prince Julius had to call out to me in tears. My guilt finally outweighed my embarrassment, and with a certain someone asking for a favor, I decided to stop hiding.
“The sun is already so high… It’s past noon, isn’t it? I truly apologize for my tardiness.”
“It’s all right. The important thing is that you’ve come out now. Milady, are you feeling better?”
“Yes… I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused…”
I nodded to Lenny-san, who was peering at me with concern.
As if today couldn’t get any worse, I was greeted with a splitting, nauseating headache upon waking up… that’s how I learned firsthand that this body’s tolerance for alcohol was even worse than my old one.
“I’m never getting a drop of alcohol ever again…”
“You were fortunate that there was no one else but us around when that happened, milady.”
“Ugh… I really messed up this time around, didn’t I?”
I trudged forward with my shoulders slumped.
Behind me, Nii-sama and Reiji-san followed, but for now, I couldn’t bring myself to face either of them.
“Hey, Iris, about last night…”
“Please forget it.”
“Yeah… I was thinking about the same thing.”
“I beg of you, please forget it.”
I answered Reiji-san with the flattest tone I could muster.
Though I didn’t remember everything in detail, I had a faint recollection of crossing a line with my words. The specifics terrified me too much to ask about.
On the other hand… Nii-sama, for some reason, was in an incredibly foul mood.
Although he appeared to be smiling, he hardly spoke a word. I could feel the intense pressure he was radiating on my back. It was much more terrifying than when Ayame did it.
As we walked, Lenny-san, who had been following behind, broke the awkward silence.
“In any case, Scarlet-sama and that kid Hayato are scheduled to arrive here soon, right?”
Grateful for the change in topic, I recalled the schedule we’d planned.
“If I recall correctly… they were supposed to come here by boat this afternoon…”
“Is that the boat you’re looking for?”
Said Nii-sama, pointing to the port where a ship bearing the insignia of Count Roland and Ares Isles had just docked.
“That seems like it. Let’s hurry.”
I took Lenny-san’s hand as she offered it to me, and we hastened our pace.
The port was bustling with tourists who had arrived for the festival, but we had no problem meeting up, thanks to Hayato-kun spotting us right away… or rather, our group were quite noticeable to begin with.
Truth be told, I was rather nervous about slipping up in public, while we were attracting constant attention. With that in mind, I took another look at my appearance.
Today’s outfit was a classic-style off-shoulder dress with plenty of lace, and a thin shawl around my arms.
Not only me, but Nii-sama and Reiji-san’s outfits also exuded nobility, so we stood out a lot… especially the former, whose princely look caused squeals from the women in the onlookers.
In addition, we were accompanied by Lenny-san in her servant attire, holding a parasol for me, while escorting soldiers surrounded us. No matter how you looked at it, we were a group of aristocrats on a stroll, inevitably drawing attention anywhere we went.
Being subjected to so many gazes, I was doing my best to mask my inner tremors with a smile, though I was barely holding it together. Compared to when I first arrived in this world, I believe I’ve improved a lot… but it seems I still have a long way to go.
While I was mulling over these things, a small white shadow popped its head out from behind Hayato-kun. It kicked Hayato’s shoulder and jumped into my chest.
Even though it had only been a few days, the feel of fluffy fur felt very nostalgic.
“Sorry for leaving you behind, Snow. Thanks for taking care of her while I was gone, Hayato-kun.”
“It’s fine, I’m rather fond of animals, actually… Besides, Snow is a good girl, aren’t you Snow?”
Snow wagged her tail in response to Hayato-kun’s words. It’s nice to see them getting along so well over the past few days.
I let myself relax a little as I enjoyed the soothing touch of Snow snuggling at my chest.
“Well, well, well, there’s our Princess, looking splendid as always.”
Said Scar-san, who was weaving through the crowd behind Hayato-kun with great difficulty, thanks to the long package he was carrying on his back.
“By the way… Iris-chan, why are you dressed so elegantly today, with an escort and everything? I was sure you’d come in secret.”
“I thought you weren’t fond of being treated like a princess”, probably thought Scar-san as he tilted his head, looking puzzled, to which I could only return a wry smile.
“Well… a lot has happened, and I’m not allowed to go out in secret anymore.”
“…This isn’t something we should talk about in public. I’ll explain later when we’re in somewhere more private.”
Reiji-san, who was directly involved in the attack on the tournament participants, said as he took over the explanation.
“What I can tell you is… we’re here today on behalf of the Norglacier royal family.”
“Huh?”
“Um… it’s sort of a diplomatic matter. And it actually involves you, Scar-san… I’m so sorry, but I think you’ll understand in a few seconds!”
I bowed my head apologetically.
While Scar-san still didn’t understand what’s going on… a hand suddenly appeared from behind him and grabbed his shoulder, as if to stop him from getting away.
“…!?”
He instinctively tried to shake it off, but then froze at the sound of the voice that followed.
“Yo, long time no see, my foolish brother. It’s been years since we last met, hasn’t it?”
“Y-Yeah… What brings you here, dearest brother?”
With a stiff, forced smile and movements so strained they practically creaked, Scar-san turned around—
And there, standing behind him, was none other than Emperor Felix himself, in full incognito mode. Dressed in a breezy Hawaiian shirt with sunglasses, he looked every bit like a tourist on vacation. Beside him stood Big Sister Isc, wearing a blue floral-patterned summer dress and a white straw hat.
…That is to say, they were perfectly dressed for the occasion, which is enjoying the island in the height of summer. Scar-san was probably caught off guard by their choice of attire.
“Huh, why are you looking at me like that? Even an Emperor wants to relax sometimes, no?”
His Majesty the Emperor laughed as if expecting Scar-san’s reaction.
Scar-san let out a long, exasperated sigh after staring at him in disbelief.
“…Well, I’ll be damned. Iris-chan, you were in on this too?”
“Yes, I’m really sorry. We’re all here to escort the two of them…”
I bowed my head once again in apology.
But there was a reason I had agreed to help with this.
“And I think we can really use your help. You see, Big Sister Isc is…”
I leaned onto Scar-san’s ear and whispered to him about Big Sister Isc’s pregnancy.
Since she couldn’t use healing magic at the moment, I wanted someone trustworthy to be by her side in case anything happened.
“…So that’s how it is, huh. Guess it can’t be helped then.”
Scratching his head roughly, Scar-san reluctantly gave up on the idea of running away.
“Alright, big brother, you can count on me. But only until the festival ends!”
“Good enough! I’ll have a room prepared for you right away!”
Beaming, Emperor Felix immediately gestured to the attendants standing behind him, sending them off to make the necessary arrangements.
“…My deepest apologies for the trouble, Your Highness Scarlet.”
“No, no, no, don’t worry about it, you should take utmost care of yourself first, um… sister-in-law.”
Said Scar-san, somewhat bashfully, to his now-big sister who’s younger than him in age.
Her eyes widened in surprise at what Scar-san said… but then she immediately broke into a soft smile of delight.
“Mm… Thank you.”
Being thanked with such a radiant smile from my stunningly beautiful sister left Scar-san flustered… but it looked like he would be fine. As for Hayato-kun with him…
“I’m sorry to you too, Hayato-kun, but you’ll have to go separately from us…”
“Don’t sweat it. Someone has to take care of Snow, right?”
“Yes… It’s really unfortunate that I can’t bring Snow along with me here.”
Hearing this, Snow licked my cheek as if to reassure me.
If she were just a normal puppy, it wouldn’t be a problem to bring her along. But Snow is the cub of one of the most powerful Phantasmal Beasts in the world. Naturally, bringing her to a gathering of dignitaries from various countries was out of the question.
“Besides, the place you’re staying at is meant for VIPs, right? Honestly, I’m relieved I don’t have to stay somewhere that fancy.”
“…Thank you for your understanding, Hayato-kun.”
“Well, I guess I’ll have to find a place to stay… though, I wonder if there are any vacancies at this hour?”
“Oh, that’s already taken care of. I asked someone to help out.”
“Someone?”
“Yes. They should be arriving any minute now…”
As I glanced around, I spotted two familiar figures scanning the area. When I waved, they quickly noticed and hurried over.
“Kept you waiting, Princess.”
“Hi there, Iris-chan, Saul-san, Reiji-san.”
“Hello, and sorry for the sudden request while you’re busy.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
The helpers I was referring to were Ouka-san and Kirsche-san.
I figured I could ask them to arrange accommodation for Hayato-kun when he arrived at this island.
“So… you need us to house this kid, right?”
“Iris-neechan, who are those two?”
“Allow me to introduce you to Ouka-san and Kirsche-san. Like us, they’re former players. Ouka-san here is an armor craftswoman, so she might be able to help you with your equipment.”
“R-Really?!”
“Certainly. I’m sure Master will be happy to make something for you as well.”
Hayato-kun’s eyes were basically sparkling as he and Ouka-san immediately went off to discuss what sort of equipment he wanted. I guess boys just like that kind of stuff?
In fact, part of the reason I entrusted Hayato-kun to Ouka-san’s care was to strengthen his gear.
Meanwhile, Kirsche-san…
“Wow, this little one is so cute… You’re staying with us too, right? Nice to meet you!”
She was gently patting Snow’s head as she rested in my arms, wagging her tail contentedly.
…While I was happy that Snow’s friendly toward humans, I couldn’t help but worry a little. When the time came for us to part ways, would she really be able to return to the wilds?
“By the way, Princess, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
On the way to drop Hayato-kun off at her workshop, Ouka-san suddenly brought up the topic.
“Yes, what’s it?”
“The prince has Star of Eden, Reiji-san has Form is Emptiness… Do all people with unique class get to have such cool skills as they grow stronger?”
“I’m not sure… but that might be the case.”
“Heh… Do you have any skill like that, Princess?”
Her question made me freeze for a moment.
I glanced toward her, wondering if I could dodge the question somehow, but her eyes were filled with curiosity. And on the other side of Ouka-san, Kirsche-san was also watching with equal interest.
…It was clear that they wouldn’t let me off the hook until I answered. I sighed in resignation.
“Well… I do have one, but…”
“Really? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Same here. How come I never saw it?”
Since I had kept this skill a secret all along, I flinched at the voices from the two walking behind us. But now that the topic had come up, there was no avoiding it anymore.
It had been a little over a month since I acquired it, when knowledge about that skill flowed into my head.
Even without using it, I instinctively understood that it was an immensely powerful skill. However, I had never actually activated it before.
“It has really strict activating conditions…”
“…Strict?”
“Yes. The first is that the target must have the tertiary reincarnation class… no, to be exact, they must belong to the three higher humanoid races.”
“The higher races in the game lore? They’re Einherjar, Celestia and Nosferatu right?”
“That’s right. I believe everyone has the ‘Racial Traits Release’ skill, correct? Without it… I don’t think your body will be able to hold up.”
“Wow… that sounds incredible.”
Although they’re called “higher races”, they’re more akin to our ancestors rather than our evolution.
Long ago, during the height of ancient civilization, there were rare individuals within the three races who had exceptionally high magical aptitude. These people were the higher races Ouka-san just mentioned.
Even today, there are rare cases where individuals are born with latent traces of these ancestral traits. However, most of them never realize it in their lifetime and simply live as people with extraordinary talent.
But the others who, like me, had undergone reincarnation could partially awaken the power of these higher races. That was the essence of the trump card that the two of them had used several times—the “Racial Trait Release” skill.
And to use my skill, the target’s body needed to be capable of enduring it. That alone indicated how overpowered the skill must be.
“The second condition… is that I must trust the person I use it on with all my heart.”
“Heh… Those guys easily qualify, don’t they?”
I nodded at Ouka-san’s remark.
If it were Reiji-san and Saul-niisama, to whom I entrusted “Save the Queen”, this condition would be no issue.
However, the biggest problem wasn’t these two conditions.
“The real issue… is the final condition. In order to activate it… um… m-membrane… contact… and… fluid ex—…”
I trailed off, my voice shrinking from embarrassment.
“Huh? What’s the last one?”
“I-I mean, to activate it… m-mucous membrane contact… and fluid exchange… are required…”
I barely managed to get the words out.
—Complete silence followed soon after.
The silence was suffocating. I clasped my hands over my lower abdomen and looked down.
I couldn’t lift my head. My face felt like it was burning—I was probably as red as a tomato.
After a few seconds, I heard someone snort, then a few coughs trying to suppress laughter.
“Wait, hold on… does that mean…?”
“K-kissing! Kissing is enough, okay!?”
“O-oh, I see… That scared me for a second… In that case, why not test it out to confirm its effects? Like, maybe ask Reiji-san over there, who’s just standing there dumbfounded—”
“NO WAY! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!”
Before Ouka-san could finish, I cut her off with a desperate shout, frantically shaking my head.
Flashes of last night’s fragmented memories ran through my mind. If I did something like that now, I would die of embarrassment on the spot.
“Aah, okay, okay, I get it. Sorry about that. Yeah, I can see how that would be a really high hurdle for you, Princess.”
Ouka-san patted my shoulder sympathetically. I still couldn’t bring myself to lift my head, but I nodded in agreement.
—But deep down, I had a feeling that the day would come when I would have no choice but to use this skill.
That was the reason I had been given this power.
When that time came, I couldn’t afford to let embarrassment hold me back. I needed to be mentally prepared so I could use it without hesitation… That was what I told myself.
APM - Translation 