After some effort, we finally managed to calm things down enough to talk properly.
We sat facing each other, Renge beside me, and the old man seated directly across.
Behind me, Sorte leaned forward over the backrest of the sofa, while Aina sat quietly beside her.
Shiro was still fast asleep, her head resting comfortably on my lap.
「Still, it’s kind of amazing Shiro can sleep through all that noise…」
「Hey, let her rest. If you mess with her, she’s going to bite you, you know?」
「I wouldn’t make such a stupid mis――」
「Smell like dog」
「Ow!!」
…Yeah, Sorte totally deserved that.
She’d been poking Shiro’s cheek, so being bitten was only natural.
Well, she’s now teary-eyed and blowing on her finger, but we’ll just ignore that for now and get to the point.
「My deepest apologies. I had sent a letter ahead, so I believed my purpose here had already been conveyed. It seems, however, that I arrived sooner than expected.」
「Here you go. Some tea.」
「Oh, most gracious of you.」
「Here, milord, yours as well.」
「Thanks, Mizera.」
Once Mizera and Wendy served us all warm tea, our discussion could finally begin.
「Hmm. Now then, where shall I start?」
「Let’s begin with introductions, please.」
「Ah, yes, I nearly forgot. My sincerest apologies. I am Kuduro, adviser to Queen Koren of the Sand Nation Roukaku.」
The Sand Nation Roukaku… “Sand Tower*”?
TN: It’s a wordplay
That sounds like the kind of name that would collapse at the first gust of wind.
Well, this is another world, so it probably doesn’t mean anything serious… right?
「An adviser, huh? Sounds like quite the important position.」
「By the way, Koren is my little sisterssu!」
「…little sister? But she’s the queen, right? Wait, what? You’re royalty!?」
「That’s rightssu!」
That’s rightssu!?
She said that way too casually!
Now that she’s said it, I want to sense some kind of noble aura from her…
…but nope. Not even a hint.
「What’s with that lookssu?」
「Nothing… absolutely nothing. S-So then, what’s your relationship with Renge?」
「I have served as her caretaker since her early childhood. The princess has always been this… free-spirited.」
「Caretaker…? Hold on a second. Renge, didn’t you grow up with Aina and the others when you were little?」
Aina told me that the three of them were raised and trained together by their master.
When I looked to her for confirmation, she gave a small nod, so I wasn’t mistaken.
「Ah, well, that’s a bit complicatedssu…… hmm, how do I say this… I’m actually the Shrine Maiden Princess of Roukaku.」
「Shrine Maiden Princess?」
As if “princess” alone wasn’t already confusing enough, now she’s a Shrine Maiden Princess too?
「Yeah yeah, that’s rightssu. Among royal children with strong spiritual potential, there’s this special ritual that makes one a Shrine Maiden Princess. It’s basically a formal title, means I take on jobs on behalf of the nation. Actually, before I met you, I was working in Roukaku on one of those dutiesssu.」
Come to think of it, when I first arrived in this city, Renge wasn’t here.
If I remember right, Sorte said she’d be away for a while on some errand.
「So, about that special ritual to become a Shrine Maiden Princess, it was banned not just in our kingdom, but across the entire continent after I went through itssu. They called it inhumane and all that. I mean, if you fail, you die, so… yeah.」
「Wha…」
Die? She said that way too casually!
「Anyway, there was this organization that wanted to study me after the ritual succeeded, so they tried to kidnap me. I managed to escape, but I collapsed in the desert, and that’s when teacher found messu.」
「That was truly our nation’s disgrace. That vile organization has since been annihilated by my paw-knuckles, but we still owe a great debt to that person…」
Paw-knuckles… No, don’t get distracted. This is a serious story.
「After that, thanks to the pact teacher made with the kingdom, I was released from my duties as a Shrine Maiden Princess. I trained under teacher, and later, while traveling with the others, we happened to pass through Roukaku. My parents had retired, my little sister had taken the throne, and things were pretty rough, so I decided to help out as a Shrine Maiden Princess whenever I had free timessu.」
「The former king deeply regretted forcing the princess to bear such a burden. In honor of his promise to that person, he abolished the ritual and abdicated as soon as Koren-sama came of age.」
There’s so much information coming at once that it’s hard to keep up.
So basically, Renge is a Shrine Maiden Princess of Roukaku, but she was freed from her duties after the pact with her teacher.
Later, when she visited her homeland during her travels, she found her little sister struggling as queen, so she occasionally helped with her duties as a Shrine Maiden Princess.
「I see… So this ‘emergency’ is related to her duties as a Shrine Maiden Princess, then?」
「Indeed.」
「And this job is… what, exactly?」
「Subduing an Earth Dragonssu. You know, beating one down near the city.」
An Earth Dragon!?
She’s supposed to slay a dragon!?
「They don’t appear often, but they’re really strongssu. And Roukaku’s military is kinda weak, you know? Shrine Maiden Princesses are treated like anti-dragon weapons or something. Wait, didn’t you say the army had been strengthened and things were fine nowssu?」
「That was true for a time… but unfortunately, Earth Dragons have been appearing more frequently of late. Even with our army, our numbers are insufficient. We’ve also issued requests to adventurers, but the cause remains unknown. Thus, I came to humbly ask for the princess’s aid once more…」
「Hmm… But I already told you I can’t do that anymore, didn’t Issu?」
「Of course. That is why, to release Renge-sama from her current obligations, we have gathered as much treasure as the royal treasury can spare, gems, gold, silver, coin, all prepared for this very purpose…」
Kuduro-san glanced briefly in my direction before returning his gaze to Renge.
「…Ahem. I assume this gentleman is the master of this residence, but may I ask what kind of relationship he has with you, Renge-sama?」
Ah, right. I completely forgot to introduce myself.
「Ah, my apologies for the delay. I’m Shinomiya Itsuki, an alchemist here in Einzheil. As for my relationship with Renge…」
…Would it really be okay to say she’s my slave and I’m her master?
She doesn’t look or act like one, and she’s technically royalty, a Shrine Maiden Princess of Roukaku, no less. That’s got to be a big deal over there, right?
「Areh? Didn’t I already tell gramps and Koren about itssu? I am master’s slave and master is my masterssu!」
Ah, she said it. She really said it.
So much for my hesitation… thanks for nothing, Renge.
「W-what!? Truly!? I had assumed this mansion belonged to the gentleman, but that his mistress was someone else entirely…! I did receive a letter saying, “I became master’s property!” but… Renge-sama!? I was under the impression that you despised men!?」
Oh right, that “man-hater” thing.
Honestly, I’ve never really seen Renge act that way.
At the Adventurer’s Guild, it’s actually the men who keep their distance from her.
In fact, whenever she walks somewhere, the guys clear a full meter of space around her.
…Yeah, something probably happened in the past.
Someone must’ve been thoroughly beaten up, no doubt.
「Hmm, well, that’s true… but for some reason, master’s fine. He already loves me lots, and I mean, sure, I said I wanted a kid, but he loves me so much my hips can’t take it anymoressu!」
「H-hey! Don’t say stuff like that in front of the person who basically raised you!」
「What? It’s true thoughssu! Every time, every single time, you keep going until I can’t even move! Even when I’m like, “I’m dying! I can’t take it anymore!” you never stopssu!」
Gyaaa! Stop! Please stop!
You’re gonna make the paw-knuckle fly!
How can you say things like that in front of someone who’s basically your parent!?
Kuduro-san’s eyes are practically bulging out of his head!
「I… I see… So that’s how it is… Renge-sama, may I ask, are you happy now?」
「Hm? Of course I amssu! I’m super happyssu!」
She threw her arms around mine, smiling ear to ear.
Ah, crap, Renge, your chest! It’s pressing against my elbow!
…And there it is.
Mizera and Wendy are giving me those icy stares again.
I can practically feel Sorte behind me wearing the same expression.
And Aina’s probably watching with that “you really brought this on yourself” face of hers.
「……I see. Understood! Leave this matter to me!」
「Eh, is it really okay if I don’t go back myself?」
「Our nation continues to advance each day, and our military grows stronger as well. They’ll just need to work themselves half to death and push harder. No worries, if things get dire, my fists, the Meatball Knuckle, will solve everything.」
Clenching his meatball fist, Kuduro placed both hands on his knees and bowed deeply.
「……lord master. Renge-sama is noisy, loud, emotional, and restless, but she is also a very kind person. Please, make her happy.」
「Ah, yes. I know that very well. Of course, I’ll make sure she’s happy, no, I will make her happy.」
「……Then I shall leave her in your care.」
Yeah… he must’ve been really worried.
After hearing that Renge became a slave, he probably used this incident as an excuse to come and take her back.
I could feel how genuine his concern for Renge was, and that’s why I decided to respond to those feelings with sincerity.
「……Then, I’ll be taking my leave!」
Kuduro stood up in one sharp motion, gave a respectful bow, and walked out with his coat in hand.
His steps were swift, unbelievably so for someone of his age.
※
Princess… you have found yourself a good master, haven’t you?
Seeing your bright, unclouded smile has put my heart at ease.
Still, Koren-sama has been worried sick. When you wrote, “I’ve become master’s possession!”, that alone told us nothing. We feared you were being mistreated or starving, and poor Koren-sama couldn’t even sleep.
But now, I can rest easy.
Do not worry about the Earth Dragon problem. It is our duty to solve the matters of our own nation. I’ll silence anyone who dares to push the burden onto the shrine maiden princess, even if it costs me my life. With these fists that have grown lighter with age, I can still unleash the “Shattering Meatball Fist”.
And if things truly turn dire, we can always request aid from the Kingdom or the Empire. It will come at a high price, but to uphold our pact with that person, and to ease Koren-sama’s worries for the princess, we must let her find happiness here.
「……Ah, age is a cruel thing. It makes one so tearful.」
The child I once treated like a granddaughter has grown into an adult and found happiness.
It’s a wonderful thing.
…Perhaps her master is a bit of a womanizer, but even so, the princess’s smile is genuine.
Please, be happy…
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