by CHIROLU
“Ah. Should I proceed with ending the bodyguard contract for those three?” Rita pondered with her usual expression on her face, completely unbothered by the commotion.
After that exchange, even a naturally bright and energetic girl like Latina was left sulking in the corner of the Ocelot. And seeing their adorable waitress in such a bad mood, the regulars couldn’t help but feel guilty, and ended up silently keeping their distance.
Dale, meanwhile, had retreated to the depths of the kitchen upon seeing those big, teary grey eyes silently staring at him, perhaps due to pangs of guilt. Well, no, since it was Dale, he may also have been at risk of passing out at how adorable her sulking was, or at losing his self-restraint in the face of her glaring. After all, his usual response to such situations was to absolutely smother her in affection, which he couldn’t exactly do in front of other people. And perhaps due to the chilly reception Chrysos and Gregor had shown him, even he felt the need to restrain himself for the time being.
Meanwhile, the demon lord with the unparalleled sister complex was deep in thought, wondering if there was any way to bring the water culture jar she had carefully tended back with her. As such, she didn’t have any time to pay attention to her sulking sister.
All that was in the container she was holding were some mere chunks of ordinary vegetables that had started budding. But even so, she had grown rather attached after observing them day after day. It really did make for a strange sight, seeing the ruler of a nation treat some vegetable scraps like a precious treasure.
“How about bringing back a bulb?” Rita asked, noticing the state Chrysos was in.
“Hmm?”
Rita grabbed hold of a nearby paper and pen and started sketching out a visual aid as she explained her proposal.
“You can raise a bulb by immersing just the ends of the roots in water like this. Apparently you need to keep it nice and cool until it starts budding, though... It might be tricky due to the warm climate of Vassilios, but I think you may be able to manage by employing magic.”
“Indeed.”
“If you put it in a glass or some other sort of clear container, that would be perfect for observation, and you may even be able to count it as an example of Labandese handicrafts when you take it back.”
“Yes...”
Chrysos was now fully enraptured. She was incredibly curious by nature to start with, after all. It was actually something that both sisters shared, the way that whenever something new caught their interest, they would devote their full attention to it.
“How terribly intriguing, to see plants grow so vibrantly with water alone...” However, her interest in aquaculture was out of more than curiosity. “If we continue with this research, it may be an agricultural boon even in a barren nation such as Vassilios,” she said, clearly speaking as the leader of a nation. “No matter how skilled we devils may be at magic, it simply would not be possible to entirely quench the thirst of our parched land. But if it was just in a limited area, it would be possible to keep a clear stream flowing. The issue is what plants would take root... I suppose it will also be necessary to verify if plants without bulbs can also be grown in just water...”
The way her thoughts raced like that was just like her twin sister, too. And so, Rita gave an awkward smile and continued on.
“Apparently the divine protection from Quirmizi often won’t activate if they’re not in contact with the earth, so that cultivation method isn’t typically used in Laband, but... There are eccentrics anywhere and everywhere, so I’m sure there are some scholars out there who have done some research into the matter. After all, that’s how knowledge of this bulb gardening method spread to begin with.”
Rita and Chrysos were both absorbed in their conversation, so neither of them noticed when Gregor silently came up beside Latina, who had been left all on her own.
Latina looked up, noticing his presence. While he was Dale’s friend and someone she was acquainted with, he wasn’t someone she was especially close to, so she tried to put on her best face.
“I believe it would be rather convenient for you to accompany your sister,” he said, throwing out a statement she couldn’t ignore, without any lead up. Latina was very upfront about things at her core, so her attention openly turned entirely towards Gregor.
“Huh?”
“You and Dale have become engaged, but that isn’t known to the world at large, right?”
“That’s... Yes.”
It was common knowledge amongst her friends and the regulars. And besides, Dale and Latina were so obviously clingy that it would make plenty of sense to call their engagement obvious in general.
But since the “world at large” Gregor mentioned included high society amongst a great many others, it would be best to say that it wasn’t known.
Dale was extremely famous as the Platinum Hero, but all that was known at large about his private life was that he had a lover known as the Fairy Princess. Too much of it remained a mystery to the public, so the image presented by the bards and general populace was steadily growing.
On the other hand, the fact that his actual deeds sounded like they were from the realm of pure fiction themselves only further confused things.
“So I’m saying, in high society there are a fair number of nobles who are after Dale.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t mean that in a bad way... Well, I suppose I can’t quite say that, but quite a few have set their eyes on him as a result of his abundant wealth, religious influence, connection to Tislow, and of course his fame as the Platinum Hero. I don’t believe I need to explain that it’s common practice for such folks to use any means necessary to try to win him over.”
From Gregor’s matter-of-fact tone, he didn’t seem to be including any strong personal feelings in the matter. And so, he just seemed a lot more persuasive, talking about things objectively rather than arguing a position.
When Gregor first mentioned people aiming for Dale, Latina’s face went pale, but as she began to understand his point, she started to go beet red instead.
“And it’s not just lower-ranking nobles, but higher ranking ones as well... Well, there’s certainly a trend amongst those who have nothing but a family name behind them, but still, there are also those who are greatly valuing Dale’s personal abilities and thus planning proposals.”
“Dale is engaged to me... He wouldn’t accept those proposals,” she said in a surprisingly sharp tone, a bit of a stern look on her face.
To start with, Dale had far more jealousy and a desire to monopolize his partner than most. That hadn’t changed since she was little. It just made sense that she came to rely on him with all his strength when she was just a child who had lost everything she had, but Dale had answered those feelings, leaving a strong impression on her.
His doting on her usually far exceeded her dependence on him, so she just couldn’t imagine him causing such trouble.
But to her, the thought of Dale being surrounded by noble ladies without her around certainly wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Naturally, Dale isn’t paying them any heed,” Gregor continued on, declaring his friend’s innocence.
He had predicted Latina’s reaction, but seeing her so earnestly show how she was feeling, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. But still, as a member of the powerful ducal family and an elite of Laband trying to push forwards friendly relations between the two nations, he saw great value in dragging the Fairy Princess to the negotiating table. He was confident that it was best to use his friend to peacefully bring that about, but her reaction was just too much for him.
Naturally, Gregor was well aware that Dale was paying no heed to the various nobles who were after him. Dale already had a younger fiancee he was deeply in love with, so any attempts to pair him with another woman, even through an official marriage request, would only be rewarded with anger.
However, facts were still facts.
“Folks like that won’t give up so easily, even
if they learn that Dale has a fiancee. And I certainly can’t say there aren’t haughty, arrogant nobles out there who would think that a marriage to a commoner could be easily annulled.”
Latina’s cheeks puffed up, the same pouting she had done since she was a child. For someone who had survived high society and politics as a member of the ducal family, manipulating her was as easy as taking candy from a baby.
“I don’t think even such unreasonable nobles would dare to raise a hand against the younger sister of Vassilios’s ruler, though.”
As a result, the sulking girl, her thinking a commoner’s through and through, nodded her own head in agreement.
†
As the local lord who ruled Kreuz, Count Kleinmifel ended up being the first noble of Laband to welcome the group of envoys from Vassilios, the neighboring nation they had no exchange with up until now.
The government facilities in Kreuz were all located in the town’s center, starting with the lord’s manor. And so, that was where the envoys had headed after passing through the southern gate. The Golden King who had arrived in a vehicle so splendid it could be called a work of art, was wearing a dark gauze veil. Even the count wasn’t able to lay eyes on her rumored beautiful countenance.
The ruler of Vassilios, the First Demon Lord, also ran the temple of Banafsaj, the most revered god in that nation.
Humans didn’t have much faith in Banafsaj, and hardly any knew of the god’s rituals. And they didn’t even know of the nation’s customs to start with, so when they were told that the nation’s ruler was a religious symbol and didn’t let herself be seen outside the temple, they just had to accept it.
Apparently that was only when dealing with an indeterminately large number of people though, and didn’t apply for conferences or welcome banquets.
The one tasked with guiding the envoys was the third son of the prime minister, Duke Eldstedt, and was in his own right a famed champion and swordsman. Based on his proposal, two extra seats were prepared for the welcome banquet.
There wasn’t a person alive unfamiliar with his sworn friend, the Platinum Hero. And he was the one who was tasked with guiding the ruler of Vassilios.
And when one heard that the Platinum Hero would be accompanied by a famed beauty, the Fairy Princess naturally came to mind.
When the count saw the Golden King and the Fairy Princess together at the banquet, he forgot to even breathe for a moment. Aside from the color of their eyes they were utterly identical, so there was no need to explain their relationship.
Both the young ruler and her sister had similarly shaped sleek black horns, and they wore dangling from them similar gold and silver decorations with plenty of jewels all delicately crafted in a foreign style. And their clothing was in an entirely different style than that of Laband, but from the finely crafted sashes and smooth, brilliant material, it was clear that they were outfits fitting for such noble personages.
“＊＊＊、＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
The beautiful princess with grey eyes then translated the words of the golden-eyed king.
“The king expresses her gratitude for this welcome.”
Her gentle smile charmed even the aged count, and not solely due to her beauty. The man had been friendly towards other races to begin with, but this caused him to rethink the matter even further.
A great many nobles and people at large felt nothing but terror and chills down their spines at the term “demon lord,” but seeing this Fairy Princess in front of them would surely turn that sort of thinking on its head. The Golden King was naturally no less beautiful, but with the unbelievably gentle air about her, her sister had a different sort of charm entirely.
Members of the city guard in Kreuz were charged with watching over the banquet, but even they forgot their duties, distracted by the sight. It was hard to blame them, considering how overwhelmingly beautiful she was.
To start with, it had been reported that a great many members of the guards had offered to give up their day off in order to take on this mission. Considering their enthusiasm towards their work, they could be forgiven for the momentary distraction.
The captain in charge of the guards was at the age where he would soon be retiring, but apparently he was deeply moved by being assigned a task of such honor at the end of his career.
When the Fairy Princess smiled at him and thanked him personally, he was just so overwhelmed that he ended up wiping the corner of his eye with a handkerchief.
As they were both guests at an evening party in the capital, he was already acquainted with the black haired and garbed Platinum Hero. After offering a perfectly composed Labandese-style greeting, the man smoothly moved to escorting the princess from Vassilios.
With every little movement, the princess’s sparkling platinum hair swayed along. The way she smiled warmly at Dale made it clear where the “Platinum” in his nickname came from.
It would seem that the Platinum Hero and the Fairy Princess were every bit about as close in reality as they were in the epic sung about them.
This also made it quite obvious how a hero had become acquainted with the Golden King, a demon lord.
A hero who played the leading role in defeating the demon lords called calamities, and a demon lord’s younger sister... They really were a shining symbol of the new relationship between Vassilios and Laband.
Well, that was all what Count Kleinmifel thought, but the reality of the situation was ultimately just a bit different.
“I can’t, I can’t, I just can’t...!” Latina said, desperately pleading her case to Dale as her previous smile shifted to a firmer expression.
“That’s not true at all. You’re behaving yourself like a proper princess,” Dale responded, comforting Latina in a low voice while his smile tempered through high society remained firmly in place.
“Chrysos, you didn’t say anything about persisting on pretending you don’t understand the language...”
“It is simply more convenient in several ways if I do not employ Western Continental,” Chrysos responded, sounding disinterested. Not once had she ceased carefully observing the Labandese guests. The aloof girl from the Ocelot was now nowhere to be seen, replaced with a resolute visage befitting the ruler of a nation.
“Dale, you’re different from normal, too...”
“Well... After a while I got used to behaving myself in places like this, I guess...”
While the usual level of intimacy between the two was missing from the conversation, by the standards of the world at large they were still acting sufficiently familiar.
Latina had thought herself sufficiently prepared to act as princess of Vassilios, but it turned out this was all too much for the girl so used to life as a commoner.
†
A bit before Latina appeared at the banquet at the lord’s manor...
After Latina accepted Gregor’s proposal and strengthened her resolve, things moved forward at a breakneck pace.
The envoys had already arrived at the manor, so there was no time to spare. The thoughtless girl who was supposed to be at the core of that group needed to be returned to her proper place as soon as possible.
Normally, it wouldn’t make sense to say that the Golden King couldn’t be seen publicly for religious reasons. However, she hadn’t officially shown herself before the townsfolk back in her own country, either. Of course, that had been solely for security reasons. While the Second Demon Lord was still alive and well, she only interacted with the bare minimum people possible and was only ever informed of anything through writing, and not only her appearance but even her gender were kept secret.
Alongside the news of the hated Second Demon Lord’s demise, information about Chrysos herself had start to spread throughout town, but everything was still only just getting started.
For now, though, Chrysos decided to use the situation to her advantage.
Dale and Latina couldn’t help wondering if her free-spirited antics would continue, but they didn’t dare
speak their minds. After all, the way they lived their mundane lives despite their growing fame was hardly different.
To start with, several of the devil envoys visited the Ocelot in secret. Normally such a secret visit wouldn’t be very easy for envoys from another nation to pull off, but their guide Gregor and the guards tasked with patrolling were also in on it. While they felt bad, as he was supposed to be the top official in Kreuz, they figured it was best not to let the count know, the sudden development likely not being good for his elderly heart.
When the members of the envoy group arrived, they got down on their knees before Latina and started to cry.
Faced with such an abrupt reaction in the middle of the store from people they had never even met, Dale, Kenneth, and the regulars all looked bewildered.
Latina, meanwhile, tilted her head a little, then looked like she suddenly remembered something and got down on her knees too and took their hands, looking flustered.
“＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊. ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
“＊＊＊＊... ＊＊＊＊、＊＊＊＊＊＊”
“＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊...＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
They seemed to be apologizing over and over while sobbing, while Latina responded to them in a gentle voice while wearing a bit of a troubled smile on her face.
The one to explain the situation to everyone left dumbfounded turned out to be Chrysos of all people.
“Our parents held relatively high positions in Vassilios.”
Their mother was the priestess who held the highest authority in Vassilios due to the lack of a demon lord, while their father was a guru who taught a great many people who held influence in the nation. And so, the “relatively” Chrysos had used was a bit of an understatement. However, the folks listening had no way of knowing.
“There were many who regretted being unable to protect Platina and Rag when my sister’s exile was decided. Rag’s last request was that his students stay in his homeland and help me, and they agreed, but... Even so, it always ate away at them.”
