第８１７堀：恋する乙女の決意 (Part1)
Chapter 817: The Resolve of a Maiden in Love
Side: Kagura
I am currently in the bath.
Together with my close friend, Mikos.
"Um, Kagura, Enora, haven't you two been glaring at me for a while now? I mean, honestly, for quite some time."
"..." "..."
Mikos is saying something foolish.
"Are you going to pretend you don't know the reason?"
"…Look in the mirror. The mirror. See? It’s right there in front of the shower."
"Um, Senpai, Bishop Enora, could you please just..."
Solo tries to soothe Enora and me, but that’s not going to happen.
"You really went and did it right in front of the territory's people, didn't you?"
"That was practically the same as declaring to everyone that you’re engaged to Yuki-dono."
Yes, just as Enora says, while Mikos was informing the residents about the construction of the Weed facilities, she had gone and boasted that Yuki was her "special someone."
"No, come on! That was just to appeal to everyone that the Jarna territory and Weed are on good terms!"
"If that was the case, it would have been enough for Baron Jarna and Yuki-dono to just get along."
"Exactly. There was no reason for you to stick your neck out, Mikos. Are you trying to ruin the Baron's reputation?"
When we complained, Mikos let out a heavy sigh...
"…Sigh. Kagura, Enora, you don't have to be so angry. If I’m the one to forge the bond, it naturally follows that the path will open for you two as well."
"…Mmph. That may be true, but what if Yuki pulls away because you were so blatant about it?"
"Exactly. In fact, he *was* pulling away, wasn't he? It’s not fair that we get dragged into the fallout of your self-destruction."
As Enora says, if Mikos wanted to crash and burn on her own, that would be fine, but by involving everyone else to that extent, what happens if Yuki starts to feel revulsion toward all of us?
That is why we are angry.
"Yuki-sensei was pulling away because of the villagers' fanaticism. My appeal is just business as usual. Besides, Enora, you said you didn't care about Yuki-sensei, yet you seem awfully obsessed."
"Th-that is because, in the future, cooperation with Weed will be absolutely essential!"
"..." "..."
Enora’s situation is obvious to anyone with eyes, but there's no point in pressing her when she’ll just deny it.
Setting that aside...
"Princess, why didn't you stop her? There was a risk of leaving a bad impression on Yuki... or rather, on everyone from Weed."
"Ha. My apologies. It was such a ridiculous thing to say that I couldn't help but scoff."
"Eh?"
I was so surprised by the Princess's blunt reaction that I could only let out a gasp. She continued:
"As for your concerns about leaving a bad impression on the people of Weed, rest assured—if we were the type to give such an impression over something this trivial, we would have been eliminated long ago. Yuki-sama’s wives would never allow anything harmful to remain near him. In other words, you have already been vetted by them. All that remains is for Yuki-sama himself to accept you, and that is something you must strive for yourselves."
"In other words, you are tacitly approving of Mikos's behavior?"
"Indeed. It is not particularly disadvantageous. Unless Mikos takes her appeals to an extreme, there is no need to knit your brows over this. In high society, there are plenty of fools who claim to be pregnant just because a man touched them; this is far better than that. You’ve heard of such things, haven't you, Kagura?"
"…Yes."
"No way!? There are people that stupid!?"
"…The noble world is tough, isn't it?"
While I have no choice but to affirm the Princess's words, Mikos and Enora, who are unfamiliar with the affairs of the capital's high society, are simply shocked and dumbfounded.
Admittedly, I have heard stories like that.
Compared to that, Mikos's antics are certainly mild...
As I was thinking that...
"Do nobles get pregnant just by being touched?"
"No, no, no!"
At Solo’s naive, dim-witted question, everyone, including the Princess, immediately shot it down.
What kind of biological entity gets pregnant just from a touch?
Well, if the partner were Yuki, I suppose that would be fine.
"Well, regardless of that, I am glad the people of the Jarna territory have accepted Weed favorably. That was a higher priority than the love lives of Mikos or Kagura."
"..." "..."
"I won't say I don't support your love lives, but we must address the problems before us first. If we don't resolve the issue with Sea-Cypho, it is clear that the aftermath will reach us as well. Besides, are you all training properly? Even if you become Yuki-sama’s lovers, it will mean nothing if you die in battle. Can you truly fight the monsters of the sea?"
"..." "..."
At that, we instinctively looked at each other.
"Hm? What is it? It is a simple question of whether you can defeat them or not, Stasia-aneesama. What is the situation?"
The Princess, curious at our silence, asked Princess Stasia, who replied:
"It is a difficult question to judge. It is not that we cannot defeat them, but it becomes tough when they come in swarms. The win rate is even lower if we are underwater. Even for General Agil and me, it is at most sixty percent. One-on-one."
"That's right."
"Are the monsters of the sea truly that powerful?"
"If they come onto land, it is not much of a problem, but underwater, it is quite a different story."
"Our living environments are different, after all. Land and water require different approaches. Well, that is still without the aid of the items made by Narjia-san, so our odds have improved significantly. At first, we couldn't even do a thing on land."
"Is it that bad? The threat looming over the Kingdom of Sea-Cypho is truly formidable."
Yes.
Fighting aquatic monsters is genuinely difficult.
The rules are completely different from land.
Being in the bath now, I feel that even more keenly.
You cannot move your limbs quickly or freely in the water.
And yet, we have to fight in such conditions.
That is why I find it so incredibly strange that people like Mauve-san can defeat them so easily.
Still, I am surprised at how, little by little, I am absorbing those combat techniques.
As we were talking, Deryu-san approached us.
"What is it, Princess Carrie? You have no need to worry. Kagura and the others are working hard. They still have a long way to go, but they won't die."
"If Deryu-sama says so, then I am reassured."
"However, they will continue to train. I understand they want to be favored by Yuki, but since their lives are on the line, you must keep them focused."
"Yes!"
We answered Deryu-san firmly.
We want to marry Yuki, but we don't want to die before that happens.
"Regardless, Mikos, how do the Jarna residents seem to you? From my perspective, they have accepted them favorably."
"Ah, that's right. Kagura and the others kept talking about Yuki-sama, so we got sidetracked. I also see it as them being accepted, but what do you think, Mikos?"