Several days after staying at the office in the City of Est, I lived a life like I am completely soaked in tepid water. Suddenly, chill runs down my spine.
I have a bad feeling. This pressure is by any chance ...
「Master?」
「What?」
The guarding Suzanne stands up then wink to Claudia as if saying (you stay here). She rushed to the front of the store with a sword.
I feel that a great disaster is approaching.
「Master, a huge, strange carriage is on the front of the store!」
I didn't answer Suzanne's warning, and slipped into the back of the store.
It's my own store and there are plenty of places to hide.
「Where are you Takeru? Your Sister Ria has come!」
「Steriana-san, please do not make a fuss in front of the shop! 」
Sharon copes with the situation. It was a narrow escape.
Even before, she has a track record of driving away persistent sisters.
I'm counting on you, Sharon.
「Well, Takeru is here according to the divine message of A-sama.」
「If it is Master, I think he went to visit the base camp in Ona Village.」
Sharon who can tell a lie on a breath is reliable.
As expected, there can be things that can be acquired by studying as a merchant.
TN:He's means that one needs to learn how to lie to be a merchant
「Is that true? If you lie to me, you will received divine punishment from A-sama.」
「I am a devout A-sama believer.」
I can imagine the face of Sharon who's probably smiling nicely.
If she is your ally, she's a reliable existence.
「Is that so … … Then I will go to Ona village.」
「Yes, I think master is this eager to meet Ria-san by all means too, so.」
Fuu, Did she go....?
However, why is Ria, who's summoned by the church and should have been devoting her time to the Devil's Mountain and the sealed Miasma hole of Doom, coming to the city of Est?
What is happening in the capital?
I mean what is the church is doing? Please manage it properly.
Ria might have pretended to go and she might still lie hidden in the front of the shop.
Just to be sure, I will keep Suzanne and Claudia to watch the front.
And as I try to sneak out of the office at the back of the store, I bumped into a woman whose eyes are covered by a white robe. I almost scream.
「Iii!!」
「It's the concubine desu yo.」
Even with the same white robe, the height and age differ from those of Ria.
She raised the hood. The beautiful strawberry blond hair is stirred up, and the pointed ear is shown.
There was a fragrance of a rose, a lovely aroma. It is Princess Silhouette.
「Oh, I'm sorry. I must resign myself for mistaking Princess Silhouette for the female Saint.」
「You are not surprised to see the concubine here but surprised by being mistaken of me for Saint-sama. As usual, hero-sama is different. 」
TN:Hime-sama expected that Takeru will be surprised to see her but instead Takeru was surprised that she is not Ria.
Well, I already get a strange feeling with the huge carriage.
A luxurious carriage with fancy design is usually the owned by Kingdom nobles.
「You probably accompanied Marquis Donovan in incognito when he returned to his territory.」
「As expected of Hero Takeru-sama. To have guessed to that extent with just a quick glance at the concubine…」
I thought that it was possible that Princess Silhouette came to the City of Est.
It is impossible to think if it is usual, for example, the sole successor to the Kingdom of Silesie leaves the capital.
The collapse of the capital. The unstableness of the Miasma Hole of Doom. With these, it can be judged that the City of Est, which is manage by Maquis Donovan, is rather safe.
And above all, Lyle-sensei's scheme tangles by all means.
「I asked Lyle-sensei to let the princess as free as possible.」
「Is that so? Even if I go out without permission, I thought that nobody would care about a concubine.」
So negative.
I wonder if I can do anything about this character of the princess.
「No, probably sensei has not given up yet.」
「Is it the marriage talk between Takeru-sama and the concubine? I'm sure you should think ahead. I was persuaded indirectly by hero-sama's sensei.」
By sending the princess under me, she's trying to advance my marriage talk. That person.
If we meet often, our relationship will be good and we may get married. If I think about it, it seems that sensei is not so sensitive in terms of romance as compared with political strategy and warfare.
Sensei does not have experience in that area after all.
Well, I'm also a pureblood pure boy so that remark won't sound great.
In the case of this princess, if she don't improve her personality, I think this is not yet the stage that I can call her a bride.
「Hero-sama, are you a little lonely being separated from your sensei?」
「Did I have such a face?」
It is a little different from lonely, but no, I wonder if I really am lonely.
I certainly have no adviser since sensei is not here. I feel inconvenience in various ways.
「It is enviable. As for a concubine like me, I do not have an intimate friend like hero-sama.」
「Speaking of which, are you really alone? It is indeed dangerous.」
As I asked, a large female knight appeared from the shadow of our stored firewood.
A female knight who is about the same age as Louise and more muscular than Louise. This lady has a raven-black hair like me which is a rare thing in this world.
「The princess will not be left alone, Hero-dono.」
「Um, is that Jill?」
「Jill Rootbeer. We only met once but you remembered it well.」
TN: (ジル・ルートビアだ ) – anyone else who'll read her name in different way please let me know
「I'm good at remembering a person's name and face.」
It's because I'm a merchant. Oh, one big reason is that Jill's hair is the same color as mine.
Her raven-black hair is tied to a ponytail like Louise. Her skin is also burnt in light brown so I mistaken her for a Japanese for a moment.
After the conclusion of the war that Gale initiated, Louise was offered repeatedly to return to the knights order. She refused each time. She also decline to become the princess knight escort.
Instead, she mediated for a female knight which is her former subordinate.
I heard Jill, who is now the escort of Princess Silhouette, was like the right hand of Louise although I'm not familiar with it.
After finishing her greeting, Jill hid in the shadows again. An escort should not stand out so she's really skillful to be able to hide with that big body.
「A concubine like me doesn't need an escort.」
「No no, you should have. There will be an uproar if the princess walks alone.」
「Ara, the people don't know that I'm a concubine.」
「Ehh, is that so?」
「The only remaining royalty is a half elf. It cannot be said in public.」
「Is that what it is?」
I do not quite understand it.
I don't see any other race being persecuted other than the blatant discrimination of nymphs.
Is it a big backlash to be the Queen of the country?
「Fufu, a concubine has a body of shadow. There is an interesting thing in the royal palace for the concubine. There is a painting of Silhouette in the form of a shadow…..Ufufufu, please don't hesitate to laugh.」
TN: The princess called herself with her name, Silhouette,not the other term of shadow
「No…..」
That's not funny.
Why do you try to be self-deprecating and laugh?
I'm worried about how I should react.
「Apparently, it seems that this concubine is disturbing Takeru-sama. Silhouette doesn't have the ability to have an interesting talk. I will disappear to this place.」
「Uwa, wait wait. I didn't say you're disturbing me.」
She tried to go to the shadow where Jill lurks. Jill-san is in trouble.
She's so negative. Now, how should I encourage her to be confident?
「Then, in response to Takeru-sama's kindness, this concubine, please permit me to exist only a little more.」
「You can stay here for a while.」
If I say that I won't allow you to exist, are you going to disappear …?
Princess is a princess. Be aware that your personality is too negative. It may have been good that she tried to laugh at least.
I have to shake things with a bright topic.
「That's right, Princess Silhouette! Do not stay in such a dark place. Shall we go out to play somewhere? I'll show you around the city. It's a small town so it doesn't have much attractions.」
「Ah, is that possibly a date? Allright.」
Gu... It's that topic again?
TN:He meant the marriage talk
Princess Silhouette looked at my blood-red face, her face quickly turned to such too.
「Oh I'm sorry. You're not going to marry someone you never date. Saint-sama carefully warned me many times when we were in the carriage.」
That fellow might have been free in the carriage but what is she teaching the princess?
The princess doesn't mean any harm but Ria is a bad influence.
「I want to listen to the princess just in case, do you even think that you want to marry me even a little?」
「No, I do not think that it was such a big deal!」
I thought so. I'm glad to hear it before making funny misunderstandings.
「You really don't have to do what Lyle-sensei says about marriage. I requested for the princess to be liberated from the royal palace so she can live as she like.」
「If I could even be added to the lowest seat of Takeru-sama's concubine…」
Haa, I said in subdued voice.
Having no time for me to correct it, Jill-san has appeared quietly from shadow.
「Hero-dono, Princess Silhouette is the only heir to the throne. Making her your concubine is an insult against the Kingdom of Silesie.」
「No, no, Jill-san, I did not say that!」
What is a concubine? It is different from the lawful wife. Like a sub.
First, I'm not married so it's positive that I don't have a wife.
TN:Takeru doesn't get why would he make the princess his concubine since he doesn't even have a wife
「I'm sorry. This odd person is being cheeky of being a concubine. This concubine is only fine enough being the end woman sex slave.」
TN: End woman is like the last choice
「Hero-dono! To make the princess the end woman! Do you intend to enslave the princess?」
Jill-san is enraged. She appeared, put her hand on a sword, lower her back, and protected Princess Silhouette.
What is this…. I can't deal with it.
「Anyway, we're talking at the back of the shop standing. To the living room please.」
「Oh a special invitation. Much obliged!」
If you think carefully, there is a possibility of finding Ria while walking leisurely in the city.
For Ria, I have this feeling of anger that I want to scold her but I don't want to either talk or see her. It's a complex feeling.
—Scene Change—
I treat the visitors to a tea in the living room and gave them cake.
「This confectionary is a bread-like cake… Oh, it's so delicious.」
「This concubine also never eaten something like this in the castle.」
Princess Silhouette aside, Jill was impressed by the cupcake. I wonder if she has a sweet tooth.
Freshly baked with plenty of fresh eggs and butter, it will be better that the sweets of the capital.
「Well, our chef Colette is excellent. The tea that the princesses brought me is also delicious.」
I am a coffee person. As is expected, the tea of the Royal Family purveyor for the government is not bad.
「Louise-ojousama, I was wondering why she couldn't come back to the Knights Order. Perhaps there is no choice if you eat such things everyday.」
「Are you convinced with that….? Louise-ojousama?」
I was convinced that she is an elite knight, but ojousama?
Though, as for it, only her name is ojousama-like.
「The Carlson family is a prestigious noble family of knights with 240 years of history. Our Rootbeer family has a standing of retainer of Louise-ojousama. Takeru-dono doesn't seem to know well but a knight has to be formally be in a knight's family. Louise-ojousama is the one who stands at the top of it. 」
TN:She's basically saying that to be a knight, one has to be associated with a Knight's house like the Carlson. It seems that the Carlson is the most prestigious Knight house and Louise is the heir? Let's wait for a Louise family chapter in the future
「Is that such a great lineage?」
Whether it is a bureaucrat or a knight, I meet only retainer of a certain clan. They are monopolizing important posts and that's where I think Gale came out.
I thought of it for an instance but decided to not say it.
「Ojousama's father regrets disinheriting her. Louise-sama's sin is not clear. He decided for Louise-sama to return and take over the family but they are mutually obstinate. Takeru-dono, can't you speak with her?」
「Umm, I'll be in trouble if Louise disappears.」
I do not know the complicated circumstances of the Carlson family. To be frank, it doesn't matter.
If Louise disappears, it will be impossible to put together the Volunteer Army.
「Is that so? I'm sorry. Takeru-dono have his circumstances too.」
「Whoa, you're going to pull out that easily?」
「Even if I ask you, ojousama won't listen.」
「Haha, it must be.」
If I teased her by calling her ojousama, she might angrily return to the capital.
No, I'll be beaten up before that. Let's not imitate Ria.
「In addition, you have such a delicious cake. Ojousama will be happier if she stays here.」
「Eat mine if you liked it that much … …」
If she likes sweets so much, should I make a crepe too?
「Oh, Hero-dono. I will never forget this grace!」
「No, it's not such a big deal.」
Well, there are a lot of people in the knights order who have a strong character.
As I enjoyed the chilling tea time, the table became noisy.
Suwa! Did Ria return?
Sharon came over and say it proudly.
「Master, new slave girls are coming.」
Oh my, when did I order such a thing?
The customers are coming at this time. With the delivery of the slaves, I feel embarrassed….