Translator Corner
Minasan oideyasu. This is Yukkuri demasu!
I want to actually release this hours ago
but then there was this sudden hotel meeting I need to partic.i.p.ate, so it get
delayed so late in the night (here is midnight right now).
Also, I mostly didn’t translate honorific,
as I feel the j.a.panese Honorific convey social status / relations.h.i.+p better
than the English one. Or perhaps, it’s just because of my Asian background…
DISCLAIMER: There is no
guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was
wrong.
Author:
Dozeumaru(どぜう丸)
Translator:
Yukkuri Oniisan
Editor:
So-Chintzy
Postwar Arc
Chapter 5: As a Ruler AB (behind the scenes) – Meanwhile, The Black
Clothed One[1]
On the day when Elfrieden Kingdom’s
(Temporary) King, Souma, accepted his Second and Third fiancées, there were two
people conducting a discussion through the Royal Voice Broadcast at a different
place. Elfrieden Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Hakuya Kwonmin[2],
addressed Jeanne Euphoria, the Sister Princess of Maria, the Empress of the Grand
Chaos Empire, and who was reflected on the simple receiver set atop the table.
「The
reception is clear. It seems there are no problems in the simple receiver sets’
connection. Thank you very much, Jeanne-dono, to even send a Griffon Cavalry to
us.」(Hakuya)
『My
Sister[3]
also understands the importance of what King Souma called a “Hotline”. If we
establish this, then the Empire and the Kingdom can always communicate with
each other. So shouldn’t it be a natural thing that we did this in a hurry?』(Jeanne)
Jeanne made a sweet grin on the screen.
After the Amidonian Conference, Jeanne
returned to her country and reported to Empress Maria about the proposals from Souma:
『The
Secret Alliance with Elfrieden Kingdom』, 『Establis.h.i.+ng a Bilateral Hotline』, 『Each
country dispatching a residing Amba.s.sador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary[4]
and establis.h.i.+ng an emba.s.sy as the place where the amba.s.sadors will stay』. Jeanne
had thought that Maria might not refuse these proposals and, sure enough, Maria
readily consented to it. Or perhaps, it could be better to say that she was
laughing exuberantly.
『That
was the first time I had ever seen Sister laughing like that. She seems to be quite
happy.』(Jeanne)
「Happy……
is it?」(Hakuya)
『To
have someone who shares the same value system…… In other words, someone who has
the same way of thinking. There are not many people who can do so in the
Empire. Someone who can see eye to eye with the Holy Maiden.』(Jeanne)
「I
see.」(Hakuya)
The one who pursued the ideal and
the one who looked at the reality, not only were they separated geographically at
the eastern and western sides of the Continent, but were also separated by their
ideology, but for some reason, both of them could understand each other. Certainly,
it might be an interesting situation, thought Hakuya.
『When
it is possible, I want to immediately to hold a broadcast conversation between Sister
and King Souma.』(Jeanne)
「Since
both of them are really busy, both of them probably don’t have time to do this.
When the situation has calmed down, let us decide the time for the conversation
beforehand.」(Hakuya)
『Yes.
Certainly.』(Jeanne)
Then, after a bit gossip (expressing
complaints about their respective Lords), Jeanne asked Hakuya.
『There
is something that has been bothering me from awhile ago. I could see a lot of books
behind Hakuya-dono and I have the feeling that I have seen those books before from
somewhere.』(Jeanne)
「……Ah,
these books are loaned as a collateral for the indemnities payment from Van. Since
there are many books that I want to copy before returning them, I was sorting them
out until just now.」(Hakuya)
『The
Prime Minister himself personally sorted the books?』(Jeanne)
「Of
course, since we lack the manpower, but half of it is because it’s my pastime. I
have a fondness for sorting books. Dividing them according to the category,
lining them uniformly, sometimes turning pages of a book that caught my eyes,
and finally taking pleasure at the sight of the neat book arrangement on the
shelves. Books are humanity’s wisdom. The progress of the country itself. When
I thought about how I could always read the books lined up on the shelves
before me……」(Hakuya)
『……』(Jeanne)
Jeanne was opening her eyes wide
in surprise at the sight of Hakuya’s loquaciousness. If you were talking about
the “Black Clothed Prime Minister”[5],
then he was someone who was famous as a genius that Souma had discovered and a
person who led Gaius VIII and Julius by their noses with his Machiavellianism[6].
When she personally met with him, Jeanne also had the impression that he was a
really clever person. However, when Hakuya was talking about books, he had the
eyes of a child. This gap[7]
(Hakuya’s att.i.tude that was different from his usual demeanor) left Jeanne in a
bit of shock.
『…… Do
you really like books?』(Jeanne)
When he heard Jeanne ask this, Hakuya’s
ego returned. His expression recovered back into his usual cool and composed
one, but the tips of his ears were a bit red.
「*cough*……
Excuse me for my conduct. I have a bit of weakness for books……」(Hakuya)
『Fufu,
I think I have seen an unexpected side of you.』(Jeanne)
「Is
it unexpected? I myself think that I am more suited as a librarian rather than as
a prime minister.」(Hakuya)
In the first place, Hakuya’s
audience with Souma, was just because his Father uncle said 『Don’t
just spend years reading books! Go out and help society!』 and
involuntarily registered him at the Talent Event’s 『Wisdom
Talent』 cla.s.s. Then, he, the overall champion, had an
audience with the young king and was charmed by him. Hakuya thought that if it was
Souma, then he could make this nearly dying country get back on its feet again.[8]
So he stopped being a reclusive bookworm, became a government official, and
before he noticed it, he had already become the Prime Minister.
As a matter of fact, at that time
Hakuya thought that it would already be good enough if he became an advisor to
the previous Prime Minister Marcus. However, that Marcus saw that Hakuya was
more Prime Minister material than himself and recommended Hakuya as Prime
Minister. Thanks to this, recently Hakuya didn’t have any time to read the books
that he liked and his days of being pressured by work, continued.
『Fumu…… Then, if I appointed you as the Chief Librarian of the
Imperial Library, would you come to our country? I think that our library’s
book collection is also more superior than the Kingdom’s.』(Jeanne)
「Ah.
That is a quite fascinating offer.」(Hakuya)
『Is
it no good?』(Jeanne)
「If
it was before I entered into the government service, then I might have unhesitatingly
jumped at that proposal.」(Hakuya)
But, you know…… These work
pressured days are also not bad, thought Hakuya. The former Hakuya would think
that history was only something that existed inside a book. However, currently
he felt that he was making history himself. By serving under Souma, who will lead
the Era of this country, Hakuya himself could become a character in the
history. When he thought about this, it didn’t sound bad.
「Currently
I want to be together with His Majesty Souma when he leads the Era. Then, at
some point in the future, when the next generation has grown up, I will retire
and write down this Era.」
『A
comfortable retirement, right? …… At this day and age, there might be no other
lifestyle that is more comfortable than this.』
What Jeanne said might be true. In
this Era, it is hard to have a comfortable retirement. Between the threat from
the Demon Lord’s Army from the north, which was gradually approaching, and an
Alliance, which member countries had their own agenda, it was a hostility
filled situation. Hakuya must settle these situations entirely for the sake of his
comfortable retirement. Whether or not this is possible, it was something that was
beyond his knowledge though.
『Well
then, I will look forward to our next meeting, Hakuya-dono.』(Jeanne)
「Yes.
Let us meet again, Jeanne-dono.」(Hakuya)
Jeanne ceased her communication. Fuu……
Hakuya let out a sigh and stood up. He reached out his hands towards the piled
up Amidonian books. The precious books, that were neglected in Amidonia’s care,
had been damaged to such extent that they need mending. If Hakuya didn’t take them
into his “guardians.h.i.+p”, then these books would disappear from the face of the
world. Good grief…Exasperated, Hakuya picked up a book, and then……
「Prime
Minister-sama.」(MIB Agent)
In the corner of the room, there
was a kneeling man clad in black attire. His face was shrouded by a veil of
black cloth. It was as if he was melting into the darkness of the room, the
light dimmed behind its closed doors. Hakuya asked that man.
「How
did it go?」(Hakuya)
「It
went well. However……」(MIB Agent)
When the man hesitated to answer,
Hakuya knitted his brow.
「Did
something happen?」(Hakuya)
「This
is…… I feel that in many ways, we have progressed too easily. It is as if, we
were operating according to someone else’s plan……」(MIB Agent)
「Is
that so……」(Hakuya)
Hakuya dismissed the man and
turned the pages of the book in his hand. Why did he take custody of the books
from Amidonia’s Library as the indemnities’ collateral? It was because Hakuya was
expecting something. That is, the chance of the neglected book collection containing
books about Amidonia’s family registry or legal jurisprudence[9].
Since the Capital’s Library was usually supplied with copies of these kind of
books, if he could obtain those book copies, then it will be as if he had
grasped the heart of that country. Since the Amidonian Royalty was War-Hawkish,
he had expected that they wouldn’t recognize its importance. However, contrary
to his expectations, amongst the confiscated books, there was only a single
copy of that type.
That copy was what Hakuya was
holding right now, a book about the current generation’s Amidonian Royalty’s
genealogy. He turned the pages and when he arrived at the last page, there was
a folded up paper interposed in it. Hakuya unfolded that pages and what he
found was a picture of “a small animal with black fur around the eyes and round
ears, pulling its eyelid with one hand while sticking out its tongue[10]”.
Seeing this picture, Hakuya was
blinking his eyes in surprise, while laughing, “kukuku”.
「I
see. It seems that Amidonia isn’t lacking a ‘person’ like I had thought.」(Hakuya)
☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽
So… Jeanne >< hakuya="" and="" maria="">< souma…="">
But since Maria is an Empress, will Souma do
a Personal Union between the Kingdom and the Empire? This make me want to play
CKII again……
Also, the stage for Roroa’s appearance is
close!
A realist (Souma) and a capitalist (Roroa),
how will these two interact?
Also, what are Hakuya’s Man In Black Agents
doing?
Also there is no funny Author Notes for this chapter.
Read the next chapter at Larvyde!