Mobile Fortress Saratoga ~Silvery Sword Princess Became My Servant. Chapter 6

Since Rinvelt's translations of are good, I'll be starting from chapter 6. I promise no regular release schedule, but my goal is 2-3 chapters a month. The next chapter may take a while, since I got a bit impatient to release this, while I'm actually still in the middle of my finals and got some essays and s.h.i.+t to turn in.

I don't MTL, but since my skill in j.a.panese is still inadequate, I'm forced to rely on excessively... So, in essence, I work slowly to achieve the highest quality results possible considering my skill level.

I think this web novel, while not a masterpiece, is quite good, so I hope you'll enjoy it. If you're the type to listen to music while reading, I recommend something desert-themed, for obvious reasons. Personally, I like The Golden River by Philipp Beesen.

Chapter 6 - Despite how she looks, she’s a maiden inside

“It hurts! Kirie-san, it hurts.”

“Shut up, you d.a.m.n Bug. Get inside already!”

The castle at the centre of Saratoga was crowned with a spire. At the end of the corridor in the second floor, they came before a door with a plate that said: “Cleaning Room”.

Kirie threw the door open roughly and tossed Nanas.h.i.+ inside by the nape of his neck.

The room was surprisingly s.p.a.cious, and that s.p.a.ce was filled by a ma.s.sive quant.i.ty of hanging white cloths. At the back of the room, there was a was.h.i.+ng tub filled with water. There was no window, but a warm, gentle wind was blowing inside the room. It seems there were several spirit stones embedded in the walls.

Nanas.h.i.+ fell on the floor by the force of the throw. Grumbling, he tried to rise, but Kirie stepped on his back. He gave a pathetic yelp. Then, while kicking Nanas.h.i.+’s back, Kirie raised her voice.

“Hey, Miria! Mio-sama’s order. You are to watch over this d.a.m.n Bug.”

“Geez! Onee-chan. You’re talking like a guy again… What? This boy?”

Answering Kirie’s call, a young woman came out from the back behind the sheets. It was a girl about Nanas.h.i.+’s age, with a gentle atmosphere.

“Onee-chan?”

A question mark floated above Nanas.h.i.+’s head.

Now that it was mentioned, there was a resemblance. There was a difference in hairstyle, one had a short cut and the other had a ponytail, but if Kirie’s upwards slanted eyes were slanted more downward, she might also give off this kind of gentle impression.

On her head, the girl had a white headdress. She wore black design clothes with a white ap.r.o.n. She had probably been doing laundry until just now. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her fingertips were dripping water.

Still being stepped on, Nanas.h.i.+ lifted his head and looked up at the girl. It wasn’t his intention, but looking up from this low angle, he couldn’t help noticing the spot where her chest pushed up the cloth.

They couldn’t compare to Shumelvi’s, which he had witnessed just a while ago, but they still looked considerably big. This didn’t mean he was indecent. He was a healthy young man, after all. It couldn’t be helped if his eyes wandered a little.

However, with her foot on his back, he unintentionally also raised his eyes to check Kirie’s chest, finding but a regretful failure.

Even from this angle, that which didn’t exist could not be conjured into view.

It reminded him of a flat, windless desert.

Must not go any further in this line of thoughts, else his head might be filled with various dangerous words. And, of course, there was no reason to convey those thoughts to Kirie.

“Hohou... It appears that the d.a.m.n Bug has something he wants to say.”

He heard a low, penetratingly cold voice from above.

“Eh? Ah… Um… That is...”

Nanas.h.i.+ felt drops of cold sweat streaming down his cheek.

“Let’s hear it. Come on, quickly now.”

Nanas.h.i.+ racked his brain for an answer that would end this situation peacefully. None! There was no such thing! He couldn’t find the right answer. Time was running out. He couldn’t endure it anymore. Then, at last, the words escaped his mouth. That is…

“Kirie-san… must be taking after her father, huh.”

A vein popped around Kirie’s temple, making a sound that shouldn’t come out of a human body.

“Whose chest! Takes after! Her father!”

“GYAAAAAAH!”

With a demonic expression, Kirie raised her foot overhead and repeatedly stomped on Nanas.h.i.+’s back with her full weight. Trampled on with full strength, it seemed that various things were about escape his body orifices.

For some reason, Miria looked on such a scene of violence with pleasant eyes, directing a question to her sister:

“So, onee-chan, who is this boy?”

Kirie answered her sister’s question while taking a breath.

“Oh, sorry. Look after this Bug. It’s fine to use him for manual labour or whatever. Feel free to work him to the bone.”

“Bug… So he’s of the People of the Desert?”

“Yes.”

“Ooh… It’s my first time seeing one. He doesn’t look that different from us. Without being told, I might not have noticed.”

Saying that, Miria observed the youth intently.

“You can’t see it now, since only the whites of his eyes are visible, but his eye colour is actually black.”

“Hmm... Anyway, it’ll save me a lot of trouble to have someone to help me right now. I’m about to go distribute the washed sheets. They’re surprisingly heavy.”

“I have to go to the war council. Use him as you like.”

Having said that, Kirie turned on her heels and left the room.

Miria peered at Nanas.h.i.+’s face again.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Ye- yes. Somehow. Somehow I survived.”

“That was your own fault. Onee-chan, despite how she looks, she’s a maiden inside.”

“A maiden? As in war maiden?”1

While confirming the bootprint on his back, Nanas.h.i.+ asked for an explanation.

“There seems to be a confusion of nuance here… But well, whatever. I’m Miria. Miria Al-Saad. I’m the maid a.s.signed to the management floor.”

“Ah, yes. I’m called Nanas.h.i.+.”

“Well then, Nanchan, help me fold these sheets.”

“Nanchan?!”

“Nanas.h.i.+, so Nanchan. It’s cute, right?”

With those words, Miria started to nimbly fold the sheets hanging in the room. Nanas.h.i.+ got up, and following her example, took down nearby sheets and folded them. Once they finished them all, Miria brought out a wooden cart, where they piled the dozens of sheets.

“Now then, let’s go distribute them. Push the cart and follow me.”

Nanas.h.i.+ did as he was told, and followed Miria with the cart. Walking the hallways, opening doors, throwing sheets to the rooms - while while repeating such a work routine, he explained at Miria’s inquiry the events until now.

“That must have been rough. If you’ll be here until we catch up with Gergios, then I’ll have your help for another three days or so.”

“Three days?”

“Yes, it’ll probably take about that long. Gergios is surprisingly fast. I know you’re worried about your sister, but if she was kidnapped for her ability to predict sand floods, then they probably won’t treat her with too much cruelty.”

“That’s… That’s right! I’m sure she’ll be fine!”

Nanas.h.i.+ said so in order to convince himself. They didn’t talk about his little sister any more after that. The feeling of worry kept nagging at him, but now he asked about something he’d been curious about all this time:

“That silver-haired girl, is she also here in this castle?”

“Seldis-sama? Yes, she is. She’s strong, beautiful and admired. Ever since Seldis-sama arrived, there has been a skin whitening boom among the maids. She’s become the target of their aspiration. Well, with out skin tone, it’s impossible.”

“Is that so… What kind of a person is she?”

“Eh, what, Nanchan, are you interested?”

Miria seemed to be enjoying herself, she laughed while looking at Nanas.h.i.+.

“N- no, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just unusual to see foreigners.”

“I totally understand the feeling, she’s probably out of your league. Our men were all harshly turned down, too. Gustavo-sama doesn’t seem to have given up yet, though...”

“No, like I said, I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Uh huh. If you say so. But, if not Seldis-sama, then how about onee-chan? Until now, she has been married to her work, but I think it’s about time for her to find a sweetheart...”

Miria said that while taking the last sheet and tossing it into a room.

“No, since I’m of the People of the Desert, I’m hated by the n.o.bles, so there are no such fond feelings...”

“Well, I guess so. Although, I kind of like you...”

“Wha...”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.”

“Please don’t tease me.”

Turning his eyes away from the laughing Miria, Nanas.h.i.+ shook his head lightly to cool down the heat from his face.

“Oh, speak of the devil...”

He followed Miria’s line of sight, and saw Kirie walking towards them from the from the other direction.

“Oh, by the way, Nanchan, where are you staying?”

“I haven’t been told anything about that...”

Hearing Nanas.h.i.+’s words, Miria headed towards Kirie and waved her hand.

“Onee-chaan! You came at just the right time.”

As soon as Kirie arrived, she first gave Nanas.h.i.+ a glare. It seemed to be a conditional reflex already.

“What’s wrong? Did the d.a.m.n Bug blunder? If he did, tell me immediately, I’ll beat him to death. No, even if he didn’t blunder, just say he did.”

“I didn’t blunder...”

Nanas.h.i.+ shrugged his shoulders. It seemed he was doomed to be killed no matter what he did.

Completely ignoring their exchange, Miria asked Kirie:

“Say, onee-chan. Where is Nanchan going to stay?”

“Hm? He doesn’t have a room. To begin with, he’s a Bug. Just throw him in the yard.”

Kirie answered her sister’s question with a puzzled expression.

“Onee-chan! That won’t do. That’s too pitiful.”

“I don’t particularly mind it, though...”

“Nanchan, be quiet!”

“Okay...”

“Even if you say that, Miria, if we throw him in the soldiers’ quarters, he’ll be killed at the slightest offense. And if we give him a room, there’ll be an upsurge of discontentment, since it will seem like we’re giving favourable treatment to a mere Bug.”

“I get it already! Then, Nanchan, you’ll be staying in my room tonight.”

Awkward silence filled the air. Nanas.h.i.+ took his time comprehending the meaning of Miria’s words, while Kirie started trembling all over.

“Wh what are you saying!? You can’t! Miria, this guy may look harmless, but he’s a Bug, a savage!”

Panicking, her eyes swimming, pointing a finger at Nanas.h.i.+, Kirie raised her voice. However, Miria didn’t look like she’d back down.

“Throwing an obedient boy like him out to the yard, that’s what would be savage! Nanchan, you don’t have to hold back. You’ll sleep with me tonight.”

“No, I- I think that would be bad, after all.”

Even Nanas.h.i.+ was getting fl.u.s.tered. Noticing his panic, Kirie got annoyed all over again.

“Why are you blus.h.i.+ng!? d.a.m.n Bug! You can’t! You can’t! You can’t!”

In the end she started repeating herself like a spoiled child. Seeing her in such a state, Miria grinned.

“Then, let him sleep in your room, onee-chan.”

“Eh?”

A dumb sound escaped from Nanas.h.i.+’s mouth. The next moment, Kirie’s exasperated voice echoed in the hallway.

“Miria! Are you telling me to share my room with a man?!”

In contrast with Nanas.h.i.+, who drew his head back, Miria turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

“Nanchan, it seems onee-chan sees you as a man, after all.“

“Wh?!”

Kirie squeezed her hands in fists, trembling like she was enduring something. On the verge of explosion - such words crossed Nanas.h.i.+’s mind.

“...Fine. Hey, you d.a.m.n bug! I’ll lend you a corner in my room. Miria. Once your work is done, bring him to my room!”

“Thank you, onee-chan! I love you!”

“Shut up! Have it your way!”

Sullenly spitting out those words, Kirie walked away with long strides. After following her receding back with her eyes, Miria suddenly turned to Nanas.h.i.+, smiling and sticking out her tongue.

“A crime of conscience, huh...”2

“Mm, how should I say this… When talking with Nanchan, onee-chan gets very lively. Seeing onee-chan act that way after a long time makes me happy.”

Imagining himself getting viciously beaten by that lively Kirie, Nanas.h.i.+ s.h.i.+vered and shook his head. Knowing that he’d be spending the night in a room alone with Kirie, he sensed a danger to his life.

-------------------

1This author employs furigana quite liberally: for example here, the line spoken by Nanas.h.i.+ is actually just the one word, “otome?”, which I translated as “maiden” in the previous line, while the kanji explain the meaning of the word in this instance as something along the lines of “demonic warrior woman”. As a rule, I prefer to keep the text smooth and faithful to the idea rather than the form, even if it means translating something a bit liberally. This note is just so you know, in the future I won’t be explaining these kind of situations, unless I find no convenient way to include the different meanings in the text.

2This term may require some explaining. A “crime of conscience” is an act that you feel compelled by your conscience to perform despite knowing that it’s illegal. A cla.s.sic example is smuggling Jews out of n.a.z.i Germany. The phrase is also used colloquially to mean “premeditated crime”, I’m not entirely sure which translation would make for a more accurate a.n.a.logy in this instance.