Yotogi No Kuni No Gekkouhime Volume 1 Chapter 5

Sorry for taking so long. The internet died this month, and I gave up and did the translation somewhere else.

Chapter 5: Offering

Miran successfully survives the banquet, avoiding the girls like a bullfighter dodging a raging bull. The next evening, Miran, accompanied by k.u.mahachi exchange greetings a certain man. This skinny, nervous-looking man was apparently is the prime minister of this country.

“Did you enjoy the banquet last night? We have provided the best accommodations in the country.”

“I thank you for your consideration, Prime minister.”

Though Miran didn't say it was particularly enjoyable, the Prime minister floated a delighted smile. I've already have had such lip service given to me many times over, and I just can't get used to it. I feel like I'm lying to myself.

“That's excellent! With that in mind, there is something I would like to offer your highness.

Although Miran thought, “Again?” he did not say that to the Prime Minister's face. This is because this is was a string of events I had predicted to some extent. While traveling around the world, Miran continued to gently reject the girls offered to him, there was one more thing he wanted to deal with. The “Offerings”. The first weapon used is seduction, the second weapon being fancy gifts to the Herifalte kingdom's prince, hoping to curry favor with him.

It was more troubling than the girls in a sense. If you refuse the gift unskillfully, the other side would lose face, and if worst comes to worst, it would create discord in the relations.h.i.+p between the two nations. If it were Miran's father- who had real power, he might've been able to get away with saying, “I don't need it!”, but Miran, who is still a prince, has no choice but to accept it all as not to make trouble.

However, capacity is limited to such a small carriage, and so it has become troublesome to send it back home. Because of that the trip was significantly behind schedule and gave Miran a headache.

“Arue is a small country, but it has rich farmland. The horses raised here are excellent on the farm and in the military. Otherwise, the deer furs here are of the highest in quality…”

Miran, who is tired of the representative endlessly appealing to him about his country, interrupts the representative while thinking of how rude it is.

“Though I am thankful for your gifts, there is something I would like to see by all means. Could I ask you to show me around there?”

“Of course. If the prince so wishes we will prepare any sort of sightseeing spot.”

“That so? Then let us go immediately. k.u.mahachi will be accompanying us.”

“By your will.”

Then, the place where Milan told the Prime minister to take him and was a meaninglessly pointless place. In the corner of the palace, was a certain warehouse that looked like a heap of trash. While wondering about the reason, the Prime minister had no choice but to guide the prince.

“Err… Prince, Mirano? Isn't this place just a warehouse?”

“Is it just a warehouse? or by any chance, does it hold an extravagant treasure?”

At that moment Miran saw the Prime minister's cheeks twitch.

“No, it, as you can see, is simply a filthy place to throw trash that you don't need. it is not a place where someone like the Prince to step foot into…”

“But I thought you said anywhere was good? Or was that a lie?”

“no, not at all! It would be ridiculous to lie to the prince of the strongest country in the world!”

“Well, there is no problem with that. I would like it if the door was opened soon…”

The prime minister, driven into a corner by a young lion and bear commanded the gardener to open the door to the warehouse. The inside was dim, true to its appearance, with damp and musty air inside, with Miran and k.u.mahachi look inside with discomfort. As they went up to the second floor, Miran guessed where the room from last night was.

(After all this….)

When Miran and k.u.mahachi nodded to each other, At the back of the warehouse, there was a solid steel door unlike the rest of the warehouse, which had to be a worn-out wood door.

“Isn't this a rather st.u.r.dy door? Why would the country spend this much money on a junkyard like this?”

“That is uh… rather special room…”

“What's so special about it? Couldn't you explain it to me?”

“I don't have the right to disclose that information…”

“Well, that's rather odd. If not even you, The Prime Minister cannot explain it to me, then why is it in a place like this?”

From the relentless a.s.sault from Mirano and k.u.mahachi, The Prime minister had cold sweat flowing down his back. A tiger to the front and a wolf in the back would precisely describe this situation.

“Would it be alright if I were to sneak a peek?”

“Huh?”

“I'm asking if I can take a look inside. I am asking this as Mirano Herfalte, first prince of the Herfalte Kingdom.”

Miran made an exaggerated pose, adding to his intimidating tone. He doesn't like to frivolously abuse his power, but this is the only way to make any progress. At the request of the intimidating Prince, the Prime Minister had no choice but to nod his head. Then, as Miran extended his hand to the door, the door threateningly spat bluish-white sparks and caused Miran to quickly pull back his hand.

“umu, a seal, huh?”

“it's an engraved magic seal. It looks like something at the level of being a national treasure for the Arue kingdom.”

“Yes, as you can see it is a seal. it's set to where it can only be opened by members of the royal family of the Arue Kingdom. So that means…”

‘If you can't open it then that's alright', The words that the prime minister couldn't help but spin.

“k.u.mahachi.”

“By your command!”

When Miran called out to k.u.mahachi, he got in front of the steel door and moved his hand toward the sword at his waist. It is rude for the prince to have weapons while walking through another country's yard. For that reason, Miran came unarmed, but k.u.mahachi, however, as his escort was allowed to have a sword.

“Oi, what the h.e.l.l are you doing k.u.mah..!”

“If you don't want you want your neck to be separated your body, stay away.”

The prime minister, who had finally understood what was going on, began to back away from the door. k.u.mahachi dipped his waist heavily and began to pull his sword from his scabbard.

“Dis-appear!!”

With a strange cry that resembled a weird bird, an unsheathed sword was unleashed. the wind and vigor from k.u.mahachi's voice and force of the sword was so strong, The prime minister fell over onto his back.

After the sound of metal rubbing each other, k.u.mahachi calmed down and straightened himself.

“How was it?”

“It was a rather weak seal.”

on k.u.mahachi's face rose a fearless smile, and returned his sword to his sheath. As if a trigger was pulled, a tremendous amount of light poured out from the seal on the door. Sparks came out of the door angrily, but eventually, it stopped and became silent.

“Wh-What?! The seal was cut!?!”

“Because I precisely cut the seal.”

As for the Prime minister who cried out, k.u.mahachi replied as if it were nothing. There is a technique to cut off engravings, patterns, magic circles and the like. If you break it, magic would pour out like a bucket with a hole in the bottom and become useless.

In theory, it's very simple, but it isn't really realistic to actually do it. The materials that are used in the pattern are imbued with magic power have been strengthened by several levels. And it is even stronger since it isn't made out of paper, or wood, but made of solid steel. Even a normal person wouldn't be able to scratch it with a sword. Otherwise, the blade would come off.

But in this instance, however, and k.u.mahachi's blessed strength along with the foreign sword's blade that k.u.mahachi drew out, and his skill in the quick draw that he had polished, his ability was unmatched. Even if it was too hard for a normal man to do it; k.u.mahachi would cut it as if it were b.u.t.ter.

“So, you do have the key to open the door so that we can see, I presume?”

Ignoring the sh.e.l.l-shocked prime minister, Miran turned to open the door which had become a simple iron door. And as the door opened, it was a sight that took his breath away.

“All according to expectations.”

The room which looked like a jail cell; a beautiful snow-white girl was sleeping peacefully on a crude bed. After a single breath, k.u.mahachi and the Prime minister entered the room.

“Well well well, Prime minister, what is the meaning of this? Who the h.e.l.l is this kid?”

“W-well, The child is of the n.o.bility who made a little prank…….”

“Even if she did commit some mischief, I think this a little too much for something like that. Is she a criminal or something?”

“Yes, it isn't just some prank. The child here is rather weak, so she was recovering……”

“She's weak, huh?”

Miran remembered the chase from last night and where the person in question is staying and felt irritated from the Prime Minister's excuses.

“So is she is recovering here? It's rather moldy and not well ventilated for a recovery ward.”

k.u.mahachi had the same idea, and Miran saying so in a sarcastic tone raised the swordmaster's eyebrows. So then the weak-kneed Prime Minister gave way and spilled the beans about the whole situation.

And just like that, after learning about Selene's background and story leading up to the current situation, Miran couldn't suppress the rage seething inside him.

“Selene, second princess of the Arue Kingdom…”

“The girl really does look like a snow child. I understand about her current affairs. but just alienating the androgynous isn't a very good solution to this.”

k.u.mahachi had the same thoughts as Miran. He makes a grim face, looking like he wants to spit. One of the rules of the Herfalte kingdom is to ‘accept anything foreign as much as possible.”, so they say. This is the reason why Miran's country is big, not simply with a large territory, but being blessed with the force to complement it.

In order to move such a huge object, all gears of the machine, both large and small, must fit snugly. Miran's father understood that well. In fact, it was because if the idea wasn't accepted, Miran wouldn't have someone like k.u.mahachi around him.

“Can't you release the child?”

“That's impossible!”

Though bring glared at in displeasure by Miran, a trembling Prime Minister replied. Miran didn't have any high hopes and stopped talking about it. Even if I pressured the queen to release Selene, it would be highly unlikely that this girl would live happily. It's too harsh for a slender spirit of a girl to live, only relying on Princess Arue.

On the other hand, Selene, who was at the center of the story, was sleeping like a log and wasn't aware of what was happening.

Yesterday, her older sister was consumed with anxiety and didn't eat much, to the point where sprinting took up all her energy and exhausted herself. After that, It's been a while since Selene has felt Arue's soft hands of which she hasn't been able to enjoy for a long time, and so she was too excited and wasn't able to sleep until the crack of dawn. After the general event ended, Selene sat up and asked for a slightly larger breakfast and ate it in a flash.

In other words, As I couldn't eat at all yesterday, I couldn't sleep that night and took a nap after eating a lot to make up for yesterday until I was full.

Until Selene breathing calmed, Butler, who was in charge of Selene while she was sleeping was totally exhausted after his duty and fell sound asleep under the bed.

Miran judged Selene's deep sleep to be a coma to be from extreme fatigue. It was understandable the young maiden's current state of mind would be like if one were to be trapped in a place like this.

“Poor girl…”

Miran reached out to Selene's cheek as if it were delicate gla.s.swork. The child's warm body temperature spread out on Miran's palm. The Moon spirit whom Miran could not touch last night was finally caught by him. At the same time, the figure of Selene sincerely praying in the moonlight flashed through his mind.

-Why didn't this girl ask for help?

There is nothing that the girl could do in a place like this. so she sneaked out of her room every night to pray to G.o.d and calm down. A sad wish that n.o.body would pay attention to. Upon seeing the dry tear stains on Selene's pillow, Miran judged his a.s.sumption to be correct.

Miran closed his eyes for a bit, and without hesitation, he suddenly turned to the Prime minister.

“Prime Minister-dono, who exactly said that the girl in this warehouse was ‘Unwanted'?”

“ah… yes, I understand…. but-”

“And with this, we'll a.s.sume that this girl is our gift, right?”

“… Eh?”

The Prime Minister didn't get what Miran was saying for a moment, but the comprehension dawning on his face was astounding.

“This ‘unwanted child' won't affect your country financially, let me have this one. This is a win-win situation, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?”

When Milan pressured the prime minister as if to say”You do understand how this will end if you don't do as I say,” and took a step forward. The Prime Minister stiffens like a frog being glared at by a snake.

This is the Arue Kingdom, and not the Herfalte kingdom. Even though he may be a prince, violence with other countries is illegal. But that's simply a general rule. It is simply impossible to imagine what were to happen if one were to anger the young lion of the largest powerhouse in the continent.

“I will negotiate. First of all, I would like to speak to Princess Arue face-to-face, at once. Is that alright, Prime Minister?”

“……yes, sir.”

The Prime Minister replied in an indescribable tone, and with cold sweat running down his body, left Selene's room.

“Prince-sama, this is a rather overbearing way of doing these sort of things.”

“Are you saying to overlook the situation and leave it as it is?”

“I am simply saying this is a rather brutal way of doing things. Although it is for a good cause, it isn't possible to let a kid live in a place like this. If something were to happen to the hostage's country, we would end up having to kill the poor kid's family.”

If the Prime Minister were there, someone would have to hold him back, k.u.mahachi said as he spoke his angered mind.

“b.o.o.bies…”

Selene suddenly muttered, and the two men looked at the still-sleeping girl.

“… She must be sleep-talking,-degozaru. She must miss her mother.”

“But her mother doesn't want her. This might be the edge of something though it is necessary to leave her here because of mother. This is truly an unbearable situation.”* (I don't know how to translate this: 本当なら母親の元へ置いておくべきなのだろうが、これも何かの縁だろう。

The Prince looked up at the short ceiling without an outlet to vent his anger.