Translator Corner

This is Yukkuri demasu!

Sorry for the lateness. I can only say

September is a busy month.

I will be transferred to a district hospital

next month, so this month is kinda annoying as I need to finish all the

workload piled up before I transfer… My procrastination strikes back……

DISCLAIMER: There is no

guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was

wrong.

Translator:

Yukkuri Oniisan

Editor, Proofreader:

So-Chintzy

Postwar Arc

Chapter 3: The Negotiation A

There was a training ground

inside Van’s Castle. In that open air room, that was similar to a j.a.panese

archery range, I was facing the fully equipped Aisha. The red armored Aisha bared

her great sword[1] toward

my direction, while opposing her were me and the five medium-sized Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun

dolls (It was in the middle between the small size,

that was as big as a stuffed toy, and the large size, that was as big as a

human).

「Then……

I will move, Your Majesty!」(Aisha)

「Come,

Aisha!」(Souma)

The referee, Liscia at the corner

of my field of view, raised her hand. At that moment, Aisha’s great sword

slashed down. In an instant, a visible shockwave flew towards me. I then moved

Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun (equipped with s.h.i.+elds in both of its hands) to the front and braced

the s.h.i.+elds. When the shockwave hit, it produced a loud banging noise, but

Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun A (Dual s.h.i.+eld) somehow managed to hold its ground.

「It’s

not over!」(Aisha)

However, without even a moment to

feel relieved, Aisha pointed her great sword towards my direction and set the

sword at her side, before thrusting it forward with all of her might. Even though,

Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun A piled its s.h.i.+elds to guard against this attack, that

battering ram-like attack penetrated both the piled up s.h.i.+elds and Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun.

(For real…… It pierced through those two bulky

s.h.i.+elds……) (Souma)

I was taken aback by the

unreasonable power, but currently, Aisha’s feet were stopped. Using this chance,

I sent Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun B (Dual Sword) and Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun C (Spear) from both

of her flanks and attacked from both right and left at the same time. But Aisha

stabbed the great sword, that had pierced through Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun A to the

ground, and then, as if using the great sword as a pivot, she did a cartwheel and

evaded the attack by moving her body towards the air. Aisha ended up in a

position similar to a handstand by using the great sword.

「There,

【Precision

Shooting】!」(Souma)

The remaining Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun D

and E (Bow) aimed and shot at Aisha, whose feet had left the ground and could

not move. Two arrows quickly flew towards Aisha.

「Naïve!」(Aisha)

On top of the stabbed down great

sword, Aisha rotated her feet and did something like a capoera handstand

roundhouse kick (I don’t know the proper name)[2]

and then kicked down the two arrows. Then, she stepped down and immediately

took out something from inside her pocket before flicking it towards me with

her thumb.

「No……way…」(Souma)

There was a ‘pacch’ sound from my

forehead, so I was greatly taken aback. In the middle of my forehead, there was

a ten yen coin sized piece of clay. If perhaps, this was a knife or a stone

from a slingshot, then perhaps I would already be dead. Well, since it was only

a “practice” match, I won’t die, but as expected, it’s depressing to be

defeated one-sidedly…… I then sat down on the spot.

「Ah, really……

I can’t even put up a proper fight.」(Souma)

「T-that

is……」(Aisha)

「Aisha,

I think it is important for the battle a.n.a.lysis, so just say it honestly.」(Liscia)

Liscia stopped Aisha, who was hurriedly

approaching me, and, just like what Liscia had said, I was currently verifying

my battle capability.

「Just

like what Liscia said. Speak honestly.」(Souma)

「T-then……

How should I say this, I didn’t feel any difficulty facing the ‘Party’ of

dolls. But I think the previous 『Everyone carries swords in both hands and swarms』 tactic is more difficult to deal with.」(Aisha)

「Ah,

the 『Pikmin Tactic』[3]…… But then, didn’t you just blow them all away together?」(Souma)

「So

in other words, it’s below the standard.」(Liscia)

「Uuu.」(Aisha)

I hung my head when Liscia

pointed this out. Since the Pikmin Tactic wasn’t effective, then this time, I

tried to use the combination tactic that was used by the adventurer party, that

Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun partic.i.p.ate together with in the quest before, as a reference

(if I have to name it, it will be called 『World Tree Labyrinth Tactic』[4], but in the end, this tactic failed

「Since

an adventurer party will have a magician, after all. A s.h.i.+eld that has been

strengthened using magic would be difficult to pierce and, rather than arrows,

elemental magic would also be difficult to deal with.」(Aisha)

Aisha said this sketchily. Also,

rather than “impossible”, it’s “difficult”, so Aisha’s “above the norm”

standard was really obvious……

「Even

if you mention a magician. I can’t use elemental magic or support magic……」(Souma)

To say nothing of me, even if the

『Living

Poltergeist』 dolls that I control could use 【Whirlwind

Slash】 or 【Precision Shooting】,

they couldn’t use magic to put elemental effects on their weapon or to shoot out

flames or ice.

「I

wonder if you can learn how to use them from something like a magic academy?」(Souma)

「It

will be impossible. I have never heard a Dark Attribute user that can use magic

from other attributes.」(Liscia)

Liscia immediately vetoed it.

According to her, the four great attributes: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind,

created the phenomenon by manipulating mana in the air, while the Light

attribute meddled with mana inside the body to increase the healing rate or to enhance

the body. However, a Dark attribute didn’t have any ability to do this. In

other words, no matter how much I learn or study, I won’t become a Magician or

a Healer…… How should I say this? This is disappointing. I dropped my shoulders

and Liscia began to speak with a surprised expression.

「What

are you talking about? A Dark attribute is rare, you know? Even until now, I

only have seen three person possessing it.」(Liscia)

「Three

people? It’s me and Tomoe, right? …… Who is the other one?」(Souma)

「It’s

my Mother. But she never told me what her power is.」(Liscia)

Really……The previous Queen,

right? I met with her a bit when I was summoned. I’m certain the right to

succeed the throne was originally the previous Queen’s (so strictly speaking,

the previous Queen Regnant)[5]

and that the Queen was just entrusting the kingdom’s governance to her husband,

the previous King Albert? She was hidden behind the King’s shadow, so I don’t

really remember her, but whenever I see her, she was always smiling, so I feel

that she is a nice person.

「However,

it seems that my power is not enough to protect myself……」(Souma)

「Please

be relieved, Your Majesty! I will always guard Your Majesty’s life the entire time!」(Aisha)

Aisha hit her chest with a puff.

In front of her reliability, I feel pathetic.

「A

hero that is protected by a girl, as expected, is not cool……」(Souma)

「What

are you saying right now? Souma hasn’t been hero-like since the very beginning,

you know.」(Liscia)

Liscia slashed me down with a

single stroke. I agree with her…… But could she not use such a coa.r.s.e and indirect

expression?[6]

While I was thinking this,

「Isn’t

it Souma’s way to entrust things that you can’t do to people who can? Since you

couldn’t do it with your own power, then we will be the ones who will always

protect you.」(Liscia)

Liscia said this while blus.h.i.+ng. Aisha

also followed her.

「Just

like what the Princess said! Your Majesty is the one who has protected the

country where we live, so please let us protect Your Majesty’s safety!」(Liscia)

「…… I

see.」(Souma)

To have two beautiful girls

saying this to me, although it is pathetic, I am also happy. I am a frail

Hero(?), but I will protect the girls in my own way……

No, I want to protect them. It’s

from the deepest part of my heart.

「Your

Majesty.」(Juna)

When I turned my head at the

sudden call, I saw Juna-san in her Marine uniform making a bow with her hand on

her chest.

「Hakuya-dono

is searching for you, he wanted to talk about the city planning.」(Juna)

「I

understand. I will go to meet him right now.」(Souma)

I stood up and brushed away the

dirt. I asked the soldiers to tidy the training ground, as I and the girls

headed towards the government affairs office. I will do what I can do.

◇　◇　◇

When we arrived at the government

affairs office, Hakuya and Ludwin were already waiting inside. I sat at the

desk, while Liscia, who had been in the secretary position since some time ago,

and Juna-san, who was also in the secretary position due to the labor shortage,

were sitting at both of my sides. Aisha was standing close to the door in her bodyguard

stance. Recently, this has become the standard formation for this room. After

confirming that everyone was in position, Hakuya then showed a map of Van’s

city planning that he had prepared on the table.

「Please

take a look at the city planning scheme.」(Hakuya)

Just like what he had suggested,

I took a look at the map. There were four highways to each cardinal point from

the Duke’s Castle at the center towards the square outer walls, then, small

roads branched out perpendicularly from the main road, which made the map look

like a Go board[7].

 It was as if I was seeing the map of

Ancient Nara and Ancient Kyoto depicted in a history textbook.[8]

The n.o.bles’ quarters would be integrated on the northeast section, while the

workshops would be on the southwest section. Facilities, such as garrison

military stations, are dispersed in an earth-staggeringly efficient manner. I

let out a sigh while resting my chin on my hands.

「……Hakuya.」(Souma)

「Yes,

Your Majesty.」(Hakuya)

「This

is overkill.」(Souma)

After all, this was a city

planning that was really taking efficiency into serious consideration. “Ane-san-rokkaku-tako-nis.h.i.+ki”……[9]

Why are you turning the streets into a mysterious unrecitable spell? In the

first place, for such a large scale reconstruction, won’t it be quicker if we

just burned down the entire city? Do I need to become a Nero emperor?[10]

「I am

sorry. After looking at that disordered city planning, I had this sudden

impetus to make it more efficient……」(Hakuya)

Perhaps Hakuya understood this,

so he made a wry smile as he pointed at the main street.

「However,

for the fire countermeasures, it is important to establish a boundary. So

establis.h.i.+ng these main streets is necessary.」

「That’s

seems to be so. However, I want to reflect the will of the people who live on

the other parts. I want them to think about what kind of city they want to be

and what they think about the other people living alongside with them. If we

just decided anything and everything here, then it could incite a rebellion.」(Souma)

「Just

in case, I have called several architects who lived in this city, but……  Asking the opinion of the people in this city?

But with the current atmosphere, the result would be some avant-garde art……」(Hakuya)

「An

artistic city, huh? …… That sounds interesting if that’s really the case.」(Souma)

It might be a good idea to also establish

art galleries and museums…… What will it be? Since there is a open air market just

like Ameyoko[11],

I feel that Van would gradually turn into Ueno. If that’s the case, then let’s

also build a Zoo, too[12].

If we borrow Tomoe-chan’s power, then it will easy to make it a reality, since

the Pongos (mountain apes) could quickly build it. However, Hakuya shook his

head.

「Van will

become the front line city against Amidonia. At this point of time, it is

impossible to create such pleasant city.」(Hakuya)

「……Ah,

that’s true.」(Souma)

After all, you can’t hope much

for the defensive capabilities of an Art City. I want to quickly turn it into a

city that you can change as you wish. I then looked at Ludwin’s direction.

「What’s

the current state of the work for establis.h.i.+ng a transportation network?」(Souma)

「Yes,

Your Majesty. Presently, the Royal Army’s King’s Guards and the Army had given their

entire effort and have connected Van to the highway that leads to the Kingdom’s

territory. In addition, we have completed connecting the road to the villages

surrounding Van that are under our current possession. We have also constructed

eight bridges over the rivers, but……」(Ludwin)

「But?」(Souma)

I asked Ludwin, who seemed to be

hesitating and then, while showing an uncomprehending expression, he asked.

「Currently,

I don’t understand what the meaning of establis.h.i.+ng the transportation network

is. Of course, I understand that it is necessary to establish roads for the

supply line. However, currently the Empire doesn’t recognize Van’s owners.h.i.+p, so

if we construct roads and bridges, won’t it just be a worthless endeavor when

it gets handed back over?」(Ludwin)

「He’s

right…… The Empire, of course, would demand Van’s return. It will also be

annoying if Julius uses the bridges that we constructed.」(Liscia)

Liscia also made a pensive

expression. However,

「Perhaps

that won’t happen.」(Hakuya)

「Yes.

Not happening.」(Juna)

Hakuya and Juna-san denied it together.

「With

all due respect, the Ducal Prince Julius is not someone who has that kind of

personality.」(Hakuya)

「I

heard that he has high pride, so he wouldn’t do something like using a bridge that

had been constructed by his enemies.」(Juna)

「Hummm……

If it’s me, even if it’s Amidonia’s, as long as it can be used, I will use it.」(Souma)

For example, that husky voiced

female general. Ever since that day, Margarita Wanda had done her best as the

singing contest’s host. In this country, where a woman is looked down upon by

men, a woman who can speak frankly to the male partic.i.p.ants is precious. She is

also powerful, so the half-hearted men wouldn’t oppose her. Well, leaving that

aside.

「If

he had such a high pride, then shall we try to do something to hara.s.s him?」(Souma)

「Hara.s.s

him?」(Liscia)

「We

shall bestow names to the bridges. There are eight, right? Then Souma Bridge, Liscia

Bridge, Albert Bridge, Hakuya Bridge, Ludwin Bridge, Poncho-Is.h.i.+dzuka Bridge, Aisha

Bridge and Juna Bridge. Engrave each of these names on the respective bridges’

guardrails. Even if they change hands, we could still emphasize the Elfrieden

Kingdom’s contribution. In this case, wouldn’t Julius want to destroy them

instead?」(Souma)

「Souma……

You really take to such dirty measures so easily…」(Liscia)

Liscia answered in half admiring half

amazed tone, but since there were no objections, this plan would be accepted.

Incidentally, I requested that the bridge were only sufficiently strong, as it

will be alright if the bridges are destroyed. I also confirmed that they didn’t

ornament the bridges. After seeing Hakuya and Ludwin going off to carry out the

plan that we had decided on just now, Liscia sighed.

「As

expected, it is hard since the Empire maintains their demand for Van’s return?」(Liscia)

「Yeah……They

have no intentions to change their basic policy, but if that Sister Princess[13]

is our enemy, it will be impossible to push things our way. Even if it ended

successfully for us, the Empire would lose its face. If that’s the result, it

will incur the Empire’s hostility, and it will be a diplomatic failure.」(Souma)

「I

heard that Souma met with Jeanne Euphoria. Is it true? About how the Hero

Summoning was their consideration for our country?」(Liscia)

Did she heard that from Juna-san?

I only nodded in response.

「Yeah.」(Souma)

「Since

when did Souma realize this?」(Liscia)

「Ever

since I heard that the Empire is led by someone referred to as the 『Holy

Maiden』, I have had a vague hint. I believed that a person

who was touted as a figurehead called the 『Holy

Maiden』 wouldn’t do such a relatively unreasonable action.」(Souma)

「Isn’t

that position was just their public face?」(Liscia)

「It

is because it is their public face, that it is convenient to be touted.」(Souma)

For the Empire that has a

humongous territory and is composed of many races and tribes, a figurehead called

the 『Holy Maiden』 is convenient to act as the unifying force. It was

all the more important, since the Empire wanted to create a system to manage an

united Humanity front to counter the Demon Lord Army. Then, so that they wouldn’t

lose this convenience, Maria Euphoria would be someone who will act just how a

Holy Maiden would do.

「Because

of this, you could interpret the Empire’s request in a favorable light, or

something like that.」(Souma)

Well, until my discussion with

Jeanne, I didn’t have any positive proof of this. But I had finaly confirmed it

in the discussion with Jeanne. Although, the Grand Chaos Empire appears to be something

like an『Evil Empire』 in a story, it is not a haughty superpower nation. They

are only “a normal strong nation” that endeavors to frantically preserve their

country.

「For

this reason……we can’t be completely careless in this.」(Souma)

「You’re

right.」(Liscia)

I exchanged looks with Liscia and

the other two, and then I made a sigh.

◇　◇　◇

On the next day, that Sister Princess,

Jeanne Euphoria, accompanied by the claimant, the new Amidonian Duke, Julius, appeared

in Van as the envoy for the territory return negotiations.

☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽

Dundundundun.

Curtain of a 8 long part chapter called

Negotiation begun…

Now, what a Realist Souma do to counter a

Realist Jeanne?