Translator: Ranzan

It wasn’t a deep kiss, just a starter that he gave her…a quick peck .

「Whoaaaa…he’s kissing the princess!」

He could hear the rattled voice of Juurokuya behind him . It wasn’t as rattled as when she imitated Youran, but it was still pretty fl.u.s.tered…Taiyou simply ignored her .

As the kiss continued, the sucking lips of the princess had a lemon taste . Even though it wasn’t the first, there was a sweetly-sourness to it .

It was a hot kiss that struck the mind, strong even though it lacked fierceness .

Taiyou thought her kiss was different from all the others .

He continued the kiss for five minutes, and finally, the light seemed to return to Leticia’s eyes .

「Nph…」

Even though she had been at his mercy she had seemed like she began to moan, so Taiyou finally…separated himself from her hot and soft lips .

As he did, she immediately raised her voice in protest .

「What are ya doin’ all the sudden?」

「All the sudden? It was five minutes long!」

「What does that mean?」

Leticia was surprised . She looked around, saw Juurokuya riding along, and asked .

「Is he bein’ honest?」

「Y, yeah! Y, y, you were kissing him for a while!」

「…that so?」

Leticia finally understood . She didn’t protest or even get angry, but just hung her head with a sigh .

Though the truth was she was kissed while she was unconscious, it seemed that she still understood what had occured .

「I hesitate to ask but…do you understand what happened?」

「I have some idea . 」

「Some idea?」

「Cursed blood . 」

She blurted out that strange magic-y phrase . In the real world, there would be a question whether words like that would ever be used .

Even though she used those words, she held her true feelings inside . She wasn’t putting on airs, but her tone showed that she knew what had happened .

「That reminds me, you said something like that before the first kiss as well . 」

「Yeah, the blood flowin’ inside me makes that happen . My sis has the same thing happen to her . I hafta do that from time to time, it’s like it recharges my dead batteries or somethin’」

「Recharge with a kiss…is that what you mean?」

Leticia nodded slightly .

「Yeah, but I’m not really into it…it’s only…it’d suck to not be able to help that idiot . 」

「Well, it makes me really happy though, I get to kiss you again . 」

「Whaa?」

Leticia’s face turned bright red and her silent mouth fell agape . Even in the shadowy car one could tell her naturally milky-white skin had turned red .

「What? What are you sayin’?」

「Ah, you talk just like Juurokuya」

「Don’t compare me to her!」

「Wha?」

Juurokuya was shocked at Leticia’s strong refusal .

As Taiyou looked back and forth at the two, he noticed Leticia firmly shut her mouth .

He was surprised that Leticia’s kiss had captivated him completely .

Just a kiss, a meeting between two pairs of lips . A light kiss that a family overseas might give each other in greeting .

However, it was that kiss had shaken Taiyou’s heart completely .

The feeling was like getting a glimpse of the complexities of light and shadows…like after one falls madly in love .

Taiyou didn’t dare think of what that might mean to him .

「Again?! Are you gonna try to kiss me again?!」

「If you don’t, your batteries will go dead, right?」

「Well…I guess they will . 」

「Listen, this isn’t fair so I’ll tell you honestly . 」

「Wha?」

「I could care less about the recharge, I just want to kiss you more . 」

「Whaaat the…」

Leticia was without words . She had already blushed red as she could from what he previously said, as Juurokuya became even more fl.u.s.tered and swooned .

It was just as he said .

Princess of Phili Kingdom, Leticia H Kellaz . The princess of a respected kingdom with history and traditions, a maiden that had come to this land as a guest of the state .

The most untouchable of all maidens, almost like a rose planted on top of Everest .

To this girl Taiyou had told her straight that he would kiss her and continue kissing her if he had the chance .

「Until this journey is over, if you end up like you just were, I intend on kissing you . 」

「Even without my consent?」

「Even without my consent?」

「Yes . 」

Taiyou said so clearly .

Even so, his heart was far from calm .

The kiss, and his statement that he’d continue doing it without stopping, had surprised him as well .

He understood that at once .

The kiss with Leticia was wonderful…telling her straight in away that blew away all embarra.s.sment and rules…it was sure proof of how wonderful it was .

That’s why he told her, but he had not prepared for her rejecting him .

He noticed that she had no intention of fleeing from him .

(Well…at least until the end . )

After making that decision, he changed the conversation .

「So, changing the subject, what should we do from here?」

「I think I have an joker card . 」

He said just what he needed to, as Leticia’s formerly beet-red face suddenly changed back as she answered him .

「And you’re plannin’ to use it well?」

「The joker…」

Taiyou placed his chin in his hands in thought . In the back of his mind was an older woman… the shape of one of the mothers and daughters that served Saegusa Tsuk.u.mo .

「If I’m going to use it well, I need to know what the situation over there is like . 」

「She ain’t come back yet . 」

Leticia was talking about Hera .

「Something happened to her, I guess . 」

「Maybe she got attacked?」

「That wouldn’t happen . 」

Taiyou clearly answered, but in his heart he was a bit worried, thinking “Maybe…” .

He lined up the proof in his mind why she couldn’t have been attacked .

「The only ones that can see Hera are me and the girls that I’ve kissed, no one else can harm her . 」

「Are ya sure?」

「s.h.i.+rokiyami . It’s impossible even for her . 」

「Ain’t no way . 」

It was rare for Leticia to speak so seriously, she was so surprised that her voice almost cracked in excitement .

Taiyou remembered that s.h.i.+rokiyami had once planned on attacking Hera, and he told Leticia about it .

Taiyou and the sisters, after s.h.i.+rokiyami had spoken about the sisters being able to see Hera, had slashed quickly in the direction where all the sisters were looking .

Taiyou remembered that s.h.i.+rokiyami had once planned on attacking Hera, and he told Leticia about it .

Taiyou and the sisters, after s.h.i.+rokiyami had spoken about the sisters being able to see Hera, had slashed quickly in the direction where all the sisters were looking .

She hadn’t sensed her, but with the people that were there had taken a quick guess before she slashed .

And that slash, as an attack didn’t even touch Hera . It simply slipped right through the air she was in .

“Even though she’s the strongest swordsman…”

Leticia whispered to herself .

(Yeah, she is famous for it, that girl)

Taiyou thought about it, and nodded to himself .

「Well, then, somethin’ had to have happened to her . 」

Leticia stressed the word 「somethin’」 . Taiyou agreed with a nod .

「Can we call her to us?」

「No . 」

「Can we go to where she is?」

「No . 」

「Yer just fulla nos today . 」

Since it was just as she said, Taiyou didn’t get angry .

Now they had to figure out their situation, and in that thought they were of one accord .

「All I’m good for is fighting . I have power, speed, but teleportation items don’t work with me . 」

「I’ve see how strong and fast ya are, but teleportation items…how don’t they work?」

「Well, maybe they don’t . 」

Taiyou prefaced what he said .

「Long distance attacks…in a game sense, no long range attacks work on me . Guns, arrows, rockets, missiles, everything . Do you have a gun?」

「Wait a sec . 」

Leticia ordered the black clothed soldier beside her, and he gave her a gun .

「Now go ahead and shoot me . 」

「Really?」

「Seeing is believing . 」

Leticia nodded and silently without a pause shot Taiyou . The shot echoed inside the wagon, and the pa.s.sed out Juurokuya jolted up in a leap .

While thinking Leticia had some guts to shoot so quick, the bullet fell from Taiyou’s forehead and plopped, rolling in his hand .

「And that’s pretty much it . 」

「It’s breakin’ the laws of physics . 」

「It’s a lot easier to understand by seeing it . 」

「And that’s pretty much it . 」

「It’s breakin’ the laws of physics . 」

「It’s a lot easier to understand by seeing it . 」

「Everythin’s like that, and only you have that power?」

「Yeah . 」

「I see . 」

Leticia nodded, and they began to sort out their affairs .

「There’s one hostage, soldiers everywhere, an unspecified but unusable human weapon . That’s everythin’ we got . 」

「A human weapon, huh, well maybe that’s a good thing . 」

「It’s bad we lost our joker card . 」

「Yeah . 」

We didn’t exactly lose it, Taiyou thought .

The current problem was that Hera was separated from them and now there was no ability to control .

Currently it was the same as if they lost something .

「We should find out how much value the hostage is . 」

「No problem there . 」

「What?」

What does that mean? Taiyou thought as he looked at Leticia .

「Your highness . 」

「I know . 」

Leticia had a short conversation with her soldier .

Taiyou was surprised, almost as if s.h.i.+rokiyami had done it, as he watched the girls .

Outside the window he could see their figures .

There were those he had seen before, and those he hadn’t . Young and old as well .

But there was one thing that connected them all .

All of them were women .

They were all there because of Saegusa Tsuk.u.mo .

「That’s good . 」

Leticia smiled .

「We only send them hostages they want so they’ll send us the best they have . 」

Taiyou smiled in relief .