Chapter II: The Reunion
“I do not know much about the mikado, I do not. Such a person is far above my station, they are. I should say that we say ‘emperor’ to foreigners due to their different understanding of rulership, we do... But in Eashen we would prefer to call them the mikado, we would.” I asked Yae about the emperor, or rather, the mikado... But that was all she said in response.
This mikado seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Apparently nobody was allowed to see them, except for their personal aides and Ieyahsu. I wondered if they were a shut-in or something.
I decided to try contacting Ieyahsu and arranging a meeting.
Eashen hadn’t been inducted into the League of Nations, so none of the feudal lords had mass-produced smartphones. That meant I had to write up an official letter and send it through the Gate Mirror that led to Ieyahsu’s palace, and then hope for the best.
A few days later, I received a response. The letter said that the mikado would be willing to meet me. I decided to bring Yae along with me to Oedo.
“It has been a while, Touya-dono...”
“It certainly has, Lord Ieyahsu, I’m glad you’re looking well.” Ieyahsu greeted me and Yae with a huge smile. He looked a teeny bit fatter than he did the last time I’d met him.
We were quickly escorted toward a living room and served some green tea. It was really good stuff.
It’d been a while since I’d seen a tatami mat, too... Eashen was so similar to Japan that it basically felt like I was home whenever I visited.
“Thank you for the rice you gave us, it was high-grade and quite tasty. Yae’s been eating it up quite often.”
“Th-That is just because of Crea-dono’s cooking, it is! M-My chopsticks were moving on their own, they were! Wh-Wh-Why would you say something like that in front of Ieyahsu-sama?! Th-That is too cruel, Touya-dono!” Yae started flailing and puffing out her cheeks in embarrassment. I hadn’t meant it in a weird way. She was overreacting...
To be honest, I loved watching Yae eat. It warmed the cockles of my heart. It was pretty relaxing to watch her, so it was something about her that I loved.
“Gahaha, it is good to see you two getting along so well! When Yae-dono lived here in Eashen, all she focused on was the blade... She has changed a lot. Love changes a person, after all!”
“L-Love, ah... I-I... That is, it is... Uhm... Ah...” Yae’s face turned a deep shade of red and she covered her face with her hands. She peeked out from between her fingers now and then, but was met with teasing grins, causing her to retreat back again.
Gaaah, that’s so cute! What the hell?! When’d you get so cute?! I wanna hug you! I managed to restrain myself, cleared my throat, and moved on to the main subject of our visit.
“So, about the mikado...”
“The mikado is not here in Oedo, you know. They are in the imperial palace, located in Kyo... It should prove easy to reach with your teleportation magic, Touya-dono. I would like to accompany you as well.”
Kyo, huh? That’s an old name for Kyoto back on Earth... Guess it makes sense they’d be there.
I was mildly annoyed, though. Ieyahsu hadn’t given away anything about the mikado’s gender.
Apparently the mikado of Eashen didn’t involve themselves in political matters. Each feudal lord was expected to manage their territories and deal with trouble as it came up in their own provinces. That way the country would remain perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
But, in recent years, a man surfaced with the ambition to replace the mikado. That man was Oda Nohbunaga.
He sought to unite Eashen for himself and become the sole ruler, waging war on the other feudal lords for the opportunity to bring all of their territories under his. Alas, he was betrayed by Akechi Mitshuhide at Honnoji Temple and died there along with his ambition.
In retrospect, it was possible that Nohbunaga’s ambition was fueled by the monkey, Hashiba Hideyooshi. Damn that rotten servile god... It was entirely possible that all of Eashen’s political instability was his doing.
Either way, the entire mess had caused a power imbalance in the structure of how the feudal lords controlled the land, and Ieyahsu used that opportunity to rise to the top.
I was glad that the mikado was willing to meet with me. I would’ve been fine with Ieyahsu joining the League of Nations as the Eashen representative, but I had a feeling the other feudal lords might have had a problem with it.
I used [Recall] on Ieyahsu to recover memories of Kyo, and then opened up a [Gate] to it.
Yae and I walked through the portal with Ieyahsu and a handful of his personal guards.
“Huh... I see, so this is Kyo...”
It was exactly how I expected it to look... It basically had the aesthetic of Kyoto in those old historical dramas my grandma used to watch. It was honestly weird as hell to see it in the flesh. I wondered if I’d see generic townspeople walking around, saying stock phrases right out of a period piece.
A large vermillion gate stood before us, and behind us stretched a massive road that led toward a five-tiered tower. Clearly we were on something similar to a Suzaku Avenue from ancient Japan.
The massive gate creaked open after Ieyahsu spoke with the stationed guard.
We were guided toward the main building by a man dressed in traditional, regal-looking garments. We removed our shoes and headed deeper into the shrine-like inner palace.
As we walked through, I noticed a few barriers being set in place here and there. They seemed to be defensive installations at key points, and were a mixture of defenses against physical and magical attacks.
We continued walking through the hallway until we reached the innermost room of the palace. There were two great big sliding doors blocking it off.
Our nobly-dressed guide opened up the doors to reveal a massive interior, with a raised platform in the middle. A silk curtain surrounded the seat atop the platform.
There was a presence behind the curtain, it was likely the mikado of Eashen.
Ieyahsu’s guards were made to wait outside, and the sliding doors closed again. We walked toward the curtain before Ieyahsu stopped us a short distance from it.
“Your Opulence... This is the grand duke of Brunhild, Mochizuki Touya.” Ieyahsu sounded a lot stiffer all of a sudden as he bowed down. Yae followed suit, and both of their heads were rubbing against the floor before long. I wasn’t Eashenese, so I didn’t bother.
Even though Brunhild was small, I was still a head of state. I couldn’t afford to casually bow down to any other world leader that shows up. Or that was what I’d thought, at least... But I did end up succumbing to peer pressure and nodding my head forward. It was just a little, at least...
“Good day, fair Grand Duke. It is a blessing to lay eyes upon you.” The curtains were parted, as the person from behind it stepped forward.
The person was unmistakably a woman. She was clad in a white and peach multi-layered kimono, a junihitoe. She was a gorgeous girl, with skin paler than snow, and hair even whiter than her skin.
...Welp. Guess she’s more of an empress than an emperor, huh? Good thing mikado isn’t exactly gendered.
But there was something about her that stood out even more than her pale complexion. It was her bright crimson eyes and the two tiny horn nubs that protruded from her forehead.
She looked like a delicate female oni. That’s the term that immediately came to mind, at least. It was more likely that she was a horned demi-human rather than an oni, though.
“I am Shirahime. I have been acting as the mikado of this land for over two thousand years.”
“Ah... Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I am Mochizuki Touya.”
Two thousand years? Does your species have a long lifespan like the queen of Elfrau? But... I’ve never heard of any horned beastmen or demonkin with lives that long... And I can’t quite place where I’ve felt this presence before, but there’s something familiar about her... Wait...
“Have you perhaps noticed already? I am not an ordinary demi-human. My lineage is unique. While my father was of the demonkin, my mother was a spirit.”
Shirahime smiled gently. So that was what I was feeling. She exuded a similar aura to the spirits.
If a spirit incarnated in a human form, there’d be nothing preventing it from giving birth. But the process was still highly unusual, and even dangerous. In a worst case scenario, it could take up so much of the spirit’s energy that they’d die.
Spirits couldn’t die in the sense that mortals understood it, but the reincarnated spirit would still not be the same person as the one that vanished. I wondered if Shirahime’s mother had still decided to give birth to her, even knowing all that.
“Please raise your head. Given your status over the spirit world, it should be I bowing to you, no? Please forgive me for being unable to do so right now. I must maintain my composure as mikado. I hope you understand.”
“Ah... Please don’t worry about that... Who did you hear that from, exactly?”
“I heard from one of the Ice Spirit’s subordinates. The Ice Spirit is something akin to an aunt to me, so I learn much from her peers and offspring.”
“If that’s the case, who was your mother?”
“The Snow Spirit. She was a gentle and loving mother.”
The Snow Spirit, huh? That definitely explains your features.
The Snow Spirit and the Ice Spirit were both on the same level, one level directly beneath the elemental pillar spirits. Having such a powerful spirit take mortal form was extraordinarily rare.
Apparently, just after Shirahime was born, her mother had found her powers waning, and eventually, she faded away.
“I have been meaning to thank you for some time, Grand Duke. For what you did in dealing with Hashiba Hideyooshi, I mean.”
“You mean that monkey?”
“It is shameful for me to admit, but I could not physically or mentally refuse his whims. His ascension to the role of feudal lord was pushed through rather insistently on his part, as well.”
That made sense. No matter his nature, he still had divinity inside him. Shirahime had the lineage of a spirit within her, and most spirits were naturally subservient to gods.
“Ieyahsu, when you handled the remainder of the situation so skillfully, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. I must extend my thanks to you as well.”
“Y-Your praiseful words are wasted on me...” Ieyahsu muttered, his head still pressed against the floor.
Dude... You can lift it up now, I’m sure. “So, Grand Duke. Why have you made contact with me this day?”
“Ah, right. Well... you see...” I sat down and began discussing various issues with Shirahime.
She officially approved the idea to have Eashen join the League of Nations, and expressed interest in attending the next meeting herself. Given the fact that the next meeting was going to have a beach party at Egret attached to it, I feared her gaudy getup might be a bit of a problem...
Plus, the tropical heat could have had adverse effects on someone born from the Snow Spirit.
I reached into my pocket and took out two white mass-produced smartphones. I passed one to Shirahime, and one to Ieyahsu, then taught them the fundamentals.
Shirahime got used to the functions way faster than Ieyahsu did. She immediately started using the camera to take various shots of things in the palace and even took a few smiling selfies. She seemed to be happy with it.
“I wanted to ask you something, Mikado. Did your mother... Did the Snow Spirit ever appear before you again after vanishing?”
If it was when Shirahime was young, then it should’ve been a long time ago. That meant she should’ve revived by now.
“...You should know this, Grand Duke. When a spirit vanishes, it will revive itself as another. The Snow Spirit is no longer my mother, and I doubt they would react upon seeing me now.”
Though she smiled as she explained that, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness in her face. It was true that the Dark Spirit became someone else after I defeated it, and she lost her memories as well... But I didn’t think that meant everything was gone. I was sure that the Snow Spirit would feel some sense of faint kinship with Shirahime.
“...Would you like me to call her over?”
“To my mother...? Is such a thing even possible?”
“It is. There’s a high chance that she won’t remember you, you are correct... But I’m sure she’d be able to feel something.” Shirahime hesitated and looked down at her own hands for some time. Then she nodded.
Typically I’d require some kind of medium, like fresh snow, to call on a spirit like her... But I had unique standing above all spirits, so I was sure I’d be able to manage without a catalyst.
I welled up a little divinity within me and called out to the Spirit Realm.
“In the name of your master, Mochizuki Touya... Fall unto the ground like fresh snow, spirit!” I spoke it in spirit tongue, so nobody else in the room knew what I’d said. But they didn’t really care about that, they were more surprised by the sudden appearance of falling snow on the other side of the room.
The snow fell and gradually clumped together, forming a human shape.
Wait. Crap. I forgot that resurrected spirits can change personalities and even gender... Wh-What do I do if it’s some burly old man? I don’t wanna cause a traumatic memory for Shirahime if she sees her beloved mother as a musclebound beefcake...! I acted too rashly, oh geez...
After a small amount of time, the Snow Spirit manifested before me in the form of a beautiful woman. I sighed a breath of relief.
She had white hair and white skin, much like Shirahime. They looked like sisters, aside from the fact that one of them had red eyes and horns.
Hold on a second, that’s a physical body, not a spiritual one. Is it made of snow? The Snow Spirit slowly opened her icy-blue eyes and looked around the room. And eventually, she stared right at Shirahime.
“M-Mother...?” The Snow Spirit smiled half-heartedly in Shirahime’s direction. I looked up at the spirit and asked her a question.
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“...I am afraid I do not. My memories are hazy, but my heart tells me that the girl there is indeed my child. A beautiful, and precious child... I am certain that I... love her.”
“Gh... M-Mother... Ah...” Shirahime broke down in tears and began to sob. The spirit responded by walking toward her and holding her in an embrace. The mikado of Eashen, who was now openly weeping like a little girl, brought her arms around the spirit’s back and tightly held her in return.
The spirit’s body was formed of snow, so it should’ve been freezing to the touch. Shirahime didn’t seem to mind that at all, however. Her weeping face was buried in her mother’s bosom. Given that she was the spirit’s daughter, it made reasonable sense to assume she had high resistance to the cold.
I looked next to me and found Yae struggling to hold back a wellspring of tears as she watched the touching reunion. ... You got boogers leaking out of your nose, Yae.
“Wah... Hic... Waaah... I-It is... beautiful, it is...”
“...Here, you dummy.” I took out a handkerchief and wiped Yae’s face. She was certainly moved easily, but I enjoyed that innocent maiden-like aspect of her personality. Yae’d probably get flustered or mad if I said that out loud, though.
“Waaah... Hic... Th-This is so amazing, Your Opulence... Hic... I-I am so happy...”
I turned around to find the source of that rough, weepy voice... And I saw Ieyahsu looking upward with tears flowing down his face. You’re crying too?! I’m not wiping your face, old man!
“...Mochizuki Touya, he who holds dominion over us spirits. Though you have called me here, could you forgive my rude request? I would like to forge a contract with this girl.”
“Sure. Sounds fine by me, go right ahead.”
I didn’t exactly summon her here to enter a contract with her, anyway. I didn’t need contracts to call spirits, so there’d be no point. I had a feeling the two of them would be much happier with this outcome.
“...I will always be with you, my daughter. If you suffer pain, or fear, or sadness... I will protect and support you, my love. My blessings are all upon you now, my dear little girl.”
“Mother...” The Snow Spirit faded away into particles of light and vanished. A small white stone was left in Shirahime’s palm.
I asked Shirahime to let me see the stone, then reached into [Storage] to pull out a mithril ingot. Then I used [Modeling] to shape it into a bracelet. After that, I embedded the stone into it. That would allow Shirahime to have the summoning stone on her person at all times.
Shirahime took the bracelet for me and gently cradled it for a moment.
“Words cannot describe the good you have done for me this day, Grand Duke. Let us make strides toward a peaceful future together, as leaders of this world.”
“Of course. I look forward to working alongside you.”
Shirahime extended her hand, and I took it in mine before giving it a shake. Perhaps it was due to her having been in her mother’s embrace, but her hand had a faint sense of cold to it. It was a gentle, soothing kind of cold.
It was time for the League of Nations to have their scheduled meeting. This time we’d be joined by the new arrivals from Egret, Eashen, Elfrau, Ryle, Hannock, and Palerius.
Well, it was less of a meeting and more of a party this time around. The focus would be fun rather than stuffy formalities.
Palerius had formally become a kingdom after opening itself up to the world. Mentor Central had officially changed her title to Queen Palerius, as well.
With this, every country in the world aside from the kingdoms of Nokia and Horn were members of the league. There was now a grand total of eighteen countries united.
Felsen and Xenoahs had looked into the possibility of Nokia and Horn joining us, but they didn’t receive positive responses.
Apparently both nations were suffering internal conflicts and had no time to look outward, or something like that.
I didn’t want to butt into their business, so I decided to keep an eye on them from afar for the time being.
I invited the new representatives into Brunhild’s game room.
I handed smartphones to everyone who hadn’t yet been given one and showed them how they worked. Everyone also was chatting and getting along as usual. Some were drinking tea together, while others were playing games.
Shirahime, Eashen’s mikado, had already been given her smartphone. She decided to use this opportunity to teach the other newbies how it worked.
“Hm... This is rather interesting...” Carlo Ol Hannock, king of the Hannock Kingdom, dialed a number into his phone as he muttered.
I’d briefly met the man once during the Yulong incident, thanks to the emperor of Regulus. He was a glasses-wearing old man without many distinguishing features.
He honestly looked like the kind of guy you’d find in an office job. But despite his average looks, I’d heard he was a great ruler. It was definitely true that if he had no talent, he wouldn’t have been able to resist Yulong for so long. It just went to show that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
“Hoho, it can do a lot! More than a mere communications device... I’d like to record a few stage shows with this little thing.”
The king of Ryle, Balstra Dverga Ryle, laughed merrily as he picked up the call from King Hannock. He was a short and stout man with a pot belly. Despite his dwarven blood, he’d proven to be quite a peace-loving man. Since Ryle was also home to most of the world’s dwarven population, he acted as a representative of their species in the League of Nations, too. Even though he disliked drinking, and didn’t much care for fighting, and should’ve been considered the opposite of dwarven values... He was actually quite a good spokesman for his people.
“Ooh, interesting! You can even take pictures of yourself?”
“Ah, Lady Shirahime, what does this button do?”
“Oh, this one makes it shoot out light if you try to take a picture in a dark place. You can change the setting manually, but I think it is best to leave it on the Auto mode.”
Queen Palerius and Queen Elfrau were attentively listening to Mikado Shirahime’s explanation of the camera functions.
The three of them started taking group selfies and giggling together. They were acting like high schoolers, despite the fact that two of them were well over a thousand years old...
“Our country’s pretty far from shore, so I’m glad for this thing...” The king of Egret nodded quietly as he slid his finger along the touchscreen. The golden feather on his head bobbed along with his motion. I was in the middle of teaching him how to send a text. I’d initially assumed the guy to be a bull-headed warrior with no brains, but he was surprisingly dexterous and quick to learn.
After teaching him how to open and reply to texts, as well as send his own, I ended the lesson.
All the new members started walking around, exchanging phone numbers with the established league members. Then, they started mingling and chatting amongst themselves. The plan was to send everyone to the king of Egret’s private beach after the orientation in Brunhild to have a party.
The private beach was about as wonderful as I expected. The sand was soft and the water was clear... There was also a pleasant little trail that led up toward a cliffside villa, one with a breathtaking view of the horizon. I’d taken time the day prior to make the place safe, including setting up a [Prison] around the area that blocked any harmful marine life from coming near. There were also precautions to prevent drowning, I had Sango and Kokuyou on duty as emergency lifeguards.
After all the royals, their families, and their private guardsmen arrived... It was looking less like a private beach and more like a public one. There were a few too many people for my liking...
“There are many royals here today, there are...”
“...Yeah, if something deadly went down here then the whole world would be screwed.”
Yae and Elze chatted to each other, as I quietly hoped they weren’t bringing bad omens. They’d changed into their swimsuits and looked nice as ever.
Most of the people there had changed out of their regular clothes and into more suitable beach attire. Those that didn’t really enjoy the beach or couldn’t handle the sun were lounging in the villa instead.
I was wearing a loose-fitting parka and a pair of swimming trunks. All the swimsuits worn by the people here were top-tier luxury articles created by none other than Zanac’s clothing line.
There were a few children merrily running around the beach, playing with the beach balls, floats, and other toys I’d provided them. It was cute.
There was Mismede’s Prince Remza, he was ten years old, along with his brother Prince Alba, who was seven. They were playing along with ten-year-old Princess Lilac of Hannock, and her sister, the eight-year-old Princess Milneah.
The king of Palouf, who was around ten, was splashing around in the water with his fiancée Rachael. She was the same age as him, if I recalled correctly. They looked to be having fun.
I looked over and saw the Prince of Refreese, a twelve-year-old named Redis, and the Princess of Mismede, eleven-year-old Thea. They were laughing as they rolled around together and play-fought. I could sense a budding kinship between them.
“Ah, first love, you know? It’s as vibrant as the sun... you know?”
“...There you are...”
Karen was peeking out at them with a happy look on her face. With her pink bikini, she was already fully dressed for a vacation.
“...Just don’t meddle with them, okay?”
“I won’t, you know...? It’s their first love, I won’t do anything stupid... A situation like this is delicious enough as it is...”
Delicious? Just don’t mess anything up, damn it... Well, whatever, I’ll trust you this time...
I shrugged as Karen ran off toward Yumina and Sue. I was about to sit down on some of the lounge chairs, but I looked over and caught sight of a man laying face-down on the beach. He wasn’t moving a muscle and looked completely dead.
“...What the hell are you doing, Overlord.”
Is it heatstroke? I wondered quietly, but I was wrong. Spica, Sakura’s dark elf guard, walked up to me and told me what had happened.
“Well... earlier, His Horribleness the Overlord, kept taking picture after picture of Lady Sakura in her swimsuit. But then she turned around and glared at him... And after that, she called him disgusting.” According to Spica, the moment he heard her say that, he collapsed on the spot. This guy was never gonna stop being a moron, apparently.
To be honest, I could understand her irritation. Father or not, it’s a little weird to take pictures of girls in their swimsuits.
“...I don’t want him catching heatstroke, so could you drag him into the shade?”
“Certainly.”
I didn’t really think the overlord could get too damaged by the sun, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Spica, along with her father Sirius, each took one of the overlord’s legs and dragged him along the shore until they reached a shaded area.
“Touya...”
“Hm...? Linze, and... Oh, Princess Reliel?”
“It’s been a while.”
When my eyes fell upon the princess of Refreese, I subconsciously shifted into a defensive stance. In a sense, this woman was a frightening enemy, after all. She wrote those dangerous romance books.
“You know Linze?”
“I have spoken to her through Yumina a few times. This girl is quite a fan of my work, after all.”
Princess Reliel lowered her voice as she spoke. Seemed like she didn’t want her father to find out about her job as an author.
If her books weren’t so... risque, then she wouldn’t need to keep it hidden, though.
“Um... Touya? I was wondering if... If you’d be able to give Lil, er... Reliel, a smartphone of her own...”
“Hm? What for?”
“For my writing, of course! The things I write are, well... risky, yeah? If I put it down on paper, a maid might find it, or someone might find an old draft and tell my father... But if I had one of these devices, I could carry my stories forever! Anywhere! I could write wherever I want! It’s the perfect writer’s aide!”
I almost fell from my chair as I shuffled backward from the overenthusiastic princess. I-I see... I guess that makes sense...
To be honest, I questioned whether or not it was okay to give her one. I felt like I needed to put my foot down and say no, lest she use another poor man as the basis for her terrifying erotica.
But, as I was faltering, Linze moved in for the kill.
“Touya! She actually pens plays as well! She’s in the middle of writing her next one right now! Please, can you help her? She’ll use the smartphone to help with those works, too.”
Oh, a play? That reminds me of the one I saw back in Belfast, about the heroic young man Toyya who saves Princess Yuina from a dragon... I think Reliel wrote that one too...
It was pretty obviously based on me and Yumina, but the plot was pretty original and wholesome as well. I enjoyed it.
I sighed before glancing toward Linze. Man... How can I say no to a direct request, huh? There’s nothing I can do...
In fairness, Princess Reliel wasn’t likely to misuse her phone. She might have had a few... quirks to her personality, but she was a good person at heart. After all, she was a friend of Yumina.
I reached into [Storage] and pulled out a mass-production smartphone. Then, I handed it to Reliel.
“Have Linze teach you how to use it... And please don’t use it in a way that disturbs the general public order, alright? Please... think of common decency.”
“...Why’d you have to emphasize it...? But fine, of course... Thank you. Oh, while we’re at it, would you happen to have anything I could use for printing my text?”
...You sure like asking for a lot, don’t you? But... I actually do have something like that. I was planning on handing it out to the other world leaders, but it’s not like you can ask your dad to borrow it. He might get suspicious.
I opened up [Storage] again and pulled out a thin device that kind of resembled a notebook.
All you had to do was put a blank piece of paper between the two halves of the device, then place your smartphone on top of it. After that, you just had to press the print button and it would magically transfer the selected contents from the smartphone to the paper.
It was something I’d innovated on my own instead of asking Doc Babylon to help me, so it was limited... You could only do one sheet at a time.
“It’s in the prototype stages, but it’s usable. It should be enough for you, at least.”
“Thank you so much! This is really great... I promise you I’ll pay you back by giving you some of my new books!”
“That’s really not necessary! Really!”
I definitely didn’t want a weird gift like that from her.
Linze and Reliel then headed back toward the villa, presumably to get the basics of the smartphone’s uses down.
“Hey there, Grand Duke. Having fun?”
“Sure am. Oho, what’s that?”
The king of Egret showed up and sat down on the chair next to mine. He offered me a certain kind of food. It was dry, and kind of like a stick, but it let off a unique smell.
“That’s the dried Tentacular, right?”
“You’re right, it’s finally done drying out. Try a bit!”
I put the tip of the tentacle into my mouth and bit down, the flavor spread out across my tongue, and I found the texture quite palatable. Huh, this is pretty good... I guess it was a success after all.
“Lestia has suffered at the hands of the Phrase as well... I suppose my feelings are mixed on this subject.”
I could understand why she felt that way. We were effectively attempting to become friends, or at least become neutral, with a party that had been desperately trying to kill us. The fact that our heads understood the benefits, while our hearts felt uneasy, was a very human problem to have.
“What are you still doing here anyway, Hilde?”
“Ah... I-I was just reading a book that Linze had given me, that’s all...”
“...A book from Linze?”
I remembered the incident yesterday involving the nefarious author princess, and suspiciously turned my eyes toward the book Hilde had set down on the table. I recognized the title of the book as a popular romantic story from Roadmare. I sighed a bit of relief, content in the knowledge she wasn’t reading anything... freaky.
“Is it good?”
“I’m finding it rather unique, as I’m not used to stories like it. Most of the novels I’ve read in the past are tales of adventure and heroism.”
Hilde seemed a little embarrassed as she spoke. It was understandable, given that she’d been raised in a knightly family, but I still questioned her father’s parenting skills...
“It’s a little embarrassing, but I always enjoyed the characters in those stories.”
“You mean the damsels in distress?”
“No, the knights that saved them.”
“Ah, I see.” Yep, the knight king’s child-rearing skills were very questionable.
“But I definitely understood how those damsels must have felt when they were saved... The first time we met, you appeared as if from nowhere to rescue me, Touya. As you slashed the Phrase to pieces, I had my eyes fixed on you...”
Oh right, totally forgot I first met her during that Phrase attack.
“After that, I started gathering as much information about you as I could... Even my brother found my actions queer. Your killing of the Black Dragon... Your quelling of the coup... Each tale of your dashing exploits made my heart grow fonder. It wasn’t long before I hoped we’d meet again.”
Man... That’s so embarrassing to hear... I guess Hilde being this direct is also because she’s so knightly... Her brother’s kinda like that too.
I decided to brush off my embarrassment by spouting a cheesy line.
“But you know... if the Phrase had never appeared in this world, we might have never met. That’s one thing we have to thank them for, eh?”
“I-I suppose so... Though it may be a little selfish...” Hilde said as she chuckled softly.
“But that’s why when I read romantic books like this, I can connect with the way the protagonist feels... Things like her loneliness when separated from the man she loves, or the frustration she feels when she can’t voice her emotions properly... or the happiness she feels when her dashing hero does something for her. That’s how I came to enjoy these works of romantic fiction.”
That made sense to me. It was a little embarrassing to hear her say those things about me, but I understood her perspective.
I wanted to do something to make her happy, so I opened my mouth.
“So... would you like to maybe go watch a romantic movie with me?”
“Oh! A motion picture?! It has been a while since I’ve seen one. I’d love to!”
Hilde clasped her hands together in joy. I watched movies with the girls now and then, but sometimes it was difficult because I had to explain concepts and technologies that were unique to Earth... It ended up eating a lot of time up. Due to that, we typically watched fantasy flicks, basic comedy movies, or simple action movies. Watching a romantic movie would definitely be a first.
I opened up the movie app I’d downloaded to my smartphone. God Almighty had given me a ton of virtual currency so I could download basically whatever I wanted without feeling guilty for pirating them... I also made sure to avoid certain adult films. Hmm... Which would be good...
I settled on a movie about an Englishman who owned a bookstore and ended up falling in love with a Hollywood actress. I’d seen a little bit of it on TV some years ago, but remembered it looked interesting enough.
We walked into the living room and I closed the curtains, then we snuggled up on the couch and settled in.
I pressed play, and the movie began. It was the Japanese-dubbed edition of the movie, but for some reason, the people of this world were capable of understanding it. Still, I was instantly able to speak the language of this world when I came here too, so I decided not to think about it and just assumed God Almighty did it.
As I thought about silly things, I could see Hilde getting engrossed in the movie. I decided to join her.
I got flustered and embarrassed during the more... intimate scenes of the movie, but Hilde seemed to really enjoy it. That made my heart warm. I was a lucky man.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login