Volume 2: Chapter 035: Tooru Protects the Green Shrine Maiden
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
From here on, change ‘Tooru’ to ‘Thor’ when appropriate because it’s a Western-style world. Also, ‘Thor’ is actually the name of a god, at least on Earth. Not sure about ‘Makia’ though. Will keep the current spelling.
Good evening.
It’s Tooru.
Right now, I am the Green Shrine Maiden’s personal knight.
As for how this comes to pass, we’ll have to turn back time to yesterday’s evening.
After Percelis had woken up, [1] Makia made some loud declaration about how she was ‘Going to pick up Ulysses’ before rushing up to the castle.
She really doesn’t have any patience. Ulysses must be in the middle of a meeting, fulfilling his role as a major political figure who carries an entire country on his shoulders. I must say, I was a little nervous to think about Makia barrelling into an important meeting and screwing things up. However, as I was unable to stop that woman, I ended up trailing after the Green Shrine Maiden who eventually wandered off alone to the beach.
Women are hard to understand.
Although I know I’m not the most qualified person to comment on this…
“So, um, Thor… do you remember anything from your past life?”
“Well, to a certain extent…”
We were standing at a deserted coastline when Percelis broached this question as she strolled a little ahead of me.
The sea breeze felt a little chilly on this moonlit night.
“Thor, you’re the Black Demon King, right? You must have had a wife, right? Or, was it a harem?”
“… …”
What do I do?
This girl had just regained some of her memories is rather confusing to deal with. I bet she never even heard of, or even knew some of the words she was using now.
[2] She was also looking at me with very earnest eyes. [3] “Uh, what? Why would you want to know that?”Percelis sat down on one of the many rocks on the beach. Her eyes, as she looked out into the sea, were sad.
“There was someone you liked, right? Do you still like that person?”
“Um, as a lover?”
I laughed or tried to. However, with Percelis looking at me with those piercing eyes, my laughter petered off.
I give up.
“That’s a no comment from me.”
“I did hear that the Black Demon King had a lot of women around him. Although, they must be all…”
“… …”
Th-this is tough.
“Still, I think I understand a bit of it. Thor is cooler than Ulysses.”
[3] “Heh.”To be described as ‘cooler than Ulysses’ gave a feeling that was not entirely unwelcome. I cleared my throat and glanced over at Percelis. She was still staring blankly at the waves crashing over the ocean.
[1] She felt… different from the Percelis from before. She still looks the same with her baby face, [4] flat chest and small stature, but…Right now, there was a certain depth to her aura. It was likely because she, like us, had memories of her past life. Although, unlike us, she did not have much time to process the memories.
I wonder, what kind of thoughts brought her to this place?
“That’s right, you mentioned something about a ‘promised place’. You had Makia deliver the message that you will be waiting there.”
“Yes… but, you know? I can’t really remember much beyond that.”
“…?”
“I mean, I think it’s probably because I didn’t know. I only know about this ‘promised place’ because Ulysses and Shuma talked about it.”
“… …”
[3] I had no idea what she was talking about.If she had no memory, or more accurately, no knowledge of the place, how would she get there? Yet, she confidently had Makia pass on the message that she would be ‘waiting there’…
She is trickier than she looks. Ulysses… is going to have a tough time dealing with her…
“So, do you like Makia?”
“Why would you say that!?”
“Well… you’re always with her. Whenever Makia visits the Sanctuary, you’re always the one to pick her up. It’s like a princess and a knight.”
“You mean a mistress and her servant.”
“But… that’s weird. I remember the Black Demon King being cooler and more handsome. I remember him having lots of women around. [2] Ah, I heard stories about you, him…”
[3] “Please stop… there’s nothing more embarrassing than bringing up the past.”“Ahaha. But, you know? Your personality doesn’t match your looks.”
“… …”
I looked down, avoiding her gaze. Despite my wishes, I started remembering all kinds of things in the past.
If I remember correctly, the timeline where I and past Percelis existed, overlapped a little. Even so, it did not look like she knew the Black Demon King or the Crimson Witch personally.
“If I remember, the Black Demon King and Crimson Witch were not lovers, right?”
“We were natural enemies.”
“Then, how did you become so close now? Even Ulysses… um, the more I think about it, the stranger it felt.”
“I guess…”
To properly explain this ‘relationship’, I would have to talk about Earth. However, that’s a tricky topic since, for the Maydeans, Earth was an ‘Other World’. So, I’m not sure if [3] I could explain it properly.
“All kinds of stuff happens, you should ask Yuri about that.”
“I wonder… will Ulysses come…?”
“He will, just give it a little more time. That guy has complicated thoughts and likes to meander around a bit. Makia’s the headstrong type, so she won’t let him wander about too much.”
“Makia…”
Percelis’ expression clouded a little as she stared at the navy blue night sky.
“Hey, don’t tell me you’re jealous of Makia? Hahaha, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“That’s not it…”
She was surprisingly quick in rejecting this suggestion.
“But, since the relationship between you two changed so much, I wonder if the feelings from back then changed as well. Makia is really different from the Crimson Witch. She’s really pretty and cute and… even I think she’s really attractive…”
“Well, that’s her mellowing out.”
“Is that so?”
[3] “Yup, she was super vicious and violent back when she was the Crimson Witch. Whenever she meets anyone, her knee-jerk reaction is violence. Just like Giant.” [5] “Giant?” Percelis tilted her head curiously. [5] “Never mind, it’s nothing,” I said, this Earth reference is totally lost on people in this world.Percelis looked up at the sky and sighed.
“But, Makia must have suffered too, right? She was the last one to die, right?”
“… …”
“When I was the Green Shrine Maiden in my past life, I felt strangely drawn to the Crimson Witch. There were lots of people around me, but it doesn’t look like there’s anyone around the Crimson Witch.”
“That… I wonder about that…”
For a moment, I could not help but stare.
It was something that Ulysses and I knew, but we never asked her about it. Even if we do ask, Makia would only give us a jokey reply.
“Rather, why don’t you hate Makia?” I asked
“Why should I…?”
“Because of the explosion caused by her and the hero… that’s basically the reason why your son died, right?”
“It’s not like the Crimson Witch killed him. I felt really sad when Shuma was put into the coffin. I wondered why it wasn’t the Crimson Witch… but, in the end, it’s all connected. They also said that ‘Yunosis’ had to be placed in the coffin too… I can’t bear that thought either.”
Percelis grabbed a handful of sand on the pristine beach and let it flow through her hands. Then, she repeated the action again.
I scratched my head, unsure what to feel.
“Back then, the Crimson Witch was similar to me. She was a woman who was left alone in the end, like me. The difference was, that she fought Hero Kaya while I was unable to do anything. So, I’m sure she is many times stronger and better than me. After all… she did sacrifice herself just to bring down Kaya. She is not someone I could beat.”
“You…”
I was surprised.
I didn’t know that this girl had all these kinds of thoughts in her head, especially right after she had regained her previous memories.
It took us a long time to wrap our heads around this past-life thing.
“So, Thor, you should make sure to treasure Makia…”
“What? Why should I…”
“Well, I can’t give up on Ulysses… ahaha…”
“What’s that ‘ahaha’ for…”
I had no idea why she was laughing and clapping her hands like that. Had she always been this incomprehensible?
No, but… I’m not sure whether it’s my imagination or not, but it felt a lot like I had been entrusted with something extraordinary.
Still, I did not think too much of it. The Crimson Witch died after the White Sage and Black Demon King were killed. This had always been a fact. Though, I must say that I vaguely understood that she found some purpose in our fights…
Just what was going on in her mind after she found out that we had both been killed?
What was she thinking when she fought the Hero?
Back when we regularly had our three-way battles, I had always known that someone would be killed one day, most likely the other two.
Just what drove the Crimson Witch to self-destruct like that? What was on your mind then?
“No way, no way, am I stuck in a labyrinth of memories just like the rest of those guys…” [3]
“What did you say, Thor?”
Percelis was giggling again. Suddenly she stopped and turned to look at the sea. Her already large eyes grew even bigger.
“H-hey, Thor!! Look!!”
“Hmm?”
“It’s the sea, the sea! Look at it!”
[3a] I had no idea what she had just seen, but I was glad for the interruption. Percelis was shouting excitedly at something and pulling at her skirts. She had returned to her little girl persona, something that I was glad to see because the mature and mysterious woman just now scared me a little.However, when I looked towards the sea, “… …”
“What do you think that is? A turtle? An umibozu [6]?”
[2] At first, the creature was just a vague intimidating lump in the horizon. Eventually, I could make out something that looked like the back of a large turtle. There was a man standing on the turtle.“Hyaaahahaha! Nope, nope, you can’t do that~ no running around at night~~!” [7]
“Eska.”
That hyperactive man was quickly approaching the shore while riding on a giant sea turtle. Since I had already seen him earlier today, it was unpleasant to have to see him again now.
“Shrine Maiden-sama, please stay away from that man!! He’s dangerous. He smells like a slut!”
“What the heck are you talking about? What’s that supposed to mean!?” I shouted back, infuriated by his dirty mouth. [3] “Aren’t you a bishop? Also, I heard that you’re Percelis’ real bro-”
“AAAUUGGGHHH!!!”
For some reason, Eska suddenly shouted incoherently at me, effectively cutting me off. Percelis looked dumbfounded too,
“Vivi? Why are you here?”
“Shrine Maiden-sama, I have come to pick you up by the order of Archbishop…”
I felt really weirded out to hear this unruly, foul-mouthed person using honorifics. Especially with his gangster-ish face…
“P-please wait for a little while longer, Vivi, just a little bit…”
“What the- that prince… Are you waiting for the White Sage~”
“So, Ulysses really is coming…” I muttered.
As Percelis became quiet, I stood in front of her and glared at Eska.
“We’ll wait a little longer. As for you, I’ll gladly take you on again… I think we can have some real fun out here.”
“Hah!” [7]
Eska leaped off the turtle and kicked at the shallow waves. He bared his jagged teeth into a vicious smile.
If this fellow is really a bishop, the world is doomed.
“If you wanna fight, ya got one! You construction bastard! [7]”
“Actually, it’s closer to civil engineering. I can’t believe how many times I have to explain this… [3]”
Just then, I felt a sudden wave of magic. In an instant, several white magic circles flashed around Eska and before anyone could react, all the magic circles activated at the same time.
I spread my cloak to shield Percelis,
Eska was struck by the full impact and flew like a shooting star across the sea. It felt like that guy had been doing that a lot today…
Still, he’s here at last.
“Are you the next Archbishop candidate? I did hear from Lord Medite that you will be returning soon…”
A mage with white hair and dressed in all white.
He was the prince of this country and the man who was once the White Sage. This man was walking along the beach with a white bellflower in his hand for some reason.
“If that is so, I shall make this short. I, Ulysses Claudio Le Ruskia, will relinquish my right to the Ruskia royal throne to become a bridegroom candidate for the current Green Shrine Maiden, Percelis.”
The expression on Ulysses’ face was enough that even I felt impressed.
Excellent. Looks like he’s serious about this.
Percelis stood frozen in place.
“Kukukuk… Hyahahahahah!! What nonsense! To think the White Sage would say all that after making the Green Shrine Maiden so miserable? You’ll have to defeat me, the Archbishop candidate first! Now, show me the White Sage’s power! They say you’re the very strongest White Magic user, well, let’s see how that holds up against me-”
Eska, who had been helped back on the back of the turtle by said turtle, was shouting crazily at Ulysses with a demented expression.
What is this development…
Isn’t this that dramatic scene where one guy goes ‘Give me your sister!’’ followed by an ‘Over my dead body!’ by the brother?
No matter how ridiculous the situation was, the power of the two was very clear. There was an eerie tension in the air as two White Mages, Ulysses and Eska radiated bloodlust as though they were preparing themselves to fight to the death.
Looks like an exciting battle was about to start.
“H-hey, Yuri! Are you seriously leaving me here? Just you watch… I’ll get you for this later…”
Makia finally appeared, gasping for breath as she struggled over.
Well, looks like all the actors are on the stage.
Percelis stared at Ulysses with wide eyes, as though she did not want to miss a moment of Ulysses’s battle.
“Watch closely, that’s a battle between men.”
It was meant to sound cool, but things just got awkward when no one seemed to care what I had just said.
[Gumihou: Did you catch the Doraemon reference?]
[1] Adjust details [2] Add details [3] Adjust the dialogue to be more Thor-like [3a] Delete: I thought she was kidding, but it was also true that I was relieved to see Percelis pulling the hem of her clothes and raising her voice because of her usual innocent girlfriend persona. It’s also true that I was at a loss for words when I saw the sea as I was told.
Because it sounded a lot like blablablabla.
[4] flat head – apparently this is a literal ‘flat head’ probably the back of the head? However, given the author’s style, it’s most likely ‘flat chest’ since Thor was listing down her childish qualities. Unlike the ‘black teeth’, ‘flat head’ is not a Japanese beauty standard. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that this is a typo for ‘flat chest’. [5] Giant – Yes, Doraemon’s Giant. Fixed the dialogue so that it flowed in a more natural way. [6] Umibozou – a giant, black humanoid-ish being, it is one of the many youkai in Japanese folklorehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umib%C5%8Dzu
[7] Adjusted Eska’s dialogue so that he sounds more aggressive
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