Volume 3: Chapter 004: Thor – Deeply Shocked
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
According to Sir Raymond, I would only serve as Princess Lulu’s personal knight for one month. By the end of that month, the Great Nobles’ Conference would be over.
He did not tell me why that was important, though.
I went to bed that night, trying to think of an excuse that would not make Makia angry at me. However, every possible scenario that I thought up ended with her angry at me. It reminded me of that time when I went to Karted.
She had sulked like a child, kicked, punched, scratched and did all other violent things against me until I could hardly walk properly for a month. After that, we spent an entire month exchanging notes in Japanese.
I endured a lot at that time, but still, I did remember thinking that the way Makia gave in was very cute. I believe we ended up playing some kind of word game…
“Hmph.”
Wait, am I laughing? I don’t have time for that!
Right above my bed was a chandelier with countless teardrop-shaped ornaments hanging from it. Whenever I could not sleep, I would watch and count them as the moonlight refracted from it…
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The next morning, I woke up to a strange sight.
The ceiling of my bed… was different. For one thing, I don’t have a canopy bed. Not to mention, my bed don’t have any of these intricate embroidery or girly fluttering laces-
“Good morning, Sir Thor.”
[1] The reason why I had been worrying about the details of the bed and the room was because I had been doing my best not to think about the presence next to me. However, now that it had spoken…
“Heeehhh?”
I looked and… found Princess Lulubeth next to me, wearing a pale blue silk nightgown. [1] Several images streamed past my mind. At the peak of it was a very, very angry Makia…
[1] It did not help when Princess Lulubeth yawned, one hand stretched over her head, as though waking up next to me was the most natural thing in the world
“Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
I leapt off the bed in a panic, trying to recall what really happened last night. Yes, last night, I went to bed, it was my own bed, and I fell asleep counting the glass pieces on the chandelier.
There was a faint, sweet scent in the room. [1] Perfume? Drugs?!
[2] My training as a servant kicked in and, instead of curses, I said, “Excuse me, Princess Lulu, but… w-what is this place? Rather, how am I here…”
I took a quick look around and found my eyes widened at the sight of one of the walls.
That’s right, one corner of the room had been dedicated to dolls. [3] Beautifully dressed dolls with glass eyes lined the many shelves. It was honestly a little creepy.
There were also two maids standing modestly to the side. Their faces were exactly the same.
Were they twins or something? Anyway, their faces did not change at the sight of me. Honestly, they could have been one of those dolls on the walls.
Princess Lulu’s white arm reached out to push back the sheer lace draped around her canopied bed and moved towards me with a smile.
“This is my room. Is there something strange? A knight is always with his princess, right? He is someone who is always by my side to protect me, even in sleep… he gives all of himself to the princess and loves her unconditionally…”
“No, that is, not at all, really.”
I tried my best to speak firmly.
What she said sounds like something out of a cheap romance novel.
“That is not so!! The Princess of Gilbraltar has seven beautiful knights by her side, all of them attentive to her every need.
Is she Snow White??!
I nearly blurted out, but stopped myself just in time.
I did hear that women of Gilbraltar are strong, but to think they engage in reverse harem… were those rumours true after all?
“As the Princess of Ruskia… isn’t it only natural that I should have a personal knight of my own who attends to me every need and looks out for me and me alone?”
“… …”
“Absolute loyalty is the ultimate love. Even if I were to be sacrificed to a monster due to a tragic fate, forced to become the bride of an enemy nation or kidnapped by a villain, Sir Knight would always come for me and save me from those terrible fates. Even if the world abandons me, Sir Knight will continue to love me and live for me. On my deathbed, he will declare that he cannot live without me and-
“Excuse me…” I tried to interrupt.
“From the first moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew that you were the only knight for me. Because you accepted me. You, who looked upon me with your wistful eyes; you who hailed from the tragic Eastern Country and was thus stricken by crushing loneliness upon that foreign land… ahhh, I must be the one to heal that loneliness!”
“Th-that…”
Ehh.
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!
Who is stricken by what and when?!
Princess Lulu was smiling at me, but there was no light in her large eyes. Also, for some inexplicable reason, she had a small decorative knife in her hand!!
“… …”
This is bad… The princess is sick in many ways!!!
“Sir Thor, will you be my knight?”
“No, that is… I am still Makia’s knight. I need her permission…”
I had not noticed it at the party the other day, but behind Princess Lulubeth’s neat and pretty facade was a terrible monster. I can tell that this woman is the troublesome kind. My Black Demon King’s senses as a former man who had relationships with many women could tell she was in serious trouble.
The princess looked a little taken aback when I invoked Makia’s name. However, it was not long before she was back to giving me that soulless little smile again.
“Then, go forth and inform Lady Makia that you will soon become my personal knight. I am the Princess of Ruskia. There is no way she could resist my order. Do not worry, Sir Thor, I shall protect you from that witch.”
“… …”
One of the [1a] twin maids handed over a simple metal brooch to the princess. I was still in a daze when she suddenly jabbed her decorative knife into the back of the brooch. A chill went up my spine at the sight.
[1a] After scratching on it for a while, Princess Lulubeth handed the brooch to the maid, who brought it to me. She had… carved my name on the back of the brooch.
“Please accept this, Sir Thor, as a symbol of our eternal bond.”
“Our… what?”
Hey, bonds are something that is built up over time. [1a] Can it be formed just by crudely scratching out a name on the back of a brooch?
[1a] She is seriously sick in the head.
I wanted to throw the brooch away, but the two maids’ gazes and the Princess’s creepy smile made me feel like it was best not to offend anyone in this room. Better to just get out of this room. In the end, I said ‘thank you’ for the brooch and did my best to walk to the door as calmly as possible.
At the door, I forced a smile at her and said, ‘Please excuse me’ before [1a] fleeing the place.
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“This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad… this is really, really bad…”
It was positively frightening.
[4] If Sir Raymond knew about that crazy chick when he set me up to ‘surveil’ her, he should have at least warned me about it!
That stupid Ulysses, you said she was a good, healthy girl! [4] In what way is that sick-in-the-head chick healthy?!
Makiaaaaa!! Help meee!!
I, the Black Demon King and former harem owner, had been frightened off by one little princess as I speed-walked through the castle.
Suddenly, I stopped and looked around.
I was in a detached building on the north side. A place that could only be reached by crossing through one of the long connecting corridors. In a way, we, the Magic Advisors, who had been given rooms in the central part of the castle, had better housing.
Wait, isn’t it strange for a princess to stay in such a remote place?
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“What happened to you, Thor? You look kind of pale. Is it that cold outside?”
I did not come to Makia’s room through the gardens as usual, but through the hallway.
I was trembling.
Makia must have found my behaviour odd enough to make some apple cinnamon tea without further prompting.
“Hm~ It’s nice to have spiced tea during winter. [5] Cinnamon’s one of the best things to warm the body up.”
“Y-yes…”
“So, what’s up? You’ve been really strange.”
“… …”
I set the metal brooch down on the table. [1a] Makia tilted her head as she studied the scratched-in name at the back.
“Makia, Princess Lulu asked me to be her personal knight. Sir Raymond had also ‘requested’ it of me [1a] to do it for a month. But, if you don’t want to, just let me know, and I will refuse her.”
“Why, though?”
“…Eh?”
I was shocked.
Makia looked completely normal.
“It’s not like you’re my attendant anymore. It’s only natural for knights to want to serve a princess of the royal palace. [5] Congratulations, even if it’s only for a month, it’s still a promotion.”
“… …”
Hey, something’s wrong. When I imagined the scenario last night, I saw Makia punch, kick, scratch, and even curl up in bed, refusing to come out in protest.
I was honestly taken aback, maybe even slightly disappointed, for her to give in so easily.
“Still, this brooch is in rather bad taste. She even carved your name on the back… ouch…”
Makia appeared to have cut herself against the edge of the rough engraving.
Blood dripped over the brooch.
“Hey, you… Be careful.”
Makia is used to getting her fingers cut. To the point that she considered cuts like these as nothing more than mosquito bites. Still, I fished out a handkerchief from my breast pocket and pressed it against the wound as it healed.
“Fufu~ you’ll make a good knight.”
“… …”
“Hey, when you’re done with your work, try to come home before dinner,” Makia said as she [5a] smiled sweetly at me, her legs swinging. “Because… you know, I’ll miss you at dinner~”
“Makia…”
Makiaaaaaaaa!!!
[6] For some reason, I felt tears in my eyes. I clutched at her hand; the handkerchief between us felt like a true bond. It was a truer bond than the tacky metal brooch.
“So, what’s up with you, really?”
“I-it’s nothing…”
Perhaps it was because I had been traumatised by Princess Lulu, but being around Makia felt very soothing. Now this is what having a true bond of long-standing friendship is like.
Makia suddenly looked up.
“Hey, it’s my birthday soon, you know? Professor Medite said he would prepare a lot of delicious food at their mansion for me. It’s going to be a small gathering, so let’s have a small party together. Presents are optional, just make sure to bring yourself.”
“Y-yeah…”
Of course, I’ll come.
There is no way I will break my promise to you.
Makia was giving me a weird look. I guess it’s because I still haven’t let go of her hand.
[Gumihou: This. Is. So. Awkward. It’s not even the scene that’s awkward, it’s the author’s execution that’s awkward.]
[1] Some weird actions, anyway, tried to justify it with a bit of extra details
“Good morning, Sir Thor.”
I’ve been worried about that for a while. The fact that there’s a shadow next to me. I had been trying my best to not pay any attention to it.
“… Huh?”
‘Huh?’ Indeed, his action calls his competence into question; it’s less funny and more ‘why are you so dumb’. Please don’t drop your character’s IQ for comedic reasons.
Please take the time to create a situation for it.
[1a] More similar changes
[2] Servant Thor language.
[3] Went with ‘beautifully dressed’ rather than ‘kimono’ because we’re in pseudo-Western world now with no hint of Japanese clothes yet
[4] Thor-like thoughts
[5] Makia-like dialogues, that isn’t dumb-Makyaa~
[5a] I don’t know why Makia would do anything 寂しいもの ‘shyly’, unless it’s to ‘show interest’ like, isn’t this way too sudden and unnatural? Even if you want to, you can have her act coy.
[6] Since the author wanted some drama, adjusted the drama so that it’s more realistic.
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