Volume 3: Chapter 016: Makia – On the Way Back from the Holy Nation
Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
Gumihou: Make the dialogues more realistic. Adjusted details to make the text smoother.
Well, it looks like I’m still really angry.
Ever since Thor came back, we haven’t had a proper conversation. He tried all sorts of ways to apologise to me, but I kept treating him like some weird degenerate.
I should also say that I have been running away from him these past few days.
Anyway.
I still have that lacrima video from Eska from that time I saw him after meeting with Percelis. The question is, what should I do with it?
From what I know, the video contained information about Princess Shatma and General Kanon of Fresir.
No matter how I look at it, this is something that I should inform Thor about. Should I let him apologise just to watch this video?
“Aaaahhh, but I’m still kind of pissed at that guy…”
Sure, that guy broke his promise to me, but I guess it’s not entirely his fault. No, I know it was not really his fault.
However, I get so angry every time I see him that I just can’t help myself.
As I made my way back to the Royal Palace, I paused on top of a steep hill to look down at the Royal Capital. The air was cold up here, so I blew into my hands to warm them.
“Oi…”
“And here he is…”
Thor popped out as though he had been waiting for that moment to ambush me.
He had been doing that a lot lately. Since I had been treating him like some suspicious weirdo, he had actually started acting like one.
“Enough of this, just let me apologise properly, alright?”
“… …”
“You can’t leave this place until you hit me.”
“… …”
What the heck? Isn’t that all sorts of pitiful? Does he equate being hit with being forgiven? A feeling of pity welled up inside of me, nearly overwhelming the overarching anger that had sustained me all this while.
In the end, I turned around and started down a different route to get away.
“Oh, wait, Makia!!”
“What you can do is leave me alone, you stalker. Lepis, Noah, hold him there.”
“Understood, Lady Makia.”
Lepis and Noah sprang up and stood between me and Thor. Their black flowing robes swished dramatically in the wind.
“Oi, are you two really going to turn your back on me?”
“Apologies, Sir Thor. We serve Lady Makia.”
“Aren’t you my descendants?”
“That is… technically correct. Our ancestor is certainly the Black Demon King; however, you are practically a stranger to us…”
“Lepis, you… you’re kind of cold towards me, aren’t you? What about you, Noah?”
“… this…”
As the three continued to talk, their voices gradually faded out the further I walked away from them. To be honest, I felt a little bad for leaving them behind. Especially young Noah, who seemed more confused by the current situation than anything else.
I strolled through the shopping corridor connected to the Royal Castle, lost in thought. The place was like a labyrinth, and I planned to return to my room through a different route.
It was only then that I realised a crucial flaw in my plan. At this time of day, the shops and bars were bustling with palace officials eating and drinking their day away.
“Haa…”
The delicious smells nearly overwhelmed me. Shops selling skewered bird meat, fried food of all kinds, and grilled fish… Shops that operated as markets and groceries in the morning had all turned themselves into bars and food shops. Closer to the Royal Palace, the shops became more upscale, and that’s where the high-end restaurants resided. The area I was in right now was close to where the commoners lived, and the restaurants here were more like rustic bars selling cheap but delicious food that reminded me of my time in Japan.
It had been a long while since I had proper commoner’s food, and the strong smells were almost irresistible. My stomach rumbled excitedly.
Maybe, it would be nice to eat here once in a while…
“No, no, no, I can’t. I have to hurry back before Thor catches up.
Ugh, why did I have to choose this route?
As I hurried forward, trying to keep my mind away from the food, I turned a corner and bumped into someone.
The other person must have been going quite fast, too. We crashed into each other so with such force that both of us fell backwards on our butts.
“Ugh…”
As I rubbed my poor bottom, I glared up at the person who was also sprawled on their butt. The stranger was dressed in a brown cloak and had a hood over their head.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”
I was rushing too, but the one who complains first wins! [1]
Also, while I did say it was a stranger, there was something about this person…
“Oi! There he is!”
A voice interrupted my thoughts.
Soldiers (?) had appeared at the end of the corridor behind the mystery man and were pointing at us. Pointing at him.
Before I could react, the man got up, grabbed my arm and tried to drag me with him.
“Hey, wait, what the-”
Ugh, I am being dragged into a strange situation. I am literally dragged into it! Also, I am so hungry that I had no energy to resist when the guy dragged me into the shadows behind some crates.
After the soldiers passed us by, the man let go of my hand.
Irritated, I said, “Hey, what the heck are you trying to do?”
“Be quiet!”
The man hissed. The voice felt familiar, but not quite.
Then, the man removed his hood.
“Ah…”
The face was familiar to me. However, it was also an unexpected face. The last face I expected to see in this kind of place. He had pale blonde hair that was almost beige, a noble face and… he was none other than the first prince of this country, Prince Alfredo.
“So, Your Highness?”
I said, a little sceptically, still unsure about the current situation.
“Indeed. And you are Makia Odelle, the Magic Advisor.”
“Indeed, I am. But, what is the First Prince doing in a place like this?” [1]
“I am being pursued. I order you to hide me!”
“Hah?” [1] I looked at the space where the soldiers had been. I’m pretty sure they were the real thing…
“I’m running away from the palace!”
[1] I could feel my eyebrows rise in disbelief. However, the First Prince looked serious.
Hold on, let’s reassess the facts.
First Prince Alfredo of Ruskia is running away from home.
What I know of the First Prince was the following:
He is three years older than Ulysses.
Until last year, he was the leading candidate for kingship.
In terms of looks, I guess he kind of looks like Ulysses? But he looks more like the King.
He has beige hair that’s closer to the King’s blonde hair. In fact, now that I think about it, His Excellency also has similar coloured hair.
One could say that Ulysses’s pure white hair was the outlier.
“So, why did Your Highness, Prince Alfredo, decide to run away from home? Or rather, why did you run away from the palace?”
“Just shut up and hide me.”
“… …”
This guy’s arrogance was starting to annoy me.
“At this rate, you will be caught soon. You’re a prince. If there’s something that’s bothering you, you should just say it out clearly and properly.
“That doesn’t concern you.”
[1] A vein ticked under my eye. Is this how he plans to treat the people he wants help from?
Well, I had heard that the First Prince had hidden himself in his room for some reason. Some said that it was because he had lost his ambition for the throne. [1] I wonder, did his running away have anything to do with this?
None of that helped me to decide what to do next.
The prince, whom I barely had any contact with, just ordered me to hide him.
What should I do?
“Haahh… if only Thor or Ulysses is here…”
Those two have more political savvy and would know what to do. However, I’m not on good terms with Thor, and Ulysses is inside the palace, so what should I do?
There’s no sign of Lepis or Noah, either…
“Oi, I’m hungry. Isn’t there anything to eat?”
“You do realise that you’re on the run from soldiers, right? I’m hungry too, you know? Otherwise, do you think I’d let you pull me around like this?!”
My voice rose up at the end, anger giving me a little energy.
“Also, I’m saying this just to make sure I understand the situation. You do know that I’m in Sir Raymond’s faction?”
“I know, but… I can’t keep doing what my mother or the Prime Minister says anymore. Those… those people are nuts!”
“Your Highness?”
[2] Huh, looks like rumours about the First Prince losing his stomach for the throne might be right after all. From the way he’s talking, the First Prince must have felt uneasy about his faction’s various plots and schemes.
Anyway, I can’t think anymore about the grumbling [2] of my stomach. It felt like the very air was teasing me! In the end, I chose one of the nearby eateries and asked for a private room.
[2] I’m going to eat to my heart’s content!
Please read this at kitchen novel dot com ~
“Do you have money, Your Highness?” [2] I asked after we were seated in a small room to the side of the main dining hall.
“Money? N-not a lot, but…”
“And how do you plan to properly run away from home without money? You’re either very naive or reckless…” I muttered as I eyed his clothes.
We had both taken off our cloaks, and under the hooded brown cloak, the First Prince was as richly dressed as ever.
“Are your buttons pure gold? If they are, you can sell one of them and have plenty to eat for a while. Anyway, I have enough money, so I’ll treat you this time. ”
With that, I ordered every dish on the menu and, as the waiter brought the dishes one by one, the First Prince’s eyes grew large at the sheer number of food. [2] Or, maybe he was shocked by the appearance of the dishes?
Who knows.
[2] For an eatery that mostly catered to commoners, this place was pretty upscale, hence the private rooms. Middle- range merchants must use this place to have meetings or something. The dishes were mostly simple peasant food, with some B-grade level cuisine and luxuriously cooked seafood thrown in for those who have the money for it.
I could not help but feel a little excited at the notion of tasting peasant food and delicious seafood again.
“Oho, it’s nice to have something like this now and then, isn’t it? Nothing beats mom’s cooking,” [2] I said as I happily dug into a savoury and cheesy pasta dish stuffed with clams and squid.
“Mom’s cooking? Do commoner mothers cook like this?”
“Hm? Well, I guess it all depends on the household, but I suppose so. Commoner food is often simply cooked and pretty hearty. Mostly stews and stuff, but this place has some nice things too. It’s all about the ingredients. They don’t do anything complicated to the food, but it’s good, honest food.”
“… …”
First Prince Alfredo poked at a Butter-grilled Scallop, but seemed to find the food acceptable. At least, there were no complaints from his side, so he must find it interesting.
“I never had my mother’s cooking…”
“Well, of course. It’s not as if the queen would cook. Even Prince Ulysses’s mother probably never cooked for him. In fact, now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever heard him talk about his mother much.”
“Isn’t Prince Ulysses’s mother a Royal Mage? I heard she hardly leaves the research room.”
“Well, he’s not exactly a mother-con. Rather, if I have to describe him, he’s more of a siscon or a lolicon. Kind of like a doting dad?”
“…what?”
“Nothing, nothing, let’s not talk about this.”
Even though I was the one who started the topic, but… well, it was true.
Still, when it comes to the topic of mothers, Thor was the one with the oddest reaction.
“Now then, Prince Alfredo. Since I have treated you to dinner, don’t you think it’s time for you to start telling me what’s going on?”
“Why are you suddenly speaking so familiarly to me? I’m still the First Prince, you know?”
“Quiet, you idiot prince.”
“I-idiot…? How dare you-”
I slammed my glass of carbonated water on the table.
“Oi, you incompetent young brat who can’t even do anything right. What nonsense are you spouting? You’re a prince, aren’t you? So why are you acting like a spoiled child? Is this how the leader of a country should act? Locking yourself up in your room and running away? Are you in a teenage rebellious phase now?”
“Ugh…” First Prince Alfredo flinched. He had a bitter look on his face, but he could not refute anything I had just said.
In the end, he said, “No, you’re right. I’m not fit to be king. After seeing that monstrous robot thing, I lost all desire to be king. It’s impossible for me to fight that thing or protect the country…”
“… …” [2] Whoa, I didn’t think he would cave so easily.
“However, Mother and the Prime Minister still haven’t given up on making me king. That’s why… they are trying to borrow power from an enemy country, and Lulubeth… I hardly spoke to her, but she’s still my sister. To think that they would want to sacrifice her…”
“Oh? It looks like you have a good understanding of what’s happening around you,” I said.
“Yes. Mother has… changed. She wasn’t like that before. I… I want to live up to Mother’s expectations, but I realised that Lord Raymond is a more fitting ruler. If I had been king… no, to become king, nearly half of the country would have been destroyed just to put me on the throne. What’s so great about that?”
“I see.”
It certainly looked like the First Prince saw a lot more than I had expected. If the future of the country consisted of politics and backstabbing, First Prince Alfredo might still stand a chance. However, with giant soldiers suddenly in play… well…
“Still, why didn’t you seek asylum with Lord Raymond. Surely you know that the old man loves his nieces and nephews? If nothing else, he would definitely protect you.”
“… …” [3]First Prince Alfredo blinked a few times before suddenly turning a dark, shameful red.
Ah, the unthinking impulsiveness taking over his thoughts again, huh? [2]
“You should have done that in the first place. Why leave the palace at all?”
“Th-that is…”
As we talked, I sampled some meat stir-fried with chilli pepper. A swig of grape carbonated water later and, ah~! This sensation! The sharpness of the spicy flavour, followed by the sweet tingling of carbonated water! This sensation is just too amazing!
While I was indulging in the dad-like thoughts, the door to the private room slammed open.
It was Thor.
Thor had found me.
“Oi, why are you here and not at the palace?” He [4] must have rushed there, only to find my room empty and used his troublesome tracking magic to find me. How inconvenient.
“Oh, it’s you…” I said.
That was when Prince Alfredo said, “Oi, you’re Thor Sagaram, right? The Magic Advisor and Magic Knight?”
“First Prince?” Thor said warily.
“As you can see, I am here having a meal on the orders of His Highness!” I said airily. [2]
Thor eyed the piled-up dishes with a blank expression. I decided to distract his attention from the remnants of my meal.
“What’s up anyway? You tracked me down with magic, didn’t you? What’s the fuss?”
“You… Hahhh, the Royal Capital is in danger right now.”
“Don’t you have Lepis and Noah?”
“Not even they can handle the enemy. The enemy is-” Thor stopped abruptly.
I cast a glance at the First Prince. Was he wary about speaking in front of that guy?
Should I worry about this?
[Gumihou: Adjusted the little bits for a much smoother transition]
[1] Adjusted the dialogue to fit Makia’s personality
[2] Adjusted the text to fit Makia’s personality
[3] Added details
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