Volume 3: Chapter 017: Makia – I Wonder…

Author: かっぱ同盟／友麻碧

Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3862be/

Translated by Zzonkedd

Edited by Gumihou

 

It looked like Prince Alfredo was still hesitant about going to Lord Raymond’s side. [1] Since it made no sense to me, I just stared at him until he said, “If I go to Lord Raymond, it would put me at complete odds against Mother…”

“I guess…”

Well, well, it looks like the First Prince still does not want to oppose his mother, even though he had run away from the palace to escape the queen.

Perhaps sensing my quizzical stare, he [1] blurted out, “I didn’t plan to leave the palace. It just happened. I mean, there was a lull in the guards’ patrols, so I took the chance and escaped.”

“… I see,” [1] was that the real reason why he was so underprepared for the outside world?

Still, instead of looking petulant or immature, there was an air of tired resignation around him.

“It took time, but, I’m starting to get a sense of what I wanted to do…”

“And, that is?”

The question came from Thor, who had sneakily made his way over to sit next to me. The question flowed out casually as he took a plate for himself and started eating. [1] Well, it was getting late after all. Who am I to deny him dinner?

“I believe I should return to the palace and properly inform Mother and the Prime Minister that I don’t want to be king. If there is a way to stop them, I will find a way.”

“Your Highness, you do realise that the Queen is quite the monster, don’t you? She had already gone very far for her only son. What do you think would happen if you suddenly tell her you don’t want the throne?” I said reasonably.

“That’s…”

When Prince Alfredo hesitated, Thor said, “No, I wish to respect His Highness’s feelings. The Queen may be a villain to us, but to His Highness, she is still his blood mother. If he really were to ask Lord Raymond for help, the rift that breaks out between mother and son may never be mended. Though we cannot guess what the other faction would do, I do not wish to see mother and son hate each other.”

“Thor Sagaram…” Prince Alfredo nodded repeatedly at Thor’s words. There was a look of relief on his face.

Still, a sense of uneasiness suffused me. Thor was the realist in our group with the most logical brain for science and technology. No matter how I look at it, surely the easiest way to deal with the situation is to convince the First Prince over to our side and have him openly declare his withdrawal from the race to the throne while under our protection?

That way, the other side would suffer a complete loss.

However, it looks like Thor wants to put the First Prince’s feelings first.

“Your Highness, you should know that this opportunity comes with a deadline. The Twelve Nobles’ Conference is coming up. I believe that the other faction wishes to take down Lord Raymond before it happens. If you cannot persuade them to withdraw… you will be considered as part of the guilty side.”

“I understand. I shall take responsibility. Whatever happens, I will not fault anyone for it. I understand if I cannot convince them, not only will I lose the right to the throne, but I shall also be expelled from the royal family.”

His Highness had a faraway look on his face as he said that.

“… …”

To be honest, I usually thought of him as a troublemaker. Maybe an obstacle at most to our goals. To think that he had been struggling in his position as first prince.

Just then, the door to the private room was slammed open for the second time. [1]

“Excuse us.”

Palace soldiers and mages poured in. At the centre of them was a mage who looked fairly high-ranking. Most likely, he was a mage from the Esta family. He had the general appearance of a gentleman, but his long hair looked a bit unkempt. The Queen must have sent him out to track down Prince Alfredo.

“Ahem, oh, greeting to the Magic Advisor and… Magic Advisor, I thank you greatly for protecting His Highness, Prince Alfredo. Your Highness, the Queen is absolutely beside herself with worry. Come, let us return to the palace.

“… …”

“… …”

A small tension crackled between us.

I noticed the soldiers’ hands tightening on their spears.

Lepis’ and Noah’s magic swelled from somewhere in the shadows, but I whispered a soft ‘no’ under my breath.

We cannot start trouble in the middle of the city. It would be too conspicuous. Who knows what tomorrow’s headlines will scream?

In the end [1], it was Prince Alfredo who broke the stalemate.

He stood up and graciously said, “Very well.” Then, he turned to us and said, “My appreciation to you.”

Looks like he was really going to return to the palace with the soldiers. [1] The uneasiness that I had been feeling swelled, and I took half a step forward.

“Ah-” I almost said something to stop him from leaving.

Somehow, I have a bad feeling about his situation. Is it really alright to let the First Prince go just like this? Would he really be able to convince the Queen and others in his faction?     

“Barondot Esta, I met these people ‘by chance’ and they were about to escort me to the palace. Now that you’re here, you may do the job instead.”

“…… As you wish, Your Highness.”

After a final glance at us, Prince Alfredo left with them. Barandot Esta flashed us a smirk before trotting after the prince. At the sight of the prince being surrounded by so many guards, I finally understood the First Prince’s position.

He has no freedom of movement at all.

I had a lot to say, especially since I’m nominally on Lord Raymond’s side as Ulysses’s ally. While I don’t think I was wrong in my thinking, it felt difficult to voice out my thoughts.

Conflict stirred inside of me.

Thor and I walked back to the palace in silence.

That day, Thor did not ask me to hit him. Maybe he felt conflicted by all that was happening? Well, he certainly seemed to be burdened by a lot of thoughts, too.

The very next day, I received an invitation to a party hosted by the Esta family.

 

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“What sort of party are you attending today?” [1] asked Lepis as he helped me dress.     

“A party hosted by the Esta family. I think it’s a bit suspicious, but it seems like they hold one every year, so I believe His Excellency will attend as well. Though I’m sure he expects a bit more entertainment from them this year- ouch! [1]”

I yelped as Lepis tightened my corset a little too vigorously.

“Hey, you’re certainly stronger than you look, aren’t you?”

“Apologies, it’s my prosthetic arm,” said Lepis as she deftly tied off the corset strings with those same fingers. After a while, she said, “Speaking of which, I have not seen Sir Thor since the incident with the First Prince. He used to chase after Lady Makia’s shadow before…”

“Hmph, enough about that guy.”

“I see,” said Lepis matter-of-factly.

“Hey, Lepis. Why don’t you attend a ball once in a while? You have a really pretty face, so it’s a waste for you to just go around taking care of me all the time.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, we are tasked with other work by Lord Raymond.”

“Goodness, that sugar addict old man just likes to devour everything in sight, doesn’t he?” I muttered as I eyed the line of lipsticks on display. Since I had turned 15, surely I can go for a slightly stronger colour?

I had been wearing the same slight red tint all this time.

“Hey, Lepis. Which colour do you think I should choose?”

“I… am not well-versed with cosmetics. However… I believe darker colours suit you, Lady Makia.”

“What about this shade? Ahaha, I used to wear this exact shade as Crimson Witch.”

The colour I had chosen was two tones darker than the one I had been using. As I applied the lipstick onto my lips, it was as though all traces of childishness disappeared. The person in the mirror looking back at me was the Crimson Witch.

“The ribbon on the head looks out of place on this face… Well, let’s go with the Crimson Witch look, hm?” [2]

I took down the ribbon that had been keeping my hair half-up and ran my fingers down my long hair. Lepis stared, as though mesmerised by the sight of my flowing hair.

“Lady Makia… I’m… well, you are truly beautiful…” [3]

“What are you saying?” [2] I laughed. “I am as adorable as always.”

“Indeed, but… today you looked… more like the legendary Crimson Witch of old.”

“Fufu, a villainess, you mean? Now, what should we do about the dress and earrings? I don’t want anything too heavy or old-fashioned. Youth and charm are      the key.” [2]

I took out the box of earrings from the dresser and laid out a pair of earrings, set with aqua stones that match my eyes, and surrounded by tiny red rubies. They were a little larger than the ones I prefer to wear, but since I had taken off the ribbon, these slightly flashier earrings would make up the slack.

The dress I had chosen was a bright shade of crimson.

When I looked at the mirror again, I was once more struck by the feeling that I was the Crimson Witch once more.

My reflection was a different person, but still familiar somehow.

 

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The Esta Ball was held at the Esta family estate [4], located on the east side of the Royal Capital.

As expected of the magical family reigning over the Royal Magic Academy, the hall where the ball was being held was a thing of beauty and extravagance, completely different from anything at the Medite family estate.

The hall was already buzzing with people when I arrived. The noise grew to a dull roar as soon as they noticed my presence. I had seen most of these people at various parties before, but everyone seemed surprised by my looks, nevertheless. It felt great to surprise them, especially under the unfamiliar circumstances.

“Lady Makia, we are so glad you came. I was struck speechless by your beauty for a moment.”

[1] The first person to greet me was Barondot Esta. He was out of his Imperial Magician uniform and was dressed like a nobleman today.

“Fufu, I thought I’d try something different today. If I keep dressing like a child, I’d be a laughing stock,” I said as I tittered through narrow eyes at him.

He stared down at me, and for a moment, the tension was high in the room.

Then, the hall erupted into sudden noise.

Princess Lulubeth had arrived. Beside her was Thor, who was now escorting her in.

I was surprised to see them entering together hand-in-hand [1]. However, logical thought intervened as I recalled that Princess Lulubeth had been making official meetings with various nobles in preparation for the coming Grand Noble Council.

Even so, this was the actual seat of House Esta, which could be a very dangerous place for Princess Lulubeth. So, of course, Thor was here to protect her in his capacity as a knight.

So, this was why Thor had not appeared in front of me lately.

“… …”

Somehow, I felt a little lonely…

Why, though?

I guess I enjoyed the play-fights with Thor a bit too much, even though I could not bring myself to forgive him.

What I am feeling now is similar to how the Crimson Witch had felt when she had challenged the Black Demon King into epic fights. In the end, those battles were mere play-fights between us.

Back then, I had similar feelings, which I had been trying to hide behind those fights and challenges.

Thor was standing quite far away, but even then, his eyes still found me. [2] He looked surprised to see me at the party.

As for me, I did… nothing. [2]

I felt angry at him. I wanted to stomp over and push at him or yell. There were so many emotions roiling inside of me, but in the end, none of them appeared on my face.

Then, I turned my back on him.

[2] Thor was not someone who would neglect his work and leave the princess anyway. He’s a professional like that.

As the crowd converged around Princess Lulubeth, I edged away from the group.

The moment I looked away, everything suddenly went dark.

“!?”

This is… I flinched from the sudden blackness. This was beyond a mere loss of light from the chandeliers.

“I know this darkness,” I muttered to myself. “It’s the Magic Fortress-Kingdom of Shadows…”

In a flash, [2] I suddenly felt the walls close in on me. Thor’s Magic Fortress could be made to operate in a separate space-time continuum. In short, a pocket dimension. Time played by its own rules, making hours and days here pass like mere moments outside.

I seriously hated this place. 2000 years ago, I found myself trapped in this space all too often.

The place was basically a never-ending dark maze. Whether I got out or not depended entirely on the Black Demon King’s mood. Above all, I really hated the darkness. I was fine with the darkness created by the lack of sun, but the utter blackness created by magic was intolerable.

Then, I heard footsteps.

It had to be Thor.

I grabbed my skirts on instinct and started running.

Even though I knew that running was pointless, I could not help myself.

Thor had absolute control over this space. He could drag me out of this place and confront me whenever he liked     .

My foot slipped, and I fell.

Even though this space was basically nothing but emptiness, the floor certainly felt hard when I hit it.

“…Hmph.”

[2] Was I scared? Of course not. However, the fall caused one of my shoes and both earrings to fly off. Why both, you asked?

[2] That’s because they felt too heavy on my ears, and I had loosened the metal fastenings.

The whole thing was a terrible mess.

As I lay flat on my face, [2] it felt as though the darkness was pressing down on me. I thought about biting my thumb and commanding my blood to destroy this place. But then, I remembered that doing something like this would cause a huge backlash against Thor since that would drastically rewrite the formula of this space.

“Ugh…”

My knees hurt, my ears hurt and my face… I could feel Thor’s presence around me, and instead of feeling reassured, it felt menacing somehow.

“Thor…”

Even so, I still called out his name.

Even though I did my best to run away and escape him.

“Makia.”

A hand touched my shoulder. I slowly turned around, and it was Thor. There was a complicated expression on his face. I could clearly see every detail of his face thanks to all the pale blue monitors floating around me.

“Thor…”

“What’s up with you? What are you… aah, that’s right, come to think of it, you’ve never liked this place, right? I’m sorry. This was the last fortress I used, so I activated on instinct.”

Thor fiddled with the monitors, and the space changed in an instant. A field of white flowers replaced the darkness. Tall trees covered the sky with their canopy, letting in dappled green light.

Even though I knew it was all an illusion, the dappled sunlight felt warm against my skin.

“Makia, happy 15th birthday.” Thor was in front of me.

When he reached out to touch my ear, his movement was too unexpected for me to do more than shrink my neck into my shoulders.

“What-”

“I got these at Velette. You wanted some smaller earrings, right?”

“… …”

While I was still in a state of shock, Thor fastened the earring on my other ear.

I reached up and touched my earlobes and felt the small drop earrings.

“Fufu… haha. I have to say, this really isn’t like you, hmm? Hahahah!”

“You don’t feel like the usual Makia today. In fact, rather than Makia…” Thor blinked and then he recited a name from the past. “You’re more like Makirie Lucia.”

It was the name of the Crimson Witch of the past.

So, you still remember that name.

[1] As the wind blew, sending white petals dancing in the air, I recalled another scene. A scene where the wind blew and scattered white snow across a forest.

That was where we first met.

I still remember the indescribable excitement and joy I felt at encountering the very first person in the world with powers similar to mine.

 

[Gumihou: This story is so difficult to adjust]

 

[1] Added details

[2] More Crimson Witch-like thought processes

[3] More natural dialogue

[4] Change ‘サロン’ aka ‘salon’ to ‘hall’. Since it’s a big event meant for showing off and not an intimate party for their own faction

 

 

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