Chapter 11: Days Until the Festival
One day after the sudden news.
“Good morning, Reite-jou. It’s a fine morning.”
“U-uh, yeah.”
Surprisingly, Weiss-kun was acting normally.
He came to wake me up in the morning, escorted me to breakfast, and even pulled out my chair when I sat down.
“Today’s breakfast is pork risotto made with Orc meat. Now that its safety has been confirmed, it’s scheduled to be distributed to regular butcher shops as well.”
“Well, yeah. It’s normally delicious, so the people should accept it eventually.”
But that’s not really what matters right now—
“Weiss-kun, are you okay? Yesterday you were in a daze after hearing that this country was starting a war with an allied nation.”
——A sudden military advance. According to the newspaper, the reason was “the Duchy’s betrayal.”
[Our Strain Kingdom, taking advantage of the regime change in progress, Ragtime Duchy plotted an invasion. Therefore, the traitors are the Duchy, and this advance is a righteous hammer—] or something like that. It was written with unnecessarily cool words. I wonder what the truth really is.
“Weiss-kun, if you’re not feeling well, you can rest, you know?”
“No, I’m fine.”
F-fine, he says. I totally thought he’d be depressed for several days!
“…Of course I’m shocked. I have a close friend in the Ragtime Grand Ducal family. There’s no way that country would do something despicable… If only I had prevented the revolution, this wouldn’t have happened—thinking like that, I couldn’t sleep.”
Weiss-kun…
“Thanks to that, I ended up swinging my sword until morning.”
“You did that AGAIN!?”
The same old training-until-fainting club!!
Really, take better care of yourself. Why are you making me, an villainess, feel emotions like worry?
“Haah. Well, at least the worst-case scenario didn’t happen.”
“Worst-case scenario?”
“Yeah. I thought you might go try to stop the Kingdom’s army by yourself.”
That’s why I actually had my butler Ashley watch Weiss-kun all night.
At first I thought I’d given him a terrible order, but when he said [I’d rather see Ojou-sama’s sleeping face than some guy’s, preferably from one centimeter away from her nose~], I stopped caring.
As I recalled that incident, Weiss-kun muttered “I see.”
“Go stop the advance, huh. That’s an option.”
“Huh?”
“Rotten as I may be, I’m still the First Prince of the Strain Kingdom. If I expose myself before the Kingdom’s army, they should at least hear me out.”
“Wait!?”
W-wait, you’re willing to do it just because you hadn’t thought of it!?
But there’s a problem with that—just as I was about to say so, Weiss-kun continued, “But that’s impossible.”
“My words won’t reach them. The current Kingdom army is probably fake anyway.”
With an expressionless face, he clenched his fist in frustration.
“The mercenary organization [Hell Wolves]. By now they should be carrying the country’s main forces. Therefore my persuasion would be meaningless. Under the command of their Commander Zax, it would just end in devastation.”
“That’s…”
Exactly right.
I had foreseen this too.
From the start, the new king Schwarl couldn’t win over the military during the revolution, so he had to rely on the mercenary organization [Hell Wolves].
So they’re probably still thick as thieves.
“Besides, it takes about half a month for the Kingdom newspaper to reach this area. So by now…”
“We’re probably already in a state of war.”
It’s already too late, in other words.
“There’s also the option of going to strike down Schwarl, but that would be difficult too. Knowing Zax Roa, who excels in wicked cunning, he’s probably left a reasonable military force as insurance. If any of the executives called the [Five Great Wolves] are there, even I don’t know what would happen.”
“Ugh, the [Five Great Wolves] are people like Ashley, right?”
They lost to this strongest prince, but Ashley’s power when he got serious was amazing.
“Ashley times five people would be insane.”
The image of five Ashleys going [[[[[ Ojou-sama! Ojou-sama! ]]]]] and making a fuss pops into my head. Is that hell?
“That would be terrible in another sense too…”
“Anyway. Going to the invasion army means a dog’s death, storming the castle means I might not win, and most of all, a sudden battle at the capital would involve the citizens.”
Ah yeah. Weiss-kun’s swordsmanship is absurdly destructive.
Though I suppose the opponents aren’t ones he could hold back against either.
“So for now, I’ll focus on sharpening my claws in preparation for an opportunity. That’s why I don’t have time to mope around.”
“I see.”
It’s not that he’s fine or anything like that—he’s keeping his anger and determination burning deep in his heart.
“I see. Weiss-kun, you feel more princely than when we first met.”
“That’s because I’m in front of Reite-jou. I don’t want to show you an unsightly appearance.”
“Ngh!?”
…Weiss-kun, you’ve gotten a bit smoother with your words too.
Your face is still as stern as ever, but at this rate your future bride will be happy.
“Weiss-kun, you’ve become so admirable… Will you invite me to your wedding?”
“!? Ah, I’ll absolutely bring you along!!!”
“So loud!? What’s with you suddenly!?”
While feeling anxious about the international situation, we couldn’t help worrying about it, so we spent our days cheerfully.
After all, the greatest event in Hungaria territory—the [Grand Masquerade Festival]—was fast approaching.
“Hey, common folk~~, are you working~?”
“”””””Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah it’s Reite-sama aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaah!!!………………………!””””””** “So loud!?”
Several days after the war news arrived, at night.
The territorial residents were preparing for the [Grand Masquerade Festival] without any particular anxiety.
It sounds carefree when you put it that way, but well, my territory is stupidly far from the royal capital.
There were no conscription orders, so I guess they don’t really feel it, huh.
“Reite-sama~, those [Magic Illumination Lamps] are amazing! Thanks to them we can work even after sunset~!”
The person (whose name is Pandemic-kun) pointed at the pillars standing throughout the plaza.
At their tips were [Magic Crystals] glowing inside glass.
“Reite-sama is sponsoring the magic scholar who developed them, right!?”
“They generate something called electricity from magic crystals! There’s definitely nothing like that even in the royal capital~”
“It’s amazing~ we used to have no choice but to sleep when night came. It feels like the day has doubled~”
Pandemic-kun’s brothers War-kun, Hungry-kun, and Death-kun were also impressed.
“”””The power of magic studies is amazing~! The scholar-san who found it is amazing~! Reite-sama who found such an amazing scholar is even more amazing~!””””
The four brothers’ eyes were sparkling.
But I won’t be fooled! These guys and the people are actually burning with anger toward me!
“Hmph. (Actually they’re thinking [Thanks to this we have to work until nighttime!] [What an evil thing to make someone invent!] I can see right through that kind of thing with my keen insight~)”
I originally proposed it to the Doctor so I could work the people like workhorses.
He seemed to want to make complex things with [Magic Crystals], which supposedly contain mysterious energy, but before that I said “Can’t you make some kind of lighting device that’s brighter and lasts longer than candles?”
If we had something like that, I could make the territorial residents work even at night for big profits.
And maybe we could reduce crimes like bandits too~ (though they’re rare lately).
And he brilliantly made it a reality.
“”””Reite-shama~!””””
“Hmph hmph, I don’t need flattery. You people! If you want to butter me up even with lies, work hard and make the territory prosper!”
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai
————-!!!!!!……………….!
“I said BE QUIET!!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“And so~ Weiss-kun. Even though it’s technically wartime, the territorial residents are so carefree~”
“That’s probably because they trust you as their lord, Reite-jou.”
“…And even though they must be angry inside about the [Magic Illumination Lamp] development, they keep buttering me up with just words as usual—”
“They’re probably really happy, that’s great.”
“Why do you interpret it that way!?”
After returning home, when I told Weiss-kun about the people’s behavior, he gave his usual fluffy interpretation.
Haaah~ (exasperated).
Weiss-kun, at this rate you’ll be deceived left and right in society, you know? You won’t be able to function in society!
“Stop with the rose-colored interpretations. Humans are evil creatures, you can tell by looking at me, an villainess, right?”
“Staaaaaaaare”
H-his gaze is intense!
“…Hmm.”
“Got it?”
“Humans are wonderful creatures.”
Why are you awakening to a hymn of humanity because of me!?
“Stupid stupid stuuuupid! You’re blind! You flower-field idiot Weiss-kun!”
“Ah, I’m the [had a revolution by my brother who seized the country, and now that country has become one that invades allied nations] idiot Weiss-kun…”
Stop with the super heavy self-deprecation!!
“Haah, anyway Weiss-kun seems to have been raised too softly.”
“Fluffy Weiss-kun.”
“You should have been raised to doubt humans more. If Weiss-kun had been my baby and grown up sucking my breast milk, you definitely would have turned out that way.”
“Mumumumu”
For some reason Weiss-kun starts glowing pink.
That glow can change colors, huh. Also, why pink?
“——Excuse me. Additional documents—whoa, the prince is glowing pink!?”
Just then my butler Ashley came in.
“What happened, Ojou-sama!?”
“No, we were just talking normally. Since Weiss-kun is such a good boy, I said it would have been better if he’d been raised drinking my breast milk.”
“Mumumumu”
Now Ashley is glowing pink too!
“What’s with you two!?”
“No, sorry. More importantly, these are the stall-related documents for the [Grand Masquerade Festival]. Please confirm and approve them.”
Yes yes.
The fact that they’re submitting at this last-minute period means they’re merchants who came from outside.
My territorial residents are so scared of this Reite-sama that they make sure to meet deadlines with plenty of time to spare.
“Still, Ojou-sama. I’m not sure it’s wise for you to work so late into the night.”
“That’s right, Reite-jou. Overdoing it isn’t good.”
The two of them (while glowing pink) worry about me.
Haah, really, what are you saying?
“The territorial residents are working, you know? If the lord is lazing around, that would be embarrassing.”
I’m always a supremely excellent villainess, after all.
To avoid being looked down on, I have to show an attitude of [I can work way better than you all, idiots!]
“So I have to work hard too. Let’s see now, ‘Want to open a muffin stall’? Made five days in advance… it’ll rot, you idiot!”
Me, working diligently to assert dominance over the people.
The prince and butler stare intently at me, such an exemplar of evil, and—
“”Humans are wonderful creatures.””
Why does it turn out that way!?
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