Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty"s Punch
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty"s Punch
You can grab the PDF here.
I return the manga that I’d finished reading to the green rucksack by my feet.
On the name tag sewed to the side of the rucksack is a name written in wobbly handwriting.
『Year 2 Cla.s.s 3 Kanou Shinichi』
The sky is refreshingly clear.
The location that I’m at is a corner in a nature park. It’s very big. For small-bodied primary school kids with a limited area of activity, the place seems like a boundless land where the greenery extends, without end, to everywhere and anywhere.
The corner that I’m at is in the shade under the foliage reaching out from a large tree.
I’m sitting on a bench made of stone that seems like a natural rock that had been sculpted into its present shape. The figures of my cla.s.smates are nowhere near me. Everyone seems to be playing baseball or dodgeball or whatever, but me——I’m the only one who’s not joining in, but instead reading the manga that I’d brought from home.
Anyone looking on might only see a gloomy, introverted kid.
I’ve been an otaku ever since the first few years of primary school.
“Oi, Kanou.”
Having been called, I raise my face.
In front of my eyes, a woman wearing a white tracksuit is standing with a resigned look on her face.
She is the teacher in charge of my cla.s.s. Apparently, she used to be a dignified and imposing beauty, but now that she’s in the latter half of her forties, there are obvious wrinkles near the corners of her eyes. With a spirited and mannish personality, she is well-known throughout our school as a scary teacher, who for example would yell loudly at those she finds running in the hallways.
“I’m going to be scolded!” is what I thought.
I quickly hide the manga tank behind my back in a fl.u.s.ter, but——of course, that action was way too late.
Sensei speaks to me with a sigh mixed in with her words.
“......I thought that I haven’t been seeing you around, but it turns out that you were reading a book in a place like this, huh.”
“............”
I hung my head with heavy feelings.
In any case, her next words will be any one from among “Don’t be reading manga after coming all the way here,” “This is why you’ll become an idiot,” or “Go play with your friends.” The other teachers have said these things to me so many times already. That’s why this teacher will definitely also say the same things.
As I bite my lips while staying silent——Sensei speaks to me in a slightly resigned tone.
“If you stay too far away from everyone else, you won’t make it in time when we have to go back. If you want to read, might as well do it someplace close to the gathering point.”
“——Eh?”
I blink a few times and look up at Sensei.
“Umm......you’re not going to confiscate my book?”
Sensei raises one of her relatively thick eyebrows (for a woman), and smiles wryly.
“Of course, if this was the cla.s.sroom, and we’re in mathematics or j.a.panese language cla.s.s, then I would. But right now, we’re on an outing, and this is the free time of the outing.”
“............”
“Kanou. What do you think is the purpose of cla.s.s outings?”
“They are events to promote teamwork and nurture the spirit of cooperation.”
I give her an immediate reply.
It is what the other teachers have told me so many times during the previous outings that I’ve grown calluses on my ears.
(T/N: The author uses a j.a.panese metaphor here that translates as “to be told or made to hear something so often that you (metaphorically) get calluses on your ears.”)
Despite that——
“That goal is not wrong, of course. However, they are also occasions to study the things that are not covered in the normal cla.s.ses at school.”
“‘Not covered’......?”
“Addition and multiplication. How to read and write kanji. Life cannot be made fulfilling with just those alone.”
“‘Fulfilling’......?”
With my mind unable to follow such a deep concept, I tilt my head in puzzlement.
After being born, I haven’t lived even ten years——for a child that hasn’t yet fully understood the structure of society, the word “life” doesn’t quite feel real. For a child who has led a carefree life under the protection of his parents, the concept of “fulfillment” feels like something to be taken for granted, and it is a challenge to tangibly imagine a situation without it.
“Fumu......”
After thinking for a while, Sensei asks me a question.
“What is it about manga that you like, Kanou?”
“Umm......I like that the protagonist stands up to the evil guys and wins.”
“Is that easy to do?”
I shake my head.
In order to defeat the bad guys, the protagonists have to work hard and work out sure-kill techniques, and they have to fight battles that they have no hopes of victory for, and they stand up again and again even when beaten so badly.
“That’s right, isn’t it.”
Sensei nods.
“Even manga are books. It means that if you read them properly, there are things that they can teach you too.”
“......Even manga......are books......”
Speaking of which, Father and Mother have also said something similar.
Father and Mother’s bookshelves are tightly packed with manga and light novels, and I often borrow several volumes at a time from there to read. However, the way Father and Mother put it, these are “necessary materials for our jobs,” so in my eyes, they are “things that adults use for their jobs,” and never have I considered them as “things from which children can learn lessons from.”
“This is......”
Feeling like scales have fallen from my eyes, I take a long, hard look at the front cover of my manga.
“My......textbook?”
“Or at least something that has the potential of being a textbook. It all depends on you, though.”
The smile on the face of the Sensei who told me this——even to this day, I still vividly remember it.
♥♦♣♠
I feel my consciousness gradually stirring.
As I slightly open my eyelids, a white light slips in between the crack. I hear the twitter of birds from somewhere, and air that seems to be saying “hey, it’s morning” is floating around. In other words, it is exactly an “asa-chun.”
(T/N: Asa-chun is a technique used in anime and manga to signify the pa.s.sing of a night (oftentimes to imply that s.e.x has occurred in the previous night). Asa means ‘morning,’ and chun is the j.a.panese onomatopoeia for how sparrows chirp. Because s.e.xual acts cannot be directly depicted due to j.a.panese laws, they are common represented as a screen fadeout followed by an asa-chun.)
“Nn......”
For now, I continue blinking a few more times.
In order to clear away the drowsiness that seems to be clinging to my eyeb.a.l.l.s, I get up from my bed.
I don’t know how else to put this, but today’s waking up feels really good. Back during my home security guard days, my waking hours had been quite unstable, which caused the border between sleeping and waking up to feel quite blurred. As a result, whenever I woke up, I would still be quite out of it for a while. Yesterday, due to being tired after the numerous surprises, I was apparently able to sleep deeply and peacefully, such that I have now woken up with a clear mind.
In the middle of such thoughts——
“——Good morning, Danna-sama.”
I hear a voice as cute as the ringing of a bell from the other side of my door.
“May I come in?”
“Ah——give me a moment.”
I hurriedly pat my head to make sure that I don’t have any strange bed hair standing up.
For now, I think I’m fine. My sleepwear is also fine. My morning physiological phenomenon is——well, I’m covered with the bedsheets so it should also be fine.
“It’s fine now.”
“Please excuse me.”
The person who comes into my room in response to the reply that I’d thrown across the door is Miusel.
The maid girl with elf ears. On top of which, she has a slightly clumsy streak.
She is a bishoujo worthy of the question “What is with all those traits?” When someone like that, who normally only appears in imaginations and games, turns out to be so close to me in real life, her extravagant character trait lineup makes me really nervous.
No. Even leaving aside all that talk about traits and whatnot, she really is cute.
Her hair, which is split and tied up on both sides of her head, is flaxen in color. Her skin is as smooth and white as porcelain, while her eyes are like blue jewels with a high degree of translucence. Her soft and full lips glisten faintly with the color of sakura petals. Sheer perfection.
Her facial structure is neat, trim, and sweetly cute——not in a showy way, but in a modest and reserved way. Her cuteness is such that just by looking at her, I feel like I’m being healed.
However.
I didn’t notice this yesterday, with all that was happening, but——though the body underneath her maid costume is indeed slim, I can now tell, even over her clothes, that her body shape has curves and bounces in all the right places. She is not voluptuous in an aggressively erotic sort of way, but how do I put it, her figure has this simple feeling that makes me want to hug her.
Aahh mou. This girl is seriously cute!
I am so moe-ed by Miusel that I can barely hold myself back from hugging my pillow and rolling back and forth right here and now. Regardless of whether she is or is not aware of these feelings of mine——well, most likely it’s not even pa.s.sed her mind——Miusel shows a faint smile on her face while speaking up.
(T/N: Apparently, ‘moe’ is now also a verb.)
“I have finished the preparations for breakfast.”
Oou. “I have finished preparations for breakfast.”! A maid-san said that! To me!
I nearly turned towards overmorrow to release a full-chested roar.
(T/N: ‘Overmorrow’ sounds cooler than ‘the day after tomorrow.’)
When it comes to maids, this line is the most standard out of all standards. I’ve always imagined this situation enviably, but——as someone who’s actually living out this situation, it’s actually quite embarra.s.sing.
“I’m sorry for always troubling you so.”
I was so fl.u.s.tered that I gave a completely irrelevant answer.
Of course, as a resident of this world, there’s no way that Miusel would know to reply with “Papan, we promised not to talk about that,” so instead, she’s just looking blankly at me with her head tilted.
(T/N: The reference here is from a variety show called “Shabondama Holiday” (Soap Bubble Holiday) that aired from 1961 to 1972. This dialogue (there are a few more lines) is like a staple for the show, and most episodes start with some variety of it. You probably won’t look it up anyways, so that’s all you need to know. Moving on!)
“‘Always’?”
“Oh, umm, sorry, I just had to.”
“‘Had to’?”
“Well, it’s like, a monologue or, oh yea, it’s something like a greeting in my country.”
I said something random to gloss it over.
It seems like Miusel somehow managed to swallow that. She resumes making her way towards the windows, and opens the curtains. While letting in more and more morning light into the room, she turns towards me and asks a question.
“Will you partake here? Or perhaps in the dining room instead?”
“Eh? Here? You mean, right here?”
“If you wish so, I shall carry it here......”
“Hmm. No, I’ll go to the dining room.”
I’ve already quit my job as a home security guard, so let’s not do things like having meals in bed. More like, I simply want to eat breakfast together with Miusel. I can’t exactly do that and say “let’s eat together here.”
I get off the bed and start unb.u.t.toning my nightclothes——
“............”
Then I freeze.
It is because Miusel has come to my side and placed a hand on my shirt, as if it is the most natural thing to do.
“Umm......”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Eh......?”
Her large eyes blink a few times in surprise, and she tilts her head.
“What do you......mean? Have I perhaps made some sort of blunder?”
A fearful look quickly comes over her face.
“No, that’s not it. I am going to change now.”
“Yes.”
“......Going to change.”
“Yes......?”
Miusel gazes at me with a troubled expression.
No. I’m going to change now, so I want you to go out——
“I am going to change. What are you going to do?”
“I am to help Danna-sama with changing——”
“Please don’t!”
I involuntarily let out a voice that bordered on a shriek.
I only have on a single pair of underwear underneath my nightclothes. Furthermore, that bodily phenomenon is still going strong, so if I take off my nightclothes——it is going to get very, very embarra.s.sing for me.
“I-I’m terribly sorry?!”
With a start, Miusel is now drawing her trembling body back.
Looking like as if she had made some terrible mistake in that moment, she topples over in what seems to me an exaggerated manner.
“Hyau?!”
“Are you alright?”
In a fl.u.s.ter, I quickly move towards Miusel and take her hand to help her up.
“I, I’m fine——s-, sorry.”
With nothing but shame on her face, she quickly draws her hand back.
Uu. I’m a bit hurt. She didn’t have to draw back so quickly, as if she was about to touch something really dirty.
“I’m truly, terribly sorry. Without thinking it through, I carelessly tried to do something disrespectful......for someone like me to directly touch Danna-sama’s body......”
“Eh......?”
Due to hearing a response completely beyond my expectations, I let a silly voice slip through my lips.
What is this girl saying......?
“No. It’s fine to touch me, like accidentally touching our fingertips together to trigger some doki doki, which would lead to a flag——that is NOT what I meant to say.”
I came to my senses after going that far.
In summary, Miusel had interpreted my sudden shout of “Please don’t!” as if touching me is a transgression in and of itself——and thus she thought that I hated being touched by her. That’s why even when I took her hand to help her up, it became “I touched Danna-sama again, even though he hates it” inside her mind.
In the first place, I am a foreigner the likes of which she has never seen before——on top of which, the values of the country called j.a.pan are almost completely unknown. She could not determine my exact “social status,” and therefore, when I rebuffed her efforts at helping me change, she came under the impression that I am a n.o.ble of such high cla.s.s that she is not allowed to touch me.
Which is all complete rubbish, of course.
Knowing that I now have a misunderstanding to clear up, I sigh before talking to her.
“You see, Miusel.”
“Yes, Danna-sama.”
Probably expecting to be yelled at, Miusel looks like she’s preparing to endure something.
“I don’t know what is considered “normal” in your country. But in my country, there is no one who would get angry just from being touched a little.”
Well, there might be girls who would hate being touched by an otaku like me. But that will just complicate the conversation, so I choose not to mention it. I explain to her that for example, a situation where a maid merely brushes against her master and gets berated for “insolence”——that kind of situation won’t occur in my world, as such extreme differences in social status do not exist.
“Is......Is that how it truly is......?”
“Indeed it is. That’s why, don’t worry about it anymore.”
“But then......”
“Which is why......”
I continue speaking, but now with a frown on my face.
“That’s, when I told you to stop, with helping me change I mean, that’s, in my country, we don’t have girls help out with that, because it’s embarra.s.sing.”
“......Yes?”
Miusel’s eyes are round and dazed.
It seems like she’s not quite comprehending what I’m trying to say——
“OK, let me ask you instead, then. What would you do if I’m the one who offers to help you change?”
“Ho-How could someone of such high stature deign to help someone as lowly as myself?!”
In a fl.u.s.ter, Miusel is furiously shaking her head.
“No, that’s not what I mean. What if, for the sake of argument, the two of us are of the same position and social status. Won’t it be embarra.s.sing for a boy to help you with changing your clothes? He’ll see you wearing nothing but your underwear, you know?”
“That’s......”
Gazing at me with upturned eyes, slowly her cheeks turn faintly red and she nods.
Oh man, even when she’s so nervous, she’s still so exceptionally cute.
“It’s the same as that. At any rate, changing is something that I can do myself, so you can head to the dining room first, Miusel.”
“Yes......I understand.”
Finally feeling rea.s.sured, Miusel throws me a smile before nodding and leaving the room.
“......This might turn out a bigger mess than I had expected.”
This sort of thing will most likely arise again. While considering all the various kinds of cultural clashes that will occur, all I can do is sigh.
♥♦♣♠
After finishing changing, I walk down the hallway in the mansion that leads to the dining room.
Although this is a parallel world, its inhabitants are human just like us, so the structure of their basic buildings are the same. Under the common pursuit of convenience, it is only natural that both sides have ended up quite similar. This is the so-called ‘parallel evolution’——the phenomenon where two places that start off with similar conditions would develop in very similar ways.
Even this hallway that I’m walking through has a facade that is completely giving off a “Western mansion” feel.
Its width is enough for two adults to pa.s.s by each other with both hands spread out. There are windows positioned at set distances from each other, and the floor is covered by wooden tiles fitted together in complex geometrical designs.
By the way, what I’m currently wearing is apparently the standard clothing for this Eldant Empire. Most likely also affected by parallel evolution, this set of clothes is composed of the shirt and pants combination that I’m so familiar with. However, because I’m being treated as a n.o.ble, ornamentation like elaborate embroidery have been added to places like the collar and cuffs.
“But still, seriously, so cute.”
I’m talking about Miusel.
For good or for bad, my preferences are pretty wide. Loli characters and warm onee-san characters with gla.s.ses and large b.r.e.a.s.t.s like Minori-san are a given, but on top of those, miko-san, female nurse, and a large variety of others——with the exception of imouto characters, I can be moe-ed by most character traits that exist.
However, all things considered, I am weakest against balanced characters without any major weak spots, such as a cute maid-san like Miusel. Especially the trim yet touchingly lovely aura that she emanates is what has completely grabbed hold of my heart.
Maid, elf, and dojikko.
Because such a girl is trying so bravely to serve me, there’s no way I can sit still. I’m so happy that I cannot calm down at all.
Partly due to this......when I came back to myself, I realized that I had wandered into a weird place.
This place looks like a shed or storage place of some sort, and despite the fact that it is still morning, the interior of this place is quite dim. There are a few windows near the ceiling for ventilation, but there are no other places for sunlight to come in. Limiting exposure to sunlight to prevent things from being negatively affected by ultraviolet rays or temperature change is the concept behind storage areas like warehouses. Despite knowing that, however, it is as if the sun has not yet risen on this place alone——frankly speaking, it’s giving me the creeps.
Feeling something cool along my back, I try to turn back and retrace my steps.
At that moment......
“......?!”
Something deep inside the room is wriggling around with a rustling sound, causing me to unconsciously freeze in my tracks.
Right after that, there’s an intermittent petari, petari sound (T/N: a slapping or flopping sound), like something is clinging to something, then being peeled off. Clinging, then peeling. It’s similar to the sound of someone walking with bare feet, but that does not explain why I’m also hearing what sounds like hard claws scratching the ground.
Speaking of which, there used to be this bio and hazard horror game that I used to play. What I’m feeling right now is exactly what I felt back when I was attacked by dog zombies. Their claws scratched the floor intermittently with tsuccha, tsuccha sounds, and they slowly grew in size when they got close——I remember being extremely scared.
Sound is something that is more than enough to instill fear by itself.
This is especially true in a place like this, where the darkness severely limits vision.
“This place is......”
Furthermore, this is a parallel world.
It’s a world where dragons and elves naturally exist. It wouldn’t be strange at all for zombies to also exist.
With such thoughts in my head, I am shaking by myself——the very next moment.
“——Oh.”
A grotesque face suddenly appears from the shadows.
It is a grim-looking head with a long snout. Its mouth, which runs sideways, looks capable of swallowing small children whole. The tightly packed scales covering its skin are not emanating any body heat. An inhuman-looking pupil, with what seems to be a knife cut running through it, moves in a mechanical way before finally settling on me.
“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!”
Due to sheer terror, I let out a scream and raise my hands overhead.
I take my fists to the side of the head—the part that is probably its cheek—with full intention of crushing it, but all I get is a dull feedback. A few seconds after I punched the scale-covered target, I notice pain and a burning sensation on the surface of my fists. Wait a second, what on earth could I hope to achieve with my bare hands against such a monster?!
On the internet, I’ve read stories about employees of haunted houses being suddenly a.s.saulted by customers that they’ve scared. Never have I thought that I, too, would one day hit someone else out of reflex. There’s really no telling what humans can do when pressed into a corner.
Either way, I didn’t choose the option to run away.
It’s too late for any regrets. I have a feeling that if I carelessly expose my back, I’ll get my head bitten straight off, so I can’t run away. If my current situation is an RPG and I select the “Run away” command, I’ll definitely get the “However, your path has been cut off! You cannot run away.” message.
Which leaves fighting as the only option.
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAA——!!”
Still in a confused state, I hit my opponent’s face once more.
It hurts. It hurts a lot. In the first place, I’ve never trained my fists, and the other side is a grim, scale-covered reptile, so of course I’m the one who’ll be hurting myself. But if I can successfully scare my opponent, there might be a window of opportunity for me to slip away........................Wait a second.
Wait a freaking second.
Reptilian face?
The moment after I threw my third punch, I abruptly realize it.
In the amount of time that it took me, whose reflexes aren’t that good, to land three punches......the other side did not indicate any intention of moving. Neither is it counterattacking nor is it trying to run away. It’s just standing where it is.
“............Eh?”
I unconsciously tilt my head.
In response, the strange head also tilts, then speaks to me in a dubious voice.
“Are you alright?”
“......Eh?”
“If you wish to hit me, then please use this.”
With both scale-covered hands, the other side offers me some sort of stick. Just like a “Wooden Stick” that would appear in RPG games as a new character’s very first equipment, this stick also has cloth wrapped around the part that’s supposed to be gripped.
“That side was used to open holes in the flowerbed to plant bulbs only just now. Your hands will get dirty if you hold the stick there, so please hold it from this end.”
“Aah. Thank you for your thoughtful guidance——okay, that is NOT what I was supposed to say.”
After obediently accepting that stick that was being offered to me, I shake my head furiously.
This is no specter nor monster of any sort——it is this mansion’s manservant. He is a lizardman named Blük, if I remember correctly. He had been introduced yesterday, but because we’re in a dark place and our eyes suddenly met, I couldn’t help but be afraid——more like, I let a misunderstanding get to my head.
“S-......Sorry!”
Fl.u.s.tered, I quickly apologized.
“I couldn’t help punching you because of the surprise, but are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. As you can see, I’m covered with scales.”
His manner is as nonchalant as his words.
At the very least, it doesn’t seem like he’s bleeding from anywhere, and neither is there swelling anywhere. As for whether there is any internal bleeding due to the scales, I cannot tell at all.
“Rather than that, Danna-sama’s hand......”
“Eh? Uwah?!”
When he said that, I looked at my own hand......blood is oozing out from cuts here and there.
In the first place, I have no experience at all with barehanded martial arts. Having thrown punches packed with all my strength, the result is that I ended up hurting my own hand instead. The cuts are most likely because of the scales.
Speaking of which, I’ve read that it’s possible for the bones inside a person’s finger to be broken if a punch is thrown with the fist held in an improper way. I should probably be glad that all I got were mere cuts.
However, Blük is the one I don’t understand.
Exactly what is he thinking? Just because he’s employed, to quietly allow himself to be punched——after which, to then hand over a club while saying “If you wish to hit me, then please use this.” My reason cannot follow at all.
“——Danna-sama?”
Hearing a sudden short scream, I turn around.
Standing there in shock with hand pressed to mouth——standing there is Miusel with an ashen face.
The direction of her gaze is towards my right hand. The expression on her face draws me to follow her gaze. That hand is holding a club as if to say “this is a blunt weapon” and “I hit him with this.” I am currently standing right in front of Blük. I wonder how my current figure is being reflected in her eyes——
“Thi-This is not what it looks like!”
I throw away the wooden stick, and speak up in a fl.u.s.tered way.
“Miusel......This is some sort of misunderstanding!”
Although the truth is that I really did hit him, and there is no misunderstanding at all.
However, because everything happened so suddenly, it can be explained as legitimate self-defense——or maybe not, but I really didn’t do it with any malice. In any event, even including my feeble attempts at an excuse on the spot, ten out of ten people who witness this scene by itself would think that I had been hitting Blük.
Despite that......
“Danna-sama! Your hand is bleeding!”
“......Eh?”
Running over with small steps, with an appalled look on her face, what Miusel grabs——is my hand.
Taking out a white handkerchief from one of her skirt pockets, Miusel presses it against the wounds on my hand. After that, in a completely fl.u.s.tered state of mind——her gaze roams left and right as if she’s looking for help, then she speaks as if she’s finally come to a realization.
“The medicine box is——no, we must contact the doctor-sama at a medical treatment center!”
“No, wait, there’s no need to go that far......”
She’s so agitated that it’s making me feel apologetic.
“More like——calm down, Miusel. These cuts aren’t very severe.”
“B-......But......”
“More like......both of you are acting strange!”
I take a step back to hold both Miusel and Blük in my line of sight.
“Strange? How so?”
“I, I’m terribly sorry. I don’t really understand, but I’m really sorry......”
Blük tilts his head, and a frightened expression comes over Miusel’s face, as if she is expecting to be yelled at.
“No, I mean——I was the one who suddenly punched Blük, right? Even if it didn’t hurt, quietly letting himself be beaten is strange. As for Miusel, rather than me, shouldn’t you be worrying about Blük first?”
No matter how anyone puts it, I’m the one who’s supposed to be reproached.
Despite that......both of them exchange blank glances with each other.
The way they are acting is as if they cannot understand what I’m saying.
What is with these reactions?
“As I’m saying......Blük didn’t do anything wrong, right? But I still punched him, so I’m the one who should be reproached, and my injuries are merely what I deserve.”
“However, Danna-sama.”
Blük speaks in a dubious voice——well, he’s a lizardman, so I cannot read his facial expression at all.
“n.o.ble-sama hitting demi-humans is normal, though?”
“......Hah?”
I unconsciously let slip an idiotic sound.
Indeed, I had heard from Matoba-san and co. that due to my status as a state guest of the Eldant Empire, I am being treated as a n.o.ble. But......
“‘Normal’? Even without any reason?”
“Because they are n.o.ble-sama.”
So said Blük.
The conversation still seems a bit disjointed, but——in summary.
In the Eldant Empire, difference in social status is absolute, and due to that, n.o.bles have authority over the life and death of their servants. In short, the servants are slaves——no, this treatment is as if they are mere livestock.
Therefore, n.o.bles. .h.i.tting demi-human servants for no reason whatsoever is an everyday occurrence.
Just like how there are no humans raging against every single natural phenomenon like typhoons or earthquakes or floods, being hit by a n.o.ble is just “something that happens” for them.
......Oi oi oi oi?!
“Doesn’t it upset you?”
“Upset us?”
“That’s......Don’t you feel like you want to hit back, or something like that?”
I asked timidly.
If he says “Oh I see, you’re right!” and hits me back now, that is going to be scary.
“Demi-humans cannot oppose human-sama, so......”
The one who answered so was Miusel.
“What do you mean?”
I drew my eyebrows together and asked her to elaborate.
After looking deep in thought for a short period of time, Miusel opens her mouth.
“We do not know how things are in the country where Danna-sama lives, but......in this country, races are ranked in terms of superiority.”
“‘Superiority’......”
I muttered to myself in a daze.
After that——what I heard from Miusel, were words that I found extremely offensive.
In this world, the established governing system places humans at the very top, and all demi-humans below that.
On the individual level, “humans” are inferior in terms of physical strength, magical ability, and a variety of other standards.
However......elves have strong magical ability, but their fertility is low.
Lizardmen have robust bodies, but their mana pool is almost zero, on top of which their disposition as reptiles causes their strength to go up or down depending on the atmospheric temperature, making it an unstable a.s.set.
It seems that there are various other demi-human races in this world, but in the end, due to the well-rounded human race’s lack of any specific weakness, and also due to them being the most populous race, they are able to develop civilization and culture, and gather in large scale groups and then establish governments.
Rather than seeking to adapt to the surrounding environment, these groups are large enough to alter their surrounding environments instead.
By developing agricultural techniques, the amount of harvest can be increased. With larger harvests, society as a whole can be maintained at a larger size. This surplus of people do not also have to pursue agriculture, but are free to to pursue and stimulate development in other fields. This is the foundation for specialized jobs, such as being a career soldier or a scholar.
Consequently——the agricultural industry becomes more sophisticated, stock-farming and manufacturing arises, and more military power is accrued to protect the citizens from external enemies. The larger the community, the more affluent each individual’s lifestyle becomes, giving birth to even more surplus.
In contrast——the powerful demi-humans who prefer instead to live alongside nature can only make small-scale communities easily susceptible to natural disasters and famine and invasions by external enemies.
“And that is why humans are such a superior existence.”
So concluded Miusel.
“......But......”
I understand the logic. I understand, but——
Having this harsh reality suddenly thrust before me, I am at a loss for words.
I am indeed very familiar with the idea of discrimination against demi-humans, as it is a frequent setting in games and manga and other such.
However, I’m also very familiar with the perspective of the side being discriminated against, so when I see with my own two eyes a society in which discrimination is an accepted system......I cannot help but to feel chills about it.
The Blük who had quietly let himself be beaten.
The Miusel who had been more concerned about her “Danna-sama”s hand over her beaten colleague.
I am all too aware that the fault does not lie with either of them, but——with this complicated mood in the room, all I can do is sigh.
At that moment......
“——What are you guys doing?”
An astonished voice is raised.
When we turned around, we see Minori-san standing there.
“I didn’t see you guys, so I came looking.”
“Ah......umm.”
Seeing me looking hard-pressed for a good explanation, Minori-san continues speaking.
“After breakfast, it’ll be time for work. Matoba-san is waiting for us over at the palace.”
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 2
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty"s Punch
The castle town——this, too, seems like a medieval European town that I might have seen somewhere before.
Stone paving and brick buildings. Every single house has a chimney or two sticking up prominently, some of which are belching out smoke even now. Probably their fireplace or kitchen furnace. And on the lanes, of course, there are no automobiles, but rather, several rickshaws and horse carriages coming to and fro.
No——they are similar to horse carriages, but aren’t exactly horse carriages.
Perhaps I should call them ‘bird carriages’ instead?
The car that Minori-san and I are currently riding is the same. For some reason, in this world, carriages are not pulled by horses, but by something similar to ostriches——in exchange for not being able to fly, these large birds can instead run very fast. However, instead of having long necks like the ostriches that I’m used to, these birds are round and stout, and basically look like sparrows enlarged to 2 meters in height as is.
To be it in simpler terms, they are chocobo.
Even though they looked really cute and charming on the screen, when there is a bird taller than a human within arm’s reach in reality, it is quite——scary. I feel like they might tear off my head with their beaks. They are apparently herbivores, though.
“Aren’t we going to use the car——the Light Armor?”
“I’m surprised you know our pet name for the LAV.”
Minori-san smiled wryly.
“Apparently, the hyper dimensional pa.s.sageway is a pretty difficult thing to handle. Its width cannot be expanded.”
According to Minori-san——right after the discovery of the hyper dimensional pa.s.sageway, they quickly brought an excavator over to dig around it, but all they got was dirt and rocks, and the pa.s.sageway did not expand even when given more s.p.a.ce.
“After all, if we get too careless with the enlargement construction work and the pa.s.sageway suddenly closes as a result, then we would be very troubled. That’s why all we did was reinforce the place with concrete and resin. There is a limit to the amount that we can bring over at a time——the maximum capacity is about one truck’s worth. The LAV, too, we had to bring over in its disa.s.sembled state, and rea.s.semble on this side. Due to this limitation, things like gasoline and other consumables are relatively scarce.”
“......Hah. I see.”
Apparently, this fact was one of the factors that led to the conversation of “commerce with otaku industry products.”
Having accepted that it is impossible to transport a large amount of goods, it is only natural for attention to turn towards data. Just by bringing in a single high efficiency copy printer, manga and light novels can be ma.s.s produced on this side, and there is much greater flexibility in bringing over paper-based goods.
As for anime, it can be made available to the public in a setup similar to a movie theater, and the only things needed would be a single projector and a screen. An amus.e.m.e.nt park can be built around it, and after also bringing in game consoles, visitors can be attracted and charged for admittance.
“Rather than that.”
Minori-san once again looks into my face and speaks clearly.
“Just in case, I will repeat myself. Do not do anything unnecessary. Do not say anything unnecessary. Understood?”
“I get it already.”
Right now——the place that we are heading towards is the Eldant Palace.
In short, just as Minori-san had already explained yesterday, it is the place where this country’s ruler lives. Like what the Imperial Palace and the Official Residence are for j.a.pan, and like what the White House is for America, the Eldant Palace is where a ton of super VIPs are.
Furthermore, this time we are going there for an audience with the country’s Imperial Majesty——even I understand that in such a situation, any careless behavior may lead to grave consequences.
“Matoba-san actually wanted you to become more familiar with this world and its basic etiquette first before an audience, but......the Eldant Empire side insisted very strongly that they wished to see you immediately.”
“The Empire?”
“More likely their Imperial Majesty’s idea.”
So said Minori-san.
“To this day, the Eldant Empire is still in tense relations with the neighboring countries——to be more exact, border disputes on the level of small skirmishes are still happening every day. In other words, the country is in a state of perpetual war.”
“......Hah.”
I nod while looking outside through the window.
To be honest——the landscape of the town looks relatively carefree, to the degree that I can’t really see any traces of the country being at war. I wonder if it’s simply because this place is the capital. Or else is it because I simply don’t know what to look for.
“That is why they are imposing a powerful system of government centered around their Imperial Majesty. As they are in a state of war, the concentration of national power becomes a just cause. But that makes it all the easier for the ruler and any close a.s.sociates to pa.s.s unreasonable decrees.”
It is quite usual for rulers to gradually go out of control when they no longer have anyone nearby to act as a stabilizer and say “no, you can’t do that” when needed. Generally, when it comes to medieval European worlds like this one——just like Miusel’s case, the citizens’ literacy rate is low, which makes it impossible for them to acquire information about their own country’s government and military matters above a certain threshold. Even if there is vague discontent against the country, the number of people who can actually put words to those opinions are extremely limited. Furthermore, the majority of such people are on the ruling side anyways.
This is a path that leads towards dictatorship, though......
“U-mu......”
When speaking of dictatorships, what comes to mind is definitely that country or that country or that country.
The first image that comes to mind is that of a middle-aged man with a sordid vibe wearing a costume that looks like working clothes who is waving his hand placidly at the ma.s.ses from somewhere high up. Or perhaps......like a certain middle-aged man from WWII who had a small mustache and gave speeches in a hysterical manner.
“We’re almost there.”
So said Minori-san while retightening the necktie around her collar.
♥♦♣♠
The palace——seems like a masterpiece which no words can do justice.
Looking from afar, the size of the palace gives off an overwhelming feeling, but when seen up close, this effect feels even more intense. This is true for almost all buildings big enough to completely fill out a viewer’s line of sight, but this sense of heaviness is seriously no joke. If this was a manga, there would be a “don” SFX all over this scene.
The door opens to reveal a stone-tiled path stretching on endlessly, lined with the figures of knights in armor, knights riding birds, and knights riding dragons with folded wings. Speaking of which, Matoba-san and I are both being treated as state guests, so that explains this kind of reception.
The orderly lineup of people and things, combined with my excitement at seeing a certain race, is giving off an amazing pressure, but when the fact that everyone is fully armed is added on top of all that, the sense of intimidation is incredible.
Carrying the nervous two of us, the bird carriage pulls up alongside what looks to be a side entrance.
“Please.”
Someone who looks like a coachman opens the carriage door and respectfully prompts us.
After we nervously enter the palace——the heavy doors on our left and right shut close with a dull sound.
I’m getting the feeling that we’ve pa.s.sed a point of no return.
“If this was a game, this would be the part where a mid-boss comes out, eh?”
“......You sure are relaxed.”
Minori-san smiled wryly.
“If I don’t say something silly, I can’t calm down.”
I sighed.
At that moment——
We see Matoba-san waiting for us deeper within the palace.
To his sides are, as expected, two people wearing swords who might be soldiers or knights.
“Are you wearing your magical ring?”
“Of course.”
I touch the ring finger on my left hand and nod.
Incidentally, both Matoba-san and Minori-san also have the magical ring on. Apparently, it functions not only as an interpretation machine, but also serves as a proof of ident.i.ty in this Eldant Empire. Miusel was given one so that she could serve me, but normally, it is not something given to commoners of low social status.
In other words, if I lose it, instead of only worrying about not speaking the language, there is also the possibility that n.o.body would even talk to me no matter where I go. It is something equivalent to a lifeline for me.
“Well then, let’s head to the audience with the Imperial Majesty, shall we?”
Inside the s.p.a.cious, s.p.a.cious castle, we reach where Matoba-san is and continue walking together in silence.
The palace is also a building, so technically the world “indoor” applies here, but......the scale here is like that of a baseball stadium. The ceiling is high, and the hallways are wide——they’re so wide that I think a tennis court or volleyball court can fit inside. Simply by walking from one end to the other seems like it would be a really time-consuming thing to do. Without a guide, the sun would definitely set before we ever reach our destination.
Eventually——
“......Well then. This is it.”
Matoba-san stops and turns around to face us.
At the end of the hallway——there stands a double door remarkably huge for being indoors.
“From here on, we will be granted an audience with their Imperial Majesty. Any careless mistake could become an international problem. Everyone, but most of all you, Kanou-kun, be extremely careful.”
Matoba-san just casually said something really scary, didn’t he.
“Emissaries hailing from the country of j.a.pan, three persons——have arrived!”
As the two soldiers on Matoba-san’s both sides raised their voices, the gigantic doors automatically sc.r.a.pe open with heavy sounds——most likely, there is some kind of mechanism installed——and reveal to us the interior of the audience chamber.
“......Oou.”
I involuntarily let my voice slip out.
The audience chamber, too, is excessively huge.
It is on a completely different dimension to what I usually a.s.sociate with the word “room” or even the word “indoor.” The only places that I know of that can rival the size of this room are indoor stadiums. There is enough floor s.p.a.ce to easily fit 4 tennis courts. In order to support this vast s.p.a.ce, there are several thick stone pillars standing in rows.
From the appearance of this medieval European-looking palace, everything here was made with manual labor——at the very least, it was done without any of the heavy machinery that I saw being used for public works back in j.a.pan. I get a little dizzy thinking of all the labor that must have gone into all this. Or perhaps for this parallel world, this kind of construction work might be surprisingly easy with the help of magic.
Then I turn my eyes towards the audience chamber——to its very end.
In the red-carpeted depths, there is a place especially higher than the rest of the room.
That is most likely where the throne of this Eldant Empire’s Imperial Majesty lies. On both sides of the carpet leading there, ranks of knights with swords on their waists are lined up in orderly rows. The reason why these knights’ attire is different from the guys at the castle gate and the ones who guided us earlier is most likely because these guys are the Imperial Guards, purposely tasked with the protection of the royalty.
“Kanou-kun, all you have to do is stay silent and follow our lead.”
So said Minori-san while walking next to me.
“Basically, just keep your eyes down. Also, don’t say anything unnecessary. Once we appear before their Imperial Majesty, stay silent and bow once like Matoba-san and I will do, then go down on one knee. For now, if you do that, then you won’t accidentally do anything disrespectful. Although this is a parallel world, they don’t have any really strange customs, so don’t worry about it.”
“Hah......”
I nod while feeling the focused gazes of all the Imperial Guard.
To be honest, in this situation——even without all the warnings, I won’t do anything careless. It is all too clear to me that any offense could immediately cause these knights to descend upon me and lop my head off.
Ever since a while ago, unease and nerves have been steadily enveloping me.
“Announcing!”
Once again, a knight, one close to the throne this time, formally raised his voice.
As if to match that shout, Matoba-san gets down on one knee on the carpet, and Minori-san and I imitate him. My face has been facing the ground the entire time, just as I’ve been instructed. Therefore, I still don’t know what the Imperial Majesty looks like, nor do I know what face he or she is looking down on us with.
“Emissaries hailing from the country of j.a.pan, three persons——have arrived!”
“They have arrived!”
The knights shouted together in chorus.
“Bureau Chief of the Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau, Matoba Jinzaburou——as well as Private First Cla.s.s Koganuma Minori of the WAC, together with AmuTec General Manager Kanou Shinichi. The three abovementioned have hastened over by the command of the Holy Eldant Empire’s Imperial Majesty Eldant the Third. Please grant us permission for the audience.”
Matoba-san spoke loudly and clearly.
After that——
“So you and your company are the people who have newly come to this country from a strange land.”
A voice descended upon us from above the throne.
“............?!”
I am so startled that I unconsciously raise my head, but Minori-san’s hand shoots out from beside me and quietly presses it back down. Thank you. She had most likely antic.i.p.ated that I would raise my face. But if that’s the case, then they should have just told me from the start.
The voice that I’d just heard was completely different from my expectation.
High-pitched and small. Way too young.
More like——that was clearly a child’s voice.
Don’t tell me............!
“Raise your faces.”
The voice of a child gave us a command in a haughty tone.
I glance towards Minori-san for confirmation, and she gives me a small nod, so I timidly raise my face.
Upon the dais is a throne wide enough to have s.p.a.ce leftover even if a bear sits on it.
The back of the throne and the armrests are both covered with dark red satin. There is plenty of gold leaf and silver leaf all over. From the parts not covered by cloth, detailed carvings of plants twining around each other stand in sharp relief. Even without words, the throne’s a.s.sertion of being an exquisite work of art can be heard loud and clear through the extravagant ornamentation.
As expected of a throne.
And as for the person sitting on the throne——
“LITTLE GIRL キタ————!!!!!!”
(T/N: Second time now, so I’ll leave the T/N from the first time here: キタ is read ‘kita.’ It means ‘it’s here,’ but please go Google ‘densha otoko kita’ to fully understand the feelings packed into these two simple characters.)
Before I knew it, I’ve raised both hands gripped as fists into the air, and have jumped up while shouting that line.
Indeed. Settled upon the throne——is a girl who looks like she’s in her early teens.
(T/N: Yes, I can FINALLY use p.r.o.nouns for her! I’m really sorry about the slightly awkward adherence to “Imperial Majesty” before this, as I was trying to convey the author’s intention of keeping the Empress’s gender unspecified up until this point.)
She is wearing a blue dress, and her long, silver hair that is devoid of any wrinkle or curl is framing her white face. She has thin, sakura-colored lips, and her bold nose looks faintly upturned. Her large blue eyes are sparkling, while she herself keeps on fidgeting like a cat. In general, she gives off a cheeky vibe——but of course, that is what makes her cute.
Let’s speak frankly here.
Her Imperial Majesty is an extremely cute girl.
There exists a phrase “just like a doll,” and she is the very ill.u.s.tration of it. To be blunt, I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that she is supposed to be a human just like me. There is almost none of the earthly smell of flesh and blood coming from her. The small, golden tiara on her head only added further to her image as a “doll of a princess.”
How irresistible. If this was a manga or anime, then I would want to protest to the creator for so blatantly playing to the audience, but unfortunately, I think this is reality.
But still......
“Wh——Who is a little girl!!”
“......Hah?!”
Seeing the loli Empress’s white face flushing and her shouting loudly, I come back to my senses.
In a fl.u.s.ter, I look to my side, but Minori-san is just facepalming with an “oh he’s gone and done it” look on her face. I thought this is the part where the knights rush me, but——I think they’re all shocked at what just happened, because they’re all standing frozen, with dazed looks on their faces.
“I am no longer a child!”
So shouting, she jumps up with indignation, and zutatatatatata!, descends the dais with loud steps, and——before anyone else could stop her, she stops right in front of me.
After that.
“This insolent fellow!”
The next instant, the little girl Empress’s fist explodes against my face.
“Uwah?!”
I unconsciously bend backwards from a very nice straight unbefitting of her small stature.
While glaring daggers at me——her height only reaches around my chest——Her Imperial Majesty continues speaking, with anger in her voice.
“I just turned sixteen the other day! I am already a proper adult!”
“Eh? For real?”
Whichever way I look at her, she still looks like she’s in her early teens. Even if she wears a randosel, I don’t think it would look out of place on her at all. She’s small and even has a baby face——is what I almost retorted out loud, but I barely managed to avoid that slip of the tongue. It is because her Imperial Majesty had sunk a second punch into my chin.
(T/N: Randosel is the standard schoolbag for all kids in primary school. Traditionally, all kids are not allowed to use any other bag, so for the j.a.panese, the randosel is a symbol of primary school. More liberal schools nowadays are relaxing that convention.)
Nuu. Despite being a child, what a nice uppercut......!
“You doubt my words?!”
The Empress is shouting with tears in her eyes.
Uh-oh. Could it be that she has a complex about it?
Such thoughts are running through my mind as I topple over, face up.
Right then——
“——Your Majesty!!”
I see a jii-san with his face in a strange color running over by himself.
(T/N: Jii is ‘grandfather.’ -san is the usual prefix to indicate respect.)