Heya! I"m back again! Enjoy the chapter!!!
And welcome the new editor for this series, the amazingly Sugoi Lapin !! (You might be able to see the new addition in Sugoi Ed)
Chapter 1 – A Feast In the Celebration of the Hero
Tiese Elma was walking leisurely in the city br.i.m.m.i.n.g with festivities.
Tiese’s features were still immature and quite androgynous. She had huge deep green eyes that sparkled at the thought of money. Her chestnut-colored hair which bounced about, matching her footsteps, were short and dull. With Tiese wearing men’s clothing, she could easily pa.s.s off as a man.
The town of Salsa where Tiese lived, at a distance of an hour and a half from the royal palace, too had been in festive merrymaking for the past three days.
「Tiese, aren’t ya in high spirits!」
「If you’re free, won’t ya grab a bite with us?」
Taking advantage of the festivities were the men, whom Tiese was well-acquainted with leaving the shop by the pavement and calling out to her. They were close childhood friends and used to run around together while brandishing their swords.
「Ya don’t have anything today, right? There’s free booze at Randall"s place.」
「Fufufu, I don"t have any plans of drinking today! Cause I need to go to the guild.」
「All excited for work, huh? Here, I"ll give ya some sandwiches.」
Tiese promptly bit into the sandwiches. She cheerfully waved her hand, saying 「 Later then!」and disappeared into the crowd of people.
Tiese"s parents had died in their sleep when she was thirteen.
After both her parents died, Tiese earned a living by taking over the confectionary shop; selling herb biscuits and working at the guild. Her parents were descendants of Spirits, the 【Spirit of Prophecy】to be exact, who could only see the future once in their lifetime.
Humans, Demons, and Spirits coexisted in this world.
It was a peaceful era where humans with mixed race were increasing. However, Tiese’s parents had a rare case of atavism[1], possessing almost identical features to their pureblood ancestor. Tiese, on the other hand, did not inherit their mysterious beauty and atmosphere. She was not a child whom one could identify was of mixed parentage at a glance.
The Spirits, unlike the Demons who were endowed with physical forms, did not have a territory in the Human World, but lived in the Astral Plane. It was said that when humans die, those who possess a strong Spirit Blood will be picked up by the Spirit King and crossed over to live in the Astral.
Marriage between Spirits and humans was a thing of the past. It was now an era where many were born ordinary humans like Tiese. Her parents had safely left for the Astral Plane, but knowing that the Spirit King would most probably not come to pick her up, it took Tiese a long time to come to terms with the sudden separation from her parents.
Before the death of her parents, soon after Tiese was born, they foresaw a future concerning the country.
『A new race, Half-Demons as it is called, would ama.s.s from the darkness and break the bonds forged between the Human King and the Demon King. Nonetheless, a Hero will bring back harmony to all.』
Tiese’s parents quickly reported their vision to the priests. The implications the future had to the country’s well-being were deeply atrocious.
Alas, the prophecy came true. The people, who did not have knowledge of the prophecy, were now in the country, waiting for the Hero.
Tiese listened to the speech at the town square, celebrating the return of the Hero on the first day of the festival. The people were overjoyed for the safe return of the Hero and his companions, as well as the defeat of the Half-Demon King and the non-involvement of the town in battle. They were all riled up, chatting with people they had never met and drinking for three days and three nights.
In the royal palace, lavish parties continued every day. Even in the Demon territory, there were celebrations; the night before, grand fireworks burst from the direction of the deep forest.
When Half-Demons had only began to ravage, Tiese and her childhood friends got involved in a dispute with a Half-Demon. She received a deep gash from her right collarbone to her chest. The townsfolk were quite aware of what happened and knew the reason why Tiese opted to wear men’s clothing instead of light clothes of a town la.s.s that exposed more skin.
Although, Tiese really didn’t mind the scars.
Tiese never desired to try on a skirt. Mingling with the boys, she preferred clothing that’s easy to move and run about. Completely covering and hiding the scar was just an added advantage.
「But there was a guy who always dragged that, right?」
Seeing the name of one of her childhood friends on a poster on the wall, the one responsible for dragging their relationship like a fatal bond, Tiese paused.
Drawn on the poster was the n.o.bleman"s son who often came to play with Tiese and her friends, roaming around town when they were young. Two months after they came to know him was when they encountered the Half-Demon.
When he saw the wound Tiese had gotten, he had muttered with a pallid face 「So, you were a girl.」. Even with her mind hazy with pain, she had said 「Don"t worry about it.」, but he kept on apologizing, saying 「Sorry」with a voice that seemed as if it"d disappear.
The n.o.bles, it seemed, held a bothersome set of manners between men and women in their consciousness. Since then, he felt responsible. After he became busy at the n.o.ble school, he still made sure to find time to come and meet her, regardless if there was no reason to do so.
Despite being an expressive child, he suddenly grew up, making a mature smile out of nowhere.
She had cried involuntarily at the time her parents died, but Tiese made efforts to become stronger, not wanting to be protected. After these past few years, she was finally able to come in touch with him. It was a good sign that he didn"t talk about any worries regarding the guild work.
As per the grapevine, it seemed he had the possibility of getting engaged to a beautiful princess.
The men in town were clamoring while poking fun of her. The other person may be a childhood friend, but in a situation such as this, it"s not good to visit a commoner"s home where the opposite s.e.x is residing alone. Being advised so, Tiese thought「That’s absolutely correct」.
「Because he"s the strongest man in the country, he can"t always care about things from the past」
Seeing the likeness of her childhood friend drawn on the poster, Tiese smiled, showing a hint of loneliness.
Possessing an enormous amount of Magical Power while being a human, the Hero who was invincible in both swordsmanship and martial arts, was smiling in the poster, beautifully wearing the riding spurs[2].
T/N –
1. Atavism is the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence.↩
2.A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding.↩