Conquest

Chapter 112 (Part 1)- An Accidental Misunderstanding.

JUNE 10, 2017 SUPERPOTATOSAMA6 COMMENTS

Before I get into the story, a quick disclaimer. As an average throughout this part, it took me approximately an hour to translate 1.2k characters, just under 2 hours for the 2.3k-ish characters for this part 1. For some reason, the author decided to make this chapter like 8k something words, so this chapter will be released in 3 or 4 separate parts. I meant this chapter to be a benchmark test of sorts so I can give you guys an approximate on when you can assume a new part or chapter to come out. I will do my best to allocate time to release a translated equivalent of 2-3k characters per day, since my schedule is still fairly busy. Though I don’t have an editor, I do try proofreading my own work, but if you find any mistakes, feel free to leave it down in the comments section. Thanks for the understanding and enjoy!

The early morning rays of sunlight spilled over the mountaintops, illuminating the faint morning dew.

Adeline, our poor Highness was standing atop an enormous terrace. She stood barefoot on the cold marble ground and wore but a lotus colored gown, her hands on the balustrade, looking quietly towards the distance.

It was a circular-shaped estate, surrounded by an enormous garden with rows upon rows of holly hedges were shaped and maintained into the likeness of a wall. Servants clothed in gray linen robes were already bustling around, busily cleaning the fallen leaves that had been blown astray by the passing night’s chilly winds, and a gardener wearing his hat was carefully maintaining the hedge with a pair of enormous scissors.

The terrace was filled with many arrangements of exotic flowers not commonly found blooming during this season; they were transported from the distant south, and required bountiful financial resources that only the owner of such a manor would be able to afford such a luxury, as these flowers were also maintained fresh with the usage of magic, but even with such a method the flowers could be kept in such a fashion for 3 days before withering.

There was a trace of melancholy on the poor Highness Adeline’s face. As a matter of fact, for the past few days, she never did smile for a single moment, and before the chilly morning wind, her face seemed pale. Strands of her soft blonde stuck onto her cheeks, painting an overall image that made her seem excessively fragile.

The sound of a door opening transmitted out from behind her. Adeline turned around and saw her personal bodyguard, a member of the royal guard whose face had become rigid due to a perennial stiffness in attitude. Behind her followed two young servants, one carrying a tray laden with breakfast, the other with Her Highness’s outer garments.

“Your Highness, you will get a cold this way.” The Royal bodyguard’s voice too was a never-changing monotone. She walked over, her movements light but resolute as she pulled Adeline back inside, and then closed the door behind them.

“You should eat breakfast, and then get dressed, Your Highness- you merely have an hour until the meeting with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. He has already arrived this morning, and will be downstairs waiting.”

Adeline’s face was more gaunt which made her chin seem more pointed but rendered her eyes to be particularly large. She glanced at the maid whom she personally disliked, then sighed.

Breakfast was comprised of fresh honey tea with bread that was roasted to a golden yellow, with dulcified fruit and honey jam. However, Adeline had no appetite, only eating two bites before leaving the food on the tray and sitting there numbly.

The maid was no stranger to the sight that this Royal Highness displayed. Upon seeing this scene, she immediately waved the two servants up to assist her in changing her Highness. Adeline was like a wooden puppet, at the mercy of the other side.

A thin belt was tightly tied to her waist and the court styled dress highly propped up the chest but made breathing extremely difficult. This beautiful style of costuming was extremely pleasing to look at, but only by wearing it will one true understand how uncomfortable it truly was! One of the servants expertly tied Adeline’s hair into a noble hair bun (TLN: Like such), then soon a few more servants entered the room with over twenty different styles of necklaces and other jewelry made of pearls, precious stones, gold, agate, and cat’s eye.

(If that hillbilly was here and saw such precious items, he would probably stare until his eyeballs dropped out of their sockets.)

When the hillbilly’s crooked smiling expression appeared in her mind, Adeline could not help but wear a silly smile and let loose a slight giggle.

(That hillbilly must still be at Wildfire Town... did he buy a house yet? He’ll probably still be hauling around that ugly and heavy pitchfork around to hunt right? Mm, perhaps he has already become a mercenary?)

The servants nervously handed style after style of jewelry which was placed upon Her Highness and constantly switched off. The maid off to the side ruled out one style after another with a picky but serious expression (TL: Wow her expression changed! O_O), at last settling on an emerald necklace to which the maid finally gave her reluctant approval.

When they finalized the finishing touches to Adeline, she looked as if a doll: Her golden hair was wound into a gorgeous and elegant bun, with two wisps of hair let down on the sides perfectly accentuating the shape of her face, a green and gold formal court dress fiercely bound her body into a gourd shape- for a majority of men, this was the preferred “S” shape that they liked to see, but only the poor princess herself knew that this was simply torture. The emerald necklace hung before her chest, the gemstone’s shimmering light contrasted with her snow-white skin and set off a bedazzling contrast.

The maid’s expression finally allowed a sliver of a smile through, which immediately reverted to its’ usual stiffness and said:”Your Highness, please remember etiquette.”

The sad bug sighed in her heart, then stood up dull eyes and her face indifferent. “I will.”

The emperor’s heir to the throne, and the only heir, Garcia, was sitting in the spacious hall enjoying a cup of black tea that was transported over from the Landis Empire as tribute. Although he did not enjoy drinking tea in actuality, there was no trace of flaws on his person from an aesthetic standpoint.

His golden hair was combed very neatly, his handsome face was pale and serious. His tailored uniform was meticulous down to the cuffs. With one hand holding the teacup, his face was full of attentiveness, as if at this very moment, savoring the tea in front of him was his greatest desire.

Even upon hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, this Royal Highness didn’t raise his head but instead finished his tea with perfect posture. He then took a white handkerchief to dab his already spotless mouth, then calmly stood up.

“My dearest sister, your color has improved today.” His Highness face wore a perfect smile.

Those who were not familiar with this Highness would all assume that this person would be an icon of the perfect royalty; his etiquette, his temperament, his bearing, and appearance were without a doubt impeccable. Even his court etiquette teacher could not pick out a single mistake from his outwards behavior.

When facing others, he would always meet them with a smile full of pride, but also with a touch of reserve and elegance. His clothing was always pristine, no matter if it was after hunting or horseback riding, and his boots would never have a trace of soil on them.

Born as the heir to the throne, Garcia had always been a strict and rigorous person- at least in mannerism. He was very clear that since the only day he was born, he had to do one thing, and one thing only: wait!

Wait for his fierce, majestic, and brutal father to grow old, then he will possess this enormous Empire. And before such a thing happens, he only needs to maintain a perfect image, and quietly and contentedly, wait!

This was enough for him.

Ending note

Throughout this section, the author refers Adeline as 可怜虫 or 可怜虫殿下, which translates roughly to “pitiful bug” or “Her Highness (the) pitiful bug” which I found kind of funny. I ended up finalizing it as “her poor Highness” instead because the former would be kind of weird....

Conquest Chapter 112 (Part 2)- An Accidental Misunderstanding

JUNE 11, 2017 SUPERPOTATOSAMA5 COMMENTS

I typed this section earlier today than I did for the chapter yesterday because I have a test tomorrow to study for AHH! 😦 This section took me a lot longer than I would have thought since I couldn’t concentrate too well, as it ended up taking around 5 hours to translate and check just over 2.8k characters.

This section took me a lot longer than I would have thought, since I couldn’t concentrate too well, as it ended up taking around 5 hours to translate and check just over 2.8k characters. Hopefully, the last section that I have saved for tomorrow (~3.3k characters) will be faster.

Enjoy!

Part 2

As for this crown prince, the evaluation of his teacher, who was the Emperor’s most trusted tutor (TL: 智者 by itself means “wise man” but in this case I took it to mean tutor instead”), Cavelsiere was very amusing: “If not for his eccentric sexual orientation, then this student of mine would be the most cautious out of all the pupils that I have taught.”

Of course, in some cases, cautiousness could be interpreted as cowardly.

The young crown prince never dared in his life to rebel against any of his father’s orders- the Lance Lord’s brutal and overbearing nature was the root cause of his cowardly nature.

However, there have been occasions where this mediocre, and perhaps even cowardly, crown prince has performed actions contradictory to his nature which violated his Royal father’s will: The first of which naturally was his sexual preferences.

As for the second, pertaining to his sister: Adeline.

And so, even though he himself did not like this pupil of his, Cavelsiere’s evaluation of him was, “In fact, our Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a very humane and kind-hearted person.”

But what Cavelsiere left unsaid, but everyone else thought of was that there was a hidden meaning... that although he’s a humane and kind- hearted person, it does not translate into becoming a good emperor.

Garcia slowly walked to Adeline, every single step that he took, the speed, distance, and time for each step was completely uniform and accurate, as if measured by a ruler. He then gently lifted Adeline’s hand up and then performed a standard kissing hands ceremony.

Adeline sighed in her heart, before returning the greeting.

“I hope that I did not disturb your rest by arriving at such an early time.” Garcia’s voice was sweet and soft, which was the primary reason why he gave off the impression of “cowardice.”

“I’m doing well.” Adeline was very evidently very listless.

“However, I heard your maid said that you have not been sleeping very well. If it is because you do not like this place, then I can change a place for you...”

“No, this place is very nice.” Adeline smiled helplessly. “Would it not be the same no matter where I am? Whether it be beautiful scenery or a beautiful garden, they are all cages to me.”

The crown prince was momentarily silent- for the awkward and difficult to answer topics, he would often stay silent or dodge the question, this is also part of his cowardly character. He followed his silence up with a small laugh, still as peaceful and cordial as ever: “I know that you would be lonely by yourself, so I came to accompany you today and take you out for a ride.”

“Really... you don’t have to do this.” Adeline let out a bitter smile. “Garcia, I know that you are very busy, and I am grateful to you that you are willing to spend your precious time accompanying me... I am very worried that His Majesty would be very angered at your actions....”

The Crown Prince was silent once more, then once again changed the topic: “I heard that recently you have been exercising less and less, this isn’t good for your health, so....” (TL: Sounds like... a certain someone that I know *cough*)

“Brother!” Adeline could not hold it back any longer and raised her voice, her expression becoming sharp. But when she saw Garcia’s brow slightly scrunch together after such an outburst, she finally sighed and whispered, “Your Highness! I just detest being locked down inside the house all day and to visit the outside only on the occasions that you come to see me...”

The Crown Prince blinked his eyes, then finally looked around and gently raised his hand. The surrounding attendants and maids bowed before backing down.

Waiting until it was just the two siblings left in the room, Garcia finally turned and slowly sat back down, and with that soft voice of his and said, “ You should understand that this is for your own safety.”

“If the price for living is to lose my freedom, then I would rather die.” Adeline was extremely pale, resolutely shook her head.

Garcia frowned as he looked at his sister- after she had been retrieved from her most recent escapade, she became slightly unfamiliar to him. It seemed to him that she became more courageous, more daring, and her thoughts... became so that he couldn’t see through them anymore.

“It is but a mere temporary arrangement.” Garcia hesitated for a moment. “ I... talked to my Royal Father and implored him to forgive you, and he even agreed on the condition that you willingly live here in peace and don’t run about...”

“Forgiveness!” Adeline suddenly screamed, her face flushed with anger and hatred. “Forgiveness?! He dared use that word?! Live here in peace and to not run around...ha! Is he afraid that I would spread the word of his ugly and malicious deeds to the entire world?!”

The Crown Prince’s facial expression changed immediately as he stood up and walked in front of Adeline: “Shut your mouth!”

Garcia raised his hand, but upon seeing the stubborn look in Adeline’s eyes, he held his hand there stiffly for a while, before slowly taking his hand back.

Garcia’s face was filled with helplessness, his eyes filled with pain as he looked towards Adeline. Adeline’s heart became soft and could not help but feel some guilt. She whispered, “S- sorry... brother, I know you have violated his will just to save me, I know you have done a lot for me, I....”

“I don’t have any brothers and have only you as my sister. In the future, I don’t want.... There to not even be a single relative by my side.” The Crown Prince shook his head, his eyes showing a trace of tenderness which was soon suppressed back to his usual polite expression.

“You really shouldn’t do this.” Adeline shook her head, her tone sad. “You should be clear as to what kind of a person His Majesty is. Garcia, my brother... this father of yours is not a sentimental nor soft man, in order to clear his surrounds of political enemies he can even heartlessly imprison our grandmother in the palace for five years and never visit her until her death! He can even do such a cruel thing to my mother, his sister by blood...

“Don’t say that again.” Garcia’s voice was as cold as the wintry nights.

The cold fury and anger hidden in his voice were enough to make Adeline’s heart jump furiously!

“You are my cousin, and as I have no siblings, my only relative in the same generation. No matter what, I will make sure your life is safe.” Garcia’s tone was very calm. “So please don’t speak of “death” and the likes in front of me again, okay?”

Adeline sighed and finally nodded, “Yes, I understand.”

“Alright,” Garcia said faintly. “It seems that your mood isn’t very good right now and you’re not feeling up for riding. In that case, I will come and see you another day.”

Upon saying this, the crown prince nodded slightly, then once again took Adeline’s hand and performed the courtesy, and with impeccable etiquette turned away and left. Just when he reached the door, his footsteps slowed down.

“Patience. Adeline... I heard that his health may not be as good anymore. So, just be patient!”

When Garcia left, the doors to the grand hall were closed again, blocking the bright rays of the sun from entering the building. Adeline looked at the beautiful but empty grand entrance hall, as a wave of weakness passed through her and left her collapsed on the cold marble floor at a loss.

Adeline was in a daze, her head drooping down languishing as she sat there for a long time.

Finally, half an hour later, the stiff-faced maid silently walked over like a specter and stood in front Adeline for a long time waiting on her. In her normally monotone eyes, a trace of sympathy could be found.

“Your Highness... just before his Imperial Highness the Royal Prince left, he instructed me that as long as you don’t leave this place, any of your needs could be met...”

“Any of my wishes?” Adeline suddenly raised her head.

“Indeed, anything.” The maid nodded her head.

“Great!” Adeline suddenly jumped up, and pulled at the belt at her waist, forcing it to come open. She undid the strings on her girdle and threw off her court dress until all that clothed her was her under wear. She was shivering from the cold, but her expression showed a hint of irritability- this was clearly the expression of feeling wronged.

“I want an ax... the largest and heaviest kind of war ax! Mm, and also an enormous war shield! Also give me a set of wolf skin robes, the kind made from the magical beast, and...” The pitiable creature thought for a bit, touching the corner of her mouth.

“I want a dentist!” The pitiable creature loudly announced. “Give me the best doctor there is! I want to insert a tooth! A gold tooth!!”

In the face of her demands, the maid did not have any objections, and acted as if the princess was a little child clamoring for toys, but...

Gol- gold tooth?!!

Just some things I wanted to note. As a general thing in Chinese culture, being pale is considered attractive. Also, people of extended family (a.k.a. cousins) are addressed as brothers and sisters.

Conquest Chapter 112 (Part 3)- An Accidental Misunderstanding

JUNE 14, 2017 SUPERPOTATOSAMA8 COMMENTS

Hey guys! I have a poll up in regards when I should post my releases! Please check out the initial post and related info HERE. This chapter is about 3.6k characters long, and since I started a bit late (at around 8 PM EST) I managed to eek out a post just before the day ended (as per my promise of a release today).

At the same time the pitiful princess was venting her frustration, the hillbilly was laughing gleefully as he scooped hand- fulls of gold and silver coins in his hands.

This was taking place on the dining table of an inn on the side of the road.

Shaar and his entourage were with the caravan on the road, and Shaar was enjoying this kind of a lifestyle- drinking wine and chatting during rest stops, and finding all kinds of entertainment.

In regards to Shaar’s peculiar taste in women, Shaar would definitely not expose himself now that he had his doubts, so he diverted attention towards a gambling proposal, which was warmly supposed by all.

For the businessmen and merchants that traveled quite often, gambling was a welcome source of entertainment.

And now at the table, the few Landis people saw their last bronze coin taken away from them, and could not help but be unhappy.

Regardless of the game being played, whether it be dice or roulette, this Byzantine was exceptionally skilled!

And the most frustrating part about it was it was obvious that he wasn’t rigging the game, because the dice used were the ones that the Landis had carved themselves, and the roulette, too, was brought by them...

Shaar was extremely elated at all the money he had won. After three days, he made the Landis empty out most of the money in their pockets.

The reason for Shaar’s happiness not only stemmed from his earnings ... even more importantly, he was testing out a magic.

The she-dragon that was hidden inside Shaar’s neckpiece had finally started teaching him dragon magic- the dragon soul imprint that was imparted to him was extremely weak and only allowed him to use the most simple of all dragon magics.... But magic was magic after all!

The magic that Dora first taught to him was called the Transparency Technique.

This spell was not very useful in actual battle and didn’t have a great effect, but for a hillbilly, especially for one that is still a virgin, he was very satisfied! At the very least, he could use this technique to peek at girls....

With the weak dragon soul imprint that was allowed to him, after accumulating sufficient amount of concentration, he was able to sustain the spell for up to 5 heartbeats and see through a piece of wood with the approximate thickness of a finger. However, the denser the material, the more difficult it would be for him to see through. If he tried seeing through a wall, or something made of metal, it would be impossible but for materials like wood and cloth, it was sufficient. Though he can only use it for 5 short heartbeats, this was enough to become unparalleled at the gambling table.

However, to peek at women poses some difficulties right now. To see through something with this technique, you must pay very close attention. Not only that, the subject of the technique must stay still in one place throughout the duration.

He can’t possibly find a girl and ask her to sit there without moving to let him stare at right?

Of course, he could always spend some money to hire a few prostitutes to sit in front of him.... But then in that case, what use is peeping?!

In the span of another few days, Shaar won the last few coppers the Landis owned, and even the fatty also lost a few gold coins to him.

In the past few days, Gu Luo and Shaar had become close, at least at a superficial glance. Gu Luo was careful when he tested Shaar’s background and details, and he had grasped a good idea of it. In reality, Shaar did not have much of a background to hide- his story was simple and straightfoward as he was born to a poor background, and in war made many great achievements and was promoted. This information was made public already by the military.

However, the more straightforward he seemed, the more that Guo Luo thought that this guy was not so simple!

One of the most important reasons .... it seems silly to even mention out loud....

When night fell and everyone retired, Gu Luo walked into a room, there was a handsome youth in there already waiting.

“Did you make any headway today?” The youth sighed.

“Sir.” Gu Luo hesitated for a moment, his face stern and serious. “I believe suspect that he might be born of a prominent Byzantine military family! He might have deliberately hidden his identity and used this war as a jumpstart for his military career.... I believe that he has a powerful force behind his back.”

“Oh, why?”

“One of his squires!” Gu Luo said, assuredly. “I closely looked at one of his squires, and that skinny guy doesn’t seem like a warrior at all. It’s incomprehensible as to how this guy can become a cavalryman at all. Earlier today, I secretly hid a magic detection crystal in my clothes... I actually got a magical response from the crystal!!”

Gu Luo lowered his voice and said, “The magnitude of the response from the magic crystal was very weak, and probably only the response of a level one! However, this is enough to prove that that squire, is a magician!!”

“Oh?” The youth’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, a magician! I’m guessing that this magician would have some magical artifact to forcefully suppress his magic and keep it hidden, so we would not take notice of it! He must be a very powerful magician! Humph, for this Shaar guy to be able to trade blows with Hastings, his strength must not be very simple. Such a powerhouse, how the people that follow him be any weaker? So... that magician must definitely be hiding his strength!

Furthermore, to take a magician as his squire, this Shaar’s background is definitely not simple! It’s just that we can’t determine which side he’s on, whether or not he’s a pawn cultivated by the Byzantium royal court, or...

(At this time, Tatara who was feeding the horses in the stable sneezed, and rubbed his nose while complaining, “To make me feed the horses, this Lord Tatara is a noble magician ....”)

The youth stood up, in deep thought. “If there is a powerful force behind Shaar, then this time around, this promotion of his is definitely not as simple as it seems! His return to the capital this time will definitely be closely followed, and will become an important person in the Byzantine Empire...”

The youth waved his hand. “Buy him out! Think of ways to buy him! No matter what he wants! Money? Women? Buy him! At the necessary moment, send him help! Give him some incentives! What does he want? Probe him a bit, and try to meet his wishes! Do not give him any demands first and do your best to meet his greed. Any important person that wants to make an investment in him must do it before he has gained any measure of fame or accomplishment. So... Buy him!”

After he received his command, on the following day, Gu Luo began to try to curry favor with Shaar.

“My lord Shaar, with a feat like yours this time, when you return to the capital you must be receiving a lot of attention right?” Gu Luo purposefully began to butter him up. “Life must be so nice, with such a glorious achievement, wealth and power will begin to roll in.”

Shaar, in contrast, sighed, face full of indifference. “Wealth and power, huh? Humph, so what?”

He rubbed his nose. Sitting on his horse, the chilly wind made his nose runny. “For money, it’s sufficient as long as you have enough to use. In regards to what to eat, it’s enough if you can fill your stomach. As for sleeping, no matter how large your house is, you only need a single bed to sleep. Although delicacies are good, eating too much of them will become tiring....”

Hmm, he doesn’t love money, then he must love women right?

Gu Luo set his heart on this point, so he opened his mouth and said, “From your lordship’s youth and promising look, there must be no shortage of beauties by your side right?”

Upon arriving at this point, he suddenly poked at this hillbilly’s weakness!! This hillbilly’s face suddenly changed colors....

Women huh....he recalled that scene at the inn in (lol) Wildfire town, where that little child ran into Aunt Sofia’s embrace and called her “Mother.”

Ahh... a tragedy....

Upon seeing the expression on Shaar’s face, Gu Luo immediately became excited, as he had finally found a point of breakthrough! This guy seems to have a weakness towards women!!

And so, Gu Luo delicately phrased his words to dig deeper, to see what this guy’s preference in women was.

I’m not afraid of what interests you have, I’m just afraid that you don’t have any at all!

No matter what kind of women you want, beautiful, glamorous, tsundere, or a loli ... you only need to open your mouth and ask, with our capabilities, nothing is a problem!

As a result, although he tried digging for an extremely long time, the beauty standards that his old man filled him with were forcefully suppressed and hidden and he even had a faint feeling that his old man tricked him....

(Old man... still, once again, laughing from the underworld...)

However, Gu Luo was not without a harvest of his own, after digging for half a day, he finally heard a clue from Shaar’s mouth.

“The women that I like ... probably ... Hmm, is probably like Aunt Sofia right... Mm, should be something like that. Shaar’s voice was not as assured as before.

However, upon receiving this piece of information, Gu Luo was as if he received a piece of treasure, and that night returned to that youth to discuss with him.

That night, that youth sent out a decisive order.

“Search!! Mobilize all of our information networks! Find it out for me! Find out all of the information surrounding this Sofia woman!! I want to know everything about her!!”

Very quickly, all of the information networks and agencies of the Landis in the northern part of the Byzantine Empire received an emergency order!

After mobilizing such a force, they quickly aimed to find out all the materials regarding a woman called Sofia in Wildfire Town!

In a short period of time, chaos ensued.

Countless spy and intelligence personnel that the Landis empire had diligently cultivated for many years all surged in swarms to that little town on the Wildfire Plains.

Many years later, when Gu Luo had become the head of the Landis Empire’s Ministry of Intelligence, whenever he recalled this happening he would feel grief and indignance, and he considered this incident to be the biggest stain on his reputation in his life- that he once sent a third of all the intelligence personnel in northern Byzantium to investigate a little town’s auntie.... This incidence had also become the biggest ridicule in his entire career.

“Fuck! That year I was tricked by that asshole! What kind of bullshit background! He’s a hillbilly from his head down to his feet! A dumb virgin that has never seen a beautiful woman!!!”

Well finally done with that chapter! That was an interesting end. Please do check out the poll. I will be translating tomorrow but you probably shouldn’t expect a release until probably Friday when I close down the polls, so please vote!