Volume 3, Chapter 2 – A New Mission, Part 1
Volume 3, Chapter 2 – A New Mission, Part 1
The sky is bright and endlessly blue. Stretching out beneath it is one of the main roads that connect to the Great Imperial Capital ― the Schein Grand Highway.
A group of people and horses are marching there in an orderly and unhurried fashion. The armor worn by the strong soldiers shone brightly in the sunshine. Swords and shields, as well, were shining brightly, sweeping the land with the sound of military boots. The banners they fly are pretty varied.
The flag of the sun, the flag of the lily, the flag of the black dragon, the flag of the rose. There are no less than ten large flags that stand out and more than forty, including small and medium flags.
There was one place that had three large flags: the sun, the lily, and the black dragon. Running beneath them were four gaudily decorated carriages. Inside one of the carriages was one animal and three men and women.
“We’re almost reaching the Great Imperial Capital.”
Rosa, who had been looking out the window, opened her mouth as if she had remembered something.
“I forgot to tell you that I’m sending the small and medium nobles to the Great Imperial Capital ahead of us.”
As Rosa crossed her arms, her breasts rose up as if to assert herself. Her military uniform, which emphasizes her ample body unsparingly, attracts the attention of the opposite sex. However, if one were to approach her casually, they would be severely reprimanded.
“I spent a lot of money on this. They will welcome Liz and the lord with great fanfare.”
“Aside from Liz… I don’t need a fancy welcome either.”
It was Hiro who made the complaint in response to Rosa’s words.
Although he was already making noise as a descendant of the “God of War,” his latest nickname, “One-Eyed Dragon,” has been spreading rapidly. Liz needs to be in the limelight more than Hiro, but this is not how to go.
When Rosa saw Hiro sighing deeply, she tilted her head, wondering what was going on.
“Are you going to say that with your appearance?”
Not only did she point out his black hair and eyes, but she also pointed out his old imperial military uniform, which is no longer in use, and his black cloak with a dragon design.
“I’m a descendant of the God of War, so pay more attention to me. It seems to me that you are saying that with that appearance of yours…”
Hiro was at a loss for words. Indeed, as Rosa said, it could be seen as a way of claiming to be the descendant of the God of War. Or it could be an extreme fan in disguise.
“If you took off the Black Princess Camellia, wouldn’t you be able to divert some attention?”
Rosa suggested. But Hiro shook his head.
He did not intend to take it off just because he was worried about the curious stares. The Black Princess Camellia may be fickle, but she will never betray Hiro. From a thousand years ago to today, there is no end to the number of crises she has saved him from. He believes that this will continue to be the case.
So――.
“I’m not going to take it off.”
Hiro said clearly. But the Black Princess Camellia, perhaps feeling uneasy, squeezed his collar as if to protest. Hiro smiled and tapped her gently on the chest. He told her that he did not intend to do so. When Hiro felt his collar loosen, he suddenly remembered.
“…..Liz?”
She would normally interrupt the conversation, but she was strangely quiet.
When Hiro looked next to him.
“…..Suh.”
What he hears is a faint sleeping breath. The red-haired princess was curling her back. Her sleeping face looks very happy, perhaps because she is using Cerberus as a pillow.
Kuku, a giggle was heard stealthily.
When he looked over, he saw Rosa looking at Liz with a smile on her face.
“She must be tired. Well, it’s understandable.”
On the way here, many nobles had come to greet Liz. Perhaps it was because she struggled to remember the names and faces of the people she was meeting, but when she was released, she looked as if she hadn’t slept for a week.
“I think she’ll be even more tired when we get to the Great Imperial Capital since there will be an audience and a banquet.”
When Hiro said this, Rosa nodded her head.
“I guess so. I’m sure the nobles will approach you and Liz with all sorts of agendas.”
Everyone has their own agenda, especially if they are noblemen.
It’s a duty that comes with being a noble. There are many things that they have to take care of, including their own people and their own territory, and they will even use the imperial family to protect them. If they were exposed, they would be beheaded, but noblemen are all people with something in their bellies, and they won’t simply grab their tails.
“I’ll leave Liz to you.”
“Don’t you want to?”
“Well, I learned a lot since the last time.”
Hiro shrugged his shoulders. What Rosa didn’t know was that Hiro had been through a lot a thousand years ago. There would be some changes in manners and etiquette, but it would be nothing to worry about.
“Anyway, take care of Liz for me.”
Liz is an imperial princess. She’s probably been to a few social events. But today’s banquet is different from that. She used to be a princess, but now she will be treated as the heir to the throne.
Those words would carry weight. It would no longer be the small talk of an imperial princess but the political affairs of the heir to the throne. If she didn’t choose her words carefully, she would immediately be used by the nobles.
Rosa nodded enthusiastically as if she understood what Hiro was thinking.
“What are you going to do after that?”
Not understanding the meaning of the question, Hiro put a question mark on his face. For good measure, she moistened her mouth with her tongue in a seductive manner. It was a terribly lewd sight.
“After that, you and I are going to sleep in the same bedroom, and I was wondering how you’re going to explain that to Liz.”
“…..Of course we’re going to sleep separately; there’s nothing to explain.”
“What? You’re not going to hold me?”
To Rosa, who looked terribly surprised, Hiro held his eyes and let out a big breath.
“I’ve said before that I want you to wait a little longer.”
“You know how long it’s been since then? I’m ready for you now.”
When Rosa said this with confidence, Hiro’s mouth twitched.
“You see… Liz is no different, but do you have any shame?”
Liz is Liz, and her knowledge of sexuality is completely missing. He would like to question how the education of the imperial family in the Great Grantz Empire is organized.
“…..Hmm?”
Rosa looked puzzled as to why he brought up Liz there. It was a moment of hesitation, and then her eyes wandered as if she were thinking of something.
“I feel like I’m… responsible for all of Liz’s problems.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been the one educating everyone from the fourth princess onwards.”
Hiro, who had heard such a thing from Liz before, nodded his head.
“Well, you know what? I wanted to have an innocent little sister, so I taught them to lie thoroughly. But I couldn’t take care of them forever. When it came time to get tutors, I had a hard time. I wondered how I was going to get them fired.”
It was fun, Rosa added at last, but then sighed a little ruefully.
“The fun didn’t last long, though. First of all, the fourth princess saw through the lies and told everyone that her anee-sama was the worst! She hasn’t shown herself to me since. As for the fifth princess, she didn’t want to be with me in the first place, and at some point, she came up with a reference, so I explained to her that men are such creatures.”
Rosa looked at the window with a distant look in her eyes.
“The only person who seemed to enjoy listening to me was Liz. I guess I took advantage of her kindness. I got carried away and told her all kinds of lies.”
She was trying to make it sound like a good story, but it was difficult to make it sound emotional no matter how she tried.
When Hiro looked at Rosa with a suspicious look in his eyes, she waved her hand in panic.
“But you don’t need to worry. I’ve taught her well in that area so that strange men won’t fool her.”
“I don’t think so when I look at Liz.”
To Hiro’s dismay, Rosa tilted her head. Then she clapped her hands as she looked back and forth between Hiro and Liz.
“Oh… so that’s it――.”
As Rosa was about to open her mouth to continue, the window was tapped.
“We have almost arrived at the Great Imperial Capital.”
A soldier’s voice ― not too small, not too loud, but just the right tone ― echoed through the room. Rosa put her finger to her lips and made a gesture like, “We’ll talk about it another time,” before calling out to the soldier.
“I’m going to switch the carriage. Tell the rear to bring the triumphal carriage.”
“Understood.”
The presence of the soldier outside the window moved away as Rosa gave instructions to him. Rosa closed the curtains attached to the window.
“You go wake up Liz. I’ll change first.”
She unbuttoned her military uniform and began to undress. Her delicate, white skin was exposed to the outside world. Her breasts were exposed, and she took off everything she was wearing, leaving her completely naked.
Why did she need to take off her underwear as well? There were many things Hiro wanted to say, but there was no sense of shame whatsoever. It was a dignified thing to do. It was as if she had absolute confidence in her own body. She bent down and opened the case containing the dress.
Hiro sighed. It was not an exclamation… though it probably contained resignation.
Hiro wanted to wait for her outside, but if he rushed off, a soldier would look at him suspiciously. What kind of man in the world would run away after seeing his mistress naked?
“Fufufu, I don’t mind if you look at me. In fact, I’m more than happy. Well, I’m very sorry, but… can you please wake Liz up now?”
With a sweet voice, as if to seduce, Rosa asked Hiro, and he shrugged his shoulders and indicated. It is a lie to say that there was no ulterior motive at all, but he was just thinking about it, not staring at it. It was obvious that he would be taken advantage of if he tried to make excuses.
So Hiro decided to give up on his protest and looked next to him to wake Liz up.
“…I’m awake already.”
Her red eyes were staring at Hiro. Hiro stiffened like a frog stared at by a snake. He wanted to ask when and from where, but his mouth wouldn’t move as fast as he wanted.
Meanwhile, Liz’s hand reached out to Hiro’s face in slow motion. After stroking the eye patch covering half of his face with a clean finger, the finger moved away and pointed to a spot.
“Hiro….. you have a lewd look on your face.”
Then Hiro involuntarily covered his face with his hand.