Akatsuki Translations

“Let’s stay here for a while.”

In the long-unvisited library, I told Alfina, realizing I was still gripping her hand tightly. Embarrassed, I quickly let go.

“M-my apologies.”

“It’s alright. Having Ricardo-kun lead me is reassuring.”

Bathed in the light streaming from the clerestory window, the girl reminded me of our meeting here six months ago. The warmth lingering in my palm stirred memories of our dance. Despite all the experiences we’ve shared, her striking beauty still astonishes me.

“…I wonder if Claud and the others are okay.”

Alfina’s worried murmur brought back Claudia’s words before we left the tent. The situation was grave enough for the female knight to entrust her precious princess to me, which was hard to imagine.

“May I ask what’s going on?”

Alfina recounted the story of the royal reception for the imperial envoys. The prince had approached her, trying to forcibly take her hand for a dance when she attempted to leave early on the king’s orders. Claudia had intervened at that moment.

Immediately after, a report came in about a premonition from the crystal, and Alfina returned to the cathedral.

“That’s unacceptable, or rather, an aggressive move.”

It’s an infuriating story. But I need to stay calm. Sure, it was forceful and infuriating, but Claudia and Luitza’s reactions seemed excessive. Under normal circumstances, it would be more natural to have a brief conversation to smooth things over.

After all, we’re dealing with an international issue here.

“It’s related to what happened twenty years ago. …That rebellion was partly because the Empire incited my grandfather.”

Alfina’s face darkened. Again, the rebellion from twenty years ago. Considering Fellbach’s location, the Empire’s interference makes sense. No wonder the king doesn’t want any ties between the two. I understand Claudia’s actions now.

Any contact with the imperial family would cause unnecessary concern about Alfina domestically, regardless of the context.

“However, I think the prince was more interested in the Crystal of Prophecy than in me.”

This princess underestimates her beauty, so I can’t take her word for it. But the prince did mention the Monster Flood. Could it be more than just a pretext? Damn, we don’t have enough information. Can Jacob and the others investigate this properly?

Once we have all the information, we’ll need to classify him as a high-priority threat. We’re already short on intelligence resources, so we’ll need to bolster our team. Information on the Empire will be crucial in the future.

“Understood. Now, the question is how long we should stay here… Claudia might guess this location.”

Considering it’s where she once held a sword to my throat, it’s memorable. I’ll overlook it today in light of her heroism.

Alfina held my hand again, fidgeting.

“Um, Ricardo-kun, do you prefer women like Claud?”

“…What?”

“Though we’re close now, when I first approached you, you seemed troubled… But when Claud is around, you seem relieved…”

Ah, that. I know exactly what she means. This is awkward and hard to deny.

“Auntie consulted you about reinstating Claud as my aide, didn’t she? I heard you supported the idea, and I appreciate that. But I was a bit concerned because Claud has been quite rude to you.”

“Well, indeed, Her Grace did ask me that, but it was in writing. I thought it was best if you trusted Claudia. She was impressive earlier, standing firm before the imperial prince.”

I waved my hands in denial. If I think about it, our roles were reversed. I should have been the one saying, “Forget about me. Take Alfina and run.” Though, that’s impossible.

Realizing my uncertain position, I fell silent. Alfina’s face clouded over.

“Sorry. I brought up something odd at a time like this. I wanted to ask once. Not just about Claud, but I feel I’ve been a burden to you by being close. The truth is, it’s stressful, isn’t it?”

Alfina lowered her gaze. Her silky, blue-silver hair fell, brushing against her cheek.

Through the wall, I could faintly hear the commotion outside. The quiet space made me acutely aware of our solitude.

How should I respond? Or rather, how should I approach this girl? It dawned on me that the answer wasn’t simple.

At first, I saw her as someone from another world. Royalty could change a commoner’s fate on a whim. Whether beneficial or harmful to me, the sheer unpredictability was a risk I couldn’t handle. She was the top threat to my self-preservation.

Needless to say, the situation had changed. Earlier, I didn’t hesitate to take her hand. Thoughts of Leiria Village or my relationship with the Duchess didn’t even cross my mind.

But fundamentally, being by her side is unnatural. It’s not about social status. It’s because we’re from different worlds. That’s something I can’t tell her.

I remember my past life up until age twenty-three, but I regained my memories here from age five or six. It’s been ten years since then. I was desperate to adapt to this new world. Sometimes I get caught up in my physical age, but in reality, I must be over thirty.

And she is sixteen. I can’t help but feel a certain guilt toward her, unlike with anyone else. Maybe it’s because she’s so pure and defenseless.

She’s not quite young enough to be a daughter, nor do I feel like a father. The age difference is more like that of an uncle and niece.

…An uncle and niece. That doesn’t sound too bad. If I had a niece like her, I’d be doting. Even someone as timid as me would try to protect her from danger. I could be her guardian in name, at least in my mind. It wouldn’t be strange for me to stay by her side.

Thinking of our dance as escorting my niece at her social debut makes it less peculiar.

“Oh…”

This girl is my niece, my adorable niece.

Before I knew it, my hand had touched her silky blue-silver hair. I slowly moved my hand, gently stroking her head.

“Uh, um… Ricardo-kun.”

“What!? Oh, I’m so sorry!”

I realized I was doing something far more outrageous than the imperial prince. However, Alfina, her cheeks blushing, looked up at me.

“There’s no need to apologize. Um, you were trying to show me that you’re not avoiding me, right? That made me happy.”

The girl smiled like a blooming flower. If my mindset hadn’t shifted to that of an uncle, it could have been dangerous.

“So, you were here.”

A dignified voice echoed in the library.

“Claud! Are you alright?”

“You needn’t worry. Fortunately, the Third Prince arrived and took over dealing with the prince.”

“I see, Prince Craig.”

It seemed the trouble had been resolved. That was close—if Claudia had arrived a bit earlier, I might have faced a blade again.

“I was impressed by how you stood your ground against the prince, Claudia-dono.”

“I simply resolved never to abandon my duty again. And don’t get too complacent, Ricardo Vinder.”

I stepped aside to let Claudia take her place beside Alfina. It’s alright, I won’t get complacent. She’s my adorable niece, after all.

◇◇

The second day ended, not without issues, but we came to check the rankings.

“Hmph, my shop is doing the best among the Holdings,” Plura boasted proudly.

The other members had also climbed up the rankings. Thanks to the low land rent, we were around 10th place out of 22 stores. Considering it was a cumulative score since yesterday, we had done remarkably well.

As a result, even the standings of Vinder, who merely received dividends, had risen significantly.

“The gap between Carst and Kenwell has narrowed quite a bit.”

I looked at the top of the list.

“Serves them right,” Dalgan said, smirking at the haughty Plura, who was being restrained by Belmini.

“Do you think they’ll make a move?”

“Their main rival is Kenwell, but it’s possible.”

Tonight would be the most dangerous. However, Vinder had no physical store presence. Inside the modest tent we prepared were just a few jars of honey. A decoy. Considering the real value of the honey, they might think we were holding back our trump card.

It was tough to use valuable goods as bait, but if it threw them off, Holdings would be protected.

Riruka returned from her talk with Kenwell, with Roston in tow.

“We’ve made arrangements,” she announced.

“Just so happened that an acquaintance’s store had some free hands. We’ve got people who want to see how things are done here,” Roston added.

With this, we could secure double the space tomorrow. The reliability of the members was impressive. Honestly, I felt like punching myself for ever suspecting any of them might betray us.

We’d be able to handle the early majority even if they swarmed us. If the late majority arrived, we’d be overwhelmed, though.

The guys in the school uniforms hadn’t approached since then. The Third Prince seemed to have managed things well.

◇◇

“Young master.”

“Please, stop calling me that, Jacob.”

“Young master-sama.”

“Alright, I get it. You’re mad I made you wear that outfit. Now, what is it?”

“It’s about today.”

“That damn prince… Did you find out anything about the Empire?”

Jacob’s face instantly turned professional.

“There were two strange things. First, the students around the prince. They’re adventurers. Or rather, they have the movements of adventurers.”

“You mean the prince’s entourage? They must be high-ranking officials’ children. They’d have training as guards, of course…”

“The movements of adventurers are those who face not humans, but monsters. It’s unusual for imperial soldiers to be like that.”

“The people of the Empire lives amidst magical veins, right? But are even their elites fighting monsters?”

“The Emperor there is a coordinator for the tribes separated by magical veins. The imperial capital, surrounded by these tribal lands, should have the least trouble with monsters.”

Even the safest region was facing a significant monster threat. Coupled with unexpected magical vein disturbances in the kingdom, was there a large-scale shift in magical power flow?

This could mean a global crisis. Personal safety might not be an option at this scale.

“But I didn’t sense any urgency from those guys.”

The prince, nor his five companions, seemed worried. Were they just following their leader’s arrogant demeanor?

“And the second thing?”

“When the lady knight stood against them, the prince’s guards didn’t reach for their waists but for their coat hems. Both of them did.”

Come to think of it, despite the climate being much more bearable than Japan, those clothes must have been hot.

“Coat hems?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Jacob nodded. “Yes, it was unusual. Most would go for a sword or weapon at the waist. It’s something we need to consider.”

I pondered this, trying to piece together the implications. The guards’ behavior suggested they were hiding something more than just conventional weapons. It hinted at a deeper strategy or perhaps a concealed power.

“Alright, we need to stay vigilant,” I concluded. “Let’s prepare for whatever may come our way.”

Jacob gave a curt nod, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the more we uncovered, the more complex our situation became. But with reliable allies and a determined spirit, I felt a surge of resolve to protect what mattered most.

“They weren’t about to punch her barehanded. So, if their usual combat habits showed, it might be magic.”

“At that range? Isn’t magic mostly useless in close combat?”

The only instance I’d seen was Fuglsig’s experiment, but magic wasn’t easy to use. It required magic crystals and specially crafted tools like enchanted swords and armor, which had to be charged with magical energy. It was like a less convenient version of a matchlock gun. Even modern firearms could be outmatched by a knife at close range.

“That’s all we noticed. We kept an eye on what shops they were interested in, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

“Got it. Keep focusing on the Empire tomorrow.”

“Understood, young master.”

“They’re supposed to leave by midday. Once the job’s done, you can go on a date with Remi if you like.”

“Wasn’t it you who went on a date, young master? That girl who came from Leiria Village, isn’t she a princess? The older master will have an ulcer over this.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like that with her.”

“Really? If that’s true, it might ease Mia’s worries a bit. If it’s really true.”

“…Anyway, did you find any promising recruits?”

“Yes, but are you sure? Getting someone skilled and trustworthy enough to cover the costs is expensive.”

“I think we’ll manage. If the Holdings results come through, it’ll boost my father’s negotiations with the Duke.”

First, we needed to get through tomorrow. After that, I’d focus on increasing the number of people who could assist Jacob and his team.

Honestly, the amount of information we needed kept increasing relentlessly.