Akatsuki Translations

“Let’s see, you’re Roux, aren’t you? I introduced myself earlier, but I’m Farsa. Nice to meet you again.” -Farsa

“I’m Zenobia. I suspect life here might be difficult for you, Roux-dono, but I hope you can bear with it.” -Zenobia

“…I’m Julia.” -Julia

In response to Roux’s greetings, Farsa, Zenobia, and Julia each introduced themselves.

Roux, a demon, was inevitably confined to their home, unable to freely stroll around the royal capital. Zenobia chose to vocalize this harsh reality.

Roux appeared to be a girl of about ten years old. However, her distinctive features as a wolf demon—beast-like ears, a tail, and the deep crimson eyes of a demon—were glaringly conspicuous.

Word of a demon’s appearance would inevitably spread throughout the royal capital in a matter of days, and it was likely that details about Roux’s appearance would also become known.

In the Kingdom of Valois, humans who held a positive opinion of demons were nearly nonexistent. Even individuals like Zenobia, who held a neutral viewpoint, were few and far between.

Most people held hostility or fear toward demons. Attitudes like those of Julia and the crowds at the southern gates were quite common.

Demons were feared so much that children were often told, “If you misbehave, the demons will come and get you.”

Ironically, the north of the Kingdom of Valois, which bordered the demon territories, faced much harsher oppression of demons. The fact that Roux had appeared in the royal capital where Farsa was, might have been a fortunate misfortune.

“Farsa-onii-chan, Zenobia-onee-chan, Julia-onee-chan…” -Roux

Roux slowly called out each of their names, looking intently at each one in turn. During this, Roux’s nose twitched as if she was trying to memorize not only their appearances but also their scents.

Being alone in a place populated by humans, without any family or allies to rely on, Roux recognized that her life was in the hands of the people before her.

Of course, Roux was a child and probably wasn’t thinking about things in such complex terms. But she likely understood it instinctively.

Whether she could return to her family depended significantly on the four humans present.

It was not an off-target thought. With Farsa and Zenobia, who held high positions in the royal palace, Palmina, a Saint of the Fortuna faith, and even Julia, a hero with no official position but significant influence over the populace, everyone she needed was here.

Farsa, in particular, was mulling over how he could return Roux to the demon territories and was continuously analyzing the current situation and his position.

“Roux-chan, you’re very good at greeting people. Now that we’ve finished introducing ourselves… how about we have dinner? Farsa-kun, Zenobia-chan, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you?” –Palmina

“Dinner!” -Julia

“Dinner!” -Roux

At Palmina’s suggestion, both Roux and Julia, who must have been quite hungry, responded enthusiastically.

It had been two hours since sunset, and their bodies were crying out for food.

Julia seemed curious about Roux’s reaction, which was similar to her own. She turned her gaze to Roux, glaring slightly.

Roux, remembering Julia’s behavior during the day, flinched and curled her tail, showing signs of fear.

“Julia-chan, you can’t scare little children. Do we need to have another talk?” -Palmina

“N-No, Pal-nee, I wouldn’t do such a thing. Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll help!” -Julia

“Well then, I guess I’ll go help them too. Zenobia, I leave Roux-chan in your care.” -Farsa

“M-Me… no, you’re right. I’ll take care of things here.” -Zenobia

At Palmina’s cheerful inquiry, Julia denied any wrongdoing and offered to help with cooking. Julia then hastily left the room, pulling Palmina along as if to change the subject. Following this, Farsa left to join them after addressing Zenobia.

Farsa’s offer to help with cooking was merely a ruse. His true intention was to verify the information about the demons Palmina had obtained from Roux.

Based on what he had observed before entering the room, Farsa deduced that they had quickly become comfortable with each other and had likely obtained most of the necessary information.

Zenobia seemed to understand Farsa’s intentions, and though she showed a moment of confusion, she likely consented.

Julia held some hostility towards Roux, and if Palmina and Farsa were to share information, there was no other option but to leave Zenobia in charge.

However, Zenobia faced one problem, which likely caused her to hesitate in response to Farsa’s words.

“Ro-Roux-dono… Do you, for instance… have anyone you like?” -Zenobia

As could be inferred from the way she addressed Roux, Zenobia was not good at interacting with children.

Farsa, surprisingly, was adept at dealing with children. Palmina, who often visited orphanages, was naturally proficient, and Julia, too, could easily get along with them—as long as they were not demons.

However, most of what Zenobia had learned in life was the etiquette of a noblewoman and the art of sword fighting and warfare.

As the daughter of a Marquis, she was strictly trained in manners. She had no experience being a normal child, and the upbringing of her own children was largely done by her servants.

Therefore, Zenobia did not know how to interact with children, and during their travels, she had always left that task to the other three.

While she certainly didn’t dislike children, she likely didn’t know how to converse with them.

And so, the words that Zenobia left alone with Roux, spoke was akin to a clumsy father’s question to his daughter. The kind of question that would usually be met with a “That’s none of your business, Father!”—the classic trope that leaves fathers wounded.

“Ummm… someone I like… is Mirage-onii-chan. I just call him that; he’s not my real brother.” -Roux

“Ah, so even at this age, you have someone you admire. What kind of person is this Mirage?” -Zenobia

Roux, who had been asked such a direct question, seemed a bit taken aback. However, thanks to a similar conversation with Palmina earlier, she responded to Zenobia honestly, albeit with some confusion.

Her cheeks reddened as if she was a young girl in love, and Zenobia, intrigued, delved further. In the Kingdom of Valois, aside from Cruel who ruled the southern lands, little was known about the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army. The name Mirage was likely unfamiliar to Zenobia.

“Mirage-onii-chan is very smart and knows a lot of things. And according to my mom, he’s very good and powerful at magic. He’s also kind and saved our village when we were suffering from an illness. My mom and mom even said that they would support me if I wanted to marry Mirage-sama.” -Roux

“Ah, indeed, a man who is intelligent, strong, and compassionate is admirable. The fact that he is approved by your parents is also excellent. It’s preferable to have a good relationship after marriage. If he attracts too many females, it may be a flaw, but it also proves his charisma. As a wife, you’ll have to find a way to compromise.” -Zenobia

To Roux, Mirage was a heroic figure who had saved both her life and her village. It was only natural for her to be smitten with him.

Meanwhile, Zenobia listened to Roux’s words, unknowingly envisioning Farsa – the very same man – and seemed to be carried away.

Roux was the only daughter of the Wolf Demon tribe chief, Louveteau. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she was expected to produce a worthy successor.

The Wolf Demon tribe had lost many to an epidemic known as the Black Skin Disease and needed to increase their progeny.

On the other hand, Zenobia, having lost her heir-apparent brother, needed to ensure the survival of her noble house, the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

Although adoption from a branch family was an option for nobles, the Marquis of Ctesiphon, being a military noble family, required an individual excellent in both civil and military affairs, setting a high standard.

Moreover, it was rare to find an eligible bachelor who could match Zenobia, the head of the knights. The other knight commanders were all married, and their ages were more than double Zenobia’s.

Ironically, both Roux’s Mirage and Zenobia’s Farsa were the ideal marriage partners. They likely wouldn’t imagine that they were talking about the same person.

“Could it be… the person Zenobia-onee-chan likes is Farsa-onii-chan?” -Roux

“W-w-what an unexpected question! Farsa-dono and I… we are not in such an audacious relationship…” -Zenobia

“So, you dislike him?” -Roux

“No… that’s not exactly it…” -Zenobia

“You know, my mom told me that when you fall in love, you should spread the news around and start filling in the trenches. She said it’s important to make it clear that you like him because it can also serve as a deterrence. And if you hesitate, good men will be snatched away quickly. It’s best to establish a fait accompli. I don’t really understand what that means, but it must be important. I did what my mom said and… I kissed Mirage-onii-chan on the cheek.” -Roux

“A k-k-kiss?! Your mother has taught you quite a thing, Roux-dono. However… she might have a point. Establishing a fait accompli, hmm…” -Zenobia

Normally, Zenobia should have probed further into what Roux’s mother was teaching her young daughter. However, it seemed like she took it to heart, contemplating something dubious.

Marriages among nobility and royalty often prioritized familial ties and political considerations over individual will. However, there were also those who resisted this, especially among the younger generation.

Tragic love stories due to social status differences were popular in theater, and Zenobia must have watched them many times since her childhood.

There were even plays where a noblewoman, engaged to be married, commits infidelity with her true lover, deliberately causing the engagement to be broken.

Purity was highly valued in noble marriages, and breaking it was taboo. However, some lower-ranking noble daughters used this importance of purity to deceive the heirs of higher-ranking nobles. Rumors about such relationships flew around in the social circles of the nobility.

Of course, powerful nobles could suppress small problems with their power and money.

In Zenobia’s case, Farsa’s relationships with women were more important than any issue of social status.

At present, Viscount Farsa Speciēs, was the chief court magician and the right-hand man of Princess Aurelia, who was the first in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Valois.

He was rumored to be marrying Princess Aurelia to become the next king, controlling the religion to invade other countries by holding the Saint, Palmina in his hands, or conspiring with the Hero Julia to become an emperor ruling over all races, including demons. Along with these dangerous imaginations, there were also rumors about his relationships with women.

If Farsa were to hear these, he would surely deny wanting such trouble. But rumors often contain irresponsible content, this remains unchanged throughout the ages.

Yet, for Zenobia, all of these held some truth. At the very least, she knew that the women rumored to be with Farsa were somewhat close to him.

“By the way, Roux-dono, did your mother… I mean, did your mom give you any other advice?” -Zenobia

“Well, she did tell me about when she got married to my dad…” -Roux

Zenobia started to ask more about Roux’s mother, and Roux responded by sharing various stories she’d heard from her.

The men of the Wolf Demon tribe were expected to be strong, and their mates were expected to follow their strong husbands… or so it was often thought, but this was not the case.

The women of the Wolf Demon tribe were very strong-willed. Once they set their sights on a man, they used every tactic to not let him escape.

Of course, the basic principle was to captivate a man with their own charm, but they also didn’t neglect to work on those around them, showing a cunning side.

Mirage, who thought of Roux’s actions as child’s play, was already being deterred by her, and there were many Wolf Demon women who have given up because they couldn’t compete with the chief’s daughter.

Such tactics used by the women of the Wolf Demon tribe were what Zenobia, with her desire to learn, wanted to study, even if the target was a child. However, it was obvious to anyone that she was heading in the wrong direction.

Unfortunately, there was no one in this place who could point out the misdirection, and Roux’s lecture on her mother’s techniques to win a man continued until Farsa and the others finished cooking and came to call them.