“Can you understand how I felt, seeing my own daughter so strong-willed and brave in spirit? At that time, I nodded without even thinking twice. Then, she wrote her innovative thesis at the age of ten and graduated from the Galarc Kingdom’s Royal Academy in a matter of a few years. Even I was surprised at her level of intelligence.” Cedric looked at Liselotte with an earnestly proud expression.
Ugh, that’s my dark history. But it couldn’t be helped! I was only seven years old, and old men in their thirties and forties were asking for my hand in marriage. At the time, I was already so busy trying to learn the basic knowledge of this world, and all I felt was cold and bitter fear. Liselotte remembered the past and blushed an intense red.
“That’s why I entrusted Amande to her and had her obtain her independence as the president of the Ricca Guild, but living apart every day leaves me worried. Just the other day, Amande was attacked by swarms of monsters, no? I’ve heard things about a man called Lucius leading a mercenary group behind it all, and the appearance of dragon-like creatures,” Cedric lamented, his tone sad as he spoke. Then he sat up straight and turned to Rio.
“I heard that you are an extraordinary swordsman. Liselotte has said you are exceptionally trustworthy as well. After actually meeting you like this, the impression I received is exactly as Liselotte said.”
“I am not worthy of those words.” Rio bowed humbly.
“Miharu is also a humble and polite, charming and wonderful young lady. I don’t mean to make you feel wary, but I have a small request for the two of you.”
“What do you mean?” Rio tilted his head and gestured for him to continue.
“Due to her age and job, my daughter has very few same-aged friends she can be honest with. There are many who idolize her for her overflowing wisdom, but there are many who don’t feel comfortable because of that. That’s why, if you two don’t mind, could you continue to be her friends in the future?” Cedric said, bowing his head deeply at Rio and Miharu.
“...Of course, if Lady Liselotte also wishes for that.”
“I would be delighted to as well.”
Rio and Miharu both nodded with a smile.
“Thank you. I’m glad to hear that. Now, today is a good chance for you to get to know Liselotte better. She did say such an extravagant thing at seven years old, after all... There are still many more heroic tales to be told of her, so do lend me your ears.” A grin appeared on Cedric’s face as he glanced at Liselotte mischievously.
Even Liselotte could no longer sit by idly and objected. “Please stop teasing me any further, Father!”
“Hahaha, I’ve angered her. That being said, when compared to my seven-year-old self that had no visions of the future, Liselotte just seems so capable. It’s a parent’s duty to brag about their child. Julianne thinks the same way, I’m sure.” Cedric laughed breezily, flattering his beloved wife.
“No no, even when I was seven, all I cared about was growing flowers. It never even crossed my mind to carve my own path in life. I’m sure her intelligence comes from you,” Julianne said happily, giggling to herself.
“I’m sorry, Sir Haruto, Lady Miharu. These two will brag at any chance they get.” Liselotte sighed.
“No, I think it’s wonderful that they’re so close,” Miharu said cheerfully, shaking her head.
“Thank you. Speaking of which, what kind of child were you like at seven years old, Miharu?” Julianne suddenly asked.
“Me? When I was seven...” Miharu’s eyes widened as she recalled when she was seven. She had been seven years old just after she became separated from Haruto. The clearest memory in her mind even now was her farewell with Haruto.
“I wanted to get married to my childhood friend, who was separated from me. We promised to marry each other when we parted ways, so I learned how to cook many kinds of food...” Miharu sent a sidelong glance at Rio to judge his expression as she talked. For a moment, Rio’s face had stiffened, so slightly that even Miharu couldn’t see it. However, he immediately put up a friendly facade to cover his emotions.
“My, that’s lovely. How do you feel about that boy now, I wonder?” Julianne’s eyes were sparkling as she questioned Miharu.
“Huh? U-Umm, we haven’t reunited since then, but I’ve always remembered him, and the memory is still precious to me even now...” The sudden question caught Miharu off guard, making her blush as she answered nervously.
“A precious memory...?” Julianne excitedly urged Miharu to continue. Cedric was watching Miharu warmly, while Liselotte was also listening in with interest.
Miharu placed a hand over her chest and took a deep breath. “...Even when I sometimes remembered him out of the blue, I wasn’t confident whether those feelings were still out of love. But recently, I finally realized it... That I still consider him precious to me and love him even now.”
“Oh my!” Julianne was ecstatic to hear the answer she was hoping for, covering her mouth as she rejoiced.
“A-Ahaha, it looks like I’m a little drunk.” Miharu shot another glance at Rio’s face beside her before she was unable to bear the feelings of embarrassment. She hung her head, blushing bright red.
Rio had a somewhat awkward smile fixed on his face.
“Hehe, I see. Your face is scarlet, after all. But it’s a wonderful story. If only Liselotte could also experience a love as wonderful as that,” Julianne said to Miharu with a merry voice, changing the topic to her beloved daughter.
“M-Must you bring me up at a time like this?” Liselotte’s face twitched at the unexpected change in conversation.
“I feel like it’s still a little too early for Liselotte to fall in love...” Cedric expressed his disapproval with a stern look, showing his overprotective side.
“Oh? Who was it that passionately pursued my hand in marriage when I was fifteen years old again, I wonder?” Julianne looked at Cedric with cute indignation.
“Hahaha, I wonder who?” Cedric shamelessly laughed it off, feigning ignorance.
Chapter 3: Sumeragi Satsuki
The next day, after their lunch at the mansion, Liselotte brought Rio and Miharu along to visit the royal castle of Galarc. Their goal was, of course, to meet Satsuki before the banquet.
Under normal circumstances, the two of them would have never been allowed inside, but thanks to Liselotte filling out the necessary procedures required at the castle gate, both Rio and Miharu were permitted to enter without investigation.
Once they entered the castle, Liselotte gave a note to one of the castle officials addressed to the king— it requested an urgent audience with King Francois of Galarc. Nobles had the privilege of seeking an audience with the king at any time as long as they had a good reason, and she had exercised that privilege. In some cases, they could be made to wait a month, but this time the official came back with the response that the king could meet them immediately.
However, the information to be discussed must have been deemed to be highly confidential, as they were to use a royal reception room for an unofficial meeting rather than the audience hall for an official one.
Rio, Miharu, and Liselotte were led to the reception room, and Francois soon appeared. Francois was in his late forties, the age where a king was at his pudgiest. His gaze and countenance were stern—typical for a king of great power.
Sandwiching Francois on each side stood a man in his early twenties and a woman in her early teens. They both wore expensive-looking clothes which, combined with their accompanying Francois, implied that they were both royalty. Other attendants wearing maid uniforms made an entrance as well.
“Thank you for coming today. I haven’t met Liselotte face-to-face since I received the report about the attack on Amande. I believed the next time we would meet would be at the banquet, but...” Francois looked at Miharu and Rio. They did not speak, only accepted Francois’ gaze silently while looking down.
“Pardon me. It is a delight to be before Your Majesty. I sincerely apologize for requesting this sudden audience during a time wh
en Your Majesty must be terribly busy with the preparations for the banquet tomorrow. And I am most grateful for your immediate response to my request,” Liselotte said, giving a reverent greeting on behalf of Rio and Miharu.
“It’s not a problem. Even if you had given more advance warning, it wouldn’t have made this any easier to respond to. By bringing the actual person here, you’ve omitted the unnecessary steps in between. Above all, you are very busy yourself. At any rate, let’s all have a seat,” Francois said warmly, then sat down at the head seat. The young man and woman accompanying him sat down on chairs placed in the corner of the room.
“Excuse me.” Liselotte bowed her head and sat down gracefully. Rio and Miharu also bowed once before taking their seats on either side of Liselotte. In contrast to Miharu, whose movements were awkward from nervousness, Rio straightened himself with a downcast look like a noble would.
“...Is this person Miharu? The one who claims to be Satsuki’s friend?” Francois asked.
“This is Sir Haruto. He placed Miharu under his protection when she wandered into this world and requested that I arrange a way for Lady Satsuki to meet her. Furthermore, he assisted in repelling monsters during the attack on Amande, and rescued Princess Flora when she was abducted,” Liselotte explained.
Francois’ eyes widened in interest. “I see, so he’s the enchanted swordsman you mentioned from that incident. I’ve heard of your achievements. You have done your duty well, both with Miharu and the rest. You may raise your head.” In effect, Francois was giving Rio permission to speak to him.
Despite the fact that this was an unofficial meeting, with the other party being the leader of an entire kingdom, stricter rules of etiquette had to be followed than with other nobles. This was why Rio had not lifted his gaze to look directly at Francois’ face. If Rio had joined in on Francois and Liselotte’s conversation, he would have been branded as impolite.
However, once Rio was given permission to speak, he finally opened his mouth. “There is no higher honor than to receive words of praise from Your Majesty.” He raised his head slightly so that Francois could see his face, before lowering it once more.
“It was noted in the report as well, but you really do seem young. To repel a large demi-dragon’s breath with an enchanted sword at that age is quite the feat. I’ve heard that your parents were migrants, but you seem capable of upholding noble etiquette too. What an interesting boy. I would like to hear more about you later.” Francois looked at Rio with great interest. The man and woman in the corner of the room also observed Rio with curiosity in their eyes.
“It would be an honor.” Rio refrained from saying anything more and lowered his head respectfully. Just then, someone knocked on the door to the room before opening it immediately.
“Excuse me.” A girl in her mid teens appeared. She wore what would have been a typical uniform for female knights in this world, only tailored to be more extravagant. However, her facial structure was that of a Japanese person.
She had large eyes and a dignified gaze. Her figure was feminine and slender, and her long hair, which reached down her back, was tied. She was beautiful.
The girl seemed to have run here, as she was slightly out of breath. However, she paid it no mind as she looked around the room anxiously, immediately focusing her gaze on Miharu.
“...Miharu-chan!” the girl — Sumeragi Satsuki — shouted after she’d caught her breath. She’d spoken in Japanese.
“Satsuki-san!” Miharu shot straight to her feet as her face lit up at the sight of her friend. Because Satsuki had spoken in Japanese, Miharu did, too.
“Aah, I knew it. You’re in this world too! I’m so glad! Though I don’t know if that’s a happy thing... But, I’m relieved. I’m so relieved to see you in this world, Miharu!” Satsuki ran up to Miharu and hugged her tightly; she must have been battling loneliness and anxiety at being the only one summoned into this world. She wore her relief on her sleeve.
“I’m so glad to see you too, Satsuki!” Miharu allowed Satsuki to hug her as she pleased, returning the hug with a tight squeeze.
“Oh goodness, I have so much I want to tell you about. Where should I begin? I used to think all the time about what I would say if I ever saw you guys again... But now that it’s actually come true, my whole head is blank and I can’t figure out what to say.” Satsuki’s eyes were brimming with tears as she beamed with happiness.
“I also had tons of things I was planning on telling you once we met again, but I don’t know where to start,” Miharu agreed with a giggle. Meanwhile, Francois and the others were watching Satsuki and Miharu as though they were witnessing something very odd unfolding.
Satsuki suddenly noticed that she was being watched by everyone and stepped back from hugging Miharu. She looked at Francois. “...Umm, is something the matter?”
“No, I knew the divine arms had some kind of translation sorcery placed on you, but it’s strange hearing it when you’re having a conversation like this. I can understand everything you’re saying, but the words coming from Miharu are beyond my comprehension,” Francois explained with a wry smile.
“Oh, I see. ...Wait, huh? Miharu, aren’t you a hero too?” When Satsuki realized that Miharu’s words weren’t being translated into the world’s language, her eyes widened.
“No, I don’t think I am. I don’t have one of those divine arms things.”
“Then how do you normally communicate with people?”
“I learned to speak the language of the Strahl region, but only the common tongue,” Miharu replied.
“L-Learned to speak... It’s only been a few months since we came to this world, right? You learned in such a short time... and by yourself?” Satsuki confirmed as though she couldn’t believe it. It would be one thing if Miharu had a tutor, but she doubted it was possible to acquire a whole language alone.
“Umm, Haruto has an ancient magic artifact that can let people communicate just like your divine arms. I used that to learn enough words to be comfortable with conversational speech.” Miharu looked at Rio as she gave the answer they prepared in advance.
The truth was that Rio had memories of his previous life and knew Japanese, making it so he could teach her the language, but it was too absurd of a story for anyone to believe, and Rio himself didn’t want the story spread around. If it weren’t for Miharu’s situation, he wouldn’t have told Liselotte about himself, either.
For the record, Liselotte knew of the situation and was of course aware that Miharu’s explanation had been a lie, having agreed to the false explanation too. There was already a precedent of translation sorcery in the divine arms, so the explanation of there being ancient artifacts that could enable communication wasn’t too far fetched.
“So, such an artifact existed... Oh, is this Haruto, then?” Satsuki gazed at Rio in wonder.
“Yes. He saved me after I wandered into this world and was at a loss for where to go,” Miharu nodded.
“Haruto...” Satsuki muttered Rio’s alias and stared at his face closely.
“...What are you talking about?” Francois interrupted. While he could hear Satsuki’s half of the conversation, he seemed to have an interest in Miharu’s answer.
“Umm, can I share what you said just now?” Satsuki asked Miharu.
“Yes, of course,” Miharu nodded without hesitation.
“We were talking about how Miharu learned to speak this world’s language in such a short period of time. Apparently, there was an ancient artifact that allowed for communication, so she used that to learn,” Satsuki told Francois.
“Oh? I’ve never heard of such an item...” Francois looked at Rio with interest.
“However, we used that artifact too much while we were studying and broke it...” Miharu added timidly to the explanation they had prepared. She had been told that ancient magic artifacts were difficult to reproduce using modern sorcery, so it would be easy enough to use it as an excuse without someone prying, but she was still nervous someone w
ould see through her lies.
That being said, she couldn’t allow Rio’s secret to be known because of her, so she did her best to calm down and took small, nervous breaths.
“Unfortunately, it couldn’t withstand the excessive use and broke, it seems.” Satsuki interpreted Miharu’s words for Francois. Well, Satsuki was actually speaking Japanese too, but for Francois and the others, it sounded like it was being translated into the world’s language.
“Haruto, do you still have the broken artifact?” Francois asked Rio directly.
“It was a memento from my parents, so yes... However, the magic orb core with the spell formula embedded inside was overloaded and broke into pieces. It’s beyond repair,” Rio answered without hesitation.
Magic orbs were different from magic stones in that the magic energy could be replenished once it was used up, making it the equivalent of the spirit folk’s spirit stones. They were impossible for modern humans to refine, so it was the perfect excuse.
“...I’m a bit curious. If you can understand both Japanese and the language of this world, what do my words sound like to you right now?” Satsuki suddenly asked.
“It sounds like Japanese. But when I focus on listening for this world’s language, I can hear the words as this world’s... It feels really strange to hear you change languages so suddenly...” Miharu said with a strained smile.
“Hmm. Well, I don’t know what to say. Maybe it depends on the listener’s awareness? Generally, words get converted into the language your brain recognizes as your mother tongue, or the language you often use in your daily life...” Satsuki hypothesized with interest.
“Speaking of which, Satsuki. You shouldn’t keep our guest on her feet while you’re talking. There are some things I’d like to ask for more details about, but this is your grand reunion. I’m sure you both are giddy with excitement, and you must have much to discuss. Miharu also seems a little nervous, so how about the two of you speak alone first?” Francois suggested, having read the room. He of course wanted to show consideration for the two of them and let them feel comfortable.
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