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Chapter 5: Even if this Love was Prearranged
Parnam, capital of the Kingdom of Friedonia.
With the antiquated, but still impressive, castle, the orange roofs that gave the city its color, and the round city walls that encircled them, it was a city that felt, in some way, nostalgic.
However, beneath all of that were Souma’s reforms to public hygiene, as well as the installation of a sewer system and transportation network, which had produced a city that was efficient and livable in a way that belied its old-fashioned appearance. This city was like a symbol of the Kingdom of Friedonia as it began to amass power.
Now, for all that Parnam was undergoing rapid advances, there were also occasionally bizarre rumors that spread inside the city. Urban legends, one might call them.
Last year brought rumors of the moving mannequin, and the kigurumi adventurer. These naturally subsided when sightings of moving mannequins came to an end, and when mentions of the kigurumi adventurer had started to bring responses of, “Oh, you mean Little Musashibo.”
However, of late, a new rumor had begun to take their place.
It was...
“The Dark Shadow That Moves through the Night Sky.”
This was how one metal goods seller, Mr. A, related the tale:
“I was hitting the bottle pretty hard that day, so I don’t remember so well, but... I was drunk off my hind end, on my back, staring up into the sky, when something passed overhead. It was all... blackish, coiled, and long.”
Here was another account from a merchant, Mr. S:
“I was comin’ back from my delivery to the castle that day. It was a clear day, and ya could see the moon and clouds right clear, but for some reason, the area ’round me went and got real dark all of a sudden. That was when I realized there was a big ol’ shadow passin’ overhead. It was blockin’ out the moon’s light. I got right scared, and my legs gave out, but the shadow flew over top of the castle and then, poof, it vanished. Here’s hopin’ it ain’t an ill omen of things to come...”
There were many sightings such as these, and it caused uncertainty among the townsfolk who were concerned that a monster might have come. However, when Chris Tachyon broadcast the truth behind these sightings from the castle, things began to calm down.
They say the two responsible for these rumors received a harsh reprimand about it later from their guardians.
I was now on Naden’s back, flying through the night sky. The fantastical situation of flying through the sea of clouds beneath a starry sky on a ryuu’s back made my heart dance. It got me so pumped that, without even meaning to, I started humming the opening theme to an anime I watched long ago.
Incidentally, on our route back to the kingdom, we passed over the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria. In my former world, it may have been fair to ask if I was infringing on their airspace, but here, while civilizations may have mastered the skies, there was no concept of airspace rights. In this world, there was yet to be a system of international law that would allow other countries to take issue with wyverns and other such flying creatures being used to pass over their territory at high altitudes.
There was one clear, simple reason for that: They couldn’t enforce it.
For instance, if a wyvern entered a country’s airspace, there were no radar systems in this world with which they might detect it. It wouldn’t be possible to monitor all of their airspace, without a system like radar, using only patrols.
Because of that, such patrols were limited to the areas over major cities. This was done to prevent a small aerial force from entering their airspace to drop bombs over a city, or to drop off spies. Also, if a group was flying in formation close to the surface, they would be quickly spotted by those on the ground, and it would be possible to catch them.
So, turning that around, as long as we didn’t fly near the ground, in a formation, or over cities, it would be possible to pass over another country.
I sent Poncho to other countries to gather cooking ingredients in the past. On those occasions, we sent messengers to those countries to secure proper permission for him to land there. However, when passing over another country at high altitude like we were doing now, there was no need to tell them about it.
That said, if anything did happen, the country in question couldn’t be held accountable for it. This was a situation where we couldn’t complain even if they shot us down; but Naden was flying higher than the average wyvern could, so I wasn’t worried about that. That was why, when traveling from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to the Kingdom of Friedonia, we cut across the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria.
Naden flew the route that our relaxed trip had taken nearly a week to cover in a mere two to three hours.
“Hey, Kazuma... is this really okay?” Naden asked. The closer we got to the capital, Parnam, the more worried her questions sounded. “Parnam is the capital of Friedonia, right? Flying inside their territory is one thing, but if I fly over the cities, won’t it become a diplomatic issue and cause them to attack us?”
I patted Naden on the back to reassure her. “It’ll be fine. I’ve already notified them.”
“You say you’ve notified them, but... we’ve been in the air all this time!”
“It’s a bit too much effort to explain, but, well, just think of it as my magic.”
I had used a mannequin with the Factory Arm #1 that I’d left part of my consciousness in with Living Poltergeists so that it could do paperwork while I was away to write a message. The message said, “Be back soon. Will be riding in on a long, coiled creature. Don’t be surprised.” So they knew we were coming. The Factory Arm #1 was incredibly creepy to look at, but it could be used to relay messages like this, so it was still handy.
“I’m more curious how you were able to explain the situation to an entire kingdom, though...” Naden said.
I couldn’t read her expression when she was in ryuu form, but Naden’s voice sounded dubious.
“Well, let’s just say... I’m in a position to do that,” I said.
“You say you have four fiancĂ©es, too, so you’re no ordinary guy, are you, Kazuma? Maybe you’re really important in the kingdom? Like a major noble?”
“I’m an ordinary guy,” I said. “One who’s been forced into an extraordinary position, that’s all.”
When I gave her an answer she could infer as much as she wished from, the city of Parnam with its lightmoss streetlamps and the moonlit Parnam Castle came into view.
I’m back, I thought.
The way that I felt, even though I’d only been gone for about half a month, was proof that this castle had already become my place to return home to.
“Naden, land in that castle’s courtyard,” I directed.
“The castle?! That’s okay?!”
“It’s fine.”
That was where people were waiting for me to come home.
Naden remained floating in the air, holding me in her mouth until she could put me down on the ground. Then she immediately took on human form herself and landed, too.
The castle courtyard was pretty large, but it was still a bit too tight a fit for Naden to land there in her ryuu form. If she tried to land that way, the royal gardeners would probably cry. We technically had a heliport-like space for wyverns to land, too, but the courtyard was closer to the inside of the castle.
When we landed in the courtyard, the guards went stiff as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, but they immediately saluted us and rushed inside. Not long after, Liscia, Hakuya, Juna, and Roroa came out.
When Roroa saw me, she immediately raced over and, using all of her momentum, leapt at me and gave me a flying tackle hug. “Welcome home, darlin’!”
“Urgh... I-I’m home,” I managed to say.
Roroa was light and delicate, so I hadn’t been knocked on my rear end or anything like that, but I had to spin around about one and a half times to kill her momentum. Roroa’s arms were securely fastened around my waist, and she was snuggling up against me like a cat, pressing her face into my chest.
“Darlin’, I’ve been so lonely without you.”
“Lonely?” I objected. “It’s only been about a week.”
“If I can’t see your face, whether it’s a day or a year, it’s all the same. Juna was actin’ restless, too, and while Big Sister Cia’s been feignin’ calmness, her brow was all wrinkled up.”
““Roroa!”” Liscia and Juna shouted.
While they both shouted at her for spilling the details of how they’d been while I was gone, Roroa laughed and hid behind me.
Ah... It was a bit vague, but it felt like I’d come home.
“Liscia, Juna, I’m home,” I said, smiling.
“Oh! Welcome home, Your Majesty.” Juna fixed her posture and bowed.
“Welcome home.” Liscia spoke in an exasperated tone. “You came back so suddenly, I was surprised.”
“Suddenly?” I asked. “Didn’t you get the message saying I’d be back?”
“It took too long before it came. Do you have any idea how many messenger kuis Aisha sent, worrying about your safety, Souma?”
...Oh. Now that she mentioned it, I’d left Aisha and the others behind in that village. I guess we could have picked them up on the way here, huh.
“I heard the Star Dragon Mountain Range were going to be explaining the situation to them, though,” I said.
“It’s meaningless unless you’re the one to tell them yourself,” Liscia retorted. “In the letter she sent me, Carla said that Aisha nearly took a swing at the messenger who came from there.”
“What? That’s scary...”
“Carla and the others desperately stopped her. Honestly, it almost turned into a diplomatic incident. Though it seems they acknowledged the fault was largely with them for taking you so suddenly, and then the envoy began apologizing.”
“Aisha... When it comes to me, she can be so indiscriminate,” I sighed.
Starting an all-out war with the dragons wouldn’t be funny. Show some self-restraint, please.
“It just shows how much she cares for you, doesn’t it?” Liscia retorted. “Make it up to her the next time the two of you are together.”
“Okay...”
Then I addressed Hakuya, who had been sitting out of the conversation.
“Did anything unusual happen while I was away?”
“Nothing that stood out. If you were to press me to come up with something, we gave Sir Piltory, who was dispatched to the Empire, permission to return here temporarily.”
“Piltory? Did something happen with him?”
Piltory Saracen. He was one of my retainers, and, in order to strengthen our coordination with the Gran Chaos Empire, I had dispatched him to be our ambassador stationed in the Empire. If Piltory has returned, did that mean something happened in the Empire?
But Hakuya shook his head with a calm look on his face. “It seems one of the wives he took to the Empire with him has gotten pregnant. He only returned temporarily to leave her with his family, who have more spare hands to look after her. Once he left his wife in their care, Sir Piltory immediately returned to the Empire.”
“That’s... wonderful news,” I said. So he’d come home because they conceived. I was glad to hear it wasn’t bad news.
If I recalled, when Piltory had gone to the Empire, he brought only his two wives and a small number of his retainers. Maybe, rather than have his wife give birth in an unfamiliar environment, Piltory felt safer leaving her back home. That seemed fair enough.
However, there was one other thing here that concerned me.
Hakuya’s expression.
Even though he was usually so calm and composed, today he looked a little bit happy.
“...Hakuya, did something good happen?” I asked cautiously.
“Hm? Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?”
“No, you just looked a little giddy.”
“...Do you think so?”
With that, Hakuya returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor. Hmm, had I imagined it? It bothered me slightly, but... Well, it was better than him scowling.
Once Hakuya was done giving me a more detailed report of the things that happened while I was away, Roroa, who was still clinging on to me and seemed sick of waiting, spoke up.
“So, darlin’, is this here the dragon girl you were sayin’ you want to form a contract with?”
When she asked me that, I realized I’d been completely neglecting Naden.
“No, I mean, yes, she’s a dragon, but not a dragon, per se... Wait, Naden?!”
When I looked over, Naden was frozen stiff, staring at me blankly with her jaw dropped. Like a computer that had frozen up because there was too much to process. There were probably all sorts of things going on inside her head, and her expression hadn’t changed for a while now, probably because her emotions couldn’t keep up.
I peeled Roroa off me and waved a hand in front of Naden’s face. “H-Hey, Naden?”
“Kazuma is Souma, and Souma is Yormajesty, so he’s... Yormajesty Kazuma?” Naden faltered.
“I’ve got another weird alias now?! Hey, Naden, get it together!”
“Huh?!”
When I grabbed Naden by the shoulders and shook her while calling out to her, she finally came to her senses. Then, with an angry look on her face, Naden suddenly grabbed me by the collar.
“Hold it, Kazuma! They’re calling you Souma, and Your Majesty, and what the heck is going on here?!”
“Souma... don’t tell me you didn’t tell her anything,” Liscia said to me, clearly exasperated.
“Given my position, I didn’t know if it was okay for me to give her my name or not,” I said. “But... you’re right. It’s about time I did. Erm... Naden?”
“Y-Yeah?”
“My real name is Souma Kazuya. I’m the king of this kingdom, the Kingdom of Friedonia.”
“...”
Naden’s eyes went wide, and she froze stiff. I heard that when people were truly shocked, they lost the ability to speak, and it looked like that was true of ryuus, too.
If we kept talking in the courtyard at night, we were probably all going to come down with colds, so we decided to relocate to a conference room. We sat around a round table, and I gave a rough explanation of how things had gone.
How Madam Tiamat chose to have me come to the Star Dragon Mountain Range ahead of the rest.
How there was a “storm” approaching the Star Dragon Mountain Range.
How she had brought Naden and me together as a means of dealing with it.
How Naden had been the only ryuu in a group of Western-style dragons.
How Naden wanted to form a riding contract with me... Basically, everything.
Liscia and the others hadn’t known what happened after I went to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, while Naden hadn’t known about how I’d gotten there, so I ultimately ended up having to explain everything.
Roroa was the first to open her mouth after hearing everything I had to say. “Well, darn, looks like Mother Dragon’s had ya dancin’ in the palm of her hand all this time. It feels like your meetin’ with Nadie, all of it, was prearranged by her.”
“N-Nadie?” Naden’s eyes went wide at the sudden nickname.
They met less than an hour ago, but she was already being treated like a friend. I was amazed, as always, by how adept at socializing Roroa was. She’ll sidle up close to the other person, and not let them feel one bit of distance from her, after all.
“Well, Mother Dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range is known as a god of matchmaking, you know?” Liscia chimed in.
Roroa shrugged her shoulders. “Even if she is, isn’t it all a little bit too spot-on? For most of the people on this continent, if you say the word ‘dragon,’ they imagine a big lizard with wings. I’d say Darlin’ is about the only person out there who’d’ve been able to realize Nadie was a special and different type of dragon, a ryuu. Since she went and delivered him right to where Nadie was, I’ve gotta say the whole thing feels kinda contrived.”
“I believe Lady Roroa is correct,” Hakuya said in support of Roroa’s opinion. “If I might add, it could be that Mother Dragon... Madam Tiamat... is familiar with your world to some degree. If she was certain that you’d know about ryuus, that means she must have known that the world you came from had a concept of what a ryuu is.”
“Madam Tiamat... knew about the world I came from?” I asked slowly.
She’d known I was a human who came from “Earth,” or from “Japan.” I was sure about that. That being the case, she might have also assumed that I knew about ryuus and the legends of them climbing waterfalls. Was that why she brought Naden and me together?
“Hrm... That didn’t occur to me,” I said. “I should’ve asked more specific questions, huh.”
“I think that would’ve been difficult,” Hakuya replied. “From what you’ve told us, sire, if Madam Tiamat claimed not to have the ‘authority’ to tell you something, you wouldn’t have been able to ask.”
I realized he was probably right. It looked like she was doing as little as possible to influence mankind, after all. It was highly possible.
I noticed Juna was staring hard at Naden’s face.
Naden leaned back a little. “Wh-What? Is there something on my face?”
“No, I just thought your antlers resembled the ones that Grandmother has...”
“They do?”
“Yes,” said Juna. “She’s a member of what’s called the sea serpent race, but she has antlers that are smaller than yours.”
Excel, huh? If I recalled, the sea serpent race had tails and small antlers, and were similar in appearance to Naden in her human form. However, I had a theory about that.
“Excel and the other members of the sea serpent race are said to be descended from a type of sea serpent that’s also called a kouryuu or jiaolong, right?” I asked. “I think those sea serpents might have been ryuus like Naden.”
For instance, with Juna’s family, the Domas, their ancestors were said to have been loreleis. Because loreleis had a human form, it didn’t seem that out of place for them to have been descended from ryuus.
When it came to sea serpents, they were so much larger and shaped so differently, I had been somewhat dubious from the beginning about whether their mating with humans was even possible, much less whether such a mating could produce something like the sea serpent race. But if those “sea serpents” had been ryuus like Naden, all such doubts would melt away.
“The people of this world didn’t know about ryuus,” I said. “Also, Naden was so skilled at swimming that she could swim up the Great Waterfall. If they saw a ryuu who was so skilled at swimming, it wouldn’t be strange for a person in this world to think they were a sea serpent. Meanwhile, like Naden, those ryuus would’ve been able to take on human form, and so they would have been able to leave descendants in the form of the sea serpent race.”
Juna clapped her hands together as if she got it. “I see! So the sea serpent race isn’t half-dragons like the dragonewts, but half-ryuus instead.”
“Well, it’s still just a theory, though.”
“It made perfect sense to me. Then, that makes Naden like a distant relative of mine.”
“Huh? It does?” Naden asked.
When Juna smiled in response, Naden’s cheeks started to loosen for a moment, but then her gaze happened to fall on Juna’s voluptuous chest, and her smile became forced. She looked down to her own modest chest, and her shoulders slumped so hard, you couldn’t help but imagine an exaggerated sound effect.
“There’s no way we’re related...” Naden muttered dispiritedly.
“I dunno what it is, but I’ve got a feelin’ I can get along with this girl.” Roroa nodded sympathetically.
I... had some idea as to why, but I wasn’t about to put my foot in that, so I didn’t touch upon it.
“Anyway, what I’m concerned about now is this ‘storm’ that Madam Tiamat was on guard against,” I said. “It seems it may not affect just the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but this country, too.”
I’d turned the conversation back onto a more serious note, so everyone’s sense of tension returned.
“She said you were the ‘key’ to dealing with that storm, right?” Liscia asked, and I nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah. If I factor in how she knew about Earth, I guess it may have something to do with how I was summoned from another world. Also, it seems she’d chosen Naden as the one to carry me.”
Madam Tiamat had mentioned that she needed me, the key to dealing with it, and a girl who would carry me. It was more or less certain that the girl she meant was Naden. If there was anything I questioned about it, it would be why that girl had to be Naden in particular.
Liscia had her head cocked to the side. “It’s rather vague. This ‘storm’ doesn’t seem like a natural phenomenon, does it?”
“There’s no way it is,” Naden said firmly. She seemed awfully sure of it. “When I’m in my ryuu form, my whiskers are so sensitive that I can tell you what the weather in an area will be like for the next week. If a storm was coming soon, there’s no way I wouldn’t sense it.”
“Seriously?!” I exclaimed. “That’s super convenient!”
If we had Naden, we could start a weather forecast! We could start a weather corner on Chris Tachyon’s news program and broadcast it around the country. In her ryuu form, Naden could probably fly around the country in a day, so if we could use that to put together even a rough weather report, it would be a big help to the people.
I had to have Naden come to the kingdom now!
“Souma... it’s too easy to tell what you’re thinking,” Liscia said to me as I was getting all excited. It was apparently written all over my face.
I felt awkward about it, so I cleared my throat, then got back to the main issue at hand. “A-Anyway, in order to deal with this ‘storm,’ whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll need to go back to the Star Dragon Mountain Range again.”
“I don’t want you sticking your neck into anything dangerous,” Liscia told me with a look of concern. But I couldn’t oblige her.
“If I don’t stick my neck in this now, it’ll be just as bad if the same calamity befalls us later as a result. Besides, I don’t know if this is a problem we can put off dealing with. If I’m going to regret it later, thinking, ‘Why didn’t I do something back then?’ then it’s better to resolve the issue now, while I have Madam Tiamat’s guarantee that I can.”
“Well, yes... that may be true, but...”
I put a hand on the still-dissatisfied Liscia’s shoulder. “Normally, I leave the things I can’t do to those who can. But if there’s something that only I can do, I have to be proactive about doing it. I have to set an example for the people.”
“...Oh, fine, I get it.” Liscia reluctantly accepted.
I stood up and walked over behind Naden’s seat. Then, placing my hands on her shoulders, I said, “In order to deal with this situation, I want to form a dragon knight contract with Naden. What that basically means is that I’d be taking Naden as my fifth fiancĂ©e. Naden’s not the type to be a primary queen, so she’ll probably become a secondary queen, which will give her more freedom.” I looked closely at Liscia, Juna, and Roroa’s faces as I spoke. “But I have no intention of ignoring your feelings. If you have any objections, now is the time to raise them.”
“U-Um... I look forward to working with you.” Naden stood up and bowed her head.
Liscia and the other two looked at one another, but Roroa smiled wryly and threw both of her hands straight up.
“I’m abstainin’. I’ll leave this one to Big Sister Cia as the first primary queen.”
“That makes sense,” said Juna. “I’m a secondary queen, so I’ll abide by Lady Liscia’s decision on this, too.”
The first primary queen was in the position of having to lead the other primary and secondary queens, so this was a natural result, in some ways. Liscia, who had been entrusted with deciding for the two of them, must have understood this, too, because she let out a deep sigh.
“...Let me ask you this, Souma. This girl... you want to take her as your queen, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that your decision as a ruler? Or is it based on your own personal feelings?”
“For the moment, I think it’s more as a ruler.” I didn’t want to say this in front of Naden, but even if I tried to cover it up, Liscia would see right through me. So I decided to honestly tell them how I felt right now. “As a ruler, I don’t want to let such a capable person go. She’ll give me a tie to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and by forming a contract with her, I can appeal to the authority of the first hero king. Besides, Naden’s abilities are appealing, too. Her ability to know the weather, and to manipulate electricity... both of them will allow this country to make great forward strides. I don’t want to give someone so capable to another country. I want her for our country.”
I glanced over at Naden, who had a slightly pained look on her face. I was talking about her like some sort of handy tool, so I could hardly blame her for that. I know it was weird for me to be the one saying it, but it was sickening. Still... in my position as king, I had to factor things like this into my decision-making process.
Liscia understood that, so she just nodded. “Then how do you feel about her on a personal level?”
“I have a good impression of her... but I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “We’ve only just met, after all.”
Naden hung her head.
No, I wasn’t trying to put that sort of look on her face. I wanted to make sure she listened to what I had to say until the end, so I placed a hand on Naden’s shoulder.
“But I think I can come to love her.”
Naden’s face shot up. I smiled at her.
“Unlike all of the other women in this world, Naden isn’t tied down by things like the concerns of her house, or the need to produce an heir. Even in times like these, she has the power to live all by herself if she chooses. Her free spirit reminds me of the women back in my homeland. When I was with Naden, relaxing in her cave, reading books, or watching broadcasts on her simplified receiver, it reminded me of life in my old world. If I have Naden with me, I feel like it’ll keep me from losing sight of who I once was.”
I looked Liscia straight in the eye as I spoke.
“Besides, though Naden’s birth and abilities may be special, she’s an incredibly ordinary girl.”
“Whoa, Souma!” Naden objected.
But I hadn’t meant that in a bad way. The way she laughed, cried, dealt with her complexes, sulked, fell in love... There couldn’t have been many girls in this era who were so girly.
“I find that ordinariness charming,” I said. “So... I’m sure I can love her.”
“I see...” Liscia cast her eyes downward, looking as if she was considering something. Then, when she looked up again, she turned to Naden. “I know how Souma feels now. So... Naden, it’s your turn.”
“O-Okay!” Naden burst out.
Liscia nodded, then turned back to me. “Souma, could you give Naden and me some time alone now?”
Alone... Huh? She wanted to interview Naden privately?!
“That’s...”
“Roroa, Juna, take care of Souma,” Liscia directed.
Roroa and Juna took me firmly by the arms. I tried to shake them off, but they definitely weren’t letting go.
“Well, this’s an order from the future first primary queen, after all, so there ain’t much else we can do about it,” Roroa said.
“Hee hee,” Juna giggled. “I suppose not. We have no other choice here.”
They said they had no choice, but didn’t they kind of seem to be enjoying it?!
When I looked to Hakuya for help...
“It seems this is a family discussion, so I’ll take my leave,” was all he said before quickly leaving the room.
He ran away?!
Liscia took Naden’s hand and started to walk away from us. “Now then, Naden, it’s a bit awkward to do this here, so let’s go back to my room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?” Liscia added, running her fingers through Naden’s long black hair.
“Huh? A bath?”
“Your hair’s all tangled. As a girl, you need to take better care of it. Come, I’ll wash it for you.”
“Huh? We’re going together? Huh?”
Dragging Naden, who was at a total loss for what was happening, along with her, Liscia left the room. I tried to stop her, but Juna and Roroa pulled on me hard.
“No, sire, you can’t do that. It’s best to let girls work these things out themselves.”
“Leave this to Big Sister Cia, darlin’. You stay right here for Nadie’s sake.”
“Juna, Roroa...” I said slowly.
It seemed like everyone had Naden’s best interests in mind. I was happy to see them doing their best to accept her, even if it might have left them with complicated feelings. However, Roroa and Juna’s smiles had an intimidating edge that left no room for dispute.
“Before that, we’re gonna make you tell us what happened between you and Nadie in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and why she likes you so darn much!” Roroa shouted.
“You won’t be getting any sleep tonight, so prepare yourself,” Juna added.
“...Go easy on me, please,” I sighed.
Sorry, Naden. Please, do your best on your end.
“How is it? You’re not itchy anywhere, are you?”
“I-I’m fine...”
I’m Naden. I was currently in a bath, being washed by Lady Liscia.
S-Someone, explain this situation to me!
To calm myself down, I reviewed a little of the situation so far.
In order to form a dragon knight (or, in my case, would it be a ryuu knight?) contract with Kazuma, I had come to the Kingdom of Friedonia where he lived. But I’d been hit with the shocking revelation that Kazuma’s real name was Souma Kazuya, and he was the king (but he wasn’t crowned yet, so only provisionally).
By the time I had landed in the courtyard of Parnam Castle, which, while it obviously wasn’t as impressive as Lady Tiamat’s Crystal Castle, was still respectable, I’d been led into the castle by saluting guards. I met Lady Liscia, the foremost of Kazuma... no, Souma’s fiancĂ©es, who was therefore the future queen of this country. I was so confused I felt like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
Then, Souma had said he wanted to take me as one of his queens.
“U-Um... I look forward to working with you.”
I’d managed to muster that much of a response, and to bow, but the inside of my head was utter chaos.
Huh? Was it really okay for me to marry Souma like this? I’d dreamed of marrying a knight, but Souma was a king, you know?
Sure, there were dragons out there who had married Nothung royalty. But we were talking about Friedonia, a country that had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Empire up until now. Was it really okay for me to become a queen there?
While my mind was still swirling...
“I know how Souma feels now. Next... Naden, it’s your turn.”
One of his fiancées, Lady Liscia, who they said was going to be the first primary queen, spoke to me.
She was a princess with pretty, platinum blonde hair, wearing a brilliant red military uniform. She looked to be about eighteen years old, but had a dignified air about her.
I’d stood up straight and replied, “O-Okay!”
Lady Liscia had stared right at my face, then nodded for some reason and said, “Souma, could you give Naden and me some time alone now?”
Huh? Time alone? The candidate to become first primary queen and me? Wh-What was I going to do?
Was I going to be called “You thieving cat!” like the homewrecker in that one romance novel I’d read before? No, since I was a ryuu, maybe it would be, “You thieving ryuu!” But ryuus had more of an image as protectors, so... Wait, that didn’t matter right now!
“Now then, Naden, it’s a bit awkward to do this here, so let’s go back to my room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?” Lady Liscia had said, and before I knew it, I was being led off to the bath.
And that was how I’d gotten here.
I was buck naked, and an equally naked Lady Liscia was washing my hair for me. Lady Liscia’s clear, white skin made even my heart race, despite being a member of the same gender. I was sitting with my legs in a “W” position, while Lady Liscia stood on her knees behind me, scrubbing my long black hair. While her chest might not have been as large as the blue-haired lady’s, I could feel her very pretty swells pressing against the back of my head.
...Yeah, I needed to say it in my head one more time...
Someone, explain this situation to me!
What in the world was going on here? I had the candidate to become Friedonia’s first primary queen washing my hair for some reason.
I turned to Lady Liscia and hesitantly asked, “Um, Lady Liscia? If I may ask, why exactly are you washing me...?”
“Because your hair was a mess, that’s why. You’ve got good material to work with, so you should pay better attention to your appearance... Well, not that I was one to talk, until recently, at least.”
“I-I see...”
Pai said something similar before, hadn’t she?
Then Liscia grinned. “Also, you can just call me Liscia.”
“I couldn’t. You’re going to be the queen of this country in the future, aren’t you?”
“You came here to become one, too, didn’t you? Souma seems to be charmed by how normal you are, so I’d be happy if you would treat me like you would a friend. Okay, close your eyes now.”
“Ah...!”
I closed my eyes when she said that, and then she poured a bucket of hot water over my head. The soap suds that were stuck to my head were washed away, and my hair clung tightly to my skin. I shook my head vigorously.
When she saw me do that, Lady Liscia... Liscia gave me a wonderful smile.
“You’re like Tomoe when you do that.”
“Tomoe?”
“My adopted little sister. She’s an eleven-year-old mystic wolf girl, and she’s just the cutest.”
“Really? I might want to meet her, then...”
“If you marry Souma, she’ll be like your little sister, too. Be nice to her.”
While talking about things like that, we got into the tub. It was a large, round tub, and three women could have fit into it easily. While I was still feeling tense, I sunk myself into the water.
“Just so you know, this bath is exclusively for members of the king’s family,” Liscia, who was soaking in the water across from me, explained. “I often bathe here with Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Tomoe.”
“Family... D-Does Souma come in here with you, too, sometimes?” My heart raced at the thought.
Liscia shook her head with a wry laugh. “Souma says, ‘We’re lucky enough to have a nice big tub in the castle, so I’d rather use that one,’ so he’s always going to the bathing area used by the castle guards. He plans his trips there around when there won’t be many people there.”
“I-I see...”
“Did you want to get in this tub with Souma, Naden?” Liscia teased.
“No! I think I’d still be a little... embarrassed...” Burble, burble.
Wait, what did I mean, “still”?! Hold on! I know I was the one who said it, but that was way too embarrassing!
I sank my face half way into the water. Liscia watched me with a smile.
“Naden... You wanted to form a dragon knight contract with Souma, right? That basically means you want to be his wife...”
“...Yeah.”
“What made you decide you wanted to marry Souma?”
Liscia was looking me straight in the eye. The look on her face was a gentle one, but she wouldn’t look away, and was trying to thoroughly evaluate what kind of person I was. Even if I gave her a nice-sounding answer to get into her good graces, she’d see through me in no time.
That’s why I straightened my back and answered with my honest feelings.
“Because... Souma showed me the me I had never known!” I decided to stand up in the tub, and hit her with exactly how I felt. “He taught me that I was a type of dragon called a ryuu. He taught me how to fly. He taught me what I always wanted to know, about what sort of being I am. That’s why I want to be with Souma, the one who understands me! I want to be the dragon Souma rides!”
“I heard all of that in Souma’s explanation,” Liscia said quietly. “But can you say with certainty that those feelings are your own? Madam Tiamat was the one who sent Souma to your side, wasn’t she?”
She’d hit upon a sore point. But... if I backed down here, what kind of woman would I be?
I brought my hand to my chest, then looked straight back into her eyes. “You’re right, Madam Tiamat may have arranged for Souma and me to meet. But, I can say without a doubt, my desire to be with Souma is entirely my own.”
Liscia’s eyes went wide when she heard my once-in-a-lifetime confession.
I turned the question on Liscia. “Or what... Are you going to tell me that a love that starts out prearranged by someone else isn’t real love?”
I felt a little sad as I said it.
Liscia leaned forward hard, sinking the upper half of her body into the water with a splash. She stayed like that, with nothing more than bubbles rising to the surface. Was it about ten seconds that she stayed under? I got worried, so I called out to her.
“U-Um... Liscia?”
“Bwah!”
With a loud splash, Liscia came back up. Wh-What was that?! I sat back down in the tub, and Liscia shook the water from her hair, scratching at her cheek awkwardly.
“Sorry. Your confession there made me feel a little embarrassed myself.”
“Wha?! What are you saying, Liscia?!”
“Like I said, sorry. But you had the perfect comeback there. Is a love that starts out prearranged by someone else not real love? If you put it that way, mine was the same, and I don’t think any of the others could argue with you, either. I mean, all of our meetings were arranged in some way.”
Liscia smiled as if indulging in fond memories.
“My betrothal to Souma was something my parents just went and did without consulting me. When my father, the former king, abdicated in favor of Souma, he announced our betrothal as a way of cementing Souma’s legitimacy. It was so sudden that, at the time, I got really upset and stormed into my father’s room.”
“R-Really?”
I was surprised to learn Souma and Liscia’s relationship had started that way. Especially after seeing how deeply they trusted one another.
“It’s not just me. She’s not here right now, but the candidate to become second primary queen, Aisha, came to make a direct appeal to Souma so that he’d do something for her homeland. Juna, the one with the blue hair, was a spy sent by the current commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Excel, to judge whether Souma was fit to be king. Roroa, the one who talks in merchant slang, was formerly the princess of a hostile country, you know? She decided to marry Souma to force him to look after her people, who were impoverished and suffering from food scarcity.”
I was speechless. If everything she’d just said was true, not one of Souma’s fiancĂ©es had met and fallen in love with him under ordinary circumstances. No, I’d been reading romance novels, so I knew that the restrictions placed on people by their families could get involved in their love lives. And the view that dragons took on love, with their marriage to a knight practically already decided, wasn’t much better... But still!
“And... none of you are dissatisfied?” I asked hesitantly.
Liscia grinned. “You were the one who said a love prearranged by someone else can still be real love, Naden. I think that no matter what brought us together, what’s really important is the time you spend together after that.”
Liscia moved over next to me. Right now, she and I were sitting so close our shoulders were almost touching.
With a gleeful look in her eye, Liscia said, “To tell you the truth, I was a little worried.”
“Worried?”
“We’ve all overcome a lot of things together with Souma. Like getting this country back on its feet, the war with Amidonia, and the negotiations that came after. It was coming through all of that together that’s forged the tight bond we have between us. We’re like a family.”
Family...
Liscia continued to speak. “That’s why I was concerned... about whether you’d join us in that, and whether you could get used to that family atmosphere. Souma places great importance on how much we feel like a family. That’s because we’re the family that Souma finally found after his sole remaining relatives in his original world, his grandmother and grandfather, passed away.”
I couldn’t say a word. I’d been thinking of my own feelings first, but Liscia had been thinking about Souma and their family. I could see why Souma trusted her.
This is... the kind of resolve it takes to be the first primary queen, I realized.
In a show of concern for me, who had lost the ability to speak, Liscia continued in a peaceful tone. “If it seemed like you wouldn’t be able to fit in to this atmosphere, I intended to oppose your contract. If you couldn’t become a member of the family, I don’t think that Souma or I, or even you yourself, Naden, would be happy with that. I wanted to see for myself whether you could or not, and that’s why I arranged for us to be alone together.”
Liscia turned and looked me straight in the eyes.
“So, Naden, do you think you can fit in? Do you think you can think, not just of Souma, but the rest of us as family, too? If you can... we’ll welcome you.”
I looked at my own feelings. I didn’t have Liscia’s resolve yet. But... that was only true for now.
“I don’t really understand this ‘family’ stuff,” I admitted. “We dragons will protect the blood relatives of our contractors to the death, but we aren’t really a race with a strong concept of family.”
“I see...”
“Still, that’s all the more reason why I know the loneliness of solitude. I’m a ryuu, and was even more isolated compared to the other dragons, so I understand how gratifying it is to have friends, the glee of finding someone who understands you, and Souma’s desire to have someone at his side. So...” I stood up, turned to Liscia, and bowed my head to her. “Please, make me a member of your family.”
While my eyes were shut tight, and I was waiting for Liscia’s response, something touched my hands, which were resting on my lap. I opened my eyes to find that Liscia had taken my hand. Then, hand in hand with me, Liscia stood up, too, turning to me with a grin.
“Naden Delal, as the candidate to be Souma’s first primary queen, I welcome you. Thank you for coming to this country, coming to be with Souma.”
“Liscia...”
“Hee hee! The way we are now, you’d think it was the two of us who were getting married.”
“Ahaha, you might be right.”
We were holding hands, bare naked. What was with this arrangement?
“Oh, but you have to get permission from Aisha, who isn’t here now, okay?” Liscia added.
“Urkh... I-I’ll try my best.”
“Well, if Souma asks her, I’m sure Aisha will be okay with it.” With that said, “Mmm...” Liscia stretched herself wide. “Now, I’m feeling a little lightheaded, so maybe it’s time we got out.”
“Sure.”
“Oh, right, Naden. If you’ll come to my room, there was something I wanted you to help me with.”
“Something you want me to help you with?”
What could that mean?
Liscia had a mischievous smile on her face.
“Phew...”
It was the next day. I was in the governmental affairs office, looking through the pile of papers Hakuya had handed me, saying, “Since you’re here anyway, please look through these important documents.” But... I was super sleepy.
Roroa and Juna put me through the wringer last night, asking me all sorts of questions about what had happened with Naden, so I was a little sleep deprived. But, well, maybe it was best to do what I could now.
It had been decided that Naden and I would return to the Star Dragon Mountain Range within the day.
I already reported back to Liscia and the others about Naden, and what Madam Tiamat had been saying about the storm bothered me, too. The plan was to pick up Aisha and the rest on our way there.
While I was working, there was a knock at the door and Liscia and Naden came in.
Seeing how Naden looked when she entered the room, I let out an impressed “Wow...”
When she noticed me staring at her, Naden glared back at me, blushing, and said, “Wh-What...?”
“Nah, I was just thinking you look real pretty now.”
“P-Pretty?!”
I thought Naden had good material to work with, but she had been unconcerned with her appearance, and her hair had been full of kinks, so it was hard to be sure of her full potential. But now that Naden was wearing her straight, long, smooth, black hair down, she had a neat and tidy beauty, like a yamato nadeshiko, the hypothetical ideal Japanese woman. It seemed she’d gone for a bath with Liscia after what had happened, so Liscia must have given her a good washing then.
“Yeah, I think you’re real cute.”
“Aww... Um... Thanks.” Naden managed to force out just that much as a reply. The way she was acting was so innocent and cute, too.
...Yeah, Naden looked fine. Naden did.
Pressing my fingers against my temples, I looked at the other one, who was an actual problem.
“Liscia... What do you think you’re doing dressed like that?”
“This doesn’t look good on me?” Liscia turned around slowly, giving me a good look at her outfit.
“If you’re asking how that looks on you, of course you look amazing in it! But what I’m asking is why you’re wearing that sort of outfit.”
Right now, Liscia was wearing a chest plate, among other things, over the top of a shirt and pants. It was what you might call the adventurer look. In that getup, she wouldn’t have looked out of place in Juno and Dece’s party. Behind her, I could see what looked like luggage.
No matter how I looked at her, she was ready to travel. She was blatantly planning to tag along with me.
“...Liscia, I asked you to stay behind in the castle, didn’t I?”
“‘We can’t have the top guy and his number two both away for that long.’ That was your reasoning, right? I heard from Naden that you made it from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to here in about two hours, right? If we can come right back in the event of an emergency, there’s no reason I should have to hold down the fort, now is there?”
“That... might be true, yes...”
“Ahhhhh!” Roroa entered the room and shouted out loud when she saw how Liscia was dressed. “Big Sis Cia, that’s no fair! You’re clearly plannin’ to go with him!”
“I can’t condone you trying to steal a march on the rest of us, Lady Liscia.” Juna was the next to raise a complaint.
Liscia put her hands together, as if pleading for forgiveness. “Someone needs to persuade Aisha, so let me go. Naden says she’ll make trips back and forth between our destination and here, so the two of you can come later, okay?”
“Hrmph... Well, if that’s how ya say it is,” Roroa said grudgingly.
“We’ll just have to accept it...” Juna murmured.
The two of them accepted it?! Huh? She was really coming with me?
“Okay, Souma. Let’s go to the Star Dragon Mountain Range and lay our claim to Naden!”
“...”
Having gained the permission of the other two, Liscia said that to me with a broad grin.
Was this really okay? While I was still holding my head in my hands, Naden patted me on the shoulder to comfort me.