7-15. Various Japanese People
Satou's here. I'm lumping the Japanese people together, but from color of udon to dialect, there are various differences in the east, west, south and north of Japan. I wonder if it's because of the information-oriented society, those special characteristics have been fading away in recent years, it's quite sad.
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The princess' entourages, Yui and Aoi pondered if me, who's called Satou, and has black hair and black eyes, is a Japanese. It doesn't seem that they're aware of Arisa's name.
The girl before me, Yui, is summoned from Southern Japan Federation in a country separated to north and south. The kind of country's setting that's often found in fictitious military stories. It seems to be a real country from what she's said, I guess I shouldn't say 'setting' out loud.
However, I've thought that I could easily go home if I just go to Saga empire, but if there are parallel worlds, I have to rethink my plan. Although from the start, I don't intend to go back until after the livelihood of Arisa, Liza and the others are guaranteed here, so it's fine.
"By Japan, do you mean the illustrious country referred by hero-sama?"
"Satou-san isn't from one?"
"My house has always given the name of the eldest son, Satou, for generations long. It's said that our ancestor is a Saga empire hero, but there's no hero called Satou if we trace back the generations of Saga empire's hero, so it's probably a fake story."
This setting is finally used. I thought that I wouldn't have the chance to use it even though I had prepared it. Supported with deception skill, it seems that Yui believes me.
Arisa speaks to Yui from my side.
"Hey, what kind of country is Southern Japan Federation?"
"Hm? It's an amazing country you know, there are mass of irons flying in the air, a lot of them fly until the heaven, it's bright even during the night."
"Hee, are there a lot of delicious food?"
"Fufuhn~, right eh, there are a lot of things that you've never eaten before, like--"
Apparently, it seems to be a different Japan than Arisa's own. When they bring up the subject to the Aoi boy, he's also started talking about
various matters.
While listening to the three's conversation, I talk to princess Menea.
They wouldn't have come here just to make sure if I'm another Japanese.
"Your highness, I've thought that only Saga empire can summon heroes, are these girls taking refuge from the empire?"
"No, it's different. These girls were summoned by our kingdom."
"P, princess. E,err, chevalier-sama, please keep the talk just now a secret, please."
I didn't think that she would answer frankly.
Still, it's not good to disclose such information to nobles from other kingdom right. Miss Poni hurriedly stopped the princess, but the essential point had been said.
"I really want to keep this a secret, but since this is concerning the matter of national defense, I have no choice but to tell this to my master and the royalties."
Poni-san who thinks that my statements is really reasonable, moans with, "au au", and cannot find any points to oppose it. It looks like she's not an excellent politician like Arisa and Nina-san. If it's those two, they would immediately try to bargain until I could be kept silent.
"Ufufu, Satou-sama, please don't bully us too much, you will keep it a secret."
The princess declared so confidently.
I wonder what's her basis?
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"Satou-sama is a retainer of the neighboring baron Muno territory's lord aren't you."
"Even though I'm a retainer (of a baron), I'm of the lowest ranked honorary Chevalier."
Right now, I'm alone with the princess at a garden's arbor. The place can be seen from the room we've just been earlier. Thickets are hiding the place we're sitting, so people can't see us.
When she invited me to a walk, I thought that she was going to talk something that Yui and Aoi shouldn't hear, but I was surprised that she even left Poni-san in the room.
When we arrived at the arbor, I took a seat in front of her, but she deliberately went to sit beside me.
We're not talking about the summoning, but only about me. It looks like she's heard a lot of rumor about me when she was visiting her knights, so she becomes interested in me.
It can't be that she's seducing me?
--Not. I cut off the momentary convenient imagination of mine. Even though it's a small kingdom, there's no reason why the kingdom's princess would fall for me.
Let's return back the topic to about summoning.
"It seems that her highness believes that I would keep it a secret, why is that?"
"Even if I come from a small kingdom, I'm still a princess. I can discern people who's trying to gain favors."
Hoo? That is amazing.
"I don't feel that Satou-sama is going to make use of those girls and me. The reason why you bullied us was because you were trying to get information from me right?"
Yes, that's exactly right.
Then, let's frankly ask her.
"Your highness."
"Menea."
Taking my momentum, the princess overlaps her word with mine. Your face is close princess.
"Please call me Menea. Satou-sama."
"I understand, Menea-sama."
She seems satisfied with me calling her name, and shortly goes back to sit. She doesn't seem to care that I use 'sama'.
"Is Rumooku kingdom able to summon Japanese people since olden days?"
"No, the one who summoned them was my aunt, the king's litle sister, her highness Yuriko."
She casually used 'was' huh. Additionally, "Yuriko", means that she was a reincarnated person huh?
"It's just as you've guessed. Her highness Yuriko was a reincarnated Japanese person. She said that she was murdered by a thug when she was an elementary schooler in her previous life. She declared to the people that she met the god when she was reincarnating; she should have been revered as a saintess, but due to her ominous colored hair and pupils, no one believed her words."
Ominous color huh, it must be violet like Arisa.
"In our country, the direct line of the royal family who had pink hair like me was regarded the most, so her situation was difficult."
This is something that I hear later, but the reason why pink hair is regarded the most is because when her ancestor meets the ancestor king Yamato, the ancestor king declares, "Pink hair is the treasure of the world. Hereafter, Shiga kingdom will enter eternal non-aggression treaty with this country." Isn't Yamato-san a person of the olden days? I somehow imagine the person to be like someone from Akihabara....
"Her highness Yuriko asked for three wishes, [Power to Connect Worlds], [Eternal Youth], and [Beauty], to the god. However, I don't know if she's angered the god, Beauty is the only thing she doesn't get."
It's like Lulu's case I guess. She couldn't have imagined that the world had different standard of looks.
However, I feel like the other two skills are too different from [Power to Connect Worlds]. Did she intend to go back and forth between the previous world and here?
"When she used her [Power to Connect Worlds] for the first time, she summoned a monster that massacred nearby maids."
Afterwards, to see if it could be used for military purpose, she used [Power to Connect Worlds] after preparing the knights to stand by, but nothing came out beside one rabbit.
"Just as that happened, weaselkin magicians visited the castle while carrying a certain item."
Weasels again huh. They're active behind the scene like the demons.
"They knew about her highness [Power to Connect Worlds] from somewhere. They tried to sell the king the magic tool they had brought along, saying that it could be used with her highness' power to summon heroes."
At first the king showed his disapproval, but he got persuaded by the skillful talks of the weaselkins. It was also immediately after the annihilation of the neighboring small kingdom by the weaselkins, so he couldn't exactly refuse them.
And then, Japanese people began to get summoned, but--
"Among all the Japanese people who had been summoned, no one was as strong or had unique skills like the hero."
There's also possibility of them hiding their ability, but the princess denies while saying that it's absolutely impossible since there's a curse that won't let them disobey the summoner. Unlike the king's little sister, no one met the god. It's the same pattern as me.
"By no one, that means there aren't just the two girls?"
"Yes, there are total eight people who had been summoned."
The first and the second summoned ones began to scream eccentrically immediately after they had been summoned and tried to get close to the royalties, so they were executed by the guard knights. They might had just tried to understand their situation while speaking in Japanese language, pitiable.
The third one is a man in his late teens, he slipped out of the castle the day he was given the translation ring and seemed to have died in the forest, eaten by monsters. When the soldiers had caught up to him, the monsters were devouring him, and only his hand with the translation ring on the finger was left.
The fourth one is a man in his 30s. He attacked a noble who was on an inspection during his battle training, and got executed. After living peacefully in Japan, he had to undergone military training every day to the point of vomiting blood, he went mad.
When I overlap his situation with mine, a chill run downs my spine. If I were to be left alone in a wasteland without unique skills, I would probably end up similar to him.
The fifth one is a woman on the later half of her twenties, after she was given translation ring and explained of her situation, she committed suicide on the evening of that day.
"Why did she kill herself?"
"We honestly told her that there was no way to return her home."
"Is there none? Couldn't she just use that [Power to Connect Worlds] again?"
"The magic tool Motara from the weaselkins did help connect to [Parallel World Japan], but the connected world was always different every time. They didn't know why it could not connect to the same world."
The princess is talking detachedly, but when she's talking about the weaselkins, her words get a bit harsh.
"And then, the sixth was Aoi, and the seventh was Yui."
She cuts her words there.
"When the last, eighth person was summoned, a senior demon attacked the castle that day, her highness Yuriko and the people involved with the summoning were all killed. The eighth summoned person was abducted by the demon, and half of my country was burned in half jest by the demon."
It seems Oyugock dukedom provided funds to help rebuild the kingdom. It was the duke who want Yui and Aoi to go with her to study together at Oritsu academy.
And then, it seems that the upper nobles of Rumooku and Shiga kingdom have known about this.
I finally understand the reason why she could declare "I will keep it a secret" now. There's no meaning anyway if the people I would report already know. There's a high possibility that baron Muno doesn't know about this, but as a lord he is, he's a legitimate senior noble.
I'm bothered with the whereabout of that eighth person, but I wonder why she's talking about it like this?
"Reason is it? There was an oracle. It was prophesied that I would meet my destined person in this kingdom. And I think that you are my destined person."
Umm, I don't understand what you mean, you know?
Are you sharing your secret to your destined person or something?
She drew her body closer to me while spinning her words together with entranced sigh. Her hands which she's put on my upper arm are trembling.
The stare from her passionate blue eyes draw men in. She's a bit young, but I'm charmed by her alluring gaze and small gestures. Above all, the abundant swelling that are being pressed on my upper arm are nice. It might be fine to get swept away by the atmosphere like this, and when I think about it a bit, she's attractive.
However, I wonder why. Reasons returns to her eyes even though they have been so passionate.
As if being lured by that, my interest also rapidly declines.
These following three messages are displayed a lot in queue of my log.
>Mind Magic: Resisted Calm Field
>Mind Magic: Resisted <>
>Mind Magic: Resisted Frank Principle (Flat Rule)
It was Arisa huh.
It seems that she's used her unique skill that's finally available again, Never Give Up.
The evidence is the, [Mind Magic: Failed in Resisting Frank Principle (Flat Rule)], that are in the log.
I'll tell her GJ this time. Since I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. I really do have to play around to vent out once in a while after all.