CH 146

Farewell to the Thunder Princess

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by Zil

When Raidorl and Neimilia returned to the palace, Célia  was just getting into her carriage.

The carriage, bearing the national emblem of the Alsatian Empire, had been sent by the emperor from a neighbouring country to pick her up.

The carriage was flanked by more than a hundred knights, and behind her were the maids of honour who had been sent to look after her.

“Oh, Onii-san! And Neimilia,…..! Where have you been? I thought you weren’t coming to see me off!”

Célia’s blue eyes catch sight of Raidorl and Neimilia. When she sees them together, she puts her hands on her hips and shouts angrily.

Célia raises her eyebrows and gets angry. Normally she prefers shorts and miniskirts for ease of movement, but she is wearing an unusually long yellow dress, and even has makeup on her face.

She usually has a very young face, but today, with her makeup on, she looks more mature than usual, and An unbelievably beautiful face was turned towards Raidorl.

“Aaa. I’ve got some business to attend to and it’s taken me a while.”

“Mufufufu, I’m on a date with my master! Are you jealous -?”

“Muuuu…… that’s not fair! If you’re going to play, you’ll have to invite me too!”

To Neimilia, who says in an agitated tone Célia stomps her foot on the ground and shows her anger. The maidservant beside her began to panic at the behaviour, which seemed to spoil her elegant dress.

An imperial princess and a maid. They were clearly of different statuses, but the tone of voice between Ceilia and Neimilia was clearly uncomfortable.

The imperial knight looks dubious at the familiarity of the two girls. In spite of this, Célia came up to Neimilia unprotected and took her hand.

“Well, it’s okay! Neimilia is my friend, so I’ll give her a special pass. More importantly, …… this is goodbye. I’ll miss you.”

“If you are so lonely, why don’t you stay here?　If you become the master’s wife, you can stay with him forever.”

“I’m not going to ………… that.”

She seemed to be thinking about it for some reason, but then she noticed the disapproving eyes around her and shook her head.

“I’m the princess of the Empire. Instead of staying in the Kingdom of Zain, I have to defend the Empire with this sword.”

She declares this clearly, patting the sword on her hip.

Once cursed by Raidorl, the power of the holy sword was sealed, but the fetters had already been removed.

Claíomh Solas responded to it’s master’s voice by sending a crackle of pale thunderbolts from its hilt.

“And …… I want to go back to the Empire and refine my sword skills. I’ve been on the losing side since I came here.”

She was defeated by Raidorl at Blaine Fortress and by Granard in his magic armor at Zain’s Capital.

She no longer conceived of herself as a strong woman. She wanted to train herself again.

“So,……I’m going to get stronger and challenge onii-san to another fight!　Until then, I’m not going to let anyone else beat me!”

“That’s scary. But I can assure you that I will not lose …….”

Célia, who is very assertive. Raidorl replied with a wry smile.

“Nn!”

“Mu..”

Célia  thrusts out her clenched fist.

Raising an eyebrow, Raidorl smashes his own fist into Célia’s.

“I promise……I will definitely come back to this country again, stronger!　So make sure you protect this country, Onii-san!”

“Of course. I’m the regent of this country.”

Even when the witches come. When the apostles come. The demons come.

And no matter what enemy stands in Raidorl’s way, he will never be defeated. This is something that he had already made up his mind about, without needing Célia  to tell him.

“Your Highness ……, are you ready?”

An old man stepped forward from among the knights of the guard, who looked as if they were saying goodbye.

General Gracos Barzen of the Imperial Army’s Western Invasion Force. He is an old man who was captured by Neimilia at the Battle of Blaine Fortress and imprisoned as a hostage against Célia.

Having made peace with the Empire, he too was free to go.

Behind Barzen is his second-in-command, Dallas Safaris, looking as diligent as ever.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Grandpa. So long,….. onii-san, Neimilia. I’ll see you soon!”

“Aaa, Good luck.”

“Take care! Next time we see each other, let’s have a ‘sanpi’ this time, us and the master!”

(TL:3some. ‘さんぴー’) 

“Let me think about it!”

Célia buzzed and waved cheerfully as she disappeared into the carriage.

Was it a mistake from Raidorl to see something shining at the corner of Célia’s eyes?

A carriage bearing the national emblem of the Empire began to move slowly forward, with Barzen in the lead, followed by the knights of the guard.

The half-year-long stay of the Imperial Princess Célia Von Althlein had come to an end, and the paths of the two sword-bearers were once again divided.

“……You were a noisy girl right to the end.”

“But she was very pretty. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

“…………….”

Raidorl watched the carriage leave the palace with a strange sense of loss, almost close to loneliness.