Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 88: Sophia and Liana Reunite
—Thor’s Perspective—
We were in Princess Sophia’s residence in Noza Town.
Agnis and I were having tea in the sitting room.
“So we wait here until Princess Sophia and her sister finish talking.”
We had come to Noza Town to discuss the investigation into the magical beasts.
We arrived early, so we waited near the town gate for Princess Sophia to return.
I certainly hadn’t expected to encounter Princess Liana there.
“…I had no idea she was a princess,”
Agnis said beside me.
“She spoke to us normally too. She wasn’t arrogant in the slightest…”
“Exactly.”
She was completely different from the image I had formed of Princess Liana.
Even so, there was no doubt that she was Princess Sophia’s younger twin sister.
Soleil, the winged pixie, had sensed light magic coming from her.
“Thank you for finding Princess Liana, Soleil.”
“It was an honor to be of service.”
Soleil replied while curled up in her white-cat form on my lap.
On the chair beside me, Agnis and Lune—who was in her black-cat form—both nodded.
Soleil and Lune had reached town ahead of us.
When we met them at the teahouse, Soleil had told me,
“I sense light magic from that girl that’s extremely similar to Princess Sophia’s.”
That was what she had said.
Once I looked closely at the girl calling herself Layla, I realized that she did resemble Princess Sophia.
They were about the same height.
They had the same eye color and the same shape of jaw.
When I imagined her hair dyed cherry-blossom pink, she looked almost exactly like Princess Sophia.
Only then did I realize that she was Princess Liana.
Afterward, I asked Lune to inform Princess Sophia.
Then we caught up with Princess Liana after she left town.
Thanks to that, Princess Sophia and Princess Liana were safely reunited.
“Still, it’s strange.”
Agnis tilted her head.
“Why would an imperial princess disguise herself to enter this town? And why would she try to leave without meeting Princess Sophia?”
“I wondered the same thing.”
If Princess Liana had come to investigate the magical beasts, there would have been no reason to disguise herself. It was also peculiar that she had brought only one subordinate.
If she had come to see Princess Sophia, leaving without doing so made even less sense.
And when she finally reunited with her sister, Princess Liana had looked ready to burst into tears.
“I really don’t understand what kind of person Princess Liana is.”
All I knew was that she had wielded the Holy Sword during the battle against the magical beast Gargarossa.
Afterward, she had tried to recruit me to make magic items for the imperial family, but Rukie had firmly refused her request.
Yet the Princess Liana I had just met hadn’t behaved arrogantly at all.
She had treated us kindly even though she believed we were ordinary townspeople.
She seemed like an entirely different person from the one I had heard about.
“Well, I’m simply glad Princess Sophia is happy.”
“Agnis is glad too.”
“Yes.” “Indeed.”
Agnis and I exchanged glances and nodded. Soleil and Lune did the same.
Princess Sophia and Princess Liana were speaking upstairs.
To avoid disturbing the sisters’ reunion, no one else was permitted on the second floor.
“I wonder what they’re talking about…”
We continued sipping our tea as we waited for their conversation to end.
—Sophia’s Perspective—
“It’s been a long time since we spoke like this, hasn’t it, Liana?”
Sophia, still dressed in her gown, addressed her younger twin sister.
It felt strange to see Liana in her private room here in Noza Town.
Her chestnut-brown hair and village-girl clothing made the sight stranger still.
When Sophia had spotted her from the carriage, she hadn’t recognized Liana at all.
She had merely sensed something strangely familiar about the hooded girl.
Shortly after Sophia returned to the residence, however, the winged pixie Lune had arrived with a message:
“Soleil found a girl with powerful light magic. Could she perhaps be Your Highness’s younger sister?”
That was what Lune had said.
Sophia had then left town in disguise with Isaac.
Meanwhile, Thor and Agnis had delayed Liana long enough for Sophia to catch up.
That was how Sophia had managed to reunite with her twin sister.
And yet—
“Please raise your head, Liana.”
Her twin sister had kept her head bowed the entire time.
She wouldn’t meet Sophia’s eyes, as though facing a stranger for the first time.
“It’s been so long since we last saw each other. What’s wrong?”
“I… I don’t know anymore.”
After a long pause, Liana spoke in a faint voice.
“The person in front of me… you really are Sophia-oneesan, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I’m your twin sister, Sophia.”
Sophia leaned closer and peered into Liana’s face.
“Why would you ask me that?”
“Because… the sister standing before me is so different from the sister I knew.”
“I see.”
Sophia nodded in understanding.
Liana had known only the frail Sophia who lived in the imperial capital.
Naturally, she would be surprised to find her sister walking energetically through town and taking part in its governance.
“No wonder you’re confused, Liana.”
I should keep the footbaths and fizzy baths secret, Sophia thought.
(It would be best not to let the Empire learn the full extent of Thor Canaan-sama’s abilities.)
(Though it pains me to conceal things from Liana…)
With those thoughts in mind, Sophia continued.
“My health improved after I came to the border. Perhaps it was the climate, the change in food, or the magical energy of the land—I can’t say for certain. But I became well enough to go outside like this.”
“Is that why you can now confront magical beasts, Sister?”
“What?”
“The land’s magical power allowed you to summon guardian spirits, awakened your ability to speak with animals, made the Demon Lord’s Domain acknowledge you, and even led you to discover a hot spring, didn’t it?”
“Liana… what in the world are you talking about?”
“I truly understood nothing about you, Sister…”
Liana murmured with hollow eyes.
“You awakened as a Hero… The next time I see you, perhaps wings will have sprouted from your back and you’ll be flying through the sky. Sister… you evolved… you super-evolved…”
“Pull yourself together, Liana!”
Sophia seized her sister by the shoulders and shook her until Liana finally explained the rumors she had heard in town.
After listening to the entire story, Sophia sighed in exasperation.
“You really are silly, Liana.”
Just as she had when they were children, Sophia gently poked her little sister’s forehead.
“Who accepts every rumor at face value? You’ve always been terribly bad at judging things like this.”
“Then they were only rumors?”
“Yes. The stories must have grown more exaggerated each time they were repeated.”
“So you didn’t fight magical beasts, seal them with guardian spirits, speak with animals, gain the Demon Lord’s recognition, or discover a hot spring?”
“They were rumors. Not every part of them… was true…”
“…Thank goodness.”
All the strength left Liana’s body.
She collapsed into a chair and looked at her sister through tear-filled eyes.
“I was so frightened. I thought… perhaps you had become a completely different person. And…”
“And?”
“I never truly considered your feelings, Sister.”
With those words, Liana bowed her head.
“After Grandfather Zagran disappeared… and you were gone too… I had no idea what to do. I had never really made decisions for myself.”
“Liana…”
“I always believed I was protecting you. I thought that if I earned enough achievements, your position would improve and we would someday be able to live together again. That was why I would do anything to produce results. I didn’t care whether I used myself or other people as tools…”
Her voice trembled.
Tears spilled from eyes the same color as Sophia’s.
“But that was only my selfish assumption. Grandfather Zagran… sent you to a place like this without my even knowing…”
Liana continued without wiping away her tears.
“After you left, I was so anxious… I couldn’t decide anything on my own. I believed I had been protecting you, but in truth, you had always been protecting me. Then I was assigned to investigate the border… and His Grace the Archduke told me to come see you…”
“It’s all right now, Liana.”
Before she realized it, Sophia had wrapped her arms around her sister.
Just as when they were children, she gently stroked Liana’s back.
“You warned me so many times not to believe Grandfather Zagran blindly, Sister… but I refused to listen. I was obsessed with achievements. That’s why…”
“It’s all right now. You don’t need to cry anymore, Liana.”
Sophia continued gently stroking her sister’s back.
She felt partly responsible for the way Liana had been raised.
Zagran, the Minister of Military Affairs, had attempted to shape Liana into an instrument of his own ambition.
He had used his position as her tutor to mold her into a tool for his advancement.
Although Sophia had recognized what he was doing, she had been unable to stop him. Confined to the detached palace, all she could do was warn Liana.
And Zagran’s teachings had, unfortunately, aligned with the Empire’s ideals.
However, Liana had experienced defeat during the Battle to Subjugate the Magical Beast Gargarossa in the Demon Lord’s Domain.
A magical beast had defeated her, and the people of the Demon Lord’s Domain had saved her.
It wasn’t merely a defeat at the claws of a magical beast; it was also a defeat of the values the Empire had taught her.
The Demon Lord’s Domain—or, more precisely, Thor, who had created the magic item responsible for their victory—had taught Liana what defeat truly meant.
That had probably become Liana’s turning point.
(Thank you, Thor Canaan. And thank you as well, Demon Lord Rukie.)
In her heart, Sophia offered her gratitude to Thor and Rukie.
“…Onee-san.”
“Yes, Liana? What is it?”
“Will you return to the imperial capital with me?”
Liana looked at Sophia with eyes swollen from crying.
“From now on, I’ll achieve accomplishments no one can rival. I’ll defeat the new species of magical beasts and capture whoever controls them. Once I have achieved that, I’ll ensure you can return to the capital, Onee-san!”
“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need such accomplishments.”
“Onee-san?”
“I intend to live here, in the borderlands.”
Sophia answered with a smile.
At the sight of it, Liana’s eyes widened.
“I’ve never seen you smile so happily, Onee-san…”
“Is that so?”
“It’s strange. Did something happen to you here?”
“I found a purpose for my life.”
Sophia closed her eyes and pressed one hand to her chest.
Thinking of the person who had once touched that very place, she declared,
“My life—the life of Sophia Dorgalia—will be devoted to the peace and prosperity of these borderlands. If my status as a princess becomes an obstacle, I’ll cast it aside. I’ll do so for the sake of someone precious whom I found here.”
“…Onee-san.”
“I suppose that sounded rather dramatic.”
Sophia gave a small smile.
To her, however, the words were a vow.
They were a declaration to her twin sister that she had found something truly important.
“I found someone I cherish, and I have decided to devote my life to that person.”
“…I don’t quite understand.”
“I see. Perhaps it’s still a little early for you, Liana.”
“But Onee-san, we’re the same age. We’re twins, remember?”
“Yes, that’s true. I’m sorry, Liana.”
“Onee-san… you really have changed.”
Liana released a long sigh.
“I… was unable to change at all. How did we become so different when we’re twins?”
“Perhaps… because I was weak.”
“Because you were weak?”
“I was frail and had no ability to fight. The person I admire… also possessed no combat skills. Because of that, the Empire treated both of us as weak.”
Sophia continued.
“But precisely because we were weak, we were always searching for ways to survive.”
Confined to the detached palace, Sophia had read countless books and learned about the age of Heroes and the affairs of the Empire.
Thor, too, had refined his alchemy so that he could survive.
Now both of them were putting the knowledge they had gained to use.
(Of course, Thor Canaan-sama endured far more hardship than I ever did.)
That was why Sophia respected him.
She wanted to understand him and hoped to walk beside him.
That was how Sophia now felt.
“You were weak, Onee-san. But I… I was strong.”
“Yes. That’s why you never had to change, Liana.”
Sophia looked steadily into her younger sister’s eyes.
“But you’ve already realized that you can’t continue as you’ve been, haven’t you?”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Then learn from people other than Zagran. Spend time with those who lack power—the ordinary townspeople—and learn from them. You can do it, Liana, because you’re my precious little sister.”
“…Onee-san.”
“I’ll watch over you from here.”
“You truly… won’t return to the imperial capital?”
After a long silence, Liana finally spoke.
She seemed to have accepted Sophia’s resolve.
“I’m always here for you, Liana. If you’re troubled, write to me. If you ever lose your way, come to me whenever you wish.”
“But I want to do something that will help you, Sister.”
“Then become a princess who governs the Empire justly.”
“A princess who governs justly…?”
“If the Empire remains peaceful, I’ll be able to live peacefully here as well, will I not?”
“Would that… truly help you, Onee-san?”
“Yes. It would help the people too.”
Sophia gently stroked Liana’s hair as she spoke.
“…I understand, Sister.”
Liana wiped away her tears and nodded.
Relieved, Sophia loosened her embrace.
As Sophia watched quietly, Liana rose from her chair and declared,
“As your little sister, I, Liana, will live a life of which I can be proud. Like you, I’ll think of the people, protect them, and become someone they respect. I promise you, Sister Sophia.”
“Yes, Liana.”
Sophia nodded in relief.
“I must reflect on my own failings as well. I never realized how much you were struggling.”
“…Some things are simply too embarrassing to tell you, Onee-san.”
“You’ll feel better if you say them aloud.”
“Will I really?”
“Your mistakes are partly mine as well. If there’s anyone to whom you must apologize, I’ll apologize with you.”
“If you’re willing to go that far, Sister…”
Liana raised her head with renewed determination.
Looking directly at her twin sister, she began.
“…For example, during the battle against the magical beast Gargarossa, I ordered the soldiers to fight for the Empire and its honor. Yet I couldn’t even defeat the beast myself…”
“When you return to the capital, tell the soldiers that you’re grateful for their efforts. You could also train with them and learn more about them.”
“That isn’t all. I declared before everyone that the Demon Lord’s Domain was no match for the Empire. After saying something so offensive… I ended up being rescued by the Demon Lord. It was disgraceful…”
“I’ll speak with Her Majesty the Demon Lord. If she already knows what you said, I’ll apologize with you. If she doesn’t, we can make amends by further developing the Trading Post requested by the Demon Lord’s Domain.”
“That isn’t all…”
Tears once again welled in Liana’s eyes.
“I also demanded that the alchemist whom the Demon Lord treasures be handed over to me… I even told him, ‘Though you’re of low status, I’ll permit you to devote yourself to serving the Empire as an alchemist.’”
“…What?”
“I told you before that I wanted to recruit the alchemist, did I not?”
“…You never told me the details.”
“I see. What I said to the Demon Lord and her people was unforgivably rude. I must have been out of my mind. At the time, I saw everything and everyone merely as a means of obtaining results… and I showed the Demon Lord appalling disrespect.”
“…………”
“Even so, Onee-san, you have established such friendly relations with the Demon Lord’s Domain that you’re building a Trading Post at the border, correct?”
“…………”
“I’ll write a sincere letter of apology. If that isn’t enough, I’ll use my sword to protect them—for the sake of everyone in the Demon Lord’s Domain. Please deliver the letter for me, Onee-san.”
“…………”
“Once we have subjugated the new species of magical beasts, I’ll write to the Demon Lord and apologize for my rude words… Um, Onee-san… what’s wrong? Y-you’re smiling, but your face looks rather frightening… Onee-san?”
“Liana.”
“Yes?”
“Sit down. No—not in the chair. On the floor. We need to have a very long talk.”