Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 459: Approach
After finishing her meal in the village assembly hall, Saint Matilda grew curious about the continuing commotion outside and decided to see what was happening.
Every time she moved, her Luwan attendants and knights shifted with her, as did the Royal Guard knights assigned by the Kingdom of Sart. Matilda found the constant attention exhausting.
Worse, the person placed in charge of the Sart delegation was the Crown Prince. He was already married and had children, so Matilda had no personal interest in him whatsoever.
She would have preferred the Fifth Prince, Prince Fleue, to lead the delegation. That appointment, however, was an internal decision of the Kingdom of Sart, and not even the Saint could overturn it.
The Crown Prince praised Matilda at every opportunity, but her closest Luwan advisers had warned her that he was interested in her political value rather than in her as a person. She therefore had no intention of mistaking his flattery for affection.
From time to time, however, the Crown Prince hinted that he might take her as a concubine.
The advisers from the Kingdom of Luwan suspected that this was an attempt to obtain legal control over the Saint and separate her from their kingdom.
Matilda’s infatuation with Prince Fleue was another source of concern for them, but it was far easier to manage than the prospect of her becoming the Crown Prince’s concubine. If necessary, they could try to arrange for Fleue to marry into Matilda’s adoptive family.
Matilda was the adopted daughter of a count. If a prince became that house’s adopted son-in-law, her adoptive father might even be elevated to the rank of marquis, making the match socially acceptable while strengthening the alliance between Luwan and Sart.
By contrast, if Matilda became the Crown Prince’s concubine, the Kingdom of Luwan could lose its greatest diplomatic asset without receiving anything in return.
Marquis Donaissun, the senior representative of the Luwan delegation, had quickly recognized that danger and warned the other advisers.
He believed the Crown Prince was acting on his own initiative.
Donaissun had spoken with both the King and Prime Minister of Sart. They had explained that the married Crown Prince had been chosen to oversee the visit precisely because his wife and children made a romantic scandal seem unlikely. His recent behavior therefore appeared to run contrary to their intentions.
The marquis warned Matilda to remain cautious.
Matilda could be selfish and impulsive, but she wasn’t a fool. After hearing Donaissun’s explanation, the Crown Prince became one of the people she disliked most, and she kept her dealings with him to the minimum required by courtesy.
Still uncomfortable with the Crown Prince and his followers trailing behind her, Matilda left the assembly hall and headed toward the crowd gathered in one corner of the square.
“What are all of you enjoying so much without me?”
“Th-The Saint!”
The common-born youths who had been laughing and cheering immediately dropped to their knees.
“Yes, yes. More importantly, what were you doing?”
“We were demonstrating our abilities, Your Grace.”
“Now that you mention it, there was an extremely loud noise during the meal. Was that your doing?”
“We apologize! We never intended to cause a disturbance!”
“It’s fine. I would like to watch as well, so continue.”
Once Matilda declared that she would observe, the common-born youths became even more nervous.
They had just seen the extraordinary abilities of Tauro, Aeris, and Zion. If the people who normally stood near the Saint were even more accomplished, none of them wanted to embarrass themselves by presenting an unimpressive talent.
“Then allow me to demonstrate.”
While the others hesitated, one young man stepped forward. It was Mahodo, the tamer who had introduced himself to Tauro in the carriage.
“What can you do?” Matilda asked.
“I’m a tamer, Your Grace. I command monsters. With your permission, may I summon my familiars here?”
Mahodo remained confident despite everything he had witnessed. He still believed that, as a tamer, he surpassed Tauro, and that conviction gave him the courage to approach the Saint.
Tauro and his companions had already withdrawn from the center of the gathering when they noticed Matilda approaching.
“We may have gone a little too far,” Tauro said with a wry smile.
“I certainly did. I never expected my spell to become that powerful,” Aeris admitted.
“I barely got to do anything… Damn it, I’ll live…!”
Zion had held back throughout her match and was still dissatisfied, causing her familiar survival refrain to slip out.
“All three of you went overboard,” Ankh said after joining them from among the spectators. “Still, Aeris’s spell really was incredible.”
“It was!” Ragune agreed. “You must have trained very hard under Maria. I was surprised too.”
“Thank you. But Tauro is also responsible. He replaced the magic stone in my staff with something ridiculous. Tauro, what exactly did you put in it?”
“Ahaha… Sorry. I was curious to see what it could do. I didn’t expect that much power.”
Ragune leaned closer to examine the aquamarine stone.
“Could that be the Water Dragon magic stone sold in the Dragonfolk Village?”
“Ah! Yes, it is. More importantly-“
Tauro tried to change the subject before the price came up.
Aeris didn’t let him escape.
“Tauro. How much did this magic stone cost?”
The moment Ragune mentioned the Dragonfolk Village, Aeris realized that the stone must be exceptionally valuable.
“Um… thirty platinum coins.”
“””Thirty platinum coins!?”””
“Why would you attach something that expensive to my ebony staff? I hadn’t even intended to come back, remember?”
Aeris was stunned by both the price and the fact that Tauro had modified the staff in her absence.
“I thought that, if I had it ready when you returned, it might surprise you…”
“Honestly, what were you thinking? Still… thank you for believing I would return. But this is far too expensive.”
“Is it difficult to use?”
“No. It’s actually very easy to control. I could tell it was a fine magic stone, even before I knew what it was.”
Aeris was clearly touched by the reason Tauro had prepared it, though she tried not to show too much.
“Then I would be happy if you continued using it as it is.”
“…All right.”
The warm atmosphere between them brought smiles to Ragune, Ankh, and Zion.