Kays Translations

Chapter 101: Sophia and Liana Talk

──After the magical beast investigation, in Noza Town──

“Excuse me, Sophia-oneesan.”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Liana. I’m glad you’re safe…”

After finishing the beast investigation, Liana came to visit Sophia.

Archduke Kharon, Captain Isaac, and the general from the Demon Lord’s Domain were still at the eastern fortress. By now, they should have begun questioning the fortress commander and soldiers.

Once that was finished, the Archduke would come to Noza Town.

“──So, I was granted permission to stay with my sister.”

After a brief explanation, Liana smiled at her older sister Sophia.

“What was supposed to be an investigation ended with me having to subdue a new kind of magical beast… but afterward, I was told to rest in this town. For me, simply being able to see you, Oneesan, is more than enough.”

With a satisfied expression, Liana bowed to her sister Sophia.

She was dressed in a simple dress. Her armor and holy sword were entrusted to the Archduke’s adjutant, Nona.

(…Honestly, I wanted to sneak back here again…)

Also, wearing a dress made her uneasy.

She had actually preferred the clothes she wore during her previous visit to Noza Town, but Adjutant Nona had reprimanded her. This visit was official.

This time, Liana was visiting Noza Town openly as a princess and showing herself to its residents.

It was unavoidable that proper attire was required.

Although she understood the need for proper attire, Liana wanted to be nothing more than an ordinary little sister in front of Sophia.

Her previous visit to this town, when she had spoken freely with Sophia and the others, had simply been too enjoyable.

“An investigation turning into a magical-beast hunt must have been difficult, Liana.”

Sophia nodded as she watched her sister.

“But, as expected of the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword.’ You properly defeated the beast.”

“Oneesan, you also defeated a new kind of beast, didn’t you?”

“That was only possible thanks to the cooperation of the people from the Demon Lord’s Domain. Now, let me prepare some tea for you.”

Sophia started preparing tea with a gentle smile.

“You eliminated the threat at the border area. You’ve become admirable, Liana.”

“It wasn’t my strength alone. We succeeded thanks to the Archduke, the ‘Omawarisan Unit,’ and the cooperation of the Demon Lord’s Domain. Without them, there might have been casualties.”

“Could you tell me the details?”

Sophia placed a teacup in front of Liana and sat in the chair beside her.

“Just tell me what you can. I understand that given your position, there must be things you need to keep secret.”

“Y-yes, Sister.”

A smile involuntarily spread across her face.

It had been a long time since she and Sophia had sat side by side over tea.

When they were little, they often sat side by side eating sweets or reading books.

Feeling like she had returned to those days eased Liana’s tension.

“Alright. Then, I’ll tell you.”

Liana took a sip of tea.

After moistening her dry throat, she began to speak slowly.

“The Archduke and I were heading to a certain place for investigation. The Archduke had found information about a new kind of beast there.”

“As expected of Archduke Kharon…”

“Then, an alchemist from the Demon Lord’s Domain sent a ‘Cleaning Robot’ spinning toward us.”

“…Huh?”

“It was a very cute golem.”

Liana’s eyes sparkled as she said this.

“There wasn’t a single sharp point on it, and it spun around so quickly. You know the one, don’t you, Oneesan? That golem was carrying your handkerchief.”

“A handkerchief? Could it be the one you exchanged with Agnis…?”

“I don’t know about that, but it was so adorable that I went to greet the golem. Then, it popped open, and inside was a letter from the alchemist. You understand, don’t you, Oneesan?”

“…N-no.”

“The letter inside was handwritten by the alchemist. It warned us that our destination was the headquarters of the magical-beast summoning operation and that the beasts which escaped from there were targeting the Archduke and me.”

“…I see. So, what about that beast?”

“I defeated it.”

“That much I understand. Tell me how that happened.”

“Because the alchemist gave me advice like ‘Shuwaa,’ ‘Shuu,’ ‘Zugyun,’ ‘Gyurun,’ and ‘Zababaan.’”

Princess Liana declared proudly.

“That advice gave me the confidence to defeat the magical beast.”

“…Hey, Liana.”

“Can you believe it, Oneesan? That person didn’t even touch the holy sword, yet realized a better way to use it. Moreover, they found our location using a golem and even gave us a warning. To think someone could do that…”

“…”

“Still, I couldn’t even thank him. Perhaps it was because I once foolishly said that I wanted to ‘use him as a tool’… Merely seeing him makes my heart feel strange. When I look at his face, I don’t know what I might blurt out—”

“Calm down, Liana.”

Before Liana realized it, Sophia-oneesan had placed a finger against her lips.

Realizing how much she had said, Liana flushed.

Watching her flustered little sister, Sophia said,

“Please speak a little slower. I’m not going anywhere, you know?”

“…I’m sorry, Oneesan.”

Liana lowered her gaze.

Her cheeks felt hot.

Realizing she had spoken too much to her sister, her face reddened.

“In front of you, Oneesan, I just let my guard down…”

Liana dropped her shoulders and sighed.

“When I speak as a princess, I can give a businesslike account of the facts…”

“That’s alright. I roughly understand what you want to say.”

“Is that so?”

“Thanks to the Archduke’s investigation, you found the stronghold of the people controlling the new species of magical beast, correct? Then, while you were heading there, Thor Canaan-sama’s golem appeared. Through it, he warned you that the magical beasts were targeting you… or did the beasts appear first…?”

Sophia thought for a moment, then said,

“Then you followed Thor Canaan-sama’s advice, drew out the power of the Holy Sword, and defeated the magical beasts. You couldn’t thank him personally, which means he must have been present when the Archduke and representatives of the Demon Lord’s Domain exchanged information afterward. Is that right?”

“Amazing…Oneesan. It’s as if you were there.”

“Amazing, Oneesan. It’s as though you were there.”

With gentle hands, Sophia stroked Liana’s hair.

“You and I are twins. So I understand. What you felt and what you’re thinking… you see.”

“Y-Yes.”

“In any case, I’m glad you were able to safely defeat the magical beast.”

“Yes. I took it down with a big Zubababaan!”

“But it’s a shame you couldn’t thank Thor Canaan-sama directly.”

Sophia let out a small sigh.

Seeing that, Liana shuddered slightly.

Liana knew that her sister held Alchemist Thor in high regard.

That was why Sophia had become so angry during Liana’s previous visit.

Sophia didn’t forgive discourtesy toward him.

So, not being able to thank him herself…

“It can’t be helped. I’ll write a letter to Thor Canaan-sama on your behalf.”

“…Huh? Onessan?”

“What is it, Liana?”

“Won’t you be angry?”

“Not at all. You must have been tired from fighting, right? If you used the Holy Sword to defeat such huge magical beasts, you must have been exhausted of magic power. It’s impossible to do everything perfectly.”

“Not at all. You must have been exhausted from the battle. If you used the Holy Sword to defeat such enormous magical beasts, you must have been drained of magical power. No one can do everything perfectly.”

Liana pressed her pounding chest and looked at her sister.

She took a slow, deep breath, then said,

“I… greatly respect Alchemist Thor.”

Liana looked straight into her twin sister’s eyes and declared.

“He can create extraordinary golems, and his power allows him to find the Archduke and me even from far away…”

“I see. So, Liana respects his power.”

“…No. That’s not it.”

Liana shook her head reflexively.

“What I respect is his willingness to understand others.”

When she said this and looked at her sister, Sophia nodded slightly.

Feeling reassured, Liana continued.

“He explained how to use the Holy Sword in words I could understand—in a way only I could understand. His letter said only: ‘Shuwaa,’ ‘Shu,’ ‘Zugyun,’ ‘Gyun,’ and ‘Zubababaan.’ The only people who could understand a message written that way were the alchemist and me—”

“And this Sophia could understand it too.”

“Yes. The letter conveyed only what was necessary, and it made clear to me who had written it. He trusted that I would understand those words.”

“No one but you, Oneesan, has ever tried so hard to understand me.”

Since childhood, Liana had devoted herself to developing her ‘Swordsmanship Skill.’

Furthermore, before and after the ritual using the magic sword, she awakened a powerful light magic and became the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword.’

Furthermore, after the ritual with the magic sword, she awakened powerful light magic and became the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword.’

— A great wielder of the Holy Sword.

— She would support Crown Prince Diaz and become a pillar of the empire.

— She was to be the symbol of the empire’s ‘strength,’ a deterrent against foreign countries — and so on.

Zagran, who was also her instructor, was like that.

He said that Liana was a necessary presence to enhance the authority of the Empire—

Whenever Liana wielded the Holy Sword, he arranged matters so that she would be certain to win. The battle to subdue the Magical Beast Gargarossa was the only failure; everything else went smoothly.

(…I was intoxicated by that.)

Saying I was intoxicated is just an excuse.

I could have doubted Zagran’s words as much as I wanted.

Yet Liana had accepted Zagran’s words without question. She didn’t realize anything was wrong until Sophia was sent far away.

Only after Sophia was gone did Liana realize how empty she was inside.

What she had wanted wasn’t the title of ‘Princess of the Holy Sword’ or the praise of others, but someone who would try to understand her. She realized that only after losing her sister.

Being reunited with Sophia like this had been nothing more than good fortune.

“I was separated from my sister because of my own mistakes. I’ll never make the same mistake again. I don’t want to lose someone who understands me.”

That wasn’t all.

Liana also wanted to become someone who could understand others.

Thor had been sent to the Demon Lord’s Domain, yet its people respected and loved him as one of their own precisely because he made the effort to understand them.

Liana carefully took her time explaining all of this.

“That’s why I want to meet him face-to-face and properly express my gratitude. I never want to make my sister angry over this again. But…”

“…You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

At her sister’s words, Liana nodded quietly.

“When I think of him, my respect threatens to run wild. My heart pounds, and I feel as exposed as if I were standing naked in the street. It’s strange, is it not, when we’ve met only once?”

“…What do you want to do, Liana?”

“I want to thank him as myself, not as a princess. If the robes of a princess get in the way, I’m willing to cast them off.”

Liana continued with a serious expression.

“I also want to apologize again for calling him a ‘tool.’ Last time, I did so only after you scolded me. This time, I want to look him properly in the eyes… and face his gaze with my bare self.”

“You’ve grown, Liana.”

Sophia stretched out both arms—and hugged Liana.

Although they were twins, Sophia’s arms were thinner than Liana’s.

But being held so tightly made Liana happy, and tears slipped from her eyes.

“…It’s been a long time… since my sister praised me.”

“I’ll grant your wish.”

Sophia’s large eyes watched Liana from close by.

“I’ll create an opportunity for you and Thor Canaan-sama to talk without the Empire’s people noticing.”

“Oneesan?”

“I’ll most likely be present. Thor Canaan-sama will also have a female guard accompanying him. Is that acceptable?”

“Y-yes! If I can have that opportunity… I’m happy.”

“I’ll confirm this, Liana.”

Sophia looked at Liana with a completely serious gaze.

Her expression seemed to test her sister’s resolve.

“You’ll stake everything, cast off the robes of a princess, stand exposed before that person’s gaze, and offer your thanks and apology to Thor Canaan—is that correct?”

“Y-yes! Sister.”

“You have that resolve?”

“I do. By the name of the ‘Holy Sword of Dorgalia’ and the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword.’”

“Then leave it to me.”

Saying so, Sophia grasped Liana’s hand firmly.

Although Sophia’s hands were thinner and weaker than Liana’s, they were very warm.

Liana understood that Sophia was serious.

“Wait here. I, Sophia Dorgalia, will fulfill your wish.”

Saying that, Sophia went to the desk.

Then she began writing a letter to send to Thor Canaan.

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