Kays Translations

Chapter 89: The Alchemist Thor Meets Princess Liana Face-to-Face

—Thor’s Perspective—

“…I apologize for what I said the other day. As a princess, and as Sophia’s younger sister, I offer you my deepest apologies. I’m sorry… truly, I am…”

It was shortly after Princess Sophia and Princess Liana began speaking in the upstairs room.

When Princess Sophia called me in, Princess Liana was bowing deeply.

Her shoulders trembled, and she clutched her skirt in both hands as she apologized through her tears.

…What in the world had they discussed in here?

“The alchemist… no, Canaan-sama, you’ve been helping my onee-san as a resident of the Demon Lord’s Domain, correct?”

“Yes. More or less.”

I nodded.

Princess Sophia had given me that explanation moments earlier, so it seemed best to keep to the same story.

“I was sent to the Demon Lord’s Domain as a hostage, but Her Majesty’s kindness allows me to live freely. Her Majesty the Demon Lord desires friendly relations between the Demon Lord’s Domain and the Empire. That’s why I came to this town.”

Not a word of it was false.

Rukie allowed me to act freely, and she sincerely hoped to build a friendly relationship with Princess Sophia.

The joint investigation into the magical beasts by the Demon Lord’s Domain and the Empire was part of that effort.

I had come to Noza Town for a meeting about the investigation.

“…To think someone cared so deeply for my onee-san… and I treated you so rudely…”

“That’s correct. Thor Canaan-sama has helped me countless times.”

Princess Sophia spoke while gently patting her sister’s back.

“I owe Thor Canaan-sama my life—not once, but many times over.”

“…R-really?”

“I hold Thor Canaan-sama in the highest respect.”

At Princess Sophia’s words, Princess Liana bowed deeply once more.

Seriously, what had happened in this room?

“I also apologize for the offensive things my sister said during the incident with the magical beast Gargarossa,”

Princess Sophia said from beside her.

“I’ve spoken to Liana sternly. I believe she’ll reconsider her behavior from now on. If Thor Canaan-sama remains angry, then I, Sophia, will offer myself to appease him.”

Princess Sophia delivered a formal bow. Beside her, Princess Liana lowered her head and trembled.

How was I supposed to respond when two princesses apologized to me, one of them in tears?

“…I never imagined my sister would be this angry… or that someone could be so important to her… I’m sorry. I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Please raise your head, Princess Liana.”

I spoke as gently as I could.

This was more than enough.

When Rukie first told me what Princess Liana had said, I had honestly been upset.

But no actual harm had been done.

Princess Liana was apologizing with all her heart, and that was enough for me.

“I should also apologize for failing to introduce myself earlier. I’m Thor Canaan, formerly an imperial noble and now a resident of the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“Y-yes. Thank you for what you did earlier…”

At last, Princess Liana raised her head.

“Thanks to you and that young lady, I was able to meet my sister. You also showed me how the people here live and how deeply they cherish her. You gave me an invaluable experience.”

“It was a coincidence. Until a short while ago, I didn’t even know Princess Liana was here.”

“Even so, you opened my eyes.”

Princess Liana bowed to me with all the formality of an imperial princess.

“I’m truly grateful for everything that happened today. Thank you, Canaan-sama.”

“The honor is mine, Your Highness.”

Come to think of it, before summoning us, Princess Sophia had told me,

“Liana isn’t a bad person. She’s simply too honest and too easily influenced by others…”

That was how she had described her.

Princess Liana had excelled at swordsmanship from childhood.

She possessed the instincts of a genius and could immediately absorb almost anything she was taught.

Because of that, she rarely needed to think deeply or struggle over how to improve.

But the same honest nature that allowed her to absorb lessons so readily also left her vulnerable to the influence of those around her.

“Thank you for apologizing properly, Liana.”

Princess Sophia smiled at her younger sister.

“I’m truly relieved. Had you behaved rudely toward Thor Canaan-sama again, I was prepared to leave everything behind and travel somewhere far away.”

“W-what!? Onee-san!”

“It’s all right, Liana. I believed in you.”

Princess Sophia closed her eyes and clasped her hands as though in prayer.

Princess Liana looked ready to cry again. She truly was powerless before Princess Sophia.

“…Alchemist-sama—Canaan-sama!”

“Yes?”

“If there’s anything you wish me to do, please tell me. Anything at all!”

The offer came without warning.

Princess Liana fixed me with a serious gaze.

“If Canaan-sama wishes to return to the Empire, I can use my influence—”

“I have no intention of returning. Please let the matter rest.”

“Then, within the limits of what I, Liana, can do, I could provide financial support—”

“Please give it to Princess Sophia instead. Her Majesty the Demon Lord provides everything I need for my life and my work.”

“Th-then I could help subjugate magical beasts! If you encounter a powerful enemy, I could—”

“I normally remain in the Demon Lord’s Domain. It wouldn’t be practical for Your Highness to travel all the way there whenever I needed help.”

“…I see.”

Princess Liana’s shoulders sagged.

But it couldn’t be helped.

If I accepted direct support from Princess Liana, the Empire might grow suspicious.

As the Princess of the Holy Sword, she was closely watched by the imperial family and nobility.

Accepting her aid might draw unwanted attention from imperial nobles and ultimately cause trouble for the Demon Lord’s Domain.

“E-even so, I can’t put my mind at ease without making amends. Please, there must be something—”

“Then would you tell me about the Holy Sword?”

I asked.

“Your Highness brought the Holy Sword for this investigation into the magical beasts, correct?”

“…Yes. I brought it with official authorization.”

Princess Liana nodded after a brief hesitation.

“However, I entrusted it to the main force, so I can’t show it to you—”

“That’s fine. I neither wish to see it nor borrow it.”

Princess Sophia looked startled by my answer.

Why was she surprised? However bold I might be, I wasn’t about to say, “Lend me the Holy Sword,” or, “Let me appraise it.” I really wasn’t!

“I merely want to learn what the Holy Sword is.”

After composing myself, I continued.

“As the Princess of the Holy Sword, perhaps Your Highness knows what materials it contains or how it generates its blade of light?”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t.”

Princess Liana shook her head.

“The Holy Sword of Dorgalia is ordinarily kept in the treasury. I wield it only after receiving permission. It’s never been appraised in my presence, and I don’t know what materials it contains.”

“Then could you explain how you use it?”

“How I use it?”

“I’ve heard that the Holy Sword can generate an enormous blade of light—the Holy Sword Light Blade, Photon Blade. I would like to know the process by which you produce it.”

“Even if you ask me… I simply pour magical power into it…”

“You pour magical power into it?”

“Yes. I push light-attribute magical power into it with a ‘shwap!’ Then I let it ‘shlur’ through the blade, it goes ‘zuzun’ and forms the blade of light, and I release it all at once with a ‘zuban!’”

Princess Liana delivered the explanation

with a perfectly serious expression.

She didn’t appear to be joking.

She injected magic with a “shwap,” let it “shlur” through the sword, and then “zuzun”—the blade of light formed.

Finally, she released it with a “zuban.”

So that was how one wielded the legendary Holy Sword of Dorgalia. I had never known.

“Please forgive her, Thor Canaan-sama. As I mentioned, Liana is something of a genius…”

Princess Sophia murmured under her breath.

She pressed a hand to her forehead as though fighting a headache.

“Liana possesses an instinctive talent for mastering things, particularly swordsmanship. Unfortunately, that also means she often can’t explain how she does them.”

“Y-yes. It’s rather embarrassing.”

“Even so, Liana, surely there are better ways to describe it. Who explains the use of a Holy Sword entirely through sound effects?”

“That’s true.”

I nodded.

“If you inject the magical power with a ‘shwap,’ the charging time should be roughly 2.8 seconds. However, rumor has it that the Holy Sword contains magical silver—mithril. If so, a ‘shwap’ may be too fast. Would that not cause some of the magical power to be lost?”

“How did you know that!?”

Princess Liana cried out.

“Th-then would ‘shooo… pa!’ be better when infusing it with magic?”

“That should be an improvement. Though perhaps slightly slower still—”

“Um, Thor Canaan-sama?”

Princess Sophia’s eyes widened.

“Can you truly understand Liana’s explanation?”

“I’m an alchemist.”

Creating magic items requires channeling magical power into their materials.

I constantly judge whether that flow feels like “shwap,” “shuwa,” or “jiwa-jiwa.”

Clients also sometimes struggle to express exactly what they want.

That was why I had trained myself to understand even the vaguest requests.

“When Your Highness infused the Holy Sword with a ‘shwap,’ did the magic spread unevenly through the blade?”

“Y-yes! It didn’t always spread evenly.”

“Then the Holy Sword probably does contain magical silver—mithril.”

That was valuable information.

I would have liked to discuss the flow of magical power in greater detail, but there was one concern.

It would be dangerous if my advice substantially increased the Holy Sword’s power.

There was always a chance that the Empire might someday point it toward the Demon Lord’s Domain.

I was an alchemist, and my dream was to surpass the items of the Heroes’ world.

But that didn’t mean I would recklessly pursue the Holy Sword’s full potential simply to satisfy my curiosity.

I would keep my advice modest.

In exchange, I could learn more about the Holy Sword’s materials and the way magic moved through it.

If that knowledge helped me create a magic sword that surpassed the Holy Sword, it would benefit Rukie.

“After channeling the magic, try letting it permeate the blade with more of a ‘swoosh.’”

“Instead of a ‘shrrr’?”

“A ‘shrrr’ sounds as though the magic begins rotating. That might cause it to rebound inside the blade and create resistance.”

“Y-yes, exactly! You understand!?”

“I’m an alchemist, after all.”

“You’re completely correct! If I follow the ‘shwap’ with a ‘shrrr,’ the light blade forms quickly, but I feel slight resistance when I try to expand it.”

“Then ‘swoosh’ should be better. Even if the blade takes another second or two to form, greater magical absorption should let it extend farther. A longer reach would make combat easier, would it not?”

“Canaan-sama… you are…”

“I still have no intention of returning to the Empire.”

“I understand. But as an imperial princess, I’m ashamed. The court and the Council of High Officials made a terrible mistake when they allowed someone like you to be lost…”

“More importantly, when you release the light blade with a ‘zuban,’ what sensation do you experience?”

“Y-yes! I’ll explain everything!”

After that, Princess Liana and I discussed the process of supplying magic to the Holy Sword.

She eagerly nodded while miming sword swings.

As we spoke, I gradually understood how magic flowed through the Holy Sword.

There was little doubt that magical silver—mithril—was one of its materials.

I still knew nothing about the other components, but this was an excellent clue.

I would use the same principles of magical flow to try creating a magic sword.

Liana’s method was to inject magic with a “shwap,” permeate the blade with a “shrrr,” form the light blade with a “zuzun,” and unleash it with a “zuban.”

If my prediction was correct, however, “juwaah,” “shooosh,” “zakyun,” and then “zubabaaan” should produce more power. Adding a “gyurun” after the “zakyun” to knead the magic might work even better.

A magic sword built on those principles might be able to stand against the Holy Sword.

I would experiment once I returned home.

“Thank you very much, Canaan-sama.”

“No, the pleasure was mine. You gave me valuable information as well.”

During our conversation, Princess Liana also told me about the investigation and Archduke Kharon.

Apparently, their investigation hadn’t yet begun.

Still, the Empire had Archduke Kharon, a former Sword Saint.

If his reputation was deserved, he might capture the person summoning the magical beasts in no time.

“…Um, Canaan-sama.”

“What is it, Princess Liana?”

“My sister told me earlier that I should speak with more people and learn more about the world.”

Princess Liana lowered her gaze.

“I’m an imperial princess. I belong to the imperial family that drove you into the Demon Lord’s Domain. And I’ve already said unforgivably rude things to you. But…”

She hesitantly extended one hand toward me.

“You’re the first person with whom I have ever found it this easy to speak. So, if it wouldn’t trouble you… w-would you perhaps… become my frie—”

“Do you mean friends?”

“O-of course, I don’t wish to inconvenience you. But when my sister writes to me… perhaps you could add a few words of your own… only a very short message…”

Princess Liana’s hand trembled.

In that brief exchange, I felt I understood her a little better.

Princess Liana was a natural genius who could master almost anything with ease.

Yet she didn’t understand how she accomplished those things, and she struggled to communicate her feelings to others.

That was why her tutor had been able to influence her so completely.

Having observed her for years, he had understood her better than most people did.

Now, however, Princess Liana had realized that such dependence wasn’t enough.

She wanted to change so that she wouldn’t lose her precious twin sister, Sophia.

If that was her wish—

“I would be happy to exchange letters with you.”

I took Princess Liana’s hand.

“Though I’ll use an alias, just to be safe.”

“That’s fine. I simply… want to remain connected to the person my sister has chosen.”

“Understood. Whenever Princess Sophia writes to Your Highness, I’ll add a message of my own.”

I turned toward Sophia.

“Would that be acceptable, Princess Sophia?”

“Yes, of course. I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

Sophia clapped her hands happily.

“It’ll help Liana grow. I’ll gladly assist.”

She placed her hand over Princess Liana’s and mine.

Princess Liana sighed with relief.

Judging from her expression, she had no intention of informing the Empire about me.

Princess Liana treasured Princess Sophia so deeply that she had traveled all the way to a border town simply to see her.

Someone who loved her sister that much would never betray her.

Exchanging letters under an alias posed little risk.

“Canaan-sama, please convey my thanks to that remarkable young lady.”

Princess Liana added suddenly.

“The speed with which she captured that thief surpassed anything Nona-sama or I could have managed. Someone of her ability might even be capable of inheriting Archduke Kharon’s swordsmanship.”

“Understood. I’ll tell her.”

“A person of her caliber must have reasons for concealing her identity. I’ll carry her secret in my heart. I would rather not be scolded by my sister again…”

“Oh, Liana…”

Princess Sophia smiled gently, while Princess Liana trembled beneath her gaze.

…Seriously, what had those two discussed before I entered?

I would ask Princess Sophia later.

Afterward, we drank tea and spoke about many things.

I asked more about the resistance Liana felt when channeling magic through the Holy Sword, and she listened with interest as I described life near the border.

Time passed quickly as we talked.

“Princess Liana, it’s time for us to leave town.”

Nona, the Archduke’s adjutant, came to collect her.

Incidentally, Nona was her real name.

While we spoke upstairs, she had apparently been meeting with Isaac downstairs.

They were arranging to keep Princess Liana’s presence in town completely secret.

“For clarity, I have a message from Archduke Kharon: ‘If Princess Liana and Princess Sophia have been reunited, there’s no need to hurry back. Though I’m old, I, Kharon, can at least carry out the investigation into the magical beasts.’ Those were his words.”

Archduke Kharon seemed like a good man.

He had apparently disliked my father, which was another point in his favor.

“…I’ll return now.”

Princess Liana shook her head at Adjutant Nona’s message.

“I’ve already received more than enough. I also understand what I lack. I want to show the Archduke the results of what I learned here.”

“Understood. Then, Isaac-sama—”

“Y-yes! I understand. I’ll arrange an escort.”

With that, the matter was settled.

Princess Liana would return to Archduke Kharon and begin investigating the magical beasts.

Although her objective overlapped with ours, she wouldn’t be working with Agnis and me.

Her group was acting under an official order from the Council of High Officials.

If we joined their investigation, matters could quickly become complicated.

The Archduke’s party probably included officials and strategists dispatched from the imperial capital.

We would conduct a separate investigation on our side.

“Thank you for everything, Onee-san.”

“Take care, Liana.”

Princess Sophia accompanied her sister to the entrance.

Agnis and I hid in a room on the first floor. Naturally, we couldn’t openly see Princess Liana off.

“…I-I’ll be waiting for your letter.”

Princess Liana murmured to Sophia.

Her gaze drifted toward the sitting room where we were hiding.

Then Princess Liana departed with her escort and returned to the town where Archduke Kharon’s party was staying.

“Thank you very much, Thor Canaan-sama.”

After seeing her sister off, Sophia spoke quietly.

I had returned to Princess Sophia’s room, this time accompanied by Agnis.

“I’m grateful that you spoke with her. I apologize for asking something so unreasonable of you.”

“No. I’m glad I had the chance to speak with Princess Liana.”

After all, I had learned a great deal about the Holy Sword.

And by meeting her in person, I had discovered that Princess Liana was simply a rather awkward young woman.

That alone made the conversation worthwhile.

I should tell Rukie about all this later.

“Hearing you say that puts my heart at ease.”

Princess Sophia pressed a hand to her chest and exhaled.

“Liana isn’t a bad person, but she’s awkward and can never find the right words. That’s why she depended on Zagran, who pretended to understand her.”

Zagran had been the former Minister of Military Affairs, if I remembered correctly.

Apparently, he had also overseen Princess Liana’s education.

“As a princess, she knows how to face others. As an individual, she has hardly ever done so. That was why she depended on Zagran… and on me. But Zagran is gone, and I moved to the border. After losing both people on whom she depended, she…”

“Came here to see you.”

“Yes. But here, with the guidance of Thor Canaan-sama and Agnis-sama, she saw how ordinary people live. She also saw how I had changed. It appears the experience changed her for the better.”

Sophia bowed to us once again.

“Thank you very much, Thor Canaan-sama, Agnis-sama.”

“I didn’t do very much.”

“Neither did Agnis,” Agnis added.

“Now, allow me to speak as a messenger from the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

I changed the subject.

“Her Majesty the Demon Lord would like the Demon Lord’s Domain and Princess Sophia’s forces to cooperate in searching for the magical beasts and the person summoning them.”

“A joint investigation. I agree.”

“Archduke Kharon and Princess Liana will also investigate. However, if they find the summoner first, they may not be able to share the information with us.”

Their personal character didn’t matter in this instance.

This was an issue between nations.

From the Empire’s perspective, there was no reason to disclose information about the summoner to the Demon Lord’s Domain.

“That’s true. Liana and Archduke Kharon are merely the field team. The Council of High Officials would handle the culprit’s interrogation. We might never be told the culprit’s name, motive, or detailed circumstances…”

“Precisely.”

“That’s why we must hurry with our own investigation. If only we possessed some sort of clue…”

“Come to think of it, Isaac mentioned something that concerned me,”

Sophia said suddenly.

“He found traces of something enormous passing through the eastern forest. The grass had been flattened, and trees were broken. It wasn’t the same route taken by the giant centipede, so it may have been a new species of magical beast. However…”

“Those tracks alone aren’t much of a clue.”

“You’re right, Agnis-sama. Even if a magical beast passed through there, that tells us nothing about where it went afterward…”

“No. We may be able to use them.”

I took a sheet of parchment from my Miniature Simple Storage.

It held a copied diagram of an item from the Mail-Order Catalog.

The catalog itself was too valuable to carry casually, so I had left it in the workshop’s Simple Storage. Since the item I intended to make was fairly complicated, I had prepared a proper blueprint.

“What exactly is this… item?”

“I’ll explain. I would also like to hear your thoughts, Princess Sophia and Agnis-sama.”

Apparently, the item had been considered a luxury even in the Heroes’ world.

The Mail-Order Catalog had devoted a full two-page spread to it.

It was an item that used the latest technology of the Heroes’ world to clean the area around it.

“With this, we may be able to follow the traces left by the magical beast and locate it.”

Then I began my explanation.

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