Chapter 58 (2/2)
Uhh… I wondered. From the direction of the conversation… maybe it was ‘Master’? How m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic… Well, no matter what it was, she put her all into saying it, so I had to return her feelings properly…
“I-I see. I’m happy, Diana. Though you’re a little strange for thinking of me that way after seeing me in the town square.”
“That’s not right, Master. You were very… very wonderful.”
Cupping her cheeks with her hands, Diana looked up and smiled. She didn’t act this cute normally, so I had my guard down… Misunderstandings might happen on a night with beautiful moons like this! They say men are like wolves, after all!
“It’s unfair for me to be the only one. Master… how about you? …Don’t you… think a spiritually cursed girl like me… is disgusting? You don’t have any regrets?”
…Yet another difficult-to-answer question was thrown my way.
To be honest, I couldn’t deny that my first thought at the trading company was “I want a more normal elf! A normal elf is better!”
But now her tattoos (which were apparently called spiritual curses) were an everyday sight to me, her platinum blonde hair was pretty, her voice was cute, and…
“I was a little bit wary at first… But the reason why I can run my business is basically thanks to Diana, and the reason why I met so many people in this world is all because I met Diana. It might be weird to say I’m grateful, but… I really am glad I met you. If it weren’t for you, I’d have dropped out of this world ages ago.”
“E-Ehehe. That’s thanks to the guidance of Lu Balka.”
Guidance… huh.
“But… the thing I care more about is that… Diana had to become my slave due to the guidance… how do I put it… I just can’t put it behind me…”
I didn’t mean to say it, but it just came out of my mouth. How emotional of me.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Well… being elvish royalty means Diana is like a princess, right? …Although you’re here right now because of your guidance, once you complete your guidance or receive the next one, you’ll have to stop being a slave, right? So… it’s kind of like you’re a temporary slave…”
Unable to form my words well, I ended up saying it pretty bluntly. It was the same as if I had directly said ‘It’s because you’ll leave one day’.
And I… I wanted Diana to reply ‘I wouldn’t do that’, or ‘I’ll always be with you’.
Honestly… how emotional of me.
Achieving guidance (from the perspective of an outsider) was an abrupt event. On top of that, the details of Diana’s ‘special guidance’ were a secret. No one, other than herself knew what conditions needed to be fulfilled to achieve it and move onto the next step.
That’s right.
There was a chance Diana could complete her ‘special guidance’ tomorrow and disappear.
“…Has Master… always thought that way…? Even though I heard from Jephthah that you liked all types of elves, was the reason why you always paid more attention to Marina.. because of this? Besides, I even said you’re my ■■■■…”
“That might be… half the reason. I actually wasn’t aware I was doing that. So how about it, Diana? …Is your guidance almost done?”
Diana sighed deeply and said her next words solemnly.
“…Master. It seems like you’re misunderstanding something… so I will make things clear. This was my fault for not saying it out loud.”
What was it…?
She wasn’t about to say that ‘our relations.h.i.+p was only connected by the guidance, sorry!’ or anything, right…
“I, Diana Luna’Arbella, will always stay by Master’s side for eternity. Of course, this is only until Master chooses to dismiss me. But until then, forever.”
Always by my side.
Diana said it clearly.
…What was I getting myself worked up for?
“Ha. Hahaha. You’ll always be there, Diana?”
“We’ll always be together. I am… Master’s slave, after all.”
“I see. I planned to go to the mining town some time, and the lakeside town after that. Let’s take the chance to go to all kinds of places! Our gear is coming together, so I’d like to try adventuring a little!”
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn’t take her very far away.
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn’t get her into any danger.
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn’t fall in love with her.
Diana smile widely as she replied, undoing the shackles I had unconsciously set up around my heart.
“Yes, please take me with you. To be able to travel the world with Master… it sounds like a dream. Even the lunar journey of legend sounds possible if it’s with Master.”
Then, she took both of my hands in hers.
“That’s true. A… A lunar journey truly sounds like a dream. But if we have to go, I’d prefer Lynclumir over Mythmikandal. Mythmikandal seems rather hot… don’t you agree?”
The distance between us closed as I was talking.
“What a coincidence, Master. I was.. just thinking the same thing… that I’d prefer to go to Lynclumir…”
I softly touched Diana’s ear.
Ticklish, Diana smiled fondly.
“Master…”
“Diana…”
Then, she stared into my eyes as she whispered.
“…Umm… would you… make an oath of ‘eternal love’ with me…?”
Those words held a strange magical power, making me reply “Yes, eter…”
Rattle! Cras.h.!.+
“Uwawah, Marina, you pushed me!”
“It is most regretful. The operation is a complete failure.”
Marina and Aurica fell out of the shadows of a barrel.
It completely made me come back to my senses.
Diana also jumped away, fidgeting restlessly.
These two peeping toms… I was sure they were asleep, why did they have to come out now…
“Yes. Marina and Aurica. Come sit here. How long were you watching for?”
“Uhh… I’m sorry, sir. Marina-san enticed me….”
“Marina was just really curious. It was a feeling that’s incomprehensible to me. Marina unconsciously pushed Aurica just now because of it.”
The regretful Aurica and the not quite sorry Marina.
Ah, Diana was staring at Marina with a pretty serious face! It seemed like she was actually angry!
“By the way, we’ve been watching since the part, ‘The moons are beautiful, Master’!”
That was the beginning!
After that, Marina and Aurica received a length lecture from Diana, and the night ended with no resolution.
Read the chapters at rinkagetranslation.com. The chapters for this series will NOT be posted anywhere else other than on that site itself. If you are reading this from somewhere else then this is chapter has been stolen.
Footnotes
(1) I have previously translated ‘Hitotsuzuki’ as ‘Monster Wave’ in the previous chapters as I wasn’t sure if this is a term used only in this ‘world’, but we decided to let it remain as ‘Hitotsuzuki’ starting from this chapter. I’ll be changing the ones in the previous chapters.
(2) Tanabata = also known as the Star Festival or Qixi Festival (Chinese), is a festival that celebrates the meeting of the two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikobos.h.i.+ (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). You can read more about it here.
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