Raidorl Seiken Senki

Translated by SoundDestiny

Edited by SoundDestiny

After concluding discussions on the post-war handling of the Athena Kingdom, Raidorl made his way to a plaza within the capital city on foot.

There, around a few hundred soldiers had set up tents and stationed themselves. As mealtime drew near, cooking fires were seen here and there.

The armour they wore was not that of the Zain Kingdom; it bore the emblem of a neighbouring country to the east of Zain, the Arslanian Empire.

“Is Princess Celia here?”

“It’s His Highness Raidorl!”

When he called out to one of the soldiers, a young male soldier stood up in a flustered manner.

“If you’re looking for Princess Celia, she’s currently out.”

“Out? Where to?”

“I’m not sure about the exact location, but…um, the maid with black hair…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Raidorl interrupted the soldier’s troubled explanation with a wave of his hand.

“…I apologise for my maid taking your commander away. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Celia had been staying in the Zain Kingdom temporarily as a prisoner and during that time, she had formed a close relationship with the maid Neimilia.

There seemed to be a bond between the two that Raidorl, as a man, didn’t intrude upon and they had apparently been meeting frequently since their reunion.

“Oh no, there’s no need for you to apologise. Besides… our army’s commander is not Princess Celia.”

“Nn? Is that so?”

Raidorl had always assumed Celia was the commander…But due to the busy post-war arrangements, he only exchanged greetings with the Imperial Army and not much else. The explanations in that regard were insufficient.

Since an allied nation came to his aid, he should show more gratitude…However, without prior notice, the Arslanian Imperial Army crossed the borders of the Zain Kingdom and rushed all the way to this kingdom.

While there’s gratitude for the help received, both the Empire and the Kingdom have not followed the proper etiquette that should have been communicated beforehand. Figuring out how to handle this was a perplexing matter for Raidorl as well.

“In that case, let’s have a proper greeting with the actual commander. Are they here now?” 𝒃𝙚𝒅𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢

“Yes, if you mean that person…”

“It’s me! Right here!”

“Ha…?”

A resounding response came down from a high place, with a loud voice.

Raising his gaze to the voice that seemed to come from above, Raidorl saw a figure atop the roof of a clock tower near the plaza.

“I am indeed the leader of the Imperial Army’s Fairy Corps, Alex Rainmakina Amaltu Arslanian!”

“………….”

Raidorl looked up at the girl standing on the roof, who clearly appeared to be a child of tender years and turned to the nearby soldier, questioning him.

“…That is…”

“Well… that person is our commander.”

The soldier’s expression clouded over with a hint of apology.

It seemed they were facing their own challenges as well.

“『Arslanian』 suggests she’s of imperial royalty, right? And 『Amaltu』…?”

If Raidorl’s memory served him right, it should be the name of one of the nations in the southern part of the continent, a union of demi-human races ruled by the elves.

Despite the intense discrimination against demi-humans in the empire, they should be in a hostile relationship.

“Here I go!”

“Ah!”

As Raidorl pondered, the girl who introduced herself as Alex kicked off from the clock tower’s roof.

Twirling in midair, Alex descended and gracefully landed on the ground as if defying gravity.

Upon closer inspection, it would be evident that Alex had used wind magic to slow her descent and cushion the impact.

Before Raidorl stood a girl of peculiar appearance.

She had clear emerald green hair styled in a bob, with skin as smooth as a pearl. Her azure eyes, like the sky itself, seemed to reflect the colour of the heavens.

However, what drew the most attention were her pointed ears on both sides, a characteristic often seen among the demi-human race known as elves.

“So you’re my husband! Raidorl Zain-dono!”

“Husband…?”

“Indeed! By the orders of my father, Emperor Zacharias of the Arslanian Empire, I am to wed you! From now on, I entrust myself to you, my husband!”

“………..”

Raidorl furrowed his brows.

He hadn’t heard a single word about this. Regardless of the fact that the Empire was a suzerain kingdom in relation to the current Zain Kingdom, it was rather audacious to unilaterally decide on a marriage partner without any prior discussion.

“…Did the Emperor of the Empire truly issue such an order?”

“Indeed! My father received the command that 『discuss and proceed with engagement plans after assessing the situation』 so I came freely to meet my betrothed!”

“…It seems like an absolute misunderstanding of the command.”

The audacious manner of speech and decisive actions were reminiscent of Emperor Zacharias of the Empire.

While their appearances had no resemblance, their personalities were much more connected by blood than Raidorl felt with Celia.

“As for the matter of marriage aside…I do express gratitude for this reinforcement. Thanks to it, we were able to minimise the damage and eliminate the Undead Army.”

“Umu, the Arslanian Empire and the Zain Kingdom have pledged an alliance. Take it to your liking!”

Upon Raidorl’s expression of gratitude, Alex burst into a hearty laughter.

“I should apologise for coming here without any prior notice! Please forgive me!”

“It’s not a matter of forgiving or not… But in the first place, how did you manage to breach the Zain Kingdom’s borders? Regardless of being a suzerain state, it’s not something one can pass through without conditions, right?”

“We didn’t cross the borders. We came through 『Avalon』!”

“Fairyland…?”

[TL:Author use different word]

Fairyland, known as 『Avalon』 was a world where non-human fairies were said to dwell, often appearing in myths and fairy tales.

It had always been considered a legendary realm and Raidorl hadn’t recognized it as something real.

“Only races that are friends of the fairies, starting with the elves, can enter the Fairyland. Or beings like me, hybrids. It’s understandable that many doubt its existence.”

“So, you’re a hybrid as well… I suspected as much from your ears and hair colour.”

“It’s not just me. The troops that rushed to provide assistance this time, the 『Fairy Corps』 are all hybrids with elven blood. In the Empire, we’re often looked down upon as having 『tainted blood』 or the like.”

“Is that so?”

Raidorl looked at the nearby soldier and the young male soldier removed his helmet.

Though not as pronounced as Alex’s, the ears that were concealed were pointed, revealing his elven lineage.

“The Empire has been in conflict with demi-humans for years. Elven prisoners brought back, mingling with humans, giving birth to children… The 『Fairy Corps』 is a unit created by my father’s permission, gathering these discriminated individuals.”

Regardless of the presence of affection…it’s not uncommon for captured women to endure humiliation and end up conceiving children.

Children born of captives are already subject to discrimination. If they also carry the blood of demi-humans, the discrimination intensifies.

“Perhaps to elevate the status of hybrids…”

“Umu…I had that intention, but within the Empire, the circumstances are unfavourable. We’re not allowed to serve in battles where we could achieve feats and even if we’re permitted to go to the battlefield, we’re treated as expendable. So… I came up with a unique solution.”

“…Go on, tell me.”

Prompted by Raidorl, Alex puffed out her chest proudly with a [FuFun!]

“To obtain a haven where not only elves but hybrids can live in peace. For instance, a place where the residents have been slaughtered by monsters or the undead, leaving the land available!”

“I see, so you’ve come to earn favours.”

Raidorl understood Alex’s intention.

Why they had come to provide assistance even when not requested became clear.

“Your objective is to intervene in the battle between the Zain Kingdom’s army and the Undead Army, and achieve martial feats. With that debt of gratitude, you intend to ask for land for yourselves?”

Upon Raidorl’s words, a broad smile spread across Alex’s face.