Chapter 123 Busy Day Part Two - 'Dragonkin Story'
"Please feel free to ask me anything. I will tell you anything you want to know."
"Oh, in that case..."
"Yes, do you want to ask if I've never been with a man before?"
"That's right."
"Yes, unlike my sister..."
"Oh, I see."
"I am not afraid of men."
"Oh, I see. I don't mind."
"Thank you. Being a queen means not only governing the country, but also fulfilling the duty of continuing the royal bloodline. However, my sister told me that I don't have to forcefully choose a consort until a man truly worthy of my devotion appears. She promised me that if someone I truly like doesn't come along, even if it takes 100 or 200 years, it wouldn't matter if I reached the end of my life. She said it's okay."
"Really?"
"It has been a year of rapid changes in the situation, but I feel like I have done everything I could. 'If my life must decay for the sake of the people of the country, then so be it,' I thought. I wondered if my sister would forgive me for that. I was satisfied at that time, thinking, 'Now I can be free from pain.' After accepting everything and resigning myself to lose consciousness, Tatsuma-sama appeared, and my way of thinking changed a little."
"Oh, I see... No, it's not like that."
"Yes?"
"We don't have much time, so I want to get back to the serious discussion."
"I was serious in my previous talk... but I understand. It was just that I haven't seen Tatsuma-sama since then, so I was looking forward to when I could meet you..."
"I'm sorry for being busy and everything."
"No, it's alright."
"So, about the story of Dragonkin..."
"Yes."
"Was it about the trade based on the agreement that was supposed to happen this year?"
"Yes, that's right--"
Mylavirna-san's story goes like this.
Every year at the beginning of the year, there was a trade with the Dragonkin country, Arlheave. This country would buy a large amount of grain made in Arlheave in exchange for a year's worth of water stored in a reservoir and the purification of farmland in their own country.
But this year, the Holy Lady of the Dragonkin Tribe is not feeling well and is preoccupied with matters in Arlheave. If things continue like this, it might be difficult for next year as well. So, there was a suggestion to cancel the trade as a precaution.
"I see."
"Yes. However, I don't want to burden the people of our country..."
"So, it ended up like that, huh?"
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Well, it's okay. I'm here now, so please don't push yourself too hard. Alright?"
"Yes, I'll be careful."
"So, after this, I will be doing something later today--"
After this, I'm going to treat people at the shrine and then head to Watterhill's and Swiglefen in the evening. I've asked Maya-chan to take care of things during that time. I explained in detail that I plan to handle things with a palliative approach.
"I know it won't be a fundamental solution, but I want to do what I can within my limits."
"Isn't that similar to what the Holy Lady does?"
I'm called Saint-sama, but should I keep that a secret?
"Oh no, I can't purify. So, I just have to quietly work on it, you know."
"Quietly, is it?"
"Let's just leave it at that. So, aside from water and Oso (Dreadful element) poison, are there any other problems you're facing?"
"Yes. As usual, it seems that the crops are drastically declining because they haven't been purified by the Holy Lady..."
"I see."
Here we go, this place has a higher concentration of Oso than Swiglefen or Watterhill. Just because they have access to drinking water doesn't mean that's enough.
"Tigerman and Cat-people men, you know, they love eating meat and fish."
"We humans are the same way."
"Yes, I actually prefer fish over meat. I do eat grains and bread too, but they're more like side dishes. I don't eat more meat or fish than that."
Ah, so that's why the food served at Privia-san's mansion was a bit different. They even adjusted the portion and presentation for me and Maya-chan.
"Hoho, I see."
"Of course, it's cooked, okay? Raw food can be smelly and might upset our stomachs."
"Well, that makes sense. Although some fish can be eaten raw, most of them are cooked."
"So there are fish like that--?"
"Even Her Majesty--"
"Myla."
I point my index finger at my lips and shake my head from side to side, making a face like "no."
"Ah, yes. Myla-san"
"What is it?"
Even though she looks like a cute girl, she's still twice as old as me. She has the same older sister-like gestures as Rosalier-san.
"Myla-san, you've probably heard about me from mother (Privia), right?"
"Yes"
"You know that me and Maya-chan aren't from this world, right?"
"Yes?"
"Oh?"
"W-was that so?"
"Huh? Didn't she tell you?"
"Hehe, I'm just kidding. I know."
"Phew, that's cold. Well, anyways, in our world, there's a tradition of eating raw fish in my country."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, but it's not all fish. It's only some from rivers and lakes. Not all fish from the sea. Rosalier-san is really good at making fish dishes. They're incredibly delicious."
"Is that so?"
"If you say that, I'm really happy, Tatsuma-sama"
"Huh?"
When I turned to the source of the sound, I saw Rosalier-san with a smiling face. Huh? Why are you here? Genoruira-san, too, who was waiting behind me, was surprised and frozen.
"I have brought you some tea."
"Thank you, Rosal-san."
"Huh?"
"We are the same age and we were both born early, so we have become good friends."
"I was asked by Privia-sama to take care of Myla-sama. When we talked, we immediately became good friends, Tatsuma-sama"
Well, Rosalier-san is the princess of the Black Forest Human tribe, even though it's a small country.
"I'm not good at cooking, but Rosal-san, who has become my friend, will teach me. I'm so excited!"
Anyway, both Rosalier-san, who was a princess, and Mylavirna-san, who was a princess, have amazing social skills...
"I don't really understand, but for now, let's leave it at that... In this country, they mainly grow fruits instead of grains. Grains were mostly obtained through trade with the Dragonkin. They also relied on hunting and fishing in the lake, right?"
"Yes, I think that's correct."
"For example, until last year, the grain we bought in bulk from Arlheave was sent to Watterhill's through Mother. What do they send in return?"
"Yes, it's meat."
"Meat, huh? We also have Magic Beasts (Majuu) here, right?"
"Yes, but the meat from over there is somewhat safer than the meat here."
"Yes, that's right."
"You think about these things a lot."
"Yes, thanks to my big sister creating Watterhill's, we've been able to receive a lot of help."
Seeing the two of them sitting side by side in front of me, getting along like old friends, makes me happy. Recently, ever since the Black Forest Humans joined Watterhill's, they didn't show this kind of closeness. Maya-chan gets along with them, but it feels more like being sisters with a significant age gap rather than friends.
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