Call me Ishmael. Some years
ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and
nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a
little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off
the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim
about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I
find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the
rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an
upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from
deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats
off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my
substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself
upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in
this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other,
cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
There now is your insular city of
the Manhattoes, belted round by wharves as Indian isles by coral reefs—commerce
surrounds it with her surf. Right and left, the streets take you waterward. Its
extreme downtown is the battery, where that noble mole is washed by waves, and
cooled by breezes, which a few hours previous were out of sight of land. Look
at the crowds of water-gazers there.
Circumambulate the city of a
dreamy Sabbath afternoon. Go from Corlears Hook to Coenties Slip, and from
thence, by Whitehall, northward. What do you see?—Posted like silent sentinels
all around the town, stand thousands upon thousands of mortal men fixed in
ocean reveries. Some leaning against the spiles; some seated upon the
pier-heads; some looking over the bulwarks of ships from China; some high aloft
in the rigging, as if striving to get a still better seaward peep. But these
are all landsmen; of week days pent up in lath and plaster—tied to counters,
nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields
gone? What do they here?
But look! here come more crowds,
pacing straight for the water, and seemingly bound for a dive. Strange! Nothing
will content them but the extremest limit of the land; loitering under the
shady lee of yonder warehouses will not suffice. No. They must get just as nigh
the water as they possibly can without falling in. And there they stand—miles
of them—leagues. Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and
avenues—north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does
the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all those ships attract
them thither?
Once more. Say you are in the
country; in some high land of lakes. Take almost any path you please, and ten
to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the
stream. There is magic in it. Let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in
his deepest reveries—stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he
will infallibly lead you to water, if water there be in all that region. Should
you ever be athirst in the great American desert, try this experiment, if your
caravan happen to be supplied with a metaphysical professor. Yes, as every one
knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever.
But here is an artist. He desires
to paint you the dreamiest, shadiest, quietest, most enchanting bit of romantic
landscape in all the valley of the Saco. What is the chief element he employs?
There stand his trees, each with a hollow trunk, as if a hermit and a crucifix
were within; and here sleeps his meadow, and there sleep his cattle; and up
from yonder cottage goes a sleepy smoke. Deep into distant woodlands winds a
mazy way, reaching to overlapping spurs of mountains bathed in their hill-side
blue. But though the picture lies thus tranced, and though this pine-tree
shakes down its sighs like leaves upon this shepherd's head, yet all were vain,
unless the shepherd's eye were fixed upon the magic stream before him. Go visit
the Prairies in June, when for scores on scores of miles you wade knee-deep
among Tiger-lilies—what is the one charm wanting?—Water—there is not a drop of
water there! Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your
thousand miles to see it? Why did the poor poet of Tennessee, upon suddenly
receiving two handfuls of silver, deliberate whether to buy him a coat, which
he sadly needed, or invest his money in a pedestrian trip to Rockaway Beach?
Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at
some time or other crazy to go to sea? Why upon your first voyage as a
passenger, did you yourself feel such a mystical vibration, when first told
that you and your ship were now out of sight of land? Why did the old Persians
hold the sea holy? Why did the Greeks give it a separate deity, and own brother
of Jove? Surely all this is not without meaning. And still deeper the meaning
of that story of Narcissus, who because he could not grasp the tormenting, mild
image he saw in the fountain, plunged into it and was drowned. But that same
image, we ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the
ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.
Now, when I say that I am in the
habit of going to sea whenever I begin to grow hazy about the eyes, and begin
to be over conscious of my lungs, I do not mean to have it inferred that I ever
go to sea as a passenger. For to go as a passenger you must needs have a purse,
and a purse is but a rag unless you have something in it. Besides, passengers
get sea-sick—grow quarrelsome—don't sleep of nights—do not enjoy themselves
much, as a general thing;—no, I never go as a passenger; nor, though I am
something of a salt, do I ever go to sea as a Commodore, or a Captain, or a
Cook. I abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like
them. For my part, I abominate all honorable respectable toils, trials, and
tribulations of every kind whatsoever. It is quite as much as I can do to take
care of myself, without taking care of ships, barques, brigs, schooners, and
what not. And as for going as cook,—though I confess there is considerable
glory in that, a cook being a sort of officer on ship-board—yet, somehow, I
never fancied broiling fowls;—though once broiled, judiciously buttered, and
judgmatically salted and peppered, there is no one who will speak more
respectfully, not to say reverentially, of a broiled fowl than I will. It is
out of the idolatrous dotings of the old Egyptians upon broiled ibis and
roasted river horse, that you see the mummies of those creatures in their huge
bake-houses the pyramids.
No, when I go to sea, I go as a
simple sailor, right before the mast, plumb down into the forecastle, aloft
there to the royal mast-head. True, they rather order me about some, and make
me jump from spar to spar, like a grasshopper in a May meadow. And at first,
this sort of thing is unpleasant enough. It touches one's sense of honor,
particularly if you come of an old established family in the land, the Van
Rensselaers, or Randolphs, or Hardicanutes. And more than all, if just previous
to putting your hand into the tar-pot, you have been lording it as a country
schoolmaster, making the tallest boys stand in awe of you. The transition is a
keen one, I assure you, from a schoolmaster to a sailor, and requires a strong
decoction of Seneca and the Stoics to enable you to grin and bear it. But even
this wears off in time.
What of it, if some old hunks of
a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? What does that
indignity amount to, weighed, I mean, in the scales of the New Testament? Do
you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me, because I
promptly and respectfully obey that old hunks in that particular instance? Who
ain't a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order
me about—however they may thump and punch me about, I have the satisfaction of
knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in
much the same way—either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is;
and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each
other's shoulder-blades, and be content.
Again, I always go to sea as a
sailor, because they make a point of paying me for my trouble, whereas they
never pay passengers a single penny that I ever heard of. On the contrary,
passengers themselves must pay. And there is all the difference in the world
between paying and being paid. The act of paying is perhaps the most
uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us. But
being paid,—what will compare with it? The urbane activity with which a man
receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe
money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied
man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!
Finally, I always go to sea as a
sailor, because of the wholesome exercise and pure air of the fore-castle deck.
For as in this world, head winds are far more prevalent than winds from astern
(that is, if you never violate the Pythagorean maxim), so for the most part the
Commodore on the quarter-deck gets his atmosphere at second hand from the
sailors on the forecastle. He thinks he breathes it first; but not so. In much
the same way do the commonalty lead their leaders in many other things, at the
same time that the leaders little suspect it. But wherefore it was that after
having repeatedly smelt the sea as a merchant sailor, I should now take it into
my head to go on a whaling voyage; this the invisible police officer of the
Fates, who has the constant surveillance of me, and secretly dogs me, and
influences me in some unaccountable way—he can better answer than any one else.
And, doubtless, my going on this whaling voyage, formed part of the grand
programme of Providence that was drawn up a long time ago. It came in as a sort
of brief interlude and solo between more extensive performances. I take it that
this part of the bill must have run something like this:
“Grand Contested Election for the
Presidency of the United States. “WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL. “BLOODY BATTLE
IN AFFGHANISTAN.”
Though I cannot tell why it was
exactly that those stage managers, the Fates, put me down for this shabby part
of a whaling voyage, when others were set down for magnificent parts in high
tragedies, and short and easy parts in genteel comedies, and jolly parts in
farces—though I cannot tell why this was exactly; yet, now that I recall all
the circumstances, I think I can see a little into the springs and motives
which being cunningly presented to me under various disguises, induced me to
set about performing the part I did, besides cajoling me into the delusion that
it was a choice resulting from my own unbiased freewill and discriminating
judgment.
Chief among these motives was the
overwhelming idea of the great whale himself. Such a portentous and mysterious
monster roused all my curiosity. Then the wild and distant seas where he rolled
his island bulk; the undeliverable, nameless perils of the whale; these, with
all the attending marvels of a thousand Patagonian sights and sounds, helped to
sway me to my wish. With other men, perhaps, such things would not have been
inducements; but as for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things
remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. Not
ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be
social with it—would they let me—since it is but well to be on friendly terms
with all the inmates of the place one lodges in.
By reason of these things, then,
the whaling voyage was welcome; the great flood-gates of the wonder-world swung
open, and in the wild conceits that swayed me to my purpose, two and two there
floated into my inmost soul, endless processions of the whale, and, mid most of
them all, one grand hooded phantom, like a snow hill in the air.
It was nightfall by the time the audience
with Mary was concluded. Roroa and Juna-san welcomed us when we returned to the
office room. I also could see Carla in her maid uniform at the corner of the
room.
「Welcome
back Darling…… Eh, did something happen?」(Roroa)
「Ano,
what happened, Your Majesty?」(Juna)
Though both welcomed us with smiling
at first, they became worried the moment they noticed my expression. Ahaha, surely my face looks horrible right
now…… May be it really does. Juna-san touched my forehead with her cold and
soft hand.
「There’s
no fever…… But, are you feeling unwell? Would you like to rest for a while?」(Juna)
「Wait,
Cia-nee! What happened to Darling!?」(Roroa)
「E-even
if you ask me, I also don’t know!」(Liscia)
Just as Roroa pressed Liscia for
an answer, I replied, 「No…… I’m alright」, and gently brushed Juna-san’s hand aside, before sitting
down on my “desk”. And then,
「Sorry.
Liscia, Aisha, Juna-san, Roroa…… Come over here.」
I beckoned my fiancées closer. The
four of them exchanged glances and then slowly approached me. When they stood close
enough by my side, I wrapped them all together in a hug.
「Hyah?」(Liscia)
「What!?」(Aisha)
「Aw……」(Juna)
「Wa-,
Darling!」(Roroa)
All four of them yelped, but I kept
hugging them without minding it. From a distance, this would look like a team
huddle, so there would be nothing romantic about it. Even so, I could feel their
warmth…… I finally calmed myself down. After a minute or so, I released them. While
mending her disheveled clothing, Liscia asked with a hint of anger.
「…… You
better explain what’s going on, okay?」(Liscia)
I was glad that behind her angry
tone, there was a heart that genuinely cared about me.
「Yes.
I shall explain everything.」(Souma)
「Souma,
you became like this after the last conversation with the Holy Maiden, right?
Did something happen?」(Liscia)
「…… I
felt… a sense of discomfort, the whole time during the audience.」(Souma)
「Sense
of discomfort?.」(Liscia)
I nodded.
「When
I saw Mary for the first time, I thought that she was pretty. But at the same
time, I felt that something was strange. She should have come across as a very attractive
girl, yet I couldn’t bring myself to see her that way.」(Souma)
「But,
from her appearance, she looks like a beautiful girl in my eyes.」(Hakuya)
Hakuya said so. Yeah, perhaps, other
people wouldn’t able to notice it.
「I also
didn’t notice at first. However, the moment I thought that this emotionless girl’s
face is 『Like a Doll』, or perhaps I should say, 『seems
artificial』, I noticed the true cause of that sense of
discomfort. She…… resembled someone.」(Souma)
「Resembled
someone? Who?」(Liscia)
Liscia ask me, and so I pointed
my fingers at her.
「You.
Liscia.」(Souma)
「M-me!?」(Liscia)
「Yes.
Furthermore, Aisha and Roroa too.」(Souma)
「Eh,
really?」(Aisha)
「Me
too?」(Roroa)
Upon hearing my answer, Aisha and
Roroa stared at each other face. I then turned my attention to Hakuya.
「Hakuya.
How you would describe Mary’s appearance to someone who was not in the Audience
Room?」(Souma)
「…… Let’s
see. A well proportioned face. Silver hair, braided into two……Wh-!?」(Hakuya)
Hakuya widened his eyes, so he
seemed to notice it too. I then let out a sigh.
「For
me, I will describe her like this. Her well proportioned face resembles Liscia.
Her silver hair is reminiscent of Aisha’s Dark Elvish characteristics. Her
hairstyle is similar to that of Roroa. In other words, Mary's appearance seems
to be a composite of features from Liscia, Aisha, and Roroa.」(Souma)
「Li-like
us!?」(Liscia)
Yeah. The reason why I did not get
charmed by her at all, even though she was a such beauty, perhaps because my face
perception processing gave off a red flag. If one day, Aisha suddenly had a
human face, then I would be surprised. If Liscia or Roroa’s hair became silver
then it would be natural if I felt uncomfortable. Then, Aisha tilted her head.
「Wait
a moment. If she has our characteristics, then where is Juna-san’s part? Her
body appearance is also average, right?」(Aisha)
「That’s
it!」(Souma)
I slapped my knee, as I realized
something.
「Judging
from her look, Mary doesn’t have any resemblance to Juna-san. Though perhaps, only
her big black eyes are similar to Juna-san, but as a characteristic, this is
too weak. Then, what is the difference between Juna-san and the other three?」(Souma)
「I am
the only candidate as a Royal Consort. And…… it is only my engagement which still
has yet to be announced to public.」(Juna)
I nodded at Juna-san’s reply.
「For Liscia,
Aisha, and Roroa, their engagements have already had been announced to public,
but out of consideration for Juna-san’s activities as 『Song
Princess』, Juna-san’s engagement hasn’t been announced yet. That’s
why no one knows that Juna-san is my fiancée. Following that, if we consider
that the dispatched Holy Maiden possesses the characteristics of my fiancées,
excluding Juna-san, and the active movement of the Orthodoxy State’s spies in
the Capital, we could speculate that what the spies gathered was information
about my fiancées’ appearance. It was so that they could send a girl as the
Holy Maiden that matched my preferences, or at least won’t be disliked by me.」(Souma)
「Souma,
then.......」(Liscia)
「Yeah……
Do you remember what Mary said, when I mentioned whether she was here 『to
offer herself as a bride』?」(Souma)
『If Your
Highness Holy King desires so, you may do whatever you please to me.』
Mary replied without any objections.
To send a girl who matched my preference, and that girl said, 『You
may do whatever you please to me』. And then, as quid pro quo, in exchange for her, the
Orthodoxy State could try to press on their demand. In other words, for the
Orthodoxy State, the Holy Maiden was
「Something
similar to national scale honey trap.」(Souma)
「What
they attempted is similar to how the nobles try to peddle their own daughters……」(Liscia)
Liscia spoke in astonishment.
Truly, for a country governed by clergymen, this was a vulgar doing. As a
nation, the Orthodoxy State is just as worldly as any other country.
「After
I noticed the true cause of the sense of discomfort…… I asked Mary about how
she was selected as a Holy Maiden, and she gave a very thorough and detailed
explanation.」(Souma)
It seemed that the Holy Maiden of
the Orthodoxy State was chosen from among the nuns who work in the Central Church
by an “oracle” from the Moon Stele 『Lunaris』. It seemed that most of the nuns were originally orphans.
They numbered around 50 people. Perhaps, they were trying to have a diverse
stock of Holy Maiden candidates for the rulers they wanted to ensnare. At the Central
Church, a place separated from the secular world, the nuns received their
training and were raised into obedient believers of the doctrine. And when they
come to a certain age without being chosen as a Holy Maiden, it seemed that they
would be dispatched as Priestesses to various churches.
「This
is…… a horrible story, isn’t it?」(Aisha)
Aisha spoke up.
「Doesn’t
that mean they are like real dolls? That they have no free will at all?」(Aisha)
「No,
no, Ai-nee. I’ve heard worse stories.」(Roroa)
Aisha found this unacceptable,
but Roroa had a different opinion.
「No
matter what the country is, a proper orphanage is difficult to operate. After
all, even when the children reached the working age, without any education, they
would end up as cheap manual labor. A place that teaches reading, writing, and basic
arithmetic is rare. Especially for women who come from the orphanage…… There are
many who have no choice but to sell their own body. If they could escape from
this circumstance by living in the church so that they can have enough food,
clothing, and shelter, then for the person themselves, this would be happiness,
right?」(Roroa)
「Even
so! They are being raised to become tributes to rulers of other countries as Holy
Maidens!」(Aisha)
「Calm
down, Ai-nee. I also find it unpleasant like you do, but using children in marriage
is something that is common practice for any Noble or Knight House. Even I…… I
also use myself for political reason.」(Roroa)
「Roroa-dono.」(Aisha)
「Besides,
in her story there are several Holy Maidens. In other words, there are other
nuns who experience the same story. It would be pitiful to call the Holy Maiden
as a tribute, but if they were handed to a ruler, they are marrying into wealth
and status. Just like me, who used myself for political reason, am perfectly happy,
whether or not they are happy or sorrowful is not something that can be decided
by another person.」(Roroa)
Roroa gave her honest answer.
Really…… She is a strong girl.
「I
also agree with what Roroa has said. Although I don’t find this method agreeable,
I have no complaints with the system itself.」(Souma)
「Then……
why does your face have such a horrible look?」(Liscia)
Liscia asked me and put her hands
on my forehead.
「What
shocked me…… was the fact that Mary accepted that “I am a Holy Maiden” and completely
embraced everything about it.」(Souma)
◇ ◇ ◇
At the end of the audience, I
asked Mary something which had been bothering my mind.
「Mary-dono,
don’t you have any problem with being treated as the Holy Maiden? To suddenly become
burdened with the country's prestige, to stand in front a king of another
country, and then to assure that king 『you
may do whatever you please to me』. This burden is too much to bear for a single person,
even more so for a mere normal girl; this will be utterly unbearable. Isn’t
this way of life too grueling?」(Souma)
In response to my question, Mary
answered while smiling.
「I have
been graciously bestowed with the position of Holy Maiden by the Lunaria-sama’s
Will. The Holy Maiden is the face of the Orthodoxy State. I, who had been
bestowed with that duty, rather than my own sentiment, I would like to carry out
my duty as the Holy Maiden that has been conferred to me. Not just for my
country, but also for the people.」(M)
「……Are
you forsaking yourself for others’ sake?」(Souma)
「Isn’t
this a natural obligation for those who have received a higher honor than other
people? Does Your Majesty Souma as a Great King not understand this?」(M)
「.........」(Souma)
「 To live according to other people’s expectations, I
think, is an extremely magnificent and wonderful way of living. I am willing to
devote myself for the sake of those who revere me as a Holy Maiden.」(M)
For those who revere her as a Holy
Maiden……? When I saw Mary’s smile who believed that it is wonderful to live up
to other people’s expectation, the word of the other Holy Maiden came into my
mind.
『Although
my station is that of an Empress who governs over the Empire, in the end, I am just
a human. Rather than being worshiped as a Holy Maiden, I want to be loved by other
people, as a human, as a person.』
One Holy Maiden takes pride to be
a Holy Maiden and behaved as such.
The other Holy Maiden refuses to
become a Holy Maiden and tries to be a mere person until the end.
『Does
Your Majesty Souma as a Great King not understand this?』
――― I……
◇ ◇ ◇
「There
are times…… when I had the same thinking as Mary.」(Souma)
I informed my partners as if I
was confessing in a church.
「Perhaps
Carla remembered? Our conversation during the battle with Amidonian Army.」(Souma)
「That
time……?」(Carla)
Carla who was standing in the
corner of the room muttered and I nodded.
「I was
suffering from the magnitude of responsibilities because I am merely human. As such,
I was worried about the decisions I had made. Actually, I didn’t want enact
them, but I was obligated to. Being forced by the war at that time, I…
unconsciously behaved like a machine…… A system called a 『King』.
After all, a machine would neither suffer nor worry.」 (Souma)
「Souma……」(Liscia)
I smiled wryly and shook my head
to Liscia who looked worried.
「At
that time, thanks to Carla who pointed out to me that 『Won’t
you become broken?』, I realized how warped I’d become on the inside. I was
barely able to stop it from progressing further…… However…… perhaps if at that
time, Carla didn’t point this out…… Just thinking about it makes me shiver. Perhaps,
I may have also ended up like Mary.」(Souma)
When I thought what if I, who became
a system called King, stand up in front Liscia and others…… I was afraid. Will
I, who will throw everything away for the Kingdom, be able to notice Liscia and
others’ tears? Will I able to make Liscia and others smile?
―――I want to be loved by other
people, as a human, as a person.
.
(Yes…… You are right, Maria-dono)(Souma)
If I don’t notice Liscia and others’
tears,
If I can’t make Liscia and others
smile,
Even if I was suffering from the heavy
responsibility, even if worried about my decision,
I don’t want to become just a
machine, a system.
「Yes,
I am fine as a mere person.」(Souma)
「Souma?
…… Hyah.」(Liscia)
I stood up, walked to Liscia’s
side and hugged her.
「Ano……
Souma? Can you release me? This is, you know…… embarrassing, in front of
everyone……」(Liscia)
Liscia raised an objection, but I
ignored it. If she really disliked this, with her strength, she could easily
thrust me away. While still hugging Liscia, I spoke to Hakuya.
「I
will not become a Holy King. Furthermore, I won’t let the Orthodoxy State as they
please. However, all the plans that I’ve thought up can only stall them and not
be a permanent solution. The Lunaria Orthodoxy believers inside the Kingdom are
bound to become a problem. I hope that they can be rendered powerless, or
perhaps, become harmless.」(Souma)
「Wait,
why are you having a serious discussion in this manner!?」(Liscia)
「Then,
please leave the countermeasure to me. I have an idea for it. Therefore, please
lend me Kagetora-dono and the Black Cats Squad.」(Hakuya)
「You
too, Hakuya-dono? Why are you replying to him!?」(Liscia)
「I
understand. Then let’s work it out tomorrow.」(Souma)
「Thy
will be done, Your Majesty.」(Hakuya)
「Am I
being ignored!? Are you ignoring me!?」(Liscia)
「Yes,
I’m depending on you, Hakuya. Then,……」(Souma)
While scratching my cheeks, this
time I turned to face the girls.
「I am
sorry, but please leave me with Liscia alone for tonight.」(Souma)
「「「!?」」」(Aisha)(Juna)(Roroa)
Aisha, Juna, and Roroa were opening
their eyes wide from surprise at my request. Liscia who had been protesting
from the beginning,
「……*open mouth*close mouth* open mouth*close
mouth*.」(Liscia)
There were no words coming out from
her mouth anymore despite opening and closing like goldfish. To think Liscia, who
was always gallant and confident, would make a face like this was quite
fascinating.
「Da-Darling.
That means……」(Roroa)
「Roroa-san.」(Juna)
Roroa who was trying to ask me
was stopped by Juna-san who placed her hand on Roroa’s shoulder, whispering something
to both Roroa and Aisha. She, then, turned to me and bowed with her usual
elegant manner.
「Then,
Your Majesty, Liscia-sama. We will excuse ourselves from this room.」(Juna)
After saying this, Juna-san gracefully
left the room.
「Etto…… Please
have a good rest, Your Majesty, Princess…… Liscia-sama.」 (Aisha)
「Muuu……
Cia-nee! Tell me what happened later ‘kay!」(Roroa)
After that, Aisha and Roroa
followed Juna-san.
「Until
tomorrow. Please have a good rest.」(Hakuya)
「S-since
I’ll stand outside the room as the guard…… M-my Lord and Lady, take your time.」(Carla)
Finally, Hakuya and Carla also exited,
leaving only me and Liscia in the room. I lifted the completely stiffened
Liscia into my arms.
(She is so light……)(Souma)
She had some muscle, but overall her
body was lean, so I was able to comfortably lift her up by our weight
difference. When I put her down in the small bed that was always placed in the
corner of the room, Liscia finally regained her senses.
We sat side by side on the bed,
under the candlestick’s light.
「A-ano,
Souma? Is this…… that thing, right?」(Liscia)
When the face-flushed Liscia
asked me like that, I felt my cheeks warm up, too.
「Ah……
Yeah. I intend…… to do so……」(Souma)
「I-I
see……」(Liscia)
「………I
can’t?」(Souma)
「No! You
can! After all, I have been waiting for this……」(Liscia)
Liscia quickly shook her head. Her
words became weak at the end, though.
「B-but,
why this sudden? Haven’t you been hesitating all this time?」(Liscia)
「Ah,
yeah. Well…… I had thought that 『after the country has become more stable』, 『after
I am able to take the responsibility』, or 『after I took a proper steps』……」(Souma)
Aw, geez. This is so embarrassing!
I scratched my head.
「However……
After seeing Mary and realizing that I want to be a mere person…… I couldn’t
hold back anymore.」(Souma)
「I-I
see……」(Liscia)
There was also some influence from Maria-dono’s words:
『I
want to be loved by other people, as a human, as a person』. I
want to love Liscia and the others as a person. I want to be loved by the
Liscia and the others as a person. When I thought deeply about this, I couldn’t
hold back anymore…… Well, as expected, it would be untactful to say, 『I am
deeply impressed by the words of another woman』 in this scene.
Both of us were slightly
embarrassed and we began to excitedly take off our clothes while avoiding eye
contact.
「But,
well…… for the First Time, an office room is not that romantic.」(Liscia)
Liscia, who was folding her undressed
outerwear so it wouldn’t wrinkled, said this while being bashful.
I also removed my outerwear and
hugged Liscia who was only wearing white underwear.
The one who’s trembling. Is it
me? Or Liscia? …… Or perhaps both of us?
Because both of us were
inexperienced, we embraced each other awkwardly.
For now, after we exchanged a kiss,
「Then,
should we change the location?」(Souma)
I teasingly whispered into Liscia’s
ear.
Then Liscia made a wide smile
while slowly shaking her head,.
「No. This
place will do. After all this……」(Liscia)
―――Is the same place where you
and I met.
Ero time!
ReplyDeleteMan the author is leveling up his writing, what a beautiful description of the call of the sea :')
ReplyDeleteWell, this was less extreme than I expected. I would have expected Mary to have been a bot. lol.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference is that she's of flesh rather than not.
Delete“Doesn’t that mean [Holy Maidens] are like real dolls?” [Aisha]
DeleteI’m dying.
The degree of chaffing is massively different between a person and a bot. Big difference. It involves the potential of you walking bow legged the next day. lol
Deletethank you bro!
ReplyDelete*evil smile*
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet AHHHHHHHHHHH
ReplyDeleteThx you yukkuri-san and sms-san fir this chapter ^^
1 down 3 to go
ReplyDeletewow that's some awesome code and writing!
ReplyDeleteSomeone draw or write that doujin!!!
ReplyDeleteIssei Sensei where are you when I need you??? (Highschool D&D ref)
Author-sama is the devil! the Devil!!
Don't worry, when this become anime there will be plentiful of this Doujins.
DeleteThis is one of my favorite chapters of Souma. Thank you so much for translating this, you've done it justice Yukkuri Oniisan.
ReplyDeleteIt's indeed a lofty ideal to sacrifice yourself for others and live up to the station and expectations of others. But when it comes at the price of throwing away any critical thinking, shirking personal responsibility and pushing away your loved ones... Eh, Maria and Souma had it right here.
I would pick the third option. I would live up to that expectation I have too but I will make that expectation. I will define my own ideal. Made it known and walk it like the world biggest troll. I am not a king or a monster. I simply a Superman fanboy doing what he think is right, when he feel is right, where he think is right.
DeleteFinally! The MC laid his hand on the princess XD Looking forward to the Holy Kingdom got throughly destroyed
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the button?
ReplyDeleteIt's a captcha
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFINALLY!! The ship had sail to sea!! 😤
ReplyDeleteHe's a king he has an entire fleet.
DeleteEven with the fleet, though I am not quite certain (so this may or may not be a spoiler), I hear the shipyard hasn't closed down yet.
DeleteNo problem. Its just more ship for the king fleet. Im guessing the empress and maybe some other country leader would join the fleet.
DeleteThanks for the chapter, I guess next is Aisha's turn? XD
ReplyDeleteThen he has sex with everyone else where they first met too.
DeleteIn the audience hall.
...ouch...hehe
DeleteNice shot, direct hit. lol
Didn't even see that coming.
Don't forget to also use the orb for broadcasting. Lol
DeleteSomeone would be covered in rug. They would have Cleopatra rug incident reenactment.
DeleteArrr hunt that seafaring whale.
ReplyDeleteare there no LN illustration?? why??!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePertamax gan!
ReplyDeleteIndo gan?
DeleteThx for the chapter o.O
ReplyDeleteSuch a good place to end a chapter... BUT I REALLY WANT TO READ THE REST!!! (is there a chapter 5.5 where i can read this maybe?~~)
for scientific propose of course...
DeleteAuthor said no R-18, Go write a doujin about it yourself lel
DeleteThanks 4 the translation!
ReplyDeleteThat's one way for you and your partner to feel human.
This was exactly how saber(fate) rule her kingdom, to be a king she stop being a human. She was loved as a king not as a person.
ReplyDeleteGood thing for souma to realize this sooner.
Oooh, someone else notice it.
DeleteThank for the chapter ^^
ReplyDeleteKyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! finally!!! O(≧▽≦)O
EROI!
ReplyDeleteWhat is this, really ?!
ReplyDeleteThere's no continuation at all from previous chap ?!
Click the button
DeleteVery smart Yukkuri! Its to trick those copying your work. Good job!
DeleteIt’s about bloody time. I can’t stand protagonists that won’t consummate. Or manga that remove that part from adapting the LN.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why the manga adaptation of Maken no Daydreamer did though. Something about saying “Reminds me of that one time with my mom” is probably not the most romantic thing to say in the afterglow.
Mitigated by his mom was a succubus and not blood related, but still.
Yaaaassss!!! I've been training my imagination for situation like this, lol
ReplyDeletethanks as always ey
Next : Night Battle :v
ReplyDeleteOne of the few protagonist that ask a girl to sleep with him
ReplyDeleteawww no scene ero?
ReplyDeletePic: this is just like one of my Harem VN endings!
ReplyDeleteEnd: Someone better write that Doujin or can't wait for the next chapter!
Wait...they're aren't officially married yet? But who cares, this is part of what we're been waiting for!
ReplyDelete"The author says:
ReplyDeleteNo… There is no 18+ scene.
Go and draw or write the doujin yourself."
*ahem*, Well Yukkuri-Oniisan, since you able to create such great writing about the calling of the sea, why not, you know, write the "Arc 4 Chapter 5D.5" for next chapter's captcha? *shy* *shy*
booooo KJ the author and translator :D:D:D thnks for the chpter
ReplyDeleteThanks for the treat.
ReplyDeletewill the Holy Kingdom become the Devil Kingdom, that is worst that the Demon Kingdom Territory...?
ReplyDeletewould be better if the dragon kingdom joins the frey into cleansing that 'kingdom',,,
well...the floors gonna shake!
ReplyDeletecommencing SMOOTH JAZZ~ for the background
ReplyDeleteWell this chapter was a rollercoaster. I went from:
ReplyDelete"WTF, what novel am I reading, is this somehow another April Fool's joke?"
to:
"Oh, here's the chapter, whew"
to:
"Well, that escalated super quickly from the last chapter. Souma my man, you've finally grown up. I'm so proud of you."
Ug, can't use reader view with your protection feature.
ReplyDeleteSorry bout that.
DeleteBut you don't really need a reader view yo read my site.
I don't use ads, and the only jscript I had in my site is the reader location tracker on the side.
Though my font choice and color leave things to be desired though...
Thanks for the chap~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
ReplyDeleteofficial office overtime, she'll get a raise soon
ReplyDelete......Then there is Warhammer 40k Sisters of Battle.
ReplyDeleteThere is also about the future when he is no longer king, he ain't immortal. He should introduce the concept of "separation of church and state" and have the people love much like a certain nation love their second ammendment that even it seems have deadly drawback tney still want it as they believe without it is much worst.
ReplyDeleteYeah good chapter but I wish there was some sex scenes. Oh well. By the way what exactly was the point of that essay?
ReplyDelete" The author says:
ReplyDeleteNo…
There is no 18+ scene.
Go and draw or write the doujin yourself "
Or go using our imagination for free xD
Thank's for the chapter
Большое спасибо!
ReplyDelete"Next chapter: The morning after + Souma and Hakuya's evil scheme that even made Mary's expressionless face showed an expression."
What kind of perversions will this be? :D))
Kyaa kya kya! Finally Souma graduated from being hetare :D
ReplyDeleteSo mean though...
Souma used (puppy eyes) & (direct question) ...i can't?
IT IS SUPER EFECTIVE!
Licia is defeated...
Well there went my totally inhuman conspiracy of human doll puppets, sigh.
ReplyDeleteBut the ship has sailed.
Now when are we going to see fleet maneuvers?
Though I find it disturbing that Excell-sama got him drunk and only took advantage of his babbling to get all his fantasies written down. Despicable!
Lol
Thanks for the chapter
Took him more than a year to make love to his wives huh, still wp bro
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone who read full story of the sailor thing?
ReplyDeleteDamn I got tricked
Thanks~
ReplyDelete