Chapter 54: City of Canals (part one)

And now, we’re finally reaching the third arc! How fast, huh? Enjoy the chapter!

TL: clover

ED: clover, eristol

---

<< Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter >>

---

Four months had passed since the incidents involving Auguste and the angel – that was the advent of the early summer.

The season changed and the color of the trees changed from green full of vitality to soft red and yellow.

 

The dwelling space of the Duke of Aurelia also moved to 〈Autumn Palace〉 in a small warm land.

This palace is a palace in the golden forest as it is surrounded by trees with leaves that turn yellow such as Ginkgo biloba, etc.

From the balcony in my room, I could see the golden forest and it looked like a yellow carpet.

 

I sat on the chair placed on the balcony while holding two envelopes I had received from a maid.

Then Tirnanog came out from under the tablecloth.

 

『Are those letters?』

“Yeah, it seems these reached the Spring Palace, these letters are from Klaus and Auguste.”

『The black-haired good-looking dwarf and the prince with blonde hair. What is written on them?』

“Wait a moment……”

 

I opened the letter from Klaus.

Rendered speechless by the simplicity of it for a moment, I read the letter aloud.

 

“……‘Are you in good health? Do not lose to anyone until I return to Ichthyes.

I have gotten even stronger. I can hardly wait for the day when I can meet you again.’……”

 

『This time, it’s a letter of challenge for sure.』

“As expected, it’s similar to a letter of challenge.”

 

It is troubling that he still wants to put me in the position of his rival.

Even now he is working with Eduard-oniisama in the South, so I was hoping that he has been reformed or has tempered himself a little.

Or rather, maybe this happened because he continued to taste defeat after challenging my older brother many times?

Maybe he has the idea of first trying to prevail after winning against me as his sister?

 

Drowsiness began to creep up owing to the fact that I used the part of my head that I never use.

It isn’t good to carry mental stress.

I decided not to see the letter from Klaus, I will pull myself together after reading Auguste’s letter.

 

There was a pressed flower using a vibrant flower from the South.

And from the paper, the faint fragrance of the flower could be smelled.

 

“‘Dear Erica.

By the time this letter arrives, it will definitely be autumn in Aurelia.

I will deliver the summer remnant of Ignitia.

I will be glad if you like it.’”

 

『Hou, the prince with blonde hair is quite refreshing.』

 

“‘Here, I am as busy as ever.

There is so much work to do as a prince and it is very difficult for me to stretch my wings.

Oh yeah, as part of that work, I decided to attend the launching ceremony which will be held soon at Knot Reed.

I heard that the Aurelia Ducal Family will participate as well.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you again after a long absence.’”

 

『Launching ceremony……aah, it’s the location for that plan.』

 

I nodded back to Tirnanog’s interjection.

In the launching ceremony which will be held in the Trade City of Knot Reed, we are planning to avoid the next death flag.

 

“‘My dragons are about to hatch from their eggs.

If there is an opportunity, I will introduce them during the launching ceremony.

At that time, I hope you can get along with them.

May the grace of God be with you.’……that’s what he said.”

『Good news, huh.』

“Yes, we must also tell Palug about this.”

『That said, I thought it was unusually quiet……where is that cat?』

 

Tirnanog climbed up the handrail and looked around the garden.

I also got up and looked around for Palug’s figure.

 

When I looked down at the garden, a maid stopped sweeping the yard and was waving her hand towards this direction.

Silver hair stretched to the shoulder, suntanned skin.

She was a girl whose face somewhat resembled Auguste.

 

(Hm……a girl? Wait a minute, is that really a girl……?)

 

The person whose gender was unknown ran slightly, jumped up and landed on the handrail of the balcony.

Huh? But, this place is the third floor!?

 

“!?”

『Cat. Erica will be surprised. Don’t appear so suddenly with an unfamiliar appearance.』

“My, my, I’m sorry. I’m just very glad that my power came back.”

 

The maid pinched her skirt and curtsied while sticking out her tongue.

Cat ears appeared between her hair and a cat’s tail jumped out from the hem of her skirt.

It seems that it is the transformed figure of Palug.

 

“That was surprising……who have you tuned into right now? From the look of the face, is it someone from the royal family of Ignitia?”

“This is the childhood figure of my King Guillaume. Isn’t it cute?”

 

While saying so, Palug raised both of her lightly curled hands on both sides of her face and took a cat-like pose.

Ah, if I look closely, unlike Auguste, the color of the eyes is sky blue.

 

“Guillaume is the ancestor of Auguste and the Founder King of Ignitia, right?

Is it really okay if you use such a great person’s appearance to wear female clothing?”

『Hundreds of years after his death, only to be blasphemed by a domestic cat……what a pitiful man.』

“Eh~ What’s with those reactions. Even though this appearance is so cute.”

“It’s cute, but please stop it.”

 

I will have no excuse for the people of Ignitia if they know that a look-alike figure of the Founder King was seen wearing female clothing.

If the color of the eyes change, it will practically be Auguste, so the feeling of guilt was doubled.

When I offered the letter from Auguste as a shield to request for her to release the transformation, Palug nodded with a reluctant expression.

 

Palug made a turn with a twirl.

In the blink of an eye, her appearance changed and she was in the figure of her usual gorgeous beauty.

The clothes she was wearing changed from the maid’s clothes to a southern-style dress.

 

It seems that Palug’s original ability was to imitate the figure and voice of the contractor who she ever got blood from.

According to the person herself, she seems to have been a cat phantom beast who only had the ability to transform before becoming an angel.

It was only after Ignitia’s only God took her in, that she got the characteristics of heat and light.

 

Resting and ingesting a drop of my blood each day, gradually Palug’s power is returning.

For now, it seems that her ability to transform is recovering faster than her ability to fight as an angel.

 

“My, my, even though it’s a love letter addressed to Erica from Auguste, my heart is also fluttering~”

“It’s not a love letter. I think it’s just a normal status report that friends give each other.”

 

I decided to deny it after taking the distant future into consideration.

It isn’t good idea to make too much misunderstanding, so I would like her to do it in moderation.

 

“Eeeh! The eggs finally hatched?!

We have to celebrate it! I will demand a full-blown festival as the guardian angel of the country!”

『Cat……you become an angel only when it is convenient for you……』

 

Palug was hugging the letter as she was spinning and dancing.

It seems that she didn’t hear his words.

Since the dragons’ hatching was a long-standing wish of Auguste and Palug, it is reasonable.

 

『Cat. Getting carried away and all is fine, but you had better improve that ability of yours to transform.

We can’t bring a useless freeloader, you know.』

 

When Tirnanog called her out in provocation, Palug suddenly stopped moving and her face turned serious.

 

“How rude. I’m going to be much more useful than a dead-weight fake dragon, you know?”

『Hah, the other day you were just all talk and no action.』

“Fine. I will show you the result of my practice!”

 

Palug turned around once and transformed.

Golden hair rolled softly, eyes as green as emerald.

A girl around eight years old wearing a dark blue simple dress appeared.

 

The one who appeared was exactly me, Erica Aurelia.

Except, that ‘me’ had cat ears and tail.

 

『Cat……the monstro parts are still there……』

“Oh no……I have to change the plan……”

“What~ This is just a little joke.”

 

When Palug covered them with her hands, the cat ears and tail disappeared.

This time she became completely like me.

 

“Amazing, Palug. With this, it will be fine even if you replace me.”

『No, she still has a long way to go.

The eyes are too sparkling, and the expression is too lively.

You might be able to fool strangers, but you cannot fool her father or older brother.』

“Fufufu. Today I’m different from before. How about this?”

 

All of a sudden, facial expressions disappeared from the face of the ‘me’ Palug had turned herself into.

Her lips formed a thin smile, but it didn’t seem like she was having fun at all.

Her emotions couldn’t be read from the eyes, and she felt somewhat like an artificial product.

Rather than being a gaudy and malicious girl, she seemed more like a boss whose specialty is criticizing and cursing.

 

『Ooooh!!』

“……This is exactly the same, isn’t it?”

『Umu, the tone of voice is also perfect. In this case you may even be able to fool me.』

“Fufufu. This is the result of my steady observation.”

 

Palug who turned into me smiled quietly.

Eh, it feels somewhat scary.

 

“Huh? Do I look so scary when you look at me objectively?”

『You are not scary. I like your calm and reserved impressions.』

“The emotions you express are also watered down, huh. But I think you are cute like a doll.”

 

I wonder how far I can trust the sensibilities of the phantom beasts.

I will make more efforts to look cheerful which is appropriate for my age.

 

“This perfect-level of transformation seems to be fine. You will be able to makeshift for me while we’re dealing with the next oracle of destruction.”

 

When I began to talk, the two phantom beasts nodded with a daring smile showing on their faces.

 

“The next key person’s name is Harold Nibelheim.

The only son of Earl Nibelheim, the feudal lord of Nibelheim territory which is adjacent to the City of Canals, Knot Reed.”

---

When Palug is in her cat form, I will use 『…』 for her dialogues, but when she’s transforming into human, I will use “…” for her dialogues.

Alright, here’s an excerpt from the author about what was supposed to happen in the original game for Auguste’s route:

So, several weeks before the ‘St. Angel Anthropophagy Case’, the beast (Palug) began to separate itself from Auguste every evening and began to wander to consume other beasts to make up for its loss of power. Auguste knew about the separation as occasionally his ability to ride dragon was lost. On the day before the incident, when the beast tried to eat another beast in the form of half-human half-beast, since it had lost too much power, it got beaten by the beast it was trying to eat and got its arm cut. And as you see in this chapter, Palug can turn into the person she has contract with. So when she got her arm cut off in the original game, she was assuming Auguste’s form.

Meanwhile, Auguste was called out to the chapel by Erica. The Erica of the original game secretly loved Auguste. The incident where Erica insulted Auguste was a twisted form of her showing interest and favor to Auguste. Erica confessed to Auguste at the chapel, but he rejected her as he still resented her. Then Auguste left the chapel.

The beast, after retrieving its arm and fled to the academy, went to the chapel because it sensed Erica’s strong power. Erica thought that Auguste came back and greeted the beast, but the beast ate her. Auguste who either sensed the beast or heard Erica’s scream, rushed to the chapel and fought the beast. The beast ran away and dropped its arm (which was in the form of Auguste’s arm), while Auguste chased after it but failed.

Then people came to the chapel and discovered the devastation, and announced Auguste and Erica’s death. Auguste knew about his ‘death’, but since he intended to withdraw from the throne succession after killing the beast to make way for his brother, he hid himself and let people think that he died. The beast was still wandering to retrieve its arm and was seen by Chloe. On the night after the incident, Chloe also saw Auguste who was supposed to have died. Auguste had a wound from fighting the beast that needs treatment. Auguste alone couldn’t defeat the beast, so he requested Chloe’s help in fighting the beast.

---

<< Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter >>