Volume 1 Chapter 10 The Doll Princess
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Ms. Nina, the doll princess, doesn’t eat anything.
She only drinks a little water during meals and nibbles on a special candy before bed every night.
These candies are quite expensive──a small jar with about 30 pieces costs 2000 gold.
You can have the guild order more, but when they arrive depends on luck, so I bought 2 extra jars just in case.
I thought as long as she has these candies, Ms. Nina can keep moving forever.
Last night, I heard from Mr. Zenom that the lifespan of a doll princess is short.
The original prototype doll princess was built to last almost forever with proper maintenance, but the latest models only last half a year.
The budget for summoning heroes has been cut every year lately.
There are talks about ending the system where doll princesses are given to heroes too.
I think they should just get rid of the doll princess system altogether.
It’s sad that the dolls are used and thrown away.
I don’t want any more doll princesses to be made, but I absolutely don’t want to lose Ms. Nina.
She’s a doll with a heart──it’s not just attachment, it’s deeper than that.
If Ms. Nina dies, I might go crazy.
Ms. Nina probably has about 100 days left to live.
The source of a doll princess’s strength is a precious magic crystal.
When the mana in this magic crystal runs out, that’s when the doll princess dies.
I didn’t know that, and I’ve been overworking her.
I had her carry heavy loads, and sometimes make her use magic.
Ms. Nina can use novice healing magic and sleep magic.
It was unavoidable that she healed my injuries with healing magic, but I regret wasting her sleep magic on a quail just for fun.
As usual, I wake up before sunrise, quickly clean the blacksmith’s shop, and fetch water.
I finish eating breakfast prepared by Ms. Nina with Mr. Zenom.
Usually, I’d go to the guild with Ms. Nina to pick a quest for the day, but from today, I will go alone.
At the entrance, Ms. Nina is all set, waiting for me.
It’s the same scene as always.
”From today, I’m going alone. Ms. Nina, please wait in the room and relax.”
I say this boldly.
”Can you tell me the reason? I can kind of guess, though.”
I expected it, but she looks unhappy.
The doll princess is a partner of the hero, not a slave.
She will obey if ordered, but she voices her discontent and questions.
I have to persuade her properly and get her to understand.
”I don’t want to reduce Ms. Nina’s magic crystal any further.”
Now is the time to honestly spill everything I’ve been thinking.
Even Ms. Nina must be afraid of dying.
We might not be able to adventure together, but it’s okay if she just hears my stories when I come back.
I want her to live as long as possible.
That way, she can fulfill her mission as a doll princess, right?
I kept persuading her with random thoughts.
In the end, I thought Ms. Nina would agree with me.
But today, Ms. Nina is quite stubborn.
”I want to spend my last moments just like usual~desuwa.”
Just like usual?
Is there really so much value in today’s routine?
”I don’t think it’s been that fun, though.”
Most of the time, Ms. Nina just walks behind me, carrying the luggage.
There were no epic battles with monsters, just some clumsiness with quails at most.
”Oh, if every day were fun, I’d be in trouble. I wouldn’t know what real fun is.”
”That’s not true! Every day being fun is the best!”
”Oh my, my hero is still such a child.”
Now’s not the time for banter.
We need to have a serious and sincere talk.
”Think a little more seriously! If Ms. Nina dies, I will definitely cry!”
”You really are like a child. A noble man should cheerfully see someone off at such times~desuwa, so there’s no regret for those who leave.”
”Leaving no regrets… Ms. Nina is so cool. I’m just a ball of regrets, so there’s no way I could die like that, looking cool. When I die, I think I’ll be crying and screaming until the very end.”
”Honestly, you’re such a troublemaker. When I look at you, I feel like I might become a ball of regrets too.”
Ms. Nina chuckles softly.
”Did you maybe fall for me?”
”That’s not possible.”
”Such a quick reply! I wanted at least a moment to breathe, you know?”
”Haha, I think you’re about as important as my younger brother. So please don’t be such a pout.”
Maybe it was just playful banter, but I felt a little lighter.
Even until now, Ms. Nina has been acting knowing her own remaining days.
I was just panicking and making a fuss, thinking I just suddenly found out her situation.
Since she wants it that way, I’ll keep going as usual.
Still, saying she’s second to my younger brother even as a joke… that’s quite a delicate position.
Since a doll like Ms. Nina can’t have a real younger brother, it must be about Princess Auroora’s brother, the one who is her copy.
I’m glad she isn’t talking about my pet dog next.
* * *
In the end, I decided to keep doing things mostly the same as before.
But, Ms. Nina is officially forbidden from using magic.
Considering the mana consumption, every time she uses magic, her lifespan shortens by several days.
Even though I didn’t know, I went wild throwing magic at quail, and… I’m a monster, right?
Today, it’s the Brown Quail extermination quest again.
Even though the wheat harvest is over, this quest doesn’t disappear.
It’s probably more about securing food than reducing pest damage.
After the village men finished some casual wheat harvesting, the wheat field looked like a carpet of dried grass.
They roughly cut only the easy-to-harvest tips and left everything trampled and abandoned.
The leftover grain is enormous.
Maybe more barley was spilled than was harvested.
For a Japanese person like me, it’s such a waste it’s almost like a dozen demons throwing a night parade of wastefulness, but apparently that’s just how they roll here.
No one picks up the piled-up leftover grain; even if they do, the price of wheat is so low it’s not worth the trouble.
After we harvest enough for ourselves and the livestock, the remaining wheat is left completely untouched.
The wheat field is just too vast; if we harvested all the way to the horizon, the village would be buried under wheat.
”Hey, Ms. Nina. I can’t believe it, but is this wheat field not being taken care of?”
The surface of the wheat field is rough and seems to have no signs of being cultivated.
”I’ve heard that wild barley can sprout from fallen grains without being planted and grow abundantly without being tilled.”
So, what looks like this splendid wheat field is actually wild barley growing on its own.
The farmers just harvest it; this other world feels too much like a utopia.
”Before the goddess of fertility, Belzea, created the wild barley, this area was said to be a wasteland.”
”God, hey,”
Created? Is it genetically modified?
I don’t really like how this wheat brings such abundant blessings without any effort; maybe it’s because I’m stuck in Earth’s common sense.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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