Volume 6 Chapter 20-2 Moon Of The Other World
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I almost asked, “Are you a careless daughter?” but in this world, such questions are taboo for young women. It’s safer to ask if she’s a sister in situations like this.
”No, it’s not. Well, I’ll explain later. Come in, come in.”
Without fully understanding, Ms. Io pushed me inside the house. I didn’t know what kind of festival this was, but modest feasts were laid out, and people from the lower town, dressed in their best, were gathering. Apparently, I was allowed to participate as a guest.
In this world, guests usually bring gifts to such events, and the choice of gift reflects the guest’s taste.
Smoked quail meat is a universally accepted gift. It’s not embarrassing to present it to royalty or nobility, and it’s perfectly fitting for a rural village festival. Since it’s food, it can be shared immediately at the feast, which is a big plus.
When I pretended to take a whole smoked quail out of my backpack and handed it over, they were delighted. The backpack, which contained not only a live chicken but also a giant smoked brown quail, was suspiciously conspicuous. Fortunately, the girl named Saria wasn’t here, so I figured I could get away with it.
It seemed to be a wedding celebration. The person everyone called “Madam” appeared to be Sar-Sar’s mother. She seemed a bit older than Ms. Lucia, Ani-Ani’s mother, but as expected from being related to the stunning Sar-Sar, she was incredibly beautiful. Comparing her to a crane in a garbage heap would be outright rude.
The elegant dress Madam wore was, on closer inspection, an old one with frays here and there. Still, the dignity she exuded was genuine. I had never seen such a noble lady, even at royal palace banquets. Well… I’d never actually attended a banquet—just peeked in with Radar Scan for future reference.
Apparently, Madam was a descendant of a once-prominent family. Rise and fall, prosperity and decline are common in human society, even in other worlds. Looking at it that way, the people gathered here, despite their ragged clothes, didn’t seem humble. They looked like loyal retainers who had served their master family for generations, dreaming of the day their house would be restored.
Their loyalty was admirable, but in reality, it was probably the result of various entanglements and calculations. It’s hard to survive on noble ideals alone, even in another world.
Ms. Io chatted cheerfully with the madam. The grave robber Io — who exactly was she?
The place where we had met before was the old Toyata village, known as the Village of the Dead. Once attacked by Grace Knight, it remained abandoned as a deserted village. Since then, I’d looked into various things, but why it was left untouched for so long remained a mystery.
Apparently, in the past, the area from the downstream of the Canal to the border was the territory of the Toyata Viscount household, but about a hundred years ago, an internal conflict led to its abolition. The Toyata Baron ruling present-day Toyata village is a branch family related to that.
It seemed the official reason for its abolition was failure to protect the old Toyata village, but that was just an excuse; it was ultimately a coup orchestrated by the ancestors of the current Toyata Baron.
Ms. Io introduced me to the madam, named Ms. Laara. She was just Laara now but was said to be a direct descendant of the Toyata Viscount stripped of noble status. In other words, Sar-Sar would have been a noble princess if it were an earlier era, so she was quite proper.
Among the poor residents of the royal capital, it’s not uncommon to find descendants of fallen noble families. Truly, life is full of surprises.
Could the tragedy centuries ago in old Toyata village be connected to the present? Among the people gathered here now, perhaps some were descendants of those buried dead. Everything had been purified; no relics remained. Probably for the best.
When an old woman began to play a mournful melody on a reeds flute, the men joined in one after another with hoarse voices. The sorrowful tune blended into a powerful chorus resonating from the depths of the earth. It was a song celebrating the courage of soldiers returning from battle, performed around a campfire in the village square.
Though the lyrics were brave, the melody carried an air of melancholy, perhaps because it served as a prayer for the souls lost in war. Everyone here was born and raised in the royal capital and had never been to a battlefield, yet as they sang, they somehow looked like seasoned warriors.
For some reason, I recalled the lyrics and melody of “The Moon over the Ruined Castle,” which I was forced to practice countless times during middle school singing tests. Back then, I sang it without thinking about its meaning, but now I realized it was deeply moving. What can I say — the aesthetics of ruin.
”Since we’re at it, why don’t you sing a song from another world?”
Ms. Io threw an outrageous request at me. I’m not bragging, but I’m bad at singing. I’d hardly ever been to karaoke.
With no other choice, I sang “The Moon over the Ruined Castle,” the one I just happened to remember. I did get a passing score on the singing test after all. Maybe it’s because my abs have developed, but I felt like I could sing better now.
I didn’t fully understand the meaning of the lyrics, and besides, the moon in this world isn’t as big as Earth’s. There are several satellites, but the ones recognized as moons are just “the ugly sister’s moon, Io,” and “the beautiful sister’s moon, Saria.”
Huh? Io and Saria? Probably just a coincidence. The name Saria isn’t that rare — there was also an old lady named Saria in Toyata village.
It’s uncommon to name someone after Io, considered the ugly sister, but the names of the two moons can be reversed depending on the region, so Ms. Io might be from one of those areas.
I know this because I have the Astronomy skill: Io is a black, distorted rock only a few dozen kilometers in diameter. It appears larger than Saria because it orbits low, but it’s much smaller and darker compared to Earth’s moon.
Saria is probably smaller than Earth’s moon, but since it orbits very far away, it looks like a grain of rice — more like a bright star than a moon.
Because of that, even with my Mind Communication skill, I wonder if they can understand the feelings Japanese people have towards the moon.
Still, everyone started to cry when they heard my song. Something must have touched their hearts. That kind of reaction felt a bit nice. It was embarrassing to sing in front of people, but I had mixed feelings.
Along with the light of expensive candles, the dressed-up Sar-Sar entered. Ms. Laara must have spent a lot of money. I wondered if she was okay. Come to think of it, I’d heard people in the lower town usually lived in poverty and poured all their wealth into festivals and religion. It was the principle of one-point luxury — a lifestyle I couldn’t handle with my poor nature.
Everyone, including me, held their breath at the sight of the lovely girl. Even in rags, I thought she was cute, but after bathing and polishing herself up, she shone so brightly it was dazzling.
I didn’t think I was a lolicon, but I started to lose confidence. To have such a childhood friend, I was a bit envious of that boy.
Sar-Sar stopped in front of me and looked up with a sidelong glance. There was something in her eyes — strength, or aura? I hoped it wasn’t a charm-type skill. Just meeting her gaze made my head go fuzzy.
”I’m truly happy that you are the person of my destiny. Please be with me forever.”
I turned around, but no one was there. Person of my destiny — could she mean me? Ah, I see, I was chosen as her festival partner. Sar-Sar looked just like a bride at a wedding, which was a bit surprising.
With a mischievous grin, Ms. Io pushed me into the seat of honor.
I’d heard that in this world’s festivals, travelers from afar are sometimes treated as gods. In the past, the god-figure would be killed and sent back to heaven after the festival, but such cruel customs should be gone by now. Well, if anything happens, I could just vanish in a puff of smoke.
Ms. Io played the role of priestess with solemnity that seemed out of character, and I, as the god-figure, boldly promised to bring prosperity to the people. This was a ceremony, and if it was a ceremony, playing the role of a god wasn’t disrespectful. I had the skills of a con artist, and knowing it was all an act made this kind of thing fun.
The festival ended in great success, and Sar-Sar and I were led to a luxurious canopy bed. I understood now — Sar-Sar was playing the priestess who made a pact with the gods. Of course, I wouldn’t make a move, but in front of such an incredibly beautiful girl, I might just forget my act. It seemed Ms. Io was secretly watching to make sure that didn’t happen.
I told her fairy tales one after another as she shyly asked me to, putting her to sleep. Her sleeping face was angelic, but it was still childlike that she got happy over the story of Snow White.
* * *
”What do you mean it was a real wedding ceremony?”
The next morning, I was told the shocking truth by Ms. Io and Ms. Laara. Sar-Sar turned bright red and then pale behind me.
Apparently, an old prophecy foretold the revival of the Toyata Viscount family. Io had been acting to fulfill that prophecy and apparently chose me as the one. It was baffling that I had been prophesied as the founder of the revival all along.
”When I learned of the prophecy, I cried, but I thought I would be happy if you were the promised one.”
”You’re going to build a village there, right? With the direct bloodline of the Toyata main family, you won’t have trouble with justification.”
”Didn’t you promise everyone last night? Will you abandon your loyal followers?”
Hmm, I did need manpower. To have a group of people who could serve as noble vassals all at once was almost too good to be true.
If such a conveniently timed story happened on Earth, I’d definitely suspect a scam. But this was another world.
If I thought of it as the gods setting the stage for me, wouldn’t it be disrespectful to refuse the prepared meal? What should I do? Should I go along with this flow?
In the end, a single tear shed by the innocent beautiful girl became the decisive factor. I wonder if this was what they call a honey trap? But I don’t think Sar-Sar had any ulterior motives. No, she might have considered the future of her chickens in her own way, but that was still innocent, right? Totally okay.
The real problem would be Ms. Nina and Shea-Shea’s reactions. Ah, especially Ms. Shirakaba — she’s really scary. No, I didn’t become a lolicon. Probably.
Marriage or engagement — could they accept it if I said it was just an engagement?
The most pitiful person is the childhood friend boy. I’m sure he’s hopelessly in love with Sar-Sar. I have no intention of stealing her away, but Sar-Sar apparently doesn’t see him as a potential romantic partner. It’s a complicated feeling.
Character Notes:
• Io – Mysterious beauty. Asked the protagonist to bury corpses in the Village of the Dead or the Old Toyata Village.
• Saria – Sar-Sar. A young girl from a noble family, the Toyata Viscount house. She is the daughter of Lady Laara and is destined to bear the fate of her clan.
• Laara – Saria’s mother and the head of the Toyata Viscount house. She is a noble lady with a strong sense of duty and tradition.
• Shea-Shea – Mauro’s daughter. Hurt by Alexander. Became an eager fiancée after advice from protagonist.
• Shirakaba – A paladin who seems to be a skilled fighter. He’s introduced as someone with a strong defense and healing abilities.
• Ms. Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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