Chapter 145 The Beautiful Canaria
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Around the time the court mage Satsuki was caught by her senior mage, Marsetta, observing the “staff” she had been using as a tool for self-pleasure… on the side of the Coalmine Kingdom¹, preparations for the full-scale outbreak of war were steadily progressing.
And so, at the Coalmine operational headquarters established at a military base near Pikeaxe Fort², the General of Coalmine was consulting with two important figures regarding the timing of the war’s commencement.
”Hey, just when will I finally be able to fire a shot from my cute converged magic weapon, ‘Matomeru-kun³,’ at that fort? Don’t you think it’s pitiful to just keep firing blanks forever?”
In the General’s office, which was enveloped in a strict atmosphere, a single young woman, entirely out of place, voiced her dissatisfaction in a casual tone.
It wasn’t just her tone and attitude that were out of place. Her dark green hair, grown out haphazardly, and the mage robe draped loosely over her shoulders did not seem like the belongings of a soldier who valued discipline.
In fact, the other person summoned to this place was knitting his brows and directing a harsh gaze at her. However, she didn’t seem to care.
”Lady Kushe, interfering with the operation should not be your job. As a court mage, it is enough if you provide usable tools and magic forces. The battlefield is not your laboratory,” Martin said.
”You’re so stiff, Martin-kun. I’ve already prepared the ultimate magic weapon, so I should be allowed to say at least this much, shouldn’t I?”
The out-of-place woman, apparently named Kushe, pouted as she spoke to the youth with pink hair. The youth, Martin, glared at her with an increasingly sharp gaze.
”I do not wish to be called Martin by you! I have been invited here as the Count of Popol. No matter if you are the Chief Mage, mind your mouth and your attitude!”
”Fine, fine, whatever works for you. So, has the esteemed Count of Popol completed the vital investigation into the enemy’s strength?”
”Ugh…! I-It is currently under investigation.”
”See? Isn’t it your fault that I and ‘Matomeru-kun’ can’t do anything but useless intimidation forever and ever?”
Martin, having been poked in a sore spot, could only remain silent while grinding his teeth. It was an undeniable fact that he had not been able to fulfill his duty.
”The reason you—the ‘Pink Clan⁴‘—were called to this land was to search for the identity of the mysterious magic force that continued to plague us throughout the winter, right? A group of magic users that appears no matter where you poke. Fortunately, they don’t use particularly powerful magic, but if you calculate normally, you’d conclude that one in ten of the enemy force is a magic user. It’s strange, isn’t it? I think the enemy’s new magic items are turning regular soldiers into magic soldiers—no, magic-tool soldiers. What do you think?”
”…Under investigation means under investigation. At present, no such magic items have been confirmed. Recently, mages thought to be high-ranking adventurers have also been confirmed, and the possibility that such forces were mixed in with the regular soldiers cannot be ruled out.”
”Hmm, it’s not impossible, but then I don’t understand why they’ve only now let us confirm the presence of those high-ranking adventurers.”
While Kushe was ostensibly talking to Martin, she was looking into the air and twirling her finger, her thoughts spinning. Seeing her acting as usual, Martin couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Her words from earlier weren’t thrown at Martin out of spite or to apply pressure; she was simply voicing them to unravel her own doubts.
It was what one might call a thought experiment. It was true that her insight was excellent, and she sometimes played an active role in reading the enemy army’s movements, but they couldn’t move the army based solely on her intuition.
Above all, Martin was worried about the impression her way of speaking would give to the final person in the room.
”Lord Popol, so, what is the actual status of the investigation?”
”General Van Valedda…”
The man in charge of this operation, General Van, Marquis Valedda. At the same time, he was the father of the current Queen and the grandfather of the First Prince.
And he was also the man standing at the forefront of this war, the invasion of the Canaria Kingdom⁵ by the Coalmine Kingdom. Sitting alone in a chair, he smoothed down his black hair mixed with white, touched his meticulously groomed beard, and spoke.
”As you say, I invited you because I counted on the power of the ‘Pink Clan,’ the House of the Count of Popol. It is because I knew of your work, supporting this country from the shadows since ancient times.”
”I have no excuses…”
”It is fine. Your skill in reassembling the clan after the death of the head a few years ago… I do not doubt it for a moment. If you say it cannot be made clear, then there is no one in this country who can solve this mystery.”
General Van spoke with a calm and cool expression, unlike one might expect from the harsh policy of seizing the Canaria Kingdom. He possessed a dignity befitting a man called General. Even the likes of Lady Kushe did not interrupt this.
”That is how it is, Chief Mage Kushe. There is a high possibility that unconfirmed forces reside within the enemy army. Whether it be the enemy’s new magic items, adventurers, or mages, attacking without a plan is exactly what the enemy wants.”
”Yes, sir…”
Having been directly rebuked by General Van, the man in charge, and realizing that the debut of the magic weapon she created had receded, Kushe pouted once more. Seeing her looking full of dissatisfaction, General Van stroked his mustache.
”However, we cannot continue to stand still with nothing understood. It would not be bad to strike a blow around here and probe the enemy’s reaction.”
At his words, Kushe’s face lit up with joy, while tension ran through Martin.
”However! The use of the new magic weapon is forbidden. After making such a strong impression, the other side will surely be on high alert. Making the enemy mage’s defensive magic end in vain is precisely your duty, Chief Mage Kushe.”
”Ugh, fine, I get it, General. But, if the enemy attacks my ‘Matomeru-kun,’ I’ll be fighting back, okay?”
”Of course. We cannot simply let the new magic weapon be destroyed.”
Kushe reluctantly nodded to General Van, who was applying pressure with a stern face. Having cleverly secured permission for a counterattack, she decided her part was over and let her lazy posture slump even further into a slouch.
”Now, Lord Popol. You will be active on the battlefield. I want you to run wild to draw out the unconfirmed forces that have been the subject of our discussion.”
”I understand. I swear to show you the true power of the ‘Pink Clan.’”
”Good.”
General Van nodded with satisfaction at Martin’s powerful words. Then, as if to say the hearing was over, he leaned his back against the chair and exhaled.
”Phew… Good grief, the long-cherished wish of our Coalmine is far off…”
Those were the words not of a General, nor of the Marquis of Valedda, but of an elderly man living in Coalmine.
”Ten years, is it…?”
”Yes. It is a wish even your father could not fulfill. But it goes back even further than that. No matter how abundant the resources, the land of Coalmine is harsh for people to live in. Especially for the elderly, it is trying.”
The General spoke while rubbing his knees, perhaps because an old wound was aching. Martin had no words to offer seeing him in such a state, as he usually showed no weakness.
”‘O beautiful land of Canaria, I too wish to fly there’… was it?”
”Eh?”
”Those were the words of the grandmother of the late King, His Majesty, the Queen of that time who came as a bride from the Canaria Kingdom. It reached the ears of the King of two generations ago, and His Majesty began the war so as not to let his beloved wife escape. This country has been repeating such things endlessly. Every bride who comes from a warm foreign land dreams of her home in this cold country.”
”And the next generation will be the same?”
At Martin’s words, General Van shook his head. However, his expression was neither a denial nor an affirmation.
”I do not know. The Crown Princess, Her Highness, is indeed from a country southwest of the Canaria Kingdom, but she does not seem so sentimental. She is a bright person, in any case. To leave a better country for my grandson and his wife is my wish above all else.”
A sentimental air filled the General’s office. Martin was unable to find words for General Van as he smoothed his black hair mixed with white. However, it seemed Kushe didn’t mind such an atmosphere. Instead of soaking in the sentiment, she asked a question she had remembered by association.
”By the way, Popol-kun.”
”Count Popol!”
”Fine, fine, Count Popol. Are you still continuing the investigation of your older sister, who really did fly off to the south?”
Kushe’s question, as usual, lacked a shred of delicacy. Martin was about to raise his voice, but he remembered she had no ill intent and it was useless to get angry. In her case, there was even a possibility she was truly worried.
”It is currently under investigation…”
”Hmm, I feel like giving up on her already might be for her sake, though.”
”My sister is the one who embodied our clan more than anyone! Even if she grew weary of our house, there is no way she would abandon this land!”
”But you’ve been working pretty hard to find her, right? The fact that you still haven’t found her means, after all…”
Martin grew angry, unable to endure Kushe’s repeated tactless remarks. General Van, who had been watching this, let out a large sigh because his subordinates had started fighting even though he had only voiced a complaint.
”Sigh… With this, this meeting is adjourned. Do not come within ten meters of each other. Honestly, you fight every time you see each other…”
”I-I am sorry…”
”Yes, sir.”
And so, the day’s discussion ended in a rather anticlimactic fashion.
—
Summary:
The Coalmine Kingdom prepares for war against the Canaria Kingdom at their operational headquarters. General Van Valedda consults with Chief Mage Kushe and Count Martin of the Pink Clan about the timing of the invasion and the mysterious magic forces they’ve encountered. Kushe is eager to use her new magic weapon, but the General forbids it for now, wanting to probe the enemy’s strength first. The conversation shifts to a sentimental reflection on the harshness of the Coalmine land and the history of brides longing for the warmer Canaria Kingdom. The meeting ends on a sour note as Kushe tactlessly brings up Martin’s missing older sister, sparking an argument.
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Character Insight:
This chapter highlights the contrast between the three leaders: Kushe’s chaotic, experimental focus; Martin’s rigid, family-honor-bound sense of duty; and General Van’s weary but dignified pragmatism. Van’s dialogue reveals the deeper, generational motivation behind the war—the harshness of their environment and a cycle of longing for the fertile lands of Canaria. Martin’s intense reaction regarding his missing sister suggests a deep personal trauma or family secret that drives his current actions.
—
Behind the Scene:
The ‘Pink Clan’ likely refers to a specific bloodline with inherent magical or sensory abilities, often used as a fantasy trope for elite trackers or assassins. The name ‘Matomeru-kun’ is a cutesy, personified name for a weapon, common in Japanese media to create a jarring contrast between domesticity and destruction.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Marsetta – A senior court mage and specialist in magical weaponry. She has disheveled hair tied back, wears glasses, and has deep dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She hasn’t eaten in two days and is under heavy pressure to find a countermeasure for the enemy’s weapons.
• Satsuki – A talented Court Mage who was forced to analyze the shop’s adult magic tools. Miranda’s granddaughter. Now she’s the new worker at Harvest, a development she finds both humiliating and surprisingly fulfilling due to the rapid progress in her research under Kento’s guidance. Has long black hair, palace mage robe, and staff.
• Kushe – The Chief Mage of the Coalmine Kingdom. She has dark green hair grown out haphazardly and wears a mage robe loosely over her shoulders. She has a blunt, informal, and somewhat insensitive personality, focused on her ‘thinking experiments.’
• Van Valedda – The General and Marquis overseeing the operation. He is the father of the current Queen and grandfather to the First Prince. He has black hair mixed with white, a neatly trimmed beard, and carries an air of calm dignity. He is elderly and suffers from old wounds in his knees.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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