Chapter 312 Prince Roland ②
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Nagase…! N-no, Lord Harvest! It has been… a long time, has it not!”
We were in the royal family’s private quarters within the palace. Prince Roland-denka¹, introduced to me in a garden arbor, spoke while clearly straining to project an aura of regal authority.
”Yes, it has been quite a while, Roland-denka. You have grown… truly magnificent,” I said.
I remembered him as a delicate, blonde boy whose voice was still in the middle of its adolescent change. Now, his limbs had lengthened, and while he still retained a hint of youth, he had begun to carry the sharp, focused air of a young man. They say a boy can outgrow himself in the blink of an eye, and he was living proof.
Truthfully, given his impeccable breeding and those refined features he shared with Queen Cecile-heika², he could likely pass for a woman if he grew his hair out and kept his mouth shut.
”Yes…! Ah, I mean-umph. I am… glad you think so. I-that is, I also find it… most pleasing!” Roland-denka said.
I wondered what was with his stiff, labored way of speaking. It wasn’t necessarily strange for the heir to the throne to sound haughty, but this felt physically taxing for him.
Perhaps he was undergoing some kind of “Kingship 101” to correct his speech. I glanced toward Queen Cecile-heika, who sat beside him sipping tea.
”…He’s been like this for a while now. He insists he wants to ‘speak like a King’ and won’t listen to reason. I don’t think he needs to force himself like I do, but he’s stubborn,” Cecile-heika said, looking weary.
”B-Big sister…!” Roland-denka stammered, his face turning a deep shade of crimson.
So it wasn’t a forced lesson; it was his own choice. Every world has its version of that “eighth-grade syndrome,” I suppose. I remember a classmate who started calling himself “The Sovereign” out of nowhere.
Whether it was a phase or simple admiration for his sister, it was endearing. It felt right for a boy his age. I smiled and turned back to the Prince.
”It is a noble ambition, Your Highness. Words are the tools that shape a person. I have no doubt that Roland-denka will become a truly magnificent King,” I said.
Roland-denka’s face lit up instantly.
”Hey, you…” Cecile-heika muttered, glaring at me for encouraging him.
Even the Prince’s personal maid was giving me a look of pure exasperation. I offered a silent apology with my eyes and continued.
”However, it is also true that words can warp a soul. If you can maintain your royal dignity while never losing your respect, your empathy, and your kindness toward others… well, as a citizen of the Canaria Kingdom, that would make me very happy,” I said.
”Yes…! I mean-umph! I shall… keep your counsel close to my heart! I swear it!” Roland-denka replied.
He was a charming kid. I had to pull back my hand before I accidentally patted his head. The Queen looked at me as if I were speaking nonsense, but I felt it was sound advice.
Since he was motivated, there was no harm in letting him grow. Good luck, Prince. Whether I can keep living a quiet life as a magic circuit shopkeeper depends entirely on your young shoulders.
”Hah… Fine. The introductions are finished. From today, Nagase, you will serve as one of Roland’s tutors. I will have him clear his schedule once a week, so make sure you have something prepared,” Cecile-heika said.
”I understand. I shall serve with the utmost sincerity,” I replied.
When I gave my formal acceptance, the Queen looked at me as if she were questioning her own judgment. It was a bit rude, honestly. Still, I had to figure out what to actually teach him.
This world’s education for the elite was surprisingly advanced. There was no public schooling, of course, but the systems for those at the top were solid.
For magic, every country had its Academies, where most court mages were trained. Those institutions were meritocratic; talent mattered more than blood or coin.
I’d heard that Kushe, the head court mage of Coalmine, was born into poverty. Even our own Satsuki and Marsetta weren’t exactly from old money.
I’d learned all this recently while working with the court mages on the Thrum-Buddy Cannon project. They taught reading, writing, and the basics of logic alongside the arcane.
The only real difference from my world was the one-on-one mentorship style rather than a classroom. Since they had magic covered, I wasn’t needed there.
As for politics and economics, the Queen was a master, and even Tina Badcage possessed knowledge that would put most CEOs to shame.
Tina told me she was raised by a council of iron-willed vassals. For the high nobility, the system was airtight. Even commoners had their own paths; Sera-chan at the Merchant Guild Tasogare³ was essentially in a vocational school.
Then there was the Church, with its own educational doctrines…
My maid, Muse, suggested that the Queen wanted me to show Roland the “real” world-the perspective of a commoner and the vastness of life outside the palace walls. But translating “life experience” into a formal lesson was a tall order.
If I tried to play schoolteacher, he’d likely just tell me another tutor had already covered it. I scratched my head, looking for an opening.
”Your Highness, if I may ask… do you have lessons today?” I asked.
”Hmm? Ah, yes. Since I happen to be off duty today, I am here, but he is expected to return to his studies shortly,” Cecile-heika answered.
Roland-denka perked up. “I have a session with Master Haruma today! Then swordsmanship practice in the afternoon… I mean-that is the schedule for the day!”
He explained that his mornings were for academic lectures with prestigious scholars, while his afternoons were for physical training. The subjects weren’t strictly divided like “Math” or “History”; each teacher simply taught their specific area of expertise.
It seemed I was just another bucket of knowledge to be poured into the Prince. If that was the case, I should see how the others did it.
”Since it’s a rare opportunity, would it be possible for me to observe the lesson?” I asked.
”An observation? Some teachers are quite defensive about their methods…” Cecile-heika mused.
”Master Haruma would love it! I mean… I believe he would find it… quite agreeable!” Roland-denka blurted out.
”True,” the Queen said, a soft, nostalgic look in her eyes. “That old man hasn’t changed since he was my tutor. He’ll probably be thrilled to have a larger audience to lecture.”
It turned out Master Haruma had raised the Queen as well. There was a significant age gap between the siblings, and he had been the bedrock of the royal family’s education through all their hardships. He was a veteran teacher with the total trust of the crown.
”Very well. Feel free to watch. And since I am free today anyway, I think I shall join you. Let’s observe together,” Cecile-heika decided.
”You’re coming too, Big sister!?” Roland-denka cried out.
”Is that a problem, Roland? If you have been studying as hard as you claim, you should have nothing to hide,” she said.
”No, I’m… I’m very happy! I haven’t taken a lesson with you in years!”
He was beaming. His fake “King” voice vanished completely, and he looked like a puppy wagging its tail. He was still just a kid at heart. And so, the stage was set for Roland-denka’s royal classroom observation-with the Queen in the front row.
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Summary:
Nagase Kento visits the palace to meet Roland-denka, the Queen’s younger brother. Roland is going through a ‘chuunibyou’ phase, trying to speak with royal authority despite his cracking voice. Kento is appointed as one of the Prince’s tutors and decides to observe a lesson led by the veteran scholar, Master Haruma.
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Trivia:
- Roland’s beauty is noted as being feminine if he were to grow his hair.
- The ‘Ddo-Buddy Cannon’ (localized here as Thrum-Buddy) is a recent collaborative project Kento worked on with mages.
- Master Haruma was the teacher for both the current Queen and her younger brother.
- Education in this world is mentorship-based rather than classroom-based
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Character Insight:
Roland is deeply motivated by a desire to be ‘kingly’ like his sister, showing his admiration for Cecile despite his awkward adolescent posturing.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘eighth-grade syndrome’ (chuunibyou) is a common trope where young teenagers adopt grandiose personas to feel special or mature.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Roland – he younger brother of Queen Cecile and the heir apparent to the Canaria throne. Clean, golden-blonde hair, same color as the Queen, innocent, beautiful face that could be mistaken for a girl but dressed in a boy’s formal wear.
• Cecile – A queen in the capital who possesses the authority to regulate business and commerce, particularly concerning moral or public order issues. She is currently investigating Kento’s shop, ‘Harvest.’ Have long golden hair, elegant, and wearing expensive white dress with gold accesories.
• 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.’
• Tina Badcage – Silver-haired, red-eyed woman with a very formal, old-fashioned way of speaking, often ending sentences with ‘no ja’. She is the only daughter of the Duke Badcage, tasked with guarding the North for the Canaria Royal Family. She is described as a beauty. Her inexperience suggests a slender build, and her dress is likely formal and aristocratic, though not explicitly stated.
• Sera – A young, earnest salesperson from the Tasogare Merchant Guild, Kento’s supplier. She is characterized by her braided brown hair, large round glasses, and freckles. She’s serious about her job and easily flustered, especially by Kento’s adult goods business. Looks like Onodera from certain series.
• Muse – Cecile’s trusted attendant and chief maid, Muse handles sensitive, discreet tasks like espionage and product acquisition. Have sharp, black eyes, wearing maid uniform, and have expressionless face.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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