Novel Bin Chapter 146 - Volume 8
Population, 1.8 million. Holding many huge harbors, it is a maritime country holding riches incomparable to their neighboring countries due to intercontinental trade and abundant ocean resources.
Due to this abundance, the morale of the people is relatively high, but beyond that, the military might of the country is large. It holds more than 500 naval vessels at sea and over 2,000 battle mages to support their troops on the ground. It is widely feared by other countries because of this.
Above the crown city, high above the harbor, the royalty lives in a beautiful castle.
The interior of the castle is split into two areas, the royal wing for the royal family, and the general wing, where knights and other civil servants such as butlers and maids lived to serve the family in the royal wing.
One such maid that could be seen serving was Catalina, the third daughter of the Seashack family.
She was 27 years old this year.
She originally came to be a maid at the royal palace at 15 years old but wasn’t able to find another noble to marry and give an heir to.
Initially, her appearance crossed into the realm of beauty, but she didn’t have an edge… or maybe she didn’t have any luck with men, so she’s still a working single now.
Because the Seashack family isn’t very wealthy, and beyond that, being the third daughter in a family with five brothers, after being unable to get contracted to marry a rich noble, her parents [Set her Free]. Hmm, if she tried to put it more concisely into a [Proper Story]: because money was short, she was sent out of the house at age 15 without any further schooling planned, and with only dumb knights and greedy nobles calling on her for their own fun, she was stuck in this situation. As for her own thoughts, forcing a shotgun wedding… never entered her mind…
Originally, Catalina was hired as the maidservant of the first princess, who was close to her in age, but the princess didn’t take her with her when she was married off to the royalty of another country.
The reason was simple: the first princess was sent purely as a political piece, raised as such from a young age.
Although there were many maids left after the princess’ departure, including Catalina, most of them had left by now, marrying appropriate knights or nobles in their teens, the only one with the bad luck to be left behind was her.
As the maid of a former princess, with the other positions for the royal family the senior knights taken, she was left purposeless in the castle.
Eventually, the job that was given to Catalina was as the caretaker of the newly summoned [Hero].
However, when Kyoji was summoned at first, Catalina was still the first princess’ maid, and he had other members of the staff to care for him. Also…
“That person… is so difficult.”
Due to the dark aura he let off when only she was around, Catalina didn’t trust Kyoji’s smile.
Even though he’s someone who was newly summoned from [Another World], with him saying that he was middle aged just five years ago, and the quick discharge of the woman before her, Catalina assumed that her days without normal work would continue forever. Then, a new party of heroes was summoned.
It was largest summoning since the royal-led summoning of the Hero, Kyoji.
Although there were only 3 or 4 people expected to be summoned, it seems like 9 or so [Hero Candidates] were summoned for some reason, with five of them being from a completely different world of their own.
Those five… the ones who came from a world other than Kyoji’s [Terra], the world where people are usually summoned from, began by treating the King with irreverence, but due to their strength on par with the Hero, the King forgave them, and even gave the leader the title of [Saint].
The beautiful princess from another world… Yurushia.
Even if she wasn’t her royalty or a hero, Catalina would gladly serve Yurushia exclusively.
“What a surprise…”
When she saw Princess Yurushia for the first time, Catalina felt a shock like lightning running through her.
She was so beautiful for her age that she felt inner despair despite her own beautiful appearance.
In reality, Yurushia, who had still been wary of the castle side at the time had been letting out a light amount of intimidation, but the presence of this ‘Princess’ was enough that she hadn’t noticed the effect.
Catalina had never called the first princess anything other than [Your Highness], she also would call Bianca, the second princess [Your Highness].
In this country, all of the King’s children are called [Your Highness]. Even when talking casually, she would never even consider calling them ‘Princess.’
However, when she saw the appearance of Yurushia, the word ‘Princess’ immediately came to her thoughts.
Between her greater curves and higher height than the average 12-year-old, and her appearance like a fairy, she had both the innocence of a girl and the glamor of a woman grown.
Her golden eyes show a willpower beyond a child and her hair of golden threads frame her beautiful face like a cold doll…
In addition, she wears fine black and silver dresses that glisten like nothing she’s ever seen before, she was a ‘Princess’ who brought her beautiful servants into this world, what else would they call her other than that?
Her appearance alone is enough to convince Catalina that she should be called [Saint].
Due to the shock, she couldn’t get close in the beginning, and she completely forgot that she was supposed to spy on Princess Yurushia as her maid.
Along with the other maids who weren’t able to get close, all she could do was hand over meals, tea, and other snacks to the servants of the ‘Princess.’
The senior nobles who had the ears of the king were wary of the ‘Princess’ but the maids and knights unfamiliar with the surrounding events began to let their hearts fall for the girl.
To be so merciful as to save the hero candidates who were summoned alongside her who were being expelled… There are plenty who are attracted to her appearance alone, but her kindness and lack of typical noble thinking caused the general staff of the castle to become completely ‘charmed’ by the ‘princess.’
After that, when a massive number of zombies were destroyed by the [Saintly Servants], the fame among the commoners and soldiers increased further. In addition to that, when men who had begun to have lonely strands on their heads began to support her, the nobility itself began to call her ‘Princess.’
… Everything was starting to fall apart from the inside.
Orders were made to isolate those who would say ‘Princess-sama’ and those who had avoided contact kept away so that opinions could be rewritten little by little.
Actually, that seems like a hopeless response.
“Catalina-san, did you know about this back…?”
“Yes, Princess-sama”
At the Princess’ putting look with puffed out cheeks, Catalina looks down and away like a child whose prank had been found out.
“… Mou, you should have said something.”
“My most humble apologies.”
So long as she obediently apologized, the Princess would never get angry.
Thinking about it, Catalina had never seen the rage filled Bianca as ‘Princess-like’ in her head. Well, thinking about Yurushia, there was that girl knight who was sent off into the wall, but since they got up afterwards, it’s probably fine.
Cataline really wanted to become closer with the princess.
For that reason, she brought all of her skills to bear to bring up Yurushia’s hair to make her look better.
Although it seemed like she wouldn’t want to show her beautiful spotless back, hiding her beauty like that would be a ‘sin.’
More than anything, Catalina wanted to brag to everyone about being a servant of the Princess.
The princess gently gives her a relaxing smile, that brings out the terrifying, god-given beauty which can’t even be thought of as human.
And like that, the [Saint] begins her travels across the land to the north to face evil with the help of the Heroes and the church.
＊＊＊
“Well then, I’m off,”
“Yes, Princess-sama, we will await your swift return.”
A week after that eventful meal, I decided to head to the northern countries occupied by darkness alongside Kyoji.
The time of departure is the same as Kyoji, but we’re in separate carriages.
As his party, he is taking ten knights and four mages, two ranger, and four men and women as porters.
Even with speed and stealth as a priority, it’s more people than I expected.
Well, I guess you can’t just have Heroes, Warriors, Wizard, and Monks in reality.
The maids of the castle watch us depart.
Among them, Catalina-san’s voice showed her worry for our safety.
… If I’m not mistaken, and this is a bit scary, but I’ve been feeling a bit of ‘Faith’ recently. Little snacks are being given to me as ‘Offerings.’
“Catalina-san… maybe it isn’t too bad to call her [Princess] after all?”
“Well, Princess-sama is our “Princess” after all”
I’m not sure what they’re talking about, but the others are nodding along, is it best just to keep this out of mind from now on…?
Author’s Notes:
Next time is the journey. They could run the whole way in half a day, though.