They manage to get me to calm down and talk to me, and we sit down facing each other.

Renge is sitting beside me and the old man is sitting in front of him.
Behind me, Sorte is leaning forward on the back of the sofa, and Aina is beside her.
White is still sleeping with my knees to his head.

'But how can White sleep with so much noise...'
Hey. You're a good sleeper, you don't want to get bitten if you do anything naughty.
I'm not that bad--
Smells like dog.
Ouch!


Well, let's leave the teary-eyed, finger-whistling Sorte alone and get down to business.

I'm sorry, sir. I've been skipping the letter, so I thought the business was conveyed to you, but I'm afraid I've arrived earlier than you.
Here you are. Tea.
Oh, you're not holding back.
Yes, sir.
"Thank you, Mizera.

Misela and Wendy brewed a cup of hot tea and we finally started the discussion.

''Hmm. So what shall we start with?
I'd like you to start by introducing yourself.
Oh, come to think of it, you haven't. I'm terribly sorry, my lady. I am Kuduro, Queen Coren's personal advisor in the Land of Sand.

The Land of Sand Lokakuk ... a tower in the sand?
It's kind of a name that looks like it will be destroyed immediately, but it's a different world and I'm sure they don't have any intentions.
...right?

Counselor... that's a pretty big deal, isn't it?
By the way, Coren is my sister.
"...sister?　I mean, it's a queen, right?　...What?　Are you royalty?
Yeah?

No, yes, that's right, it's light!
When you say that, it's kind of a noble... noble...?
No, I don't........

'What's with your eyes?'
No, no. So, what's your relationship with Renge?
I have been your sponsor since I was very young. You have always been such an uninhibited child.
The caretaker... hmm?　Wait a minute. Renge spent a lot of time with Aina and the others when she was little, didn't she?

Aina told me that all three of them grew up being trained by their mentor when they were little.
I'm listening.
When I checked with Aina, she nodded her head in agreement, so I'm sure I didn't mishear her.

''Uh ... it's kind of complicated there, but ... hmmm ... I'm the princess maiden of Lokaku.
A princess maiden?

Even though the princess alone is baffled, even the miko is following her.......

Yes, that's right. When they are young, royalty with a high level of education become princess priestesses through a special ritual, but the princess priestesses only work at the request of the state. You see, even before I met my husband, I was working at a waxwork.

Come to think of it, Renge wasn't here when I came to this town.
I think Solte said she was away for a while due to business.

The special rituals of the princess maidens are now banned in the continent, not to mention the kingdom, after her death. It's inhumane. Well, if you fail, you'll die.
Wha...?

Dying, you ... is that really such a simple thing to say?

'So... there was an agency that was trying to study me after I became successful, but I almost got kidnapped by them and escaped, and my master picked me up when I was lying in the desert.
'It is truly the fault of my country for that. I destroyed that d*mn engine with my paw knuckles, but I am very indebted to that gentleman...

Meatball knuckles ... no wait, don't go into it.
We're in the middle of a serious conversation right now.

''Afterwards, thanks to the pact between Master and the country, I no longer have the responsibility of being a princess miko, and after training under Master, the three of us were traveling together when we happened to pass by Lokak, and my parents had retired and my sister was on the throne, and it looked like she was having a hard time, so I decided to work as a princess miko when I had free time.
"The former king, repenting of the duties imposed on the princess, has promised His Highness that he will abolish the ritual and abdicate when Koren is old enough to ascend the throne.

Too much information coming at once to keep up a bit.
In summary, Renge is a princess miko of Lokak, but she was released from her duties as a princess miko and was training with her master.
But when she stopped by her homeland on her journey, her sister was going to have a hard time succeeding to the throne, so she was helping him with his work as a princess miko....

I see......... So you mean the emergency is your job as a princess maiden?
On your left, sir.
What do you do for a living, by the way?
We're going to slay a ground dragon. We are going to demolish any dragons that appear near the city.

Jiryuu!
You're going to slay the dragon!

The army is very strong, even though they don't come out often. And the army of Lokak is weak........ The princess priestess is treated as a weapon for use against ground dragons.........　Come to think of it, didn't you say that since you've strengthened your army, you're already okay?
It's a good thing that the number of dragons is on the rise. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
Hmm... but you said you couldn't do it anymore either, right?
'Of course I know. That's why we've prepared all the jewels, gold and silver, and coins possible from the treasury for you to release Master Renge, but...

Kuduro-san glanced at me, and then quickly returned his gaze to Renge.

''Well, I believe this person is the Lord Lord of this mansion, but what kind of relationship do you have with Renge-sama?''

You know, I forgot to introduce myself.

'Ah, sorry I'm late. My name is Oshimiya Kazuki. I'm an alchemist in Ains Hale. My relationship with Renge is...

...Is it right to say that Renge is the slave and I am the master?
You don't look like it, but you're royalty and a princess priestess, which is a great status for Lokaku...?

'Huh?　You made sure to tell the old man and Coren about it, didn't you?　You are your master's slave and your master is your master!

Aaaaahhhh I said it.........
You don't think about my concerns or anything else.........

'No way!　Really?　I thought he was the master of this mansion and that he had a separate female master, but.... It is true that the letter said, 'I'm now your master's! I have heard that........ Princess?　I thought you hated men...?

I've seen that kind of "setup" before.
I haven't seen Renge in a place where she doesn't like men.
The adventurer's guild doesn't allow male adventurers to get close to Renge...
I mean, when Renge walks, he leaves a meter of space in the road.
........something must have happened in the past.
Probably, someone has beaten him to a pulp.

That's true, but.... "I don't know why, but my husband is fine. He already loves you a lot. I mean, he loves you too much to have a child, no matter how much he says he wants one.
Whoa, whoa!　Don't say that to someone who was a caretaker!
What is it?　But it's not true!　You do it every time, every time, until people get stuck on their backsides!　I couldn't move and I was like, 'I'm dying!　I'm screwed!'' But you won't stop me when I say that!

Ooh!　Stop it!
Don't let the meatball knuckles fly!
How can you talk like that in front of people like your parents?
Mr. Kuduro, you're rolling your eyes in surprise.

Oh.........is that so....... ...Your Highness. Are you happy now, Your Highness?
Hmm?　Isn't it obvious!　I'm super happy!

Squeezing my arm tightly, Renge smiles with a big smile on her face.
Hmmm........even though it's in front of Kuduro-san, the feel of Renge's tits against my elbow!
.........Ah, Misela and Wendy are looking at me with cold eyes.
Probably Solte, who is standing back, also has the same face, and Aina must have an expression that says it can't be helped.

''........Left-sama, is it? I understand!　I can at least solve this problem for you!
Oh, you sure you don't want to go yourself?
Our country is making progress every day, and our military is steadily getting stronger. The only thing we need is for them to be more desperate and work harder. The rest of us just need our fists and knuckles to get the job done.

Kuduro-san clenched his fists and showed them to me, then put his hands on his knees and bowed his head.

''........Lord. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier. Please make him happy.
Oh, yes. ...I know very well. Of course I'm going to make you happy no, I'm going to make you happy.
Thank you for your help.

Oh, I'm sure Kuduro-san was worried about him.
He must have heard that Renge had become a slave, and that's probably why he came to get her back.
I could feel that he was truly worried about Renge, so I decided to respond seriously to Kuduro-san's thoughts.

''........Then I'll take my leave!

Mr. Kuduro stood up with a shuffling motion, curtsied, and took his jacket away in his hand.
His feet were so fast, it was hard to believe they belonged to an old man.


*


Princess you have found a good Lord.
I was relieved to see the princess-sama's unclouded smile.
The same is true for Koren-sama, ''I'm now your master's! It doesn't tell you anything by itself.
It's because Coren-sama has a hard time falling asleep because she's worried that she's in a bad way and that she's not eating properly.
But.........now you can rest easy.

Don't worry about the affairs of the Earth Dragon.
I'll silence those who would risk their lives to force the princess maiden to take care of our country's affairs.
With my lightened shoulders, I can still wield the Crushing Meatball Fist.

Besides, if it comes down to it, you can ask for adventurers from the kingdom or the empire to be sent to you.
But for the sake of keeping the pact with His Highness and for the sake of Koren-sama, who is worried about the princess, let's let the princess be happy in this land.

''.......Oh, you mustn't get old. Your tears are getting thin, aren't they...

A child who was treated like a grandchild has grown up and found happiness.
It's a wonderful thing.


Please, I wish you happiness.