“Next up is the liaison who’s supposed to be staying here, I suppose.”
“According to grandpa, those sorts of things are usually handled by intelligence officers.”
“Apparently, he was staying at the village chief’s house, so I was shown to the guest room.”
“If I had to describe the man’s impression in a single word, it would be ‘ordinary’.”
“His hair was brown.”
“He had no beard or scars on his face.”
“He was the type you wouldn’t be able to find again if he got lost in a crowd.”
“Well then, Lady Katia. It’s been since yesterday.”
“From the man’s words, I was finally able to recall the fact that the man who handed me the letter yesterday was without a doubt the man before me.”
“Amazing, the intelligence department!”
“We cannot reveal our names. So please call me Mr. A, Mr. B, or Mr. Noname (Nanashi), or whatever you like.”
“Haa…then I’ll go with Noname.”
“The least weird? I’ll call him Noname.”
T/N: The “least weird” or “most acceptable” tone is a bit hard to convey here, but Katia is basically saying that among the three names presented, ‘Noname’ is the least unusual.
“Noname” turned his attention to Grandpa.
“So, you are still going to leave things in her hands, yes? Sword Saint-dono?”
“Yes. I’ve already got her approval.”
“How lighthearted. It’s practically sending your disciple to her death, are you sure? I can’t take responsibility if her pretty face gets scarred.”
“Despite his ability to control impressions, Noname seems to be a chatterbox.”
“It’s like he’s just blurting out whatever he’s thinking…”
“Is this guy going to be okay?”
“It doesn’t matter. I trust Kati. There are no problems.”
“Grandpa answered without a hint of worry.”
“Are you trying to make me cry again! I won’t, though!”
T/N: This is Katia’s internal monologue. She’s pretending to be tough but is clearly touched by her grandfather’s faith in her.
“However, this is the first time I realized how happy being entrusted or relied on by someone can feel.”
“Oops, my true feelings slipped out even if it’s just inside. Gotta keep it in check, gotta keep it in check.”
“Noname shrugged his shoulders as he answered.”
“A sarcastic gesture.”
“That’s fine, then. I’ll leave first to contact the other intelligence members. I’ve left the rest to Neil-kun, who will be your escort and guide. Excuse me then.”
“And just like that, he left.”
“Guide? Who?”
“Before long, there was a knock at the door.”
“Excuse me!”
“Please, come in,” I replied, and a slightly tall young man with a serious-sounding voice entered.
“I stood up to greet him, too.”
“I am Neil Raza, of the Royal Knight Order! By order of former King Spike, I have been given the honor of being your guide to the Royal Capital!”
“Somehow, he was incredibly stiff.”
“This was the first time I’d seen someone get so nervous that they moved their arms and legs at the same time.”
“The young man was about 180 centimeters tall, with short-cut reddish-brown hair.”
T/N: “Tobi-iro” is a color that is translated as kite (bird) colored or reddish-brown color.
“His face was handsome, but he had an unrefined air about him.”
“He was wearing light armor that was mainly white.”
“Is that the Knight Order’s equipment, I wonder?”
“Grandpa, unable to watch any longer, called out.”
“O-oh, you’re too stiff, young man. You don’t have to be so nervous.”
“Are you Sword Saint-sama! It’s an honor to meet you! Ah, a handshake! Please!”
“The result…was that the situation got worse.”
“It seemed like he was Grandpa’s fan.”
“I’m left out.”
“It seems like we have no choice but to wait for him to calm down.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“He had finally calmed down enough to have a conversation.”
“Though, we were all still standing.”
“Grandpa looked a little exasperated.”
“Well…I’m counting on you to guide my disciple.”
“Yes sir, leave it to me!”
“He looked like he wanted to say a lot of things, but Grandpa ended it with just one sentence.”
“He seems serious, and I think he’s okay personality-wise.”
“And finally, Neil looked at me.”
“And then he froze after looking at my face.”
“He looked at my face, then his gaze dropped lower, scrutinizing my feet, and then moved back to my face.”
“–Neil’s face turned red.”
“W-what’s wrong?!”
“For now, I tried greeting him with a smile.”
“Nice to meet you, Neil-san. I’m Katia Myers, Tim’s disciple.”
“I had heard that you were a woman but… um…s-sorry! Please, treat me well!”
“He seemed a bit strange, but he properly returned my greeting, so I guess it’s fine.”
(Neil’s Perspective)
“My heart was full after meeting the legendary Sword Saint.”
“Ever since I read a book about the Sword Saint’s heroic tales when I was a child, the name ‘Sword Saint’ has always been my aspiration.”
“Even though I knew the Sword Saint himself wouldn’t be able to come to the Royal Capital for this mission, I felt that just being able to see him once was an immense stroke of luck, and I had been looking forward to this day so much!”
“I think I will never forget the feeling of his hand when we shook hands.”
“I was confident that my hands, which had swung swords quite a bit, were strong, but Tim-sama’s hand, when I held it, was something beyond words.”
“It was a hand that had continued to swing a sword, a hand that had been honed to swing a sword.”
“It was an eloquent hand that spoke to my own immaturity without the need for words.”
“I apologized for getting so excited, and it was then that I finally looked towards Katia-san, who was said to be the Sword Saint’s disciple.”
“In an instant, I blinked slightly more than usual without realizing it.”
“–There, was a stunning beauty that awakened my senses.”
“She was probably about ten centimeters shorter than me.”
“Her fiery red hair was tied back into a ponytail.”
“Her skin was fair, her eyes were slanted and sharp, and her pupils were the same color as her hair but shone with a mysterious ruby-like allure.”
“Long eyelashes framed and decorated them.”
“Her nose bridge was straight, and beneath it were soft-looking lips.”
“As I unintentionally lowered my gaze, I could see her large chest and tight waist, which were visible even through the leather armor, and then, her long legs.”
“When I brought my eyes back to her face, I could feel my own face getting hot.”
“And then, she greeted me with a soft smile that was so unlike her dignified appearance.”
“Nice to meet you, Neil-san. I’m Katia Myers, Tim’s disciple.”
“Her expressions were so different from how she looked, and I was even more confused.”
“What kind of face am I making right now, I wonder?”
“It was at that moment that I finally realized I had been looking at a woman in an extremely rude manner.”
“I had heard that you were a woman, but… um…”
“I had never imagined she would be this beautiful.”
“…s-sorry! Please, treat me well!”
“I somehow managed to squeeze out an apology and a response to her introduction.”
(Katia’s Perspective)
“While preparing for our departure in the village, the day came to an end.”
“Tonight I was staying at the village chief’s house, and our departure was scheduled for the next morning.”
“The village chief had prepared a small farewell party for me.”
“The village wanted to do something big, but I was embarrassed, so I stopped them.”
“Tomorrow’s send-off would just be the village chief’s family and Grandpa.”
“I told Rosa about the general situation.”
“She was making a face like it was nothing, but I wonder if it was just my imagination that she seemed a little down.”
“The next morning.”
“We were in front of the village gate with two horses.”
“Neil-san was being considerate and waiting a little ways away.”
“First, Zack-san spoke up.”
“Katia-san, even if you fail, please be sure to come back. For us villagers, our companions are more important than the politics of the Royal Capital.”
“Those were kind words that were just like Zack-san.”
“I answered with a “yes.””
“Next, Hanna-san.”
“Katia-chan, take care of your health. Don’t catch a cold.”
“She said with her usual gentle tone.”
“I replied to that properly, too.”
“Rosa was…”
“Katy, are you going to comb your hair properly? And don’t stay up late, it’s bad for your beauty. Also, eat balanced meals. And then… and then…”
“She was rattling off quickly, but then her words trailed off.”
“I quietly hugged Rosa as her eyes started to fill with tears.”
“I’ll definitely come back, so wait for me.”
“Yeah… yeah… I’ll be waiting, always.”
“Her tears still weren’t stopping, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“Because the village chief, Hanna, Grandpa, and everyone from the village are there.”
“Finally, a word from Grandpa.”
“I have nothing to say. Go on, my grandchild!”
“I straightened up naturally.”
“I looked forward with determination.”
“Yes, Grandpa! I’m going!”
“And like that, I departed from Kaisa Village and from Grandpa.”
