Chapter 335 - Episode 2: Princess Miana
I have to go to the Royal Capital.
Because I'm making an official visit to Primordia.
Mary told me to come to the third shop before going to the royal palace.
It's probably about Princess Miana.
The third shop is not so far from the royal palace, so after jumping with the Kingdom Army's Teleport, I joined up with Beowulf, Will, and Mary, who came to meet me.
"Has Beowulf met her already?"
"Yeah, since I'm going to be a clerk at the fourth shop too. I came to the Royal Capital on a business trip and did shopkeeping like an apprentice."
Was there a uniform that Beowulf could wear?
"Of course there is. We can provide all sizes from small girls to heavy infantry. If we distinguished by body size, it wouldn't be an equal girls' shop, would it?"
I was impressed.
Come to think of it, from the child-like Lyudmila and Mel to the tall Dune and Will, and the large Beowulf, the materials were all gathered.
"That's not all. We can properly provide everything from matching sets to grande sizes."
I wish she'd stop saying 'matching sets'.
"Oh? It's well-received. There are many others, and everyone is relieved."
I see. Certainly, it might be better to have many comrades.
"By the way, what size is Princess Miana?"
The old man Will asked. I'm certainly a little interested.
"The thing is, when I went on a company trip to a hot spring with the girls from the shop, we went in together and I saw everything."
She looked around and lowered her voice.
We all huddled our heads together.
"She looks unremarkable at first glance, but once she takes it off, she's amazing."
In the future, she might become an 'Over-Gladys-sama'.
Will whistled. The reaction was completely that of an old man.
"She usually wears loose clothes, so she doesn't stand out much, right?"
When Beowulf said that, Mary crossed her arms and said "That's right."
"Even when I tell her to wear the products and be a model, she hates it and won't wear them. The other girls are so happy to do it, though."
Anyway, she doesn't want to stand out.
I see, as a candidate for Queen, it might be quite serious.
I'll try consulting Aira once.
I met that Princess Miana at the third shop in the Royal Capital.
I was introduced before the shop opened.
Unlike the main store, which finally opens in the middle of the morning, the morning at the third shop is early.
It seems they open early for customers who eat breakfast at the shop.
From a time when no other shops are open yet, they bake the bread for the day, finish cleaning the front of the shop, and are preparing to open. Although it's the lower town, perhaps because it's in a corner of a quiet residential area, people commuting are walking along the street. However, the closing is that much earlier. To let the young girls who make up the main customers return safely, they apparently close one hour before sunset. There is no night session.
Even though it's before opening, there are already about three customers wearing marble-dyed or checked skirts hanging around.
"Good morning~!"
When Mary called out cheerfully, they all turned around at once.
"Ah, Mary-san. Good morning!"
"Good morning!"
They must be regulars.
"Kyaa! Will-san is on shop duty today!"
"Ah! It's true!"
"Yaan! So cool!"
"Hello, beautiful young ladies. It's a fine morning. Good morning."
I feel like the world is different, but I guess it's fine.
"Are you here for breakfast?"
When Mary asked, they all answered "Yes" together.
"I'll take your orders. Since Miana's new work should be ready today, it'll be half price for those who try it for breakfast."
"Really! Yay!"
"If it's Miana, it won't be a miss!"
"Lucky!"
The princess's name came out all of a sudden. Apparently, she bakes bread, and it seems to be well-received.
"In exchange, please let me hear your impressions, okay? Harsh ones are fine."
"We know!"
To the girls who were 'kyai-kyai' frolicking, she said "Please wait a little longer," waved her hand, and went inside.
And the third shop we entered was a shop like I had never seen before.
The shop is on the corner of the street heading toward the royal palace, but one of the two entrances that should have been there is blocked. The only entrance faces the street, and another place faced a slightly narrow street intersecting that street. Apparently, the side of the wide street heading toward the royal palace is the front. It's made so that only that side can be entered.
Immediately after entering from the front entrance in the middle of the building, there is a passage on the left, and on the right of the passage is a counter where a shop clerk waits, with a partition wall that doesn't reach the ceiling at its back. The space directly behind the counter where the clerk waits is made so that one can pass through, and the clerk can also freely enter and exit beyond the partition wall.
This side has four-person tables and chairs lined up. It's a place for providing food and drinks, and the back right is an office and a room with a simple kitchen and a bread oven, with the scent of freshly baked bread and faint soup wafting through. Under the kitchen floor, it seems they have also installed rot-prevention wooden boxes and an icehouse to maintain the freshness of the ingredients.
Passing through the passage next to the counter, it's a room that used to be another entrance, but there, clothing and accessories including marble-dyed ones are displayed, there is a counter on the partition wall, and there is a fitting room with a full-length mirror in the back.
On the surface, it's a fashion shop for girls, but there is a place where one can enjoy light meals and drinks like a hideout. Although separated by a partition wall, they are connected inside.
Originally, it's a two-story building, and it's spacious because Mary, Will, and the shop girls live upstairs, but it was designed to fully utilize that space.
"If you were choosing clothes next to where people are eating, dust would fly. Besides, if various people were coming and going, you couldn't enjoy chatting."
The opening of the third shop and Mary's appointment as manager should have been decided 'bata-bata' when we first went to Finis. Although it's because it's narrow, she must have been thinking about an improvement plan for the main store, where the clothing department and the break department are integrated, even before obtaining the store. Perhaps the fact that she had this much of a vision from the beginning was one of the reasons Beatrix recommended Mary as manager.
"Everyone, come here for a second!"
When Mary called, four girls gathered with a "Haa-i!"
One was wearing an apron over her uniform, two were in uniform, and one was wearing the products like a model.
"Beowulf and Will already know them, right?"
Both of them seem to be popular, as they were surrounded 'kyai-kyai'.
"Today, I'll introduce another one of my comrades. You can already tell because she's wearing priestly robes, right? It's Jeanne."
An "Oh~" went up in a stir. What is this difference?
"It's the rumored Dragon Killer."
"Also, she fought that famous evil spirit, right?"
"She's shorter than I thought."
What kind of reputation have I been given? I wonder if they're confusing me with the Headmistress.
"But I heard she makes it so people with hearing impairments can talk, and cures difficult diseases."
There was one girl who said something different. It was the girl wearing the apron.
"Heh, she's really amazing, isn't she?"
"As expected of Miana. You're well-informed."
"Hey, hey, do you know anything else?"
They weren't asking me, but the girl in the apron. Apparently, she is Princess Miana, but she doesn't seem to be out of place among the others.
However, while the other clerks have their makeup perfectly done, she has almost no makeup. Especially, the difference with the girl wearing the shop's products like a model was conspicuous.
Her physique itself feels no different from the other girls, but because she is wearing a loose ash-green apron, similar to the green marble, that covers down to her knees, it's hard to think of her as a future Over-Gladys-sama candidate. Her hair color, which has a light wave, is a dull blonde, so she doesn't stand out. Because it's combed, her eyes can be seen properly, but her bangs are long, and the tips of her hair reach her nose. If she looks down, you might not even know her expression.
The accessories she wears are also simple; she has the Class of 175 membership card on her chest and wears one silver ring.
"Miana is moving to Nakanohara soon, right? Jeanne is going to Primordia with me, but I had her come to say hello before going to the royal palace."
After a round of greetings, the shop girls surrounded Princess Miana this time.
"You're going tomorrow, huh?"
"Yeah. I thought it would be a just right internship for gaining shop experience. Besides, my aunt is in Nakanohara."
On the surface, it's treated as a long-term internship, not a transfer.
"I see, it'll be lonely."
"A new girl will come. Please teach her about the work."
"More importantly, you, Miana. Are you okay? The new shop will have old men coming too, right?"
"Yeah. I'll try my best. Besides, the manager Lyudmila-san, Beowulf-san, and Mary-san's comrades will be nearby."
Beowulf lightly raised one hand.
"Beowulf-san. Miana is shy, so please look after her."
"That's right, this girl is quiet. If a strange old man gets involved with her, please beat him up."
"I know. The house is the same, and we'll always be together at the shop, so it's fine."
It's not a lie. Princess Miana will live in Mary's room at the Ghost Mansion as a fourth shop clerk who came as support from the third shop. The basic furnishings are left behind. Things that are additionally necessary, like a bed, will apparently be prepared by the royal family. The two who moved to the Royal Capital are Will and Mary, but both are paying rent, so there's no problem.
"I'll write letters, okay?"
"I'll write too!"
"Me too!"
It turned into a send-off party.
After talking for a while, Mary clapped her hands 'pan-pan' and the shop opened, and I and Princess Miana were to talk in a separate room. Incidentally, Will is wearing the products and acting as a model.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Yes, me too. Thank you for your help this time."
I don't do formal greetings. It's strictly as a member of the Class of 175.
Even so, Princess Miana was nervous since it was her first time meeting me.
"I heard from Magdalena-sama that you would be going to Primordia with us."
"Y-yes. I have heard so from my mother."
She looked down even more.
"Excuse me, but do you know what you should do?"
"A-um, I have to participate in the meeting and then attend the dinner party, right?"
Perhaps because she was well-raised, she didn't complain, but she was sighing. She seems to be quite troubled by it.
When she attended for her adult debut, it seems a bunch of old men giving greetings swarmed her and she had a scary experience. It's likely an advertisement for groom candidates she's never seen. It must be some worthless talk prioritizing diplomacy. While Mary, who couldn't bear to watch, was attracting them with the Alraune stone she got for herself, Will apparently rescued her.
"That's true, but you can just be casual at the dinner party."
"Eh?"
After consulting with Mary, I had her contact Aira and Saxburg, and decided to have the three princesses all together. Aira has a fiancé, but Saxburg is on the surface free. There won't be many people who would mediate a groom in front of unmarried princesses from two countries. The diplomatic scheme would be exposed. Besides, for some reason, royals gather around me. Other old men can just be attracted by Mary.
I'll cast Thought Communication on Aira, but I won't use high-level in Primordia. So, she'll basically just stay quiet and smile. In short, she just needs to smile along with her.
In the meantime, she can just pretend to leave and take refuge in a separate room. What's important is after that. Because the main purpose is to become friends with Aira and Saxburg.
"Is that okay?"
"It should be fine. It seems it's always like that when Aira and Saxburg are together. On the surface, the meeting is important, but Magdalena-sama will be attending, right? As long as you don't doze off, it'll be fine."
"Well, dozing off is..."
She finally laughed brightly. She has such a cute smile that even I, a woman, reflexively gasped.
This is with no makeup. Although the lineage is different, eventually her popularity might also become Over-Gladys-sama.
After that, we talked about various things, and I found out something.
First, at fifteen years old, she's a user of two mid-level attribute magics. The future is promising.
The problem is that she thinks she doesn't have the qualifications to be Queen.
The previous Eleanor-sama was a former hero who had the title of the strongest Great Mage on the White Island at her beck and call. Moreover, she showed great skill as the Queen and Magic Corps Commander, and fought on the front lines with Henry-sama in two wars.
The contemporary Magdalena-sama is a former Kingdom Army light infantry soldier. In the recent war, she was apparently directing the overall operations along with the King.
In contrast, she can use mid-level magic, but she hates fighting and is good at domestic things. That said, she can't use holy magic, so she can't become a priest like her aunt Jennifer-sensei.
In short, she lacks confidence in herself, but it's wrong to compare her with the former hero Eleanor-sama or the original demon wife Magdalena-sama.
"Um, I'm sorry. I heard from my father that Priest Jeanne is a good listener, but I seem to have talked too much myself."
This interview was requested by Mary, but apparently the King is involved.
"It's okay. I'm a priest, so I won't tell anyone else. Please rest assured."
"Please do."
She's bashful. It seems I've been trusted.
"But I'm relieved. That Princess Miana is an average princess."
"Average? Me?"
"Yes. Eleanor-sama is like a monster who subjugates the Demon Lord, so to speak, not human, right? Magdalena-sama, when she was in her teens, apparently walked around the lower town with the King and Roberts-sama, picking fights with rough people. She'd beat them up and make them her underlings. She's like a delinquent. Both of them are clearly not normal, right? I'm glad you're not the same kind as those people."
"My mother was?"
She didn't seem to know, as she put her hand to her mouth.
I was told the complaints by the Archbishop of the Royal Capital Great Church. There's no mistake.
"The fact that I said this is a secret between just the two of us, okay?"
"Yes. I won't tell anyone. I may look like this, but I'm a princess, so my mouth is tight."
When she said that, she laughed, saying "My mother..."
"I have the privilege of being friends with the Finis princess Aira and the Northern Gram princess Saxburg, and both of them are not much different from Princess Miana."
Of course, Princess Miana knows the two. She apparently thought they were very reliable people.
They are certainly reliable, but the two I know are not just that.
Aira hardly participated in dinner parties until she met the Thought Communication I use. On the contrary, she was tied up with the workshop and didn't even appear in official places. When I first met her, she was just a girl acting as a guide and wasn't introduced as a princess.
Saxburg seems to have been educated to become Queen because of the matter with Eowyn-sama, but now that she's been released from that pressure, she has a feeling of having returned to being a child except in official places.
Both of them must have been worried.
"Well, a costume?"
"Yes. Every single time, they're frolicking like children. Influenced by Magdalena-sama, they've gotten into disguises, or rather, costumes. How about it? Princess Miana too."
When I asked, it seems there's a dress she wants to wear when talking with Aira and Saxburg, with whom she'll have a long relationship in the future, regardless of meetings and dinner parties.
"It's the uniform of the Class of 175 shop that I'm wearing now. When I'm wearing this dress, I'm not a princess but a clerk, so I can talk to any customer in my own way."
Hmm. That might be good. It's originally a Finis check pattern. Surely Aira will wear it too.
When I called Mary and asked, an easy OK came out.
"Aira and Saxburg have them too. The patterns remain, so we can make them anytime. Since we're at it, it might be good if the three of them wear them together."
That's a good idea.
However, if that happens, Magdalena-sama might want to wear it.
"It's okay. Magdalena-sama already has one too."
"Is that so?"
She must not have seen it. When Princess Miana asked, Mary leaned forward.
The three of us huddled our heads together.
"She only wears it when she's alone with the King. She says even if it's her own daughter, she doesn't want to stand next to a teenage girl while wearing that."
"!"
It's absolutely a secret between the three of us, I said, and Princess Miana, who looked like she was about to burst out laughing, covered her mouth with both hands and nodded her head 'bun-bun'.