There were countless lights from the shops lined up, and people bustling around busily and lively. An enormous gate opened up for us, and the guards on the other side stood at attention with serious expressions.

As his horsed moved forward by my side, Günter spoke.

"Welcome home, Your Majesty. This is your, and our country. Long live the great s.h.i.+nou and his people. Ah, we should never forget the entire world originated from the Mazoku with the power to defeat the Creator and wisdom and courage to prosper for eternity..."

Is this the national anthem?

"...kingdom, welcome to the capital."

He said the name of the country when I was thinking. Conrad whispered to me that to abbreviate, it was s.h.i.+n Makoku. That"s the only thing I will remember.

My impression as I entered the capital is very easy to understand by saying "huge Huis Ten Bosch".[1] I could say that the stores and houses, and the residents, from my eyes, it looks like a foreign country. However, I no longer have any doubts that this isn"t a theme park. Such an enormous, elaborate theme park couldn"t exist in j.a.pan. Even if this wasn"t j.a.pan, and even if this is somewhere overseas, where would someone have a motive to go this far to deceive one individual?

Me, who until yesterday, I was an ordinary high school student.

Me, who was told that from today on, I am the Maoh.

The only answer that remains that isn"t deceiving is that this is all a dream.

"Until I wake up, I can"t do anything but keep a.s.sociating with people here." You can"t get off a boat until it"s at the harbor, and a baseball game isn"t over until the ninth inning, either. I can keep company with people here until I can see the end mark.

"What are you saying? Your Majesty, well, let"s go, Conrart and I will ride on both sides of you."

I see, I"ll go, of course. Nine people in front, and accompanied by the remaining in the back, we progress down the main street in three lines. Citizens are on both sides of me, and they move out of the way and bow deeply to me.

"Ah, h.e.l.lo. Ah, umm. Ah, hi. Ah, you"re so polite."

When I express my grat.i.tude honestly one by one, the senior person in charge of education has a shocked face.

"Your Majesty... Please stop bowing your head to the citizens. Please have more dignity."

"What are you saying, the greeting is the basis of an interpersonal relations.h.i.+p. That"s the same in any country in the world. It"s a common rule to all nations."

This town looks prosperous compared to the towns we"ve pa.s.sed through up to now.

At least, the places facing the main street.

As if I"d become an honor student, I looked down from the horse which was walking gracefully. It didn"t seem like the same horse which had shaken off its master, and was feared by him as the black demon a while ago.

The spanker[2] that was prepared for the king was born a rare jet black, black fur in j.a.pan, called dark fur in this country. It was also heavier and stockier than the racing horses I"ve seen in a paddocks. It is said that it possessed all disposition required to be an army horse. Even if its heart stops, it"ll carry its master and keep running. That"s because it has two hearts. It"s pretty nifty.

Because it"s easy to remember, I named it "Ao". In the olden days in j.a.pan it was common name for a horse like "Taro" for a human. That often comes out in historical plays. The color of each person"s hair and skin was truly variegated and unreal. Like I"ve heard, there"s certainly no one with black hair. Blond hair, brown hair, silver hair, white hair, red hair, chestnut, orange (I wonder if it"s dyed), purple[3] (I wonder if it"s a trendy hair dye), green (probably chlorophyl)... green?!

"Hey hey hey hey hey heeey, Günter!"

"Yes?"

"There is a green person there, spaaace, s.p.a.ce, s.p.a.ce!"[4]

"Ah, they are a family of healers. Because their blood is a little peculiar, their skin becomes pale, and they possess the unique power to increase patient"s healing. Humans seemed to persecute them two thousands years ago, so they seem to have flowed to this land. We owe the current longevity of our lives to them."

"Well, well then, what about that purple haired person? That girl awhile back was like that too."

"They"re a lake side tribe. There are a lot of people born with strong magic, and they"re involved in the training and security of the king"s capital. As you have probably noticed, Your Majesty, I also have the blood of the lake side tribe."

Violet eyes, I see.

I sighed on top of the horse.

"A horse with two hearts, skeleton frames flying in the sky, natural green and purple hair. It"s not possible to come across these things in j.a.pan. It definitely can"t get any further out. Like a girl with bunny ears, or a s.e.xy black panther girl, or a birdman with three eyes."

I couldn"t help but laugh at my bewilderment from my own imagination, as Conrad winked at the person in charge of education.

"There is an unbelievable amount of races in this country. Günter and I have lived long lives, but even the scholars can"t confirm the amount of people. For example, if you limit the counting to person-like individuals there"s about fifty million, but if you count the flying bone race and ground bone race, aquatic races and bird races, it"s impossible to have an accurate number. Furthermore, if you include the souls who live quietly in the forest and mountain areas, that means the Mazoku live in the skies, the earth, the rivers, the woods and everywhere. Your Majesty, the souls who will follow your are scattered all over this country."

A girl with golden eyes, who was obviously a member of one of those tribes, came scurrying over to the side of Ao, trying to hand me flowers. They were in a bouquet, and their multi-layered pale pink petals were slightly opened. After Günter received them and did a one round confirmation, he reluctantly presented them to me.

"These are ordinary decorative flowers. They aren"t poisonous and they aren"t th.o.r.n.y. That young girl probably wanted to pa.s.s it to Your Majesty more than to me."

"That"s not true~. You seem way more popular than me~"

It"s the very first time I"ve received flowers from a girl, so I was actually feeling pretty good about it.

Our troops marched forward without incident until we finally reached the true rampart. The gate made a heavy sound as it opened.

"...Uwah-"

At that exact moment I swear I could hear the theme music stream inside my head, and the narration of Naoto Ogata.[5] World heritage, ah, world heritage, world heritage. A poem of the wonderfulness of the castle.

The white stone paving of the road continued for a distance, with flowing waterways on both sides. The water branched off in two directions, going towards the town"s eastern and western sides. When I looked ahead, I could see a castle often seen in European castle stories. It wasn"t the German type of old castles but the large-scale type of country houses of Great Britain; a building with the left and right symmetrical. Being oversized in both width and height, I almost wondered if it was wide-screen. Rich green mountains protected the back, and the waterway started from a tunnel inside the hillside.

"...Umm, excuse me, I don"t know what I should say anymore."

"Even if you don"t say anything, here is the Maoh"s castle, "Blood Pledge Castle"."

Blood Pledge? There was a group in j.a.panese history who had the terrible motto, "One person one kill!", but it"s not a very peaceful name. Such a beautifully magnificent castle, maybe it"s better not to hear the origin... Even though I don"t want to hear it, the person in charge of education explains it.

"It is said that when s.h.i.+nou selected this land, he promised to not let harm come to the spirit of the land. As a mark of grat.i.tude and friends.h.i.+p, when someone other than the Maoh occupies this castle, the spirit of the land swore to make him atone for his crime with his blood. An oath of blood, in short, "Blood Pledge Castle", obeys only Your Majesty the King. It"s impregnable, no, it"s an absolutely flawless castle."

"So that doesn"t mean that both the castle and the king stamped a seal with their blood, huh?"

Conrad seemed to be very happy, and pointed the central path with his chin. Soldiers were standing at attention in rows on both sides for a distance. When I pa.s.s by them they"re sure to bow their heads, like a reverse-wave of a stadium. The last time I was in a situation like this was when in an attempt to take a short cut, I ran through the department store. As it had just opened, I was greeted by the store clerks" welcoming bows, who were standing in rows on both sides.

From somewhere I can hear a tune that sounds like a mix of Ravel[6] and Elgar.[7] Maybe it"s the national anthem.

"Judging from this reception, Von Spitzweig"s persuasion seems to have failed."

He seemed to bite his tongue at that person"s name, who is he? More than that, why does everyone in this country have something like Von or Sir attached to them at the same time? Perhaps, Von is like the "Yama" of j.a.panese names, with Yamada-san and Yamamoto-san and Yamakawa-san, and is representative of numerous family names? Or... I guess I looked like I wanted to ask, and Conrad explained to me. More and more as I step into the garden, sure enough, I was welcomed to h.e.l.l.

"This country is divided into this area directly controlled by the Maoh, and territories of the ten n.o.bles who obey the Maoh. Von is attached to their surnames. In Günter"s case, he governs the Kleist region of the ten n.o.bles so he is Lord von Kleist. I added Lord because in an emergency on the battlefield he is the person proceeding me. Basically the n.o.bles are a military rank. Men and women are the same. Those who are prepared to fight will be invited to do so when they"re adults."

Huh, I just noticed that macho guy I met in the beginning seemed to have Von attached to his name.

"Lord Stoffel von Spitzweig is the former Maoh"s older brother. He is a man who did as he pleased as the regent. The previous Maoh... She was the top Queen, but she declared her intention to resign and we moved immediately to summon your Majesty. But that guy tried to have her declaration of resignation withdrawn by any means. He will try to persuade your Majesty to try to protect his own position. However, he seems to have failed somehow."

Huh, Conrad"s name was...

"Now he"s celebrating the new king"s triumphant entry into the castle, and he"s probably contriving to take in your Majesty."

For the first time, an expression resembling hatred appeared on the good-natured Lord Weller. But it immediately vanished. In the short amount of time that I exchange the bouquet of flowers to my right hand. I don"t know whether I"m controlling my own feelings or the words Günter added immediately after that are.

"I won"t allow that man to do as he pleases anymore. I think Gwendal and Wolfram feel the same way about that."

"I hope so."

Did something happen? Although any idiot would notice, I thought so too as I rode on. My right hand holding the flowers got near the deceptively innocent Ao"s ear.

"Umm, that man called Spitz or Spielberg or something..."

How many times did he get an Academy Award? I couldn"t even say it was a joke. Suddenly, my horse is a black demon who lost her temper, because the trained V8 engine goes full throttle.

Even I, the rider, don"t understand what she didn"t like or why she started running wildly. Certainly, I only wouldn"t be safe if I was shaken off. I desperately clung to the horse running quickly down the straight course, while screaming with a "yay" and a shout that doesn"t make it out, I was about to be the only person who reached the front of the castle strangely early.

The soldiers who were lined up to salute me would never think that the black hurricane that pa.s.sed in front of the was their new king. From behind I could hear some advice.

"Your Majesty~, the reins, pull the reins-!"

"Conrart! As I thought, that horse still didn"t have enough training"

Günter"s words were brief, while he pursued me after kicking his horse"s stomach.

"Don"t cry just from this. She was, trained reliably, but even I, did not, train her, to have, a hover fly, go into, her ear. Your Maajeesty, pull the reiins, squeeze your thiighs!"

I run wildly through the the gift shops, interfering with things such as customers and shop a.s.sistants as they cover their heads, only thinking of going every which way. Ao easily jumped over several places, continuing to press on towards the entrance of the castle. Up to now soldiers were in a long row, but suddenly Ao intruded and ran beside the line in an obstructive place, and she ran through them. Down the center of the nice middle aged, dazed men.

She jumped over them again. During the short time in the air, I imagine the worst scenario.

I fall from the horse, and as my head drops I tell Conrad and Günter that the rest is up to them. What is the rest?! Why does my head drop?!

Just a little after the closed door of the main entrance, Ao suddenly reared up. I fell! And I hurriedly grabbed not only the reins but her jet black mane, and closed my eyes as I predicted the impact. But, the pain didn"t come even after I waited five seconds.

"...Stay..."

And, the second I let my mind drift I fell. I"m sorry to say that this time under me is hard, cold and expensive marble. I learned the hard way that a pa.s.sive voice is important.

As I looked upward, I thought absent-mindedly.

Ao stamped a few times, then brought his face near me. She didn"t seem to remember her fears as her clear eyes ask, "What are you doing, Boss?". Her lips are covered in bubbly drool.

By my shoulder is someone"s foot. When I moved my gaze a little, there was a face in a high position. What a surprisingly tall person. But if I did call out to that man, he wouldn"t lend a hand to help. Since I"ve come to this world, this is the first time I"ve met an obviously apathetic person. Am I really the Maoh, the master of this castle, is this really my own dream? Then, isn"t it ok if I"m amused more?

"Your Majesty!"

I can hear Conrad and Günter"s voices. And the sound of hooves striking the stone. The man seems to have realized something from the words of the two people. From way above me, a seemingly shocked monologue descends.

"...His Majesty... This is?"

What is "this", "this", faster than I could object the Love Theme from the G.o.dfather was streaming through my head. I"ve already decided your theme song. Standing in front of me without lending his hand, as I expected, was a man I couldn"t match in height no matter how many times I was reborn.

Not just height, but his face, too, I couldn"t match his face.

His hair was as long as half his body, an undiluted gray that could even be called black, and only a portion was tied behind his back. He squinted with a deep blue eye, and he didn"t seem happy about anything. Whether he seems sullen because the s.p.a.ce between his eyebrows and eyes narrowed, or because he is sullen, is something I don"t understand from my short life span. But his sullenness would have girls whining for sure.

While I"ve been called the Maoh, my face and outward appearance and position haven"t caught up to high school students. At any rate, my appearance and intellect are getting there. I"m not muscular, and my voice isn"t low. To make matters worse, when I played baseball I was a bench warmer for three years.

The man"s interest was brightened, and he tilted his head to gaze at me. His melancholy was increasingly conspicuous.

"Your Majesty, are you hurt?!"

Conrad arrived before him, smoothly getting off the horse and meeting me halfway. Trying to pa.s.s him, a group of nice middle-aged men from that I bothered a bit ago run this way. Günter also jumped off his gray horse, shouting something. I couldn"t believe that I was in the center of everyone.

"Is that the new Maoh?!"

His alto voice resounded in an offensive tone.

As for the super beautiful shape of the fourth person, even I might be able to match his physique physically. It can"t be helped because characteristics like the length of the legs is a racial feature, like height and shoulder width and body weight. Since when did I become someone who only worries about body build. Maybe, because of that day when the second pitcher said, "You, since you"re a small target, it"ll be hard to throw a ball into you".

Even if our bodies are evenly matched, when I just glanced up, I"ve already been defeated. How can they be this beautiful! Because of them, his face emits an aura. Although it"s likely to seem that way because of his dazzling blond hair. His looks and voice are like an older Vienna chorus boy. His white skin seems transparent, and his irises are an emerald green that make me think of the bottom of a lake, and furthermore he doesn"t have a split chin. He an angel, definitely an angry angel. However, being in this place, he"s also probably a beautiful Mazoku.

"Gwendal... No, big brother, is that guy planning on ushering in this human of unknown lineage as our king?!"

When he says "that guy", the super handsome boy, like in shoujo comics, glares sharply at Conrad. I heard the name Gwendal awhile ago, together with something like Wolfgang or Wolfram if I"m not mistaken. If the man with the Love Theme from the G.o.dfather is Gwendal, then the older Vienna chorus boy is probably Wolfram?

"I can"t put my confidence in such a filthy human! Judging from appearances he doesn"t seem intelligent or dignified, and a man that would be lying around in the road in that area..."

"Wolfram!"

It wasn"t Gwendal, the one he called brother, but Günter suppressed his words.

"What an awful thing! If his Majesty didn"t have such a large heart, you would be losing your life about now."

A large heart, me? He seems to be thinking of someone else.

"Watch your mouth, I can"t allow you to speak of his Majesty in such an awful way, even if you are the crown prince! Stop speaking so unfavorably of Conrart, even for an instant, he"s your older brother."

Huh.

As I"m only listening, the character correlation diagram becomes jumbled up for me. The G.o.dfather and older Vienna chorus boy are siblings; and he said Conrad is Wolfram"s older brother.

Gwendal, Conrart, Wolfram.

Three Mazoku siblings.

"...Now way?! You, you don"t look alike!"

"That is, inexcusable"

Conrad spoke with a smile as he walked to my side. He had an expression as if he was already used to these kind of things.

"Each of us have a different father. Well, not looking alike can"t invalidate our blood relations.h.i.+p. Gwendal is my older brother, and Wolfram is my little brother. Perhaps they don"t want to say something like that."

"You?" I asked inside my head.

Conrad, what do they think of you?

But sooner than I could ask the question, everyone"s attention is turned back to me again. You are His Majesty, such are Günter"s words.

"The new king, Your Majesty."

The nice middle aged men rush over. I"ve already gotten used to beautiful forms, so I don"t mind these men"s outwards appearances. Hnn, umm, oh, beautiful for their fifties, older men with dull blond hair and blue eyes. However, in their vicious military training they were taught to conceal the hidden door inside their eyes.

"I am the former queen"s, Lady Cecille von Spitzweig"s, older brother, Stoffel Von Spitzweig, who worked as a regent for the prosperity of this country. I sincerely welcome Your Majesty"s safe arrival!"

"Umm, Lord von Spitzweig."

I spoke in a broken tone on purpose.

"Between me and your sister, who would you want to be Maoh?"

"Huh?!"

Stu~pid. If you can"t respond right away, it just proves you only care about yourself.

"Hah, of course, Your Majesty the new king. The chance to choose the ruling family would be profitable for all the people of the nation. Your Majesty the new king is entirely our savior, who will create this country"s future, and I hear the owner of a great soul."

"I think you"re mistaken. I don"t have such a great soul."

"Such modesty! That jet black hair and dark eyes! Your Majesty is certainly a Mazoku of high standing."

By the standards of this country, if you have dark hair and eyes, you"re a handsome guy like them! Can I win? In short even though I"m only an average j.a.panese person, I have the authority of this country"s seed?

That"s a bit of a lie.

I only have the authority of a seed if I accomplish something.

"Where"s the proof?!"

In a clearly hostile tone, he said exactly what he thought just now. The blonde that looks like an angel; Wolfram.

"What proof do we have that he"s the genuine article? Until I"ve confirmed that, I"m not going to recognize such a kid as the Maoh!"

"Kid?! Ah, no, that is, I might not be able to tell the age of a foreigner, but I can guess. But, but that? You look like you"re about the same age as me, no matter how I look at you. If you look older than you are like most American high school kids, maybe you"re even younger than me!"

"How old?"

c.o.c.ky, he folded his arms as the third son arrogantly asked me. It seems like this person decided it was necessary to ban honorific words.[8]

"...Fifteen... In two months I"ll be 16..."

"Hmph."

"What"s with this "hmph", hmph. Then what age are you!? Such an irritating pretty boy, and you"re already acting like an old man"

"I"m eighty-two."

"...Yes?"

Eighty-two? Even so he has clear skin, a full head of hair and youth.

"Yeah, right!"

You guys wants me to believe that you have more life experience than my grandfather?!

The bath of the second day was reserved for my personal use.

The stone floor of the bathroom was based on a cream color, in the Maoh"s private bath the bathtub is officially seems wide enough to swim in, with water gus.h.i.+ng out from five cow"s mouths in the corner. At the edge of the first lane, while sank my body cosily, I thought of myself up to now.

What now, what will happen, s.h.i.+buya Yuuri?!

I was flushed down a toilet, spit out in a strange theme park like world, had stones thrown at me by the citizens, got called a demon, got called the Maoh, was told to kill humans, was made to ride on a horse until I about died, was greeted by everyone, brought to a castle with a scary name, was called "this is?", was told that he"d refuse to admit I was the Maoh, it was confessed that their real age was five times their appearance, and I had to go inside the castle with the scary name.

There were two-hundred and fifty-two rooms, three stories high and in one part five stories, the ceiling was impossibly high, and built tough enough that even G.o.dzilla would have a hard time with it.

The stairs are so long you about lose your breath, there"s about one-hundred and ninety people or more working in the castle, on the other side is a modest stable but an enormous barracks, with four-thousand five-hundred full-time soldiers. In another directions, Gwendal and Wolfram"s personals soldiers are at a lodging right now, brought from their own territories.

For the time being I was guided to a room the size of a basketball court, a fire was in the fireplace and the floor was paved with fabric and fur. The stone wall was completely concealed by white coating, it looks like picture of Ueno my mother took when I was a grade school student. On the remaining three walls seemed to be tapestries of the national flag. Surprisingly, there"s a decorative plant in the corner of the room.

"No television, no games, no minidiscs."

Before that, there"s no electricity or gas, so there"s also no telephone.

"...The bed... is super huge..."

The bed was, big. Even though a canopy wasn"t attached, it was big enough for sure that even if a set of quintuplets became junior high school students, they could still rest together on it and be fine.

A beautiful bathhouse attendant wearing only a loincloth that barely covered his important parts offered to wash my back in the gorgeous gilded tub, which I clearly refused. Because I"m bothered by an inferiority complex.

I took a light pink liquid from a nearby bottle. It has a good aroma. Maybe this was shampoo. I roughly pour the splas.h.i.+ng hot water from the bucket. There is no conditioner! Rather than manly, I"d say I"m acting like a sports guy.[9]

I firmly washed my body, because I was satisfied with the bath I took on the second day, I wondered at the time if I should take a long bath again. "Huh."

From the opposite side of the place I entered, the shape of a woman only wearing a bath towel appeared. Not a girl, a woman. It can"t be that this is, a mixed bath?! Wait, Günter definitely said that this was a private bath. Or is the said girl supposed to service me? There"s not going to be that kind of service. No, because it"s just been common people until now I didn"t know, but perhaps she was a queen or minister or parliamentarian. But wait, wait-! Of all places in this huge pool she"s in the second lane, where even if your body isn"t stretched out in a line---!

She had golden curly hair down to her hips, a super s.e.xy woman, whose chest was submerged only one meter from me. From steam, or from tension and excitement my eyes get misty, and I can"t see clearly but she"s surprisingly attractive. The measurements under her towel makes blood rush to my eyes and my cheeks and lips turn a lovely shade of pink.

But she"s a "woman". She"s not in the same generation as a "girl".

"Oh."

"Aaaaah, I, I, I, I didn"t hear this was a mixed bath!"

"No~, it"s fine. This bath is only for your Majesty, the Maoh. I only came in for a little bit out of habit. Don"t mind me, new king, yo, ur, Ma, jes, ty."

"Uh, ah, that"s a little bad, please don"t come closer."

"Say, so you"re the new king? How unexpected, to meet you in a place like this."

Now, my blood is rus.h.i.+ng to my head and heart and the lower half of my body, and I couldn"t make a calm decision. Danger danger danger! All the more because I"ve just reached p.u.b.erty, it"s ten times, or twenty times more dangerous!

"Ah~ah umm, young lady, no, miss, isn"t it a violation of the rules to suddenly enter the bathtub without rinsing?! And besides that, with a bath towel! Don"t you know it isn"t good manners to put a towel in the water in a public bath?!"

My voice was almost turned inside-out. It"s not possible to say it like Monomonta.[10]

"Oh my, I"m sorry. It"s because it"s been a very long time since I"ve taken a bath with men."

She said that as she gazed at me while I was unable to move.

"d.a.m.n... Cu-cute."

At that time, with a cry and a scream and a shout that didn"t make it out, I left and began to run.

Why am I saying "cute", Miss s.e.xy, and why is Miss Pheromones in the king"s bath, and besides all that, who are you Miss s.e.xy Queen!

I ran quickly in the form of only having a towel wrapped around my waist, and leapt into the place that I think I was told was my room, but once again there are young and cute girls there, and they raised their voices without seeming to make any words.

"What"s the matter, Your Majesty!"

"What"s wrong Your Majesty!"

When two people (the self-proclaimed Yuuri faction) came running in, the girl holding a l.u.s.trous black cloth trembled in the corner, and while she was made to avert her blank gaze from the new king crouching behind the gigantic bed, she murmured something lowly. My a.s.s was exposed.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

"...I like girls, I like girls but if you ask me if I"d like to be seen, I"d rather not be, I"m not really that big or huge."

When he sent the maid back from the room, Conrad came over to the bed. By that time I had finally regained my composure, stabilizing and prudently wrapping the sheet around my waist again.

"Oh my, you put your behind away."

"Is there no privacy in this country?!"

"Your Majesty, as king you naturally have servants and maids. If you"re surprised by each one..."

"Are they supposed to even be in my bath and my room?! Then what good does it do to hide this country"s erotic books somewhere?! If I"m going to get picked up by beautiful naked women in the bathroom, where can I run away to and catch my breath?!"

"A nude woman in the bathroom? Oh..."

Conrad looked up to the sky as if to say, "My G.o.d!"

"...Come along."

"I thought this was some kind of service so I was just about to make a small request... Well, first of all, because I"m not a that great of a man, I ran away."

"I"m glad, I appreciate Your Majesty"s sense of reason."

"Oh, ooh, Your Maje"y, please try this on."

The person in charge of education said that as he held a black cloth in front of his nose for awhile. His eyes had become completely teary.

"What"s wrong all the sudden, hay fever?"

"E, ejuse me, I"m in an entirely different standpoint than I usually am, and I"m having trouble looking at you... You are too praiseworthy and lovely at the same time... Ah, my apologies! I said something offensive, I should know better, I, I"m fl.u.s.tered!"

"What"s wrong, Günter, this doesn"t seem like you?"

"If it"s hay fever you should rinse out your nose, wash your nose. It makes my older brother feel better."

In the beat I intended to take off my clothes, my finger touched Günter"s arm. With incredible speed he drew back to the wall. His face was red as if he had a fever. When he held up the glossy black cloth higher, it seemed to be some sort of underwear.

"They"re underwear, but black, and glossy."

A thong. It can be tied on both sides. When I looked back at Conrad, he had his usual face.

"Why would a man wear a thong?!"

"Eh? It"s the popular underwear for the time being."

"No way, then, that person and that person and that person are in a thong?! Even that guy making such a face was in a thong?! It can"t be, you are too?"

"Ah, no, I prefer something more natural."

"Bihyaah!"

When they simultaneously turned their heads, Günter was holding his nose towards the wall. Was he suffering from cedar pollen as I thought; if he sneezed I"d be certain. His eyes were also drooping heavily, how should I say this, like, he began speaking in a tone like he"d suddenly become an Italian man. Because of his incredible beauty from the start, if he was a girl I"d probably be reeled in by these.

"Please don"t trouble me by talking like a stubborn old wife, Your Majesty. It"s the same as if I knocked on the door to avoid seeing you take off your underwear...Che... Hah?! What did I just say?!"

Even though he seems to present an ambiance like a crimson rose, my joke was thrust back to me.

"P, blease ejuse me! I"ve had, in, in, insolent thoughts!"

"If you rinse out your nose with a normal saline solution, a normal sal... Insolent, eh, what?"

"I"ll go cool off my head!"

I shouted for him to rinse, not cool off, at his fleeing back, but he didn"t seem to hear it. But for the time being the problem is the underwear I"m holding in my fingertips. Since I"m just a kid in the middle of break, I can only think it"s a little embarra.s.sing.

"But, well, even j.a.panese have a "sumo wrestler"s loincloth" traditionally."

"That"s true, Your Majesty. Maybe it"ll feel surprisingly good, and can meet a new you."

I don"t want to meet a new me.

"At any rate, what in the world is wrong with Günter? Well, this is my next underwear. Huh."

As I"m pa.s.sed clothes one after another that are very similar to my uniform, Conrad brings his face close to me.

"...Your Majesty, you smell good."

"Oh, it"s probably the shampoo. There was some pink stuff in the bathroom."

Who put it there, I don"t know.

For s.h.i.+nou"s dinner, it wasn"t a convenient trick to introduce a program, nor a program where the former five-star pitcher of a professional baseball team oozes their knowledge of wine to the guests.

"Your Majesty, the king, will only be surrounded by close relatives at this n.o.ble and special dinner."

Somehow with his nose crammed with cotton, Günter is strangely guiding the tension while his chest is held high. With his hair neatly settled behind him, he"s wearing an outfit that resembles priest garments, off-white white a long beautiful gold thread embroidered down the front.

"Excuse me for being late."

Conrad returned after changing his clothes in a big hurry, and caught up with short, quick steps. As far as his appearance is concerned, I decided that he was the cosplay king! - this year.

His clothes were the pure white of a navy officer, an American woman"s yearning. "Ai to Seishun no Tabidachi", originally called "An Officer and a Gentleman, starring Richard Gere. The theme music that everyone has heard is the BGM, refres.h.i.+ngly called an all-American number one hit. Without the hat.

"For the time being this is full dress."

The surface of the mountain stretched to the other side of the window, and I saw a light at the summit. The surrounding air was already dark, and the light was stronger than the twinkling stars.

"Please look closely, that is the holy ground of the Mazoku, the light of s.h.i.+nou"s shrine. That is where we all come from, the resting place of the great s.h.i.+nou."

Putting aside the problem of a "Mazoku, holy ground?", I looked at the wavering flame at the summit. Would it be like the temples in j.a.pan? When seen through the eyes of a modern day j.a.panese person, s.h.i.+buya Yuuri, s.h.i.+nou seemed to be like a G.o.d to these people. He probably has a grave there where he left from this world.

But, I was brought here because of an oracle or the words of s.h.i.+nou.

"...I don"t know whether or not I"m a king."

"Your Majesty, please look over here. This corridor is also an exhibition room, decorated with the gallant figures of all of the successive generations of kings. The portrait of your predecessor and yourself are incomplete."

Continuing to wander down the corridor, the paintings are so large that you can"t even stretch both arms to each side, and there are twenty pieces. All the drawings are realistic with precise details so small if could make your eyes hurt.

"It reminds me of when I went to see the Barnes Collection at Ueno."

"They"re lined up on this side in order of the newest. This is the 24rth Maoh, His Majesty Von Radford Bertrand. He was called the "Lion King" by the people and revered."

"The Lion King? I think there"s a similar nickname somewhere in the world..."

"This is His Majesty the twenty-third, Jeannot von Karbelnikoff, called a strict ruler. And then His Majesty the twenty-second, a.r.s.enio von Roberski, famous as a powerful military man. His Majesty the twenty-first, Dwayne von Gyllenhaal, the belligerent king, and before him that is His Majesty Davison Henstridge the slaughterer, and Basilio von Rochefort the brutal king..."

"What"s with these names gradually becoming more terrible? Isn"t there someone more peaceful, like the oil magnate king or the newspaper king or a brand king?"

"Well... because we don"t have oil or newspapers or brands."

"The fifteenth Maoh, Her Majesty Grisela Trantinian Yaft, the head-cutter queen. Her Majesty Brittany von Wincott, the bloodshed queen..."

I"ve seen the national traits of the Mazoku. Some are sitting on a chair with their hands on a dog"s head, and other are leaning against a sword that"s been thrust into the ground. On a horse next to a pole with the severed head of his defeated enemies, this is definitely a painting of a Maoh. There were about three woman, and a king that could only be called a boy by his size.

But, even though they had different colored hair and eyes, and each one of them were on par with each other in beauty, as we go further back in time they seem to become more and more superhuman. Well, I guess because they basically aren"t human. The clothes are much thicker fantasy colors than the present day Mazoku, and they"re drawn with mantels and armor.

"They look like they"re from an RPG of ancient times. Ah, of course, this is a world of swords and magic after all. Your modern military uniforms make that more than clear. Oh, this person-"

"He is the seventh Maoh, His Majesty Forgeas von Voltaire."

"He looks just like the guy with the Love Theme from the G.o.dfather from a little bit ago!"

"G.o.d... You mean Gwendal? That"s because this is his direct ancestor."

"Eh?! Then shouldn"t that guy be the next Maoh? If his ancestor was the king, then one of his descendants should succeed him."

Günter, like a teacher, tilted his head thoughtfully and replied.

"Your Majesty, the position of the Maoh isn"t inherited."

"But there"s no elections? How difficult, what a pain."

"Oh, right. You"ve grown up in a different world for about fifteen years. Well, you"ll learn little by little, there"s still up to a year before you become Maoh."

"A year?! I"m supposed to stay here a year?!"

Conrad looked at me as I asked in return, and the tutor looked astonished.

"Your Majesty, you"re the king of this country, you"ll be spending the rest of your life here. Why would you question one year?"

This has become serious. The way things are going I"ll have to repeat a cla.s.s. Moreover, it"s too early in May to decide to repeat the first year of high school. Now all I can do is accomplish this imposed goal quickly, and head for the goal in a beeline.

"And this is our founder, who united the Mazoku, who defeated the Creator and established s.h.i.+n Makoku, the original king, His Majesty Lord s.h.i.+nou. Glory be to his holy soul!"

"Huh, this one looks just like that kid. He must be one of his ancestors. Eh, his name was?"

"I can"t speak his name without authority."

"You can"t say his name, che, how stingy."

"Your Majesty!"

"But isn"t it thanks to this guy that I was brought here and can"t go back? At the word of this guy who should be dead, my soul flew here from a different world? And you can"t even tell me his name, as I thought, stingy."

"I will tell you later, Your Majesty."

Conrad"s voice was holding back laughter.

In the particularly large portrait, he was arranged at the front, a young man with blond hair standing with a naked sword in one hand. Just like Wolfram. But, his eyes are a bright blue like the clear surface of a lake, and somehow, somewhere something was different about him than the future generations of Mazoku. My amateur impression was, "He"s proud, he"s important, he feels like a natural king".

"...This person is?"

Only this picture wasn"t one person. In a place a little bit behind, someone that was obviously a different race than the current kings was drawn. He has very ordinary, functional clothes, and he has no sword and no armor. Although his thin smile doesn"t seem to say that he"s a va.s.sal or a retainer, either.

"He looks a little oriental, doesn"t he?"

Günter was very proud as he explained about him. His respect and affection from the bottom of his heart is transmitted to me, when I don"t know him either.

"The Great Mage has black hair and eyes, and he"s the only person in this world who is of equal status to s.h.i.+nou. If he wasn"t there, we Mazoku would have been torn apart by the Creator, and we wouldn"t have this land or this country but would have lived as wanderers. Before that, this world may have been destroyed"

"In a word, he"s an amazing person?"

"Quite so. Moreover, he"s more beautiful than anyone!"

"Huh?!"

Apparently, this group"s aesthetic sense was unfathomable by j.a.panese. More than likely, the oriental with the calm expression was barely prepared. His intelligence seemed to win over his beauty.

"This gentleman and Your Majesty look very much alike. All the people will notice Your Majesty"s absolutely n.o.ble nature and praise it!"

The cotton is about to shoot out of Lord von Kleist"s nose. Ah, wait, he has a nosebleed, his nose is bleeding!

"Alike?! How?! Where to we look alike?!"

"Look, look Your Majesty, like your hair and eye color. Your Majesty resembles an amazing person, charisma, charisma!"

"But black eyes and black hair is dominant and j.a.panese culture!"

Other than that, he doesn"t look like me or my family at all.

Curse you, s.h.i.+nou. In my heart I curse at you.

Thanks to you, who should be dead, I"m quickly getting caught up in all of this. Besides that, once I have to repeat a year, I"ll go to your mausoleum or whatever it is and ransack it a bit.

These cursed thoughts. Without realizing it everything is bounced back on me.

Günter seemed like he was in a drunken trance, as he recited romantic things.

"s.h.i.+nou is the darkness, and the Great Mage is the light. They yearn for each other, love each other, and are born bearing each other"s colors in body. In short, darkness is light, and light is darkness!"

"Shall I leave you alone, because it"s getting long."

It seemed like he was used to hearing it.

(Translated by Emeryl, originally posted on Onadoru Euphoria. Re-posted with permission.)