《The Struggle of Returning to The Other World》 Chapter 1 - I Have a Broken Heart in A Different World I am a very ordinary school girl. This year I am in the third year with a boring summer vacation before I take the college exam. My looks are ordinary; my brain is normal without anything special that is liked by others. I really am just a normal girl without any special skill. If I was raised with strong characteristics, would I be a lucky child whose parent didn¡¯t pass away early and have to live in an orphanage? Even if I say there isn¡¯t a lot of happiness, the orphanage staff did well in raising me and didn¡¯t get any sense that I am unhappy. Besides, even when I was taken in by my relatives, I kept a good relationship in the orphanage so that I can go back and help take care of the children. There is also something usual. Yes, this may be pretty rare. I have entered a different world. It¡¯s funny. I usually do not read a lot of novels or watch movies. I also do not watch drama on TV either. This is why I cannot adapt at all in the beginning. I don¡¯t know the reason why I was thrown into another world. Usually, people who are used to this sort of situation invited to this sort of things? Anyhow, why I traveled to a different world still remains a mystery. However, the fact that I have wandered into a different world is a fact that is rooted in my mind. I will never forget it for the rest of my life. It was with a prominent summoner of the different world who called me into his world. First of all, the job of being a summoner is completely unknown. It is an uncommon word to hear in modern day Japan. It is hard to imagine that it would be a business people make a living off of. Who would think that it refers to a profession who calls a living person from a different world. Anyways, I was called here by that summoner. It was said that I must become a ¡°Priestess¡± of this world. Speaking of the priestess, I had the impression of a part-time job distributing fortune-telling strips at the shrine during the New Year. Apparently, it does not seem to be a comfortable existence in this world. However, I knew that. Because the atmosphere I was summoned to was a completely ¡°different world¡±. The people here have 70% blonde hair and carved with Western European style with outfits that comes out of fantasy movies. People in such foreign countries were staring at me with earnest eyes, as if they risked their lives. I suddenly appeared on top of a strange summoning scribble and welcomed by foreigners, like I was a little hope that sprouted in a desert where nothing has grown in a hundred years. Nobody will listen to my story anymore once this is over. I am a high school student and I have no idea why I have been brought into this world. I am exhausted to the point that I feel sorry rather than being scared. Let me say that there is nothing going on a return to my original world. I cannot do anything nor can I respond to anything. So, I want you to return me to my original world! All of this was treated as a grand monologue. Indeed, in any world, man is selfish. Apparently, I am a visitor from another world that is summoned every fifty years. I am to be a messenger from the heaven that brings peace to this world. Up until yesterday, no one knew such a thing. Although I was a silly high school student who gets yelled at by the teacher for forgetting my homework. Everyone was thankful towards me. I don¡¯t think my appearance looks like ¡°me¡± after coming to this world. On my third day in this new world, I stood in front of the mirror and my appearance was confirmed. The mirror reflected a blonde hair blue eyed girl with the aura of a mysterious girl. My face was definitely myself, but the coloring drastically changed. I don¡¯t think I can find this new ¡°me¡± in a crowd. My life in this new world begins. It began with being protected by an unfriendly young knight. The second is a magician who was assigned to be my teacher. Furthermore, the third person was the noisy summoner who summoned me. He became my guardian. Anyhow, there is a lot of specialists here and I will be a fool to live in a different world without help. It was only a year that I spent in this world. The mission given to me was extremely simple. It was to make the flow of ¡®Qi¡¯ which was running uncontrollably in this world. I am to create a flow for it so it will become stable. The ¡®Qi¡¯ blessed by the Priestess from a different world has managed to bring peace and prosperity to this world that will last a long time. I was glad I did not have to fight aliens. There weren¡¯t any enemies and the task to correct the flow of ¡®Qi¡¯ went smoothly. It took about a year until the work was completed. This seemed to be an average work time with everything planned in advance. A world that is comfortable for everyone. Besides, I do not know what my goal is but I was harden with just the beautiful surroundings. It was natural that the wicked feeling came out quickly as if I could live in this world. In the first place, I am an orphan who does not have any close relatives and I was not obsessed with my original world. The day when I was worshiped as Priestess and surrounded by beautiful men and women was not painful at all. But¡­as I thought, I am not a person from this world. It seems to be a right choice to return to where I should be. It seemed to me that it was the last finishing touch in correcting the world¡¯s ¡®Qi¡¯ flow that would make me disappear from this world. So I thought I will go home. But it is true that I was lost in the end. Because this past year, I fell in love. Although I thought he did not give me too much attention, I could not stop this feeling. He has a blunt and frustrating personality and does not have the ability to see kindness but, he has always supported me and I could not help myself from falling in love with my escort knight. Well, I was young too. We were always quarreling so how did I fall in love? With him being from another world, it would have been fine because I was in love and love was horrible. Even though I knew that I should return to my original world, the habit of saying ¡°I was to be together forever¡± with a maiden heart kept me here. I feel like the embarrassing situation continued for a while as a result of his calm feeling and my maiden heart full of rippling emotion. I did not say anything but I am sure other people noticed. Ahh¡­it is really embarrassing. So, in the end, I was sobered up. Everything was full of good memories and it is better to go back to my original world. However, my maiden heart was persistence. So I decided. Now that I fulfilled my role as the Priestess and awaiting my return. Finally, I will tell him about this feeling. And if he can accept my feeling. I wonder if I can spend the rest of my life with him in this world. On the last day, in front of the magic prepared by the summoner, I looked back at him. I was daring to tell him to see me off with my eyes full of unreadable feelings. I always liked you and¡­ But. That¡¯s right, even though it is a different world, this is the real story. Things didn¡¯t carry out so well. He always had a cold look to his eyes. Yeah, I think I was surprised to see you for the last time as we were together for a year. But in the end, I told you without hesitation. ¡°Sorry.¡± What. I nodded. That¡¯s true. Yes, sorry, yeah¡­ Thank you. I will return to my original world as an adult. Strange enough, in my sixteen years of living, the opposite sex was from another world rejected me. Recalling it now, it was a nostalgic feeling. Chapter 2 - I returned to the different world No, I definitely said it was nostalgic! I am standing here feeling annoyed and angry. Where am I? What happened? ¡­Well, the imagination is about to start. I am alone and standing in the middle of a large forest. It randomly happened on my way home from the school¡¯s summer classes while I was silently walking down a long hill. I felt dizziness and intense nausea. A sense of a powerful force squeezing my body. Both are symptoms I experienced before. Nonetheless, I was unable to be calm in such a usual situation. I cannot hear anything while I crouch over and embrace my spinning head. Painful¡­someone please help. My hands are numb. My body felt stiff and it seems like I am about to become unconscious. But, just before that happened, all the symptoms disappeared; as if it was swept away by the breeze. Again, I have experienced this before. ¡­Fearfully I opened my eyes and got up slowly. The front of my eyes is still seeing blinding lights. I cannot see anything. However, that will go away eventually. Soon I became calm and slowly looked around. Everything about the scenery meant I was lost. I saw dense tall trees and low bushes that was untouched by humans. The slope of asphalt burnt in the summer sun was nowhere to be found. My heart was wavering in this sudden change of event. But at the same time, I felt this tight feeling in my heart. This¡­it can¡¯t be. The different world summoning. I came to this conclusion easily but, I am still confused. If this is to be the same as the summon I experienced a year and a half ago, the situation is too different from that time. At that time, the place was done by the team of magicians from the Royal Palace. Many people were with the team summoner and they surrounded me while they observed my appearance. Nevertheless, I am alone. I look down on my shoulder length hair. Straight black hair without anything fancy added to it. This is funny because my black hair was changed to a dazzling blonde hair when I was summoned the last time. At that time, it was something like God¡¯s protection. On top of that, I felt a mysterious power inside my body. But now I felt nothing. Perhaps the color of my eyes is just my normal black eyes. Indeed, it is a body of an ordinary school girl. ¡°¡­¡± Still, it is a priority to grasp the situation quickly. This situation is very similar to the last time I was summoned but I May be in a completely different position. I don¡¯t understand or know why. At least it seems like the possibility of someone coming to help me are extremely low. Let¡¯s walk first while I search for other humans. I had a hard time getting through the forest. I learned this later but the forest wasn¡¯t large but I was walking around in circles without a sense of direction. It was natural that I could not get out easily. I was relieved when I finally found an opening after walking around breathlessly. There was a small hill with a small town. And even further back, there was a bigger city with the Royal Palace. No doubt about it. I know this scenery. This is the scenery from the different world I visited. I was staying at that far off Royal Palace for a year. ¡°Haru-chan, please bring this to table 3!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± To the powerful female voice, I quickly replied. It is currently peak hour at this restaurant. All the seats are filled with customers. Thanks to the loud cheerful voices of the guests, we cannot hear each other unless we shout at one another. It was nice to be a part-time waitress experience from my original world. I lightly move between the crowded seats and pleasantly delivered dishes to the guests while moving the empty plates to the pile in the kitchen. I wouldn¡¯t have turned to this restaurant if I had to. Since I was often praised that dishes are coming out faster, the motivation to continue kicks in. Even if it wasn¡¯t true, I was indebted to the owners of this restaurant. It was three weeks ago that they hired me as a live-in waitress. Two days prior to that, I arrived in this world. To be honest, it was mostly me wandering around lost before arriving here. Of course in the beginning, I was determined to go to the Royal Palace for help. When I was summoned here last time, I was treated very well and lived a life of a princess. I believed that if they knew that the Priestess from that time came back to this world again, they would surely accept me again. This time I was not asking for a princess level hospitality. Anyways, I thought if I was provided with food, clothing, and shelter I would not die. But. It was sweet. I had completely forgotten my position. A daunting girl who is just like one of the commoners. That is now, no it is just me. There are many people who have black hair in this world. The appearance of a Japanese person is not rare. The ¡®me¡¯ now have an appearance that is seen everywhere. When I suddenly walk up to the Royal Palace and demand to meet the country¡¯s headhanchos, I was naturally thrown out of the entrance without any further questions. Still, I think that it was a matter of life and death so I cannot go down easily. Somehow, listen to my story, I did not lie and I am not crazy. I am coming here genuinely with sanity. However, I look different. Once I lost God power, there is absolutely no way I can prove I was a Priestess. At the very least, if a lower rank soldier or servant had an acquaintance, the story may have worked but, I only knew people who were super-first-class that supports the country. Ultimately, I had no choice but to give up. This is why I went back to the small town. It¡¯s fun. My leg hurts. My body feels sticky with sweat. I want to take a hot shower and jump into a fluffy bed right now. Even this wish was in vain. That evening I was made to think carefully. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t needed when I was summoned again. There is some sort of misunderstanding because I wasn¡¯t welcomed by anyone. It must be a different world summon this time. If not, I wouldn¡¯t have been summoned alone in a forest. If I had simply missed by landing site, the Royal Palace staff should have been searching for me. But the Royal Palace I visited was quite peaceful. It seems to me that it would be better for everyone to not know that the former Priestess returned to this world without any reason. While thinking about this, I was holding my knees on the cold cobblestone. It was only a year and a half ago when I was sent home. It was only a year and a half, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s pretty bad, and I was even summoned back¡­and yet I was downgraded to a simple girl. ¡­Oh no, I absolutely do not want anyone to know. Besides, I have done one more thing. I still have to confront my escort knight. Fair enough, yes, if you could accept my feelings, I would secretly hold onto my hopeless expectation to transfer my residence here. But, because the escort knight rejected my feelings¡­ After all that, I definitely do not want to meet them. Especially Noel, my former escort knight Chapter 3 - Ill spend my time quietly as a citizen I was lucky the husband and wife welcomed me. I was already on the verge of starvation. I don¡¯t have money from this world so naturally, I couldn¡¯t buy food. When I was summoned to this world from school, I only had my bag. Inside my bag, I had a water bottle and two pieces of candy. I only had those items. Since I ended up having to endure those two days in such a situation, I surprisingly managed to survive. Still¡­in the end I was almost unconscious. The smell of a delicious meal leaked out from the door of the diner. It seems like I wandered far away from the city¡¯s entrance. At this point, my strength was used up and I collapsed. That¡¯s where the husband found me. Although I was just an ordinary schoolgirl, the uniform I wore was helpful to the husband¡¯s ¡°good judgment¡±. The husband decided I wasn¡¯t a beggar who fell over and died but rather a young lady who at some point got separated from her servants. The husband invited me into his shop and I enjoyed a hot meal. At first, I told him I didn¡¯t have any money but he didn¡¯t mind that. I can assure you that the rice I ate at that time was the most delicious I had in my eighteen years of living. I saw the kindness I was given. It was the first time I ate while crying. I felt relieved to tell the kind husband a white lie about myself. After all, it¡¯ll be messy and hard to explain if I told him I came from a different world ¨C even if it¡¯s true. I had no choice but to tell him that I was staying with relatives living in the countryside and how they didn¡¯t want to move into the city with me so I¡¯m living here by myself. I hate myself for telling this lie. In the end, they welcome me to be a live-in store clerk. I am doing my best to pay them back by working hard all day and night. However, I did not give up on returning to my original world. Someday, I will return. Last time when I completed my mission as the Priestess, the country sent me back to my original world with a grand party. However, this time there wasn¡¯t any mission so I don¡¯t know when I can return to my original world. Yes, I must move on my own. Before I am found by my previous companions, I must find a way back to my original world. While giving back to the store, I must find a way to go home. My goal has been decided. ¡°Haruka, bring me sake, sake!¡± ¡°Oh, here too!¡± ¡°You may order additional orders!¡± ¡°Huh, it¡¯s time!¡± The sun starts to set behind the mountain and the sky starts to deepen into a dark night. Noisy customers were around me while I move around the narrow shop. About 80% of the customers of this diner are the miserable old man. Besides those type, there are many types of strong people because the bar was popular with the Royal Palace soldiers. It is a dangerous workplace for a person who does not want to face the Royal Palace but, this shop only had ordinary people and lower level solders. There is almost no possibility where someone who knew me when I was the Priestess would visit this place. Indeed, there has never been a familiar face. Even if the acquaintance I knew beforehand would not recognize the ¡®me¡¯ now. Either way, I have nowhere else to go. I cannot leave this place, even if there is some risk. ¡°Haruka-chan are you working this Wednesday?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes. The only day off is on Salsu¡¯s day.¡± * I was suddenly asked that by one of the regular customers and I tilted my head slightly. If you¡¯re a good customer, you should know when the shop is closed. Maybe he sensed my doubts, and he waved a hand ¡°It¡¯s different¡±. ¡°Did you forget? Next Wednesday is the festival celebration. It seems like most shops will be closed that day.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I finally understood. God¡¯s Festival- it is a festival that expresses gratitude to God once a year. It is a big event that is celebrated nationwide. I used to join the parade which is a highlight of the festival as a Priestess. Well, that is about two years ago. Since this was considered a major part of life in this world, there is no way of forgetting. ¡°Oh¡­it¡¯s that time.¡± The wife of the owner of the diner caught the look on my face from the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we will be resting on that day.¡± ¡°What a pity, I¡¯m sorry. I was wondering if I will be having lunch here because there will be a march in the morning, so it¡¯s a big deal.¡± He muttered while frowning. Well, it is a parade. I thought back to the scenery of the festival I participated in before. Certainly, there was music being played and everyone sprinkled petals making everything look beautiful. The people from the Royal Palace who usually don¡¯t come out into the city also participates in the parade, so it¡¯s a fun event for the general public. (Shivers¡­) Suddenly I stopped cleaning up the table. ¨CI wonder if he will come out to be a part of this year¡¯s God festival parade. No no no. I have nothing to do with this. I don¡¯t care if he shows up or not. In a panic, I return to wiping the table. Still, there is nothing I can about how my thoughts flow without rambling. ¨CPerhaps he will join too. Two years ago, he also marched with me when I was the Priestess. Since he was my escort knight, it was only natural that he does. Speaking of that time, there weren¡¯t any other escorts assigned to me. I supposed they took every guard to be a part of the parade because it shows their status and it looks good. ¡°Will Haruka go to the festival as well?¡± Another regular customer asked in a bright voice. ¡°Well, yes, if there is time¡­¡± My reply was blunt and sounded bad. Because of that, it seems like there was a misunderstanding with the wife. I rushed out of the kitchen. ¡°Haru-chan always works hard. You should have a good time and enjoy the festival too! I have some pocket money so I will be taking care of you.¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s not about me!¡± ¡°A young girl now lives in a new place. You shouldn¡¯t act like a spoiled child and be grateful!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, maybe there will be a good encounter in the city?¡± The words were spoken by an irresponsible old man. But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m worried about money but I¡¯m feeling too sorry to the owner¡¯s wife! And I¡¯m not looking for love in this world. I don¡¯t want to see him, but I don¡¯t think I can say anything to them¡­ ¡°I would never go to see the march if I was off duty. The new Priestess Aldina will be making her appearance. I want to have a good look at her.¡± ¡°Oh, in the rumor, she sounds like a charming beauty.¡± ¡°The Father of the Church who met Aldina-sama said she is the incarnation of God, there is no more replacement for the Priestess!¡± One corner of the shop, people started were getting excited. I overheard some words and I was worried about what I was hearing. I looked over to them unintentionally. ¡°Haruka, are you interested in Aldina? She is a woman who people yearn for.¡± The existence of ¡°Aldina-sama¡± is new to me. ¡°Umm, who is Aldina¡­?¡± When I quietly asked that question, everyone in the diner froze. Ugh¡­did I ask such an unusual question? When I was here before, there wasn¡¯t anyone named Aldina. Yup, without a doubt. ¡°It¡¯s the Priestess Aldina who has a rare God power since the country began. Hey, do you seriously not know?¡± ¡°Since the Priestess who came from a different world returned a year and half ago, there was a big fuss about choosing her replacement.¡± ¡°But in the end, it was nearly unanimous that the chosen successor will be Aldina.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that Aldrina is preserving the country¡¯s peace even after the previous Priestess left.¡± The men spoke freely amongst themselves while being ecstatic So my replacement was Aldina. I thought that the Priestess can only be those who came from another world but it looks like that wasn¡¯t a requirement. In that case, from the beginning, why did they summon me from another world when they can find one within their country. ¡°Actually, I met Aldina in the church a while back.¡± ¡°Ehhh~ Really? ¡°Ah¡­I cannot believe it at first. A delicate, white, and beautiful¡­ it was like an angel.¡± ¡°Did you receive any words of blessing?¡± ¡°No, not me. This was given to children and the elderly. To begin with, the escort was right next to Aldina and he didn¡¯t have the aura of an ordinary person.¡± ¡°What kind of person was the escort?¡± Without thinking I opened my big mouth. I was surprised at myself because my voice sounded desperate. But, the drunks around me did not notice any change in my voice. ¡°Hmm¡­that¡¯s right. That knight who was an escort was also an escort for the former Priestess. What was his name?¡± ¡°¡­Noel¡­?¡± In response to my muttering, the surrounding people nodded. ¡°Oh yeah! That¡¯s the name. What is this Haruka? Are you interested in the man? Well, that¡¯s okay! I¡¯m more interested in men than women.¡± ¡°Haru is also of age. In fact, the knight seems to be popular with the women in the city.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that knight will also be in the line of people who will be Ardina¡¯s escort.¡± After that story, the customers seemed to be exhausted. However, I hardly remember the conversation afterward. I was full of frustration that I¡¯m unfamiliar with. I better not go to the festival. While thinking that, I felt sad that I wouldn¡¯t be going. Translator¡¯s Note: Poor Haruka! She is still heartbroken over Noel. Note: * Salsu is the ancient Roman goddess of health and prosperity. Chapter 4 - God Festival The day of the festival arrived. Oh wow! I started to feel excited like a child as I look around the glamorous city. There are colorful flowers along the windows of the house and on the street. Every house has the national flag displayed and it is swaying lazily beneath the bright blue sky. Many stores are opened on the street and the various smells tickled my nose every few steps. The orchestra performances were also lively. There are nearly ten times the usual amount of people outside today. In every country, even if it¡¯s a different world, the festivals are exciting! Whatever the problem I had yesterday, I walked around the city feeling as if I might sing at any moment. When I participated in the parade before, it was as a ¡°Priestess¡±. I could not feel the fun atmosphere that is around the city. That¡¯s why it was a very rare experience to be able to lead the parade as the main attraction in the festival. ¡°Here, it¡¯s Haruka! How about coming over and buy one?¡± A good business voice called out to me from one of the stores. It is the old man who owns the butcher shop that I frequently go to. It looks like he has a stall selling hot dogs today. Mmmmm¡­.I could smell the scent of burning meat that is drifting over a few meters away. ¡°Hello uncle. Wow, it looks delicious~¡± While I am looking at the freshly grilled meat, I bought two right away. ¡°I¡¯m going to look around a little bit more and then I¡¯ll come back.¡± ¡°Okay, come anytime.¡± I have prepared money to be used for this festival in advance. I cannot afford to buy everything so I should carefully examine what I want. If possible, I would like to keep my pocket money that was given by the boss¡¯s wife. While living as a commoner, I finally understood the value of things in this world. For the me who lived in modern society, what I call ¡°bad goods¡± is normal in this world. When I was living in the Royal Palace, I did not know because I was surrounded by quality items that are just as good as my original world. And now I realize that the money I need to buy those ¡°bad goods¡± is too hard for a girl like me to earn. I didn¡¯t know about this when I was the Priestess. Meals in downtown is very delicious. To keep the Royal Palace and my original world out of my mind, I am stopping by a lot of stalls for their delicious food. While I was walking around, I saw several young ladies gathered around looking and whispering to one another. They seem to be watching someone with glee while they go kyaaa. I wonder why. I casually follow their line of sight and unexpectedly I groaned. In my line of sight, there were knights of the royal palace. Should I say they¡¯re semi-off duty? It¡¯s not a hard job since they¡¯re patrolling around the city with two or three people while leisurely walking along the streets. As evidence, they wore the most casual outfit among the knight uniforms. Anyone can tell they¡¯re knights but they¡¯re not in work mode. Speaking of knights, this is a profession only nobleman can do. The daughters of ordinary citizens are on edge. With this festival, it is their chance to get closer to those knights. In the meantime, the patrons of the diner said ¡°There might be good encounters¡±. But. I don¡¯t appreciate it at all. If you¡¯re a regular soldier who enters and leaves the diner, you won¡¯t know my Priestess era. However, as a knight maybe you know my face. At the moment I¡¯m not sure¡­but I still have to consider it in case of emergency. I¡¯m getting cold sweats thinking about it so I decided to keep that career hidden. Fortunately, I haven¡¯t recognized any of the faces that had just passed. (Oh, it¡¯s kind of bad.) It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a wanted fugitive, I just want to keep my pride. The group of daughters of ordinary citizens was out of sight before long. They seem to be chasing after the knights. I hope it leads to good encounters for them. In the meantime, the time for the parade has finally arrived. The people started to gather along the boulevard. I felt myself being swept by the waves of people while taking dawdling steps with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I¡¯m getting nervous about being seen by Noel. It¡¯s my last look at him. I never dreamed I would have a chance to see him again. (It may be that there is another Priestess beside him that isn¡¯t me.) Rather than maybe, it was a definite. During the festival, I heard rumors of Aldina¡¯s story several times while I walked around the city. Noel is sure to be her escort knight. And it seems to be certain that those two people will participate in this parade today. At the same time, there were rumors that the two of them are dating. Among the young girls in the city, Noel and Aldina seem to be a couple they admire. Is it their face after all? Is it fate that two good-looking people are tied together? Please allow me to ask for forgiveness. I don¡¯t think couples are tied together by looks alone. From the time I was the Priestess, Noel had a principle of not playing around. I wish I was a substantial beauty as well. Oh, I wonder if you have already started dating Aldina at the time. She was also aware of my affection for Noel and wasn¡¯t able to tell me. Well, I¡¯m feeling more miserable¡­ The tension of the people around me was high. Finally, a loud horn sound. It is a signal to start the parade. The cheers along the road were very loud. Hey everyone, the parade hasn¡¯t made its way out yet¡­ I was standing around the middle of the crowd of people. Most of my sight is the back of someone¡¯s head but, it looks like I won¡¯t have any problem watching the parade pass by. Most of the people marching would be on their horse so they are high up. Eventually, from afar, a light melody of music from the music corps can be heard gradually. People in the front row rushes forward at once and scream excitedly. Apparently, the front of the parade was starting to appear. Hmm, the people in the back was trying to push forward so the crowd was a havoc. It is better to watch the parade quietly in the back row. The parade continued smoothly while I was being mobbed by the crowd. The beginning is soldiers carrying the big national flag. After that, the music corps continued onward while the important people of the country follows. It looks like the star knights of this country are the vanguards. Wow, really cool. The beautiful girls are standing up with their spine straight while beautiful young march by while holding their swords up. It was a sight to behold. The knight commander is riding his horse behind them. It is a nostalgic face because I have met him several time. Of course, he is not aware of me. No, maybe in order to become a knight it¡¯s not just about nobility. I think they need to clear the looks criteria as well. It is the beautiful pair from earlier. What a stupid cold world. After the dancing girls came the country¡¯s Prime Minister. The three princes are participating but unexpectedly the King and Queen aren¡¯t. Regardless, it is still a very luxurious parade. And finally, it came. People¡¯s cheers have changed. It was close to a loud angry roar as if they long for God¡¯s salvation. Everyone, how desperate are you? I wonder if it was the same in my case. I cannot remember now. Aldina appeared while riding the horse-drawn carriage. Next to her was the form of my former escort knight. Aldina, who was on an open roof carriage was waving her hand at the crowd, and she didn¡¯t mind that her arms becoming tired. As rumored, it was true. No, it¡¯s more than that. She was shining brightly and really beautiful like an angel. The smile that seems to be overflowing with happiness is shown without regret that is drawing in people¡¯s gaze. To keep your eyes on her. Just her beautiful face wasn¡¯t enough. Her inner beauty was oozing out grabbing onto people¡¯s mind. Is this the power of God? I was blessed once and now it¡¯s gone. Noel is sitting next to her with a discreet smile. During the year and a half, his appearance didn¡¯t change much. I wonder if I was feeling more fearless. I was secretly wondering if I was disappointed or not after seeing the real thing after a long time. He looks much nicer than I remembered. No, what do I wish for? The image of the ¡°Priestess and her escort¡± isn¡¯t simple. Noel does not notice me at all. My gaze was lost among the crowd of people who were also staring at him. He¡¯s not really good with these kinds of events. I¡¯m not sure he would be here if the Priestess wasn¡¯t there. During my time, he would follow the carriage I was in on a horse. Noel, I came back. I spoke softly that was barely audible. Of course, he was not drawn to where I was at all. I wonder what will be in the future. I am anxious. It is to the extent that I feel like I¡¯m being crushed. Chapter 5 - After the Festival It ended. The parade is gone. The atmosphere of the city had suddenly changed from being in a daze. Everyone was breathless and prepare for their trip back home. Petals and confetti from the parade are scattered everywhere, making the area white. Children are happily picking up those pieces. I step away from the road and follow the crowd to leave the main road. It looks like a number of stores also opened stalls today. I happened to pass by one earlier that was selling frankfurters a while ago. As expected, the crowds from earlier have disappeared and the uncle is now cooking the rest of the meat alone. ¡°Hello uncle, I came back.¡± ¡°Oh, Haruka? Welcome back.¡± I didn¡¯t eat anything else during the festival so I was hungry. This delicious smell of meat cooking, mmmm I cannot stop it.¡± ¡°Can I have one?¡± ¡°Oh, of course, thank you for always buying from my shop. You don¡¯t need to pay.¡± ¡°I cannot do this, please let me pay.¡± ¡°In the future, I hope you will tell your friends to stop by my shop.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Indeed, there are people with good hearts in this city. If a ruthless merchant arrives in this city, the restaurant owner and the butcher shop owner would be crushed in a blink of an eye. With this selfish concern hidden inside me, I will eventually be spoiled by the uncle¡¯s words. I decided to take my favorite one that is cooking while looking at the row of frankfurters cooking. Let¡¯s get the biggest one. Suddenly a young man¡¯s voice appears. ¡°Oh, it looks yummy. Is the shop still open?¡± When I casually looked back towards the voice, a young man who seemed to be in his twenties was looking around the shop while smiling. He had a refreshing smile that is well liked by others. ¡°Can I get one?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯ll be two hundred coppers.¡± He chose the frankfurter that was in the best condition. Aside from those interactions I thought the frankfurter was delicious. The young man next to me also brought his frankfurter and immediately started eating his. Although he is cheeky, he looks very happy. I feel like this is the first time I saw a young man with such a lively smile. The frankfurter is so delicious. It was good, right? ¡°This is delicious.¡± He suddenly turned to me. I never thought he would speak to me. Well, I agree with him so I nodded obediently. ¡°This kind of occasional rest is the best.¡± I was asked to agree again, so I nodded once more. What is this? This person¡­ ¡°Did you come to the festival alone?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Well.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t stray from your friends. Well, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°I was curious because I saw you walking alone earlier.¡± What is this? Is he flirting? But I don¡¯t have an appearance people flirt with. I knew this fact so I became worried and called out. ¡°I arrived alone in this city, so it¡¯s still a long way to go for me to make any friends. So I¡¯m alone.¡± I don¡¯t have anyone I call a friend here. ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re young and alone in this kingdom. It must be hard.¡± He gave me a good smile while being sympathetic towards my situation. ¡°By the way.¡± The young man looked straight at me while blinking. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you somehow resemble the Priestess?¡± Oh no! I choked in a very unladylike way. But, he shouldn¡¯t know this. Now I heard the lines I didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°Sorry, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡± I managed to discourage him from patting my back. The frankfurter is still stuck in my throat and it¡¯s painful. ¡°Ohh? Is Haruka like Ardina? Hey, that¡¯s good Haruka! It¡¯s a once in a lifetime compliment!¡± The uncle who heard this line laugh loudly. Yeah, no. Shut up. ¡°No, not Aldina. The former Priestess. Don¡¯t you think she resembles you?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. This is the first time I was told this!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true. I think you two looks similar.¡± ¡°In the first place, I have never seen a former Priestess that looks like me! How do you know the former Priestess?¡± This is an important question. I was hardly outside the Royal Palace during my time here. Certainly, I been outside less than ten times. Were there any opportunities to meet such young people during my rare outing? I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t remember it at all. ¡°No, but I saw her once in a while.¡± ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a royal servant name Ars.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­.¡± At last, I finally remembered. As expected, this is a bad guy! To some girls, if they were told ¡°You look like the Priestess¡±, she might agree. It¡¯s not bad when someone tells you that you resemble the Priestess in this country. Moreover, if it¡¯s the previous Priestess, the people who actually remember her face is even less. That¡¯s why you can say whatever you want. It looks like at the beginning of the festival, he said that to girls who have a higher level in her appearance and no one was caught, so he lowered his standard and finally stop at me. This must be it. I solved the mystery. If it¡¯s true, his flirty smile turns into a suspicious one. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going back home now.¡± ¡°Yeah? It¡¯s still bright, but be careful going home.¡± He didn¡¯t ask me to stay. Well, that¡¯s good. ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll see you again soon.¡± ¡°Oh, it was nice to see you today Haruka.¡± I ordered a second frankfurter to go and thought back on the interaction I had. Still, at the end of the festival, a terrible bomb was dropped. No way would I be told I look like the previous Priestess by a passing young man. I think I shouldn¡¯t go outside unless I have to. No, but this time it¡¯s just a pure coincidence. I estimate that there must have been ten or more women who were told they resemble the Priestess. I shouldn¡¯t think too deeply into this. Yeah¡­I shouldn¡¯t. The next day. At the diner, everyone¡¯s topic was about Aldina. Everyone praised Aldina¡¯s beauty. Well, I guess¡­ Even though I¡¯m the same gender, I would fall in love with the Priestess too. Another topic has swept the diner. It was the story about how I look like the former Priestess. Apparently, the uncle of the butcher shop told a few of our regulars the story. Haruka is a Priestess! She changed to work at this humble shop! No, you¡¯ll have to kneel and worship the Priestess every time you come in! There was a lot of loud annoying laughter about my secret plight. Then let¡¯s do this right. I am the genuine former Priestess! Even if I was dying, I would never say this¡­ __________________ Translator¡¯s Note: Can you believe that Haruka was found by someone other than Noel? Total shockers there because I didn¡¯t see that coming at all. Are you curious about how the characters look like? Head on over to the character list. A little bit of spoiler alert there but not enough to ruin anything important. If you do want a little hint on what¡¯s to come, the table of content have the chapters name and that¡¯s a minor spoiler. Chapter 6 - I’m hungry for contact with girls My peaceful days continue for a while. It is due to that flirt who, without evidence, told me I resemble the former Priestess. (He has no evidence but it¡¯s true¡­) A few days of being teased, it finally settles down. Since the regulars at this diner don¡¯t know how the original Priestess look like, it wasn¡¯t interesting for them. Speaking of a little change, I was slowly allowed to work in the kitchen. During peak time, it gets really crowded so they decided to teach me to cook. In my former world, I cook at home so the guidance the diner owner gave me was easy to understand. In fact, he was amazed by my culinary skills. In fact, it wasn¡¯t the really the dish that impressed him but rather my cooking techniques. The cooking tips I knew was common sense in my world but it¡¯s treated as professional knowledge for chefs in this world. For example, when you boil down radish, you can make rice in the meantime. It was those kinds of trivial knowledge. It looks like this sort of things aren¡¯t done in normal home cooking in this world. Of course, the chef who set up this diner know this sort of things and have professional techniques I don¡¯t know about. It looks like in this world, I¡¯ll be a good bride. Well, I guess¡­ With this kind of feeling, I have a good time every day. But as I become familiar with my current life, I feel a little frustrated. How do I return to my original world? It is necessary for me to think about this seriously. I¡¯m getting comfortable letting my days go by like this but, I¡¯m going home. Because I am a good student in the third year of my high school. I spent a year here at the last summoning, but when I returned, it was the exact same date as when I was summoned. It will probably be the same here. If I were to spent a least a year here, I anticipate that I return to the same time and date again when I return. But! It is too painful to study for my exams. I will absolutely forget. Even if it is math formula, the heavy air and strange pressure remain during the exam period. That¡¯s more important. For someone who hasn¡¯t been living in the modern air, it¡¯ll be bad for the body. I won¡¯t be able to take the exam because I would be too uncomfortable in that heavy air pressure. But I must not fail the exam. Now that my relatives support me, I¡¯m going to be able to attend college. I have decided that if I want to enter a college, I¡¯m only going to a public college. Attending private universities is out of the question! That¡¯s why I want to return to my original world. I don¡¯t know how to get here, but I have no choice but to go back in a way I already know. In other words, just like last time, I will have to go back to the summoner. I can only rely on them. I want to go home without anyone knowing the former Priestess is back, but I would only do that if it¡¯s unavoidable. I would have to shamefully tell them my circumstance and have them use their skills to send me back. Secretly if possible. Speaking of summoner, Luno was my guardian in my previous summon. Although he is quite a weirdo, he isn¡¯t a bad person. His ability is certain. But because he is a weirdo, he might return me home without asking me too many questions. Anyways, in order to see him, I would have to somehow get into the palace. It is not a situation where I could get in through the front door by paying the guards. I would have to go deep into the Royal Palace to see Luno. There are only a few people who can become a summoner. That man is at the national treasure level. It¡¯ll be difficult, but I have to do something. Right now, there is no way through the gate. _____ In the afternoon, as usual, I went into the city to buy materials. While I was walking down the stone pavement, I was thinking about ways to get into the Royal Palace. I guess I have no choice but to find a collaborator after all. But, it is hard to find a collaborator that would be able to bring me to the summoner. If I can catch such a person, I can go directly to Luno. Oh, what should I do¡­ While I was getting irritated by my thoughts, I arrive at my destination. It is an herbal specialty store with cute decorations. It is a different store compared to the diner where only old man goes. When I peek into the store, the clerk was waiting on a chair while reading a book. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Oh Haruka, welcome.¡± The girl who looked up was Midi. She is the same age as me and I have a sense of intimacy with her. I¡¯m always surrounded by bulky men. She heals me whenever I see her. However, her mother is usually the one who works in the storefront so it¡¯s rare to meet her in this way. ¡°Midi, there¡¯s a somewhat different atmosphere with you today.¡± She usually keeps her long hair in pigtails but today it¡¯s a half updo. ¡°It¡¯s cute, it suits you.¡± ¡°Thank you. But I really wanted to do something different. It was difficult and impossible for me to do.¡± ¡°Different feeling?¡± ¡°You see, after the festival, Aldina did this hairstyle. Didn¡¯t you know Haruka? It¡¯s very popular in the city right now.¡± Oh my¡­ I was spending too much time with the old man. I¡¯m not able to keep up with the fashion of the young ladies in this city at all. Ardina¡¯s hairstyle¡­what was it like? ¡°Take the top pair of the hair and braid it. Then let the rest flows down.¡± Midi explained it and an image came to mind. Hmm, I feel like I would be able to do this hairstyle she described. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, maybe I can do it.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Midi¡¯s face brightens up. Midi usually kept a cool expression gave me a cute girly one. In this world, I would carelessly keep my hair in a ponytail. But I am still a high school girl in my original world so braiding isn¡¯t hard. I started braiding and letting the ends of the hair flow down like she said. I use the hairpin to secure it well. Yes, finished. It looks pretty good. ¡°Wow, nice! Thank you, Haruka!¡± Midi was admiring her hair in the mirror while thanking me in a happy voice. ¡°I would like to thank you with herbs¡­ but my parents will get angry¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to thank me.¡± ¡°I should. I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± Midi took out a lovely ornament that imitated cherry blossoms from other hair ornaments she had. ¡°This color doesn¡¯t suit my red hair but it¡¯s perfect with Haruka¡¯s black hair. Bend down a little and I¡¯ll put it on you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Flowers bloom on my handy ponytail. I wonder if I can call her my first friend who¡¯s in my age group in this world. I am happy. I will cherish this hair ornament every day. I thought that the topic about Ardina would shake me up again but it looks like I¡¯m fine. I breathe a sigh of relief while carefully observing my flow of emotions. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll never see Ardina again. I¡¯ll never see Noel. The feeling of smoldering in my mind starts to disappear once more. _______ Translator¡¯s Note: Haruka finally gets to relax with a friend her own age! As for the hair, this is the picture I think the author was going for. Chapter 8 - How About a Lovely Packed Lunch? The training ground was a stone throw away from the entrance to the royal palace. When I was the Priestess, it was an area I¡¯ve never set foot in. The training ground was larger than I thought. It was about the size of a baseball field in my original world. There are dozens of soldiers here and they¡¯re training in several groups. They are working hard and there weren¡¯t a lot of things to block out the sunlight. I stood quietly in the shade next to the training ground so I don¡¯t get in the way while waiting for the training to be over. ¡°Oh, Haruka! You¡¯re here!¡± (soldier) While I was carelessly lost in my thoughts, training ended. A few of the soldiers who are regulars at the diner notice me and started walking over. ¡°Hi, I really came!¡± (Haruka) ¡°Excuse me, can I buy one?¡± (soldier) ¡°Thank you!¡± (Haruka) I took the cloth that was covering the basket off with delight. The square bento boxes and the rice balls wrapped with leaves that resemble those from bamboo. When I reveal the interior, the soldiers said ¡°Oh!¡± with a happy voice. ¡°Wow, there is a lot of stuff.¡± ¡°The color looks beautiful and looks delicious.¡± This is a meal that was clearly made by a woman because it¡¯s carefully balanced with nutrients. ¡°What¡¯s wrapped within those leaves?¡± (soldier) ¡°It¡¯s rice with delicious ingredients stuffed inside.¡± (soldier) ¡°Oh, I see. It¡¯s perfect when you¡¯re not too hungry.¡± (soldier) ¡°This container looks pretty nice. I should take it back home at the end of the meal.¡± ¡°Oh no. I will leave this basket here so please put the containers back in here after you finish eating. I will come back tomorrow; I will take them back to wash.¡± (Haruka) There¡¯s no point for customers to buy the bento and return the container themselves. In reality, I wish there were disposable containers but it doesn¡¯t exist in this world. ¡°Well then. You¡¯re going to have to sell them all if you¡¯re going to leave the basket here.¡± (soldier) ¡°I bought a cloth to wrap up the unsold bentos to bring back but I want to sell them all if possible.¡± Where we were talking, more soldiers came over. Oh, they¡¯re quite young. What is this? The soldiers look young and innocent.¡± ¡°Teo-san, what are you doing?¡± (soldier) ¡°Oh, a familiar diner has made a business trip. How about selling me one?¡± (Teo) ¡°Oh, it sounds nice. I¡¯ll get one too.¡± (soldier) Thank you very much! With this, I¡¯ve already sold six bentos and three rice balls. Thankfully, this is going well. After that, I watch the soldiers talk about their bento. Some of them like the bento and rice balls a lot so they came back to buy another one. I¡¯m glad they enjoy it. In less than thirty minutes, everything was sold out. This is a nice feeling. I thought that fifteen bentos were too much but it looks like I¡¯ll have to prepare more tomorrow. No¡­I wonder if it sold well because it¡¯s the first day. ¡°Would this be here again tomorrow?¡± (soldier) One of the soldiers asks me when he returns the empty bento. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We are doing trial runs so I¡¯m not sure how long this will last.¡± (Haruka) ¡°I don¡¯t like the dining halls in the royal palace at all and it¡¯s troublesome to leave the palace so I don¡¯t get to eat lunch properly. The bento is very delicious; I plan on buying this again the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll advertise it for you too!¡± (soldier) ¡°Thank you!¡± (Haruka) Does the ground of soldiers alternate their training day? If so, should I continue to use the same menu for a few days? ¡°Oi Cedor! Are you hitting on the young lady?¡± (soldier) The joke came from another soldier from the distance. Guys¡­please stop. I¡¯m touched by this precious young man. ? ? ? ? The bento delivery operation continued very strongly after this. As time goes on, we should be seeing interesting trends. A lot of the regulars are still visiting the diner. As for the bento business, it is unexpectedly popular with young soldiers. There are a lot of young people working in the royal palace living alone. For them, the bento box was full of the taste of home cook meals. It gives them a healing reminiscent feeling with the taste of home. Do bentos have such an effect? But, I understand. I also like the meals cook by the husband and wife. In addition, the price was cheaper than other shops and it¡¯s easier to buy. Recently, soldiers aren¡¯t the only people in the training ground. People were coming from other departments in the palace to buy the bentos. Unfortunately, there was only a limited amount of bentos I can bring to the palace. I¡¯m only one person who is weak so I cannot carry much. I¡¯m sorry for those who cannot buy any because we sold out quickly. Since I started selling the bentos, I was away from the diner so the couple seems to be having a hard time. Recently, they decided to hire a new part-time worker. What a delightful thing because the new part-time worker hired is a woman! Onee-san brings back a happy atmosphere. When she gets used to the shop, Sena and I can take turn selling bento boxes. Sena, thank you very much~ And another big change. The royal palace asked us to expand the sales of the bento boxes. The new sales destination is the Magic division. Chapter 9 - By Popular Demands, the Shop Expands Magic Lab Like the name dubious sounds, it is a very suspicious place. You can say it is a very unique place in the palace where ordinary people do not approach. I have visited this place once when I was the Priestess. I went there to study magic. Although the magic lab is connected to the royal palace by a corridor, it is almost an independent building. I remember there are several other divisions in the royal palace but only the church and the magic lab have this type of building. In this world, there is hardly any magic circulation. At the diner, magic is hardly used. The only magic piece we have there is the lights, refrigerator, and the stove. This isn¡¯t something someone can use freely. In order to use it, they¡¯ll have to obtain a permit. It is unbelievable how magic is restricted. In fact, it¡¯s nothing like those fantasy movies where people can control fire, make it rain, or strike thunder. In this world, it is used for convenience things like carrying heavy things. This country strictly prohibits the use of magic against an average person. It looks like magic is seen as a nuisance and a threat. I was researching those types of magic at the royal palace. It¡¯s not possible to treat it like it¡¯s the royal palace. It is not the type of place where you expect hospitality from. This is the sort of place with a faraway distance feeling. Why on earth am I selling bento there? If you ask the royal palace staff, the staff at the magic lab tends to be too focus on their work to eat their meals. They¡¯re very enthusiastic about their work so they don¡¯t drink water or eat anything until they collapse. They decided it¡¯s better to have food deliver to them to leave them alone. Well, the researchers there seems to be full of maniacs and stoic people without regards for the world. It is good that the bento selling business is expanding but it¡¯ll be impossible to make more than what we¡¯re already making because the diner¡¯s couple is the only one making them. For that reason, we decided to visit the training grounds and the magic lab every other day. Because of this circumstance, the royal palace is also giving preferential treatment. The empty bento boxes will be gathered by the servants of the royal palace and be returned to the diner every day. Anyhow, the business expansion¡­. Hmm¡­ Good¡­Alriiiight! When I first heard this news, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯ll make the guts pose* alone. Every day when I visit the diner and the training ground, I haven¡¯t made any progress in returning to my original world. I¡¯m secretly worried about what will happen. But I finally made a step forward. The magic research lab is a facility located quite close to the core of the royal palace. Hopefully, we can expect further progress! To tell you the truth, I personally do not like magicians but now it is not a case of likes and dislikes. Besides, the magicians who leave those bad impressions are the ones located at the back of the royal palace, so you won¡¯t normally meet them. Yes, I will try my best from tomorrow on! Sell the bento, sell sell sell! Give back what I could to the diner. And to grab the opportunity to return home. ? ? ? ? ¡°Haruka, are you bringing the bento to the magic lab tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, I feel a bit scared but, I am looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Wel,l are you okay? Iam worriedy.¡± Night In my room, I am in the middle of a girl¡¯s meeting with Sena, the new part-time worker. Even though it is a girl¡¯s party, I just drink tea. Unlike me, Sena works at the diner from home. Sometimes, I have things to talk about for a while like a night like today. Sena is a very good person. She¡¯s a super woman who quickly remembers the work around the diner. She is a beautiful girl who is crispy and has a nice taste. She has a excellent reputation amongst the diner guest as well. She is friendly to everyone and just working together for a few days, I have become quite fond of her. ¡°Magicians seems to have a lot of strange people. I think it¡¯s better to just sell in the training grounds.¡± (Sena) ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be eaten there.¡± I replied with a wry smile. But, I understand Senna¡¯s feeling. This country has a scary image for the magicians. ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m a little jealous.¡± (Sena) ¡°Jealous?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Isn¡¯t there a possibility that you can meet Noel when you enter and leave the royal palace? As soon as she said that, Sena¡¯s eyes shine brilliantly. Even though Sena has a calm personality, she is the girly groupie type. As for Noel, I became a fan of his since the previous God Festival parade. Noel¡­Noel¡­Hey¡­ ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s impossible because it¡¯s a person who is high up. In the first place, he won¡¯t have any relationship with the magic lab.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Maybe so, but I guess you will get a bit lost in the royal palace.¡± (Sena) ¡°Even if I did that, before I meet Noel, I will be pick up by the guards.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Ah¡­I don¡¯t mind at all. I want to see Noel again.¡± (Sena) It is easy for me to say those words but I really don¡¯t want it to happen. Well, I¡¯ll drink my tea while secretly agreeing in my mind. Translator¡¯s Note: Hey guys! I¡¯m sorry for the late release. I had a weird translator-block where I can¡¯t put words together correctly TT^TT I need to improve my skills. Chapter 10 - Finally I Got Stuck The next day, after I dressed, I head out to the royal palace. If I was like going to the training ground, they let me in just by looking at my face, but today it was different. It was a trouble to send a soldier from the entrance to the magic lab. I know if I am going the right way but I know It¡¯s better to walk behind the soldier to follow him. The entrance of the royal palace is a high stairwell. I looked up to the sky and saw carefully carve sculptures making circling the inside of the building a number of times. However, it is not possible to see them for a long time because the ceiling is too high and the neck will become sore. It is a mix of a lot of sculptures and round skylights that repeats with some of the other buildings. The light shines through and it is like a spotlight on the marble floor. ¡ªWelcome to the royal palace. You are the main character here. When I stood in this place for the first time, it felt like an illusion with a voice that said that from the heavens. Of course, I didn¡¯t wake up from that illusion. I remember the bittersweet nostalgic feeling. From this entrance hall, five corridors appear. The corridor in the middle is splendid because it continues onwards to the heart of the royal palace. The other passageways lead to the other facility. By the way, the magic lab that I am heading to today is connected to the leftmost corner. Although it is connected, it is built in a considerably remote place. If you go through this entrance, you¡¯ll have to go across several more corridors to reach the magic lab. My footsteps echo in the empty corridor. Oh¡­what a strange feeling to be walking in the royal palace like this now. Life does things I don¡¯t expect. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Eventually, the soldier ahead of me stopped. It is a terribly ordinary door that is towering at the end of the bridge passage. When the soldier used the knocker on the door, a voice of a man came back from the inside. ¡°Huh, just now.¡± A face shows up from the other side of the door. A young man who seems to be in his early twenties with brown hair with a strong impression appears. He has a relax harmless expression on his face. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± (guide) ¡°It is this young lady here who will be selling the bento.¡± (soldier) ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you very much for your trouble¡­ Come on in.¡± (guide) As soon as the soldier step aside, I walked into the lab as the youngster urged me in. Wow, geez, this is nostalgic. As I thought¡­ this atmosphere is not refreshing and invigorating. It has not changed at all from the time I visited this place once before. This feeling¡­that smell of dust and whatever else I don¡¯t know drifting around. I¡¯m going to be a little addictive. This place and the strange equipment I do not know how to use. They are all very interesting. ¡°That basket seems to be heavy, do you need help?¡± (guide) ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m used to it. Thank you.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Okay. The room is right here, so rest assured.¡± (guide) Even though this older brother is nice, he is still a magician. I secretly observe him. It is totally different from the image of a magician. What is this? Well, the image of a magician to me is someone who is arrogant. He is a special one, is he the special older brother type? ¡°It is here. I am ashamed because it is messy.¡± The older brother knocked on the door at the end of the corridor. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door in a casual manner. ¡°I¡¯m coming in. The diner brought bento.¡± Following behind him, I also went into the room. Wow, it¡¯s really messy with a lot of stuff. When I came here the last time, it wasn¡¯t like this. I wonder if they were told to tidy up because the Priestess was coming. When I took off the shoulder strap carrying the basket, I quickly looked around the room. Well, even if I did, there was a lot of clutters. I carefully try not to show my reaction on my face and kept my face looking forward. In the back of the room, as soon as I saw the man sitting on the sofa, I gasped ¡°Oh my!¡± I accidentally drop the basket in my hand. ? ? ? ? ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± (guide) The older brother looks at me while picking up the basket I dropped. Oh, I am worried about whether or not the bentos are okay. No, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m feeling very dizzy. I managed to regain my composure. Calm down, relax! Yeah¡­I can¡¯t. I¡¯m really confused about what to do. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The man sitting on the sofa turns to look at me with a suspicious expression. Do not look at me! I tried turning my face away from him but that didn¡¯t work. It was useless. This guy is astonishing good with catching people¡¯s movements around him. If he wasn¡¯t as good or if I was better, would I still be fine? ¨CThis guy ¨C Ordis-sama is my acquaintance. As an acquaintance, he was my magic teacher. He was what I model as ¡°an obnoxious magician¡±. He was originally from an aristocratic family. He hated his status and threw away his house. And when he devoted himself to the research of magic at the magic lab, he achieved various achievements in the magic field. Eventually, he was given the same status as the nobility and became well-known within his field. I think his age is over thirty. He is tan with long black hair that is even more gorgeous than woman¡¯s hair. He has deep sexy eyes and is overall beautiful. It is because he is stubborn, arrogant, and mysterious that makes people avoid him. Although I was always quarreling with Noel, I still think he saw me as a ¡°sneaky little sister who cannot leave me¡±. But I think this person sees me as a ¡°foolish student who cannot be helped¡±. Our relationship was not intimate at all and can only be seen as teacher and student. ¡°Oh, the lunch seems to be okay today.¡± (guide) Older brother, please read the mood. Rather, should I be more thankful he destroyed the mood? ¡°Lady, is your arm okay?¡± (guide) ¡°Uh¡­yes. I¡¯m sorry my arm suddenly got stuck¡­¡± (Haruka) I had no choice but to make an excuse. ¡°That¡¯s a problem, should I take you to the medical office?¡± (guide) ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I have already recovered¡± (Haruka) ¡°Is that so?¡± (guide) While we were talking, the older brother helps me take out the bentos from the basket. This time, it was to buy all the bentos in the basket. I cannot see any other magicians nearby but they would probably come and eat when they¡¯re ready. The lunch price was set from the beginning. ¡°It looks delicious. Thank you for today¡­Oh, I will also send you back. This place is difficult to navigate.¡± (guide) ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay. Even alone ¨C¨C ¡° (Haruka) ¡°¨C¨C I will send her¡± (Ordias) Ordias, who been silent the whole time spoke in a low voice. I wasn¡¯t the only one who was frightened. The magician older brother was too. ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you do that.¡± (guide) ¡°I was thinking about going back too. I don¡¯t mind.¡± (Ordias) No No No No! I am not fine! I am going to be in trouble! I screamed inside my head but of course, no one heard it. Is this a random act of kindness? There is absolutely no reason for that. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama shot through me with sharp eyes. I feel like a frog being stared at by a snake. I give up¡­ Ordias-sama stood up slowly and walk pass me. He casually opened the door and look at me. I shivered and follow behind him. As I crossed the door ¨C there was a different world. Ordias-sama used magic. The other side of the door was supposed to be an old corridor but, now we are in a small stark room. In other words, the two of us are isolated from the outside world in this illusionary room that this person made. I knew because I was once his student. ¡°Now.¡± Ordias-sama crossed his arms and lean against the wall. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you explain this Harutia?¡± ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s Note: And so, Haruka was found by another person! In case you¡¯re wondering, Harutia isn¡¯t a typo! Explanation will be on the next chapter. Are you curious about how Ordis look like? Go on over to the character¡¯s list to see his picture. Chapter 11 - I Talked About the Future July 04, 2018 Harutia was my name when I was the Priestess in this world. My name ¡°Haruka¡± is a rather masculine name and wasn¡¯t suitable for a Priestess. Soon after I arrive to this world, I was given the name ¡°Harutia¡±. I was too embarrassed for myself so I never complained about the name. At the time, I was asking people around me to call me ¡°Priestess¡± so most people in the royal palace, including Ordias, don¡¯t know my real name. Well, I don¡¯t care about the name. It was only when Ordias said those words did I realized he knew my true identity. This is a big problem. A troublesome person discovered my identity. ¡°You look different from before¡­there¡¯s no God power in you. Whether it is the person in question¡­there¡¯s no doubt. There are still some remnants.¡± (Ordias) Are you talking to yourself or are you asking me? I didn¡¯t understand so I kept a confused look on my face. Why did you come to the lab when you have a position and power that equals to the nobles? I haven¡¯t heard of this before. It looks like my thought was read by the opponent. ¡°I regularly show up at the lab to look over the works of my employees.¡± (Ordias) And I got a careful explanation. ¡°When did you come back to this world?¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡­About two months ago.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Two months?¡± (Ordias) It was unusual for him to show any expression but there was a look of surprise on his face. And I was the one who has the honor to enjoy this moment. I feel like I¡¯ll have to tell him the circumstances in more details. ¡°When I noticed, I was in a random forest near the royal palace.¡± (Haruka) ¡°No way.¡± (Ordias) Even if I was embarrassed, it cannot be helped since it¡¯s true. ¡°If that¡¯s true, how did you survive until today?¡± (Ordias) ¡°I was picked up by a diner in the city so I started working there. I got a way to get into the royal palace using the bento box sales that the diner recently started to do. It¡¯s my first time here since I came back.¡± (Haruka) ¡°You? At a diner in the city? Selling bentos?¡± (Ordias) Yes, you don¡¯t have to repeat that. The person in question didn¡¯t move at all under my disgruntled glance. Well¡­. there isn¡¯t any choice left. Should I tell you everything at once? However, if I think about this carefully, isn¡¯t my goal to encounter previous acquaintances here? Although it wasn¡¯t my ideal person, it is still good for achieving my initial goal. Ordias would know about the summoner Luno. And if I ask Ordias, he should help me return to my original world as soon as possible. Even today if he could. ¡°This situation¡­is hard to believe.¡± (Ordias) After I explained it to him politely, he gave me this attitude If you don¡¯t believe it, don¡¯t ask for an explanation from the beginning! ¡°No, I believe in your story about the second summoning. It¡¯s the part where you been living here for two months with the city¡¯s people.¡± (Ordias) ¡°What does that mean? I¡¯m not a princess and I originally live with ordinary people in my original world. In those days when I was living here, I had the escort knight protect me closely and kept me away like a princess.¡± (Haruka) I glared at Ordias-sama with gruesome resentment. I was dependent on Noel all the time. If I was troubled or anxious, Noel was always there¡­Now, that wasn¡¯t a compliment. But at that time, I was working hard. It started with etiquette class as a Priestess. There was a lot of histories, myths, and learning how to manipulate the God power inside my body. The harder I work, the more I got dizzy from the mountain of work. And Noel was the one who supported me through it. Well, no matter what my excuse is, I was nothing more than a spoiled lass. In comparison, I was very fortunate as the Priestess. It was not needed by anyone but I worked hard with the status of the Priestess. And even though I¡¯m just a mediocre person, I was still given a warm welcome. ¡°Anyways¡­It¡¯s interesting. I never thought you¡¯d show up in front of me again with your bento.¡± (Ordias) It¡¯s out of his character to see Ordias-sama smile. His way of laughing has fragments of freshness, it¡¯s a small enough smile to lift the edge of his mouth. However small, a smile is a smile. I thought it was a mistake for a moment but apparently, it wasn¡¯t. Wow, I have seen something usual! ¡°So what are you going to do? Will you be adopted by the diner?¡± (Ordias) ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I want to return to my original world!¡± (Haruka) Finally, the main subject! The main subject!! ¡°I think the summoner Luno can return me to my original world. So, Ordias please help me meet up with Luno!¡± (Haruka) ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s useless.¡± (Ordias) My wholehearted request was dismissed as soon as I said it without any second in between for interruption. Of course, I cannot give up. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such horrible things now! Just let Luno give my message so I can talk to him myself!¡± (Haruka) ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything wrong. He is on a long business trip in another country for technical guidance right now. He won¡¯t be back for another half a year.¡± (Ordias) Er¡­umm¡­!!!!! What is a long-term business trip for technical guidance? Are summoners treated like a technical store? Whaat? ¡°it¡¯s not¡­Luno cannot be relied on.¡± I staggered onto the floor while Ordias-sama looked at me coldly. ¡°In the first place, I don¡¯t think you can return to the original world with Luno. As a general rule, summoning cannot be attributed unless it is a person who they¡¯ve summoned. In other words, unless he was the one who called for you, he cannot do anything for you.¡± (Ordias) ¡°Is that so!?¡± (Haruka) It turned out there was a summoning I¡¯ve been anticipating wasn¡¯t going to happen after all. ¡°Well then, what if I came back without being summoned by anyone?¡± (Haruka) The expression on Ordias-sama¡¯s face looked up with a half crying cold face. A sharp light appeared in his eyes. ¡°First of all, you cannot convince me with that explanation.¡± (Ordias) I can¡¯t convince you what? As a magician, there is nothing for him to grasp in my story. Just tell me the main point. ¡°You also had a lecture as a Priestess about magic and how it¡¯s made up of theories and rules? Have you already forgotten?¡± (Ordias) That cannot be forgotten. When I started learning about magic, those theories and rules were shoved into my mind. Since it is a world where people can be summoned from different worlds, the magical occasion that I thought only existed in fantasy movies, can be easily activated with just their mind. This is a carefree idea that cannot exist to Ordias-sama. In the first place, those kind of magic was hidden away tightly. All magic consists of theories and rules. Oh¡­it¡¯s a phrase I haven¡¯t heard in a year and a half. I feel nostalgic and tears are coming. ¡°Summoning is also a part of magic. As a matter of fact, you cannot be summoned here ¡°by chance¡±. That is, someone had the intention to call you here.¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡­.¡± (Haruka) I started to understand the seriousness of the matter after Ordias-sama¡¯s stern explanation. ¡°Well¡­who called you to this world this time?¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡­.¡± (Haruka) A cold chill ran down my spine. ¡°There is no record of the royal palace officially trying to re-summon you. Someone secretly called for you with some sort of intention. Of course, they would be looking for your whereabouts. Just looking at that, it makes me want to leave because there¡¯s no doubt it¡¯s going to be messy.¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡­.¡± (Haruka) Somehow, I feel like I¡¯m in danger. ¡°It is a good decision on your part to be hiding the past two months because a summoner is secretly looking for you. If you were found to be the Priestess, you¡¯ll fall into the hands of those summoners in no time.¡± (Ordias) Wow~ I just didn¡¯t want to expose myself to shame for being back but, it looks like it worked out in the end. ¡°Well then, we have to be careful in the future, right?¡± (Ordias) ¡°Obviously¡­¡± (Haruka) ¡°Far from that, you can¡¯t just leave the diner just like that. You need to consult the swords of trustworthy people.¡± (Ordias) ¡°Eh!?¡± (Haruka) What does that mean? ¡°Who¡¯s trustworthy?¡± (Haruka) ¡°I¡¯ll put it into consideration for now. I know you haven¡¯t made any plans aside from returning to your original world.¡± (Ordias) Please don¡¯t say that. No. No more than that. No matter who I talk to, will I still have to leave the diner? ¡ª That¡¯s it Although it may not be good, it¡¯s still dangerous for me. As long as I¡¯m in this world, I haven¡¯t thought about leaving that place. Because the bento sales are starting to get on trend. Sena, the new part-time worker also just started and everyone is trying to get the diner back together. I want to stay at the diner a little more. I would like to do my best with the diner¡¯s couple and Sena. Every day at the diner was fun and rewarding. The regular customers are also very good people. The diner is a very warm place. I feel like it been forever since I was the Priestess. So, I won¡¯t be leaving the diner shop just yet. ¡°¡­Ordias-sa, can I continue to live at the diner?¡± (Haruka) ¡°¡­¡± (Ordias) An overpowering feeling of silence is terrifying. ¡°Even though I¡¯m being targeted, I want to stay there.¡± (Haruka) Yes¡­I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t say anything. ¡°¡­But, as I said earlier, it¡¯s not the time to move around too much. At the moment I want to keep living at the diner. I¡¯ll come up with a plan. When I¡¯ve decided on one, I¡¯ll tell you when I deliver the bento. The decision withers or not I stay at the diner or at the royal palace will be on hold until then. (Haruka) ¨CHuh? Does that mean that there¡¯s a pattern in living at the diner? Ordias-sama glance over and look me in the eye with expectation. ¡°I won¡¯t be the one making the decision but, there is a possibility that they might have confused the current you as an ordinary girl so it might be better to stay at the diner than the royal palace.¡± (Ordias) If I had hidden myself in the forest, it wouldn¡¯t have been good for me. Yes, I agree with that. If I were to think about it, they cannot know that I¡¯m the former Priestess¡­ The strange man in red and Ordias-sama have discovered me already. ¡°Either way, keep in mind that there are people who have summoned you secretly. Be more careful than before.¡± (Ordias) I nodded to agree. Oh, even so. ¡°It somehow became very serious¡­¡± Ordias-sama heard my small murmurs and sighs. He continues to look at me with cold eyes. ¡°It¡¯s because you are at stake as the former Priestess. It¡¯s an important matter for the country.¡± (Ordias) Those words echo in my heart. As long as I¡¯m in this world, it seems like there would be no way to separate from being a ¡°Priestess¡±. Even if it¡¯s a girl who no longer has her God power. ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s Note: Happy Independent Day for my American readers! It looks like Haruka is in danger. Luckily Ordias discovered Haruka and help her with the first step into the mystery of why she returned to their world again. This chapter was longer than usual so I could tell the author was inspired at this point where the ball is starting to roll. Chapter 12 - I Got A Near Miss July 11, 2018 The space that Ordias-sama created disappears and I find myself standing in the corridor. In this non-descriptive hallway, I sigh. Although it cannot be helped, I must thank Ordias-sama for worrying about me. But then again, he¡¯s not good at being worry so I sigh alone again. Oh, more than that. Finally, I have an important task. I was randomly summoned here so I thought I could sneak back. No way, it is going to be a totally annoying story that is trying to develop into a big problem by mentioning that there is someone in the country who intentionally called me here. Well, as Ordias-sama said, I hope I wasn¡¯t invited to this world for a ¡®smelly¡¯ reason. I don¡¯t think this invokes a positive feeling. Anyways, I¡¯ll have to be more careful in the future. If I¡¯m really being targeted by someone, I can¡¯t be careless. I¡¯m not in a position to be protected by someone like I was before. I will defend myself. ¡°By the way, have you met up with Wood Gray* yet?¡± (Ordias) I¡¯m walking down a long corridor with Ordias-sama. I shook my head with a hard expression. Wood Gray is a family name for Noel. ¡°I¡¯m surprised. I thought you would rely on him first.¡± (Ordias) ¡°I can¡¯t rely on him even if I want to. I¡¯m just a citizen and in the first place, there¡¯s no way to meet Noel.¡± (Haruka) I said it in a voice that seemed a bit hurried and sulky. ¡°And I¡¯m not bothering Noel for now because Noel has things Noel should do.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Because he is an escort for the other Priestess, right?¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama guessed my thoughts and said it out loud in a flat voice. Geez, he put everything into a prospect, I don¡¯t want him to do that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s right.¡± His face appeared in my mind again. ¡°But, can you be indifferent over this? Now that you know that you are here.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama¡¯s voice muttered over from a different direction. I looked at him and saw him watching me from across the corridor. ¡°If you listen to the rumor that is.¡± (Ordias) ¡°Eh?!¡± (Haruka) I straightened my spine and followed Ordias-sama¡¯s gaze. I see a man walking slowly. I can¡¯t see the face yet but I knew who it was. That flaxen short hair, body postures, the way he was walking¡­that is definitely Noel, my former escort knight. Oh no! What!? ¡°Perhaps, it has something to do with me.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama explained in a calm voice. No no no. That must be it! There was no point of contact between us at ths point. Let¡¯s keep it that way. Noel is coming closer to us. I don¡¯t want to see you!! ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see him, you can leave out the door that¡¯s a little further back in the hallway. You¡¯ll remember the way home from the courtyard.¡± (Ordias) I almost subconsciously hide behind Ordias-sama. As he said, I look back at the corridors and I can see the door leading to the courtyard. ¡°Well then, I will return from there.¡± (Haruka) That¡¯s all I could say Would you like me to tell Noel about myself, or would you lie to him? I have no idea what I want. I don¡¯t know but I don¡¯t want to see him now. My only thought was to move my feet. I ran out to the courtyard with trembling foot. It wasn¡¯t only my foot, my hands were also trembling. Why, why? I hug the large basket which had lowered from my shoulder. I¡¯m feeling very upset. Haaa¡­take a deep breath and calm yourself Haruka! Let¡¯s get away from here for now. There is a bit of a distance back home. Noel shouldn¡¯t have noticed me being here. However, I should take precaution. The courtyard was deserted. There was minimal care for the grass and shrubs. There¡¯s a lonely little arch without any roses blooming. If it¡¯s a season of roses, this garden would have been very beautiful. There¡¯s a somewhat lonely atmosphere here. On the contrary, this feeling of loneliness calms down my feelings. Even if I look back, I cannot see anyone chasing me. At the same time, I feel relieved but there is also a little bit of regret. I¡¯m selfish. No, but today was a great day. Even though I was surprised to see Ordias-sama, I couldn¡¯t believe I almost encounter Noel. Ordias-sama said Noel had business with him. But, what kind of affair was it? I was wondering if he had any intention of telling me. Next time I see you, I¡¯ll have to confirm for sure. Oh, but I¡¯m feeling very tired now. ? ? ? ? To my disappointment, the following day I was in bed with a fever. As soon as I got up in the morning, I was feeling somewhat weak. At the same time, I felt all over my body. I wonder if it was because my body was screaming because of the heavy load I carried to the magic lab. At the breakfast table, I ate a delicious meal. Right afterward, I suddenly felt sick. It¡¯s disgusting. I¡¯m feeling nauseous. In the restroom, my body feels difficultly heavy and hard to stand up from the chair. Around this point, the diner owner, who was eating with me, noticed my strangeness. He called over his wife immediately and I was taken to my bed. Haru-chan, you have a bad fever! Right now I¡¯m lying down on my bed and looking up at the ceiling in a daze. I constantly move in and out of consciousness. Even if I got drowsy, I immediately get a strange dream and feel even more tired. Haaa¡­this is the first time I got sick in this world. Has it ever been this bad? I have the guts of a weak school girl! I was slowly increasing my self-esteem. This is really rattling it. I wonder if this exhausting feeling accumulated over time. Yes, it must be one of the reasons why I met Ordias-sama yesterday. Even if I said I¡¯m weak, by reuniting with some acquaintances in this world, I was given a boost of confidence. Even if I haven¡¯t made any progress yet¡­ I only know that it¡¯ll be rocky for me in the future. This is not the time to be in bed. Even if I tell myself that, my body is still heavy with heat and won¡¯t listen to what I say. Tears accumulated in the outer corner of my eyes and drip down my face. Because of the fever, tears spill from my eyes without permission. My lips feel dry and I want to apply a lip cream. Perhaps it¡¯s in a pouch in my school bag. Maybe I should get it. But it¡¯s such a hassle. Sena took care of the bento delivery to the royal palace today. Today it was scheduled to be at the training ground. It should be okay but what should I do for the future? But Sena won¡¯t do well with the magicians. I hope the good magician who I met on the first day takes care of her. I need to get well soon¡­ It looks like I fell asleep again and slept for a while. I wonder how long I was out. I woke up to the sounds of dishes next to my bedside. I open my eyes a little and confirmed that next to my bedside was Sena replacing the jug and cup at the side table. ¡°Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up? (Sena) ¡°No¡­ water, please. Thank you.¡± (Haruka) My voice was soft and weak. Even in the morning, the wife kept my water ready but, I was sleeping without drinking any at all. ¡°Do you want to eat anything? I¡¯ll ask the diner owner.¡± (Sena) ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± (Haruka) I look out the window and the sky is dyed red at dusk. The busy time at the diner should start again right now. I cannot inconvenience him. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything in the morning. The diner husband and wife is worried. Even if it¡¯s a light meal, you should eat it.¡± (Sena) ¡°¡­Okay.¡± (Haruka) For the time being, I received help from Sena to up on the bed to drink the water. I grasp the cup that Sena poured with both hands and drank carefully. Oh¡­I feel revived. ¡°Come to think of it, thank you for delivering the bento today.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a great feeling. I feel thankful for delivering it.¡± (Sena) ¡°Huh?¡± (Haruka) Sena grinned as soon as I asked. She looks like she was about to explode. ¡°Sorry.¡± (Haruka) My nose feels a bit rough as Sena move closer to me. Since I have a cold, I moved back a little. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you being sick. I¡¯m sorry this happened because you¡¯re always the one working hard. I was wondering if I should tell you or not¡± (Sena) She started to twitch a little. This is the first time I see Sena like this. It¡¯s scary. ¡°But I want to tell you so don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± (Sena) ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Noel came to the training ground today!¡± (Sena) I was hit with a sharp dizziness and I sunk into the bed again. ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s Note: I¡¯m back! I was feeling a bit down that maybe people aren¡¯t as into the story as I was. Then I picked up motivation after reading the comments on novelupdates! Please rate and review the story~ It¡¯s a great source of motivation for me to continue. As for poor Haruka¡­she¡¯s feeling so sick and had a close call with encountering Noel the day prior. That¡¯s enough excitment to last her for a while. *Wood Gray¡­That¡¯s a bit weird for me. It was written as ¥¦¥Ã¥É¥°¥ì¥¤ which is uddo gurei in romaji. Uddo meaning wood while guree means gray. That¡¯s how the name Wood Gray came to be. Chapter 13 - A Nostalgic Smell July 11, 2018 What. What are you doing Noel? I was frightened and at loss while sinking into the bed. It¡¯s a training ground, isn¡¯t it? I always go during lunch time and it¡¯s a training ground for the general soldier. Why is the star knight Noel there? There¡¯s no way he randomly decided to drop by. I wonder if it¡¯s because of the near miss at the corridor. Or maybe it¡¯s because Ordias-sama talked about me. So, to confirm my appearance, he went to the training ground during lunch time. I think it¡¯s natural to think that way, but¡­ ¡­I¡¯m self-conscious No, I can only think of it that way. Sena was worry since I was suddenly quiet. ¡°Oh, I wanted you to meet him, Haruka! I¡¯m sorry about today.¡± (Sena) It¡¯s okay. Sena made it okay. Rather I¡¯m safe. I was barely safe. As I listen to the details, Noel came to the training ground today under the pretext of inspecting the training of the regular soldiers. It looks like there was an advanced notice because the soldiers weren¡¯t panicking. However, Sena who weren¡¯t told that Noel was coming was surprised and excited. I understand why. Even though it was a big happening like the heavens and earth turned upside down, Noel went up to Sena to talk to her. You are the reputable lady who sells the bentos. ¡°Well, I was too surprised after all. So, no words came out at all. I wonder if I left a bad impression. But, it was a great experience. Really! Oh, but I had to tell him about Haruka.¡± (Sena) ¡°Huh? Me?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Yes, Noel said, ¡°It will be very hard to carry the lunch to the royal palace every day.¡± So, I thought I had to tell him about Haruka¡¯s efforts! I told him there is another child carrying it, and it is that child who thought about doing bento sales.¡± (Sena) ¡°Is that so?¡± (Haruka) Well. Even though Sena is just a regular young lady selling bentos. Noel would never go to the training ground again to see how it is. He doesn¡¯t have enough free time to do that. He has to be a knight. But today is the power of action¡­ ¡°Does Noel-sama go the training ground often?¡± (Sena) ¡°It seems that this is the first for the soldiers. The world is different between the knights and ordinary soldiers. I wonder if he came to visit me because of the trouble we took to take care of his subordinates.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Wow~¡± (Sena) If that¡¯s true, how often will he drop by? When I was thinking about that, Sena gave me another blanket. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s bad to talk about this. You should lie down a little more. The diner owner will make something light to eat so I¡¯ll bring it up later.¡± (Sena) Then she left the room in a hurry. When I was alone again, I slowly closed my eyes. ? ? ? ? Somehow I fell asleep. The next time I woke up, it¡¯s because of a delicious smell that tickled my nose. The older sister came into the room carrying a tray holding a small pot. ¡°Haru-chan, how do you feel? Did the fever calm down a bit?¡± (The wife) ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to bother you!¡± (Haruka) I got up a little because the wife prepared my meal. ¡°Your complexion is looking a little better. That¡¯s good.¡± (The wife) Although I was asleep and didn¡¯t notice, the room felt a bit cleaner. The wife has a gentle smile and it looks like she cried a little. I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t know the affection of a mother. But, I guess it would be something like this if I had a mother. The wife brought me porridge. It¡¯s my first time seeing a porridge in this world. It contains several herbs but it looks and smells very similar to those I know. This food would help my body and weakened mentally. ¡°Haru-chan, could you eat it?¡± (The wife) ¡°Yes, it looks really tasty. Thank you.¡± (Haruka) I held a spoon in my hand. Slowly with one scoop, I blew on it to cool down the heat and brought it to my mouth. Instantly, a slightly salty flavor spread in my mouth. It¡¯s hot but, very delicious. I¡¯m deeply moved while the wife watches me. She sat down on the chair on the side of my bed. ¡°Since this morning, you only had water. Some salty food is delicious isn¡¯t it?¡± (The wife) ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± (Haruka) ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the diner. You have to sleep well until you get better. Take tomorrow and the day after to rest.¡± (The wife) Take it slowly until I¡¯m better¡­ Oh, that¡¯s good. I feel like it¡¯s not bad to stay in bed a bit longer. I mean¡­maybe I¡¯ll have to move to the royal palace. Maybe for just a little bit, I can stay in my cozy home. ¡°If you think about it, I¡¯ve been counting on you since Haru-chan started working.¡± (The wife) ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m not very helpful at all.¡± (Haruka) ¡°It¡¯s not good to talk down on yourself. Haru-chan is always working hard and thanks to that, we¡¯re saved. I also hired Sena to help Haru-chan because I thought I would be nice to work with someone. That Sena is a very good girl and we¡¯re really happy.¡± (The wife) Well, there was a problem with the previous person who worked here. I think the couple who helped me when I was in trouble has kindness like a God. The happiest person is me. ¡°Have you heard? Today Sena met Noel.¡± (The wife) ¡°Yes, Sena was delighted.¡± (Haruka) ¡°I have never seen it but, since he is a pretty boy, the young ladies are excited. But I¡¯m happy he knows about our bento.¡± (The wife) ¡°Anyways, I wish he brought a bento.¡± (Haruka) Sena said that he left right after he spoke a few words. ¡°No way! Knights will not talk about our bentos! It¡¯ll be too good to be true.¡± (The wife) ¡°But, I thought he will be surprised to eat it. The taste of my bento¡­¡± (Haruka) I guarantee the taste. Even so, in the royal palace, I was the only one who ate something better than Noel. Compared to the meal then, the rice here is more delicious. ¡°Well then, if Noel comes again, he should buy it.¡± (The wife) She lightly hit my head with a laugh. She has to go back to the diner soon. I cannot keep her up here. I nodded and saw her off. While eating the porridge I thought¡­ I do not want to see Noel. There is no face to meet and rely on him. So we cannot meet. It is certain. However, I did not expect myself to become seriously reluctant to have a reunion. I wonder why Noel showed up at the training ground. What would you do if you could confirm that I really came back to this world? Although I was no longer the Priestess, I feel like I wouldn¡¯t be treated with contempt Even Ordias-sama is about to make a move because I used to be the Priestess. Since Noel has a strong sense of responsibility and a consciousness as my former escort, he would surely lend me a hand. But, I must not take that hand. Noel became a guardian of the new Priestess. It is better to not to be involved with me as a former Priestess. I don¡¯t want him to be in a difficult position. I wonder if I should prepare my mind and meet him properly. If he knew about my existence, I might be better off instead of running away blindly. (I don¡¯t know what to do~) Nevertheless, the premonition that is seemed impossible to leave it this way is slowly leaving a shadow inside of me. ? ? ? ? Chapter 14 - How About a Dance Party? July 13, 2018 Chapter 15 - Recognized as A Friend by The Flirt July 13, 2018 Translated by Shufen By the look of surprise on my face, the young man in front of me smiled and laughed at me. Apparently, he noticed me and came to bother me. ¡°It¡¯s a bad day, I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± (Haruka) I said it immediately. There is no doubt that this is unusual right? It¡¯s certainly not because he followed me. This reunion is nothing but a coincidence, right? For a moment, I also thought that he would be a thug towards the former Priestess. But, I would have been caught the last time I saw him. ¡°Oh, do you remember me? At the time during the blessed God Festival¡­¡± (Ars) ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± (Haruka) He certainly left an impact on me since he recognized me as the former Priestess. ¡­Hmm, if you think of this point, this person is suspicious after all. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Haruka-chan, right? I¡¯m sure this is the beginning of something.¡± (Ars) What? He knows my name? His suspiciousness increased in my mind. It looks like he noticed my stiff expression. He waved his hands as if in a panic. It looks like his fried food is going to fall off his plate. Are you okay with that? ¡°Hey, at that time, the old man from the store called you name didn¡¯t he?¡± (Ars) That¡¯s right. Even so, I usually don¡¯t remember names for that long. I¡¯m scared. ¡°I don¡¯t think you remember my name. It¡¯s Ars. I¡¯d like to hear from you again.¡± (Ars) ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± (Haruka) For the time being, I decided to do a soft laugh and return to reviewing the food again. Oh, that ham seems to be delicious. The cabbage rolls look delicious as well. I move from place to place to look at the food and the young man name Ars continue to follow me. ¡°Did you come alone today?¡± (Ars) ¡°¡­No, I came with my friends. Everyone has scattered.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, you got friends here! That¡¯s good.¡± (Ars) Come to think of it, I told him I didn¡¯t have any friends since I came to the city. ¡°Is Ars-san alone?¡± (Haruka) I thought maybe I¡¯m being too insensitive towards him so I should be more careful. ¡°Yes, one person. I thought there would be some friends if I came. I haven¡¯t found them because I was a bit nervous. I was relieved to find you.¡± (Ars) Am I already within the category of friends with him? This person doesn¡¯t have a shy personality. It¡¯s still doubtful. It seems better to be wary. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s chairs. Let¡¯s sit and eat?¡± (Ars) Ars-san point at the several chairs lined up. Of course, at this time the party has just begun so the number of people sitting is sparse. Although I could sit there and eat alone, it might be a little noticeable. If it¡¯s a little suspicious, it might better to sit next to the troublesome Ars-san. It¡¯s not possible to do strange action here so after my calculation, I decided to nod. Light music is playing in the plaza and all the young people are dancing happily. Normally, the people in the city are steady or living quietly. Clothes and other things, despite being trendy, isn¡¯t favored. That¡¯s why the fun atmosphere of the men and women dressed in their colorful outfits are very impressive tonight. As expected, after all, they are still young. However, I should be the same age as them. I feel like I¡¯m not excited. The heartbreak of a broken heart seems to be very serious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your eyes look distant.¡± (Ars) Ars who was sitting next to me looked over at me with a strange look. ¡°No, everyone seems to be having fun.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Let¡¯s have fun now. When you¡¯re finished eating, why don¡¯t we dance together?¡± (Ars) ¡°No no no. I cannot dance.¡± (Haruka) ¡°No one here is dancing properly. Just enjoy it with the music.¡± (Ars) It¡¯s impossible. There are many Japanese people who enjoy the club but, I don¡¯t like it. I wonder why I came to the dance party. It¡¯s a grudge against Midi and her friends now. ¡°Because I¡¯m not good at dancing. Do not mind me, please invite other girls.¡± (Haruka) If you look around, you can see groups of girls gathered together or walking alone. Midi is very cute. Ars is also a good-looking young man with a refreshing face. If he can speak to a woman normally and not be disliked, he would be at a rather pleasing level. Moreover, at a party to search for a partner, the alert level on the women¡¯s team is at the lowest. Surely, if Ars-san steps forward and starts flirting, a good woman can be found. Then I can get away quickly. ¡°Well then, someone should try to invite them then.¡± (Haruka) While laughing, Ars-san threw a deep-fried fish into his mouth. ¡°Haruka lives in this neighborhood, right? Do you live alone?¡± (Ars) ¡°No, I am working as a live-in.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, what kind of work?¡± (Ars) ¡°I will leave that to your imagination.¡± (Haruka) I have to deal with the small talk at this place but I don¡¯t want to tell this suspicious flirt about the diner. ¡°Uhh, is it a food-related shop?¡± (Ars) ¡°I will leave it to your imagination.¡± (Haruka) ¡°You¡¯re awful. You¡¯re totally wary of me, aren¡¯t you?¡± (Ars) ¡°There is no such thing.¡± (Haruka) I guess that Ars is unconvinced. But he really is an undaunted man. ¡°Let¡¯s not make it hard. Haruka-chan shouldn¡¯t use formal words. Let¡¯s be friends.¡± (Ars) As expected, we were supposed to be friends. Well, that¡¯s still good though. ¡°Yeah¡­I understand. I¡¯ll stop using formal words.¡± (Haruka) ¡°If you¡¯re not dancing, why don¡¯t we get more food? I¡¯m still hungry.¡± (Ars) ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± (Haruka) It¡¯s a strange idea. I¡¯m troubled because my appetite was stimulated by the fried fish and ham. I still haven¡¯t eaten the cabbage roll from earlier. ? ? ? ? After that, we continued to eat and drink. The ribbon on my waist became too tight so I moved the ribbon upwards under my chest. It¡¯ll mislead people to not see my stomach sticking out. Phew, that was painful. I saw Midi-chan several times. It is truly wonderful seeing her. The other three people cannot be seen but they were probably successful. I¡¯m sure each of them will return to me with a partner. ¡°Well Ars, I¡¯ll be going home soon.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll send you back.¡± (Ars) ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not too far from home.¡± (Haruka) ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to do so I¡¯ll send you back.¡± (Ars) I¡¯m wary of him as the former Priestess. I can¡¯t do any careless action and have to protect myself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll be a little troubled if I return home with a man.¡± (Haruka) ¡°But, it¡¯s dangerous for a girl to walk alone.¡± (Ars) ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯ll only walk down bright roads with a lot of traffics.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Are you sure?¡± (Ars) ¡°Yes, absolutely.¡± (Haruka) While stubbornly refusing, Ars-san surrendered with a bitter smile. ¡°Yea~ Haruka-chan is steady. You cannot let a man you met today to send you home.¡± (Ars) Oh. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to give up today. The next time I meet you, we¡¯re really going to be friends. Let¡¯s get along.¡± (Ars) Ars-san waves his hand. It was nice of him to apologize since I became alert without permission. Sorry Ars, I will still be wary. But, today I wasn¡¯t lonely. Thank you. ? ? ? ? A few days later, I returned the borrowed dress to Midi. I know Midi is interested in Ars. I was returning the dress to the store but I was pulled up to Midi¡¯s room, and I was inquired quickly like a suspect who is being questioned as a criminal. ¡°Haruka, you got such a lovely person.¡± ¡°Midi was with the coolest guy.¡± ¡°No, not at all, he tried to bring me to an unpopular place after the party. I kicked him away and ran off.¡± (Midi) Was that a dangerous encounter? I¡¯m glad you are fine. It¡¯s too dangerous. ¡°He didn¡¯t look scary. What kind of person was that?¡± Midi-chan goes back to the earlier topic as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Well, you seem to be with Ars.¡± (Midi) ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°Come on now, I haven¡¯t heard about it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his occupation?¡± ¡°¡­Come to think of it, he works at the royal palace.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Where does he live?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± (Haruka) If I think about it, I don¡¯t know anything about Ars. Even though it was doubtful, I¡¯m on guard. When I was appalled at myself, Midi was amazed at me. ¡°Haruka, what are you going to do when you don¡¯t know anything?¡± (Midi) ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know.¡± (Haruka) ¡°¡­¡± (Midi) Midi is looking at me like I¡¯m stupid. ¡°Oh well, you promised to meet him next time, didn¡¯t you?¡± (Midi) ¡°¡­¡± (Haruka) It was my turn to be silent this time. ¡°¡­Haruka. It¡¯s going to be quite a while before your spring comes.¡± (Midi) With the expression of resignation, Midi sighed. But yes, that¡¯s right. I think so too. ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s note: I¡¯m still catching up! One more chapter and I should be caught up on my missed chapters. Chapter 16 - It Was A Disappointed Expression July 16, 2018 Translated by Shufen The next day, I decided to take charge of the bento delivery for the first time in a long time. Noel hasn¡¯t shown up at the training ground since he was there for the inspection. Well, as you read, I know I¡¯m not in the position to hang around inside the royal palace. If we meet today¡­I have no choice but to talk to him properly. When I reached the usual sales area, I can see the soldiers who are waiting for lunch already. Wow, it¡¯s amazing. To be waiting for it comes, the bentos are famous. Recently, there are also other restaurants that are starting to advance to the royal palace as well. However, there¡¯ll be trouble if multiple vendors go and start a sales battle. The quality of safety management won¡¯t be maintained. So, it was said that the other shops weren¡¯t given permission. Let¡¯s be careful in the royal palace. If I did any action that disrupts the order of the royal palace, they¡¯ll immediately change suppliers. Maybe Ars-san is also there? When I first met him at the festival, I remember him saying, ¡°I¡¯m working in the royal palace¡±. I looked around the training ground in a hurry and didn¡¯t find his dark brown hair. Are you not affiliated with today¡¯s corps or even a soldier in the royal palace? What is the work of the servants of the royal palace? And it¡¯s not because I¡¯m wondering because of Midi. But, I would like to ask you that the next time I meet you. ? ? ? ? And then the next day. It¡¯s the bento delivery to the magic lab. It has been a little over a week since I last came here to talk to Ordias-sama. It may be just the right time when I said I would consider my own personal affairs in the near future. Well, I hope I can continue to take care of the meals at the diner. But, I wonder if I can meet Ordias-sama today. Thinking about it, Ordias-sama is not a resident of this lab. Rather, he is a sorcerer who has a status of not moving his legs if it¡¯s normal. If I weren¡¯t going to the magic lab today, I would be worried about what to do. At that time, there would be no choice but to ask the magicians to pass him a message. While carrying the heavy bento boxes, I knock on the door leading into the lab. Then, as if they were waiting for the bento visit, the door quickly opened. I was surprised at the speed and stepped back. ¡°Hello. ¨CWhat is this?¡± It was the magician from last time. His hair was styled more than usual and somehow he has sparkling eyes and blushing cheeks. But, when he saw my face, he became disappointed right away. It was easy to see because he had a lonely expression and his face was lowered. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± I had a bad feeling from his sad voice. What is this? ¡°Is it Sena¡¯s day off today?¡± I finally understand the situation. Aha, I see. It¡¯s because of Sena. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sena and I were supposed to take turn delivering.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t it unusual for Sena to come here several times?¡± ¡°Yes, she works at the diner now. So, I think I will be bothering you in the near future again.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh¡­I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t introduce myself last time. My name is Collie.¡± (Collie) Collie-san seems to have recovered quickly and gave me a smile of relief. ¡°I¡¯m called Haruka, please take care of me.¡± (Haruka) He is easy to understand. I wonder if there are other magicians like this. I still have a rude impression of them because of a certain someone. We finally introduced ourselves during the second meeting. We slowly made our way to the same corridor as last time. The building must be old but it¡¯s a little different from last time. The thing that is different is the lack of dust. They¡¯ve clearly increased the cleanliness of the place. ¡°¡­Did you guys do a deep cleaning?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Eh?¡± (Collie) ¡°Somehow it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, you understand it?¡± (Collie) Collie looked over with pleasure. ¡°You know, recently I requested for bentos to be delivered, so woman like you and Sena showed up. I¡¯m sorry to have you come to such a dirty place.¡± (Collie) In plain text, I cleaned it for Sena-san. ¡°Yes, it must be interesting for you. I¡¯ll show you.¡± (Collie) While saying this, Collie reached into his pocket and took out something that resembles a marble and started spinning some spells. It¡¯s not a big deal. When the spell ended, it jumped up around. Of course, it¡¯s an effect of magic. Collie shook the hand holding the marble. The broom nearby started to sweep the corridor carefully. ¡°Amazing.¡± (Haruka) During my Priestess period, magic was shown in many techniques, but I haven¡¯t seen the art being used in such a practical way. There is hardly any opportunity to see this sort of technique because it¡¯s a magic tool that commoners use. I want to remember this magic. I want to use it at the diner. I mean, if I can use this magic. Of course, if you can use such magic, you should just keep the lab clean at all time. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± (Ordias) I was surprised to hear a voice. Collie and I turned back from looking at the self-cleaning broom. The owner of that voice is Ordias-sama. Today you¡¯re at the lab huh. Ordias-sama, I¡¯ll be going to the lab every day. ¡°I hear you.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama hit the nail with his grumpy voice. Collie quickly paid me as to say ¡°I don¡¯t have time¡± or something similar and walked away ¨C more like he ran away. Let¡¯s hurry, Ordias-sama is a tough person. He is scary strict to everyone. ¡°You too, why are you selling oil and not come right away?¡± (Ordias) ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± It¡¯s the first time I have seen him in a week, he¡¯s suddenly angry. I follow Ordias-sama into the same room as before. The clutter in this room remained unchanged. I¡¯m glad because I prefer this sort of atmosphere. Well, I don¡¯t know where my favorite person Collie is. When I put down the bento carrier, I sat down on the chair because of Ordias-sama¡¯s prompting. ¡°I was in bed with a cold.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± (Ordias) ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you. I¡¯m all right.¡± (Haruka) ¡°You¡¯re as soft as ever.¡± (Ordias) Are you worried or just want to complain? While I made a face, Ordias-sama made tea with magic for himself and took a sip. Uh¡­aren¡¯t you going to make any for me? ¡°As for you, there is some concern after all.¡± (Ordias) Suddenly we¡¯re at the main issue. I¡¯m very anxious about it. What did Ordias-sama say to Noel? ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about you to Wood Gray.¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡ªIs that right?¡± (Haruka) ¡°However, it seems like he noticed you for a moment towards the end. But he won¡¯t be able to tell that it¡¯s Haruatia.¡± (Ordias) Oh, I guess. I was noticed. I want to hold my head. ¡°I told him it was a young lady who sells bento boxes. If you¡¯re curious, you should go and check it out yourself.¡± (Ordias) ¡°So that¡¯s why Noel bothered going all the way to the training ground.¡± (Haruka) ¡°It¡¯s good that you came back after a year and a half.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama somehow seems amused. I guess that¡¯s taboo¡­I think the guardian¡¯s mood is weird. ¡°I ran away when I encountered him last time. When I think about it, I feel that it is better to meet Noel properly.¡± (Haruka) ¡°What would you talk about?¡± (Ordias) ¡°I¡¯m in this world but I don¡¯t intend to bother Noel.¡± (Haruka) ¡°So will that guy agree with it?¡± (Ordias) ¡°Well, I know that the sense of responsibility of that person is unusually strong but, Noel should know better than to bothered me in this position.¡± (Haruka) ¡°In this position¡­¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama show signs of hesitation. Do not give me that strange look. I stared at him and urged him ahead. ¡°Surprisingly, you seem to understand things.¡± (Ordias) ¡­Thank you for your compliment. ¡°As you said, it¡¯s not a personal issue with you and Wood Gray, you were the Priestess. The fact is that wherever you are, you¡¯ll always have some sort of effect from it.¡± (Ordias) ¡°There seems to be no power of God at all.¡± (Haruka) ¡°It¡¯s not about God power, it¡¯s about political and religious powers.¡± (Ordias) ¡°¡­¡± (Haruka) ¡°The other day, Wood Gray came to me with a story involving those things.¡± (Ordias) A story involving Noel and Ordias-sama with a political and religious problem. I could almost imagine what kind of case it was. ¡°It¡¯s a question of God power concerning the current Priestess.¡± (Ordias) Chapter 17 - Distorted Pulse July 18, 2018 Translated by Shufen I was summoned to this world as the Priestess to correct the world¡¯s ¡°pulse¡±. In this world, there is a flow of ki that cannot be seen by the eyes. It seems like it flows wildly all the time and there is only one way to correct the way of flow. However, the ¡°kai¡± distorts little by little over time. If the distortion becomes too large, the balance of this world will collapse. The plants will wither, water will dry out, the earth shakes, and the sun hides. Therefore, you must regularly ¡°correct¡± the ¡°kai¡±. A Priestess from a different world was the only one who could manipulate the ¡°kai¡±. In this world, we built a church in a place that is in the path of the correct ki. The Priestess goes there and prays. Doing so attracts the ki. If the prayer is successful, the attracted ki will settle on the spot and a correct flow will be created. My role is to visit all those churches and pray. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. The ki flows in the traces I prayed and the place of prayer becomes a sanctuary. The ¡°sanctuary¡± cannot be touched by a lot of people and has to be protected. And it looks like the role of the guardian was Aldina, who succeeded me as Priestess. That¡¯s why Aldina and I have totally different roles as a Priestess. But the position is the same. Protecting the ¡°kai¡±. Our very existence is to protect it. ? ? ? ? It is said that the country recently noticed something strange. It was half a year ago. The flow of ¡°kai¡± is only slightly distorted. Of course, it was a very sticky situation. The ¡°kai¡± that the Priestess from another world is usually undisturbed for about forty years. At that point, it was only a year. Impossible. However, the distortion of the ¡°kai¡± was real. ¡°Do you understand the cause?¡± (Ordias) I wonder if I failed. If so, what should I do? ¡°At least, it was perfect just after you completed the ¡°kai¡±. You shouldn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s your fault¡­ The only thought is that someone disturbed it after it was completed.¡± (Ordias) ¡°Who?¡± (Haruka) ¡°If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t have any difficulties. I quickly went around all the churches but there wasn¡¯t any visible damage in the sanctuary. However, the ¡°sanctuary¡± is delicate. For example, even if someone touched it with their hand, the flow of the ki will be disturbed. Perhaps it was such a trivial accident this time.¡± (Ordias) ¡°What will happen then?¡± (Haruka) ¡°The Priestess will stabilize the sanctuary.¡± (Ordias) ¨CIs it me? Ordias-sama quietly shook his head. ¡°It is the role Aldina has to protect the sanctuary. If there was a compromised sanctuary found, it would be evidenced that someone who wasn¡¯t a Priestess disturbed it. But now, we don¡¯t know which of the seven sanctuaries were compromised. Although the Priestess can tell, it is said that Aldina cannot ¡°see¡± it. The royal palace is in a situation where there is nothing that can recognize the disturbance of the ki. I see. Is Noel going to Ordias-sama to hear his opinions for the disturbance of the ¡°ki¡± and the stability of the sanctuary? Noel is the escort knight for Aldina. It is important to not only protect the Priestess from unknown enemies but to give the Priestess spiritual support. I was also helped by him. That is why the problem of stability of the sanctuary falls onto him. ¡°The criminal who disturbed the sanctuary has not been found yet.¡± (Ordias) ¡°Eh?¡± (Haruka) Why? Why won¡¯t they make their move? Ordias-sama read my mind and bitterly answer. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a suspect yet. It¡¯s a selfish guess thinking ¡°it¡¯s not¡± and there¡¯s no evidence. So who is the suspect? The current Priestess¡­ a rival faction that doesn¡¯t welcome Aldina exists. The conflict clashed against Aldina¡¯s side when they chose the succeeding Priestess. Originally, they wanted you to stay in this world and continue to be the Priestess. Of course, I¡¯m still not happy with Aldina¡¯s side.¡± (Ordias) The story came out. Of course I¡¯m a part of the party but, I actually know a little bit about that part. I fulfilled my role after I finished arranging the ¡°kai¡± but, after that, I was asked to stay in this world and continue to be the Priestess. I eventyually chose to return to my original world. I thought that the people who kept asking me persistently. I guess they were the current rival faction against Aldina. If I had reminded in this world, would Aldina become the succeeding Priestess? I wonder if that conflict would have happened. ¡­It¡¯s my fault, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, that rival faction may have violated the sanctuary deliberately to cause problems for Aldina. ¡°Everything is beyond imagination.¡± Ordias-sama carefully added. ¡°If that conflict faction was the culprit¡±, his eyes became serious ¡°It¡¯s more likely they summoned you back to this world again.¡± ¡°Me?¡± My name came up in an unexpected way. My voice came back. Oh. Is that so? That¡¯s it. ¡°It¡¯s no use trying to violate the sanctuary to cause problems for Aldina. As they press the powerlessness of Aldina into a corner, they summoned you again so you can finish their job. Perhaps they want you to be reinstated into a Priestess again.¡± (Ordias) Well, in other words, if you look at it together. As a Priestess of a different world, I properly corrected the ¡°kai¡±. I was invited to continue as the Priestess but, since I was returning to my original world I refused. Aldina took over as the successor Priestess. But there were some great masters who didn¡¯t like that. Thinking that they can disturb Aldina, they deliberately disrupt the atmosphere and bother Aldina. After cutting down the surrounding support for Aldina, I was once again summoned to be the foreign Priestess. But, now that I am summoned¡­I cannot help myself. (¨CWhaaaaaat) I cannot believe this. I¡¯m in trouble even if I try to avoid being involved in such political problems. Besides, the most troubling thing is that I no longer have the power of the Priestess at all! Even if it is expected, nothing comes out. I want to fly to the rival faction now and show them. However, I don¡¯t want to fall into their hands. ¡°Well¡­better yet, how about revealing myself to Aldina¡¯s faction and get protection? If you disclose the current story, you might be able to check the other side.¡± (Haruka) ¡°I wonder. If I were the man on Aldina¡¯s side, I would rather disturb you. It¡¯s like showing the world that Aldina isn¡¯t a useless Priestess. If you annoyed him, would they kill you?¡± (Ordias) What¡­!! It won¡¯t happen, right!? Ordias-sama didn¡¯t follow me as I turned pale. That¡¯s right, Ordias-sama is that type of person. Even though my thoughts are spinning. Even though this has been going on, people seem to have left me completely alone until today. ¡°Well, it may be a bit overwhelming. They don¡¯t serve the God; they only serve themselves. Everyone will be in fear if the Priestess from a different world ends up in the wrong hands.¡± (Ordias) I think I finally got a grasp of my current situation right now. Is there someone trying to get me in secret? Whichever I chose, I will be in trouble. In addition, It is almost impossible to not be involved with Noel. Rather, maybe it would be better for myself to hide. ¡°I evaluated your willingness to have no relationship with Wood Gray.¡± Ordias-sama sighs. ¡°The person, Wood Gray, it looks like he¡¯ll have a better understanding of what you are now than you think. So in a sense, you might be protected.¡± (Ordias) What does that mean? Did Noel say anything about trying to protect me? I¡¯m thankful for that feeling. ¡°Noel is truly an overprotective escort¡­¡± (Ordias) ? ? ? ? Chapter 18 - Prime Ministers Appearance July 23, 2018 Translated by Shufen Well, I¡¯m the only one who is distress by this situation. Ordias-sama hands me an amulet. It is a beautiful stone bracelet. Even in my original world, we had these sort of things. It¡¯s a power stone. I put it on my left wrist and held it up towards the sun. Although it is nearly transparent, the stone gives off a beautiful sparkle with gold and purple mixed together. ¡­It looks expensive. I wonder if it¡¯s okay for the average person to wear it. If I¡¯m ever in danger, the bracelet will immediately alert Ordias-sama. By the way, I had something similar like this during my Priestess era. Goodness¡­magic is so convenient. When I was thinking about these sort of things a rough knock sounded and it unexpectedly pulled me back to reality. ¡°Ordias, I¡¯m coming in!¡± The voice of a healthy lady came from outside. As soon as I heard her voice, the door opened. Beyond the door, a young lady who looks a bit older than me came in. She has fluffy honey hair that looks soft. She gives off an unyielding first impression that is similar to a cat. ¡°Ordias! I wouldn¡¯t had guess you have such a young girl here with a barrier to prevent invasion on the room. What on earth are you thinking?¡± A woman with a mother-like tone scolds Ordias like a mischievous child. ¡°Luna, don¡¯t enter without permission.¡± (Ordias) ¡°But we¡¯re hungry!¡± (Luna) The women, name Luna, didn¡¯t show any sign of being frightened by Ordias-sama¡¯s cold voice. I see other people¡­behind Luna-san. They¡¯re quietly watching from outside the room. ¡°The bento here is a treat for ourselves. And what is this? It is only two people and I get isolated outside the closed door that contains the bento! The basket with the lunch should at least be put outside the barrier out in the hallway!¡± Luna-san says this while running to the bento basket. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, Miss, is it okay with you two being alone?¡± (Luna) Luna-san suddenly remembered me. I am secondary to my bento but, for the time being, it seems to me that my mind isn¡¯t working. ¡°Yes, Ordias-sama is giving me a life consultation¡­¡± (Haruka) ¡°Do you have life consultation?!¡± (Luna) Luna-san opened her big eyes even bigger. ¡°Young lady, what are you saying? You¡¯re making a mistake to consult with someone.¡± (Luna) ¡°Haaa¡­¡± (Haruka) Oh¡­I wonder. ¡°If it¡¯s a life consultation¡­ that¡¯s right, the best in our magician team, I wonder if Collie is here. Collie is usually here around late spring. For you to get true advice, it¡¯ll be better to find a better magician.¡± Without asking, Luna-san talked a lot. What an interesting person. ¡°Alright already. Luna go get your bento and go.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama took care of driving away Luna-san for being troublesome. Yeah yeah, Luna-san¡¯s reply was light. It¡¯s surprising to me because of how she was treating Ordias-sama. It¡¯s truly amazing. ¡°Well then, I will excuse myself now. The young lady won¡¯t say anything bad but it¡¯s better to be away from that magician. If that person seriously set up a barrier, I won¡¯t be able to break it even if ten years have passed.¡± (Luna) ¡°Okay, I will.¡± (Haruka) Luna-san was only able to say that much. The other magicians were watching the situation for a while but they kept their mouth shut. Luna-san¡¯s spirited words and deed made Ordias-sama eyes dark and the other magicians scared. Since I don¡¯t have the courage to joke with Ordias-sama, I understand their feeling of fear. ¡°Indeed, that little girl is always troublesome.¡± (Ordias) Ordias-sama stood up while saying those words like a grandfather who was withered in his thirties. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll move.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Where?¡± (Ordias) ¡°You told me to think about my future movements¡­¡± (Haruka) Ordias-sama suddenly grasped my arm. Then the scenery in front of me got dark. ? ? ? ? ¡°Uhh¡­.¡± (Haruka) My vision finally came back and I was standing in a completely different space from the previous one. My body was sharking and felt like something was stolen. I feel nauseous. I managed to look around. I¡¯m in a room that looks luxurious compared to the lab. An elaborate pattern of the heavens is on the ceiling and walls. The coloring is also beautiful. The room isn¡¯t very large and it doesn¡¯t have any furniture. It looks like I¡¯m in the center of the royal palace. Apparently, Ordias-sama used transportation magic. It is supposed to be the summoner who uses the magic to transport. The system of the art is the same and with a skilled magician like Ordias-sama, transportation can be used to a certain extent. However, those who are transported will feel unbearable. The magic is said to manipulate the inside of the human body and it¡¯s very advanced and difficult. For example, for this sort of transportation magic uses transformation and rejuvenation magic as well. Those who use the technique also receives a heavy burden as a side effect. I would rather walk than be transported like this. ¡°You¡¯re finally here Ordias.¡± A hoarse voice echoed in the room. I turned around with Ordias-sama. Standing behind us is a man with a rich white beard. ¡°Otland-sama¡± I blinked my eyes as I cracked and said his name. ¡°Long time no see, Haruatia-sama.¡± I was still surprised by seeing him. Otland-sama is one of my guardians during my Priestess era. Since the summoner Luno was a weirdo as a guardian, Otland who is serious and proper took over the position to properly care for me. Indeed, if you leave a task with this person, he¡¯ll make no mistake and do things well. He is sturdy in a different sense from Noel. Well, is that so. Ordias-sama¡¯s choice of a ¡°trustworthy man¡± is Otland-sama? I agree, I think this is a safe and secure selection. ¡°It¡¯s not the same Haruatia-sama but she¡¯s still the same person.¡± (Otland) That dialogue is probably about how my coloring has completely changed. After putting that into my heart, I told myself that this is Otland. This man is a serious person. He doesn¡¯t use sarcasm. ¡°Otland, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late. Are you ready?¡± (Ordias) ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± (Otland) Wait, what? What will start from now? ¡°Alright, Haruatia-sama, let¡¯s go.¡± (Otland) A beautiful double door opened. Is there really something going on Otland-sama? ¡°Hula Hamuti-sama will excuse you.¡± (Otland) Who is Hula Hamuti-sama? It¡¯s a great name so I remember hearing it. Ordias-sama seems to notice my expression because he secretly whispers, ¡°He is the prime minister of this country¡±. Oh, the Prime Minister Hula Hamuti. It was likely I have seen him several times during my Priestess era. Although I was someone important, I can say that I don¡¯t have a lot of acquaintance. I know the prime minister of the country is a super important person. I think that it¡¯s a good thing to recognize the top person of the country¡­ The top of the country¡­ I want to return quietly without being noticed by anyone. Why is that so hard to do? However, I cannot turn on my heel to leave now. The door has already opened. While watching the back of Ordias-sama and Otland-sama, I continue forward. Wow, this room is ten times fancier than the previous one. My skirt seems to be reflected off the polished floor tiles. Objects which I don¡¯t recognize was placed against the walls. What is those stuff? ¡°Did you come?¡± A low quiet voice welcomed us. Looking at the gap between the two people in front of me, I see a middle-aged man working on a heavy desk. Although older than Ordias-sama, he is slightly younger than Otland-sama. He has golden hair with white beginning to show and he has a nervous look in his eyes. Since I don¡¯t have much of an impression in the past, I look at him carefully. There¡­were many uncles that looks like him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting so long, Hula Hamuti-sama.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. No need for the greetings. Let¡¯s get straight to the point.¡± (Hamuti) Speaking of myself, I don¡¯t know how to act in front of the prime minister so I decided to keep quiet while looking at Ordias-sama. ¡°Well, it has been a long time Haruatia-sama.¡± (Hamuti) The strategy to quietly watch ended immediately. ¡°Yes, it has been a long time, Hamuti-sama.¡± (Haruka) The etiquette that was passed down among the Priestess has already faded from memory. I mobilized those memories that were stuffed in the back of my head and managed to curtsy with my greeting. ¡°It seems like your atmosphere has changed quite a bit.¡± (Hamuti) It¡¯s not amusing to point out what was clearly changed. Although it¡¯s not easy for people to say compliments about looking different. A maiden¡¯s mind is complex. ¡°Well, Ordias-sama saw through it first.¡± As I was getting excited, I look over at Ordias-sama. He was looking straight ahead and didn¡¯t acknowledge me looking at him. Meanwhile, Otland-sama, who was standing on the other side remain quiet since it¡¯s outrageous to speak without the prime minister¡¯s permission. Somehow the air feels heavy. I feel like Hula Humuti-sama doesn¡¯t believe me very much. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the magic in me¡­ Indeed, the evidence is nowhere to be found and there¡¯s no choice. In other words, can I believe these people? Suddenly those thoughts appear in my mind. Both Otland-sama and Ordias-sama are people I¡¯m familiar with from my past. So I thought I could trust them unconditionally but, I caught the cold gaze of Hula Humuti-sama and my head got cold. ¡­No, no problem. For example, if Ordias-sama summoned me, he wouldn¡¯t do it in a roundabout way. I would have been quickly captured and use me to accomplish his purpose. My sudden appearance was a surprise for him. You can¡¯t do that unless you think so. The road I¡¯m on don¡¯t have other choices. I can only walk straight ahead. Chapter 19 - Bonds July 25, 2018 Translated by Shufen ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories from the both of them. It¡¯s difficult this time.¡± ¡°¡­Ehh.¡± I became paranoid pretty easily. ¡°Surely it¡¯s surprised to find out that someone resummons you without permission. When I quickly looked into those suspected groups at the moment I can¡¯t find anything. It¡¯s partly because there are too many suspects.¡± (Hamuti) There are too many suspects!? What!? What is going on in the royal palace? Well¡­ they haven¡¯t found out resummons me? ¡°If you are up for it, I want to publicly notify your existence. I want to search for the summoner more extensively but, as you have heard, timing isn¡¯t right at the moment. The current Priestess Aldina is currently distrusted by some. There is a possibility that the inside of the royal palace would be divided greatly if your existence is known. So, I want you to hide and live your life.¡± (Hamuti) That¡¯s true. It seems like Aldina¡¯s factions and their conflicting factions are still secretly competing. I have no intention of coming forward as the Priestess at this time. ¡°As for your existence, I will stop this conversation. The king thinks the opposition faction is easier to manage than Aldina¡¯s faction. You might have to accept that you¡¯ll have to become the Priestess again.¡± (Hamuti) I didn¡¯t think about this point. ¡°From my point of view, I believe that the power balance within the royal palace is disrupted, which is undesirable because in recent years the unification of power has been progressing slowly for the king.¡± (Hamuti) ¡­It has become difficult. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t understand the circumstances of the neighboring country, it¡¯s fine. In any case, let¡¯s try to identify the person who summoned you. At this time, I promise by my name Hula Hamuti that I would return you to your world. So please be patient for a while for now.¡± (Hamuti) ¡°I understand.¡± (Haruka) If you say those sort of things, I have no choice but to agree. Regarding my hiding spots, Hamuti-sama continues speaking. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to continue staying at the current diner.¡± From his words, neither Ordias-sama nor Otland-sama is surprised. It is what they decided to discuss. It¡¯s a surprising conclusion to me. ¡°Anyway, I want you to be natural. If you hide your existence too much, someone will notice something off. In addition, Ordias seems to have saw you as Haruatia but honestly, other people will have a hard time imagining it.¡± (Hamuti) Hula Hamuti-sama is still suspicious of me. The people who noticed me so far are Ordias¡­ well excluding Ars. Ordias-sama and Noel are the two who were close to me the longest. So it may not be off if they see me and get a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Well, that¡¯s fine. I am indebted to the diner. Of course, I wanted that as well. However, from what I heard so far, I cannot afford to involve them unnecessarily. This situation has appeared in front of the prime minister and became a major problem in the country. I don¡¯t want the diner to know everything and continue to take care of me with strange looks on their face. (After all, it¡¯ll be bad) If I were to take part of the faction within the royal palace as Hula Hamuti suggested¡­ I would like to avoid unnecessarily annoying everyone at the diner when bad something happens. Well, I wonder if I should leave the diner after all. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± (Hamuti) Hula Hamuti-sama asked me while looking at my silent expression. ¡°No, I think it is impossible to not tell the situation to the owners of the diner.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± (Hamuti) Hula Hamuti-sama was easily convinced. ¡°I cannot tell if you¡¯re really the Priestess but, it is better to explain to the diner that the young lady here has a secret relationship with the royal palace. Yes¡­ Otland, can you take the role to do the explanation?¡± (Hamuti) ¡°I understand.¡± (Otland) Otland-sama finally opened his mouth and lowered his head respectfully. Wait, please. Otland-sama and the diner owner having a discussion in the diner? I can¡¯t picture that image in my mind. An executive of the country sitting on the old chair of a diner. That¡­no. Otland-sama, it¡¯s really not a joke. Well, even in the royal palace it will be impossible to explain the circumstances. Ordias-sama is looking at the interaction between Hula Humuti-sama and Otland-sama with a strange expression. I guess it¡¯s fortunate that I didn¡¯t speak. However, I think that Hula Humuti-sama properly looked after people properly. ¡°That¡¯s it for the moment. No progress has been made in my report regarding Haruatia-sama. I will continue to try to grasp the situation better.¡± (Hamuti) ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± I awkwardly lowered my head. ? ? ? ? It was around 3 o¡¯clock when I returned to the diner. At this time, the preparation for the diner is happening so the diner is currently closed. When I opened the door I lowered the sign ¡°preparing¡± down. The diner owner¡¯s wife came out of the kitchen. ¡°Haru-chan? Welcome back. You were gone for a long time.¡± (Wife) ¡°Sorry.¡± (Haruka) I felt timid and uncomfortable as I enter the diner and look behind me. Standing behind me is Otland-sama. Even though his air is modest, Otland-sama himself is wearing clothes that are clearly tailored. It is too intense to be standing outside the diner. ¡°Oh, who¡¯s behind you?¡± (Wife) Of course, the wife noticed Otland-sama. She came out of the kitchen while wiping her hands with her apron. The husband also shows up following behind his wife. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Berid Otland. To tell you the truth, I would like to ask you two about Haruka-chan. I came to you representing the royal palace. I know you¡¯re busy but, will you give me some time?¡± (Otland) The diner owner and his wife received Otland-sama¡¯s greeting with their eyes open widely. They eventually looked over to me with the same expression. Yes¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow us back inside the diner?¡± (Diner owner) The diner owner quickly rethought about inviting Otland-sama into the residential district. As expected, it is the backbone of the family. With the diner owner¡¯s guide, we walked into the living room. The three people who usually sits at the table, now have Otland-sama joining them. No use worrying about his discomfort. The story began when the diner owner¡¯s wife brewed some tea. ¡°Sorry for my sudden visit.¡± (Otland) ¡°No, thank you for coming to such a difficult place. What¡¯s happening with Haruka?¡± (Diner owner) Surprisingly, the diner owner quickly cut to the topic. ¡°Yes. Haruka-chan was contacted by a relative who had been looking for her in the past. Her relatives are also related to the royal palace. There was someone who noticed Haruka-chan entering and leaving the royal palace.¡± (Otland) ¡°Is that so¡­¡± (Diner owner) ¡°Through that person, Haruka-chan¡¯s relatives also learned that she came to the city. I cannot tell you more about that relative.¡± (Otland) The diner owner nodded. ¡°Well, I knew from Haruka-chan that there was something wrong in the beginning.¡± (Diner owner) Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. My appearance wasn¡¯t normal at that time. The diner owner saw my school uniform and thought I was a young miss. It was doubtful of the young miss to be down on her own. Still, I cannot help but appreciate the depths of the two people who accepted me. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to get down to business. Originally Haruka-chan was supposed to live with her relative but due to some circumstances; that cannot happen. If Haruka-chan stays with her relative now, she will surely get caught up in the disturbance. It is best for Haruka-chan to hide until the uproar goes down.¡± (Otland) Great, the most important word ¡°Priestess¡± didn¡¯t come out but, the outline of the story isn¡¯t wrong. Otland-sama has a silent image but I didn¡¯t expect his communication skills to be so skillful. ¡°I¡¯m aware that this is a very selfish offer but, I wonder if it¡¯s possible for Haruka-chan to stay here a bit longer.¡± (Otland) While Otland-sama says this, he puts a large bag on the table. ¡°Please allow me to pay you. It is my sincerity to leave Haruka-chan in your care.¡± (Otland) Eh¡­What!? When did he prepare such a thing? This was the same thing as giving them a metal suitcase full of cash in my original world! The diner owner seemed to have calmed down from the unexpected development. He is starting at the bag with a serious eye. Geez¡­I¡¯m buying their hospitality with money now. The husband and wife looked at each other. The two of them are stiff and didn¡¯t speak at all. After all, it It¡¯s annoying after all. It would be unpleasant to be confronted with the attitude of solving problems with money. It is terribly complex for the both of them because they¡¯re in debt. Not good. I can¡¯t be quiet like this. I have to tell my feelings properly in my own words. I didn¡¯t mean to be scheming but I just want to stay here. ¡°I¡­¡± (Haruka) ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haruka-chan. We know.¡± The diner owner finally laughed a little. It was a gentle smile but it makes me feel uneasy. ¡°Otland-sama.¡± The diner owner looked straight at Otland-sama. ¡°Having spent time with Haruka-chan until today is an irreplaceable happiness for us as a couple. I believe that Haruka-chan has the same feeling as us. Althought it is a short relationship; we are connected by a bong. We cherish that bond.¡± (Diner owner) The diner owner pushed the bag of money back to Otland-sama. ¡°We cannot receive this. We have a bond so this is not necessary. If Haruka-chan says she wants to spend time with us, we will gladly accept it.¡± (Diner owner) Diner owner¡­! I am truly happy that I¡¯m being taken care of by such wonderful people. ¡°Those words are very painful.¡± Otland-sama lowered his head, I also follow. Not only as a form of gesture but, also my heartfelt gratitude. I will stay here a little bit more. I want to stay here forever. I would like to be with them. In this different world, I felt strongly about this for a long time. ? ? ? ? Chapter 20 - The Decision was taken back November 05, 2018 Translated by Shufen Otland-sama decides to head back to the royal palace. I stayed at the restaurant and saw him off. After he left, I was ready for the diner owner to ask me more questions, but that was a needless worry. Instead, their attitude towards me didn¡¯t change from before. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s many things they want to know more about, but I think they¡¯re waiting until I¡¯m ready to tell them myself. I¡¯m thankful that they¡¯re so caring, but at the same time, I feel sorry. The restaurant stayed closed that night. The diner owner decided to host a small party for me. I¡¯m sorry for our regular customers who usually come for dinner. The diner owner and his wife ready a feast for me. On the table, there is a potato with shiitake mushroom quiche, a salad with fresh vegetables and herbs, and a chicken tomato dish. Today, Sena and I prepared dessert. There¡¯s a lot of delicious dishes! Sena and I are both very excited. The couple, Sena and I sat around the table and gave a toast. It¡¯s a different world and I thought it¡¯ll be a challenge to drink sake so I decided to quietly drink tea instead. The tea commonly drank in this world is an herbal tea. When I return to my original world, I want to look for similar herbs and try to recreate this tea. ¡°Delicious sake for delicious food! Awesome!¡± (Sena) Sena tilted her cup of sake. ¡°But what happened? It¡¯s unusual for the hardworking couple to take a rest from the diner.¡± (Sena) To Sena¡¯s question, the diner owner smiles happily while responding. ¡°Well, if you think about it, I didn¡¯t do anything like a welcome party after you two came to work for us. I thought I¡¯ll be able to show you two my gratitude.¡± (Diner owner) ¡°Yes! So don¡¯t hesitate to eat more!¡± (Wife) ¡°Wow, thank you! Isn¡¯t that right Haruka?¡± (Sena) ¡°Yes!¡± (Haruka) For me, this is my second hometown. This is the best place for me. Even if I return to my original world, I can never forget this diner and the couple. Of course, this includes Sena. If I think about it carefully, I should be thankful for being re-summoned. Thank you for giving me such a happy time. Eventually, the party ended later in the evening. That night I listened to the couple¡¯s story about finding the opportunity to open the diner. By the way, I also learn about Sena¡¯s preferred type. She seems to like the so-called ¡°muscles¡± type. Why did a young woman like Sena decide to work in this diner? That was a question I was anxious about for a while and it was finally solved. Also, if you ask me why she¡¯s fascinated by Noel, whose image is far from macho, it¡¯s because he is a special case. Noel has a thin figure and Sena said he should have a pretty good body. It has been conveyed that there are extraordinary commitments in the muscles. One more thing, I asked if the magicians type also enters the special case category. Her responses indicated that it¡¯s impossible. Good luck Collie! ? ? ? ? The business was busier than usual. The diner was suddenly closed last night and the ¡°preparing¡± sign wasn¡¯t turned around. The regulars were worried about what happened so they decided to stop by the next day. Today they found out that we were opened safely so they decided to stay for lunch. Furthermore, there have been more visits from a new customer base. The young soldiers from the royal palace stand out. Older males are the main regulars. There were few young customers in the past because it was probably difficult to enter. However, a few days ago, several young soldiers came to the diner in groups. Among them was a young man who brought bento from me when I first started selling it at the royal palace. His name is Cedor and I made quite a profit from him buying bentos. When I first thanked him for coming to the diner, he smiled and scratched his head as if he were embarrassed. ¡°Recently, it hasn¡¯t been easy to buy a bento. I can¡¯t stand it. I guess it¡¯s like an addiction. I want to eat freshly cooked food here as well. I been meaning to come to the diner at least once so it was nice to be invited to come by this guy here. The rice here is the best, isn¡¯t it?¡± (Cedor) ¡°I¡¯d be happy if you could somehow increase the number of bentos you bring to the royal palace. Recently there have been too many people who want to buy it so it¡¯s like a war zone.¡± There were cheerful exchanges between friends. The young companion overflow from freshness. It seems like it¡¯s not interesting when I¡¯m talking with the young people because the regulars chugged their water and yelled for more. They like they were sulky so they decided to be petty. It¡¯s another group of new guests. Recently even bad soldiers have come to the diner. The diner is liked by a wild range of customers so I contained myself and kept my patience. Nevertheless, I¡¯m about to reach my limits. For example, the food serving is slow and they complain about there not being any alcoholic drinks during the daytime. They also try to cut in front of a row people queuing outside. There were other regulars who were good temper but it became a big fuss that¡¯s on a verge of a brawl every time. There are troubled people everywhere. The diner couple¡¯s hands are also tied because they are also customers, even if they are rotten. I tried to consult the big brothers from the Corps during the bento delivery. The group of rowdy soldiers become timid and eats quickly and quietly when the captains come over for a meal. I hope that the young people who have begun to spread our diner around come by more often. At one point, the usual group of rotten soldiers came to eat. The diner owner came out of the kitchen and switched with me. Their first line is ¡°Bring me the same dish I ordered last week.¡± With so many customers coming to the store every day, I cannot remember their order. They originally came yesterday and the day before. I can still remember yesterday¡¯s order but for me to remember last week¡¯s order?! In the end, they just wanted to get in a fight in our diner. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s stress from work but the soldiers from the royal palace also have people with awful personalities. ¡°Customers, I¡¯m sorry but¡­¡± (Husband) When the husband attempted to apologize, the eyes of the men¡¯s glance became sharp. There was also signs of the usual sarcastic look. ¡°Diner owner, let¡¯s switch.¡± (Sena) At that time, Sena appeared. Sena was supposed to be delivering the bento the royal palace today. But it seems like she left as soon as possible. She seems to have heard of the interactions with those men and the diner owner. ¡°Customers, thank you for your order. The customer had a meal set of beef dumplings, two of the spicy baked pork meal set. Is the order correct? It¡¯s currently crowded in the diner so we don¡¯t have time to prepare it.¡° (Sena) Eh? Sena remembered the orders?! The men looked at the Sena with a weird look on their face but they recovered quickly. ¡°I can¡¯t wait like that, I¡¯m out in the middle of work!¡± ¡°I am truly sorry. Well then, by all means, on another occasion then.¡± (Sena) ¡°What? You want to drive out a customer?!¡± ¡°There is no such thing. We don¡¯t want to inconvenience you as you are in a hurry and tight on time.¡± (Sena) ¡°The other guy¡¯s food didn¡¯t take too long!¡± ¡°In some cases, we may be able to serve you early. However, since the customer seemed to be very concerned about your time, I thought it would be better to tell you beforehand.¡± (Sena) ¡°Bring everything quickly!¡± ¡°Excuse me, it would be a bother to the customers around you. Will you be able to lower your voice a bit?¡± (Sena) Are you trying to make the situation worse Sena? ¡°This is my voice! You don¡¯t get to complain about it!¡± ¡°Thank you, but please refrain from talking while you are in the diner. Please cooperate in creating a pleasant experience for everyone.¡± (Sena) ¡°Y-y-you¡­¡± The man pushed Sena. The act itself is outrageous violence. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± (Sena) Sena was pushed far away. She flew across the room and landed loudly. Her head was also bumped against the corner of the table. ¡°Sena!¡± ¡°Sena-chan!¡±s While the diner was in chaos, Sena collapsed while holding her head. She whispers to herself in pain. Sena stood up while staggering. She has an aura that cannot be expressed in words. Other guests tried to lend a hand but were pushed away from Sena¡¯s angry aura. Sena slowly walked up to the men. ¡°Customer¡­¡± (Sena) ¡°Eek.¡± ¡°Violence is a problem.¡± (Sena) A smile full with power appears on her face. ¡°Please let us discuss this matter with each of the senior staff members.¡± (Sena) ¡°That¡¯s domineering. I only pressed your arm lightly.¡± ¡°You may also appeal to the police officers. You can talk to Dan Weaver of the First Division, Luke Heather of the Fifth Division and Tito Lancan of the Seventh Division.¡± (Sena) Have you listen to the name and its affiliation? The men repeated the phrase while looking at each other¡¯s pale face. It¡¯s Sena¡¯s victory. The men quickly gathered themselves and splatted some words while running out the diner. The other guests who were watching the situation inside the diner applauded. Sena raised her hand was showing off her victorious pose. Those bad men are banned from entering our diner. And since then, there was a tacit consent that Sena was the person who should never get angry in the diner. ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s note: Long time no see. It has been a weird, stressful, sad heart breaks and a lot of mixed emotions the past few months. I¡¯ve been thinking about resuming the translation for a while but every time I try, something new comes up. It¡¯s infuriating because it¡¯s something totally out of my control. I couldn¡¯t sleep so I decided to hop back on and at least try to concentrate and finish the rest of the chapter I¡¯ve started and stopped on multiple times. Anyhoo, this chapter was interesting. You see a new side of Sena as well as the type of guy she likes. Poor Collie! Chapter 21 November 13, 2018 Translated by Shufen As usual, I headed to the magic institute to deliver the bento. I was going to check in with Ordias-sama to see if there has been any progress. It looks like he is out of the office today. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t really be at the institute at all. Instead of seeing him, I see Luna-san and Collie-san sitting down facing each other. What on earth are you doing? ¡°Hello.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, Haruka~ Hello! I¡¯ve been waiting for the bento!¡± (Luna) Luna welcomed me while smiling with big shiny eyes. She takes the basket of bentos and starts taking the bentos out. I was curious to see the board game they were playing. It is a square board that¡¯s drawn similarly to shogi or go. There were game pieces that look like eyes. It¡¯s contains the faint lights of white and blue. It¡¯s very beautiful. Collie noticed me staring at the board and laughed gently. ¡°This is a board game using magic. Each one of these pieces is a position. It is a game that keeps track of that position.¡± Oh, Reversi¡­ I wonder if this game uses the same system. ¡°We normally use the white and blue stones to hold the positions, but since we¡¯re magicians, we are using magic to make it look like this.¡± (Collie) Collie pushes one of his game pieces with his fingers. The square that was blue changed to blue. Wow! It looks like an illusion. ¡°It must be nice that you can use magic.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Do you want to try it Haruka? We use this board a lot and it stored a lot of magical powers. It¡¯s easy for ordinary people to move it.¡± (Collie) ¡°Oh, is that true?¡± (Haruka) When I was the Priestess, I could use simple magic. I thought it was like a dream at that time, but can I still use magic in this world? I secretly held my breath in anticipation. I tried to imitate Collie using my finger on one of the squares. -But the blue light didn¡¯t change to white at all. ¡°Was that a little too much?¡± (Collie) Collie muttered an apology while frowning. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t have any magic at all.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Well, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s just a matter of getting used to it.¡± (Collie) A matter of getting accustomed to it? But I used to use it in the past, I¡¯m already accustomed to it. As I thought, I¡¯ve become an ordinary person. I knew it, but it was still painful. ¡°Come to think of it, Haruka, did you meet Sotini?¡± (Luna) Luna, who came back from hanging out bentos, asked me this question while opening up her bento. Sotini? It¡¯s a name I¡¯ve never heard of before. ¡°No, who is it?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, if you haven¡¯t met her, it¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t. It¡¯ll surely be troublesome for you if you do. I¡¯ll say, if you ask me, I think it¡¯s better to not know such a bigotry and obstinate magician at all. Apparently, having a maiden heart isn¡¯t easy. Perhaps she is one of the victims of regrettable love.¡± (Luna) I still don¡¯t understand the story. ¡°Sotini is the name of the female priest for the royal palace.¡± (Collie) Collie gave me some information about her. ¡°She¡¯s an enthusiastic follower of Ordias-sama. Even though she seems to be a very competent and dignified priest, but you can hear her whispering about marrying Ordias-sama. It¡¯s hard to say that she¡¯s a chaste virtuous woman who serves God¡­ she¡¯s a very passionate person.¡± (Collie) A follower of Ordias-sama! There¡¯s such a woman? Well, he does have a good looking face. It may not be strange to be admired from afar. As for me, I¡¯d like to vote for Luna¡¯s ruthless comment. ¡°It seems like Sotini is hostile towards Haruka. The selfishness of a maiden in love is a universal fact.¡± (Luna) ¡°Huh? Why me? Hey, Luna. I¡¯ve never met him before.¡± (Haruka) I¡¯d like to hear everything from Collie, but I¡¯ve heard enough so far. Why would I be regarded as an enemy by the female priest? I¡¯ve never seen her before. ¡°If you haven¡¯t met yet, it would be better for you to be informed. Sotini is suspicious of Ordias-sama¡¯s relationship with Haruka. Ordias-sama, who she been longing for a long while, never turn to look at her. But, to hear that a young lady who is a commoner caught his attention¡­¡± (Luna) ¡°Wait a moment, are you referring to me like that young lady from a commoner¡¯s family?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Hey, Haruka.¡± How did it happen? The bento box delivery to the magic institute still happens a couple times a week and I¡¯ve only seen Ordias-sama twice. It¡¯s surprising that my meetings with Ordias-sama became known to people outside of the magic institute. ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. It¡¯s impossible. First of all, Ordias-sama is over thirty, isn¡¯t he?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Haruka¡­that¡¯s quite a few words.¡± Collie muttered while pulling on her cheeks. Oh, but of course, there¡¯s plenty of wonderful people in their thirties in the world. ¡°Anyhow, that¡¯s why Sotini seems to be looking around for Haruka. There¡¯s also a priest¡¯s duty during the day so I think it¡¯s not easy to meet Haruka during your bento delivery. But just in case, be careful if you do. In any case, it¡¯ll be best to escape before being completely beat up.¡± (Luna) Please refrain from the thought of such a troublesome thing. ¡°Haruka, were you originally acquainted with Ordias-sama? Collie asked curiously. ¡°Huh?¡± (Haruka) ¡°When I came in before, it seemed like you two were talking. Ordias-sama dislike people but, to talk slowly and carefully with a person during their first meeting¡­ no¡­ it¡¯s impossible.¡± (Collie) ¡°No¡­¡± (Haruka) I wonder how Collie¡¯s guess became so accurate. However, it seems to be troublesome after a while, even if it¡¯s somewhat funny. It¡¯s likely that there will be opportunities to consult with Ordias-sama in the future so I¡¯ll be troubled if this sort of thing comes up again. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re old acquaintance.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Is that right!¡± (Collie) ¡°Haa¡­he¡¯s my mentor. Well¡­it¡¯s actually not like this but, ummm¡­well¡­ it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve been taken care off¡­¡± (Haruka) Luna can¡¯t help but to smile at me. ¡°I understand! Haruka has been evaluated by Ordias-sama. The fact that you understand Ordias-sama the most. I don¡¯t want to admit from the bottom of my heart, it means there is a deep relationship.¡± (Luna) ¡°He is a strange person. When did he become acquainted with such a young lady?¡± It¡¯s embarrassing for them to search for a concrete relation between Ordias-sama and I. I hurriedly grab the empty basket. ¡°Well, if you excuse me, I would be going today.¡± (Haruka) I want to go home after being cornered. I left the magic institute behind while sticking on a fake smile on my face. ? ? ? ? But, Sotini. If I really get tangled up, it¡¯ll be awfully troublesome. I started walking down the corridor of the royal palace while sighing. The tall windows are evenly spaced in the corridor. The sunlight that shines through and the bird¡¯s chirping creates a comfortable atmosphere. I also want to be a bird¡­ Even so, this is really really annoying. It¡¯s impossible for me and Ordias-sama to have anything between us. Even if the heavens and earth are turned upside down. If such a rumor enters Ordias-sama¡¯s hear, I¡¯ll have a heart attack. This is genuinely frightening. What if I fail to return to the original world? What am I to do? No no¡­absolutely not. Personally, I don¡¯t pretend to do remarkable things, but the people around me are looking at unnecessary things. ¡°oh, you¡¯re that child who works at the diner. Can I talk to you for a second?¡± I suddenly heard a voice so I jumped back. For an instant I thought it was Sotini, but soon after I realized it was a man¡¯s voice. I turn to look behind me and it was a man in his twenties running towards me. From his outfit, it looks like he¡¯s a cook? ¡°Sorry, can I have a moment?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s bento delivery has already ended.¡± (Haruka) I lift the cover of the basket. After confirming that it was completely empty, he dropped his shoulder. ¡°You guys have a good reputation.¡± ¡°Umm, when I bring it to the magic institute, they buy it all at once. So¡­ you didn¡¯t have a chance in the first place.¡± (Haruka) ¡°Ahh¡­is that so.¡± Recently, people from different departments have begun to request that we go to them. However, it is impossible to deliver it to any other place. The royal palace doesn¡¯t allow us to sell to other areas other than the training sites and magic institute. So, the situation is inevitable. ¡°Well then, I wonder if you can deliver to my department tomorrow.¡± ¡°For the survival of the business, speak through the proper department within the royal palace¡­¡± (Haruka) ¡°Well, is it difficult?¡± ¡°Which department would you like the delivery be sent to?¡± (Haruka) ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m Rick. I¡¯m in charge of the cooking in the cafeteria. I¡¯d like you to deliver it to our chef¡¯s room.¡± (Rick) Huh? You¡¯ll like the bento to be deliver to a professional chef? Is that okay? Rick seems to have noticed my doubt and gave me a smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an embarrassing story, but there has been less people visiting the dining hall recently because of the inconveniences of short hours of operation. A number of staff has been sent home. Originally, the number of staff was small, but the royal palace started to think that it¡¯s time to decrease the number of staff because the number of visitors have decreased a lot.¡± (Rick) ¡°We certainly didn¡¯t have to worry about sales and reputation. The lack of motivation was passed around amongst the staff. So I think I¡¯ll reflect on it and find motivation for the people around me.¡± (Rick) I¡¯m going to save a bento for you Rick! ¡°There¡¯s a limited amount of bento to be sold so it¡¯s treated as a ¡°phantom¡± among the soldiers. I guess it also helps with the rarity, but still with only twenty bento boxes, it¡¯s amazing to see the soldiers look forward to it. So I¡¯d like to try the bento because of the reputation of it within the royal palace. But it¡¯s impossible for us chefs to go to the training camp to buy the bento during the lunch break.¡± (Rick) Of course. It is the busiest time of the day for a chef. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to ask for a delivery, but indeed¡­ the royal palace doesn¡¯t allow the bento to be delivered. But I¡¯ll definitely sneak out of the kitchen to go buy it.¡± (Rick) The crowds at the royal palace are so serious. For Rick and his friends, our diner may be a slump in his eyes. Still, let¡¯s not harass him. Rather let¡¯s motivate him! Isn¡¯t that a wonderful ambition? ¡­If it¡¯s only a little bit, I wonder if I can get Rick¡¯s bentos secured. ? ? ? ? Chapter 22 - Reunion ? ? ? ? Translator¡¯s note: (??¥î?)?*:??? I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how their reunion would play out but I definitely didn¡¯t expect him to sneak into her bedroom in the middle of the night to tell her to go back with him. Luckily she was already awake. Otherwise, I wonder what Noel would do to wake her up~ (? ?>? ¨Œ ?