Among the nobles of Kingdom of Brandell, Princess Morena's popularity was skyrocketing. The process of establishing the female guard squad and the hidden special task force Wonder Trio searching for Viscount Askham.
This time, she was leading a small group of troops to the front lines together with the Wonder Trio group. Of the surrounding countries that participated in this battle, she was the only one who was within the top five in line to the throne and participated in the battle on the front lines of "The Absolute Defense Battle Albarn Empire Against Invaders."
This was unavoidable, as the other royal families were leading their regular armies to the east in the "Aubram Kingdom Royal Capital Absolute Defense Battle". However, as the only person in line to the throne to carry the royal flag on the front lines, a young, pretty and beautiful girl like her, fighting on the front lines rather than merely serving as a figurehead or giving orders from the safety of the rear, was a picturesque sight. As a novice hunter, Princess Morena had gained experience fighting monsters in her temporary party and was fearlessly casting offensive magic at the orcs and ogres. The royal family, like the nobles, had been fed not only beautiful women but also those with great magical talents by top breeders for many years...
Furthermore, imagining what would happen if the princess died and they returned alive, the noble girls fought desperately to protect Princess Morena. There was no way that the Nanomachiness could miss such a delicious picture. Also, Princess Morena was an acquaintance of Mile—though they had only met once. So, it was only natural that she was chosen as one of the Nanomachiness' featured images, "Battle footage projected through the skies across the continent." The struggle of Princess Morena and the Women's Guard Squad spread across the country, no, across the continent. The women's guard squad was also a unit that Princess Morena herself planned and established. As an added bonus, the highly successful Wonder Trio was also the member of the female guard squad established by Princess Morena.
The beautiful princess trembles in fear as the monsters approach, and although she whined, she didn't back down a single step, standing with her arms crossed as she continued to fire attack magic. Her brave figure was broadcast across the continent, and the nobles and royals who had not gone to the battlefield saw it and felt ashamed of themselves. They also vowed to never make the girl cry again, and to protect her. And the commoners shed tears at the sight of the royal girl standing on the front lines to protect them—That was the moment that Princess Morena captured the hearts of people all over the continent and rose to the status of idol.
Already, talks were rising among the nobles and common people such as, "Perhaps Princess Morena would be a good choice to be the next queen," and "Our country will be safe if Her Majesty Queen Morena rules," and furthermore, neighboring countries were all secretly plotting to make Princess Morena the fiancée of their own crown princes—Princess Morena's time to be popular had come.
Additionally, the girls in the female guard squad were also inundated with engagement proposals from the heirs of high-ranking noble families. The newly formed women's guard squad was on the verge of falling apart due to the influx of women retiring. However, they seemed to have no intention of retiring just yet, as they intended to make the most of their fame and secured better marriage prospects...
"This is a problem. What should I do...?" (Mariette)
Of the two academies in the royal capital of Kingdom of Tils, August Academy was the lesser of the two. This school was equivalent to Ekland Academy, the school that Mile attended, in Kingdom of Brandell. Mariette, a commoner scholarship student, was troubled in the girls' dormitory. Yes, it was the position equivalent to Aureana in Wonder Trio. The difference was that while Aureana achieved her position through sheer ability, Mariette was able to pass the scholarship exam thanks to Mile's rigorous education and the support of her "Exclusive Nanomachiness."
However, Mariette was originally a kind and righteous child, and fearing being abandoned by the Goddess's followers who had lent her their strength, she would never commit any evil deeds. She was literally a girl worthy of being called a saint. As for why she's in trouble...
"There have already been over 100 proposals of engagement and adoption..." (Mariette)
Yes, that was what had been written in the letter from his father.
Mariette was the daughter of a commoner whose father ran a mid-sized merchant house. However, because of Mile, she had been messing around since the day of the entrance exam, and had already become famous among the temple, healing magicians, and hunters, earning nicknames such as "Goddess," "H-Bomb Princess," "Explosive Saint," and "Guardian of the Academy." Furthermore, Angel-sama and her friends, her extraordinary offensive and healing magic, and other things became public knowledge, and marriage proposals from aristocrats and the heirs of large businesses began to flood in like a cloud. ...By the way, a "H-bomb" was a magic spell that hurled water at something with explosive force. It had nothing to do with nuclear fusion.
Mariette's family did not have the power to withstand the pressure from nobles, big stores, temples, and so on. However, no matter which of the many applications they chose, they didn't think the other applicants would just give up. And above all, Mariette herself, not even an adult yet, wanted absolutely no part in becoming engaged to a man much older than her and whom she had never met.
"What should I do...?" (Mariette)
Mariette was troubled, but...
"Ah!" (Mariette)
Suddenly, Mariette's face looked as if a light bulb had lit up above her head.
"That's right, I'll become a shrine maiden!" (Mariette)
It seemed she had come up with some kind of solution.
"Because I'm alone and have no backing, I stand out and become a target. So, if I had someone's backing and was standing at the feet of someone more prominent than me, I wouldn't stand out and wouldn't be attacked! And it would be a place where the nobles and the temple wouldn't complain or interfere! That's right, I can become a shrine maiden to the Angel (Mile) and work as her attendant! Since I am said to be a saint, I have no problem serving Angel-sama, and no one can complain. And no one can force a shrine maiden to get engaged or married! I'm sure that Mile-sensei will definitely protect me!!" (Mariette)
...It seemed she had found a way to escape...
"Whaaaat?" (Mile)
This time, not all of Crimson Vow were called, but only Mile, to attend the royal palace. If it was something to do with Kingdom of Brandell, or something to do with Mile as Angel-sama, then that wouldn't have been strange. So, Mile came alone and heard the story directly from His Majesty the King...
"M-my-my shrine, is going to be built?" (Mile)
Yes, it was an incredible story.
"Wouldn't it be natural to prepare a throne for Angel-sama? And so that there would be no complaints from the neighboring countries, it was decided that the location would be the border between our country Kingdom of Tils, Kingdom of Brandell, and Albarn Empire." His Majesty the King seemed to show some respect for Mile, but he did not seem to intend to treat her with the same attitude or language as a human would treat a goddess, or as a lower being would treat the supreme beings. As for Mile, she would also appreciate that. And speaking of the place where the three countries met—Yes, it was the place that was once the Barony of Aleiman and was now ruled by Kelvin von Vailiam.
"Within a circle with a radius of 1000 meters, centered on the point where the three countries meet. This will be a sacred area free from interference from any country, and a temple will be built in its center. Around the temple would be built residential areas for the priests and believers, inns and shops for believers who came from afar to worship, and the outer perimeter would be turned into plazas, parks, fields, and so on. There is a small river running through the area, so along with the well, there is no risk of water shortages. And our country's territory, the Count Mile von Askham's territory, is the area adjacent to that on our side."
Incidentally, the Countdom of Askham in the Empire was also an area facing the sanctuary. Both countries appeared to have acted quite aggressively, transferring several nobles who originally ruled the area to other territories under favorable conditions. However, the nobles who were transferred received better territories, and the fact that they had handed their territories over to Mile also gave them a significant political card, so far from being dissatisfied, they seemed very satisfied. Furthermore, when the residents heard that their savior, Angel-sama, would rule the territory in which they live, they were overjoyed and celebrated...
It seemed that a trustworthy governor would be dispatched from the country, so at the very least, there wouldn't be any problems related to the territory—In the first place, it seemed there was anyone who would deceive or betray Angel-sama. If there were any such people, they would surely be captured by the first person who approached them in an attempt to recruit them and turned them over to the guards.
Only Kingdom of Brandell made the former Viscounty of Askham a Marquisate, and it was quite far from the Sanctuary, and its size was far from being called a marquisate. This was thought to be due to the prevailing opinion that Mile would soon be married off to royalty or a high-ranking nobleman, and therefore that the territory of her ancestors, which she was attached to, would carry more weight, and also because it was thought that if the territory was away from the sanctuary, Mile would be able to move around the country more frequently rather than secluding herself within the sanctuary.
"Wha, wha-wha..." (Mile)
It seemed that the details had already been arranged for each department.
Except for Mile herself...
Author's Note
Volume 16 of Noukin will finally be published on Tuesday, December 7th!
The decisive battle is coming soon! The night before the battle is depicted in a newly written short story, color pin-ups, and black-and-white illustrations in a revised and expanded book version!! (^^)/
And the various perks are as follows:
"I said to make my abilities average! ⑯" Bookstore Bonus
...
Thank you very much. (^^)/
And the new comic series by Mori Kiyuki-sensei, who also illustrated the Noukin spin-off manga, "Didn't I say to live an average life?", "An Abandoned Old Man and an Evil God's Otherworldly Pioneering Life: Slow Life and Village Building, and Sometimes Sudden Back Pain," is now available on various e-book sites! (^^)/