"Huh? Is this an invitation addressed to me?" (Mitsuha)
"Hmm..." (King)
Sabine-chan told me that the king was calling, so I went to the royal palace and was told this.
Sending an invitation addressed to a viscount through the king rather than the viscount directly, it's not like it would come from an ordinary aristocrat...
As a viscount, I was too low-class to send it directly in my own name.
So, it was sent to my king, and I was ordered to appear in court by the king.
That's right! That's just an "invitation" in name, it's compulsion, it's an "order to appear"!
The only people who could do such a thing would be those who were equal to or in a higher position than the king.
...In other words, it's a king or emperor of another country, or something like that.
"I don't know what kind of event it is, but I'm busy so I'll be declining. Please let them know that I will be absent." (Mitsuha)
"I thought you would say that..." (King)
The king looked troubled.
Well, I guess so.
Refusing an invitation from someone with the highest authority in another country, even someone of a far lower rank, was an act that puts the other party in shame. Normally, this would be a matter that I would have to cancel all other plans and ignore.
……I refuse!!
"What's so bad about it? It's unacceptable to comply with a unilateral request from someone you don't know!
...No, no, that's unacceptable!" (Mitsuha)
It's okay, it's bad to talk to the king, as expected...
"Sister, your words are strange. Let's just talk normally, there's no one else around..." (Sabine)
Yes, just as Sabine-chan said, the only people here were the King, the Prime Minister, and me. Well, I didn't have to worry too much about it, they're like my relatives...how about that for the king and the prime minister!!
...Well, okay. It's too late now...
"So, what is the title of the invitation? Also, who is the recipient in the first place?" (Mitsuha)
Yes. If I didn't ask that, I wouldn't start.
"No, normally you would confirm that before refusing, right?" (King)
Yeah, well, the king had a point.
And then the king explained the circumstances...
"...Then, the king of that country called 'Aleidis Kingdom' wants to meet Lightning Archpriestess (me)? What is his purpose?" (Mitsuha)
"On the surface, it's a courtesy call. But the truth is, I don't know." (King)
Huh?
"Courtesy calls are something that lower-ranking people do, right? There's even a word for it, 'courtesy visits,' and the lower-ranking party is the one paying the visit, right? In other words, the invitation was only in name; 'Come for a courtesy visit, you lowly bastard!' Does it mean like that? After all, this is a compulsory summons to appear... King-sama, is this someone you can't refuse?" (Mitsuha)
Ah, the king looks so sad...
"For the time being, our country is a proponent of an alliance to counter invasions from other continents and is its chairman. However, this only means 'maintaining a fair position and acting as a coordinator for each country'; it does not have any strong authority and cannot take advantage of that position. And if you think about it without that..." (King)
"Are you saying that the other side is a larger country and has a better position?" (Mitsuha)
"……" (King)
Ah, the king is getting more and more depressed...
Well, that couldn't be helped. Since it's diplomacy, it couldn't be helped that a country in a higher position acted proud.
If that's frustrating, then the only thing we could do was increase our national power, surpass the other country, and get something back in return.
"That country was during our groundwork arrangement trip..."
"Hmm, Viscount Yamano and the others haven’t visited. If Viscount Yamano were to visit as an envoy from our country, which is in a lower position, there was a risk that they would make unreasonable demands on the Lightning Archpriestess out of curiosity. That's why I asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to go there."
"Ah~..." (Mitsuha)
Yes, it seemed possible. Things like "Show me the goddess's blessings", "Stay in this country", "I'll make you my mistress"...
Also, sending a minister instead of just a diplomat showed consideration for the other country, but perhaps the other side was dissatisfied with the fact that the Lightning Archpriestess was not allowed to go.
"Then, I guess I’ll pass!" (Mitsuha)
"Whaaaaaaaat!"
"No, it’s obvious, isn’t it? They’re calling me out on purpose, aren’t they? I’m sure the purpose is to make an unreasonable request! I don't like human sacrifice... Even though I might never be able to come back to this country again after I leave..." (Mitsuha)
"No way!!" (Sabine)
Okay, Sabine-chan bites!
As planned....
The king could not go against Sabine-chan.
In case of an emergency, Sabine-chan had something called "Loan Points" to the King. Sabine-chan said that it's not decreasing, but it's increasing...
Okay, now I can avoid any hassle!
"I'll go with you too!" (Sabine)
"Whaaaaaaaat!" (Everyone)
Not only me, but the king and the prime minister also let out a cry of surprise.
...No, well, you can either oppose it or force her to accompany me.
After all, she's Sabine-chan...
Well, if the princess was with me, they wouldn't be able to capture her and not bring her home, and they wouldn't be so unreasonable.
Sabine-chan probably thought that she could protect me if she followed me.
Certainly, if something were to happen to Sabine-chan, the nobles and citizens of this country would definitely not forgive the other country.
Sabine-chan was very popular with both the nobles and the people...
The nobles were eager to have Sabine-chan as their son's wife, and the people seemed to believe that the country would prosper, and the lives of commoners would be enriched if Sabine-chan was here.
...That seemed like it would bring more blessings than "Lightning Archpriestess (me)"!
If they didn't harm Sabine-chan or let her go back...
And Sabine-chan wouldn't leave me alone. ……absolutely.
In that case, no joke, there could even be war.
Well, of course, the other side probably knew that much too.
...Let's leave that aside for now.
No, there's no one who can stop Sabine-chan from saying something like this, so I won't go into it, and I need to get to the important stuff first.
If I don't confirm that, I won't be able to move forward with the story.
"King-sama, is the invitation to 'Viscount Yamano'? Or to 'Lightning Archpriestess'? And how does the other side recognize me? A beloved child favored by the goddess? A messenger of the goddess? Her Royal Highness the Queen of a great country? Or is she just the daughter of a lower-class nobleman who was carried as a portable shrine to boost the morale of the soldiers during the battle against the Empire?" (Mitsuha)
Yeah, when it came to me, this was true even among the aristocrats in Japan, but there's a pretty big difference in opinion in the surrounding countries. Things like our relationship with this country, the amount of information we had obtained and its accuracy, or being caught up in thinking that was biased by wishful thinking...
Therefore, depending on what the other person thought of me, the way they acted and the way I responded would change.
And what was important here was whether the person they called was "Viscount Yamano, a lowly nobleman from a lowly country" or "Lightning Archpriestess, who can summon divine soldiers through the miracle of the goddess."
Yeah, that's the difference between whether I had to take care of myself or not.
Who exactly was the other party?
By doing so, I had to show them something that met their expectations.
...It's an invitation!!
Author's Note
Volume 9 of "Roukin" was published on March 1st!
Thank you very much for your support! (^^)/
And on March 12th, the 5th volume (complete) of the "Noukin" reboot comic is scheduled to be published.
Additionally, thank you very much for your support! (^^)/
Translator's Note
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