In a state where the intentions of various factions were mixed, it would be difficult to enthrone Liliana as the queen of the New Yangus Kingdom.
I, Hal Harem Von Raymond, along with Alicia and Ilicha, making a total of 16 Party Members of the “Princess Harem,” departed from our base mansion on the outskirts of Granza, the Imperial Capital of the Espana Imperial Kingdom. We embarked on a journey to tour the western nations, calling it the Second Expedition Trip.
Our first destination was the Former Yver Duchy Territory, Sophie’s homeland, which we had finally passed through. Now, we have arrived in the Former Yangus Kingdom Territory, Liliana’s homeland.
Even so, we have encountered various troubles and are considerably behind schedule.
Regarding our travel funds, we have enough for now by selling the bounty materials obtained from defeating the erotic magical beasts of Twin Peaks Mountain at the Adventurer Guild we stopped at.
If we were to run short, we could always earn more through adventurer activities. In an emergency, we had the final option of sending Swan Hilda via Sky-soaring to “Bess-chan,” Princess Elizabeth, who resides in the White Castle of the Espana Imperial Kingdom, to beg for funds.
Furthermore, we had left Sophie and Ilicha, who had gained new bodies under the tutelage of Rulus, the great alchemist, so our party had been reduced to 14 members.
“Master, do you need something from me, yo?”
No, to be precise, the Holy Spirit Serena, formerly known as the Sex Spirit Oya-jin, whom I had freed from the Sacred Ark of Sealing at the Twin Peaks Mountain where we last stopped, was perched on my shoulder.
Sensing my gaze, Serena looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Looking at Serena up close, she was undoubtedly a peerlessly beautiful girl, which felt quite unreasonable.
“Serena, we’re approaching a town soon, and the road is getting more crowded. Stay hidden so no one notices you. Also, can you do something about that way of speaking directly into my mind?”
“My voice is telepathy, speaking directly to the heart, yo. Of course, I can speak normally too, yo.”
Apparently, Holy Spirit Serena, created long ago, didn’t know much of the current language.
So, she had been communicating using the skill of telepathy. However, through conversations with us, she had gained knowledge of modern languages, so she would speak normally from now on.
“Of course, I won’t make such a mistake, yo. I am a Holy Spirit sent by God, after all, yo?”
Serena, full of confidence, smiled and transformed into an invisible state.
This Holy Spirit Serena was strangely high-performing in certain aspects.
It seemed that Serena considered me a Hero. I had suggested to her that as a guide for Heroes, she should go to the Hero Party of the current Hero, Albert Sandia. However, she had said she didn’t want to because of the old man and the stubborn old geezer (Lester Adamon)…
This was a truly headache-inducing matter.
Then, at a teahouse where we stopped at Elise’s request, we happened to hear some interesting rumors. The first was that a princess from the Yangas Royal Family named Yuliana was acting as the leader of anti-Espana activities. However, looking at Liliana’s expression, there might be something more to it. The second was information about a phantom thief posing as a righteous outlaw. Well, I didn’t think it had anything to do with us.
Although the sun was still a bit high, we decided to stay tonight in Ishlan, a town on the border with the Yver Duchy, and discuss our future plans. We strolled through the main street of Ishlan, a post town, and decided to stay at a rather upscale inn called “Fragrance of the White Lily” for the night. According to Liliana’s explanation, lilies were considered sacred and cherished in the Yangas Kingdom. It was said that when the Marquis Yangas, who was recognized by Emperor Waiyar of the time to establish the kingdom after achieving victory in battles against the Demon Lord Army, was accompanied by a peerlessly beautiful woman known as the “Saintess of the White Lily,” who would later become his queen. Since then, the Yangas Kingdom has treated white lilies with particular reverence. Incidentally, “Bess-chan,” Princess Elizabeth of the Espana Imperial Kingdom, also has a lily as her crest, which is an interesting coincidence. This suggests that the lily has been cherished as a sacred flower since ancient times.
“We have finally arrived in the Former Yangus Kingdom Territory, our second destination. First, let’s gather information. We’ll discuss our future plans.”
We gathered everyone in the large room that would serve as their sleeping quarters to decide on our future course of action. This was because we didn’t have a clear objective like visiting Rulus’s place, as we did for Sophie.
“I’m interested in the person named Yuliana that the gentlemen were talking about at the teahouse earlier,” Elise said, puffing out her chest as if she had accomplished something by obtaining this information. Of course, Elise’s large breasts shook with a “thump,” but it’s probably best to keep secret that her stomach also jiggled with a “pon.” I heard she had lost a little weight from her exploits at Twin Peaks Mountain…
“Liliana, is Yuliana a member of the Yangas royalty?” I asked, echoing Elise’s statement.
“Yes, Yuliana is my half-sister, one year younger than me. I had thought she died when the Crystal Palace, our royal castle, fell. However, that girl was very frail, so I don’t think she could endure strenuous work like leading a rebellion—”
After that, the conversation became lively about the rebellion and Second Princess Yuliana, but further speculation was difficult. So, we spent our free time until sunset gathering information, but ultimately, we couldn’t get any significant additional intel.
Then, a few more days passed, and we arrived in Schwerin, the former capital of the Former Yangus Kingdom Territory. We surveyed the surrounding area along the way. Unfortunately, except for a few towns that had seen fierce battles with the Espana Imperial Army, the villages and towns elsewhere seemed to be carrying on as before. The most noticeable thing was the recruitment posters for the Human Race Army to fight the Demon Lord Army plastered everywhere. These were calls for volunteers and did not involve forced conscription. This was apparently due to the intentions of Count Kol, the Governor who was provisionally ruling the pacified territory. Count Kol was rumored to be a stubborn but capable and upright man. Indeed, it was easy to imagine that forcing conscription in newly pacified lands would result in low troop morale and hinder efforts rather than help.
The great River Leete flows through the center of the capital, Schwerin. The left side of the river contained residential areas for commoners and commercial districts, while the right side was centered around the Crystal Palace, the royal castle, and lined with the mansions of nobles. Two long bridges spanned the River Leete, and ferries were also in use. Additionally, canals crisscrossed the capital, making it a city of water. However, due to the invasion by the Espana Imperial Army, the area around the royal castle, the site of the final fierce battle, was a pile of rubble, and the two long bridges had burned down. Restoration work was still underway. It seemed the fighting was confined to the vicinity of the royal castle, as the surrounding townscape appeared to have been spared damage. Of course, there were scattered ruins of burned-down mansions in the surrounding areas, but it was clear that the Espana Imperial Army had taken precautions against fires.
“I… I’ve returned. The mission my father gave me… *sob* … I couldn’t complete it… *sob*…”
We were observing the current state of the capital from a small hill overlooking Schwerin, the former capital. Then, Liliana, overwhelmed with emotion, began to cry softly.
“Liliana, you did your best. Besides, even if you had arrived then, the Waiyar Imperial Kingdom wouldn’t have had the spare soldiers to send you,” Ly said, gently hugging Liliana to comfort her.
“Gu-fu-fu-fu, the embrace between two peerlessly beautiful girls is a fine sight. I want to comfort them too, yo.”
Then, Holy Spirit Serena, formerly known as Sex Spirit Oya-jin, who had appeared on my shoulder, fixated on Liliana and Ly embracing, practically drooling. Rumor has it that Liliana rejects Sex Spirit Oya-jin’s “breast-fondling,” so she’s likely targeting her as prey. On the other hand, Liliana seems to be saving it as a bargaining chip with Sex Spirit Oya-jin, beyond simple dislike.
According to the results of our subsequent investigation, the rebel forces led by Yuliana were active throughout the Former Yangus Kingdom Territory. However, Yuliana herself had only been sighted in cities other than the capital. This was because Schwerin, the former capital, was heavily guarded, with the main force of the Espana Imperial Army stationed there, along with Count Kol, the official overseeing provisional governance. Information about Count Kol’s residence was kept secret. Incidentally, his mansion was reportedly a requisitioned property among the noble mansions. The fact that he was concealing his whereabouts for security reasons suggested that Count Kol was a cautious man. Furthermore, the Espana Imperial Army had requisitioned several other mansions to confuse intelligence, as Mai explained. Despite this, we, posing as mere adventurers, managed to gather information by somehow avoiding checkpoints and patrols. However, for Liliana, who was likely recognized as the former First Princess of the Yangas Kingdom succession, we took the precaution of having her wait at the inn or give instructions from inside the carriage, minimizing her contact with outsiders. Meanwhile, we also received information that a certain phantom thief, with whom we had no connection, was operating as a righteous outlaw in Schwerin. This phantom thief, who called herself Phantom Thief Le Vina☆Star, was acting conspicuously, so information about her came in on its own.
The sun was setting, so we needed to find lodging for the night. We decided to stay at “Madonna Lily,” a mid-range inn in the lodging district for commoners on the left side of the former capital, Schwerin. I truly felt the abundance of lily-related names in this Former Yangus Kingdom Territory.
Afterward, we continued our reconnaissance activities diligently, but we still hesitated to make contact with the rebel forces. This was because Liliana, who knew Yuliana, the leader, said she had a bad feeling about it. Meanwhile, we had encountered individuals inciting anti-Espana activities among crowds gathered in squares several times. However, witnessing some members of the rebel forces moving with unnatural, doll-like motions, I too had a sixth sense that something was fishy. In a state where the intentions of various factions were mixed, it would be difficult to enthrone Liliana as the queen of the New Yangus Kingdom.
“Hal, isn’t it unusually noisy around here?”
As I was getting irritated by the lack of a clear direction for our future plans, Alicia informed me that something was strange about the surroundings. Indeed, Espana Imperial Army and security personnel had been moving hastily. Had an emergency occurred?
“You’re right, Alicia, something seems to have happened. We don’t want to poke a sleeping dragon, so let’s head back to the inn for today.”
“Yes, Hal-sama!”
Currently, we were gathering information in small groups. Behind me were Alicia, Edele, and Eria.
“Hal-sama, this small path ahead is a shortcut to the inn.”
Edele pointed to a narrow path leading into the back alleys of the lower town, visible beyond a bridge spanning the canal, as a shortcut to the inn where we were staying, ” Madonna Lily.” Following Edele’s lead, we began to move. Schwerin, the former capital of the Yangus Kingdom, was crisscrossed with canals drawing from the abundant water of the River Leete, which divided the city in the center. Numerous bridges spanned these canals, presenting us with exotic scenery.
“Hal-sama! Hal-sama!! Someone has collapsed near the base of that bridge!” Eria exclaimed, sharp-eyed, discovering someone lying down. I assumed it was a Homeless person who had collapsed, but I decided to check, just in case. It was possible that it was already a corpse. As I approached the collapsed person, the smell of blood permeated the area, and it seemed this person was injured.
Thank you for reading.
episode35-3: Get the Beautiful Girl Phantom Thief! △ has been scheduled for pre-publication at 0:00 on July 29th.
