WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 116: What Do You Think?
──────
Ngme.
(It means Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Märchen.)
* * *
An invitation from House Kihano.
After obtaining permission to leave, we headed north without delay.
Ranne’s family home was far away.
It was at the Empire’s northernmost edge, after all.
We traveled by magic tram for the first two days, but once we reached the north, we had to switch to a carriage.
There were no railways in the north.
‘Magic trams... So the technology still isn’t widely available yet. I never really noticed since I’ve only stayed around the academy.’
Grandia Academy truly was an exceptional case.
Not only did it have magic trams, but all kinds of cutting-edge technology were put into use there right away.
Even if it was as large as a typical small city, it still felt like nothing more than an absurd waste of money.
‘Well, maybe that’s what it takes to deserve being called the best academy on the continent.’
Anyway.
We crossed the north for nearly three days.
We rode in the carriage during the day and rested at inns at night, repeating the same routine.
Since there wasn’t much to do while traveling, our group occasionally chatted.
“Miss Caitlin.”
“...”
“Miss Caitlin.”
“...”
“Woof.”
“...What?”
The problem was Caitlin.
Was she sulking because I teased her about her drunken antics?
The girl wore a sour expression and refused to even speak with me.
‘Come to think of it, I did tease her a lot, not just a little.’
Then she shouldn’t have given me something to use against her.
Was she seriously asking me not to make fun of such amazing material?
Just kill me instead.
“Wow... So, in vampire culture, do you not eat much food? Do you only drink animal blood...?”
“Vital Blood is our staple, yes. But that does not mean we consume only Vital Blood. Vampires eat food as well, usually for the pleasure of taste. For example, we might prepare dishes with Vital Blood.”
“So blood is your main energy source, but you also eat other ingredients for the enjoyment of eating!”
“Of course. Would you not grow tired of putting nothing but Vital Blood in your mouth every day?”
“Th-That’s true...!”
Carmilla and Alice.
The two of them, who had also been teased, had gotten over their anger long ago and were happily chatting away. Caitlin alone still had her lips pursed.
Was she really that proud?
It seemed to bother her that she had shown her weakness to other people.
Then I seized on that weakness and roasted her over it, so she was properly pissed.
The more time I spent with her, the more I realized she had a surprisingly petty side.
“Miss Caitlin.”
“What? Why? What? Why do you keep calling me? Please stop calling me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“...”
“I understand that I recorded Miss Caitlin’s drunken antics, edited it to keep only the highlights, played it on repeat, followed you around playing it all day, blasted it at maximum volume in the hallways where other students walk, and am still playing it from the device in my hand even as I apologize...”
[Why’re ya doin’ this to me? Ya like me?]
[Why’re ya doin’ this to me? Ya like me?]
[Why’re ya doin’ this to me? Ya like me?]
“Even so, could you forgive me? As a friend.”
“...Do you have no conscience?”
“Of course I do. What I don’t have is parents.”
“Fuck, don’t throw that back at me. You’re making me sound like a terrible bitch.”
“It’s fine. That delinquent side of you is charming, Miss Caitlin.”
“Ha...”
Thump, thump, thump.
The girl struck my shoulder as though she were having the time of her life.
Still, there was no strength in her fists, so they only landed lightly.
Caitlin spoke fiercely, like a hissing cat.
“I’m never drinking with you again going forward.”
“What about going backward?”
“Please shut up.”
Anyway, the carriage traveled for three straight days.
As we approached our destination, the scenery outside the window changed completely.
The lush summer landscape faded away, and white gathered everywhere as though it were winter.
The snow pooled into ponds, lakes, rivers, and seas, painting everything in sight white.
A place where the snowfields lasted all year.
The north, where the snow never melted.
Only after reaching that land of perpetual snow did the carriage finally come to a stop.
After five days of travel, we had arrived in Kihano County.
A solemn manor awaited us.
“Mm! We’ve arrived. Let me say it once again, the north is chilly even in summer, so please dress warmly!”
No, I didn’t think chilly quite covered it.
I looked at the thick snow piled outside.
Stepping onto the soft snow, we approached the manor.
“Ranne!”
“Father.”
Several people stood before the manor gates.
The massive man at the very front had hair and a beard that formed a golden mane.
I already knew that face from the original illustrations.
‘Kalax Kihano.’
The head of House Kihano, and one of the three greatest knights in the north.
He wore rugged armor, and a greatsword as tall as I was hung across his back.
He warmly welcomed our group.
“Bwahaha! So you must be the friends I’ve heard so much about from our Ranne! It’s good to meet all of you!”
Ranne’s father.
Her uniquely hearty way of speaking must have come from him.
Kalax exchanged a few words with his daughter, then strode toward our group.
“Welcome to Kihano!”
What a booming voice.
He was probably around three meters tall.
Without getting flustered, I politely introduced myself.
“It is an honor to be invited. My name is Viktor. I’m a close friend of Miss Ranne.”
“Oh! So you’re Viktor? Ranne has told me a great deal about you! Especially about you!”
“I never expected Miss Ranne to say such things. I can hardly contain my delight.”
“Mm! There is much to learn from Sir Viktor. His martial skill is exceptional as well.”
“For Ranne to praise someone this highly! You’re a young man with a bright future ahead of you...!”
“Haha, I’m glad you think so highly of me.”
The conversation flowed naturally.
The others, who had briefly frozen up, quickly regained their composure as well.
They each exchanged a few greetings and offered their customary thanks.
“Mmm...”
Lua blinked her sleepy eyes.
She had been asleep in the carriage until just now, so she still seemed halfway in dreamland.
“Dad... Lua’s sleepy...”
Lua staggered over and clung to my leg.
I carefully picked her up and held her in my arms so she could sleep comfortably.
It was a natural action.
Lua rubbed her cheek against me a few times, then closed her eyes.
As I took care of my little daughter, I suddenly felt several gazes on me.
““...?””
Kalax and the retainers beside him stared blankly at me.
Question marks practically floated above all their heads.
Kalax muttered in a daze.
“Could he be... a married man with a child?”
No.
That wasn’t it.
* * *
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.
Everyone had been surprised because I was the same age as Ranne, yet apparently had a daughter who looked about ten years old.
It didn’t make sense, after all. If an eighteen-year-old had a ten-year-old daughter, one of the parents would surely be serving ten years in prison.
“Bwahaha! I nearly had quite the strange misunderstanding!”
“It’s fine. I hear similar things often enough.”
The count personally showed us around the manor.
Normally, a retainer would handle this, so he must have considered us important guests.
Perhaps because Ranne had told him various glowing stories about me, Kalax seemed especially friendly toward me.
‘Honestly, this is scary.’
I was worried about how much Ranne had deified me in her stories.
Alice was like that too, but Ranne had an even stronger tendency toward it.
She practically saw me as some kind of saint.
Well, I did have the Saint title in the system...
“Bwahaha! You truly are extraordinary, just as I heard! To have already been chosen by an Ego Weapon. Ranne also told me you are skilled in battle?”
“Miss Ranne exaggerated too much. I’m only somewhat good at it.”
“So humble! If you took first place by an overwhelming margin at that fiercely competitive academy, that says it all, does it not?”
“That’s right, Sir Viktor. Your humility is almost a fault.”
“Haha! I heard you were young and talented, so I worried you might be a cocky fellow... It seems that was needless concern!”
Kalax laughed heartily.
I could practically see his opinion of me climbing by the second.
I hadn’t intended it, but every little thing I did seemed to please him.
Ding!
[Sub Quest]
-Title: The Road Home
-Details: Accept House Kihano’s invitation. Earn Count Kihano’s recognition. Discover the hidden dungeon in Kihano County, ‘Temple of Lumiera.’
-Penalty upon Failure: None
-Reward upon Success: Count Kihano’s Favor, ???
[Time Limit: Before the break ends]
All the better.
I had this quest hanging over me, after all.
If I won Count Kihano over, this quest would be smooth sailing.
“My daughter has a good eye for people. Ranne doesn’t address just anyone as ‘Sir.’ Setting aside the fact that you are close friends, it means she respects you as one person respects another.”
“I deeply respect Miss Ranne as well. We often discuss chivalry together. The deeper our conversations become, the more I realize how much I have to learn from her.”
“Oh, chivalry! You seem interested in it too?”
“Of course. I do not aspire to become a knight, but I have always been interested in stories about knights.”
“Then which knight has left the greatest impression on you?”
“I would choose Sir Levint. He was the legendary knight who defended the north during the Empire’s early days.”
“What a coincidence! When I was an apprentice, I too considered Sir Levint my role model.”
I drew on every bit of original-story knowledge I had, steering the conversation entirely toward raising Kalax’s opinion of me.
I was using every trick in the book to complete the quest.
Who would have thought games could help with social life?
Fortunately, Kalax must have liked me, because he burst into loud laughter.
“Bwahaha! The more I see of you, the more I like you!”
The conversation continued all the way through dinner.
By then, the other girls had also shed their awkwardness.
Perhaps they had finally grown used to being in someone else’s home, because they began making small talk among themselves.
“Please try this as well. It is our chef’s proud creation!”
“I-It really is... It’s so tender, and it doesn’t have any gamy smell...”
“Hmph, it’s not bad.”
Dinner was delicious too.
It was more rustic than refined, but that had its own charm.
The atmosphere was completely warm and cheerful.
‘Good.’
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Yes. That was what I thought, until the count suddenly opened his mouth.
“Ahem... Viktor.”
“Yes, did you call for me?”
Kalax lightly cleared his throat.
He set down his utensils and casually called to me.
I tilted my head, wondering what was going on, when he suddenly dropped a bombshell onto the dinner table.
“You only have two years until you become an adult, do you not?”
“Ah... Yes, that’s right.”
“Once you graduate from the academy, I think it will be time to start arranging a match for our Ranne as well...”
“...”
...Excuse me?
Why are you telling me this?
“What do you think?”
No.
About what?
Footnotes:
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