Bonus Short Stories

Visiting the Doma Family

It was early spring, with my coronation and marriage to Liscia and the

others gradually approaching, and I was now visiting a port town near

Lagoon City with Juna.

"It's been a while since I've ridden in a traditional carriage. It's a bit

hard on the backside, huh?" I commented, pressing a hand to my lower

back.

Juna giggled. "The carriages in the capital and the rhinosaurus trains

have been designed to reduce the shaking, after all."

We had flown out of the capital with Naden, but I figured it would cause

an uproar if a ryuu landed in a little town like this, so we'd asked her to set

down in Lagoon City, and we were taking a merchant's carriage from there.

Our business being what it was, Naden was waiting back at Lagoon

City.

"Mmm... This sure is exactly what you'd expect a port town to feel

like." I yawned, taking a big, deep breath of the sea breeze.

"It's a town like any other you'd find on the coast," Juna said. "If there's

one thing we can pride ourselves on, it's that you can always eat fresh fish."

"I love towns like this."

"Hee hee, thank you. Welcome to the town where I was born." Juna

extended her hand to me.

I took her hand in mine and started walking with her. In a romantic way,

of course.

As we were walking, several people called out to Juna.

"Oh, Juna, you're back?" one lady asked.

"It's been too long, ma'am," Juna said. "I'm here to visit my family for a

bit."

"From the way you two are holding hands, could that man be your..."

"Hee hee, it's a secret."

It seemed, as you might expect from her hometown, a lot of people

knew her here.

Well, even if some people seemed to have cottoned on to who I was, no

one was prying too deeply. That probably showed just how much everyone

in this town loved Juna.

We kept walking until we stood in front of a house. It had a cute red roof

that made me think of a doll house. As someone used to the dense

neighborhoods of the country I'd come from, it seemed reasonably large,

but by the standards of this world, it was a normal size.

"Your father manages the Lorelei singing cafe, which has a large

number of branches, doesn't he?" I asked. "This place is... Well, it's

comforting to a former peasant like me."

"Hee hee, it's tiny, isn't it?" Juna giggled. "The main branch is in

Lagoon City, and this house is just for our family to live in, so it's big

enough."

"I guess you're right. Having a house that's too big can be

inconvenient."

The castle was so huge, it was a lot of trouble getting from one side of it

to the other. Well, it was generally just my own room and the governmental

affairs office I was going in between, and when I got busy, I slept in the

office, so it felt less like I lived in a luxurious mansion and more like I was

a live-in worker at a company, or something like that. But still.

"I'd love to live in a little town by the sea like this," I told her.

"Would you? Once Prince Cian is all grown up and you can abdicate the

throne to him, why don't we live here?"

"Ha ha ha, that could be a good idea."

If Liscia could have heard us, she would have angrily told me I was

getting ahead of myself.

We reached the entrance.

"Now then, sire, please, come inside," Juna told me.

As I was shown into the house, Juna's family was already waiting in the

living room. They greeted us warmly, though they seemed a little tense.

"Wh-Why, Your Majesty! How could of you to come to our humble

home," her father said nervously.

"Oh, no, I should have come to pay my respects as soon as possible." I

shook hands with Juna's father as I apologized. "I'm sorry that I used my

busyness as an excuse not to come sooner."

I greeted Juna's mother and sat down on the sofa at her father's

invitation. Once I was seated, I bowed my head deeply one more time.

"I'm truly sorry. I'm taking Juna... your daughter... as my bride, but it

took me far too long to come pay my respects."

In the time since I had gotten engaged to Juna, I had been busy with

government work, diplomatic visits, and dispatching reinforcements, so I

just hadn't managed to find time to come meet her folks. I was in frequent

contact with Juna's guardian, Excel, at least, and I had stayed in contact

with her parents by exchanging letters, but I had long wanted to come pay

my respects in person, like any man ought to.

Her father hurriedly shook his head. "No, no! The engagement was

something Juna wanted for herself."

"But... you're not worried about your daughter becoming a secondary

queen?" I asked.

"I am, but Juna has never been one to back down on something once

she's made up her mind, so I always knew she'd choose her partner for

herself. It seems Excel's blood runs thicker in her veins than in mine. I

don't know whether to call her devoted, or stubborn..."

"D-Dad!" Juna sounded unusually flustered. Like with a parent-teacher

meeting, having a relative tell someone about you had to be embarrassing.

Still, though her father was as beautiful as I would expect from someone

of Excel's lineage, he seemed surprisingly normal.

"It happened when Juna was maybe ten years old," the man reminisced.

"She said she was going to join the Navy with my mother. And then, while

she was being trained by my mother, who was amused by the idea, she

became more and more like her..." He trailed off and paused. "Um, are you

sure you're okay? She won't run you ragged like my mother does, will

she?"

"I would never!" Juna's face was red with embarrassment. "...Please,

you're embarrassing me."

I wanted to see more of these rare expressions from Juna, so I said to her

father, "No, do tell more. We have lots of time, so tell me all your old

stories about Juna."

"Not you, too, sire!" Juna elbowed me a bit, but I really did want to hear.

After that, Juna's parents and I talked at length about her. By the way,

we kept talking even after Juna left the room in utter humiliation, and I had

to go to a lot of trouble to get her back into a good mood later.

Ruby Roars

"Congratulations!"

"You make such beautiful brides!"

"I wish both the brides happiness!"

Under clear skies, the wedding guests were scattering wheat to celebrate

the new brides and groom who had just said their wedding vows in front of

a priest at the church. This was supposed to be a ritual where the brides and

groom were showered with wheat as a wish for fertility. However...

"Out with the oni!"

"Out with the oni!"

"Ow, ow, ow! You idiots, hold back a little!"

Some tough male guests were throwing the wheat overhand, directly at

the groom. This was Halbert, Kaede, and Ruby's wedding ceremony, and

the ones throwing wheat at Halbert were his fellow Dratroopers. In order to

give their blessings to Halbert, and to take out their jealousy over him being

the only one to score two cute brides, they were throwing the wheat with all

their might.

"Out with the oni!"

"What is that strange shout for?" Halbert shouted.

"It's apparently an incantation from His Majesty's world, used when

driving oni out of your house, you know," Kaede, in her white shiromuku

outfit, said with a peaceful look on her face.

The men were, of course, being careful not to hit Kaede or Ruby. That

meant Halbert was facing the relentless assault of wheat grapeshot on his

own. The wheat attack finally let up by the time it was time to throw the

bouquet.

"...Yeesh. That was hell," Halbert muttered.

"You held up well, you know, Hal," Kaede smiled.

"Come on, the ceremony isn't over, so keep yourself together!" Ruby

grinned.

With Kaede comforting him, and Ruby, wearing a wedding dress

borrowed from his mother, rousing him to action, Halbert smiled wryly and

fixed his collar.

"Whew... That's the ceremony finished, at least. Now it's just the

reception."

Kaede giggled. "Come to think of it, Sir Glaive was crying manly tears

at the ceremony. I always thought it was the bride's father who was

supposed to cry at times like this."

During the ceremony, Halbert's father had been crying as if he was

overcome with emotion. However, remembering the scene, Halbert could

only shrug and smile wryly. "Nah, I'm sure he felt emotional seeing the two

of you in your wedding dresses. He's known you since you were little,

Kaede, and because Ruby's hair is red, he's been treating her like his own

daughter. I'm sure he didn't see me as anything more than a bonus that

came with the two of you."

"He has been treating me as well as a daughter," Ruby agreed. Even

before officially becoming Glaive's daughters-in-law, they had already been

his daughters, as far as he was concerned.

"Still, I'm not sure he should have cried even more than your old man,

Kaede," Halbert added.

"Ahaha..." Kaede laughed wryly.

"Why not? I'm envious of you for having a family like that," Ruby said.

As a dragon, she had no family, just like Naden. Ruby had no blood

relatives who could come attend a ceremony like this.

Halbert and Kaede seemed at a loss for what to say.

"Hey, don't look at me like that." Ruby shook her head. "I have family,

too, now. The two of you and all of the Magna and Foxia families are my

family now, and that's enough for me."

"Ruby..." Halbert said slowly.

There was a sudden murmuring from the crowd.

"What's that?!"

"It's huge! Could that be?!"

Wondering what it was, the three of them looked up to the sky, and...

"""Huh?!"""

Though it must have been flying at a great height, they could clearly

make out the figure of a white dragon.

"Is that Lady Tiamat?!" Ruby gasped.

"Mother Dragon's observational flight... You almost never see her out in

broad daylight like this..." Kaede murmured.

Normally, Mother Dragon made her observational flights at night. If she

was appearing in broad daylight like this, and over the capital where both

Naden and Ruby were having their weddings, that showed clear intent on

her part.

Halbert hugged Ruby close and said, "See, Ruby? You had a mother

who would come to your wedding, after all."

"Yes!"

Then they heard a roar from the direction of the castle. It must have been

Naden. Not wanting to be outdone, while still in human form, Ruby

unleashed a dragon's roar towards her "mother" in the sky. Had her two

daughters' voices reached her? Madam Tiamat's voice echoed back like the

song of a whale.

The Secret XXXXXX Fortitude Enhancement Plan

"Hm... We'll need this... and a little more of this," Serina murmured.

It was a day with Souma's coronation and wedding fast approaching. In

the study at Poncho's mansion, the castle's head maid, Serina, seemed to be

looking over some documents. As she did, Komain, who was passing by

with some laundry, cocked her head to the side.

"Serina? What are you doing?"

"Oh, I was making sure we'll have enough of the ingredients we'll be

using for the dishes we serve at our reception," Serina said nonchalantly.

The fact that Souma's coronation and wedding were close also meant

that Poncho, Serina, and Komain's wedding and reception, which would be

held at the same time, were close, too.

Komain laid the dried laundry on the sofa and took a peek at the

documents Serina was looking at. "It's almost time for the wedding, yeah.

Are we short on anything?"

"No, I was simply checking to be certain. We do expect a good number

of people to be in attendance, after all. As the House of Ishizuka Panacotta,

it would be a disaster if we were to be short of food during our reception."

"Ohh... You have a point there." Komain winced a little as she agreed.

This was Poncho, who had first acted as the Minister for the Food Crisis,

resolving the food crisis which tormented people both in the kingdom and

the principality. He now acted as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry,

working to spread knowledge of delicious ingredients and how to cook

them. He was even worshiped by some as the God of Food, Lord Ishizuka,

by some of the people.

There were high expectations for the food at his wedding, and the guests

would no doubt be arriving hungry. Poncho was also an emergent noble,

and members of the knights and nobility would be in attendance. Not only

that, he had invited his wholesalers and suppliers as well, so they expected

that many people who were more concerned with their appetites than their

appearances would be coming.

"If your family hadn't stepped in to help, I'm sure it would have been

chaos," Komain put in.

The servants for the event would be Serina's family. Having been able to

secure a large group of specialists in the service industry had really saved

the three of them.

Serina smiled slightly. "If they've been of service, nothing would make

me happier."

"Hee hee, are you feeling a little embarrassed, Serina?"

"Not in the least." Serina turned away peevishly, making Komain

chuckle.

This was the same Serina who loved to toy with Liscia and Carla, but

she wasn't used to being teased herself. Serina cleared her throat a little,

then showed Komain one page from the document.

"I do not think there will be any shortages, but we should acquire large

quantities of the ingredients used in any dishes we expect to be popular. I

suspect many people will eat Napolitan spaghetti as a main course, not a

side, so it might be best if we were to buy more pasta."

"You have a point... Oh?"

Komain was looking through the papers when she stopped on an item at

the bottom of the list of ingredients to add. There were a small number of

items there that seemed unlikely to be needed for cooking.

"Mead...?" she read slowly and looked up.

Serina quickly looked away. From that reaction, it seemed these were

items Serina had ordered personally, with her own intentions.

"You like mead, Serina?" Komain asked.

"No... I don't mind it, but I'm not especially fond of it, either."

"Huh? Then why are you ordering it?"

"That's... for Sir Poncho to drink..."

Serina was being evasive, so Komain looked at her dubiously.

"Does Poncho like mead?"

"...I couldn't say. I am not aware whether he does or not."

"Huh? You're ordering it even though you don't know if he likes it or

not?"

"Well, I intend to force him to drink it, either way."

"Huh?" Komain had no idea what Serina was up to. "Um... What

exactly are you doing...?"

"This isn't solely for my sake. I am doing it for yours, as well."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. Now, let us get back to work." Serina clapped her hands.

Komain wasn't satisfied with her answers, but she remembered she had

left the laundry out, so, even as she cocked her head to the side in

confusion, she gathered up the laundry and left the room.

Left alone in the room, Serina looked down at the list Komain had left.

Thinking of the purpose of the mead...

"You will be taking both of us as wives. You'll need it, won't you,

dear?" Serina covered her mouth with the list to cover her girlish smile.

Incidentally, though Serina did not know this, the word "honeymoon" in

Souma's original world came from a tradition where the groom would drink

mead for the first month after marriage, in order to increase his sexual

fortitude, while the newlywed couple stayed cooped up in the home and

worked hard at procreating. It seemed this family's honeymoon would be an

intense one.

The Drill Princess Wants Out

While Souma's marriage was in progress, the third princess of the Gran

Chaos Empire, Trill, stood in front of Souma and the others, her hands

together on her chest and her head lowered.

"To King Souma, and all his queens, congratulations. In place of my

elder sister, Empress Maria, I pray for your great happiness and the

continued friendship and development of our two nations."

This was a day of celebration, so she wasn't in her usual outfit for

working on machinery but instead a dress befitting a princess of the Empire.

Because of that, her impressive portions, which contrasted with her short

stature and were normally covered up by a blacksmith's apron, stood out all

the more. Basically, she stuck out in all the right places. Like they say,

clothes make the man. Or the woman, in this case. Dressed like this, she

looked the part of a princess for sure.

When Trill's remarks were finished, Souma stood up.

"Thank you, Madam Trill. We, too, would like to continue our

friendship with the Empire. Please, communicate that to Madam Maria."

"I most assuredly will."

With her respects paid, Trill retreated to the seats for foreign guests. She

sat and maintained her composed expression, but internally she was

impatient.

Urgh, I want to get out of here, fast!

Trill had been thinking that the entire ceremony. It wasn't that she didn't

respect Souma and his queens, and it wasn't that she didn't care about

relations between the kingdom and the Empire either. It was because the

kingdom and the Empire were engaged in a joint research project together

that Trill had been able to come to this country where the people who were

the object of her admiration, the House of Maxwell, were. She was grateful

to Souma for proposing the idea, and that was why she was attending this

ceremony.

However, while this ceremony was happening, the sole heir of the House

of Maxwell, Genia, was getting married to Ludwin. Trill called Genia her

"big sister" out of respect, and she wanted more than anything to be at her

wedding.

I have complicated feelings about it being a wedding to Lord Arcs, who

wants to monopolize Big Sister, but Merula and Taru will both be attending,

and I'd hate to be the only one left out. Maybe I should just slip out...? But

if I did that, who knows what Big Sister Jeanne would say later...

Jeanne, who was Maria's younger sister and Trill's elder sister, had

acridly told her not to let loose once she went to the kingdom. Because of

the joint development project for the drill, there was probably no chance she

would be suddenly hauled back to the Empire, but if she went too far, she

would likely be forbidden further contact with Genia. The reasoning being

that, as long as she was in the kingdom, she could give orders to others for

the joint development project.

I would hate that! Not being able to meet with Big Sister Genia!

While she was looking around furtively, wondering what was happening

with Genia, Trill noticed something. She saw Kuu, who was sitting next to

her, give Leporina, who was sitting across from him, an order. Leporina

made an unpleasant face, but got up and left the room immediately.

"Umm... Sir Kuu?" Trill whispered. "Where did Leporina go?"

Kuu smirked. "Ookyakya! Oh, she's making a little trip to Genia and

Lord Arcs's wedding. I ordered her to go snatch the bouquet when the bride

throws it."

"Big Sister Genia's bouquet?!" Trill's eyes went wide. "That's not fair! I

want it, too!"

"Ookya? No, no, you're not going to be getting married anytime soon,

right? Me, Taru, and Leporina will probably be next, so it's a perfect fit."

"That's not—! ...the issue here." Her voice rose for an instant, but Trill

returned to a whisper and continued. "Then give me the bouquet after she's

caught it. You only need to be the ones who caught the bouquet. After that,

you should be done with it."

"That's, well... I guess you're right." What Kuu wanted was the

superstition, not the flowers themselves.

"Right?" Trill pursued. "If the bouquet is just going to wither, I'll make

it into dried or pressed flowers and keep it as a family treasure."

"A family treasure...?" Kuu repeated. Could the wedding bouquet of the

kingdom's foremost researcher really become a family treasure for the

imperial royal family? He looked a bit exasperated. "You're, uh... not much

better than me, huh."

Trill had managed to make Kuu, who was always recklessly causing

trouble for Taru and Leporina, this exasperated. In a way, she might be

someone really special.

"Well, when the wedding ceremony's over, I'm planning to slip out,

though," Kuu added.

"Huh?! No fair! I want out, too!"

"Hm? You want me to carry you on my back? It's fast if we cut across

the rooftops."

"...No, I think I'll call a carriage."

This was a conversation that took place in one corner of Souma's

wedding ceremony.

Kuu Joins In

"And I'm here."

Having slipped out once the coronation and wedding at the castle were

over and all that remained was the party, Kuu was now landing at the site of

Ludwin and Genia's wedding.

He was "landing" because he had taken a shortcut across the rooftops

between the castle and here. In the same formal attire he'd worn for the

coronation, at that.

"Ah! It's Master Kuu!" Leporina cried.

Noticing Kuu's arrival, Leporina and Taru rushed over.

"Hey, Leporina," Kuu said. "Did you catch the bouquet like I told you

to?"

"I did, but... it was pretty embarrassing. The other women glared at me."

"You're making her act recklessly, like always," Taru complained with

exasperation, holding the bouquet Leporina had caught.

However, Kuu laughed it off without seeming to care. "Hey, where's the

harm? I'm sure that bouquet wanted to go to the next bride, too."

"Then Leporina should hold it, too." Taru offered her the bouquet, but

Leporina hurriedly shook her head.

"No, no, you should hold on to it, as the first wife."

"We'll be getting married at the same time, so that doesn't make a

difference."

Seeing Taru and Leporina trying to push the bouquet off on one another,

Kuu sighed. "Then how about you split it?"

""That feels kind of bad.""

"O-Okay..." Kuu faltered. Thinking about it, it seemed a little ominous

to split up the symbol of two loving people's happiness, so they were right

to firmly object.

Leporina came back to her senses and said, "Wait, Master Kuu,

shouldn't you go pay your respects to the bride and groom first?"

"Huh?! Whoops! You've got a point there."

Kuu quickly brought Taru and Leporina with him and headed over to

where Ludwin and Genia were. It seemed they were speaking to Genia's

fellow researcher, Merula.

"Lord Arcs—no, I guess from today on, it's Lord Maxwell-Arcs, huh?—

and Genia, congratulations."

Ludwin wore a soft smile. "Why, Sir Kuu. How good of you to come. A

visit from the son of the head of the republic is too great an honor for a

single humble servant of His Majesty, like myself."

"Ookyakya! No need to be so stiff. Genia's been taking good care of our

Taru, so you're like family, even if we are from different countries."

"Hee hee! You have a point. Taru's always good to me, too," Genia

giggled. "People like us always put logic and reason first, but Tarie always

delivers parts that meet our demands. Nothing could make us more

grateful."

"No... Master Kuu tells me the development of the drill will benefit the

republic, so I'm happy to be a part of that," Taru said with a little smile.

Ludwin, who was watching the two of them warmly, asked Kuu, "You

were at the castle, right? How did His Majesty and the others look?"

"Oh, it was real austere and impressive," Kuu said. "Bro did great

during the coronation, and his brides looked pretty in their wedding

dresses."

"I'm glad." Ludwin smiled. "I see. It was unfortunate, as the former

Captain of the Royal Guard, that I couldn't be there to help."

"Hey, don't sweat it. It was Young Miss Roroa... or is it Queen Roroa

now? Anyway, it was Queen Roroa's idea to have weddings all around the

city. Having a wedding with your cute wife here is helping support Bro.

Think of it as a perk of the job."

"...Yes. I do think I'm fortunate."

"Ookyakya! You're not afraid to say it, huh?" Kuu laid a hand down on

Ludwin's shoulder. "Well, anyway, congrats. When we get married, we'll

send an invite to the House of Maxwell-Arcs, so be sure you come, okay?"

"Sir Kuu, your marriage will be in the republic, right? I am a vassal of

another country, you realize?"

"Like I care. I'm inviting Bro, too, so come with him as a bodyguard."

"...Very well. I'll be looking forward to it."

The women beside them were talking, too.

"I'd like to raise the revolving speed of the drill, Merula," said Genia.

"Even if we increase the efficiency of the enchantment, there are

currently limits on how much stress we can put on the revolving parts."

"It's not just power; it needs to release heat, too."

They had started discussing the drill at some point. If Trill had been

here, instead of still in the castle as the imperial ambassador, the discussion

would have been even more lively. Unable to join in the conversation,

Leporina, who was a girl, but not a researcher girl, was left standing on the

sidelines.

"Research girls from three countries, all standing together. This is a

happy sight in its own right, I'd say," Ludwin put in.

"If only they'd chosen a sexier topic than a drill, sure." Kuu shrugged.

"Hee hee! Well, that's fine, isn't it?" Leporina said, hugging Kuu from

behind.

"Hey, what are you hugging me for?" he objected.

"I have nowhere else to be, so give me some attention. I have Taru's

permission."

It seemed Leporina had gotten more forward in her approach to Kuu

after receiving the okay from Taru. Kuu acted unhappy, but scratched his

cheek like he wasn't entirely unwelcoming of this turn of events.

"Stop hugging me from behind," he said.

"Hm? Why?" she asked.

"You're taller than me, so it makes me look pathetic."

"Pfft! Ahaha!" Leporina burst out laughing.

It seemed this was to be a wedding of many smiles.