Isekai Nonbiri Nouka
Chapter 959: The Princess of a Fallen Kingdom

In Big Tree Village, there are horses, unicorns, and pegasuses.

The beastgirls mainly take care of them, but their numbers had grown enough that they were short on help.

Some of the angels stepped in to fill that gap.

I’m grateful for that.

There’s a lot to do, brushing, grooming their manes, tending to their horseshoes.

With the pegasuses, you also have to take care of their wings.

Some unicorns hate being groomed, but if you neglect it, their appearance quickly goes downhill.

Without regular brushing, they’re prone to skin problems, and if you leave their manes alone, they grow long enough to block their vision.

They don’t have to wear horseshoes, but I’d like them to at least let us take care of their hooves and the soles of their feet.

If their hooves get damaged, it affects their ability to run.

This grooming isn’t harassment, it’s for your own good, you know.

I can only do the brushing part, though.

And I’m not that good at it, either.

I just picked it up to help out the beastgirls.

Even so, a few horses come over as if to say they don’t mind me brushing them.

There, there.

I’ll give you some melon as a treat later.

You could say I’m bribing them with snacks rather than earning their trust with brushing.

Of course, I’ll give some to the horses that didn’t come to me too.

-0-

The angels don’t cut corners when it comes to taking care of the horses.

They’re pretty experienced.

They even braid their manes.

Why is that?

「A handsome man or beautiful woman riding a well-groomed horse… it’s a picturesque sight, don’t you think？」

W-Well, I suppose so.

「That’s the reason.」

I see.

「Also, may we have some melon too？」

Of course, I don’t mind.

Have it during your break.

There’s more than just melon, I’ve prepared other fruits as well, so help yourselves.

「Thank you very much.」

-0-

As for the beastgirls taking care of the horses…

They’re veterans.

The horses listen to instructions well and line up patiently.

Some of them fool around, but only with other horses.

You rarely see one acting up with the beastgirls while being groomed.

Is it because the beastgirls control their meals?

No, while it’s true they feed the horses, the animals are free to graze in the ranch area.

There’s even a field just for growing horse food.

So that’s not the only reason.

Then what is it?

It must be the bond of trust.

The deep care and affection from the beastgirls, and the response to that from the horses.

Yeah.

That has to be it.

……

Horses.

Now that I’ve come to that conclusion, don’t go on and on about how scary the beastgirls are.

You get scolded because you mess around…

Come to think of it, you did tip over the water bucket earlier.

So that’s why you came to me even though you usually don’t.

Trying to use me as a shield won’t help you.

Hey, don’t run!

-0-

It was a quiet morning at the mansion.

I had been summoned by Youko and headed to Village Five.

It seemed to be quite urgent, so much so that Nana herself had come to fetch me.

-0-

I arrived at the Village Five Council Hall.

Instead of going to the village chief’s office, I was led past it and into a preparation room for an audience room.

An audience room?

Since when did we have one of those?

I’ve never seen this room before.

Alright, alright.

So I’m changing into some fancy outfit.

And where’s my seat in this so-called audience room?

Ah, the grand one right in the center.

I’ve gotten used to sitting in seats like that.

I don’t resist anymore.

Youko took the seat to my right, while Nana changed into a maid outfit and stood by her side.

…areh?

If that’s the setup, then who’s assisting me?

Am I just left to handle this however I want?

I looked around, hoping for some help, but my guards, Gulf, Daga, and Reginleif, stood by the wall and avoided eye contact.

Nothing I can do about it.

I’ll just go with the flow.

-0-

Like I said earlier, I’ve gotten used to sitting in seats like this.

A group of three entered the audience room.

At the center was a girl, maybe seven or eight years old, and just behind her on either side stood two men in their thirties, likely attendants or bodyguards.

「It is an honor to be granted this audience.」

The young girl bowed her head.

Youko replied.

「You’ve come a long way. I thank you for your effort. I also apologize again for the delay between your request and this meeting.」

Youko’s apologizing?

Was there some kind of mistake?

If there was, I should’ve been told.

Well, for now… looks like I just need to stay seated.

The girl and Youko exchanged a few words, and then one of the men behind her handed over a letter, which Nana received and brought to Youko.

Youko didn’t even open the letter and handed it directly to me.

Should I read it?

Ah, I see. I’m just supposed to take it for now and move things along.

Got it.

I handed the letter to one of Youko’s secretaries, who had appeared at some point without me noticing.

The girl and Youko exchanged a few more words, and the audience came to an end.

The three of them left the chamber.

Phew.

Just when I started to relax, thinking it was all over, Nana guided me to one of Youko’s offices.

Inside, Youko was already seated.

「Forgive me for summoning you on such short notice.」

And then, Youko began explaining what this was all about.

-0-

First, about the three people led by the young girl.

They’re apparently members of the royal family from the human nation called Gozlan Kingdom.

The girl is the third princess, and the two men in their thirties are her relatives.

They’re not attendants or bodyguards, it seems.

The Gozlan Kingdom is larger than the surrounding nations, but by no means can it be considered a major power.

That kingdom had been invaded by another nation, and its royals were forced to flee, wandering without a home.

So that’s how they ended up here in Village Five?

「It was Tiselle’s advice.」

Tiselle’s?

「Yes. They encountered each other during the princess’s time in exile. Apparently, Tiselle found the royal girl bedridden with illness and treated her.」

Treated her… Ah, the World Tree leaves.

I had given Tiselle a good supply before the journey.

「At that time, Tiselle told them, if they were to flee, they should head for Village Five of the Demon King’s Kingdom.」

So that’s why they came here.

「Indeed. And that letter just now, it was from Tiselle.」

Really?

Then I should definitely read it thoroughly.

「I’d like you to read it, but before that, I want you to hear the princess’s circumstances.」

Is there something wrong?

「Well…」

Youko explained with a slightly troubled expression.

-0-

After the treatment, Tiselle advised the princess and her companions to flee to Village Five.

Grateful for the help, they wanted to follow that advice, but they had no money.

Travelling by land to the Demon King’s Kingdom would have been too difficult, and taking a ship required a decent amount of fare.

So Tiselle gave them money, on the condition that they would deliver a letter to Village Five.

The princess and her group took the letter and set out for the village.

I see.

Nothing about this sounds like a problem so far.

Sounds like Tiselle was simply helping people in need.

「Yes. There’s no issue with Tiselle. The problem… lies with Village Five.」

?

-0-

When the princess and her group arrived in Village Five, they tried to make an appointment to meet the village chief, the intended recipient of Tiselle’s letter.

Though they were royalty, even from a small kingdom, and such an appointment would normally be handled with priority, they didn’t reveal their status.

They were exiles, after all, and had no requests to make of the village. They only came to deliver the letter.

Because of that, they were treated as ordinary visitors…

And ended up waiting for about forty days.

Forty days!

Why in the world did it take that long?

「Had they come to me, I could have seen them within a few days. But the letter was meant for village chief, and they insisted it had to be delivered to him directly…」

Ah… I see…

I’m sorry.

If only I’d stayed in the village a bit longer.

「No, I don’t blame you. Just continue as you always have.」

R-Really?

「Yes. Now, to return to the matter… during their time in the village, the money they received from Tiselle ran out, and they were left with nothing.」

They were already wandering with nowhere to go, and this was the Demon King’s Kingdom, where they had no one to rely on.

Desperate, they turned to the Goroun Company, the only place they knew was run by humans, and asked for a loan.

Goroun Company, before lending them money, asked about their circumstances in detail.

Once they learned the letter came from Tiselle, they hurried to contact Youko.

That audience, then, was the village’s way of offering the utmost respect to royalty.

Wait…

Was that really the proper way for a village chief to receive members of a royal family?

「It’s fine. Besides, we can’t just accept the letter and be done with it.」

That’s true.

Now that the audience has taken place, the princess and her companions are being treated as honored guests.

They’ve been shown to guest rooms within the village council hall and are being served meals.

「It seems they had been living in near destitution while they waited…」

Ah…

「Also, though only three attended the audience, their full group numbers around fifty.」

If they’ve been wandering since being driven from their country… that makes sense.

And the others?

「They’re resting at the lodging we arranged. Naturally, we’ll be covering the cost.」

Understood.

So, what do you need me to do?

「First, I’d like to offer them a reward from Village Five. I want you to decide on the amount.」

I see.

Since we made them wait so long, I’d like to give as much as possible, but…

「We can’t go overboard either. We also need to consider their future, whether they plan to stay in Village Five or move on elsewhere. You’ll need to speak with them.」

Right.

Well, we can talk after they finish their meal.

「Yes. Also, Tiselle’s letter might contain details regarding the princess and her companions.」

That’s possible.

Alright.

I’ll read the letter now… but Youko, you haven’t read it yet?

「It’s a letter from a daughter to her father. I couldn’t read it first.」

I see…

Sorry.

I’ll read it right away.

-0-

The Third Princess of the Gozlan Kingdom, the same princess who was mentioned in Chapter 914 – The Conquering King.