Mochitsuki Tearmoon Empire: Volume 6

1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7183-7158-3
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 300 Seiten

Reihe: Tearmoon Empire

Mia has a problem. It's not defeating Ruby at the Horsemanship Tournament. She enjoyed that. Nor is it winning the allegiance of the Redmoons and gaining access to their military might. That was positively brilliant. No, her problem is the fact that she still has no idea what's going to happen during the Holy Eve Festival. And she really needs to know, because the Princess Chronicles continues to predict her death that day! With her assassination drawing ever closer, she grows steadily more anxious. Desperate times call for desperate measures. So, Mia resolves to...go mushroom picking! After all, if she's going to die soon, she might as well start working on her bucket list, and at the very top is enjoying some exquisite mushroom stew. Conveniently, Bel shows up with her new and first-ever friend, Citrina Yellowmoon, who happens to know a thing or two about mushrooms. What perfect timing! Ready to indulge in some fungal foraging fun, Mia prepares to head off to the forest...

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mochitsuki, Nozomu

Weitere Mitwirkende

Gilse

Teng, David

Leseproben

Chapter 3: Princess Mia...Presents What Seem to be Reasonable Arguments

“I guarantee that the key to victory lies in a bowl of exquisite mushroom stew!”

The sheer confidence of her tone proved compelling, and the council members found themselves persuaded in spite of themselves. All except Keithwood who, horrified by what seemed to be a simultaneous relinquishing of good sense by everyone present, immediately spoke up.

“H-Hold on a minute.”

As attendant to Sion, it was his job to stop his master from acting on lapses in judgment even if he’d incur Sion’s temporary displeasure. He had a duty, and the time to do it was now! Driven by his concern for Sion and the instinctive knowledge that this was a very bad idea, he boldly stepped in front of the speeding wagon of momentum that was Mia.

“There are many types of mushrooms—some poisonous, some not—and telling them apart is, to my knowledge, exceedingly difficult. Attempting to do so ourselves seems rather inadvisable.”

“Aha, I knew you’d say that, Keithwood. You’ve always been careful around mushrooms. And wisely so. But have no fear, for what you speak of is already a solved problem.”

“Huh? A solved problem? H-How, exactly...if you don’t mind my asking?”

Mia grinned slyly at his question.

“Consider, please, the nature of the island you currently stand upon. Is it not an island blessed by God? If so, then nothing poisonous could grow here, nor could it be brought in, correct?”

“Ah...”

Keithwood found himself at a loss for words.

The safest place in the continent... Paradise on Earth... These were descriptors often applied to Saint-Noel Island, for it was a land blessed by God. The pristine holiness of Noelige Lake’s water ensured that nothing possessed of toxins, whether flora or fauna, could thrive on the island. It was a belief so prevalent as to be common sense.

“But, that’s...”

He mounted a rebuttal, but faltered before her quiet smile.

“I know what you want to say, and I completely understand. In the unlikely event that a poisonous mushroom somehow slipped past the island’s divine protection and ended up on our plates, we’d be in terrible trouble. That’s your concern, yes?”

She spoke in a slow, pedagogical manner, as if she were speaking to a small child. It was, frankly, a little irritating.

“To that end, we can simply ask for an expert to accompany us, and as a matter of fact, I recently happened to come across such a person.”

“An expert in mushrooms? Who might that be?”

“It’s none other than the daughter of one of the Empire’s Four Dukes, Citrina Yellowmoon. She appears to be very knowledgeable about them.”

“...The young Yellowmoon?” Keithwood pensively furrowed his brows at this unexpected name. “But...isn’t the House of Yellowmoon under suspicion for collaborating with the Chaos Serpents? Can we trust them?”

The question failed to shake Mia’s composure.

“The House is under suspicion, yes, but I believe Citrina is unrelated. Suppose, however, that my trust is misplaced and she is indeed a Serpent. In that case, do you think she would do something so obviously suspect?”

“That’s...”

It was actually a reasonable argument. Duke Yellowmoon was undoubtedly aware of the suspicions surrounding him. Surely, he’d know that his daughter Citrina was under scrutiny as well.

If the first person to try the stew fell ill, the others obviously wouldn’t eat it anymore. It was possible to employ some form of slow-acting poison, but the chances of finding mushrooms with such a convenient type of toxin on the island were, again, slim. In Keithwood’s eyes, it wouldn’t function as a plan; too much of it was left to luck.

“Also,” continued Mia, “I believe that we as members of the student council need to foster more than just a working relationship with each other. We need to foster friendship, and the lack of opportunities to do so thus far is a personal failing of mine. I would therefore like to make up for it by taking advantage of a large-scale event like the Holy Eve Festival to organize a private celebration for the council to enjoy and deepen our friendship.”

“That’s...certainly very kind of you...”

Her arguments were sound, but for some reason, they grated on Keithwood’s nerves. The problem with them, perhaps, was that they were too sound, resembling the kind of logic Sion tended to arm himself with when preparing to charge into danger.

“Besides, Bel is very good friends with Citrina, and they said they both wanted to come along if we were going mushroom hunting,” Mia added before shifting her gaze. “Miss Rafina, I do believe there’s a forest on the island that’s perfect for this kind of thing?”

Rafina put a finger to her chin and frowned.

“It’s...true that there’s a small forest on the east side of the island. I’m not sure if any mushrooms grow there though...”

Mia brushed away this concern with a casual wave of her hand.

“Oh, it’ll be fine. Citrina will be with us. Besides, I’ve also done a bit of reading into the matter myself. Right, Chloe?”

“Uh, yes. That’s right. Lately, in preparation for the mushroom stew party, Princess Mia has been consulting books to figure out how to make it a success.”

Keithwood’s interpretation was perhaps a tad generous. Regardless, he kept listening as Mia blithely continued her spiel.

“You’ll be on the serene island of Saint-Noel, a blessed place where divine protection ensures nothing poisonous can grow, and you’ll be led by Citrina and me, a pair of veteran mushroom guides. What can possibly go wrong?”

Keithwood regarded the confident posture of the self-proclaimed “veteran mushroom guide.” For some reason, he could not recall a time when he felt less reassured.

“Okay, Rina, I brought a map.”

After successfully inveigling a map from Rafina, Mia promptly paid Citrina a visit in her room. This was, of course, so they could draft plans for their big mushroom hunting trip.

“Oh my, Your Highness. Greetings.”

Citrina’s attendant opened the door. She was an older woman, maybe fifty to sixty years old, whose face was devoid of expression save for a striking sharpness to her gaze. Her image was that of a longtime servant who was competent but also stubborn about the way things should be done.

“Yes, greetings, um...Ms. Barbara, was it?” asked Mia with a frown.

The old attendant curtsied respectfully.

“I am most honored to know that Your Highness remembers my name.”

“That’s, uh...good. It’s really not that big of a deal though...”

In truth, Mia was not particularly comfortable around stern-looking people like Barbara.

Having perceived the danger of the old lady’s presence, Mia hastily walked past her and entered the room. Inside, Citrina was helping Miabel with her studies. Lynsha sat nearby.

“Hello, Rina. Thank you for being so good to Bel.”

“Oh, Your Highness is too kind. It’s hardly worthy of thanks. Bel is a dear friend to Rina, after all,” Citrina replied with a sweet smile.

Bel scratched her head with a bashful giggle and said, “That’s so nice of you to say, Rina. Thank you.”

The scene really drew out Mia’s inner grandmother. She watched the pair of younger girls with a placid smile, pleased to know that her granddaughter was getting along well with her friend. A quick glance toward Lynsha elicited a small nod.

She let out a sigh of relief before changing the topic.

“Okay, so, about the student council mushroom hunting trip we were talking about. I brought us a map.”

This was the main purpose of her visit. Well versed in edible wild plants and herbs, Citrina’s knowledge of flora extended even to mushrooms, and Mia had figured she’d be the perfect person to consult for drafting up some mushroom hunting plans.

“Ah, thank you very much. In that case, let’s start figuring out the route,” Citrina said, taking the map.

On a tangential note, the layout of Citrina’s room was identical to Mia’s. The only furniture present was a writing desk and a bed, both mundane in design. Even Mia with her penny-pinching tendencies had afforded her room a less austere atmosphere.

“I must say, Citrina, you uh...didn’t bring much from home, did you?”

“That’s true... As I’m sure you’re aware, though I was born to one of the Four Dukes, our house is known to be the weakest, notable only for its age. Our ability to afford luxuries is limited, unfortunately. I do...