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The Fierce Saintess

episode 2

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「Now then, consider this mercy from me. If there is anyone you wish to see one last time, speak up.」

When Princess Kana posed this question to the three men rolling on the floor, Prince William hesitated for a moment, but—

「My mother...」

...he answered.

「Very well. Hey, you over there, bring these fools' mother here. However, if you attempt any trickery this time... you know what will happen, do you not?」

「Y-Yes, ma'am!」

As Princess Kana watched the commanded man hurriedly leave the room, Kaou approached her holding something in its mouth.

It was the ornamental hairpin (*kanzashi*) that Saki had placed in her hair that morning so her long locks would not get in the way during their outing. The joyful faces of everyone from that moment flickered in the princess's mind, causing her emotions to sway despite herself.

(Not yet... I cannot yet...)

Tightly closing her eyes, she smoothed her ragged breathing. And then—

「You have my thanks, Kaou.」

She softly murmured words of appreciation so those around her could not hear, tucking the hairpin into her breast pocket.

After a short while, led by clattering footsteps, two women rushed into the room.

One was clad in dark green attire, with her only ornaments being a crown gracing her styled hair and delicate gold craftwork at her ears and neck, yet she exuded a refined aura. The other wore a bright golden-yellow dress that was somewhat painful on the eyes, encrusted with gaudy jewelry not only in her auburn hair and around her neck, but on her arms and fingers as well.

Upon seeing the king and princes bound, both women seemed equally shocked, yet their subsequent actions took completely opposite forms.

「That is why I opposed this so vehemently...」

Murmuring thus, the woman in dark green turned toward Princess Kana and bowed deeply.

「My name is Shaira. O Saintess, I am profoundly sorry for having dragged you into such a matter. As the Queen of this nation, I offer my deepest apologies.」

Hearing those words from someone who clearly grasped the situation already, Princess Kana thought that perhaps there was actually someone in this world whose head functioned properly, but—

「Oh, Queen Shaira. There is no need to bow your head to such a person. Even if she is called a Saintess from another world, she is ultimately nothing more than an ignorant little girl.」

The woman in golden-yellow pushed past the woman who named herself Shaira, stepping forward and pointing the folding fan in her hand at the princess.

「You, release His Majesty and the others this instant! They are personages of the highest nobility in this kingdom. You cannot be forgiven for committing such impudence against them!」

「Oh? You speak of impudence?」

At the golden-yellow-clad woman's overbearing words, Princess Kana's magic power stirred ominously. Noticing this, the Commander of the Knights made a hurried move to intervene, but Queen Shaira's voice rang out before he could.

「Trisha, hold your tongue at once!」

「But, Shai—」

「I told you to be quiet!」

Watching the woman shut her mouth with a dissatisfied scowl, Princess Kana—

(If this woman says another word, I shall crush her flat with pressure right from the crown of her head.)

As she contemplated these somewhat disturbing thoughts, the queen raised her hand as if to stop her, stepping forward. Then, she bowed even deeper than before.

「Regarding the impudence of Concubine Trisha, I offer my apologies in her stead. Furthermore, I believe the Saintess's rage is entirely justified. However, a child's misconduct is the parent's responsibility. If it pleases you, I beg of you to take my life in exchange for sparing the life of my child, William.」

She offered this plea. Hearing those words, William's eyes widened in shock, his voice rising in alarm.

「Mother, no! Please stop! I only wished to see you one last time. I did not ask for you to do such a thing...」

「It is alright, William. I have not been able to act much like a mother to you until now, so please let me do something motherly at the very end.」

Rendered speechless by those words, William bit his lip, doing nothing but frantically shaking his head.

However, listening to this exchange between mother and son, the king presumably hoped that someone might step forward to offer themselves in his place as well.

「Hey, what about me... someone...」

Desperately pulling himself up, he looked around, but with the Knight Commander's prior example, there was no chance anyone would step forward for him.

「And what about you?」

Now, Princess Kana's gaze was directed toward Concubine Trisha. Prince Alton also turned a clinging, desperate look toward his own mother.

「Mother, save me!」

With no one trying to save the king or princes, and following the flow where the queen offered to be a substitute for her own child, the concubine's complexion turned pale as she realized she too would have to offer her head for her son. At the same time, she finally seemed to realize who was truly ruling this room.

「I-I...」

Princess Kana scoffed in exasperation at the concubine, who could say nothing as her eyes darted back and forth between Alton and the princess, before turning her gaze to the pitiable son.

「Hmm, it appears your mother does not possess a head to offer for her son's sake.」

「No way... Mother...」

「T-That's not true! I didn't say anything like—」

Ignoring the concubine's hysterical excuses, Princess Kana addressed the queen.

「Your son asked me to save "this country." What is "this country" to you? Is it these fools here? Or...?」

「It is all the people who reside in this nation.」

The queen answered without a moment's hesitation.

「Then give up on the life of a single son.」

At the princess's words, the queen closed her eyes painedly, but right at that moment, taking advantage of the opening, the concubine chimed in.

「But the king and princes are the linchpins of the nation! Without its linchpins, a country cannot function!」

Toward the concubine who refused to answer when asked, yet interjected when unprompted, Princess Kana showed no mercy.

「Be silent!」

Along with her words, the pressure of the princess's magic surged violently, and—

*SLAM!*

With a heavy thud, the concubine slammed face-first onto the floor.

「Gwah... gh...」

Her styled hair was wretchedly flattened, and from her mouth leaked sounds like those of a crushed frog.

「I did not ask you! You do not possess a head to offer for those linchpins, do you not? Then keep quiet! Besides, even if you replace the head of someone whose only skill is clinging to gods, as long as those around them are competent, things will work out somehow.

In the first place, if another nation attacks, the first thing they target is the lord's head. Does bearing a nation not mean having that resolve? Yet I see no such resolve in any of you!」

Saying so, Princess Kana turned toward the queen.

「However, I understand full well this mother's feelings. So, I shall make a proposal. Agree to let me place the curse of "Soul Binding" upon your son, making him my pawn. Do so, and I too shall accept you taking your son's place.」

She presented the plan with a somewhat amused air.

「That is...」

「Do not worry. It is not as if he will become a puppet doll. He simply will be unable to disobey my commands. Of course, if he dies, nothing happens to me, but if I die, he dies as well.」

「...Even so, I wish for my child to live.」

Princess Kana nodded in satisfaction at that response, then turned to William, who remained sprawling on the floor in dazed shock, and asked:

「Your mother says as much, but what say you?」

William was deeply conflicted. To be sure, he did not want to die yet. However, he had no desire to live at the cost of using his mother as a sacrificial substitute, nor did he need a future where he lived at someone else's beck and call. That was what he thought.

He thought so, yet his mother's words—"Even so, I wish for my child to live"—and her wish gave push to his own desires: his wish to not die, his desire to live. Looking at his mother, she was smiling, though with a tinge of loneliness...

「...As my mother wishes.」

Even as William felt disgust at the words spilling from his own mouth, he could not deny the fact that he was relieved at being granted life once more. He loathed his own wretchedness, feeling pathetic and infuriated. He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip.

The tears welling up felt as if they exposed how powerless and helpless he truly was.

「Very well. Then—」

Nodding as she spoke, Princess Kana drew a small dagger from her breast pocket and slowly approached, causing William to instinctively brace himself. However, after crouching before him, the princess merely inflicted a tiny cut on his forehead before standing right back up.

Then, taking the blood clinging to the blade onto her finger, she began writing characters in blood upon a human-shaped paper doll (*yorishiro*). When she finished, she inflicted a small cut on her own fingertip next, adding more characters. Holding the completed talisman in hand—

「Now then, I suppose this should do. Suou, Kaou, are you ready?」

「「Aye, Princess! Everything is prepared.」」

Responding to the princess's query were not two foxes, but two children clad in mysterious attire.

Though the inhabitants of another world had no way of knowing, these garments were called *suikan*. One wore a scarlet *suikan* tucked over gradient-dyed *kukuri-bakama* trousers based in a flame-like scarlet, while the other wore an ice-blue *suikan* tucked over gradient trousers based in an icy white-indigo.

Dressed in garments of matching style but contrasting colors, with hair neatly trimmed above their eyebrows and at their shoulders, the two took the form of young children, yet possessed an otherworldly, captivating beauty. Even those holding their breath in anticipation of what was about to happen were involuntarily entranced by their appearance.

(Could these be... manifestations of the sacred beasts?)

William too stared blankly at their forms, only realizing his bindings had been released when they approached him. The children pulled him to his feet, flanking him on both sides, and produced musical instruments adorned with numerous bells (*kagura suzu*) from seemingly nowhere.

Confirming that Princess Kana had affixed the talisman onto William's forehead, the children bowed once before beginning to shake and play their bells.

*Jingle, ring...*

With the chiming bells as her signal, Princess Kana began chanting her spell.

"Unto the Grand Emperor of Mount Tai (*Taizan Fukun*), I reverently pray—offer my blood as sacrifice—and bind this pact—"

Thereupon, matching the princess's chant, numerous thin threads slithered out from the talisman with a rustling hiss. Moving like living serpents, whenever they touched the bells shaken by the two children dancing and leaping around William, they glowed faintly with light.

*Chime, ring, chime, ring...*

Following Princess Kana's voice, the bells were shaken.

"May his soul become my shield—his body my pawn—"

*Ring, chime...*

"Obeying my will alone—facing countless calamities—engrave this deeper than his very core—I reverently pray°—"

And slowly, the threads wound around William's body. With every shake of the bells, they grew increasingly translucent, until—

*CHIIIIME!*

Simultaneously as the bells chimed with a lingering trail of sound—

*CLAP!*

Princess Kana struck her hands together in a single clap, chanting aloud:

"Bind!"

At that instant, the threads, along with the talisman, were sucked all at once into William's body.

「Ghh... ngh... ugh!」

William's face twisted in agony as he clutched his chest, crouching low.

「The more you resist the spell, the more painful it will be. Well, do as you please. The outcome remains the same.」

*****

That is such a strong opening arc.

Kana LOVE!!!

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