Maydare Volume 2 Chapter 1 - The Final Person

 Volume 2 begins! Hopefully I can get the pdfs up soon, it's a lot tougher than I thought.

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This was a dream. This was a dream.

While chanting this, I, Makia O’Drielle, forced myself to fall asleep…

“It’s still there.”

The next morning, I checked my chest in front of the washbasin and found that the “crest” was still engraved there, as expected.

The “Crest of the Four Lights,” the mark of a Guardian in the Savior Legend of Maydare.

“This can’t be happening. It isn’t possible, at all. I’m still a student. And in the first place, I’m the descendant of the Scarlet Witch. I have the blood of that witch who’s like the natural enemy of the Savior. No matter how you look at it, I’m unacceptable for this…”

I paced around my room in my negligee, my face pale.

Why me? The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t understand.

To think that I would be chosen as one of the “Guardians,” who protected the Savior from the side. 

“There must be some kind of mistake. First of all, it’s strange for the crest to appear now. This is a mark that’s engraved in the chosen ones on the night the stars fall. Just like...Thor on that day.”

I felt somewhat numb. Anyway, I needed to talk to someone about this.

I hurriedly changed into my uniform, quickly straightened my red hair, which was now shorter than before, and left my room.

At times like these, it was my relative, Professor Medite, who I relied on unconditionally…

“Hey Miss Makia, what are you doing here so early in the morning?”

My maternal uncle, Lord Urbanus Medite.

He was also the Potions professor at Lune Ruschia Magic School.

He had dark green hair and snake-like eyes, and his monocle truly made him look like a magician, but today was a good day, and he was wearing a straw hat and tending to a field of medicinal sunflowers. 

Uncle, a straw hat, and sunflowers. Yeah, it didn’t suit him.

”You’re going back to Deliafield soon, aren’t you? Big Sister Julia and Lord O’Drielle are waiting for you to return. Oh, do you want to bring back some sunflower seed chocolates?”

“Um, Uncle,”

Professor Medite was talking to me as usual...no, in this case, he was Uncle Medite, and I timidly undid my chest ribbon and unbuttoned my blouse in front of him.

“!?”

Uncle was plainly startled.

“Hold, hold on, Miss Makia!? Well, it’s true that your uncle is single? You certainly are extremely adorable, but this is school, and we are teacher and student. And before that, we are uncle and niece—”

“Uncle, sorry for causing you to misunderstand this weirdly, but look at this.”

“Mmm?”

He finally noticed the thing that appeared on my chest.

“This is…”

Uncle raised his monocle and stared at the crest.

It would be pretty bad if someone else saw this scene…

But more than that, Uncle was looking at the crest with a serious look in his eyes.

“Oh no. Oh, this is bad. I’m seeing something that I never wanted to see appear on you.”

His tone was somewhat detached and uncharacteristic of my facetious uncle.

“It appeared last night. It wasn’t there until then. Is this real?”

“I don’t know.”

And the Uncle buttoned up my blouse and tied the ribbon back, as though saying he didn’t want to see the crest anymore.

“But we can’t continue to hide it, can we? Let’s go to the palace now and let them know.”

“Am I going to be a Guardian?”

“...Don’t worry. I’ll come with you.”

He didn’t give an answer to my question, but Uncle worriedly patted my head and said that to me.

Uncle Medite took me to Miladriede Castle.

I have been in the great hall where the ball was held before, but this was the first time I was inside a proper castle.

Our footsteps echoed in the marble hallway.

The people who passed by were important-looking noblemen, straight-laced looking government officials, maids with composed expressions, royal court magicians, guards…

The palace workers greeted Uncle Medite and glanced at me. No one would ever have guessed that I had the Guardian’s crest engraved on me.

I wonder what will happen to me now…

As I walked along, my heart pounding at this situation that I had never even imagined, we had arrived at the back of the castle before I knew it.

Uncle talked to the guards in front of a certain room and knocked on the door.

The person who came out was His Highness, Prince Ulysses, the second prince of the Kingdom of Ruschia with soft white hair and striking citrus yellow eyes.

But to me, he was Professor Ulysses of the Lune Ruschia Magic School.

“Oh, Urbanus...and…?”

Professor Ulysses saw me behind Uncle and blinked.

“Your Highness, I need to speak with you.”

Uncle bowed exaggeratedly at Professor Ulysses, his fellow teacher at magic school as well his classmate when they were students.

Professor Ulysses looked a bit troubled.

“Urbanus. We are talking about something a bit complicated right now. We can talk later…”

“This is also an urgent matter.”

However, Uncle didn’t back down. Perhaps it was because the always cheerful Uncle was so serious, but the professor seemed to have sensed a troubling situation.

“Who’s here? Let them in.”

A light voice came from the back of the room. It was Miss Airi’s voice.

Perhaps following her words, Professor Ulysses opened the door wide.

In the room, there was a magnificent long table where Airi, the Savior from another world, and her three Guardians were seated.

“...Milady?”

One of the Guardians, Thor Bigreitz, noticed me and reflexively stood up.

He was a former servant and pupil of the O’Drielle house, and the black-haired knight who had grown up with me.

“What business do you have with us, Lord O’Drielle? We’re in the middle of a meeting regarding an important matter. And why did you bring the O’Drielle girl along with you?”

The third prince, Prince Gilbert, glared at me sideways.

He was a prince-like prince with long beige hair tied back, but I was incredibly hated by this prince.

The reason for that was because I was the descendant of the world’s worst witch.

“If you will, Your Highness. And the Lady Savior Airi. My niece, Makia O’Drielle, has received the mark of the Guardian, the ‘Crest of the Four Lights.’”

“Wha?”

“What…!?”

Everyone couldn’t seem to hide their shock at Uncle’s report.

Even Miss Airi tilted her head with a “Huh?”

Thor was also at a loss for words, unable to hide his confusion.

“I assume she has the crest?”

Prince Gilbert glared at me even more harshly and asked in a tone filled with suspicion.

I was a bit embarrassed and bewildered, but in order to have everyone there believe me, I untied my chest ribbon with trembling fingers. And then, the buttons of my blouse…

“Wait!”

Just as I thought Thor shouted that in an uncharacteristically panicked manner, he strode up to me with his arms outstretched.

A huge wall named Thor stood before me.

“Wha...What are you doing, Thor? Step aside.”

“No. What are you doing, milady! Please don’t do something so improper!”

“B-Because…”

“Exposing our Young Mistress Makia’s skin in a place full of filthy men with leering eyes is completely out of the question. I refuse to let that happen!”

“‘Our…’”

This was another instance of Thor being unable to let go of the days when he was a loyal knight. The situation of a young lady of the noble family he used to serve, exposing her bosom in front of a crowd of gentlemen, had flipped his servant switch.

At this action, Lionel Fabray, one of the Guardians who had stayed silent until now, burst into laughter, unable to hold it back and laughing uproariously with his arms crossed.

“Ahahahahaha! How funny. I never thought I’d see Thor so flustered. He’s usually such a cool boy who’s indifferent to everything and does his duties matter-of-factly.”

He was also the vice commander of the Order of the Royal Palace and Thor’s superior.

I had met him before on the school’s herb garden island. He was a handsome knight who looked ten years older than Thor, but he was a man who laughed so heartily like this. I thought he would be more severe.

“...This is no laughing matter, Lionel! The crest has to be checked, otherwise the girl might be lying. I can’t trust Thor to be the only one checking it!”

“Oh, Prince Gilbert, could it be that you are feeling sulky?”*

(TN: Lionel uses むっつり which means sulky but むっつりすけべ also means a "Lecher with a quiet exterior)

“Lionel, you bastard...I’ll stab you.”

An enraged Prince Gilbert leaned over the table and thrust his slender sword before Sir Lionel’s eyes.

Sir Lionel smiled carefreely and said, “Ah, my apologies.” He had the nerve to say something like that to a prince. As expected of a man who had risen to the position of vice commander.

In the midst of this chaos, it was Professor Ulysses who cleared his throat and advanced the talk.

“Understood. Then, I shall check it. Thor, are you okay with that?”

“...Yes. If it is Your Highness.”

Thor paused for a moment, and then nodded. He seemed to trust Professor Ulysses and quickly stepped aside as the tall wall that had been hiding me.

I also felt a little more at ease with Professor Ulysses.

“When did the crest appear?”

“It was last night. I think it was just after the thunderstorm passed.”

“Understood. Now, if you will.”

“...Yes.”

And then, in front of Professor Ulysses, I undid the buttons to expose my chest.

The Crest of the Four Lights was indeed engraved there.

Professor Ulysses’ citrus yellow eyes glowed dully. His usual gentle gaze seemed to have sharpened just now.

I was more nervous rather than embarrassed.

The professor waited for me to button it back up, and then turned back to the Savior and Guardians.

“Everyone, please calm down and listen. The final Guardian has been found, and she is here. It is Miss Makia O’Drielle.”

It sounded as though he was convinced.

Even so, Prince Gilbert still couldn’t accept it, and he slammed his fist on the table.

“What is the meaning of this, Brother? How can a fourth person appear after all this time? What’s more, she’s the descendant of the ‘Scarlet Witch,’ the most infamous person in the world!”

Professor Ulysses put his finger to his mouth, pondered it a bit, and then began to speak.

“This ‘rule’ regarding the Savior and Guardians is not well known, but when one Guardian dies, a new Guardian is chosen. In short, a replacement appears.”

“Replacement…?”

None of the Guardians seemed to know about it.

“So, if you are saying that the crest appeared on Young Mistress Makia at this time, then that means…”

“Yes. It is probably because the original fourth person chosen at the night of the meteor shower died somewhere. The reason why Miss Makia is chosen and moved up to their position must have been because of the summer ball. At that time, Miss Makia used an extraordinary magic to save the Savior. That was what earned her the recognition.”

At Professor Ulysses’ explanation, Miss Airi, who had been silent until now, blinked her big eyes and tilted her head again.

“Who exactly is she recognized by?”

“By this world, Maydare.”

The professor answered nonchalantly.

“However, there is no replacement for the Savior, Airi. If you die, it is the end. It is not certain that a new Savior would be summoned from another world, and Maydare will sink into an era of chaos for some time to come.”

“I know, Ulysses. I’m special, aren’t I.”

Miss Airi answered with a smiling face, undaunted.

But then a shadow fell over her smile.

“But I don’t want my Guardians to die. For me, there’s no replacement for anyone.”

“Airi…”

Prince Gilbert was looking at Miss Airi with a gaze filled with respect…

If a Guardian died, their replacement appeared. This fact was very shocking. As long as the duties of the Savior continued, there was the possibility that all the Guardians could be replaced in the future.

“But, Your Highness. Young Mistress Makia is still a student. She is an excellent witch, but even so, the task of Guardian is too dangerous for her.”

Thor’s panic was like he didn’t want me to be a Guardian.

Unusually, Prince Gilbert seemed to share his opinion.

“Yes. If she showed up just now and isn’t an immediate asset, she’s just a liability. If she’s the descendant of that witch, the people and our allies will not accept it. That being the case, the leading palace magician Eugene Batiste or Urbanus Medite over there would be suitable for the role. In the first place, why wasn’t Brother chosen as a Guardian! Brother Ulysses is the strongest spirit magician in the kingdom!”

...That was true.

I accepted that Prince Gilbert, who despised me, had a point. 

I hadn’t really paid attention to it, because he was the mediator for the Savior and Guardians, but it was strange that Professor Ulysses hadn’t been chosen as a Guardian in the first place.

Even though it was said that there was no spirit magician stronger than him in the country.

Professor Ulysses’ face turned serious for a moment, but then quickly wore his usual smile. 

“You are the ones chosen by Maydare to be the Guardians of the Savior. Each of us have our own roles to play. I have been assigned the role of overseer to guide the Guardians. Yes...much like the ‘White Sage’ once did.”

And then, he suddenly turned his gaze towards me.

“The fact that Miss Makia was chosen to be a Guardian must also mean something. I hope the Savior and Guardians will accept her with open arms.”

“But this girl is the descendant of the ‘Scarlet Witch’! She had just shown us her wicked magic!”

Prince Gilbert’s distrust of me was intense. His eyes spoke of that.

“It certainly is an irregular situation. Miss Makia must be confused as well. Do you have any questions?”

“Well…”

I raised my hand lightly, as I always did at school, and asked Professor Ulysses a question.

“I do have one question, if I may. So in the end, I was chosen because someone died?”

After a few moments of silence, everyone looked at each other.

“Miss Makia, we still do not know that yet. The original fourth person was never found. But in the future, depending on the investigation, we may be able to confirm the death of someone who fits that description.”

Professor Ulysses told me. 

The original, fourth Guardian, whose identity remained unknown.

Where and why did they die? As someone who inherited the mark, I was quite curious.

“Your Highness. It is time to return to the original topic. Especially now that the fourth Guardian is found.”

“Yes. ...Then let us stop here on this topic for the being.”

Accepting Sir Lionel’s opinion, Professor Ulysses prompted me, who was standing there, to join him at the table. Uncle exchanged nods with the professor and then left the room.

After that, Professor Ulysses explained what they had been discussing before I came here.

“To tell you the truth, the next conference with our allies will be held here in Miladriede. There, the Savior and the Guardians will be presented to the representatives of each allied nation for the first time.”

The allied nation conference. The allies of the Kingdom of Ruschia were the Frezier Empire to the west, the Vabel State within that country, and other small states neighboring us.

“Don’t the Savior and Guardians head to the Holy Land once they are all gathered?”

I asked without thinking.

According to the legend, once the Savior and Guardians were all present, they would travel to the Frezier Empire and be baptized in Vabelism’s Holy Land. That was what the legend said.

“The baptism is decided to be held in the spring, at the ‘Holy Festival.’ Since we missed it this year, we will have to wait until next spring. We can go to Frezier early and prepare, but...”

Guardian Sir Lionel added to what Professor Ulysses said.

“A Frezier border town was attacked by Heavenly Imperial troops last month. Frezier is in a tense situation with the enemy and anything can happen. Therefore, we have decided to stay in the Kingdom of Ruschia until the Holy Festival next year.”

Oh, I see.

Certainly, if the danger was high, it might be safer to stay in the Kingdom of Ruschia until the last minute. However, Miss Airi was truly disappointed that she couldn’t go to another country.

“I know I’m not going to die, I’m sure of it! I’ve been through a lot until now, but I’ve never been seriously injured, and I’m not dead, you know?”

“...”

“I can’t wait to leave Ruschia and explore the countries of Maydare. That’s like the best part of a trip to another world.”

Miss Airi had been thinking of this world as a story and talking like she was the so-called “protagonist” for a long time now. Those here might not understand what was going on, but I somewhat understood the reason.

Miss Airi…

This girl, who was a high school girl in Japan named “Tanaka Airi” and my best friend, was writing her own novel. It was a story of heart-pounding love and adventure that made you think about an unknown world.

That was why this was a place of dreams for her.

A place she always wanted to reach.

“But Lady Airi, you have only been lucky so far. And now that you are on the front stage, the danger is even greater. Frezier is a great power, but unlike Ruschia, it is a very dangerous country.”

When Thor, who was originally from Frezier, spoke up, Miss Airi shook her fist up and down.

“But but, I’m tired of staying obediently in Ruschia! I want to act as the Savior as soon as possible. I want to go on adventures all over the world, fight with magic, expose evil plots, and save people!”

She indignantly, but cutely, complained. She seemed to have a lot of things to complain about.

“All I hear is ‘it’s dangerous, it’s dangerous,’ and you don’t even let me go out to the capital to play. I’m going to go neurotic! And all the Guardians are busy with their work!”

From the perspective of the Guardians, I guess their true motive was that they wanted Miss Airi to stay put in the palace. It also might be difficult to have them be together all the time, since they were all Guardians of the opposite sex.

“Oh, I have an idea! From now on, you should be my companion, Miss Makia! Then I won’t be bored!”

“!?”

I straightened my back when my name came up.

“That’s...dangerous, Airi. That girl is the descendant of an evil witch! She might get jealous of your brilliance and try to hurt you. I’ve heard that the 〈Scarlet Witch〉is a very jealous person!”

“...Okay?”

”I have seen many noblewomen like that! Women who are jealous of a pure and innocent existence that is loved by everyone, get an inferiority complex and an overreaching sense of rivalry, and try to eliminate them without remembering their position!”

How should I put it, Prince Gilbert’s paranoia was too intense.

Or maybe he had experience with a woman like that?

It was true that I was a bit jealous of Miss Airi at the summer ball, but that didn’t mean I was going to do anything about it.

I managed to swallow those voices in my mind, but Thor expressed my discomfort for me.

“Please don’t make these terrible false accusations, Your Highness. There is no way milady would be jealous and commit petty harassment on the level of a noblewoman. If anything, milady has the mentality of retaliating in kind if something is done to her. She will pay it back thrice. She will curse. She will give nightmares. Then we can talk.”

“Wha…!”

Thor. Thank you for the follow up that might make this more complicated.

Thanks to that, Prince Gilbert’s eyebrows raised even more.

“As I expected, she’s a terrifying witch! How can a holy Guardian be such a fiend!”

“That is a compliment for milady. Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

“Thor, you bastard…”

Prince Gilbert and Thor were fighting with each other about me.

When I glanced at Miss Airi, she looked somewhat unamused. She might be bothered by the fact that Thor still hadn’t given his loyalty to me yet.

Professor Ulysses cleared his throat and said, “May we return to the subject at hand?”

It looked tough being the mediator for this lineup…

“Miss Makia. Whether you are fit to be a Guardian or not will ultimately be determined by the emissaries from Vabel. Also, the matter of the original fourth person is… Until that fact is known, it is best to keep the fact that you’ve been chosen as a Guardian as a secret from everyone except those involved. Once it is publicized, you will not be able to attend magic school.”

“Huh!? I can’t have that. I’ve been working hard to attend Lune Ruschia for a long time. I’ve been working hard to become an honor student with the rest of my team…”

I stood up unconsciously.

Wait. Why was I aiming to be an honor student?

It was to meet Thor, to tell him my feelings, and finally, to help him behind the scenes after he became a Guardian.

If I became a Guardian myself, all those goals would become frivolous.

“Hmph. Have some awareness as a Guardian, O’Drielle girl. A Guardian is someone who protects the Savior at all costs. I broke off my engagement with my fiancée so that I can devote everything I have to Airi.”

Prince Gilbert said proudly.

All I could think was, His poor fiancée.

“The rest of you must also be aware of your roles as Guardians and devote yourselves to Airi. It is preposterous to have feelings for anyone else!”

Prince Gilbert said while glaring sternly at me and Thor.

Even though he was so against me becoming a Guardian earlier.

“Miss Makia. Don’t think too much about what Gil said. I just wanted a friend who’s a girl the same age as me. A friend who I can talk to as an equal.”

“Miss Airi…”

Miss Airi directed a charming smile at me. 

But to be honest, I still didn’t have any awareness that I was a Guardian yet, and I had somewhat complicated feelings about the Savior girl in front of me.

Miss Airi didn’t know that I was her best friend in my past life, Oda Kazuha…

“Hahaha, it’s fine, isn’t it? It must be boring for Airi to only have men as her Guardians. A female Guardian of the same age she can talk to without hesitation. I would be relieved if Miss Makia can serve as Airi’s advisor.”

Sir Lionel was outwardly friendly towards me. His tough smile was brilliant.

“What are you talking about, Lionel! This witch isn’t strong enough to protect Airi. And I still don’t trust her in any way…”

Prince Gilbert was still the same. His glare at me was piercing. 

“Please stop insulting Miss Makia, Your Highness! You don’t know anything about her!”

Thor was also Thor, trying to defend me too much. He even stood up to complain.

However, Prince Gilbert also stood up at Thor’s attitude.

And then, he walked up to Thor and told him this in a severe tone.

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Thor. What are you going to do if you find yourself in a situation where you can only save one of them, this girl or Airi?”

“...!?”

Perhaps all of us here were struck by those words.

Thor’s eyes widened. Prince Gilbert continued without pause.

“When that time comes, you must save Airi. That situation will come one day without doubt! Bear that in mind, Thor Bigreitz!”

No one corrected his opinion.

A Guardian, as the name implied, is the one who protected the Savior. The Savior’s shield.

Even if Thor was my former knight, he couldn’t throw away the role of Guardian.

I could be replaced, but there was no replacement for Miss Airi.

“...”

Thor clenched his fists with a pained, frustrated look on his face.

I didn’t want to see Thor like that.

He might never reject Miss Airi, but he might never tolerate being forced to be loyal to her, reminding him of his former days as a slave.

As a knight, he might want to be in a position to be loyal to those he truly believed in, to protect what he wanted to protect.

All right. I understood. If that was the case, I would be strong.

“Then, I’ll do my best to survive without Thor’s protection.”

“...Milady?”

My sudden statement had everyone looking at me, but I was only staring at Thor.

I smiled victoriously, like the Young Mistress Makia I used to be, who didn’t know fear.

“So don’t make that face, Thor. Who do you think I am? I won’t die so easily, and I won’t let you make that choice.”

That’s why, the only person you need to protect is Airi.

And I must become strong, in order to not make you sad.

Thor still looked worried, but I immediately stood up and looked at everyone here.

“I'm still not sure if I’m a true Guardian or not, but I will work hard. If it is asked of me, I will act as Lady Airi’s advisor. I look forward to working with all of you.”

I put one hand on my chest and bowed my head, as though I was making a vow.

Since we were both Guardians, I would have to hide my feelings for Thor…

Ah, really.

Yesterday, at that time, in that place.

How I wish I had told you my feelings there.

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