Seduction☆Strategy
Translator: Kagura
Editor: Millinia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 9
A young man with glasses, who gave me the impression of a scholar, approached me as I walked to the pick-up carriage and bowed.
“Keigo-sama. I was selected by the temple to assist you during your stay in the royal castle. My name is Saneto. Please take care of me.”
The insignia that appeared on the priest’s uniform indicated he was in the intermediate level.
Looking at his appearance, he looked slightly younger than me.
He had unkempt, short blond hair and kind brown eyes. A mediocre face with a medium build… Although, I myself can’t comment much about others.
“I will be following the life of Keigo-sama as the Temple’s delegate. I will be staying in the temple in the royal castle, so please call me if you have any problems. Periodically, I will also come to check on you to see how you are doing.
I bowed my head and replied, “Please take care of me.” to the bespectacled young man who informed me with a soft, friendly smile that felt familiar.
“Have you heard anything from the Head Priest?”
The youth’s smile wavered and became a little more complicated.
“…… I’ve been told about the oracle of the goddess Rudia. You can leave me out of it, if you like. As you can see, I’m ordinary, and I have a lover.”
“You have a lover?”
“Yes, he’s a fellow priest though. By the way, he is a man. It’s a normal thing in this world, and since priests can’t marry women, the partner is inevitably a man. That’s why I was chosen by the Head Priest to accompany Keigo-sama. I will do my best to be useful to Keigo-sama. Please take care of …ah!”
Just then the young man had tripped over his own foot. I somehow thought of the young man who showed me moss in the empty corridor.
He’s probably a clumsy character…
A magnificent four-horse carriage stopped at the plaza in front of the temple.
Two young men who looked like military officers were standing in front of the carriage.
I recognized both of them.
They’re the subordinates who stopped the redhead during the summoning ceremony.
The first man had loose wavy silver hair that reached all the way down to his waist.
He seemed to take good care of it, you can see its elegant luster in the sunlight. He must be very proud of his hair.
He was a beautiful young man to look at. I’m sure the gorgeous aura wasn’t just due to the fine military uniform he wore.
Looking both young and confident, he must be very popular with the people around him.
The other young man had more casual looking, short combed black hair.
He seemed like the kind of person who doesn’t feel the need to fancily dress himself up — not that there was any need for him to do so. The foundation was already good.
The strength hidden in his calm demeanor became his charm.
Unlike the silver-haired man, he didn’t even smile, but I idly thought that he probably had a cute smile.
“Keigo-sama. We have come to welcome you from the royal castle.”
The silver-haired officer smiled and gave what looked like a military-style bow.
At the same time, the black-haired officer stoically took the same action.
“I was told that you don’t have any particular luggage as your daily necessities are already prepared at the royal castle. Keigo-sama, please continue to ride in the carriage. The priest over there too.”
“Um…” I called out to the silver-haired man who opened the door of the carriage and urged me on.
“You don’t need to use ‘sama’1. I’m not Sakura, so please talk to me as you normally would, in your usual tone of voice.”
“… Is that your personal opinion, Keigo-sama?”
The young officer confirmed, squinting his blue eyes that complimented his silver hair.
He wore a smile on his face, but his eyes were definitely not smiling.
“Yes….That’s my opinion.”
“I’ll have to confirm with my superior, but if you wish, we can do that until we reach the castle… Is this all right… Keigo?”
They haven’t told me their names yet.
“Thank you. Would you mind telling me your names as well?”
When I asked, the eyebrows that matched his silver hair twitched.
While the smile on his face was the same, it seemed that my question had caught his interest.
Before the silver-haired officer could answer, his black-haired partner answered the question in a deep and pleasantly smooth voice.
“Pardon me. My name is Gilliam. This is Farangis. The two of us will be your bodyguards at the royal castle. I ask for your cooperation. Now, can you please get in the carriage? Our superior is awaiting your arrival.”
“Thank you, Gilliam and Farangis. I will count on you.”
I thanked them and got into the carriage.
I was finally leaving the temple where I had spent my first week in this world.
I managed to get the carriage window open and I leaned back to enjoy the scenery outside.
We weren’t even out of the building, let alone the temple grounds.
The endless green scenery was dazzling.
This fantasy world, the Kingdom of Shirokia, was like a remote countryside of Europe in terms of its landscape.
Rolling hills covered with green grass. In the distance, I could see a white dot that looked like a flock of sheep.
The road may not have been paved, but it was in good condition. I figured it must have been regularly maintained because of the frequent traffic.
We had passed several travelers on horses and carriages.
In this world, it is said that horses are the basis for traveling far, not walking.
Saneto, who was sitting next to me, explained that if you’re unlucky, you could be attacked by magical beasts. If that is the case, a horse is the only way to escape.
He said that the Knights are defeating them on a regular basis, but even when the beast’s numbers are low, it is difficult to destroy them.
Gilliam and Farangis, sitting across from me, also seemed to belong to the Knights.
According to Saneto, it takes three hours to go from the temple to the royal castle by horse…?
I don’t know if that’s close or far by this world’s standards, but it seemed impossible to go and visit Bachelard unless I have learned horse riding…
Ah, by the way, the number units and other things are based on the current Japanese system.
There are various kinds of Sakura.
As we continued our journey, the rough surface of the road had turned into cobblestone.
The road became wider, and the number of wagons and people coming and going had increased.
Most of the people I saw were men, I rarely saw any women. The fearsome gender ratio of the goddess.
Saneto peeked out from the side and pointed ahead of the carriage.
“That is the royal capital of the Kingdom of Shirokia, Shuraorumu, and you can also see the royal castle.”
I looked to where Saneto had pointed and I could see the outer walls surrounding the city and the wide open gate.
Beyond the cityscape seen from the gate, on the top of a small hill, stood a building that looked like a castle.
I thought, That’s a little bit unexpected……
It’s different from what I imagined??
T/N: Thank you for reading. If you find something wrong with my translations, please leave a comment for me to improve. Have a good day.
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