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ladybugbirdie42 · 4 months ago

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Anastasia Camp Formation Story Translation Pt 4

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When the conference ended and they left the assembly hall, Julius generously praised Anastasia for her attitude during the discussion.

“Thank you for your hard work, Lady Anastasia. As expected, your performance was magnificent.”

In response to the praise, Anastasia put her finger to her lips and said, “Hmm.”

“Well, I’d say it was a passing grade. It was partly thanks to the preparations made beforehand, but I think the biggest reason was that I felt reassured havin’ Julius there.”

“I am unworthy of such words. I would be honored if I could be of some help to you, Lady Anastasia.”

“Hmm, a perfect answer… Oops.”

Anastasia pouted in dissatisfaction for a moment, then noticed something and stopped in her tracks. Julius followed her gaze as she turned around, widening his eyes slightly as well.

In the castle corridor, a figure stood tall and composed, not joining the wave of nobles leaving the room. Her gaze was sharp, but not intimidating. Simply put, she had a dignified presence.

In fact, the woman’s presence was like a sword and was almost dazzling.

“Lady Anastasia, that person is…”

“I know, she’s famous. Besides, it’s hard ta mistake her for someone else.”

Interrupting Julius, Anastasia stepped towards her with her hands clasped behind her back. The woman didn’t move in response to Anastasia’s approach, and the two of them naturally found themselves facing each other.

“Anastasia Hoshin.”

“Yes, yes, that’s me. You’re Duchess Crusch Karsten. Or rather, would it be easier ta understand if I called ya Crusch the royal candidate?”

“You may call me what you like. I am in a position to compete with you. In other words, you and I are on equal footing.”

“Hmm, just as the rumors say…nah, she’s even more straightforward than the rumors say.”

The green-haired woman who answered Anastasia’s call—Duchess Crusch Karsten—folded her arms.

She was also a candidate for the Dragon Maiden qualifications, just like Anastasia, and was the first person to be recognized. As she was also a member of the upper nobles who were summoned to the assembly, she would naturally have attended the previous assembly.

Therefore, like Bordeaux, she could have objected to Anastasia’s participation in the royal selection on the grounds that she is from another country, but—

“Ya didn’t do such a thing. Is that a relaxed attitude?”

“Relaxed? I’ve never been one to indulge in such things. I am aware of the mission and responsibilities that have been imposed upon me. Besides, this is now my greatest wish. I will give it my all.”

“——”

Crusch’s way of life, which embodied what an honest and upright noble should be, was something Julius could respect. However, there was something strange about how Crusch was speaking just now. It was an odd feeling that Julius felt because he had had a few opportunities to interact with her.

She had always maintained a strong awareness of her responsibilities as a high-ranking noble. And yet, when Crusch declared that she would give it her all in the royal selection, she seemed tense somehow—

“It’s been a while, Julius Juukulius. How have you been?”

“—It has been a while since I last saw you, but I’m glad to see that you’ve remained well since then, Lady Crusch.”

“I heard from Ferris that you haven’t changed either…No, maybe not. I don’t think you would have done something like this if you were the old you.”

“——”

“If there’s been a change of heart, I guess it’s the same for both of us.”

Crusch did not reprimand Julius, who chose to remain silent in response, but merely nodded. Then she turned to Anastasia,

“Once the remaining two candidates are present, the royal selection will begin in earnest. I’m glad I was able to meet you face to face and exchange words with you before that happens.”

“Are ya the type of person who wants ta see the face of the person yer gonna defeat, Crusch?”

“I would like to know their face. And if possible, I would like to know that my opponent has a purpose worthy of aiming for the throne and is powerful enough to compete for it.”

“Not only do ya look like a knight, but even yer way of thinkin’ is like a knight. In yer eyes, do ya think I fit that ideal?”

“—Let’s have dinner sometime soon if possible. Anastasia Hoshin.”

Crusch smiled faintly and turned away without giving a clear answer to the question. However, that smile was the best possible answer to Anastasia’s question.

—Crusch recognized Anastasia as a rival candidate in the royal selection.

Without a doubt, Crusch was the favorite to win the royal selection. Her judgment made Julius nod in agreement, knowing that his own eyes were correct.

Anastasia quickly noticed Julius’s reaction and pursed her lips.

“What? Ya look awfully satisfied.”

“Of course. After all, Lady Anastasia has been recognized by Lady Crusch herself. She will likely be the most difficult opponent, but it is also an honor.”

“Lady Crusch, what’s with that? And what’s with it bein’ an honor? I’m not the type of person ta get fired up when faced with the glare of a strong opponent. I’d rather have an easy victory, so it scares me.”

Anastasia frowned, making a troubled face as she spoke.

It was still fresh in his memory that she had been excited and couldn’t wait until the big stage where she would put her name forward for the royal selection.

“—That’s right. Anastasia Hoshin. I will tell you one thing.”

Crusch stopped in her tracks as she turned around and pointed a finger in their direction. When the two of them looked up at her, Crusch’s amber eyes narrowed.

“At the moment, there are three known candidates. In addition to myself and you, there is also Baroness Barielle, Priscilla Barielle…but she is also quite a formidable opponent. You should prepare yourself.”

“Thanks for the advice. But it’s okay. –I already know that.”

“…I see. That was just unnecessary worry.”

Strangely, Anastasia looked genuinely displeased. Seeing this, Crusch gave a wry smile, as if she had realized something, and this time she finally left the corridor.

Seeing her leave, Julius and Anastasia were left alone in the passageway.

“Lady Anastasia, what you were talking about just now…?”

“It’s not difficult. The second candidate, Priscilla Barielle… I just spoke ta her in person a little while ago. She seemed like a tricky opponent too.”

“You met Lady Barielle in person!?”

Unexpectedly, a look of surprise appeared on Julius’s handsome face. Glancing at the good-looking man’s reaction, Anastasia gave a slightly mischievous laugh.

“I was just tryin’ ta scout the enemy. The reactions might be different before and after I put myself forward as a candidate. I thought it would be nice ta stir things up while I’m at it.”

“You never cease to amaze me… So, did you have any success?”

“—No matter how many times we negotiate, it’s all a waste of time. But findin’ out after just one is a bit of a gain, if ya want ta call it that.”

“That is…”

Julius frowned slightly, wondering what that meant.

Julius knew very little about the second candidate, Priscilla Barielle. To begin with, there was a gag order on the royal selection itself, and the same went for information about the other candidates.

Those involved in the royal selection were limited to a few important people, including high-ranking nobles, and the royal guard knights who were tasked with searching for candidates with the qualifications to become shrine maidens. Julius, however, was more familiar with the situation than the other knights because he was the first to discover Anastasia, the third candidate.

All Julius knew about Priscilla was that she was the wife of Baron Leip Barielle, who was much older than her, and that it was the Baron himself who was most enthusiastic about the royal selection.

However, as if to correct Julius’s perception, Anastasia shook her head.

“Everyone says that it’s the Baron who’s the real challenger, but if ya see them in person, you’ll see they’re mistaken. –The princess is a much bigger monster than the Baron.”

“…Isn’t calling her a monster a bit of an exaggeration?”

“Maybe it was inappropriate to call a girl that. But, Crusch went outta her way ta warn us…Don’t ya think that’s credible?”

Julius held his breath at the persuasiveness of that statement, while Anastasia narrowed her eyes in a smile.

The one the Dragon Gem would choose would be someone who was qualified to be a shrine maiden who could communicate with dragons—in other words, someone who could fulfill the role that the Lugunican royal family had played up until now.

Given that her qualifications were recognized, how could he think that Priscilla, whose true character was unclear, was merely an ordinary person hiding in the shadow of her husband? In fact, Anastasia and Crusch, two talented people, had been recognized by the Dragon Gem and their names were on the list of candidates.

That was an overly naïve, immature, and shallow understanding. Julius admonished himself.

“My opponents are a duchess and a giant monster… It looks like a tricky situation. Since I’m competin’, I absolutely do not wanna lose, so I need ta think about this carefully.”

“Think about it?”

“If we’re gonna do it, there’s no point if we don’t win. It’s better not ta do it than ta lose. So, I’d like ta go back ta the mansion now and discuss various things.”

As Anastasia gently combed the white fur of the fox scarf around her neck with her fingers, she curled her lips as she considered the pending issues for the upcoming royal selection.

Seeing her pondering, Julius realized that this was beyond his ability.

“My apologies, Lady Anastasia. I actually have an appointment with someone after this.”

“Oh, really? Hmm, then…can we talk tonight?”

“Yes. Then, let’s meet at night. This time, I will come and pick you up myself. –I will do my best to give you good news.”

“If Julius says so, then I guess I’ll get my hopes up.”

After saying that with a playful gesture, he made an appointment for the evening with a smiling Anastasia.

After that, Julius escorted her out of the castle and saw her off to the inn in a dragon carriage. He bowed to Anastasia, who was waving, then turned around with a firm grin on his face.

The meeting place was the knight barracks adjacent to the royal castle. Unlike normal times, Julius passed through a corridor filled with many knights and guards and stepped into the dining hall.

There, awaiting Julius was—

“—This way, Julius.”

A voice called out to Julius, who was looking around the room from the entrance. Looking towards the back of the room, he saw a red-haired young man sitting alone at a four-person table, waving in his direction. Waving back, Julius headed towards the table without hesitation. He then bowed slightly to the person he had been keeping waiting.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting. The business at the assembly hall was completed without any problems.”

“It was a meeting of the high-ranking nobles and members of the Sage Council. You played an important role, so I think it would be unbecoming of a friend to blame you for being late.”

“It’s a relief to hear you say that.”

Julius smiled and narrowed his eyes at the joking young man. Then he looked around the slightly crowded dining hall and deciding it would be too conspicuous here—

“—I have something important to tell you. Let’s move to another location, Reinhard.”

So he approached the red-haired young man—the “Sword Saint” Reinhard van Astrea.

#re zero #julius juukulius #anastasia hoshin #crusch karsten #reinhard van astrea #for a bit at the end #anastasia camp formation

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