Volume 1: Chapter 1, Part 2. Pieces on the Chessboard II

Translator: AdCaelum

Editor: bee

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Super sorry for the delay T-T

A reader in the previous update had requested my romanized version of the main cast, so I’ll add that at the bottom of the update in case some people don’t want to be spoiled.

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The next morning, I had Julietta cover her face with a white veil as I took her to the dragon temple near the royal castle. That temple was the religion’s national headquarters, the head over all the other temples that dotted the kingdom, as well as Julietta’s residence while she was the dragon priestess.

Imprisoned deep underneath the royal castle was a massive, ancient dragon known as Charis. The dragon’s mere presence brought good fortune, attracting an abundance of spirits with its overflowing vitality and mana, allowing the people of this country to live comfortable lives.

The dragon had remained imprisoned since the country’s founding. Although its lifespan was comparable to an eternity, it wasn’t immortal. Having lost a portion of its soul, it would continue to exhaust its strength unless it could devour the flesh of a holy maiden once a decade.

As the dragon’s death was equivalent to the kingdom’s death, the Kingdom of Palcemith founded the national religion to worship the dragon and established a process of selecting a sacrifice to prevent their mutual end. While the sacrificial priestess was to be revered on the same level as the king, the dragon priestess—the role Julietta had once occupied—was the authority over the ritual and the one who guided the people. But in truth, that role held little of its old authority and honor. Nowadays, you’d more often find the daughter of a noble or a low-ranking princess serving in the role to raise her standing. Despite the precedent for premature death of the girls serving as the dragon priestess. As a matter of fact, Julietta’s predecessor had already gone on to the next world.

Naturally, there was a reason behind this. And I had come to the temple today to “join forces” with that very reason.

I had requested an audience with High Priest Malacia who managed the temple and was once Julietta’s guardian. He didn’t even hide his displeasure, and he didn’t stop the ladies-in-waiting from conjuring up all kinds of rumors when they spotted the veiled Julietta. He purposely let out a heavy sigh right before entering the lounge.

“I apologize for the wait, Your Excellency. If possible, I’d wished to never see your face again.” Removing all the niceties, Malacia was telling me: I’ve no interest in sinking ships.

Malacia had aided Andriam in lining their pockets by committing evil acts under the guise of his holy duties. I suspect that his superb quick thinking skills allowed him to correctly sense the kingdom’s state, which was likely why he no longer wished to see me. A shame. I had found his intellect rather valuable. The original Andriam would have used the cane in his hand to try to split open that clever little head, but I obviously wouldn’t do something so foolish.

“Given your character, I assume you’ve already learned of the fiasco at the throne room, yes?” I asked.

Malacia gave a quick nod. “Yes, the news has reached my ears. Of all things he could do, His Royal Highness annulled his engagement to Lady Julietta and chose the sacrificial priestess Miss Nasha Ratury instead. On top of that, he appointed Lady Julietta as the replacement sacrificial priestess… It’s too ridiculous for a joke. Yet Your Excellency gave not a single rebuttal? That seems a bit inhumane, don’t you think?”

“Hehe, it does indeed. At this rate, the only fate that awaits me, Julietta, and you is destruction.”

“And here I was wondering why you were acting so blasé. I intend to leave this country no matter what… although I predict it’ll be a bumpy road.”

Authorities had long caught onto the collusion between the chancellor and high priest. Malacia didn’t need to use his intellect to predict the kind of obstacles he would face if he sought refuge.

“I have something to discuss with you. How would you like to cooperate with me, Malacia?”

“Come again?” Malacia was naturally suspicious.

In response, I lifted Julietta’s veil and revealed her face. Malacia was frozen and speechless. I noted the impact this reveal had.

“Is that you, Lady Julietta…?”

“Yes…”

“I see. Your voice is indeed hers. But, oh my, this is certainly…”

Julietta blushed under such close scrutiny and turned away.

Today, Julietta did not have that white powder caked on her face nor that red eyesore of a lipstick color. Instead, I had her keep it to a minimum to imitate a natural look. Julietta was a beautiful girl as the game had stated, but I had transformed her into a delicate sweetheart that would make everyone want to protect her.

Her metamorphosis, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, would become another weapon in our arsenal. I must thank my younger sister from my past life for forcing me to continually help her with her cosplay makeup.

“Malacia, I plan on brewing up a storm that’ll decimate the kingdom of Palcemith,” I proclaimed.

“A storm, you say?” Malacia repeated.

“Correct. Whether it blows through or past will depend on the alliance I can form with the ancient dragon… although I wager that I have a fair chance of success,” I answered him before proposing, “Instead of bumbling around like livestock to be slaughtered, how about joining me in rattling the cage of His Goody-Two-Shoes Highness and his merry little band?”

“I don’t believe it…” Malacia finally peeled his eyes off of Julietta. A corner of his lips curled up and he sat up properly on the sofa across from Julietta and me. “If you plan to form an alliance with the Most Holy… Yes, that does sound interesting.”

“I guarantee it will be.”

“Then, I must watch His Excellency work his magic.”

“Of course, by all means. After you.”

“As you wish.”

Led by a smiling Malacia and his lantern, Julietta and I entered the long underground tunnel connecting the basements of the temple and royal castle. I held Julietta’s hand and noticed that her steps were somewhat light and bouncy.

“You’re in high spirits, aren’t you, Julietta?” I commented with a smile.

I swung our hands together, and Julietta excitedly answered, “Of course! I’ve never walked together with you like this before.”

“Yes, that’s true.” I bitterly smiled. While I recalled my previous life’s memories, I still retained the memories of the life Andriam had lived. That man was, by no means, a good father. He never paid attention to his only daughter, let alone his heir Sigurd.

“My heart was filled with sorrow and despair when His Royal Highness threw me away… but if that allowed me to walk together with you like this, then I guess being the sacrificial priestess isn’t completely bad.”

“Silly girl…”

I brought Julietta’s head close to my face and planted a light peck on her silver hair. Malacia watched with wide-eyed shock, but Julietta beamed with delight.

We eventually reached the end of the underground tunnel and looked up at the towering steel door. Behind it was the ancient dragon Charis, robbed of a portion of its soul and sealed in the expansive underground lake.

Charis controlled the far north—a frozen tundra void of flora and poor in fauna—of the continent of Yuzinna. Yet, the hero Palcemith and the sage Azbar along with an army risked their lives to bring the dragon to its knees, steal the “orb” of its soul, and nailed down its four limbs to seal it in this underground lake a thousand years ago.

Just before the final nail was driven in, the dragon cast a death curse upon the hero, but the sage blocked it and took it upon himself. And according to the legends, he applied a secret art, utilizing the lake’s reflective surface to transform the curse from death at age 22 to death at age 55.

Since then, every descendant after the sage expectedly lost their life at 55, and Julietta and I were no exception. But that was not to say that accidents or injuries couldn’t cut that life shorter. In fact, Julietta’s grandfather and the previous chancellor had been caught in a landslide during a routine inspection of the land and passed away at the young age of 42. Whether that was truly an accident or not was yet to be seen. After all, like father like son, the previous chancellor and the current chancellor imposed heavy taxes on their people. The wealth the family amassed for generations was sleeping peacefully as gold bars in the mansion’s underground treasury.

“I’ll go to the Venerable Charis by myself first. You two, wait here,” I said.

“You don’t need to tell me. I’m too scared to approach a starving Most Holy,” Malacia commented.

“Hehe, I suppose so. Keep the door open. Don’t miss a second of what I’m going to show you.”

The door to the ancient dragon sealed in the underground lake could only be opened by the presiding high priest and was customarily only done for the sacrifice on her last day, but Malacia slowly unlocked it for me.

“Hoh…”

The stale underground air was suddenly filled with the rich mana. Malacia and Julietta reflexively gasped, but I took the lantern in Malacia’s hand and boldly stepped foot inside.

I had witnessed this scene numerous times through the game screen in my previous life. This stone path underneath my feet that every sacrificial priestess walked all the way to the dragon’s jaws. These mystical lights—the spirits attracted to the dragon’s mana—above my head that illuminated the expansive underground cave. And at the center, the ancient dragon lay with half its glittering silver body submerged in the lake.

Reacting to the sound of my leather shoes hitting the floor, it turned its large scarlet eyes in my direction and sized me up, not having been visited by a human in so long. I walked all the way up to the altar for the sacrifice, respectfully bowed, and loosened my collar.

“Your Excellency…?”

“Father, what are you doing?”

Ignoring their concern, I undid my cravat and exposed my neck. The dragon extended its neck and opened its wide mouth. Its tongue, slipping through a gap of its sharp fangs, traced my throat.

“Thou know the means to hear my voice, yet thy blood reekth of that irksome man.”

A low voice echoed in my head, just as I expected. A smile rose to my face, and I bowed low again, then fully prostrated myself before the ancient dragon.

“That is correct, Most Holy. Nothing in this world will bring me any greater joy than to serve your noble will. I am Andriam Eucht Azbar, a descendant of the sage Azbar.”

“That man’s offspring? Much time hath passed since I last laid eyes on one. Harumph, thou will do. Entertain me. It hath been too long since I conversed with man.”

Its words were also the same as they appeared in the second half of the game. The protagonist, having fallen into High Priest Malacia’s trap, was locked in a room connected to the underground lake where she first encountered the ancient dragon Charis. Malacia had expected Charis to eat the protagonist, but due to the way mana circulated through its body, it decided to hold off until the ordained ritual day. Charis brought its face close to the trembling heroine and licked her neck to allow them to converse. She would then borrow the dragon’s power to overcome the many trials and tribulations of the male leads through the later developments in the game. That was why the first thing I wanted to do was snatch up this partnership with the omnipotent dragon.

In the original story, Julietta refused to take the role of sacrificial priestess, so the protagonist Nasha remained the sacrificial priestess until the very end. However, this Nasha was freed from the bondage of being sacrificed. As the crown prince’s fiancée, she would likely never encounter the dragon.

“Then I would like to take it upon myself to humbly introduce my daughter and the current high priest to you. May I have your permission to do so?”

“The two trembling by that door? How interesting. Bring them forth.”

“As you wish.”

I walked back to the door, and Julietta practically jumped onto me with tears in her eyes. I took her in my arms and advised the shocked Malacia to follow me back to the dragon.

The two mimicked my actions, having likely watched me. Despite their fears, they exposed their necks for Charis to lick.

“Most Holy, I am the high priest, Malacia.”

“I am Andriam’s daughter, Julietta Auchien Azbar.”

Regardless of how corrupted the kingdom became, these two were the pious high priest and the noble lady trained since childhood to be the queen consort. Once they gained the ability to communicate, they gracefully bowed in respect.

Charis gave a pleased hum. “Good. All those who hath come before were all sacrifices waiting to be devoured. I hath grown tired of only hearing sniveling.”

“We are most honored to have received your praise.”

“Now, speak. I sense that thou hath come with grandiose intentions. Something that will amuse me. Thou wisheth to shake the foundation of this boring kingdom, yes?”

“That is correct. I believe Your Holiness will find it most entertaining.”

“Hoh.”

While Charis was not malevolent, it was also not benevolent. It acted solely for its amusement. In the game, it was pure coincidence that the protagonist had interested it. But if I brought my co-conspirators here, gaining the dragon’s cooperation would be a simple task.

“Please allow me to elaborate. Firstly, the current state of affairs of the kingdom…”

A descendant of the sage dismantling the foundation his ancestor and the hero had built. Happening right underneath the royal castle of all places, too. It really couldn’t get more ironic than this, don’t you agree?

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My character glossary. I haven’t gotten to the other names yet, so I haven’t decided on how to name them. Enjoy my little tidbits on why I chose some of their names, though feel free to give you own opinions.

アンドリム・ユクト・アスバル = Andriam Eucht Azbar (tidbit: I wanted the middle name to have “eu” because it means “good”, but we all know how “good” our guy is.)

ジュリエッタ・オーシェイン・アスバル = Julietta Auchien Azbar, Andriam’s daughter. (tidbit: I liked having “chien” in the name because chien is French for dog, and there’s a saying “attention au chien” or “beware of dog”.)

マラキア = Malacia, the high priest. (tidbit: It means abnormal softening, which if you know the character, makes sense.)

ヨルガ・フォン・オスヴァイン = Yorga von Ozwain (tidbit: I was debating between Yorga or Jorga but decided on the former because wikitonary gave me definitions that dealt with lizards and horses, and if you know you know.)

ウィクルム・アトレイ・パルセミス = Vikram Adele Palcemith

シグルド・イシス・アスバル = Sigurd Esias Azbar (tidbit: I wanted his middle name to be male instead of the goddess “Isis” which would have better a closer translation.)

リュトラ・ミルカ・オスヴァイン = Lutora Mirca Ozwain

モリノ・ツエッツオ = Morino Zwetzo

ナーシャ・ラトゥリ = Nasha Ratury (tidbit: How could I not name the family rats?)

メリア・ラトゥリ = Meria Ratury

カリス = Charis (tidbit: If you look at the origins of the name, I think it fits the purpose of the dragon pretty well.)

クイスタシス = Qui Statis (tidbit: The author made the JP translation for the name to be 竜を制すもの, which means “thing that controls dragons”. I wanted the name to sound and mean something similar in Latin, thus we get this, although I think I was jumping through a lot of hoops to make it work.)

コフォネ = Cofone, the village the Raturys are from. (tidbit: It means debilitated weak, which I think describes the family’s situation nicely.)

Our 12th grade vocabulary is enhanced by coffee. We would be elated by any philanthropic endeavors.

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