Shadow Ruler - Chapter 5
Me… a Renewal but ending up as a Dress-up Doll
When I had my guild card made, I put it on a necklace made of sterling silver, which is an accessory to be worn around the neck.
I was told that the guild card must be visible so that anyone who sees it will know that I am an adventurer.
In other words, you can’t hide it inside your clothes unless you want people to know you are an adventurer.
That’s why the rank part of the card is more visible than the name, and it’s in bold, deep-digging type.
And the string? Carna says that the thin chain part has a magic that adjusts the length on its own.
So, it fits perfectly even though it was so long, and there was no excess anywhere.
Did they say this kind of thing is called itching? I don’t know.
I don’t know.
Carna came with sterling silver anklets, and Shasty came with sterling silver bracelets as proof of their tamed demon status.
They are the same size as my guild card, and they change according to the size of the person.
The bracelets and anklets have the full name of the owner engraved on them, so that anyone who sees them will know whose beast demon it is.
When I left the room, Lily-san and Anne-san were not there, but Dan-san and Zell-san were.
I was told that the only way to get money was to exchange something called “cash” for money. I guess they were done exchanging things called “exchange” for money.
“Oh, welcome back. It looks like you finished without incident.”
“I didn’t know you were done first… Well, I knew that.”
“Yeah, I knew that.”
“What about the ladies?”
“Oh… While we’re looking for a place to stay, we should probably look for clothes… Right.”
“Okay.”
“And here. Here’s your money.”
“Is this all of it?”
Two gold, 67 silver, 86 copper.
Carna told me.
Carna told me that gold coins are very valuable.
The gold ones are gold coins
The silver ones are silver coins
Copper coins are copper coins
One silver coin for every 100 copper coins.
For every 100 silver coins, there is a gold coin.
The mother mumbled that one copper coin is 100 yen.
Carna said
1 copper coin: 100 yen
1 silver coin: 10,000 yen
A gold coin: 1,000,000 yen
What is a yen?
Carna told me that her mother is from another world, as mentioned in the status, and that the yen is the unit of money in that other world.
She also said that 100 gold coins are worth 1 white gold coin, and 100 white gold coins are worth 1 black gold coin.
Carna said that a piece of fruit big enough to fit in my two hands is about a copper coin.
So, I’ve got a lot of money, and I’m not going to lose it all.
“Yes, I know, right? I’m doing the math, and I’m splitting it up, okay?”
Here’s your money.
“Is this all of it?”
Two gold, 67 silver, 86 copper.
Carna told me.
Carna told me that gold coins are very valuable.
The gold ones are gold coins
The silver ones are silver coins
Copper coins are copper coins
One silver coin for every 100 copper coins.
For every 100 silver coins, there is a gold coin.
The mother mumbled that one copper coin is 100 yen.
Carna said
1 copper coin: 100 yen
1 silver coin: 10,000 yen
A gold coin: 1,000,000 yen
What is a yen?
Carna told me that her mother is from another world, as mentioned in the status, and that the yen is the unit of money in that other world.
She also said that 100 gold coins are worth 1 white gold coin, and 100 white gold coins are worth 1 black gold coin.
Carna said that a piece of fruit big enough to fit in my two hands is about a copper coin.
So, I’ve got a lot of money, and I’m not going to lose it all.
“Yes, I know, right? I’m doing the math, and I’m splitting it up, okay?”
Two gold, 67 silver, 86 copper.
Carna told me.
Carna told me that gold coins are very valuable.
The gold ones are gold coins
The silver ones are silver coins
Copper coins are copper coins
One silver coin for every 100 copper coins.
For every 100 silver coins, there is a gold coin.
The mother mumbled that one copper coin is 100 yen.
Carna said
1 copper coin: 100 yen
1 silver coin: 10,000 yen
A gold coin: 1,000,000 yen
What is a yen?
Carna told me that her mother is from another world, as mentioned in the status, and that the yen is the unit of money in that other world.
She also said that 100 gold coins are worth 1 white gold coin, and 100 white gold coins are worth 1 black gold coin.
Carna said that a piece of fruit big enough to fit in my two hands is about a copper coin.
So, I’ve got a lot of money, and I’m not going to lose it all.
“Yes, I know, right? I’m doing the math, and I’m splitting it up, okay?”
You know, I’ve done the math, and I’ve divided it up.”
“Yes, but you have to pay for clothes and all that. You know, the clothes and all that.”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of that.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Yeah, let me pay for it. Let me pay for it. I mean, let me buy it for you. I can’t allow a kid to pay for something that I don’t want… Let me spoil you.”
“That’s my line… But thank you.”
(Nod)
“Don’t worry about it. After all, Freesia has helped me out a few times.”
(?)
“Did I do something? I mean, there were a couple of times when I was able to defeat the enemy accidentally, right?”
“Well, Freesia helped Lily to focus on things other than searching and fighting, and Anne was smiling all the time. And so are we.”
“Anne’s been smiling from the beginning, from what we’ve seen, right?”
“Oh… You guys may not know this, but Anne has been bullied in the past, not as much as Freesia, and she doesn’t smile a lot.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So, I’m partly thanking you for those things.”
“Okay.”
Then Lily-san and the others returned.
“Thank you!”
“I’m back.”
“Oh, welcome back… Why are there so many of them?”
“Eh? Clothes, all the ingredients for the concoction, many fruits and vegetables you gave me as a freebie, some preserves you gave me, and a girl’s set! All of it! All for free because the guys who were nearby bought them for me!”
“I told them, but I said, whatever you say, it’s our feelings, so don’t worry about it…”
“Oh… If it’s not a problem, that’s fine.”
“So, what’s a girl set?”
“Nn – A comb, a hand mirror, and a hair clip.”
“What’s in the container?”
“It’s a cosmetic pouch, a special little container to keep all those girl sets in,” she said. It’s a mess if you don’t put them in that kind of thing, right?”
“Oh… I see… So, where did you stay?”
“Yes. Luckily, we found two large rooms with separate baths for men and women!”
“And the price?”
“Well, it seems my timing was good, so I got two rooms for one night for 5 silver coins! And that’s including meals and a bath. Isn’t that great?”
Carna told me that the cheapest place is about one silver coin, but it doesn’t have a bath, and you have to eat separately.
She also said that the place where we will be staying this time would normally cost more than 10 silver coins.
She said she was very lucky because it was half the price.
“That’s wonderful. Did you hear what happened?”
“Well, we had a great customer a while ago, and he loved it! He said he had a great customer a while ago who liked it and gave him a lot of money in addition to the accommodation fee.
“Oh, I see. Well, if they say it’s OK, then it must be OK. You guys are coming too.”
“Hey, Freesia, let’s go to Shasty!”
(Kokuri)
“Nyah.”
It seems they have decided where to stay.
Then we arrived at the inn.
It was a three-story wooden building, with stone in some places.
It’s a magnificent place, I thought idly, and then Zell-san said something like this for some reason.
“So you’ve heard a good deal about the past, but Freesia is gun-shy about the surroundings…. Food, accessories… That’s just great… It’s not that I’m not interested, but I get a glimpse and that’s it…”
“You’re interested in it, but that’s where it ends, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re interested in it, but you’re satisfied with it?”
“What do you think? What do you think, guardian?”
“I guess. The rest of the time, he has zero interest in expressing her opinions. I’d say it’s a subconscious habit to suppress it.”
“Ah… That makes sense when I hear about your past.”
“Anyway, let’s go in, shall we? I’ve already paid.”
When I entered the inn, an older brother who seemed to be the innkeeper greeted me kindly and showed me to my room.
He told me that he would bring my meal to my room around what time.
The room was what Carna called a Western-style room.
Dan-san and Zell-san in one room
In the other room, Lily-san, Anne-san, myself, Carna, and Shasty.
Dan-san’s room was more like a hall. We decided to gather there when we had dinner.
Why do they use a different room only when they eat?
And they have separate rooms for sleeping, relaxing, and toileting.
“Freesia, these are the original rooms. Some rooms are a little different from each other, but usually the place to sleep and the place to eat and relax are in different places in the same room, even if the room is half of the same room…” “Freesia, this is the original room. That’s what was strange about it.”
I agree.
It’s not proper to have everything in one room.
If they were, they would be separated by a wall or something.
“Well, let me take you to the bath.”
Lily-san didn’t punish me for coming here, so it’s just Anne-san and me.
And Lily-san, well, she understood but couldn’t hold back, so she hugged Carna and Shasty and kidnapped them.
They were going to take a bath together later.
When they were being kidnapped, Carna said to me
“Be careful! Be careful! The part where you say open your eyes, close them, hold your breath, be careful! Do not let it run out of control!”
I was screaming so hard.
As it turned out, the bath took about two hours.
The reason is that it took an hour and 40 minutes to wash my body and 20 minutes in the bathtub.
Apart from that, it took another 30 minutes to change my clothes and another 30 minutes to change my hair and so on.
The reason for the long time was that Anne-san was excellent at washing, and she did it quickly, but I was so dirty that it was very hard for her.
She would mumble that the foam didn’t foam or that the color of the foam had changed.
And it took a long time to get into all the nooks and crannies, the tight spots under my fingernails, my ear holes, my hair, and so on.
The hotel seemed to be an expensive place, and the soap used to wash her hair included two types: one to remove dirt and the other to make her hair shiny or moist. And there was a strange kind to make it shiny or moist. There were two kinds of soap for washing hair: one was for removing dirt and the other was for making it shiny or moist.
The one that didn’t remove dirt was very hard to use.
Because once I used it on me, not even a bit of foam came out even if I rinsed it with hot water.
I heard that normally, if you rinse with hot water, it would become slightly thick and slimy.
It was absorbed into my hair.
That’s because it’s so damaged, apparently.
So, they tried to make it to the point where it would not be sucked in anymore! Anne-san, who was strangely motivated, washed my hair thoroughly.
I heard that it is meaningless to absorb so much in one day, but she said it was very effective because I had so little nutrition that I was greedily trying to absorb it through my skin and hair.
I would later realize that the mother effect in my blessing was making me absorb it voraciously to be clean.
Then, just as I got out of the bath and had the water gently removed, Lily-san appeared.
Then she dressed me in proper clothes instead of the rags I had been wearing for so long, and cut my hair where it was damaged.
I heard that she cut a lot of my hair, but I couldn’t tell that she had cut my hair at all.
It was so strange.
There was a lot of cut hair under my feet.
“It’s done! Look! Isn’t she so cute?”
“Oh… Oh… It’s a big transformation.”
“I mean, how could you change like this? Did you put on makeup or something?
“No, I didn’t. I just trimmed the damaged parts of her hair, and then I thoroughly cleaned the rest of her hair and gave her what the otherworlder call a “treatment. I just put the maximum amount of what the otherworlder call “treatment” into my hair to make it soak up nutrients. Amazing, isn’t it? A shining gem in the rough, that’s what I’m talking about!
“Sure… But… Why, why are you wearing a maid’s uniform?”
Let me explain my current situation.
Her hair is glossy, silky and straight black.
It is pure jet black.
Her eyes are a kind of purple called shien, so dark that they seem blackish.
Her eyes are slanted, like a cat’s, but not too much.
And, she is dressed in a black-and-white maid’s uniform, which is called “orthodox”? She wears a black-and-white maid’s uniform.
Maid uniforms are worn by ladies who take care of kings and other important people.
Why would I wear such a dress? I thought, “Because I’m cute,” and she immediately answered.
I looked in the mirror and thought.
I felt the same way as Dan-san and the others.
I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, “Who is this person? I thought, “Who is this person?
After staring at her for a while, I finally noticed that she was doing the same thing I was doing.
Carna and Shasty didn’t say who it was. They complimented me on how beautiful and cute I had become.
“Lily! Freesia doesn’t even know how to dress properly yet! She’s cute, I’ll give her that! Don’t make her wear something that looks so hard to wear regularly! I mean, it would stand out! It’s cute, but! Make it simpler!!!!”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already prepared them for you, too.”
“What about this maid outfit?”
“Of course, I just wanted to see the cute Freesia-chan.”
“Oh… I heard they’re preparing a normal one, so I guess it’s okay for now… Huh…”
“By the way, this maid uniform is just a black one-piece with an apron and other things sewn onto it, so just pop it on like you would a normal one-piece and that’s it, okay?”
“What? …Excuse me.”
Saying that, Dan-san was gently picking and tugging at the maid’s uniform I was wearing.
And then…
“Seriously… It really is just as Lily said… What a waste of skill…”
“I mean, what’s the point of the apron?”
“Yes, because it’s made for people who just want to wear it because it’s cute, so the original specifications are entirely ignored.”
“Huh…”
“Even if that’s the case, it’s still too conspicuous, so I’m rejecting it.”
“I’ve been rejected by the guardians, so I’m going to stop playing with you now – wait a minute – it’s almost evening, and I will change into my pajamas.”
And five minutes later.
“Isn’t she cute?”
“Oh… Cute indeed… But… Did you buy that at the same place as your fake maid outfit?
Yeah, how did you know?
Because…
Hey, look…
But I heard… I hear they’re selling better than you think.
The ones I’m wearing, Lily-san says, are called stuffed pajamas.
They are black cat-type pajamas with a hood attached to the head.
The hood has cat ears attached to it, and there is a tail on the bottom.
Then, when it was time for dinner, the innkeeper, who knew about me, went out of his way to prepare for me a dish called “pan oatmeal,” which is a thick white soup with a bite-sized piece of bread soaked in it.
I looked closely at it and saw that it was full of little vegetable-like things, and that it was made into a paste, which was so tiny and full of nutrients that it didn’t even take the shape of a piece of bread.
Carna said it was safe to eat, so we gratefully accepted it.
It was delicious.
When food tastes good, it warms my heart and I feel like something unseen inside me is being filled.
It was the first time for me to feel this way.
“Freesia, that feeling is happiness. It’s something that you made with all your heart for Freesia, and because it’s filled with your feelings of importance, it tastes delicious and fills your heart with happiness, doesn’t it?”
(Kokuri)
“We want Freesia to feel that happiness a lot more than just food… Right? Isn’t happiness nice?”
I thought I understood for the first time how Carna and the others wanted me to be happy.
By the way, the ladies who brought me the rice turned bright red when they saw me, and after they put the rice on the table, they collapsed to their knees, holding their mouths with their hands and purring.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I turned my head, and the purring got even worse.
Then, after dinner was over, a kind-looking man who came to collect the dishes and such greeted me.
By the way, I ate a lot for me, but about half of my bowl was left over, so Carna and her friends ate the rest.
… It’s wonderful that she eats more than me, even though she’s smaller than I am.
“We prepared such food separately for your daughter because she seemed to be in poor health… It seems you were right.”
“Yes, I was truly grateful. And it was delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“I was just thinking of showing her around town, you know?”
“I don’t know if I’m meddling, but why don’t you go to church tomorrow? You might want to pray for good things to happen in your daughter’s life… Also, there are many people in the church who excel in healing magic.”
“Yes… I will visit them.”
I don’t care where I go, but why are there so many people in churches who can use healing magic, magic that can make you feel better and heal your injuries?
“Freesia, a church is a place dedicated to God, a place to pray and make requests to God. Sometimes I visit there when I want to do something special. Many people there can use healing magic…. Dan, what do you mean?”
“Mainly, to train healing magic, etc., the control of magic is important, but feelings are the most important. The most important thing is how much you genuinely want to heal the person you are healing. The image of recovery is also important, but that is often trained in the church. So, when you’re looking for healing magic, it’s easier to find it if you look for a church first.”
“So that’s how it is… I see. Okay, I’ll go to church tomorrow! Tomorrow we’ll go to the church!”
“Oh… I see that your bird can talk…”
“Freesia… I’m like her guardian.”
“I see. I see. Miss… Freesia-san, I’m sure it will be a good thing if you greet God.”
(Kokuri)
“Good girl. Oops, I should get back to work… Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
We then went back to our respective rooms and went to sleep.
The bed was so soft and fluffy, like a cloud floating in the sky, and we fell asleep in no time.
By the way, I was hugged from both sides by Lily-san and Anne-san.
Carna later told me that I had been hugged like a pillow.
The next day
For some reason, Lily-san suggested that I take a bath with Anne-san.
I thought my clothes were clean since I had washed them a lot yesterday, but she said it was important for a girl to wash them often and clean them.
She was wearing a pure white one-piece dress with frills here and there.
By the way, after she put it on, Lily-san and her friends said
“It’s an angel! An angel has descended!”
I don’t know, but they said it was a compliment.
I don’t know what it was, but I heard they praised me.
And breakfast was French toast? It was the first time I had sweet bread other than fruit.
It was the first time for me to try something sweet other than fruit, but it was delicious and different from fruit in a strange sweetness.
Anne-san told me that many girls like sweets.
I asked her why.
And men tend to like meat and other heavy foods. I heard that meat is dangerous.
I heard that meat is dangerous.
Men are astonishing, aren’t they?
Carna then told me that I needed to get stronger little by little, so I was finally able to walk around town.
Lily-san and Anne-san snuggled up to me from both sides with Cane-san supporting me, Carna on top, Shasty in front, Dan-san and Zell-san behind.
They all seem to be worried about me.
I could walk a lot more than when I was wandering around in the forest, probably because I rested a lot and the food was delicious.
Lily-san and the others said they were secretly my escorts. I wondered.
Carna told me it meant protecting me from all kinds of things.
But everyone around me avoided me, right?
I don’t know why they were red-faced, and most of them were looking at me, not at Lily-san and the others.
It was a little strange because I didn’t feel like they were mad at me.
It was a look I had never felt before.
Oh well.
Lily-san and the others said they would take care of it, so I left it to them and walked as fast as I could.
“Here we are. This is the church.”
It is a big white building.
The transparent, shiny glass walls are not like the ones in the other stores, but in a variety of colors.
I think it’s beautiful.
And when you go inside, you can see all the different colors of glass… I heard it is called stained-glass, and the light coming in from there illuminated the inside of the room, and the room was glowing in different colors, so it was beautiful.
I think it’s even more beautiful than from outside.
It was spectacular.
God must be happy to see such a beautiful room.
I don’t know what kind of person God is, but he’s the one your mother said was so stingy, isn’t he?
I wonder if he has a hard job.
What does God do?
Oh well.
And Dan-san and his friends are working with a sister who works here called Sister-san? While Dan-san and the others were speaking with the “sisters” who work here, we prayed.
They asked us to face the statue of a beautiful, winged sister, meditate, clasp our hands in front of our chests, and make a wish.
I did as he told me and asked for lots of fun and happiness with Carna and the others.
Then I heard this exchange in my head
-Look! Look at them! Aren’t they cute? Aren’t they cute!? -Oh, my God!
-Gghh! I’m in pain… I mean, why are you, a common spirit, in the main shrine of God? -Because she’s cute!
-Because she’s cute! -That’s no reason!
-That’s no reason! -It’s okay!
-It doesn’t matter! I would do anything for my beautiful daughter! She’s a strong mother! -I know how you feel.
-I know how you feel, but that’s not what I meant! So, how long are you going to be here? I’ve granted your request and your daughter has been blessed. -You say that, but…
-You say that, but you gave her a blessing too. You know what? A former sage who became a god in recognition of her achievements? -Well…
-Well, well… I recognized you as the rightful successor because you had such a pure heart that remained unchanged in that environment, but… You were like me, weren’t you? -Well…
-Well… I loved Freesia before she was born.
-Yes, I did. Huh… Well, that’s fine. You’ll have to help me with my work for that. You’ll be working for me on the condition that you stay here, right? -Really?
-Really? Really? I’ll do it! -I’ll do it.
-I’ll do it. Please? I thought you’d say you wanted to reincarnate and join her.
-That’s what I thought at first, but when I sent that letter, I saw Carna and Shasty supporting her so desperately, and their interactions with her, and I felt like I was intruding. So now I just want to keep an eye on them… -After all, you are strong.
-You are strong, after all. -That’s right.
-I’m confident in my magic, but my body was super weak… I was a real sickly character…
-Yes, you were. But I, personally, believe that because you were sickly, you were able to think the way you do now. -That’s right.
-Maybe you’re right. —
Then I heard no more voices.
And with that, I’ll end my prayers.
…I heard a clear voice about the size of a gentle brother, and a beautiful sister’s voice that was very kind and bright and made me feel very content.
Two people were talking about how they were thinking about me so much.
…I wondered if it was about my mother and the God mentioned in the letter.
I’m glad I got to hear her voice… I’ll do my best from now on, so watch over me, okay? Mother, God.
The man at the inn was right.
When I greeted God, something good happened.
I could hear the voice of the person I thought was my mother.
But it seems that my mother decided to help God do his work to watch over me.
That’s wonderful.
After I finished praying, I looked around and saw many people in robes who seemed to be the sisters and the people who use recovery magic, as Lily-san and the others called them.
They looked very surprised.
But why are they looking at me?
“Freesia… Who are you really?”
Lily-san looked surprised.
What’s going on?
“Freesia… While you were praying? Freesia’s body was glowing. Fluffy.”
“Nyan-nyan.”
Shasty nodded and Carna explained.
(?)
“Miss, there are many people watching here, and I’m sure you’re all uncomfortable, so please come this way.”
An old man with an amazingly kind white beard said so.
“Father!”
He says he’s called Mr. Priest.
Carna says he is an essential man in the church.
And with that, he says he is better at recovery magic than anyone else.
So Carna told me to follow him, so I did.
***
“Phew, after all, I don’t feel comfortable in public. You can eat tea and sweets as you like.”
Is it okay to eat?
“And that’s okay, then.”
I got a white, fluffy marshmallow and a crispy macaroon of various colors.
They were sweeter than the ones I had this morning, but they melted away so easily and mysteriously.
A strange taste… But it’s delicious.
I’m glad you liked them.”
“Thank you for coming all the way here.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you liked it.
“Yes, I guess so. So, do you know why Freesia was so glowing?
“Probably because God liked her, since Freesia seems to have such a beautiful heart.”
“So that’s what happened… So, what happened to Freesia, then?”
That’s Carna.
You know what you’re talking about.
“Will you tell me?”
“I won’t tell anyone, so can you tell me too?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you can trust him.
Carna said, so I got out an aiueo chart, pointed to a lot of them, and told him what had happened.
The old man looked surprised, and Carna and the others laughed and let out a long sigh.
________________________________________________________________________
TL Note: I’ll be stopping translations of this title for some time, since I can’t put the time into continuing this and lose Focus on my main works that I actually refine. I simply wished to translate this series because I had some time to spare, and I like the series. Sorry, if the quality is not up to par since this is just a personal project.
If someone else wishes to continue this series, they are free to have at it, refine to and put it out there.
I will instead focus on titles that I really work hard to refine and titles that I am getting support with.
Thank you for reading my translations for this series so far.
Till next time.