THE main street from the capital city to the castle is jam-packed with people. Since coming to this world, I have never seen so many living humans in one place before. When the capital was overrun by zombies, things were pretty crowded too, but even more people are in the city now.
“I’m amazed by how many people are here…”
“This is everyone who regained their humanity thanks to you, Big Sister.”
“It’s moving when you put it that way, but I think I’m more shocked than anything.”
I’m walking down the main street holding hands with Cia. At our sides are Lex, Sir Julian, and Sir Kurt. A dozen or so more knights are marching around us, eliminating the fear of being trampled by the crowds.
A festival that began at noon is being held to celebrate successfully vanquishing the Dark Djinn. Despite being called a festival, it’s nothing like the ones I know of. A few street stalls are set up here and there selling food, but circumstances being what they are, it’s nothing too extravagant. The portions aren’t big either. Even so, some people have set up shop for others to enjoy themselves, as everyone’s brimming with excitement.
“Everyone seems like they’re having a good time.”
“Optimism is one of the virtues of Grantz’s citizens.”
“I’m sure the kingdom will be rebuilt in no time if the people keep their spirits up.”
“Certainly! I also want to do everything in my power as princess to help!”
Time flies, as they say, and a month has passed since Goddess Sadia left.
Some sectors of the city are still in disrepair, but their restoration is steadily progressing. As for food supplies, my saliva is needed to hold us over for the time being, but it’s anticipated I’ll be out of that business once they can start growing and harvesting stabilized crops. I don’t plan to pester them into rushing, but I sure hope they go as fast as they possibly can in order for me to salvage my dignity.
“Holy Priestess!”
Several people waiting on the side of the street suddenly call out to me.
“Thank you very much for always blessing us with delicious water…!”
“We are able to continue farming thanks to you, Holy Priestess!”
Words of gratitude come from many people along the street, not just them. They make such a big deal out of it that my reaction of “Th-Thanks” sounds kind of flat in return, but it leaves me feeling pretty good about myself.
Lex speaks to me over my shoulder while I wave to the people of Grantz. “You seem very at home in your role as priestess now.”
“It’s hard not to get used to it after people have been saying it to me for months…”
Shortly after parting ways with Goddess Sadia, I had an audience with the recovered king and queen…where they showered me with overwhelming thanks for saving Grantz Kingdom from the zombie apocalypse. As if their gratitude alone wasn’t enough, they even announced they officially recognized me as the holy priestess.
Of course, I begged and pleaded with them not to at first, but after Pino advised me that “you’ll be able to move around more freely with Holy Priestess as your title,” I gave in. After all, I wholeheartedly agreed with him that having a title to my name would grant me a level of freedom that would make things easier as I help Grantz Kingdom recover.
“Oh? Is that Boss Lady there?!” someone exclaims. I follow the direction of that lively voice to Rosso. He’s standing behind a large wooden table stacked with loaves of bread.
“Rosso? You opened a street stall?”
“Seemed like the right occasion to make a big score. Hehe.”
“Brother! Don’t say things that cause misunderstandings!” a girl standing beside Rosso scolds. She appears slightly older than Cia. Her shoulder-length red hair and big round eyes are striking.
“My bad. I haven’t introduced ya yet. This here is my kid sister, Maybelle.”
“I-It is a pleasure to meet you, Priestess! Thank you for looking after my big brother all the time.” She must be pretty panicked, because she bows so low she smacks her forehead against the table. She seems like a klutz. Her eyes water from embarrassment and pain. Is there any way I can distract her from it?
“Oh, right. The bread you gave me the other day was delicious!”
“Was it really?! Thank you! Thank yo—”
KLONK! She smacks her forehead again. Rosso roars with laughter as he watches Maybelle clamp her hands over her forehead and whimper.
“This girl has been your admirer ever since she heard about you from me, Boss Lady.”
“H-Hey! Rosso! Don’t…”
I thought she was going to punch Rosso, but instead she glances at me and bashfully lowers her gaze… Rosso was telling the truth, then.
“So, what did you tell her about me?” I ask.
“All ’bout your awesome open-handed slaps, of course. How you purify incomin’ zombies by slapping ’em so hard they catch air. Nobody normal is capable of pullin’ somethin’ like that off. I seriously respect you!”
“A-Ahaha… Hey, Maybelle? Just so you know, Rosso’s stories are exaggerated. I’m much gentler with my touch than that, okay?”
“B-But I caught some real air from your slap too!”
Who would have thought she’s experienced it for herself! I need to be more careful with how hard I hit in the future.
A commotion rises behind me as I’m reflecting on my actions.
“MiZUhaaaa!”
“Oh gosh, he’s here.” It’s annoying that I know who that is now without needing to check. With one cheek twitching, I ask Rosso, “Is it who I think it is?”
“Yep. It’s that guy,” Rosso tells me, shrugging.
Resigned to my fate, I look over my shoulder at who I expected to find there—Keith. The knights are preventing him from coming any closer, but he’s struggling against them while holding up a bouquet.
“You are going to accept my love for sure today!”
“…You never learn, do you?”
“How could I when it is destined for you to marry me in the end?!”
Ever since the Dark Djinn was vanquished, Keith proposes once every two days or so. I give him credit for holding to his guns and not giving up yet.
I’m shooting him a frosty glare when Cia questions me with an utterly disgusted face: “Is that true, Big Sister?”
“No, no, it is not. Please don’t believe this man’s delusions.”
“Has he been bothering you?”
“Yeah. A whole lot.”
“All right. Sir Julian. Sir Kurt.”
At Cia’s orders, Sir Julian and Sir Kurt firmly seize Keith’s arms.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“Following Her Highness’s orders. Please come quietly.”
“Do you think you can get away with treating me like this?! Dammit! Unhand me! MiZUha! MiZUhaaa!”
Keith is callously dragged out of sight. I can hear him howling my name for a while even after he’s gone. I really wish he’d stop embarrassing me this way.
“Let us be on our way, Big Sister.” Cia tugs on my hand, smiling ear to ear. My little secret is that I got chills from her dismissive behavior toward Keith.
We parade through the capital city for some time after that. I eat various types of food and talk to all different people. To be blunt, the entertainment provided doesn’t vary, but they bring a smile to my face wherever I go.
After arriving at the end of the main street, Cia returns to the castle exhausted from all the walking, leaving me and Lex alone. I climb the outer wall and sit dangling my legs off the ledge facing the city. Beneath the darkening sky, people can be seen here and there, enjoying the final hurrah of the festivities in the city.
“Do you not regret it, m’lady?”
“Hmm? Regret what?”
I know what Lex is trying to ask.
“Well, that is to say…”
“I don’t regret it,” I say, answering his original question while kicking my legs. “I mean, sure there are tons of things I’m upset I haven’t gotten used to yet. But there is so much more I have gained from this world.”
Like the strong connection between people as they work toward rebuilding Grantz. There might be places where you can find that back on my world too, but to me, that place is here, not there. I feel like I can grow as a person in this world.
“Why? Do I look like I regret it to you, Lex?”
“…You look like you are having the time of your life.”
“Don’t I?” I rise to my feet and dust the dirt off my butt with both hands. I spin around until I’m facing Lex. “Life would be perfect if we could just do something about that foul zombie stench.”
“I cannot do anything to help you there, but…I swear I will protect you from zombies.”
“Just from zombies?”
“No. I will protect you from anything that means you harm, Lady Mizuha.”
It’s so not fair that he can say embarrassing lines like that without blushing. I’ve got my hands full trying to hide my embarrassment behind my laughter. Suddenly, a warm, ticklish feeling fills my chest. I place my hand over my heart. The number-one reason why I chose to stay is…a frustrating one, so I decided to keep it to myself for the time being.
A scream suddenly rips through the air. It’s easy to find where it came from. People are running chaotically, trying to escape from the main street. A lone zombie is staggering behind them. It’s not nighttime yet, so it can’t have come over the walls. With all the gates shut, there’s only one reason why a zombie could be inside.
“Yeesh! I just did the stupid handshake session yesterday too!”
“Mayhap they arbitrarily assumed they would be fine without it because zombies haven’t shown up lately.”
“Whatever the case, we have to hurry and purify that zombie! Let’s go, Lex!”
“Yes, m’lady!”
I race down the staircase behind Lex. I’m so used to it that a single zombie during the day isn’t the least bit scary. But that’s only because of the broad, reliable back in front of me.
“Hey, Lex! I’m counting on you from now on!”
“What brought that up out of the blue?!”
“I just felt like saying it right now!”
Lex looks over his shoulder as he continues running. “Of course you can count on me, for I am your knight, Lady Mizuha!”