Credits
INCLUDE THIS SECTION UNALTERED IF YOU TRANSLATE THIS TO OTHER LANGUAGES
Sureiyasu Supesharu 2 – Ritoru Purinsesu by Hajime Kanzaka.
Illustrations by Rui Araizumi.
Originally published by Kadokawa on March 16, 1992.
This translation is based on the updated eBook version released on August 2, 2012.
English translation by H. Berry
Cleaned color illustrations by Arturo Songor (@artson593)
Chapter 2: Little Princess
Originally published in the April 1991 issue of Monthly Dragon
Magazine
Smaaaaaaash!
The table exploded, food flying everywhere, just as I reflexively
leapt out of my chair.
Not an attack, someone just crashed headfirst into it.
Damn it! And here I was, finally enjoying a rare, calm, girly
afternoon at an outdoor restaurant…
“Ow…” The culprit, a petite blonde girl, slowly got up, dripping with
my lunch.
She looked about my age, same height too. She does exude elegance
though, she’ll likely become quite the lady in a few years.
The moment she lifted her face, she latched onto my waist.
“Miss, please! Help me!”
I couldn’t help but hold my head in my hands. Most payless jobs tend
to start this way.
And right on cue,
“Would you mind handing that girl over?”
I sighed, “And here they come…”
A man, accompanied by his minions (seriously, they look like the
typical petty villains), looked at me with a puzzled expression, “...What do
you mean?”
“Ah, nothing. Don’t mind me,” I waved my hands vigorously.
Bounty hunters? Small-time thieves? Hard to say. The boss looked
halfway competent, but he was still about ten thousand years too early to mess
with Lina Inverse!
So,
“Off!” I kicked the girl away, “What? Do you think you can just trash
my food and ask for help!?”
“Gyaaaa!”
Her pursuers froze, stunned, “Um… most people would help her in this
situation,” their boss muttered apologetically.
“You don’t tell me what to do!”
Like I’m going to get dragged into this.
“Well, uh… I guess that works out for us. As long as we get the girl—”
He coughed and tried to compose himself, still sounding weirdly apologetic.
Maybe he’s shy?
Anyway,
“Flare Arrow!” My spell burst at their feet.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” They toppled back in a perfect chorus.
“C’mon, now’s our chance!” I grabbed the girl’s hand, vaulted the
restaurant fence, and bolted.
“They would’ve had me if not for that spell!” she snapped.
“All according to plan!”
“What!?”
“I just needed a chance to run!”
“…Why?”
“I won’t have to pay the bill anymore!”
“...”
“We finally… caught up… to you…” the gang leader panted, shoulders
heaving.
Not really. I just let them catch up.
We stopped in a vacant lot far from the houses, where weeds and shrubs
poked through the dirt. That way, we won’t cause troubles or inconvenience
anyone.
He drew a ragged breath, “Listen, I’ll warn you once. If you don’t
want to get hurt—”
“Mega Brand!”
Boom!
Battle over.
“I guess I should explain…” the girl muttered.
“Listen. I don’t know why those guys are after you, and I don’t want
to know. Go find the city guard or something and leave me alone.”
“Wait—!” she shouted as I turned to leave.
Her blue eyes locked with mine. And deep inside them… there was
suffering.
“Please… lend me your strength…”
“No.”
…
After a long silence, she pulled something from her pack, wrapped in
paper.
“Hehehe. But what if I show you this?”
She held out a gem the size of a baby’s fist.
“…What’s this?”
It was a large emerald.
Making jewels through magic isn’t particularly difficult. Many of the
jewels you find are magic made. However…this…is a fully natural gem!
What’s more, its purity and polishing is impeccable!
“I can’t believe you have something like this…” I narrowed my eyes.
“You see, I’m…” She hesitated, lowering her gaze. “My name is Raymia.
I’m the only daughter of the wealthy merchant Marius Lindberg.”
I froze.
Marius Lindberg. The self-made man who built an enormous trade guild
from nothing. The leading merchant of all the coastal countries.
Yeah. His daughter would carry something like this. But why is she out
here?
“Oh,” I cleared my throat, “Really?”
“Of course not. What are you, stupid?”
I kicked her in the face without hesitation.
“Wait, I’m serious this time!”
“You’re annoying,” I tried to walk off, but she clung stubbornly.
“Okay! Fine! I’m Raymia Ul Turadia, daughter of Duke Turadia,
entrusted with Tyrell City by the Duke of Lartigue!”
“Don’t believe you,” I marched past.
“…U-um…” She scrambled after me, holding up a pendant with a crest,
“This one’s real! Look! See the pendant? It proves it! Believe me!”
I stopped and examined it.
Intricate work. A horned leopard, a stylized shield, and a bird.
Unmistakably the crest of Tyrell City’s ruling family.
“Hmm,” I smiled brightly, “So where’d you steal this?”
“Please believe meeeeee!” Tears welled in her eyes.
Okay, okay…I don’t want to tease her to the point she’ll end up
holding a grudge.
“The crest’s definitely authentic.”
“I know, right?!” She lit up, bouncing with joy.
“Fine. I’ll believe you. You’re Duke Turadia’s daughter.”
“Yaaaay!” She flung herself at me with a crushing hug.
…Yeah, still don’t believe her. Something about this girl feels way
too fishy.
Apparently, there’s unrest in Raymia’s hometown. She heard the rumors
on her way back after spending two years studying in distant Saillune City. The
previous lord, her grandfather, suddenly fell ill. Her father, who should be
the rightful successor, began running the domain as a temporary measure.
But in the Turadia family, tradition demands that the coronation only
happens once every family member is present. Which means her father can’t
officially take the position until Raymia returns.
Naturally, someone is taking advantage of that little loophole. Delay
her return, stir up a succession dispute… or better yet, grab her as a hostage
to pressure her father.
As soon as she received a message from the Sorcerer’s Guild, she set
out for home. The letter promised her an escort, but impatient as she was, she
left ahead of them. Honestly? Probably the smarter call. If I were the
mastermind, the first thing I’d do is slip an assassin into her entourage.
“…what a cliché,” I scratched the back of my neck.
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“No, nothing,” I waved it off, “Anyway, you managed to make it this
far, but then those guys caught up to you. They’re clearly working for
whoever’s behind this, right?”
Raymia grimaced, “That’s right. I thought I’d shaken them, but…”
“You know…” I sighed, “With how this is going, the next enemy’s pretty
obvious.” I rubbed my temples, already feeling the headache coming on.
And who else could it be?
A sorcerer to oppose me, of course.
The treetops above rustled.
“Was that a bird?” Raymia glanced up.
“No,” I kept my eyes on the grinning man standing ahead of us.
From the corner of my eye, a black shadow darted across the shafts of
sunlight breaking through the canopy.
That wasn’t a bird.
“That’s right, girl. Not a bird at all,” the man drawled, savoring
each word.
He’s the same guy who led that pathetic pack of punks after Raymia the
other day. Judging by the fact he was standing here, his injuries hadn’t been
nearly as bad as I hoped.
“I got some help today. Not the same thugs as before, but a sorceress
just like you!”
The moment he said that, an obnoxiously familiar laugh cut through the
forest.
“Oooooohohohoho! I bear you no personal grudge, but this is the law of
the strong! Rejoice, for you shall fall to the greatest sorceress of our age,
Naga the Serp—wait. Lina? Lina, is that you!?”
I tripped over my own feet. Somehow managed not to eat dirt.
Even though it’s slightly chilly, she’s wearing her usual, pointlessly
revealing attire, the one that makes her look like an evil sorceress.
Naga.
She calls herself my biggest and most powerful rival, and as such has
challenged me many times, only to fail every single time.
She’s also, to put it politely, a total weirdo.
Recently she’s been following me around like some oversized duckling
(and not the cute kind). Sticking me with meal tabs, stealing fruit at the
market and getting arrested while insisting I’m her guardian, despite the fact
she’s clearly older than me.
Her excuse? She called it a “psychological attack.”
Last time I teased her with, “Bet you don’t have any money,” and she
said, “I’ll go get some!” before vanishing.
So this was her brilliant idea for making cash?
“You… know her?” the assassin stammered.
I ignored him, “What the hell are you doing here!? If you were that
broke, I could’ve lent you some money!”
Naga stiffened, then puffed herself up, “Wh-what nonsense are you
spouting, little girl? We’ve never met! You’re just afraid of my great powers
and trying to bribe me! Oooohohoho! I’m not going to fall for that! A-and I’m
not going to abandon a job I’ve already accepted and have been partially paid
for!”
“…that’s… weirdly admirable,” I muttered, slipping into a stance,
“Fine then. Guess we fight.”
Naga’s expression twitched, “Ah, Lina, um… ha… hahaha…” She waved her
hands nervously, “You don’t need to take it that seriously, right? Come on,
don’t glare at me like that…”
Pathetic.
“…uh,” the assassin, who’d been thoroughly sidelined, finally spoke
up. “So… what do we do now?”
“Okay, what now?” Naga asked later, turning to us with her former boss
trussed up like a pig. “Oh!?” Her eyes widened at Raymia, who stood just behind
me, “Isn’t that Princess Raymia of the Turadia family?”
“Eh!?” Raymia and I chorused.
“H-how do you know that?” Raymia asked.
Naga ignored her, “Of course! It must be over the succession dispute!
Seems you weren’t telling me everything, Mr. Pyle!” the man, Pyle apparently,
clamped his jaw shut, “Ooooohohoho! Just as I thought! Lies can’t slip past me,
which is why I chose Lina over you!”
Sure. That’s totally why.
But how does she know? Did she actually have some kind of information
network? Sometimes she dropped tidbits out of nowhere. Could the “Evil
Sorcerers Aid Association” actually exist?
“—Please,” Raymia’s soft voice pulled my attention back. She was
staring at Pyle, “Please tell me. What is the root of all this? Who ordered you
to attack me?”
The man looked away.
“How about telling me?” I stepped closer.
“Or me?” Naga loomed over him, her stubborn glare probably terrifying
from his angle.
“U-um… this isn’t… torture, is it?” Raymia whispered, horrified.
“We’re just asking politely,” Naga smiled.
“B-but don’t do anything cruel…” Raymia pleaded.
“That depends on him,” I added.
Not that I’d actually use torture. Though I had considered worm tricks
or merciless tickling once or twice.
“P-please don’t shovel dirt in his mouth and stomp his cheeks… or cut
open his stomach and stuff caterpillars inside…”
…what’s wrong with this girl?
“Ooooohohoho! Just leave it to me, Naga the Serpent!” she crowed,
pulling a dagger out of nowhere, “Now then…” She pressed the blade lightly
against Pyle’s cheek. “Answer, or—”
“Oh dear…” Raymia muttered softly behind her hands. “How boring…”
“What exactly did they teach you in Saillune!?”
“Well—”
“GYAAAH!” Naga shrieked.
I spun around, she was sprawled face-first in the dirt, cloak and hair
fanned out around her.
“Naga! Hey, hang in there!” I knelt, shaking her gently.
The dagger slipped from her hand with a metallic clang.
I glared at Pyle, still tied up on the ground.
He turned toward me with a baffled look, a thin cut bleeding down his
cheek.
“What did you do to her!?”
“N-nothing!”
“Don’t play dumb!” My voice rose, though I forced myself not to rush
him. I didn’t know how he hurt Naga, and getting careless could be dangerous.
“Oh, you didn’t notice?” Raymia asked casually.
At that, Naga groaned weakly in my arms and blinked her eyes open.
“...ugh…” She staggered to her feet, shaking her head.
“What happened!?” I demanded, not taking my eyes off Pyle.
“I-I didn’t do anything!” he stammered.
Naga glanced at him, then quickly looked away, “When I see blood, I
faint. I’m a very delicate person, you know…”
...Really?
“Then why pull out a dagger in the first place?” Raymia tilted her
head.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. How naïve, Princess Raymia. Without the dagger, this
never would’ve worked! My hand just slipped, that’s all. What’s the matter,
Lina? Why are you holding your head?”
“Nothing…”
I didn’t even have the energy to yell anymore.
“...ah.”
It took a while before I could focus again. Finally, I turned back to
Pyle. “Who ordered you to do this?”
He smirked, defiant. “Well…I didn’t meet him in person.”
Clearly hiding something.
“Please tell us,” Raymia folded her arms with tears in her eyes.
“Otherwise, you’ll force us to pierce your eardrums with needles, or peel the
skin from your back and rub salt into it…”
…where in the world did she learn that?
I ignored her and studied Pyle closely, “The mastermind’s the
minister.”
His face went white. “W-what? How did you know? Did you read my
mind!?”
I blinked.
“Amazing, Lina!”
“Heh, impressive. You truly deserve to be called my rival.”
Naga and Raymia were staring at me in awe.
…When all I did was throw out the most obvious cliché guess possible.
And of course, I was right. Disappointing.
“But…for the minister to do something so awful…” Raymia’s expression
clouded, “When I return, I’ll have his whole family executed.”
“T-that’s going a bit far,” Naga muttered.
Raymia looked puzzled. “Oh come on, I was obviously joking.”
Naga kicked her in the temple.
“Ohhh…”
“A fine reception indeed.”
Naga and I shared a fearless smile.
Before us stretched a barren wasteland, scattered with jagged
boulders. The only greenery was a patch of weeds. A small forest stood in the
distance, and just beyond that, our goal: Tyrell City.
But between us and the city were forty or fifty fully armed men.
Pyle slipped away when our guard was down and returned with
reinforcements. An army large enough to conquer a small town. Unfortunately for
them, not nearly enough to take on Naga and me.
“Well then, good luck!” Raymia spoke breezily.
“I’ll wipe them out in one shot and head straight for the city.”
“Oooohohoho! I, Naga the Serpent, will handle them! I’ve been
underestimated for far too long. Time to prove myself!”
Clap, clap, clap.
Raymia applauded enthusiastically. I shot her a frown.
“Why the sour face, Lina?”
“No reason…”
She puffed her chest and kept clapping anyway.
“Ooohohoho! It seems you dislike me being praised.”
“Yeah,” I admitted flatly.
Her eyebrow twitched, but she kept her composure, “Hmph! Rival or not,
don’t get in my way! I’ll show you the spell I’ve been perfecting!”
Perfecting…? Oh no.
“Wait! Every time you say that, you end up half-dead!”
“S-shut up! Just watch!” And she marched ahead.
“This is the end!” shouted the man in front.
“That’s Pyle!”
His face was hidden by a helmet, but I recognized him instantly.
“I’m ready this time! With this invincible magical armor, I fear no
sorcery!”
Magical armor!?
I squinted, “…That’s a very good imitation.”
“...huh!?”
“Looks like you got conned by some shady merchant. Still, well-crafted
for a fake.”
“...she’s right.”
“Yeah.”
First of all, if an “invincible magical armor” were just lying around
to the point a loser like Pyle could get one, that’d be a disaster for mazoku
and evil sorcerers.
While I was mulling this over, Naga finished chanting.
“Vu Raywa!” as she uttered the chaos words, countless rocks on the
ground began to pulsate and rocks all around began to pulse with energy.
“W-what!?” Panic spread through the soldiers.
The stones rolled together, fusing and reshaping.
Into…dragons!? Dozens of them, each several times larger than a
person. They raised their jagged heads and roared at the sky.
Naga’s triumphant laughter rang out, “Oooooohohoho! This spell
transforms rock golems into dragons, then binds them with nearby low-level
spirits! Only I, Naga the Serpent, can wield such power!”
“Okay, but…” Raymia pointed at the stone beasts soaring overhead, “Are
those supposed to be dragons?”
Naga froze.
I piled on, “Yeah, the joints are all wrong. And the heads look more
like donkeys… honestly, they’re like a kid’s drawing of dragons.”
“S-shut up! You’re always nitpicking my magic! I said it was
incomplete!”
My eyebrow twitched, “...Naga. What did you just say?”
“You heard me. I won’t repeat myself.”
“Uh… hey,” Raymia pointed nervously behind Naga, “They’re out of
control.”
“Huh?” Naga turned to look.
The gang had already bolted, and the so-called “stone dragons” were
now running wild across the empty wasteland.
“...All according to my plan,” Naga declared, raising one finger.
I couldn’t help but notice the bead of sweat trickling down her cheek
as she tried to play it cool.
“All that’s left is Tyrell City.”
Later
“Hyaaaaaaaaaa!!” Raymia shrieked.
The battle was over. The sun was setting.
“It’s finished…”
“Ahhhhhh…”
“Yes… finally…”
We stood on a small hill overlooking the city bathed in the setting
sun.
“Well… how do I even put this?”
“You can’t undo what’s done…”
“Ahhh…” Raymia groaned in a daze while Naga and I stayed as calm as
possible, staring down at the ruins.
Most of Tyrell City had been flattened.
Naturally, the majority of the damage came from Naga’s rampaging
“dragons.” A teeny, tiny, practically microscopic part of it came from our
desperate attempts to stop them.
(Please believe me.)
“Hey, I got an idea!” Naga clapped her hands together. “Listen,
Raymia, let’s just say all this was caused by the minister who’s trying to kill
you!”
“Hey, that’s brilliant!” I agreed immediately.
“...Yes. Let’s do that.”
I expected her to protest, but instead Raymia’s eyes lit up and she
nodded.
I don’t get it, but if it means I’m not guilty, I’m all for it!
“So then, not only did we protect the princess, we also saved the
town!”
“Exactly! We’re heroines now!”
“And that means, on top of the emerald, I’ll be getting a huge
reward!” Naga beamed, already forgetting the smoking ruins behind us.
“I’d reward you, sure… if I were a real princess, that is.”
Naga and I froze.
“...Huh?”
“What did you just say?”
“Did you two seriously think I was the real Princess Raymia?”
“B-but—” Naga pointed at her, opening and closing her mouth like a
fish.
“You’ve seen the real one before, haven’t you? I just happen to look
like her.”
We both went speechless.
“Come on, think about it. Would the real princess ever travel alone?
No one would allow that. I’m just a double, a decoy meant to draw assassins
away.”
“Ahh…”
“Whaaa…”
Naga and I exchanged stiff smiles.
“So, yeah. Not only are you not getting any rewards, but if the truth
ever gets out, we’ll all be severely punished. So let’s just keep that story
between us, okay—?”
Naga and I promptly gave her a good beating.
…You know, looking back, this whole mess was entirely Naga’s fault.
Contents
Chapter 1: Dragon's Peak
Chapter 2: Little Princess
Chapter 3: Labyrinth (Read right now on Patreon or Ko-Fi !)
Chapter 4: The order to eliminate Lina (Coming Soon!)
Chapter 5: The Child (Coming Soon!)
Chapter 6: Slayers EX - Little Princess 2 (Coming Soon!)
Afterword, Color ilustrations and Download Links (Coming Soon!)
If you liked what you've read here and would like to help to make more feel free to support on Patreon or Kofi!
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