Extraordinary – Ordinary – Soap! c4

Lucia, Bidding Celes Farewell

“And so, when will you depart?”

When I asked that, Sir Celes sighed before answering me.

“In half a month……. From now on I’ll be busy with the preparations so I won’t be able to come anymore. My apologies.”

Looking dispirited, the cool handsome guy somehow turned into a cute handsome guy.

Regardless of what expression he has, he won’t change from being a handsome guy. Sir Celes is kind of amazing that way. Whatever he does, he’s still a handsome guy. No matter how hard I try, it’s an impossible task for me to be like that.

However, seeing him so downhearted, is it alright for me to a.s.sume that Sir Celes also looks forward to meeting at this time? Am I……not the only one looking forward to it?

If that’s the case, I’m really happy. Really very happy.

Truthfully, to not be able to meet anymore is lonely. After all, I’m always looking forward to this time everyday.

“How long will it take?”

“Well……it is the protection duty of Her Holiness while she embarks on her purification journey. The closest Heavenly Crystal Tree will take 1 week by horse, but to accompany Her Holiness who has ridden neither horse nor horse carriage before, I’m not sure how it will turn out……”

The transportation methods in this world, is either by walking or by horse, otherwise it’s the horse carriage.

In this 100 years where monsters are widespread, the number of horsedrawn carriages in the city have decreased, and civilian horsedrawn carriages have even ceased operations.

However, there are now horsedrawn carriages operated by the country as a replacement. Even though the number is small, people are now mainly transported by caravans or the country’s horse carriages.

The country’s horse carriages are protected by a magic gem made by the Academia’s students and even guarded by soldiers. They connect the various cities together. When I came to the Royal City (Al Tado) from Hathawes, I also used the national horsedrawn carriages.

For the Royalty and n.o.bility, they have their own horse carriages protected by employed guards, which is far beyond the likes of us common folk.

Putting that aside, for Her Holiness who came from the other world, to think that she has never rode on a horse carriage before.

Was it a lifestyle that required no travelling, or was it that the other world had transportation methods other than the horse carriage?

Although I will have no chance to meet with Her Holiness, I’d like to ask her if we ever get to meet. Well, it’s not like it’s something that a commoner like me can freely ask such a person though.

“It’s to be announced tomorrow but, His Highness the Crown Prince will also be joining the journey. So, although we will be travelling via horse carriage, we won’t be able to cover much distance daily. Half a year, or 1 year……I believe I will be away from the Royal City (here) for a fairly long time.”

“For that long!?”

“Yeah……although I wish to return quickly, the purification of the Heavenly Crystal Tree is important.”

1 year……although it feels like a long time to not be able to meet, thinking about it, the purification of the Heavenly Crystal Tree will settle the issue of rampant monsters and return the peace. To think that it will happen in about a year, that is actually quite a near future.

“May you be victorious. Sir Celes, please take care.”

After I said that, Sir Celes thumped his chest and nodded with a beautiful smile.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely return. And then, let’s meet here again.”

He left a promise that made me really happy.

****

“Welcome back, Lucia.”

At 1 in the afternoon, I returned to the laundry worker’s rest area and met up with my co-workers Mrs Kikka, Ms Rossera, and the twin sisters Ms Gina and Ms Gino.

Mrs Kikka handled the First Corps, Mrs Rossera the Second Corps and Ms Gina and Ms Gino handled the Third and Fourth Corps.

“Ah! Lil’ Lucie!”

“You had a different ribbon in the morning!”

Girls are perceptive to a girl’s change.

Ms Gina and Ms Gino are twin sisters 4 years older than me, and have looked out for me ever since I became the laundry woman for the Knight Order. Gentle and beautiful, they are like big sisters to me.

“What happened?”

“It’s unexpectedly cute! Lucie really fits pink.”

The two of them who had rounded to my back placed their hands on my shoulders and brought their faces closer to inspect from both sides.

“So, is this a present from your boyfriend?”

“Gah……! No! Such an outrageous thing!”

Boyfriend!

To be talked of in such a manner, my face turned red before I knew it.

No, even though it’s true that Sir Celes is a male, he’s not my boyfriend! It’s only a relation of spending time together alone in the afternoon!

“Lucie?”

“Fufufu, won’t you be honest with your big sisters? This, is from your afternoon boyfriend right?”

While I flailed in embarra.s.sment, Ms Gina and Ms Gino were snickering. Uuh, with my shoulders caught, I can’t escape even if I wanted to. Your cute faces are changing into villainous ones, Ms Gina, Ms Gino!

And from that direction, the more senior Mrs Kikka and Mrs Rossera looked over with interest. They’re not going to help me……

“Um, although it is true that it was given, there is no way that-!”

Moreover, this ribbon is from the Lily Brizzi store, even if it’s higher quality than most, it’s not a ribbon meant for the hair!

Just when I was hoping I could hide it, my wish wasn’t fulfilled and the twin sisters noticed it.

“Kyah!”

“Lily Brizzi!?”

“This is also amazing!”

“……Amazing.”

To the can that came out of my ap.r.o.n’s pocket, the twin sisters whooped, Mrs Kikka’s eyes widened and the usually silent Mrs Rossera let out a gasp of surprise. The popularity of Lily Brizzi is amazing!

“I was only given this when that person was troubled with how to dispose of it. This ribbon also, was just used to tie the Lily Brizzi packaging.

To the fact that it is just a normal ribbon, a ribbon that is usually only used for packaging until one returns to her room, the twin sisters exchanged glances.

“Lily Brizzi’s ribbon?”

“This?”

It’s not impossible to be surprised. After all, even I won’t think of using such an exquisite ribbon for tying a package!

“This……is a normally sold ribbon. I bought it for my daughter’s birthday. 1 small silver piece.”

Mrs Rossera said as she touched the little flowers on the pink ribbon.

If I had 1 silver I can afford to buy 1 good lunch! An amount where I can even eat dinner at a cheap place! To think that this ribbon had such a price, it’s completely different from my bargain priced ribbon of 1 copper piece!

“Right right! Lily Brizzi’s ribbon is a plain pink!”

“Such a nice ribbon, no one will use it as packaging ribbon!”

If you say it like that, I feel the same way. It’s really cute.

“Did he, change the ribbon on purpose……”

Mrs Kikka muttered seriously.

Eh? Was it such a heartfelt present!?

Should I at least return the ribbon……I became worried.

“You should stop right there~”

“No matter how you see it, that is for a girl’s use. Does that person have hair long enough to use a ribbon? If he doesn’t, then it’s definitely prepared to be given to Lucie for her use.”

Although Sir Celes’s hair reaches the bottom of his neck, it’s definitely not long enough to use a ribbon on.

So that means……this is from Sir Celes, to me??

“He is a good match for Lucia. That person is properly looking out for Lucia.”

When I made sure of Mrs Rossera’s words, I turned redder than a boiled octopus.

That! But that is! I never thought he would specially prepare a ribbon to give to me! And it’s really quite cute too! What do I do! Is it ok for me to be happy!

As for what intentions he might have, I have a feeling of really wanting to know, but I’m also a little scared to hear it.

But, even if I want to say thank you, there is still the matter of when we can meet next. Although we promised, I don’t know when it will be.

“Should I prepare something to thank him?”

“You mentioned he’s in the Knight Order, which corps? Why not invite him out to town during the next holiday? ……Hey, what happened Lucie?”

On hearing Ms Gina and Ms Gino’s words, I became depressed and lowered my head.

“He is to accompany Her Holiness on her purification journey. So, we won’t be able to meet. For about a year.”

“Eh! For the situation to not progress, that’s so agonising!”

“It must be hard on that person too. Aah, so is that him leaving a mark?”

My thanks, when he returns, I will definitely say it. I decided that in my heart.

So Sir Celes, you must definitely come back, please.

****

Currency wise, 1 small silver piece = 1000 Yen, 1 copper piece= 100 Yen. There are other silver pieces and gold pieces, they should be around 10,000 Yen and 100,000 Yen respectively.

TN: Some words in the brackets (Al Tado), (here) are indicating the furigana that is written above the kanjis in the raws. Also, I have adopted Grawles’s suggestion to translate Lucia-chan as Lucie.

~~~

TN: Uwah, so thanks for reading my first web novel translation attempt. Many apologies for strange grammer or wordings. Please feel free to point out anything I should change or can improve on! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I did at least.

Now I’m not sure how regularly I can update, but I’ll do my best to do a chapter once a week or at least once every two weeks. It’ll likely come out on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Until Grawles is free enough to pick it back up again. Thank you for allowing me to translate a few chapters!

And here I have another question, so you’ve might been realising I have been using Sir, Ms, Mrs, following how the previous translator had done it, to indicate all the -san and stuff. But then there’s honorifics like -chan, that has no proper translation for it. Back when I was doing manga scanlations, I usually left the -san and -chan as it is, but I do understand that some people don’t like it. So I’d like to know how you feel about this.

TLDR: Keep it -chan, -san, -sama honorifics; or Continue with the Sir, Ms, Mrs, Little (there’s a risk I might mess up something because Sir, Ms, Mrs all uses -san, so it’s up to my interpretation of whether they’re a knight, a married woman or a non-married one)?

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