| Author: Sasaki Ichiro | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mab | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Silva | |
Author’s Note:
Eren’s POV. It takes place around chapter 7 and 8.
Translator’s Note:
Spoiler for Vampire Princess. Please read the footnote for clarification.
Well, if that’s the custom, then what could I do? But, since we’re best friends, maybe she’d give me a little peek~ Just when I was thinking about that, Bruno the haughty brat came over and tried to forcefully remove Jill’s hood while saying some nonsense.
Sometimes ago, Bruno played a prank on the Sage of the Forest —around here, parents liked to caution their young kids that “naughty kids will be turned into a pig by the witch” (a variation of that was “naughty kids will be eaten by the divine demon”), so Bruno wanted to do some silly courage show off when he did it— and he drew the irks of the Sage, so she witched him to be a pig for one full week. The embarrassment of that must be what drove him to pick on the sage’s disciple.
(That idiot!!)
However, before I could stop him, Jill grabbed Bruno by his outreaching arm and tossed him as if by magic. As someone who had been trained by the village watchers to become an adventurer in the future, Bruno was as skilled as an adult… or that’s how he always proclaimed left and right, and yet he was tossed easily like a rag.
Seeing that, the boys that followed him around all ran away at once, while I walked towards Jill with cheers. That was when the hand Bruno casually threw accidentally grabbed Jill’s hood, and he pulled it down furiously as if to get one back— and thus, Jill’s bare face was revealed.
“””AH!!”””
Exclamations escaped our mouths. And the reason for that…was because words like pretty or beautiful couldn’t fully express how divine Jill truly was.
She had smooth skin that looked like a faint rose color dissolved in pure white milk, her blond hair tinged in cherry blossom blush shined in the reflection of sunlight, whilst her large moist jade eyes emitted a mysterious glow. Her presence alone exuded an ineffable elegance that overwhelmed all around her.
Even as she was sitting there in front of me, she looked as if something out of this world, like a fairy that just jumped out of a storybook or a fairy tale. She was so mind-bogglingly beautiful I felt faint just looking at her.
Every centimertes of hers was molded so perfectly beautiful… as if she was an elaborate doll made by God.
(She’s a princess…!!)
A princess from the fairy tales was right in front of me.
After putting her hood back in panic, Jill turned to me and Bruno, still lost in our daze, and spoke with a voice that was on the break of crying. “Please don’t tell anyone!” She then turned her back to us and scuttled.
I gotta chase her! I can’t leave her alone just like that!! Still in shock, I ran after Jill.
She was my very first best friend, and more importantly, this encounter was a miracle that would never happen again.
To exaggerate it, today, I met my destiny.
I can’t let this encounter slip me! My life changed the moment I met her!! Perhaps, I had been delusional, or maybe this was what the ‘love at first sight’ thing I kept hearing from others was about.
Even so, I clung to that half-measured intuition and ran after Jill’s shrinking back, before I somehow caught her up.
“W-, wait, Jill, wait!”
“Eren…?”
Jill turned around, half-surprised, half-bewildered. “Don’t worry! I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’ll even beat Bruno if he dares to say even a word!”
Why would she hide such a beautiful face? I had no idea who Jill really was, but I knew for sure she didn’t want anyone to know. So, I pounded my chest, clasped Jill’s hands together, and made my declaration.
“Really…?”
From under her hood, Jill’s faint voice gingerly offered. Aah, her every gesture is just so cute! I know I’m shorter, but I just want to hug her and bring her home with me!
“Of course. We’re best friends.” I nodded my head without hesitation, before a few of my inner thoughts slipped out, “besides, it’s definitely better if we keep the secret between the two of us!”
‘A secret between us’ — gosh, does that sound sweet or what! We’ve already gone past the realm of best friends!!
“…would you still be my friend from now on?”
“Yes, we’re best of friends already!” And put a strong BEST at that!
The moment I said those words, Jill was so moved she hugged me tight—UOOOHH, she’s so sooftt!! And smells so good!! UWAAH, her boobs are bigg!!—and gave me a time of utter bliss.1
♢♦♢♦♢
‘Dear and Beloved Jill.’
A few days after that incident, a peddler who was about to visit the hermitage of the Sage in the midst of all the heavy rain came to visit my father, the village chief. Once they finished talking, I asked him if he could deliver a letter for Jill while at it.
At first, I thought he was a really shady character, but he readily agreed to my request, saying “that obstinate old lady can’t refuse me easily if I have a more proper reason, so I should be the one thanking you instead” and gave me a piece of paper (some kind of advertisement flier) to write a letter on, so I hurriedly started writing a letter on the spot.
Now, what should I write? Any recent events… Ah! I can use the Rubrum Flos festival to invite her to play with me! After that, hmm… well, it probably bugs her too, so I should write about that idiot Bruno. That dimwit, ever since then he keeps asking about Jill, it’s obvious what he wants! Well, too bad! Jill is mine, I won’t give her to the likes of him.
“Having a friend is great, isn’t it? This Jill person, is she the witch grandma’s relative? I’m pretty sure she wasn’t around the last time I’m here.”
“Jill is the Sage’s disciple. But see, she is actually a princess.”
Well, the peddler wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I just told him what impression I got from Jill.
“Ho-ho. Is she now? A princess who stays with a witch? Which means she must have been running away from her evil stepmother who wants to kill her, and right on the clutch, a good-hearted witch comes in and saves her, and she uses her magic to change the princess’ appearance so that they can live together in secret.”
The peddler, perhaps thinking he was just dealing with a naive kid, gave me an all-knowing look.
“Yup. That must be it. And then one day she will use her magic to defeat the evil stepmother and return to her princessly appearance!” It sounded like a fairy tale, but the words felt like they were the truth itself when I spoke them.
“Ha-ha, which means the princess will leave the forest and go back to her castle with the prince in her hand.”
When I heard the paddler’s words, suddenly I felt a cold chill run down my back. If Jill returns to become a princess again and gets out of here, what am I going to do?! How can I catch up to her?!
“…does it have to be the prince who the princess has in her hand? A simple village girl can’t go with her?” I stopped writing the letter and looked into the narrow eyes of the peddler.
He then twisted his head as though he was pondering before he answered, “well, if that girl becomes her lady attendant, then I guess she will come with her, right?”
Lady attendant. If Jill is a princess, then I can be her attendant and stay by her side the whole time!
“Well, the girl needs to be well educated and have good etiquettes for that to happen. Throw in some special skills, and it will be ideal.”
I nodded at the peddler’s words and finished up the rest of my letter. I had met my destiny. So, I had to work my hardest to walk down the path to fulfill it.2
Author’s Note:
Surprisingly, Eren is full of impure thoughts. When she saw Jill in full princess mode later at the festival, Eren was fully captivated. She went to the deep end. Her reaction to Jill being so weak was actually because she was too excited her heart was about to stop.
Also, what Regina used on Bruno was just illusion magic, so he didn’t actually transform into a pig (though it’s at such a high level, he looked and felt like a pig to the touch).
Translator’s Note:
God dammit, Black.
