TL’s note: The only other option for translating was Mia the Shota Killer
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Mia was warmly welcomed upon arriving at the Lulu village. Having been notified beforehand by Ludwig, the village chieftain had arranged a feast at the village square. The men went out to hunt and came back with a gigantic boar. This was roasted whole to serve as the feast’s main dish. There was a big bonfire in the middle of the square. Encircling this bonfire were the entirety of the village. Mia was astonished by such a grand welcome.
“Even though it was short notice, this is such an incredible welcome.”
“When they heard that Princess Mia was coming, they were all thrilled. I told them that a simple reception would suffice but…” Ludwig explained with a helpless shake of his head. “I suppose this just shows how high they regard you, Your Highness.”
Ludwig’s tone was joking but its contents rang true. The Lulu always value reciprocity and believes in paying their debts. Mia was the benefactor of the chieftain’s son and the savior of their entire tribe. So their gratitude towards her was immense.
By now, Mia had won the favor not just of those who were living in the village, but the whole tribe. This includes the tribesmen like Liora who were outside the village looking for work. She had effectively acquired a fanbase of highly skilled archers throughout the empire. Their skills were formidable enough to be called a quasi-militia. If Mia actually attempted to run away, she would be able to do so easily with just their help alone.
Mia was oblivious to this fact. Her focused had been taken over by the sizzling roasted boar that was to be served for dinner.
“Was this boar caught in this forest?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Your Highness. I went with them for the hunt.” The young boy by her side cheerfully explained. He was the chieftain’s grandson, whom she had previously rescued in the Newmoon District.
“Did you now? My, how brave of you…” Mia clapped her hands and peered into the boy’s face. “Come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.”
Facing the boy, Mia raised the hem of her trousers as a curtsy,
“I’m Mia Luna Tearmoon. I’m the empire’s princess.”
Seeing that, the boy opened his mouth, and then his face turned bright red while he got down on his knees and lowered his head.
“I’m Wagur. Your Highness. Thank you again. I will never forget that you saved me.”
When he looked up, his eyes stared straight at Mia’s. They were beautifully innocent.
“Never is a long time, you know? Are you sure you can remember for that long?”
Mia smiled playfully.
“I…uh…”
“Oh, but I suppose that’s nothing to worry about. After all, the wonderful gift I received is proof of your thanks, and that won’t fade anytime soon.”
Mia gave him her most beautiful smile. Seeing that, Wagur’s cheeks blushed again.
Indeed, Mia was a boy-killer.
“Greetings, Your Highness… it is my pleasure… to have you here.”
The chieftain approached and bowed before Mia.
“Greetings, Chieftain. I see that you are in good terms with Wagur.”
“That’s not true, but I am glad still… By the way, Chieftain, have you become a little more fluent in the imperial language?”
Mia looks at the chief’s face with interest. And, once again, the tribal chief scratched his cheek shyly.
“I… was taught… by Wandering Sage, and I… practiced… a little bit.”
“Oh, so you were able to meet the Sage.”
“He… often come… to the village, but…Her Highness, were you… not able… to meet him?”
“Yeah, we tried to meet him. But it seems that he was busy thinking.” While saying that, Mia throws the cut boar meat into her mouth. The meat that was grilled over the fire had a wonderful taste, with juices gushing out in her mouth every time she took a bite.
Oh, this is exquisite! This is also thanks to not being able to meet Ludwig’s master. On top of that, it’s nice that he is giving me lots of fodder to attack him with. It may be that this whole talk about him has been blownover. He might just be a pushover, after all.
Mia smiles in a good mood. However, right next to him, Wagur was angry.
“I can’t forgive him for ignoring Your Highness…”
“Fufu, thank you for being angry for me. I appreciate the sentiment. But I am not bothered about it at all. I believe it turned out for the best.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Mia gives a mischievous smile to Wagur.
“Thanks to that, I was able to stop by the Lulu tribe’s village, and I was able to see how you were doing.”
After that, Mia reached out to Wagur’s cheek. She picked up a piece of meat from the dazed Wagur. Wagur froze and his cheeks were turning even redder. He lowered his head unable to meet her eyes.
…Mia the boy-killer strikes again.
“Ludwig, you also had a hard time. Thank you for all your preparatory efforts here. It was nothing short of excellent.”
“No, I would like to apologize on behalf of my teacher. Because of him, you have to make an unscheduled overnight stop outside the manor.”
Ludwig lowered his head, but Mia smiled.
“Oh, it’s nothing worth apologizing for. I am more than capable of handling a little setback or two. Besides, it is all necessary parts of the process, right? If we want to win him over, we had to play his game.”
Hearing her, Ludwig looked a little surprised.
“Wha… as expected. So Your Highness have already realized.”
“Of course I have.”
Hmm… so Ludwig understands what I am doing as well. In this game of leverage, we are stocking up our advantages for a big showdown.
Mia makes a rough snort and throws another delicious meat into her mouth.
Now then, I can’t wait for him to ignore me again tomorrow. Just keep on handing me over that advantage, Sage.