"Is this the home of Anya?"

About 300 km southwest of Mignola, king's capital of Ende. Nabal, a mountain-deep valley settlement, is the home of Anya.

A tiny field cut along the creek, and a dense settlement with a dozen small houses shouldering each other - that's all. And then there's nothing in the eye, except the mountain forest that spreads around.

The road sticking to the chopped mountain skin is so thin that the carriage can't fail to scratch. If I had truly been running down that road, I might have been de-wheeling somewhere and falling to the bottom of the valley. You're right to fly in.

"I didn't think the village was still there. I thought it was already crushed."

To be honest, it's the country. Such a country would be hard to see even in Japan of Showa. About the size of a mountain in Shikoku? It is not impossible for a young man (Anya) to jump out of the city admiring him. I might even want to leave by saying, "Ola, I don't want this village, I want a cow in Ginza." What is it like to have a spicy mouthful of Anya?

Modern, or modern, Japan might be able to live in detail in agriculture and forestry even in so many countryside. But this is a different world. Things are a little different.

In the countryside, that is, there is a lot of nature around, which means there are also many demons, which means that death is close to us. With one big claw bear, a small village would destroy it in a matter of hours. Digits at crisis level are different from marginalisation.

Young people's aspirations to the city are not only a yearning for a stylish life, but also for a safe life. Too true. Although, it seems that Anya's longing was for fish, not for the city.

"I didn't know there was a settlement like this... and I still don't have a grasp of our nation's statehood"

The accompanying guide, Grandpa Kishu Dog, Murdoch spills into a sigh. You're a conductor, but you didn't know, or you're not a conductor anymore, are you? Well, I guess our real role is surveillance.

"You don't have to know. This is a hiding place."

"Hidden?"

"The remnants of the Seema clan, who lost the war of unity, live in hiding."

"Oh my!? Seema clan!?"

Mr. Murdoch is surprised. A conductor...

The Seema clan is said to be the royal family of a country in the south of Ende. You think this is the country Grandpa Grants and I fought over until the end of the unification war? On the face of it, they say all royalties are to have been executed after the defeat, but you had survival.

"Bloodline is subtle. The king's brother at the time gave birth to the gardener's daughter with his hands. He was born just before the defeat, so he's officially recognized."

"I see, so you dived through the surveillance net. Surely, if you were a bastard, you wouldn't have been able to pursue it."

You know, there are people everywhere who are embarrassed. But if you think the royal blood stayed uninterrupted because of it, you can't help but say that the unrestrained king brother was helpful. There is no doubt that the son of the daughter of that gardener, who survived, is also the only royal family, because not all other royalties are registered.

Dreaming of the resurrection of the lost royal family, the only survival of the royal family in a hiding place in the mountains spends their time in the womb. It's a common setting in the story, but I didn't think I'd actually see it. That's a different world, a Beta story suddenly comes along.

The story is often driven by enemies or visitors coming from outside the interior, but maybe this time we're the part of that visitor.

... I thought you were a sidekick here. Originally correct (?) I don't see the protagonist of that kind of kingdom story coming around to me from a serf. Well, it's the usual thing. I don't care. If I'm the star of my life, that's fine.

Unload the carriage on what appears to be the only square in the settlement. It's a small square about two sides of a tennis court. There is a roofed well in the corner that seems to be joint.

The villagers who noticed us gather together from the fields, from inside the house. About forty people? I have everything from old men to children, but I look slightly older. It is common in marginal settlements.

All grown men possess some kind of weapon. Most of them are farm tools like crude wooden bamboo and bamboo, but some have old but maintained swords and spears. I guess I was getting ready for the day I came (...). Not yet, but I guess.

Half-sided, what you're wearing can't be flattering or luxurious. Whether it's just a few patterns dyed in the coarse nappy cloth of your eyes, or just managed to stitch tanned fur into the shape of your clothes. They are all tired of the season coming in. Worse than the pioneering village where I was born and raised. I'm not making a deal, so I guess I can't get a cloth.

Everyone is thin. With the size of that field from above, it should be pretty tough to feed this many people. Probably doesn't manage to eat in the harvest from nearby mountain forests. Naturally, there are demons in the mountains, so that involves a danger to life. Yeah, well, you shouldn't come in often. Do you enter the mountains knowing the danger, or do you protect yourself by eating less? I guess that thinness is the result of the constant pressing for critical choices. Skinny cats are painful to watch. Even if the Conservation Society pisses me off, I want to feed him.

Yes, they're all cat ears. In the cat in the back of the mountain, in the yamaneko for short. If you're a mofflist, it's worth a visit.

Hair color is often white and brown. There are also a few black and white bees and the same dark hair as Anya. Exactly. Do you have tiger hair or leopard pattern? Apparently, there are no more variations than my aunt in Osaka. I'd be surprised if there was a purple lamb or something.

"Who are you people! What are you doing here?

Out of a herd of cats, a brunette grand cat raises her voice. Seeing as the cats with weapons around them are consolidating, I guess they are also in an important position in this settlement.

"I'm not a suspicious person. We are adventurers from the Kingdom of West Midlands. Our people are from this settlement, so I came by to say hello."

You must not raise your voice. Cats are sensitive to shouting. To an excited and vigilant cat, endeavoring to be quiet and gentle is the trick to get along. Perfect if you have Gyoniso.

"Don't lie to me! What are the dogs out there! Daikanya, Ende's dogs and animals will be working together! They must have sent us in to eradicate our clan!

Don't you have ears to listen to? Well, given the formation of the settlement, I guess that compares. The surrounding cats are also stiffening themselves with vigilance and tension. My tail is swollen.... cute.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I should have fallen back inside."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no It's more trustworthy not to hide it from the beginning than to be wary of it later."

"It would be helpful if you could say that. But what's wrong with this..."

Mr. Murdoch is frowning and thinking. I guess I feel responsible and I'm thinking of a solution. But it's nothing like this. It's not a big deal.

"Anya."

"Uh-oh... I can't help it."

Anya turns up as she was pulling into the carriage.

If the settlers themselves come out, it is clear that they are not lying. Nothing can guarantee me any more innocence.

"Guys, it's been a while"

"Become!? Are you... Anastasia!?"

"Uh-oh, I don't think that's a good name. It's the same as when I was a kid. It's called Anya."

Anastasia? Is that Anya's real name? That's a big name. Anya is a nickname or a common name. I hear Anya's been an adventurer for a while since she left here, and if she's an adventurer, a short name would be a better street.

"... Princess?

"Anastasia?

"A princess! The princess, who was missing, is back!

"Your Highness! Welcome back!!"

"" "Welcome back, princess!

As soon as Anya showed her face, the cats gathered in the square pushed in unison. Whoa, cat paint. Now you can stroke all you want! Can I hold that kid cat up there!? Can I take it home!?

... what, hmm? Princess? By whom? Anya?

"... that's why I didn't want to come home."

Uh-huh!?