The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor Vol.4, page 1
Table of Contents
Copyright
Character Page
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Dragon Emperor and His Consort’s Marriage of Survival
Chapter 2: Living as a Bride in a Potential Enemy Nation
Chapter 3: Love, Logic, and National Defense
Chapter 4: The Dragon Consort Withdraws from the Frontlines
Chapter 5: Fighting Alone, One Must Choose
Chapter 6: The Contradictory Conspirator
Chapter 7: The Absolute Line of Defense of the Dragon Consorts
Epilogue
Afterword
Other Series
The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor Vol.4
Sarasa Nagase
Translation by piyo
Illustration by Mitsuya Fuji
Title Design by Arbash Mughal
Editing by Elijah Baldwin
Proofreading by A.M. Perrone and Charis Messier
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
YARINAOSHI REIJO WA RYUTEIHEIKA O KORYAKU CHU Vol.4
©Sarasa Nagase 2022
First published in Japan in 2022 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation ©2024 Cross Infinite World
All rights reserved. In accordance with U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email below.
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Digital Edition ISBN: 979-8-88560-114-6
Print Edition ISBN: 979-8-88560-115-3
Prologue
HANGING upside down by a vine wrapped around one ankle, the husband asked, “Hey, Jill. This is quite the predicament. How did I end up here?”
“Because, Your Majesty, you got caught in a trap, and a vine filled with magic energy is hanging you upside down from a tree!” the wife replied.
Jill’s husband shook his head, implying that she misunderstood his question. Blood was rushing to his head, and with his dirty, disheveled clothes he hardly resembled an emperor. In this state, it was quite hard to take him seriously at all.
But this man was, without a doubt, the true Dragon Emperor who possessed the Heavenly Sword of the Dragon Emperor and was the reincarnation of Rave himself. He was a handsome man, at least. He was covered in mud, yet his face was as beautiful as the moon, and his dusty, black hair and golden eyes were a lovely sight to behold. With a sigh, his eyelashes cast a shadow over his cheeks, making him seem like the epitome of beauty. Even while hanging upside down, he looked like a celestial painting.
But now wasn’t the time to be enraptured by his looks. If he stayed in this position, blood would continue to rush to his head, and Hadis’s body was frail enough as it was.
Jill, who had one leg pinned to the ground by a different magic circle on the ground, gave a “Hup!” as she ripped the magical vine.
“I shall rescue you now, Your Majesty,” she said.
“Uh, I’m fine,” Hadis replied. “I can get down by myself… That’s not the issue here.”
“Then could you please come down? You falling ill due to all the blood rushing to your head is the last thing I want,” she said.
“I came here today to ask your parents for your hand in marriage, right?”
Jill, who was now right under the hanging Hadis, gave a small, sheepish nod of confirmation.
Hadis’s gentle smile fell away as he roared, “Then why are we doing some sort of survival test in the Rakia mountains?!”
“Well, because my house is in the middle of the Rakia mountains,” Jill replied nonchalantly.
“What is wrong with this mountain?! None of the trails turn out to be real trails! And it’s filled with magical traps! This is insane! It’s worse than a trap-filled battlefield!”
“Your Majesty, you’re swaying. Be careful.”
As Hadis yelled with irritation, he swayed wildly. He covered his face with both hands, not caring about the movement. His semicircular canals may have been stronger than most.
“I-I did my best to clean up my appearance so that I wouldn’t come off as being disrespectful to your family!” he wailed.
“You’re fine, Your Majesty!” Jill assured him. “You’re handsome no matter what!”
“And I even put a lot of thought into the many souvenirs I brought as gifts! I thought long and hard about everything!”
“Our main squad—Camila and Zeke—are taking a separate route with your gifts in tow,” Jill reminded him.
“I can only marry you if I cross this thorny road?! What’s even the point?! Are they making light of the Rave Empire, and by extension, me? Hey, how about I just wipe out this whole area with the Heavenly Sword?!”
“Argh! That’s their tradition!” Rave growled when he heard the phrase “Heavenly Sword.” He appeared from Hadis’s chest. “Shut up and keep moving!”
With his long, white, lithe body and wings, the Dragon God resembled a dragon, but he looked more adorable than intimidating. Hadis had often called the deity a “fat snake with wings,” but the white dragon was undoubtedly the God of logic that protected the skies of the empire and had raised Hadis.
“Wipe out this area? How do you plan to do that with only half your magic energy? The Rakia mountains are near sacred grounds with magnetic fields that could cause your magic to run wild. Don’t do anything careless,” Rave ordered.
“I can do it if I put my mind to it,” Hadis said calmly, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
Rave slapped the emperor’s head with his tail. “Don’t you dare,” the Dragon God warned. “You wanna marry Missy, don’t you? You came to bow your head to her parents, right? Then keep it together. You’re just troubling Missy.”
Getting an up-close-and-personal lecture from Rave, Hadis stopped complaining and looked down at Jill.
Jill awkwardly cast down her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Our house is a bit unique… We’re quite the weird bunch, aren’t we? By tradition, my marriage would only be approved if we overcome the path riddled with magical traps together. I know it’s weird…”
“N-Not at all!” Hadis cried hastily.
He flipped in the air and kneeled before Jill while caressing her hands. The vine around his ankle had vanished without a trace. He removed it so quickly that Jill didn’t even sense him use his magic. This man could do such impressive feats as easily as he breathed. Jill couldn’t hide her amazement.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry, Jill. I was just surprised because I was repeatedly caught off-guard. Let’s get to your manor together,” Hadis said.
“Really?” Jill asked.
“Mm-hm. I’ll do my best so that I can win your parents’ approval.”
“Then let’s work hard to overcome our next obstacle.”
She pointed at a large stone gate and wall blocking their path. Hadis loosened his grip on Jill’s hands and stiffened.
“H-Huh? Excuse me?” he stammered. “Why did they prepare a literal obstacle for us?”
“That’s no normal gate… Isn’t magic energy coursing through it?” Rave asked.
“Very astute, Rave!” Jill cried enthusiastically. “We have to pass through that gate while mirroring its amount of magic energy, or we’ll be squashed flat!”
“Squashed flat…” Hadis murmured.
“Is it tradition for the Cervels to kill potential suitors?” Rave asked.
As the Dragon Emperor and his guardian dragon turned pale, Jill shook her head.
“It really doesn’t require much magic energy. I’m sure we’ll be fine, Your Majesty!” Jill chirped.
“I mean, sure, but it feels like your family’s out for blood. I’m a little—just a liiittle scared, y’know?” Hadis said. “Like that concept is a bit…”
“What are you rambling about? We’ve only just begun!” Jill declared.
“Yeah?” Rave asked.
“Yeah!” she replied energetically as she turned to the gate. “I hear there are monsters lurking about too, and they’re pretty aggressive! Let’s go, Your Majesty!”
“Are you having fun with all this?” Hadis asked.
“This is the House of Cervel’s family tradition! Overcoming these trials represents the first activities the couple does together. I’ve always dreamed of doing this!” Jill insisted.
Hadis gave a thousand-yard stare. “I-I see… You know, I prefer our first activity together to be like cutting a cake or something…”
“Agreed,
“Cake sounds nice too!” Jill exclaimed.
Hadis was an excellent cook. The snacks he baked were so delicious they easily outclassed any average bakery. Jill smiled, but she immediately grew stern once more.
“I heard that even my parents had a bit of trouble from here on,” she said.
“Just for a point of reference, how long does it usually take to get through this?” Hadis asked.
“About two weeks on average. The record is one week. But if it takes us longer than the record, we might not make it in time for our other plans,” she said.
The couple’s main squad used the normal route from the port city located on the southernmost tip of the Cervels’ domain. They were headed for the Cervels’ villa at the foot of the Rakia mountains. Judging from the size of the squad and the luggage they carried, the trek would take about ten days. The route Jill and Hadis took was in the middle of the Rakia mountains, near the main residence. If they didn’t hurry, they would miss Jill’s parents, who would need to head out to the villa at the foot of the mountains to meet the main squad. If Jill and Hadis ended up delaying their initial plans, it would make them look quite foolish.
“We’ll be fine, Your Majesty! I’m sure of it!” Jill reassured him with a smile as she turned around. She looked up at her husband, who was now standing. “Let’s break the record! Father and Mother won’t believe it! Even my siblings would be stunned, and then they’d approve of our marriage in a heartbeat!”
Jill’s chest was filled with excitement and anticipation. She wanted the whole world to know that the man she chose was amazing. Hadis smiled as the light faded from his eyes.
“Right, let’s do our best,” he muttered. “Rave, are you positive I can’t wipe out this hellhole with the Heavenly Sword?”
“You’ve gotta get along with your in-laws. C’mon, do your best and give it all you’ve got,” Rave replied.
“The struggles of being a married man!” Hadis cried.
“Let’s go, Your Majesty! I’m sure we can do this!” Jill exclaimed as she clenched her fists and walked ahead while taking great strides.
She kicked open the enormous stone gates.
Chapter 1: The Dragon Emperor and His Consort’s Marriage of Survival
“GOODNESS! So you’ve finally decided to head to the Kratos Kingdom,” Jill’s tutor said.
“Yup!” Jill replied.
“Jill, your cup. You’re holding the top with your index finger.”
“Oops.”
After her mistake was pointed out, Jill immediately tried to copy her tutor. She pinched the handle of the cup with her index finger and thumb while supporting the cup with her middle finger. It was a bit tricky, and whenever Jill let her guard down, her index finger would get caught on the handle.
The imperial capital Rahelm, also known as the city of the skies, was true to its name and located high in the sky. The imperial castle was on the top of the hill, allowing it to look over the capital. As the early summer days were growing warmer, a cool, refreshing breeze blew through when the windows were open.
Jill was currently in the emperor’s palace, which was located deeper inside the castle, past the rooms where official business and duties were conducted. Jill was given a room in the corner of this palace.
As the Dragon Consort, she would’ve normally been in the empress’s palace or would’ve received a different residence of her own. She was Hadis’s fiancée, after all. But she was eleven years old, and from the supposed enemy kingdom of Kratos. She received a room in Hadis’s palace for the time being until the political affairs settled down. The fact that she was sharing a space with the highest-ranked man in the Rave Empire made little sense since she was supposed to lie low, but Jill was in a difficult position. Above all, Hadis was in a tricky spot himself, as he was at the center of internal strife.
They had no money, no personnel, and no resources. Hadis’s older brother, Risteard Teos Rave, wailed at the lack of seemingly everything, but Hadis’s other older brother, Crown Prince Vissel Teos Rave, managed to threaten—no, request for support from powerful nobles. The circumstances were shifting greatly in their favor. It was a big win for Hadis when he settled the battle in Radia and took control of the imperial army. Elentzia Teos Rave, the emperor’s older sister, became the interim general of the army. She was a capable woman and the captain of the Neutrahl Dragon Knights, the best knights in the empire.
Hadis managed to stabilize his footing with support from his older siblings, meaning there wasn’t much for Jill to do.
She was actually sixteen but went back in time to do-over her life from the age of ten. Formerly known as the god of war’s daughter, Jill excelled at fighting. With the restoration of the imperial army, her role was slowly being taken away. And so, she had one more subject to tackle: her bridal training. From etiquette to sewing to writing poems, she had to be trained as the perfect consort. Since the imperial capital had now become much safer, a private tutor was prepared for her.
“Recently, you’ve been swift to catch your mistakes,” Jill’s tutor said.
“And it’s all thanks to you, Sphere,” Jill replied, setting her teacup down.
“Aw,” Sphere smiled happily.
Her every movement made her seem like the perfect, elegant young lady. That was only natural, for Sphere de Beil was the daughter of a marquess and had even managed to have tea with Hadis. Her duty now was to be Jill’s private tutor.
The only thing on Jill’s itinerary for the day was to have tea with Sphere, but this proved to be quite difficult. Her etiquette was often corrected by her tutor, as was her choice of tea, snacks, and tableware. It seemed she wasn’t allowed to choose strawberry shortcake as the snack every time. One day, Jill would have to pass Sphere’s test, where it would be Jill’s sole responsibility to write an invitation to her tutor and arrange the entire tea party.
Sphere’s unexpectedly quite strict… Jill thought. But considering she was told the reward for passing the test would be the ability to invite His Majesty to the next party, she was raring to go. That was the power of love. Jill was eleven, while Hadis was nineteen. Due to their age gap, Jill wanted to occasionally act maturely to surprise her husband.
“And when will you be leaving?” Sphere asked.
“Sometime next week, I believe,” Jill replied.
“Goodness, then time is of the essence. Have you already made the necessary preparations and contacted the other party?”
“His Majesty and his aides have everything under control. We’ll first go to the Lehrsatz duchy by dragon and greet Prince Risteard’s grandfather. We’ll then enter the Cervels’ port by ship. We should be in Kratos by the end of the month.”
“Is that so? And…” Sphere glanced at the sofa by the window. A stuffed bear, a large bird that was tidying its feathers, and a baby black dragon that had his head buried under a blanket with his bum exposed were lined up. “It seems Raw is pouting a little,” Sphere observed.
“Sure is. But dragons can’t eat the plants growing in Kratos,” Jill replied.
“Rawr!” Raw wiggled his butt as he gave a disapproving cry. Jill placed her cup down and sighed.
“How long are you going to be pouting, Raw?” she asked. “We decided that you’ll stay home with Sauté and His Majesty Bear, didn’t we?”
“Rawr!”
“Then go convince Rare and the other dragons.”
“Rawr…”
All of a sudden, Raw’s voice turned gloomy. Before Jill decided whether to bring Raw along or not, the black dragon and Raw’s mate, Rare, flew over in angry protest. The other dragons in the imperial capital ignored the orders of humans as an act of defiance. There was nothing Jill and the others could do at this point. Raw, who wanted to tag along with Jill, acted spoiled and angry and desperately tried his best to win Rare’s approval, but to no avail.
“Over my dead body. You want to leave so bad? Kill me first,” Rare had declared.
As the baby shuddered over his mate’s serious gaze, he reluctantly chose to stay behind. The baby wagged his tail in anger and disapproval, but he would fall quiet in the presence of Rare. The purple-eyed dragon forewent her vacation and was patrolling the imperial capital with the other dragons. Their security was so tight that even the Dragon Knights paled in comparison; they were sending a clear message that Raw couldn’t possibly leave the capital. Rare was very reliable—she didn’t trust her mate one bit.
