How I Ended Up Becoming the Imperial Princess While Trying to Pay Off an Illegal Loan - Chapter 29

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

029.
“What’s behind all this?”
“Well, you see, we’ve been getting inquiry after inquiry — people asking if the Dress is for sale, or if they can’t get the Dress, whether we might have jewels available instead.”
“It really is a beautiful Dress, the way it glows all on its own.”
“So I’m planning to set out right now and hunt Jellyfish Monsters!”
Tamia bustled about as though ready to depart at any moment, pulling out a large pack and sweeping her clothes into it. Leon laughed softly at the sight of her.
“You’re leaving just like that? I’m a little hurt.”
“Hurt? About what?”
“Last time you asked me for permission to come home, but this time you haven’t even asked if you can go.”
“Hmm? Of course you’re coming with me.”
“…Of course?”
“My mother used to say — where the needle goes, the thread follows.”
Tamia answered matter-of-factly as she tossed hats and gloves into the pack.
‘Of course.’
Leon’s heart stirred in an odd, ticklish way.
‘Until now, there was nowhere I felt I had to go with anyone — except the Monster hunting grounds.’
How rare was it for someone to define him as an ‘of course’ companion?
“What are you doing? Aren’t you packing? Should I pack for you instead?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Leon smiled gently at Tamia.
“Tamia, I have some pending duties — I won’t be able to join you this time.”
“Oh? That’s a shame. Husband and wife should always travel together.”
Watching Tamia pout with her lips thrust out, Leon found himself thinking he’d made a good choice in marrying her.
“Next time, I’ll make sure to go with you.”
* * *
The very next day, Tamia assembled the Jellyfish Expedition and set out.
Leon insisted that Kallen be brought along, and they drew lots from among the Griffin Squad members to select ten to accompany them.
“All of the Fan Club won the draw!”
“This must mean we need to serve the Princess with even greater devotion!”
The Fan Club wept tears of joy and embraced one another.
“I think getting married was the right call. Father never would have let me go otherwise!”
Tamia, positively beaming, hopped onto her horse.
“Becoming a Crown Princess was definitely the right choice! Now, let’s ride!!”
With Tamia’s horse in the lead, the Jellyfish Expedition galloped northwestward.
The weather was fair and the wind perfect.
“…So your first Monster was caught when you were only two years old?”
“Yes, Father told me about it. We were on an outing, and apparently I perked up my ears all of a sudden, then picked up a large stone and hurled it.”
“Oh! It hit the Monster, did it?”
“No. The stone hit a tree, and the impact snapped the branch — a monkey-shaped Monster that had been in the tree fell to the ground.”
“…”
“I chased after it and pounded the Monster with my fists over and over.”
One could die from a beating if she took a disliking to you.
The Fan Club exchanged glances full of both admiration and fear, nodding solemnly to one another.
Meanwhile, Kallen was worried about Leon.
“Princess, forgive my presumption, but are you aware that His Highness Leon suffers from gynophobia?”
“Gynophobia? No, I’ve never sensed anything like that.”
Tamia shrugged, completely bewildered.
“He holds my hand just fine in everyday life, and he dances well too. Oh! You saw us dance at the wedding, didn’t you, Kallen?”
“If I may ask one more impertinent question… Are you perhaps…no, I apologize.”
Kallen shook his head violently and smacked his forehead against the saddle.
“I’ve spoken out of turn.”
“Ha ha! Kallen, that was quite a funny joke!”
Tamia’s party increased their pace.
As they drew nearer to the north, the temperature dropped and the air grew cool.
On the fourth day since departure, Tamia’s party entered a vast Rocky Terrain.
To their right, sheer cliffs rose like a wall of stone. The party stretched single file along a narrow path beneath the precipice.
“Ah, it’s starting to appear. There it is.”
Tamia pointed ahead.
A yellowish haze became visible in the distance, as if someone had diluted yellow paint into the very air itself.
“Ugh… Do we really have to go inside that?”
“You can go in. Just don’t expect to come back out once your whole body goes numb.”
“H-hiccup……!!”
Clifford let out a strangled sound and bolted away from the group.
“Wait—your whole body goes numb?”
“That’s right, Penril. The Jellyfish Monsters living there constantly release Paralysis Poison.”
“Then how do we catch them?”
“There’s always a way.”
Tamia spoke with easy confidence, quickening her pace slightly.
When a wide clearing finally appeared ahead, Tamia raised her hand.
“All right, let’s set up camp here for now!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The group dismounted from their horses in bustling haste. The yellow mist was clearly visible in the distance, though they hadn’t yet entered its sphere of influence.
“Ah! I see the Jellyfish Monsters over there!”
Rubian cried out, pointing at the sky.
As if his words were a signal, translucent Jellyfish Monsters began appearing one by one until they filled the yellow sky.
“So you’re saying there’s a core inside each one we catch?”
Penril asked, unable to tear his gaze from the creatures.
“Exactly. It’s hard to see in daylight, but once night falls, the Monsters themselves will glow.”
“What if they drift over toward us?”
“They guard their territory fiercely. They won’t come any closer than this.”
“But…… how are we supposed to catch them at all?”
Rubian squinted hard, his eyesight never having been particularly sharp.
“They’re surrounded by mist, and the distance is just too great.”
“Hold on, Rubian. Let me try.”
Penril nocked an arrow on his bowstring. The shaft flew a considerable distance and struck one of the Jellyfish Monsters.
“See? My skills are still sharp!”
“But how exactly do you plan to retrieve it?”
Rubian asked with a note of exasperation as Penril shadowboxed in the air.
The Jellyfish Monster hit by the arrow fell straight down but remained within the yellow mist’s domain.
“Oh…… right.”
“Tch, dimwit. Get out of the way.”
This time Clifford stepped forward.
He attached a very long cord to the arrow’s tip and confidently shot it toward the Monster. But as the arrow’s weight distribution shifted, it kept whistling uselessly through the air.
“Tch, no physical prowess to speak of. Move aside.”
Pulling the frustrated Clifford back, Kallen, the Deputy Commander of the Griffin Squad, took his turn.
He carefully nocked an arrow and fired it at the nearest Monster.
“……! Direct hit!”
Penril, standing nearby, quickly grabbed the cord and pulled.
“Finally! One!”
As Penril bounced excitedly at the sight of the Jellyfish Monster being dragged back with the arrow still attached, he suddenly swallowed hard.
“But…… how many do we need to catch for this, Your Highness?”
“To make a dress identical to the one I wore, we’ll need at least three thousand.”
“Three thousand…….”
“When I came with Father, we caught around five thousand. Surely you lot can manage that much, yes?”
“Leave it to us, Your Highness! We’ll show you the true power of the Griffin Squad. Please rest while we handle this!”
The Griffin Squad’s spirit blazed with renewed fervor.
They voluntarily set up a headquarters and placed Tamia on the judge’s seat.
“Now we have a competition—whoever catches the most wins! We’ll tally the results at evening. Ready? Begin!”
Eleven arrows from the Griffin Squad members—all except Tamia—flew toward the Jellyfish Monsters.
* * *
In the end, the Griffin Squad showed nothing of their vaunted strength, only humiliation at Tamia’s hands.
“Today’s first place goes to Kallen! He caught seven total! Bravo, bravo, bravo!”
“……Please stop, Your Highness.”
“Second place is Penril with five! Though you were supposed to have six—didn’t the cord snap and make you lose one?”
“…….”
“Third place is a tie…… with only three?”
All the Griffin Squad members collapsed to the ground and wailed.
“How in the world did you manage to catch five thousand!”
“Does this mean the Griffin Squad is inferior to the Arderin Knight Order……!”
“Dear me…… what will Leon think if he hears about this…….”
That day, the Griffin Squad caught a total of thirty Jellyfish Monsters.
When the squad members fell into despair at the absurdly small number, Tamia laughed as though she found it entertaining.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————