The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 70: The Abandoned Prince Visits a Japanese-Style Nation

Chapter 70: The Abandoned Prince Visits a Japanese-Style Nation

And so, I arrived—with my bodyguard Kuura in tow—at a small island nation near the sea where Agardramoon had recently landed.

The country’s name? Ashuhara.

It was made up of a cluster of tiny islands, and the moment I laid eyes on it—

“W-Whoa… it’s totally Japanese-style!!”

Right in the heart of the archipelago stood an enormous cherry blossom tree—so huge I had to crane my neck just to see the top.

It gave off a sacred, almost divine aura.

A massive torii gate stood proudly before it, radiating a quiet but powerful energy I couldn’t quite put into words.

And from the base of that sacred tree, an entire traditional town had spread outward—

Old wooden buildings, tiled rooftops, and paper lanterns glowing softly in the daylight.

Even though it was my first time here, it felt… strangely nostalgic.

“This place is amazing…”

“I’m glad to hear it pleases you.”

“Huh? Wha—oh!? A miko!?”

Just as I stepped off the ship, still awestruck by the scenery, a girl I didn’t recognize suddenly spoke up.

She had golden hair—

But what really caught my eye were the fox-like ears poking out from atop her head and the fluffy tail swaying gently behind her.

Sure, there were beastkin back in Agardramoon too,

But it wasn’t every day I saw one this close—and certainly not one quite like her.

Her outfit grabbed my attention next.

A bright red hakama paired with a pure white top—just like the shrine maidens I remembered seeing at the local shrine during New Year’s in my past life.

Her face was partially obscured by a slip of paper with unfamiliar writing—probably characters from this country’s language.

Combined with the miko attire, it gave her an ethereal, almost divine air.

“Um, you are…?”

“My name is Kinko. I’ve come to escort you to Her Majesty, the Celestial Empress.”

“Oh, thank you for coming all this way.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’ve prepared an ox-drawn carriage—this way, please.”

Following Kinko’s lead, I climbed into the carriage that would take me to the castle where the so-called Empress awaited.

As we rolled along, Kuura—seated beside me—leaned in and whispered quietly into my ear.

She smelled sweet.

Soft and floral… honestly, it was kind of soothing.

But the next words out of her mouth immediately killed whatever relaxed mood I had.

“…Be careful.”

“Huh?”

“There are at least thirty people hiding nearby. I can faintly sense killing intent.”

“…Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Whether they were here to guard Kinko or to keep tabs on us… that part wasn’t clear.

But if I had to guess, it was the latter.

I mean, if they were just regular guards, there’d be no reason to stay hidden.

Which made me more than a little uneasy.

Not that I doubted Kuura—Alcarion clearly trusted her enough to assign her as my bodyguard.

But the truth was, I had no real idea how strong she actually was.

Would she really be able to handle things if something went down?

Just as that worry started to settle in—

“No need for concern. Those people are what we call ‘shinobi’—our country’s covert agents. Their current assignment is guarding me.”

“…Oh.”

Kinko had clearly picked up on the fact that Kuura had sensed the hidden figures.

There was a distinct aura of strength around her.

Same with Kuura—she didn’t say much, but the quiet confidence she carried was unmistakable.

And Kinko, even with her face half-covered by that slip of paper, replied with a calm, cool smile like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Man… I wanna have conversations like that someday.

“…But you’d better keep your dogs on a leash. This man won’t make a move against you, but if he’s harmed… Agardramoon will crush your nation without hesitation.”

“…I’ll make sure my subordinates understand that.”

“W-Whoa, hey now, that’s a bit much—Actually, maybe that’s not an overreaction…”

Yeah, Alcarion would absolutely go through with it.

She could wipe this place out all on her own—just go dragon mode and unleash a single breath attack. Game over.

Salion would probably snap too.

Lime might even drown them in a wave of slime soldiers…

Now that I think about it, everyone around me is basically a monster.

So yeah, note to self: do not die here.

If I kick the bucket, Ashuhara might straight-up become a sea of fire.

“We’ve arrived. This is Her Majesty the Celestial Empress’s palace.”

And what stood before me was…

A colossal structure that looked like a shrine and a castle had been mashed together into one.

The entire compound was absolutely massive.

When I first saw it from the port, I figured it was just part of the castle town—

But nope. Turns out the whole thing was the palace.

Everyone walking around looked graceful and refined, dressed in elegant robes.

Most of them had attendants trailing behind, radiating serious upper-class energy.

“You may have already noticed, but this entire island is essentially the Empress’s palace. The only people allowed here are soldiers, servant girls… and men blessed with Her Majesty’s favor.”

“Hoooh.”

The whole place radiated a sacred, dignified atmosphere.

Naturally, everyone was dressed in traditional Japanese-style clothing—mostly kimonos.

Which meant Kuura and I, decked out in western-style outfits, stuck out like sore thumbs.

All the subtle stares we were getting were starting to sting a bit.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

We were led to a room with tatami flooring and asked to wait there.

After a short while, Kinko returned, knelt down in front of the sliding doors, and spoke in a composed voice.

“Her Majesty the Celestial Empress has arrived.”

As Kinko slid the doors open, two women stepped into the room.

One of them was probably an attendant.

She wore the same miko outfit as Kinko and had her face partially hidden behind a slip of paper.

Her hair was a striking silver, and like Kinko, she had fox ears and a big, fluffy tail.

With that silver hair…

If her name turns out to be Ginko, I swear I’m gonna lose it.

“O-Oh wow…”

And then—there was her.

The other woman immediately drew my attention.

Her hair was split into two distinct colors—white on one side, black on the other.

Her face had that refined, porcelain-like elegance—like a traditional Japanese doll come to life.

Even though I was used to being around stunning women like Rosemary and Alcarion, I still found myself breathless.

This had to be the Celestial Empress.

She was taller than me—probably about the same height as Rosemary.

Also, her boobs were massive.

She wore her kimono incredibly loose, so her cleavage was… impossible to ignore.

There was something overwhelmingly seductive about her.

My eyes just refused to look anywhere else.

She was clearly a beastkin—like Kinko—with fox ears and a tail.

No… not just one tail.

She had nine.

A true nine-tailed fox.

She gave off this strange, captivating blend of sacred majesty and sensual allure—

Like a goddess and a temptress wrapped into one.

She gracefully took a seat on an elevated dais, then finally spoke.

“Welcome, guest from the sky realm. I am Mitama, Empress of Ashuhara. And you are?”

“Reyshel von Agardramoon.”

We began with a courteous exchange of names and a bit of small talk.

The whole time, I kept waiting for the real topic—our accidental trespassing—to come up, but then…

Things suddenly took a turn.

Mitama gently raised a folding fan and covered her mouth with it.

“Forgive me, but I am a busy woman. I’ll leave you in the care of Kinko and Ginko. Please, relax and make yourself at home.”

“Ah—yes, of course.”

Wait, what!?

What about the whole territorial waters incident!?

Also—hang on—so the silver-haired fox girl who looks just like Kinko is actually named Ginko!?

I tried my best not to let my confusion show.

Mitama, apparently too busy to stick around, stood up and casually left the throne room.

Which meant the only ones left were me, Kuura, Kinko, and Ginko.

“Now then, allow us to escort you to your room. This way, please.”

“This way.”

“Ah, sure… okay.”

With absolutely no idea what Mitama’s true intentions were,

I simply followed behind the fox sisters.

Later that night…

“Reyshel-dono, tonight my sister and I shall be keeping you company.”

“We shall serve you with all our heart.”

Kinko and Ginko had entered my bedroom—

And they looked way too serious about it.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “Let’s be real—every guy’s imagined being night-crawled by foxgirl sisters at least once.”
R: “Right!? Totally!!”

Author: “Also, I’ll be posting chapters back-to-back this weekend.”

If you found yourself thinking: ‘Foxgirls are the best,’ ‘I don’t have those kinds of fantasies (sure, buddy),’ or ‘I absolutely do (no shame),’ 

Then please consider leaving a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!