Chapter 321
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Fox and the Witch
My first wife was the Emperor.
My second and third wives were co-rulers of the Empire.
The rest were knight order captains and vice-captains, and even princesses from foreign lands.
But.
"Alright, shall we get going then?"
Among them, the only wife without any official position was my childhood friend, Mago.
She stepped out proudly from the Cornell Orphanage.
With a bag slung over her shoulder, she received a send-off from her foster father, Hans.
"Mago, are you sure you'll be okay...? Heading to the capital to open a pizza shop......"
It seemed the Empire still had a poor image of sorcerers.
And now she was going to open a shop in the particularly conservative capital.
He was more than a little worried.
"Why not ask Veil for help? If it's an official letter, somehow..."
"No, Father."
However, Mago's expression was resolute.
She, who had raised her younger siblings and was one of the strongest sorcerers on the continent, declared firmly.
"I have to handle my share on my own. That way, it won't cause trouble for Veil."
"I won't stop you, but if anything happens, write me a letter right away."
The man, once an elite knight, hugged his daughter tightly.
Mago looked up at him and promised proudly.
"I'll become someone Veil can be proud of, Father."
The petite witch left those words behind and departed for the capital.
Turning her back on the towering orphanage.
"You're still so young, Mago."
Her foster father watched her retreating figure with a fond smile.
"Couples don't embarrass each other over things like that anyway."
The road to the capital was incredibly pleasant.
Thanks to the princesses' overwhelming investments, Cornell had become the finest satellite city.
Thanks to that, she arrived in the capital quickly and headed straight to a real estate office.
But.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we can do business."
"Pardon...?"
She had wanted to buy a restaurant near the Northern Imperial Palace where Veil resided.
Her eyes blinked in surprise at the broker's sudden firm refusal.
"Our firm, and probably most people in the capital, are reluctant to deal with witches."
She had thought the image of sorcerers had improved thanks to her and Veil.
But when it came to something as vital as real estate, she was bluntly rejected.
"Witches aren't all weird people. As I said, I just want to open a pizza shop."
The blond man who appeared to be the real estate broker sighed deeply.
With his mustache and metal-rimmed glasses, he wagged his index finger firmly.
"That's exactly why it's strange. Why would witches make pizza?"
He spoke with genuine concern in his eyes for Mago.
"Even if the deal goes through, you won't get many customers. It's a loss for both sides."
"......"
Mago left the real estate office dejectedly, saying she understood for now.
Even her short twin pigtails drooped, mirroring her bad mood.
"Haaa... Changing perceptions is no easy task."
There were people watching such a wife's figure from afar.
Knights patrolling around the Northern Imperial Palace.
Among them was Jane, the cousin of Cynthia and Lea, with her blue bobbed hair.
They recognized the wife of their master from the wedding and hurried back to report.
"......"
It had been a while since I had a holiday to myself.
I was lounging on the sofa, groaning lazily, when I narrowed my eyes at the distant sound of military boots approaching.
Soon after, my junior knights burst in.
They gathered around me and began their report.
"Captain, Cynthia. We have something to report."
"Yawwwn... What is it? I told you to leave me alone if it's nothing important."
I slowly sat up, my hair disheveled.
Then, I dazedly stared at a letter on the desk as I listened to her report.
"Well... Her Highness's wife is currently near the palace."
"My wife...? Which one...?"
Unable to bear it, Jane spoke first.
"It's Mago. She looked really down in front of the real estate office."
I snapped to attention at the words about her expression.
While tearing open the letter on the table, I said.
"That's weird. I didn't hear Mago was coming today."
Just then, the letter that had arrived was from the Cornell Orphanage.
Precisely, from my father, Hans.
「Veil, Mago's probably gone to open a pizza shop near your palace. But it won't be easy. Cornell might be fine, but the capital still rejects witches harshly.」
"Pizza shop..."
I had heard Mago was working to change sorcerers' perceptions.
Thanks to her, they could now walk the streets openly wearing witch hats.
But they still weren't fully accepted into society.
The image of back alleys and shady deals wasn't easy to shake off.
Not everyone had been involved in such things, though.
In fact, there were many kind witches like Mago who protected cities.
All rumors stem from incidents caused by a few bad actors.
"How should we bring her?"
"Hmm... Yeah, bring her along. And the imperial artists too, if they're around."
Imperial artists.
Cynthia and Jane tilted their heads at the sudden mention.
"I'll talk to Sir Damian in the meantime."
"Yes, understood."
While my juniors left, I pulled out a polished crystal orb.
Its surface was hot from Lea, Irina, Lydia, and Miya calling every hour.
I placed my palm on it and infused mana.
"Prime Minister, it's Veil."
"Your Highness Veil, what brings you to call me-?"
Damian's relaxed voice came through.
His voice, having rocketed from Lea's advisor to Prime Minister, sounded content.
"Oh, nothing much. I want to host a campaign."
「――――――」
Mago, who had been wandering various streets near the palace.
She ended up entering the Northern Imperial Palace after unexpectedly meeting the two knights.
"Veil called for me...?"
"Yes, His Highness said to bring you."
Mago paced the palace corridors anxiously.
She had planned to secretly sign a lease and surprise him.
She sighed deeply upon hearing they had watched her get rejected at real estate offices.
But.
Entering a large drawing room, she swallowed the breath she was exhaling.
――――――.
I, who usually huddled in the sunlight...
Was stretching in a white t-shirt and shorts.
"Uh, Mago. You're here?"
"Veil...? What's all this?"
Mago craned her neck like a black cat, looking around.
Me standing in the center of the spacious drawing room, surrounded by seated painters.
Right above where they sat hung a banner like this.
「The 1st National Morning Exercise Campaign.」
"Morning exercise...?"
"Yeah, I'm the Empire's guardian, right? Thought I'd plan one as a representative."
I smiled and approached her.
Then, I handed her a white gym uniform perfectly sized for my childhood friend.
"Needed a female model anyway, and you were nearby."
"Me, participate too...?"
Mago stared at me blankly, holding the clothes.
To her, I made a running gesture and said.
"Yeah, just strike a few poses. I'll pay you, so it'll help with the shop."
"Poses are fine, I guess..."
Mago glanced around hesitantly, clothes in hand.
Then, she cautiously headed to the changing room.
She thought helping her husband, the Empire's consort, with state affairs was a wife's duty too.
But the biggest reason was wanting to overcome her gloom through exercise.
"What do I do now...?"
She emerged in the white gym uniform.
I approached and placed a pre-prepared witch hat on her head.
"Is it okay to wear this...?"
Witch hats had long represented sorcerers.
Everyone could tell a hat-wearer was a witch.
And now, to wear it in a campaign?
Mago looked up at me puzzled.
"Thought it'd make you look even cuter."
Cute.
At that word and my smiling eyes, Mago's face flushed slightly.
"You... Don't you know what a campaign is? People will hate this."
"What do you all think, court painters?"
I asked the artists sketching us from afar.
They stared at the beautiful twenty-year-old woman with the black hat.
Then, they nodded with pleased smiles.
"We think it's wonderful."
"Yes. Mago Her Highness seems to be the first witch hat suits so well."
Mago Her Highness.
At the unprecedented title, Mago's face turned completely red.
"Alright, shall we start with some gymnastics?"
After a while, I stretched one arm out and began warming up.
Naturally, I figured Mago, active since childhood with great athleticism, would follow easily.
But.
For some reason, she was stiff, head down.
"Now, stand side by side and run laps around the drawing room."
I started jogging lightly.
Mago, confident in running, followed leisurely.
However, her breathing soon grew ragged.
"Haa... Huuu..."
Thus, sweating diligently from noon.
By the end of the demo, she collapsed onto the drawing room floor.
"You okay? You used to run way better than me back then."
"We were kids then. You're the Empire's greatest swordsman now!"
Mago punched my shoulder playfully and shouted.
She looked just like a black cat kneading with its paws.
"But doesn't it feel better now?"
I chuckled and handed her water.
Mago took a refreshing gulp.
Then, sighing deeply, she finally admitted.
"Yeah, it does help. Guess that's why everyone gets married."
As we smiled at each other.
The finished court painters approached.
"Here are the drawings. You worked hard posing, Your Highness."
The posters they handed over were for promotion.
Me jogging lightly, Mago panting to keep up, captured vividly...
"What is this...!! I didn't look that exhausted!!"
"We only drew what we saw."
The imperial painters said with solemn faces.
"If this gets spread around, everyone will tease me..."
I gently stroked the sulking Mago's head.
Like soothing an upset cat, I patted her shoulder.
"It's fine, it's fine~."
"Fine my foot. You called me here to tease me, didn't you?"
I looked down fondly at Mago's pouting lips.
Then, with a husbandly gentle expression, I whispered.
"No, wait just one week after the campaign starts."
With those very meaningful words.
"Then, some amazing magic will happen."
Magic.
Even she, hailed as the top sorcerer, didn't know this magic.
Mago tilted her head blankly.
Unable to figure it out, she sighed shallowly and pulled out her thick bag.
"Forget magic."
It was well past noon by then.
We artists and I were starving, having skipped lunch for drawing.
"Here, eat this. You artists come join too."
From the plump witch's bag came sandwiches made at the orphanage.
As expected of the owner of an owl tavern-like bar, Mago had great handiwork.
"Ooh... You made all these, Mago Her Highness?"
"Looks delicious. My wife never makes stuff like this..."
The painters showed interest in Mago's neat food.
Then, I playfully tapped her hat and said.
"Right? She's my wife~."
"Stop being so sappy-!"
Mago wiped sauce from my lips while grumbling.
At that moment.
The painters stared blankly at the pure, homemaker-like witch.
"......? Why are you all looking like that?"
At their gazes, Mago blinked like a black cat.
"Could you stay like that just a moment?"
The painters rushed back with their sketchpads.
And began capturing Mago wiping my lips.
"Inspiration struck."
"Uh. Sure..."
Thus, after the woman who went from childhood friend to wife was sketched.
The one week I mentioned passed.
「――――――」
Exactly seven days later, as I said, Mago headed back to the real estate office.
Wearing the witch hat I called cute.
"It'll be okay, right...?"
She gripped the long brim with both hands, looking around.
Even if I said cute, to others it was declaring herself a witch proudly.
But.
For some reason, the gazes around her had changed dramatically.
"Hey, it's the witch sis-!"
Children in the distance looked at her with interest.
In the past, mothers would hurriedly drag their kids away at such calls.
But today, mothers didn't stop their children.
Instead, they watched curiously together.
"What's going on...? The atmosphere feels totally different."
Mago passed bulletin boards and walls with morning exercise posters.
There was the sharp-eyed Grand Master and his wife-like witch.
"Please, don't refuse me this time..."
Mago entered the real estate office slowly.
Then, as she cautiously asked for the broker.
"Ah, you're here-."
She was stunned by the middle-aged woman greeting her first.
"We've been waiting, Mago."
The broker bowed politely and led her to a table.
On the wall there hung such a poster.
「A Hearty Lunch Builds National Strength, Dear.」
A woman shyly offering a sandwich, wearing a witch hat.
The star was none other than Mago.
"The landlord wants to meet you too. Have some tea here and we'll go together."
"Ah, yes... Understood."
In one week, the witch hat became the image of the nation's wife.
Thus, my fifth wife finally realized.
The true nature of the amazing magic I spoke of.
And so, Mago finally got her wonderful pizza shop.
She personally served, and the shop boomed.
"......"
Later, after lunch rush when things quieted.
Mago sat by a sunlit chair, staring at me snoring.
"He looks so immature usually..."
She approached slowly.
Brushing back her black bangs, she knelt slightly.
"But sometimes, you're really cool."
Then, she kissed my sleeping forehead with soft lips.
"Thank you, Veil."