Princess of the Six Flowers Read online

  Copyright

  Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, Vol. 6

  NATSUME AKATSUKI

  Translation by Kevin Steinbach

  Cover art by Kurone Mishima

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  KONO SUBARASHII SEKAI NI SHUKUFUKU WO!, Volume 6: ROKKA NO OUJO

  Copyright © 2015 Natsume Akatsuki, Kurone Mishima

  First published in Japan in 2015 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.

  English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.

  English translation © 2018 by Yen Press, LLC

  Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Akatsuki, Natsume, author. | Mishima, Kurone, 1991– illustrator. | Steinbach, Kevin, translator.

  Title: Konosuba, God’s blessing on this wonderful world! / Natsume Akatsuki ; illustration by Kurone Mishima ; translation by Kevin Steinbach.

  Other titles: Kono subarashi sekai ni shukufuku wo. English

  Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2017–

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016052009 | ISBN 9780316553377 (v. 1 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316468701 (v. 2 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316468732 (v. 3 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316468763 (v. 4 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316468787 (v. 5 : paperback) | ISBN 9780316468800 (v. 6 : paperback)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Fantasy. | Future life—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Fantasy / General.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.A38 Ko 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052009

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-46880-0 (paperback)

  978-0-316-46881-7 (ebook)

  E3-20180807-JV-PC

  Prologue

  When I opened my eyes, I didn’t even bother getting out of the soft bed. I just clapped my hands, summoning the butler who stood near the door. A white-haired old man in a perfectly tailored suit responded to the sound.

  He gave a deep bow of his head. “You called, Master Kazuma?”

  “Yeah. I’d like my morning coffee, Sebastian.”

  “I’m Heidel.”

  “I’d like my morning coffee, Heidel.”

  Then I lay back down on the bed. Eventually the maid, Mary, would come to change the sheets. But I wouldn’t make it easy on her. I had all kinds of ways of tripping her up as she tried to work. A certain Crusader somewhere had told me that was the proper way to behave toward maids.

  Finally, a knock came at the door.

  See? Called it.

  It must be my personal maid, Mary…

  Chapter 1

  May We Celebrate This Bright Future!

  1

  After so much traveling, there was no place like home—even if it was neglected and covered in dust. I was sitting cross-legged on the carpet in the middle of our living room, thinking back on everything that had happened recently.

  A certain girl we knew had gotten a letter saying that Crimson Magic Village, a veritable holy city for Arch-wizards and the source of so many talented magic-users, was under attack by the army of the Demon King.

  Even knowing she would be of little help alone, the girl nonetheless resolved to go back to her village. She knew she might never return to Axel—and so she confessed to me what she had kept hidden in her heart all this time: that she wanted to be loved before she went off to die.

  I turned her down flat and set off on a journey, leaving the heartbroken girl behind. Yes: I would not allow her to risk herself. I would destroy the Demon King’s army instead.

  Well, what with this and that, I defeated Sylvia, the Demon King’s general, and peace returned once more to Crimson Magic Village…

  “…Kazuma, the way you’ve just been sitting there grinning is really starting to weird me out. I guess maybe that’s what happens when the weather gets warmer like this.”

  I had been living a tranquil existence ever since we returned to town. Aqua—the one making the smart remarks—was sitting on the couch beside Darkness and Megumin. They were all taking turns at the portable game Aqua had brought back from Crimson Magic Village.

  I suddenly snapped back to reality. I turned to the three of them and, in my most serious tone, informed them:

  “I want a little sister.”

  That shut them all up, if only for a second. But then…

  “Hey, Darkness, we have to take turns. I’m next, okay? I want to be the one who beats the last boss.”

  “Aww, come on, you and Megumin are the ones who always beat the bosses in real life. Can’t I at least do it in this game?”

  “No. As a member of the Crimson Magic Clan, I cannot allow another to strike the final blow. And anyway, the last boss is always the most powerful enemy. The way you just charge in, Darkness, we would be lucky to beat him if we used all our continues.”

  They went on bickering. Apparently, they had collectively decided to ignore me.

  “Will you listen to me?!”

  “Waaah! Stop it! We’ve almost beaten the game! We all worked really hard to get this far!”

  Even as I dodged Aqua’s attempts to snatch back the game I had taken from her, I played it myself, until…

  “There, last boss done. I didn’t even take any damage. Are you happy now?!”

  “Not at all! Why do you get to do the best part?! We spent three days getting that far!”

  “Whatever! Let me have it, then. In three hours I’ll get you back to where you were, and I’ll do it without taking a hit!”

  “Stop! Please stop making our best efforts look so bad…” Aqua, half weeping, grabbed the game back.

  “And to think I was almost impressed by what you did in Crimson Magic Village!” Darkness said. “I should have known you were still just a rat! Do you enjoy making all our work go to waste?! Come on, Megumin, tell him!”

  “…Why ostracize Kazuma?” Megumin asked the enraged Darkness. “In Crimson Magic Village, he was really the one who saved us in the end, as he often is. This just now was very characteristic of our party, and I rather like that.”

  ““Huh?!”” Aqua and Darkness looked at Megumin and me in shock.

  “Are you feeling all right, Megumin?” Aqua asked. “You’re usually quicker than anyone to complain about Kazuma. What happened to the most notoriously argumentative wizard in Axel?”

  “She’s right,” Darkness said. “Everyone agrees our impulsive Megumin is more suited than anyone else to the advanced front-
row class of Berserker; there’s no way she would say something so measured and adult. Hey, Kazuma, what exactly happened in Crimson Magic Village?”

  “I cannot believe either of you! I am an Arch-wizard, a class renowned for their calm rationality! …Anyway, Kazuma, what is this sudden request? If you want a little sister, I must imagine it would do more good to tell your parents than us.”

  “I did tell them, a bunch of times. In fact, I told them I wanted a little stepsister, so they ought to get divorced and remarry someone with a kid. Come to think of it, that might be the first time one of my parents ever slapped me…”

  “Your parents must have been wonderful people to not chase you out of the house for saying something like that.”

  “Forget about them! I can’t go back home anyway, so what does it matter? I have something more important in mind.” I didn’t think they were following me. I gave a theatrical shake of my head. “I have the comforting older woman Wiz. The energetic, eager young lady Chris. Sena’s the ‘cool’ type. And there’s the sweet but luckless Yunyun! I even have Lady Eris, the royal heroine. In other words, I’ve met beautiful women and girls from practically every archetype!”

  “Ooh, what about me, Kazuma? What beautiful-woman archetype am I?”

  “None of them. You’re not a potential romantic interest. You’re more of a pet— H-hey! I’m trying to be serious here, so save it for later!” I brushed Aqua aside as she charged at me with a balled-up fist. “My point is, I’ve noticed something really important. I’m still missing a certain archetype! Back home in Japan, I even had a childhood friend, more or less. I’m sure you can tell what’s missing, right?”

  Megumin seemed to have caught on, because she sighed deeply. “I believe I see where this is going…,” she said. “Put simply, you want me to fill the little-sister role, correct?”

  “What? No, you’re my jailbait.”

  “Wh-what?!” She seemed surprised for some reason. Beside her, an embarrassed-looking Darkness hesitantly raised her hand.

  “S-so what c-category does that put me in…?”

  “You’re the lewd one, obviously.”

  “Lewd one?!” She seemed as shocked as Megumin. I decided to try to wrap up the discussion.

  “Okay, remember when we went to Crimson Magic Village? Remember Megumin’s little sister? She got me thinking again about how much I want one of my own. So you understand what I’m saying now, right?”

  Aqua, who had been listening intently to the entire conversation, replied:

  “Not one bit.”

  There was a perfectly good reason I was bringing this up now. And that was…

  “A princess, huh? I hear she’s younger than me. Maybe she’s the little-sister character…”

  That’s right: This had to do with my hopes for the princess, who had written me a letter. I’d heard talk that put her at about twelve years old. That was obviously too young for me, but maybe we could at least be friends, and she would call me Big Brother and everything.

  Darkness may or may not have had any idea I felt this way, but ever since we had gotten back from Crimson Magic Village, she had periodically tried to dissuade me.

  “…Come on, Kazuma. It’s not too late—let’s turn her down! You know? We’re talking about the number one family in the whole country, here. I guarantee what you think of as a nice dinner won’t be anything like what they’re planning. It’ll be all formal and stuff! You know? Hey, everybody, let’s pretend this never happened!”

  The past few days, she had tried everything to stop us from meeting with the princess. The tone she was taking suggested she was even more desperate than usual this time.

  Still sitting on the carpet, I muttered, “…You’re afraid I’ll be rude to the princess, aren’t you?”

  That made Darkness twitch. She looked around the room for a moment, then finally lowered her head.

  “That’s… That’s not it at all… Really.”

  Yeah, sure.

  “Hey, look at me when you’re talking and drop the facade. You’re worried we’ll get out of line and do something to harm the Dustiness name.”

  “You are?! Darkness, how cruel! I do know how to behave in polite company!”

  “This is a great shock! Darkness, what makes you think we would ever do something to cause trouble for you? Are we not comrades in arms? You should trust us more!”

  Aqua and Megumin were quick to respond to my accusation.

  “Er…argh… Honestly? It’s exactly because I know you better than anyone that I’m so worried…,” Darkness said, near tears. She looked absolutely terrified.

  “I know the princess is way above me, and I’ve got at least the basics of etiquette down. I’m just a little worked up because I’m meeting such a refined young lady. That’s all.”

  “H-hey! You’ve already met me! I’m a refined young lady, you’ll remember!” Even when she looked like she was about to start crying, Darkness was able to snap at me.

  This constant worrying was a side of Darkness I’d never seen before.

  “Oops, guess I’d better buy a tuxedo. And you two, you don’t have any dresses, do you? I think this calls for a trip to the tailor.” I was really starting to get into this. And Aqua and Megumin didn’t seem the least bit interested in backing out.

  “Great idea!” Aqua said. “I do like wearing something other than this feather mantle every once in a while. But is there enough time to have clothes made?”

  “My dress will be black, of course. One that simply oozes maturity.”

  Darkness, looking closer to weeping than ever, said, “Y-you guys…! We’re talking about the princess of the entire country, all right? You could literally be putting your lives on the line! Tell them, Kazuma!”

  “Ah, but everyone wears a tuxedo. I need something that’ll really leave an impression on her. I know! A kimono and hakama!”

  “Please, I’m begging you! If it’s in my power, I’ll do anything you ask, just don’t show up in some bizarre outfit!”

  Darkness was clearly at the end of her rope.

  2

  “All right, you said ‘anything.’ So for the week until the princess gets here, I’m gonna put you to work.”

  It was the day after Darkness had made her impassioned plea.

  “…F-fine. So you weren’t kidding back in Crimson Magic Village. I see I’ve underestimated you again.”

  She was dressed in a maid outfit, one deliberately a bit too small. The short skirt lent her an eroticism perfectly suited to our resident hottie. She stood in front of me now, looking defeated. I couldn’t help but get a little carried away at the sight of her.

  “I think what you mean is I understand, Master!”

  “Hrm…hrrgh! I—I understand, Master! I am a lowly swine…!!”

  “Hey, I didn’t tell you to say that.”

  Darkness was red and trembling.

  In exchange for giving up my kimono idea, and on the condition that I completely behave myself around the princess, I was finally able to realize my long-held dream. Yes: the one where I put Darkness in a skimpy maid outfit and force her to tend to my every whim.

  Admittedly, I didn’t indulge quite everything I could think of, because I was afraid of what she might do to me later if I got too full of myself. But it’s fine to claim a few perks every once in a while…

  “What should I do, then? I’ve never actually done housework before. I have no idea what to do. I guess, for starters, I could spill tea on the crotch of your pants and then frantically try to wipe it up. Would that work?”

  “You are definitely not allowed to make tea.” What exactly did she think a maid’s job was? “Just, you know, start cleaning or something. But not the dishes. You’ll just break them. I can’t afford a maid like that.”

  “…Hmm. All right…” She seemed disappointed as she trudged out of the living room.

  Aqua and Megumin were at Wiz’s shop. Which meant it was just Darkness and me in this huge house.


  Come to think of it, Darkness really caused me nothing but trouble. I would have to work her like a dog today.

  But then…

  “Eeeeeeeek!”

  What sounded like a pretend scream was followed by the crash of breaking pottery. Then Darkness came running in, clutching a fragment of something.

  “I am so sorry, Master! I broke your precious vase! Please punish me however you see fit…!”

  “I don’t have a precious vase. I don’t think I have any vases at all. And if you break anything that really is important to me, I’ll punish you by making you go to the Adventurer’s Guild in that outfit.”

  “?!”

  Darkness was attacking the housework, running a cloth along the windowsills, ignoring the fact that she was getting covered in dust. I was checking to see how good a job she was doing. Why? Because I had time to kill.

  I ran my finger along the windowsill and looked at it. I had expected it to come away dusty—but instead, it was perfectly clean.

  “Grr! You’re never good at anything—why now? And I was so looking forward to sending my maid, Crusader Lalatina, to the Guild as punishment…”

  “Heh-heh. You won’t punish me that easily, even if you do know how to push my buttons. Speaking of which, seriously, please don’t call me Lalatina. Please?” I hated to admit it, but the beet-red Darkness got full marks for cleaning.

  Not just cleaning, either.

  I grumbled as I ate the lunch Darkness had prepared for me per my request.

  “…Grr. I thought for sure you’d mix up the salt and the sugar or something…”

  “Why would I do that? They’re clearly labeled. And as an adventurer, I do know how to cook meat.”

  She must have figured out I had no real desire to punish her when I picked a simple recipe consisting of rice, meat, and raw vegetables that even she couldn’t screw up.

  She was wearing a triumphant look on her face. “Heh-heh! I used some pretty high-class meat. How does it taste?”

  “Average.”

  “?!”