After-Story Chapter 3: Souma Secret Child? (Part 2)

The direct interview, which was half-expected to end with a cold shoulder, was surprisingly and easily approved. A date was set for me to question Duke Walter directly on a later day. Although I suspected it might be a trap to secretly dispose of the reporter, hesitating here would tarnish the name of the press.

I resolved myself and prepared for the interview with Duke Walter. The following is a record of that time. Into the reception room I was led to, entered an exceptionally beautiful woman, clad in a particularly gorgeous outfit. It was Duke Excel Walter, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force.

Reporter: —Thank you for granting this direct interview.
Duke Walter: Oh, what a cute reporter you are. Are you a newcomer?
Reporter: Y-Yes. I’m still a rookie reporter. P-Please forgive any shortcomings.
Duke Walter: Fufufu. You don’t need to be so tense. Ask me anything you want today.
Reporter: A-Thank you very much. …Ahem. First, please tell us about your recent activities, Duke Walter. You returned to Lagoon City after handing over the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force to Lord Ludwin, correct?
Duke Walter: Yes. Lord Ludwin has become quite capable, and young talents like Lady Magna (Kaede) are rapidly developing. Given the completely stable state of the continent, it’s not good for the organization for me to stay on in such a troublesome… no, such an important post as Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force forever.
Reporter: …Did you just try to say “troublesome”?
Duke Walter: Oh, what are you talking about? (Smiles sweetly)
Reporter: N-Nothing… Then what are you doing here in Lagoon City?
Duke Walter: For a while, I was training the fleet belonging to the Maritime Defense Force, but I’ve handed that over to my adopted son, Castor, now. I am now leisurely managing Lagoon City and focusing on fostering the next generation.
Reporter: Fostering the next generation? Not Lord Ludwin or Lord Vargas?
Duke Walter: Fufufu… That’s right. I want to prepare long-lived personnel who can guard this city—the hard-won sanctuary for the Kōryū (Flood Dragon) people who were refugees from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago (Note: The Kōryū people, like Duke Walter, are quite rare compared to other races, and most of them live around Lagoon City)—and serve their lord for generations, just as I have. Simply put, I am trying to cultivate a successor who will inherit all of my knowledge and experience.
Reporter: That is… an incredible plan. Inheriting all of Duke Walter’s long life experience would be impossible for short-lived races like the Human or Beastman people.
Duke Walter: Exactly. That is why that child is of the same Kōryū species as myself. I believe that child will live even longer than me and become a pillar supporting this nation.
Reporter: (Gasp! Here it comes! The topic of the Kōryū girl!)
Duke Walter: Is something the matter?
Reporter: No, nothing at all. About this Kōryū person, are they a relative of yours, Duke Walter?
Duke Walter: Yes, they are. You could say we are family.
Reporter: Could they possibly be… your daughter?
Duke Walter: Ufufu. What do you think? I certainly dote on her like a daughter.
Reporter: Why do you use such a roundabout way of speaking?
Duke Walter: Precisely because it concerns a family member, how can I know what they truly think of me? Do you think you fully understand your own parents? Do you think your parents fully understand you?
Reporter: Please allow me to change the question. Regarding that Kōryū person, I heard in the city that she has black hair exactly like Predecessor King Souma-sama. Is that correct?
Duke Walter: It is true that the child has glossy black hair. If you say she takes after a parent, then I suppose so.
Reporter: I will ask you directly. Is that person a child of the Predecessor King?
Duke Walter: Yes, that is correct.
Reporter: (Gasp!) You admit it so readily?
Duke Walter: Yes. That child… Noa, is certainly Souma-dono’s child.
Reporter: Is she… as is rumored in some circles, the Predecessor King’s hidden child?
Duke Walter: Oh my, what exactly is the rumor?
Reporter: It’s only a rumor, you know? It’s just a rumor I heard, not information I’m spreading, okay? …The rumor is that the Predecessor King has a hidden child, and the mother might be Duke Walter.
Duke Walter: Oh dear.
Reporter: Since the Predecessor King has often been seen in close, affectionate terms with Lady Juna, Duke Walter’s granddaughter, it is rumored that perhaps there was a… a one-night stand, so to speak, with Duke Walter, who, like Lady Juna, retains her youthful appearance, and that this child was born from that… Given this rumor, and the information I gathered after arriving in this city that there is a Kōryū named Noa whom Duke Walter is personally raising, it follows that…
Duke Walter: I see. So the suggestion is that Noa is the child of His Majesty and myself. The Kōryū people are long-lived and their appearance doesn’t change for a long time, so it’s hard to tell when she was born, isn’t it?
Reporter: …Yes.
Duke Walter: Ufufu. It is true that, as a senior, I was in a position to advise Souma-dono and his consorts, including Juna, on the matter of producing heirs, which is one of the royal duties. If there had been practical guidance in addition to verbal instruction, it is certainly possible that a child could be conceived by accident. Ufufufu.
Reporter: ……. (What? Why is this person enjoying this so much?)
Duke Walter: Perhaps the men of the world imagine that Juna and I are having fun [CENSORED] and [CENSORED] Souma-dono together. Or perhaps that we involve the other consorts in [CENSORED]? Oh my, how scandalous. Ufufu. I wonder if this is how the rumor of Souma-dono being the Lustful King is created. But if that’s what people think of me, it means I still have what it takes as a woman.
Reporter: …….. [Note: As this statement contained vulgar language, it has been redacted by the editorial department. We apologize.]
Duke Walter: Ufufu. You really must have pleasures like this if you plan to live a long life. I might as well subtly suggest that the child is my daughter and… (The door opens with a loud slam, as if kicked open)
???: Excel-oba-sama! What are you talking about, running your mouth like that?!
Reporter: Huh, what? Who is that?
Duke Walter: Oh, Noa. Welcome home.
Reporter: Wait, Noa? Is this the rumored Miss Noa?
Noa?: Don’t just say, “Welcome home!” What’s the meaning of sending Uncle Castor a letter saying it was urgent, only for the letter to be blank?! And then I rush back only to find you’re being interviewed about me! And what is this about me being the child of my Father and Excel-oba-sama?!
Duke Walter: Oh, were you listening?
Noa?: The conversation was so outrageous that I was momentarily stunned! Ugh, seriously! Why are these weird rumors spreading?
Reporter: …….. (This is the rumored Noa. She certainly has black hair just like His Majesty, along with the small deer antlers and reptilian tail characteristic of the Kōryū species. But her appearance resembles not Duke Walter, but rather…!)
Reporter: Excuse me, may I ask your full name?
Noa: Huh, me? I’m Linoa Delal Souma.

It was here that the reporter realized his mistake. This girl named Noa was not the daughter of the Predecessor King and Duke Walter. She was Princess Linoa, born between the Predecessor King and his Second Consort, Naden Delal Souma. …My excuse, if I may offer one, is that while I was aware of Princess Linoa’s existence, the children of the Predecessor King who were usually in the public eye were Prince Sian (the current King) and Princess Kazuha, so I hadn’t kept up with Princess Linoa’s current appearance.

Furthermore, everyone repeatedly saying ‘Noa’ or ‘Nowa’ also confused the reporter. I learned later that Delal in Naden Delal Souma is not a family name but part of her given name, and Princess Linoa’s name is Linoa Delal. She has been affectionately called ‘Noir’ or ‘Noa.’ However, the younger siblings found the pronunciation of ‘Noa’ difficult, so ‘Nowa’ became the family nickname, which her friends also started using, and it eventually spread to the people of Lagoon City.

The wily Duke Walter seems to have found these rumors rather amusing. When asked about the rumors, she avoided outright falsehoods but never spoke the full truth, instead dropping hints that caused the listener to misinterpret the situation. …It seems the reporter, too, had been dancing in the palm of Duke Walter’s hand.

However, I shall accept this as a life lesson. I must use today’s experience as fuel for my next assignment. Next week, I must investigate the ‘Mysterious Unidentified Creature Palgon,’ rumored to live beneath the Royal Capital of Parnam, so for today, I intend to savor the famous seafood of Lagoon City and refresh my spirit for tomorrow.

—Weekly Parnam Sports Special Correspondent, Bunbun

“…That’s what happened the other day, Mama.”

“Honestly, what is that woman thinking?!”

The Kōryū girl standing in front of the broadcasting orb said this. With long, glossy straight hair that was the same color as her mother’s but a different style, and small deer antlers on her temples that were smaller than her mother’s, but a reptilian tail growing from her rear with the same glossy black scales as her mother, this beautiful girl was Linoa Delal Souma, the daughter of Souma and Naden.

Souma had given her this name, keeping Naden’s name “Delal” while shortening it so that ‘Noir’ meant ‘Black’ in the language of Souma’s original world. Publicly, she is Princess Linoa, but family and close friends call her Nowa. The person Nowa was speaking with through the broadcast was her mother, Naden.

“The article is supposed to write about the truth, at least.”

“Of course, it is! If they write anything that encourages that rumor, I’ll ask Souma to have the paper shut down!”

Nowa smiled wryly as Naden said this, huffing with anger. Since Naden’s appearance has barely changed since she gave birth to Nowa, Naden looks younger than Nowa when they stand side-by-side. Naden’s attempt to act motherly in front of Nowa is affectionately viewed by the rest of Souma’s family as adorable, like a young girl trying to act grown-up.

Nowa then stared intently at Naden’s face through the broadcast.

“Huh? Is something wrong?”

“…I was just thinking if maybe Excel-oba-sama is my real mother.”

“What kind of foolish thing are you saying?! You and I look exactly alike!”

“But I’m taller than you, Mama.”

“Well, you grew up quickly and, annoyingly, you take after Souma.”

“Besides, no one in our family really knows who is whose child, and there are so many mothers and siblings… What number child am I to Papa, anyway?”

“I feel kinda sorry about that!”

After that, Naden sighed, “Phew.”

“Don’t worry. You’re the child I gave birth to with a lot of pain.”

“Mama…”

“I remember Souma and I were so relieved when you were born a Kōryū. If you had been born an egg, as a Dragon race, we wouldn’t know if it would hatch while we were alive. I remember crying with joy the day I could hold you in my arms.”

“…Heh, that’s kind of embarrassing.”

Naden smiled gently and motherly at Nowa, who smiled back, feeling shy.

“Everyone will be coming back to the Royal Capital for the New Year. So, you come home too. We talk a lot through the screen like this, but I still want to meet you and hug you. I know for sure that Souma feels the same way.”

In response to Naden’s words, Nowa gave a thumbs-up with a smile that was just like her mother’s.

“You got it!”