2-1 Part 1
Ashley, Last in Line for the Throne
- Troubled That He’s Better with a Shovel Than a Sword -
Translator : PolterGlast
Just about half a month ago—
“Ashley, stop fighting with that ridiculous thing!
Pick up a sword already!”
“You say that, Brother Georg, but you know as well as
I do that I have no talent for the sword.”
My name is Ashley. I am, strictly speaking, the Emperor’s
Seventh Son. Right now, I was in the palace training grounds, facing off
against my older brother by six years, the Fifth Son Georg—sword against
Shovel.
“What can you do with such a thing!”
“I can dig holes. I can excavate. I could even hunt for
potatoes if necessary.”
“I am saying it is not something a child of the Emperor
should wield!”
“You say that, Brother, but I am officially as good as
non-existent. Does one who isn't even a Prince need a sword?”
Brother Georg is a stubborn man. He is fifth in the
line of succession. Unless a miracle and a tragedy happen simultaneously, he
has no connection to the Emperor’s throne. Therefore, he chose the path
of an Imperial General for himself.
Incidentally, my succession rank is 53rd. If every member of
the Imperial family except me were to die, then finally it would be my
turn.
“That is exactly why you should choose the martial path like
me! There is no General who fights with a Shovel; it affects the morale
of the army!”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is who I am. Ugh,
guh... Hey, are you listening, Brother!?”
A blunted training sword was swung at me. I, who have talent
only for handling a Shovel, parried the demon-like barrage with the tip
of my tool and thrust into the gaps whenever I saw an opening.
“Then I will simply crush that pride! Ashley! The
fact remains that you are a child of the Emperor and my brother!”
“Kuh, you are always like this. Ugh, hey, go
easy on me...!”
My brother is strong. He is a man who attained the seat of
General at the mere age of twenty-three; he could easily be called a sword
master. If it were anyone else, I might have a chance, but against Brother Georg,
winning seemed impossible.
“A Shovel?! How many times must I say that such a
weapon is unbecoming of a man of the Imperial Family!!”
It is pathetic, but I was beaten again. My only pride was
blown away by Brother Georg's outrageous strength, and Ashley, the
Seventh Son, lost his weapon and crawled on the ground.
I know he does it out of good intentions. But Brother is
just too intense...
“Wait, Georg! What are you doing to my Ashley!?
Ashley, Big Sister is here. Are you okay? Hey, does it hurt...?”
However, having sniffed out the situation from somewhere, my
sister appeared at the barracks and shielded me from Brother Georg. No,
I am happy for the sentiment, but for a defeated man to be treated like this is
pathetic. Though I can't say that to her face.
“Atomina! Do not spoil Ashley! Because he
carries disadvantages, we must face him strictly! He is no longer a child!”
“I'm not listening to you, Georg! Hey Ashley,
tell me if it hurts anywhere. Big Sister will rub it until the pain goes
away...”
Atomina and Georg
are twins. In the old days, these two used to play with me, but Brother Georg
became a stubborn soldier, and Sister Atomina was married off to one of
the Imperial nobles.
“I'm fine, Sister. As Brother Georg says, I am no
longer a child.”
“But... Big Sister has been worried about you all this
time... Wondering if Ashley was doing okay, all this time...”
Sister's fingers were as smooth as silk. When she gently
rubbed my back, the pain faded away like magic.
Brother Georg was exasperated by the Princess
acting like that, though. But from my perspective, you could say that thanks to
Sister Atomina, I was saved from
this situation.
“Ashley, throw away the Shovel. It is for your
own sake... understood?”
“...I'll think about it, so let me off for today. Sister has
come home after all; you two should go have tea or something.”
Looking this pathetic, I picked up my Shovel and
stood up. Thanks to Brother Georg's monstrous strength, the side of the Shovel
was bent. Today was another complete defeat.
“I'm going out for a bit.”
“Ashley! Are you planning to sneak out of the palace
again!?”
“It's your fault in the first place, Georg, jeez!”
When Georg and Atomina face each other, they
are certainly twins. They both possessed the same pale, beautiful blonde hair
as Father.
As I told Brother Georg earlier, the existence of Ashley,
the Emperor's Seventh Son, is not officially recognized. Therefore, even if I
slip out into the castle town, it is no different from a well-bred commoner
wandering aimlessly around the streets.
These Dragon Eyes I was born with are concealed while
outside by covering my eyeballs directly with special thin lenses. It is one of
the few gifts given to me by the Emperor, whom I am not even permitted
to call Father.
Brother Georg tries to give me a role, but I am a
stain on the Imperial Family. I don't know when I might be killed for the sake
of appearances. Even if things are fine now, Father is already old. The
probability that the next Emperor will let me live is not very high.
“Hey Ashley, going to the Ruins again? Then
buy some bread from my place!”
“That's the plan, of course. I'll take a Kebab Sandwich.”
However, the atmosphere inside and outside the palace is
completely different. When I stood at the front of the usual cafe, the lady of
the shop smiled brightly at me.
“Here you go! It's a bit cold, but you don't mind, right?”
“Yeah, good food is good even when cold. Your cooking is my
hope for living.”
Two of the usual pre-made items arrived immediately. I paid
the money and received them from her warm, large hand.
“Oh my, I've been hit on by a youngster, ufufu...”
“Let's see... If you were twenty years younger, I might have
seriously considered it.”
“Ahahaha! You’ve learned to use flattery! Well, off
you go.”
“Yeah, I'm off.”
After parting with the cafe lady, I went to the shared
carriage station. From there, I boarded a carriage for commoners heading to the
west of the Imperial Capital and got off at my intended destination.
My hobby is excavation. Through excavation, I am searching
for a certain something.
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