https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3986di/60/
Hello, and long time no see! When I finished translating this series several years ago, there was one chapter the author made for a potential continuation. That never took off though, and it’s sat there ever since. That was until May when the author deleted that continuation and replaced it with a two-part short story. This was made as a celebration because Monette is receiving a manga adaptation! I haven’t seen anyone translate that manga yet, but here’s to hoping someone picks it up soon. In the meantime, enjoy this first taste of Armored Girl after five years.
Short Story: The Crisis of an Armored Girl with no Sense of Crisis (Part 1)
*Gakon!!* A loud noise rattled inside one of the castle’s rooms.
It was a dynamic sound. Those who would hear the noise would immediately come rushing in to the rescue….but, unfortunately, nobody came rushing in.
Due to the mighty size of the castle, there were few people close enough to have heard the noise in the first place. And then, those who did notice it decided to ignore the sound, assuming that, “Someone must’ve dropped something,” or “That’s a knocked over tea wagon.”
In reality, it wasn’t a tea wagon that had fallen down but rather a full set of body armor.
This could be a big problem. If someone were to get caught up in that, they would get seriously injured. Luckily there was no one else around when the armor fell over, so nobody got caught up in it.
…..Except for the person inside the armor of course.
“It’s happened….”
Monette grumbled aloud with an increasing sense of regret. She had fallen on her back while wearing a full suit of armor.
Only the ceiling was visible to her. Just what you’d expect from a room inside the royal castle, the ceiling was high with beautiful patterns hand-painted across the surface. Despite this being just one of a countless number of guest rooms, it is clear that no effort on the quality had been cut short.
Staring at such a ceiling, she regretted her carelessness from a few minutes ago.
“I never imagined the effect off the weight reduction spell would wear off….well, I thought it was about time for it to wear off just a little bit ago, so that’s not true.”
She said this aloud to herself while continuing to stare at the ceiling.
What had happened was simple; the lightweight magic that had been applied to the armor had simply worn off.
In that instant, the armor suddenly regained its original weight, and poor Monette came crashing down after losing her balance….you could say she’s lucky she fell on her back. The view is so much better than if she had fallen on her stomach.
As a note, in order to prevent such unexpected accidents, the weight reduction magic is applied piecemeal. First the arms, then the legs, the torso, and finally the head. However, to her utmost misfortune, the time limit for the arms and torso were cut off at the same time. Thanks to this, she can’t pick herself up or weave any new spells. She also can’t move her head around much because the decorations adorned on the armor were getting in the way.
“I let my guard down.”
Monette had pushed off dealing with the problem because she assumed the spell would last another day. She should’ve reapplied the magic as soon as the thought came to her head.
But no matter how much she regrets, that regret won’t bring back the effect of her spell. Right now is the time to figure out what to do about this situation.
“Perhaps I should ask Robertson to come over? But he said earlier he was going to enjoy a walk by himself, so it would be an awful idea to ask him to return to soon.”
In the past, when she lived in an old castle in the forest, she had found herself in a similar situation twice before.
If memory serves, both those times were because she was unused to living in a suit of armor and because she was sick with a cold respectively. As a result of not knowing how much weight reduction magic she needed to apply to the armor combined with the fact that she could not recognize the signs that the magic was running out, the effect wore off, and she collapsed with a crash.
An old castle that is inaccessible to anyone except for her located in the middle of a forest. Being stuck in such a situation was one of the greatest dangers of her life. If handled incorrectly, there was even the possibility of death.
However, at that time she had a reliable ally.
“Robertson, help me! Robertson!”
When she called out his name, her eight-legged best friend appeared rustling out of nowhere, and like the gallant knight he is, he came dragging a spare spell from her pouch and handed it over.
Looking back, Robertson must have already become Monette’s familiar at that time.
Otherwise, it is doubtful a human and spider would be able to communicate to such a degree no matter how well we coexist.
“Robertson, you already decided to stay with me so long ago….”
Monette’s heart is warmed by the fires of friendship rising in her breast.
….While the rest of her body remained unchanged, lying on her back inside a suit of armor.
“I really can’t just call Robertson after all. I would have to remain laying here for a little while longer even if I did anyway. In the worst case, I could just take a nap.”
Even though the arms and torso have regained their weight making it impossible to move, it’s still the full-body armor Monette has been wearing for years. She doesn’t mind sleeping inside.
She was just forming her plan to call Robertson over after waking up from a nap when the chorus of someone’s footsteps mixed with a voice came to her ear.
“Gina, Monette, are either of you here? ….Hm?”
What came was the voice of the one who owns this castle.
Although Monette, from her position on the ground on her back, couldn’t see him, she could tell from his curious voice that he had entered the room.
Then, a man’s face suddenly appeared in her vision which had been limited until now to the decorative ceiling. That face, needless to say, was Ordo’s.
“That girl Monette, is she wandering around after leaving her clothes in the middle of the floor? That’s bad manners.”
“I’m still in them.”
“Ahh!?”
Ordo’s entire body shook when Monette’s response came seemingly out of nowhere.
“You scared me! Say it if you’re there. So, why are you lying on the ground?”
“My weight reduction magic has worn off. My arms and torso are so heavy I am unable to pick myself up.”
“I see. But if that is the case, we simply need to reapply your magic. Where do you keep your spell? I will bring it to you.”
“Thanks. But I keep my spare scrolls inside my pouch. And from what I can tell….”
“You have done a terrific job of landing right on top of it.”
Ordo confirmed what Monette feared, that her pouch was underneath her torso with all the weight of the armor pressing down on top of it.
She could feel her armor shake with her still inside as he tried yanking it out, but after a minute, a resigned, “It won’t work,” came out.
“Sorry to ask Ordo-sama, but could you lift me up?”
“A whole suit of armor.”
“Yes. If you could just raise the upper part of my body, that should suffice.”
Ordo would raise Monette up at the waist, pull out the pouch from under her, and reapply the magic. It’s a simple solution. The suit of armor would instantly become light as a feather, allowing a young girl the ability to run and jump to her heart’s content.
Besides, the only part he’ll need to lift up are the arms and torso which the weight reduction magic has worn off of. Although that is the central problem for Monette, it’s nothing for an adult man like Ordo to be able to take care of.
Is what is should be, but when help was asked for, he looked obviously reluctant.
“I do wish to aid you however….”
“Is something wrong?”
“….I am afraid of throwing out my back.”
Hearing Ordo’s serious tone, the girl stayed silent for a while before, “Ah….” she understood what he meant.
Ordo is much older than Monette. About the same age as her parents. Although it’s not like he’s constantly worrying about his back, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a concern.
His voice was quite serious, with a mixture of seriousness and anxiety creating a unique atmosphere that Monette could only respond with an, “I see.”
“….And, I’m scared of how Alexis would react if I did hurt my back.”
“He might kill himself from the laughter.”
Alexis was once a good and honest prince. If that him from the past had heard that his uncle had hurt his back, he would have done whatever he could to support him. As he laughed at him.
However, after all sorts of things happened, Alexis’s personality has twisted and morphed. If his uncle were to hurt his back now, he would smile broadly and say, “Don’t push yourself too hard, my – dear – un – cle.” Of course he would still keep a clear line between his work and personal lives.
“In that case, please don’t push yourself too hard. It would be a problem if Ordo-sama were to force yourself to the point you couldn’t move after hurting your back.”
“Thank you for understanding. I’ll at least send someone over to assist you. But before that….”
Ordo’s words suddenly trailed off as if he had remembered something.
Next, Monette titled her armored head with a “Hm?” because she felt like something had touched her armor.
“Ordo-sama, did you do something?”
“Anyone would be shocked if a suit of armor they thought was empty suddenly started talking to them. That’s why I made it so anyone would know what is going on from a distance. You should be fine even if you were to take a nap with this.”
With that, Ordo finished saying his piece and left the room.
Watching him go from the corner of her visor, Monette soon turned her gaze back towards the ceiling. Then she let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Her consciousness soon drifted off into slumber….
Inside a room where the warm sunlight filtered through, a large body of armor is lying flat on the ground.
Taking a restful and light sleep.
With a piece of paper reading “OCCUPIED” attached to the body….
Experimental Translations 