The sky was a pristine blue, without a cloud in sight.
Rays of morning sunlight spilled over the earth, and the streets bustled with people. Another clear day had dawned.
In a guest room on the second floor of an inn in the Capital.
"Servant, dress me."
Princess Kaguya had taken off her nightclothes, leaving only white underwear covering her intimate parts. Her exposed skin was fair, smooth, and radiant. With a cool expression on her beautiful face, she issued her order to Ye Uchiha.
Ye Uchiha had no choice but to steel himself and suppress the heat rising from his lower abdomen. Holding Princess Kaguya's clothes, he began dressing her.
He had to admit that Princess Kaguya had a rather hazy sense of boundaries between men and women. Or perhaps she simply did not see him as a man, but as a servant to order around.
Although Ye Uchiha's face remained expressionless, his mind was practically boiling over. He was a red-blooded man, after all. He might have been a virgin in both his lives, but that did not mean he was gay or wanted to become a celibate monk spending his days before a Buddha statue.
During his years in the Shinobi World, besides fighting enemies, he had also become embroiled in his clan's internal disputes. Honey traps were commonplace. A woman could whisper sweet nothings to you one moment and stab you to death with a kunai the next. Tricks like that had been used to death.
After that incident, Ye Uchiha had been too frightened to get close to any woman who deliberately approached him. He suspected ulterior motives and feared that a moment's carelessness would get him killed at some woman's hands, so he had stayed single.
But now that he had come to this other world, Ye Uchiha no longer had to worry about the Shinobi World's treacherous schemes. He had begun entertaining the idea of finding a partner with whom he could spend a peaceful, harmonious life.
After summoning this ancient ancestor, Ye Uchiha became Princess Kaguya's personally appointed servant and began looking after her daily needs.
Whether she was eating or sleeping, he had to remain by her side, attending to her like a personal butler.
Of course, sleeping did not mean sharing a bed with Princess Kaguya. She slept in the bed while he slept on bedding laid out on the floor.
Anyone whose mind went straight to the gutter should go stand facing a wall and reflect on themselves.
This ancient ancestor of the Shinobi World, a princess of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, had lived a pampered, aristocratic life since childhood. She had no ability to care for herself and needed someone to help her even with dressing and undressing.
Although Ye Uchiha had plenty of complaints, it was still within the limits of what he could tolerate.
At least he was serving a beauty, one with an incredible figure and face, and he even got to be close to her. Ahem... he was an upright gentleman. How could he succumb to a woman several thousand years old? Besides, she was technically an ancestor of this body of his.
If it had been a man instead, he would have turned hostile and started fighting in a heartbeat, no matter how powerful the other party was.
A delicate, flowerlike girl was one thing, but a rough, burly man? What the hell?!
That would have been an outright assault on his dignity!
"You are nowhere near as capable as Aino."
Once she was dressed, Princess Kaguya glanced at Ye Uchiha and spoke flatly.
Ye Uchiha's face darkened with exasperation.
I'm a ninja! How can you compare me to your maid? We don't even have the same profession. They're completely different things.
After making the bed and washing up, he took Princess Kaguya downstairs and ordered a fairly lavish breakfast.
As she ate the food on her plate, Princess Kaguya made a puzzling remark. "A world without chakra. I do not like it here."
After Princess Kaguya had been summoned, Ye Uchiha had given her a thorough explanation of this world.
This was not the continent of the Shinobi World she knew, but an entirely new and unfamiliar world. Chakra did not exist here, so Princess Kaguya's wish to reclaim all chakra had naturally come to nothing. The rebels of the Ōtsutsuki Clan also lacked the ability to cross worlds to hunt her down.
With neither a goal nor a sense of urgency left, Princess Kaguya had begun showing signs of turning into a layabout. She was listless, had no idea what to do, and spent her days staring into space.
"We've finally found you, Lord Hero. His Majesty has urgent business with you. Please come with us!"
Two uninvited guests arrived, a pair of well-equipped knights who approached Ye Uchiha and bowed slightly as they spoke.
Ye Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"It concerns your companion, the Shield Hero. The matter is too serious for us to speak freely. Please come to the Royal Palace in person. The other three heroes have also been invited." Seeing the displeasure on Ye Uchiha's face, the two knights looked troubled.
"Understood."
He took some tissues from his bag, casually handed one to Princess Kaguya, and wiped the food from the corner of his mouth.
Only then did the two knights look relieved, as though they had been afraid Ye Uchiha would refuse. They hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you for your understanding, Lord Hero!"
"This way, please."
Gesturing for them to follow, the two knights solemnly led Ye Uchiha and Princess Kaguya toward the Royal Palace.
Princess Kaguya said nothing as she quietly took in the sights of the royal city. Its old European-style architecture, the tall buildings scattered throughout it, its broad and lively streets, carriages drawn by strange beasts, and demi-human residents with animal features passing by from time to time all came as quite a shock to her.
Inside the Audience Hall of the Royal Palace.
Guards stood rigidly along both sides of the hall. The king sat upright on his throne with a stern, solemn face, while Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi were already standing to one side. The female adventurer who had joined Naofumi Iwatani's party yesterday was there as well.
"So why did you call me here?" Ye Uchiha asked.
The king held his head and rubbed between his eyebrows. In a low voice, he said, "This matter concerns the Shield Hero. Last night, he nearly committed an unforgivable crime against a poor adventurer-Myne. He attempted to assault and violate her!"
"Myne? The one who became Naofumi's companion yesterday?"
He glanced at the red-haired girl hiding behind Motoyasu Kitamura. She covered her face and sobbed, her tear-streaked appearance making her look utterly pitiful.
Motoyasu Kitamura gently stroked her back, doing his best to comfort her.
"Oh? That guy actually had the nerve to do something like that?"
Ye Uchiha calmly voiced his thoughts. "I haven't known him long, but I don't think he has the guts to do something like this."
"Hey, hey, Ye, that's going too far! Myne is a sweet, delicate girl. How could a girl this lovely possibly lie? Are you saying she's deceiving all of us in public?"
Motoyasu Kitamura immediately stepped forward in irritation and loudly protested to Ye Uchiha.
"Lord Motoyasu!"
Myne leaned against Motoyasu Kitamura's shoulder and called his name, looking deeply moved.
"Myne, don't worry. Even if the whole world doubts you, I'll always believe you!"
Taking both of Myne's hands in his, Motoyasu Kitamura gazed at her affectionately and delivered those unbearably sappy words.
For some reason, I really want to smack this guy to death!
Watching their tender exchange gave Ye Uchiha goosebumps all over. He struggled to suppress the urge to hit someone.
The king waved a hand, cutting them off. "Let us not jump to conclusions yet. The Shield Hero will be brought here shortly. With both sides present to testify, we will learn the truth."
Princess Kaguya stood quietly beside Ye Uchiha, her expression indifferent, as though everything happening around her had nothing to do with her.
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