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Chapter 211: Tuned into the Wrong Channel
“Ha, I finally caught you!”
Princess Maxima, extremely excited, immediately tried to trap Orin Vale's arm with her massive chest. But Orin Vale, with his nimble reflexes, impassively sidestepped her.
Maxima was a little disappointed. “You don’t look surprised at all.”
“Probably because I’m not,” Orin Vale said calmly.
It wasn't a rare occurrence for an Ultraman to have his identity exposed by an alien. After all, his energy level stood out among humans like a lightbulb in the dead of night. It was perfectly normal to be recognized if someone happened to run into him.
Orin Vale had previously planned to research ways to use science to enhance his disguise, but the project was shelved because he had too many other things to do. Besides, he never felt it was that necessary. “Orin Vale” was just a pseudonym to begin with; he wasn’t that concerned about his secret identity.
Maxima tried to charge him again, but she was once more deftly avoided by Orin Vale's casual footwork. Yet, the princess wasn't embarrassed by missing twice in a row. She grinned and said, “So, when are you planning to come back with me to have babies, Your Majesty?”
Kara, who had been curiously watching the drama unfold, did a spit-take. A mouthful of coffee sprayed out, and the ahoge on her head stood straight up.
The little girl’s eyes went wide as she looked at Orin Vale in astonishment. “Huh? Y-y-you’re married?”
“No. I don't really know her. She's just been pestering me.”
Kara’s gaze shifted doubtfully to Maxima. The princess proudly put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.
“I am Princess Maxima of the Almerac Royal Family, the strongest woman in the galaxy. Only the most powerful warrior is worthy of my throne, so it is only natural that we should be together.”
Seemingly starting to understand her logic, Kara pouted. “The strongest woman in the galaxy is a bit of an overstatement.”
“Oh?” Maxima chuckled lightly. “Why? Are you saying there’s a woman stronger than me?”
After a pause, she looked Kara up and down contemptuously.
“You can’t be talking about yourself, can you, little girl? It's debatable whether you even count as a woman.”
She giggled as she spoke.
Kara’s face fell. “What, you want to try me, Auntie?”
Maxima’s smile vanished instantly. “What did you just call me, you brat?”
“Huh? I said grandma, what’s wrong?” Kara said, sticking her tongue out.
Maxima started rolling up her sleeves. “You’re finished, you brat—”
“That’s enough.”
Orin Vale waved a hand, interrupting them.
Maxima’s expression changed at light speed. She instantly transformed from a tough guy rolling up her sleeves for a fight back into a well-behaved girl-next-door, blinking her expressive, lively eyes at him. “What is it, Your Majesty? Do you have any orders for me?”
“I’m not your… eh, never mind. You came at just the right time. I have a question for you,” Orin Vale said seriously. “I want you to answer truthfully.”
“Ah?”
A ripple seemed to spread through Maxima’s heart.
The moment had finally come.
As she nodded, her brain worked at full speed, carefully considering what posture would be most appropriate for saying “I do.” In an instant, she thought of several rather good poses, but some were a bit inappropriate for broad daylight and in public, which was very annoying...
“I recently left Earth for a while. On my way back, I was intercepted by a warship from your planet,” Orin Vale said. “They stated they were from Almerac, and the general leading them was named Tango. They said Almerac has allied with an interstellar terrorist group called the Manhunters. What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
Maxima was stunned for a moment.
It took a full few seconds before she turned her head to look at the maid and attendants behind her. “Have you heard anything about this?”
The two behind her shook their heads in unison.
“Manhunters... Never heard of them.” Maxima thought for a moment, then stood up. “But don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll contact the royal family right now and get to the bottom of this.”
She then made an interstellar call directly to the old king of Almerac.
The number she dialed was out of service.
“Impossible.” Maxima was surprised. “This is my private line, a direct link to my royal father. It should never be disconnected. How could this be...”
She didn’t continue, but her brows furrowed deeply. It seemed that even with her not-so-abundant intellect, she was beginning to vaguely sense that something might be wrong back home.
Meanwhile, Orin Vale brought the Old Wizard along for a trip to Old Bu’s warship, where they interrogated the captured General Tango and his subordinates. Under the duress of the truth spell, they finally revealed the whole situation.
“A coup d'état!?”
Maxima was both shocked and enraged.
“Zazo? That loser I've defeated before? That villain, he dares!?”
Zazo was one of the highest-ranking figures in Almerac and one of its top warriors. He had challenged Maxima more than once, hoping to defeat the princess, win the throne, and take the beauty for his own, but he had failed every time so far.
General Tango ducked his head and said, “That faction called the Manhunters promised to help Zazo, and now he is unstoppable on Almerac. His Majesty the King has been imprisoned. Now... Almerac is basically under his control.”
“Outrageous! Simply outrageous...”
Maxima paced back and forth, clenching her fists so tightly the veins on the back of her hands bulged.
“Sazu, prepare the spaceship,” she ordered sharply. “We’re heading back. I’ll let that villain know who the true master of Almerac is!”
Tango opened his mouth as if to speak, but then seemed to force it shut with his willpower.
Orin Vale noticed, however. “Is there something you want to say?”
General Tango tried to resist, but finally succumbed to the truth spell.
“A-Actually, Zazo is looking for you everywhere. If you go back, Your Highness, you might be walking right into his trap.”
“What do you mean?” Maxima frowned.
“He has publicly declared that His Majesty the King was attacked and is now in a coma. Zazo is not a member of the royal family, so he knows he can’t ascend the throne legitimately. His plan is to have Your Highness return to succeed the throne...”
“Me? But I would never collude with him,” Maxima said.
“Yes. But Your Highness has never involved yourself in politics for years. You have no power, no personnel, and no... no brains. Manipulating you would be as easy as flipping a hand... That's what he said!” General Tango exclaimed.
Maxima’s face turned red with anger. She started yelling incoherently, wishing she could fly back immediately and flay that guy alive.
Orin Vale listened silently from the side, thinking. Logically, this was Almerac's internal affair and had nothing to do with him. In the Security Patrol, aside from the famously protective Ultraseven, they generally didn't interfere in others' internal affairs. Whether a planet was a democracy or a dictatorship, even if it was wiped out in a civil war, as long as no outside forces were involved, Ultraman as a rule would never intervene.
But while their own internal strife was one thing, causing trouble in another's galaxy was a different matter entirely.
If he had the time, Orin Vale might have considered going to Almerac to take a look. But even though he could travel through interstellar space quickly, it wasn't instantaneous. Here on Earth, he could face a planet-destroying enemy at any moment—one that was possibly the most lucrative experience pack he had ever encountered. So, for the time being, he wasn't keen on taking a long trip.
However, it seemed there was another option.
An option that would make the other party come to him to negotiate.
“Maxima.”
Orin Vale turned to the fuming princess.
“It looks like you’ll have to stay a while longer. You’ve been kidnapped.”
Maxima froze. Then she looked at him, a little uncertain. “By whom?”
“By me,” Orin Vale said seriously.
“Huh?”
The princess was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly.
“Oh... so you... you like it this way. You should have said so earlier. It’s not like I’m against it...”
Orin Vale: “...”
He really felt like she had tuned into the wrong channel.
(end of chapter)
“Ha, I finally caught you!”
Princess Maxima, extremely excited, immediately tried to trap Orin Vale's arm with her massive chest. But Orin Vale, with his nimble reflexes, impassively sidestepped her.
Maxima was a little disappointed. “You don’t look surprised at all.”
“Probably because I’m not,” Orin Vale said calmly.
It wasn't a rare occurrence for an Ultraman to have his identity exposed by an alien. After all, his energy level stood out among humans like a lightbulb in the dead of night. It was perfectly normal to be recognized if someone happened to run into him.
Orin Vale had previously planned to research ways to use science to enhance his disguise, but the project was shelved because he had too many other things to do. Besides, he never felt it was that necessary. “Orin Vale” was just a pseudonym to begin with; he wasn’t that concerned about his secret identity.
Maxima tried to charge him again, but she was once more deftly avoided by Orin Vale's casual footwork. Yet, the princess wasn't embarrassed by missing twice in a row. She grinned and said, “So, when are you planning to come back with me to have babies, Your Majesty?”
Kara, who had been curiously watching the drama unfold, did a spit-take. A mouthful of coffee sprayed out, and the ahoge on her head stood straight up.
The little girl’s eyes went wide as she looked at Orin Vale in astonishment. “Huh? Y-y-you’re married?”
“No. I don't really know her. She's just been pestering me.”
Kara’s gaze shifted doubtfully to Maxima. The princess proudly put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.
“I am Princess Maxima of the Almerac Royal Family, the strongest woman in the galaxy. Only the most powerful warrior is worthy of my throne, so it is only natural that we should be together.”
Seemingly starting to understand her logic, Kara pouted. “The strongest woman in the galaxy is a bit of an overstatement.”
“Oh?” Maxima chuckled lightly. “Why? Are you saying there’s a woman stronger than me?”
After a pause, she looked Kara up and down contemptuously.
“You can’t be talking about yourself, can you, little girl? It's debatable whether you even count as a woman.”
She giggled as she spoke.
Kara’s face fell. “What, you want to try me, Auntie?”
Maxima’s smile vanished instantly. “What did you just call me, you brat?”
“Huh? I said grandma, what’s wrong?” Kara said, sticking her tongue out.
Maxima started rolling up her sleeves. “You’re finished, you brat—”
“That’s enough.”
Orin Vale waved a hand, interrupting them.
Maxima’s expression changed at light speed. She instantly transformed from a tough guy rolling up her sleeves for a fight back into a well-behaved girl-next-door, blinking her expressive, lively eyes at him. “What is it, Your Majesty? Do you have any orders for me?”
“I’m not your… eh, never mind. You came at just the right time. I have a question for you,” Orin Vale said seriously. “I want you to answer truthfully.”
“Ah?”
A ripple seemed to spread through Maxima’s heart.
The moment had finally come.
As she nodded, her brain worked at full speed, carefully considering what posture would be most appropriate for saying “I do.” In an instant, she thought of several rather good poses, but some were a bit inappropriate for broad daylight and in public, which was very annoying...
“I recently left Earth for a while. On my way back, I was intercepted by a warship from your planet,” Orin Vale said. “They stated they were from Almerac, and the general leading them was named Tango. They said Almerac has allied with an interstellar terrorist group called the Manhunters. What’s going on?”
“Huh?”
Maxima was stunned for a moment.
It took a full few seconds before she turned her head to look at the maid and attendants behind her. “Have you heard anything about this?”
The two behind her shook their heads in unison.
“Manhunters... Never heard of them.” Maxima thought for a moment, then stood up. “But don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll contact the royal family right now and get to the bottom of this.”
She then made an interstellar call directly to the old king of Almerac.
The number she dialed was out of service.
“Impossible.” Maxima was surprised. “This is my private line, a direct link to my royal father. It should never be disconnected. How could this be...”
She didn’t continue, but her brows furrowed deeply. It seemed that even with her not-so-abundant intellect, she was beginning to vaguely sense that something might be wrong back home.
Meanwhile, Orin Vale brought the Old Wizard along for a trip to Old Bu’s warship, where they interrogated the captured General Tango and his subordinates. Under the duress of the truth spell, they finally revealed the whole situation.
“A coup d'état!?”
Maxima was both shocked and enraged.
“Zazo? That loser I've defeated before? That villain, he dares!?”
Zazo was one of the highest-ranking figures in Almerac and one of its top warriors. He had challenged Maxima more than once, hoping to defeat the princess, win the throne, and take the beauty for his own, but he had failed every time so far.
General Tango ducked his head and said, “That faction called the Manhunters promised to help Zazo, and now he is unstoppable on Almerac. His Majesty the King has been imprisoned. Now... Almerac is basically under his control.”
“Outrageous! Simply outrageous...”
Maxima paced back and forth, clenching her fists so tightly the veins on the back of her hands bulged.
“Sazu, prepare the spaceship,” she ordered sharply. “We’re heading back. I’ll let that villain know who the true master of Almerac is!”
Tango opened his mouth as if to speak, but then seemed to force it shut with his willpower.
Orin Vale noticed, however. “Is there something you want to say?”
General Tango tried to resist, but finally succumbed to the truth spell.
“A-Actually, Zazo is looking for you everywhere. If you go back, Your Highness, you might be walking right into his trap.”
“What do you mean?” Maxima frowned.
“He has publicly declared that His Majesty the King was attacked and is now in a coma. Zazo is not a member of the royal family, so he knows he can’t ascend the throne legitimately. His plan is to have Your Highness return to succeed the throne...”
“Me? But I would never collude with him,” Maxima said.
“Yes. But Your Highness has never involved yourself in politics for years. You have no power, no personnel, and no... no brains. Manipulating you would be as easy as flipping a hand... That's what he said!” General Tango exclaimed.
Maxima’s face turned red with anger. She started yelling incoherently, wishing she could fly back immediately and flay that guy alive.
Orin Vale listened silently from the side, thinking. Logically, this was Almerac's internal affair and had nothing to do with him. In the Security Patrol, aside from the famously protective Ultraseven, they generally didn't interfere in others' internal affairs. Whether a planet was a democracy or a dictatorship, even if it was wiped out in a civil war, as long as no outside forces were involved, Ultraman as a rule would never intervene.
But while their own internal strife was one thing, causing trouble in another's galaxy was a different matter entirely.
If he had the time, Orin Vale might have considered going to Almerac to take a look. But even though he could travel through interstellar space quickly, it wasn't instantaneous. Here on Earth, he could face a planet-destroying enemy at any moment—one that was possibly the most lucrative experience pack he had ever encountered. So, for the time being, he wasn't keen on taking a long trip.
However, it seemed there was another option.
An option that would make the other party come to him to negotiate.
“Maxima.”
Orin Vale turned to the fuming princess.
“It looks like you’ll have to stay a while longer. You’ve been kidnapped.”
Maxima froze. Then she looked at him, a little uncertain. “By whom?”
“By me,” Orin Vale said seriously.
“Huh?”
The princess was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head shyly.
“Oh... so you... you like it this way. You should have said so earlier. It’s not like I’m against it...”
Orin Vale: “...”
He really felt like she had tuned into the wrong channel.
(end of chapter)
