Golden Desert King

Author: (Japan) Orihara Midori
Translator: Qiu Yanni
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Orihara Midori's masterpiece, narrating the story of a modern high school girl, Nana, who opens a mysterious ancient book and travels through time to the powerful planet of Annadelu, where she meets a handsome prince of Annadelu and learns that she is the reincarnation of the princess of the Silver Star. To maintain the stability and peace of the planet, she must marry the Golden Desert King, thereby saving the fate of the entire planet. This book is a mature work of Orihara's style, adopting the classic plot of "time travel" from shojo manga, describing the story of Nana meeting a prince from a different world. Not only is the background of the story Orihara's specialty in court themes, but the magnificent costumes, handsome nobles, luxurious economy, and complex politics all leave a deep impression. Moreover, the entire work is light and cheerful, with beautiful illustrations and colored letters as highlights. In today's era of cool and edgy shojo manga, experiencing this light-hearted piece is also a great choice. Unlike the current trend of shojo manga becoming increasingly "cool and edgy" or "eroticized," Orihara has always insisted on depicting "pure dreams." Her manga works are usually standalone, and her serialized works are not excessively long. Simple and clear stories are like a series of romantic novels, sweet and delightful. Although Orihara has not created any super famous works with "over a decade of serialization and million-selling volumes," this simple romance has given countless girls beautiful dreams. After so many years, Orihara's current works have not aged but become more refined, with subtle and dreamlike imagery complemented by delicate and warm dialogue or prose, filling the reader with a strong sense of shojo sentiment. What happened afterward was like a dream beyond imagination yet incredibly comfortable—I tightly hugged the prince, crying until I unconsciously fell asleep. But I clearly remembered the prince's arms holding me from behind. Every time I opened my eyes, I would recall the prince's gentle gaze looking down at me, his deep eyes like an oasis. —In that sweet dream, I suddenly felt that I might start to like this person———— When I woke up, the sun was just rising. The sky was exceptionally clear, with the color of morning glory orange. I lay across the sand, covered with the prince Sula's shirt, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Prince?" I searched around like a helpless child for his figure. Ah—Prince Sula stood on a sand dune not far from me. The rising sun cast golden light on him, making his golden hair and translucent skin glow as if he were surrounded by the sun's radiance. —Suddenly, the words once told to me by Maluta about the prophecy in "The Legend of Annadelu" flashed through my mind. "A golden prince born in that place, a noble prince who has received the favor of the sun!" At this moment, the figure of Prince Sula bathed in the morning sun perfectly matched this prophecy. —A golden prince. Yes, he was born a golden prince. From the moment he was born, his heart held the golden light. This golden light made him refuse any intrusion and not yield to any difficulty. It was a force that could give light to all things. "He is the 'Golden Desert King' that the people of all nations expect. This great ruler will defend the peace of the desert and guide all the people toward happiness." "Golden Desert King"—Yes, he is the undisputed king of the desert. "Nana?" The prince turned toward me. His expression was the same as in my dream. "Did you sleep well?" "I nodded nervously. This seemed like a dream, and I had had such a premonition before. My face flushed instantly. "Prince, how are your injuries?" "It doesn't matter anymore." The prince said, lifting his head into the morning sun. He had clearly been injured badly yesterday, yet now it was as if nothing had happened. There must be a great strength hidden within this young man. "Hmm, let's head back to the palace when it cools down a bit. I left without saying anything yesterday and came out alone. Arthus must be furious." "Ah" Hearing the prince say this, I suddenly remembered the words he had said yesterday: "I'll make Arthus find the book 'The Legend of Annadelu.'" And the reason he did this was to help me return to my original world. "That—Prince Sula!" I called out to the prince, who was turning toward his horse. "?" I asked the prince, who looked surprised, "Are you really going to send me back to my original world?" "Nana?" The prince asked me in surprise, "But, isn't this what you wanted?" ""Yesterday, yes, but— I hesitated for a long time, unsure how to answer the prince's question. The prince gently advised me, "You should know very well that this world is not your permanent home." ""Besides, no one knows what dangers await us ahead." The prince's eyes at this moment were so similar to the gaze I had seen in my dream, gentle yet tinged with sadness. In his deep, emerald-like eyes, there was a hint of self-mockery. The prince whispered to me, "As you said yesterday, perhaps the struggles we are engaged in are nothing more than mutual slaughter." "!" "No matter what the reason, it won't change the fact that killing lives in battle. As you said, I and Muradabado's Murazhar are both murderers." "Prince!?" The prince raised his head with a choked voice, and this was the first time I had seen him with a lonely smile. Prince Sula— At this moment, I felt as if I understood something. In the shadow under the dazzling sunlight, there was indeed a dark shadow. Yet, even standing proudly in the sun as he was now, he couldn't avoid times of hardship and low spirits. But never giving in, bravely facing everything was the brightest light in his heart. "Have I helped a little?" "Nana?" My sudden words startled the prince, and he looked at me in surprise. I looked into his eyes and continued, "Of course! I hate war! I hate mutual slaughter! But precisely because of that, Prince, you must continue to fight. Only in this way can we turn this world of mutual slaughter into a peaceful and stable one. Am I right?" "Nana" In the prince's eyes, apart from surprise, there was also a faint glimmer of light. That light seemed to give me strength, and I began to speak passionately. "I have been running away until now. I have always avoided what I dislike, doing nothing yet complaining endlessly. But now, I'm tired of doing so. I think all of that is wrong." Then my gaze fell on the body of the black panther I had killed last night. The black body lay on the sand, giving a chilling sense of fear as if it were about to freeze. But I absolutely could not avert my gaze. That beast's life was taken by me—this was a fact. If I hadn't killed it, we would have been killed by it. But no matter what the reason, I couldn't change the fact that I had taken that life with my own hands. This was both terrifying and sorrowful. The pain Prince Sula endured was undoubtedly much heavier than this. He fought and bled to defend his homeland and restore peace, yet he still had to fight and bleed. The pain of the prince— But even so, I couldn't avert my gaze because of my own avoidance. Although it was scary, hateful, and sorrowful. But—there are some things that must be resolved through war. "That—Prince Sula" The rising sun seemed to awaken the sleeping desert, and I said slowly, "Let me contribute too." "Nana!" The prince's eyes flickered for a moment. I caught the change in his gaze and said, "Although I am not the 'Princess of the Silver Star' as Lumaera said, I don't have the qualification or the strength for it. But there must be something, even if it's only a little, that I can do." I had already made up my mind and was mentally prepared. I said devoutly, "I will also fight." —I had once said the same words to Arthus, but this time, the weight of my words was completely different. "Will you let me fight, Prince Sula?" ""—After a moment of silence, a bright light flashed on the prince's face. The golden prince, full of smiles, turned to face me and said, "I think I understand why the Silver Star chose you." In the dazzling morning sun of the desert—At this moment, I felt prouder than receiving a million medals.