My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 001: The Mark of Incompetence

“No attribute affinity.”

It sounded like a death sentence.

The six female instructors serving as witnesses all stirred with unease.

“This is unprecedented.”

“No attribute affinity is impossible from a genetic inheritance standpoint.”

“This is quite troubling. What should we do?”

This was the academy run by the dragonkin—the strongest race in existence.

The Holy Hall within Central Dragon Emperor Academy. The chamber of rituals.

At the center of the Holy Hall stood a large mirror inscribed with magical formulae, mounted atop a pedestal. When someone placed their hand upon it, the mirror’s surface would display their attribute affinity. But now, no color appeared on that reflective surface. Nothing. Zero. No attribute affinity—that was the judgment the instructors had delivered.

And it was also the mark of incompetence.

“No way… this can’t be…”

The half-dragon boy—Kishō—slumped powerlessly at the devastating result, at the merciless verdict handed down to him.

The dragonkin, descendants of the Six Dragons, belonged to one of six elemental lineages: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, or Darkness. The lineage one belonged to was called their attribute affinity.

Dragonkin grew stronger by honing magic and unique techniques aligned with their affinity. For instance, those with fire affinity would develop their skills by mastering fire magic and the technique called Breath—the ability to shoot flames. Conversely, they could never learn magic or Breath techniques outside their affinity.

Thus, a result of “no attribute affinity” meant that the majority of the academy’s curriculum would be utterly useless.

“But what should we do? Even attending classes would be meaningless.”

“What can we do? The enrollment procedures are already complete…”

The gaudy instructor with vertical ringlet curls snapped at the one with braided hair.

“Why was such a defective student even admitted in the first place?”

“I don’t know either. The headmaster had a very sour expression about it.”

“Whatever the circumstances may be, this is a prestigious institution. A student like this simply doesn’t belong here.”

The verbal abuse rained down painfully on his ears.

Too afraid of the piercing gazes directed at him from the instructors, Kishō couldn’t raise his face.

Sharp stares. Pitying stares. Contemptuous stares. Cold, emotionless stares.

All of them felt filled with malice.

“He should be expelled.”

The instructor with vertical ringlets said something extreme.

The meek-looking instructor with braided hair nodded in agreement. The other instructors followed suit, voicing their opinions one after another.

“Indeed, there’s no other choice. Allowing this would tarnish our prestigious name.”

“That’s right. We have no need for the incompetent in our academy.”

“Even for the Lower School, there are limits.”

Among them, the one who voiced dissent with a troubled expression was a diminutive female instructor who looked more like a young girl.

“But, but everyone, he did pass the entrance examination. We can’t just expel him on our own authority.”

The ringlet-curled instructor bit back with a retort.

“Besides, I heard this student is half-dragon. Half-breeds are defective failures who couldn’t fully inherit the dragonkin’s power. They’re famously low in ability from the start. Most likely, his abilities were so low they registered as zero, wouldn’t you say?”

The room fell silent.

Standing on what felt like a bed of nails, the boy desperately tried to stop his legs from trembling.

Unable to bear it any longer, even his voice trembled as he forced it through clenched teeth.

“Um… what should I…”

All at once, sharp gazes—almost like killing intent—pierced toward the boy.

The one who spoke was the sixth instructor, who hadn’t joined the discussion until now. A stern beauty wearing triangular glasses—Instructor Mi’on, who oversaw the first-year Lower School students.

“The headmaster will render judgment. Wait for further instructions.”

And just like that, he was kicked out of the Holy Hall as if they were getting rid of something troublesome.

◇◇◇◇◇

The Holy Hall existed on the Upper School grounds at the center of the academy.

At Central Dragon Emperor Academy, students were divided into the Upper School—a class of the top 150 students by merit—and the Lower School, consisting of the bottom 150 students. All facilities used by students—study halls, dining halls, dormitories, libraries, research facilities—were completely separated between the two schools.

As a Lower School student, Kishō wasn’t permitted to linger on Upper School grounds and was required to leave promptly.

However, still reeling from shock, Kishō’s footsteps were heavy, his thoughts distant and unfocused, his gait unsteady. He hadn’t consciously chosen a direction. Unfamiliar with the grounds, he took a wrong turn.

Head down, eyes fixed only on the ground as he walked, Kishō didn’t notice he’d gone the wrong way for some time. He only realized he was on a street near the Upper School’s main building when unfamiliar red petals came fluttering down on the wind.

Looking up, he saw the Dragon King Tree in full crimson bloom. It bore red flowers in spring, purple in early summer, green in summer, ochre in autumn, blue in early winter, and white in winter. Through gaps in the flowers of the Dragon King Tree—which painted the seasons in vibrant colors—dazzling sunlight streamed down.

Suddenly, a voice called out to him.

“Do you know the flower language of the Dragon King Tree?”

At the base of the tree stood a girl with her back turned. Her glossy black hair, grown long, flowed in the wind along with the red petals. The robe she wore was also red.

He could tell at a glance she was an Upper School student. The design of the academy uniform—the dragon robe—was clearly different from Kishō’s.

Anyone who stepped onto Upper School grounds without legitimate reason would be severely punished.

Remembering the academy rules explained during the entrance ceremony, Kishō’s face went pale. But that lasted only a moment. ‘I’m getting expelled anyway, so what does it matter?’ Thinking this with resignation, he walked toward the base of the Dragon King Tree.

The girl slowly turned around.

Kishō’s breath caught in his throat.

—An absolute beauty stood before him.

Hair blacker than the night sky.

Jet-black eyes radiating strong will.

Bewitching, pale pink lips.

Skin as white and translucent as porcelain.

A delicate, slender frame.

The swell of her chest exuded mature allure.

Her features were decorated with such overwhelming beauty that calling them “well-proportioned” fell woefully short. Her appearance—which could captivate anyone regardless of gender—was clearly otherworldly.

What enhanced her beauty even further was her clothing.

It was a dragon robe—both the academy’s designated uniform and traditional ethnic dress.

The upper garment was carefully woven from red and black fabrics, with dragon embroidery in gold thread adorning the collar and sleeves. The characters “Kuroren” were embroidered at the shoulder. Below, she wore hakama embroidered lavishly with gold thread on black fabric. The gorgeous combination of upper and lower garments seemed to emanate an air of noble refinement.

Combined with such overwhelming beauty, her presence ascended to the pinnacle of magnificence. She truly seemed like a celestial being.

The beautiful girl tilted her head, peering up from below at Kishō’s dazed face. Her long black hair, blown by the wind, danced upward and brushed teasingly against the tip of his nose.

Before he knew it, she’d closed the distance without a sound. Having crossed the limit of Kishō’s acceptable personal space, his body reflexively leaned back. He retreated one step.

“Accept your fate.”

“Huh?”

His heart jumped. *Thump.*

The exchange in the Holy Hall flashed through his mind.

“That’s the flower language of the Dragon King Tree.”

“Oh, I see.”

She stood a full head shorter than him. The jet-black eyes peering up at the relieved Kishō seemed ready to draw him in. Combined with that beautiful face, it felt as though he might be sucked into those dark eyes.

“If there were an unwelcome fate before you, do you think you should simply accept it?”

—No attribute affinity.

The scene from the Holy Hall flashed back vividly.

The mark of incompetence.

If innate talent was fate, then—

Reflexively, Kishō shouted.

“There’s no way I could accept that!”

The girl smiled gently.

“Then what will you do?”

“What will I…”

“Will you fight, or will you run?”

Fight and carve open your fate.

Turn your back on fate and keep running.

If he had to choose between the two—

“I should fight. I’ll thoroughly crush unreasonable fate with my own power.”

He clenched his fist tight.

Until this moment, everything had felt suspended in uncertainty.

This was his answer to the instructors who’d treated him so unfairly.

The incarnation of beauty nodded with satisfaction. Her smile was hauntingly beautiful.

“I agree. But fate is called fate precisely because it won’t bend to your will. Overcoming such walls won’t be easy.”

“I know. But I can’t end things like this.”

“Indeed. By the way—”

Once more, that exquisitely refined face drew close. She narrowed her eyes.

“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

She was such a strikingly beautiful woman.

If he’d seen her even once, surely she would remain vividly burned into his memory.

When Kishō shook his head, the girl nodded with a quiet “I see” and stepped back. Though she’d merely returned to an appropriate distance, somehow it felt a little lonely.

“From the design of your dragon robe, you’re a Lower School student. But this is Upper School grounds. Lower School students aren’t permitted here.”

“Ah, yeah. I got lost…”

The girl opened her pale pink lips slightly, nodded with a quiet “Hmm,” and didn’t press further.

“Take that path to the right and follow it. You’ll see a tall wall on your right. Beyond that is Lower School territory. With a dragonkin’s leg strength, the wall isn’t high enough to be insurmountable.”

When Kishō thanked her for the careful explanation, the girl smiled faintly.

“Those eyes. I like them.”

A strong wind blew, and a mass of red petals from the Dragon King Tree danced through the air.

“? What do you mean…”

Without answering, the girl smiled mysteriously and vanished into the wildly swirling storm of red petals.

Perhaps it was just a small catalyst.

But from that day forward, Kishō began to change, little by little.

And by the time three months had passed, the timid boy who’d cowered before the instructors was completely gone.

If fate existed, then perhaps this encounter *was* fate. And the day would come when he’d accept his fate, just as the Dragon King Tree’s flower language foretold—though at this moment, he had no way of knowing that yet.