My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 004: Peak

Central Dragon Emperor Academy.

Lower School main building, second floor. Conference room.

Inside sat a luxurious round table where six female instructors and the academy’s headmaster—who commanded them—had gathered. The room’s furnishings spared no expense, presenting a lavish appearance. That very opulence now ironically created a suffocating silence.

BAM! The ringlet-curled female instructor slammed the round table and broke the silence by standing.

“Headmaster! This is unacceptable. Isn’t this an abuse of authority?”

Seiran, the headmaster who led the academy, directed a cold gaze at Meika, the fire magic instructor. Meika wore a green dragon robe embroidered entirely with luxurious gold thread—the instructor’s dragon robe, which had a flashier design than even the Upper School uniform. When she wore it with her gaudy makeup, it gave off the garish elegance of a brothel, which was irritating.

“Are you telling me to refuse the Princess’s request?”

Glared at sharply by Seiran, Meika’s eyes wavered for an instant as if intimidated, and perhaps deflated, she dropped her gaze to the desk. Her tone considerably subdued, she said:

“Seiran-sama, you are but one of the Six Consorts. Though your rank may be lower, that’s only until the Princess establishes her own pack. Must you be so servile?”

Seiran’s eyes flashed sharply.

“If the War Consort-sama heard those words, you’d lose your head.”

She coldly rejected Meika and issued a warning.

The color rapidly drained from Meika’s face.

“M-my deepest apologies!”

She promptly prostrated herself on the spot.

With her head pressed to the floor, both shoulders trembled violently. Her vertical ringlets lay powerlessly on the ground, rippling slightly with the vibrations of her shaking.

Sinking into her luxurious leather chair, Seiran gave a small sigh and ordered her to rise.

“Don’t misunderstand. I owe the War Consort-sama an enormous debt. So I have no interest in factional disputes, and I want to grant the wishes of that child—her daughter.”

“My apologies.”

After waiting for Meika to take her seat, Seiran spoke wearily.

“By the way, Instructor Mi’on.”

One of the six female instructors seated at the round table—Mi’on, who taught dark magic—stood up. Triangular glasses, sharp eyes. A stern-looking beauty.

“Yes. What is it?”

“About that student. Was the Excellent evaluation truly appropriate?”

When asked, Instructor Mi’on answered without hesitation.

“There’s no doubt.”

“The report says he can use [Sword Aura]?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Therefore, I judged Excellent to be appropriate.”

Pressing her temples, Seiran sighed.

“[Sword Aura]—a technique attainable only upon reaching true mastery. And yet that student has already mastered it… What a headache.”

Meika interjected with an incredulous question.

“I can hardly believe it. After all, only five students in the Upper School can wield [Sword Aura]. That’s five out of all 450 Upper School students. For that dropout to have mastered it… Ah, no. I’m not doubting you, Instructor Mi’on. It’s just that I can’t see it myself.”

[Sword Aura] could only be seen and sensed by those who’d reached the true mastery. Seiran was in the same boat, so she had to rely on the reports of Instructor Mi’on, a swordsmanship master, with no way to verify the truth herself.

One mustn’t blindly trust subordinates’ reports, but cutting them down just because they’re inconvenient was the act of a fool. As an administrator, Seiran had to be fair.

“Since it’s the assessment of honest and upright Instructor Mi’on, we have no choice but to believe it. However, that makes this situation all the more problematic.”

“Yes, exactly! We should just expel him without any pretense!”

Probably meaning something different from Seiran’s intent, Meika agreed. Emotionally, Seiran felt the same, but that wasn’t possible. Because—

“We cannot do that. For some reason, that student is His Majesty’s favorite.”

When the supreme authority’s name was invoked, no one could possibly object.

Silence descended upon the conference room.

“Why could that student enroll in our prestigious school? How could a student who can use neither magic nor Breath be admitted? You all asked me that before. I’m late in telling you, but I’ll explain now. It’s because that student brought a letter of recommendation from His Majesty himself.”

A stir ran through the conference room.

The shock was immeasurable.

A commoner couldn’t possibly possess a letter of recommendation from the Dragon Emperor.

Even Seiran hadn’t believed it at first.

“I was unwilling as well. Central champions true meritocracy, yet we permitted admission without examination… However, as you all know, His Majesty’s commands are absolute.”

The Dragon Emperor’s words could even bend this nation’s laws.

Seiran, merely one of the consorts, had no authority to refuse.

“We’ve accommodated requests by His Majesty’s command several times before. But to think we’d have to accommodate even a commoner… This is the first time I’ve felt such humiliation. So I’d love nothing more than to expel him immediately. How did someone of such lowly status ingratiate himself with His Majesty… Emotionally, Meika, I feel exactly as you do.”

Honest and upright Instructor Mi’on raised an objection.

“However, Headmaster. It’s rare for someone of student age to master [Sword Aura]. Even I—if I may say so—took a hundred years to master it.”

Seiran’s lips trembled with irritation.

“Yes, that’s exactly why I have a headache. I wanted to do something about that disgraceful mockery—no attribute affinity—that tarnishes our prestigious name. But if he can wield [Sword Aura], the situation changes. With an Excellent grade, expulsion will be difficult.”

Meika opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately closed it without speaking. The other female instructors seemed to have no objections either. Bitter frustration—Seiran felt the same.

“There’s another problem we must consider now.”

“What would that be~?”

The diminutive, young-girl-bodied instructor who’d been sitting quietly—Fuga—asked. She taught wind magic. Her appearance looked no older than ten. But in reality, she was a proper lady of 174 years.

“This is merely a possibility. Please don’t be shocked.”

And then Seiran voiced something shocking.

The female instructors’ reaction was tremendous—

“That’s impossible!”

“That surely can’t be~!?”

Meika and Fuga shouted simultaneously. The other female instructors vocally expressed their denial as well. Among them, only Instructor Mi’on nodded with a difficult expression.

“It’s not an impossible scenario. But if that happens…”

Even honest and upright Instructor Mi’on apparently couldn’t voice what came next.

Seiran hung her head, supporting it with her left hand. Her forehead felt feverish and hot.

“Therefore, Instructor Mi’on, please take care to prevent that worst-case scenario from occurring.”

◇◇◇◇◇

The vast square-partitioned grounds of Central Dragon Emperor Academy.

The Lower School had been allocated roughly 20% of the total area—a cramped plot of land.

From the academy’s overall perspective, the Lower School was positioned to the south, accessible only through the south gate. Meanwhile, all the other gates—east, west, and north—led to Upper School territory.

Entering through the south gate, green gardens stretched left and right, with the Lower School’s main building at the end of a straight path. To the east stood the library, to the west the student dormitories, and to the north the magic research building.

The gardens housed several practical training facilities, one of which included a small arena used for swordsmanship classes. On that stage—built from a hard stone called white dragon stone—stood a single girl, accompanied by an instructor.

An absolute beauty.

Her overwhelming presence of beauty riveted all 450 Lower School students gathered there. The atmosphere was such that even breathing felt forbidden.

The students sat on long viewing benches, swallowing hard as they watched events unfold.

“Why were we suddenly summoned?”

While his eyes were drawn to the beautiful girl in red and black dragon robes—the Upper School uniform—standing on stage, Kishō voiced his question. The girl sitting beside him—Ōka—cheerfully responded.

“Isn’t it the closing ceremony?”

“No way.”

There was no reason for an Upper School student—much less the Princess—to attend a mere closing ceremony.

“Even the entrance ceremony was completely separate.”

“Oh yeah. Then why?”

“That’s what I just asked you!”

As Kishō deflated at their pointless exchange, Instructor Mi’on’s solid voice echoed through the arena.

“Students, allow me to introduce her. This is the Princess, daughter of War Consort Rakuyō-sama.”

The students’ murmuring grew louder.

“War Consort-sama?”

His mouth hanging open, Kishō tilted his head. Ōka beside him sighed as if exasperated.

“The War Consort-sama is one of the Six Consorts. She’s the second-ranked consort.”

Having been raised in the human city of Algant, Kishō was unfamiliar with dragonkin society’s systems.

“Wait, wait. You just casually mentioned it, but what are the Six Consorts?”

Ōka looked at him with half-lidded eyes. Apparently this was common knowledge.

“The Six Consorts are the six consorts who hold maximum authority within the pack.”

“Huh? Packs consist of six or seven people, right? A husband, wives, and that’s it. What do you mean authority… Hey, what’s with that look? Stop giving me that ‘I’m utterly disgusted’ face.”

This time it was Ōka’s turn to deflate. She gazed distantly at the sky, escaping reality. Then with a sigh, she returned to the present world.

“That’s for young packs. For example, His Majesty the Dragon Emperor’s pack exceeds one hundred thousand members. An entire large city is his pack. And while we’re students, we’re technically considered part of His Majesty’s pack too. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that?”

“I didn’t know.”

From Kishō’s perspective, a pack was like polygamy. But from what Ōka said, it wasn’t nearly that simple. What came to mind was something like a communal living society in human terms.

“So that means all the academy instructors also belong to His Majesty’s pack?”

“Exactly. That’s why in this academy, His Majesty’s will is absolute.”

He organized and sorted the information in his head.

“So, those six consorts stand at the pinnacle of those one hundred thousand. And the Princess over there is the daughter of the War Consort-sama, who holds second rank among them.”

“Yep. Since the Princess inherits her mother’s status, she’s probably the highest-ranking person in this whole academy.”

Lower School students were forbidden from entering Upper School grounds. Conversely, Upper School students were similarly prohibited from entering Lower School territory. Since she was openly breaking that rule, she must indeed be extraordinary.

“By the way, the headmaster is also one of the Six Consorts. She’s the Alliance Consort-sama, ranked sixth. So don’t be rude to her.”

He wished she’d told him that much earlier. He’d already been disrespectful.

Dizziness struck him, and everything went dark.