My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 020: Entered the Wagon and Gained a Companion (Bath Episode)

Night had set in, and considerable time had passed since darkness deepened.

From the sleeping forest came only the sound of insects.

The magical beasts in this forest seemed mostly diurnal, and up until this third day, they hadn’t been attacked at night. That said, one couldn’t let down one’s guard, so Kishō had been making efforts to never neglect vigilance.

But today in particular, even that attentiveness was scattered.

“Ahh, I could see that trap. Got taken in by Ōka’s smooth talk…”

While tending the campfire with firewood, Kishō grumbled to himself.

From inside the abandoned covered wagon, Ōka objected.

“Don’t blame me! You’re the one who ate it going ‘delicious, delicious,’ Shō-kun.”

That was entirely correct. Kishō fell silent and rubbed his stomach. He’d already felt the urge three times. Though somewhat relieved, he was still far from full health.

He glanced toward the covered wagon where the voice had come from.

About five meters from the campfire where Kishō sat. Within arm’s reach if he stretched a bit.

Lamplight leaked through gaps in the canvas stretched over the wagon bed.

When the people inside moved, the light source was blocked, and the orange glow falling into darkness flickered. Precisely because he knew what event was occurring inside, that flickering seemed strangely alluring.

“Don’t peek, okay? Absolutely don’t peek!”

“What’s that, an invitation?”

“Of course not!”

A quite serious-toned rejection came back. That said, of course Kishō hadn’t been serious either. He bantered back as payback.

“Wasn’t it ‘no means yes’?”

“Ugh, the boomerang came back!”

Then this time, the Princess’s voice leaked through gaps in the canvas.

“Indeed. Despite saying no, Ōka’s face is—mmph, mmmph—”

“Wait, Yō-chan, what are you saying!?”

Splashing sounds like spilling water echoed. Kishō’s head started hurting in addition to his stomach. He sighed with an exasperated tone.

“What are you getting excited about? You’re sleeping in there, so don’t get it too wet.”

Currently, they were taking water baths. They’d borrowed an empty barrel left inside the covered wagon, filled it with water drawn from the stream, and made a temporary water bath. Since they were camping out in the forest, just being able to wipe their bodies was excellent, but being able to take water baths was truly fortunate.

Incidentally, Kishō had already finished bathing directly in the stream.

“By the way, Yō-chan, why is your chest so developed?”

“Hey, Ōka. If you touch—nn.”

A strangely alluring voice reached his ears, and for an instant the restraints of reason nearly came undone. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to suppress the rising worldly desires. But—

“Dragonkin aren’t supposed to have unnecessary fat, but only Yō-chan has it—so unfair!”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to grab them. Ōka!”

Each time unwanted extra information was transmitted, it added fuel to obscene fantasies. The Princess’s bewitching form projected in his mind, pale pink lips sighing seductively. Long, lustrous black hair clinging to white skin. The fantasy progressed from her slender waist up past her navel toward her chest’s swelling, at which point Kishō frantically shook his head.

(Calm down. Calm down. Maintain reason.)

She was already a completed form packed with every beauty from throughout history. He was spending the night together with the Princess, an incarnation of beauty. Just having that celestial being nearby required effort to maintain reason. But if heat kindled in his core at a time like this, he might not be able to cross the mountain pass called tonight.

These two days—he’d somehow maintained reason. Having come this far, he couldn’t fail. His life was at stake.

He regulated his breathing and took a sip of plain hot water.

“Ahh, I get it! Shō-kun wanted to see Yō-chan naked, right? There’s no boy who wouldn’t be interested in this perfect body.”

He sprayed the plain hot water in his mouth as mist with a “Bwah!” He coughed violently.

“Ōka, you bastard. You picking a fight!?”

“They say the best defense is a good offense, right?”

“Want me to teach you about double-edged swords?”

“Ahh, so you were after Yō-chan’s naked body after all!”

“Like hell!”

“Eh… you’re not? Then you want my body…”

He could picture Ōka’s face—eyes moistening, pretending to be frightened.

Small horns.

Black wings.

In his imagined vision unfolding in his head, Ōka dressed as a little devil turned around and stuck out her tongue playfully. It seemed like cheap provocation, but that was precisely a demonic trap.

“Who’d be interested in your meager body?”

He could rise to the provocation, but with the Princess present, he couldn’t do anything too reckless. If by some chance, through some mistake, a happening occurred where he saw the Princess naked, he’d risk incurring the Dragon Emperor’s wrath. Imagining himself sent to the guillotine, Kishō shuddered.

A momentary breath-catching presence transmitted from inside the covered wagon. Then—

“So you’re interested in Yō-chan’s body since it’s not meager. Heh, is that so?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“But you didn’t deny it about Yō-chan.”

“No, I did deny it!?”

He must not rise to the provocation and approach the wagon.

He had to abandon foolish ideas like shaking the wagon bed to scare them.

If he acted with his usual casual manner, something bad would surely happen.

“Kishō. Ōka is angry. You should apologize.”

“I-I’m not angry. Yō-chan, don’t say weird things!”

“Is that so? Your face looks a bit scary.”

“No it doesn’t. I’m smiling, see?”

“Really? The expression has disappeared from your face. It’s void.”

“Geez! Yō-chan, don’t say unnecessary things!”

But Kishō himself didn’t hear the information that presented a good opportunity for counterattack, brought by the Princess.

“I’m a clam. I’m a clam. Closing my heart and withdrawing into my shell. I’m a clam. I’m a clam.”

He covered his ears and muttered repeatedly like chanting a Buddhist prayer.

So the devil’s voice wouldn’t reach him—he curled up his body as if closing his shell.

Several minutes must have passed like that. The campfire’s firewood made a loud snapping sound.

Startled, he uncurled his body, and at that moment—

“Kyaaa!”

“Who goes there?”

Crash. Splash. Sounds like struggling.

Should he go help, or wait and see? Kishō was forced to choose between two options.

But if he went to help and nothing was wrong, there was the possibility of being sent to the guillotine.

On the other hand, waiting and seeing seemed the safer choice, but the struggling sounds from the covered wagon suggested an emergency situation.

He hesitated quite seriously, but he couldn’t abandon them, so he reluctantly got up and rushed to the covered wagon.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay!?”

“Ahh! We’re fine, so don’t come, Shō-kun! Pervert!!”

The unreasonable accusation hurt Kishō a bit. Feeling this world’s injustice and impermanence simultaneously, he dropped his shoulders and shuffled back dejectedly.

Ten minutes later.

A figure appeared, parting the wagon’s canvas. In order—Ōka, the Princess—and an unfamiliar girl.

“Huh?”

There was one more person.

A blonde girl around the same age. And beautiful. Wearing fairly nice clothes.

But clearly not dragonkin. Her hair color and features were different. Those were western, specifically merchant’s clothes. So was she human? But why would a human be in a place like this? When he’d checked inside the covered wagon earlier, she hadn’t been there.

Where had she appeared from?

Did this world have a system where entering covered wagons replenished your party members?

he wondered with his confused mind. Of course the answer was no.

Ōka looked troubled and exchanged glances with the Princess, then raised her index finger and leaned forward in a pose.

“They say ‘travel with companions, live with compassion,’ right?”

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!?”