My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 022: Traces of Tragedy

“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to sleep together like that.”

At the breakfast table, the Princess hung her head blushing apologetically.

On the large log table created last night sat bread—portable preserved food—and plain hot water soup. Kishō took a bite of bread and awkwardly averted his gaze from the Princess sitting across from him.

“I didn’t either—do that to Kuroyō—ah, no. Everyone makes one or two mistakes. Don’t worry about it.”

He smoothly glossed over the facts and covered it up by saying something plausible. In the seat next to the Princess, Ōka, who knew the truth, sent an unpleasant grinning gaze. She was very irritating. Kishō prayed in his heart for her to absolutely not speak. It was futile.

“I think Shō-kun was happy too. That it was a soft, warm hug pillow.”

A soft, warm sensation revived in his right hand. Her waist—so slender and delicate it seemed it would break if he applied force—had conversely been a cold, smooth sensation.

And then, as if to banish worldly thoughts, Kishō shook his head.

“What are you even saying, Ōka… If I get sent to the guillotine, I’ll haunt you.”

Ōka was laughing while holding her stomach. He wanted to punch her.

Alice in the seat next to him tilted her head curiously.

“Did something happen?”

Ōka responded while bursting with laughter.

“Something seems to have happened!”

Kishō felt his anger voltage rising without limit, but decided to deliberately ignore it. He turned back to Alice and behaved as gentlemanly as possible.

“Ōka’s the type who, once she opens her mouth, exaggerates everything like a gossiping auntie. Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that so? I see.”

Alice nodded with an oddly convinced feeling. He thought he heard a protesting voice from somewhere, but Kishō completely ignored this. Standing up, he declared.

“I’m going to look around a bit before we depart. There might be survivors.”

Though prospects were slim.

When he took a step to enter the forest, Alice gently grabbed his dragon robe sleeve.

“I’m going too.”

“No. You wait here. I can’t protect you by myself.”

“But I can’t just wait when you’re searching for my family!”

Straight, powerful cobalt blue eyes turned toward him. They seemed to harbor a strong will that couldn’t back down. Kishō worried whether to respect that will and scratched his head in a troubled manner.

Then an unexpected person volunteered.

“In that case, I’ll go too. Ōka, let’s go together.”

The Princess stood up resolutely and took the hand of Ōka, who’d been munching on breakfast.

Kishō, who’d thought cooperation was impossible given yesterday’s attitude, felt his heart warm at the unexpected proposal and brought up what had been difficult to mention.

“Seriously? Then could you use Thousand-Mile Eye?”

Using Thousand-Mile Eye would make the surrounding situation clear at a glance.

He really wanted her to use it to increase search precision, but—

“I’m sorry. I can’t use Thousand-Mile Eye right now.”

He was rejected readily.

Kishō, who had no attribute affinity, lacked magical talent. Therefore, regarding magic, though he had knowledge picked up from classes, he couldn’t grasp the actual sensation of use—that image wouldn’t come.

For that reason, Kishō couldn’t clearly grasp how advanced Thousand-Mile Eye magic was, how much burden its use entailed, or what risks it posed. That’s why he couldn’t casually ask her to use it, yet even so, he couldn’t help feeling strong discomfort at her claim she couldn’t use it in this situation without enemy presence. That shouldn’t be the case. Yesterday she’d used it to search for water sources. What was different from now?

The distrust toward the Princess he’d felt last night reared its head again.

But at the same time, it wasn’t incomprehensible. Was she being cooperative or uncooperative? Did she lack the will to cooperate to the extent of using Thousand-Mile Eye, but had enough will to cooperate to the extent of proposing to accompany them? What psychology had produced that result? Kishō had no idea whatsoever.

(Or is there some other special reason she can’t use it?)

He vaguely understood the Princess was a clumsy woman who couldn’t skillfully convey emotions in words. If so, perhaps he should properly listen to what she had to say.

But that thought also vanished without a trace when the Princess glaring at Alice entered his field of vision. He stepped between them to block the sharp gaze.

“Hey, what’s the meaning of this? Why are you glaring at Alice-san?”

“Kishō is the one—why do you protect that woman?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious!? Unlike you, Kuroyō, Alice-san is a fragile girl. If you glare at her like that, of course she’ll be frightened.”

The Princess stared intently at him with slightly moistened eyes, and just when he thought her shoulders had begun trembling, she turned away with a huff. It seemed like a silent protest.

“Such a cute—I mean, not that. Do you think I’ll accept that attitude?”

Even her slightly vexing gestures looked adorable against the background of that overwhelming beauty—what a troublesome thing.

His waist sash was pulled from behind. A faint voice reached his ears.

“Am I really not welcome after all?”

When he turned around, Alice’s face on the verge of tears entered his field of vision. He gently placed his hand on her head and unconsciously stroked it to reassure her.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you, Alice-san.”

Alice spilled tears brimming in her blue eyes and said “Thank you.” Kishō steeled his resolve to protect her.

◇◇◇◇◇

The massive bloodstains left on the covered wagon.

Following those dripping traces continuing deep into the forest, Kishō and the others advanced into the forest’s depths.

But due to the nature of following bloodstains fallen on the ground, their vision was necessarily fixed downward.

That proved disastrous.

“Kishō!”

“Hm? Whoa!?”

He instinctively lowered his hips and ducked his head.

Several centimeters overhead, green jaws like a bear trap snapped shut. An iron-like clanging sound echoed, and something cold ran down Kishō’s spine. He drew the practice sword at his waist and delivered a counter as if slamming down purple-flame [Sword Aura]. The green something was sliced like paper.

Simultaneously he leaped backward, taking distance from the unidentified enemy.

Capturing the entire form in his field of vision, Kishō grimaced.

“A man-eating plant!? It’s a monster, not a magical beast.”

A green plant clung parasitically to the upper part of a tree, hanging down. The jar-shaped main body had a large hole in its upper portion, with countless jagged fang-like protrusions of green and yellow. From the side sections, countless tendril-like vines writhed and extended, with bear-trap-like jagged mouths at their tips. What peeked through the gaps of the green jaws opened wide was blood red.

It emitted ominous [Miasma] from its entire body. Undoubtedly a monster.

Rather than the fundamental question of why a monster was in the Beast King Forest, a physiological chill ran through him first.

“Pierce—[Searing Flash]!”

“Begone—[Curse Erosion]!”

—Breath.

That was a dragonkin-specific technique that discharged attribute energy of the same type as one’s attribute affinity from mouth or palm.

From both sides of Kishō, whose reaction was one beat late, light and dark breaths were simultaneously released. The light breath gouged out the monster’s left side as if burning it, and the dark breath mercilessly blew away the right side. Timing with that opportunity, Kishō also leaped. He bisected the grotesquely deformed jar-shaped monster vertically in one stroke.

Severing the magic core as well, the monster’s form melted away into the forest and vanished.

“Thanks. Appreciate it, Kuroyō.”

Without the Princess’s warning, he’d probably be wearing a green jagged hat by now. Dragonkin bodies were robust so he wouldn’t die, but Ōka would definitely tease him. Moreover, Kishō disliked this type of creepy plant, so he wanted to avoid contact as much as possible.

The Princess thrust her head forward as if demanding compensation, so Kishō reluctantly patted her head. The Princess’s face, which had been somewhat sulky with a touch of spice, changed to something slightly happy.

“Hey, Shō-kun. I helped too, you know.”

Ōka was sulking, so he casually patted her dismissively, and noticed when his gaze happened to fall to the ground.

“The bloodstains end here.”

The Princess, who’d been looking around the area, pointed at the tree’s base saying “Look.”

There remained traces of human presence like torn fabric scraps, a small backpack, and a leather boot with only one foot remaining. Picking up a broken longsword from the grass, the Princess carefully observed its blade.

“Magical beast blood is adhered but it’s not rusted. It’s recent. And the bloodstains end here, with belongings scattered that seem to belong to the victim. Nine times out of ten, they were eaten by this thing.”

The Princess stated her findings calmly and matter-of-factly.

The one who emotionally collapsed was Alice, trembling at the rear of the line.

“Father was… here…”

Man-eating plants dissolved even iron with their powerful digestive fluids. Though the remaining belongings were few, if one imagined he’d been eaten equipment and all, it made sense.

Alice covered her face with both hands and shed tears. That figure sunk in grief looked so pitiful that Kishō averted his gaze. Therefore, until the very end, his consciousness never turned toward her mouth hidden by both hands.