My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~

Upper School teachers and Lower School teachers were like cats and dogs.

Central had twelve teachers total. Six female teachers were also enrolled in Upper School.

The female teachers held the title called Warrior Princess within the status system known as the Six Princess Ranks—the highest rank. Warrior Princess was a title meaning direct subordinates of the six consorts, corresponding to quite high positions within the pack. When a consort died in the line of duty or was demoted, the next consort was selected from among the Warrior Princesses—if I said they were consort candidates, would that convey their high status?

However, though the female teachers held high status, since the more excellent ones were selected as Upper School teachers, both sides with their high pride developed rivalry, and as a result repelled each other like oil and water.

Normally, Lower School teachers never set foot on Upper School grounds, and similarly, Upper School teachers never set foot on Lower School grounds. Naturally, both teachers violating each other’s territory was impossible without considerable reason.

So when Lower School female teachers finished a day’s work and settled down, it wasn’t at the luxurious commercial facilities in Upper School, but rather at a small bar quietly standing in a corner of Lower School.

Further west than the student dormitory west of the main school building. Behind the teachers’ lodgings stood that bar. Black triangular roof with white brick walls. The interior was dim with a chic atmosphere drifting through. Light stones were placed at key points, vaguely illuminating the surroundings with faint orange light.

That day, Meika, exhausted from an emergency staff meeting, came to the bar with her proud vertical roll curls bristling in anger, and sat down at the six-seat counter. The innermost seat from the entrance. The rightmost seat facing the counter. That was Meika’s reserved seat.

“Extra strong poison liquor. On the rocks.”

“Coming right up.”

When Meika spoke languidly, a cheerful voice returned from beyond the counter. The female bartender wearing a plain dragon robe was around 30 years old in human terms. In dragonkin years, probably over 300. Certainly older than Meika, but since the bartender’s rank was the low status called Flower Princess, she vented her complaints without reservation.

“Honestly. This is intolerable. Why must I even clean up their mess?”

Though the interior also had four-seat tables, the female teachers each had reserved counter seats and didn’t use the table seats. The bartender woman responded while taking ice from the cooler.

“It’s been tough day after day. But if the Princess suffered serious injuries, it can’t be helped, can it? I hear the General Consort is quite furious too.”

Ice dropped into the glass with a clink.

Poison liquor was poured with a glug-glug and placed before Meika with a thunk. Draining this in one gulp—

“I understand. That I bear partial responsibility for approving it at the Lower School meeting. But this is the responsibility of field supervisors Instructor Mion and Instructor Fūga. In the first place, it was all Instructor Mion who decided the expedition site would be Beast King Forest and restricted weapon carrying. I said there was no need to go that far!”

Slamming down the glass with a bang, Meika wiped her lips with her sleeve and said “Another.”

Bringing the second poison liquor to her lips, this time taking just a small sip—

“What do you think, Mama?”

The bartender called Mama furrowed her brows with difficulty. The female teachers were her superiors in terms of rank. Moreover, every one of them was a regular customer at the bar. Probably she couldn’t easily badmouth them. After hesitating a bit—

“Even if you say weapons would’ve helped somehow… I’m a non-combatant, so I don’t really understand…”

She played it safe and dodged the question.

At that fence-sitting attitude, Meika scowled without caring that her heavy makeup was collapsing.

“Instructor Mion is a master swordsman, and Instructor Fūga is a wind magic expert. With proper equipment, there’s no way those two would lose. Even if the opponent was an apocalypse-class monster.”

The title Warrior Princess that the female teachers held was a title granted to those with ability second only to the six consorts. Meika took pride in being a Warrior Princess, and similarly acknowledged the abilities of other teachers of equal rank. That’s precisely why she couldn’t accept it.

—Why didn’t they carry weapons?

“That’s because, you see. Since we prohibited students from carrying weapons, it wouldn’t set a good example if we teachers took up weapons.”

Turning around, no one was there. Had she drunk too much—judging it a hallucination, when Meika tried to face the counter again, her sleeve was pulled firmly. Following the pull and lowering her gaze, a young girl’s bun head was just barely visible.

“Really! Meika-san is as rude as ever. Just like Kishō-kun.”

Hearing that name, Meika shook her head as if her ears were defiled.

Then she snapped at the minimal female teacher of equal rank to herself—Fūga:

“Don’t mention that name in front of me. It’s unpleasant.”

Fūga, who’d taken the third seat from the left facing the counter table as if climbing up, placed her order in a carefree tone saying “Poison beer, large mug” and plastered a smile on her childish face.

“Since he’s engaged to the Princess, you can’t treat him coldly anymore, you know?”

A shadow fell over Meika’s face, flushed red from intoxication.

“I-I know that. But… acting high and mighty just because he’s the Princess’s fiancé. I still can’t accept it.”

Fūga giggled and gulped down the large beer mug that had been served.

“Do you think the Princess would choose a man without ability?”

Choked for words, Meika averted her gaze. As if in sour grapes—

“A young girl drinking beer… At first glance, it’s quite a problematic picture.”

“How rude! I’m a proper adult lady! Please don’t say things like Kishō-kun would!”

Instructor Fūga raised both arms angrily with a huff. At that adorable gesture that even real young girls would envy, even Meika’s venom was drawn out and she smiled wryly. As if pulling herself together, she tossed two peanuts from the small dish into her mouth and washed down the spreading saltiness with poison liquor.

“That matter… well, fine. I have no right to interfere with the Princess’s love life. But the Beast King Forest matter is separate.”

Fūga, who’d already drained her poison beer, made a sour face. After ordering additional poison beer, the young girl muttered with difficulty:

“Mm, you still can’t accept it?”

“Of course not. Because of you people, even our summer special practicum was canceled. On top of that, staff meetings day after day. Isn’t this lightly a crisis for the academy’s survival?”

Staff meetings day after day—that alone would still be fine. The essence of the problem was that the General Consort’s daughter had fallen into serious injury, and this was a blunder that could cost Academy Director Seiran her position if handled poorly. And if the director fell from power, Meika, her direct subordinate, would also lose her job.

“In fact, commanded by the General Consort, the director departed the academy to enter the palace. The capital Black Emperor Castle is a two-day carriage ride away. Four days round trip. During that time, we’ll be on pins and needles. Ah, if only dragonkin territory had transfer gates, we’d know the results much faster.”

Alliance Consort Seiran was currently en route by carriage to Black Emperor Castle, the capital where the Dragon Emperor resided.

The transfer gates Meika mentioned referred to large-scale magical devices connecting space between two distant points, but dragonkin who hated having their territory violated absolutely never placed these transfer gates in their own lands. Therefore, when traveling through dragonkin nation, one had no choice but to rely on primitive transportation means, and this was the same even for the six consorts of noble status.

“Even so, no one could have imagined an apocalypse-class monster would appear.”

“However, if you’d just carried weapons, you could have managed somehow. Students die during practicum every year, but precisely because those deaths occur after taking all precautions, the bereaved families can accept it. But this time was different, wasn’t it?”

If the Princess had died—just thinking about it was terrifying.

The young girl hung her head dejectedly and became docile.

“But that’s…”

“I know. It was Instructor Mion’s decision. The arrogance that magical beasts didn’t require taking up weapons—that caused this incident.”

Meika understood this was hindsight. Who could have predicted an apocalypse-class monster would appear in Beast King Forest? There were valid reasons it had been approved at the Lower School meeting and even passed the director’s approval. That was an unfortunate accident.

But it was also fact that the worst situation could have been prevented if they’d taken all precautions and at least the teachers had carried weapons.

“I said it many times. At least the teachers should carry weapons.”

“But but, we couldn’t do that in front of the students.”

“Any student who complains teachers are cheating should just be expelled.”

Saying extreme things lightly. That was Meika’s bad habit.

But Meika felt no guilt. She had no use for students who couldn’t follow academy policy—she truly thought so. Order was necessary to make Central prestigious. And she absolutely wouldn’t forgive those who disrupted that order and sullied the prestigious name.

“And one more thing. I heard the Princess’s figure wasn’t seen from the first day.”

Suddenly, Fūga’s eyes, which had been cornered, glinted sharply. She raised her downturned face and floated a defiant, provocative smile.

“So are you saying we should’ve put a collar on the Princess?”

At that truly insolent statement, even Meika turned pale.

The Princess inherited her mother’s status. In other words, Princess Kuroyō, whose mother was General Consort, held status equivalent to General Consort. At the academy, due to the teacher-student relationship, teachers held higher positions, but normally she was someone before whom one must kneel and bow one’s head. And yet, this young girl—

“Isn’t that far too disrespectful? She’s not a dog… If the General Consort heard of this, you wouldn’t have your life.”

At that time, Meika would likely be implicated by association too.

Shuddering, she meaninglessly looked around the interior where no one else was present.

“Where is the General Consort?”

“You’ve drunk too much. Please moderate yourself.”

Dead drunk, Fūga leaned limply against the counter seat’s backrest. Her tongue slurring, she rattled on:

“Beast King Forest is vast. And there are 150 students. Watching only the Princess is impossible. We didn’t even know where she was going… so we had no choice but to put a collar on her.”

Faced with the troublesome young girl who’d begun rambling drunkenly, Meika was at a loss. This conversation continuing was extremely bad. Even if the General Consort didn’t hear directly, just being tattled on would worsen her position. For example, the bartender before her might not necessarily avoid becoming an informant.

“I understand. I understand, so. Student management during special practicum wasn’t perfect on my part either, so blaming you for that was wrong.”

The young girl gnawed on the additionally ordered monkshood root like dried squid while collapsing face-down on the counter with an “uhhh.”

“It’s fine. I’m just child-level thinking ability anyway.”

While saying such things, she began sulking while rubbing her cheek against the counter. Hit with a ramming attack like a suicide bombing, Meika let out a big sigh. To the annoying bun-headed young girl, she said with powerlessly drooping shoulders:

“You’re more troublesome than a young girl by exactly the amount of your bad drinking habits.”