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

Crimson reflected against black cloth.

Upper School uniforms stood out clearly enough to be recognized at a glance even from afar.

Lower School main building. A girl stood on just her tiptoes atop the blue triangular roof’s peak, directing a sharp gaze toward the wave of students spreading below. Powerful sharp light dwelled in crimson twin pupils. Upturned eyes giving an aggressive impression with a straight nose. Hair tied together in the back, one tuft of black swaying in the high-altitude strong wind.

Holding a bright red spear called Fire Ring Spear in her right hand, lowering it toward the roof as if stabbing.

Quite a conspicuous appearance, but no one noticed her existence.

After school. Afternoon classes ended, and students finishing their daily duties successively achieved escape from the main building. Vigilantly surveying that crowd, the girl bit her thin lips tightly.

“Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.”

Her molars ground. Red blood dripped from bitten-through lips.

“I’ll turn you to charcoal.”

Then about twenty more minutes passed, and the girl captured her target in view. Her mouth corners lifted, and crimson flames rose from the Fire Ring Spear with killing intent. Spinning the Fire Ring Spear threateningly round and round, the girl jumped from third-floor height without hesitation.

◇◇◇◇◇

That day, finishing the last class, in the corner of the classroom that had disbanded and become sparse, Kishō stretched greatly. Since classroom lectures were elective, he’d parted with Ōka after history class and was now alone. The Princess apparently selected some difficult class, and regarding classroom studies in the first place, there were almost no opportunities to be together.

Standing up, Kishō looked around the classroom with fewer people. When eyes met with female students, gazes were smoothly averted. This was this, somewhat lonely.

“Right, about time.”

Kishō was poor with crowds. That he didn’t readily stop by the commissary was also to avoid congestion. Even when leaving school, he waited for other students to clear from the main building before setting out homeward.

Exiting to the corridor, female students who’d recognized Kishō’s presence opened paths as if taking distance. Rather than receiving special treatment, the feeling of being isolated was stronger.

Things had an order. Normally status rose little by little, and with it surrounding attitudes softened. Having transformed so rapidly from object of contempt to object of awe like this, even Kishō didn’t know how to respond.

During movement time for the previous class, while walking the corridor, a female student looking away had bumped into him. And the instant their eyes met when the female student lifted her strongly struck nose, fear ran across the female student’s face and she became teary-eyed.

She’d desperately apologized profusely, but of course he had absolutely no intention to eat her or anything. Like he’d become a barbarian himself, his heart stirred a bit unsettled.

Stopping by the locker room, he tossed in materials that had become unnecessary. Instead taking out a practice sword for night training, he inserted it at his dragon robe’s side.

‘(Why are dragonkin so extreme?)’

Thinking such things while descending stairs, approaching the entrance hall, he was called from behind. Turning around, a frog-faced man stood.

“Ah… third-ranked… um.”

“It’s Gudon! Remember already, damn it.”

Clapping hands in understanding. A familiar face. Hearing the name, he immediately remembered.

“So what do you want? Udon-kun.”

“Y-you bastard! Getting cocky just because you got engaged to the Princess.”

A reddening swollen face. Glinting hostile gaze. Strangely, affinity welled up for those bulging eyes. And simultaneously doubt also surfaced, and Kishō tilted his head slightly exaggeratedly.

“What, you. Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Hah? You picking a fight, bastard?”

Come to think of it, he recalled. This guy was a huge fool who’d pick fights without fear even with the Princess as opponent. Wouldn’t change attitude regardless of opponent. That was, in a sense, sticking to principles. Kishō honestly admired it and gave praise:

“Refreshingly foolish.”

“Y-you bastard!”

He’d intended it affectionately, but Gudon apparently didn’t appreciate it. The agitated him drew the practice sword inserted at his dragon robe’s side and took a stance. Wearing practice swords within academy was permitted, and Kishō also had a practice sword for night training at his side. Responding to a match right here and now was possible, but he didn’t feel like fighting.

“Quit it. You know you can’t beat me in swordsmanship, right?”

Gudon’s breath caught. Simultaneously the practice sword tip directed at him wavered with hesitation. In that opening, Kishō turned on his heel and walked off. Gudon’s abuse chased from behind:

“Wait, damn it. You running?”

Kishō ignored this. Because from the distance and presence of killing intent, he’d judged there was no intent to actually fight. Opening the small wooden locker, he took out outdoor footwear and slipped it on. Exiting outside from the entrance hall as if nothing had happened, a flustered Gudon chased Kishō’s back. At that moment—

—Killing intent.

Tremendous killing intent pierced Kishō’s entire body.

Not from behind. Overhead. From above.

Gaze upward. Turning toward the main building, looking up. Then—

—The sun was falling.

Scattering crimson flames, a sphere compressed with scorching heat flew into view. Simultaneously entering view: red and black dragon robe. Instantly recognizing it was one girl. Long hair tied together in the back. A familiar face. A spear held overhead wreathed in hellfire, falling as if stabbing down.

“Huh?”

Being dumbfounded was only the brief interval of an instant. His body moved on its own without awareness. He released a roundhouse kick toward the shaft of the spear stabbed down wreathed in hellfire. Their bodies crossed. A flame slash grazed his cheek while simultaneously kicking up the girl’s body over the spear, blowing her into midair.

Without losing balance, after hovering several meters, the girl gracefully landed on the stone pavement. Her impudent-looking mouth opened:

“Impressive. You’re pretty good.”

“Pretty good—isn’t the point! That was dangerous!?”

The cheek that had grazed flames throbbed painfully. Considerable heat. Taking it directly wouldn’t be a joke. While Kishō internally broke a cold sweat, the girl relaxed her sharp gaze slightly.

“Hmm. The man Onee-sama recognized… does seem worthy.”

At the girl who said so with a calm face, Kishō snapped:

“Don’t just convince yourself. Explain what’s going on!”

The girl’s name was Kōran. Daughter of Academy Director Seiran and the Princess’s half-sister. He’d confirmed her face once before the Lower School conference room, and once more in the résumé the Princess prepared.

At that point, Kishō felt déjà vu. Placing a hand on his forehead, he sighed. His head was starting to hurt.

“…No, no need to explain. I kind of get it. You too? Same type as Kuroyō who’d say something like demanding a duel.”

Perhaps angered by that exasperated attitude, Kōran’s pupils gained even sharper polish. Baring canine teeth, her whole body trembled with anger. Crimson flames resembling fighting spirit welled up from her body with a whoosh.

The face transformed like a demon blurred like a mirage, and the next instant had closed to right before him. Distance closed in an instant.

“Calling Onee-sama without honorifics… insolent!”

Slash! The crimson spear leaped into motion. Flames were drawn in the slash describing a half-circle, blazing fiercely in midair. Dodging at the last possible moment, Kishō evaded this with backstep.

“Hot!? Wait a minute, calm down! I’m engaged to Kuroyō, so calling her without honorifics is fine. Or rather, I get scolded if I don’t call her without honorifics!”

It had become somewhat excuse-like, but it was fact.

When treating the Princess specially, her meager-expression face became slightly displeased.

“No questions asked!”

Whoosh! The atmosphere before his eyes was scorched.

Dodging appropriately with backstep, with light steps Kishō took distance, but Kōran wouldn’t loosen her pursuit. Immediately closing distance, she dealt the next slash.

“No, at least ask questions!? Are all royals like this!?”

Dragonkin possessed nearly invincible resistance to fire attribute. But since Kishō was half-dragonkin, that nearly invincible resistance was also only half. Meaning, getting hit would hurt.

“Also, this heat level. Even pureblood dragonkin would take damage!?”

This was quite seriously no joke.

The location was the plaza before the main building. There should have been students leaving school.

‘(If there are injuries, it’ll be a major incident.)’

He glanced around.

He could see students who’d been mid-departure watching developments with wide eyes. That they’d properly taken distance—their crisis management seemed well-developed, very good. He also saw the frog-faced man sitting collapsed at the entrance hall’s entrance.

“Can’t be helped. I’d feel bad if there were injuries.”

“Oh my. You have leisure—not!”

After inserting one large sweeping attack, converting centrifugal force into powerful propulsion, the spear tip thrust out horizontally.

Kishō drew the practice sword inserted at his waist and countered to meet it with a blade wreathed in [Sword Ki]. Though attack power increased by harboring flames, weight from [Ki] was overwhelmingly superior for [Sword Ki]. As a result, the Fire Ring Spear was easily deflected, and Kōran staggered in place. Still, that she didn’t release her weapon to the surprise attack’s impact was proof of excellence as a warrior.

“I see. You can use that too. Though I can’t see it.”

“If you understand, quit already. It won’t end with just injury.”

Gripping the Fire Ring Spear with both hands, Kōran took a lower stance for thrusting.

“A commoner who doesn’t even know Onee-sama’s value talks big.”

Boiling-hot crimson twin pupils narrowed hatefully. At that intensity that would make ordinary magical beasts flee, Kishō nevertheless wasn’t losing. His mental aspect had been trained this half year. He wouldn’t cower from being slightly intimidated.

“I’m not ignorant either. I know she’s the General Consort’s daughter and this country’s princess. And that she inherits second-rank status. But so what? What’s that got to do with you? This is a problem between me and her.”

Kōran’s aggressive face distorted unpleasantly.

“Second-rank status? You really don’t understand anything.”

“What?”

Kōran kicked the ground vigorously. Leaving a flame afterimage, distance was closed rapidly. Kishō took interception stance. But that wasn’t necessary.

—Black chain restraint.

Suddenly, black chains shot from the ground. Undulating as if coiling, rotating, running in all directions never to let prey escape. As if each had its own will, they restrained Kōran’s entire body as she charged in low stance.

“Th-this is—”

Kōran hadn’t been unresisting either. Fighting back, she swung the Fire Ring Spear and directed it toward intercepting the black chains. However, the number of shot chains was orders of magnitude different. Clearly not an amount defendable with one stick.

And having finished restraint, the black chains sank into the ground as is, and Kōran’s body also sank as if prostrating.

“Tch, this magic… and this quality. Could it be…”

Helplessly having movement sealed, Kōran trembled her lips with tension in kneeling form. Then the next moment, one girl appeared from the entrance hall. Passing by the collapsed frog-faced male student, heading straight this way.

Even from afar, one could see she was trembling shoulders with anger. Kōran’s teeth began chattering. That person exhaled quiet anger from her mouth:

“What is this, Kōran? Depending on your answer, I won’t forgive you.”