My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 046: The Lost Secret Technique

Lower School, girls’ dormitory.

Of Lower School’s total 450 students, 375 were female. Naturally, the girls’ dormitory occupied five times the area of the boys’. While all male students across all grades fit in one building, the numerous females didn’t work that way. Therefore the girls’ dormitory was divided by grade into three buildings total.

This was the girls’ dormitory first-years used. One room on the third floor.

The room wasn’t especially spacious. A wardrobe, study desk, and simple bed for sleeping.

The appearance was that of a commoner’s home. But one girl sat there unsuited to such shabby space. Just her presence added colorful brilliance to the desolate space, making the poor room shine as if a noble’s mansion.

A peerless beauty. The girl possessing rare beauty—Kuroyō—closed a book with a snap. On the study desk, an orange lamp dimly illuminated the surroundings. The title read “Attribute Factor Inheritance Theory.” Gazing at notes written on parchment and repeatedly ruminating in her head on the logic she’d constructed, Kuroyō nodded deeply.

“Seems there’s no mistake.”

Folding the parchment, she tucked it into her dragon robe sleeve.

Then, suddenly thinking of something, she approached the window. Opening the small window, strong wind blew from the pitch-black space. Kuroyō’s black hair fluttered disheveled.

Kuroyō hesitated over whether to quickly convey this major discovery she’d just found to her beloved. Though not particularly urgent business, imagining his delighted face made her feelings rush ahead.

The move from decision to action was swift.

Without placing feet on the windowsill, she lightly leaped over. From third-floor height, her delicate body fell vertically with gravitational acceleration.

Thump.

She landed elegantly with almost no footsteps. Impact resonated mildly through her whole body.

With meager expression, as if nothing had happened, Kuroyō began walking briskly. Though still in indoor slippers, she didn’t mind such details.

“Hmm. There’s a presence. This way.”

While bathed in night wind, she circled the garden intending a stroll.

She heard water babbling. A narrow stream could be seen merging into a pond reflecting the moon. There she’d been defeated by Kishō. Events from just one month ago were vividly recalled and felt nostalgic.

Wandering casually, she passed the stone altar where Black Dragon Stone had stood. The sharply bisected Black Dragon Stone remained only its lower half. Yes, there Kuroyō had fallen in love. Before overwhelming [Sword Ki], she’d become convinced he suited her as master.

Royalty, nobility, high aristocracy—after challenging bloodline heirs to duels for years. The one man who’d beaten the undefeated Kuroyō. That was Kishō.

External lights were installed on the stone-paved path, and white shining light stones dimly illuminated the way. Walking the stone path floating in darkness, the stage made of White Dragon Stone where she’d faced Kishō in mock battle appeared. The stage illuminated by moonlight shone pale blue and mystically. Like a theatrical stage.

“Hm, oh it’s Kuroyō. What’re you doing in a place like this?”

A voice called from the stage’s viewing seats. Kuroyō turned expectantly.

“Kishō!”

Her voice bounced. Kishō scratched his head looking slightly troubled.

Kuroyō carefully arranged her disheveled bangs.

“Night training again? You’re diligent.”

“Well, yeah. Mom told me never to neglect [Ki] training. Plus I need to get even stronger.”

Feeling as if told he was working hard to marry her, Kuroyō relaxed her meager expression. Then, tilting her slender neck questioningly:

“You’re not using the practice sword anymore?”

Looking, a practice sword lay on the white stage as if tossed.

Kishō jumped down from the viewing seat’s meter-high step and approached while opening and closing his hands. Coming right before Kuroyō, he held out a clenched fist:

“Can you see this?”

He said with a face like a child who’d thought of mischief.

As told, Kuroyō stared carefully at the fist.

—It only looked like a clenched fist.

When Kuroyō shook her head sideways, Kishō made a triumphant face.

“Well yeah. This is called [Fighting Ki]. It’s kind of like [Sword Ki]’s cousin. Same as [Sword Ki], only those who’ve reached that realm can see or feel it.”

She’d once heard from her father the Dragon Emperor.

Wrapping [Ki] around a sword and sublimating it becomes [Sword Ki]. Similarly, wrapping [Ki] around fists and sublimating it becomes [Fighting Ki]. And making one’s own body into a blade to fight was called martial arts or combat techniques.

But that should have been a lost secret technique. Martial arts couldn’t beat swordsmanship. So it declined. Now no one used it, excluded even from academy curriculum.

“You’re training in martial arts…?”

Therefore, Kuroyō’s question becoming suspicious was unavoidable.

“Want me to teach you something good?”

Kishō showed a grin. At that uncharacteristically innocent smile, her chest leaped with a thump. Kuroyō secretly placed a hand on her chest while maintaining outward calm.

“What will you teach me?”

“For now, sit here.”

What he indicated was the stage’s edge. Sitting as told, he also lowered himself beside her similarly.

“Stay still.”

“—Hih!?”

A lukewarm sensation ran across her back, and Kuroyō gave a small scream.

“K-Kishō? What are you—”

“…………”

It was a palm.

Something lukewarm crawled slowly teasingly along her spine. Though not unpleasant since it was Kishō’s palm, thinking he was touching her made her heart’s pounding unstoppable. Ba-dump ba-dump sounds shook her eardrums directly from inside her ears.

A body rigid with tension. Leaking breath.

“Hyauh!”

Even a strange voice leaked out. Kuroyō went red to her ears.

Suddenly the palm’s movement stopped around her waist.

“Hmm. Around here, huh.”

“Huh?”

It was a mysterious sensation she’d experienced for the first time in her life.

[Ki] throughout her body activated and gained heat. Her body flushed, and she could visibly see redness coloring her white skin. And [Ki] circulated to every single strand of hair, making her long black hair float up despite no wind. [Ki] flowing through meridians throughout her body undulated, bringing sweet numbness to Kuroyō.

“Ngh, uu…”

Breath naturally leaked from her mouth.

Control of her body gradually disappeared. No strength entered her legs. But perhaps because Kishō supported her back, she felt no anxiety. Unknown sensation gently enveloped Kuroyō.

“Ah, ngh… uu… This is—”

Gradually she felt part of the [Ki] circulating her body begin gathering to her right hand against Kuroyō’s will. A membrane of [Ki] began dimly covering her fist. Something unbelievable was happening.

“Impossible! You’re manipulating my [Ki]!?”

Manipulating another’s [Ki]. Even Kuroyō was stunned at that outrageous absurdity beyond standards.

The hand touching her back gently withdrew. Then the [Ki] that had gathered at her fist lost order and began dispersing. At that sensation like something being lost, Kuroyō felt reluctance. Her body’s flush also cooled.

Releasing the arm that had been embracing Kuroyō’s waist, Kishō exhaled as if taking a deep breath.

“[Sword Ki] and [Fighting Ki]. Though sharing [Ki] as their source, they possess different properties—similar yet distinct. Mastering both becomes a guidepost to reach even greater heights. My family’s creed. Keep it secret from others. It’s just our secret.”

Index finger to lips, making a shh gesture.

Just our secret. At those sweet-sounding words, her chest heated again.

“That’s what you mean by those heights?”

“Still developing. As understanding of [Ki] deepens, I can manipulate others’ [Ki] like I just showed, and even disrupt [Ki] flow to rob freedom of movement. Just wanted to show you that.”

Manipulating others’ [Ki]. Even the dragonkin’s strongest man, her father Kokuren, couldn’t perform such outrageous feats. Yet this man lightly shrugged as if it were nothing.

“You underestimate your own ability too much.”

“Not really. I’m still just a fledgling.”

“That’s not true!”

An unexpectedly loud voice came out. Kishō also widened his eyes in surprise at the volume.

Placing a hand on her chest, she felt hot pounding. Kuroyō regained her disturbed breathing and maintained outward calm as much as possible.

“You don’t understand at all how incredible this is.”

Though saying [Sword Ki] and [Fighting Ki] casually, it took ordinary people a hundred years to master [Sword Ki]. If [Fighting Ki] existed at the same heights as [Sword Ki], mastering both alone must have required considerable hardship. Moreover, training them simultaneously even more so.

“Do you train every day?”

“Yeah. Continued daily since age five. Mom was strict. So as told, just [Ki] manipulation constantly… yeah. Swordsmanship improved together in that process.”

The result of unceasing effort over ten years.

But that wasn’t a realm reachable without talent. Only when the talented accumulated training could they finally reach that pinnacle of power. As one born with the same heaven-sent talent, Kuroyō could understand this more deeply than anyone. And simultaneously, she felt infinite possibility in his unfathomable talent.

Feeling her face flush despite trying to maintain calm from excitement, she lowered her gaze to hide it. Pressing her hand against her chest that wouldn’t stop pounding, Kuroyō changed topics.

“What kind of person is your mother, Kishō?”

“What kind of person… Well. Usually gentle, but incredibly scary when angry.”

“Gentle people are scariest when angry. Father taught me that too.”

“Haha. So His Majesty the Dragon Emperor has things that scare him.”

“I’ve heard he was a maverick.”

Scratching his cheek, Kishō looked up at the moon sparkling in the heavens.

“Huh. Come to think of it, my mom’s also unconventional. There was this official from the royal capital. Under the pretext of tribute to the royal palace, he tried to forcibly conscript young women. Argant’s plaza fell into chaos, but Mom happened to be there and apparently beat up even the escort royal guard knights and repelled them.”

“Ho. What an audacious mother.”

“Yeah. Might just be a tendency to snap though.”

“However, human society differs from ours, correct? Wasn’t that a problem?”

“Strangely it was fine. Apparently there was a war shortly before I was born, and Mom left major achievements then. So the lord probably protected her—that became the rumor around town.”

Since she wouldn’t speak about it herself, the rumor’s truth was unknown, Kishō said. And he peered at Kuroyō’s downturned face and tilted his head suspiciously.

“By the way, did you need something from me? We promised you wouldn’t go out at night.”

Remembering the reason for her visit, Kuroyō pondered. And considering her pounding chest and flushed body, she flashed a very sweet and attractive clever idea.

‘(Right. Even with moonlight, I can’t have him look at the materials I brought here. Then this is absolutely not improper behavior.)’

Telling herself so, the scheming Kuroyō smiled mysteriously.