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

Meika had decided to heal a day’s fatigue with alcohol.

The student she’d scorned as incompetent had become engaged to the Princess, and dissatisfied Meika was disturbed. Today too, she’d vent complaints to the bar proprietor and feel refreshed—thinking so, she headed to the usual bar.

The time was midnight.

Light rain had begun falling.

Though unfortunate rain, from the teacher dormitory’s rear to the bar was door-to-door two minutes. A distance where she could return home without assistance even drunk beyond belief. Holding a Japanese umbrella and proceeding at a light jog, she could arrive without getting especially wet.

Better to drink at this cozy, hideaway-like bar than the Upper School commercial facilities. Meika, who truly liked flashy things, told herself so while brushing rainwater droplets from her wet dragon robes and opened the bar door.

Two patrons already sat at the counter.

Pointed glasses and a haughty beauty—Instructor Mion—and a low-height young girl who’d be lost if not sitting—Instructor Fūga—sat amicably side by side in reserved seats. At the two whispering in small voices about something, Meika furrowed her brows.

“Secret conversations again, you two.”

Taciturn Instructor Mion with mature allure, and chatty Instructor Fūga with childlike appearance. Though complete opposites, they got along surprisingly well, sometimes drinking together until morning.

Meika sighed and lowered herself into her reserved seat at the counter’s right end. Then ordering the usual poison wine on the rocks, she knocked it back with complaints about the male student as accompaniment.

“Good grief, becoming engaged to the Princess has made him even more cocky. Though one of the basest origins acting however tough, once entering society, dying quickly is the way of the world. I’m looking forward to that moment.”

The bartender forced to accompany complaints as always inserted appropriate responses while polishing glasses squeaky-clean to avoid dampening Meika’s spirits. Feeling good at the attentive customer service, Meika downed the first glass in one gulp, slammed the glass onto the counter with a thunk, and ordered additional poison wine.

Though unrequested, a large platter of skewers was placed on the counter along with the poison wine.

“However, not completely spineless… apparently. To defy Seiran-sama—I couldn’t do something so audacious myself. Hehe, men who can’t get serious about the woman they love have no value, but men who can get serious while still students are rare. Regarding that point alone, that male student may have promise.”

Biting into charcoal-grilled skewers, she chewed reddish meat blocks. Washing the meat juices spreading in her mouth with knocked-back poison wine, Meika continued in good humor with reddened face.

“Though, even with resolve, it’s meaningless without accompanying ability. Marrying the Princess with a status of no aptitude attribute—very, very impossible.”

Shaking her head slowly with bitter laughter mixed in, Meika suddenly turned left. The two, Mion and Fūga, still huddled together whispering about something.

Those two are always like that, Meika thought. Basically Fūga took the speaking role while taciturn Mion thoroughly listened. Their compatibility stemmed from those gears meshing perfectly. At those two, Meika shrugged:

“If you’re conferring that thoroughly, you won’t perform such failures again, right? I absolutely refuse such troublesome matters twice.”

Meika had intended it as a joke, but contrary to expectation, Fūga’s small shoulders jumped with a flinch. At that ominous reaction, her rain-dampened heavy makeup cracked audibly.

“Wait, Fūga-sensei? That blatantly… don’t tell me you two have caused something again?”

“N-no such thing…”

“Ah, this is troublesome.”

Just as the young girl flailed arms and tried to cover up flustered, Mion tilting a wine glass beside her readily acknowledged it. And—

“What!? One female student is missing!?”

At the earth-shattering content conveyed, Meika screamed hysterically.

Dragonkin as a race absolutely never permitted harm to companions. If a consort was harmed, it developed even to war regardless of same race or other races, and even otherwise, merely companions being harmed could become major enough problems for top executives to move.

And this academy was part of the Dragon Emperor’s pack, and students too took the form of belonging to the Dragon Emperor’s pack while students. Meaning, if a student went missing within academy grounds, supervisory responsibility would be taken by Seiran as academy director, and even the possibility existed that other hot-blooded consorts might storm in taking advantage of this opportunity.

“That’s bad. Originally, Seiran-sama who just assumed consort position didn’t have that much influence. Adding the previous incident to that, Seiran-sama’s influence has declined. If a missing person situation further comes to light…”

Whoosh—a chill ran through her whole body, and Meika embraced herself shallowly.

“Apparently one person was short during roll call before bedtime.”

Perhaps imagining the same thing, the young girl spun words anxiously. Meika immediately stood shaking her vertical roll curls:

“This is a serious matter. Let’s report to the academy director immediately.”

“That won’t do.”

Objected to by Instructor Mion who’d maintained silence until now, one crack formed in Meika’s heavy makeup.

“What!? You intend to neglect reporting obligations?”

“I discussed with Fūga, but we shouldn’t report yet. Every year, one or two female students sneak into the boys’ dormitory. Making it a big deal would result in expulsion.”

Making packs while a student was forbidden by academy regulations. And packs were established the moment consummating with the first wife. If, as Instructor Mion said, she’d snuck into the boys’ dormitory, that meant a man and woman had been alone together in an enclosed room. Then as a natural progression, it would be interpreted as having consummated, with high possibility of expulsion.

If the female student got expelled, that was still acceptable. The problem was the male student partner. If the male student couldn’t graduate from the academy, no peerage would be granted and he’d become unmarked. Unmarked was synonymous with criminal branding, and once unmarked, peerage could never be granted again. Advancement opportunities were eternally lost, meaning death in dragonkin society. Therefore failing standards were set low, and even if failing, expulsion wasn’t necessarily automatic.

Meika closed her eyes and bit her lips tightly.

“No, rules are rules. If expulsion is appropriate, they should be expelled.”

“That’s harsh. What if the female student just forced herself in? The male student would be like a victim.”

At the young girl’s covering fire, Mion shallowly lowered her chin and nodded.

“For example, could you still say so if Meika-sensei’s favorite Seikan were the male student partner? He’s popular. The possibility is plenty sufficient.”

Meika choked on words.

Meika liked excellent students. She especially favored Seikan.

“Always, always, you two cooperate by agreeing together like this… good grief, I don’t know whose puppet strings you’re dancing to. The Beast King Forest incident too—there’s no backstory like ‘actually there was more to it,’ right?”

Breathing lightly, Meika sat back down at the counter seat. Mion shrugged, and Fūga began making the rotating counter seat into playground equipment spinning round and round.

“There’s no such thing.”

Astounded by her fellow teacher, who had returned to a childlike state—or rather, had remained childlike in both appearance and heart—Meika ordered alcohol from the bartender. Taking a sip of the poison wine that was served to her:

“Mion-sensei keeps silent? You can’t lie, after all.”

Though implicitly suggesting something shameful existed, Mion showed no signs of biting. Picking a fragment of cheese appetizer and tossing it in her mouth, Meika said:

“Well, fine. I’ll give face to Mion-sensei who oversees Lower School and back down here. But only for one day. If she’s not found by tomorrow evening’s roll call, I’ll report to the academy director. Understood?”

Obtaining both’s agreement, the problem was postponed.

Toying with the glass in hand, while gazing at ice making clinking sounds, Meika looked up at the heavens as if tracing memories.

“Come to think of it, about five years ago, there was an incident where a Lower School employee went missing.”

“Ahh, that time was also terrible. Such a huge commotion.”

“But ultimately, they were found the next day, right?”

“That’s right. Discovered immediately, but mysteriously had become amnesiac. Apparently several years’ worth of memories had fallen out.”

Though horror season had ended, this was an eerie story. Meika placed the glass in hand onto the counter, shook her head slowly, and sighed.

“Feels somewhat similar to this situation. Memory loss is troublesome, but I hope they’re found safely.”

The light rain that began at midnight soon stopped, but instead strong wind began blowing, bringing thick black clouds.

A storm was about to arrive at the academy.