My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 060: Unexpected Ambush

Thunder roared through the night darkness.

The castle-like Lower School main building. A single streak of light racing through the darkness illuminated as if exposing the figure hidden on that triangular roof.

Lying face-down on the triangular roof, showing only half a head from the triangular main ridge, that person watched the girls’ dormitory. Drenched head to toe from cold rain. Chilled to the core, yet paying no heed, carefully observing the girls’ dormitory.

“Having made a big move, they’ll surely strike within days.”

That person burning with quiet fighting spirit—Kishō—spoke while wringing the rain-soaked, heavy dragon robe sleeves. Additional rain immediately pelted down, so it held little meaning.

Below lay the girls’ dormitory in the foreground, with the teachers’ dormitory beyond it. From this high position, he could capture both in his field of vision and monitor them.

The violent thunderstorm that began around noon showed no sign of abating even past midnight. So why was Kishō enduring rain and cold in such a place? To protect the Princess’s safety.

Kishō was an expert regarding [Ki]. Combining keen senses that read [Ki] changes with such visual monitoring, he could immediately detect abnormalities.

The thunderstorm disturbed the atmosphere’s [Ki], requiring more concentration than usual, but compared to daytime when students came and went, it was somewhat better.

He’d confirmed all six female teachers entering the teachers’ dormitory. Since then, not one person had left the dormitory. Meaning, if Elesia Ignoosis lurked among the teachers, the Princess was safe. The only exception was academy director Seiran, but watching the girls’ dormitory meant preventing interference either way.

Being pelted by rain all night was nothing. Combat race blood awakened consciousness and blew away drowsiness.

“According to Kōran, nighttime academy barriers prevent external intrusion. Meaning, attacking using the female student who fled the academy is impossible. So by holding down the head position here like this, I can definitely catch her tail. Cunning killer or whatever, if she shows her tail, I won’t show mercy. I’ll absolutely kill her.”

The image of the Princess lying on the ground like a broken marionette surfaced in his mind.

His back teeth ground together with a creak.

“I’ll definitely repay the debt from Beast King Forest. Definitely.”

Heart filled with hatred, he clenched his rain-soaked fist tightly. Kishō glared at the teachers’ dormitory roof spreading below. The culprit who broke the Princess like a shattered marionette was in there right now. Just thinking that made his guts boil, threatening to lose his composure. When he identified the culprit, could he remain calm?

“One thing’s certain—if they try to thrust a blade at Kuroyō, I won’t hesitate. I’ll cut them down like before. Even if it’s a female teacher.”

His resolve was genuine, and his actions contained no mistakes.

Only one miscalculation existed.

◇◇◇◇◇

Upper School grounds housed many commercial facilities.

The shopping mall was one of them, and the massive facility containing numerous tenants had completely ceased operations due to the late hour, gates firmly closed.

Inside the shopping mall after even staff had gone home.

Lights extinguished, footsteps echoed across the darkened marble floor as a walking shadow progressed. Red and black dragon robes. Hair tied in back, silver earring in left ear. Strong-willed eye corners and sharp crimson pupils gazed only straight ahead.

Inside the shopping mall, glossy marble paths continued straight, with square-cut tenants packed on both sides. The mall was three stories, and looking overhead revealed aerial corridors stretching like a maze.

Before the Six Heroes statues in one corner of the mall, Kōran stopped abruptly.

Gently, she touched the cold bronze statue.

“……”

After contemplating the person born before her for a while, she turned away with a huff and sat on a nearby wooden bench.

“I knew. That Onee-sama’s chosen person was excellent.”

Half-dragonkin with no aptitude attribute.

If he truly matched his reputation, Princess Kuroyō couldn’t have fallen for him.

But no matter how excellent—even if, as her sister said, he possessed a Dragon King’s caliber—Kōran’s heart wouldn’t flutter. Because that heart was filled without a single gap by Princess Kuroyō.

Closing her eyes, she recalled the past.

She’d met Princess Kuroyō at age five.

◇◇◇◇◇

Since gaining awareness, Kōran had no memories of pack life. What she remembered was only days spent continuously moving through sand-swept desert areas, hand held by her mother Seiran.

Her mother was a “stray,” a dragonkin without a pack. Strays held no territory, so could only wander various places. Staying in one location would clash with other packs asserting territory.

The near-constant walking life was harsh for a five-year-old.

Caught by soft sand, she’d tumble down with a thud. Each time, her mother gently lifted her up and stroked her head. Though the harsh journey made her want to cry countless times, thanks partly to her naturally strong-willed personality, Kōran managed to follow her mother’s back.

In the desert’s barren land, water was most important.

But fortunately, she needn’t scramble to secure it. Seiran’s aptitude attribute was water, allowing her to generate water from the atmosphere using water magic.

The more fertile the land, the fiercer territorial disputes became. Conversely, the less valuable the land, the lower the probability of competition—yet even so, packs too weak to win territorial disputes flowed toward barren lands.

Then even in worthless places like deserts, packs asserting territory would clash.

Even if her mother had no such intention, if opponents judged territory violated, combat would begin whether or not. Fortunately, since her mother Seiran was skilled, she could protect Kōran and survive to this day even outnumbered. However, in addition to harsh wandering life, her body had already reached its limit from repeated combat aftermath, completely battered.

In such circumstances, the one who extended a helping hand was the Dragon Emperor’s General Consort Rakuyō, who’d come on expedition to the desert pursuing rebellion remnants.

She said:

“Become my subordinate. You have reasons for not belonging to a pack, but wandering life with a daughter is unreasonable.”

After agonizing, her mother accepted this proposal.

She learned this later, but dragonkin females who lost masters apparently faced tragic fates. Killed, absorbed into victor’s packs as slaves, or fleeing to become strays. Apparently her mother had fled defeat and become a stray.

And strays became objects of contempt among dragonkin. Unable to die in loyalty to masters, unable to kneel and beg victors’ forgiveness, fleeing pathetically from self-love—that was dragonkin society’s evaluation of strays.

Slaves, depending on their work, could be judged as devoting loyalty wholeheartedly and given promotion opportunities. But strays weren’t given such chances. Rather, couldn’t even be incorporated into packs in the first place. Loyalty couldn’t be expected from dragonkin females who couldn’t die in loyalty to masters and fled alone.

But General Consort Rakuyō was different. Advocating true meritocracy, she recruited excellent individuals whether strays, slaves, or other species, treating them equally as her subordinates. And as Seiran met those expectations, her position improved, eventually receiving the vacant Alliance Consort title.

And the night her mother formally received the Alliance Consort title, Kōran met Princess Kuroyō.

“Kuroyō. Pleased to meet you.”

With expressionless face, she was offered a handshake with stiff greeting unthinkable for a five-year-old.

Her beauty already reached considerable heights even then. And despite a physique smaller than Kōran’s, she wore a dignified, noble aura making her presence seem large.

Princess Kuroyō had no peers who could defeat her, not even older boys. At five, she’d finished learning magic scheduled for academy completion, and looking through dragonkin race’s long history, a prodigy like her was said to appear perhaps once in a thousand years.

Dragonkin females liked strong males. But Kōran’s first love was Princess Kuroyō. A noble, beautiful, overwhelming powerhouse. That love continued even now.

“Kōran. Value pack companions. You’re no longer a lone wolf.”

“Yes! Onee-sama!”

Following Princess Kuroyō like a chick, she answered energetically.

“Kōran. High-handed attitudes alone won’t make people follow.”

“Yes! Onee-sama!”

Entranced by her sister’s beautiful face, the words didn’t enter her head.

“Kōran. Don’t try getting by with tricks. Look at the bigger picture.”

“Yes! Onee-sama!”

Princess Kuroyō was Kōran’s everything.

If she decided to marry, Kōran must follow.

◇◇◇◇◇

Sunk in reminiscence, Kōran reacted with a twitch of her long, refined, strong-willed brows and slowly raised her face. Rising from the bench.

Inside the depopulated mall. She sensed a presence in the space sunk in darkness.

“Someone there?”

Kōran’s high-pitched voice echoed through the empty space.

No response returned. But she still sensed the presence.

Kōran quickly looked left and right. No human figures.

Daily visits paying respects to the deceased. Never once had she sensed such a presence before. Precisely because of that, the human presence drifting in darkness was eerie.

Currently past midnight after the date changed. Students faced curfew, and mall staff had long since gone home. The mall was currently strictly locked, accessible only to management-class personnel. Without the special position of academy director’s daughter, even Kōran couldn’t enter the mall.

Meaning, if someone lurked, they could only be royalty transcending academy regulations, or outlaws.

Suddenly, she recalled the missing female student. But the academy was like home to Kōran, and she recognized security as perfect. That complacency let the girl suddenly appearing from darkness successfully ambush her.

Something like compressed air slammed into her abdomen, and her body floated from intense pain and impact. Blown backward, she was slammed against a pillar.

“Guh… Who are you?”

Though staggering, Kōran stood using the stone pillar that struck her as support.

Alarm bells rang through her brain. She’d taken major damage.

Instantly, combat race blood switched Kōran to battle mode.

She tore off the silver earring like ripping it away and channeled [Ki] through her clenched fist.

—Fire Ring Spear.

The vertically long octahedral earring roared and transformed into a blazing crimson spear. Swinging the long spear around, she took a stance thrusting the blade tip forward.

Only then did she visually confirm the opponent. Kōran furrowed her brows.

“A human? Why is a human here?”

A blonde girl stood as if melting into darkness. That girl wrapped in a dress suggesting Western origin made her blue eyes shine eerily like moonlight.

“Out playing this late is naughty. Perhaps bad children need punishment.”

“Who are you?”

Toward the blonde girl calmly advancing, Kōran challenged sharply while maintaining a flawless Fire Ring Spear stance.

“Hehe, roll call before bed has ended. Meaning, even if you disappear, it won’t cause a commotion until tomorrow.”

Floating an evil laugh, the girl raised her voice in high laughter.