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

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

Chapter 062: Sword Arts Instructor Mion

Original Title: 第62話　剣術担当・魅恩教諭

URL: https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330663874866572/episodes/16818093075659866184

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“You really don’t need to hold back?”

“Quite the confidence. Just come at me already.”

The vast white dragonstone floor.

Watched by one hundred fifty Lower School students, Instructor Mion faced him at distance, thrusting her practice sword’s blade tip forward and declaring loudly.

Powerful green-silver [Sword Ki] surged up its flames like a raging beast.

“I recognize that green [Sword Ki]… So you were the culprit after all.”

◇◇◇◇◇

The Experiment Building.

Two buildings existed on Magic Research Building grounds. One was the Teacher Building positioned north of the main building. The other was the Experiment Building positioned northeast of the main building.

The Experiment Building was a massive structure.

Each floor of the three-story building housed numerous magic experiment rooms and small research rooms. Apparently third-years received research rooms by mock pack units for the year until graduation to conduct advanced magic research.

And the Experiment Building contained the largest experimental space called First Experiment Room. The ceiling opened up through all three floors, capable of bringing in siege magic weapons. Thick white dragonstone walls with anti-magic processing could withstand any magical stress.

However, though constructed for large-scale magic experiments, First Experiment Room didn’t see much use. Therefore during rain, it quickly transformed into an alternative facility for other classes.

That giant space capable of storing siege magic weapons had more than enough room to accommodate one hundred fifty first-years.

Students each formed pairs, practicing sword arts by sparring with each other. Lined up evenly at regular intervals, serious expressions while crossing blades with practice swords in hand. Spirited shouts rose from all directions, the sound of wood clashing resounding through the experiment room.

Among them, two displayed an exceptionally high-level exchange.

“Hmm. And what did Instructor Mion say?”

The practice sword roared through air, grazing Kishō’s nose.

“That’s what I don’t get. Just to attend class.”

The blade tip flipped up from below sharply reversed simultaneously with the Princess’s advance, descending from overhead. An unnatural trajectory feeling weightless, achieved by wrist reversal alone. What made it possible was dragonkin’s extraordinary arm strength.

That sharply swung downward slash. Kishō received and defended it with his own practice sword. The opposite composition from when he’d won the nighttime duel.

A wooden tsuba clash occurred with grinding sounds.

“Strange indeed.”

“Yeah, what’s she trying to do?”

Forcefully pushing back from the disadvantageous position, the Princess danced lightly as a feather. Landing backward. Lowering the gracefully held blade tip, her expressionless face tilted.

“Is your body already fine?”

True to dragonkin’s astonishing recovery power, Kishō’s body had completely recovered by around noon. Though it couldn’t be called a cold for dragonkin, Kishō appreciated that consideration worrying about his body pelted by rain all night. Scratching his cheek bashfully:

“Yeah. Thanks for worrying. But somehow this is nice. Like a wife supporting her husband tired from work.”

At those casual words, the Princess’s face faintly reddened, a hand placed on her chest as if checking her heartbeat. But Kishō, imagining his future wife entering domesticity and getting excited alone, didn’t notice. The man who overlooked important information overflowed solely with enthusiasm:

“Don’t worry. Two consecutive all-nighters is nothing.”

The sparring match conducted in pairs. Stopping the exchange with the Princess he’d partnered with, he declared boldly with a thumbs-up. At that attitude that could be taken as a challenge in certain directions:

“Oh? Good nerve, Kishō. Not words I’d expect from a failing student’s mouth.”

A freezing, sharp voice called from behind, making Kishō’s spine bristle with goosebumps. Without looking, he knew who stood there. After all, this was sword arts class, and the instructor in charge—

“Right, Kuroyō. Let’s go one more round.”

Unable to turn around, he said such things while escaping reality.

His collar was grabbed firmly.

“Fix that brazen attitude too. Instructor Meika’s so noisy every night I can’t stand it.”

“I don’t know about that. Let go. I said it’s painful.”

“Then will you listen seriously?”

“I’m always serious, and it hur… got it, got it. I’ll listen. I’ll listen properly, so let go…!”

Finally released, Kishō turned while backstepping to create distance. At that exaggerated—though from Kishō’s perspective, perfectly reasonable—reaction, Instructor Mion raised her brows displeasedly. But slowly shaking her head and sighing:

“Well, fine. More importantly.”

Gorgeous green teacher’s dragon robes. A practice sword was drawn from gold-embroidered hakama, its blade tip thrust toward Kishō’s nose.

“We haven’t yet sparred, have we? Perfect opportunity. I’ll measure whether that skill is suitable for Princess Kuroyō.”

Surrounding students hearing the commotion stirred.

Footsteps on the floor and sounds of clashing practice swords stopped radiating outward from Kishō and company, male and female students standing frozen as gazes converged on one point. Strongly curious. An unfamiliar sensation for Kishō who’d been continuously scorned.

Glancing at the clock hung on the white wall. 5:28.

“Class ends in two minutes anyway. Let’s stop.”

“If you’ll marry Princess Kuroyō with sword alone, you need appropriate skill. Skill to convince not just the academy director, but General Consort-sama and His Majesty. Then who would recognize a coward who’d flee before his beloved woman in this place?”

The triangular glasses glinted. At that strong, decisive tone brooking no argument, Kishō nearly rebelled, but dragonkin instinct that wouldn’t permit desertion before the enemy suppressed the rising rebellious feelings by the scruff and whispered to fight. Instantly directing heightened battle will at the teacher.

“If I beat Instructor Mion, I prove my skill?”

“At minimum, I’ll recognize you.”

“I can go all-out?”

“Foolish question. Who do you think I am?”

—Warrior Princess.

That title given to powerhouses second only to the Six Consorts.

“Is that okay? Looking bad if you lose to a student.”

He took a middle guard stance with the practice sword.

[Ki] dwelling in the blade instantly sublimated to [Sword Ki], scattering flames raging in violet. Instructor Mion narrowed eyes behind glasses, raising mouth corners fearlessly.

“Limited to sword skill, I’ll acknowledge you’re first-rate.”

Tall Instructor Mion gripped the practice sword with both hands, taking a thrust posture as if raising it high. Legs spread wide, forward-leaning stance with lowered hips. Green-silver [Sword Ki] surged overflowing from that horizontally held blade. That green [Sword Ki] looked familiar.

Beast King Forest. Fourth day. The [Sword Ki] wielded by the killer who’d revealed identity was also green.

Muttering in a low voice.

“So you were the culprit after all.”

Anger enveloped his entire body. Both hands gripping the practice sword hilt tightened.

“You really don’t need to hold back?”

“Quite the confidence. Just come at me already.”

Instantly, he released [Sword Ki] all at once. Together with tsunami-like massive [Sword Ki], Kishō closed distance in one go. A slash swung down from high overhead as if slamming. That single strike released with intent to kill—Instructor Mion shifted her body’s axis, pulling herself from the slash trajectory, receiving with the horizontally held practice sword angled diagonally as if stroking. The point of force shifted, the wild strike parried aside like sliding down a slope. Simultaneously, a sharp counter-thrust was released.

“——!?”

That thrust aimed at his shoulder—Kishō twisted his body to evade, forcibly correcting collapsed balance to unleash the next strike. But this time she lightly evaded backward.

“Oho. This exceeds imagination. Understandable why Princess Kuroyō fell for you.”

Again, the horizontal thrust posture was taken. Raging green-silver [Sword Ki] wavered at the practice sword’s tip.

“No… way. She can parry that?”

A strike that bisected black dragonstone.

Even the Princess acknowledged defense was impossible. Then didn’t her skill in defending it mean she exceeded the Princess? Recalling Beast King Forest combat:

“Come to think of it, Kuroyō was getting pushed back too.”

Instructor Mion grinned.

“I’m also sword-specialized. Limited to sword skill, I’m confident I won’t lose even to Six Consorts.”

Equal to Six Consorts. That didn’t seem like bluffing. Instantly, trembling ran through Kishō’s entire body. It was warrior’s trembling. Dragonkin instinct before a powerful enemy switched to battle mode.

“Maybe I was looking down on you somewhere in my heart. Like female teachers are just pompous old hags.”

“Male-surpassing women exist, and I’m that type.”

“Six Consort-level, male-surpassing… honestly all that doesn’t matter. I’ll also set aside what you’re thinking for now. What’s important is I won’t forgive anyone who badmouths our marriage. If you’ll interfere with people’s romance, I’ll crush you with full force.”

Dispelling distracting thoughts.

Heightening [Sword Ki] as if honing it.

Concentrating solely on that.

Lower School students watched. But those gazes were completely severed from Kishō’s consciousness. Now only the powerful enemy standing before him was visible.

Concentration amid noise and concentration amid silence created vast quality differences. The suspicion she might be the killer likewise became a factor lowering quality. So he temporarily suspended that doubt, setting it aside. Now, just defeat the enemy before him. Concentrate solely on that.

Thump—[Sword Ki] pulsed.

Accompanied by risen violet [Sword Ki], Kishō advanced again.

Instructor Mion maintained thrust posture, apparently intending to meet the attack.

When they next clashed, students apparently saw the [Sword Ki] that should be invisible.

◇◇◇◇◇

The actual exchange lasted perhaps just a few minutes.

Yet that dense time felt both instantaneous and eternal.

“Hmm, splendid. My loss.”

The green dragon robes clothing Instructor Mion showed not even injury marks, let alone disarray. That proved she hadn’t mistakenly received even a single blow, yet she readily acknowledged defeat.

“Just when my body finally warmed up, it ends?”

Kishō, tension raised from the intense battle, felt dissatisfied and voiced complaints. But Instructor Mion slowly shook her head, peeling her right hand from the practice sword and showing her trembling palm. It was bright red.

“My arm’s numb and useless. Continuing further, I couldn’t withstand your [Sword Ki] and would die. Then you wouldn’t get off lightly either.”

“Wouldn’t get off lightly—you’re the one who proposed the match.”

“Indeed. But even if part of class, if a Warrior Princess who’s a Six Consort candidate died, it’d become a major problem. Expulsion at best, death penalty possible if negligence recognized.”

“Wait! If you’d mistakenly received it, I’d be expelled!?”

“Well, that’s how it goes.”

Whoa! Kishō retorted with full force.

“Don’t worry. As you see, my sword technique far exceeds yours. Mistakenly receiving it is virtually impossible.”

“Well, sure…”

Feeling something didn’t sit right, Kishō tilted his head.

Not just toward the unreasonable academy system.

Battle afterglow subsiding, his calmed mind issued dissonance. Eleshia Ignosius’s [Sword Ki] in memory was certainly green. But Instructor Mion’s [Sword Ki] just seen, though the same green lineage, had a slightly different shade—

Then, while standing frozen digging deeper into thought, he saw chestnut-haired Ōka running toward him.

“Amazing, Shō-kun. Even beating Instructor Mion.”

“That’s not… ah, no. Well, maybe.”

Though normally he’d be modest, recalling words about needing to demonstrate skill, yet feeling embarrassed, Kishō responded curtly.

“Look, the other kids seem interested in Shō-kun too.”

Looking around, hot gazes poured from female students. Moist eyes blinked as if expecting something.

“Didn’t you say being too different in skill means unpopular?”

“Mm, but still? Girls like strong boys?”

Ōka said irresponsibly and giggled.

Instructor Mion said to marry the Princess required demonstrating skill and convincing those around. But demonstrating skill also advanced the Princess’s harem plan one step—Kishō felt such a sense of crisis.

“Speaking of which, Yō-chan said she’s waiting at the clock tower at six.”

Told by Ōka, he looked around again. The Princess was absent.

Glancing at the clock hung on the white wall.

—5:40.

Rain pounding the Experiment Building intensified further.