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

South of the Lower School Main School Building.

Exactly midway between the Fountain Plaza and the Main School Building, there was a large clock tower.

That clock tower, crowned with a large bell that signals the start and end of classes, finishes its role completely at this time in the evening and fell silent. Partly because of the storm-like gale, there were no students around. Everyone seemed to have withdrawn to the student dormitories early.

Black clouds were swirling in the sky.

The surroundings were already wrapped in darkness no different from sunset. Occasionally, lightning flashed with a snap, tearing through the darkness and roaring with thunder. The wind had weakened somewhat, but large drops of rain like bullets fell as if to punch through the puddles on the ground.

In such a storm, there was a shadow walking while relying on the light of a lantern.

A beautiful girl, for whom the description of being the number one in the academy was far from sufficient, walked briskly along the promenade leading to the garden without disrupting her stride while holding a Japanese umbrella. From her dignified behavior overflowing with noble elegance, it can be inferred that she was of considerably high status.

However, the corners of her mouth were curled up into an evil shape far from noble. The reason she could not completely hide her true nature was that an unexpected result had been brought about.

“To think she would really offer up her body for the sake of her sworn sister. It seems you were much more naive than I thought, Princess of the Dragonkin.”

While swaying her long, glossy black hair, the beautiful girl laughed, “Fufu.”

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Since the clock face of the target clock tower was made of luminous stone, its location can be clearly understood even from a distance. However, the appointed time was approaching, so she cannot take it slow. The face of the clock tower visible in the distance was about to point to six o’clock in the evening.

Kuroyō put forth one condition in exchange for offering her own body.

—Do not inflict a single scratch on Kōran.

It would be extremely doubtful whether a murderer would keep such a promise.

Therefore, a Soul Contract was used for the fulfillment of the condition. A Soul Contract was a forbidden curse that took the annihilation of the soul as the price if the contract was not fulfilled. Note that the contract was concluded via a summoned demon, and judgment regarding the fulfillment of the contract was entirely entrusted to the demon.

The specific content of the contract was as follows.

Elesia must not inflict a single scratch on Kōran.
Kuroyō accepts Elesia’s Soul Transmigration technique.

Now that the contract was concluded, she cannot lay a hand on Kōran no matter what happens. This was because if she were to lay a hand on her, a penalty heavier than death called the annihilation of the soul awaits. In other words, even if her true identity was seen through by Kōran, Elesia cannot dispose of her to silence her, and even if she were to be attacked, absolutely no counterattack was permitted.

And what makes this contract truly terrifying was that the interpretation of the exchanged contract depends on the demon. In short, it can turn out however the demon felt like.

For example, even indirect negligence that was not intentional—releasing an “End” grade monster into the academy and Kōran being hurt by the monster’s hands—could be regarded as non-fulfillment of the contract.

(Unexpectedly, it might be a troublesome restriction. It had the effect of protecting not only Kōran but also the teachers and students of the academy. It might be a plot where if I do not know my place, I will be suspected by the closest Kōran and cornered.)

However, one must say that offering one’s own soul and body in exchange for that was foolish after all. Elesia sneers inwardly.

(Having your soul compressed, crushed, and processed into a vessel to tie down my soul, how do you feel right now—Princess of the Dragonkin? Ah, no ego remained, did it. A-hahahahaha!)

Joy. Complete victory over an existence that looked down on her. However, even in a situation where it wouldn’t be helped if she got carried away like that, Elesia was diligent in her acting. She consciously creates a scarce expression, and walked gracefully from a dignified and corrected appearance.

No matter who looked at her, she was Princess Kuroyō herself. Elesia had the confidence to deceive even her sworn sister Kōran and her mother War Consort Rakuyou. She monitored every single move of Kuroyō and hammered all of her habits into her memory. It was different from the merchant’s daughter she played impromptu. It was impossible to see through her absolutely.

While wetting her body in the sideways rain, Elesia arrived at the entrance of the clock tower. Folding the Japanese umbrella, she opened the heavy oak door and slid her body inside the tower. Inside the tower where the spiral staircase continued, the fire of lamps was lit brightly.

“You’re late. I was worried.”

A boy appeared from the darkness where the light of the lamp did not reach. He was a plain male student with no features worth mentioning. Elesia stopped at just nodding calmly. Wearing a relieved expression, the boy slowly approached.

Kuroyō and the boy were engaged. Elesia judged that just standing here was unnatural. Straightening her back, she walked gracefully with a stride that was neither too large nor too small.

The physical distance between the two shrinks. Under the spiral staircase swirling overhead, the two kissed as if their shadows overlapped.

Even though his loved one was made into a dead person, the boy, knowing nothing, stood before Elesia wearing an innocent smile. Looking down on that foolishness from a super high altitude, Elesia sneers.

This moment was unbearable. Foolish men who love by layering skin with the hateful enemy who was the very person who stole their lover, without knowing that their loved one had been lost. While living through an eternity until now, she had met such fools many times. Each time, Elesia gets drunk on ecstasy in her heart. This time was more pleasurable than anything; it was the moment when her sadistic nature was satisfied and she was wrapped in euphoria. To the extent that she even felt gratitude towards the foolish male student.

Then, a suspicion crossed the cautious Elesia’s mind there.

—Does this boy not know of the existence of Elesia Ichnosis?

If Kuroyō did not come to the clock tower by six o’clock, she was to tell everything to Headmaster Seiran. If so, shouldn’t she consider that he knew everything? In that case, they might have prepared some password to identify the person herself. If he utters words that feel out of place, she won’t mind—let’s just kill him as was. Elesia decided so in her heart.

Of course, nothing beats being able to deceive the boy completely. That was the ideal. Now that she had safely obtained the target’s body, Elesia also wanted to avoid the commotion becoming unnecessarily large. Besides, the cleanup still remained. She must dispose of Fūyō and Alice in an appropriate form at this opportunity. She cannot afford to increase her work in a place like this.

Taking out a knife from the hem of the dragon robe, she held it hidden in her palm so it became a blind spot. If she thrusts it into his chest together with [Sword Aura], the boy who cannot use the [Abyssal Mist] will likely die instantly in one blow. While bracing herself for caution like that, but with natural movements, Elesia wears a thin smile and waited to see the opponent’s move.

However, without the boy throwing words—

“————!?”

Her slender body was hugged strongly, strongly, so strongly that it seemed it would break. She was wrapped in the boy’s warm body together with the cold, wet dragon robe. Whether from tension, or from cold, or perhaps from the joy of embracing a beautiful girl, the boy’s body was trembling little by little.

“Kuroyō. I couldn’t say I love you to you for a long time. You might think I’m a pathetic man, but I was embarrassed. I couldn’t be honest. But you yearned for a guy like me, didn’t you. You tried to devote yourself wholeheartedly, didn’t you. That’s why I—”

Sweet words were whispered in her ear. She thought she would vomit. But, in the next instant, a powerful impact ran through her abdomen. Elesia’s body collapses to the ground helplessly from the great shock that was enough to tilt the earth.

Lurching.

The ground tilted. The world swayed diagonally. Her vision was distorted, and she was losing her sense of balance. Elesia’s body—no, the slender body of Kuroyō which she took over and made her own was taking damage and tilting.

And, the boy was directing eyes that look down on her from the bottom of his heart towards his beloved lover—no, towards Elesia.

“You are Elesia Ichnosis, aren’t you. Don’t think you’ll get away for free after stealing the body of my beloved woman. I will absolutely not forgive you.”