My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 073.2: Interlude: The Princess's Recruitment Activities

The Princess was a very capable woman.

If you were to ask how capable, the answer was that if you left everything to her, everything went well—she was capable to the extent that everyone thought so. Rather, if you meddled unnecessarily, the situation might worsen instead. This was the case with the Beast King’s Forest incident and the Elesia Ichnosis incident, too.

That was why Kishō thought he wanted to let the Princess act as she pleased. But on the other hand, there was a reason he could not let her be free. After all,

“Listen well. Kishō is an excellent man. In the future, he will definitely become a big shot. Just as the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, Kishō’s great success is also determined by the world. In that case, who you should follow is obvious, right.”

Because she started giving speeches, gathering the female students of the Lower School like that, he was troubled.

Even if he conceded a hundred steps (though he didn’t want to concede) and tolerated a harem, recruiting female students of the Lower School one after another was going too far. If he left her alone like this, a huge harem would almost certainly be formed.

When he woke up in the morning, he was surrounded by unknown women.

Such a thing could occur not in a dream but in reality. One might think it was a delightful situation, but for the person in question who did not desire it, it was mild horror.

However, the Princess said without caring about such things.

“Lowest grades of the Lower School. You probably think you are not worthy of Kishō, but it is the opposite. Kishō is not worthy of you.”

What the Princess was trying to gather were not the Six Consorts. She was trying to gather Warrior Princesses, who would become subordinates of the Consorts, from the female students of the Lower School. Selecting Warrior Princesses from among students was an exception among exceptions, and it seemed even Upper School students did not do such reckless things.

But, she announced triumphantly.

“I intend to serve Kishō with wholehearted devotion and eventually raise it into the number one flock in the world. Rather than settling into being a mediocre Consort, a Warrior Princess serving a supreme ruler is far more valuable. In that case, who should you follow? Even if you regret it later, it will be too late.”

The plaza in front of the entrance. Empty classrooms. On the stage for swordsmanship training. If there was a chance, at every place, the Princess started a speech.

At such times, he ordered the gathered crowd to disperse, took the Princess’s hand, and withdrew from the place, but

“It is just like an elopement, isn’t it.”

Because she said things like that with a happy face, he could not get angry even if he wanted to. And that such a her seemed cute to him was also probably the cause why his response became half-hearted.

If there was a chance, the harem expansion movement would resume.

That spearhead was not limited to students of the Lower School—it included Dragonkin.

This was an event at the dilapidated hut the other day.

“Is it true that you have no relatives?”

“Yes. I have become a person all alone in the world.”

“I hear you are from Westport, but do you think you want to return to your hometown?”

“……No. Just in case, I have a house, but since it was a journey where I brought out all my fortune, I have no means to earn a living.”

“Hmm. Being a merchant’s daughter means you have commercial knowledge, right?”

“I am good at arithmetic and negotiation. I can also keep books, and I have confidence in appraisal. Even like this, I traveled around the world since I was small.”

Stopping her hand taking notes on the parchment, the Princess nodded exaggeratedly.

“Hoh, isn’t that a special skill that seems quite useful.”

“I wonder. But, if there are no funds to become the capital, I can do nothing.”

“Rest assured. We will prepare that here.”

“Eh?”

The narrow, dilapidated hut. Across the long desk, in front of the Princess, Alice dressed in a waitress uniform was sitting with her back straightened. At the sight just like an interview, Alice with a confused face tilted her head.

Ignoring such confusion completely, the Princess said confidently without reading the atmosphere.

“If you enter Kishō’s flock, we are comrades. Of course, we will provide support.”

“Um, by flock… do you mean I should enter Kishō-kun’s harem too?”

“It is not a harem! It is a flock. Do not lump it together with a vulgar harem.”

At the Princess’s strong, assertive tone, the timid Alice trembled her shoulders with a startle.

“Um, but, Dragonkin people marry multiple wives, right. Isn’t that a harem…”

“Wrong!”

“Um… uh… I’m sorry.”

For some reason, Alice bowed her head.

“Kishō will become a big shot in the future. Human resources who can assist that are necessary.”

“Um, the Dragonkin race is a species where power is justice, right. I have no power, you know.”

“There is a word called ‘right person in the right place.’ The way of thinking that power is everything is outdated.”

The face of the Princess who declared so was slightly flushed, perhaps from excitement.

“While the flock is still small, establishing an economic base is difficult. What becomes important there is managing the household budget. For us Dragonkin, household budget refers to the income and expenditure of the entire flock. Experience as a merchant’s daughter should surely be useful.”

In this form, recruitment activities were carried out even on Alice, who was not familiar with the culture of a flock. If Kishō didn’t intervene to stop it, the momentum was such that she might continue recruiting until she said, “Yes.”

But, Kishō was also beginning to understand that that was the Princess’s love. She was acting entirely out of good intentions for the sake of their future. That was why Kishō worried. Because he ended up thinking that if only he compromised, she could become happy.

However, Kishō had been taught since childhood to love only one woman. That imprinted value system did not allow the compromise called a harem. He felt that loving other women was a sin, and he just could not make up his mind.

“Being a half-dragon is also quite a troublesome thing, isn’t it ~.”

What pulled Kishō, who was sunk in recollection, back to reality was the exasperated voice of the little girl teacher.

“If you leave everything to the Princess, you can live a life of ease, you know ~. Despite that, that you have strange fixations is probably because human blood is mixed in, isn’t it ~.”

Fūyō with the bun hair said while devouring a white steamed bun.

A box of Premium Manjū Set (6 pieces) that the Princess ordered from the commercial facility of the Upper School was placed on the long desk that had seen better days. The little girl teacher reached out for the last one.

“Sensei, that is my share.”

“Eh ~, you don’t have to be stingy, do you ~.”

“Since it’s one per person, please follow the rules properly.”

“Adults get two, children get one, you know ~.”

“By that logic, my share is zero, though?”

Staring at the little girl sulking with cold eyes, Kishō sighed.

“In the first place, why is Sensei in the dilapidated hut?”

“Sensei’s room is under renovation because Elesia and the Princess broke it, you see ~.”

“Come to think of it, I forgot, but Sensei was also a victim, right. Because you are too optimistic and have no sense of tragedy, I forgot.”

“Muu-! What a rude student you are! What rudeness to this me who is the highest rank of the six Princess ranks—”

“Ah, that line. The fake one already said it, so it’s been done.”

“So what if it’s been done! Don’t talk about the real me as if I’m a fake!”

Indignant! The little girl throwing a tantrum by moving both arms like that was the spitting image of Fūyō played by Elesia Ichnosis. Kishō shrugged his shoulders.

“With this, one really can’t tell the difference. No wonder she could act it through for five years without being noticed by anyone.”

“Am I that similar ~?”

“Yes, I still can’t tell the difference between the real and the fake.”

Noticing that the little girl licking the bean paste off her fingers was casually glancing at the box of Premium Manjū Set (6 pieces), Kishō pulled the box toward himself. The little girl directed reproachful eyes at him, but ignoring that gaze, Kishō returned to the topic.

“As I thought, am I strange?”

“Kishō-kun who robs steamed buns is a mean child ~.”

“No, so this is my share… wait, not that, I mean the story about the flock.”

“Well, it is strange, you know ~. You should just keep women around appropriately, you know ~.”

“You say that, but. Please put yourself in my shoes and think. The other day, she started saying things like if I introduce one person I get 2 points, and if the introduced girl brings another girl I get 1 point bestowed. It’s completely a swindler’s trick, isn’t it.”

“What are points ~?”

“No, the important part isn’t there. It’s the story that the recruitment methods are gradually becoming forceful.”

What the Princess was recruiting were not Six Consorts to be wives, but Warrior Princesses to be subordinates. Since the flock stabilizes the more multi-talented human resources gather, she was working hard and putting effort into recruitment activities. But,

“If it were Six Consort treatment, it would be one thing, but with Warrior Princess treatment, people won’t gather easily, right ~.”

“To push through that unreasonableness, it’s becoming gradually radical. I think no one will bite even if left alone, but I cannot wipe away the anxiety.”

“That is true ~. Even Sensei was recruited, after all ~.”

“Even Sensei!? There’s a limit to being indiscriminate!”

“That said, institutionally it is possible, you know ~. Accompanying as an attendant at the time of marriage itself. However, there is no precedent of making a Warrior Princess an attendant, and it might be true that she lacks discretion ~.”

“Sensei, I’m begging you, please stop her. Even if I say it, she won’t listen.”

“That would be impossible, right ~. …Ah, come to think of it. A while ago, too, she was giving a speech around the entrance ~. She was saying something like if you invite friends and join in a group of ten, she will present the seat of Kishō-kun’s Consort to one person by lottery ~.”

“!?”

He kicked the chair and stood up. Kishō screamed in despair.

“Don’t do things like tie-in sales!?”

“Because by winning against Instructor Mi’on, Kishō-kun’s evaluation in the Lower School is rising… possibly volunteers might appear, you know ~.”

… Kishō’s face became pale. He can’t stand having a woman he doesn’t even know well set up as a Consort without permission. As if kicking the door open, Kishō left the dilapidated hut.

“He is a restless one, isn’t he ~. The Princess says he is a vessel of a Dragon King, but if you ask me, he is still a child, you know ~.”

The little girl left alone in the dilapidated hut muttered so keenly, pulled the box of Premium Manjū Set (6 pieces) closer, and popped the last steamed bun into her mouth.