My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 075: I'll Forgive You with a Kiss as a Reward

A tree-lined road with lingering autumn extended straight ahead.

With the luxurious Main School Building of the Upper School in the background, a single girl stood tall on the red brick road. Her crimson eyes shining, she looked down upon them.

Her black hair, tied into a single ponytail behind her, had one strand extending to the ground, as if symbolizing the strength of her will. The red and black dragon robe woven from high-quality fabric was unmistakably the uniform of the Upper School. Her presence was like a burning fire as she stood towering over them.

“I am not impressed with bullying the weak.”

“Just in case I’ll say it, I was the one who was picked a fight with, you know.”

Even if she was an Upper School student, it left a bad taste in his mouth to be thought of as threatening girls without cause. At Kishō’s defense, the girl—Kōran—raised the corners of her mouth slightly.

“I know. Because I was watching.”

“In that case, don’t say things that sound bad to others.”

“But, it is a fact that you are stronger, right?”

“Is it okay? Saying such a thing. Won’t the pride of the Upper School students be hurt?”

Pointing at the three Upper School students who were watching the exchange between the two with their mouths open, Kishō said. However, at that point, Kōran flatly dismissed them with her arms folded, saying, “I only stated the fact.” A merciless assertion that didn’t mince words. Bathed in such dishonorable words, the Upper School students, who seemed to have high pride, looked at each other’s faces. Then, the female student in the center who seemed to be the leader opened her mouth timidly.

“Um, Kōran-san. Is he an acquaintance?”

A polite tone checking Kōran’s mood, completely changed from the time she spoke to Kishō. Just by that short exchange, their power dynamic was clearly understood. However, the words released next were indeed unexpected.

“Acquaintance or whatever, he is my fiancé.”

“Ha?”

For a moment, Kishō thought his head had gone strange. Three months had passed since the Elesia Ignoosis incident was resolved. In that time, perhaps he actually deepened his friendship with Kōran and developed into that kind of relationship—Kōran’s attitude, as if it were only natural, made his brain hallucinate like that for just a moment.

However, no matter how carefully he scanned inside his brain, no such fact could be found at all. Poking his head, which was about to bug out, Kishō started to open his mouth to complain. But, faster than that, high-pitched voices unique to girls resounded.

“Oh my !? You were Kōran-san’s fiancé !?”

Changing completely from the hostile attitude until a while ago, the Upper School students let out excited cheers and began making their eyes sparkle. They bowed their heads.

“We have been very, very rude.”

“Well, fine. I’ll forgive you.”

“No, forgive them !?”

Kōran accepted the Upper School students’ apology without permission. Kishō retorted reflexively, but thinking it would be questionable to complicate the story expressly, he kept his mouth shut. Instead, the Upper School students started whispering.

“Oh my, oh my. He has already had the reins grasped by Kōran-san, hasn’t he.”

“But that he was recognized by Kōran-san means he is a person of corresponding ability, right.”

“They say you cannot judge a book by its cover, but it seems it is dangerous to judge only by origin or appearance. If this were a wilderness, we might have been dead.”

The label of—a man recognized by Kōran—seemed to be acting in a strongly positive direction, and it appeared to have fundamentally overturned and overwritten the Upper School students’ previous evaluation.

While feeling overwhelmed by that immense power, since the title of Kōran’s fiancé was against his will, it was complicated for Kishō. Considering the purpose of coming to the Upper School, it was desirable for his evaluation to be revised upward, but he couldn’t honestly be happy about an added evaluation due to a mistaken recognition.

Should he correct the information immediately or not? Kishō hesitated in judgment. However, that was a mistake. Kōran’s following words were like this:

“Well, he’s a man who can do reasonably well. Still a long way to go compared to Kuroyō, though.”

At that condescending way of speaking, this time Kishō retorted with full force.

“Don’t blow a fiancé wind with full confidence !?”

“Oh my, are you embarrassed? We are supposed to be engaged, though.”

“Haa!? Since when did we become fiancés?”

“So, then. Want to get engaged a little?”

“Don’t say it like ‘Want to have tea a little?’ !? That’s not a ball you can throw with such a light mood, you know, that.”

“Is that so? I hear newlyweds kiss every morning.”

“That’s why, since when did we become newlyweds !? No matter how you look at it, a flirting, lovey-dovey atmosphere isn’t drifting between us, is it.”

“A cold draft is blowing, isn’t it.”

“You understand well, don’t you !”

Suppressing the feeling of wanting to hold his head and scream, Kishō told himself to cool down. And he asked, trying to be calm.

“What exactly are you intending? For the Dragonkin, if they get engaged, the value of the woman drops, right? There’s no merit for Kōran in telling such a lie, right.”

“Something like that is decided. To create a fait accompli.”

“Haa!? Are you a demon !?”

“I was taught by Kuroyō that in times like this, one fills in the outer moat first.”

“If you seriously intend to fill in the outer moat, that’s a place you shouldn’t admit, okay !?”

That her actions were inconsistent was probably because she was executing the strategy taught by Kuroyō straightforwardly without thinking deeply. Speaking well, a single-minded personality that cannot lie. Speaking badly, a muscle-brain who was bad at petty tricks. The clumsy woman easily confessed the core of the operation, and turned away with her arms folded.

With this, if she showed even a little sign of embarrassment, she might look a little cute, but unfortunately, there was no sign of that. And yet, the incoherence of pressing for a kiss. Not leaking from the example of the Dragonkin race, Kōran was also quite a beautiful girl, so visually she didn’t look so bad. But, if you followed just the text, there was something chilling.

Then, Kishō, who was sinking in the sea of thought, noticed that the surroundings were buzzing, and raised his face. For some reason, the Upper School students were starting to make noise.

“Oh my ! They are on good terms, aren’t they.”

“That Kōran-san who hates men has finally found a prince.”

“I wonder where exactly she took a fancy to him.”

Twitch, a blue vein stood on Kishō’s temple.

“Oi, you were watching the exchange just now, right? Where and how do you cut it to make us look like we’re on good terms?”

“They say the more you fight, the better you get along. Do you not know?”

“By that logic, certainly the compatibility between me and Kōran is the best… wait, like that’s possible !! As you see, our compatibility is the worst, us.”

Saying, “Kya!” at that shouting voice, the Upper School students ran away like scattering baby spiders. Only Kōran and he were left on the tree-lined road.

“You, are you still saying such things like a bad loser? The good fortune of being able to make me yours is a story a normal man will have no connection with for a lifetime. Accept it and give up already.”

“Conceding a hundred steps, if you say you are in love with me, I understand. Yours is different from that, right.”

Not even 1 millimeter of romantic feeling was included. Faced with her attitude asserting so without hesitation, Kishō’s loss of strength became immense. Peeking into the face of Kishō, who began to show fatigue so early, Kōran tilted her head wonderingly.

“Oh my? While I haven’t seen you for a while, you came to make a good face, didn’t you.”

“Ah?”

“I see. Confidence is something that appears in daily behavior. I wonder if there was some change of heart. Well, if you are to marry Kuroyō, that much resolution is necessary, isn’t it.”

Leaning her slender, tall body forward, Kōran nodded with satisfaction. Her cheeky eyes seemed to break into a smile slightly, softly.

At that behavior, which was natural for a girl but alien for Kōran, Kishō was captivated for just a moment. However, he immediately shook his head, thinking he saw something rare.

“Just right. Can you guide me through the Upper School as is?”

“No.”

“Immediate answer !? Worry a little.”

“Why do I have to do such a troublesome thing.”

“You are a fiancé (self-proclaimed), right. In that case, guide your future husband at least.”

“If no one is watching, it doesn’t become a fait accompli, right.”

“Is that so…”

That stance was unwavering to a refreshing degree. To the girl single-mindedly devoted to her Kuroyō, Kishō lost strength and nodded. “Well fine, the Upper School Main School Building was right in front anyway,” switching his mood, he started walking.

And he added one word as if remembering.

“Though Kuroyō told me to rely on you.”

Before he could finish saying it, the cuff of the shirt of the person who started walking toward the Upper School Main School Building was grabbed suddenly. It was not a modest one like pinching with fingertips that girls often do. Grabbed with unreserved, superhuman strength that will definitely cause wrinkles, and then pulled with all might in the opposite direction of travel. At that surprise attack, Kishō lost his balance and stumbled.

“Oi, what are you doing.”

“Say such things quickly.”

“Ah? What?”

“There is no way ! That this me ! Would betray Kuroyō’s expectation !”

Saying so, Kōran threw her chest back proudly. Despite her slender figure, quite a volume stood tall on her chest. Kōran, with an I-told-you-so attitude and arched chest, pulled his arm once more.

“Now ! We are going quickly !”

Saying so, she started walking as if leading the way on the red brick road sandwiched by autumn leaves. In a form of being pulled, Kishō also followed after her. While gazing at the single strand of black hair swaying behind her, he spilled in a whisper as if remembering.

“Come to think of it, did Kuroyō say it? That if I mention her name, it will go smoothly. Was it this kind of thing?”

“Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. I feel like I gradually came to understand how to handle Kōran.”

“? What story?”

“No, a story over here. It’s a soliloquy.”

A cold wind blew, rolling up the colored leaves of autumn to the sky. Yellow fallen leaves piled up on the red bricks, drawing a contrast of red and yellow on the ground.

Suddenly, he remembered the Dragon King Tree where he met the Princess. Surely that tree should be planted on a road diverting one from here. Since it was early winter now, it must be bearing blue leaves.

“Blue amidst autumn leaves, that must be quite a scene with a sense of incongruity.”

Muttering in a small voice, he thanked the fateful encounter.

Kōran, going ahead, said with a clear voice while looking straight ahead.

“Dragonkin girls serve their master with wholehearted devotion, and demand a reward, you know.”

“Ah, Kuroyō also often thrusts her head out saying ‘hand over a reward,’ doesn’t she.”

“So. If you know, the talk is fast.”

“Hm?”

Kōran turned around and made a face saying ‘I got you’. That was an innocent face.

“I’ll forgive you with a kiss as a reward.”