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

Chapter 101: The City of Algant and the Veteran Ordo

The journey through the sky went perfectly smoothly.

Right on schedule, they reached the checkpoint of the Algant domain in about twenty hours.

The airship anchored in front of the checkpoint so as not to violate the domain’s airspace, and from there they rode on horseback towards the city of Algant.

It was a little past noon when they arrived at the city gate. Security was slightly tighter than usual, and a great many soldiers seemed to be heading out beyond the city. The soldiers at the gate were chatting among themselves, saying things like, “Seems dealing with the aftermath of the monsters is a real mess.”

After undergoing a simple baggage inspection, Kishō and the others entered the city.

He had already sent his mother a letter informing her that he would be coming home with his fiancee.

For the visit home, the Princess had chosen the Lower School dragon robes, with white as the base colour. Blue served as the accent colour for boys, red for girls. The modest, understated decoration would likely make them convenient for entering the city of Algant as well.

That was also the Princess’s way of showing consideration for his mother, who was no more than an ordinary commoner. She had said it would be rude to call on her dressed in anything too flashy.

Seiran, however, lay outside the bounds of that consideration, and the dragon robes she wore were gaudy enough to seem like the embodiment of self-display.

Her splendid and luxurious attire was proof that she was one of the Six Consorts. The dragon crest on her shoulder and the name “Kokuren” signified that she stood under the protection of the Dragon Emperor. In short, it existed to proclaim to all beneath heaven that she was one of the Dragon Emperor’s Six Consorts, and to intimidate others. That was, in fact, the original purpose of dragon robes, to prevent conflict before it began, but Kishō still could not help feeling a faint unease at how blatantly she ignored the Princess’s consideration.

And Seiran’s lack of cooperativeness continued to make itself known even after they arrived in the city of Algant.

It happened after they passed through the gate and left their horses.

When the Princess proposed that they buy a gift to take with them, Seiran bluntly said this.

“There’s no need to go out of our way to bring a gift. You are a noble Princess, and they are not even commoners, but ‘strays.'”

Even Kishō felt a flare of anger at those awful words, but more than him, the one who openly looked displeased was the Princess.

The colour of disgust rose to her usually expressionless face. Yet it vanished so quickly that it almost seemed like an illusion, and she returned to her usual dignified beauty. Her noble bearing remained perfectly composed. Narrowing her tranquil eyes as though she saw through everything, the Princess spoke solemnly.

“If a Princess fails in courtesy, it is no different from smearing mud on Father the Dragon Emperor’s face. Seiran-dono, do you intend to shame not only me, but Father as well?”

It was a quiet rebuke that brooked no argument. Seiran, glared at by the Princess, recoiled for only a moment, then immediately snorted and spat out abuse. Crossing her arms with brazen insolence, she stood there stiffly in visible irritation.

An awkward silence fell.

The Princess showed no sign of backing down either. She met Seiran’s gaze head-on, pressed her lips together, and took a confrontational stance.

In the end, perhaps unable to think of any effective rebuttal, Seiran let out a great sigh and shook her head. Then, after pointing with her chin at the teahouse behind her,

“Very well. I shall wait here, so do as you please.”

Without waiting for a reply, she disappeared into the shop.

At that utterly unapproachable attitude, the three left behind all let out sighs in their own ways.

“Thanks, Kuroyō. For getting angry on Mom’s behalf.”

“There is no need for thanks. Seiran-dono was excessively rude.”

“All right, all right, Yō-chan, calm down. We got permission, didn’t we? Come on, let’s go.”

Saying, “Come on, come on,” Ōka tugged at the Princess’s sulky hand. Naturally, with Ōka leading the way, they ended up strolling through the city of Algant.

The streets were lined with vendors, bustling with people. From all directions, voices called out to attract customers from the crowd, and the main street was filled with vitality and clamour.

Watching over the two girls walking ahead of him, Kishō let out a nostalgic sigh.

This area had always been like this. When he was little, he used to come here often with the neighbourhood children to buy hawthorn candy. As he narrowed his eyes at the nostalgic scene, a cheerful, chubby middle-aged man called out to him from the side.

“Hey there, young ladies. How about our castella? Want to try a sample?”

The Princess stopped and turned around. Kishō stopped as well so he would not bump into her back, and then,

“Right, right. They even had sample sweets and all. But they wouldn’t let kids have any. I remember just watching the adults taste them while wishing I could have some too.”

he said with a wry smile.

At the shopkeeper’s urging, the Princess took a bite of the castella on a bamboo skewer.

Their association had grown long enough that Kishō could tell.

The Princess’s face brightened.

“Well, she’s almost expressionless, though. Since she just looks blank, the shopkeeper’s getting confused.”

The Princess looked utterly pleased. It seemed she had taken a liking to the castella, and she beckoned Ōka over and began sampling it together with her. The two of them devoured the free samples without the slightest restraint, leaving the shopkeeper’s confusion to sink further and further into chaos.

However, this was the Princess. It was not going to end with her simply eating and being done with it. She took a money pouch tied shut with a string from her sleeve, turned it upside down, and dumped the contents onto the stall. A gold ingot as large as a fist rolled out with a heavy clunk. Then, right before Kishō’s eyes as he watched how things unfolded, the Princess puffed out her chest as if to say, Well?

“I shall take the entire stall.”

She said something outrageous.

While the shopkeeper and Ōka widened their eyes in shock, Kishō cut in with all his might.

“Hold on! What are you planning to do if you buy the whole stall?”

“I shall make it a gift for Mother-in-law.”

“No, no, no! She’d just be troubled if you gave her a gift that huge!”

“She would not. It is delicious.”

“I’m telling you there’d be nowhere to put it!”

“Muu.”

“Besides, unlike dragonkin society, over here we have this thing called currency. You can’t just hand over gold or silver directly. You have to exchange it first before you can use it.”

The Princess was a sheltered young lady. Her sense of money was off by more than an order of magnitude compared to ordinary people. On top of that, she knew little of the common sense of human society, and if she conducted transactions by roughly estimating with gold ingots, she could very well suffer a terrible loss.

Unable to just watch that happen, Kishō handed the shopkeeper two small silver coins.

“Give me two.”

“Much obliged!”

He received the wrapped castella and held it out to the Princess.

“Here. You’re making it a gift, right? Hand it to Mom yourself.”

“However, if I do not buy it myself, there is no meaning in it…”

“What matters with this sort of thing is the feeling. Besides, we share the purse as husband and wife, right?”

When he offered that bit of support to the dejected Princess, she reacted to the latter part, husband and wife, and lifted her face. Then this time she obediently accepted the wrapped package and clutched it firmly to her chest. She gave an adorable little nod. It looked like she would not let go now even if asked. She was hugging it that tightly.

Ōka looked over at him with a grin, but he ignored her. Ignored her. Then,

“Oh? Isn’t that the son of the Witch of Algant? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Just as he was about to turn on his heel and say it was time to head back, a voice called out to him from the crowd. A hunting cap, and a magnificent white beard grown out along the chin. His back was bent, but he carried no cane. Seeing the old man standing there, firmly planted upon the earth, Kishō broke into a smile and bowed his head.

“Good afternoon, Ordo-san. I’m back home for winter break right now.”

A former member of the Algant garrison, the veteran warrior Ordo stroked with his fingertips the deep sword scar that ran across his face. Then he moved those fingertips to his white beard, and while enjoying the feel of it,

“Ho, ho. I know. When I saw the Witch of Algant the other day, she spoke of it happily. Said her son was coming home, so she was going to make him something delicious.”

“Huh. Mom came into town?”

“Oh, she was positively giddy.”

Unable to picture his mother being giddy no matter how hard he tried, Kishō tilted his head.

“Mom, who’s so detached from the world it feels like she’s on the verge of enlightenment? Yeah, I can’t really imagine it.”

“Whatever you may say, she misses her son, you know.”

“I don’t think she’s that type, though.”

Shaking his white beard, Ordo laughed lightly.

“Ho, ho. You too have started to resemble your mother a little, it seems.”

“You think so?”

“Aye. I think you’ve become more manly. Far more so than a year ago.”

He had an idea of what the old man meant.

A year ago, Kishō had been much more introverted, and more timid by nature.

What changed that were the Princess, Ōka, and the many people he had met at the academy. Not all of it had been pleasant, but there was no doubt that he had grown stronger mentally.

“In any case, it’s a good thing diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country have been restored. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to attend the academy, or come home freely like this.”

“Ah, right, there was a big war before I was born, wasn’t there?”

“Indeed there was. I shall tell you that story in due time… but more importantly, lad, cheating is no good. The witch will be angry.”

Thinking it was no more than harmless small talk, Kishō had let his guard down, and Ordo struck him across the face with those words. Hit by a shock as if he had been punched in the face, Kishō’s eyes darted about in confusion and he shrank back.

“I’m not cheating on anyone!?”

“Then what are those two behind you?”

With the corners of his deeply wrinkled eyes narrowed, Ordo shifted his gaze to the two girls amusing themselves at the stalls. They were looking over the goods spread out on the ground, getting along as close as sisters.

There should have been nothing to feel guilty about, and yet for some reason his heartbeat sped up.

“My lover and my friend. So it isn’t cheating.”

“Hoh… your friend, is she…?”

As though escaping Ordo’s suspicious eyes, Kishō took a step back. For some reason his back prickled. What on earth was this guilt welling up inside him?

At his flustered state, Ordo laughed heartily and added,

“Oh, yes. It seems the witch has once again slain some fearsome monster.”

“A monster?”

“Aye, that’s right. Be it monster or dragonkin or whatever else. If it lays a hand on Algant, then it is an enemy. The witch will turn them all equally into dust. The reason we can enjoy security and peace is all thanks to the witch. A blessing, truly.”

With a ho, ho, Ordo laughed and resumed walking.

“Wait a second. What are you talking about?”

Without answering Kishō’s question, the old man merely fluttered a hand and disappeared into the crowd.

Watching his back as he departed, Kishō lowered his head and muttered to himself.

“Mom is definitely strong. But just how strong is she, really?”

◇◇◇◇◇

On a small hill at the edge of Algant stood that house.

Its outward appearance was shabby, like a shack thrown together in haste. The timber it was made from was all uneven, patched together haphazardly. Kishō gave a wry smile, knowing it was his clumsy mother’s handiwork.

His childhood home stood there under the blue sky, still just as it had always been, as though it had been waiting all this time for its son’s return.

Mixed in with the birdsong, he could hear cows lowing from the ranch out back. Remembering the taste of the fresh milk he used to drink every morning, Kishō was filled with nostalgia.

The front door to the house he had always opened without a second thought somehow felt strangely distant after nearly a year away. Hesitation rose within him, and he froze with his hand still outstretched towards the door.

Perhaps even the Princess was nervous, because her expression was a little stiffer than usual. She was holding the wrapped castella they had bought in town as though it were precious. Even more serious was Ōka. The closer they got to the hill, the more disordered her movements became, until in the end she was stepping forward with her right hand and right foot together. Why was Ōka so tense, anyway? Kishō thought in exasperation.

Meanwhile, the one tapping her finger irritably as she watched Kishō freeze up in front of his home was Seiran. Apparently she wanted him to hurry up and open the door.

Succumbing to the pressure at his back, he was about to turn the doorknob when,

“What are you doing?”

A soft voice called out to him from the side.

It came from the path leading to the vegetable patch behind the house. The owner of the voice was holding a basket full of vegetables in both hands.

“Mom.”

Soft, gently waving hair. Downturned eyes and fair skin. If one looked only at that, she was lovely enough to pass for a noble young lady, but what she wore was a well-worn apron dress. The apron, patched over and over and surely once white, had been frayed until it had turned mouse-grey.

When Kishō ran over to her, his mother placed a hand against her cheek and smiled as if troubled.

“You arrived sooner than I expected.”

“We came on one of those things called airships. They fly through the sky using the power of flying dragons.”

“My, so that is how flying dragons are used these days.”

His mother straightened the collar of his dishevelled dragon robes.

The thought that he was not a child anymore rose up in him, and Kishō felt embarrassed, but his mother remained wholly absorbed in tidying up her son’s finest appearance. Once she had finished seeing to his collar, sash, and sleeves, his mother smiled in satisfaction.

“Even so, seeing you dressed in dragon robes like this, you really do look like a fine dragonkin young man. As your mother, that makes me both happy and a little lonely.”

Nodding again and again, she compared Kishō’s face with the sight of him in his dragon robes.

Perhaps satisfied after that thorough inspection, his mother finally turned her gaze towards the group he had left standing behind him.

And then… for just a moment, Kishō felt as though his mother’s eyes had narrowed sharply.

But perhaps that too had been an illusion. In the time it took to blink, the dangerous gleam was gone. With her usual gentle manner, his mother gave a small bow and walked over to the others.

“I cannot offer much by way of hospitality, but please, come in.”

Led inside by his mother, the door to his childhood home opened.

The nostalgic space spread out before them.

For fifteen years, it had been the peaceful home in which he had been born and raised.

And yet… for some reason, he had a bad feeling about it.