My Beloved Princess ~The Boy Called Incompetent Rises with Only a Sword and the Princess's Devotion~ - Chapter 86: How to Demonstrate Overwhelming Ability

The indoor arena was an annex northeast of the Upper School’s main building, a facility reached through a connecting corridor.

At its center stood a circular stage raised one step above the floor, with spectator seats surrounding it on all sides. It looked like a miniature colosseum. Everything was white, built from White Dragon Stone. Before the students gathered in the stands, a female teacher standing atop the circular stage raised her voice.

“Some of you may already know this, but I’ll introduce the man who has been granted provisional admission to the Upper School this time. I hear he’s skilled with the sword, so this is a good opportunity. Let’s have him show us that skill.”

She had dreadlocks, dark skin, and a muscular build. The female teacher—Instructor Riju—pointed at Kishō on the stage and spoke in a thick voice. The gazes of the Upper School students converged on him at once.

Kishō, the center of attention, slowly swept his eyes across the stands in an arc following the round stage. Among the crowd, he also spotted Kōran, Tsukino, and Yotsuba.

Instructor Riju made a joking gesture.

“That’s right, Upper School students. Why not have him teach you a lesson, with the intent of borrowing his chest?”

At those words, the Upper School students burst into an uproar.

There was nothing to learn from a transfer student from the Lower School. That sentiment spread through the arena with painful clarity. Kishō gave a wry smile, already used to treatment like this. To sweep away the hostile atmosphere, he drew his practice sword. Purple [Sword Aura] ran along it as though it were burning, giving the wooden blade a mysterious beauty.

“Sensei. Let’s skip the pointless talk. I can use [Sword Aura]. Since most of the students here probably can’t, matching sword skills alone would be a waste of time. You should know that better than anyone, Sensei.”

His composed attitude, utterly unconcerned with the hostile atmosphere, drew a loud wave of jeers from the stands. As if cutting through those taunts, a flash of purple flame swept out horizontally. At that display of mastery—something anyone who saw it could understand—one of Instructor Riju’s rugged brows twitched.

“Hoh. So the story that you can use [Sword Aura] is true. But do you think that level of [Sword Aura] is enough to pass in the Upper School?”

“That’s why I came here—to prove it.”

“Hmph, so that’s how it is. Very well. In that case—”

The Upper School students, already irritated by the way Kishō spoke, stirred in their seats. Just as Instructor Riju was about to address the buzzing crowd, a single male student leapt down from the front row of the stands, which stood a good two meters high.

He landed with a thud and calmly stepped onto the stage.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll be your opponent.”

He had sanpaku eyes, with the whites visible on three sides, and hair like a lion’s mane. He was solidly built, and about five centimeters taller than Kishō.

“Hoh. It’s rare to see you this motivated, Shishiten.”

The male student called Shishiten drew the practice sword at his side and took his stance.

“First year, second seat, Shishiten.”

“As introduced, I’m Kishō of the transfer group. Pleased to meet you.”

Ignoring the hand Kishō extended, Shishiten’s sanpaku eyes glinted sharply.

“I heard an unpleasant rumor—that you got engaged to Princess Kuroyō. Is it true?”

“Ah, Kuroyō is my wife.”

The air around Shishiten froze.

The noise in the stands died away as well, and everyone in the indoor arena listened to the conversation between the two.

“Princess Kuroyō is an exceptional person. I’ve crossed skills with her myself, and I never stood a chance. For someone like her to become infatuated with the likes of you… what exactly did you do to her?”

“Hey, hey. Don’t say things that’ll sound wrong to other people.”

“Answer me.”

“It’s simple. I won the duel she challenged me to.”

“Liar! There’s no way Princess Kuroyō could lose to the likes of you.”

Fed up with an exchange he had heard time and again, Kishō let out a heavy sigh.

“Then why don’t you try it for yourself?”

“That was my intention when I stepped onto this stage.”

The two heroes faced each other atop the stage. Kishō turned cold eyes on Shishiten, who was overflowing with fighting spirit.

“Could it be… you like Kuroyō?”

“W-What are you saying?!”

“Yep. I can tell. You’re the type who wears it all over your face, huh?”

“Insolent bastard! I’ll make it so that big mouth of yours can’t talk soon enough.”

Shishiten stamped forward with enough force to seem capable of cracking White Dragon Stone. He really did seem to care deeply for the Princess. If that was the case, Kishō could not afford to go easy on him in this match.

“Hey. You don’t want to leave any regrets, right? Then why don’t we fight at full power?”

“That was my intention from the beginning.”

“No. I’m not talking about a swordsmanship match. I mean a real fight. In other words, we lift the ban on breath and magic too, and settle this properly.”

“What did you say? There’s no way we can do that.”

It wasn’t only Shishiten who was taken aback by the proposal of Vale Tudo—anything goes. Even Instructor Riju, standing between them, widened her eyes in shock.

“What I need to prove is that I can protect Kuroyō with only a sword. Even if I win in swordsmanship alone, it means nothing. Isn’t that right, Instructor Riju?”

“Umu. That is true, but lifting the ban on breath and magic requires the Headmaster’s permission.”

“Are you worried about responsibility? Then let’s do this. If we fight under Vale Tudo rules and I lose, I’ll withdraw gracefully on the spot. With that condition, the Headmaster should definitely give permission. What do you say?”

Instructor Riju, who had the air of a seasoned warrior, rolled her eyes and hesitated. Seeing that hesitation, Kishō raised the practice sword in his hand to his chest and pressed once more.

“All I’m using is a single practice sword. I’m the only one here taking magic directly with my body. If I lose my life because of that, I won’t hold a grudge. Just throw my corpse out into the wilderness.”

They were all conditions that favored the academy side and boxed Kishō in. Only after he had gone that far did Instructor Riju finally nod.

Making sure of it, Kishō turned back to Shishiten.

“That’s how it is, Shishiten. If you win, I’ll withdraw gracefully. What about it? Feeling motivated now?”

“You mean we’re fighting with Princess Kuroyō at stake?”

At that misunderstanding, Kishō shook his head.

“No. I said I’d withdraw gracefully, but that doesn’t mean Kuroyō would choose you. That’s a completely separate issue. This is strictly about me settling things properly. If I lose here, then I’m not qualified to marry Kuroyō. That’s all.”

After graduation, a harsh reality awaited him. The people he would have to fight and overcome would not just be young dragons of his own generation, but veteran adult dragons as well. Those would not be fair matches like the ones held in the academy. No matter how unreasonable it was, no matter what handicap he bore, he would have to step into the same ring as them and crush them with power.

There was no room for excuses in that world. It was a world where only ability mattered.

That was dragonkin society.

“I swore that from now on, I will never lose again. If I lose here, it’s the same as letting Kuroyō die. This isn’t something where I can hide behind being a student and play around.”

Those words were the entirety of Kishō’s thoughts in that moment.

Hearing that grave declaration, the look in Shishiten’s eyes changed. The negligence—or perhaps arrogance—that had been visible in him began to vanish. Quietly, he tightened his grip on his practice sword.

“Sorry. I thought you were just some commoner and underestimated you. If you have that much resolve, then it’s only proper for me to face you with my full strength as well. I’ll fight with the intent to kill.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. Let’s do this with no grudges between us.”

The two heroes faced one another again, now with distance between them. The academy’s first-ever Vale Tudo duel was about to begin.

◇◇◇◇◇

“So, will Kishō-kun be able to win?”

Alice asked the question while setting three teacups on the reception table, clutching the tray to her chest as if for reassurance.

This was Fūyō’s private room in the Teacher’s Building. Three female teachers sat on the reception sofa.

“Sooner or later, it was inevitable that there’d be a duel under Vale Tudo rules, wasn’t it~.”

The one who said that so casually while eating chocolate cake was Fūyō.

Sitting beside her with her arms folded in displeasure and idly twisting the tip of one of her vertical drill curls was Meika.

“At the point where he can already cross swords evenly with Mion-sensei, there’s no way that brat loses in swordsmanship. Which means they’d inevitably be forced to lift the ban on Vale Tudo, right?”

Sipping tea from her cup, Mion, seated across from them, nodded.

“If Riju sees Kishō’s serious [Sword Aura], she’ll realize it right away. She’ll understand just how dangerous this is.”

“It’s a shame I can’t see the look on that Muscle Daruma’s face when she gets frustrated.”

“It’s fine~. Later, we can just ask her, How does it feel?”

The female teachers of the Lower School and the female teachers of the Upper School were like dogs and monkeys—utterly incompatible.

These three ill-natured adults were plotting to frame it as Lower School versus Upper School, backing Kishō as the Lower School’s representative and turning the whole matter into a proxy war. Sitting there with their heads close together, they wore matching wicked smiles.

“So then, is Kishō-kun going to be all right?!”

Growing impatient with the teachers who refused to get to the point, Alice urged them on.

The three female teachers answered in three different ways.

“If he fights at range, he’ll probably have a hard time~.”

“That’s right. The reason I can’t beat Riju is precisely because I lose to her in everything besides the sword. The handicap of using only a sword is that severe.”

“Still, I doubt any of you think he’ll lose because of that. Otherwise, there’d have been no point in sending him out there after writing a recommendation letter for him.”

The charcoal brazier warmed the room. Having nothing else to do, Alice added more charcoal to the fire.

Mion set down her teacup on its saucer and pushed up her triangular glasses with her middle finger.

“If he fights straightforwardly, he’ll struggle. But—”

“If he comes up with a plan, that won’t necessarily be the case~.”

“It’s just as Fūyō says. Let’s simulate it first. For the virtual opponent… yes, let’s make it Shishiten, first year, second seat. He’s the strongest among the first-year boys. If Princess Kuroyō didn’t exist, he’d have been the top student, so he’s a suitable test case.”

Mion began laying it out.

“First, if the fight stays at range, it’ll be difficult. Kishō’s [Sword Aura] would probably break through breath and magic easily enough, but if he has to stop and deal with each attack every time, he’ll never be able to close the distance. And Shishiten is effectively top-student class, so he won’t be naive about that. In short, neither side would have a decisive finishing move, and the fight likely wouldn’t end quickly.”

“A fifty-fifty fight sounds nice enough~, but what Kishō-kun needs to achieve is proof of overwhelming ability~. If he struggles because he has no way to attack at long range~, that could be used against him~.”

Mion raised the issue, and Fūyō answered it. Their exchange continued.

“Exactly. So what should he do?”

“He should move so the opponent never gets to keep his distance~.”

“Umu. If I were Kishō, I’d charge in at full power right from the opening.”

“Naturally, Shishiten-kun would probably respond with a fast-activating breath attack~.”

“Whether Kishō can keep charging without flinching under that pressure will decide the match. If he hesitates even a little, the second shot and third shot will come immediately.”

“A reckless charge. Shishiten-kun would probably sneer~. After all, it’d look like Kishō was running straight into the breath himself~.”

“But Kishō’s [Sword Aura] is strong enough to deflect even Princess Kuroyō’s armed breath. He should be able to knock aside Shishiten’s breath without much trouble.”

“Because he probably wouldn’t expect his breath to be deflected~, Shishiten-kun should be shaken~.”

“And in that opening, Kishō closes the distance all at once—”

“If he can bring it into sword range, then victory is certain~.”

“Shishiten’s swordsmanship is first-rate too, of course. He’ll naturally accept the exchange. But Kishō’s absurd [Sword Aura] would probably cut Shishiten’s practice sword in half with ease.”

“That really would be an instant kill, wouldn’t it~.”

“He wins without letting someone of near top-student class do anything. If that happens, even Riju won’t have any grounds to complain.”

“Yes. That is exactly~, how to demonstrate overwhelming ability, isn’t it~.”

As Alice, fiddling with the charcoal fire, let out an excited “Wah, amazing!”, Meika, still playing with the tip of her drill curl, cut in.

“Wait a second. That brat’s [Sword Aura] is strong enough to slice Black Dragon Stone in half, right? If he lands a slash like that on Shishiten, the boy’ll die instantly. Even for this place, producing a corpse from among the sons of nobles would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”

At that entirely reasonable concern, Mion pasted a smile onto her usually unfriendly face.

“Over the last three months, I thoroughly drilled the ABCs of swordsmanship into Kishō. Even if I had to drag him back by the scruff of the neck when he tried to run. If it’s the current Kishō, he should be able to hold back properly. So there’s nothing to worry about.”

Relieved, Alice put a hand to her chest, gathered up the used dishes onto the tray, and withdrew to the back room.

Rinsing away the sweetness of the black tea in her mouth, Fūyō murmured casually,

“Well now, I wonder how things are going over there~.”

◇◇◇◇◇

It had been like a mating shogi problem.

Or perhaps it would be better called a first-sight kill.

The moment he released his breath, Shishiten’s defeat had already been decided.

Kishō had closed the distance in an instant and unleashed a downward slash from jōdan. Shishiten should have received it immediately with his practice sword wrapped in [Sword Aura], but he remembered nothing beyond that point.

The next thing he saw when he woke up was the white ceiling of the infirmary.

A laugh rose in his throat at that absurd style of combat.

And then he understood.

He had lost.

Alone and quietly, Shishiten acknowledged it.

“So this is the man Princess Kuroyō fell in love with… It seems he’s the real deal.”