The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 29: The Abandoned Prince Storms the Royal Castle

Chapter 29: The Abandoned Prince Storms the Royal Castle

“Okay, we may have done a few… questionable things, but first, let’s try to solve this through talking.”

“Y-Yeah!! T-T-That’s a good idea!!”

With Salion keeping watch from the skies above, Nayuta and I sat down to talk things out.

From what I could tell, Nayuta didn’t seem to be from this world.

Her chestnut-brown hair looked natural enough, but her name definitely sounded Japanese—like the kind from my previous world.

And the whole “Hero summoned from another world” thing? I couldn’t exactly rule that out either.

More than anything, though… Nayuta didn’t seem like the kind of person who would lie.

Maybe I was a little biased after… getting close to her.

But still, she gave off the vibe of someone genuinely good-hearted.

So yeah—

It made sense to hear her out.

“Um, where should I start…? I was suddenly summoned to this world from Japan, from a planet called Earth. Then some guy claiming to be the king told me that evil people were starting a war and asked me to help fight them off.”

“Ugh… figures. Hecton really is the worst.”

“Huh? You know the king, Lord Reyshel?”

So, I told her everything.

How Hecton was my younger brother.

How he stole both the throne and my fiancée.

And what happened after I ended up in the empire.

Nayuta nodded along the entire time, listening intently with sparkling eyes.

The way she bobbed her head kind of reminded me of one of those bobblehead cows—and honestly, it was kind of adorable.

“—And that’s how it is. The kingdom was the one who restarted the war, claiming it was for revenge. I mean, the empire did try to take over the world in the past, so it’s not like one side is totally in the right.”

“No way!! That king totally tricked me!! That’s awful!!”

“Uh, Nayuta? Aren’t you believing me a little too easily?”

“Eh? Was that story not true?”

“No, it was. Every word of it. But the way you accept everything without a second thought… that kinda worries me.”

“Ehehe, you’re too kind.”

…That wasn’t a compliment.

Still, after talking with her like this, I understood what kind of girl Nayuta really was.

She was the type who just believed whatever she was told—a little gullible, a little airheaded.

Also, she was surprisingly bold when it came to intimacy and wasn’t shy about getting passionate.

Yeah… no doubt about it.

She wasn’t someone who could lie.

Which meant she really was summoned from Japan, tricked into thinking she was fighting for justice, and dragged into this war between the empire and the kingdom.

Sending her back to the kingdom was out of the question.

If we did, she’d probably just get fooled again and thrown right back into battle.

As for how and why Hecton summoned her in the first place—

We could ask him directly.

For now, I’d take Nayuta with me.

…And definitely not because I was thinking of asking Alcarion to make her my wife or anything.

If Nayuta asked me, well, I wouldn’t be opposed…

But she looked and acted like a middle schooler—both in age and appearance.

Unlike Salion, who was a legal loli thanks to her real age, Nayuta was still very much underage.

Yeah… that’s arrest-worthy.

“Nayuta. If you’re okay with it… why don’t you come to the empire with me? Sure, it’s not as flashy or exciting as Japan, but it’s actually pretty developed and convenient.”

“Eh, really!? Yay!!”

She jumped up with a big smile. Way too cute.

“Wait a sec… do you know about Japan?”

“…Well, we can talk about that later.”

“Huh?”

Oops—

That slipped out.

It wasn’t like I was hiding anything, and I didn’t mind telling her…

But—

“What’s wrong?”

Nayuta tilted her head curiously, and yeah, it was ridiculously adorable.

Still, I figured dumping everything on her at once would only confuse her.

I’d explain my story bit by bit when the time was right.

Just then, Salion swooped down from the sky where she’d been keeping watch.

“Hey, boy. It’s time to get moving.”

“Wait, already?”

“Mm.”

“Okay. Then for now, Nayuta, you’re coming with me.”

And just like that, Nayuta and I officially started moving together.

I climbed back onto Salion’s back, reached out, and helped Nayuta up behind me.

“Listen, girl. I’m only allowing this because the boy insisted. You better be grateful. The only one I’ve ever let ride me is him—”

“Wow, thank you so much!! I’ve always wondered what flying feels like!!”

“…Hmph.”

Salion didn’t say anything more.

Maybe even she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with someone who smiled so brightly, even in the face of danger.

With a flick of her wings, we soared into the sky once more.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!! This is amazing!!”

“H-Hey!! Don’t get too excited! Hold on tight, it’s dangerous!!”

“Ah, yes!!”

“Ooof—”

Nayuta, who was sitting behind me, suddenly hugged me tight.

I could feel something soft pressing against my back.

Even during our time together earlier, I’d noticed—

For her age, she was surprisingly well-developed.

While I quietly appreciated the sensation, completely unaware, Nayuta’s eyes suddenly widened as she stared at something far off in the distance, away from the royal capital.

“Eh!? What is that!?”

“That’s a mixed unit—former kingdom soldiers who’ve joined the rebels, now fighting alongside the empire’s ground forces.”

Salion and I had been waiting for their arrival.

That’s also why we’d been flying around so much—

To draw the attention of the royal capital’s defenders and keep their focus on the skies.

This operation was simple, but risky.

The plan was to make it look like the rebels had retreated from the front lines, then suddenly break into the capital and take control of key points.

Once they’d secured the gates, they’d let the empire’s army in.

If it worked, we could take the city before the kingdom’s forces had time to respond.

That meant fewer casualties on both sides.

Sure, it probably wouldn’t go perfectly, but… it had to be better than a full-on frontal assault with mountains of dead soldiers.

“Alright, Salion—stick to the plan.”

“Yes, yes. I know.”

Salion soared through the sky, flying in a way that made it look like she was chasing down the rebel army—who were actually our allies in disguise.

And like magic—

The soldiers guarding the capital, thinking their own men were under attack, quickly opened the gates and rushed to let the “rebels” inside.

Just like that, the plan worked perfectly.

I regrouped with Rosemary, who was leading the wyvern unit stationed at the empire’s rear, and left Nayuta in her care.

Since Rosemary looked pretty busy, I skipped over most of the explanation.

I also… may have accidentally left out the part where I got a little too close with Nayuta.

Still, she gave me a quick glance and muttered just one line.

“Honestly… you never change. Once this war’s over, you’re getting punished ♡”

…She somehow figured it all out anyway.

Maybe she awakened some kind of dragon-eye ability like Alcarion had?

Or maybe it was just that scary thing called “a woman’s intuition.”

“Alright, let’s leave taking control of the capital to the rebel and imperial troops. Salion and I will head to the castle and capture Hecton.”

This time, once we caught Hecton, it would all be over.

If we took him alive and had him order the remaining troops to lay down their arms, the rest would fall into place.

Salion took to the skies again, flying high above the reach of any attacks, then dove straight toward the royal castle in a sharp descent.

We crashed right through the outer wall and burst into the castle.

“Phew… from here on, we walk.”

Salion shifted into her human form, glanced around the interior, and gave a quiet sigh.

Well, yeah—

Not like she’d fit inside the halls as a dragon.

“Whoa, I came to check what that loud crash was—!!”

“Intruders!! Call the royal guards!!”

“Where are the knights!?”

“It’s just two of them! We can handle this ourselves!!”

“Attack!!”

From the sound of it, the royal capital’s soldiers were already scrambling to deal with the rebel army breaking in elsewhere—

So even when the patrolling guards noticed us, they didn’t have time to call reinforcements.

The few soldiers who did try to stop us were no match for Salion.

The moment her paralyzing poison hit them, they dropped like flies—out cold in seconds.

“So, where is your little brother hiding?”

“No idea. But if we keep wandering around, we’ll probably bump into him eventually.”

And so, we casually wandered the halls of the castle.

“Man… it’s been five years. I can’t even remember what half of these rooms were for.”

“Hmm. What about that room? That door looks awfully fancy.”

“Let’s see… uh, I forgot. Well, if I don’t remember, let’s just go in and check.”

I opened the door and peeked inside—

And saw a familiar face I hadn’t expected to find.

It was Hecton’s mother—my father’s second wife.

She had beautiful golden hair and striking blue eyes, with curves in all the right places.

Olivia von Agarham was lying quietly in bed, eyes closed.

For a second, I thought she might’ve already passed away—

But then I noticed it.

Faint, steady breaths.

She was still alive.

But this… didn’t look good.

“Uh… is she cursed or something?”

“She is indeed cursed.”

Olivia was definitely under a curse.

And not just any curse—

It was one I recognized all too well.

It was the exact same curse I saw back when I first met Alcarion—
The one that had been eating away at her body.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “I really like those clueless girls who can’t sense hostility or malice at all.”

R: “Yeah, no kidding.”

If you found yourself thinking, “Poor Hecton—losing both the Hero and his mom,” “Wait, she’s cursed!?” or “Okay, that afterword hit a little too hard,”—Please consider leaving a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!