The Abandoned Prince Heals an Enemy Soldier on the Frontlines, Only to Discover She’s the Seventh Imperial Princess - Chapter 74: The Abandoned Prince Goes Full Gorilla Tactics

Chapter 74: The Abandoned Prince Goes Full Gorilla Tactics

The place they brought me to was right in front of that massive cherry blossom tree at the center of the island.

Past the enormous torii gate, a crowd had already gathered—everyone eager to see the duel.

Yup.

This duel was gonna happen in full view of the entire public.

“Thanks for bringing my armor, Kuura.”

“…I don’t want to carry heavy stuff ever again.”

“Sorry, okay?”

After reporting the duel to Alcarion, Kuura had come back lugging the battle armor I wore during the war.

Apparently, Alcarion handed it over herself.

Honestly, my only real combat strategy was brute-forcing through with constant healing,

So having armor didn’t make a huge difference.

But knowing Alcarion…

She was probably watching from somewhere. Like always.

Didn’t want her to worry, so I figured I’d gear up.

“I’m definitely gonna win!! Then I’ll, uh… I’ll get to sleep with Her Majesty!!”

“Ah… yeah. Can’t say you’re not honest.”

Even I would’ve sugarcoated that a bit.

But I guess beastkin really are just that straightforward.

Anyway, I pulled out my dagger and got into position.

Kojiro, on the other hand, didn’t go for a katana—

He pulled out a spear that was longer than he was tall.

Not that I was expecting it, but…

I was kinda hoping he’d whip out some laundry-pole-sized sword and do some ridiculous anime twirling.

“…So, no sword, huh?”

“Hah?”

“N-Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

With that, I squared up against Kojiro,

And Mitama raised her fan—signaling the start of the duel.

“I hereby begin the duel. Let it be known—killing your opponent is strictly forbidden. And if I judge either of you to be unable to continue, that’s where it ends. This is just a little show to entertain me. So don’t go giving me some boring fight.”

“UWOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!”

Kojiro let out a primal scream, leveled his spear, and charged straight at me with laser focus.

Fast.

Like—stupidly fast.

Now that I was getting a better look—

Yup. Cat-like ears. Twitching tail.

A feline-type beastkin, huh?

Actually… judging by that speed…

He might be a cheetah-type.

And despite Mitama clearly saying “no killing,”

The very first thing he went for was a ruthless stab aimed right at my neck.

Yeah. No chill whatsoever.

I didn’t even try to block it. I just… took the hit.

“Guh!”

“Eh!?”

Kojiro blinked, clearly confused that I didn’t dodge or defend at all.

I mean, fair reaction.

And that split-second of confusion?

That was my golden opportunity.

No way I was gonna waste it.

I swung my dagger right at him.

“Kh!”

But I missed.

Kojiro must’ve sensed the counter coming—

He immediately let go of his spear mid-motion and jumped back, putting distance between us in a panic.

Damn.

Not only was he fast, but his reflexes were sharp too.

Missing that counter really stung.

Now all I had to show for it was a nasty stab wound in my throat.

It hurt. A lot.

“I-I guess… I win?”

Kojiro called out his victory, though his voice sounded kinda unsure.

And with how quick and anticlimactic the whole exchange was…

The crowd instantly erupted in loud, disappointed boos.

“What the hell!? That’s it!?”

“Kojiro, dude, take it easy on him!!”

“Damn it!! I want my money back!!”

Of course… it wasn’t actually over.

I casually reached up, yanked the spear out of my throat, and healed the wound completely with Perfect Regeneration.

Good as new.

And no—I didn’t bother handing the spear back to Kojiro.

Why should I?

He thought I was down, dropped his weapon while I was still standing right there.

That’s on him.

What’s that? Isn’t it kinda petty not to return it? He’s just a kid.

Yeah, well—too bad.

I may have spent the last few weeks doing nothing but lewd stuff,

But let’s not forget—I’ve fought on actual battlefields.

Kid soldier or not—if he’s charging at me, I’m not pulling punches.

“W-What was that!?”

“Secret.”

Kojiro looked stunned—clearly not expecting me to shrug off a spear-through-the-throat moment.

But I wasn’t about to start handing out free intel on Perfect Regeneration.

That said…

He must’ve realized he had no shot in a long fight.

So he charged again—this time, no spear.

Just his claws.

Classic beastkin move.

“UOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!”

“OW! OW!!”

His claw swipes were brutal.

Every hit tore out a chunk of flesh—

And holy crap, it hurt.

So naturally, I healed up after each blow.

Tried sneaking in a few counterattacks, too—

But Kojiro dodged them like he’d rehearsed this a thousand times.

Look, no-guard tanking works…

But man, it hurts like hell.

“Man, that hurts… it really freaking hurts…”

“Huff… huff… W-What the hell are you!?”

“That’s my line!! You’ve been tearing chunks out of my flesh like it’s nothing!! Show a little hesitation, will you!? It hurts!!”

If we’re talking total damage, I’d definitely taken more hits.

But stamina-wise?

Even from the outside, it was obvious—Kojiro was starting to wear down fast.

At this rate, I’d probably win.

Feeling a bit more confident, I glanced around to check the crowd’s reactions—

And yep. Reactions were all over the place.

Most people looked horrified.

They were staring at my blood-soaked self like I was some unkillable monster who just refused to die.

Which… fair.

To them, I probably looked like a horror movie villain.

The kind who takes ten lethal hits and just keeps walking.

Kinko and Ginko, meanwhile, were pale as sheets.

Can’t really blame them.

They had no idea about Perfect Regeneration.

Kuura?

Off to the side, quietly watching a butterfly like this had nothing to do with her.

Totally uninterested in the life-or-death duel happening ten feet away.

And Mitama—

“…”

She just stared.

Not scared. Not disgusted.

Just… stunned. Like she couldn’t even process what she was seeing.

“Guh… Y-You damn monster…”

“Rude!! I’m the most normal human you’ll ever meet!!”

“…Total monster…”

Kojiro dropped to his knees, glaring up at me with a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Man, I seriously hate pain.

All I want in life is to do lewd stuff with pretty ladies and cute girls, eat delicious food, and sleep in till noon.

I’m basically the most human human there is.

Anyway—Kojiro had clearly hit his stamina limit.

“So… I win, right?”

Okay yeah, maybe it wasn’t the flashiest or most honorable victory,

But hey—there weren’t any rules about how to win.

A win’s a win.

“Hah… hah… I-I give…”

“Hm?”

That’s when I noticed it.

All that moving around must’ve shifted his outfit just enough—because I caught a glimpse.

Bandages.

Wrapped snugly around a chest that definitely had… a bit of shape.

Wait a second…

Is Kojiro not a boy?

Is Kojiro actually… a girl!?

“S-Stop right there!! This match is over—Reyshel-dono wins!!”

Kinko jumped in fast, her tone suddenly flustered.

And just like that, the crowd froze.

Nobody knew how to react. A weird, awkward tension spread through the air.

I, for one, was still processing the whole “Kojiro might be a girl” twist.

But whatever.

A win’s a win.

I struck a triumphant little fist-pump anyway.

“Victory!!”

“…Honestly, that was kinda refreshing.”

That quiet little comment—probably from Kuura.

She acted like she didn’t care about the duel, but turns out she’d been watching the whole time.

Then someone else approached me.

It was Mitama, wearing a serious, contemplative expression.

“Reyshel-dono. That was impressive. I wish to speak with you. Tonight… you will come to my bedchamber.”

“Uh—y-yes, ma’am!”

No room for discussion.

None.

Honestly, she looked kinda scary in that moment.

Did I… do something wrong?
I really hope not.

◆

Elsewhere…

At the base of Ashuhara’s iconic giant cherry blossom tree—

A young girl sat with her back against the trunk, giggling to herself.

“Heh… now that’s an interesting guy.”

A single horn jutted from her forehead—

Just one look was enough to know she wasn’t human.

Reyshel would meet this mysterious girl soon enough.
And that meeting…

Was going to be anything but boring.

―――――――――――――――――――――

[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “Bwahaha!! Bet none of you saw that coming—she was a tomboy all along!!”

R: “The moment I thought, ‘Wait… maybe she’s a girl?’—my trusty sword reacted all on its own.”

Author: “As expected from Reyshel—the guy who’s harder to take down head-on than trying to squash a cockroach with your bare hands. That honesty? I respect it.”

R: “That is a terrible comparison!!”

If you found yourself thinking, “LMAO, what a broken duel,”  “Hang in there, Kojiro—uh, boy? Girl??” or “Well, with that much HP, gender barely matters at this point…” Then don’t forget to drop a comment, bookmark, ★ rating, or review!