The Invincible Aloof Yandere Princess Falls in Love with Her Younger Court Mage's Fatherly Warmth! ~She Clung to Him So Much That the King Fired Him. When He Made Marriage His Official Reason for Resigning Under Royal Order, the Light Vanished from the Princess's Eyes~ - Volume 2 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Magical Repurposing of the Star Oracle

“――Al-kun……!?”

Suu-san…… The girl who was always so strong-willed was even shedding tears now.

Even at this moment, her face showed a mix of joy that help had arrived and disbelief at what she was seeing, along with a slight fear of believing it――.

“――Sorry I’m late. But I’m really glad I made it just in time.”

“Al-kun……! N-no, I’m the one who should apologize……! I wanted to be useful to you, Al-kun, but I only kept causing trouble…… But, but…… that you came…… that you came for me…… makes me so――so happy……!!”

Unable to hold it back any longer, Suu-san let even larger tears spill down her cheeks.

This wasn’t just simple relief at being rescued. It felt like something deeper――like the release of long pent-up feelings and suppressed emotions.

“I already know that what happened this time wasn’t something Suu-san did on purpose. You might still feel bad about various things――but first and foremost, I’m truly glad you’re safe.”

“……Yeah…… sorry, I’m so sorry……! After all, Al-kun…… only Al-kun is my――my hero……!”

While comforting Suu-san, who was hiccupping and wiping at the corners of her eyes, was something I desperately wanted to do, it wasn’t the right moment yet.

I turned my gaze once more toward the pile of rubble that had collapsed with a loud crash.

The one who put the princess and Suu-san through something like this was……

“There’s no way that was the end of it, right? Why don’t you come out already.”

“――Hah. That actually did a little damage……!”

The rubble was blasted away, and from underneath it, a surge of green energy poured out.

According to Suu-san, this was a level rarely seen even in our own knight order――a strength on par with the division commander himself.

“That’s scary. But…… I can’t forgive you.”

“So what if you can’t forgive me? You really think you can beat me? A mere magician!”

“If I didn’t intend to defeat you, I wouldn’t have come here.”

“You sure talk big! I know you can use the same power as our princess. But you think that means you can win against me, a close-combat specialist!?”

“That’s why. ――――I’m telling you I do intend to.”

My feet were already moving.

The moment my stepping foot was about to touch the ground, it tore through the viscosity of the air. Leaving behind the explosive sound of the floor bursting, I closed the distance to the huge man in an instant.

What surprised me――even in this world where I had surpassed the speed of sound――was that our eyes met.

But.

“――It’s fine……!”

He was just as surprised. He hadn’t even prepared to counterattack.

I clenched my fist so hard that my bones and flesh creaked――and swung it with all my strength straight toward his cheek.

“!? Gah……!!”

Sorry for hitting you right after you got up.

This time he didn’t just stop after smashing through one wall――he kept going, punching straight through several more walls in a row as the deafening roar gradually faded into the distance.

“S-so……”

From behind me came Suu-san’s stunned voice.

Since the walls around here weren’t made of anti-magic steel, I had already scanned the area and confirmed it was empty before I sent him flying in that direction.

As a bonus, I also got a grasp of the surrounding area. I sensed the princess’s familiar star oracle, but……

“……Since I can feel the star oracle, her life shouldn’t be in danger. But it’s clearly much weaker than usual. Someone was right nearby, but there wasn’t any fighting and she isn’t being held captive either……? Right now, what condition is the princess in……?”

“――Worrying about someone else with me right in front of you? You’ve got some real nerve!”

“!”

“Grit your teeth.”

The voice came from the exact opposite direction of where I had just sent him flying. 【Transfer】 magic……!

Right after.

As if paying me back for earlier, an impact slammed into my cheek……!

“……Guh!”

“――Al-kun!! How dare you……!!”

The scenery rushed past my eyes at incredible speed. Then another impact hit. I crashed into a wall, punched straight through it, and embedded myself into the next one……

In an instant, he had put quite a distance between us. The force was overwhelming.

But. The star oracle wrapped around me absorbed almost all of the shock. The only injury…… was a single drop of blood trickling from the corner of my mouth――.

I stood up immediately, activated a quick scan toward the original spot, then used my enhanced physical ability to leap back in one bound.

The huge man didn’t even show surprise when I reappeared right away.

“As expected, you don’t go down from something like that.”

“Not until I defeat you.”

“Al-kun!”

Suu-san looked at me with worry in her eyes.

Actually, Suu-san…… after I got blown away, even with your battered body you were trying to go after the huge man, weren’t you? Probably to stop him from following up on me……

“It’s okay, Suu-san. Leave this to me. Please stay back.”

“! But…… he really is as strong as he says! He hasn’t even used 【Transfer】 much yet, and for a magician like you, Al-kun, the matchup is bad! Even if I’m injured, having me there would――”

I gently smiled at Suu-san, who was desperately trying to convince me with her brows lowered in worry, to reassure her.

“――It’s okay. Got it?”

The brilliant golden star oracle shining brightly drew three layered magic circles in the air.

“Pseudo-【Stellar Heaven】. ――――Meteor of Godslaying, Orion.”

“Hahaha. Just like our princess told me. So this is…… what they call a magician who can freely wield the star oracle.”

Even after seeing the activated magic, the huge man didn’t lose his fighting spirit――instead, the corners of his mouth curled up even more savagely.

Even if.

The ceiling vanished from this place.

The walls vanished.

The floor turned into a pitch-black void of nothingness.

―――Even if a night sky filled with stars ready to be aimed covered our heads above.