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 24-25

Chapter 24: The Color of Reunion Is Silver-White Resolve

In a space lit only by starlight, a dazzling pillar of light stands tall.

And then there’s Leo, caught right inside it.

“――I’m surprised. You’re still resisting…”

“Huh? Even after taking a hit from that insane magic!?”

Suu-san, who’d come right up close, had this shocked look on her face too. She straight-up called it insane magic.

But yeah, I really didn’t think he’d be able to hold out against this. That lightning great arrow I shot at the former Court Mage Commander? This thing’s gotta have about five times that power.

“Looks like he’s pushing his ki and mana to the absolute limit just to defend… But if he doesn’t even have the leeway left to activate 【Transfer】――”

Sooner or later, he’s gonna get crushed.

See? His legs just buckled under the pressure. So――just one more push, right?

“Ugh… Al-kun, you’re actually kinda scary… This shiver, brand-new territory…――”

Suu-san was muttering something like that. Then she suddenly started shaking her head really fast.

“No way, gotta focus. If he 【Transfers】 again next time I’m definitely cutting him… If he’s aiming for me, then let him take some flesh… For Al-kun, I’d throw away anything else――”

She wasn’t even looking my way, but I could read her whole expression anyway. That sharp, almost transparent gaze… like she’d cut away every unnecessary thing.

But I’m not gonna let her sacrifice herself, okay.

While I was thinking stuff like that, I kept my guard up and stayed focused on Leo inside the light.

“…Something feels off.”

What is it? Yeah, his face is twisted from the pressure of the light, but… he doesn’t look panicked even though defeat’s staring him down. Is that resignation? Acceptance? But it doesn’t really feel like he’s cleanly accepting the loss either.

Right when I got suspicious――

“!”

Leo made a new move――.

“What’s wrong, Al-kun!? Another 【Transfer】!?”

“No, it’s not 【Transfer】. But yeah, he definitely wasn’t planning to end things yet. He just pulled something out from his chest――!”

I saw it clearly. What Leo took out from inside his clothes… was a bell? No way. Is that some kind of magic tool? He had an ace up his sleeve!

Even with the star trial’s control clamping down hard, I tried to push through and go for a follow-up attack. I raised my hand toward Leo… but I was too late.

Inside the roaring downpour of light, a clear bell chime faintly shook the space. The sound carried mana with it.

Tch. What the heck is that thing…?

“――Suu-san, don’t get away from me! He used some kind of magic tool!”

“Al-kun, you come to my side…! Supporting the hero is the duty of a knight like me!”

“…Please at least factor in protecting yourself too, okay!”

We were both trying to protect each other, but honestly, staying ready to handle whatever happens wasn’t a bad idea.

I decided that, dropped any idea of chasing after him, kept some strength in reserve for defense, and just kept staring hard at the pillar of light.

The change came from a place I didn’t expect.

――Crackling. A sound like glass shattering.

At the same time――the night sky barrier collapsed.

“! From outside…!”

The pillar of light that was binding Leo vanished. And at the same moment, the familiar night melted away like it was never there, and we were back in the original place.

Leo, breathing hard through his shoulders, spoke.

“I don’t like this ending… but curse yourself for not being able to finish me off…!”

Even covered in wounds all over his body, Leo was still standing. The ki and mana wrapped around him looked pretty drained, but… both Suu-san and I couldn’t move to finish him off.

And the reason for that was――

“――Princess. You’re safe…――”

At the end of my gaze.

A silver-haired girl was pointing her hand toward me, already forming the attack formula we learned together, ready to release the star trial.

“I’m sorry, I’m really, really sorry, Papa… But please believe me…! I love you, Papa, from the bottom of my heart… way deeper and heavier than this whole world――!”

There stood the princess――her pretty face overflowing with complicated feelings, a mix of the happiness of our reunion and crushing guilt――.

―――

Looks like the raid boss (Albert) fight is about to start.

—

Chapter 25: For Whom Do You Fight

—The princess of the Atlas Kingdom, Killriera Atlas.

Everyone calls her a genius, and she really deserves all the praise, but at the big founding anniversary ceremony, she took Leo’s magic hit right in front of me to protect someone like me.

And then… the princess just vanished right before my eyes…

Even while I was fighting Leo, I kept worrying the whole time. The presence I sensed from her felt so weak.

But now, seeing her safe like this—

“I’m so glad, princess… You look okay—”

“…!”

She bit her lip hard, her face twisting in pain. It was the total opposite of the hostile vibe she was giving off toward us.

…Yeah, just like what she said earlier, there’s definitely some reason behind all this.

The thing that comes to mind—the person I’m really curious about—is the other girl standing right next to her.

—It was Mel-chan, the one we met before, now wearing super fancy priest robes with long pure-white hair flowing down.

“! You finally looked over here? Long time no see, Onii-san!”

“…Long time no see, Mel-chan.”

“This little brat—! She’s the horny kid who’s always after Al-kun…!”

Ah, Suu-san just dropped something crazy again. A girl her age really shouldn’t say stuff like that…

“Heh, look who it is. The idiot who got tricked by Leo and dragged both himself and his little princess here. Still dragging Onii-san down as usual today, huh?”

“Th-this girl…!”

Wow, they’re really going at it. Sparks are flying.

But honestly, Suu-san’s strategy? Might actually be pretty smart. Before anything decisive happens, maybe we can talk a little and get some info.

That’s what I was thinking, so the very first thing I said was—

“Um… Princess, did they… do anything awful to you after they brought you here?”

“—Huh?”

“You’re using up a ton of star trial, aren’t you? Even the magic circle doesn’t have much power in it. Did something happen before we got here? Like… maybe you fought Mel-chan or something?”

Even though I called it a strategy, what came out of my mouth was just pure worry. I’d been bracing myself for the worst—like maybe she’d tried to escape, got caught, and they hurt her bad.

“I’m really sorry, princess. The one person I was supposed to protect ended up protecting me instead. When we get back, I’ll take whatever punishment you want, but right now—just for now—if someone’s forcing you to do this, then no matter what it takes, I’ll—”

The second I said that from the bottom of my heart,

the princess looked straight at me, her expression carrying some kind of quiet resolve, and said,

“…No, that’s not it. I’m doing this because I want to. This is—my selfishness.”

Suu-san reacted right away to those words.

“You’re pointing magic at us—at Al-kun! And you call that selfishness? Explain what you mean properly…!”

Suu-san…

“I’m really sorry to Papa… But I can’t tell you the reason…”

“!”

Suu-san got super mad, but still.

“It’s okay, Suu-san. The princess has her own thoughts. And I’m sure they’re—the right ones.”

When I stopped her, Suu-san looked at me like she wasn’t convinced at all. But it was only for a second, then she gave me a small nod.

“…I’ll do what Al-kun says. I’ve already caused so much trouble. But”

Even so, Suu-san kept going.

“—If you hurt Al-kun’s heart, I will never forgive you…!”

“…Says the bitch in heat. You’re the one who started this whole mess anyway…!”

“Even so—I’m gonna make up for this screw-up…! Unlike Her Highness over there who’s currently doing stuff that makes zero sense!”

“Wha— You don’t understand anything! If you really cared about Papa—”

The princess suddenly gasped and shut her mouth.

I’m dying to know what she’s really trying to do, but I can tell she won’t say any more.

If that’s the case, then all I can do now is go along with whatever the princess has planned. I believe in her brain—there’s no way she’d make the wrong choice.

So.

“Okay then, princess. Come to me anytime. ——Listening to my daughter’s selfish wishes is part of being a good dad, y’know.”

“…Re-really. Really really really——I love you so much, Papa…”

And with that.

After finishing my talk with the princess,

“I’m sorry, Papa… ——【Stellar Heaven】, Breath Eject…!”

“You’re just gonna ignore Mel? …That pisses me off, so time for punishment, Onii-san! ——Twinkle Twinkle Star!”

“…What the hell is this guy’s relationship with the princess? She’s way younger but acting like the parent………… Nah, better not think about it. For now—just cut him down—”

Three different-colored shocks came flying straight at me. The princess and Mel-chan both released silver star trial, and Leo—who seemed to have rested a bit and recovered some—sent blade-like energy slashes my way.

Man, nobody’s holding back at all.

But.

“Al-kun, let’s run—”

Seeing Suu-san’s panicked face, I gave her a little smile and said,

“It’s okay. ——Divine Mirror Shield Aegis.”

What I brought out last was a huge, gorgeous golden shield big enough to cover both me and Suu-san completely and then some. The star trial shield was so thin you could see through it, but it was insanely tough.

All the incoming attacks slammed into the shield at once. A crazy loud boom shook the whole area…

“Completely unharmed after that…? You monster…”

“As expected of Onii-san. Not gonna go down easy, huh~”

I let the semi-transparent giant shield disappear and said,

“I’m still good to go, princess. ——Wanna dance together until you’re satisfied?”

———

Leo is actually pretty normal, all things considered.