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~

Chapter 34: The Promise and the Finish

A clear, piercing pressure raced through the space with Suu-san right at the center.

Faster than the sword swinging toward the princess, faster than my own counterattack, it spread out, and then—

“—What the hell!? The star trial’s protection wasn’t supposed to be broken through!?”

Leo lost the silvery-white light. The sword he’d swung clanged hard against the floor. At almost the same moment he dropped to his knees… there was a heavy thud right beside him.

When I shifted my eyes that way, Mel-chan was collapsed there, completely unconscious.

“This little—doing whatever the hell she wants and then just passing out? This is exactly why looking after kids is such a pain…!”

This… Suu-san’s ki expanded the effect of the Anti-Demon Exorcism Sword? How in the world did she…?

“Hehe. That really was my last bit of strength. So the rest… I’m leaving it to you, my brave hero…”

“Suu-san…”

She was already in terrible shape, yet she squeezed out every last drop of power. We were supposed to be on bad terms, but she still properly protected the princess.

I’ve gotta thank Suu-san properly next time, however I can. …But right now—

“—Princess.”

“!”

The princess looked at me almost like she was scared. She’s thinking I’m gonna get mad at her, right?

And yeah, it’s true—a princess who’s supposed to be the one protected shouldn’t be shielding a court mage like me. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Plus this makes twice now, counting when she covered me from the Transfer.

But.

“…The fact that the princess thought I was important and tried to save me… that feeling itself makes me really happy.”

“!”

Her eyes went wide in surprise.

“I’m not mad. I’m sure the princess already knows—better than anyone—what she should’ve done in a situation like this, even without me saying it.”

“…ugh”

“I’m just… sad. —That the princess doesn’t believe in me.”

“! N-no, that’s not—!”

She panicked, but I was seriously planning to protect the princess with everything I had. That’s my job… and even if it wasn’t my job, I’d still do it.

I thought I at least had the role and the bare minimum strength needed to carry it out properly.

“—That’s not it, Papa! Please listen, okay!? I—I don’t distrust you at all…!”

The princess desperately tried to explain. She grabbed my clothes and clung to me while my face wore that sorrowful look.

“Please, believe me…! I—I just love Papa more than anybody else in the whole world!! That’s why… I didn’t want you to get hurt even a little…!”

……

“I won’t… I won’t do it anymore if I can help it! So——please don’t look at me with that face…!!”

……

…………Think it’s about time.

Everything I just said was how I really feel. I really was sad, and I really don’t want the princess to ever shield me like that again.

But I also know something. She definitely feels the exact same way about me. She cares about me just as much as I care about her.

Even so… there’s one selfish thing I’m fully aware of, and I just can’t let it go.

So I deliberately made my expression as sad and pitiful as possible, trying to pull at her heartstrings, and then—

“If you’re going to say that much. If you’re really saying you believe in me—”

“!”

“Will you listen to one request from me?”

“I will, I will…! What do you want me to do? What can I do to make you understand how precious you are to me!?”

“Then…”

Looking at the princess, who was practically frantic—

I swallowed down the guilt and said it.

“—From now on, don’t stop me from doing what I’m about to do.”

“…!”

“Okay? Starting right now, I’m going to…—”

And so I whispered the ending—the whole plan—into the princess’s ear.

At first her eyes flew open and she shook her head hard. But even then, after I’d appealed to her feelings this whole time, I finished with reason.

—As long as I’m stronger than the princess, please just listen to what I say.

I leaned in close, peering into her face, staring straight into those eyes from just inches away. That impossibly beautiful purple was shimmering with tears, confused, yet still looking right back at me.

I knew I was playing a little dirty. I knew she cared about me exactly as much as I cared about her.

So I tied her up with emotion, backed her into a corner, and finished with logic.

If I did it that way, surely—

“………………………Fine. Fine, okay…”

She pouted, reluctantly giving in.

I gave that princess a gentle smile, placed my hand on her head, and stroked her hair as softly as I possibly could while murmuring,

“Good girl.”

“—Alright then. Leo.”

“Tch. You didn’t forget about me, huh?”

“You knew I wouldn’t. I’ve been watching you the whole time.”

“Even after my star trial vanished and I ended up stuck babysitting literal baggage. You really don’t miss a thing…!”

Leo spat the words bitterly. The silvery-white light was completely gone from his body now; all that surrounded him was the same ki and magic he’d had at the start.

“That star trial you were using earlier definitely wasn’t yours, right? Was it Mel-chan’s… or maybe the princess’s? It was unnaturally low when we met again.”

“…Hmph. Sharp, aren’t you. The latter. But the stolen star trial’s already run dry. Like you can see—I’m basically defenseless against you now.”

That was an accurate read on the combat situation. But the look on Leo’s face wasn’t the face of someone about to surrender.

“—Looks can be deceiving. I’m one of those so-called guardian knights, y’know. I’m seeing this through to the end.”

Leo said that, then poured ki and magic into the sword he gripped tightly. His fighting spirit hadn’t faded at all—if anything, it looked stronger.

The air groaned and shrieked like it was in pain.

…In that case.

“No helping it, then.”

What I called to my hand was the divine sword swirled with black and white. The blade that had flown back after leaving Suu-san—I gripped it, and with this final act, I released my authority.

“‘Anti-Demon Exorcism Sword Adamas Harpe’”

“I don’t have some flashy name like that… but your magic gave me a nice little hint—”

What the…? On Leo’s sword, it wasn’t just plain magic anymore—magic circles, spell formulas were being engraved into it. An application of Transfer, or maybe some other basic spell? Either way, he was raising his level again right at the very end.

But.

“This is the last one…—”

“Ah…!”

After a single beat, our gazes locked in midair—and in the instant that followed,

We both kicked off the ground————and what clashed was sword against sword.

Feeling the power transmitted through the blades, I gave a small nod. Yeah—the strength Leo had left really could be purged by this divine sword.

On the other side, Leo was staring at me with eyes that practically screamed “Why aren’t I down yet?”

So then, all that’s left… is to let go of the strength in the hand gripping the divine sword…

“Ah…?”

“—Looks like… I lose.”

Clang.

The moment the divine sword hit the floor,