Vol 1 Chapter 21 – Playing Princess Kidnapped by the Demon Lord【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

In the open field on the outskirts of the village, under the blazing sunlight, the lined-up children were energetically swinging their wooden swords.

Perhaps influenced by seeing Allen’s swordplay up close, almost all the boys in the village were participating.

Allen walked around with a teacher-like expression, nodding approvingly.

Boys were nice and simple.

He just had them hold wooden swords, exchanged blows two or three times, and then time would pass simply by flattering them with things like, “You have good instincts,” or “You’re a genius.”

For children around this age, praising them to help them grow was best, so even if he thought they had absolutely no talent, he praised them anyway for the time being.

Making them face reality could wait until they were a little older, Allen thought.

“…Allen-sama… Was what you said earlier true?”

The shaved-headed boy—Roy—asked, sounding somewhat nervous.

“What I said earlier?”

“T-That I’m… a genius…”

“A-Ah, yeah, that’s right. You’ll probably surpass me eventually.”

The moment his Mana Core wasn’t a Brave Core, it was absolutely impossible for him to surpass Allen, but he said so anyway for the time being.

“…Just as I thought… The talent to surpass the strongest World Knight is… within me…”

The shaved-headed boy opened his eyes wide.

Making a fist with his dominant hand, he began to stare at his own hand with a serious expression.

“…No, I feel like I’ve known since the day I was born… This makes it clear. I… I’m the only one who can do it. I will become the next World Knight and bring peace to the world…”

The boy, Roy, stayed in that posture for a while, muttering something under his breath. Feeling genuinely anxious about the future of this boy whose eyes had completely shifted into those of a story’s protagonist, Allen said,

“However, without training, that talent will go to waste. Training is what’s most important.” (Once he realizes he’s not getting any stronger no matter how much time passes, he should wake up from this delusion.)

“…Training, right! Understood, thank you very much! One day, I will absolutely become a magnificent World Knight just like Allen-sama—no, Master!!”

“…Yeah, do your best.”

Thinking it was absolutely impossible, he patted the boy’s head to encourage him, and the boy nodded forcefully before returning to his friends to practice swings together.

If he gave them some half-hearted advice about swordplay and threw in a few nice-sounding words, the boys would take it seriously and get happy all on their own.

Yes, boys were nice and easy.

The problem was the girls.

Allen couldn’t hide his sigh at the difficulties waiting for him after this.

Having said he would do anything, he couldn’t refuse them.

A few hours later.

Under the blue sky, Allen returned from the open field on the outskirts where he had been teaching swordplay to the plaza in the center of the village.

Then, within the village that was supposed to have become peaceful, a shrill scream suddenly echoed.

The curtain of the stage suddenly rose.

“Kyaaaaa! Help me! Allen-sama!!”

Allen fixed his gaze on the roof of the mansion belonging to the village chief, Eamon.

Up there, a loud-voiced man wearing a mask was carrying a beautiful, roughly twelve-year-old girl with reddish-brown twin tails in his arms, laughing fearlessly as his cape fluttered in the wind.

“Fuhahahahaha! I have taken Princess Raiha into my custody! If you want her back, Allen, you must battle me with the princess on the line!!”

“Kyaaaa! The Demon Lord has kidnapped little Rai—Princess Raiha…!”

“What a tragedy! Our cute, adorable daughter…!”

“Damn it, that Demon Lord of Noise, Bran!”

“…Unforgivable… The King of Noise.”

The extras—Raiha’s parents and the other villagers—lamented as they looked at the suspicious person holding the little girl on the roof.

Everyone was totally getting into it.

And then, they turned their gazes toward Allen.

We’re counting on you next. It’s your turn. Looking somewhat apologetic but with desperate eyes, the people of the entire village were prompting Allen for his lines.

“—Very well, Demon Lord Bran. If I win, you will return Princess Raiha to me.”

Going out of his way to wear his jet-black cape—the 【Dragon King’s Winged Robe】—and in full equipment, Allen killed his sense of shame and shouted valiantly.

Raiha, who was being held by Demon Lord Bran—Branford—looked at Allen and her cheeks flushed crimson.

“Oh! Everyone, look! Allen-sama has come for us!”

“Thank you so much! Allen-sama! Please, defeat the Demon Lord!”

Raising cheers, the villagers opened a path for Allen.

Put simply, this farce was a game of playing princess kidnapped by the Demon Lord.

As a result of Allen carelessly saying, “If there’s anything you want me to do, don’t hold back. Just say the word,” Raiha had bashfully proposed this.

By the way, besides Raiha, there were twelve other children (every single girl and toddler aged fourteen and under living in the village) who desired this little skit. The fact that the settings were slightly different for each of them was also subtly exhausting.

At the very least, he couldn’t leave the village until he finished everyone’s share. He planned to spend a few days doing it.

Returning to the main topic.

Allen lightly leaped onto the roof and proceeded to cross swords with Branford.

Compared to ordinary villagers, Branford was also plenty superhuman.

Flashes of their swords clashed time and again, scattering sparks.

At the exchange of sword techniques, a round of applause erupted from the villagers.

Finding an opening, Allen gently kicked him away, dropping him from the roof.

And then, Allen gently caught Raiha in his arms after she was tossed into the air from Branford’s grasp.

“—I apologize for being late, Princess Raiha.”

“…I-I-I don’t m-mind at all, A-Allen-sh… sama…”

Stumbling over her words, Raiha was turning completely red with her eyes spinning in dizzy circles.

Setting her down, Allen dropped to one knee and performed a vassal’s salute.

“Princess, you are safe now. I have vanquished the Demon Lord.”

“Y-Yeah. Thank you, Allen-sama… My very own Knight-sama…”

Raiha hugged him tightly. With that, cheers rose from the villagers once again.

With this, the curtain fell.

(What is this nonsense?)

(…Well, you know. Playing house? Something like that.)

While replying to Asmodeus in his mind, Allen silently accepted the young girl’s embrace, when—

“—Allen-sama! We have an emergency! Please hide yourself right away!”

The village chief, Eamon, came running from the direction of the watchtower in a panic.

“Did something happen?”

“The national army of Rig Aqua—a unit of the Blue Sword Knights is approaching this village!”

“…Hm? The Knight Order?”

The one who asked back was Branford, having removed his mask.

“Y-Yeah. There’s no way word of Flavorus could have reached them… So perhaps they came to bring you back. I wonder if something happened in the Central Capital…?”

“…That is a possibility!! Well, I’m sure it will be fine!!”

Reading the room, the Spirit Beast, Boyo-chan, climbed onto Allen’s shoulder and spat out the voice-changing mask from his mouth.

As he received it, Allen felt this had nothing to do with him, treating it entirely as someone else’s problem.

However, there was a possibility of obtaining new information regarding the state of the world.

Therefore, he figured it might be fine to disguise himself once more as the wandering mercenary Noir and sit in on their conversation.