Chapter 247: Crown Prince (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: Crown Prince (3)
A person gets knocked unconscious by a glove.
Because of that, there was a bit of a commotion.
However, Princess Nea and Senior Loreliya quickly stepped in to settle the situation, so the disturbance didn't last very long.
Except...
"Please, just give me an explanation. What on earth were you thinking?"
"I'd like to hear it too..."
The look my Junior, the Princess, was giving me seemed to have dropped to about -2 degrees Celsius.
"I’m being framed."
To be honest, I felt a bit wronged.
First of all, my plan had been perfect.
I judged that no one in their right mind would mess with Daisy. Therefore, I assumed anyone pestering her was either a pathetic villain or an extra caught in the clutches of a RoFan plot.
Why?
I could give plenty of reasons for approaching Daisy, but anyone invited to a party hosted by the Imperial Family should possess at least a shred of reason.
And anyone with a shred of reason wouldn't approach Daisy like that.
A normal person would see that she already has a lover, that Prince Esid is showing interest in her, and that she’s a figure representing the Holy Kingdom...
Furthermore, no sane person would try to hit on a "Dark Mage Spine Crusher" who single-handedly stabilized the Holy Kingdom and proceeded to pulverize the vertebrae of countless dark mages.
Thus, I concluded he was an extra or a villain meant to provoke the RoFan male leads—Esid or Gerard—at this Imperial party.
And if that were the case, I was certain he’d have at least some combat ability.
Usually, villains in party scenes are meant to lead into a duel.
Of course, I couldn't explain all of that exactly as it was... so I offered another variable as an excuse.
"When I actually took the glove off, it was just too light."
"......?"
Princess Nea stared at me as if I were talking nonsense, but I was being serious.
It was a truly unexpected variable!
Usually, the gloves I wear are fairly heavy leather ones. But the ones I was wearing this time were thin, white, fluttery things... and the only reason I was wearing them was because I didn't want to shake hands with the Crown Pri—no, the Crown Prince—with my bare skin. I’d borrowed them for minimum protection.
That’s why, the moment I took the glove off to throw it, I had this thought:
'Ah, if I throw it like this, won't it just flutter and drop halfway? That would be embarrassing.'
"......"
"......"
"The moment I thought that, I subconsciously put some strength into my hand... You could say I overdid it a little."
"......"
"......"
"And honestly, I feel wronged. Even if I put some strength into it, who gets knocked out by a glove?!"
Therefore, this had to be a conspiracy.
Since it was difficult to suppress me, a Sword Master, through brute force, the wicked dark mages must have chosen the option of burying me politically.
...Those cowardly dark mages! I thought they’d have the guts to march into the Academy fair and square. I'm disappointed!
"......Senior."
Princess Nea, who had been listening to my excuse, spoke with an exasperated expression.
"I heard that man named Yares had his jawbone shattered."
"Who's that?"
"The man you knocked out by throwing a glove."
"......He must have been frail."
"Doesn't the name ring a bell? He's from the Northern Barbarian regions that fought the Empire until the very end."
"Time is a cruel thing. Even the mighty warriors of the North have had their teeth pulled out in the cozy embrace of the Empire..."
"I told you they fought until the end! It's only been about a hundred years! And who do you think pulled his teeth out?! Just admit it already!"
You're the culprit!
Looking at the Imperial Princess making that claim, I turned to Senior Loreliya, who was also present, seeking a helping hand with a look full of grievance.
"......"
But as they say, birds of a feather flock together.
As a Duke's daughter of the Empire, it seemed Senior Loreliya had chosen the Empire over her adorable junior and lover.
Just as I was feeling a sense of betrayal from Senior Loreliya, who was carefully avoiding my gaze...
"Phew..."
Daisy returned after treating the Imperial noble who had lost his wildness and his teeth (in a very literal sense).
"Mr. Adam."
"Yes."
"What on earth did you do to that glove?!"
Despite claiming to be a country bumpkin just a moment ago, she scolded me with the exact same expression as the Imperial Princess.
...I really felt wronged.
Despite that unfortunate incident, things managed to pass over smoothly.
For one, Princess Nea worked behind the scenes to spread rumors along the lines of "The Fate of a Man Who Touched a Heroine's Lover."
Also, thanks to Daisy's healing, no evidence—rather, no injuries—remained.
"It seems you've made quite a good impression on Brother Erild?"
"...What?"
Junior Princess, what are you talking about?
I was startled by a statement that sent chills down my spine just hearing it, but Princess Nea looked at me with an even more suspicious expression.
"Since becoming the Crown Prince, he's been busier than ever... for him to step in personally to smooth things over... just what is your relationship?"
Seeing her face full of pure curiosity, I slowly took off my glove.
"......"
"Why are you suddenly taking off your glove?!"
"Wasn't that a challenge to a duel?"
That sounded more insulting than a slap with a glove.
Especially coming from someone who knows the full story.
"No, it was just a genuine question! Why are you freaking out?!"
"Would you go if the Crown Princess asked to see you alone?"
"I'd go! I just wouldn't go alone!"
With that answer, I was certain.
Half of it might have been genuine, but the other half was definitely a jab.
"To pick a fight with a man from Leon."
"No, I told you it was a joke!"
"We never back down from a fight."
"You're not 'not backing down,' you're the one starting it! You're not listening to me at all!"
I took a stance like a baseball pitcher, preparing to hurl the glove.
"Wait, aren't you being a bit too serious?! If you throw that for real, I'll die!"
"To me, throwing... is killing."
"It certainly looks that way to everyone else!"
And so, the first day of the Imperial party ended with my sincere challenge to a duel and Princess Nea’s frantic scramble to avoid accepting it.
But this wasn't the end.
The Imperial party was scheduled to last for five days.
There was a slight accident on the first day, but there were still four days left!
"......"
I waited, using Daisy as bait again.
But the prey wasn't biting.
...I even practiced throwing gloves based on the last accident.
"Word has gotten around."
When I lamented like that, Princess Nea, who seemed to have nothing better to do—or perhaps because the Crown Prince had drawn all the attention—spoke up while munching on food beside me.
"What rumors?"
"About your life at the Academy, Senior."
"My life at the Academy?"
I just lived a normal, diligent life, beating up dark mages.
"...Do you have a conscience?"
That was the response I got when I said that.
"What kind of rumors are even circulating?"
"I told you, news of your Academy life is spreading. All the magic families in the Empire are connected to the Magic Tower. Your exploits this year have all become common knowledge."
"As I thought, the conspiracy leads back to the Magic Tower..."
I’m the one being persecuted here.
Even though I’ve been recognized by many in the magic field, starting with the Dragon Descendant, for my skills despite being a swordsman, the mages at the Academy still refuse to acknowledge me as one of their own.
And now they’re even spreading conspiracies in the Imperial social circles.
"To call it a conspiracy, they're only spreading things that actually happened, you know?"
Princess Nea, who was a student in the General Department, didn't understand my grievance.
"Anyway. Those rumors, combined with the testimonies of the witnesses from yesterday's glove incident... Senior, you've become 'the crazy guy you must never touch.' The same goes for your lover, Senior Daisy."
"How unfair..."
Those guys who used to hit on Daisy, even after she’d folded the spines of dark mages and even demons...
To think they’d be scared off by the Magic Tower's slander.
"I really... wanted to duel."
"Go do that in Leon. Why do you want to duel in someone else's country...?"
"Because we do it often in Leon."
"You even did it often?!"
It wasn't quite at the level of Pokémon trainers or duelists who fight the moment their eyes meet, but it did happen much more frequently than in the Empire.
"Then should I pull Daisy back?"
"...Even so, isn't it a bit much to treat your lover like bait?"
Unfortunately, she is bait.
Right now, she was bait to attract duel challengers.
But usually, she was bait that lured in dark mages and demons.
See?
"It's an ambush!"
"Protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The bait works perfectly.
To be honest, I wasn't surprised.
After all, a party ambush is common sense in a RoFan novel.
If you were to ask if assassins could really penetrate the heavy security of a party hosted by the Emperor and centered around the Crown Prince, the symbol of the Empire...
I would tell you to turn your head and look at the Academy next door.
If being prepared meant never being breached, the Academy would have been peaceful ages ago.
So, the fact that the Imperial banquet hall was breached wasn't particularly shocking.
"Why are you being so calm?!"
Unlike the Academy, the weak Imperial nobles, who had rarely been attacked, seemed panicked.
"Well... ambushes are... a daily occurrence."
"...I hate that for a second, that actually made sense to me!"
Princess Nea, looking miserable, handed me a sword.
"What's this for?"
"You like dueling! Go fight!"
"Wow. You're putting me to work so naturally."
"You said my family gave you a mansion!"
...I'll give you the mansion.
I didn't particularly plan on living in the Empire, but it was in a prime location in the capital where I could expect significant rental income.
In short, it was a "yolk" spot in the Imperial capital, so I dealt with the enemies with a light heart.
"...Why are they so weak?"
I literally swept through the enemies with ease.
"...You're right."
It wasn't just because I was a Sword Master.
As proof, Daisy, who was beating up assassins alongside me, also tilted her head in confusion.
"I told you, stop using the Academy as your standard..."
Looking at the cleared banquet hall, Princess Nea spoke as if she found us absurd.
"But we are Academy students."
"That's true, but still!"
When Daisy pointed out that it was only natural for Academy students to use the Academy as their standard, Princess Nea seemed momentarily speechless.
"No, she has a point."
I thought that was a fairly rational opinion.
"Pardon?"
"No, it makes me nervous when you say that, Senior..."
"Hey, I'm agreeing with you and you're still complaining."
But there was a reason I was saying this.
It’s a trope in Academy stories that the students have more combat experience than most knight orders, but the situation had been resolved far too easily for an incident involving a RoFan heroine.
Which meant...
"This is likely a diversion!"
There was a high probability that this wasn't the main event.
"It's just the beginning of another incident!"
"Don't say such ominous things..."
The moment Princess Nea let out a scream-like lament.
"This is bad."
Senior Loreliya ran in with a frantic expression, confirming my prediction and announcing the next scenario.
"Esid has been kidnapped."
Scenario: The Kidnapped RoFan Male Lead.
"...Again?"
It was a rehash of a scenario that had already been done once, and quite recently at that.