The Princess is Difficult for Ordinary Citizens
Edith Einar. The imperial princess of the Einar Empire and vice president of the student council. And right now, the person on the verge of smashing the communication device in her hand.
"This is..."
Near the central street fountain. The display shelves of the shops were in disarray, with the seasoning jars spilled on the floor, red sauce spreading across the ground. In the middle of it, two men confronting each other. A knight and a soldier. And behind them, a newcomer in a cloak holding the merchant's hair, smiling.
Edith's fingers froze while gripping the communication device.
The knight was drawing his sword. Just the slow movement of the blade rising made Edith's skin cool.
Even though the distance was tens of meters, the killing intent reached this far. At least Edith herself or higher in level.
"Everyone——"
At that moment.
The knight rushed forward.
And just like that, he fell to the ground.
Edith held her breath. She couldn't catch up with what was happening. It was like time stopped and only one action was cut. No warning. No collision sound, no magic fluctuation, no sound of metal clashing. Just the knight writhing on the ground with his lower body missing.
Next to him. Two pairs of legs standing side by side on the floor like statues in the exhibition hall. The shins filled with greaves remained intact. The cut surface was so clean that it looked like they had been placed there separately from the beginning.
Edith's eyes widened.
The source of killing intent.
It wasn't the knight. It was the soldier.
"Everyone, surrender."
She barely suppressed the trembling voice. She took out the communication device from her bosom, fumbled with her fingers, and moved her feet. The footsteps of the student council members following behind sounded slower than usual. Of course. This wasn't a level that could be suppressed by our side. If conversation didn't work, we had to immediately signal the professor staff.
"Student Council! We are taking control of the scene——"
The newcomer in the cloak tried to run, but was grabbed by the back of his neck. The resistance felt in the hand was weak. Just trembling in fear. One of the male students behind looked at the knight's lower body lying on the ground and retched.
Handing the newcomer over to a colleague, Edith fixed her gaze on the soldier. The smell of blood stung her nose. Now, the blood was slowly spreading on the floor. The cut surface including the greaves was clearly exposed. It was cut so cleanly with just one slash, as if done by a professional. Precise, without any room for resistance.
As she took one step closer, the soldier's face came into view. It was younger than expected. Although there was a rank badge on the military uniform, Edith's eyes first caught his expression. The face was rigid, eyes empty. It was so calm that it didn't seem like the face of someone who had just split a person in half.
"Put down your sword."
He moved.
The action of putting the sword into the scabbard. Slowly, as if to show that he had no intention of harming anyone.
At the same time, the killing intent cleanly disappeared.
As if it had never been there.
And he raised both hands. The posture of surrender. Edith let out a long sigh inwardly. She removed her hand from the communication device. She scanned the soldier's face one more time with her eyes. The posture was sloppy. The expression was somehow awkward. It was so suspicious that it was questionable whether the human who was spewing killing intent just a moment ago and the human raising both hands now were the same person.
"This person... is our ally."
The shop owner, lying on the floor, pointed at the soldier with his finger and said in a trembling voice. His clothes were tattered, and his face was stained with soot and sauce.
"This person... saved me."
The soldier nodded his head. Small, once.
Edith sheathed her sword.
"Very well. For the purpose of understanding the situation before and after, I would like you to accompany us."
The shop owner was clearly the victim. Dozens of people had witnessed him lying on the floor begging, and the footprints on his clothes were evidence. It took less than 5 minutes for him to be released. The prince of Basil was taken by the student council, and the knight was carried to the infirmary. Without legs. One of the male students behind, watching the student council members carefully lift two legs onto a stretcher, retched again.
And I was sitting in the room.
A single table and two chairs in a spacious space. That was all. The walls were gray stone walls. No windows. One magic lamp hanging from the ceiling emitted a bluish light. A room like one seen in a noir movie. The interrogation room from a drama I had seen in my previous life came to mind. I never imagined I would be brought here.
"First, for personal information and information collection, I will ask a few simple questions."
The girl sitting opposite was the one leading the student council. Silver hair. Clear golden eyes. She placed a crystal ball on the table and clasped her hands together, staring at me. Every posture was refined.
"Name?"
"Arthur."
Even while saying it, I kept chasing that sense of déjà vu. Silver hair, golden eyes. It was definitely important information. Where did I hear it? In the carriage.
"What is the purpose of coming to the academy? Are you a freshman?"
...Freshman?
In this academy where the entrance age is 17, calling me, who is 24 in body age, a freshman. Am I younger than I thought? It didn't feel bad. After 10 years of war, if my skin is this good, it might be a victory of innate genes.
"I was appointed as a professor this time."
It was a bit embarrassing to say "professor" before the entrance ceremony when I had been causing trouble. The girl tilted her head at the answer. And she carefully—very carefully—examined my face. Her pupils scanned each feature of my face.
"...Professor?"
I nodded my head. She tapped the table with her fingers. Regular rhythm. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then took out a small crystal ball from her bosom.
"Since we can't know anything about the professor, I'll contact the principal. If it's a lie——"
Sharp eyes.
"——Speak now before it's too late."
The face of someone thinking it's a lie. The slight upward curve of the lips, the rhythm of the finger tapping the table speeding up. Instead of making excuses, I nodded. After all, the principal was someone I had to meet. This situation could be resolved. Probably. Please.
She tapped the crystal ball. The dark crystal ball became transparent and emitted bright light. Small whirlpools formed inside, then stabilized, and soft light pulsations began.
"Principal. This is Edith Einar. There is something that needs to be checked, may I ask for your help?"
Einar.
Einar...?
A familiar surname. In the moment of hesitation, the conversation I had with Princess Isabel in the carriage came to mind.
'Arthur-nim! Do you know that? There are even royalty as students at the academy!'
'The royalty have silver hair and clear golden eyes, isn't that too strange?'
Ah.
The empire's name is the Einar Empire.
And the student in front of me has silver hair and golden eyes.
I caused an accident right away, and the shop owner got caught. If I'm not careful, I might be executed for causing trouble before even starting the professor work.
I swallowed hard. My throat was dry. The tips of my fingers became cold.
"Um, Edith. I'll be there soon!"
A child's voice popped out from the crystal ball. Like a child pretending to be an adult. The way of speaking was light, each syllable bouncing.
Was the connection wrong? Just as I was tilting my head.
The space next to me distorted.
—Bang!
My vision momentarily blurred. No. I had retreated. I pushed off the chair I was sitting on and was pushed to the corner of the room. My back hit the wall with a dull sound. My shoulder blades vibrated.
Chills.
My body was shaking madly. Cold sweat flowed down my neck. Before I knew it, a sword was in my hand. With both hands. My gaze fixed on the distorting space without moving. I couldn't even blink.
My breathing was ragged. My head was calm, but my body was already in combat mode. My muscles were stiff with tension. Sweat filled my palms, and the joints of my fingers turned white. This wasn't my will. My body was moving on its own, trembling in fear on its own. I was trapped inside it, and I had no choice but to watch all of this.
"Appearance of this body!"
A small figure jumped out from the distorting space.
Very small stature. Blue-haired, blue-eyed. It looked like an ordinary child. It didn't even reach my chest height. But I couldn't take my eyes off the child. My body——this body forged in 10 years of battlefield——was defining the child as 'danger'.
The child's blue eyes, which were scanning the situation as if assessing it, looked at me.
Our eyes met.
The child smiled.
And the pupils——stretched long vertically like a reptile.
"Eh? You have good senses?"
The child approached with hands behind its back, tottering. One step. Two steps. I couldn't move. My body didn't listen. My head thought it's just a kid, but my body refused to relax the tension. My fingers gripping the sword wouldn't loosen. My teeth clenched on their own.
"I am the principal of this imperial academy! My name is Marina! What is your name?"
Smiling brightly, she reached out as if offering a handshake.
As the hand got closer, the tension in my body reached its limit. I couldn't even breathe properly. My heart felt like it would burst. My vision whitened. My ears became muffled, and my fingertips trembled. If this child's hand touched me——I might die. My instinct was saying that.
"Ar... Arthur..."
I barely opened my mouth. The voice that came out was so thin that it was hard to believe it was my voice.
At that moment, the child's pupils returned to normal.
At the same time——the tension in the body loosened.
She sat down on the spot. Her legs lost strength. The moment her knees touched the floor, the coldness of the tiles was transmitted. While breathing heavily, she barely raised her head to look up at the principal. The child was still smiling brightly. The being that had reptile eyes just a moment ago was now just a pure, innocent child.
"Arthur! So the professor sent from the Leon Kingdom was you?"
The principal pulled my arm up and down, shaking it vigorously. I couldn't tell if it was a handshake or trying to tear off my arm. The force was so strong that my elbow joint might come out. Where did such strength come from in such a small body.
"From now on, please take care of me!"
I smiled helplessly and barely opened my mouth.
"Yes."