Possession
Did I just hear something wrong?
My heart began to pound wildly the moment I heard words I'd never dreamed of hearing from a man—words I wasn't even supposed to hear.
The hand gripping mine tightened, and the heat from his body, flushed from intense exertion, seeped into me.
Caught off guard by this unforeseen situation, I could only blush helplessly, at a loss for words...
"You pervert!! Get away from His Highness!!"
Nana drew the greatsword from her back and swung it at his hand, but as if he'd anticipated it, he scooped me into his arms and leaped forward, effortlessly dodging the strike.
"......!!"
Her helmet hid her face, but I could see Nana faltering from the missed attack—it must have shocked her that much.
"Tch...!!"
"What the hell?! What did I even do to deserve a sword swung at me?!"
"Don't play dumb!! Get away from His Highness right now!!"
"His Highness?"
He pulled back slightly from where he'd been holding me tight and gazed at my flushed face.
"...Wait, you're the Fifth Prince? So I just confessed to a guy?"
"Y-Yes!! Now that you know, get away from His Highness!! You lunatic!!"
Even as Nana shouted, he didn't let go. Instead, he stared intently at my face and murmured in a tiny voice.
"This might actually work...?"
"W-Work?!"
"What the hell do you mean 'work'?!!!"
At the word "work," Nana charged again, but he scooped me up and vaulted into the air, lightly evading her once more.
"Ngh...!!"
"So violent... Anyone would think you were a barbarian or an orc, not a knight."
With me caught between them, the tense standoff felt like sparks flying. I wriggled free from his arms and spoke up.
"B-Both of you!! Stop fighting over me!! There's no need to fight because of me!!"
First a confession, and now I was spouting lines straight out of a romance novel...
It hadn't even been five minutes since we entered this room, but in that short time, my life had taken a dramatically theatrical turn.
Hearing me, he stepped back, while Nana sheathed her sword and rushed to my side.
"Your Highness!! Are you alright?!"
"Yeah... I'm fine. He was careful not to hurt me."
When he'd grabbed my shoulder, he'd controlled his strength perfectly—no pain at all.
Nana glanced at him in surprise, and he smirked.
"Of course. Who in the world hurts the person they just confessed to? Not that you'd know, swinging that sword around like an idiot..."
"There aren't any guys in the world who confess to a total stranger prince out of nowhere either..."
"Ah, I didn't know he was a prince! She was so pretty, I thought she was just a girl with short hair!!"
"Pretty..."
"Your Highness! Snap out of it! That's not the part to be happy about!!"
"Oh, right..."
Nana whispered in my ear, snapping me back to reality. I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Ahem...! I've always had a bit of a complex about looking like this girl, so please be careful with words like 'pretty' or 'girly.'"
"Hmm... With looks like that, you've probably heard 'pretty' a million times. Sorry for the lack of tact, Your Highness Euclid."
"H-Here at the academy, you don't need to call me 'Your Highness.' And... um..."
"I'm Ian. Ian Bar Tow."
"Ian? Ah..."
Only then did I realize why Nana had guessed who it might be before opening the training ground door.
Ian Bar Tow.
If the rumors of him clashing with Sir Peter were true, it wouldn't be strange for him to be in S-Class.
"You said you were looking for someone. Who?"
"Oh? Yeah... I thought my fiancée Rain might be here, but as you can see, she's not."
"Rain? She was here before me, but she clicked her tongue at my face and left. You must've just missed each other."
"Clicked her tongue and left?"
Rain was always so demure around me; I couldn't easily picture it.
"Wise choice. Training in the same space as a lunatic like you would be a waste of time."
"What nonsense? Lunatic? Me?"
"Yeah, you. What else do you call a guy who proposes to a same-sex stranger—a prince, no less?"
"That could happen to anyone!! And for the first time in my life, someone gets how awesome Battōjutsu is—how could I not confess?!"
"You crazy bastard, what bullshit..."
"Battōjutsu?"
I don't know much about swordsmanship, but it seemed to refer to that awesome technique Ian had just shown.
"Ian, even I—a mage—could tell that sword technique was incredible. What's this Battōjutsu?"
"You're interested in Battōjutsu?! Battōjutsu is the fastest, strongest sword art that converts the friction from drawing the blade into kinetic energy to slice the enemy!!"
"......Huh? F-Friction?"
It sounded like something a child would say, so I thought it was a joke, but Ian's eyes were deadly serious.
Maybe it was some sword term I didn't know? I glanced at Nana, but she was sighing in disbelief too.
"Your Highness... He's just spouting nonsense, so don't take it too seriously."
"I've never spouted nonsense in my life."
"The fact you don't realize you're an idiot proves you are one."
"Shut up!! I'm not an idiot!! This uncivilized world without liberal arts and sciences just can't keep up with me!!"
"Haha... Don't fight again..."
It was refreshing to see Nana, who usually let most things slide, getting this worked up, but I couldn't just let them fight.
"Anyway, if you were looking for Rain, want me to tell her you were asking after her tomorrow?"
"Nah, it's not urgent, so no need to go that far."
I felt bad for Rain, but it wasn't pressing, and as Nana had said before, a letter would suffice later.
With no more business in the training ground, Ian and I left almost at the same time.
But as we headed in opposite directions down the hall, he turned back to me.
"If you're hooked on Battōjutsu, come to the training ground anytime! I'll show you as many times as you want!"
"You idiot. Does His Highness look like he has time to watch your stupid swordplay?"
As Ian's hand went to his sword hilt at Nana's cold words, I stepped forward to stop them.
"Ian! I'll definitely come watch Battōjutsu! So calm down first! You too, Nana!"
Ian released the hilt and shot Nana a chilly glare.
"Hmph... You just saved your skin, meathead."
"......You just saved yours."
With Ian gone and just Nana and me in the corridor, she asked,
"Your Highness, are you really going to watch that idiot's swordplay?"
"Yeah... Watching that awesome form somehow puts my mind at ease. Why?"
"......No, if that's all, it's fine. But I was worried his words might have swayed you..."
"Oh, I get what you mean..."
A dream I'd reached for but never touched had suddenly appeared before me—no way I wasn't shaken.
But it wasn't a dream worth betraying Mother and all those who'd devoted themselves to me.
"It's natural for you to worry, but that won't happen, so don't fret."
"Yes.... I'm truly sorry for saying this knowing your heart, Your Highness."
"No, if I were you, I'd say the same."
I know full well that this path I'm on—drifting along—isn't the right one.
But every time I resolve to betray everyone and fix things now, Mother's cold gaze from that day flashes in my mind, leaving me paralyzed.
"......Your Highness."
"What? Still worried about something?"
"No, just... something I want you to remember."
"Remember?"
"Yes. From the day I offered you this sword, I've considered this body yours. So if you ever want to abandon everything, tell me. I'll abandon it all and go with you."
"......Yeah. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I'll remember."
*****
'This should be enough...'
To prepare for any contingencies, I'd stepped outside the academy grounds. I stroked Nanga while scanning for suspicious presences.
"Nanga."
[Woof!!]
Confirming no suspicious presences, I called her name, and Nanga—having held back all this time—barked vigorously, rubbing the hilt against my hand.
"Good girl, you held it in well..."
[Woof!! Woof!!]
It had happened just moments ago, when I'd made contact with that wise prince who appreciated the coolness of Battōjutsu.
A faint vibration only I could feel from the sheathed Nanga conveyed her will to me.
[Dangerous demonic energy felt.]
I could sense the demonic energy myself, but I hadn't detected any from the prince.
That meant the amount was so minuscule only a demon sword like Nanga could pick it up—yet even that tiny trace was enough to terrify her.
What kind of demon's energy is it?
Considering Nanga was forged from Lobo's claws, it had to be at least an upper demon—maybe higher.
That such dangerous demonic energy had gone unnoticed until now suggested the royal family was in on it, or the demon was adept at hiding its power.
I wouldn't have noticed without wearing Nanga myself.
Something's behind this. But for now, I can only watch...
Not just any noble—a demon possessing a royal prince, no less.
Whether the contract was willing or forced, I couldn't pass up the chance to slay a powerful demon and spread the glory of Battōjutsu.
I've laid the bait, so he'll come back soon...
What I'd told Euclid: come watch Battōjutsu if he wanted.
That was my bait.
No true man would miss the chance to watch a master Battōjutsu practitioner up close.
And Euclid's eyes when he called my Battōjutsu awesome weren't lying.
He must have been possessed because he fell into a plot by those vile scum who mock Battōjutsu.
I knew forces insulting Battōjutsu were widespread, but I never imagined they'd infiltrated the royal family.
Euclid...! I'll definitely save you from this Battōjutsu-mocking conspiracy!!