The Royal Decree
Psyche was, more or less, the eldest daughter of a half-ruined knightly house. Because the head of the family had failed to produce a suitable heir, she—a woman—had been designated as the successor.
Fortunately, she possessed considerable talent. Perhaps it was her determination to raise a family already halfway to collapse that gave her passion as well.
Innate gift and circumstance pushed her to the extreme.
In no time at all she became stronger than her own father. Psyche still remembered the dejected look on his face the day she bested him with the sword.
Those were the good days…
People shine brightest when they have something to aim for. Having honed her skill and stepped out into the world, Psyche slammed head-on into society's walls.
And shattered.
Nobles steeped in the prejudice that knighthood was a man's domain refused to hire her. The post of personal guard to the princess went to a noble of higher rank whose skill was inferior to hers.
The walls of the world were high and solid—far too high for a girl who had only just set foot in society to climb.
In the end, the only nobles who wanted her were perverts who lusted after her looks, or collectors who wanted a female knight as a trophy.
She still had enough pride not to spread her legs under the likes of them. And so Psyche became an adventurer.
Even I, fully prepared as a knight, took years to get this far… Talent really is something to envy.
An Upper Class adventurer holds status and wealth above that of most knights.
A Highest Class adventurer gains renown surpassing even the Royal Knight Order.
Unable to become a knight, she sought other ways to prove her strength. She formed a party, gathered comrades, devised strategies, and clawed her way up to this point.
She had finally earned the chance to become Highest Class—only for a natural disaster named Dragon to nearly ruin everything.
"…If one has been saved, then that grace must be repaid."
She was the type who could not live with a debt. The long-standing debts that had bound her family since childhood had made her that way.
Swallowing hard, she approached her clothing bag and drew out a negligee so sheer it was practically transparent. One of her party members—the mage—had half-forced the thing on her.
When the mage had pressed this rather indecent nightwear on her, she had said:
—Leader, a girl needs at least one of these!
—I have no need for clothes like this…
—You never know how the world will turn out, ooooh!
At the time she had truly believed she would never need it—but as the mage had said, you never know what life will throw at you.
Carefully shedding her clothes and slipping into the negligee, Psyche flushed at her own reflection in the mirror. It was a shameful sight she could never show anyone else.
But.
"Hoo… hoo— shall we go."
Steeling herself, she threw a robe over her entire body and headed for Evan's room. She paced in front of the door for a good ten-odd minutes before she finally knocked.
But in the end—
Knock knock—.
"E-Evan. It's me."
—Psyche?
"May I come in?"
Receiving permission, she stepped inside and swallowed hard at the puzzled look Evan gave her.
Only after arriving did she realize how whorish she must look. But what was done was done. There was no helping it now. She cast off the robe that had been concealing her attire.
"Uh, uhh?"
"You said you didn't like Anella because she seemed like a whore…"
She could feel his gaze. Not the filthy, lust-soaked stares dirty nobles or adventurers sometimes sent her way, but a gaze filled purely with embarrassment and curiosity.
The reaction wasn't bad. Seeing that, Psyche carefully opened her mouth.
"What about me…?"
"P-Psyche? What is this…?"
"You saved my life. As a rule, a favor must be repaid with something of equal value. …I believe the chastity I have preserved until now should at least be worth a life."
Having saved her life, she would offer her chastity in return. Hearing those words, Evan swallowed hard as he looked at Psyche.
His fingers twitched madly. He was clenching and unclenching them so hard he was getting a cramp.
If he had his way, he would reach straight for those breasts and use that twitching to squeeze them right then and there. Yes—if he had his way.
"Th-this kind of thing should only be done between lovers!"
"There are plenty of people in the world who simply enjoy a single night."
"No, others might, but at least I…"
This was Evan's own form of confession. Others might casually enjoy one-night stands, but he hated that sort of thing. So let's go out. A confession packed with that meaning.
Of course, there was no way a virgin who had only ever trained as a knight would pick up on the delicate rhetoric unique to a young boy.
Psyche let out a bitter smile, as if she had expected as much.
"I see… My life must not have been worth that much to you. Since you saved me so easily."
"N-no! Psyche's life is of course precious…!"
"Then will you accept it? Or is it something else? That my chastity is worth less than a life, so you find it awkward to take? Well—the chastity of an old maid who's never even dated at this age. It might be worth less than I thought."
"Th-that's not it either…"
"If it's neither this nor that, then just quietly. Accept it obediently."
"Y-yeees…"
Fortunately or unfortunately, Psyche was determined to repay this boy even if she had to force it. The rigid inflexibility unique to knights was shining through.
Also, the sadistic streak unique to older women had flared up toward this young boy who was overreacting so sensitively to her actions.
"Stay still. Quietly count the stains on the ceiling and it'll be over."
Gulp— Evan immediately looked up at the ceiling. Or rather, he tried to. He would have, if Psyche's large breasts hadn't been blocking the view…
Regrettably, instead of ceiling stains, Evan found himself counting the moles under her breasts, staring intently at them, as Psyche slowly approached him.
Their bodies overlapped. Hot breaths spilled toward each other. Just as the two of them were about to become one—
KWAANG—!
"—No matter how I think about it, I'm so pissed I could dieeee!"
Anella, completely drunk, smashed through the door and barged in. Hiccuping, she jabbed a finger at Evan and shouted.
"Why am I the non-virgin, you little shiiit…? Uh, uhh— L-Leader?"
"…Anella."
"Wait, why is the Leader here… More importantly, what the hell is that getup."
Having entered the room, Anella discovered Psyche looking even more lewd than if she were naked. And she realized that said woman was straddling Evan.
Even if Anella was a virgin, she wasn't completely devoid of sexual knowledge. It didn't take long for her to realize what the two of them were doing—or rather, had been about to do.
"—What, so the non-virgin wasn't me, it was the Leader."
Hic— Letting out a hiccup, Anella maintained a facade of nonchalance as she fled. Evan and Psyche eyed each other carefully before cautiously getting up.
Neither of them was thick-skinned enough to continue under the circumstances of being caught by others.
And so Evan's first experience came to an end.
"I'm sorry about yesterday."
The next day, Psyche came to find me and said as much. Though the one who actually ought to be apologizing was off in the distance, whistling and watching for cues.
After giving Anella a long, hard stare, I shook my head as I looked at Psyche.
"What did you do wrong, Psyche?"
"…Blinded by the compulsion to repay you, I made a mistake. Something I should never have done to Evan, who is only fifteen."
"N-no. …I liked it."
"Liking it or not, it was something that should not have been done."
Psyche answered with extreme coldness. Hard to believe she was the same person who had visited his room last night. After spending a night cooling her head, she seemed to have realized that what she had done violated social morals and ethics.
Intuiting that I would never again see the her from last night, I looked at Psyche with a bitter smile.
"Well, then, nothing to be done about it."
"I will repay the grace of saving my life with something else. Though I wonder if I can."
"Aw, no need for that. It's fine. I've already gotten stuff from the Count, and there's more coming from the guild."
"But still…"
"If you insist—that thing I didn't get yesterday, I'll come collect it later. After I've become an adult. Then there's no problem, right?"
Hearing that, Psyche paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"…If you're fine with that."
"Yes. Then this conversation is over!"
Fearing that if I kept talking about it, yesterday's events would come flooding back, I forcibly ended the topic. Fortunately, she didn't bring up what happened yesterday any further either.
We boarded the carriage and headed straight for the Royal Capital. The journey there wasn't as boring as the way out. There was plenty to pass the time with—accepting the apologies of a guilty Anella, chatting with Valkyrie's mage who was curious about last night's events, and so on.
After arriving at the Royal Capital, a familiar woman was waiting for me at the guild.
"Brat—no, I suppose I can't call you a brat anymore."
"Guildmaster?"
"You… I sent you off telling you to just do the job properly—what the hell is this?"
Guildmaster Francesca said that as she waved the documents in her hand this way and that. Seeing the writing on them, I let out a small hollow laugh.
Thinking I didn't grasp the seriousness of the matter as I laughed, the Guildmaster read out the contents written on the documents.
Adventurer who hunted a dragon.
Evan Kalshooter, hear this.
Upon Evan Kalshooter, We bestow the title of Sword Saint.
"What's with the sudden solemn tone…?"
"Shut it, this is a royal decree. Normally you'd have to hear it on your knees. Ahem—anyway… Upon Evan Kalshooter, I bestow the title of Sword Saint."
"…You bestow what?"
"Sword Saint. Meaning you… have become the nationally certified strongest swordsman."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Special Class adventurer and Sword Saint… It's going to be chaos. Congratulations."
Hearing Francesca's words, I felt my head spin.
Who's a Sword Saint?
Me?
…That's insane.
