Meeting the Spinster Princesses of the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms' "Spinster Princesses"

6th Chapter · Meeting the Spinster Princesses of the Three Kingdoms

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March 4th · Concordia Academy · Checkpoint

Two days later, Father Gustav and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I accepted the proposal after a brief discussion. The talk was short because there was no point in debating it among ourselves. We had no veto power over this matter to begin with. We wouldn't even know what the mission was until we arrived. On top of that, Lady Sekhmet had left, saying she had other business, so all we could do in the remaining time was hone our skills to survive.

"We trained while traveling, but we arrived surprisingly fast."

It was my first time embarking on a long journey. I'd often accompanied my subordinates to neighboring territories, but traveling this far alone was a first. Still, we made it without major trouble and soon laid eyes on the massive, endless outer wall.

"Hah, I wonder if my little sisters are doing all right without Brother Ludo~."

For reference, my sisters' reactions at departure had been like this:

『Brother. Please return safely without a single injury.』

『Oppa, hang in there. Rine will be cheering for you~.』

I'd expected them to wail like they'd never see me again, but it was the opposite. They'd clung to me affectionately right up until departure, yet when the moment came they didn't even come out to the front gate to see me off…

Father, on the other hand, gave me advice in place of his heartless daughters.

『Ludo. Listen well. I don't know the details, but you've been invited as an instructor. And not just any instructor—this is an unprecedented case involving the Principal of Concordia Academy and three royal families. Someone who learns of this might become hostile, or perhaps try to suppress you by flaunting their family's prestige and title. No, given human nature, there will definitely be those who envy you. Even so, never cower or yield. The people I mentioned earlier stand behind you. Never forget that if you bend your will and act servile, you'll only tarnish their reputations.』

It was advice not to be intimidated, considering the backing we had, no matter how small our house was. In a way, it was like a fox borrowing a tiger's authority, except this wasn't the fox stealing the tiger's hide on its own—the tiger had willingly lent it. If the fox failed to uphold the tiger's dignity, how displeased would the tiger be? It was important for the fox to maintain the tiger's face.

"Father's advice aside, this still feels off no matter how I think about it. No matter how many times I asked what the mission was, all they said was 'continental peace.' And the class I'm supposed to teach is called the Spinsters Class, with royalty from various countries involved?"

Even on second thought, it was a derogatory name. To claim continental peace hinged on a place like that—there were limits to bad jokes. No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't understand the situation, so I pulled out the recommendation letter again.

Only the final line was different. It skipped all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the usual explanations and simply declared my appointment as an instructor. Below it were the seals lined up in the signature section.

The names of the three kings who ruled their respective nations. Next to each name was a magical seal with a special structure that others couldn't easily forge.

'…Terrifying.'

What would happen if this recommendation letter got torn? Just imagining it was frightening.

『I understand you have many questions. But don't worry too much. Just bring the recommendation letter and come here. Then everything—the mission you'll undertake and all your doubts—will be resolved.』

'The Principal herself said it. For now, I have no choice but to trust her.'

While I was lost in thought, I suddenly realized it was my turn.

"Next, where are you from?"

"Eastern Eisenwald territory."

"Hmm. Never heard of it. Do you have a pass or anything to prove your identity?"

"I have a recommendation letter."

"Oh, a recommendation letter."

"I've been invited as a special instructor. I'll be in your care from now on."

I was currently undergoing inspection at the academy's outer wall, so I handed over the Special Instructor Recommendation Letter as is. It was a special document bearing the seals of the three royal families along with Lady Sekhmet's. Lady Sekhmet had said that showing this upon arrival at the academy would make everything go smoothly.

"Whoa… look at this?"

Look at that—the Principal's and the royal families' seals. The hyena-like academy guard's eyes widened the moment he saw the document. He clearly never dreamed a rural noble would bring something like this.

"This crazy bastard, everyone get out here!"

That was the problem.

"…Huh?"

Ding ding ding!

"A bold madman who dared to forge the Principal's seal has appeared! Seize this bastard and throw him in the dungeon!"

He immediately rang the bell and called for other academy guards.

"Eh?"

I, Ludo von Eisenwald, on my very first day entering the academy I had so admired, was about to experience firsthand what the great city's prison was like compared to the Eisenwald family's dungeon.

*

A short while later, the hyena-like beastman spoke.

"Name?"

"Ludo von Eisenwald."

"Where did you get these seals and recommendation letter?"

"I received them from Lady Sekhmet herself."

"As expected…"

I was locked in a temporary prison inside the outer wall being interrogated, but fortunately I wasn't treated roughly. The hyena guard who'd loudly ordered me thrown in a cell had apologized politely and, as an apology, even treated me to expensive wine inside the cell in broad daylight.

"Sorry for being rough. I should've thought more before acting, but my emotions got ahead of me."

Since he apologized and bowed his head right away, I wasn't angry. It wasn't like he'd suddenly kicked me. I hadn't been treated disrespectfully either. His tone was a bit rough, but that seemed to be his natural disposition as a hyena, so I decided not to dwell on it.

"What happened?"

When I asked politely, he explained the circumstances behind his earlier reaction.

"It might sound like an excuse from the victim's perspective, but lately there've been so many intruders trying to sneak into the academy by forging official documents that we've been especially vigilant. There were at least ten cases just yesterday, and one guy even managed to slip through the checkpoint by luck. So my colleagues and I were all on edge when we made this blunder."

It was surprising that so many people were trying to infiltrate the academy. And forging documents—why would they do that?

"Ten cases?"

"Yeah. We caught them all, but the guard at the neighboring checkpoint got scolded and had his pay docked. In that kind of situation, when a major recommendation letter like this rolls into our checkpoint… well, honestly, it's enough to be surprised, right?"

He refilled my empty glass with wine again. This was a recommendation letter bearing the seals of Principal Sekhmet and the three royal families. To use an analogy from my past life, it was like being invited as a professor to a school-country called America, bringing along the names of the American President himself and the representatives of three countries—China, Japan, and Korea.

…Of course that would be surprising. As someone who was a commoner in my past life and a rural noble in this one, I could understand that much.

"So, have you contacted the person in charge?"

"I contacted the Principal's office, but…"

He shook his head. It seemed he couldn't reach them.

"Am I in big trouble?"

"No, not that. We checked whether the seals are real or fake on our end."

He carefully showed me the recommendation letter whose inspection had been completed, treating it like a precious item. He didn't return it to me right away. Instead, he pointed to each seal with his fingertip.

"There's an item here that can verify whether the Principal's seal is genuine or fake. Through that, we confirmed this is the real thing."

"It was real, right?"

"Of course. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was going to send you through right away, but… look at this. The royal family crests down here."

"Is there a problem with them?"

"Because of what happened earlier, the inspection regulations have gotten stricter. We have to verify all of these before you can enter. But don't worry. We've already requested an appraisal on this side too, so once the inspection is done, you should be able to leave right away."

"There's someone who can verify whether the three royal families' seals are real or fake?"

"Ah. They've arrived. Regardless of the recent rumors, they're truly important people, so make sure not to be rude, all right?"

…Important people?

The hyena guard who'd been handling me stepped back from the iron bars for a moment and went to greet the guest first.

The first two women to enter were what people commonly called "pink-changs."

"Oh my, is that the man who impersonated our family? He really has some nerve. He looks like a petty scoundrel from the outside, but it's unexpected."

"Sister. It's not confirmed yet. I don't think it's good to label him the culprit so quickly."

"That's true. If he's innocent, how wronged would he feel… We're truly sorry for the rudeness. We sincerely apologize."

"I'll apologize as well."

- Two noblewomen bowed their heads simultaneously. -

- Long hair in a peachy-pink color paired with golden eyes—a distinctive combination. -

- There was no way I wouldn't recognize such characteristic appearances. -

"Don't tell me, the Belamour royal family?"

When I muttered that, the one called the older sister let out an "ohoho!" laugh and leaned forward.

"Oh my, you know us well. That's right. I'm the eldest daughter of the Belamour royal family, Elena de Belamour."

"I'm the second daughter, Selena de Belamour. Though our time together will be short, please take care of us, sir whose name I don't know."

- The one with a higher tone who swung her long hair and exuded presence was Elena. -

- The one with a lower tone, wearing a ponytail and businesslike glasses, was Selena. -

- Both wore the white uniforms distinctive to the academy, and they possessed voluptuous figures on par with Lady Sekhmet's. -

'As expected, the eldest and second daughters of the Belamour royal family. These are distinguished guests who shouldn't be in a place like this!'

I'd thought the same when Lady Sekhmet recommended me, but it really was something involving the royal families after all. Still, I never expected the princesses themselves to appear…

"Ahem."

Sweat was clearly visible trickling down the back of the hyena's fluffy neck. He looked just as nervous as I was.

"From what I hear, Lady Sekhmet's recommendation seems to be genuine. So don't be too nervous. She has a good eye for talent, and we love such talent."

"Our Belamour royal family is a gathering of people who love talent. If you have that kind of value, Brother Raphael would have written the recommendation letter with goodwill."

The two of them glanced at the end of the recommendation letter they were examining together.

West · Raphael de Belamour (Seal)

Even after seeing the name and seal of the king who had recommended me, they smiled brightly. Seeing their reaction, the nameless guard seemed to think things would work out and silently nodded, waiting for the appraisal results.

"Selena. What do you think?"

"The seal is reacting to our magical power. There's no trace of forgery either. It's definitely real no matter how you look at it."

"I think so too. But since he's someone Brother recommended, could we check what the contents say?"

Contents?

"Wait a moment. Isn't that an empty recommendation letter?"

"Hmm. You didn't know? This document is crafted to react to our royal family's magical power. The seal of Brother Raphael here acts as a keyhole."

"So if we pour our royal family's magical power into the seal like this… voilà! We can find out for what purpose you were hired~♪"

Whether out of curiosity or not, the Belamour sisters pressed their foreheads together and tried to read the contents. Of course, I responded without any ulterior motives to Elena's bright smile, saying "Feel free to look." Without realizing that was a mistake.

"Ahem… hmm…?"

"Ludo… Spinsters Class… appointment…"

"Selena… Elena…"

"Estrus period… special management…"

"In the name of Raphael de Belamour…"

""Approved!?""

The corners of their golden eyes narrowed like thread. Soon, their narrowed eyes gave way to smiles devoid of any laughter.

"Hee, I see."

"So this man is the rumored…"

The two princesses, who had been in a bright mood, suddenly flushed red and glared at me as if that moment had never happened. It felt like a tidal wave of emotion was rushing in and submerging my slender body.

"Hmph!"

They even crumpled up the precious recommendation letter and threw it on the floor. Treated like trash.

"Aack, my recommendation letter!"

"What's going on?"

The hyena was startled by the sudden turn of events. I barely managed to catch the crumpled recommendation letter. The two princesses looked extremely displeased with me.

"No. We misread it. Guard! This man is an insolent fellow who impersonated the Belamour family name, so throw him out of the academy immediately!!"

"But don't hurt him… Please handle it gently. We're truly sorry."

The two princesses who had just vouched that my recommendation letter was real suddenly changed their attitude completely and even turned their backs on me.

"…Huh? W-wait a second!"

"You just said it was real!"

"I don't want to answer. Well then, goodbye! Sir talent whose name I don't know!"

"How unfortunate…"

When we asked what they meant, the two of them didn't answer and fled. I looked up at the guard from a crawling position. He looked bewildered but didn't suspect me.

"I heard what those two said too."

"They said it was real after looking at the recommendation letter, right?"

"Yeah. Seems like they suddenly changed their minds, but what the hell is this Spinsters Class or whatever?"

I didn't know either, so I answered that based on the nuance, it seemed related to romance. He didn't understand what I meant, but instead helped me.

"Don't worry. Fortunately, those two weren't the only ones who came. Let's check one more time."

"Yes, thank you. Really."

"This is my job, no need to thank me. If anything, it's my fault if you think about it."

To think things would go wrong from the very start. I didn't know the reason, but a bad premonition came rushing in.