Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I'm Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! Volume 2 E-Book

Rhythm Aida

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 344

Beschreibung

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I'm Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! Volume 2

Leseprobe

“The Piggy Duke was intelligent, strong, kindhearted, and sadly, too stubborn for his own good. From another perspective, the story of Shuya Marionette can be interpreted as his tragedy.”

—Director of Shuya Marionette

Prologue: Our Past, Our Future

Someone’s voice roused me from the comfort of the nap I’d indulged in.

“Jeez, what’s with that crybaby, Charlotte?! Who does she think she is?!”

That voice made my heart falter, for some strange reason. I strained my ears to focus, wondering whose voice it was.

“He just left me there... Me, his fiancée! If he’s going to pamper her all day, then I don’t need this stupid ring! Wasn’t this meant to be proof that he would put me above everyone else?!”

A girl’s voice? I thought, intrigued. I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.

“All right, time to wake up, oink.” Whispering to myself, I opened my eyes to an abundance of trees with their canopy of green leaves and a carpet of flowers in full bloom. The smell of nature around me was overwhelming.

Looking around, I found a small, frail girl in the weeds rocking back and forth in a silent staccato. Her impeccable golden blonde hair fell over her trembling shoulders; the mere sight of her was enough to instill a strong urge of protectiveness in just about anyone. Even the forest critters stopped to look at her as they scaled the trunks of nearby trees.

It was none other than Alicia, looking very much like the girl I’d known when we were both young. Between me and Alicia hid a small boy, watching from behind a big tree as Alicia tore at weeds. So I’m watching my memories from an outside point of view, huh?

“So this is a dream...” I muttered. It took me recognizing this scenery from a day long past to realize that. I hadn’t thought about this memory in a long, long time. I could feel only frustration that I couldn’t do anything but watch this remnant of the past play out.

But that was only natural. The past was in the past. Not even the gods could change what had already come to pass.

“It’s all his fault too! A ‘personal retainer’? What’s with that?! I came all this way to meet him, but he’s spending all of his time on that crybaby, and we haven’t talked at all!”

Ah, I remember now. Right after I assigned Charlotte as my personal retainer, my fiancée came to visit my family’s lands for fun. I was reliving this memory in a dream.

Alicia groaned. “He’s paying attention to her and nobody else... It’s so unfair!”

Charlotte Lily Huzak was once the princess of the now-destroyed kingdom of Huzak, and she was long presumed dead. When I had saved her from a slave auction held on Denning lands, I swore to the enraged Great Spirit of Wind that I would protect her for the rest of my life. As proof of this oath, I assigned her as my personal retainer.

In House Denning, assigning someone as your personal retainer was essentially making a vow to be together forever. My sudden declaration was a bolt from the blue, and House Denning was thrown into chaos because of it. But my mind was set, and I refused to budge. Perhaps thinking that I would eventually change my mind, they granted my request. Either that, or everyone in my family thought that Crybaby Charlotte would give up halfway during the harsh retainer training that House Denning was notorious for.

“You could look at her crossways and she’d cry... Jeez!” Alicia groaned in frustration. “I hate that girl!”

Though my engagement with Alicia was a political arrangement by my family, she was my official fiancée—that much was an indisputable fact. At the time, I had my hands full taking care of the traumatized Charlotte and the Great Spirit of Wind, so I didn’t get the chance to talk with Alicia properly, who had come all the way to my place to get to know me better.

“Oh, there you are. I finally found you, Alicia.” A silhouette approached the still-grumbling Alicia from the shade of the trees.

The voice belonged to a boy with long, black hair tied back in a ponytail. He walked with his hands in the pockets of his crimson coat, the color signifying that he came from House Denning. Sensing that Alicia wasn’t in the best mood, he took one hand from his pocket to gently pat her head.

“What do you think you’re doing, commoner?!” Alicia barked. “Don’t you know whose head you just touched?! Ask permission before acting so familiar with me!”

“Alicia, House Denning is in an uproar over your disappearance. You have to let either myself or Lord Slowe know before going out somewhere, or I won’t hear the end of it.”

“Who cares if some commoner gets scolded?” Alicia huffed. “Whatever. I wanted to ask you something.”

Alicia surged to her feet and swiped at the corners of her eyes, glaring at the boy. As a kid, Alicia sure was just as headstrong as she is now.

“Who is that girl?”

“That girl...?” The boy trailed off. “You mean Lord Slowe’s retainer, Charlotte?” Alicia nodded, waiting for his response. “She’s one of the girls Lord Slowe and I saved from the slave auction.”

“I know that much. But why did she become Slowe’s retainer? She’s a commoner, and she doesn’t have much skill with magic, right? And she’s a crybaby too... I can’t believe that she, of all people, would become Slowe’s personal retainer. A girl like her can’t fill those shoes; he’s the heir of Duke Denning, after all. The personal retainer of the next duke needs to be much stronger than that, right?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” the boy said at length. “But Lord Slowe made that decision.”

“Slowe chose her...? Why?”

“Who knows? I’d like to know the answer to that myself.” He shrugged. “But if it is Lord Slowe’s wish, I will obey as one half of the Knights of the Twin Wings who serve him. But I can see why you’re upset now, Alicia. You feel as though Charlotte has snatched Lord Slowe away from you, so you’re here sulking by yourself.”

“I-I’m not sulking! At all!” Alicia stammered.

I wanted to stay and watch Alicia a little bit more, but my consciousness was suddenly pulled along by my past self; I had no choice but to follow him through the forest. Oh well.

When I blinked, I found myself in my room at the main estate, studying to pass the time amidst towering stacks of books. There were books on local governments, national administration, military tactics and affairs, and even various regional customs. Reliving these studies from my past self’s point of view was just as stifling as I remembered. It was in the middle of this studying that I felt someone’s eyes on me. Looking up, I saw the black-haired boy who’d been talking to Alicia earlier. He leaned against the door and stood there, watching me without a word.

“Oh, it’s you,” I muttered. “If you have something to say, you should say it instead of just standing there.”

“You looked very focused on what you were doing, so I refrained from interrupting.”

“I can’t finish all of this in one day if I don’t focus.” I paused. “In any case, how’s Alicia? Has her mood improved at all since then?”

“I take it you heard everything, milord? You could have come out and talked to us.” Even in my dream, the cheeky boy kept his hands in his coat pockets as he usually did. He sported an impish grin just like when he had spoken to Alicia.

“About that...” I hesitated. “You also have a few words for me about picking Charlotte as my personal retainer.”

“Of course I do. Such a small girl as your personal retainer? As far as I can tell, she can use a bit of magic, but we’re talking about a personal retainer serving House Denning here, not any old noble. Don’t forget that the people of this country fear the direct descendants of House Denning and their personal retainers as monsters.”

I laughed. “I’m a monster, huh?”

“Milord, this is no laughing matter. What in the world were you thinking, choosing her as your personal retainer? Not as a retainer to take care of you, but as the personal retainer to the heir of Duke Denning! Not only is her background unclear, I don’t think that girl will stand a chance when it comes to fighting... Honestly, I pity her. There’s no way she can endure that position.”

“No matter what anyone else says, I’m not budging on this. You’re one to talk about being small and young, given how young you are for a knight of House Denning. You’re not even a hired mercenary. You’re officially one of us, and the youngest person ever to join the ranks of our knights.”

“Please don’t lump me in with Charlotte. I’m special,” he huffed.

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re special, huh?”

“Yes, I am special,” he insisted.

“Well...” I shrugged. “I guess that’s true. You certainly had to be quite talented to earn my father’s approval.”

The boy grinned wider at that, placing a hand onto the hilt of the sword fastened to his waist. He was already dashing enough as it was; this sort of gesture only added to that demeanor. He’s got the confidence to just boldly declare that he’s special. Honestly, that’s one of the amazing things about him, I thought.

It was by pure chance that I had met this boy with such potential, and I turned him from a normal commoner into a knight loyal only to House Denning. Even by the merit of his skill with the sword alone, the boy far outmatched the noble knights hired by my family to supplement the knights under our direct patronage.

He sighed. “I really don’t know why you would make Charlotte your personal retainer, but you ignored all of our protests and insisted only she could take up the post. I will put my faith in you and believe that she is someone special, then.”

“Yes, Charlotte is special,” I said with a nod. “In truth, I want to keep an eye on her all the time, but... Unfortunately, I cannot do that due to my position. And so I ask this of you. When she is out of my sight—”

His black hair, his black eyes, and the abundance of confidence in those eyes that saw right through me... It was all so nostalgic. Before I knew it, he had left House Denning far behind... He was one of my regrets from the past.

He was once a good companion of mine, and back then, I could talk to him about anything. But...I couldn’t tell him the truth about Charlotte. I never did.

What are you doing now, I wonder? Are you roaming free again somewhere in this country?

“—protect her for me, Silva.” I reached out my hands towards one half of my Twin Wings, my handpicked knights, and then—

“A dream... Just like I thought.” I opened my eyes to the real world.

There was no smell of plants nor bright light in the open room. Even if I reached my hands towards the ceiling, my hands would grasp at nothing. I frowned at the morning sun seeping through the curtains. I stretched and slowly climbed out of bed, walking towards the spot I frequented most often nowadays.

My vision slowly focused as I blinked my eyes a few more times. There, I saw—

“I really am fat.”

—my own figure reflected in the mirror.

The dining hall was always packed in the morning, what with the many hungry mouths of the school it served and all. The sound of silver cutlery clinking echoed throughout the hall, and scrumptious food that wouldn’t be seen normally in a commoner’s home was lined up on the many rows of long tables.

“Hey, please get out of the way! Oh, apologies, milord!”

Maids hustled and bustled about the hall. After studying in this school for nearly a year, this scenery had become the norm to us students. Even if some kids showed up to the dining hall with bed hair, few students would actually make a comment on it.

“—Lord Denning, are you okay? You were staring into space,” the black-haired girl sitting by my side called out to me. Apparently I’d zoned out, but I snapped out of it.

“I had a really nostalgic dream this morning,” I said. “I was reminiscing a little.”

“Even you would think back on the past, huh? I thought you’d be someone who only looked to the future.”

“Well... I guess I’ve been like that since I met you, Tina, yeah.”

Back then, every single day was filled with happiness. While I worked on bettering myself as a member of House Denning, I had the privilege of seeing Charlotte grow and improve as my retainer. I used to think those halcyon days would last forever.

“By the way, Tina.” I hesitated. “What is this?”

A spread of food covered the whole table, plates crammed in on every inch of available surface. Even if I have a big appetite, I could never eat this much! I protested inwardly. Though I finally fit into the largest ready-made size uniform, I’m still in the middle of my diet!

“This happened while you were distracted. Several people came over, saying that they weren’t hungry and would like you to have it in their stead. You became a celebrity overnight after you caught that mercenary, uh, No-What’s-Her-Face. In a good way this time!”

“I see.” I nodded. “I’m still on a diet, though...”

This first-year commoner student was the first lady friend I’d made after I had changed for the better.

“They’re trying desperately to get on your good side. They probably finally realized that even though you’re a little chubby, you’re still from the House Denning.”

She was a role model student who had managed to use earth magic despite being a commoner. This extremely diligent girl was a side character who hadn’t been interested in joining Shuya or his harem at all in the anime. As for her appearance, well... Just putting it out there—since I couldn’t exactly avoid this topic when it came to her—but she had quite the voluptuous chest. Tina was one of my few friends, and she treated me no differently than before, even after the incident with the mercenary.

“They’re trying to get on my good side, I see, oink,” I snickered.

“Oh, you seem pretty pleased by that. So what are you going to do with these offerings, then? Are you going to eat them?”

“Well...” I hesitated. It’s a gift, so I shouldn’t waste it... It’s fine if I just have a little bit, right? If I don’t, it would be rude...right? I gulped. J-Just a little bit... Giving into the devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear, I reached for a sandwich, when—

“Oops! Sorry!” A familiar voice rang out.

I turned to find a girl with a slim figure and long, straight, silver hair standing there, wearing an apron over the top of her dress. A noble student stood beside her, chastising her.

“You there!” the boy shouted. “My uniform is drenched! What are you going to do about it?!”

“S-Sorry!” she apologized, gesturing frantically. “I’ll send it to the laundry straight away, so please take off your clothes at once! If we take it there right now, we should make it in time for the morning batch! Come on!” Flustered, the maid started pulling at the boy’s clothes.

“Huh?! Hey, cut it out!” the boy protested.

Though there were many maids with the same uniform in the dining hall, she stood out with her noble and serene aura despite her clumsy nature. Her skin glowed snow-white under the light, captivating everyone around her. None of the male students in the dining hall could take their eyes off of her.

“If you don’t wash it right away, it will stain! Please strip! Quickly!”

“I-I am a noble, I could never take off my clothes in public! Don’t worry about me! I’ll take this to the laundry myself later, so leave me alone! Wha—! Let go of me!”

Indeed, it was my personal retainer, Charlotte, who was trying desperately to get the noble to strip out of his uniform to clean it.

“Miss Charlotte is pretty as always,” Tina whispered next to me, a tinge of longing in her voice. “Plus, her clumsiness only adds to her charm, don’t you agree? The noble she’s talking to doesn’t actually look that angry at her...” Tina sighed. “Pretty people sure have it easy...”

Like Tina said, the boy who Charlotte was bickering with didn’t actually look angry; instead, a red flush bloomed across his cheeks.

“Oink...” I muttered, thinking back on the evening I caught the mercenary who infiltrated Kirsch Mage Institute, my school. That day, I couldn’t help myself and had said something embarrassing, swearing that, “No matter what happens, I will protect you.”

But Charlotte must have misunderstood it as a vow to protect her as my retainer, so it was hard to tell whether we had gotten any closer than before, even just a little.

I only had to say one sentence to truly convey my feelings: I love you. I just needed to release this sentence from the many locks I hid it behind, but these three words held so much weight. The moment they reached my throat, they withered and died and sank right back down into my stomach.

The Piggy Duke of the anime never managed to say this one sentence. It might be just one sentence, but... I sighed inwardly. It might as well be a gigantic wall for me.

“One moment, you’re spacing out, and the next, you look all dejected,” Tina said. “Did something happen? You aren’t making good progress on your breakfast either.”

“I’m a complicated person...” I sighed. “Aaah, I’m so pathetic!”

“Don’t say that. I heard that you were super cool when you had your showdown with the evil mercenary. You’re not pathetic at all!”

“No, you’re wrong!” I wailed. “I’m a pathetic pig who doesn’t have a shred of courage! Oiiink!” I grabbed at my hair and face-planted onto the table in despair.

Tina said nothing for a while. “A noble like you from the mighty House Denning has a lot of worries I could never imagine, I suppose. Oh, did you get any rewards from the school for capturing the mercenary? Money, for example?”

I shook my head with my forehead still glued to the long table.

I had gotten a bunch of different reactions from people after that incident with the mercenary. The headmaster straight up praised me for my efforts. The Flower Knight Oliver, who was supposed to be the one to capture the mercenary, scolded me for doing something so reckless. Professor Loco Moco was appalled and slightly exasperated with me, saying, “Ya really did put on an act! I knew it!” Shuya sometimes glared at me for no reason now, and he started showing more animosity towards me than before. Those were the major reactions after I caught her. Other than the occasional offerings of food from people like earlier, I guess.

“Hey, can I ask you something strange?”

“Something strange?” Tina hesitated. “That depends. What is it?”

“Uh, have you... Have you ever fallen in love before, Tina?” She was a city girl. Surely she had a decent amount of experience with romance, unlike me.

“Lord Denning,” Tina said at length. “Are you so distracted because you have a crush on someone?!”

“Wha— Shush!” I hissed in panic. “Please be quiet, I’m begging you, please be quiet... I’m just talking about what-ifs here!”

Tina stared at me with skeptical eyes. “Something smells fishy... In any case, hmm... I’ve been too busy helping out with the family business since I was young to have the time to think about romance. Even after coming here, I barely scrape by the skin of my teeth, so I need to study hard to keep up...” Tina groaned. “Ugh, I’m so jealous of the nobles who can just play around without a care in the world!”

Then, Tina started talking about the hardships she experienced in her family—about her mother, the innkeeper, and how she was ruthless with her demands. Tina said that the maids were paid quite handsomely in this school, which surprised her, so she wanted to work here someday. She also mentioned that after she unlocked her magic, she had to study several times as much as she did before.

I listened to Tina talk while I demolished my breakfast. Sometimes, I showed my surprise, while at other times I nodded in agreement.

Well... I’ll work something out eventually. Unlike the blackhearted Piggy Duke, I had plenty of time. I could slowly figure out my relationship with Charlotte from now on, one step at a time.

“Apologies for interrupting your deep contemplation, Lord Slowe, but would you like me to take away all this extra breakfast?”

“Huh?” I paused. “Oh, thanks, Lord Pauper. I’m still on a diet, so that would be great.”

“I’m just doing my job,” he replied. Then, after a short pause, he added, “Also, could you seriously stop calling me that?”

A blond waiter refilled my empty teacup and started taking away the offerings that people had left for me. This was Lord Pauper, a noble student whose real name was Valjean Greatlorde. It might be strange to fathom the heir of an earl house working part-time, but there was a reason for that: he was dirt poor. Though he looked the part of the stereotypical noble, he was so poor that he wore socks with holes in them. He had even moved from the third-floor noble rooms to the first-floor commoner rooms in the boys’ dorm to save money, a rarity among the upper class.

“Hey you! Why are you taking away my plate without permission?! I’m still eating! Are you implying that I should eat less because I’m a little chubby?!” a girl snapped.

“N-N-Not at all!” Charlotte exclaimed. “That’s not the case! I would never think that!”

Charlotte must’ve stirred up trouble again. She’s as careless as ever, huh? I felt a smile creep up onto my lips.

“Lord Slowe, staring at your retainer is good and all, but—” Valjean began.

“I-I wasn’t staring at Charlotte! Not at all!”

“—you have a guest.”

“Huh? A guest?” I turned around at Lord Pauper’s words to find the main heroine of the popular anime Shuya Marionette standing there, her lips pulled back into a thin, straight line. Her smooth skin was dewy; her peach-pink lips were soft and full. She was more glamorous than any other student in our year in Kirsch, but her figure was delicate and frail in contrast. This only added to her adorable beauty.

I was stunned silent for a long moment. “Alicia?”

I hadn’t interacted with her at all since the incident where she’d been nearly kidnapped. Immediately after the incident, Alicia thanked me for coming to her rescue, but that was it. I thought that our oil-and-water relationship would see a little bit of improvement, but the chasm between us yawned on. Even something as major as saving her life didn’t so much as begin to bridge the gap.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Lord Denning and the princess of Cirquista...” Tina squeaked. “E-Everyone’s looking at us...”

Just as Tina said, a dead silence fell over the dining hall. Me, a direct descendant of House Denning, one of the most powerful noble houses in all of Daryth, and Alicia, the second princess of an allied country of equal standing to ours. Everyone in the school knew that we were once engaged, and so of course we attracted attention whenever our paths crossed.

Alicia disliked this attention, and she was meticulous about keeping me at arm’s length when I’d been the blackhearted Piggy Duke. So why is she talking to me now?

“Piggy Slowe,” she declared.

“What?”

“Follow me.”

I knew very well that Alicia was the greatest troublemaker in Shuya Marionette. Most of the events in the anime started because of her outlandish actions.

Something big was about to happen. I was sure of it.

Chapter 1: A Gift from the Cardinal

“Phew... So you wanted to bring me here, huh?”

Alicia panted between her words. “I didn’t bring you here because I wanted to... Ugh, let me catch my breath... Phew... Finally, I’m okay now... Why on earth did you start running up the stairs all of a sudden?! You really surprised me!”

“For me, flights of stairs are opportunities for weight loss,” I explained. “That being said, you’re really out of shape.”

“Unlike you, I’m not exercising to lose weight! Besides, mages don’t need to be fit to cast magic!” Alicia huffed indignantly, then sighed. “Whatever. If I keep talking to you, I’ll be infected with the ‘idiot’ disease too...”

I’d had a feeling when I’d followed Alicia into the staff building that we’d end up at the headmaster’s office, and sure enough, here we were. It seemed that my intuition was on point.

Rays of morning light filtered into the room not unlike a botanical garden. The headmaster sat at his desk scrutinizing a piece of paper, holding it up to the light to get a clearer look.

“I didn’t think I’d come to this room a second time. If the other students heard about this, they’d be pretty jealous,” I muttered.

“A second time? What do you mean?” Alicia said at length, a slight hint of suspicion in her tone.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I was just talking to myself.”

Why did the headmaster have Alicia bring me here, though? Did something happen to the mercenary I caught the other day?

Alicia didn’t seem fazed at all. She showed her unreserved displeasure, probably thinking something along the lines of, “Why did I have to bring him here?”

Hey, why is she standing so far away from me? Is she that averse to being near me?

“Slowe, are visits to my office that unusual?” the headmaster asked.

Oops. I hadn’t meant for him to hear me. Nothing for it but to be honest, then.

“Yes, sir. Among the students, it is rumored that you only summon students to this office to give them recommendations to become Royal Knights or job offers in the palace after graduation. Well, I mean, I only heard of this recently, so I don’t know the details.”

“Wait, really?” Alicia was surprised.

“You’re an international student, so it doesn’t apply to you,” I muttered.

“Well now, that is quite the rumor. Who started it, I wonder?” The headmaster stroked his white beard. “It is not far from the truth. There have been such cases in the past. I have only recommended one such student to the Order, though... They were a very remarkable student, indeed.” The headmaster paused. “To this day, I still question whether I made the right choice back then. The question remains on my mind each and every day,” the headmaster said, reminiscing. The corners of his eyes softened, melancholy clear in his tone.

The headmaster changed the topic with a shake of his head. “Thank you for bringing him here, Alicia. Now, you two were both involved in the incident, so I wished to inform you that the mercenary was escorted to Daryth City without any issues. These events stressed you greatly, Alicia, and I would like to apologize to you as the headmaster for failing to protect you. I am truly sorry.”

Alicia breathed out a relieved sigh. “Please do not worry about it. It is in the past.”

Alicia’s pretty unlucky, witnessing the mercenary just as she was fiddling with her magic circle. She must’ve had her heart in her throat the whole time while the mercenary held her at wandpoint...

“Slowe, people have likely changed how they treat you after you caught the mercenary. Is this the case?”

I hesitated. “I also thought people would change, but I guess I’m still difficult to approach.”

In the end, nobody tried to talk to me directly after the incident with the mercenary. Most of the students kept their distance, observing my every action from afar like they did this morning in the dining hall.

“But, well... People started paying attention to me in the sense that even the rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In my case, that tree being House Denning. I’ve crossed too many lines up to this point, so honestly, this is enough for me. I plan on continuing to slowly return to my true self from now on.”

“Nothing can change the fact that you are a Denning, I see... That is what they think of you. However, even the majority of the most powerful members of House Denning would have struggled to defeat that mercenary single-handedly. Even the boy I recommended for the Order wouldn’t have been able to do so alone. Alicia, you would know that since you faced No Face personally. You saw firsthand how powerful of a mage and how formidable an opponent she was. I can count on one hand the number of mages in the world who can cast the darkness spell for disguises with such ease as she did.”

“Well... Yes, all of that is true, but this guy was the absolute worst before this happened.” She made a gesture towards me with a jerk of her hand. “So it’s hard... I can’t change the way I feel about him overnight, just because of this one incident. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s why people aren’t talking to him directly. They probably feel the same way as I do,” Alicia said.

“I see. Slowe, it seems that your accomplishment was so out of the ordinary that people still have not quite come to terms with it. However, have you heard? There is speculation in the palace that the Prodigy of Wind has returned, although admittedly such speculation is met with some small degree of skepticism.”

The Prodigy of Wind. That was the title bestowed upon me before I turned into the self-indulgent, blackhearted Piggy Duke. It was a relic of my childhood, back from the days before I threw everything away. Ugh, just the sound of it makes me cringe. Goosebumps spread down my arms and neck at the mere thought.

“Headmaster,” I said slowly. “What did you want with me today? I don’t think this is just about the mercenary.” There was no way that he had called me here just to praise me for my deeds. Especially since he specifically had Alicia bring me here, I could only assume whatever the headmaster wanted to discuss must’ve involved her.

I thought back on the last time I visited this room. He had talked about a variety of things with Shuya and me that day before finally getting around to the topic and telling us about the mole in the school. But it was different this time.

This time, the headmaster wasted no time telling us the truth: there was a dungeon discovered in the Lost Woods outside of campus.

“The army is in charge of scouting the vicinity of the school...” I trailed off. “It’s a blunder on my family’s—on House Denning’s part.”

“That is not necessarily the case. Knowing that a dangerous mercenary had infiltrated our school, the professors volunteered to scout the forest outside the campus to be certain nothing else lurked nearby, and it was then that they discovered the dungeon by chance. The forest outside this campus is very large. It is hard to lay blame for not finding a dungeon in such an enormous area solely at the feet of House Denning.”

Outside Kirsch Mage Institute, there was a vast, dense forest known as the Lost Woods. It was said that if someone went deep enough into the forest, it would be impossible for them to find their way out. Monsters lived in the forest; sometimes, because of that, the school would use the woods for classes in order to train with lesser creatures. The military on the other hand, under the command of House Denning, would periodically hunt down the monsters so that they wouldn’t invade the school.

And now, a new dungeon was discovered in the Lost Woods. Humans ruled the realm of the surface and all that the light touched, while monsters dwelt deep underground in their dungeon lairs.

“I can easily imagine that in the palace, people like Cardinal Maldini would be quick to do just that,” I said. “Lay blame at the feet of House Denning, I mean.”

“I cannot deny that is a distinct possibility. But he could also be a little grateful for the opportunity this grants him. After all—”

The discovery of the dungeon wasn’t everything that the headmaster wanted to tell me. There was more.

“They intend to use the dungeon for the selection of the Guardian Knight, huh...? When I came here, I wasn’t expecting to hear confidential information about Daryth’s royal family,” I muttered.

“The cardinal has full control over the Guardian Selection. From what I understand, he had been looking for an appropriate place to hold a trial for quite some time. I do not know what exactly they plan to do in the dungeon, but I hear that Princess Carina will come to Kirsch since the trial will involve her. It sounds like it will be quite the spectacle. The princess might even interact with students while the trials are underway,” the headmaster added.

The Guardian Knights were those few elite soldiers assigned either directly to the queen herself or to a crown princess. The current reigning queen and her sword, the Guardian Knight Rudolf, had a relationship like Charlotte and I had. The loyal Guardian Knight was expected to put the safety of their master above their own happiness, and to spend the rest of their life for their master’s sake. A Guardian Knight was the most honorable and respected position one could achieve in this country outside of the royal family itself. Only the best of the best among the Order of Royal Knights could earn this title.

Because of the critical nature of the role and how it could make or break the future of this country, information about the trial to select a Guardian Knight for Princess Carina was strictly confidential...and yet Alicia didn’t seem fazed by this information in the slightest. Well damn. She must have known about this beforehand.

“Princess Carina, coming to this school? Everyone would be overjoyed,” I said.

“Princess Carina deeply detests leaving the palace. That is probably why the cardinal picked Kirsch. I would hazard a guess that he wanted to give her a chance to interact with those more her age out of compassion for her.”

Her Highness, Princess Carina Little Daryth, was the heir to the throne. The anime only mentioned her name in passing, and there had been no information about her appearance at all. However, being born and raised in this world, I had clear memories of her. My impression of her was something like this: She had soft, slightly wavy golden hair. Her chest was quite the sight. She was a perfectionist and a hermit, but she actually didn’t have any ambition whatsoever. I could go on.

“May I ask why I was summoned here, then? That, and why does Alicia know about the dungeon and the Guardian Selection too? I would think this is information one would normally refrain from discussing around someone from another country.”

“Right now, preliminary trials for the Guardian Selection are being held in a few places across the country, and Royal Knights who put their name forward are participating. One of these trials is being held in Yoram, which, as you know, is not far from our school.”

Up until now, Alicia had held an air of indifference. The moment she heard this, however, she went very still, as if something piqued her interest.

“One of the Royal Knights in Yoram requested an audience with Alicia. They wish to greet her, as I understand it, since she attracted attention due to the incident with the mercenary.”

“A Royal Knight went out of their way to request an audience with Alicia...?” I was stunned.

“Indeed. A Guardian Knight must meet with major world leaders much more often compared to ordinary Royal Knights. Though such a request is a bit hasty in my opinion, Alicia must make the decision on her own. It is not mine to make on her behalf.”

Finally, I understood why Alicia was present. “Wait, did you actually...?” I stared at her.

Alicia harrumphed. “So what? It’s none of your business what I do.”

“That’s true, but...” She absolutely loathes troublesome things like granting people a formal audience, so why would she go through with this?

On top of that, it wasn’t the royal family of Daryth but a Royal Knight who made the request. She had no reason to accept.

“Slowe, Alicia was quick to accept the request. I had hoped she would reconsider, but it appears her mind is set.”

Despite all the reasons not to, Alicia was determined to head to Yoram like the headmaster said. I watched her. Something’s not quite right... There’s no way “Her Highness” Alicia would accept such a meet-and-greet. It’d be way too much trouble. There’s more to this than either of them are letting on.

“Headmaster Morozov, what exactly are the Royal Knights at Yoram expected to do for this trial?” I clearly saw Alicia freeze the moment the words left my mouth.

“Slowe, have you ever heard of the name ‘Borguie’?”

“...That’s the rogue mage who murdered a member of the royal family in Cirquista. Are you saying that—”

“There is word of a bandit group hiding in Yoram. Some few Royal Knights are tasked with eliminating this bandit group as part of the trials for the Guardian Selection, and we’ve received information that the Cirquistan criminal Borguie is among the bandits’ number.”

So that’s why Alicia accepted the request.

A few years ago, an incident occurred in Alicia’s home country of Cirquista.

There was a...quirky member of the Cirquistan royal family who chose to live in seclusion rather than in the royal palace. A group of bandits broke into their secret abode to steal the valuables there, expecting the owner to be away that day. However, the owner of the house was actually present, and of course they fought back with wand in hand against the intruders. After a battle of spells, they were slain by Borguie’s hand.

“The bandits responsible for the murder escaped the persistent search of the Cirquistan military led by the Knights of the Lake and managed to weasel their way into Daryth. It was the Cirquistan military who informed us about this bandit group’s whereabouts, apparently,” said the headmaster, his voice grave.

I peeked over at Alicia. She looked determined.

Borguie wasn’t as important an enemy as No Face, at least not in the anime. They had accepted a contract from Dustour for the pay and they were one of the villains who Shuya and his comrades ended up fighting. However, once Alicia had laid eyes on Borguie, she lost her cool and challenged them without a second thought to the consequences. If Shuya hadn’t been there to back her up, she would have met a cruel end.

“Headmaster, isn’t this a problem the Daryth military should see to?”

“The cardinal pulled some strings so that the matter fell under his jurisdiction and not that of House Denning. In other words, the Royal Knights were sent to take care of it instead of Daryth’s army. The Royal Knights in Yoram are probably quite eager to catch them too, if it means a better chance of becoming a Guardian Knight.”

“I hear that Borguie and his group still hold a grudge against the royal family of Cirquista. Letting Alicia go to Yoram where they’re holed up is...” I trailed off.

“Are you worried about her?” the headmaster asked.

“I wouldn’t say worried... It’s more that I think this decision isn’t like you, Headmaster. I mean, you’re always focused on keeping us safe and all.”

It wasn’t like the headmaster at all. He usually placed student safety above all else.

Alicia, who had been growing restless the entire conversation, clicked her tongue in displeasure. “Headmaster! Why are you telling the pig all this? He has nothing to do with this! Nothing!”

Well, yeah. This request for an audience from a Royal Knight is Alicia’s problem. I don’t see where I come in. Not to mention that the Guardian Selection is a very important event that will determine this country’s future. I’m just a student. This has nothing to do with me. Not to mention I’m still from House Denning, disgrace though I am to them. House Denning and the Order of Royal Knights struggle to cooperate because their Royal Knight Commander, Cardinal Maldini, doesn’t get along with my father at all.

“That’s not true at all, Alicia. He is very much an important player in this.”

Alicia hesitated. “What do you mean?”

The headmaster has already thanked me several times over for the whole mercenary thing, so why am I here? I wondered.

“Slowe,” the headmaster addressed me gravely. “Please brace yourself, and listen carefully to what I have to say.”