Chapter 787: Princess and Polka 2
The Smithson household was bustling despite the owner’s absence: the three black-collared silver dragons from earlier, the naked Airi and Asti, Sharon and Anzeros, Aurora, and even Laurier.
“Welcome back. Want some tea?”
“Hey, Anzeros. Why’d you do that to Fiona?”
“I didn’t really engage with her. Sharon tried once and passed”
Anzeros looked troubled.
“Well, I asked her to show me her sword skills since she was here. I sparred with her, but……her grip was all wrong, her stance was way too high……I didn’t want to hit her too hard, so I just grazed her with my sword. 『That didn’t hit! I dodged it!』 she insisted. So I had to start landing blows properly, took about ten points right away, and it got so awkward I had to switch with Laurier”
“Well, back home, because of my build, I wasn’t taught longsword techniques from the start……so I’m basically a beginner”
Laurier looked perplexed too.
“Well, her tenacity—or rather, her refusal to give up—was quite something. Normally, after losing that many times in a row, you’d accept an offer to take a break”
Sharon also looked troubled. In response, Princess Ran awkwardly stepped in to make excuses for the female knight.
“Ah, even so……as a female knight of our country……she’s actually not bad at all”
“What do you mean? Is the level of martial arts in Saint Gardo really that low……?”
“No. It’s more that we don’t teach female knights practical sword techniques to begin with……their domain is performing martial arts routines set to music”
“……Performing? Like dance?”
“Well, calling it that might be a bit harsh……but Fiona does perform them quite beautifully. Our female knights place greater emphasis on making it look impressive, and hardly practice for actual combat……”
Princess Ran gazed off into the distance.
“More than that, it seems her family deliberately trained with her in a way that let her win, just to build her confidence. She genuinely believes she’s quite capable in combat”
“……No, really, what kind of thing is that? Training like that, flattering a child against a grown woman……”
“In our country, to put it bluntly, those kinds of personal knights are mainly carried around for show. Many royals and high nobles similarly parade around female knights with no real combat ability. When genuine protection is needed, they either send others ahead to eliminate threats or use body doubles. ……The truth is, her presence in that hot spring labyrinth wasn’t really for guard duty; she was more like a lady-in-waiting and supervisor. It was an incognito trip, after all”
“…………”
How should I put it, their concept of 「Female knights as bodyguards」 is completely different from ours. I wonder if that level of crisis awareness is really sufficient, but then again, I suppose it also serves to build the 「Myth」 around them, which makes it hard to interject. Kings or crown princes who absolutely must not die probably don’t have it so lax. The third princess, born with a chronic illness……well, to be blunt, her priority level is quite low……that aspect is probably quite strong.
“……You must think her utterly incompetent. Still, she has been my most loyal retainer since childhood. And though she herself is unaware, she also holds the responsibility of becoming the 『Myth』 witness should anything happen to me”
“……The chronicler of tragedy, then?”
“Yes”
Artificial Mythology. Royalty who willingly place themselves in situations where they must surrender to the 「Divine Will」 for its sake. Of course, failure or untimely death are possible outcomes. When recording such facts in the sacred texts, the other royals likely write whatever narrative suits them—a fact the subject probably never knows. But behind crafting that dramatic ending of 「Blessed Success」, there must be resolve to face it, and witnesses are also necessary.Princess Ran risked her life in secret to achieve the outcome: entering the dragon’s embrace, curing her illness, and forging a bond. Had it been a 「Failure」, Fiona would have had to witness it all and report it to Central Saint Gardo. That too, as 「Myth」.
“I see……well, her personality or perspective might be a bit questionable, but I get that she carries quite a heavy burden”
She crossed her arms. As a knight always at the princess’s side, she needed strong pride to act confidently and witness those decisions……so I understand why they even staged fake training sessions to build Fiona’s pride. Without that, she might have run away when the princess faced a heavy decision. When faced with a tragic outcome, she might abandon even the duty to deliver the news and simply choose to look away……such a weak, yet humanly natural, reaction. For a princess with a potentially short life due to illness, requiring a certain level of family standing would likely limit the candidates. Given that, the need to mold her into a sufficiently capable person……well. This might be the only way.
“But even so, isn’t that way too weak?”
Corti looked exasperated. She must have put clothes on during the journey here; she wasn’t naked now.
“If she keeps flaunting that misplaced confidence like that, she’ll destroy herself before long, I’m sure”
“……I don’t think you need to worry about that”
“Well, true”
As Corti began speaking, the princess quickly pressed herself against me, using me as a shield. Cute, but a bit troublesome. She’s not scary or anything……well, if I told her about the circumstances of her enslavement, she’d probably be more wary. Just then, Airi, who had been silently listening with her legs crossed, spoke up.
“Then teach and train her properly. Even if her talent is lacking, this is the land of the miraculous spring where all wounds and illnesses are healed. She can train her body and skills with far greater intensity here than in a land without the miracle of healing. If the mistresses skilled in martial arts among your female slaves teach her seriously, she should become quite capable before long. Even false pride won’t be a problem if she acts as if it’s genuine”
“You make it sound so simple……”
“Umm, Smithson-sama. I hope you don’t mind me asking……those beautiful naked women over there, emm……”
“Eh? They’re blue dragons……”
“……!!”
The princess was shaken. She looked around, counting the dragons with her eyes. ……Five. More than before.
“It’s fine. These guys are really gentle and caring dragons. That Asti over there, I have a contract with her daughter. But even without a contract, they often come to visit because they want to help me”
“I’m Airi”
“It’s Asti. Pleased to meet you, Princess”
Airi, with her sharp, incisive impression; Asti, radiating a soft, maternal kindness. Both completely naked, though.
“There’s no need to fear dragons too much, Princess Ran. I wasn’t used to them at first either, but after sharing my master’s bed many times, I came to realize they’re actually more rational than humans”
“Sharon-sama……”
“Hey, Sharon. Don’t just casually drop dirty jokes. She’s a princess, you know”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Uhuhu”
Sharon didn’t seem particularly remorseful. Or rather, did Princess Ran even realize Sharon’s true nature? ……Well, she probably did. After all that interaction at Lucas’s place.
“Animals, too—the bigger ones tend to be gentler”
Laurier held the cup Anzeros offered with both hands, pinching it as if it were hot, sipping slowly as she murmured.
“Dragons are probably the same. ……We couldn’t possibly do anything to harm a dragon, so there’s no reason for them to attack us. So, it’ll be fine”
“Animals……that kind of phrasing makes me feel kinda weird, you know?”
Even when Corti gave her a glare, Laurier just stuck out her tongue and shrugged it off. This kid’s got guts, despite appearances.
“……Either way, the three of us won’t wield dragon power to fight. That’s the agreement”
Shario closed her eyes and stated coolly.
“We are that man’s female slaves. I already offered my power as a dragon to our original master, the late Rainer-sama. And we are permitted to remain here only as safe, obedient female slaves. Using our power against humans would be betrayal. Yet, using it conveniently against anything other than humans would disrespect our late master”
“……E, Emm……?”
Princess Ran looked confused and unsure how to react.
“It’s a complicated relationship, those three with the black collars”
Summarizing, Leyla said nonchalantly.
“Essentially, we’re currently serving a punishment: 『Devoting ourselves to lovey-dovey sex while ignoring our true master』. So there’s no need for you to be wary of us as dragons. While we might use our dragon forms for things like construction work, as before, we’re forbidden from ever wielding power against humans”
“……Devoting yourselves to lovey-dovey sex……”
Princess Ran echoed blankly. Yeah. It’s confusing, isn’t it? It really takes time to grasp that part, and the princess doesn’t need to understand it anyway. It’s an internal matter.
“……Emm”
“Can I come in now?”
I noticed Leda and Maia had come to the entrance. They probably wanted to see me as soon as I got back, but they’d been holding back since I was supposedly busy with something. However, since I’d already met most of the other dragons, they figured it was okay to show their faces now.
“……Ah, those two are”
“Hmm, ah, dragons. That one over there is the silver dragon Leda, and this one is blue dragon Maia”
“……Seven dragons……!”
“C, Calm down. It’s okay. Really, it’s fine”
With each new dragon, a strange sweat appeared on Princess Ran’s face, and her sense of doom deepened. She might just be good at putting on a brave face, but her mental limits were actually pretty low.
“Well, with this many gathered, it’s practically a Dragon Palace already”
“You live in a region where contact with dragons is practically taboo. It’s no wonder”
Anzeros and Aurora busied themselves diligently serving refills of tea and snacks. The large dining table was put to full use. ……Hey, Aurora, you’re good at this aristocratic socializing stuff, right? You should be a bit more proactive with the princess. Just because she seems to like me, are you holding back?
When we headed to the baron’s residence as the sun set, the baron greeted Princess Ran with his characteristic dignity and impeccable preparation.
“Welcome, Princess Ran Bluelight of Saint Gardo. I am Duran Guto, the local lord”
“……Oh, thank you for your hospitality……umm, Smithson-sama. Could it be that this gentleman is also a dragon?”
“No, surely not……right, Baron?”
“Haahaahaa. Alas, I am merely a short-lived human, a country noble whose sole boast is the title of Sword Saint”
Meeting dragons one after another, the princess was growing suspicious. She still wouldn’t leave my side. Somehow, I found myself having to escort her. Then, Fiona, who seemed to have finished her miraculous spring treatment at the secret hot spring and received Hilda’s care, appeared with her chest puffed out.
“Princess Ran! The efficacy of this town’s miraculous spring seems to be genuine! Look! All those bruises and scrapes vanished without a trace in just a few hours!”
“……Fiona”
“Haa……umm, Ran-sama?”
Without a word, Princess Ran hugs Fiona tightly. Fiona blushes, mistakenly thinking it’s a hug of relief that her injuries healed safely. But I’m more inclined to believe the theory that 「She’s trying to heal her exhausted heart, worn down by encountering dragons one after another, with the comfort of a familiar face」.
“Fiona……listen”
“Y, Yes”
“……Do your best”
“Huh?”
Oh, and I also support the 「Heartbreaking encouragement for the hellish training likely starting tomorrow」 theory.