[EN] Episode 6 - The Third Princess

The annual fourth-year field trip was approaching.
Unlike previous years, the destination was set for the Maritime Kingdom, not the Demon King's direct territory.


It had originally been an Educational Kingdom, but when students showed little interest in academy tours, it became part of the Demon King's direct territory.
However, since it was a city of demon tribes, accidents frequently occurred, leading to a reconsideration of the destination. Ultimately, the Maritime Kingdom was chosen.


The Mercenary Kingdom was too far, requiring passage through the Dragon Mountains beyond the Demon King's direct territory. Moreover, most of its land consisted of desert and frozen wasteland, making it harsh conditions for travel.


Wingester packed his belongings, busily gathering magical tools here and there.
He also prepared the Barret Staff, just in case of any unforeseen situation.
This time, as an experiment, he used a model with the barrel shortened as much as possible, reduced to just over one meter.


After wrapping the staff in cloth and securing it tightly to the side of his bag, he returned to the workbench where materials for the focusing device lay spread out.


Several failed focusing devices rolled around on the floor, and Wingester picked up tweezers and an awl with a face tense with concentration.


“Huff...”


He picked up a strand of mithril wire, drawn thin to nearly the thickness of a hair, and began carefully pressing it into the groove of the substrate encasing the magic stone that would become the focusing device, using the awl to guide it in.


He had to do it this way; touching it by hand would leave fingerprints on the precious mithril wire, causing the circuit to malfunction.


After painstakingly planting the circuit, one stitch at a time, around the entire board, fatigue washed over him.


“Huh...”


He tried to relax, but refocused, cutting off the remaining thread strands and tidying them up before he could finally feel at ease.


He had been testing various magic circuit samples found in books indiscriminately, but none had functioned properly when miniaturized to this extent.


“Hmm...”


Ultimately, Wingester studied every circuit formula himself and was building his own unique circuit formula based on them.


“This should work properly...!”


Suddenly realizing it was dark outside, Wingester tidied his tools and headed for his bed.


*


The students were organized into groups and prepared to board the carriages corresponding to their group numbers.
Wingester only checked his own group number, showing no interest in his fellow members, and boarded the carriage.


“Huff...”


He intended to use this opportunity to see the gunpowder firearms—the rivals of the Barrett Staff in the Maritime Kingdom—firsthand and advance his research further.
Therefore, he had not the slightest interest in who his teammates were or who he might hang out with.


Thud.


The one who opened the door and entered was Romulus.


“......”
“You...!”


Unlike Wingester, who looked down at him indifferently, Romulus's expression turned sour. He avoided eye contact and quietly slipped into the seat farthest from Wingester, directly opposite him.


The incident of the magic duel.
Romulus had tried to defeat him, even mobilizing his family's power.


But when he revealed he'd lost that duel—one conducted with a notary present—he faced near-disinheritance from his family.


He'd told the professors too, but the outcome was the same.


Since he'd lost a properly conducted magic duel, faculty intervention was impossible.
All blame fell squarely on him—the one who'd lost despite overwhelming superiority.


“Guh…!”


He wanted to storm down immediately and confront the supervising professors about why he'd been paired with this guy, but he gritted his teeth and held back. If he caused a scene now, he could be disowned by his family for real.


As the air between the two grew unbearably thick, the door opened silently and someone entered.


“...It's surprisingly quiet in here.”
“You...!”


Wingester, who had been deep in thought, didn't notice, but Romulus, who recognized the figure, paled and stood up awkwardly.


“Ah. No need for formalities, Romulus.”
“No, no! It's not just anyone…!”
“It's fine.”
“Ah, uh… yes!”


Unlike Romulus, who sat down restlessly, Wingester remained seated with his eyes closed, arms crossed, in a state that was unclear whether he was deep in thought or dozing off.


The third team member then sat down beside him without hesitation, even going so far as to poke his forearm repeatedly with her finger.


“Um...”
“......?!”
“......”


Thwack.


Wingester swatted the finger away with his hand,


“...Disturbing me. If you want to talk, go talk to that idiot over there.”


His mind was already strained with new circuit problems; the unwanted attention from a teammate he couldn't care less about was nothing but a nuisance.


“Wingester, you little brat!”
“......”
“Romulus, calm down.”


For some reason, Romulus flared up, stood, and grabbed Wingester by the collar.
Only then did Wingester open his eyes, unfasten the lightweight Barrett Staff strapped to his bag, and immediately thrust it against Romulus's throat.


“...Huh?!”
"...I have no intention of forgiving a bastard like you. Romulus. If you think you can attack me again, this time I'll...“
”...You two. Please stop.“


Wingester, annoyed by the strangely clear voice calmly speaking since earlier, frowned and looked over.


”Who the hell are you to interfere... How dare you....“
”......!“
”... Please. Refrain from causing a disturbance inside the carriage.


Gulp.


Without a word, the two boys swallowed dryly, slowly released each other, and sat quietly in their seats.
Wingester, not knowing where to look, broke out in a cold sweat as his mind began to burn.


Princess Millea, Third Princess of the Magic Kingdom.
That was the name of the third member of the group.


Though she had declared she would not participate in the succession race, she was known as an unexpected tactician who kept the intensifying rivalry between the two princes in check behind the scenes. She was the beloved princess whom the current king would gladly have gouged out his own eyes for.


Rumor had it she attended the academy as per royal tradition, but in reality, she received special treatment through one-on-one tutoring from professors, making encounters with ordinary students unlikely...


“Um, that...”


She met Wingester's anxious, trembling lips with a calm smile.


“It's fine, Wingester. I have no intention of reprimanding either of you.”
“Ah, well, that... I'm deeply honored.”
“...Please don't stand on ceremony. Today, I'm accompanying you on this trip as just another student.”
“Oh...”


It wasn't just because she was a princess.
Whether innate or acquired, she possessed something that captivated the very air around her.
The proof was the two formidable men beside her, instantly submerged by her aura and stammering.


“First, I requested this team composition.”
“……!”
“Huh…!?”


Her words left both men's hearts sinking.
Rumors about the magic duel were spreading like wildfire, but they never imagined it would reach her, who was receiving special tutoring.


“A magic duel during one's student days? It's quite an uncommon occurrence.”
“Ugh....”
“Th-that... I'm deeply ashamed...!”
“I'm not blaming you. Raise your head, Romulus.”
“Bu-but...”


While the two stammered, making no progress in the conversation, the coachman's command echoed and the carriage began to move.
Looking out the carriage window, four guard mages were naturally escorting only this carriage, mounted on warhorses.


“...I had several questions, so I arranged for the two of you to come along specifically to hear your account. I apologize for that inconvenience.”
“No, no! Your Highness, such a thing...!”
“......”


Unlike Romulus, who was flustered, she gazed at Wingester with apparent interest, finding his unusual calmness intriguing.


“Wingester, you're surprisingly composed.”
“…….”
“I'm also curious about the reason for that composure.”
“…….”
“Would you mind telling me?”
“…Is that an order?”


Wingester's bold retort made Romulus's eyes sharpen, but the princess shook her head with her characteristic easy smile.


“No. It's simply a request from me.”
“…….”


When Wingester's finally closed his mouth and fixed his gaze straight ahead, Romulus reached out his hand. The princess blocked it with a sharp slap.


“Y-Your Highness?!”
“Please refrain from such rash actions.”
“I-I'm terribly sorry…!”
“...Would you at least tell me why you refuse to speak with me?”


Only then did Wingester turn his head to face the princess.


“I am a being of magical aptitude below the fourth circle. In your kingdom, I am no better than a vermin. Can you, who stand near the pinnacle of the kingdom, truly hear my voice?”
“Wingester! You really!”


Wingester glared at Romulus, who was gritting his teeth and growling again.


“Romulus. You're no different. If I had high magical aptitude and came from a noble family, would you have taken that attitude?”


Romulus froze at Wingester's unexpected outburst.


“...What?!”
“Let the high and mighty have their flowery conversations among themselves. It's a good thing we live in different worlds, isn't it? I have things to think about.”


Wingester finished speaking, crossed his arms again, and closed his eyes.
Romulus thought about this for a moment, then saw the Barrett Staff leaning diagonally behind Wingester's back. He couldn't bring himself to charge forward and just groaned.


“Y-Your Highness…?!”
“…….”


Romulus suddenly saw the princess looking utterly heartbroken, her eyes brimming with tears.


“Wingester, you bastard! I can't forgive you this time!”
“...Shut up! Romulus!”
“......Sniff.”


Just as Wingester, finally exploding, reached for the barrett staff only to pause upon seeing the princess's tear-streaked face, the sound of a horse whinnying echoed. A guard mage swiftly approached the carriage and peered inside through the window.


“...Are you all right, Princess?!”


The carriage stopped abruptly as the guard mage's voice rose in alarm. Guards dismounted and flung open the doors.


“Princess! Are you all right!?”
“You bastards! What did you do to the Princess?! Tell me now!”


Two men, combat wands pressed against their chins, sat trembling with cold sweat, hands raised high, their backs pressed flat against the carriage wall.


These were elite mage warriors, trained in 6th-circle magic and guard combat.
The slightest wrong move would have ended badly.


The princess hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve, then offered a reassuring smile.


“It's all right, Guard Mages. Nothing serious happened.”
“But...!”
“We were merely talking, and the two of us had a minor disagreement. If it caused any trouble, I will apologize on their behalf.”
“No, no! It's... it's fine! As long as Your Highness is unharmed...!”


With that commotion over, the guard mages stepped back from the carriage, glaring at the two boys with eyes full of warning. They made gestures clearly stating that any foolishness would be met with lethal force.


“Gulp...”
“Huff... Puff...”


Ultimately, the entire commotion had blown Wingester's thoughts about the circuit diagram right out of his head. Frowning, he was seriously considering asking the faculty to reassign his group.


“You two. I'm sorry. This happened because I was here.”
“Ah, no! It was my own carelessness! I actually feel grateful to the princess!”
“......Ugh.”


The princess looked at Wingester again, poking his arm with her fingers.
Finally, Wingester sighed and faced her.


“...I'm truly sorry, but I really need to talk to you.”
“......”
“Could I hear about you...?”
“Wingester. The princess is begging you so earnestly. As a member of the kingdom yourself….”
“Shut up. Romulus.”
“Gah!”


Having taken his frustration out on Romulus, Wingester finally began scratching his head and slowly started telling the princess his story, piece by piece.

-To be continued-