Chapter 9 – I’m Lured by a Magic Sword

“Captain.”

I was in the second-year building. Between classes, someone called out to me.

“Ah, Al, are you in Magic Chanting class too?”

I had failed a bunch of credits in my first year. Because of that, I’m now taking many of the classes I should have taken in first year, stacking my schedule so tightly that I’m busy every day. For the classes I still can’t pass, I ask the teachers to let me take them after school or submit reports to make up for them. It’s a lot of work.

“Yes,” Al answered.

That’s why sometimes my classes overlap with first-year student Al’s, and when that happens, he always comes over to me. The Marquis of Roydenatel’s son, Al, calls me “Captain,” and for some reason, Oryuga—who’s pretty notorious—is called “Captain” by Al. Whenever that happens, the nearby students give us strange looks, but Al doesn’t care at all. And since I end up calling him “Al,” it’s starting to feel normal.

After classes, if our schedules match, we sometimes eat lunch together. And whenever that happens, this person always shows up.

“Eating together again, huh?”

It was Prince Narish, the crown prince. His platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes always shine brightly. Even though the academy preaches equality, we can’t be disrespectful to the royal family. After graduation, we’ll be his subjects, since he’ll be the future king. Al and I stood and bowed.

Prince Narish is used to students acting like that, so he just raises his hand to say it’s okay.

“Maybe Oryuga started acting like this because he’s no longer the top fiancé candidate?”

What now? I thought, but I smiled quietly.

If I’m no longer the top fiancé candidate but just a regular fiancé candidate, I can be engaged to children of other noble families. Only the top candidate has binding power, so now I have to find a new fiancé—or rather, a mate candidate. But right now, with my big brother Bizet standing in the way, I haven’t found anyone.

Prince Narish has his reasons for saying that, too. When I was the top fiancé candidate, I used to run up and hug him whenever I saw him, wrapping my arms around him, rubbing my pheromone scent all over him. After I was dropped from the top candidate position, my brother Ninreney told me that Prince Narish kept several changes of clothes at the academy and would change after I rubbed my scent on him.

When I heard that, I made a weird “Ohh” sound. If it bothered him that much, he should have told me. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have stopped back then.

Since I have been so disliked, it’s strange that the prince has started talking to me more since I regained memories of my previous life.

Behind Prince Narish, his aide Ninreney wore a sour expression. Weird face.

“Prince Narish, shall we go to that table?” Neiny, the current top fiancé candidate, said desperately, pointing to a table farther away. Oddly, he looked at Al and suggested Al come along too.

Al’s face tightened. Does his mood rub off on others?

“I have business with Senior Oryuga,” Al firmly declined.

The Roydenatel Marquis family, Al’s house, is very powerful. They lead the conservative nobles and can’t be lightly treated even by the Cafinolua royal family.

Though Neiny is the prince’s top fiancé candidate, he is still just the son of a baron, so he can’t push Al around.

“Eh? But I thought you were forced to hang out with Oryuga?”

Why would you think that? And does a baron’s son really think he can call the son of a duke just by his name?

Al smiled faintly. Since Prince Narish’s group arrived, Al had worn a noble expression, unreadable.

“No, I’m on good terms with Senior.”

When Al is in noble mode, he doesn’t say “ore” (I) but “watashi,” sounding very dignified for someone a year below. Neiny seemed a little taken aback.

“I’d really like to join you guys,” said Prince Narish, his blue eyes sparkling.

“This table only seats two,” Al said, refusing with an attitude that didn’t suit his youth. He clearly understood he was talking to royalty.

“Uh, let’s all sit together. There’s a table over there with enough seats. Right, Oryuga?”

Ninreney looked at me desperately, silently asking me to agree. I gave him a look that said, “I don’t want to eat with Neiny,” but his eyes pleaded “Please!”

So, I reluctantly nodded.

I feel like Ninreney and I are getting better at silent communication lately.

Seeing that, Prince Narish looked at me and tossed out some bait.

“I wanted to talk about the magic sword you mentioned at joint practice. You won in the Omega division but collapsed and didn’t get your prize, right? I was thinking about the magic sword.”

What? A magic sword as a prize?! That’s huge!

As expected, Prince Narish won the Alpha division. Ninreney was knocked out midway. The prince always declines his prizes, though.

“Magic sword!”

I jumped at the chance.

Al sighed nearby, but sorry—I was really looking forward to that sword.

I looked at Al and silently asked for permission. He nodded.

“Let’s go. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

For some reason, Prince Narish reached for my hand, and without thinking, I put mine in his. He lightly pulled me along to the table.

Wait, is this an escort?

Ninreney’s face twisted strangely, and Neiny looked fierce.

“Hey, Oryuga brother, why are you being escorted by the prince!?” shouted Noatuna, running from the first-year building and drawing everyone’s attention at the café terrace.

What are you trying to do?

I gave Noatuna a smiling glare, and he looked like he’d made a mistake and hid behind Ninreney.

Al sighed, Prince Narish smiled, and things felt chaotic.

“Anyway, I want to hear about the magic sword,” I said.

“Alright, let’s sit.”

Prince Narish led me to sit next to him.

Food arrived one after another by his signal. Though the royal family has their own rooms, the prince still came here. This café terrace is for nobles, but it’s also open to lower-ranking nobles. Usually, royal and top nobles have separate rooms.

Maybe the prince wants to see the lower ranks, or maybe it’s for Neiny. That made sense to me.

When I was the top fiancé candidate, I ate in a separate room and wasn’t allowed to eat here without permission.

Yeah, it’s probably for Neiny’s sake. I convinced myself.

While eating, the prince told me to come see the magic swords kept at the castle sometime, and I eagerly discussed the schedule.

The same day, a formal invitation from the castle arrived.

Too fast, right?

“If you wanted a magic sword, I could have prepared one for you,” Bizet brother grumbled.

We can’t refuse an invitation from the royal family, and that frustrated him.

“There might be royal magic swords to see. I really want to see them. I don’t know if I’ll get one, but with royal connections and money, they should prepare a fine sword. I wonder what it’ll be like.”

I excitedly told my brother.

Magic swords are rare and expensive to make. I’ve heard there are only a handful in the country.

Bizet said he could have prepared one, but even with our duke family’s resources, it’s not that simple. So if they offer me one, I want to accept it.

But I’m not seriously expecting to get one. The royal magic swords are too precious. Probably they’ll just give me a fancy sword as a souvenir.

“Are they going to give you a sword like it’s a souvenir candy?”

Speaking of the royal family’s magic swords, the one-handed sword of Recupido and the twin swords known as the royal colors, Kinshou, are famous, aren’t they?

Ninreney, the prince’s aide, knows a lot about the royal family’s treasures. They also keep shields, bows, and various weapons.

Normally, no one but the royals can enter the treasure vault, but the invitation said they would specially show us.

I was genuinely excited to see these precious treasures, but my brothers seemed worried.

“Don’t worry, I won’t carelessly sign any contracts.”

Bizet and Ninreney didn’t fully trust my words and looked at each other uncertainly.

“You liked the prince, so I didn’t say anything, but he’s a selfish person.”

“Yeah. You were okay being the top fiancé because you wanted to live luxuriously in the palace as a mate, but a relationship where you’re just used won’t make you happy. The prince looks kind but is ruthless. It’s the right attitude for royalty, though.”

Ninreney spoke ill of his superior, and Bizet said the future king is ruthless and uses others.

I wondered if that was disrespectful.

I told them I’d be careful, and they decided Ninreney would come with me that day.