Lars grabbed Crysta’s arm and ran down the hallway, his face etched with urgency.
“Don’t dawdle, hurry up!”
Chasing after them was Michaela Gielen, the Vice Commander of the Royal Mage Corps. She attacked, wielding a whip wreathed in flames. However, she deliberately avoided hitting them, instead relentlessly targeting their feet as if to toy with and corner her prey.
“—Tch, that woman. Damnable.”
“L-Lars!”
“Don’t worry, Crysta. I will protect you, no matter what.”
He was concerned about what had happened to Laurentz, who was supposed to have held them back, but even more so, he had to get his non-combatant friend to the staff room. He had received her thoughtfulness when she told him not to “run,” but to “protect” instead. He had to fulfill at least that minimum duty.
Lars, a boy, was not skilled in combat. He prided himself on being a scholar, but he had learned all sorts of magic, and also physical and swordsmanship. However, he had no practical combat experience. It wasn’t that he *couldn’t* fight, but he was weak in situations like this because he was *forbidden* from fighting.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t fight, but he hesitated to engage in an uncertain battle with the Vice Commander of the Royal Mage Corps. He wouldn’t mind being alone, but there was a girl he had known since his first year of enrollment. If she were to get even a single scratch, he would never forgive himself in his life.
“Well, I’m getting tired of this game of chase—it’s time to take that head of yours, Prince.”
He was frustrated that he was unable to do anything about the unexpected daylight assault on the Royal Academy.
“Hey, she knows you’re Prince Lars!”
“Jared is the only one who doesn’t know my identity!”
“But Murphy hasn’t even realized it yet, despite being appointed as a Court Mage!?”
“That guy is hopeless in some ways, just leave him be. He genuinely thinks people like my Father, Mother, and Older Sister are from merchant families. He’s an idiot, but—that’s what makes him likable. Thanks to that, my days are enjoyable.”
Most of the students enrolled in the Royal Academy knew that Lars’s true identity was Larskris Era Wethered, the First Prince of the Wethered Kingdom. The only exception was his close friend, Jared Murphy. It was astonishing that a man aspiring to be a Court Mage still didn’t know his identity, nor could he sense that his friend beside him was royalty. However, because he didn’t know his identity, he was a precious person who could treat him as he truly was.
Michaela, however, was different. As the Vice Commander of the Royal Mage Corps, there was no way she wouldn’t know her country’s First Prince. Yet, she was trying to kill him.
“Then, why is she attacking you, Lars!?”
“I wish I knew. But I can guess. She is likely planning something with Leonard Gallagher, the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps.”
Though he didn’t voice it, it was easy to guess that Leonard had started a rebellion. However, the reason remained unclear. The man Lars knew, Leonard Gallagher, was an honorable person who approached everything with sincerity. Therefore, he could not have predicted a situation like this.
“You can talk all you want, but—don’t ignore me!”
“—Guh, ah.”
The whip struck his back, and heat and pain surged through him. The fact that he didn’t scream despite the unbearable agony was solely because he was holding the girl’s hand.
“Lars!”
“It’s fine. More importantly, Crysta, I’ll buy you some time—you go seek help from Kirsi Santala.”
“Teacher Kirsi?”
Before his friend could ask why, Lars continued without stopping.
“She should be able to save us from this predicament. She’s comparable to Jared, no, even more so. Go, Crysta!”
The whip attacked again. Lars deployed a barrier to block it, but the pursuing flames from Michaela continuously struck the barrier.
“—Guh.”
“Lars! If you’re running, let’s go together!”
“Don’t worry about me. Their target is me anyway. I don’t want to involve Crysta!”
He clicked his tongue at Crysta, who had stopped out of concern. He appreciated her feelings, but he lacked the confidence to protect her. If possible, he wished she would just leave him and escape quickly.
—But that’s just who Crysta is.
Despite the danger, his lips eased into a smile at the girl he had feelings for.
“Hah, still got some leeway, huh—just as expected from a prince!”
Michaela, mistaking his slight smile for overconfidence, increased her magic power and swung her whip. With a roar of flames that devoured the air and magic, it transformed into a raging inferno. The whip’s momentum increased, and her attack, imbued with unprecedented force—
“Shit—”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
It easily shattered the barrier that should have taken his full magic power. The two were blown away by the explosion of flames. Lars grabbed Crysta’s small body in mid-air and hugged her tightly, shielding her from the flames.
He didn’t care about himself. As long as Crysta was safe—that was all he prayed for, hugging her tightly. He rolled on the ground, his breath catching. The impact repeatedly hit his back and arms, but he never loosened his grip on the girl.
“…Honestly, I’m impressed. A prince raised in a greenhouse, throwing himself in front of a mere brat. I intended to torment you before killing you, but I’ve changed my mind. In consideration of your spirit—I’ll kill you both, without suffering.”
“Damn… you… I’m sorry, Chris…ta…”
His vision blurred, and his consciousness faded. The strength in his arms loosened, and the unharmed girl fell to the ground. He couldn’t feel relieved that she was unharmed; a new crisis was imminent.
Lars cursed his weakness. The excuse that he was forbidden from practical combat due to his status as prince was nothing more than an excuse. It was agonizingly frustrating to be unable to protect the person he wanted to protect, and to be able to do nothing but watch. He bit down on his lip, intending to beg, at the very least, for her to be saved.
“Farewell, prince.”
—But before Lars could utter a sound, Michaela’s whip struck with a sharp crack. Struck by the impact, Lars lost consciousness, his final thoughts on Crysta—
