Chapter 11: Hand-to-Hand Combat <<Grayson side>>

“I see. Well then, can we have a ──── hand-to-hand contest, please? Not sword play this time, but magic.”

I squinted at the offer of combat, which he titled as a thank-you.

Unsure of the intent of the request, I glanced down at Charlotte-san, who was standing next to me.

I was wondering why Charlotte was acting so strange, so I offered to thank him in her stead. ……What exactly is Prince Leonardo’s goal? Do you just simply want to have a match with me?

I glanced at Miss Charlotte, who curiously tilted her head, and I looked ahead again.

The beautiful blonde young man, who hides his true nature well with a smile, is, as ever, unreadable in his thoughts.

“……I understand. If that’s how you want me to thank you, I’ll be happy to oblige.”

“I appreciate it.”

I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed anyway, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo smiled and said.

“Well then, let’s go away for a while. I don’t want anything to happen to Charlotte-san and Isaac.”

“I understand.”

I nodded my head and moved away from the scene to limit the damage to my surroundings.

I stepped on the damp ground and stopped at a good distance.

Concentrating on the flow of blood through my body, I suddenly turned my attention to Charlotte-san and our eyes met perfectly.

Her eyes shook with anxiety and she cheered me on, saying, “Do your best,” even though she was cringing at the unexpected sudden turn of events.

Nodding in agreement, I turn my palm toward His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, who stands directly in front of me.

I don’t know if he genuinely wants to test his strength or if he has another goal in mind, but I have one thing to do. To clash with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo with all my might and use it to train in magic.

If you fight only with certain opponents, you will get into strange habits and this hand-to-hand combat was just right.

While thinking positively, Isaac, who had taken on the role of referee, stepped forward.

He had moved to a position where he could protect Charlotte-san and he had a mole on his shoulder.

“There are three rules. The only means of attack is magic. No large magic over a wide area. No potentially fatal wounds. …… Any objections?”

““None.””

Since the rules were only the minimum necessary to make it work as a match, me and Crown Prince Leonardo immediately shook our heads.

As the tension in the room gradually increased, Isaac-sama suddenly raised his hand.

“Then, both of you get ready ──── and let the match begin.”

With a vigorous wave of his hand, Isaacs declared in a loud voice.

My palms were slowly sweating and I was the first to open my mouth.

“”Firelance.””

When I uttered the chant of fire magic, multiple spears of flame appeared around me.

I fired a bright red spear that crackled and burned at His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the spears of flame coming at him with a whoosh and a gust of wind. Then──── he suddenly ran in a straight line.

Eh……!? What are you doing ……! Don’t tell me you are deliberately trying to cause an international problem by getting injured……! If that’s the case, it’s pretty bad!

Leaving me in a daze, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo, who was in close proximity to the flaming spear, slowly raised the corners of his mouth.

“”Protection.””

He activates the barrier magic in front of him as I was wondering if I should cancel the magic.

He transformed the semi-transparent barrier along his body, and almost repelled the flaming spear.

As the red spear falls to the ground, scattering sparks of fire, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo is heading straight for me.

“No way, you’re going to fight me in close quarters!” The spear of flame evaporated the water absorbed by the earth, leaving me in a hurry. White smoke was rising up from the flames.

As if in a fog, the visibility became poor and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo jumped out from the front.

“”Fire Breath!””

“”Water Barrier.””

A red flame shot out from the palm of Crown Prince Leonardo’s hand and I hurriedly put up a film of water.

Amidst more white smoke, I hurriedly stepped back, fearing a steam explosion.

“Is this what it’s going to be like?”

Aside from the film of water slowly evaporating, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo slump his shoulders and said.

“I have one question for His Highness Grayson. ……”

His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, with a soft smile on his face, asks this question with his palm facing me.

Somehow I understood that this was his real aim.

So you wanted to talk to me alone. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. As expected, I can’t talk about matters related to national secrets, but other than that, I have no problem.

“As far as I can answer…… 《Water Arrow》.”

“Huh. Thank you. That helps.”

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo smiles as he effortlessly blocks my water arrows with the barrer that was already in effect.

He asked me a question without any hesitation while I was frowning at him, “That barrier is troublesome”.

“Then don’t hesitate to answer. Is Your Highness Grayson dating ──── Charlotte-san?”

He asked me if I was in love with her and my eyes darted for a moment.

The content of the question was so oblique to my expectations that I asked, ‘Do we look like that to those around us?’ I pondered.

I had never thought …… that me and Charlotte-san would be in love.

“…. No, we’re not. She’s just a friend.”

I try to remain as calm as possible so as not to let anyone know how upset I am.

But my mind was occupied with Charlotte-san. The match was no longer on my mind.

In front of my restless, puzzled face, His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo narrowed his emerald eyes.

“I see. Then, that’s good. Now I can approach Charlotte-san without hesitation.”

“!!!”

The word “approach” made me react, and my eyes widened, which was out of character.

It was as if I had been struck by lightning and I lost my composure in a different way than before.

“Approach Charlotte-san?”

“Oh, yes. In fact, I’ve been thinking about Charlotte-san lately….. See, she’s a very attractive woman, isn’t she? That’s why I wanted ────.”

The beautiful young man with blond hair that arched gently around his mouth, his emerald eyes narrowed happily.

He’s as beautiful as a twinkling star and I feel a sense of irritation and discomfort that I don’t quite understand.

I clench my fists tightly as I feel the urge to slice through the man in front of me right now.

Why ……? Why am I so frustrated ……? As Charlotte-san’s friend, shouldn’t I be happy that the Crown Prince has found her here ……? Shouldn’t I congratulate her and say, ‘Congratulations.’ ……? So why do I feel like this ……?

I cannot hide my bewilderment at this first exposure to an unfamiliar emotion.

But more than that, I don’t like this man who says he wants Charlotte-san….. and suddenly this thought occurs to me.

I’d rather ──── have someone else take her from me than him.

When I came to that point, I suddenly came to my senses.

I take short, repeated breaths and shake my hands as if to exhale my dim emotions.

Me? What the hell did I just think….? Why did I get that idea ……?  What could make me do that ……?

Don’t tell me ──── that the pet love that I direct toward Charlotte-san has created a desire to possess her?

In the midst of my confused thoughts, I came to one conclusion: “This is the only way! I was blindsided”.

Because ──── I had similar feelings when I was forced to ‘want’ the Black Tyrant by a heavyweight from another country a long time ago. There was no room for doubt.

But then, I would be thinking of Charlotte-san as a pet….. I say to myself, how is that as a friend?

Deciding that she would cry if I revealed my true feelings, I secretly vowed, ‘I will keep this a secret until I die’.

The blur still lingers in my chest, but I no longer worry about inadvertently cutting up His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo.

As for Charlotte-san, it’s her decision, so I will not interfere. However, if she asks for help, I will not hesitate to interfere.

After much deliberation, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Leonardo let out a sly smile at the conclusion he reached.

He said, “Hmmm. That’s scary”.

He was smiling despite his fear and he turned his palm toward me once again.

As our gazes cross each other, the foggy white smoke finally clears.

Charlotte-san and Isaac-sama, who were looking at us in the corner of the training ground, relaxed their shoulders as if relieved.

Exposed to the sun’s rays, I and His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo take a step forward toward each other and from either side, we resume our attacks.

──── Then, our gradually intensifying hand-to-hand combat continued into the evening.

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