Demon Prince 59

Test

Chapter 59. Practical Exam And Interview

The day of the practical exam arrived.

Former members of the knightly and military corps.

Those confident in their skills made the matches intense.

It was quite enjoyable to watch.

Though, if this were a real fight to the death, I doubt I’d find it fun at all.

Each person participates in three matches.

Three matches ensure fair evaluations in case of mismatched abilities or poor compatibility.

The matches are conducted over a week.

After the day’s matches end, interviews follow.

It seems I won’t be able to work as an adventurer this week.

No, with candidates coming from other territories afterward, I might be unavailable for even longer.

“Now then, we’ll begin the interviews.”

“““Yes!”””

Three people are interviewed at a time.

“Each of you will share your motivation and reasons for applying, but first…”

A magic circle appears on the floor around the three applicants.

“This is an original mental magic I created called ‘True’. To explain, if someone lies, the magic circle glows red. In other words, it detects truth from falsehood.”

The applicants stir, as do the examiners.

Yuu, Ai, Father Aslad, and Kaien-sensei.

“Jun, when did you come up with that spell?”

“Remember when we talked about wishing for a lie detector? I started working on it whenever I had free time. I finally perfected it recently.”

“That’s amazing, big brother!”

“You’re incredible. It’s not easy to create original magic.”

“Impressive as always, Jun-sama.”

Anyway.

I should explain to the confused applicants.

“Do you know why we’re using this magic?”

“Yes. To avoid allowing spies or assassins close by, correct?”

The man sitting on the far right answers.

As a candidate for the guard, he seems well-informed.

“Exactly. As a former member of the knightly or military corps, you may know that I was previously attacked by assassins. The mastermind hasn’t been caught yet, so we must remain cautious. It may feel unpleasant, but I ask for your understanding.”

“No problem.”

“It’s only natural.”

“Completely reasonable.”

Thankfully, all three accepted the explanation.

“Thank you. Now, let’s begin the interview.”

Thus, the interviews proceeded smoothly.

Acting as an examiner like this feels like I’m important.

It’s almost enough to make me forget I’m actually a prince of the Demon Kingdom.

Though having been an ordinary citizen in my previous life, it’s hard to adjust to this role.

On the third day of exams,

a woman approaches me at the practical exam venue.

“Jun-sama, may I have a moment?”

“Oh, yes. You’re… Christea-san-san?”

“Yes, Christea-san Ruger. I’m currently a member of the Royal Guard. Pleased to meet you.”

“Currently,” huh?

She’s confident she’ll be selected.

She seems self-assured.

Christea-san has short, pink hair with bangs, and is not very tall, but her figure is striking.

It’s no wonder she’s called the most beautiful woman in the corps.

“Yes, nice to meet you. What can I do for you?”

“Well, could you spar with me?”

“Spar, you say?”

“Yes, please.”

Her gaze is serious.

She’s not just asking for training. She wants to gauge my ability.

Perhaps she wants to assess the one she’ll be serving and protecting.

“All right. Let’s spar.”

“Thank you. Over there, if you please.”

We move to an open space left vacant after the practical exam.

The venue is a training ground.

Though only the applicants are present, it seems they intend to watch as well.

This reminds me of my fight with Gaul.

“Begin!”

At Kaien-sensei’s signal, the mock battle begins.

“Here I come! Haaaah!”

“Bring it on! Hah!”

Swords and shields clash fiercely.

Although she’s older, my physique is superior.

Yet, she skillfully parries, evades, and counters every attack.

She targets wrists and legs to weaken, occasionally aiming for my neck with calculated precision.

She’s completely serious—perhaps even intent on killing me?

“Hah! Haaaah!”

Her shield isn’t just for defense; she uses it as a weapon for shield bashing.

Her equipment consists of a longsword, shield, and heavy armor.

Her armor is a unique design tailored for women.

She defends firmly, exploiting any opening.

When I shift to defense, she presses the attack.

At first, I thought her attacks were underhanded, but they’re actually sound and strategic.

It’s impressive.

“You’re remarkable, Jun-sama. To avoid every strike so perfectly…”

“You’re impressive too.”

Physically, I should have the upper hand.

Yet, her skill surpasses mine.

Or perhaps it’s the difference in experience.

In martial arts, we’re evenly matched.

That leaves magic—

“That’s enough!”

Kaien-sensei halts us at the perfect moment.

“It’s a draw.”

“Yes, though had we continued, I would’ve lost. If you used magic, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

In a magic battle, I’m confident I’d win.

Her fire emblem grants resistance to fire and enhances her aptitude for fire magic.

But I’m certain I could counter that entirely.

“Thank you, Christea-san-san.”

“Thank you, Jun-sama. My intuition wasn’t wrong.”

“Hmm? About what?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Christea-san-san, will you train with me next time?”

“Yes, I’d be delighted.”

The peculiar way she emphasized “training” led to the start of a sparring match between Ai and Christea-san.

Ai had been itching to jump in while watching my sparring match with Christea-san, so I had a hunch she wouldn’t be able to hold back.

"Sei!" 

"Hah!"

The fight between Ai and Christea-san was evenly matched.

Christea-san, armed with weapons, and Ai, barehanded—well, she had gauntlets— were trading blows equally. Was Ai impressive for keeping up with Christea-san’s weaponry, or was Christea-san impressive for holding her ground against Ai?

As I watched for a while, I noticed something.

Ai was probably holding back.

No, it’s more accurate to say she wasn’t going all out.

At the very least, she wasn’t using her Foresight Crest.

I also figured out how to deal with someone using a shield for solid defense.

Rather than slashing at the shield, it was better to deliver strikes that pushed it, leaving a lingering impact. The shock likely transferred to the arm holding the shield.

Christea-san’s shield handling was gradually slowing down.

Soon, she wouldn’t be able to use it effectively.

And then the sparring ended.

As always, Kaien-sensei stopped it at just the right moment.

"You’re strong, Ai-sama."

"You just fought Jun right before me, so you ran out of breath quickly. That’s all. Let’s do this again sometime."

"Yes, I’d love to."

With those words, they parted ways.

Christea-san did fight me right before sparring with Ai, so she must have been fatigued.

"But even so, I doubt the outcome would’ve changed."

"Probably not. I’m confident I wouldn’t lose. But she’s definitely strong. Quite a talent, really."

With Ai’s stamp of approval, it seemed Christea-san’s selection was a done deal.

"Well, we still need to do the interview. Let’s go, Ai."

"Yep. Here we go."

Ai jumped up, grabbed my shoulder, and used it as a springboard to climb onto my back, settling into a piggyback ride.

"What are you doing? Walk on your own."

"Come on, it’s fine once in a while. I’m a bit tired."

"I just did the same thing and got tired, too. Oh well."

"Yay! Hehe."

Well, once in a while shouldn’t hurt.

Or so I thought, until Yuu got jealous and made me promise to carry her next.

Even though they’re adults on the inside, these two often act their apparent age.

Maybe their appearances are influencing their behavior.

Finally, on the last day of the test, the final interview took place.

Christea-san was the only one interviewed individually.

"To get straight to the point, you’ve passed. You’re officially assigned to my personal guard. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much."

"But let’s proceed with the interview for formality’s sake. Just answer casually. First, why did you apply? Your form says it’s because you want to serve me."

"Yes. Actually, I’m a huge fan of the story The Demon Prince and the Lady Knight."

"Huh, a story?"

I hadn’t heard of that title before.

"Ai, Yuu, have you?"

"Nope, I don’t know it."

"I haven’t either."

It didn’t seem very well-known. Maybe it was a children’s picture book or something.

"I’ve always admired the kind of master-servant relationship depicted in that story. Since then, I’ve been searching for my ideal master. When I found my ideal, I joined the Royal Capital’s knight order to pursue them."

"Wait, your ideal master—is that me, by any chance?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

What? Being called someone’s ideal master was a little embarrassing.

But her words made it sound like she’d known about me even before coming to the Royal Capital.

"Don’t you remember? When you visited the town of Ruger as a healing mage, I was your guide."

"Oh, that girl from back then was you, Christea-san?"

So that was her. But wasn’t that about three years ago?

If she joined the knight order shortly after that, it’s incredible she climbed to the rank of royal guard in less than three years.

"At that time, I thought, This is the person who can become my ideal master. The sparring match only confirmed it. I’m certain now that you are."

"Is that so..."

Being praised to that extent was a bit overwhelming.

Especially coming from someone this beautiful.

"Well, I’ll do my best to live up to being your ideal master. I’m counting on you, Christea-san."

"Thank you, Jun-sama. Please feel free to call me without any honorifics, and you don’t need to use formal language with me."

"Got it, Christea-san. Nice to have you on board."

"Yes. Please train me as your subordinate."

Huh? That last word seemed a bit off.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, ‘Please train me.’"

"Train you?"

"Yes. In The Demon Prince and the Lady Knight, the demon prince gradually succumbs to his lust for the knight. Eventually, he uses their master-servant relationship to dominate her, and the story ends happily with the knight offering her body and soul to the prince."

"Where’s the happy ending in that?!"

Her impassioned speech left me no choice but to interject.

Wait, wasn’t this basically an erotic novel?

"And this demon prince is your ideal master? You think I’m like that?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"No, no, no! What’s with that evaluation?"

I had no recollection of doing anything to warrant that!

"The demon prince in the story is popular among the people, kind and beautiful on the surface. But secretly consumed by lust. I sense the same qualities in you, Jun-sama!"

"Stop right there! That’s a terrible thing to say! What’s your basis for this?!"

"Because during the sparring match, your eyes were glued to my chest the entire time!"

"What?"

"This time, I deliberately wore armor that emphasizes chest movement. You couldn’t resist staring at a woman’s chest even in a fight—proof of hidden desires!"

What an insidious trap.

To think such a scheme was hidden in that sparring match...

I felt the weight of everyone’s stares.

"Geez, Jun. You can touch mine later if you want."

"If it’s me, you don’t have to hold back, big brother."

"Well, if it’s about boobs, it’s understandable."

"Jun-sama is still a child, after all."

Never mind. They weren’t judging me.

If anything, they were strangely supportive.

"Now, Jun-sama! I’m ready anytime! Bedroom, bathroom, rooftop—wherever you want! We can even start here and now!"

"We’re not starting anything!"

Ah, the towering praise Christea-san had for me was crashing down.

Why are the girls around me always so peculiar?

At this rate, Lily might be the only sane one left.

Please stay that way, Lily. Seriously.