Guardians of the Prince

I was at the royal palace, enshrined in Rizontia, the capital of the kingdom of Vio Rizonna.

A martial arts tournament was being held in the plaza in front of the main palace building. There’s a huge number of people participating, and many of them were skilled enough to be famous not only among the palace guards of course, but also with the general public.

Gradually, each division progressed to the quarterfinals. It was at about that point in the tournament that the royal family, as well as other august personages, would come to view the bouts. In Japan, I guess it might be considered the tenranjiai.1

I took the prince to the VIP seats, and was just retracing my steps because Lady Solamire had asked me to do something for her afterwards.

I headed down the hallway that connected the main palace to the western wing. It had become Lady Solamire’s residence, and it was where I slept when I stayed with the prince in the royal palace, so I was on my way back there.

The palace interior was full of people chatting, all civic officials and military officers, and so even though they were just walking down the hallways, I felt like the people I passed by were going faster than usual.

The pathway was slightly elevated, so I could see the guards’ training grounds, and when I glanced down for a moment, I felt the corners of my mouth start to smile.

Mr Kahzam was there. He must have been waiting his turn to take the stage.

Mr Kahzam was standing under a sunshade beside the training grounds. Several other guards were seated on a bench, tending to their weapons, and he seemed to be talking with them. Every so often, I saw a smile.

That’s right, Mr Kahzam had served in the royal palace before he met me – in other words, until just before the prince was born. He must have known lots of people here.

Mr Kahzam lifted his head all of a sudden, and I quickly headed down the hall and into the western wing.

Didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation!

Everyone must have been off to see the tournament, because there was hardly anyone there, and it was very quiet.

Well, I had some free time before I had to bring the prince back, what was I going to do with myself? I came to a stop for a minute, thinking it over. Then I headed for the end of the corridor and leaned against the stone fence there, gazing out at the fountain in the gardens.

How strong was Mr Kahzam, in the end? I wondered if he might even win the championship.

Suddenly a shadow jumped over the banister and landed right beside me.

It was the very person I’d just been thinking of, so I unconsciously let out a yelp. “Wah- Mr Kahzam!?”

“Kohme. You’re mean, just leaving without saying anything to me.”

He took off his hat as if to show that he was on break now. His short hair, the color of dried grass, was flattened, but even so, my younger lover always looked about two or three years younger than he actually was.

“But what about your turn on stage, Mr Kahzam?”

“What? I’m not in the tournament, I never was.”

“Liar!? Didn’t you have an application form at Shiz Cagna?”

“I was looking after it for a colleague. He was having some trouble with it.”

“Well– but you’ve been here since this morning, haven’t you?”

“I know some of the people participating, I came to see them.”

Seriously, jeez… We’d both been so busy lately, we’d hardly been able to meet, even though both of us were now stationed at Shiz Cagna. I had no idea of any of this.

“Why aren’t you competing though? It’s you, surely you’d rank pretty high,” I said, and Mr Kahzam’s expression softened, and he took a seat on the stone fence.

“If you rank high in the martial arts tournament, you get preferentially assigned to the King’s personal guard. I doubt His Highness Ouji or Lady Solamire would be too happy if I ended up having to join them, so…”

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye a little. “Or maybe you want me to join the King’s guard?”

Why– Why would he even ask…? Of course I didn’t.

I looked away, a little bashful, and shook my head, staring at Mr Kahzam’s shoulder.

“But Kohme, if you thought I was in the tournament, why would you go back to the western wing instead of coming to see me?”

“Well I…”

It became increasingly difficult for me to meet Mr Kahzam’s eyes.

“I– I had something I had to do right away!”

“Like stare at the fountain?”

Oof.

“Because…” I confessed in a mumble. “If you win… you get a kiss, right?”

I’d heard that the winner of the tournament, in addition to a prize or a medal or something, would get the blessing of a kiss from “Miss Something-or-other.”

Of course, it had to be on the forehead or something, right? Kissing was like a form of greeting over here, I’d learned that a long time ago. And I was supposed to be an adult, wasn’t I?

But listen, Mr Kahzam was going to get a peck on the cheek from some buxom, vivacious girl ten years younger than me, and I just didn’t need to see that!

“Jeez, listen.”

Mr Kahzam’s hands reached out and tugged my hips close. He pulled me between his legs where he was sitting on the fence, and our eyes ended up at the same level.

“No one was going to be especially overjoyed even if I did participate, right? So I didn’t participate.”

“I– I understand.”

Seeing me nod repeatedly, Mr Kahzam smiled like he was quite happy indeed. “Kohme, are you jealous? Cute…”

“Ngh–”

A soft, gentle kiss… I realized it was the first time in a long while. The inside of my chest got tight.

Wait, but…

When our lips separated, I whispered in a sneaky, serious tone.

“I mean, other people don’t know why you prefer to stay with the prince, right, Mr Kahzam? If someone asks why you’re not participating, what are you going to say?”

“I just decided not to?” Mr Kahzam started to answer, but another shadow jumped the banister.

“Kahzam Saegis!” said someone I didn’t know, spitefully.

Mr Kahzam quickly turned round, his back to me, but he spoke like normal. “Gilley? How was the third-place match?”

“Decided in my favor, of course.”

Mr Kahzam said his congratulations, and then twisted his expression a little and whispered to me, his eyes never leaving the other man. “This guy was my roommate when I was on Lady Solamire’s detail.”

“Hey, you’re talking to me!”

This guy, Mr Gilley, was still wearing his gear from the tournament, and thrust his blade – with a flattened edge for use in the tournament – at Mr Kahzam.

“I figured you wouldn’t be in it this year either, so I asked around! They said you didn’t participate because you didn’t want to leave some woman who lives in Shiz Cagna!?”

Whattt!? People were really saying that!?

“Yeah.”

And don’t just admit it, Mr Kahzam!

“I’m gonna beat you into shape, you sex-obsessed moron. Get into the garden!”

Alongside Mr Gilley’s voice, something long and heavy flew at us.

I yelped without thinking, but Mr Kahzam’s powerful arms caught it. It was another sword.

“A dual!”

“Not much choice, huh,” Mr Kahzam said with a light sigh, and then gently pushed me into the shadow of the pillar and handed me his hat.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been alone with you, too… I’ll take care of this quick, so wait for me, please.”

Okay, he was confident… His opponent was ranked third in swordsmanship, wasn’t he?

Although, somehow, I had a hunch Mr Kahzam could beat him.

Once I had that thought, I smiled at Mr Kahzam, pouring my feelings into it.

“Okay. And once you win, I’ll give you the blessing of my kiss.”

I wasn’t vivacious or busty, but oh well!

Mr Kahzam’s eyes went a little wide, and he looked away, pursing his lips a little.

Did I– Did I overdo it?

“At any rate…” Mr Kahzam said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Stay here in the shadows please, Kohme. I’m the type that prefers to keep my treasures hidden.”

And then, putting a hand on the fence and hopping into the garden, he headed into the wide open space where Mr Gilley was waiting.

As the two of them locked swords, they seemed to be evenly matched, but when they smashed into each other and then leapt back, it was Mr Kahzam who stepped forward again first.

With a metallic clang, Mr Gilley lost his sword and I knew the battle had been decided.

In the shadows of the pillar, I finally was able to breathe.

Aarg, even if he wasn’t getting a kiss from Miss Whoever, I still wouldn’t have been able to watch Mr Kahzam in a bout. I wouldn’t have been able to breathe.

Mr Kahzam approached Mr Gilley, and the two shook hands. And then they brought their foreheads close… Exchanging some secrets?

In the end, Mr Gilley handed something small to Mr Kahzam, cursing him the whole time, and then stalked off, holding both swords.

“Kohme.”

""

Mr Kahzam came back, and was of course a little out of breath.

I thought I should tell him congratulations before anything else, but he tugged on my hand. “Let’s hide,” he said, and started off.

“Hide? What for?”

“Gilley said the first- and second-place guys would both come looking for me too. We can’t have them interrupting us further.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, and Mr Kahzam showed me something hanging off his finger – a key?

“Gilley’s girlfriend is a maid in the western wing. I heard there was a room the two of them sneak off to, so I borrowed the key instead of extracting a forfeit.”

And then he flashed a smile I might have even called ferocious. “Now that I’ve won, you’ll give me something, won’t you? Such as, yourself.”

“A– the blessing of a kiss, wasn’t it?”

“That’s going to be enough to satisfy me.”

It seemed this swordsman, still rough from battle, had decided to hunt me down next.

[The Swordsman’s Blessing – end]

Footnotes

the part of the games where the emperor is in attendance.