Mock Battle and Childhood Friend slash Fiancée
Dark Knight Sieg… The handsome, silver-haired young man standing before me was the final boss of Hermenia in JRO.
When players visited the Kingdom of Hermenia, this young man would fall to darkness due to a certain event. By fighting and reforming him, the next map in the Kingdom of Hermenia would be unlocked… but right now, he hasn’t fallen to darkness and is just an ordinary Royal Guard knight.
The recommended level for the Dark Knight battle in JRO was 60, but I’ll assume that current Sieg isn’t as strong as he was as a Dark Knight. However, the Dark Knight battle in JRO was generally designed for a party of about four people, but this time, I’m alone.
In that case, the estimated recommended level becomes 60.
However, my level is 1. My stats are, at best, around those of a level 10 common job.
It’s a hopeless level difference. Even so—
“『Magic Bullet』 『Magic Infusion』”
While hitting Sieg’s face with a magic bullet about as powerful as a peashooter, I infused my whole body with magic, forcibly enhancing my physical abilities.
My current stats are effectively around level 20!
“I see. Interesting.”
Sieg smiled belligerently and swung his sword down at me.
“『Magic Wall』”
It wasn’t to block the sword; rather, I deployed that non-elemental magic, normally used for defense, beneath my feet. Pushed up by the Magic Wall, I dodged the sword and jumped to a higher spot.
A wall jump. That technique, which allows for a slightly higher jump with a shorter motion than a normal jump, is a little trick any JRO addict could do.
“『Magic Wall』”
I deployed a second Magic Wall in the air.
JRO didn’t have a physics engine. However, in this world, physical laws like gravity and inertia definitely exist.
Using the mid-air Magic Wall as a foothold, I aimed for his neck—the same spot that was Dark Knight Sieg’s weak point in JRO—and struck with all my might with my wooden sword.
However, Sieg reacted quickly, and my wooden sword was blocked by his metal pauldron.
If only my level was, if only it was 30 levels higher, I could have pierced through his armor!!
There’s no point in lamenting. My body is that of a five-year-old, and my level is 1.
Clack. My own grip couldn’t withstand the impact of the strike, which made a dry sound, and my wooden sword spun around and flew off in a completely random direction.
“Haito-dono. You are terrifyingly strong.”
Sieg said this, looking genuinely amused, as he placed his wooden sword at the neck of me, who had just lost my weapon. I raised both hands with a dry laugh.
“Haha, I surrender. As expected, against a top-class Royal Guard knight, I couldn’t do a thing.”
I lost. A complete and utter defeat.
The cause of defeat was that, huh? The overwhelming difference in stats. With my attack power, even if I struck an undefended Sieg’s vital point with all my might using a real sword, he’d probably be unharmed. Besides, Sieg’s agility is also quite high, so it would be difficult to even land a hit.
However, the difference in skill was so overwhelming that, strangely, I didn’t feel any frustration.
“Hahaha! Haito, you fought valiantly against Sieg! Truly splendid!!”
At the words of the King of Hermenia, who clapped his hands and laughed cheerfully in high spirits, Algeo knelt and said, “It is the highest honor!”
Following his example, I also knelt and continued, “I am honored by your praise.”
“Haito, don’t be so formal. We are in exceptionally high spirits! We are fond of strong individuals!”
“Haa…”
“We wish to grant you a reward, but Haito, you are still young. Giving you anything would likely be the same as giving it to Algeo. Then, how about this, Haito?
We shall give you Our daughter, Reina! You are close in age, and she is a bit of a tomboy, which has been giving Us some trouble. It would be just perfect!”
Reina!? Reina, as in, the 『Dragon Knight Princess』 Reina Hermenia?
In JRO, she was the 『Dragon Knight Princess』, the highest-ranking job for a 『Dragoon』 who commands dragons, one of the strongest species. She controlled a Thunder Dragon and was one of those cheat characters who could unleash nearly unavoidable, risk-free electric shocks—that Reina Hermenia.
Due to her overwhelming strength and blessed character design, she won first place in popularity polls three times.
“What is it? Are you saying Our daughter is unsatisfactory?”
“N-no! Rather, I was just surprised to hear it was Reina-sama, who is famous for her beauty.”
“Is that so? So Reina’s cuteness has reached even the Dukeheart territory!”
The King of Hermenia laughed in high spirits once again.
“Indeed, We shall have Reina marry Haito! Haito is already tremendously strong at this stage, and once he comes of age and obtains a 『Job』, he will surely gain strength comparable to a hero!”
“Giving her to me,” so he meant an engagement, huh? …Wait, an engagement!?
No, but it’s not an atmosphere where I can refuse. Besides, back in my JRO days, Reina Hermenia was one of my favorite NPCs—actually, she might have been my number one favorite—so honestly, I was quite enthusiastic about an engagement event.
JRO had a marriage system too, after all!
Well, then again. I never got married in my previous life, and in real life, I never even had a romantic relationship, so maybe it just doesn’t feel real.
And so, in this way, being pushed into it by the King of Hermenia, I became engaged to Princess Reina of Hermenia.
◇
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Reina-sama.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Haito-sama.”
As I greeted her for the first time with a noble’s bow I’d only seen and imitated, Reina Hermenia responded with a curtsy.
After the King of Hermenia shockingly announced my engagement to Reina, we quickly had a formal meeting. The fact that Reina was dressed in beautiful attire despite the suddenness of it all probably suggested that this engagement wasn’t a sudden decision, but something that had been decided long ago.
That makes sense. In JRO, such things were handled quite casually, but this world is real, Hermenia is a proper kingdom, and characters like the King of Hermenia and Algeo, who were NPCs, are indeed flesh-and-blood humans.
In such a context, a royal engagement, a parent deciding to marry off their daughter, couldn’t possibly be established on a whim.
It shouldn’t be. …Right?
Well, does it really matter? Whatever intentions the King of Hermenia or Algeo had for bringing Reina and me together.
The important thing is, yes. In any case, the fact is that the Dragon Knight Princess Reina (in her child form) is right here before my eyes!
Golden hair that shines like lightning, and skin as white as a lightning flash. Jade-green eyes like a dragon’s.
She’s a child now and has no job, but her character design is perfect, befitting someone who will become a Thunder Dragon wielder in the future. Seeing the real thing before me like this, she was as perfectly formed as an exquisite doll, yet her beauty was such that it made me think, “No human could have crafted something so exquisite!”
She’ll surely grow up to be a beautiful woman. No, in JRO she was super cute, so it’s already confirmed she’ll grow up beautifully!
And so, while my excitement was skyrocketing internally, as Haito, I was at a loss as to how to act in front of Reina.
I was socially awkward in my previous life. So socially awkward that I failed all my job hunting!
Thinking that far, I calmed down.
The Reina before me is certainly as lovely as the Reina I saw in JRO, but her height is about the same as mine, currently five years old. Her body proportions were also childlike. In other words, she’s a child.
I was socially awkward in my previous life, but even so, it’s not like I didn’t have any friends in elementary school, though they were few.
Besides, I’ve lived for 28 years in total—23 years until I died in my previous life, plus 5 years in this world. I’m not at an age where I should be scared and shy around a five-year-old child.
Thinking that, I calmed down a bit, and I sort of understood what I should do.
“Um, Reina-sama.”
“Y-yes?”
“If you’d like, would you play with me?”
“Play, you say?”
“Yes. Playing house, playing with dolls, or reading books. Let’s do whatever kind of play Reina-sama likes!”
Reina seemed a little bewildered, mumbling to herself, then hesitantly…
“Then, I’d like to play sword fighting. Haito-sama, you’re super strong, aren’t you? I’m fairly confident in my own strength too, so I’d love to have a match.”
She made such a suggestion.
That’s not the kind of suggestion you make hesitantly! I was fooled by her reserved and dignified demeanor, but Reina is one of JRO’s foremost power characters.
Even the electric shocks that Dragon Knight Princess Reina excels at are, for some reason, converted into damage based on her 『Attack Power』 stat—that’s the kind of character she is.
Come to think of it, her personality in JRO was surprisingly belligerent, and the King of Hermenia also said she was a tomboy he had trouble with.
Well, but that’s fine too, I guess.
“Yes. Then, where shall we do it?”
“Let’s see. I’ll guide you to the training ground I always use! Also, Haito-sama, since you are my Fiancé, please call me Reina, without any honorifics!”
“…R-Reina?”
Man, calling a girl by her name without an honorific is kinda embarrassing. I don’t think it’s something to be embarrassed about at this age, but unfortunately, in my previous life, I was an unpopular guy—the kind whose age perfectly matched the number of years he’d been without a girlfriend.
“Yes. In that case, may I also call you Height?”
“O-Of course!”
If we keep playing together like this from a young age, we’ll become childhood friends. And, Reina is my parent-approved Fiancée. Is this a rom-com? Is this really a rom-com?!
Feeling giddy from this development, just like in a manga I read ages ago, I followed after Reina, who was skipping along in high spirits.
Incidentally, the fact that Reina was surprisingly strong and I almost lost to her is a story for another time.