Chapter 4:
From Circlet Love Story
An Excerpt from Circlet Love Story:
“An Unexpected Gift”
MY NAME IS KAMAKURU, AND I AM A KNIGHT sworn to protect the princess of this fair nation. When the princess had completed her duty as an envoy to a neighboring nation, I was tasked with guarding her on the return journey. I kept a vigilant watch over our surroundings as I rode my horse beside her carriage.
“Rumors speak of recent banditry in this area,” said the elderly knight inside the carriage. “It would be wise to stay alert.”
He was the princess’s chaperone and my teacher. Even when I was young, he was ever the staunch ally.
“Stop the carriage!” we both shouted.
The attendant hurriedly pulled the reins, bringing the horse to a standstill.
Soon enough, men who appeared to be bandits appeared from the bushes in droves. They grinned, showing no inclination to attack for the moment. The situation was swiftly coming to an impasse.
Before the silence could persist any further, I turned to the young man whom I suspected was the leader. “Come, speak. I would lend you my assistance, should you need it,” I said, lacing my words with an implicit warning.
“Heh… Hand us all yer valuables, and we’ll spare yer lives.”
“Oh… Hey, Big Bro!” said a boy who appeared to be the young man’s henchman. “I saw this guy in a dream. He’s a loser who can’t protect his lady!”
At last, I understood their attitude. They must have assumed that we were easy pickings because the princess was guarded only by myself and the elderly knight.
“You think we would be cowed by numbers? We fear nothing!” I drew my sword, hoping to allay the princess’s nerves as she watched from within the carriage. “I shall seize victory, here and now!”
Then, with a roar, I swung my blade at the bandits. Though the entire group struck at once and I was clearly outnumbered, their skills were poor. With little effort, I was able to hold them off and dashed past the underlings to make for the leader, who remained at the bandit party’s rear.
He scowled. “So, yer after me, eh?!”
Cutting off the snake’s head quickly was best in a battle such as this.
“You underestimate me! I’m the best there is at swordplay! Say goodbye to yer precious lady, ’cause yer gonna lose pathetically! Huh?”
“Oh? What a coincidence. Swordplay is also my forte.”
Our blades clashed fiercely several times over.
“Hyaaa!”
“Urk?!”
I thumped the leader with the flat of my blade, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, collapsing to the ground. He was out cold. I did not want to subject the princess to the sight of bloodshed, so I hadn’t sliced his flesh.
“Oh no… Big Bro!”
“The boss got done in?! These knights are no joke! Retreat!”
“Yeah, I’m backin’ off too! I bet the boss would tell us to flee over his corpse!”
The bandits turned into a disorderly mob and scattered to the wind.
“I-I’ll get you back for this!” The boy yelled before turning his back on the leader and running.
I took a step forward. I’d better pursue them, I thought.
“You’ve done enough! Come back!”
The elderly knight’s voice snapped me back into my senses. I was a knight sworn to protect the princess. Now that the pressing danger had passed, I had no further need to embroil myself in this matter. As that realization hit me, I stopped and sheathed my sword.
That was when a voice suddenly called out to me.
A young boy emerged from the bushes, shouting his adulation as he ran toward me. “Sir Knight! I was struck by your skilled swordplay! Would you please make me your squire?!”
“And who may you be?”
“I was being held captive by that bandit group you defeated! They attacked me when I left my hometown in the country to become a knight. I am in your debt—please let me be of use!”
“I’m afraid I must refuse.” Given that I had no need of a squire, he would be nothing more than a hindrance.
“We mustn’t abandon the lad here either. How about we take him along to the royal capital as a probationary squire?” the elderly knight suggested. “Your Highness, what say you?”
From inside the carriage, I could see the princess give a small nod. When was the last time I had heard the princess’s voice? I wondered. She had not always experienced such difficulties with conversation. ’Twas the environment within the castle that made her that way. Knowing her circumstances made me all the more vexed.
“If the princess insists…”
“Thank you kindly, my good sirs! Her Highness’s magnanimity has filled my heart with gratitude!”
The young boy knelt. Good grief, I thought. It appeared that we would be bringing a most unexpected souvenir home for our troubles.
Side. S
I sighed in relief as I watched the boy—played by Rentaro-kun—successfully join up with Sir Kamakuru’s group.
“My goodness,” said Hakari-san, “Even as a wannabe squire, Rentaro-kun is so dashing!”
“Aye!” said Kusuri-senpai. “What a splendid performance!”
It wasn’t just those two—everyone else showed signs of relief.
“Okay, so the carriage is headed for the royal capital, right?” said Hahari-san. “We ought to follow Rentaro-chan.”
“Yes, my lady,” said Mei-san. “I shall pursue the carriage on foot.”
“That’s not what she was ordering you to do,” said Kurumi-san.
“It would be more efficient to skip ahead to the next scene,” said Nano-san.
“There’s no fast-forward button in real life,” said Karane-san.
Having watched the previous scene unfold from behind the bushes, we began to move to our next destination. How did we end up in this situation, you might ask?
It all started a short while ago…
“Hmm?”
We opened our eyes at almost the exact same time. The first thing that hit me was the strong smell of greenery. It didn’t make sense. Weren’t we on the school roof?
“Wh…?!”
My hoarse voice got lost amid everyone’s surprised shouts. Our eyes widened at the sight before us—a totally unfamiliar forest.
“Huh?” said Hakari-san. “How did we end up here?”
“Hahari didn’t abduct us or anything, did she?” said Karane-san.
“Dearie me, I wouldn’t do that without consent,” said Hahari-san.
“So you would do it if you had permission?” Kurumi-san retorted.
“GPS isn’t showing our location for some reason,” said Nano-san.
“Military satellites aren’t displaying information either,” said Mei-san.
“How do you have access to military satellites?” asked Kusuri-senpai.
We were all terribly confused. And then, all of a sudden…
“Wh-whoa! Watch your step, everyone!” said Rentaro-kun.
First there was confusion, then there were screams. A bunch of unconscious men were sprawled at our feet.
We fled in a panic. As I ran, I felt someone’s gaze on me and glanced over my shoulder. That was when I saw a trembling boy peering at us. He looked so mortified that he was unable to even stand. Wait… This was my first time laying eyes on him, but he seemed somewhat familiar…
The boy’s shout interrupted my thoughts. “How the heck did a bunch of girls fall from the sky and wipe out a group of bandits?! Sure, I came out of it okay, but who would have thought the outside world was so weird?! This is creeping me out. Forget about being a knight. I’m going back to tilling fields in the country!”
With that, the boy sprinted off like a scalded dog. Hmm, yes, there’s something strangely familiar about all of this…
“Shizuka-chan, that boy just now… Don’t you think he matches the description of Sir Kamakuru’s squire in Circlet Love Story?” asked Rentaro.
A light bulb went off in my head. I nodded frantically. Yes…this explained my déjà vu!