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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Challenger
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Thanks to magitechnology, Stella Palace was equipped with a system that could track the princess’s movements internally and sound a loud alarm if any unidentified individuals entered.
Because of this, Uni, Sophie, and Xaviet had all confirmed that the princess was safe even when she wandered alone, so they allowed Jusi to roam by herself to a certain extent.
Besides, the princess was now quite adept at using her supernatural ability freely.
Left alone, Jusi stared at the gate leading from Stella Palace to another palace and let out a deep sigh.
*Sigh, I’ll just have to be patient.*
She wouldn’t be wearing this damn access bracelet forever.
Jusi had an opportunity.
According to Ekiel, she would be sparring with him once a week.
The sparring session wasn’t just simple training.
It was also a test to evaluate her abilities, and Ekiel would surely update her access level based on the results.
*Right, it’s fine!*
Jusi steeled her resolve once more.
As her skills improved, the level of her access manastone would gradually rise, and her range of movement would expand.
Of course, she wasn’t aiming for the highest-level crimson manastone.
She had no interest in Rilberg’s sealed chambers, secret rooms, or archives.
Those were said to be granted only to the Emperor, the Regent, and the Empress.
*Hmph, I don’t need that crap!*
All she wanted was a blue manastone access pass that would allow her to come and go freely from the palace grounds.
Just then, Regent Jetar’s words came to mind.
*“Could our cute and cuddly White Tiger Princess possibly withstand His Majesty’s merciless chain attack?”*
The Regent’s words, muttered as he stroked his chin while looking at her with pity.
Regent, you were looking down on me, weren’t you?
*Ugh!*
Jusi felt a surge of anger.
Because as he said those words, the hand Regent Jetar was rubbing his chin with had a crimson manastone ring on it!
The same kind Ekiel had.
*He looks like a total bookworm! An Archmage? So weird! Maybe I should just snatch it!*
Jusi tilted her head, thinking of Regent Jetar, who had visited again that morning.
He had watched her eat for a long time, claiming he needed to check her dietary habits.
*He’s so strange… for such a handsome face. A weird old man, or maybe… a grandpa?*
In any case, Jusi was now determined to face Ekiel head-on and earn at least a blue-level pass someday.
*If only for the sake of my past life’s name, Anash!*
Jusi made a firm resolution.
She was the reincarnation of Anash, after all.
*I may be living as a confined princess now, but soon I will proudly receive a high-level access pass, go out, and have a blast exploring the Rilberg Empire!*
“Hmph-hmph!” (Hiss! Hiss!)
Actually, there was another reason Jusi was so fixated on the access manastone.
It was a matter of pride!
On the first day, Jusi, Sophie, Uni, and Xaviet had all received access manastones. Every single one of them had received a blue manastone ring.
Meanwhile, she alone received a yellow one—a low-grade pass the color of a freshly hatched chick. Her pride had been wounded.
*To think that I, the great Jusi, am the weakest of the beastmen!*
It was upsetting.
Well, to be fair, she was physically the youngest.
…It was true, but she was still angry.
Still, since she could use her supernatural ability, shouldn't she have at least gotten a green manastone pass instead of a yellow one?
Jusi felt bitter about that.
This was truly a matter of pride.
*This great Jusi is a princess! Ekiel is so mean!*
Completely oblivious to the fact that he might have given her the yellow pass specifically to keep her confined, Jusi resented Ekiel for being unfair and scratched at the ground near the entrance of Stella Palace.
Suddenly, a pitch-black shadow fell over the ground.
“There you are, wicked tiger.”
At the sound of the boy’s provocative voice, Jusi slowly turned her head.
“Grrr?” (What’s this now?)
But when Jusi saw the boy looking down at her coldly with his arms crossed, her jaw dropped.
*Did the Regent get even younger?*
Jusi quickly shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous thought.
*As if. I heard the Regent became like that due to the side effects of a potion he experimented with to amplify his magic when he was young. And I heard he threw it all away in anger. Why would he make and drink it again?*
Shaking her head, Jusi examined the silver-haired boy looking down at her.
On second glance, the boy wasn't wearing glasses like the Regent.
And he had a subtly different aura from the Regent.
Especially the way his eyes openly showed hostility toward her. The Regent, while observing her to a somewhat burdensome degree, didn't seem to dislike her.
Jusi scowled first and asked.
“Rowr?” (Hey, who are you?)
“Hmph. Your meowing sounds more like a cat than a tiger, Princess of Penterin.”
“Gr-grrr?” (D-did you just call me a c-cat?)
Stunned, Jusi’s mouth fell open wide enough for her jaw to drop.
*Is this punk crazy? What did he just say?*
Jusi pressed a paw to her forehead to hold on to her fraying sanity, then looked up at the boy.
*Seeing as this brat resembles the Regent, he’s no ordinary kid.*
Come to think of it, he was speaking to her, the great Jusi, so informally upon their first meeting, and he dared to call her, who was so obviously a tiger, a cat!
Meanwhile, the corners of Claude’s mouth lifted.
*I’ve successfully gained the upper hand.*
Claude was certain that the White Tiger Princess’s stiffly raised tail was a 100% sign of fear.
*I saw it in the animal encyclopedia, heheh. It says that’s a sign of being terrified.*
Riding this momentum, Claude shouted.
“You naughty cat, I am Claude, the youngest son of House Continell. I will not forgive you for tarnishing my uncle’s honor. I have come to punish you myself, so I challenge you to a duel!”
“Rooowwwr?!” (He called me a cat again?!)
Finally snapping back to her senses, Jusi’s eyes blazed as she growled at the silver-haired boy.
He was definitely insane.
How dare he call her, a princess and a tiger, a cat.
She wanted to immediately scratch that pretty, delicate face with her sharp claws, but she held back.
He was bigger than Ekiel, but he looked younger than Ijeten. Didn’t that make him a mere human child, not even twelve years old?
“Grrr… graah.” (A duel, kid…? You got a death wish?)
Using her supernatural ability was out of the question, and she couldn't bite him with her teeth, which had started growing more recently. That would be no different from bullying someone weaker than her.
Jusi spun around and shouted.
“Hiss!” (So get lost!)
“Are you running away because you’re scared? I am a mage and a knight! Moreover, I’ve never lost the top spot at the Verk Academy, so they call me a genius!”
“Grrr?” (Oh, is that so?)
“I will teach the naughty and arrogant Princess of Penterin a lesson!”
Oh really?
*‘Teach me a lesson?’ This little punk?*
Jusi’s eyes flew open.
Wait, the top student at Verk Academy?
Now that she thought about it, she felt like she had heard of him.
The other day, Ekiel’s aide, Urna, had come by and mentioned the Verk Academy while talking about famous buildings in the Rilberg Empire’s capital.
He had called it a cradle that nurtured knights, scholars, and mages.
He had also mentioned a genius there who hadn't lost the top spot for three years, a prodigy who was graduating early this year and was highly anticipated.
*I didn’t realize he was as young as Ekiel.*
Jusi lifted a paw and rubbed her chin.
She glanced back and forth between Claude’s face and the sword at his hip, lost in thought.
He looked a bit sloppy, but the way he wore the scabbard seemed natural.
His confident attitude, the distinct aura of a mage similar to that of the Archmages. She could tell just by looking.
*This kid… he’s strong.*
She could sense that her opponent was a mage with outstanding potential.
Jusi narrowed her eyes.
So, he wasn’t that weak.
Coincidentally, her first training session with Ekiel was tomorrow. It would be an evaluation of her abilities to see if she was worthy of a higher-grade access manastone.
Jusi had been training with Sir Xaviet every day.
But her evaluator, Ekiel, was a mage, not a beastman or a knight like Xaviet.
So she had wanted to train with a mage beforehand, but there was no one she could ask.
She needed a mage, not someone who used supernatural abilities, and had been thinking of asking Ekiel about it next time.
*Alright. A perfect opponent has just appeared.*
Jusi grinned.
She didn't want to get mercilessly crushed by a mage like Ekiel on the very first day.
Jusi decided to use this kid to formulate a strategy for fighting mages.
“Raaawr!” (Alright. Follow me!)
Jusi turned and gestured with her chin toward the training grounds, shouting to Claude.
