Being suddenly taken advantage of and kissed on the lips like that was something Priscilla had never experienced in her entire life.
And this shameless man had the nerve to apologize so calmly afterward, as if it were nothing—he clearly didn't put her in his eyes at all!
She let out a cold laugh, and a massive wave of mana rose up around her.
With a sharp motion she drew a blazing sword out of thin air and slashed down toward Hayashi Maki.
This was the fabled Yang Sword, a magic blade that automatically absorbed solar energy to replenish its power.
Whenever its wielder wished, it could be drawn from anywhere and cut whatever she wanted to cut.
Priscilla's sudden strike gave Aqua a fright.
Beatrice frowned and stared at the woman, but her expression was oddly relaxed.
Naturally so.
With her around, Hayashi Maki was effectively under an "invincible" effect.
Setting aside his own unfathomable mana reserves—those flames wouldn't be scratching him anyway—with Beatrice's passive, there was no need to fear any attack at all.
Clang!
The flaming blade struck Hayashi Maki's neck with a heavy metallic sound, and failed to break through at all.
Priscilla's face changed; she stared at him in shock.
Impossible.
This was the Yang Sword—an edge that sliced anything she wished to cut and burned everything to ash.
How had it failed to even leave a mark?
Hayashi Maki casually tapped the flat of the sword away from his neck with one finger.
"My lady, suddenly chopping at people like that is a bit much, don't you think? Good thing I'm a magnanimous man and won't hold it against you, or the consequences could've been serious."
Priscilla's heart was shaken by how useless her trump card had been, but outwardly she stayed composed.
She let out a sniff, dismissed the sword, and showed a faintly delighted smile.
"This lady had taken you for some brainless thug who doesn't know when he's courting death. It seems you do have some ability after all."
"You flatter me," Hayashi Maki replied with a grin. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have dared kiss you. So then, fiery beauty in red—may I know your name?"
He dropped to one knee, took her small hand, and placed a proper kiss on the back of it.
This time, it really was a textbook hand-kiss.
Priscilla instantly understood he'd done it on purpose before.
"This lady does not dislike a man with strength. Though you are crude and ignorant of proper manners, this lady will—for the sake of that adorable spirit by your side—reluctantly forgive you and declare your capital crime pardoned."
"But though death may be spared, punishment cannot be avoided. You dared reach for this lady's most precious treasure without paying any proper price; you will have to make up for that lack with your deeds from now on."
With that, the stunning girl in the red dress pulled her hand back and proudly announced her name:
"This lady is called Priscilla Barielle, the woman who shall soon inherit the throne. Engrave that name in your memory—forgetting it is absolutely not permitted."
At those words, Aqua stared at her in astonishment.
"So you're one of the five royal candidates!"
Priscilla raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Oh? Five? To this lady's knowledge, there are but four candidates at present. I see… so that's why those stubborn old fossils sent word. How unnecessary."
She instantly realized that must be the real reason she'd been called to the capital: the royal selection was officially beginning.
Realizing she'd let something slip, Aqua hurriedly clapped her hands over her mouth.
But seeing that Hayashi Maki didn't seem bothered, she relaxed.
This guy was already Emilia's knight, and here he was kissing one of Emilia's future rivals behind her back. She really didn't know what to say anymore.
Then again, he'd climbed into a goddess's bed without blinking; what was one more princess candidate to him?
"Very well," Priscilla continued. "As punishment for your rudeness, Hayashi Maki, you will escort this lady on a tour of this place."
She clearly considered the royal capital to already be her personal property.
With the blessing of the Sun, her luck during the day was absurdly good.
That was exactly why she could wander around alone like this—no matter what, things would turn out in her favor.
"Alright then," Hayashi Maki said. "To prevent you from getting lost, please take my hand, Priscilla-sama."
He never passed up a chance to get closer to a pretty girl, and he immediately tried to capitalize on the opening.
That kiss just now had completed a preliminary contract, after all.
That meant from now on he could watch over Priscilla via his "god's-eye view."
And if he wanted intel on the other candidates, the simplest method was to go around and "stamp" each one with a kiss.
He didn't intend to explain that little trick to anyone.
At his greedy request to hold hands, Priscilla snorted and instead reached for Beatrice's small hand.
"This lady finds it far more pleasing to hold on to this adorable spirit. Enough nonsense—let us depart. You will give this lady a proper tour of this city."
Failing to claim the princess's hand didn't dampen Hayashi Maki's mood. He met Beatrice's reluctant gaze and calmed her with his eyes, then hefted the bag of apples and started walking.
Aqua had no objections at all. In her mind, Priscilla Barielle was just another future member of the Axis Church, destined to be charmed by Hayashi Maki.
Heh. Her flock would only grow larger from here.
Beatrice pouted and shot her master a glare for using her as bait, but she didn't pull away from Priscilla's grasp.
She didn't actually dislike Priscilla; the woman was undeniably cute. A little arrogant, sure—but spirits could see a person's true nature.
And Priscilla Barielle, at her core, was also a kind woman. There was nothing for Beatrice to truly reject.
She was just… a little jealous, frankly, of that overwhelming figure and those unfairly perfect curves.
"Hmph. From the start this lady has been curious," Priscilla said, happily swinging Beatrice's hand in hers. "You, shallow man with wandering eyes—what is that thing you're carrying?"
Hayashi Maki held up one of the apples and offered it to her, his tone edged with mischief.
"It's a ringo, of course. Don't tell me you've never seen one, Priscilla-sama?"
Priscilla's elegant brow twitched, and she glared at him.
"Commoner, are you questioning this lady's intelligence? Even if this lady dwells above the masses, this lady knows full well that a rin-go's flesh is white. How could it possibly be red?"
"If you're attempting to tease this lady, know that this lady will not forgive you."
With how the color was rising in her cheeks and her chest was heaving—threatening to burst out of her dress at any moment—Hayashi Maki could only sigh and lift his hands again.
"How could I ever play tricks on someone as beautiful as you? This is simply how a rin-go looks before it's peeled. And there aren't only red ones; there are green-skinned rin-go as well."
As he spoke, he sliced one of the red apples open and handed the white flesh to her.
Then he reached into his inventory and pulled out a shiny green apple for comparison.
Priscilla stared down at the cut fruit in her hand, her face turning slightly pink and gradually heating up.
So he hadn't been mocking her.
Damn it… so this is what a rin-go looks like before you peel it…
This lady just made such a shallow, ignorant remark in front of him. He won't… laugh at this lady for that, will he?
With that thought, she instinctively fixed her crimson eyes on his face, watching closely.