Just as it was supposed to happen, the next morning, while moving from the dormitory to the main building, Rotsard spotted Demi-Leigh escorted by servants and guards while surrounded by the adoring students.
The third princess was only a year older than Rotsard and was an official fourth-year student of the Royal Academy, although various obligations of a member of the royal family were often keeping her away from attending.
This event was only supposed to be her introduction as she would be called back to the Royal Palace within the very same day, after attending only half the lectures for the day, and she wouldn't return until two years later.
Even after Demi-Leigh's visit the day before, Rotsard was still reluctant to go along with the story…
…but, since what awaited him in the future was a much more difficult and dangerous feat, there was no way that he would actually break down because of something so trivial in comparison!.
"Demi!? Big sis Demi! Hello~! It's me!"
"!?!?"
After taking a deep breath, Rotsard straightened his back and called out while raising his hand and rushing towards the third princess, pushing past the startled students with absolutely no regard to their reaction.
"~! Wh-who…?"
Demi-Leigh flinched at the call, and although initially her face lit up, she soon pulled herself together and scrunched it up in anger and annoyance for the sake of the pretense.
"Big sis Demi! It's me! Rotsard! It's Rotti!"
"The princess doesn-aufgh…!"
*WHAM*
Rotsard called out, and when one of the guards stepped up to stop him, the bleached-blond-haired youth swatted him away like a fly without batting an eye.
"What do you think you're doing!? The princess doesn't know you!"
"Of course she does! Don't bother me!"
Seeing what happened to the guard, one of the servants still tried to get in Rotsard's way, although from the side and not within the immediate range, but that only let Rotsard shrug off her remark.
"Such a bother so early in the morning…"
Demi-Leigh furrowed her brows and lightly shook her head before muttering while rubbing her forehead.
"What the…!?"
Her gesture caused the other two guards to spring into action, and as their bodies shone with a pristine white energy, they captured Rotsard, twisting his arms behind his back, forcing him to bow down while he cried out in anger mixed with surprise.
"Do you have any idea who I am!? Big sister Demi! Tell them!"
When his struggle proved to be in vain, the bleached-blond-haired youth whined, looking up to the third princess.
"Hmph! Forget about my guards, I have no idea who you are! Who gave you permission to call me your sister, you brute!? I have no relation to someone like you!"
Demi-Leigh gritted her teeth before forcing herself to speak out harsh words, although her reluctance proved to be a good thing.
In the eyes of the onlookers, she was disgusted with the familiarity that the notorious trash addressed her with.
No one had even an inkling of an idea where the truth was.
"You… you don't…?"
For a moment, it appeared that Mary-Louse stunned Rotsard into submission…
"There's no way…"
"...!?"
"Wha-agh…!?"
But the bleached-blond-haired youth scoffed through his teeth and started getting up, shocking the guards holding him down with his strength.
"You MUST remember me!"
"!!!"
*WHAM*
Suddenly, Rotsard roared as he raised both arms, flinging up the two men holding onto them, and then slammed them down onto the pavement before they knew what was even going on!
"It is a joke, right? Demi, don't be difficult now. You surely remember me!"
After freeing himself from the third princess's guards, Rotsard stood up straight and said in an eerily cold voice while his face twisted into a threatening smile very close to being maniacal.
"I…! I don't know you! The sight of you makes my skin crawl and.. And…!"
Demi-Leigh could put out an amazing act, and it was further enhanced by her own hesitation and unwillingness to badmouth her childhood friend, which was easily misunderstood as her being so shaken by disgust that she could not speak properly.
"And even if I knew you, I'm sure I HATED you as much as I do now!"
"...haaaa…?"
After gritting her teeth and bracing herself, Demi-Leigh called out the line her character was supposed to use, causing Rotsard to growl angrily while any semblance of a smile slipped off his grimacing face.
"..."
"...!"
Then he took a step forward, and the third princess flinched and took a step back too, leaving a perfect distance between the two of them for a brave hero of justice to show up.
"ROTSARD VALLHALL!"
"!!!"
And, right on cue, a furious voice called out!
Justin, the commoner student who was returning to his dormitory after his morning training have spotted the commotion and arrived at the scene.
"Have you lost your mind, threatening yet another innocent girl!?"
Shielding the third princess with his body and with his training sword pointed at Rotsard's chest, the brave youth called out.
"It's because you haven't been paying attention to me at all."
"E… eh…?"
But Rotsard's casual response, spiced up by the mocking smile, caused him to choke on his own saliva.
"Most of your seniors challenged me but failed to pose a challenge in the slightest… Do you not like them and want me to beat them all up before taking the stage yourself or something?"
The bleached-bond-haired youth snickered, focusing solely on the future hero without as much as acknowledging the wooden weapon pointed at him.
"I… Th-that's not it at all!"
Judging from Justin's embarrassingly awkward reaction, Rotsard's words might have hit closer home than he intended…
"..."
…and Rotsard's expression darkened as he watched the squirming future hero…
"Now be so kind and move, I want to have a word with my childhood friend."
"...eh…? EH!? Oh, no you don't!"
The bleached–blond-haired youth in front of Justin lightly tapped the tip of the training sword away and tried to move past him, but the future hero was confused only for a split second, and within the same heartbeat, he already stepped back, regaining the distance, and aiming the weapon back at his opponent's chest.