Start in DxD as Motohama: Leveling Up in Another World-Chapter 32: Feelings? A Foolish Princess.

After the physical education class, Kaede and the other girls went to the locker room to change clothes. Additionally, the girls from the next class had already begun changing there. Among them was Kaori, whom Kaede knew, so she called out to her while changing.

"Ah, Kaori-san! Could it be that your next class is physical education?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Kaede's eyes sparkled at her words.

"Listen, listen! The transfer student, Shinji-kun, is amazing, you know!"

"Eh? Shinji-san?"

"Yes, yes! The boys' class had soccer today, but the ball that Akira kicked flew towards us while we were watching. More precisely, the ball was coming straight at me! I thought, 'Ah, it's going to hit me!' But Shinji-kun kicked the ball with an incredible move! And the ball went straight into the goal! Isn't that amazing?!"

"An incredible move, you say?"

A confused Kaori asked Kaede, who was speaking enthusiastically. Then, Tobiichi, who was changing next to Kaede, spoke while taking off her gym uniform.

"...Hmm. Just as Kaede said. It was like something out of a manga or an anime... like a move from that kind of world."

"Right!? It was really amazing!"

"Is that so...?"

"He was so cool, you know!"

"Yes, yes. I mean... don't you think he's like a 'Prince'?"

"Oh, I get it. I feel that kind of atmosphere from Shinji-kun too."

Following Kaede and Tobiichi, the other girls also started talking about Shinji. Watching the situation unfold, Kaori realized that Shinji had already blended into the class, which made her feel relieved. Then, Kaede suddenly blurted out something unexpected.

"I wonder if Shinji-kun has a girlfriend."

"Eh?! Shi-Shinji-san has a girlfriend...?"

"Ah, no! I don't actually know, you know? It's just that he's so cool."

"Ah... y-you're right."

Kaori, who was startled by Kaede's words, felt relieved when she heard the follow-up. But then, she tilted her head in confusion—why did she feel relieved upon hearing that?

"Ah, if I don't hurry, class will start!"

"Really?! Sorry for holding you up."

"No, don't worry about it."

"Do your best in PE!"

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After checking the clock, Kaede and the others realized that more time had passed than expected. They quickly finished changing and rushed out of the locker room.

"...What is this feeling...?"

Kaori murmured after Kaede and the others had left the room. She was confused by the emotions she had never experienced before.

(Sigh Ah, love.jpeg.)

...

"...Lexia-sama has returned safely."

"...What?"

This was in the royal capital, "Montres," located at the center of the Kingdom of Alceria. A man had just received a report in a room within the royal castle of that capital.

"In other words, you failed?"

"...That's all there is to it."

"...Tell me more about what happened."

"Yes... Everything was going well until we separated Lexia-sama from the knights escorting her. But the place she ran into was... the 'Great Devil's Nest.'"

"What?"

The man frowned at the words of the hooded figure.

"The Great Devil's Nest... Why would she go into such a place?"

"It seems Lexia-sama herself didn't realize she was heading there, and the people assigned to the task pursued her too aggressively. As a result... they're all dead."

"Fools... The monsters in that land are unusually strong. That... wait, are you saying Lexia survived?"

"Yes... It seems the escort knights who survived my comrades' attacks protected Lexia-sama."

"...I don't understand. Everyone set foot in the 'Great Devil's Nest,' yet only Lexia survived while my assassins were killed? Did a monster attack them? Or did the knights get to them in time and kill them?"

"My apologies. This is as much information as I was able to obtain..."

"Sigh... Useless."

The hooded figure spoke with an apologetic tone. The man looked at him, closed his eyes, then immediately opened them and shot a sharp gaze at the hooded figure bowing before him.

"Could it be... that they learned about my identity?"

"...I can't say for sure, but I don't believe that's a concern."

The man then sat down on a luxurious chair and took a sip from the glass of liquor in his hand. Then, without warning, he threw the glass at the hooded figure standing before him.

"You can't say for sure? Don't spout nonsense. Who do you think picked you up and raised you filthy orphans?"

"...It was Your Highness."

"Then never utter a word about me, even if it means your death... Sigh. Considering no soldiers have come here, it seems they still don't know."

Just as the man said, the identities of those who had attacked Lexia remained unknown. This was partly because the Goblin General had disfigured them beyond recognition, but more importantly, not a single word had been leaked about the man who was their master.

"But there's no doubt this will put them on high alert. Lexia's own strength is well-known, but the knights protecting her are also troublesome. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

"This failure is bigger than you think. If my mistake becomes known, it will shake my position..."

The hooded figure could only remain silent, listening to the man's words.

"...Next time. If you fail your next mission... you will no longer be of any use to me."

"I understand..."

"Good. Now, leave."

"Ha!"

With that, the hooded figure vanished into the darkness. The man leaned back in his chair, murmuring something to himself as his thoughts swirled.

"Filthy blood... Your presence in the royal family... is an obstacle to me... I will definitely kill you next time."

His words were swallowed by the darkness.

...

The scene changed to Lexia resting in her own bed within the royal castle of the Kingdom of Alceria. A middle-aged knight, Owen, stood by her side, asking with a concerned expression,

"Excuse me, Lexia-sama. How is your condition?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

After a mysterious group attacked Lexia, she returned safely to the royal capital and reported the incident. However, the King couldn't take any major action due to the lack of information about the mysterious group.

"...Are you really okay?"

"...Yes. I don't want my father to worry about it any more than he already does. I'm safe, and that's enough."

Realizing that asking further about her condition would be pointless, Owen decided to question Lexia about another matter.

"Lexia-sama, could you tell me what happened in the Great Devil's Nest?"

"I already explained it when I woke up, didn't I? I have no idea who that group was or who sent them. And it was the Goblin General who killed them all..."

"That's what's strange. When we arrived there, we didn't see the Goblin General anywhere. Given the situation, it's hard to believe he would simply overlook you, Lexia-sama..."

"Even if you say that..."

As she spoke, Lexia suddenly remembered something—a certain young man's image flashed through her mind, though it was somewhat vague due to the shock and exhaustion she had experienced after being attacked by the Goblin General.

"Now that I think about it...! I was saved by a man!"

"A man?"

Owen's face showed a look of astonishment.

"Yes, he was about the same age as me."

"Someone the same age as Lexia-sama!? Defeating a Goblin General at an age where he's barely considered an adult..."

Owen was deeply shocked by Lexia's words. Even for him, subduing an Elite Goblin alone was a difficult feat, and the idea of defeating a Goblin General—who ranked even higher in strength—was simply unthinkable. Moreover, Owen was a highly skilled knight, renowned not only in the Kingdom of Alceria but in other countries as well.

Unlike in Japan, in this kingdom, one is recognized as an adult at the age of fifteen. It was hard to believe that a young man of that age possessed abilities far surpassing Owen's. However, Lexia herself was aware of how absurd her words sounded, so she immediately tried to dismiss them.

"B-but maybe I just saw it wrong! Or maybe it was just an illusion from my desperation, yes, that must be it."

"No, that's not the case."

"Huh?"

Lexia, who had never expected to be contradicted so firmly, let out a surprised sound.

"In fact, when we detected your presence, there was another presence near you. However, for some reason, it disappeared completely, so I assumed I had imagined it."

"S-so that means that man was real..."

"Yes, I don't know who he is, but he certainly existed. So, what did he look like?"

"Well, let me think... he had beautiful dark brown hair and eyes. He gave off the impression of being a foreign noble."

"Brown hair and eyes, huh? That's certainly rare in the Kingdom of Alceria... And if he really is a foreign noble, that could be a bit troublesome."

"Troublesome?"

"...No, there's nothing we can do for now, so let's not speculate. It's unclear why that young man erased his presence, but I don't sense any hostility or ill intent from him. For now, I don't think we need to be overly cautious."

Owen didn't want any more people targeting Lexia. However, given the circumstances, the fact that this young man hadn't harmed Lexia made it too soon to conclude he was an enemy. Internally, Owen decided to observe him the same way he did other nobles.

Unaware of Owen's decision, Lexia gazed out the window and sighed.

"I wonder who he was... If only I could see him again..."

She let out a small sigh once more.

"He saved me—I must thank him immediately!"

"What—?"

Owen's voice rose in alarm at Lexia's words, and he had a bad feeling about what was coming.

And yes, that feeling was right.

"I've decided! Let's go to the 'Great Devil's Nest' once more! There's a chance we might run into him again!"

"L-Lexia-sama!? That's too dangerous! You were just attacked by assassins—"

"It's fine. We're going to the 'Great Devil's Nest,' right? That means no one will come after me."

"The problem is that place itself. You just experienced it firsthand, didn't you? It's incredibly dangerous!"

"Yes. But if you come with me, I'll be fine, right?"

"Even if I'm with you, the 'Great Devil's Nest' is still an extremely dangerous place. More importantly, what are you planning to tell His Majesty!?"

Owen was undeniably strong, but when it came to whether his strength was enough to handle the 'Great Devil's Nest,' that was a different matter entirely. He might be able to manage if an Elite Goblin attacked them, but if it were a Goblin General, that would be impossible. More than that, he couldn't imagine the King allowing his beloved daughter—who had just been attacked—to go back there.

"It's fine. I'll convince Father. Besides, it wouldn't be right for the royal family to ignore showing gratitude after being saved... I want to meet him in person and thank him properly!"

"B-but...!"

"I've already made up my mind. I've decided, and I'm going to see my father right now!"

"P-please wait, Lexia-sama...!"

In the end, Owen couldn't stop Lexia, and she went straight to speak with her father, the King.

******

NT: ...Isn't this girl a bit of an idiot?