1. Meeting the Princess

「So you’re fine with that skill?」

「Yeah.」

I nodded.

Hundreds of spins of the lottery drum, and what came out of them.

There was no other choice.

「Understood. I’ll begin the transfer now. Um. One last thing.」

「What?」

「When you want to return to this world, focus hard and you can come back at any time. But be careful. Once you return, you can never go there again.」

「Got it.」

「Then…」

As the staff member spoke, a magic circle of light appeared at my feet.

Same sight as the man who had drawn first prize.

Light wrapped me. Everything went white.

When my vision came back, I was outside somewhere I did not know.

A forest with sunlight through the leaves.

（Um… is this another world already?）

I looked around. Being dumped outdoors was a shock. Whether it was another world, I had no idea.

It looked exactly like the picnic course at a tourist spot I had gone to on school trips.

「Right. The skill. All Abilities ×777, was it?」

I wondered what had actually gone up. It said all abilities, so everything should have.

I decided to test it.

I crouched, packed strength into my legs — gugugu — and jumped.

「Uwah!」

The sound came out on its own. I had meant a light hop. I shot up like something had launched me.

The top of my head hit a tree. The momentum sent me higher in one go.

The ground was a long way down. Twenty meters, easy.

「My strength really is— mmph.」

I noticed something far off. (Later I would realize my eyesight had gone up too.)

A carriage, outside the forest.

Men who looked like knights were around it. Another group in completely different clothes was hitting them.

Three on the defending side. Two already down.

Hard to see with them on the ground, but blood was spreading out from under the bodies.

Attackers: ten plus, even at a rough count.

「They’re getting hit. Damn.」

I landed and ran toward the carriage.

My legs were faster too. The wind was past bicycle. Motorcycle speed.

I burst out of the forest and into the fight.

「Give it up already! Place like this, nobody’s coming to save you!」

One of the attackers.

Yeah. Tone and content. Villain line, no notes.

I decided to help. No pause.

（Wait… what am I even supposed to do?）

I was about to move, and then it landed.

What, exactly, was I supposed to do?

The abilities had gone up. That was it. I had played a little baseball as a kid. No martial arts.

I barely knew how to hit a person.

（Argh. Whatever! Just hit him and see!）

I remembered a pinch runner charging home on TV and tackled the man who had just done the villain line.

「What are you even doinggg?」

His voice slid away on a Doppler.

The man went flying.

A startling way to fly. Gag-manga flying.

What kept it from being a gag manga was the rest: dozens of meters, land, bounce a few times, then not a twitch.

「Wh-what the hell are you?」

「Good sir… what on earth…」

Attackers and defenders both froze.

Well. Someone popping out of the trees like that would do it.

Still. Glad I stepped in.

The ones doing the hitting talked like thugs. Bandits, probably. The ones getting hit wore armor with a crest and talked like knights.

Yeah. Right call.

I turned toward the bandits.

「Wh-what are you…」

I sent every bandit there flying with a string of — slightly held-back — tackles.

「You have my thanks.」

The man who looked like the knights’ leader bowed and thanked me.

「My name is Fotis.」

「Ah, uh… I’m Kakeru Yuuki. Kanji is a pain, so just Kakeru is fine.」

「Kanji…?」

「A-ah. No. Nothing. Just Kakeru is fine.」

Fotis’s face told me this world did not have kanji.

We had been talking normally from the first word, so I had said it like it was nothing.

「I see. You have my gratitude for your aid, Kakeru. I wonder what would have become of us.」

Fotis said it like he meant it.

Only Fotis and I were on our feet.

Before I showed up, two of his people were already down, and more than ten enemies were still up.

The fallen knight was sitting up and getting treated. He still did not look ready to fight.

If I had not shown, it really would have been a “what would have become of us.”

「Fotis—」

A voice from inside the carriage.

Young. A woman.

「Ha!」

「The canopy.」

「Understood.」

Fotis bowed too deep, then lifted the carriage canopy.

A woman stepped out.

「Uwah…」

That came out on its own. She was that beautiful.

Pure white dress. Small tiara.

Long gold hair. Short pointed ears.

And the way she moved. Grace, the expensive kind.

Fotis handed her down. She stood in front of me.

「My name is Helene Teresia Mercouri. I am the third princess of the Mercouri Kingdom.」

「A-ah… I’m Kakeru… wait, did I already say that?」

The looks had knocked me sideways. She must have heard it from inside the carriage. I said it again anyway.

「Thank you, Kakeru-sama.」

Princess Helene bowed with a dead-straight face.

「No, well, uh, I—I didn’t really do much.」

I stammered.

Of every woman I had seen, Princess Helene was first. No contest.

I stared.

「By rights I would invite you to the palace and thank you properly. I am on my way to the front.」

…Uh. Yeah.

「But I will repay this.」

Princess Helene held out her hand, smooth.

She put what she was holding into mine.

I looked at it.

A fan, painted with a proper crest.

Warmth. A good scent. The moment it hit my hand.

「Please do stop by when you come to the palace.」

「Show that to the castle guards. They will understand.」

Fotis filled in.

「A… ah… right.」

I was still staring, so I did not get a real answer out before Princess Helene was back in the carriage. She left with Fotis and the two knights who could just about move.

I stood there after they were gone. Blank.

「She was beautiful…」

I said it, then had to take it back. Past tense was early. My head only started working again once she was completely out of sight.