chapter 189
188 – Why Me, Again?
Her wrist throbbed, a persistent, dull ache.
The joints, battered by the wooden sword,
began to creak and protest in every direction.
And her legs, they trembled uncontrollably, a furious, involuntary dance.
It was then, at that precise moment,
that the sensation of defeat took root within her mind for the first time.
She, who had never once yielded
in the succession battles against more than ten others,
a woman who possessed a formidable strength.
‘…Me, defeated? Right here? Just like this?’
Of course, she had never harbored any intention of
assuming the mantle of successor,
and so she’d never dedicated herself to honing her martial prowess.
But if pressed to name
something in which she truly excelled,
she would undoubtedly, and confidently, choose swordsmanship.
Whether it was a curse or a blessing to be
born into the Valentine family, she couldn’t say.
But her father was among the most remarkably strong individuals in the Empire,
and she, inheriting his blood,
had always displayed a skill that far surpassed
that of her peers.
When was it that she’d overwhelmed one of the family knights with a wooden sword?
The knight had faced her in the spar without
bearing any handicaps,
and he hadn’t shown any mercy
simply because she was a member of the family.
‘Haa… haa…’
‘…Haha, I yield. Milady.’
‘It’s just a spar, Uncle?
Why are you so serious?!’
‘…I was worried about you, Milady.’
‘Me?’
‘Milady, you may not
have any interest in the position of heir, but…’
‘…’
‘Your siblings
are not all of the same mind.’
‘…And?’
‘Especially the eldest lady and…’
“The young master, he is overflowing with ambition.”
“…”
“To the point that he eliminates all those
who might become obstacles to him, in advance.”
“…”
“I thought that if you couldn’t even overcome the likes of me,
it would be better for the young lady’s safety to just live quietly…”
“…Heh, but I won?”
“Yes, you’ve completely won… hahaha!!”
At that time, she was
merely thirteen years of age,
so whether she liked it or not, her position within the clan could only grow stronger, and
despite the fact that her own will
was not reflected in the least,
before she knew it, she had been
chosen as one of the leading candidates for successor.
“…If I become the head, then
maybe I can change their perceptions…”
Of course, there was a time when she
lived with that thought in her heart,
but now, not even a single grain
of desire to become the head remained within her.
Even if she were to become the head,
it would only further restrict her freedom.
She had realized that it wasn’t a
fundamental solution.
“That’s why… I’ve come this far…!!”
Forcing herself to grip her trembling wrist,
she raised her sword, and
she stared directly into the eyes
of the man who had made her this way.
A gaze in which not a single ray of light could be found.
A chillingly dark and
deep pupil sent a shiver down her spine for a moment, but
that space was soon filled with frigid
rage and irritation.
No one had ever
treated her like this before.
No, they couldn’t even dare to!!
A monumental humiliation, the first she’d ever truly known, bloomed across her entire being.
Inwardly, she embraced it – the indignity, the sense of defeat, the gnawing inferiority.
It stung, the realization that, as things stood,
victory over him was beyond her grasp.
And so, for the first time in her life,
she poured everything into the sword.
Soon, even that very inferiority
became a force she could wield.
Wuuung –
The sword’s cry, dyed a vibrant blue, rang out beautifully.
When a blindingly radiant
beam of light erupted from its blade,
she felt a sense of accomplishment
that defied description.
It was a precious fruit, harvested from her first real exertion.
Of course, considering it was her maiden effort, the outcome was considerable,
but that wasn’t what mattered
most to her at that precise moment.
What she craved was the certainty that this would suffice to conquer the man before her.
Still, in a way, she owed this newfound strength to him;
thus, she decided to grant him one last chance.
Out of respect for her senior’s pride,
an opportunity to walk out of the training grounds intact.
Gratitude, surely, was stirring within her,
but still, deep down,
a certain arrogance lingered.
Unseen, even by herself.
‘…I was trying to be considerate… Forget it!’
And with that, he rejected her offer.
Perhaps a touch of bitterness was in order,
she thought, and swung her sword without further ado.
She had no desire to prolong this any further.
This attack,
would decide everything.
Moonlit Ninth Sword, the Third Form.
Eyebrow Moon Slash
“..Huh?”
And not long after,
her world was turned upside down in an instant.
*
Clang─!!
The sparring ended with the sound of metal meeting metal and breaking,
and I noticed the professor
rushing over from the distance, panting.
Most likely because she had suddenly
fainted.
“Hmm, fortunately, she seems
fine on the surface…”
“….”
“Just in case, let’s
send her with the infirmary once they arrive.”
For some reason, I felt the professor’s
gaze flicker across me,
but since I was the one who
actually knocked her out, I couldn’t say anything.
And frankly, including Sylvia and
Isabella, I was the first person to
knock an opponent unconscious.
‘..Sylvia might have been
better off knocking her opponent out, come to think of it.’
I stare at her face, which seems
as though she’s just sleeping soundly,
with no apparent problems.
Her whole body was soaked in sweat,
and strands of hair were
stuck thickly to her face,
completely drenched in sweat.
Her wrist was swollen red,
as if she needed emergency treatment
right away,
and besides that, her torn clothes
seemed to show how grueling
the sparring had been for her,
and so I gently brushed the hair away
that threatened to poke her eye.
This was an action I would never have taken under normal circumstances.
Nay, it was an action I wouldn’t have done
even for fear of embarrassment,
but it was my own way
of offering her an apology.
Judging by her temperament, even if she awoke she likely wouldn’t outwardly show it,
but even I had to admit, the attack from earlier
seemed a bit too much for her to handle.
Well, of course, I had
held back a degree,
and in the first place, it wasn’t even an attack directly aimed at her,
but the problem was not with my attack,
but with hers.
No matter how much the
sword-threads neared a kind of mastery,
the base was ultimately nothing more than mana.
That is, an attack imbued with mana,
and what’s more, an attack condensed
with pure, high-concentration mana;
I had forcibly twisted
and deflected that flow,
so the rebound of the attack would have returned completely
to her,
and that shock would not be insignificant.
It was only for a moment, but judging by the amount of mana
contained within her blade,
it would have been enough
to break at least a grown man’s arm.
Even as our swords clashed,
her wrist had felt unsteady,
so I could only inwardly hope that
nothing had gone wrong with her arm.
‘Even so, I have no intention
of rendering her unable to wield a sword.’
“For now, all sparring will
end here. No complaints, I trust?”
“””No.”””
Though it ended on a sour note,
I thought it was enough to
knock the puffed-up noses off those wild juniors,
Professor Olliver declared he would
hold no further lessons today, and
everyone present agreed.
Truth be told, I hadn’t wanted
to come here in the first place.
Sylvia, on the other hand, had tagged
along simply to see the juniors’
abilities with her own eyes.
Isabella… I wasn’t quite sure about her,
but at the very least, no one here in
this training ground wished to
continue this lesson any longer.
Well, that’s only if we’re talking about
“those who still retain their consciousness,” anyway.
“Then everyone, let’s call it a day
and return.
I’ll guide the medics when they arrive.”
“He’s being so direct, shall we just go back?”
Sylvia was hurrying me along as if there
was nothing else to see here.
If she wanted to leave so badly,
she could’ve gone alone.
Why she had to bring me along.. truly.
Well, it was true that I had
no reason to linger either, so even if I
was led out by her hand
without a word,
I wouldn’t have much to regret…
However, something felt unsettling about leaving like this.
‘…I’ve gone soft, haven’t I.’
Even if I didn’t beat her up as badly
as I used to, the fact remained I’d left a
girl my own age in that state, and I was
about to just turn around and leave.
‘Is that…right?’
“Wheeze… Wheeze…”
“…..”
…Yeah, it definitely felt a bit off
to just leave like this.
“Hm? What’s that paper?”
“…No, I’m finished. Let’s go.”
*Scritch-scratch*, the pen tip
A rolling sound echoed, lingering for a moment.
*
And so, she and I strolled
out of the training grounds,
greeted by the still-bright, warm embrace of the sun.
The dazzling rays instinctively
made me squint,
and oblivious to my discomfort,
Sylvia, from just moments ago,
kept tugging at my arm.
How bothersome…
I wished she would just tell me plainly
if she had something to say.
Perhaps she harbored some grievance
against me, but
try as I might to recall,
I couldn’t think of a single thing
I’d done wrong today to her…
Unless she was deliberately trying to find fault,
searching for a reason to
needle me,
it could only mean she had
some other business with me.
“Might you have some business with me, perchance?”
“…Huh?”
Perhaps she hadn’t expected
me to ask so directly,
for a rare flash of
discomposure flickered across her face,
but I have no penchant
for taking detours when the solution is right before me.
Besides, I’ve never been one for complications.
“Hmm… you do have some sense, it seems?”
“…So, you’re not even using
formal speech anymore?”
“Even if it’s only for a little while,
there’s no one around right now.”
For a moment, her words reminded me of
Isabella, who had been trailing closely behind us until recently, but
she was still back there,
Engaged in conversation with the professor,
it truly felt as though
no other souls existed in our vicinity.
Frankly, by this point, I’d expected at least one nosy paparazzo lurking about.
After all, a scion of the Empire’s Four Great Houses
and an Elven Princess sharing space –
one might think that was
downplaying the situation considerably.
But seeing her remain silent,
it seemed in truth that
no surveillance, of any kind, was present.
Others might be fooled, but never *her*;
so acutely attuned to the presence of
other races, it was impossible she wouldn’t notice a few lurking humans.
“And in the first place,
there’s no particular reason
for me to speak formally to you, is there?”
“..No, I suppose not.”
“Of course, you are perfectly
deserving of such respect…
If you desire it, I could certainly─”
“No, thank you.”
“..Honestly, you certainly
know how to decline things with speed.”
Was it not obvious?
Even if I were acquainted with her,
a mere count – barely that –
fraternizing with an Elven Princess,
engaged in amiable conversation.
If the powers-that-be knew,
they’d be beside themselves with rage;
and naturally, the reverberations would strike me as well. What a mess.
“Well, the truth is, I do
have a matter to discuss with you.”
“….”
“Actually…”
“Zenisss!”
Just as those words hovered on her lips,
From behind me, a voice
echoed, and it took
a moment for me to realize
just how familiar that voice was to my ears.
“Pardon, borrowing this, yes?”
“Lady Sino? What in the─”
“W-wait, just a moment?!”
“Papa wants you, says come quick!”
Out of nowhere? Again, why?!