In a tense atmosphere permeated with silence, I clenched my hands tightly and shouted,
“Fight on, miss!”
The miss glanced back at me for a moment.
Her eyes were still filled with an inexplicable longing.
Soon, she averted her gaze from me and focused on the opponents before her: two knights clad in silver armor, wielding swords in their experienced hands. And just like them, she too held a sword.
It was the day when she sparred with knights once a week, but it was the first time she faced two knights simultaneously.
“Will she be okay?” I wondered.
Even if she easily defeated one, facing two wouldn’t put her at a significant disadvantage.
However, I worried about her getting injured. Despite being a spar, they would still strike at each other. A sharp silence hung between the three.
The knight with brown hair was the first to speak.
“I’ll go first, Your Grace.”
With a brief and concise statement, he rushed towards the miss, swinging his sword. Thud! The miss didn’t evade but parried his sword. The cheerful sound of swords clashing echoed. Stepping one foot back, the miss swiftly lifted her sword along with her sparkling eyes.
The knight was pushed back by her strength. It was astonishing that such power could come from a mere 9-year-old, but then again, she was no ordinary person.
A fierce exchange of blows ensued between the knight and the miss.
As the battle intensified, the knight’s stance became increasingly disheveled.
Another knight, who had been observing the situation, raised his sword and joined the fray, saying,
“Although it goes against the knight’s code, I’ll follow the commander’s orders.”
With the addition of the second knight, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The overwhelming momentum of the miss diminished, while the disoriented knight regained his composure.
Thus, the miss continued to wield her sword against the two knights.
Although the knights weren’t pleased with facing such a young opponent, they reminded themselves it was just training. However, I couldn’t help but wonder,
“Why…?”
As I observed the exchange of blows between the knights and the miss, it seemed intense at first glance. But when I focused on the miss, I felt puzzled. Why wasn’t she dodging the attacks? Not once did she evade amidst countless exchanges.
Of course, avoiding everything is not always the best solution.
Still, it would be more efficient to let go of what can be let go and accept what comes.
However, the young lady did not do so.
She somehow managed to block the attacks of the two knights with her sword, and kicked away the attacks that couldn’t be blocked with the sword.
Unconsciously, I bit my lip at the precarious sight of the young lady.
If it had been a real sword, it would have been a truly dangerous situation.
If by any chance the young lady’s body were to be hit by the sword.
So, if a deep bruise were to appear there, it would be painful.
How could a body that had regained its health!
If a small, white body like that of a young child were to have bruises, who would take responsibility.
But the knights mercilessly swung their swords.
As if it didn’t matter what happened to the young lady.
Thus, the dangerous battle continued back and forth.
In the end, unable to just watch, I suddenly stood up from my seat and shouted.
“Wait a moment!”
The three of them stopped moving in unison.
The knights looked at me with bewildered eyes.
With a nervous smile, I took out a drink from the cart I had prepared and walked towards them.
In my hand was a silver pitcher filled with cool drinks.
It was a fruit juice made with lemon and plums.
I had a lot of doubts about whether to give it to the knights or not…
I didn’t expect to give it to them like this.
“You all look very hot.. Have a drink each!”
With a bright smile, I poured the juice into glass cups.
Although it didn’t sit well with me..
I first handed a glass to each of the knights.
“Ah.. Thank you.”
The knights received the glasses with surprised faces.
For some reason, the young lady looked at them with cold eyes.
“Miss.. Wait a moment..”
I briefly held the young lady’s hand and stepped back.
The young lady was surprised by my sudden action, but eventually followed me silently.
Now that we were at a distance from the knights.
I whispered to the young lady.
“Miss..! Why don’t you dodge the attacks!”
“Huh?”
“You shouldn’t just block like that! You should avoid what you can avoid!”
With a burning heart, I spoke to the young lady.
The young lady just tilted her head in confusion.
“I haven’t learned to dodge… I was taught not to dodge Velaxar’s attacks.”
“Who told you that?”
“..The knight commander.”
At the absurd answer, I bit my lip hard.
That damn knight commander.
Does he even know that the young lady has a body like a bear.
I don’t care if that bastard takes or avoids the attacks.
But it was so absurd to instill that method in the young lady.
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.
I held the lady’s hand and earnestly pleaded,
“If you get hurt, it will really hurt my heart.”
“….Really?”
The corners of the lady’s mouth twitched slightly.
As if holding back a smile.
“Of course. So please, fight safely.. What are you going to do if it was a real sword?. If it’s a real sword, just imbue your body with mana.”
…Is that so?
I fell silent for a moment at the sharp words of the lady.
Indeed, if I envelop my body with high-intensity mana, most attacks would not leave a scratch.
“But still. Would you like it if I fought while taking all the hits?”
“No.”
An immediate response without a second of hesitation.
The lady looked at me with a rather displeased face.
“I feel the same way. I don’t want to see you getting hit for no reason.”
“….Got it.”
The lady muttered softly.
I smiled lightly and stroked her head.
After pouring a drink into a cup, I took a sip and handed it to the lady.
“Drink this and come back victorious, lady. If you lose the bet, you have to eat only vegetables for a week, okay?”
“….I will definitely not lose.”
The lady said with a confident voice.
Is she really that averse to eating vegetables.
While inwardly thinking she’s quite childish.
A strange presence approached me.
“Do you happen to have another drink?”
In front of me was a knight clad in silver armor.
He scratched his head with a cool expression.
In his hand was an empty glass.
“Yes?”
“Ah.. I’ve never tasted such a delicious drink before. If possible, I’d like another glass, please.”
“Uh…”
It was an unexpected request.
But the compliment that my drink was the best.
It brought a smile to my lips.
“Well.. if you say so, one more glass..”
“Alice.”
A cold voice interrupted me.
The lady looked at me with a smile devoid of laughter.
For some reason, it was difficult to meet her eyes directly.
“You’ve had enough. You can step back now.”
“Yes..? Yes..”
I felt flustered.
But in the end, I had no choice but to obey the lady’s command.
I stepped back without saying a word.
The lady looked at me with an expressionless face.
Then she turned her head to the knight and exchanged a few words shortly.
“Follow me.”
“…..Yes.”
The Knight, sighing, he stepped back with a regretful expression. I should get a drink for him later.
While pondering about that, before he knew it, the lady and the knights were back in position.
This time, the lady dashed forward first.
And it was a very rough movement.
The knight with brown hair who approached me.
The lady aimed her sword at his throat.
“Ugh..!”
The knight with brown hair quickly parried the sword.
Then another knight swung his sword towards the lady’s side.
The lady glanced at the sword coming towards her.
She then jumped up from the ground.
It was a surprising acrobatics for a 9-year-old.
The two knights stared blankly at the lady floating in the sky.
The lady grabbed her sword with both hands.
With eyes that seemed to pierce even the soul, she brought down her sword towards the brow-haired knight’s forehead.
“Wow..!”
The knight urgently raised his sword.
But his stance was unstable and unbalanced.
Crack!
The knight’s sword shattered into pieces.
The lady’s strike hit the knight’s forehead, and the brown-haired knight helplessly fainted.
“Oh no..!”
The remaining knight immediately swung his sword.
The lady slightly raised her head and avoided the sword.
I blinked in confusion for a moment at the lady’s actions.
“….Huh?”
For some reason, it felt familiar.
I mainly remember dodging the lady’s attacks like that.
The lady took a step back and then rotated her body, kicking the knight’s side.
Thud!
It hit perfectly with a loud sound.
The knight grimaced in pain, took a few steps back, and then collapsed on the ground.
“…Huh?”
The posture of the lady kicking just now was not unfamiliar.
If my memory serves me right..
It was exactly the same posture as when I kicked that damn instructor.
Although due to the height difference, the lady’s foot only reached the knight’s side, not his chest.
The posture, speed, and rotation were all identical.
Is it following me by any chance?
No, never mind following.
Is it possible to perfectly reproduce a posture seen once like that?
If that’s true, our lady…Seemed to have a much more terrifying talent than I expected.
It wasn’t mentioned as the final boss in the novel for no reason…
“Alice.”
“Eek?!”
I was startled by the sudden voice.
The lady had approached me without me noticing.
Lately, it seems like the lady’s demeanor is getting lighter…
Maybe it’s because of the mood.
“Compliment Alice.”
“..Huh?”
I blinked blankly.
Slowly looked around.
The figure of the unharmed lady.On the other hand, one knight fainted.
The other one lying on the ground.
It was clearly the lady’s victory.
“Well done, our lady.” I gently stroked the lady’s head with a bewildered heart.
The lady softly closed her eyes and leaned her head on my hand.
I recalled the condition offered to me by the grand duke.
Within two months, the lady will win against three knights simultaneously.
But looking at the current situation….
…It won’t even take two months, will it?
It seemed like the lady’s talent was beyond imagination.
In a tense atmosphere permeated with silence, I clenched my hands tightly and shouted,
“Fight on, miss!”
The miss glanced back at me for a moment.
Her eyes were still filled with an inexplicable longing.
Soon, she averted her gaze from me and focused on the opponents before her: two knights clad in silver armor, wielding swords in their experienced hands. And just like them, she too held a sword.
It was the day when she sparred with knights once a week, but it was the first time she faced two knights simultaneously.
“Will she be okay?” I wondered.
Even if she easily defeated one, facing two wouldn’t put her at a significant disadvantage.
However, I worried about her getting injured. Despite being a spar, they would still strike at each other. A sharp silence hung between the three.
The knight with brown hair was the first to speak.
“I’ll go first, Your Grace.”
With a brief and concise statement, he rushed towards the miss, swinging his sword. Thud! The miss didn’t evade but parried his sword. The cheerful sound of swords clashing echoed. Stepping one foot back, the miss swiftly lifted her sword along with her sparkling eyes.
The knight was pushed back by her strength. It was astonishing that such power could come from a mere 9-year-old, but then again, she was no ordinary person.
A fierce exchange of blows ensued between the knight and the miss.
As the battle intensified, the knight’s stance became increasingly disheveled.
Another knight, who had been observing the situation, raised his sword and joined the fray, saying,
“Although it goes against the knight’s code, I’ll follow the commander’s orders.”
With the addition of the second knight, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The overwhelming momentum of the miss diminished, while the disoriented knight regained his composure.
Thus, the miss continued to wield her sword against the two knights.
Although the knights weren’t pleased with facing such a young opponent, they reminded themselves it was just training. However, I couldn’t help but wonder,
“Why…?”
As I observed the exchange of blows between the knights and the miss, it seemed intense at first glance. But when I focused on the miss, I felt puzzled. Why wasn’t she dodging the attacks? Not once did she evade amidst countless exchanges.
Of course, avoiding everything is not always the best solution.
Still, it would be more efficient to let go of what can be let go and accept what comes.
However, the young lady did not do so.
She somehow managed to block the attacks of the two knights with her sword, and kicked away the attacks that couldn’t be blocked with the sword.
Unconsciously, I bit my lip at the precarious sight of the young lady.
If it had been a real sword, it would have been a truly dangerous situation.
If by any chance the young lady’s body were to be hit by the sword.
So, if a deep bruise were to appear there, it would be painful.
How could a body that had regained its health!
If a small, white body like that of a young child were to have bruises, who would take responsibility.
But the knights mercilessly swung their swords.
As if it didn’t matter what happened to the young lady.
Thus, the dangerous battle continued back and forth.
In the end, unable to just watch, I suddenly stood up from my seat and shouted.
“Wait a moment!”
The three of them stopped moving in unison.
The knights looked at me with bewildered eyes.
With a nervous smile, I took out a drink from the cart I had prepared and walked towards them.
In my hand was a silver pitcher filled with cool drinks.
It was a fruit juice made with lemon and plums.
I had a lot of doubts about whether to give it to the knights or not…
I didn’t expect to give it to them like this.
“You all look very hot.. Have a drink each!”
With a bright smile, I poured the juice into glass cups.
Although it didn’t sit well with me..
I first handed a glass to each of the knights.
“Ah.. Thank you.”
The knights received the glasses with surprised faces.
For some reason, the young lady looked at them with cold eyes.
“Miss.. Wait a moment..”
I briefly held the young lady’s hand and stepped back.
The young lady was surprised by my sudden action, but eventually followed me silently.
Now that we were at a distance from the knights.
I whispered to the young lady.
“Miss..! Why don’t you dodge the attacks!”
“Huh?”
“You shouldn’t just block like that! You should avoid what you can avoid!”
With a burning heart, I spoke to the young lady.
The young lady just tilted her head in confusion.
“I haven’t learned to dodge… I was taught not to dodge Velaxar’s attacks.”
“Who told you that?”
“..The knight commander.”
At the absurd answer, I bit my lip hard.
That damn knight commander.
Does he even know that the young lady has a body like a bear.
I don’t care if that bastard takes or avoids the attacks.
But it was so absurd to instill that method in the young lady.
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.
I held the lady’s hand and earnestly pleaded,
“If you get hurt, it will really hurt my heart.”
“….Really?”
The corners of the lady’s mouth twitched slightly.
As if holding back a smile.
“Of course. So please, fight safely.. What are you going to do if it was a real sword?. If it’s a real sword, just imbue your body with mana.”
…Is that so?
I fell silent for a moment at the sharp words of the lady.
Indeed, if I envelop my body with high-intensity mana, most attacks would not leave a scratch.
“But still. Would you like it if I fought while taking all the hits?”
“No.”
An immediate response without a second of hesitation.
The lady looked at me with a rather displeased face.
“I feel the same way. I don’t want to see you getting hit for no reason.”
“….Got it.”
The lady muttered softly.
I smiled lightly and stroked her head.
After pouring a drink into a cup, I took a sip and handed it to the lady.
“Drink this and come back victorious, lady. If you lose the bet, you have to eat only vegetables for a week, okay?”
“….I will definitely not lose.”
The lady said with a confident voice.
Is she really that averse to eating vegetables.
While inwardly thinking she’s quite childish.
A strange presence approached me.
“Do you happen to have another drink?”
In front of me was a knight clad in silver armor.
He scratched his head with a cool expression.
In his hand was an empty glass.
“Yes?”
“Ah.. I’ve never tasted such a delicious drink before. If possible, I’d like another glass, please.”
“Uh…”
It was an unexpected request.
But the compliment that my drink was the best.
It brought a smile to my lips.
“Well.. if you say so, one more glass..”
“Alice.”
A cold voice interrupted me.
The lady looked at me with a smile devoid of laughter.
For some reason, it was difficult to meet her eyes directly.
“You’ve had enough. You can step back now.”
“Yes..? Yes..”
I felt flustered.
But in the end, I had no choice but to obey the lady’s command.
I stepped back without saying a word.
The lady looked at me with an expressionless face.
Then she turned her head to the knight and exchanged a few words shortly.
“Follow me.”
“…..Yes.”
The Knight, sighing, he stepped back with a regretful expression. I should get a drink for him later.
While pondering about that, before he knew it, the lady and the knights were back in position.
This time, the lady dashed forward first.
And it was a very rough movement.
The knight with brown hair who approached me.
The lady aimed her sword at his throat.
“Ugh..!”
The knight with brown hair quickly parried the sword.
Then another knight swung his sword towards the lady’s side.
The lady glanced at the sword coming towards her.
She then jumped up from the ground.
It was a surprising acrobatics for a 9-year-old.
The two knights stared blankly at the lady floating in the sky.
The lady grabbed her sword with both hands.
With eyes that seemed to pierce even the soul, she brought down her sword towards the brow-haired knight’s forehead.
“Wow..!”
The knight urgently raised his sword.
But his stance was unstable and unbalanced.
Crack!
The knight’s sword shattered into pieces.
The lady’s strike hit the knight’s forehead, and the brown-haired knight helplessly fainted.
“Oh no..!”
The remaining knight immediately swung his sword.
The lady slightly raised her head and avoided the sword.
I blinked in confusion for a moment at the lady’s actions.
“….Huh?”
For some reason, it felt familiar.
I mainly remember dodging the lady’s attacks like that.
The lady took a step back and then rotated her body, kicking the knight’s side.
Thud!
It hit perfectly with a loud sound.
The knight grimaced in pain, took a few steps back, and then collapsed on the ground.
“…Huh?”
The posture of the lady kicking just now was not unfamiliar.
If my memory serves me right..
It was exactly the same posture as when I kicked that damn instructor.
Although due to the height difference, the lady’s foot only reached the knight’s side, not his chest.
The posture, speed, and rotation were all identical.
Is it following me by any chance?
No, never mind following.
Is it possible to perfectly reproduce a posture seen once like that?
If that’s true, our lady…Seemed to have a much more terrifying talent than I expected.
It wasn’t mentioned as the final boss in the novel for no reason…
“Alice.”
“Eek?!”
I was startled by the sudden voice.
The lady had approached me without me noticing.
Lately, it seems like the lady’s demeanor is getting lighter…
Maybe it’s because of the mood.
“Compliment Alice.”
“..Huh?”
I blinked blankly.
Slowly looked around.
The figure of the unharmed lady.On the other hand, one knight fainted.
The other one lying on the ground.
It was clearly the lady’s victory.
“Well done, our lady.” I gently stroked the lady’s head with a bewildered heart.
The lady softly closed her eyes and leaned her head on my hand.
I recalled the condition offered to me by the grand duke.
Within two months, the lady will win against three knights simultaneously.
But looking at the current situation….
…It won’t even take two months, will it?
It seemed like the lady’s talent was beyond imagination.
