CH 93

T/N: Fun fact: I accidentally saved over this chapter and had to redo it all over again today.

The school has been quiet lately. No, the students are as noisy as usual, but it’s quiet around me, what should I say…? Thanks to the absence of anyone who harasses me, I am able to lead a peaceful school life.

That being said, it’s still only yesterday and today, but it seems that the quintet is a little hesitant to get involved with me after I intimidated them. Not only do their threats and bullying not get through, but on the contrary, it seems that they are intimidated by their victim and seem to shrink back. You don’t know what happens if you poke the bear, right?

Well, there’s no reason for me to worry about that quintet, so it doesn’t matter. I feel a little refreshed that the troublesome people involved are gone.

That’s why I was able to lead a peaceful school life, so I’m going to take a detour on my way home today. I feel like it’s rare for me not to go straight home.

I’ve been mostly a sheltered girl, so I’ve never been able to go out freely like this before. Around the time I was banished from Carruthers territory, I was able to go to Caan territory relatively freely, but there were still restrictions such as telling me where to go and when to return.

Even now, of course, I can’t go out as I please, but I won’t get scolded if I stop somewhere on my way home. I’m sure my parents know that even I have something to do and I’m not playing around.

I head to the royal castle today. Unfortunately, today is not yet the day we can meet King Wilhelm. I have made an appointment with him to talk about Alexandra, no, House Lingerburg, but that is still in the future. As expected, there is only a king, and even if you apply for a visit, you will not be able to meet immediately.

Today’s business is on the grounds of the royal castle, but it’s a training ground just after going around the garden and entering its gate. I’m still a member of the Royal Guard Division, so maybe I should have come earlier. It’s been a long time since I’ve been involved in so many things.

Anyway, I entered the royal castle and went to the training ground through the familiar passageway when I was knighted. Today as well, on my way home from school, I had changed into a knight’s formal attire. The one who came here today is Sir Khan, not Flora of House Carruthers. You can’t go wrong with this identity here.

“Everyone’s certainly lively today,” I said.

“Floto…?!”

I peered into the training ground and found it was just Claudia, nor, Sir Claudio taking a break. It feels nostalgic. This is where I crossed swords with Claudio when I first visited the parade ground. The walls are lined with swords for members of the Royal Guard Division.

Of course, all of them are swords for mock battles with the blades blunted for practice, but the members have their personal swords lined up on the wall as well. A sudden participant like me at that time is supposed to borrow an old sword that is randomly placed on the table in front.

There is also a space around here where the members’ luggage is placed and where they can rest with a drink. I sat next to Claudio, who seemed to be taking a break himself.

“Are you on a break, Claudio?” I asked.

“Huh? Ah! Uu…? Oh?” Claudio stammered.

He seemed surprised by my sudden appearance and at a loss for an answer, perhaps because he couldn’t get his thoughts together, or because he didn’t know what to say.

“A~aah… Your Highness, we’re humbled you’d come to a place like this…” Horst said awkwardly.

“Hey, Commander… I am Sir Floto von Caan, a member of the Royal Guard Division,” I said. “Did you forget?”

I stopped the Commander in the middle of his awkward greetings like before. I don’t know what he’ll say if I just let him talk like that. He wouldn’t say anything rude anyway.

“Hmm!” Horst hummed, changing expressions. “It’s been a long time since you came to the royal capital, so what are you thinking showing up for training now? We need to put you through the wringer!”

After being fast to change tracks, as usual, Horst suddenly blurted all that out. Even though I know that I’m not in a position to show my face just because I came to the royal capital… after all, when this old man talks, he doesn’t say anything gently.

“Geh!” Claudio choked. “Floto… you should run. The training here is really rough, so you can’t keep up with the training of the Royal Guard Division if you haven’t been joining since then.”

Hmm? Well, it’s true that I haven’t shown up here for several years. I don’t feel like I’ve become stronger at all, so it might be a good idea to experience some of my parents’ Spartan training.

“Then please, put me through it,” I said.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Horst said. “Well then, it’s the Hundred Man Spar for you. Hey! Everyone, listen up! This is Floto, a member of the Royal Guard Division, a knight like us! From now on, we’re going to let this rotten bastard who doesn’t even come for our regular training go through the Hundred Man Spar. Who’s our best man? Anyone wants to step up to the plate?”

At Horst’s call out, the knights excitedly shouted, “UOOOOHHHHH!” But what’s this Hundred Man Spar?

“A~aah… I don’t know about this,” Claudio said.

“What’s the Hundred Man Spar?” I asked him.

It wasn’t like that when I attended my last training session. Was it not yet invented then, or was I just not allowed to participate in it? Well, we were still children at that time, and it smelled like something dangerous, so maybe we were excluded because were too young.

“Umm, well…” Claudio said. “It’s a hellish training that doesn’t end until you have mock battles with 100 people.”

“Heh…” I went.

It was more normal than I thought. It’s literally as it sounds like… since it’s called the Hundred Man Spar, I thought it would be something metaphorical, but I was surprised to find out it’s not.

Against a hundred knights? But they come in sequence, not at the same time, right? I wonder which one is more difficult than dealing with both my parents. When I participated in Royal Guard training when I was 10, they only gave me very simple training, probably because it was a curriculum for children. I may learn a lot this time.

“Knock out this foolish bastard, he can’t even show his face to the Royal Guard Division’s training from hell~!”

“Let’s go~! Fuck him up!~!”

“Baptize him by fire~!”

The surrounding cheers from the crowd are incredible. It’s like they’re quite angry at me for not participating in their regular training. There are a lot of taunts that mock me for being a member of the Royal Guard Division yet never showing up.

That’s right. If I were to be a true knight, I would have to train myself day in and day out. An odd person like me, who happened to be knighted and entered the Royal Guard Division by chance, would be disliked by regular members.

“Let me be the first!” someone calls out.

“Uooohh~~! It’s Adon~!”

“A-do-n~! A-do-n~~! YEAAAAHHHH!”

A guy who was a lot bigger than me and had a lot of muscles came out. The tension around me is unusually high. Judging from the cheers, this guy must be Adon. That’s strange. I don’t remember seeing a knight like this when I was a kid…

Well, it’s been quite a few years, so there will be people who have left the group and new ones who have joined as well. When I looked at Horst, he pointed to the center of the training ground with his chin without saying anything, so I guess he told me to grab a sword and get ready there.

“I’ll borrow this,” I said.

I looked at some of the swords that were randomly placed on the table, but they were all rickety. What’s left here is the wreckage of a sword that’s still usable, but it’s no longer needed because it’s been replaced. When the swords lined up on the wall are worn out, new ones are made and the old ones are placed here.

Unlike in the past, there is no need to worry about the weight of the sword… well, there are still weight concerns, but it’s not as limited as it used to be. I have strength enough to swing a normal sword, so I choose one that seems to be in good condition and head to the center of the training ground.

“Adon! Get ‘em!”

“Beat the handsome right out of that bastard!”

Hmm? Are you antagonizing me for my appearance? But I’m not handsome. I’m a woman.

“Let’s begin!” Horst called out.

The sparring begins with Horst’s signal as he stands in the center. Adon seems to use a fairly large sword because of his muscular macho body. But compared to my father’s sword, which is as big as a human, it’s still a small sword to me.

“Uooohhhh…!” Adon charges.

He ran slowly with thudding footfalls and swung down his greatsword with all his might. But this is… I wonder if they think I’m an amateur and take it easy. It’s too slow and easy to block or avoid… it seems that the other side should also take it easy, so for the time being, let’s take it as I stand.

Gakiin…!

The sound of metal striking metal rings out as I held up my sword with one hand and stopped Adon’s sword. It was a blow that makes full use of the momentum of a running start and the gravity acceleration from an overhead strike taking advantage of the weapon’s weight… it looks like it from the outside, but the momentum is light. It was blocked by a sword that I only raised with one hand. I wonder if Adon was holding back after all.

“Umm… I’ve been training in the meanwhile, so there’s no need to hold back, okay?” I said.

“Uoooh…!” one of the spectators shouts. “That’s impossible!”

“Did he catch all of Adon’s stupid strength with just one hand!?” another yells.

“What is with that guy?!” a third asks.

The surroundings are going wild. It looked like a full-power blow, but it’s not like that. It was a completely undisciplined and floating blow. If I were to clash with my parents with something like that, I’d suffer far worse than being blown away. I wonder if the arm holding my sword would be lopped off.

However, was the borrowed sword too fragile, or was it near the end of its lifespan? I can hear the sound of metal cracking. This thing won’t last long.

“This sword looks like it will break, so I’ll just use my own,” I said.

I stepped back and pulled out my personal sword that I brought just in case. It’s heavy. The blade is blunted for training, but compared to the sword I borrowed earlier, isn’t it many times heavier?

The swords here were all light swords, probably for children. But with such a light sword, I can’t take my parents’ attacks. All the swords are light and brittle like they would crack from Adon’s blow just now. If it’s my personal sword, it should be safe because it can withstand the attacks of both my parents to some extent.

“Shall we get serious now?” I asked.

“Kuh!” Adon spat. “You’re mocking me! You young bastard!”

Even as he said that Adon didn’t move while keeping his eyes straight at me. It looks like he’ll take a hit from me.

“Then let’s go,” I said.

I run lightly and hit Adon’s sword from the front. That’s all. This will tell him that he doesn’t need to hold back. That’s what I thought, but…

“Ah……”

From being held firmly in Adon’s hands, his greatsword breaks, he flies into the air, and he didn’t even take a defensive stance! And now he’s crashed back down to earth. Hey, hey… no matter how confident you are in your sturdiness, let’s at least fall properly… moreover, Adon seems floored and does not get back up. What happened?

“The winner is Floto!” Horst said, after walking over to examine Adon.

The surroundings fall into silence before voices began to whisper:

“Did you see that just now?”

“No……”

“How high did a giant like Adon fly just now?”

“I can’t believe he broke that thick sword…”

“No, look at the thickness of his sword. How heavy is that blade…?”

Only muffled voices can be heard. Why is that the end of Adon’s fight? Is he going to withdraw even though he hasn’t taken it seriously yet?

“So, who’s next?” Horst called out.

“I’ll get revenge for my blood brother!” someone called out.

“Uooohhh…! It’s Samson!”

“Samson’s here, he can beat even Adon on strength alone!”

“Make him into mincemeat this time!”

Hey, hey……. what are trying to accomplish by making mincemeat out of your fellow knights in a mock battle? What’s more, Samson’s weapon is strange, isn’t it? A chain is attached to the end of a stick, and an iron ball with a spike is attached to the end of the chain. Yes, everyone’s favorite, a flail.

But it’s more like a wrecking ball than a normal flail. Moreover, isn’t blunting the spikes useless? If you get hit directly, surely you’ll lose pieces of your body, right? It’s impossible to stop it, isn’t it full of intent to kill?

“DIEEEE…!”

Ah, he wants to kill me, after all. And there is no signal to start. What’s this? Rookie bullying?

“It’ll hurt if I get with that thing,” I said.

So, as the iron ball flies at me, I hit it back. It flies in the opposite direction, embeds itself into the wall of the training ground, and then stops. Samson, who was still holding the chain, flew with his flail into the wall, and when he hit it himself, he fell down. After that, he didn’t move at all. I can’t believe he fainted…

“The winner is Floto!” Horst cried.

Perhaps it was too much trouble to go walk over and check him out, so Horst waited for about five seconds, confirmed that Samson wasn’t moving, and then called out my victory. Is this alright?

And now who’s going to be the other 98?” I asked, looking at the crowds.

“HIIII…!”

“RUN FOR IT!”

“IT’S A MONSTER-RRRR!”

Everyone scattered like cockroaches. However, the entrance gate was mercilessly slammed shut and Horst stood before it to block it.

“Don’t run away, you lot! It’s the Hundred Man Spar! After Adon and Samson, you’re all next!”

“Hyeeee…!”

For a while after this, I enjoyed the Hundred Man Spar of the Royal Guard Division.