Volume 1 - CH 2

I was currently sitting inside an erratically swaying carriage.

The fated day I’d been dreading had finally arrived, and my mind was full of dark clouds.

The weather was disgustingly bright and beautiful, but I only stared listlessly out the window with my cheeks in hand. On the other hand, Balzac, my old man, could barely contain how happy he was, saying God would bless this marriage.

“You seem to be in a rather foul mood, Mylene. Were you not overjoyed when we arranged for these marriage interviews?”

It seemed my face had naturally changed to show my bad mood.

I was able to hold back from clicking my tongue in annoyance and instead continued gazing out the window as I answered.

“That was… Well, a girl’s heart is a fickle thing, you know.”

I left it at that for today, since I would be needing all the energy I could get. To be honest, the hardest part would be speaking like this for the entire day.

But that wasn’t the only thing. My parents had forced me into wearing this gaudy dress that was as hard to move in as it was overdecorated, not to mention the ornament they’d stuck atop my head that annoyed me by swaying in and out of the edge of my vision.

What was even worse was that I was going to meet a certain ‘biggest idiot in history’, the person who helped destroy this country, and I had to butter them up.

Make no mistake: it was Mylene who ruined Iltania in the first place. She was the one who emptied the national treasury with her extravagant spending, who condemned any who protested against her, who went around picking fights on a whim. Still, at the end of the day, she was still only the queen and not the highest authority — the king.

She held authority to a certain excent, but the final decision on important matters ultimately was on the king.

The person I would be meeting today — Prince Albert — was that very king in my previous life, or should I say the history I knew.

I’d heard rumors he was a wise and kind prince, but I didn’t care. He was the indecisive coward that allowed Mylene to do as she pleased, the biggest idiot in history.

There was one other thing: he was well-known for how handsome he was, though that didn’t affect how I saw him… In a way, that made him even more pathetic than Mylene. That was how I felt about this idiot.

And now here I was, off to meet and get along him. It was only natural I’d be in a bad mood.

As a fellow man… well, I guess I couldn’t say that anymore. Anyway, it made me sick knowing that such a weak-willed man would one day become the king of this country. If he was to be a proper ruler, he needed to be a man able to lead by example, a man that people were inspired to follow.

“Ooh, it is coming into view, Mylene! Look! That is the very heart of Iltania: the proud and majestic Castle Iltania!”

I let out another big sigh as Balzac excitedly looked out the window.

Before us was, as he said, a majestic castle.

…Well, I already came here before, in my previous life. Back then, my mission had been to go in, find Albert, and literally ‘take him out’.

In the end, I wasn’t able to get to him before the angry rebels did, and they… well, that was that.

“This isn’t gonna be great…”

There was no one to hear the complaint I made, one lost to the wind.

◆

“You did well to come, bearer of the Hair of Sulberia, Mylene Petyul de Laelier. And that must be your father, Balzac Petyul de Laelier. It must have been a long journey.”

Upon our arrival, we were escorted to the throne room. Words came down as we knelt… Was there hostility in how he greeted us?

Sitting upon a high throne and looking down upon us with the dignity befitting a ruler was Josef Iltania, the current king of Iltania.

With his flowing beard and long blond locks, the crown over his head and the piercing glare of his eyes, he looked exactly like how people would imagine a king to look.

… He has some good points, but, in the end this guy was just another person who did some pretty stupid things.

It was true that Iltania’s current stability was thanks to this man; he had negotiated a brilliant peace with Colhoun when they were aggressively expanding their territory through military campaigns, a peace that lasted until the very end.

Within the country, he hadn’t imposed any heavy taxes, and the people weren’t dissatisfied with his rulership… He had a number of other accomplishments to his name, enough that people could call him a great ruler.

If not for his biggest failure: making the mistake of accepting a certain Mylene into the royal family.

Josef must have been a devout believer of the Iltanian faith. He should’ve known what Mylene was like, and yet he still took her into the royal family; all he wanted was to have Iltania’s Blessed in his family. Ultimately, the price he paid to have her was the life of his country.

If he’d at least raised the prince well, Josef might’ve been able to keep the country from meeting such a terrible end…

“…Come out, Albert. For how long do you intend to hide? Your fiancee has come to visit, so show yourself.”

“Y-yes..!”

In reponse to the sharp rebuke, something spoke from behind the throne.

The upper half of a child cautiously peeked out from behind the throne, looking like a small and nervous animal.

I see… So this is what the biggest idiot in the world had looked like when he was just a kid.

So this was what he was like… If there had been nobody watching, I would’ve been scratching my head in irritation.

The child that had emerged from the shadows of the throne could have very easily been mistaken for a girl.

His hair was short but glistened with a silky sheen, his body looked softer, slenderer than any prepubescent boy’s should have, and his eyes were large and doll-like as he nervously peeked our way.

…If his hair had been longer and if I hadn’t known what he looked like as an adult, I would have thought he was a girl even after hearing everyone call him a prince.

His face was beautifully put together… but there was no room for masculinity on it. That was what best described this current Prince Albert.

I might have had a different impression if he behaved with dignity, but for a prince to cower behind the throne when meeting with his intended fiancee for the first time… It was looking a little hopeless for this guy.

“Wow… What a beautiful person..! This must be God’s chosen, Iltania’s Blessed..!”

Albert took one look at me before his eyes widened in surprise.

I guess it doesn’t feel bad when I’m complimented for my appearance.

“My, thank you for your kind words. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Albert.”

When I responded with my best courtesy smile, Albert shrunk back as though wanting to hide away.

I’d expected as much; appearances aside, even his behavior wasn’t very masculine.

It wasn’t as though I preferred being in a relationship with muscular men, but this kind of attitude wasn’t something I liked either.

“Hahaha, what are you being so shy for? So… what do you think, Albert? Would you be able to get along with her?

“Um, uh, ah…! Y-yes… B-but I don’t know if someone like me is good enough to be with God’s Blessed… I’m a little worried…”

…Maybe King Josef’s biggest mistake was actually thinking this was acceptable behavior for a prince.

No matter how smart he might’ve been, if he was to rule a country — to stand over his peers — there were was something else he needed.

Even if it were God that ordered our wedding, I would refuse it. I was already planning how I would handle that future, but, after learning the prince was like this, I couldn’t help but worry about where this country would be headed with him ruling it.

I thought I had moved on from how I felt about this country in my past life, but… this place was still my hometown. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I watched it fall to ruin a second time.

Since I was now Mylene, what had happened in my past life shouldn’t happen this time, but if this prince was going to be king, then the future of this country was something I still needed to worry about.

“The two of you have only just met, so how about having a private tea party together, to get to know each other? Let us have something prepared at once.”

It might be a good idea to bully him into shape myself…

And just as I thought about how to fix this unreliable prince, King Josef proposed a tea party.

“J-just the two of us? B-but, um, I’m…”

Albert shot me a sideways glance, clearly flustered about the sudden plan.

…Oh, but this might be the perfect chance for me.

And it might have just been a passing feeling, but it wouldn’t sit well with me to leave the country to be destroyed a second time.

Instead, I should use this opportunity to whip Albert into shape.

“I agree. It would be wonderful if we could have a private tea party to get to know each other.”

I nodded with a smile, keeping the irritation in my heart from showing on my face.

◆

“Please come this way.”

Once we left the audience chamber, the guards escorted us to a lounge.

From a quick glance, the furniture in this room looked extremely expensive. This didn’t seem like the kind of place to be having a casual chat, but I guess it was normal to be showing this kind of luxury, sort of as a way of demonstrating the wealth and power of royalty to guests and visitors.

After showing us in, the guards exited, though one stayed behind. Now there was just me, the prince, and one guard.

…Did the peace rot their brains? I might be a citizen of the country and a religious icon, but did they think it was enough to post only a single guard to protect their prince? To leave him in the company of the one with the Hair of Sulberia, said to be a sign of great magical power?

The Hair of Sulberia was an absolute, sacred existence to this country… but that reverence blinded them, becoming the very reason for their destruction.

“Ugh, this is quite demotivating… Ugh…”

I collapsed into a large chair, and I felt the plush of the cushion sinking under me. I had to hand it to royalties; this was one good chair they got here. I gave a casual snort as I relaxed; the prince gave a start in surprise, and his guard had on a disgruntled frown.

“Oh dear, please excuse my rudeness. It was very inappropriate for me to take a seat while Your Highness was still standing.”

“Oh! N-not at all! I-it is because of how lacking I am that I must have made you feel uncomfortable! I’m so sorry!”

I tried provoking him with light sarcasm, but he didn’t respond to it; not only was he not offended, he instead sat down with tense nervousness.

…Hey, wait, was that it? Was he really just letting it go like that? Now I’m really getting worried.

On the other hand, the guard was very obviously angry at me… but because of Albert, he couldn’t voice his complaints just yet.

“There is no need to deprecate yourself like so. Prince Albert, you are the crown prince of Iltania, are you not? It is important that you carry yourself firmly and reproach any that would show you disrespect.”

“Oh… ugh, you are correct…”

…This guy is no good.

I could imagine exactly what happened on this very day in my past life.

The previous owner of the Hair of Sulberia had pressured her way… No, even without her doing anything, Prince Albert would have followed her every word.

…What am I supposed to do? And where do I even begin?

“Prince Albert, since meeting you, there are a number of things that I am quite curious about. Would it be acceptable for me to ask some questions?”

“Y-yes! Of course! Please ask me anything!”

I don’t think this will something appropriate for me to be asking, but I need to do it for the sake of this hometown of mine.

At this rate, even if I — Mylene, that is — don’t do anything unnecesary, it’s possible this country will still be destroyed in the future. In a peaceful world, this wouldn’t be a problem, but in reality, with Colhoun as our neighbor, there was no way to know how long this peace would last. It was even possible for a certain empress to find some fault with Albert and start a war because of him, instead of Mylene.

Not to mention I’d wake up feeling pretty bad if I didn’t do something I could’ve done.

“I apologize for sounding vague, Your Highness, but… what kind of ruler do you aspire to be?”

“Huh..?”

The first thing I asked was about Albert’s future as king.

In my previous life, I had heard he was a kind and gentle person, but the only thing I knew was how he followed every one of Mylene’s orders.

Which was why I had no idea what kind of person he was.

But what I did see was the look on his face — one of acceptance, like that of a man who had come to terms with the crude axe that was chopping through his shoulder.

“I want… to be the kind of king my father is… I think.”

As Albert spoke those words, his eyes were an amazing sight to behold.

“And what do you mean by that, Your Highness? What kind of king is His Majesty?”

“My father is the king that brought us peace, one that is close to his people, one that prepares a brighter future for his country… I am still learning all the things I need to be like him, but that is the kind of king I wish to be: one that is loved by his subjects.”

That was a surprisingly respectable aspiration, not a bad answer coming from a spoiled brat. It seemed he was working hard in his own way.

I noticed the guard’s expression had softened… Now that I thought back on it, the servants did seem to respect the prince.

But there was one other important thing, a certain awareness he absolutely needed to have.

“How splendid… Then, if you would excuse my arrogance, would you allow me to give another word of advice?”

“An advice..? Of course, please speak.”

“Prince Albert… Please do not just blindly believe in God.”

“Wha..?!”

What he needed to know was that he couldn’t just count on God, and he needed to understand that, in the end, he should only rely on his own power.

From the prince’s mouth came sounds of shock and surprise.

His reaction was as expected; anyone would react similarly if the living symbol of the national religion suddenly started denying their tenets and beliefs.

“Why would you say such a thing, Miss Mylene?! What about your Hair of Sulberia? Are you not Iltania’s Blessed?!”

“I mean exactly what I said, Your Highness. In times of truly important and dire circumstances, God saves no one. I, Mylene, have seen this truth firsthand.”

I placed my hands on my chest, turning the corners of my mouth into a distorted smile as I looked over with a cold gaze.

With look of anger — no, of disappointment — on his face, Albert stood from his seat, but he quickly wilted back into his seat; he could not resist the intensity of my glare, one honed over a lifetime of mercenary work.

I knew. I knew God wouldn’t save anyone. I knew God wouldn’t even save the so-called chosen one. That was the whole truth.

Of course, I didn’t know if Mylene had believed in God. It was possible she had treated it all like a badge to show off. In any case, in the end, God had all but abandoned the people of Iltania.

That event was in the future and hadn’t yet happened. In fact, since I, as Mylene, would not be repeating her mistakes, it was possible Iltania would not meet the end that I remembered.

But if a prince this weak were to become king, then the day of Iltania’s destruction would not be far off. A weak country would only be prey for a stronger one, and though we were currently at peace with Colhoun, there will come a day when that empress takes the throne, and I wouldn’t know what awaited us then.

“Which is why… you must become strong. As you are now, you are weak. Far too weak to lead this country.”

“But, I’m…”

As Albert cowered under my gaze, tears began to well in his eyes.

It wasn’t just because of the fear he felt from a sharp glare. There was also the confusion he felt from hearing his God denied by the very person God had supposedly favored the most.

But it seemed he had felt the feelings behind my words, seen the reflection of hell in my eyes, even if it were just a small bit of it.

…Well, this might’ve bruised his pride a bit, but overall his reaction wasn’t bad.

“So how about we stop with just believing in God and start with training body and mind? If you don’t want to stop believing in God, wouldn’t it be better if you did that after you’ve grown up? After you’ve learned to see things for yourself?”

“Augh… Ah…”

I could barely keep up my noble lady persona, and the boisterous words I spoke, more at home coming from a mercenary, left Albert in shock with his mouth flapping open and close like a fish out of water.

But he didn’t seem to only be feeling fear. It was more likely that his thoughts were just a jumbled mess right now, and in that case, there was still hope.

Well, I didn’t think this would be something I could resolve in a day or two, but I’m sure we’ll have many more chances to meet like this. He seemed genuinely interested in doing his best for this kingdom, and if I carefully trained him…

He probably didn’t have a very good first impression of me after all this, but that didn’t matter to me. I had no intention of actively involving myself, so it didn’t matter whether he liked or hated me.

Now then… what should I do from here? Since I was talking to a prince, I couldn’t just end our little conversation like this — that would be far too disrespectful.

“Please think about what I have said today, Your Highness. Well, I suppose you need not listen to the complaints of a woman such as myself–“

Perhaps Albert’s spineless attitude had irritated me more than I thought, but as I was about to say more, the guard watching us interrupted me out of anger.

“That is enough, Lady Mylene! I have been keeping quiet from the beginning out of respect for you, but..!”

His face had become so distorted with anger that his veins were becoming visible while his posture had become tense.

I guess he could no longer contain the anger he felt about how I was treating his master.

“Oh dear, I beg your pardon. Please excuse my rudeness.”

“You may be God’s Blessed, but I will not overlook any further disrespect towards His Highness!”

It was quite a sight to behold: a handsome knight turning bright red with anger.

But what was most interesting was his body.

As a member of the Royal Guard, he was surely skillful with magic, and yet his body was developed to this extent; that he did not rely solely on magic showed how serious he was about his duty.

Frankly, it was quite surprising to me that a capable subordinate like this man could be so attached to such a pathetic prince.

It seemed the rumor I had heard in my past life — of how Albert was a man of good character — was not just baseless gossip.

“You will not, you say? Then how should we proceed? Shall I be punished for lese-majesty?”

I narrowed my eyes as though taunting him.

“Paul! You are also being rude! Miss Mylene is..!”

“But Your Highness, she..!”

Had I been a mere commoner, I would be facing swift execution for what I said to the prince earlier, but because I was Iltania’s Blessed, they hesitated to do anything to me.

It was good that he could plainly express his anger, but his followthrough was quite lacking.

But I suppose I didn’t hate that.

In the first place, there was no need to believe in some god that didn’t even show itself.

And there was nothing rude about reprimanding a mere daughter of a duke for being disrespectful to the crown prince.

So basically, this guard’s actions showed that his master was more important to him than God… He was the type of person this country needed more of — someone who didn’t just blindly follow the state religion.

“No, Your Highness, he is correct. ‘A mere daughter of a duke should be punished for being so disrespectful to the crown prince’ is what he wanted to say.”

“Miss… Mylene..?”

I turned to the guard and stared at him with the same cold glare I had directed at Albert earlier.

The guard seemed to notice the intense hostility behind my eyes, and a subtle change seemed to have come over him.

I saw the astonishment in his expression and a fear that he probably wasn’t even aware of.

Whether it was back then or now, it was convenient to have an opponent underestimate me.

I was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, luring my enemies in before taking a fatal bite. This was how I’d always fought.

For this guard to have seen through even a little of my facade meant there was still hope for this country yet. I could feel my mood improving from knowing that.

“As I said, there is little need for us to believe in a God we know nothing about, let alone have seen. We are the ones living in this country, and we are the ones who must decide what it is this country needs. And see here, Your Highness: your guard is exactly the kind of person our country needs.”

My words had left the prince and his guard taken aback; what I said was a complete turn around of what they had been expecting.

It was probably because I was the one who started it by saying things that soured the atmosphere, but the one-angry guard was now giving me an disturbed look, at a loss for words from what I had said.

“Your compliments are wasted on me. And you still must apologize for how disrespectful you–“

“I do not feel there is a need for me to apologize, nor do I intend to do so.”

I interrupted the guard as he demanded my apology to the prince, and I spoke further, looking to provoke him again.

This was a great opportunity; if I acted well here, I’d be able to show them exactly how useless their God was.

“Lady Mylene, are you aware of how rude your words are? Do you think we would hesitate in using force to punish women or children that speak so brazenly?”

“Oh my, but your words are wasted on me; you have nothing to worry about. My body has been trained such that I am confident I will not be outdone by any man.”

I covered my mouth to hide the calm smile I wore.

It seemed the guard realized I had meant not just himself, but also Albert when I said ‘any man’; a vein of anger had appeared on his forehead.

“Heh, hehe… Is that so? They say a little learning is a dangerous thing, Lady Mylene, that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.”

The guard was forcing a smile and trying to keep his voice level, but he was obviously struggling to hold back his anger.

What the hell is this brat saying — was probably what he was thinking. It looked like I just needed one more push…

“I see… Then, if it is possible, would you be willing to teach me? It would be an honor to receive instruction through a match with one of His Highness’s own Royal Guard.”

If it’s a fight you want, then come and get it — were my unspoken words.

My sudden suggestion of ‘training’ caused them both to freeze in place.

Albert stood from his seat after a moment, having realized the meaning behind my words.

“Th-that’s too dangerous! Miss Mylene is just a young girl..! A-and besides, Paul is one of our kingdom’s finest knights!”

It seemed Albert wasn’t as dim-witted as I thought he was… but he didn’t seem to know that men like Paul — those that were especially proud of their strength — could hardly keep quiet when a woman questioned and ridiculed their pride.

“…Is this not fine, Your Highness? It is, after all, Lady Mylene’s desire, and I, myself, will not treat her too badly.”

The guard named Paul gave Albert a gentle smile, but behind that kind expression was a murderous grin that could have lowered the room’s temperature.

My provocation was a convenient excuse for him, and Paul took that bait, as I had expected he would.

Things were finally starting to get a little more interesting. I’d been training myself and familiarizing this body with my old techniques, and I would finally be able to put it all to the test here.

“Then, Your Highness, might we borrow the courtyard for a little while?”

“Augh… H-how could this happen..!”

It was now completely out of the flustered prince’s hands.

I once again looked toward Paul, meeting his eyes head-on and smiling.

◆

“I did not expect for there to be so many spectators joining us.”

We had moved from the parlor to this open courtyard in order to have our ‘practice match’.

But after we had arrived and finished preparing the wooden swords we would be using, it seemed word of our match had spread around the castle. Layabouts with free time on their hands from around the castle had gathered all around us to watch this spectacle.

Most of them were watching out of curiosity, but I could feel some hostility coming my way. I wasn’t surprised; it was only a moment ago when I belittled their precious prince.

Besides the servants, there were also some knights as well. They were probably here to make sure Paul didn’t take things too far.

My main concern was about the king, but it seemed neither he nor my old man had come. Maybe they weren’t interested in this fight, or they were busy discussing something elsewhere. Either way, their not being here made things easier.

“Before we begin, there is something I should mention: are you really fine without using armor? Do you not mind being hurt?”

“It is enough. There likely is not any armor that would fit this small body of mine in the first place. Besides… I have no intention of getting hurt.”

While I was checking how the wooden sword felt, Paul called out to me, in a good mood.

His insistence on using armor was to maintain the idea that this was just a training session. Wooden swords were still dangerous; it was possible to kill someone with a powerful enough swing, and while Paul was fighting someone who had disrespected his prince, his opponent was also the one with the Hair of Sulberia. This could escalate beyond a minor incident if something unfortunate were to happen.

But by warning me like this, he made it clear he would be attacking me intending to injure. Seemed like he was motivated enough, at least.

“Please stop this already, Paul! What will you do if anything happens to Miss Mylene?!”

Meanwhile, the prince was still trying to stop this match from happening.

“There is no need to worry, Your Highness, after all this is what Lady Mylene desired. It is of greatest importance that we respect the wishes of the bearer of the Hair of Sulberia, after all. Furthermore, as Lady Mylene is Iltania’s Blessed, I am sure she is magnanimous enough to overlook some minor mishaps that may occur during a training session she herself asked for.”

Well, he was a member of the crown prince’s Royal Guard, so it made sense that he was confident in himself.

Albert finally stopped complaining and pulled away; he probably decided to trust in what Paul was saying… Well, if Albert had asserted his authority to force Paul to stop, that would have gotten me to back down as well, and I would have apologized to the prince for having underestimated and looked down on him earlier.

But alas; this country… No, wait, it’s not just country that has these kinds of people. There are ‘elites’ everywhere that are just too stuck in their own confidence to see beyond it.

“Well then, are you ready, Lady Mylene? As previously we agreed earlier, we are just practicing with swords. So, the use of offensive spellcraft shall be prohibited. Is that fine with you?”

“Of course. That is what I asked for.”

“Good. Can we have someone give us the signal to start?”

At Paul’s words, I gripped my sword in my usual, uncaring way. I could hear an occasional chuckle and insult from the crowd around me as they saw my unorthodox stance, but this technique was my own, a style unique to Envil the mercenary that was completely different from the traditional moves these knights knew.

There was a rumor going around about how a certain selfish girl with the Hair of Sulberia had suddenly started training — a rumor that caused laughter among the nobles and royalty it spread among. Apparently the girl is rather skillful, but wasn’t training just one of that selfish girl’s whims? She must have spread the rumors herself — or so it looked like the gazes around me were saying.

“Oh dear… Is that all there is to the magical power of one with the Hair of Sulberia?”

“It seems that’s about as much as that little Blessed girl can do. Isn’t this even worse than what our new recruits can do?”

But it wasn’t just my stance that they found a problem with, and they began laughing at the faint traces of magical power they saw coming off of me. They were so confident in their own skills that all they did was judge their opponent by the amount of magical power they could see.

Right now, I was suppressing as much of my magical power as I could.

That was all it took to fool these guys who prided themselves on being elite knights and soldiers.

Even Paul, a member of the Royal Guard, didn’t suspect a thing, let alone see through the fact I was holding back my power.

“Begin!”

The soldier they had chosen to start our match brought down a raised arm.

Right then, Paul tapped on his armored chest, indicating he was allowing me to swing first.

And this was exactly what was wrong with these ‘elites’.

“How gentlemanly of you. Then, may I take you up on your offer?”

“By all means, go ahead. No need to hold back. Allow me to demonstrate that all of my training to better serve His Highness was not just for show.”

He probably wouldn’t act like this if it were the me from my previous life… but I guess that was obvious given how I looked now.

I, his opponent, was called God’s Blessed, so he was probably only thinking about how best to embarrass me so that I left in shame. But there was a common saying that went something like this:

Do not judge another simply by how they look.

I leaned further forward, almost bending over and dangled my wooden sword loosely in hand.

And then I kicked off into a sprint, keeping so low that I was almost crawling along the ground.

“…Wha?!”

The speed of my approach caught Paul by surprise, a shocked expression on his face.

These techniques didn’t have an official name nor did it belong to any type of swordsmanship, but in my previous life, many had begun calling it ‘Beast-style’ techniques.

I would get as low as possible, moving forward as though I were gliding across the dirt. The strange motions and low angles made my movements hard to follow, like a beast nipping at the legs — or so I was told.

For humans, attacks aiming for the feet usually worked well. It wasn’t as effective for small animals — because it only took a single kick to knock them away — but things were different when the enemy was another human biting away with deadly fangs of their own.

Well, this time it’s only a wooden sword.

“Whoa!”

Paul awkwardly swiped at me from above, who had closed in from below. it was clear that he only had experience fighting other human and that his skill with the sword meant nothing against animals that stayed low.

My technique was just a crude imitation of that, but it was working extremely well. And because it was a prepubescent girl’s small body moving at high speeds, it became an effective way of disorienting my opponent.

I held my sword over my shoulder and angled it to catch and push Paul’s strike down the length of the blade — this was a basic ‘Beast-style’ defensive technique.

I knocked away his blade with a parry and followed it up by smashing my sword into his right leg with as much power as I could muster.

“Gaaahhh!”

If this were a real sword, that leg would be gone, and he would be incapable of further combat. Since that wasn’t the case, I darted behind him as he howled in pain, sliding my sword in and against his neck as he went down on his injured leg.

“And victory is mine. Isn’t that right, mister royal guard?”

My unspoken provocation was obvious: I dare you to challenge it.

But instead, Paul slowly turned in response to my voice. There was a look of utter shock and dumbfoundedness on his face.

…Yep, all part of the plan. I purposely suppressed my magical power in order to make him lower his guard, only to utterly crush him without needing to use magic.

Honestly speaking, if Paul had taken this match seriously, he wouldn’t have lost so pathetically, but now here we were…

“You became negligent during the fight, did you not? If this were a real fight and I were an assassin aiming for the prince, tell me: how does this make you feel? What do you think happens next?”

All it took was a bit of carelessness, and he had lost so soundly to a mere child with a low amount of magical power and very basic self-training.

“Then allow me to answer: His Highness would die. If you would, I have but one advice: would it not be better to stop judging your opponent by their appearance alone?”

Paul stiffened at my words. He should’ve been well aware; in a real war, with the Royal Guard wiped out, there would be no one left to protect the prince, meaning the prince’s life was then forfeit. From there, it was only a matter of time before the complete collapse of this now leader-less kingdom.

He had let down his guard because he assumed his opponent was a mere commoner with little magical power and less training — and then he died for his mistake.

Magical power reigned supreme in this world, but all it really took to kill one person was a single cut.

Fireballs or arrows of light were life-threatening attacks, sure, but even a plain sword without any magical power going through someone’s gut was more than enough to kill.

It would be next to impossible for these people to give up on the belief that magical power was absolute, but that was this country’s biggest weakness in the first place.

And in the end, it was only the strong that survived. In that regard, a certain empress of a certain neighboring counttry was truly strong; she had been the one to press her advantage and force her way through the country with her army, never stopping along the way.

“No way… Captain Paul was…”

“He lost to that little girl… when she has that little magical power?!”

The crowd of spectating soldiers slowy grew noisier as they talked about this match they had just watched.

From how the people around us were reacting, it seemed Paul had some real skill about him.

But too bad; if he had gone all-out in the first place, we could’ve had a less one-sided match between us.

I leave the stunned Paul behind and approach Albert.

I stood before him and gave an elegant bow.

“See what I mean? If you’re weak, you can’t protect anything, let alone survive. And if you die, then that’s it; that’s the end of everything for you. So the only way to protect what’s most important is to get stronger, or else you lose everything.”

“Huh!? What did you…”

I had whispered my words to him, keeping my voice low so only he could hear what I’d said.

I didn’t know if it was because of what I said or if it was the tone I used, but the prince’s eyes widened in shock, as though a bolt of thunder had struck him.

“Might I have a moment of your time, Prince Albert? If possible, I would like for it to be just the two of us…”

In an instant, my mask was back on, and I was once again wearing a gentle smile on my face as I played the part of a perfect lady.

And now I had given Albert a glimpse of my true nature.

◆

The two of us left the courtyard and moved to Albert’s private room, where we could talk alone.

It was a convenient place because no one, not even the prince’s own personal guards, could freely enter, so I didn’t need to worry about being overheard.

And now that there was no one watching, I dropped all pretense and sat in a chair with my legs crossed.

Before me was Albert, more awestruck than ever. I guess it was a bit overwhelming to discover my ‘perfect lady’ persona was just a mask. Well, if we were to be engaged — and I had no intention of doing so — it would be pointless to keep hiding it, so I just revealed it now.

When he noticed my unamused stare, Albert flinched, and his locked together as though to stay better in place.

“Look I’m gonna be real honest with you”

“Wh-what?!”

I leaned forward to emphasize my directness, but Albert stiffly straightened his posture.

Maybe that was a little too blunt, but this might be a good experience for him.

“We’ve only met each other today, so are you actually okay with being engaged to a woman like this? If it were me, I’d definitely refuse.”

Having met the prince, there was one thing I learned today: this country’s weakness.

Let’s say Albert and I became married. If that happened, then we would be back in the situation in my previous life — Mylene, or rather I would be free to do as I pleased while the idiot prince here would quietly follow along without complaining.

And I suspected that wouldn’t change even if I wasn’t the one to marry Albert.

It wasn’t just women like Mylene in personality that were aiming to become queen; I was sure there were all sorts of noble ladies with their own selfish reasons looking to marry into power.

In short, the future of this kingdom looked bleak no matter who Albert became engaged to.

If this was about an ordinary family, then there would be no problem with a more dominant wife, or so it looked like when I thought back on my comrades’ experiences. But now, when the position involved ruling over an entire country, there was much more at stake if the wrong person were to take power.

“Uh, um… if, um, I were… with someone like Miss Mylene, then…”

And now the guy in question is acting like this.

What the hell made him think someone like me would be good for this?

“Even after all that? Are you joking? Look, if you wanna be a great king like your father, then you can’t go around letting a woman like me push you around.”

I could feel a headache coming on. Had he always been this weak, or was he just a masochist?

It could be a fetish or something — I didn’t care, whatever it was — but he shouldn’t be involving the kingdom in it.

“It is true that I admire my father and wish to be a king like him, but…”

As I turned away in displeasure, I realized he had a real opinion to share. Since he hadn’t yet expressed a clear opinion on anything when we spoke earlier, I looked over to him with a grim expression.

The effeminate boy fidgeted shyly, shifting his head away under my gaze; he looked surprisingly charming, but it also simultaneously made my stomach churn.

After some more hesitation, Albert finally looked up to meet my gaze.

“But right now, um… I want to become someone as cool as you, Miss Mylene!”

“…Huh?”

What came out of his mouth were unexpected words that left me speechless for the first time today.

“Your swordsmanship was incredible! It was amazing to see someone so beautiful and so much smaller to use those cool techniques to win! And the way you talk, you’re just like how I imagined what a dignified older brother would be like… Miss Mylene, no, Lady Mylene, you are exactly the kind of person I wish to become!”

That look on his face was rather frightening, but the way he looked at me as he spoke showed that he was serious about what he said.

“Beautiful, strong and noble..! It is as though you are a maiden of war serving directly under Iltania, personally sent to us!”

“I-I see… I-is that really how you see me..?”

“Yes! I wish to be just like you!”

His enthusiasm had come on so strong that I couldn’t help but flinch in the face of it.

I had been thinking his appearance was rather feminine, but maybe he also leaned that way. I had heard something like that before, but… Well, with a face like this, I found myself wondering again if this guy actually was a girl.

So it seemed he preferred more boyish girls. I wouldn’t rebuff him for that, but I think it might be a little too early for that preference to become common. In the first place, I don’t remember something like that ever becoming popular in my previous life…

Anyway, I didn’t think it was a bad thing for him to like the strong or to want to become strong. Of all the things I had heard today, the words he said just now resonated well with how I felt.

“That right? So basically you’re telling me you want to become more of a man?”

“Y-yes… that’s right! I-if you do not mind… I would ask that you teach me how… I think. W-would that be acceptable..?”

His enthusiasm seemed to peter out, but though he started shrinking back by the end, he did not give up making his intention clear to me.

“Heh, and now you’re asking me, a girl, to teach you how to become more of a man?”

“Ah..! My apologies, I did not mean to…”

I deliberately responded with a bit of sarcasm.

My words flustered the unsuspecting Albert, who began panickedly waving his arms like a bird flapping its wings.

“Heh… Hahaha…! You’re a pretty interesting guy, my dear prince.”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the absurdity of this situation.

But this wasn’t bad at all.

“Well, why not? If that’s what you want, then let us make a man out of you.”

“Really?!”

It was pretty funny how easily my words had hooked him.

Now that I thought about it, back when I was a mercenary in my previous life, there were people who wanted to ‘become my apprentice’. Well, I guess this was the first time someone had asked for me to make them more manly instead.

“Only on one condition. If you can’t accept that condition, then this conversation never happened.”

Of course there was a prerequisite for all of this.

I raised a leg onto my chair and leaned my arm across it. And then I pointed my finger upward.

Albert nervously cleared his throat. I could see how tense he was becoming, though I hadn’t intended to make such a big deal out of this.

“Don’t just blindly believe in God. My way of life is one of using everything I can to destroy anything that stands in my way. And if God is another ‘thing’ I can use, then that’s all it’s good for.”

Stop blindly believing in God. That was all I asked for.

It wasn’t bad to have something to believe in — something to cling onto for support, to use like a stick to poke into the dark with to keep you from falling. The issue was in completely trusting in it and choosing not to watch your own step first.

“That’s…”

“Can you do it?”

Albert’s expression darkened under the intensity of my glare.

But after only a short moment of hesitation, he looked up to face me with a look of determination.

“Truthfully speaking, it would be difficult to do so. I am the crown prince, and for my whole life I have faithfully followed Iltania’s teachings.”

But just as I was thinking this was a lost cause…

He continued speaking.

“But then, after watching your match with Paul, I realized something: if you, Lady Mylene, had used the powerful magic God blessed you with, you would have easily defeated Paul. But that did not happen. No, you defeated the strongest knight in the kingdom without using your magic, through pure skill. I do not know if that was your intention, but that opened my eyes; in that moment, I understood that what you said was true, that we did not need to blindly follow God.”

He was right that I had not used my magic, but at the same time, I didn’t have a particular reason for doing that.

Well, actually, it was just easier for me to fight without using it in the first place.

But it seemed that wasn’t how Albert saw it.

“Fighting like that, without using magic at all, was like an act of defying God, defying your fate! And for you, the bearer of the Hair of Sulberia to do such a thing means there real reason for it all. That’s why if you tell me I should not believe in God, I will do so, but instead…”

“Instead?”

Albert paused, closing his eyes.

He was deep in thought; he seemed to be carefully considering his next words.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, and he spoke with determination.

“…I shall put my faith in Lady Mylene!”

I only told him he needed to not blindly believe in God. I didn’t need him to make such a big deal about it like this.

And I saw firsthand how God hadn’t even answered the so-called ‘chosen one’, even in her final hours.

But that look in Albert’s eyes… I can’t say I disliked it.

It might’ve just been a way of accepting this development, but I suddenly felt as though I had a new understanding for something.

“Heh, well aren’t you rather cheeky? Sounds good to me, I’ll beat you into shape myself then.”

“Y-yes! Thank you so much, Lady Mylene!”

Albert’s tense expression melted away, and his girlish face broke into a smile.

His eyes seemed to be sparkling; I’d never seen such pure look back when I was a mercenary, so this was a fresh experience.

That being said, things might get weird from now on.

In my previous life, I’d never taken an apprentice or done anything annoying like that, but now, though it wasn’t exactly as an apprentice, not only would I be teaching someone for the first time, but that person was also the crown prince of Iltania.

You never knew what might happen in life. Well, no, I guess all of this had happened because of that worthless Mylene.

Even so…

I met Albert’s gaze head-on.

There was one word that would describe how he was looking at me: yearning. It was like a poor kid staring at a shiny musical instrument, the kind of look they have when they dream of all the things they can’t have.

No, that wasn’t quite right. This was more like… Wait, wasn’t this the look people had when praying to God..?

Oh no, if he’s already become this attached to a woman he just met for the first time today, then nothing’s changed, and the problem was still here!

“Ehehe… I will be relying a whole lot on you from now on, Lady Mylene!”

Albert’s smiling face was so unfortunately beautiful that there was no way it did not belong to a girl.

…Well, there was no reason to rush. I could carefully and earnestly beat him into shape, however I wanted.

…Wait, doesn’t that mean I would be coming here more often? That’s going to be annoying, but I guess the old man’ll probably be happy.

I let out a loud sigh before glaring at Albert.

His happy expression, unfazed by my sigh, left me feeling uncertain about the future.