Chapter 6: A Special Ally
Chapter 6: A Special Ally
I went back to school after my break, still exhausted from the frightening event that would influence my life from now on.
“Change of plans! We’ll be hand-to-hand fighting in the arena for first period! Get changed and meet me there!” rang out Kodak’s voice.
“S-Serephi, do you want to walk to the changing room together?”
“Alma!” Having Alma speak to me lifted my mood.
We made it to the arena. Hand-to-hand fighting was compulsory for all students. We had to be able to fight without a weapon if the time ever came. Other martial arts were elective, so hand-to-hand was the only fighting discipline that everyone was ranked in, no exceptions.
We wore clothes that were easy to move in for fighting classes. Most of us were in our usual long-sleeve shirts and trousers, including Nick, although his were baggy on him. Alma wore a khaki training outfit, as was common among the aristocracy, but it was a bit too large for her; it may have been a hand-me-down from one of her brothers.
My ninja outfit was naturally...not my outfit of choice. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants, both black and made of cotton. My main focus was how easy it would be to wash. It looked like something that could be sold in the area, but it was equipped with my brother’s defensive magic. “You’re a girl of marriageable age, so I won’t let a single scratch get on you!” he’d declared.
“Nick, this is my sweetheart, Alma. Alma, this is Nick, the sun kid!”
“Nice to meet you. And Serephi, quit it with that nickname!”
“N-Nice to meet you too. You can call me Alma. I’d prefer you gave that nickname a rest too, Serephi.”
“Wait... Wouldn’t it be a bad idea to not use a title for you around your family?” Nick asked Alma.
“Huh? Why?” I asked back.
“You don’t even know that...?! I guess it wouldn’t matter to a Trundle guild member. Alm—I mean, Miss Alma is from the MacGregor family, a marquisate family with a long line of military commanders in the imperial guard.”
“Th-That doesn’t matter! It would be so embarrassing if you used a title for me and not Serephi, when she’s stronger than me!”
“If you say so, I guess.”
The imperial guard...? MacGregor...? Marquisate? I gave Alma a scrutinizing look.
Yellow-green hair... Tall and poised... Caramel eyes...
“Alma, this is just a wild guess, but would you happen to have a brother who’s prideful, stupidly tall, loves spearmanship and Prince Gardner, and has the same color hair as you?”
“I have three older brothers who are prideful, stupidly tall, and love spearmanship and the royal family. But the one who loves Prince Gardner in particular and has the same color hair as me is over there.”
I followed Alma’s line of sight, which led me to a familiar face—someone who looked just like Alma, but bigger, was giving me a condescending glare.
“Oh, you’re twins... Sorry. Even though he’s not in our class, I have a feeling he might pick a fight with me anyway.”
The day had finally come—my first encounter with an enemy in around seven years.
It was Cecil MacGregor.
I thought back to my list from last night. Cecil was the grandson of the commander of the imperial guard, so he had been Prince Gardner’s crony—or rather, classmate—since he was little. He was extremely prideful because of his status as part of a marquisate family and his decent skill. As for why his skill was only decent, the imperial guard’s job was to protect the royal family—the position of commander was in name only, a title for noble boys to inherit for added prestige. None of them ever fought on the front lines.
He was enemy number three from the heroine’s side, after my brother and the second prince. I’d messed up—I’d assumed they would all go to the magic academy, but if he wanted to join the imperial guard, it was no wonder he’d go to knight school. I’d been careless.
I’ve only just encountered Maribelle! What’s with this one-two punch?! I don’t want to involve myself with them any more than I already have!
But I can’t just distance myself from Alma at this point! She’s my only female classmate. I don’t want to let go of the first female friend I’ve made in this world.
A scene from the novel came into my mind...
I was being attacked at the magic academy. Cecil grabbed me by the hair and shoved my face into the dirt.
“Someone as cruel as you isn’t worthy of being with the prince!”
“If killing in a war is a crime, then try me in a military tribunal. I only followed the orders I got from His Majesty. Can you say you’re innocent, when you’re hurting a girl who hasn’t done anything wrong off of the battlefield? I thought imperial guards were supposed to be the most noble group.”
“Shut up! You don’t get to talk with all that blood on your hands!”
He’d punched and kicked me until my face didn’t look the same anymore. He was a stupid, sadistic boy...
“Sere! What’s wrong?!” Lou rushed up to me with a serious look on his face. He was especially protective today after what had happened just yesterday.
I’m starting to hyperventilate... Let’s take a deep breath...
“Hey, you’re scaring me with that look on your face,” said Nick.
Once again, I’d been unable to control my feelings from this spur-of-the-moment encounter. I looked up at the ceiling.
“Sorry, Nick. I just overreacted to Alma’s brother glaring at me. I always accept any fight someone picks with me... It helps resolve any misunderstandings as fast as possible. I might not be able to get along with your brother, Alma. Do you mind?”
Unexpectedly, Alma laughed. “I don’t get along with him either, so don’t worry about it. Actually, this is the first time I’ve met a girl who doesn’t like Cecil. I’m a little touched!”
Kodak interrupted my relief at hearing that with a smack on my head.
“Hey, rein in that bloodlust of yours! Let’s let off some steam. You’ll go first. Gather around, you all! The first year classes will be sparring today. No weapons. Match is over when someone either gives up or gets knocked down. I won’t give any directions today, so go at it with all you’ve got! Serephione will go first from Class 1. Who’ll volunteer from Class 2?”
“I’ll go.” Cecil stepped forward with a pompous air.
Lou checked my facial expression. “Is he on the list?”
“Yeah... I’ll tell you about it later.” I turned to Alma. “Sorry. I’m so sleepy today, I might not be able to restrain myself.”
“I told you, don’t worry about it!” Alma saw me off with the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her.
“Girls are scary...” muttered Nick.
I ignored Nick’s mumbling and proceeded to the center court.
Before me was a cocky, high-class-looking boy with a corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. His features were the same as Alma’s, but he looked completely different from her cute face. If they were twins, why was he wearing nicer clothes than Alma? It ticked me off even more. I’d have to get Alma some new ones to match mine.
I didn’t have any grievances against Cecil in this life, but I planned to crush him thoroughly; I’d beat him so black and blue that he would never oppose me again—I didn’t want him to show his face around me ever again.
This is for my own self-protection, so, uh... Sorry?
When the starting whistle blew, I immediately leapt into the air, far above Cecil’s 180 centimeters of height. From there, I accelerated downward, readied my right foot, and slammed my heel down—right into Cecil’s empty head!
Thump! Cecil’s face hit the ground so hard it made a dent. Having touched down, I grabbed his green hair, turned his motionless head to the side, and checked his pulse on his neck.
“He’s alive.”
“Match over! Aid, take him to the nurse. Serephione, I see you were able to hold back nicely. Do you all get the idea? Let’s keep this going! Next!”
“That was impressive restraint,” commented Lou.
“I guess. But it hurt just seeing his face...” I looked down at my feet.
“It hurt, huh...? You’re finally saying it out loud. Don’t worry. You have my sympathy!” Lou inexplicably smiled softly.
Why? When you say sympathy...all you really mean is you’ll let me have a few bites of the cakes I give you, right?
The sparring took more time than expected, and the day ended with everyone only getting in one fight each. Alma was as strong as I’d figured she’d be, given that she’d intimidated me the first time we met—she OHKO’d the agile boy she was facing with a blow to the back of the neck. The only thing was that her movements were too linear. She had plenty of room to grow, though, so she was bound to transform during our four years at this school.
Nick was as strong as I remembered him. He dodged his opponent’s attacks just by stepping out of the way for three whole minutes, and when said opponent was completely exhausted, Nick delivered a straight punch to the chin with his right arm to end it.
“Weren’t you bored with how basic that was?” I asked him.
“I wanted to prove I can do the basics too!”
That put me, Alma, and Nick firmly in the winning half of the sparring pecking order. Everyone around us should have been quiet, but when Alma and I entered the cafeteria to get dinner, the room broke out into a commotion.
Alma sighed.
“Is something wrong, Alma?”
“Nothing. Oh, look, Serephi! Today’s meals are herb-grilled fish or barbecued meat. Which are you getting?”
“Wow, they both sound so good, I can’t choose. I don’t know what to do!”
“He he, do you want to get one each and split them?”
“Ahhh, thank you, Alma! I’ve never gone halfsies before! Yay!”
My first time going halfsies with a friend in my life! I’ll never forget this day!
The people around us began to chatter.
“S-Serephi! Keep it down! It’s not that big of a deal.”
“S-Sorry.”
Apologies for making a fuss during your mealtime, everybody.
We took our trays of food from the cook, found Nick sitting by the window, and sat next to him without asking.
“Nick! Check it out! Alma and I are splitting our food! We get to have both!”
I wish I could take a picture of this plate to commemorate my first halfsies experience!
“I’m eating both too, you know.”
I looked at Nick’s tray. He had a plate each of meat and fish. He’d ordered a meal for two.
“Darn it, I didn’t know you could do that...”
“I can’t believe you’re so happy over splitting a meal... You have it harder than I thought.” Nick patted my head. Suddenly, there was a commotion around us again! What’s going on?
“Tch, what a pain. I can’t eat in peace with you around, Serephi. Go away!” He shooed me.
I was dismayed. “Wh-Why? Did I do something?”
“You tell this oblivious girl what’s up, Alma!”
Alma sighed. “You know, Serephi... To put it simply, you stand out a lot.”
“Because I’m strong?” I was self-aware of my strength, so I felt no need to play it down.
“Well, that too, but mostly because you’re girly.”
“I’m not just ‘girly,’ I’m a bona fide girl!”
“No, no, I mean...your appearance, and your mannerisms.”
“Huh? But you and the other girls taught me yesterday, so I’m in my uniform instead of my pajamas. All I did was put on a cardigan because I got cold after taking my jacket off! This cardigan isn’t much either. My brother manually extracted the poison from hundreds of red scorpions that he caught, so I thought I’d use the leftover shells to dye my white cardigan, but what do you know, it turned out this soft pink...”
“Gahhh! That’s enough, stop talking! Just eat already!”
“Nick, it’s not good manners to yell, you know? Hm? Did you lose your appetite?”
Nick didn’t respond.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, Nick.”
“Thanks, Alma.”
Oh, are they getting along well? How nice.
As I was enjoying Nick’s leftover meat, a shadow suddenly loomed over the table. I instantly got goosebumps. I thought I’d kicked the guts to stand before me out of him. My mood sank drastically.
“What do you want, Cecil?” Alma’s voice lacked any trace of warmth.
He appeared to be the picture of health, as if a skilled healer had worked on him.
“Not you. I want to talk to Granzeus.”
I flushed. My family name? Even though people deliberately don’t use it at school? His sense of privilege is on full display.
I raised my eyebrows and noticed Alma looking into the distance, her shoulders shaking. Is she angry? No, wait, why is she laughing in this situation?
“As you can see, I’m currently eating. Is it urgent?” I continued eating, naturally.
“I, Cecil MacGregor, am unsatisfied with the results of today’s fight, and I would like a rematch!”
Om nom nom. It wasn’t urgent at all.
I met eyes with Nick; he looked completely fed up. Alma’s entire body was shaking now. Is she more giggly than I realized?
“Hey!” Cecil yelled.
“Phew! That was good.”
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, yes, I’m listening. So, basically, you’re unsatisfied with the results of our fight and you want a rematch?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m terribly sorry, but that won’t be happening.”
“What?!” Cecil slammed the table, shaking the plates. Nick glared at him. Cecil flinched at his unusual fieriness. No wonder—he didn’t understand how fixated commoners were on food.
“Serephi, this guy is getting on my nerves. Give him an explanation and then make him leave.”
“Hah... Sorry, Nick. Cecil MacGregor, I understand that you personally feel unsatisfied with the results of our match, but I can assure you there was no cheating involved. Three teachers were refereeing. I don’t imagine you would criticize the referee skills of our teachers?”
“Th-That’s not what I mean. I just wanted to request a rematch. I...was caught off guard.”
“Well, if you were caught off guard, you should count yourself lucky it wasn’t a real fight. I take it that you’d like to challenge me, regardless of today’s match?”
“Exactly! Challenge me fair and square!”
“That won’t be possible.”
“Are you disrespecting me?”
“No. It’s just a rule. Look at this.” I took my plate from my chest—the second most important thing for my future life as an adventurer, following my life itself.
“No way...” muttered Nick.
“Ah... It’s real. How gorgeous...” Alma sighed.
“I’m a silver ranker with Trundle Guild. Outside of classes, if you want to challenge a bronze ranker or above, you must be at least one rank below them and no lower. That means only bronze rankers and up can challenge me. You must also have a neutral guild present as an official witness, and finally, an application fee—in my case, it would be a million gold. That’s the rule. It’s a serious matter and could risk your life, although I’m sure to you, it’s a small price to pay, Cecil MacGregor.”
I was parched from talking so much at once. I picked up my cup of hot tea and took a sip. Mm, tasty.
“Talk to me once you’ve fulfilled these conditions.”
Cecil was at a loss for words.
After that encounter, nobody made a fuss about my clothes anymore, so I gradually lost my anxiety about it. At times I would come to get breakfast without changing out of my pajamas, earning me a chastising from my pair of big sisters, Elise and Sasara.
And then...
“C-Can I sit with you? Alma, and, uh, Miss Serephione.”
“C-Cecil?”
Alma, Lou, and I all went wide-eyed with surprise, dropping our spoons with a clatter.
Why am I eating breakfast with a yellow-green head on either side of me?
“Nice weather we’re having,” he offered. Nobody replied.
I thought I drove him away! I did utterly annihilate him, right? In both body and mind!
“That’s a...lovely way of eating...”
He’s attached to me now?!
“Could you, uh...train me? You can shove my head into the ground with your little feet... Oh, Alma, you’re welcome to join too...”
Is he a masochist?
◇ ◇ ◇
It was the time of year when red leaves danced in the air. I was about to head to the cafeteria for lunch when a light flashed outside my window.
It was messenger magic in the shape of a paper airplane. Enrique’s was butterfly-shaped, so this wasn’t from the Granzeus household. Incidentally, messenger magic wouldn’t open unless the receiver had magic.
As I’d assumed, it was addressed to me. I casually took it from outside the window, let some of my magic into it, and opened it on my lap.
“Come to the martial arts area after school,” it read.
An invitation! Finally!
I’d always dreamed of being in this position. Would a delinquent try to bully me behind the gym like “You’ve been pretty full of yourself lately?” Or...would somebody ask me out, like “S-Serephione! I’ve always liked you! Please go out with me!”
Finally! I got to have this situation in my second life...
“That’s a creepy smile you’re making, Serephi. I guess I’ll head to the cafeteria by myself...”
“W-Wait, Alma!”
“Serephione! You’re finally here!”
My shoulders sank. Just an old man?
It was General Avenger who’d sent the invitation!
“Sorry, Sere,” Lou giggled.
Lou, could you not shake on top of my head? It’s too obvious that you’re laughing.
The general was wearing a white button-down and khaki-colored pants instead of his uniform today. He looked younger without all the badges stiffening his shoulders.
“It’s already been half a year since you started school...no, eight months? Are you used to the school yet? Have you made friends? What’s your major? You didn’t bring anyone else today, did you?”
“I’m used to it, thanks to your help. I made friends with a sweetheart and a sun-carrying kid. My major is archery. I got my certifications for the short lance and one-handed sword when I went to observe the classes. My grandmother isn’t here today.” The last question is the only one he’s really concerned about...
“I see. Glad to hear it...”
Yep. Look at how he immediately relaxed.
“So, Serephione, how much magic can you use?”
“My father has taught me the four basic elements and what I need for daily life.”
The premise was that my magic had awakened after birth, but I was still a daughter of the Granzeus family. It would sound like a lie if I said I hadn’t practiced at all. Also, I couldn’t forget to make my father’s presence known. I set up a magic net around the building so I would notice right away if anyone approached.
“I see... So I can proceed under the assumption that you can use a certain degree of magic.”
“Yes!”
“Wonderful! Then let me explain to you the ultimate fusion of magic and the sword that I have conceived of!”
Ooh, exciting!
“I call it the magical knight! A magical knight can enchant a sword such as this to increase their power. When they swing it, it activates magic to attack the opponent.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t blame you for struggling to picture it. Let me demonstrate. Here goes! Hah!”
The general used magic on the sword in his hand. It was water; the sword turned slightly bluish and took on a sheen of moisture.
“And when you swing it... Hah!” The general gave it a swing. A metallic sound rang from the sword, and a stream of water sprayed out of it.
“So? Isn’t it beautiful? If a more powerful magician used this, when they swung the sword, it would activate a wave that washed their enemies away. Just one soldier would be able to do the work of a hundred.”
Lou and I were speechless.
“Apparently, water magic can produce lightning if highly developed. A lightning sword would be a dream. You could instantly electrify and stun enemies from kilometers away. You could win battles without any bloodshed or death! Ah, how I wish I could live to see that day.” General Avenger’s eyes sparkled like those of a young boy.
“Sere...just tell him. I can’t take this any longer.” Lou looked up at the ceiling with pain in his eyes. I sighed and raised my head.
“General?”
“Hm? Do you get the idea?”
“I hate to tell you this, but...”
“What is it?”
“That kind of magic has been in use for years.”
“Huh?”
When I explained using my brother’s magic tournament as an example, General Avenger sank to his knees.
“That match wasn’t a secret; it was held in front of a huge audience. I thought the idea of using lightning magic on a sword was already well-known. I guess it’s possible you would have to know it to spot it.”
“B-But a magical knight doesn’t just use magic! They also have to have exceptional swordsmanship!”
“That’s true, but there’s at least one person at the academy who’s skilled with a sword.”
“There is?!”
“Do you know whose grandchild my brother is?”
“I do... Colonel Erza’s...” The general was close to tears.
“I think the top four at that magic academy must have been using enchanted swords. Are you cooperating with the academy to develop new tech?”
“Ha ha ha, no. If anything, they keep things confidential. Even though we’re all working to defend the kingdom... I’m embarrassed for the younger generation.”
I felt kind of bad for the general.
“Well, in any case, I’ll make your dream come true, so cheer up!” I took my short lance out of the holder at my thigh, swung it up and to the right, and used lightning magic on it.
Brrring! Yellow sparks covered the short blade.
“It’s lightning...”
“Here goes!” I swung the blade down.
Zap-zap-zap-zappp!
Lightning strikes poured like rain into the arena, avoiding me, Lou, and the general.
“B-Beautiful...” A tear fell from the general’s eye.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Nice to meet you! I’m Elise, a fourth year at knight school!”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Sasara, likewise a fourth year.”
“N-Nice to meet you! I’m Alma! A first year!”
“He he, nice to meet you. Welcome to Trundle Guild. My name is Erza Trundle. I’ve heard good things about you from Serephione.”
I received a summons from my grandmother on a holiday in late autumn. She said to bring the girls I hang out with at school for a tea party. However, unlike me with Lou, the others were further from Trundle territory than I imagined. Also, Sasara went to her orphanage every weekend and was busy taking care of her little sister. Once I told my grandmother that, she came to see us at the Trundle mansion in the capital.
My grandmother smiled sweetly as she unashamedly scrutinized my friends.
“Grandmother? Now that we’re done with introductions, should we go into the guest area?”
“Now, girls, I take it from Serephione that you usually just wear your uniforms?” Judging by her manner of speech, she didn’t like that fact.
The three shot me a glare. No, I only told her stories involving myself! I don’t even know which part of that story upset my grandmother! You don’t understand, so stop looking at me like I did something wrong!
“How shameful for my juniors...”
My grandmother clapped her hands, summoning the women who served her. The way you move... I can tell you’re not just maids.
“We don’t have much time. Commence the plan! Get to work!”
“Wh-What?!”
“Eek!”
“S-Serephi!”
The three were whisked away at my grandmother’s orders.
Whoa!
When the three came back into the guest area, they were dressed to the nines, almost as if they were going to a royal ball.
First was Elise. She wore a navy blue dress with a mermaid skirt and silver high heels. Her neck and ears were decorated with sapphire jewelry, and her straight, jet black hair was in a half-up hairstyle, partially gathered at the top of her head with the rest hanging down to her chest.
Next, we had Sasara. She wore a gorgeous, voluminous crimson dress with matching high heels. Her curly blonde hair was skillfully tied up, and rubies adorned her exposed ears and neck.
Last but not least, there was Alma. She wore an A-line dress with a white top and a black skirt. A simple design, but it was covered with lace! She had on black heels, and her emerald accessories matched her hair.
They all had their makeup done as well, and their beauty was on another level! They looked not just sweet, but dignified as well.
“Wow! Beautiful! You all look amazing!” I gushed.
The three inspected their outfits, not caring to hide their bewilderment.
“What in the world...”
“I can’t pay for this if I get it dirty!”
“I’ve never worn something so gorgeous...”
My grandmother got our attention with a quick tap of her fan on her hand. “Listen here. I don’t care if you like these outfits or not. These are the outfits I have determined flatter you most. Now, have you mastered how to do your hair, makeup, and accessorizing?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!” the three exclaimed.
“This is what we call a woman’s battle armor. Elise, if you were the queen’s bodyguard, would you go to a glamorous party still in your armor?”
“No.”
“Sasara, if you were to go to a ball in a neighboring country to gather information in disguise, could you do it in your military uniform?”
“No.”
“Alma, if you infiltrated enemy territory posing as a married couple, could you get around in a gown?”
“I couldn’t...”
“Precisely. Female knights must not only be able to do everything a man can, but also master that which only a woman can do. If you were the same as a man, a man could take your place. A woman’s value comes from being able to do the work of both a man and a woman.”
So, that was how it was... Thinking back, in addition to training in my ninja uniform, she’d made me do hunting and target practice in a dress. I’d enjoyed taking my short lance and shurikens out from inside my dress like I was in a spy movie. Oh, but when I fell in the lake, the dress made me sink, so I ended up reincarnating into yet another world—or at least, I had steeled my resolve to do so before Lou pulled me out of the water.
“Let’s go into the garden. Select a weapon that you can hide under your dress. You’ll fight one-on-one at full strength for fifteen minutes. Two sets. Serephi, you too. Oh, and if you mess up your dress or makeup even a little, I’ll reset the timer to zero. Now, go!”
“Huh?”
“Waaah!”
“Lady Erza...so commanding...”
“Oh, I suppose. Now, make me a cup of tea while you’re on break, and do it elegantly. Hey! Don’t walk so stiffly just because the dress is knee-length! Stand up straight! It’s overflowing onto the saucer! Are you even considering the temperature?”
“Is this enough tea leaves?”
“Waaah!”
“Lady Erza...so wonderful...”
“I’ll have you drink two cups of tea now. One is poisoned. Tell me which it is. Oh, and don’t worry. If you drink it, you just won’t be able to move tomorrow. This will increase your resistance and help you carry out secret missions.”
“Oh, no... I’m feeling dizzy...”
“Eeeek!”
“Tea that Lady Erza made...!” Gulp, gulp.
Wait, I remember feeling sick after drinking my grandmother’s tea a long time ago too.
“Yeah, she’s put nine kinds of poison in yours,” Lou replied to my thoughts. “I didn’t stop you because it wasn’t enough to kill you.”
You definitely should have stopped me!
“I see you’re all thoroughly exhausted. Now, give me a genuine-looking smile. You can’t leave unless you do.”
“Ch-Cheese?”
“Hee hee hee?”
“Wahhhh!”
“You think you can deceive enemies and allies with stiff faces like that?! No good! Ten laps around the perimeter!”
“Waaah!” they all cried.
“Sere...do all female knights have it this rough?” asked Lou.
“I dunno, I’m an adventurer...”
“Good job, you three.” I passed out tea and cookies that my grandmother made to the thoroughly beaten-down girls.
“Don’t worry, I tested them for poison!” I reassured them.
“O-Oh, you did?” Elise fearfully put a cookie to her mouth.
“Listen, girls,” my grandmother began. “I order you to come here once a month and review what you learned today until you reach an acceptable level in my eyes. This is not up for debate. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the three replied.
“Elise and Sasara, come even after you’ve graduated, and stop by the Marcus Trade Company in the center of the capital when you come. They can help you find the dresses and accessories you need. Marcus’s wife was one of the ladies who helped you today. She already knows your faces, so you can just pop in without worrying.”
“B-But...I don’t have that kind of money...or the social standing to go to the Marcus Trade Company...” Sasara stammered, looking down.
The Marcus Trade Company was at the forefront of the fashion world of Judore, and it was priced to match. Its reservation list was always full, and nobody got in without one. It certainly was difficult to get into.
“Hmph! I won’t accept a junior of mine being fearful! Do you understand how much money we’ve made Marcus? The monotone, the pajamas, and splitting the dress into top and bottom were all our ideas. Leave it to me. Dresses are a woman’s battle armor. You can’t win without them!”
“But I couldn’t possibly take charity from you!”
“Use the money for the dresses on the orphanage, then, and do a better job than anyone expects. Become your little brothers’ and sisters’ hope!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Elise! If you are to live in the enclosed space of a temple in the future, you must be sensitive and knowledgeable of the world to understand the concerns of the laity. Use my name and go down the mountain once a month.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
I hadn’t told my grandmother anything about Sasara, Elise, and Alma that they hadn’t told me themselves. She must have done her own research into them. Well, it was no wonder, given her position, and it led to them being well-received by my grandmother.
“I...really get to wear something this gorgeous...” Alma muttered.
“Wear beautiful clothing, stand tall, and fight! That’s an order. You can use my having said that as your excuse. Internal conflict comes with being young...” My grandmother chuckled and hid her mouth with her fan gracefully. “Do not tell a soul about our tea party today. Women can make better expressions with a secret or two.”
I remembered that the invitation was for a tea party. It had turned out to be no different from my hellish training.
When we were about to go back to my dorm, my grandmother said, “Take these, you three. Anyone who sees them will know who your guardian is.”
She handed out hair accessories made of white gold and inlaid with jewels. They took them reverently and gazed at them, their eyes sparkling.
“Lou, are those...”
“Yep. There’s a bit of liquid inside,” he answered.
I had to lecture Team Erza on how to handle the hair accessories as soon as we got back to the dorm, before somebody died...
In the end, the only tea that had been poisoned was mine. That made ten different poisons in total. It might have been a placebo effect from realizing I drank poison, but I didn’t have the energy to put up an appearance of being well. I went back to the dorm, but I wasn’t able to get up, so I missed classes for the day.
As I lay in bed, a cold drizzle fell outside my window. Winter was coming.
“I can’t believe that Lady Erza... Here, this is the antidote.” Kodak had come to check on me.
“Thank you, but I’ll pass on the antidote. After all the hardship I went through last night, and now that my body is used to it, it would be a waste to use the antidote.”
Kodak sighed and ruffled my hair. “You’re diligent, young lady. I’ll bring you something good to heal the poison in the afternoon, so get some sleep today.”
According to him, Elise, Sasara, and Alma were all well and attended class. I’m a family member, so it’s okay for me, but if you poison someone else’s kid and there are lasting effects, you’ll go to prison... Got it, grandmother?
I lay alone and looked at the ceiling. In Wild Rose, I had been an essential character in this world, but in reality, I was just like any average middle schooler. I wasn’t scared of being poisoned in the slightest. If I was going to be killed in a novel-like way, it wouldn’t be so quiet. It would be a grand public execution.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a powerful aura. I took my right hand from under my blanket and cast illusion, perception-disruption, and soundproofing magic.
“This is unusual, Sere. Are you feeling ill?”
Moving just my face, I greeted the featherball I hadn’t seen for some time.
“Long time no see, Asu. Aren’t your wings wet from the rain?”
A crease appeared between Asu’s...eyebrows? “Hmm... What is he doing while you’re in this state?”
“He he. I threw up a lot last night, so Lou is going to get water for me from the Spring of...Daruma?”
“The Spring of Dorma... Well, drinking that will certainly calm you down. I’ll give you first aid for now.”
Asu landed on my chest. He didn’t feel heavy. He then shed a single tear from one eye and dampened my lips with it. My body instantly felt lighter.
“Thank you, Asu. I should expect as much from a phoenix.”
“Phoenix? I’m impressed you know that. Did you know if you cut off my head and drink the blood, you can become immortal? Care to try it?”
I managed to lift myself up, and I sat with my back against my headboard. “I’ll pass. It would be lonely to live forever on my own.”
“Wise. I should expect as much from a Reborn.”
“You heard?”
“I eavesdropped.”
“My, how shameless.”
I took a cookie out from my Magic Room, put it in my right hand, and held it out. I wouldn’t give him cake; that would cause a battle between the two heavenly beasts!
Asu, sensing that I wasn’t going to move any more, shrunk down on my bed, took the cookie in his beak, and munched on it on my chest.
I looked out my window again, feeling blissful as I stroked Asu’s beautiful, unworldly rainbow wings. The rain was picking up. Is Lou doing all right? I pictured Lou soaking wet and let out a sigh.
“Sere.”
I resumed petting Asu, trying to fix his feathers. We met eyes.
“Gillain is now the emperor. Both the first prince and the emperor are now confined to their homes.”
“That was fast!”
“Faster than in the prophecy?”
In the book, he had taken the throne when he was twenty-five and I was fifteen. He then invaded Judore at twenty-seven. I was convicted during that war, and at seventeen, I defected to Galé. At eighteen, I was taken prisoner by my home country, and my magic was taken away—I would then die there.
This was almost two years faster than in the book. Did that mean things had diverged from the plot? Or would it progress as written, since he ended up as the emperor all the same?
“So...did he wish on the stars to become emperor soon?”
“Reigning over Galé was a foregone conclusion for Gillain, whether it came early or late, given his power. He had no need to rely on the stars.”
“That’s true.”
But what could he have wished for back then? Maybe someone average like me has no chance of understanding what goes through a genius’s mind.
“Has anything about him changed?”
“He’s as strong as ever, and he doesn’t let anyone get close to him.”
He didn’t let anyone get close... He was already being treated like a god. I wondered if he now had the same icy eyes as in my past life. He himself wanted the position of emperor no matter what, so he most likely accepted the loneliness that came with it, but... That’s right, at least...
I took a necklace with a blue jewel out from the bag I kept by my bed. The jewel was a souvenir from when my brother went mining that he gave to me last time he came home—lapis lazuli. It didn’t have any particular value in this world, but in my past life, it had been popular as a healing crystal. I’d charmed it for good luck, financial luck, and presence of mind, and given one each to my father and brother to protect them from being swayed by any spell, charm, or plot correction. I gently held my own in my hands and made a wish on it. The jewel shone faintly.
“This is a charm I made. Give it to the emperor as congratulations for ascending to the throne.”
Asu tilted his head. “What is it?”
“It’s lapis lazuli, a jewel that was said to bring good luck in my past life. I’ve also woven a bit of a shed dragon skin into the string above the jewel. It should bring financial luck. Oh, but I guess the emperor wouldn’t need money. There isn’t anything he can’t get for himself, anyway. If he doesn’t want it, you can have it!”
“Your magic is soaked into it. Have you been wearing this?”
“Yeah. Isn’t it pretty? Oh, look! It’s deep ultramarine, just like the sky on that night. The gold streaks look like shooting stars. Don’t you agree?”
“Certainly.”
“So, did you come today just to tell me that Gillain took the throne?”
“I came to gently remind you that you only have two years until your ten years are up. You’ll turn fourteen soon, won’t you?”
It had been eight years since the magic tournament when I was six. It was about two years until the time Gillain had declared he would come for me.
“Is that promise really still in effect? He’s the emperor now, right? Couldn’t he have his pick of high-ranking ladies? Why would he want a little girl like me?”
Well, I came with a hopeless fluffball too.
“Of course the promise is in effect. You’re the only one who can relax next to Gillain.”
Is that a compliment? Or is he subtly dissing my psychological strength?
“Two years, huh...? He he, I wonder if I’ll even be alive then,” I muttered as it came to mind. Asu narrowed his eyes.
“Sere, never say anything like that to Lou. The loss of a contractor when it is not guaranteed by fate means the loss of our own soul. Just hinting at it would make him uneasy.”
“Of course I wouldn’t say that to Lou. I said it because it’s you.”
“Sere...you will not die at sixteen. Gillain will loom large before anyone that dares to threaten you.”
“Asu, the emperor doesn’t have that kind of free time. You must not be very familiar with the human world.”
“It’s you who’s unfamiliar. The only person in this world who can give Gillain what he wants is you, Sere.”
It was magic, wasn’t it? I knew from my past life...
◇ ◇ ◇
I thought I would be able to breathe more easily when I got into knight school, but between being threatened by Maribelle, whose own story had begun, and Gillain becoming emperor, things that I couldn’t stay apathetic about were happening one after the other.
I had to save up money and strength at a fever pitch to prepare for what was to come. I planned to leave the country the next time I met Maribelle in the future. I would go far away overseas. That was the emergency plan Lou, my father, and I decided on. I would live on my own as an adventurer somewhere where nobody knew me. If I stayed alive, someday, I would be able to see my father, Lou...and my brother and grandmother again.
I saved cash by going to the guild between classes and taking commissions. With that money, I bought equipment I would need as an adventurer in the future, such as tents, rain gear, weapons, and tools to maintain those weapons. Then I stored it all in my Magic Room (Living Alone). Things that were easy to use cost quite a bit, so my savings quickly ran out.
If I’d asked my papa, he would have helped me as much as I wanted, but I didn’t know if I would be able to rely on my father’s money in the future. If the plot corrected itself back to how it went in the book and he kicked out his convicted daughter, our family wouldn’t survive unscathed. So...I took more commissions.
At times, I would ride on Lou like a horse. We went around collecting rare materials to save for the future. We’d been just about everywhere in the kingdom.
However, to gather materials outside the kingdom, we would have to cross borders. Unlike my brother, I was a chicken, so I could never have snuck illegally into another country. Naturally, crossing a border required a lot of bureaucracy, and a noble lady venturing outside of the kingdom would attract suspicion. I couldn’t stand out right now and signal where exactly I was, so I was stuck.
If I were to become an A-rank adventurer, however, I could cross the border into any country for exploration purposes just by showing my gold plate. I would also be able to earn more money from the guild as an A-ranker, I’d get a special A-rank discount on purchases, and I’d be able to buy more risky medicinal items.
That long preface takes us to...yes, my old friend, Trundle Guild! There was now another sign there that read “Superior Strength.”
I, Serephione G., had come to take the A-rank qualification test!
“Salutations!”
“Good to see you here, Serephione,” Ziek greeted me with a smile. “Everything is ready for you. Go on and prove your strength.”
When I went into the arena, my grandmother was sitting elegantly in a silver-gray gown. She would be the examiner. Ziek went over to her side. Lou hopped off my shoulder onto my grandmother’s lap.
Relatives usually weren’t allowed to be the observer or opponent, but Trundle Guild only had as many S- and A-rankers as you could count on your fingers. Nobody thought my grandmother, of all people, would go easy on me, so the guild’s board of directors approved it. She was the kind of person to poison her granddaughter to make her stronger, after all.
My opponent was Gilbert, an S-ranker. He had become one of the top adventurers at Trundle Guild.
Gilbert looked at me with the same gentle eyes he always did. “Come at me with all you’ve got, Serephi!”
I nodded and gripped my short lance with both hands.
“You can do it, miss!”
“Good luck, Serephi!”
“Finish him in one shot, miss!”
“Go! Serephi!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my audience of Matt, Lara, Kodak, and Nick, who had recently made his guild debut. Rank tests above B-rank were a celebrated event at the guild, so any member who wanted to could watch. No high-ranker would be distracted by an audience.
“Begin!”
Gilbert unsheathed his long one-handed sword. The blade shook slightly and shone a clear blue when he gripped it. His magic was flowing through it. See, General Avenger! We have a magical knight right here!
He took two steps toward me and swung for my right hand. I jumped back to dodge, but I misjudged the sword’s length and his reach—a stream of blood dripped down my cheek and then froze solid. Snow blew from Gil’s sword.
Awesome! It’s so cool that it’s snow instead of ice! I have to learn how to do that.
It’s cliche, but if I’m up against snow... I sent my magic through my short sword’s blade and cast a spell on it.
I dashed forward in a zigzag, went around Gil’s left side, and aimed a kick at his throat. When he raised his arms to block, I wasted no time in slamming the short sword in my right hand into his sword.
Clang! Sizzle!
My blade was extremely hot with fire magic. Gil’s snow sword immediately steamed up on contact. Fog filled the arena. I pulled my right hand back, put the blades in each of my hands on either side of his sword, and thrust it to the left, the opposite direction of before. The snow sword shattered, unable to withstand the sudden temperature change and the force from the two hot blades.
“Gh!” Gil couldn’t see me through the fog. Yeah, I was using a new convenient type of magic similar to night-vision goggles that let me see through any darkness or fog, so what?
I jumped soundlessly onto Gil’s shoulders into a piggyback position.
“S-Serephi! Where’d you come from?!”
I wrapped my legs around his neck and squeezed. In my past life’s terms, this would be called a triangle choke, except my opponent was still standing in this version. How did I know about this technique, you ask? That adorable little brother who chased after me crying when he was little grew into a judo practitioner with an unstylish buzz cut, and I, his older sister, spent all my time taking him to and from practice and cheering him on.
I changed the angle of my right thigh and squeezed even harder. “Do you surrender yet, Gil?”
“That’s not—That move is...dangerous! Stop!”
He’s still able to talk? His face is completely red, though. I turned my thigh to hold him more firmly. “How about now?”
“Don’t give me that! Your chest is touching me now! Shit, this is going to get me killed!”
How rude! I’d never kill you, Gil! It seemed I hadn’t delivered the finishing blow yet. I put my left arm over Gil’s face, blocking his vision, and tried to bring him down by twisting his neck to the left. His face pressed against my chest.
“Serephi! Stop clinging to me, or else...!”
Why is he screaming? The audience started to yell.
“Hey, Gilbert! What’s going on in there?!”
“Damn it, I can’t see through this fog!”
“Serephione! Serephione!!!”
“S-Serephi! Pull yourself together!”
I’m actually pretty level-headed right now, Nick?
“Th-The demon lord...is going to...kill me...” Gil abruptly collapsed backwards, along with me. Ow, my butt!
“Serephione! Clear this fog immediately!” resounded my grandmother’s exasperated voice. How unusual. What’s going on?
I used lightning magic to run something like static electricity through the air, clearing the fog. Then I looked up at my grandmother and Ziek, my arms and legs still squeezed around Gil. I wanted to raise my rank, after all, so I had to keep the hold in place.
My grandmother and Ziek were white as sheets.
“Is something wrong?”
The two observers looked back and forth at me and Gil—and suddenly, their faces twisted with demonic rage.
“Serephione, get off of Gilbert this instant!”
“Eh? But grandmother, I haven’t—”
“Just do it!”
I let go of Gilbert since my grandmother’s tone was so severe. Tch. If this were judo, that would have secured me the win...
As soon as I let go, Kodak jumped out of the audience at inhuman speed and landed a flying kick on the unconscious Gil! Wow! A real hero kick!
Bam! Gilbert slammed into the wall.
“Gilbert! What do you think you’re doing to Serephione?!”
“Huh?”
He’s unconscious, so I doubt he’s thinking anything...
Before I knew it, Matt, Nick, and Lara had rushed to his side too. Their features were already intimidating, so it was really scary to see them so angry!
“Gilbert, I thought better of you! I can’t believe you had her thighs squeezing your neck!”
“Gilbert! I looked up to you, but you had your face in Serephi’s...!”
“Nooo! There’s a cut on the fairy’s face!”
“Move.”
Eeek! Ziek the devil has come to earth! There’s a tornado behind him again!
Ziek grabbed the unconscious Gil by the neck and dragged him outside.
“Um... Grandmother, Lou, what’s going on?”
My grandmother sighed. “Serephi...you’re not allowed to use that choking technique in the future.”
“It’s for your own good... No, it’s to keep the peace,” said Lou.
I had no idea what they meant, but I’d become the owner of the A-rank gold plate of my heart’s desire. So why couldn’t I feel genuinely happy about it?
◇ ◇ ◇
When the new year came around, the fourth-years began working hard in preparation to graduate. They had to decide what they would do after graduation, take make-up exams for missing credits, and those who didn’t have a full license in a martial art had to train hard to get one.
After they completed all of those trials, there would be a graduation dance party. The big lecture building would be transformed into a dance hall, and everyone would bring a partner to celebrate graduation with some light alcoholic drinks, snacks, and dancing.
“Serephi, Alma, help out with the dance party! Please!” said Elise, eating vanilla ice cream at one of the last few pajama parties we would be able to have. Eating ice cream in a warm room in midwinter was pure bliss.
“Huh? You don’t have enough staff members? I can be a receptionist, at least...”
Sasara smiled wryly through a mouthful of refreshing lemon sherbet. “All the guys in our year are too sorry to ask out girls from outside the school, so we need some girls to dance with them.”
We’d learned how to dance at the Trundle mansion, so there shouldn’t have been a problem on that front.
“Sasara, why would people want to dance with us rough knight school students on their last big party, anyway? There’s gotta be tons of cute girls outside the school they could invite.” Alma tipped her head as she ate her strawberry ice cream.
“Yeah, don’t guys look twenty percent more handsome once they put on the knight school uniform? Plus they have bright futures. They shouldn’t have any trouble reeling in the ladies,” I said between bites of chocolate ice cream.
“Apparently, they’re saying this is their last chance to dance with the Twilight Fairy and the Stoic Lily!”
Tea sprayed out of Alma’s mouth.
“That’s another lovely nickname you’ve earned there, Alma...”
“Who...? Why...?”
“To be totally honest...the two of us don’t feel like we can manage this on our own. So, please! Help us make some good memories to finish off knight school!” Elise and Sasara both put their hands to ours. Alma and I couldn’t refuse this request from our beloved friends.
This brought us to the Marcus Trade Company, where we were to look for dresses for the graduation party. My grandmother contacted them beforehand, so we were expecting the store to be reserved for us.
“Alma, are you really going into the Marcus Trade Company?” Cecil was waiting in front of the shop, for some reason.
“Cecil...? What, are you watching over me? Don’t worry, I’m not going to use the family money.”
Alma had gotten D-rank at Trundle Guild, and she was making good money by completing collection-type commissions that didn’t interfere with her classwork. I had no intention of letting her spend her own money at the Marcus Trade Company, though.
“N-No! It’s just that Marcus is pretty expensive! I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get embarrassed...”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who’s never bought anything except on credit.”
“Ack...”
“Hey, don’t argue out here,” Sasara chided. “We’ll make a scene.”
We were on the main street in the capital; she was right. We had no choice but to bring Cecil with us into the store.
“Serephione! Girls! I’ve been waiting for you!”
A middle-aged woman with clear, deep brown eyes and a measuring tape hanging from her neck was the first person to greet us. Her chestnut-brown hair was gathered on top of her head, and her plump figure was wrapped in a simple brown dress. Several other women flanked her as though they’d been waiting for us, bowing at perfect ninety-degree angles.
“Hello, Mrs. Marcus and staff members. Thank you for having us today.”
“No, thank you! I hear that you’ll be having a dance party to celebrate your graduation. I would recommend something fancy and easy to move in. I have samples this way, so please, come into the back.”
Elise, Sasara, Alma, and Cecil were all overwhelmed by the gorgeous space lined with dresses and other clothing items in an array of colors. The pajamas I designed had their own large display space, of course.
“How are the new winter pajamas selling?”
“They’re selling well. Here’s the sales report for you. Our older customers are saying they would like pajamas that button down the front.”
“I see. That would definitely make them easier to take off, now that you mention it.”
Sasara quietly spoke to us as I was consulting Mrs. Marcus and sketching some designs.
“Um...”
“Oh, Sasara, have you decided on your base dress?” asked Mrs. Marcus.
“Serephi, I...I’m okay with the cheapest one.”
Sasara is so modest...a wonderful virtue. I love her!
I gave Mrs. Marcus a look. She nodded in understanding.
“That won’t do, Miss Sasara. You must receive our finest piece!”
“But...”
“It’s an order from Lady Trundle, isn’t it? And we need you to be an advertisement for us as well.”
“An advertisement?”
“Indeed. With all due respect, Sasara, you don’t understand your own value. You will be the first woman to graduate from knight school in twelve years, along with Elise. I can only wonder how much attention you will attract in your dignified military uniform! Not only are the two of you excellent knights, you’re gorgeous. You have the Lady of Swords, Erza Trundle, supporting you as well. You are truly two diamonds in the rough.”
“She’s completely right...” Cecil inexplicably chimed in.
“How much of an economic impact do you think it will have for that very Miss Sasara to wear our dress? I intend to embroider our M logo on each piece you wear. Won’t you do business with me?”
“Business?”
“Yes. I’ll be sure to make it a good deal for you, since you have someone very frightening backing you. Oh, and I’m thinking of making fragrance sachets out of the trimmings from our pajamas—do you know anyone who we could hire to do that?”
Sasara smiled with a troubled look on her face. “I understand... And thank you for the job offer.”
Sasara seemed to have finally come around, so she joined Elise and Alma in browsing.
“That’s Mrs. Marcus for you. Thank you for putting it in a way Sasara could accept.”
“I did no such thing,” Mrs. Marcus replied.
I raised my right eyebrow.
“Sasara really is a flower of hope for us...us commoners, that is,” she explained. “She became a knight without any backing or money through her own determined efforts, and instead of resting on her laurels, she continues to care for the children in the orphanage. She’s positively radiant in the eyes of us merchants, who don’t have the power to do anything but save money...” Mrs. Marcus smiled and looked over at Sasara, who was grinning as she picked up some raw fabric.
“If what you say is true, then would you come to Sasara’s aid if she’s ever under undue pressure and I can’t come to her?”
“Is that an order?”
“Would that make it easier to carry out? In that case, yes, it’s an order.”
“If Lady Serephione, the next master of Trundle, orders it.”
Is now the time to use that title...?
These were my first three female friends ever. Thanks to them, I had been able to forget about my destiny for a while and enjoy my time in knight school. Eventually, I would leave the country, and then I might never see Sasara again. If I’d managed to help Sasara, even just a little...then I would be happy.
“How about your dress, miss?” Mrs. Marcus asked me.
“Hmm, I’ll think about it after I see what colors the other three get. I’m kind of an afterthought here.”
“You most certainly are not!”
Cecil? You’re still here?
After the four of us had picked out our party dresses and had our measurements taken, Mrs. Marcus treated us to coffee and sweets. They were top-notch, as one would expect from a woman of her means. Lou napped at my feet, his ears occasionally twitching to listen in on our conversation.
As we were having some lively girl talk, there was suddenly a commotion in the storefront.
“Excuse me for a moment.” Mrs. Marcus got out of her seat to respond. She was taking a while to get back.
Curious about the customer who’d forced themself into a high-end clothing store with a closed sign up, we peeked into the shop area. We saw a girl with blonde hair in sausage curls with a determined look on her face, and she was accompanied by three other girls. She was arguing vehemently with Mrs. Marcus.
“Whoa... Her hair is in perfect drills!”
“Drills? Like the tool? I’m impressed you know what those are, Serephi,” commented Sasara with surprise.
“Those ringlets don’t have a single hair out of place,” said Elise. “Do drills mean she’s nobility? Who is she, Alma?”
“Sorry, I don’t know... I’m not acquainted with her.”
“Is it even possible for there to be a noble lady who a lady of a marquisate family doesn’t know?”
“I haven’t had the chance to do anything noble-like...”
We shot cold glares at the noble boy enjoying some snacks.
“Aaah, I’m sorry!” Cecil rushed to us and glanced at where we were looking. “She’s...”
“You know her?”
“She’s Lady Isabella Berth, Prince Gardner’s fiancée.”
The woman who got engaged to that piece of junk in my place...
“Give us a showcase of your royal family obsession, Cecil,” pressed Alma in a low voice.
Cecil looked overjoyed to be spoken to by Alma for the first time in a while. “Isabella is fourteen, which makes her one year younger than Prince Gardner and the same age as me and Alma. She’s currently a first-year at the magic academy. Her magic level is classified as Normal, and I hear her specialty is wind magic.”
“What’s her relationship with the prince like? Is it good?”
“Um...”
“Cecil!” we exclaimed.
“W-Well, there’s this commoner who enrolled in the magic academy on scholarship and is really good at magic. The prince is really interested in her, so apparently, he doesn’t spend much time with Isabella lately...”
Maribelle came up! I can’t believe the day has come where Cecil can be of use!
“Have you ever met that student, Cecil?”
“S-Serephione is talking to me...? I have! At the prince’s tea party!”
“He invited another girl even though he has a fiancée? That’s no position for a drill-haired noble to be in!” Elise, ever the straitlaced girl, was shocked.
“I’m just impressed that a commoner was invited to the castle... Going to Erza’s house is enough for me in itself.” Sasara was suddenly shaking.
Cecil was on my list. According to my and Lou’s hypothesis, he should have gone weak in the knees for Maribelle.
“What did you think of her?” I asked.
“Just that she was a commoner, nothing more.”
“And there’s Cecil’s classism coming out...”
“That’s not what I meant, Alma! I just meant to say I don’t remember anything in particular! She was telling me stuff about how cool it is that I’m a knight and that I’ll be a commander in the future, but I know from school that I’m not that strong, and our older brother will probably end up as the commander, so it didn’t really resonate with me...”
“Your point is?”
“I just didn’t get the ‘Please step on me!’ feeling about her that everyone else got at all. I didn’t mean to make fun of commoners, Sasara! If you’re mad at me, please, don’t hesitate to punish me! Hit me! Kick me!”
The four of us had no words to respond to that...
He...doesn’t remember her much? Is that even possible after direct contact with Maribelle?
Could it be...?
“The kick in the head?” said Lou knowingly. We met eyes, and he desperately covered his head with both paws.
Did my kick to his head damage Cecil’s brain and keep the plot correction from working on him? I had to see if I could reproduce the conditions...
“Wait, wait, Sere! Stop! Let’s talk this over with Isaac! What are you going to do about it if kicking me in the head turns me into a ‘maso-chist?’”
“I’d still love you if you were a masochist, Lou!”
“No, but, still...”
Mrs. Marcus came back over.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Ah, well, she’s a noble lady, but I had to turn down her request for an haute couture piece because my schedule is full. However, she kept shouting for me to do something and that she has a rival she can’t lose to...”
“How heartless of the prince.” Elise shook her head.
“I’m so glad I’m Magicless.” Alma sighed with relief. “This is the first time I’ve been grateful to my grandfather for not introducing me to noble society.”
Right, Alma is from a marquisate family. There could have been a chance for her to be engaged to the prince.
Isabella was indirectly helping a lot of us out... I figured I should return the favor sooner rather than later.
“May I take care of the job, Mrs. Marcus?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Fio, the head designer,” I told Isabella. “I sincerely apologize for being unable to meet your expectations today.”
“Please, just do something for me!” Isabella begged. “I’ll pay twice, even thrice the money! I need to wear something nicer than that other girl and win back the prince’s heart!”
“Money isn’t the problem. We simply don’t have enough seamstresses. I’m terribly sorry. As an apology, how about I, the head designer, style one of these ready-made dresses especially for you? It would make it a one-of-a-kind dress. Would you like that?”
“Head designer...?”
“Yes, I’m the designer of the monotone series. Just imagine, the head designer, styling a dress just for you!”
“Goodness...”
“You can’t just compete to be the pinkest and frilliest! We have to tone down the dress so your gorgeous face stands out in comparison. And no puff sleeves either! Let’s go for a sleek silhouette in navy blue!”
“Wouldn’t it look cheap, though?”
“Minimal, not cheap. Everyone will know it’s high-quality from the fact that you wore it alone! Also, let’s add a daring slit on the skirt...” Rip!
“Eeek!”
“Mrs. Marcus, cover this slit with lace. I call this style ‘exhibitionism’!”
“Exhibitionism? How wonderful! This will be the start of a new trend! You’re on the front lines of fashion, Lady Isabella! Fantastic job, Fio...”
“Y-You think so?”
“Pearls would be best to accessorize with. You must have some wonderful pearl jewelry, don’t you?”
“Y-Yes...”
“Take more care with your foundation, and use a soft beige for the eyes...”
“Oh my...”
“...”
“Thank you, Serephione!” said Mrs. Marcus. “She left satisfied.”
“Serephi, that was awesome! You were like your magician grandmother.”
“Ah... Serephione is not just strong, but a woman of many talents... And the depth of sympathy she showed to Isabella... I have to announce this to the newly-formed Serephi/Alma Fan Club!”
“Well, it’s pretty lonely being the prince’s fiancée...at least, I would guess it is. So I wanted to at least let her wear a nice dress and carry herself proudly, even if the prince doesn’t accompany her,” I explained.
Once I put some decent makeup on her and undid her drills, Isabella was a normal lady with good traits of her own. She didn’t have all that much magic, so she most likely wouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of war. She wouldn’t be called a murderer like I had...or so I wanted to believe.
The pressure of being engaged to the prince, the powerlessness and loneliness from his lack of cooperation... I never intended to make someone else feel those things. I was sacrificing somebody else for my own happiness.
Forgive me, Isabella...
◇ ◇ ◇
Alma and I took care of a lot of things for our two upperclassman friends as they entered a flurry of activity in preparation to graduate. We wanted them to be able to spend their time as comfortably and enjoyably as possible. We were friends forged in battle, after all: together, we’d laughed, cried, been poisoned, gotten angry, been poisoned, and—most of all—we’d been poisoned.
There was some good news as well. Elise was set to join the military unit stationed in the capital, and Sasara was going into the military intelligence agency. After being exposed to a variety of ideas throughout the year, Elise decided not to go straight into temple life out of school, instead choosing to learn more about the world, gain some practical experience, and make some connections beforehand. That said, my grandmother alone could probably take care of finding her connections...
In any case, since they would both be working in the capital, we would be able to keep having girls’ nights. Hooray!
And so, the graduation ceremony was finally today. After the ceremony, the new graduates would immediately go into their new positions without a moment to spare. Their freedom would last only until the end of the party today.
Our dresses were pieces that Mrs. Marcus and I were proud of! Each of us had a different color! Our dresses were all based on our eye colors. Elise’s was a calm blue, like the ocean; Sasara’s was an orange-leaning scarlet to match her bright personality; and Alma’s was a modest ivory and chocolate two-tone dress. Mine was monochrome black and white.
As students of the knight school, we unfortunately had cuts and scars, so the necklines only went down far enough to show off our collarbones elegantly, and the sleeves went most of the way down our arms. We weren’t showing much skin at all. The skirts were made with plenty of fabric so they would be easy to dance in, and on each side, there was a lace panel in the same color that started at the thigh and went down, another use of the “exhibitionism” idea I got while working with Isabella.
Elise and Sasara were dancing with some boys who they’d been friendly with for a bit. They looked shy at first, but they were both very athletic, after all! They were spinning around now and enjoying the dance to their heart’s content. Their partners looked enraptured.
This is your last chance to dance with such pretty girls! Do your best to win the rock-paper-scissors match for your place in line!
Alma was dancing in the middle of the hall too. She had her own line of boys waiting to dance with her. Ahh, being tall makes you look so nice while dancing...
“Hey, Serephione! Restock the programs!”
“Okayyy.”
I was looking on at my friends from afar...as a receptionist, for some reason! Kodak was watching over me from my side with narrowed eyes.
“You don’t have to give me that scary look. I’m not going to run away.”
“Oh, I’m not standing watch over you, miss.”
“You aren’t? In that case, since it seems like people are about done showing up, can I go join the party?”
“Absolutely not! To dance would mean to hold hands with boys, have their hands around your waist, let them support your weight, talk to them at close range...”
“Yeah, of course it would.”
“The demon lord would kill me!” he shouted.
I don’t get it...
“Okay, then I’ll just eat.”
“I’ll get you some good food later, so just stay put!”
“Fine, I get the idea! If I’m just going to work reception, I don’t want to wear this uncomfortable dress. I’m going to go change into my uniform!”
“No!”
“Huh?”
“The only privilege the school was able to wrestle away from the demon lord is to enjoy the view! Give them a little credit for their bravery!”
This is only getting more baffling...
The party was in full swing, and the reception area was empty, with nobody else coming in. I had all the time in the world.
“Can I go take a walk to clear my head?”
“It’s still snowing, you know.”
“It’s fine.”
“Well, it would be boring for you here.” Kodak took off his own mantle and put it on me. “Come back before the event is over. And don’t hide your presence! I need to be able to come to you if something happens.”
I nodded, pulled the hood all the way up, and walked outside. Lou hopped down to my feet.
“Where are you going, Sere?”
“I don’t know... How about the roof?”
Lou and I jumped up onto the roof of the building.
There were about thirty centimeters of snow on the roof. I used a warm wind to melt the snow in my path so I wouldn’t slip in my heels. I went to the edge, which was a step higher than the rest of the roof, swept the snow off, and sat down.
Fancy music was playing directly below us. I looked up at the sky. Beyond the snow fluttering down, the winter constellations were twinkling. This world didn’t have Orion like my old one did.
“Sorry about the party, Sere.”
“Well, I did what I could. I’m not pretty like Alma, anyway, and the boys keep me at arm’s length since I beat them up in sparring too much. Not to mention...I don’t have any good memories related to dancing in the first place. So I don’t mind.”
I had always been a wallflower in the book. Prince Gardner danced adoringly with Maribelle, and as the prince’s fiancée, no men had the guts to ask me to dance.
I’d thought maybe I could rewrite those bitter memories of the past if I had a good time dancing today, though. Maybe this was my karma coming back to bite me for messing around with getting my dress ready while Isabella was suffering.
“You’re beautiful, Sere.”
I smiled slightly, still looking up at the night sky. Lou’s bias toward family members was my lifeline.
Suddenly, a gust of energy-bearing wind blew across the roof.
Lou jumped to my front and grew to full size. I stood up as well, readying my magic.
The wind blew away the clouds in the area, revealing the silver light of the moon. The gale began to spiral into itself, creating a whirlwind of white powder snow that reflected the moonlight to become a glowing cocoon—and from that cocoon, a man dressed in a black military uniform with shining silver hair stepped out, like an envoy of the moon.
My eyes widened. He walked toward me slowly, emanating an overwhelming power. He came up to me and Lou... It can’t be! He knelt down...
Lou softly stepped aside; the man took my hand and kissed it. “May I have this dance, my lady?”
His deep, resonant voice...his unforgettable ice blue eyes... This man before me with a subtle smile on his face was the man to whom I’d once owed my life.
“Emperor Gillain...”
As I stood there at a loss for words, the emperor knit his eyebrows and rose to his feet. I gazed up at him; he looked many times stronger and more regal than when I last saw him.
Narrowing his eyes, he used his left hand to sweep back the hood covering my head. With his other hand, he unhooked the collar that held the mantle in place, ripped it off, and threw it behind him.
“Ah!”
“It’s not very considerate of you to wear another man’s clothes in front of your fiancé.”
I shivered, suddenly exposed to the outside air. He immediately spread his own cloak and let me lean against his chest. With our height difference, my entire field of vision was blocked off; all I saw was darkness.
I struggled upwards. When I finally poked my face out of the cloak, I met Gillain’s blue eyes. “You’re too tall!”
“Am I?”
The emperor, at twenty-four years old, now looked the same as when he wanted me as a weapon in the book and squeezed every last bit of use out of me. But wait—the long silky silver hair that had played such a big role in adding to his cold atmosphere was now chopped short. Not only that, there was a jagged scar starting at his forehead and running just barely outside his eye, extending all the way to his left ear. He hadn’t had that before. I reached out to it.
“How did you get this?”
“My brother attacked me in my sleep.”
Betrayed by a relative... My chest tightened.
“Did you keep the scar on purpose?”
“No. It’s just that nobody’s healed it.”
“They didn’t? And it’s still so red! It must still hurt!”
As I stood on my tiptoes, trying to wrap my hands around the scar, he bent down and lifted me up with his left arm.
I put my right hand over the scar and mentally chanted, Pain, pain, go to the person who hurt him! Now that I was a teenager, I was a bit embarrassed to chant magic words out loud...
My hand gently glowed, and when I removed it, the scar had faded considerably. I gently ran a finger along it.
“Sere...”
“Some time has passed, so there’s still a scar left. Jeez, if this had been an inch to the left, you would have lost your eyesight! Why didn’t you have a healer take a look at it?”
“You’re the only person who worries about me in spite of all my magical power, and you’re the only person who’s willing to pour your own magic into me to heal me without any reservations. All anyone else thinks is that it serves me right to get hurt.”
That’s awful...
Gillain chuckled. “Don’t make that face. Do you think I’d give in that easily?” He cupped my face with his hand that wasn’t holding me.
“From now on...come straight to me if you get hurt.”
He smiled softly. “As you wish.”
The music from below changed from an uptempo piece to a slow ballad.
“Ah, that’s right. Let’s dance.”
“Hm? That reminds me, why did you come all the way out here? Oh, right! You became emperor, didn’t you? Congrats?”
“Ha. Thank you for your completely insincere congratulations. As for your question, I came here to dance with you.”
“What?” I asked incredulously.
“Of course I wouldn’t let another man have your first dance.”
He gently lowered me down, took my hand, and put his other hand around my waist. We stepped gently in time with the music. The snow melted instantly wherever his feet landed. My black and white skirt with delicate lace details billowed out.
We were alone in a world of silver and white, bathed in moonlight. Snow and flower petals swirled and danced in the air around us.
My body naturally followed his lead, but I didn’t get what was going on and searched for Lou with my eyes. Lou was deep in conversation with Asu, who’d gotten here at some point, and paid me no attention.
“Who looks away during a dance with their fiancé?”
Huh...?
“That’s the second time you’ve said ‘fiancé’... What’s up with that?”
Emperor Gillain put a hand to his chest and picked something up.
It was...my lapis lazuli necklace.
“I see you’ve been wearing it... Were you hurt before you put it on? Or after?”
“Before. It was before I became emperor. Since I put on this necklace... I haven’t faced any significant danger.”
“That’s good...” I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Do you know what it means to give an item imbued with your magic as a gift to a member of the opposite sex?”
What it means? I have a bad feeling about this.
“It’s a proposal.”
“What?!”
“What a surprise it was to receive a proposal from Sere! My answer is yes, of course.”
“N-No! I just didn’t know!”
As I tried to explain myself, flustered and red in the face, Gillain looked up and laughed out loud like a child who’d pulled off a prank.
Good... His heart isn’t as frozen yet as it was in the book. In my ten centimeter heels, my head came up to his chest. I put my ear to his chest and heard the thump of his heartbeat.
As I did so, he stopped moving, embraced me, and rested his cheek on my head.
“Sere, your time isn’t up yet, but...should I take you away now?”
“Huh...?”
“I can free you from everything that afflicts you. Come to my side.”
Gillain knew exactly what I was going through right now thanks to Asu.
Here he was, trying to make a place for me again. Why was nobody helping such a kind person as him?
“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty...but I’m still okay. And I don’t have the courage to throw away everything I have in Judore right now...” Unlike in the novel. Have I become weaker?
I clutched Gillain’s clothes. He sighed on top of my head. Then he took my arm and began to dance again.
“I thought about sending you something back, but the count and Trundle have already given you the best things you could receive, right?”
I nodded.
Emperor Gillain took something else from his chest—his plates. They were platinum.
He took one of the plates and held it up in front of him. A strong blue light burst forth and was then absorbed into the plate.
“Take this.”
I couldn’t! Plates were the most important thing after your life! And they came in pairs! They could only be exposed when you died.
“No! Your plates don’t just belong to you, they belong to your family too!”
“I have no family.”
Oh... I said something thoughtless. Gillain lived in an environment where he was forced to kill his own relatives to survive. He was a lonely figure, in both the book and this life. I knew that loneliness myself.
I was the only one who’d managed to escape in this life.
“But I have you, Sere. My wonderful fiancée.”
Is he asking me to pick up his bones? Saying that I’m the only family he has with that privilege?
Gillain took the two gold plates from my collar, unfastened the chain holding them in place, and placed his own plate between them.
The plates hung heavy from my neck. When I clutched all three together, his wind magic surrounded my body like a veil.
He...had entrusted me with his life.
I wasn’t dumb enough to not realize that I was special to Emperor Gillain after all he’d done.
Yes...I promise... I may not be able to help you, but you will always have at least me on your side, loyal forever and ever. And if I outlive you, I promise to find your body.
He grabbed my shoulders as I looked down.
“Serephione...I will wait as I promised. However, if anything wounds your soul before these next two years are up, I will take you to Galé by brute force.”
I was silent.
“I can’t use healing magic. I can’t heal you like you can do for me. Whenever something hurts you, I can’t help but feel powerless.”
He crouched down and looked into my eyes.
“Call me before you get hurt. Got it?”
My chest felt tight at his consideration. Tears came to my eyes. I bit my lip, willing myself to hold them back.
Gillain widened his eyes and wrapped his arms around me. He placed one of his large hands at the back of my head and lifted my face. My grandmother’s hair clip clattered onto the ground behind me, and my black hair danced in the wind.
“The only one who cries for my sake...”
Gillain gently pecked away my tears.
“...is you.”
Just then, as he leaned over me, he kissed me.
My first dance, and my first kiss. His mildly bitter magic flowed into my body once again.
As we huddled together, the gentle snow enveloped us silently, sheltering us in our own little world for a moment.
I awoke to the bright morning light. Memories of Gillain from the night before flashed through my mind, and my face grew warm. I gently put a finger to my lips and touched the plate with my other hand. A bit of Gillain’s magic seeped into my finger. It hadn’t been a dream.
When I got up from my bed and opened my curtain, the morning sun reflected off the snow, sparkling bright white.
Lou was happily running around in the unexpected playground of snow. It reminded me of that fateful day we first met. I remembered all the days we’d spent training together.
We’ve worked really hard together, haven’t we, Lou? We practiced magic, martial arts, and building stamina. We laughed a lot and cried just a little. You found out, though.
I’d worked desperately to avoid a tragic death, terrified of being alone, but along the way, I found myself surrounded by loved ones: my father, my brother, my grandmother, the Granzeus household’s servants, the guild members, my friends from school... And also...I’d met Emperor Gillain again.
Thanks to everyone who cared for me, I’d been able to enter knight school and become an A-rank adventurer.
Right now, I felt so blessed... I was truly happy. Meeting Lou and being loved by him had changed my future.
I can’t predict what’s in store for me from now on, but I’ll overcome whatever it is! I absolutely won’t die! I won’t let an unfair, mean fate win against me!
I’m a reincarnated lady with memories from both my past life in Japan and my life in the book, and I’m as one with Loudarylphena, one of the four heavenly beasts. I’m gonna have a super fluffy adventure with my fluffball! Let’s go, platinum rank! Let’s go, my sixtieth birthday!
Lou chuffed, noticing me from outside the window.
“Lou!” I leapt out of the window onto the snow-covered Lou and flopped into his fur. He already smelled like the sun.
“Good morning, Sere! What’s got you in such high spirits? Jeez, you’re such a kid.”
So are you!
My best friend, my partner, my other half! My Lou! I love you, Loudarylphena!
Together, we rolled around and laughed—as one.