Volume 5, Chapter 18 – Pepe and Camilla’s Advance Preparations~

With the surrounding soldiers as witnesses, the battle officially began.

In the past, Yisi would have taken a stance with both hands holding a heavy sword in front of her, the tip angled 45 degrees toward the sky. But with the experience of having observed Boris earlier, Yisi changed her stance, holding the wooden sword diagonally at her waist, ready to draw. This posture didn’t look like she was protecting herself, but in reality, a forward swing of the sword could cover most of the area in front of her.

What made it awkward for Yisi was that Boris, conversely, chose the former stance.

Hey, hey… that’s completely different from the stance you used to teach the soldiers, she thought.

“Although the general movements are standard, the way you hold the sword is like a novice. Are you not skilled with a sword, Lady Yisi?”

Standing five meters away from Yisi, Boris examined her sword grip.

Yisi gave a wry smile. “Compared to a sword, my preferred weapon is a spear.”

By “preferred,” she just meant she used it more often. Since coming to this other world, her weapon had always been Gungnir, and she had rarely used a longsword.

“It seems I have the advantage then… Well then, I’m beginning. Hah!”

Choosing to attack right from the start, Boris’s wooden sword swung from the upper left to the lower right. Due to the inertia from his forward charge, the speed of the wooden sword was too fast for an ordinary person to follow with the naked eye.

If I defeat Boris right away, it will shake the powerful image he has in the minds of the nobles. My purpose is not to humiliate Boris, but to give him an honorable way out.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to deliberately lose badly to him… Right now, I represent Andrea. If the person Andrea chose to become a Duchess has no strength, Andrea will become the subject of the nobles’ gossip along with me. Besides, Boris also said that he recognizes my strength, so if I lose badly, it would be a slap in the face to him.

Therefore, a draw was the best solution.

Deliberately slowing her speed and power, suppressing her strength to a level comparable to Boris’s, Yisi took a small step back, dodging Boris’s horizontal swing in the nick of time.

Subsequently, Yisi drew the wooden sword that was held diagonally at her waist, sweeping it in a fan shape in front of her to cut off Boris’s pursuit.

However, Boris did not jump away as Yisi had expected. On the contrary, he held his wooden sword vertically in front of him, parrying Yisi’s horizontal sweep.

Clack!

A fierce collision sound.

The reactive force sent a slight numbing sensation through the web of her thumb. For someone who had never engaged in heavy physical labor, this blow might have been enough to tear the muscle. Even an ordinary soldier would be momentarily stiff from the immense force transmitted through their arm, leaving their chest wide open and defensively vulnerable.

But Boris was no ordinary soldier.

Using the force that rebounded from the wooden sword to his arm, Boris pivoted on his feet, his body spinning. Aided by the ferocious force, the wooden sword let out a piercing whistle in the air.

If she let Boris’s next horizontal swing connect, even if she could block it, the wooden sword might not be able to withstand such a violent force and would likely break. Yisi took the opportunity while Boris was spinning with his back to her to take a step forward. With no time to adjust the wooden sword to thrust the tip at Boris, she directly struck his back with the pommel.

An orange-red light glowed from Boris’s body.

[Fortitude].

A magic that made the body as hard as a fortress.

Clang!

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The wooden sword struck heavily against Boris’s armor, but the only sensation in her hand was that of hitting a thick steel plate. Immediately after, Boris’s spinning strike arrived.

Although she could dodge it, that would require using a speed that surpassed Boris’s level. Yisi directly took the hit with her powerful physical defense—it felt like someone had patted her on the back.

Perhaps I should have used [Fortitude] just for show, she mused.

After the initial exchange, neither of them had gained an advantage.

Boris, having distanced himself from Yisi, let out a long breath.

“Even when you’re using a weapon you’re not skilled with, I couldn’t gain any advantage, Lady Yisi. My defeat last time was no accident, after all.”

“You think too highly of me, Boris.” In terms of pure sword skill, Boris was definitely superior. Yisi reset her stance. “But don’t let your guard down, okay?”

This time, it was Yisi’s turn to attack.

Taking a few steps forward, she thrusted from below Boris’s right hand. Normally, this was a blind spot that was difficult to defend. Yisi had thought Boris would try to parry her thrust, but he chose to meet offense with offense.

“Hah!”

Completely abandoning his defense, Boris raised his wooden sword high with both hands and, with a momentum that seemed capable of cleaving anything in two, chopped down fiercely at Yisi’s head.

If she just tilted her head slightly, the sword would only hit her shoulder, while her own sword could stab Boris under his right arm, temporarily robbing him of his grip.

But getting hit might be painful, and she couldn’t be sure that Boris’s sword wouldn’t change direction as she tilted her head. If it changed its trajectory and hit her straight on the head, she would undoubtedly be the loser. Being hit on the head versus being stabbed under the arm—even a layman could see the winner and loser.

Forced into a corner, Yisi changed her thrust to an upward block. Considering that blocking Boris’s full-strength blow with one hand would seem ridiculous, Yisi gripped the hilt with one hand and placed her other hand on the body of the wooden sword, lowering her center of gravity to meet Boris’s chop head-on.

Thump.

Yisi’s hands first dipped slightly, then she forcefully pushed back against Boris’s attack. Completely surprised that Yisi’s strength was so great, and adding in the force of his own all-out blow, the reactive force sent Boris’s hands flying apart, and he staggered back several steps.

Not letting the opportunity slip, Yisi charged out like an arrow while Boris was still regaining his balance. The wooden sword thrusted straight toward Boris’s chest. By the time he realized it, the sword was less than a finger’s width from his chest.

Oh no!

If she hit him now, it would be her victory, absolutely.

But Boris had no chance to block the attack now. If she abandoned her attack, everyone watching would know she was holding back.

In a flash, a white light sparked in Yisi’s mind.

If I just break the sword, it will easily become a draw. As for why the sword would break, it’s perfectly plausible after taking such a violent blow from Boris earlier.

As soon as she thought of it, she did it.

[Instant Severance].

Schiiie .

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A sound so faint it was almost inaudible.

From the spot where Boris had just struck, the wooden sword instantly snapped in two, and Yisi’s attack came to a halt.

Clatter.

With the sound of the sword’s blade falling to the ground, Yisi breathed a sigh of relief. She then turned and shrugged at the soldier acting as the referee.

“The wooden sword couldn’t withstand Boris’s strike. It broke.”

“Ah…” As if waking from a dream, the soldier Yisi had addressed jolted, then his eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the half-sword on the ground. “Th-This is a draw, right? If it were a real sword, it wouldn’t have broken so easily.”

If it were a real sword, the loser would have been Boris.

“The new Duchess actually fought Lord Boris to a draw!”

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Lord Boris is one of the few members of the Blood Clan to reach the hero-class, he can even fight a dragon alone.”

“In other words, the new Duchess has also reached the hero-class…”

Hero-class refers to those at Level 50 or above. A person in this class was basically equivalent to a large part of an army, an existence beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The few young nobles who had mocked Yisi earlier had unwilling expressions on their faces.

“Damn it. Lord Boris must have been in poor condition today.”

“That’s right, that’s right. After training so many Royal Guards, it’s only natural his condition wouldn’t be good.”

The young nobles’ words drew the dissatisfaction of the onlooking soldiers. One of them, a soldier with a dignified air, stepped forward.

“Even if you are nobles, I will not allow you to insult the sacred duel between Lord Boris and Her Grace, the Duchess. My eyes tell me that Lord Boris was not holding back. And do you think Lord Boris would do something as despicable as intentionally losing to the Duchess!?”

“Tch,” the lead young noble clicked his tongue. “I’ll get you next time. Don’t think you’ve won just like that!”

Noticing the unfriendly looks from the soldiers, the young nobles threw a few empty threats at Yisi and fled the scene.

Subsequently, Boris dismissed the soldiers, leaving only Yisi and himself in the courtyard.

Taking a deep breath with a complex expression on his face, Boris bowed deeply to Yisi.

“Thank you very much, Lady Yisi.”

“Eh? For what?”

“I am well aware of my own strength. With my abilities, it is absolutely impossible for me to defeat you, Lady Yisi, who could knock me unconscious with a single blow. The broken sword just now, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

As he spoke, Boris picked up the broken half of the wooden sword from the ground. The break was exceptionally clean, impossible to imagine being caused by a wooden sword.

I’ve been found out…

Yisi prepared to find an excuse to gloss it over. Boris was a martial artist with a serious personality. Holding back during a duel would probably be seen as an insult to him, just as Edith didn’t allow her to intentionally make a losing move when they played chess.

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But Boris’s actions were the opposite of what Yisi had imagined. He thanked her with a sincere tone.

“If I, who represent the strongest fighting force in Her Majesty the Queen’s hands, were to lose, the Queen would be seen as weak by those young nobles, and they might develop ill intentions. It is precisely because you understood this that you deliberately created a draw. Thank you.”

“Ah? Hahaha…”

Although their lines of thought were different, the result was exactly the same. Yisi was relieved. As long as Boris wasn’t angry about her holding back, it was all good.

Boris puffed out his chest, his expression returning to its usual sternness. “Well then, Lady Yisi, I still have work to do strengthening the Queen’s security, so I will take my leave.”

“Lady Yisi! You’re here!”

Just as Yisi was about to go about her own business, Andrea’s voice appeared in the courtyard. The tea party was probably over, as Mary and Tiffany were following behind her. She hadn’t felt it strongly when seeing them individually, but now with the three of them standing together, Yisi couldn’t help but think that Mary and Tiffany could have been born as princesses or imperial daughters themselves.

It wasn’t that Andrea was too plain, but that Mary and Tiffany had too much of a princess and imperial daughter feel to them. Recalling that Mary, while learning magic, could easily master [Shield Bash] but couldn’t even learn the simplest defensive magic, [Fortitude], Yisi had a feeling that Mary was actually a demon, and a lost princess at that. As for Tiffany, since her appearance was a copy, perhaps she had seen a princess or imperial daughter of some country before.

“Your Majesty.” Facing Andrea, Boris bowed his head in a salute.

“I’ve told you many times, you don’t need to salute when you see me, Boris. Raise your head.” Andrea waved her hand. “I’m going to the orphanage. Come with me as a guard, Boris.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Your hand is shaking, Lord Boris.”

“Fatigue.”

The sharp-eyed Mary and Tiffany pointed out Boris’s abnormality. Due to the continuous training of soldiers and the high-intensity battle with Yisi, Boris’s hand was trembling uncontrollably.

Feeling embarrassed at being called out by the childlike Mary and Tiffany, Boris awkwardly hid his hand behind his back.

As if she had discovered something rare, Andrea’s face was more surprised than anything. “What happened? For Boris to look like this… this is the first time since I can remember.”

“Before Your Majesty arrived, I and Lady Yisi had a martial arts exchange.”

“…I see. I understand. You can rest for today, Boris.”

“How can I do that!” The middle-aged-looking Boris had an anxious expression. “The Queen cannot travel without a guard.”

“I’m just going to the orphanage in the Royal Capital, not the outskirts. You’re worrying too much, Boris. I’m going to the orphanage, one, to convey the matters from today’s noble council to the directors, and two, to take Mary and Tiffany for a visit.”

As she spoke, Andrea pulled Mary and Tiffany, who were behind her, to her front.

Boris remained stubborn. “You must at least take a squad of Royal Guards with you.”

“The soldiers will scare the children there, don’t you know that, Boris? The children there mostly grew up in the slums and have been chased and beaten by soldiers. If we take soldiers with us, the visit will have no comforting effect at all.”

“Your safety is more important than the orphanage. You are the only person now with the bloodline of the First Queen, Alvier. If you were to be in danger, even if I were to die a thousand times, I could not atone for it.”

“Ugh.”

If she didn’t intervene, the two of them would probably be at a standstill until dawn.

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With a smile, Yisi carefully mediated.

“Since Mary and Tiffany are also going to the orphanage, how about I serve as Andrea’s guard? If you don’t trust me, Boris, I swear on the name of Alvier, which I have just received, that I will protect Andrea well.”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

The former was Boris, the latter was Andrea. The two of them were surprised in unison, looking at Yisi as if they were looking at something strange.

“…Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

The one who answered was Boris. “It’s nothing you shouldn’t have said. It’s just that an oath to the First Queen is the highest level of oath among the Blood Clan. Apart from weddings and when soldiers join the king’s army, it is almost never used.”

“I see…”

She had only done it to make Boris trust her and hadn’t thought about other things. But since it was the highest level of oath, it meant that Boris would trust her.

And indeed, just as Yisi had thought, Boris lowered his head.

“Your strength far exceeds mine. I will entrust Her Majesty’s safety to you, Your Grace, Duchess Yisi Fred Alvier.”

“Mm, you can rest assured, Boris.”

“I-I will also do my best not to cause you any trouble, Lady Yisi…”

Perhaps because Yisi was to be her guard, Andrea looked somewhat overwhelmed and flattered. Not only did she shyly refuse to look Yisi in the eye, but she also kept pushing Mary in front of her.

Is she feeling constrained because I’m too strong? She wasn’t like this at the beginning.

While Yisi was puzzled, Mary quietly leaned in to her ear.

“Actually, it’s because Miss Edith and Miss Camilla instilled some strange knowledge into Her Majesty, that’s why she’s become like this… Her Majesty thinks that Master is a person who spends her days luring girls into doing lewd things.”

“Those two…”

No wonder they had left on their own before she woke up. So they had made some advance preparations.

Do I look like the kind of person who would make a move on a little girl?

Yisi glanced at Andrea, who was hiding behind Mary, with only a pair of eyes peeking out at her.

For someone in the position of a queen, she was criminally cute.

No, no, no, Andrea is flat-chested.

Shaking her head, Yisi silently chanted “big-breasted older sisters” in her mind to dispel the cute image of Andrea.

As for how to explain that she was not a person who spent her days luring beautiful young girls into doing lewd things, it took a great deal of effort for Yisi to barely convince Andrea.