Chapter 4: 3

Savage Fang – Volume 1 Chapter 3: The Cause and the Effect

Some time has passed since my first visit to the royal castle, and I had returned to spending my time training.

I seemed to be developing normally, but what was strange was how rapidly my magical power grew.

And while it may be unhealthy to repeat the same things day after day, there was now something new, something different in this quiet garden of the Petyul estate.

Before, whenever I trained in this garden, every maid not currently busy with work would come watch me. Things quieted after this new development had forced me to send them all away.

And the reason for that…

“What kind of sloppy posture is that!? Put your back into it! Straighten up and gird that waist!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

… was because a certain little guest now regularly visited this garden of House Petyul.

Today was another of those days, and a certain extremely feminine boy forced out a weak affirmation to my command.

Yep, it was none other than Albert, crown prince and sole heir to the throne of Iltania, who was coming here to train.

At first I’d thought I would be the one going back to the castle, but then one day, Albert suddenly just showed up at the Petyul estate. Apparently they had tried to dissuade him from coming because ‘it’d be problematic for a prince to come calling’ instead of the other way around, but it seemed he had forced his way through with princely persuasion.

It seemed a little extreme to be using his authority like this, to meet with a woman, but I guess I should feel happy to see him grow stronger in his own way.

Also, the reason why I drove the maids out of the garden was because I couldn’t have them watch as I beat the prince’s ass like this.

“Haa… Haa…”

Well, he’s been showing more spunk lately, so I haven’t had to do that as much.

Albert corrected his posture as I instructed and adjusted his grip on the wooden sword he held.

Seeing how hard he was breathing now, it was obvious he was too exhausted to continue. The only reason why he still continued was out of desperation, to avoid another scolding from me.

“…All right, that’s good enough for now. Break time.”

“Yeshh…”

As soon as I gave the word, Albert toppled over, letting the grass below pull him into its embrace.

He’d become this tired from only practice swings with a wooden sword.. I’d say he was half, maybe two-thirds of the way to dying of exhaustion.

But compared to when he first came here, he has improved a lot.

“H-how did I do… Lady Mylene..?”

To be honest, he still hasn’t gotten to the point where I could properly judge his performance.

Right now, he was still at a level where being on a battlefield would meant instant death; even a child learning basic swordsmanship was stronger than him.

Though I suppose I should have expected as much. On the other hand, the fact that he has yet to give up is impressive.

“Not too bad. Your swordsmanship still isn’t anywhere near usable, but your body is definitely getting stronger.”

“Ehehe… Thank you…”

That being said, his body hadn’t changed in appearance either; he still looked the same.

…He wasn’t actually a woman, was he? If the Albert I’d seen in my previous life was actually a body double… Well, thinking about it, maybe he did look like a girl then, too…

In any case, Albert wasn’t going to become a mercenary or anything in the future, so it was good enough just to have him train his body and skills, not to mention fixing that cowardly nature of his.

What I’m more concerned about… is myself. My magical power continued to grow as I trained, and yet my appearance hasn’t changed, even a bit.

Even just looking at my arms, the fat there had become muscle, but it was still extremely thinner compared to how I was in my previous life.

Becoming a mercenary again was one of my backup plans, but I would have to give up on it if I stayed looking this way.

I cast aside that complicated thought like it was a ball of entangled thread, and instead picked up my sword and began doing practice swings.There were other things to think about, like reviewing what I had learned from that fight with Paul.

My ‘Beast-style’ fighting was well-suited for this body. The low stances I took, along with my small size, meant I was much harder to hit, making my techniques, which focused on evasion and close-quarters combat, much more effective.

“The more I think about it, the more I realize how amazing you really are, Lady Mylene. The ideas you have about swordsmanship, no, about fighting… how much thought have you put into it? For example, that fighting stance you take, where you stay low to the ground — I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Like I said, if it’s something I can use, then I’ll use it. Like what if my opponent was a magic user? If you think about how you should be fighting against different kinds of opponents, then you’ll naturally learn to fight like me.”

I had been teaching Albert traditional sword techniques, but I would review my original techniques on my own. Albert sat up to watch as I practiced, but he made no other move.

The basis of my Beast-style was to counter magic users with movements that took advantage of their spells’ trajectory.

Most spells came from either a straight line from their user or a predetermined radius. With this small body of mine, I could duck low to the ground and very easily dodge long-ranged attacks.

It was also effective against nobles and any others that were trained in traditional swordsmanship. The traditional lessons only covered fighting against standing opponents and had nothing to say about fending off animals that attacked from below, so my opponents were unable to handle my unusual movements.

Which was why people started calling me ‘Savage Fang’ in my previous life, and those sore loser nobles would always have something to say about my technique — complaining about how it was unfair or a dirty trick — right before they died.

“Well, as you use what you’ve learned, you’ll eventually figure out things that are different from me, too. And this will happen no matter what it is you do, with everything in life.”

“I see..! In other words, by mastering one path, there will be new paths that open up!”

“It’s not that deep, y’know”

Albert drew close, his eyes sparkling in the light as I gave him a dull reply.

This guy just kept saying embarrassing things. And why couldn’t he say things in a simpler way? It wasn’t all that complicated, or at least I didn’t think so.

I gave a breathy exhale through my nose before tightening the grip on my sword once again. Now, let’s see, this time I should think about how I should use magic… or so I intended, but at that moment…

“Mylene! Mylene, there has been bad news!”

My old man was rushing over in a panic, from the direction of the mansion.

It was pretty funny seeing him sluggishly ran over while out-of-breath, and for a moment, I wondered if it might be good idea to force him to start exercising as well…

But there seemed to be a real reason for why he was panicking like this.

“What’s the matter, old man? Something happening?”

His face paled as I responded to him.

“M-Mylene, watch your language! We are in the presence of His Highness Prince Albert!”

“Please do not mind me. In fact, I think Lady Mylene’s rough way of speaking is cool!”

“Huh..? I-I see… W-well, if Your Highness thinks so, then I suppose there is no problem…”

The old man tried to reproach me for speaking crudely, but Albert seemed to have gotten used to it already.

And when Albert excitedly said he was fine with it, there was a different kind of surprise showing in Balzac’s face.

“Uh… Ahem! A-anyway, there is a much bigger problem at hand!”

Balzac cleared his throat to catch his breath and to steer the conversation back, and then, in a more dignified manner, he presented something to me.

In his hand was a single sealed envelope, addressed to me. If it had been just another letter, it would have been fine for a servant to hand it over later… so I took the envelope and flipped it over out of suspicion.

…There, sealing the envelope, was a crest with a black lion motif.

“Is this from Colhoun?”

Hearing my words, Albert immediately stood from where he was sitting and walked over.

With Albert peeking over, I tore off the seal and pulled out a letter addressed to me from Colhoun, as the seal had indicated.

“This is… an invitation to come and watch the Knights of Colhoun..? The hell are they sending this to me for?”

In short, the letter read something like this: Mylene Petyul de Laelier, bearer of the Hair of Sulberia, is hereby cordially invited to attend a demonstration of military exercises in Colhoun, by our Knights of Colhoun.

Unlike Iltania, there was no state religion Colhoun followed, so to them, the Hair of Sulberia was not so much a sign of God’s blessing but as a symbol of great magical talent. And in that case, why would they…

Albert seemed to pick up on my confusion and began explaining.

“Did you not know, Lady Mylene? Ever since that match with Paul, word of your skill has spread not just across the kingdom but also over to the neighboring countries.”

“The hell’s with that? Tch… Just great, here comes another pain in the ass.”

Hearing Albert’s explanation left me cursing aloud.

Being well-known like this was going to be real annoying if I ever chose to run away and become a mercenary. It would be one thing to have a reputation for being a skilled fighter, but being known as the runaway daughter of a duke would only mean more trouble.

So who the hell is spreading my name and that story around…

“…Hmm? Is there something troubling you, Lady Mylene?”

…It had to be this little sparkly-eyed twerp.

I reached over to grab him and began roughly ruffling up his hair.

“Ah, ack! Pl-please stop that, Lady Mylene!”

Despite his complaint, Albert seemed pretty happy being treated like this, and when I stopped, he began to pout like an abandoned puppy.

“But an invite to a demonstration of their knights’ military exercises? It doesn’t make any sense; why would they call over the daughter of a foreign duke for something like that?”

I turned back to the letter.

If it were a party invitation or something, it would be a different matter, but why military exercises? Considering their actions in my previous life, I wondered if they just wanted to show how strong their knights were.

“If I were to guess, it is because of the imperial princess. Her tomboyish personality and her military achievements are very well-known, so she must have gotten curious about you after hearing the rumors and then had this letter sent.”

“Is that what happened…”

…I guess that did explain why they would invite someone from this peace-obssessed kingdom out of the blue.

Just as Albert said, there, at the bottom of the letter was the name of the Empress of Colhoun I remembered from my previous life; though, probably because she had yet to ascend as ruler, she had simply signed ‘Colette’.

Colette von Colhoun was a name I would never forge. The name of the one who, at the very end, destroyed my home country and caused my death.

It wasn’t that I held a grudge against her; I was just interested in meeting her in this new life.

“Sounds pretty interesting to me. Tell ’em I’ll come, old man.”

The pages fluttered about as I whipped them back at Balzac.

It was funny seeing how obviously upset he was.

“Ah… I suppose it is fine, but Mylene, you must mind your manners!”

“I also would like for you to be more careful with your manners, Lady Mylene. While I feel you are much more attractive like this, you need to be careful when you meet with the daughter of the Emperor of Colhoun.”

Albert, on the other hand, warned me in a calm tone.

Since they have both seen the mask I could put on, they probably had some faith in me.

If there is something I can use, then I will use it — that was my life’s motto, and I wasn’t about to change it.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it… Though I have some thoughts on the matter still, I nonetheless appreciate the advice, and I shall act most appropriately.

I think I’m getting used to this. I could feel my mouth begin twisting into a more sardonic grin, but I suppressed it with an appropriately ladylike smile.

Balzac’s look as he patted himself with open relief contrasted heavily against Albert’s sparkling eyes of admiration.

◆

Several days later, I was on board a carriage in the capital of the Colhoun Empire, close to the Petyul territory.

This wasn’t actually my first time coming here. Back when I was an independent merc, I had visited the Empire a number of times.

Being the capital of a country known for its military strength, public safety in the city was excellent, which meant trade and commerce flourished and enriched the city. Personally speaking, I really liked that.

But best of all was how delicious their food was. When I first tried them, the taste of their mincemeat sausages had blown me away.

And since this time I had received an invitation to visit, I was expecting an even more impressive meal.

But just as I had forgotten all about the original reason I was invited, something else came into view: the massive palace that symbolized the heart of the military superpower called the Colhoun Empire.

The gates began opening with a loud rumble as though to welcome our arrival. It may have been because of the memories of my previous life, but I suddenly felt as though we were walking straight into a lion’s maw.

The carriage pulled in and stopped just past the gates, and I could see a number of soldiers lined up to receive us… no, to receive me.

The line of soldiers continued to a staircase that led to the front door, where a girl with long dark hair waited. She stood majestically, with arms crossed and an excited glimmer in her eyes.

She… looked too old to be called a child, but behind her sharp eyes was the innocence of a young maiden. From a single glance, I instantly knew who she was.

“Allow me to welcome you, my lovely-haired guest. I am most pleased that you have accepted my personal invitation!”

I knew for certain after she said ‘personal invitation’.

She was none other than Colette herself. Right now, the battle for the Colhoun throne was still going on behind the scenes, so she was just ‘Imperial Princess Colette’. But I already knew.

I knew that it was her who would ascend the throne to become ‘Colette von Colhoun’, my final foe as Envil the mercenary.

Rather than a clear successor to determine the next ruler, the royal children of Colhoun fought tooth and nail amongst themselves to take the crown. Despite her age, I could see Colette had a look in her eyes like that of a hawk preparing to dive — or rather like a lion ready to pounce — that hinted at her familiarity with such a turbulent environment.

I heard she had other siblings, but did they also have that same look in their eyes?

While it hadn’t surprised me that this was the girl who became ‘Colette von Colhoun’ in my past life, she was still impressive… but I was different now compared to back then. An attendant took my hand and carefully escorted me as I gracefully climbed the steps.

“It was a great honor to receive your invitation, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Mylene Petyul de Laelier. I hope we can have a meaningful time together.”

I pinched the hems of my dress and gave a respectful bow.

Even as I introduced myself, I emphatically stared at Colette, as though to show her the ferocity in my eyes and the resolve I had to use everything I could to achieve my goals.

“So that’s the Hair of Sulberia, huh…”

“There were rumors about how fierce of a warrior she is, but they never mentioned how lovely she is…”

I heard the enraptured whisper of noblemen nearby; they seemed to have fallen for my act. Well, I guess it’s no surprise that Mylene’s appearance could attract that kind of attention, regardless of what she really was like inside.

That being said, the ‘current’ inner self and the ‘past’ inner self were both quite deplorable.

If this was all it took to deceive the nobles of Colhoun, then it seemed they really weren’t worth much after all, either.

“…Nh?!”

Well, it might’ve been easier if that was entirely the case, but…

It seemed Colette had noticed the intensity of the stare I sent her way just now, and she shivered almost imperceptibly as her smile widened slightly into a ferocious grin.

I had heard rumors about Colette’s swordsmanship, a skill she had honed ever since she was a child, and from her reaction to my provocation, it seemed I would soon learn whether those stories had been true.

“Ahaha! You’re pretty interesting yourself. ‘A meaningful time’, was it? I daresay we shall be together for quite some time to come!”

“Of course, and I feel the same as well. As we are the same age, it would please me if we could be close companions from here on.”

I returned her smile as I took her hand in my own. A number of admiring sighs came from the nobles watching the picturesque scene the two of us made.

Though she was young, Colette’s well-defined features were already hinting at the future beauty she would grow into. The contrasting sight of the black-haired Colette beside the white-haired me shaking hands made for a beautiful sight — for anyone who had not noticed the underlying tone between us.

In fact, I was starting to wonder how many people noticed that we were actually sizing each other up like beasts preparing to hunt?

“There is still time before the demonstration begins. I am sure your journey was quite taxing, so allow me to show you some place to relax for now.”

◆

Some time later…

We were now in a nearby field outside Vuthberc, the capital city.

Various soldiers filled the area, colliding and engaging with one another as I watched their exercises from my guest seat overlooking them.

The soldiers had been divided into two teams, each bearing one of Colhoun’s colors: white and red, and the mock battle between them was quite intense.

From what I was told, two of their top generals led each team, and these exercises were not just a heated but friendly competition but also a festive event for their soldiers.

But, well, all of this was actually pretty boring to me.

Showing their strengths like this was fine, but overall it was somewhat disappointing and uninteresting compared to the tactics and stratagems Colhoun had utilized in the previous life I remembered.

As spellcraft became more advanced, it wasn’t uncommon for a lone hero to singlehandedly turn the tides of battle by wielding superior magical power. Consequently, most battles were fought by powerful commanders with magical support from the soldiers under them.

Colhoun now was not so different from Iltania, as it still focused on these types of strategies; in the history I remembered, Colhoun would eventually rely less on magic and turn to technology, incorporating weapons like crossbows into their army.

So really this was just a battle to see which of the two generals was stronger, but…

“Hey, what do you think, Lady Mylene?”

I was stifling a yawn when Colette, seated beside me, asked a question.

…I shouldn’t have let my guard down so easily. I quickly put my ‘mask’ back on and responded appropriately.

“The soldiers are performing quite excellently. The generals leading each army are especially strong, and I can feel their spirit.”

“Hahaha, is that really what you think?”

I smiled back as Colette laughed.

But though she was laughing, there was a clear lack of amusement in her eyes.

“As you say, they are performing excellently, but that is all it amounts to: a simple performance. Do you not agree?”

The fighting was intense and comparable to live combat, yet Colette had dismissed it as a play.

But she was exactly right. Without changing my expression, I looked down at the ‘battle’ happening below.

The soldiers were lined up in neat formations, channeling magic and firing off spells of different attributes at each other… The spells were of reduced potency since this was still just training, but this was how battles were fought in this era.

But that was all it was; as Colette had said, this was nothing more than a simple performance.

“‘By magic, with pride, our noble victory is won’, was it? What nonsense. That kind of senseless drivel should be saved for books or plays. Do you not think so, Lady Mylene?”

And now she asked something that was difficult for me, as a guest, to answer.

Make no mistake: I completely agreed with her. The battles of this era — even those in the near future — were so inflexibly predictable. Military forces focused too much on basic sword and sorcery, to the extent that any other factor or method was left behind and unused.

Outside of that, at most there might be archers picking off soldiers with bows. But even in armies like that, magic was still the most preferred option as it had the advantage of not requiring equipment to use. As for me, I believed there were many ways to go about killing people that were much simpler than only using spells.

“I want to make things more interesting, make Colhoun even greater. I believe true pride can only be found when you’ve killed your enemies yourself, when you return alive to tell the tale! Do you not agree?!”

Colette spoke with sudden passion, like a fire in her had been lit.

…Of course, I couldn’t tell her that this was exactly what had happened in the future, after she became empress.

And how, at the end, though magic still reigned supreme, non-magical weapons were becoming an alternative option thanks to her ideas and strategies.

What I hadn’t expected here was how she already had these ideas in mind despite being at such a young age.

I remembered hearing ‘the Black Lion is a war-hungry battle maniac’ in my previous life, and it seemed those stories were no exaggeration, even for the current Colette.

But more importantly, there was a strange persuasive force behind her words, like a natural charisma. That charisma and the passion of her words must have been what led to the people rallying to her in the first place.

I could only hope the Black Lion now doesn’t decide to sink her fangs into my home country this time around.

“I do not quite understand, but I can see you are passionate about it.”

“Indeed. Well, I suppose it would be quite the challenge to break away from established tradition and convention.”

So she said, but if things happened the way they did in my previous life, I would find myself in a different sort of trouble.

Compared to the magic-less me in my previous life, it was much harder now not to stand out because of this Hair of Sulberia. On the other hand, my skills were still useful because I could suppress my magical power and trick my opponents into letting down their guard.

Buf if Colette were to usher in a world where magic wasn’t as important or common in battle, there would inevitably come a time where my usual tactics became obsolete.

I left unspoken the thoughts I had affirming Colette’s assertion and I continued halfheartedly watching the exercise. It soon came to an end.

Victory had gone to the red army. The young general that led them raised his sword in the air and gave a victory cry.

“That was very impressive.”

“I suppose you could say it was.”

She probably suspected as much as I did that both of us were giving empty compliments for the sake of appearance.

Compared to the cheers and applause from the rest of the audience, there was a cold silence here in the seating area for the guests of honor.

“Hey, Lady Mylene…”

“What is it, Imperial Princess Colette?”

It was Colette who broke the silence first.

“I have heard rumors that you spend much time training. So much, in fact, that stories of a ‘beautiful maiden of war’ often make their way here to Colhoun.”

“Oh my, it seems the rumors of my training have been greatly exaggerated. It was nothing more than light exercise for the purposes of health and self-discipline…”

“Haha, now now, no need to be so modest, but I suppose that is also fine. You claim to train for health, but have you ever thought about becoming a commander in the future, Lady Mylene? Suppose you were the leader of the white army in this exercise. How would you go about leading your troops to victory?”

Was she testing me? Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she awaited my ideas on how to overturn the loss.

It wasn’t something that could very easily be done in a military demonstration or exercises, but in live combat, there was a very simple solution.

I paused as though taking time to mull over an answer before responding.

“Well, I suppose… if it were up to me, I would first arm my troops with crossbows.

“Crossbows?! What ever for?”

Colette’s voice rose in surprise, but there was a seriousness in her eyes.

For a moment it had seemed as though she was mocking my answer, but it was clear her tone had been one of genuine interest.

And it would interest her, because that was how she equipped her army in the future I remembered… and how she had sown chaos so quickly into the crowd on the day of Mylene’s execution.

“Your soldiers will tire quickly if they continuously used flashy magic the way they did here, so the best option is to only use those kinds of spells at the start of the battle. After that, the opposing armies would slowly come together until they reach effective kill ranges for small-scale magic, do they not? Then the effectiveness of ranged weaponry becomes clear: fielding crossbowmen to shoot at the enemy during that period of approach would serve to hinder enemy movement at worst and reduce enemy numbers at best.”

You are reading story Lady Savage Fang – History’s Greatest Mercenary Reincarnates as the World’s Cruelest Lady and Becomes Peerless in this Second Life at novel35.com

I gave her a chilling smile with a slight tilt of my head, as though daring her to question the validity of my plan.

But Colette wasn’t surprised, nor was she angry at my insolent expression — excitement had dyed her face, giving her a wild grin.

She watched me like a hunting lion, an aggressive glint in her eyes.

Good grief… We just keep talking around each other.

The reason why she invited the daughter from a nearby dukedom was not to discuss war strategy or to demonstrate military exercises.

And while the Hair of Sulberia had religious meaning in Iltania, to the rest of the world, it was merely an indication of great magical power.

In other words, her real reason for inviting me here was…

“Oh dear, if you were already thinking of something like that, then this must have been quite a boring show for you.”

…to meet Mylene Petyul de Laelier in person.

“Not at all. On the contrary, I found this very interesting.”

I dodged her question as though teasing her.

It had been a pretty boring demonstration, but I wasn’t lying about what I said; this girl beside me, the very same girl that grew to be the empress that pushed even further the strength of Colhoun’s military, was utterly fascinating.

“Fufu, there is no need to be so coy, Lady Mylene. I am sure for ladies such as ourselves, it was exceptionally tiresome to sit around only watching, do you not agree? What say you to some light exercise?”

Colette slowly rose from her seat and turned to face me, a broad smile still on her face. I could feel the pressure of her fighting spirit; she no longer hid it, having recognized me as someone similar to her.

“To tell you the truth, Lady Mylene, long have I been fascinated by the Hair of Sulberia. It is always said to grant its owner great magical power. And I wish to see for myself exactly what kind of power has it granted you!”

Seriously, just how far have stories about me spread? If they also knew about what I did at Castle Iltania, then…

“If Princess Colette so wishes, then, though I may be unworthy of your attention, it would be my pleasure to join you.”

…my invitation was for a special kind of ‘dance’, and it would be extremely unladylike if I were to decline such a passionate request.

And that was true even if the sender was a certain mischievious girl with a different kind of dance in mind.

“Aha! I knew you would be interested! …Is anyone available!?”

When she heard my answer, Colette instantly turned away to call out as though she had anticipated my answer, her hair trailing behind her like a fluttering mantle.

I certainly was feeling stiff from sitting for so long. Light exercise sounded like a good idea.

A soldier hurried over to us in response to Colette’s call. She seemed to whisper something into his ear, and he quickly left when she finished.

Colette silently watched him go before turning back to me. Her eyes were still sparkling, and she paused, breathing in with great excitement.

“What perfect timing! The practice field is free for us to use, so let us be on our way!”

“…My, how excited you are.”

She took me by the hand and pulled me along down to the open meadow we had just been watching.

◆

…And so I found myself here.

Before I knew it, Colette and I stood facing off one another, with an audience watching us from above.

As I suspected, this had been her real objective from the very beginning.

The military exercises were just a convenient excuse she used as pretext to invite me over; having heard rumors of a young lady proud of her martial skills, what Colette actually wanted was a match with me.

From the beginning, I was thinking something like this was going to happen, and normally I would have declined such an invitation, but… though this current Colette was different from the Colette of my previous life, I was still curious about her.

“I yearned to meet you, from the very moment I learned of your existence. And now, having met you, having discovered you are exactly as I imagined, I am… a bit excited.”

“Oh dear…”

She had a playful smile on her face as she checked over her wooden sword.

My acting should have been perfect. What did she mean, that I was “exactly as she imagined”?

But I felt the same way about her. To me, the current, excitable Colette looked like she was at a turning point of her life, after which she would become more restrained and less impulsive in personality. I wouldn’t say she had become more mature over time, but the older Colette I remembered had appeared far less excitable than this current one.

Yet I could tell that both the future Colette and the current Colette shared that same fiery temperament. And her desire was a familiar one; it was all too common for hot-blooded mercenaries to jump at the chance to test their skills against someone rumored to be strong.

“So won’t you dance with me, Lady Mylene? Take your stance, show me your power!”

At her spirited declaration, the crowd around us erupted with noise like the sea crashing against cliffs.

This must have been how she was able to win over the hearts of her citizens. It would be troubling if she were to become hostile in the future.

I shifted my footing, taking the traditional sword style’s upright stance. My Beast-style wouldn’t be as effective against Colette, who was of a similar build… One of the lessons I’d learned over my years of mercenary work was how useful it was to have different cards to play as the situation called for them.

Now then, what should I do here? I was a visiting guest, here on an invitation, but my opponent was still a princess of this country. The best thing to do here would be to go easy on her and let her win, but…

“Oh, before we begin, I must tell you: do not go easy on me. I absolutely detest any who would look down on me like so.”

It looked like Her Imperial Highness would be having none of that.

She was deadly serious about it too, I would imagine; after all, in my previous life, her only reason for invading was to strike back against Mylene’s slight.

But it also would be rather immature of me to fight her with complete seriousness. Worse yet, the audience around us could even see it as a provocation.

So I can’t go easy on her, but I also shouldn’t be fighting with my full power…

I gave Colette a sharp glare, but she responded with a slow smile.

“Here I come!”

Colette rushed forward, heedless of a starting signal. From the magical power strengthening her charge, it seemed she had the skills to support the confidence she showed.

If it were possible, I would have liked to keep playing the part of a frail young lady, but unfortunately this wooden sword would be useless here without using magic.

Well, considering this had started with accepting Colette’s invitation in the first place, I suppose it was far too late to be thinking about that now.

“Haaa..!”

She gave her wooden sword a great swing, a powerful strike with the intensity of magic and a practiced technique behind it.

It was a basic attack, and yet it made me think of a certain empress of the future, one with whom I didn’t get to cross swords with. From this one swing alone, it was clear she had greater capability as a warrior than as a leader.

For a moment, I felt relief knowing the one responsible for my death was not someone weak.

“A splendid attack. However…”

I had caught her blow with my own wooden sword. There was a sharp metallic screech as our swords met — it wasn’t the sound of wood hitting wood but of our magical power clashing with each other.

My sword would have snapped immediately on impact had I not strengthened it with magical power. Having magical power made all the difference in clashes like this, so it wasn’t surprising why the magicless would be so discriminated against…

That being said, these were wooden swords we were using, and it wasn’t as though there were many people, magicless or otherwise, that could break a well-forged steel sword in the first place.

In any case, I took Colette’s attack head-on and put in about as much power to keep her at bay as she was using to attack. I was still trying to hold back, but…

“Rgh..!”

Her skills were the real deal.

I pulled back for an instant only to push forward again, using that brief moment of imbalanced forces to turn away Colette’s attack.

And in that opening, I thrust at her exposed shoulder; Colette responded by kicking off the ground and dodged backward, putting distance between us.

I see… Her technique was well-trained, her combat sense was quite sharp, and her reaction time was passable.

But more importantly…

“The rumors were true… No, in fact, they may have instead sold you short! You are proving to be more amazing than they say, Lady Mylene!”

…She had an unflagging audacity, one that let her laugh undaunted even in the face of an opponent with greater strength.

Being able to measure the difference in power after a single clash was an important skill, but it was also just as important to be able to remain unaffected when the difference wasn’t a favorable one.

…To be honest, I didn’t hold a grudge against this girl. Back then, I already knew it was over for Iltania, so the only difference was who would be the one to strike it down. Even during that final battle, I was the one who chose to stay until the very end.

And even then, compared to the future I remembered, this girl, this Colette before my very eyes was not the same as that Empress, Colette von Colhoun, that I met at the end.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was starting to like this warrior girl, and when I realized that, I could feel the corners of my mouth creasing into a grin.

“So you say, Princess, but your swing was no less wonderful as well. I daresay — there are not many people in the castle that could hope to give you a worthwhile time, are there?”

“Haha! It is exactly as you say! It is a truly deplorable state of affairs, much too pitiful to hear it for myself, but..!”

I brace myself as Colette leapt forward, charging at me once again.

Our swords clashed again, then a second time, then a third time. With each collision came the violent impact of opposing magical power crashing against one another.

War was a game of numbers, but the inclusion of a single, powerful general could unbalance any disparity. It was obvious to me from these clashes that Colette was more than qualified to be one of those kinds of soldiers.

Had it been the me of my previous life, I would have struggled against her; technique alone wouldn’t have been enough to fend off those heavy swings of hers.

…But now, in addition to my skills, I have magical power to support me — and more than enough of it to match Colette.

I felt annoyed thinking about the irony of it all; the very same power that I’d spent so much time thinking about how to counter was now something I could wield myself.

And because I had thought so hard on it, I knew the power well; I was not only familiar with its weaknesses, but I had long since thought of ways to utilize it.

I once heard someone describe magic as ‘the power that brought imagination into reality’. I hadn’t understood what that meant at the time, but there was one thing I did understand.

Magical power ‘leaked’ during times of heightened, agitated emotions. For example…

“…!”

Colette’s eyes sparkled brilliantly, like she was looking forward to an inevitable victory.

It seemed she was able to see it. I let out a sigh of admiration, feeling satisfied.

…during combat, it was possible to feel a fighter’s ‘intent’ simply by sensing how their magical power was leaking out, similar to predicting actions by watching preparatory motions. However, it wasn’t an all-powerful technique: to the untrained, the leakage would feel like a minor passing breeze; while to the magically powerful, engaged in tense combat, the leakage was distracting like static electricity in the winter.

And now, Colette, having read from my magical power my intent to attack, took a more guarded stance and held her sword in a sideways grip in front of her. Her battle sense and decisive reactions were quite admirable here.

On my end, I imagined aiming a slice that would start from her left shoulder and carve down her waist; I let that intent leak out through magical power…

“Ugh..?! What the..?!”

…but instead, I aimed a sideways swing at her torso, from her right. It was an attack completely different from the intent my magical power suggested.

Had I pushed through with more force, I could have split her in half, but instead I held back enough to not break any of her bones. I hoped she wouldn’t consider this as ‘going easy’ on her, but this was still just a practice match between us, after all…

Colette leapt back again, clutching her injured side. There was a look of utter confusion on her face.

Being able to read ‘intent’ through magical power like that took a certain level of skill and training, so the oddity here was the fact that we, young as we were, had reached this level — a level that most people in this world would never reach in their entire life.

And even then, prior to this fight, Colette had most likely believed she alone stood on this stage… In other words, with my one strike, I had not only joined her on that stage — I had upstaged her entirely with my simple trick, shocking her to the core.

“Just now, was that..?!”

“That you already understand what happened just now is truly amazing, Princess. I can only give you my utmost praise.”

I had used a technique I only recently thought of: faking out my opponent by leaking a different ‘intent’. Of course, this kind of feint only worked on strong enemies that could read it in the first place… But right now it was just a meaningless skill whose only use was to bully a young girl.

“But how?! That was..!”

“Th-that’s… unbelievable…!”

I heard two voices immediately cry out with loud surprise; they belonged to the two generals that had led the armies in the exercise from earlier.

To most of the audience, it probably looked as though Colette had completely misread my attack and took a direct hit — they only had a shallow understanding of the fight. On the other hand, these two seemed to have figured out what actually happened.

Though they still used commonplace, textbook strategies, it seemed the two generals had merit in their personal abilities. If Colhoun continued to cultivate this level of talent in their military, their future would be bright… And that wasn’t something I should joking about.

“So would you like to continue?”

“…tch.”

I spoke with a cold, indifferent tone. The unsaid words in my question were obvious: Have you had enough yet?

Though the blow to her side was just a minor injury, it was still an unguarded hit to the torso; if this had been a real battle, the actual result was obvious.

In other words, my words were also a reminder to Colette: corpses did not move.

But the audience around us began to raise a fuss; they had heard my words but did not understand the significance behind the hit I just landed. To them, it was just that: a single hit.

Colette was quite popular among the people, it seemed. All around me, I could hear similar shouts: You, a guest and a mere daughter of a duke, shouldn’t be getting so cocky just because you were able to hit our princess once!

“…Enough!”

But it was Colette herself that understood her followers’ misunderstanding.

Unable to hold back, Colette shouted out in anger.

“How much more of a fool do you all intend to make of me? Is it not obvious that had this been a real battle, I would have died just then, from that hit?! That Lady Mylene had made sure to avoid truly injuring me with that attack?!”

The anger she spoke with was obviously directed at the people in the audience who had been causing a stir.

The words of her own followers, refusing to accept her defeat, were what enraged her.

Her words to me earlier, the opinion she had about fighting and victory, made it especially clear why she was like this now.

“None of you even realize what kind of technique Lady Mylene used..! It is ridiculous and downright pathetic to raise a commotion when you don’t even understand what happened! So I ask again: how much more of a fool do you all intend to make of me?!”

The crowd that had grown heated now completely cooled in an instant; it was as though the blaze of their princess’s fiery rage had swallowed up the anger they had felt.

Hers wasn’t a tantrum but a reprimand; the people seemed to understand that, and they had nothing more to say.

She really was an interesting person. I found myself once again hoping I wouldn’t have to make an enemy out of her.

The clink of her greaves drew my attention back; Colette had turned around to address me.

“…I must apologize to you on their behalf, Lady Mylene. You are my honored guest, having graciously answered my invitation. For this practice match that you so generously humored me with to be spoiled by such insolent accusations brings me only the greatest of shame.”

And with that, she bowed her head to me. As a princess, she most likely knew she should not be bowing her head so easily… but she did so anyway.

A number of sobs came from around us, probably out of adoration for Colette. They had probably realized that they themselves were the ones that forced their precious princess to bow her head like this.

…It was a bit much, how troublesome this country could get.

But I suppose that was what happened when the people loved their charismatic ruler, and there was nothing more annoying to deal with than a country full of patriots like that.

“Please lift your head, Princess Colette. I understand their feelings and lay no blame on them.”

“Lady Mylene…”

I suppose I could only feel thankful that we did not have hostile relations with the Empire at the moment.

We really needed to maintain our current relations with the Empire; we could not afford to go to war with them.

I approached Colette as she raised her face, now in a calm expression.

As her glance met mine, her expression softened.

“…It is my complete defeat! Were you all able to see, my people? How strong, how noble, and how beautiful Lady Mylene was? Though she is of another country, we would do well to recognize her excellence, to burn into memory her very form, so as not to bring shame upon our Colhoun!”

Colette threw aside her sword, only to grab my arm in her now freed hand.

And she raised my arm high into the air, as though to celebrate my victory, and a storm of cheers, louder than any from earlier in the day, erupted from the audience.

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

“Long live Princess Colette!”

“Long live Lady Mylene!”

Honestly speaking, their enthusiasm had taken me by surprise. It wasn’t just because it was a complete turnaround in attitude, but because, until today, I had never been on the receiving end of this much cheering all at once.

At best, the past me would hear words like ‘cowardly savage’ or the like as substitute for praise… though I can’t say it didn’t feel bad to hear it.

I stabbed my sword into the dirt and once again donned the mask of a noble lady.

As Colette still had my right arm in her raised grasp, I used my free left to wave back to the crowd.

I had thought I was getting used to the different faces I had to wear for each occasion, but, well, in the first place, it was obvious that being commended for valor in combat felt completely different from waving to the people from a position of royalty. Still…

…I knew all that, and yet I couldn’t help but think: wasn’t all of this a bit too much for celebration?

“Hey, Lady Mylene?”

Colette nonchalantly called out to me in a sobering voice, suddenly detached from the celebratory mood around us.

“What is it, Princess Colette?”

Her tone had washed over me like cold water, but still I returned a careful smile.

Was she feeling frustrated? It was a possibility, but it wasn’t a thought I needed to entertain; Colette didn’t seem to be that kind of person in the least.

And more importantly, that expression on her face, it seemed oddly familiar…

“I have found myself… fascinated by you, Lady Mylene, oh so very fascinated. And I want you for myself, by any means, no matter what.”

…Now I remembered: she had that same expression back then, during the conversation we had, just before the end of my previous life.

“My, oh my, how passionate you are.”

“You need not play coy with me, Lady Mylene. Behind those eyes of yours is a lion — no, yours are the eyes of a proud wolf, one with the cunning to seize victory on its own terms. This I know to be true.”

“…Heh. And here I was thinking my disguise was pretty good.”

“Any real warrior would realize the truth if they met you. But more importantly, about your manner of speaking… You are much more charming, more fascinating like this than you were earlier.”

“That so?”

I had reverted to my usual way of speaking without changing expressions. Just when I thought I was becoming quite skilled at hiding my true nature, it seemed I was actually much easier to see through than I thought.

Well, being so boldly pursued like this was rare. Of course, I have had my share of enthusiastic women, but this, with Colette, felt completely unlike those times.

And so we continued our private talk, hiding our words beneath the din of the continued cheering.

“Hey, Mylene? What would you say to leaving Iltania and staying here, in Colhoun? I care not a whit for the stories and legends of the God’s Blessed. What Colhoun needs are capable individuals such as yourself, with great ability to your name. I would do anything, grant any wish, if only you would call Colhoun your home.”

“Oh? Since when were you so charming, so boldly teasing?”

This must be what they called seduction by royal authority. Colette made such a request to me, but the way she spoke made it seem more like a command. It would have looked ridiculous had it come from noble brat, but for such a beautiful woman to make such an entreaty to me… Well, I wasn’t actually a man anymore, but that was beside the point…

“Actually, not too long ago, someone else proposed to me just like this. I refused at the time, but it wasn’t a bad idea. Either way, I plan on leaving my House someday to become a mercenary.”

“I see! That is an excellent plan!”

I intended to leave and renounce my ties to House Petyul one day so I could live my life freely. If Colette were to offer me a place where I could live however I pleased, I wouldn’t refuse it.

The expression on Colette’s face was easy enough to understand… but I still had more to say.

“I’m something of a stray dog, y’know, and I’ve yet to meet anyone I could call my owner. But if you think you’ve got what it takes, you’re welcome to try.”

I said it rather sarcastically, but what I meant was…

You’ll never tame me.

There was no way she would not catch the meaning in my words, and for a moment, her mouth opened in amazement.

“…Haha! How interesting! Then I suppose I have no choice but to prove myself as a suitable owner for the wolf. Allow me to say again, Mylene: I shall make you mine, no matter what I must do!”

Her open mouth curled into a ferocious smile, and I felt her grip my hand with more power than before.

No matter what I must do’, was it? I might have gone a bit overboard with the provocations, but it didn’t feel bad to hear her words.

I will live this new life of mine freely, however I pleased — I swore to live by that oath, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be willing to work under someone else, as long as I kept my personal freedom.

And if working under Colette was something I wanted to do, something that I chose for myself, then I would gladly wag my tail for her.

“Heh, I hope you’ll show me a good time.”

“I shall do my utmost.”

We laughed uproariously together like beasts, and finally Colette brought her hand back down.

And then she held out her hand once again; I took it in my own without hesitating.

“Then, from today forward, we are sworn friends, sisters in all but blood! Know that you are the first among those I know that I have acknowledged as my equal!”

“‘What an honor’… is what I should say, but you don’t really need to be flattered, do you? Well, here’s to a good relationship between us.”

“Mm, so it shall be.”

Colette smiled and I frowned as the crowd cheered louder than ever seeing our handshake.

“And I, as well, hope for a splendid future between us, for years to come.”

“‘For years’, huh? I’ll do my best not to disappoint, Princess.”

Just like that, I befriended the imperial princess that, in my previous life, became the ruler of the empire that destroyed my home country.

At the very least, ‘Mylene and Colette’s first meeting’ was probably more productive and positive than it was in the original history, for both Colette and this merc dog.

But I still didn’t know if my actions here would make the future any better.

Still, there was at least one thing I could say: I was happy to have found a friend and an equal in Colette — and I was sure she felt the same.

So in the end, I guess it wasn’t all that bad to go and visit other countries.

“Now, let us return to the palace at once! A feast has been prepared, featuring our empire’s most prided specialties!”

After hearing Colette’s boast, I suddenly remembered a forgotten thought.

I wanted to enjoy some alcohol with the food, but I let that thought stay unsaid…

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