Chapter 10: Episode 10

Honestly, I was brimming with confidence, to the point of having immense pride in my swordsmanship.

I believed I could win against anyone, as long as they weren’t a master.

But then.

‘Isn’t Rie Varcelen a bit… too much?’

Why would the Sword Maiden be called the Sword Maiden? Because she has talent with the sword, of course.

Furthermore.

According to the settings of ‘Raising a Saintess’, Rie’s talent cap is higher than Helna’s.

This means that given enough time, Rie would even defeat Helna.

And such a person is my opponent.

‘I already feel like surrendering….’

More importantly, is my master in her right mind?

I thought she had formed a friendly relationship with our family, taking me on as her disciple.

To betray us like this.

Well… if there’s one fortunate thing.

It was that Helna herself hadn’t come.

Rie looked at me and raised her sword.

“…I’ve heard a lot about you from my mother.

I will face you with my full power.

Of course, I also heard what she said.”

“….”

No, isn’t it normal to be a bit more flexible in a situation like this, like, ‘I heard a lot from my mother.

I’ll naturally lose, so please match my pace well’?

…Is that a bit much?

Anyway.

“Please teach me a move.”

Even if my opponent was called the Sword Maiden, and was a talent capable of surpassing Helna, I was in a situation where I absolutely could not lose.

I had to win.

After steeling my resolve once more, I raised my sword in a stance similar to Rie’s.

****

Perhaps it was because they had learned swordsmanship from the same person, but Rie and Yuren’s sword techniques seemed to understand each other well.

They swung their swords, tracing the same trajectories.

And as if expecting it, they naturally blocked.

After exchanging about ten blows.

“….”

Rie glared at Yuren in silence.

She didn’t believe it.

No, she couldn’t believe it.

To be acknowledged by her mother for talent superior to her own.

‘…Mother’s words were true.’

But it was a fact.

Someone who had learned the sword for less than ten years was continuously keeping up with her swordsmanship.

It was terrifying.

Of course, Rie was slightly ahead in terms of technical skill.

However, in terms of physical ability.

Rie couldn’t properly utilize the advantage of her superior technique due to Yuren’s physical abilities, which surpassed her own.

Finally, Rie, unable to bear it any longer, asked.

“…Is it really true that you’ve been learning swordsmanship for less than ten years?”

“Huh? Yes.”

“….”

She didn’t want to admit Yuren’s talent.

Because it made her feel insignificant.

However.

Yuren didn’t seem to be lying.

Indeed.

Wasn’t she facing his talent with her own two eyes right now?

‘He’s catching up.’

He was closing the slight gap where she had an advantage at a terrifying speed.

Furthermore, in addition to his talent, his stamina also seemed monstrous; compared to her, who was gradually tiring, Yuren appeared perfectly fine.

After glaring at Yuren in silence for a long time, Rie finally… decided to face Yuren with the maximum strength she could muster.

“…You’d better be prepared.”

As if feeling like she was snatching victory through an unfair method, Rie warned Yuren in advance.

From now on, he wouldn’t be able to handle her.

****

She’s strong.

As befits someone called the Sword Maiden, her sword skills are certainly excellent and powerful.

However.

‘I think I can win?’

Purely in terms of sword mastery, the Sword Maiden had a slight edge.

But just like me, the Sword Maiden was at a stage facing a great wall, so that tiny difference couldn’t decide victory or defeat.

I can win!

Moreover.

While my stamina remained unchanged, the Sword Maiden’s stamina seemed to be slowly dropping.

The tide of victory was slowly turning.

That’s what I thought.

Until the Sword Maiden spoke those words.

“…You’d better be prepared.”

The moment that warning came out, a shiver ran down my spine.

‘That…!’

It felt as if I had entered the game ‘Raising a Saintess’, and the skill of ‘Rie, the Sword Maiden’ from the game was manifesting.

Ah, I was practically in the game ‘Raising a Saintess’ anyway.

Rie Varcelen.

Her entire body was enveloped in burning red mana.

And that burning mana.

It held a keen edge.

It felt as if the mana itself was sharpened, wrapping around Rie.

“You’re the first person besides my mother to see me like this.”

“….”

Not at all.

Every player of ‘Raising a Saintess’ has seen that form at least once.

“Don’t make that face.”

Huh?

What kind of face was I making?

“I know this is unfair.

This isn’t… my own power.”

I was probably making an impressed face, but to the Sword Maiden’s eyes, was it a face saying ‘that’s unfair’?

“…I’m sorry.”

The Sword Maiden, her entire body enveloped in a keen aura, took a step forward.

The ground around the Sword Maiden seemed to be gouged as if by countless slashes.

It felt as if an indiscriminate barrage of countless slashes was pouring out in real-time.

“Because of my greed… and because of my mother… you are merely a victim.”

The Sword Maiden pitied me.

That, ‘impression’—

I wasn’t happy at all.

Instead, I felt a little angry.

‘What is she, acting like she’s already won?’

How arrogant.

“Would you rather… surrender?

Then at least you won’t get hurt.”

Surrender?

The outcome of the territory war rests on my shoulders right now, would you surrender if you were me?

I thought highly of her in the game, but this is completely distasteful.

“Never.”

To express that I had no intention of surrendering, I raised my sword.

Towards her.

The Sword Maiden, after a short sigh and gasp, moved at a speed I couldn’t perceive.

She vanished from my sight in an instant.

Losing sight of your opponent means defeat.

However.

Clang-!

“…What…?”

The Sword Maiden looked at me with a bewildered expression, then at the sword pointed at her neck.

“I won.”

****

“No, that’s impossible!

How could you defeat me in that state!!!”

Rie denied my rightful victory.

It seemed less like she was denying it out of anger and humiliation over her defeat, and more like she genuinely didn’t understand how it happened.

“Do you want to know?”

“…Yes.

Please tell me.”

“Well, it’s…!”

“…It’s…?”

“The sword’s trajectory just seemed to be visible to my eyes?”

“….”

Rie’s expression instantly changed to one as if she had bitten into something foul.

‘Oh, that’s satisfying.’

Seeing that expression on her face, I felt completely refreshed.

During the duel, she had such a triumphant expression, as if her victory was a given.

‘More than that… I guess I’m more competitive than I thought?’

It was a fact I hadn’t even known about myself.

First.

I decided to give an honest answer to Rie, who had that sour expression, before she tried to stab me.

I didn’t want to make an enemy of a renowned saintess either.

“It’s a joke.”

“…A joke?”

“I merely noticed your habit while clashing swords.

That you would attack from my left side.”

The series of events.

In reality, Rie swung her sword at a speed I couldn’t comprehend, and I merely predicted it.

“…Did you really notice my habit in that short time?”

“Yes.

From what I saw, when you aim for a decisive blow, you target the opponent’s left side.”

She, a left-hander, would bend her sword-wielding arm inward, swinging from right to left.

That’s how I grasped her habit in such a short time…

Bullshit.

‘There’s no way to explain it, so I have no choice.’

I simply already knew.

‘Rie, the Sword Maiden’ from ‘Raising a Saintess’ was certainly a powerful character.

She grew stronger the more skills she unlocked, and if she equipped her exclusive gear, she would just soar.

A good character.

However, ‘Rie, the Sword Maiden’ had a very significant drawback.

Because of that drawback, she was a character never used in PvP (Player versus player).

The reason was simpler than expected.

When she used her ultimate skill, an animation would simultaneously appear in the center of the screen.

It showed ‘Rie, the Sword Maiden’ drawing her sword from right to left.

And after that animation motion ended, the enemy on the left side would be hit by Rie’s attack and fall.

Moreover, she prioritized attacking enemies on the left side to the point where it seemed like she had an obsession with the left.

Of course, if there was no enemy on the left, she would sometimes attack enemies on the right.

But.

If there was an opponent on the left, she would unconditionally target the left.

That’s why ‘Rie, the Sword Maiden’ was a character that was incredibly easy to counter.

Honestly, I thought it was only like that in the game, but to think it’s like that in reality too.

“…I have no choice but to admit it.”

The Sword Maiden bowed her head deeply.

Her face flushed, in a maidenly way.

‘She must be embarrassed.’

I know it all.

That one of the Sword Maiden’s characteristics is ‘arrogance’.

She acted arrogantly, but in the end, she lost.

Moreover, during the battle, she even said, ‘Would you rather… surrender?

Then at least you won’t get hurt.’

Even I would want to crawl into a mouse hole if I were her.

However.

Who am I?

I am a man with a heart as vast as the ocean, capable of buying the true final boss as a s*ave and showing mercy instead of killing her after she became a s*ave.

Although her arrogance during the duel was annoying, I decided to forgive her with a generous heart.

“It was a good match.”

“…Yes.”

“Alright then.”

I turned my body, looking towards the Garcia family, where my allies were, and shouted.

“Yuren Garcia of the Garcia family!”

Clearly, in a loud voice.

“The daughter of Helna Varcelen, and the current Sword Maiden!”

Raising my sword high.

“Has defeated Rie Varcelen, leading the duel to victory for the Garcia family!!!”

I celebrated my victory.

At the same time.

“““Long live Garcia!!!

Long live Yuren Garcia!!!”””

“Young master, I always believed in you!”

“Well done!”

The cheers that filled the space echoed across the battlefield.