Chapter 9: Episode 9

From afar.

“Ah… that’s a relief.”

Seraphie watched the duel, feeling relieved.

The first result.

Victory.

“““Whooaaah!!!”””

“Long live Lord Bilharn!!!!”

“Long live Garcia!!!!”

Everyone cheered for Bilharn, relishing in the victory.

Although it was a victory gained from the enemy’s surrender, a win was still a win.

Everyone was purely joyful.

Then came the second duel.

“““……”””

Silence fell over the Garcia forces.

Defeat.

That left only one.

“…Young Master…!”

Yuren Garcia.

He was the only one left, a man with no renown whatsoever.

Honestly.

Seraphie couldn’t comprehend the current situation.

Why?

Why would her master participate in that duel?

‘I know my master is strong, but….’

No matter how she thought about it, it seemed too much for him to face such renowned individuals.

And then there was the last turn.

Yuren’s opponent was a masked figure who exuded an overwhelming aura.

She felt uneasy.

Seraphie anxiously watched Yuren’s back, fearing something might happen to her master.

“W-what am I supposed to do in a situation like this…?”

Because there was nothing she could do at the moment.

And so, her anxiety only grew.

Maid Chief Mea, who had participated as rear support and was standing beside Seraphie, stroked Seraphie’s head and spoke.

“Don’t worry, Seraphie. Our Young Master has worked incredibly hard.”

On rainy days, on stormy days.

Even when he was bedridden with a high fever, Yuren swung his sword.

Having witnessed that sight all this time, Mea could assert with certainty.

“The Young Master will definitely win.”

“…My master will win?”

“Of course!”

Despite Mea’s confident assertion, Seraphie still looked anxious.

To comfort her.

Mea suggested a single method.

“If you’re worried the Young Master might lose, there’s only one thing we need to do.”

“…What is it?”

“Pray!”

Mea put her hands together and prayed in a reverent posture.

“Please, I pray to the gods for our Young Master’s safety…!”

“Who are you praying to?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. There are so many gods. But since there are so many, won’t at least one of them listen?”

“…Do you think so?”

“Of course! Come on, Seraphie, you pray too!”

At Mea’s urging, Seraphie awkwardly put her hands together and prayed.

It was the first time she had prayed since realizing her status as a s*ave would never change.

‘Please… I beg you… nameless god…. Please let my master win….’

****

I stepped onto the battlefield, my nerves taut.

With countless gazes fixed on me, I felt a strange weight on my shoulders.

However.

Strangely, I felt my heart pounding.

I was excited right now.

‘…How long has it been…!’

The moment I could prove my worth had arrived, and with it, I felt truly alive.

“Lord Yuren Garcia, please step forward!”

Similar to Genua, I awkwardly dismounted my horse in the center.

I sent the horse back.

‘It would be insane to fight on horseback when I haven’t even mastered riding.’

Fighting on horseback certainly offered advantages.

However.

For me, who had only trained in swordsmanship, fighting on horseback was a bit too challenging.

“From the Pigmyne side… hmm?”

Before the observer could finish speaking, my opponent rode to the center.

They seemed remarkably skilled at riding.

But then.

My opponent sent their horse back.

I couldn’t understand why.

Why?

Could it be an act of disrespect towards me?

As if reading my thoughts, my opponent spoke, almost as if making an excuse.

“…I wish to settle this with swords.”

A thin, feminine voice.

The gender of the opponent, who was covered in a red cloth, was female.

“Hmm…?”

The observer repeatedly read the paper in his hand.

With a look that questioned if this was correct.

“Uh… that would be… from the Pigmyne side… Rie Varcelen…?”

The observer continued to stare at my opponent, wearing an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Is this really correct?’ even after speaking the name.

Honestly.

I didn’t know what kind of expression I was making either.

‘Rie Varcelen, then…?’

The name, I knew it.

The family name, I knew it even better.

My master, Helna, is the head of the Varcelen Viscounty.

The Varcelen Viscounty.

But Rie Varcelen?

While similar family names might exist, it was impossible for the exact same family name to be in one country.

Unless she was from another country.

Hmm… does that mean she’s from another country?

However.

The big problem was that I knew her name.

Rie Varcelen.

Another way to call her was….

‘The Sword Maiden….’

Rie Varcelen removed the red cloth covering her.

“It’s really her….”

The moment she removed it, her red bobbed hair was revealed. A small mole sat near her left eye.

And those powerful, violet eyes that seemed to pierce through people.

The Sword Maiden, Rie.

She appeared before me, looking remarkably similar to her illustration in the game.

Because of this, I couldn’t help but ask.

“…Why are you here, and as my opponent, of all things…?”

The relationship between a master and disciple was akin to that of parent and child.

If Rie was Master Helna’s daughter, then it was safe to consider her a fellow disciple.

Why was my fellow disciple here?

During a territory war between the Garcia family and the Pigmyne family, no less.

And as an enemy.

Rie did not answer my question.

She merely.

“…Draw your sword.”

Pointed her sword at me, requesting a match.

****

‘Mother must be out of her mind.’

To send her, of all people, to a territory war between the Garcia family and the Pigmyne family?

She couldn’t believe it.

To stand on the opponent’s side, not her own disciple’s?

That choice alone was hard enough to believe, but her mother surely had a plan.

However.

The problem was that her plan touched upon Rie’s pride.

“You will definitely lose. I can guarantee it.”

“…Mother. Can you… take responsibility for those words?”

Her mood instantly soured.

If her mother’s words were true, it meant she would lose to someone who had only trained under her mother for a few years.

It was impossible.

“Responsibility? Of course, I can. Rather, I wish to ask you.”

As if her words could never be wrong, Helna was brimming with confidence.

“Do you think you can defeat Yuren?”

“Of course!”

It was almost as if she couldn’t imagine losing.

If she used the Saintess’s power, she could definitely secure victory, but she was confident she could win even without using it.

“Then, shall we make a wager?”

“A wager…?”

“Yes, a wager.”

“…What kind of wager?”

Helna didn’t even hesitate, speaking the words Rie wanted to hear.

“If you defeat Yuren, I won’t bother you for five years.”

“…There’s no way I’ll lose, but what if I do?”

Helna showed a sly smile.

This look on her mother gave Rie an ominous feeling.

Whenever her mother showed such a smile, nothing good ever came of it.

Rie nervously awaited her mother’s condition.

Presently.

The moment Rie heard the condition Helna proposed.

Her face turned beet red, her breathing grew ragged, and she shouted.

“Mother!!! What are you talking about!!! What do you take me for!!!”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t this be fair? I’m offering you a sweet five years of freedom.”

“Th-that’s….”

“Surely… you’re not afraid of losing, are you? It seems you thought so too.”

“…If that was meant to provoke me, you’ve done an excellent job.”

Rie glared at Helna, her eyes sharp and fierce.

“That wager… I’ll take it…!”

“Good. Keep your promise.”

“Hmph. You’d better not regret it, Mother. Even if your beloved disciple’s family falls into ruin because they lose the territory war!”

“Haha, you talk too much. Are you scared?”

“….”

Rie decided to stop talking, feeling that saying more would only worsen her mood.

And so.

She immediately headed towards where the territory war was taking place.

“Hehe! Sword Maiden, my spy has confirmed it! Yuren Garcia will likely be the last to participate!”

The Pigmyne Count spoke to Rie, a perpetual smile on his lips.

“Those words… they must be true.”

“Don’t worry! It’s certain!”

“…I’ll trust you. However… if he isn’t my opponent, I will surrender immediately.”

“Yes! Don’t worry. More importantly, you absolutely must not go easy on him just because he’s a fellow disciple!”

“…Have you forgotten who it is that has given me faith?”

Rie, who became a Saintess with the epithet ‘Sword Maiden,’ following her mother Helna.

The god she served was extremely strict about promises.

“Oh, no, not at all. I’m just saying it just in case!”

“I promise you here and now. I will absolutely not go easy on him.”

Indeed.

She had no intention of going easy.

Rie had a goal as well.

Freedom.

With this opportunity, the freedom she yearned for was within her grasp.

If she could just defeat one man, Rie would gain her freedom.

‘I’m sorry, but… you’ll have to be the sacrifice for my freedom.’

Rie gazed intently at Yuren, Helna’s disciple, who was visible in the distance, and repeated those words in her mind.