In the grand scheme of things, I live a peaceful life, but the truth is that this world is an extremely dangerous place.
Monsters, demonkind, rifts, and even people who use their powers to commit crimes.
There are always things trying to disturb the world, so it would be impossible to feel safe.
Right now, nothing major has happened, so things are relatively okay, but that’s only temporary.
Once the demonkind start their full-scale activities, I won’t be able to live as carefree as I do now.
Still, I’m not worried. No matter how big an incident is, there is someone who will stop it with everything they’ve got.
The Imperial Knights, among the countless knight orders, are composed of the best of the best.
As long as they are here, no matter what danger comes, we will at least be able to avoid the worst.
“Give our princess back!”
…Right now, they’re just swinging wooden swords at me.
They were supposed to be impressive characters in the story, but seeing them now, they look more like reckless fools than anything.
That said, their skills weren’t that of fools. Just the fact that they infused magical energy into the wooden swords meant they had reached a considerable level.
Swish!
I twisted my body to avoid the wooden sword that came at me and swiftly dodged.
The wooden sword, which almost touched my shoulder, passed right through my body.
“…Hah, interesting ability.”
Crazy. He changed the trajectory of his swing to follow the path I dodged. He really wasn’t going easy on me.
If I hadn’t sensed it and avoided it in time, it could have been a real disaster.
Even though it’s a wooden sword and doesn’t have cutting power, the shock from the magical energy would still be considerable.
It could easily break rocks, so if it had touched my shoulder bone, it would have turned to dust immediately.
I was too careless. Even though I was up against a skilled opponent, I was trying to rely on my flimsy abilities.
But I managed to dodge, so it’s fine. The opponent seemed surprised by how I avoided the attack.
“Maybe I should raise the level a little.”
But for some reason, after that one dodge, the magical energy surrounding the wooden sword turned a golden hue.
I recognized it immediately. What he was using wasn’t magic.
‘Is he really going to use that now?’
The reason the Imperial Knights are so strong isn’t just because each member has high skill levels, but because of their unique sword energy.
The sword energy, invented by the current leader of the order, wasn’t something that could be easily learned, but it boasted incredible performance.
In the game, it’s learned as a passive skill, and its effect is a 120% increase in damage when using a sword.
That means the damage is more than doubled.
And when you learn the technique, it creates a distinct effect when holding a sword… which is the golden aura I’m seeing now.
I couldn’t understand why he was using such an overpowered technique now.
Is it because of Seria? But his expression was far too serious.
As if using this was the appropriate thing to do against me.
But… I just barely dodged one attack?
“Be careful. Even a slight brush could be dangerous.”
Well, you could just not use it.
I wanted to respond like that, but his wooden sword moved too quickly.
“Ah, forget it. I don’t care anymore.”
For now, I’ll just avoid everything.
Swish! Whoosh! Swish!
The scene unfolding before the eyes of the Knight Commander was one that he couldn’t comprehend.
He had thought that I would have fallen out long ago, but I had been holding on much longer than expected.
Despite being a first-year student, and even though I was part of the student council, the fact that I was avoiding all the attacks from an Imperial Knight was beyond belief.
Even more so, the one wielding the sword was a renowned expert, someone who was about to be appointed as the captain of the Imperial Guard.
However, he was skilled at controlling his strength, which is why he was placed in this situation…
‘This is really unexpected.’
He never imagined that the fight would last this long.
When Rudion was first brought here, everyone in this place was certain that I, the arrogant… and precious princess, would be completely crushed.
Even after the princess herself intervened to ignite the flames, that certainty remained unchanged.
But… what about now?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The wooden sword never reached Rudion and simply cut through the air.
No, more accurately, it didn’t just cut through the air. The sword should have hit, but it passed right through his body.
When he first started using the sword energy, I was shocked, but after seeing what was happening now, I had to accept it.
‘He must have assessed my level in one strike.’
The fact that he is skilled at controlling his strength also means he is proficient at gauging the level of his opponent.
In reality, he only infused the sword energy because he recognized that I was someone who could handle it.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a bizarre ability, and his ability to avoid attacks with such ease showed an almost unnatural confidence.
And the princess’s trust in him was strangely intense.
Taking all that into consideration, he must have judged that using the sword energy was the right call.
Although it was a bit late, as I realized that, the words the princess had said just before the fight started came to mind.
She told him not to hold back, to go all out.
That memory made me turn my head slightly and look at her.
She was smiling leisurely and said,
“Heh heh, I told you I didn’t need to hold back, didn’t I?”
Her remark, as if she had predicted this outcome, felt like a slap in the face.
I hadn’t been under some kind of love spell. It wasn’t like that from the start.
Everything was a result of careful calculation, just as always.
‘It was my mistake for not trusting the princess from the beginning.’
To think I doubted her words and made my own judgment. I felt extremely embarrassed.
I continued to watch their duel, but there was no sign that it would end anytime soon.
‘It’s about time to finish this.’
Rudion had been avoiding attacks this whole time, but that alone was enough to gauge his skill, so I didn’t feel the need to watch any longer.
With that decision, I tried to stop the duel… but the princess stopped me.
“I’ll take care of it, so just watch.”
She said this with a playful expression.
…She’ll take care of it? Who? How?
The answer to that question came in an instant.
I had consciously focused only on dodging, not parrying, but for some reason, there was no sign of it ending.
Perhaps due to getting used to the speed, I felt a little more relaxed and glanced around, but even the Commander didn’t seem to want to stop it.
No. To be precise, it seemed like he did want to intervene. He definitely tried to approach me.
If Seria hadn’t been standing next to me, the situation would have ended long ago.
So, reluctantly, I had no choice but to parry.
I had been trying to avoid using it, afraid that if I did, my evaluation would get out of hand, and there would be no going back… but since Seria ruined it, I had no choice.
I brought the hilt of my short sword to intercept the wooden sword, which was aimed at my side.
Clang!
A cheerful sound rang out, one you wouldn’t expect from a collision with a wooden sword.
The opponent was sent flying and landed several paces away, staring at me in sheer surprise.
Not only him, but everyone who had been watching this scene had a similar expression.
The only one who seemed unfazed by the situation was Seria, smiling brightly.
“Isn’t it over now? Rudion, let’s go back.”
Even though the atmosphere was like this, Seria casually tried to pull me away.
Naturally, there was no one who could stop the princess from leaving, so we were able to walk away without any interference.
“Safe travels!”
I could feel the change in the way people were looking at me, probably because of what I had just shown.
I didn’t exactly want this situation, but now that it’s happened, I didn’t feel bad about it.
Of course, the consequences that would come from this would all be my responsibility… but I decided to leave that to my future self.
“So, where are we going now?”
“We’re going to meet my mother at the palace.”
I casually asked while walking beside Seria, and she answered without hesitation.
“…Your mother?”
“Yes. Actually, she’s been waiting for a while, but it was delayed because of my father. She’s very sensitive about time, so we need to hurry.”
Seria’s mother… I had never seen her since I was reincarnated here, but I knew exactly who she was.
She was, in a sense, even more famous than the Emperor.
The Empress. Seria’s mother.
Now she is known by that title, but she had an even more famous title back in the day.
The Archmage. A prodigious genius who could wield magic that could shake the very earth and sky, capable of breaking an opponent’s will just by her mere presence.
Oh, now that Seria exists, she might not be considered the only prodigy anymore.
Anyway, she now lives quietly, but her magical abilities were genuine—no doubt about it.
Where do you think Seria’s magical talent came from? It all came from her mother.
As soon as I thought about that, the words from the letter I had almost forgotten came to mind.
Rudion, right? Since my daughter likes you, I’ll give you a pass for now, but if you hurt her in any way, I won’t let you off. Do your best.
…Did I do anything wrong?
“Seria, you’re not upset with me or anything, right?”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Nothing, just asking.”
“Umm… No, nothing like that.”
I suddenly felt uneasy and asked, but fortunately, she gave me a reassuring answer.
Thank goodness.
I almost ended up being executed and then killed where I was supposed to escape to.