CH 161

"First Princess vs. Hero"

Translated by Dawn

“First Princess vs. Hero”

“If you’re going to cry and apologize, I might forgive you now. What will you do?”

“Are you talking about yourself?”

“Y-You!”

“?”

I didn’t quite understand… I tilted my head in confusion at Alesta’s words and actions.

After arriving at the training grounds, which were chosen as the location for our mock battle, Alesta immediately confronted me with those words.

I believe it was probably just youthful indiscretion or something along those lines. There was a phase in one’s youth when they mistakenly believe they could accomplish anything due to their energy and enthusiasm. I understood that such a phase exists, but when you objectively witnessed it, it seemed somewhat comical. Was this what youth is like…

“Know my strength and tremble in fear, if you will.”

(Wow, she’s completely stepping on a flag. I’m assuming that once the mock battle begins, she’ll say something like, “Not yet, it’s not time to panic yet.”)

Everyone, except for Alesta, looked at her with pity-like gazes due to her words and actions that clearly indicated impending defeat. Stop it, don’t look at her with those eyes.

Just to be sure, I analyzed Alesta, and her abilities were certainly not low, considering that she was about to challenge the Manticore. In fact, she had quite high stats for a human.

However, that was only at the human level. Against an SS-class monster with the lowest stats being an SB or SA rating, the outcome of the battle would be decided in an instant.

As we continued, soldiers and knights gathered in the training grounds, creating an atmosphere similar to a small royal match.

For me, I could just proceed as usual and not worry about it. But Alesta must be quite nervous… Well, she didn’t seem to be. Yeah, she was confidently wearing a smug expression on her face. Well, it seems like she’s enjoying herself.

“Now, we will begin the mock match between Saverdales Duchy’s First Princess Alesta and the holder of the Mithril First Class Medal, Rolando.”

Acting as the referee was the Second Princess, Anastasia. It wouldn’t be appropriate for the Grand Duchess herself or the Chancellor to act as referees, so Anastasia was chosen by the process of elimination.

“Let’s go. You don’t have to hold back, come at me with all you’ve got.”

“If I do that, you’ll disappear without a trace in an instant…”

“Did you say something?”

“… “

I muttered quietly in response to Alesta’s provocation, but it seemed she didn’t hear it well and asked me to repeat it. Unable to speak the truth, I silently shook my head.

“Are both sides ready? Then, let the match… begin!”

With Anastasia’s signal, the battle commenced. However, contrary to expectations, it started off surprisingly quietly.

By the way, we were using practice wooden swords specifically designed for mock battles to prevent injuries. Although, even with wooden swords, if I were to use them, I could easily sever someone’s head…

“What’s the matter? Shall I let you make the first move?”

“That’s my line. I’ll let you make the first move.”

Rather than observing the opponent’s actions, Alesta seemed to be waiting for me to make a move. However, it appeared that she was also waiting for me to attack.

I thought she would attack aggressively with a first-mover advantage or rush headlong into battle, but whether it was an instinctual response as a living being, a desire to display the composure of a strong individual, or perhaps both, it was uncertain. What was certain was that she unintentionally adopted the fighting style I disliked.

“Are you so scared of attacking me?”

“Yeah, I’m scared (mainly in the sense of accidentally killing you).”

“Hehehe, even the hero with the Mithril First Class Medal is not that impressive, it seems.”

Amidst our conversation going in different directions, the voices of the onlookers who were observing the mock battle started to reach my ears.

“Hey, is it true that kid is the holder of the Mithril First Class Medal?”

“But it seems like he’s intimidated by Alesta-sama.”

“Is that really the hero?”

The knights, suspicious of why I wasn’t attacking Alesta, began to make a commotion. It was clumsy of me; if things continue like this, I’d be labeled as a fake hero. However, I had a 99% chance of severing her head if I attack. It couldn’t be helped; should I go with that move…

“… (mumble mumble)”

“What are you muttering about? Are you practicing excuses for your impending defeat, knowing that you can’t win?”

“[…mumble]. Alright, this should do. Sorry to keep you waiting. As you wished, I’ll make the first move.”

No sooner had I said that, I aimed my sword directly at Alesta, using my body enhancement to leap into her guard, and swung my sword in a reverse diagonal slash. She was momentarily surprised by how quickly I closed the distance, but she managed to barely deflect my sword strike.

“What’s wrong? Surprised?”

“I’m not surprised at all. I just thought you were surprisingly agile.”

Knowing that it was just bravado, I simply replied, “Is that so?” and kicked off the ground, attempting to close the distance once again.

However, since she had already seen my previous move, she easily dealt with it and counterattacked in an attempt to land a blow. But I effortlessly parried her attack and stepped back, facing each other once again. In the next moment, I sensed the surrounding murmurs growing louder.

“Hey, did you see that kid’s moves?”

“I couldn’t see it.”

“How can someone at that age move like that? What kind of training did he undergo to reach that level!?”

“Maybe he was the real deal after all!”

The onlookers commented to each other about my movements. Alright, alright, regardless of whether I was genuine or fake, they should have understood that I was not an ordinary person. As I paid attention to the surroundings, Alesta unexpectedly called out to me.

“What, you can definitely fight.”

“I never said I couldn’t. But instead, why don’t you come at me this time?”

“You’re right. It seems like you won’t be easily crushed, so I’ll fight you a little more seriously.”

Alesta’s attacks began following her words, just as she had promised. She unleashed swift movements and powerful strikes that were beyond the capabilities of an average person.

She skillfully executed diagonal cuts, reverse diagonal cuts, sweeping strikes from left and right, and thrusts, relentlessly launching her attacks. At times, I would parry, at times redirect, and at times evade her assaults. The back-and-forth exchange continued for a while, but a conclusion began to emerge, as expected.

That conclusion was that she couldn’t defeat a Manticore. Certainly, her movements were swift, and her attacks were powerful. However, that assessment was from the perspective of a human level.

To confront a monster that surpassed everything in every aspect, one had to become exceptional as well. Just as you needed a high-performance racing car, like the ones used in Formula 1, to catch up with the speed of a bullet train, you must possess the abilities that could rival a specific standard in order to have a chance against it.

At present, she was akin to someone trying to challenge a bullet train’s speed with an ordinary compact car.

“Amazing, amazing! I never expected Alesta to fight this well!”

“You’re amazing, Onee-sama.”

“…No, both of you are mistaken. It’s not that Alesta is amazing; it’s Rolando-sama who is amazing.”

“What do you mean, Vista?”

Amidst my ongoing battle with Alesta, I could hear Alicia and the others conversing. The content of their conversation piqued my interest, so I decided to divert my attention in that direction.

“You both know this, but I’m the one who taught Alesta how to wield a sword. That’s why I can tell whether she’s fighting seriously or not. Perhaps, at this moment, Alesta intends to kill Rolando. She’s truly serious.”

“N-No way. Even if she’s fighting seriously, killing…”

“That’s the level she determined necessary to defeat her opponent. But… even so, she hasn’t been able to break through Rolando-sama’s defenses. Look at the two of them. Alesta is breathing heavily, but Rolando-sama hasn’t even shown signs of being out of breath. That’s how great the difference in their abilities is.”

Taking note of Vista’s observations, Alicia and Anastasia closely observed Alesta’s condition. And indeed, upon witnessing the noticeable difference in composure between Alesta and me, they widened their eyes in shock. Vista continued with his words.

“Likely, this battle won’t last much longer. Alesta is challenging Rolando-sama ten years too early. No, even if she spends twenty years in training, that difference won’t close.”

“Are you saying there’s that much of a gap in their abilities?”

“Yes, even if it were me, I would be easily handled just like Alesta is now. No, if it were a genuine life-or-death battle, my attack would be intercepted, and my head and torso would be separated before it even reached him.”

“”……””

The two of them turned pale at Vista’s conjecture. As expected of the captain of the Royal Guard, tasked with protecting the ruler of a nation, his assumptions hit the mark.

“Excellent answer. As Vista said, I’m not fighting seriously at the moment.”

“”Eeeeeehhhhh?!””

As Vista and the others turned their attention towards the source of the voice, they saw me seated at a modern wooden table and chair, elegantly sipping tea and enjoying my tea time.