I Raised the Villain's Daughter Too Well-Chapter 36: Didn’t Know! -

"What do you mean by that?"

Emily, confused, asked again, her expression bewildered.

I explained to her calmly, step by step.

"The sky is too calm."

"...What?"

Emily looked up at the sky for a moment, then quickly frowned.

"So what?"

"You should know. The Aindrasil Mage Tower participated in this war. If they had tampered with the Sky Rift, a sky this calm wouldn’t exist."

"...Ah!"

At that, Emily looked up at the clouds as though something had ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ dawned on her.

"You're right. It's way too bright compared to what I had... So the time frame here must be..."

"Exactly. This isn’t the time frame authorized by the Empire. I don’t know what Professor Soekrel pulled, but it looks like he chose the Forbidden Zone as the test site."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I gave just the essentials to Arin, who had no clue about mana spaces.

"This place is a replica of an actual war. The recreation is detailed enough that nobles often use it to train for real combat."

"Forbidden Zone...?"

"The war lasted five months, but the only segments we’re allowed to access are the final three. The rest were locked off due to various political factors—and some noble houses protested that certain secrets were too accurately implemented. That sealed area is what we call the Forbidden Zone."

"...This isn’t quite the scenario I knew."

"It won’t be. It’s probably completely different. We’ll need to confirm the initial parameters."

Leaving Emily lost in thought, I turned to the coachman and asked:

"What’s our objective?"

"Ah! Originally, it was to scout the vile Sacrarion army. But we were attacked mid-mission and crash-landed in the heart of enemy territory! Escaping is unlikely, but if we take down their remnants before dying, the name of the Black Hound shall be remembered for generations!"

An annihilation route, then.

The worst possible setup. Emily clutched her head and groaned.

"This difficulty is fucking insane... They said it wasn’t hard!"

"It probably isn’t, in theory. But considering how loudly we’ve been barreling through with this wagon and still no one’s appeared—it must be a fringe battle zone. The goal here is sabotage within enemy lines. That’s where the points will come from."

"S-Sabotage?"

"Yes. Seems like we’re part of Black Hound’s 13th unit—'Fangs.'"

"Bl—what?"

I looked at Emily, just a bit disappointed.

"You don’t know 'Fangs'?"

"Of course not! What even is that?"

"The scout unit of the Black Hound Mercenaries, who had an unbelievable performance in the Sacrarion War—unlike any other merc group. They were cut off due to enemy numbers, realized escape was impossible, and shifted the mission from recon to full-scale assault. They kept running guerrilla operations until they were wiped out."

"...And how do you know that?"

"It’s my country’s history. Isn’t it odd you don’t know it?"

"What kind of butler studies history..."

Leaving the grumbling Emily alone, I questioned the coachman further about the scenario.

"What methods can we use to strike Sacrarion?"

"We have the map we crafted together! It outlines enemy food and weapon stores, as well as garrisons! Destroying each of these will bring corresponding merits!"

"How accurate is the map?"

"The Black Hound’s work is always flawless!"

I looked down at the map.

Next to me, Emily cautiously leaned in to peek as well—and then immediately protested, as if she’d caught on to something.

"Wait, you said you'd follow my orders, right? Then why are you doing everything on your own?"

"Yes. Please begin giving commands now."

"...Huh?"

"Other teams are likely starting to move too. Look at the map and choose our first target. I’ll follow."

"...Fine."

Emily carefully studied the map, then pointed at one location.

"This food depot’s the closest. Let’s start with that one."

"No."

Emily’s face shifted dramatically.

"...You said you’d follow orders!"

"I can’t follow poor orders. That site’s too obvious. Other teams are bound to head there. We’ll either split the credit or have it stolen altogether."

"Y-Yeah, but if we move fast—"

"—Are you aiming for first place?"

The sharp question cut Emily off.

She, more than anyone, knew the answer to that.

There was no way we’d even make second. That’s just how this team was composed.

"Our goal is to get into the top ten. Even that won’t be easy. We should hit smaller, less obvious targets that other teams won’t consider, and avoid direct conflict. That’s how we stack points. Don’t you agree?"

"...Tch."

Would she bend, or would the pride of House Roashia once again blind her to reality?

I waited. And soon enough, Emily gave a slight nod.

"...Fine. Then... let’s go for this one first."

So she wasn’t completely brainless.

I pried Arin away from the coachman’s beard—which she had started tugging on in boredom—and gave the order.

"Head for these coordinates. Full speed."

"Of course! I’ll have us there in a flash!"

"...But why do you keep giving the orders—"

"I’m just handling the annoying parts for you."

"..."

With Emily wearing a vaguely irritated expression, the carriage sped forward.

****

Same time.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Firnea’s team was drowning in silence.

A truly remarkable silence—no one had said a single word.

'H-Help me... Daddy... Virdem...! Somebody save me...!'

Leah screamed internally.

She should have said something, anything—but there was no way she could bring herself to speak first in this kind of atmosphere. That would take actual social courage.

And so the awkward silence dragged on.

Until Firnea, who had been studying the map wordlessly in the rattling carriage, suddenly looked up at the sky.

"The sky’s different."

"Huh? Y-Yeah?"

"...Yes. You’re right. Sharp eye, truly."

Leaving the confused Leah alone, Psyche responded smoothly.

"In this case, it’s probably Black Hound—Fangs, to be exact."

"The Forbidden Zone. Professor Soekrel must’ve been gritting his teeth over this."

"He’s trying to block the optimal routes... Looks like this won’t just be a hassle."

"He’s likely encouraging team clashes."

"Tch. Might as well play along, then."

Leah couldn’t get a word in. She couldn’t even follow what they were talking about.

Then, Firnea floated a dagger from her waist and drew lines across the map with it.

'W-Wait, you can use telekinesis like that...?'

Leah was stunned by the sheer control. She’d never seen anyone manipulate an object with that level of finesse.

Psyche looked just as shocked.

But it wasn’t the magic that stunned her.

Staring at the new lines Firnea had drawn, Psyche’s voice trembled as she spoke.

"...You’ve created the optimal route right here."

"It’s not optimal. Just a stopgap."

"It looks optimal to me. You must know the war quite well. This route wouldn’t be possible without reading the flow of military operations precisely. Even if someone did know it, to construct such a plan this quickly is..."

"Hmm. I’ll take that as a compliment, then."

Psyche now looked at Firnea with entirely different eyes—genuine respect shining in them.

"...I’d heard rumors that the Seriratus heir was no ordinary girl. Usually, rumors like that come from the house itself, and so are the least trustworthy sort. I’ve never seen them turn out true. Until now."

"It’s just a map."

"You looked at the sky and deduced it was the Forbidden Zone. Saw the wagon and identified Black Hound. Studied the map and grasped the entire war scenario. Your magical prowess seems like just one facet of your total competence. In here, I’ll follow your every order. I feel ashamed for even thinking of offering you advice."

Firnea let out a quiet chuckle as she touched her ring.

"Outside?"

"...It would be an honor."

The two of them continued the conversation without including Leah at all.

Leah, growing desperate, scraped together all her fragmented knowledge of mana spaces.

Then something came to her.

"...Ah!"

Firnea and Psyche turned toward her, clearly puzzled.

Leah pointed at the coachman.

"There’s that initial scenario setup thing... Shouldn’t we ask about it?"

The answer—

"...Is that necessary?"

"..."

Mana spaces were familiar to her.

Firnea had taken her there a few times before—to cast her spells without being seen.

They never stayed long, so she wasn’t used to long-breath simulations like the Sacrarion Suppression Campaign, but still—she knew what she needed to.

At least enough to know the enemy behavior was abnormal.

“Enemy assault! We’re under attack!”

“Grab your weapons! It’s Black Hound!”

“...Tch. Fast.”

The moment they saw the carriage, soldiers burst out with long spears in perfect formation.

Each one bore a red feather in their helmet—a mark of Sacrarion’s private forces. Elite troops.

Emily, already tense, asked in a hurried voice:

“Why are elite soldiers stationed at such a tiny outpost?”

“Until the Black Hound disrupted them, every inch of this camp was under Sacrarion’s control. Even the corners wouldn’t have been left unguarded.”

“I see... Wait, what are you doing?”

Emily stared at me, baffled, as I swung my sword through the air for no obvious reason. I ignored her and signaled to Arin instead.

She nodded, gripping her sword without hesitation.

“Five on the right are mine. Four are yours. Don’t let any escape—they’ll call reinforcements.”

“Okay.”

“W-Wait a second—”

Emily tried to say something—

—THUD!

—but we’d already jumped off the carriage.

“You filthy mutts dare leer at our land?!”

The enemies, confident in their numbers, gathered for a charge.

If we didn’t take all of them out right now, things would get dangerous.

After all, we were deep inside enemy territory. Let even one slip away, and we’d be swarmed in no time.

The spearmen fanned out, forming a tight encirclement around me.

“Die!!”

—SHWIP!

I twisted my body and dodged the incoming spear, grabbing it with one hand.

“Ha!”

The man holding it, solidly built, scoffed as he tried to overpower me.

The others didn’t miss the chance to thrust their spears in as well.

“Idiot. You think one hand can stop two—”

Hmm.

So this was the level of their elite troops?

—CRACK!

“W-Wha?”

In an instant, the soldier was yanked off his feet.

All trained soldiers share a subconscious instinct: don’t let go of your weapon. It’s a natural, even admirable, mindset—but against overwhelming strength, it becomes a fatal flaw.

“K-KRRAAAGH!”

I used the dragged-in soldier as a shield, blocking the incoming spears from the others.

...Only five exchanges in, and I was already manifesting Fourth-Stage Physical Enhancement. A massive surge in power.

I silently thanked Leah as I flung the soldier and twisted my torso into an unnatural contortion.

“This bastard—he’s a knight!”

“What the—how can someone that young be a knight?!”

Judging by how coherent their speech was, the realism level of these enemies was extremely high. As expected—it wouldn’t be worth the simulation otherwise.

—BOOM!

I blasted off the ground, closing the distance in a flash, and cleaved through two soldiers’ throats before they could recover.

The blood droplets turned to dust midair and vanished.

“...Backup!”

One of the spearmen calculated the odds and started running.

The moment he turned, another lunged at me, clearly prepared to die if it meant holding me back.

“I won’t let you take a single step past me!”

“I don’t need to.”

“...What?”

My sword met his spear—and I activated a spell.

“KRAGHH...!”

The fleeing spearman crumpled, clutching his stomach.

When a razor-sharp ice spike manifests from thin air and pierces your gut from the back, that’s generally what happens.

Even if he hadn’t seen it, the sound alone made the spearman in front of me pale with despair.

“M-Magical swordsman...”

“I told you, I’m not a magical swordsman.”

Even if they weren’t real people, killing still left a bad taste.

So I finished quickly.

I looked over at Arin—

“Done.”

—just in time to see her crush the last spearman’s head like a melon.

God, that empathy-deprived maniac...

“What the hell are you doing charging ahead like that...!”

I clicked my tongue.

Emily, who had finally caught up with rapier in hand, blinked at the scene.

She looked at the vanishing corpses, then tilted her head.

“...Eh?”

She clearly had no idea what just happened.

So I helpfully explained:

“You’re late.”