Strongest Survival by Otome Game’s Heroine (LN)-Vol 5 Chapter 4: Academy’s Lesson

Academy’s Lesson

「Well then, let’s go Aria.」

「Roger.」

The academy had almost the same size like the capital. Here students were using something like public horse carriage to go around in group, but students from middle ranked noble house and above were permitted to use small carriage for their own use. I too got on a horse carriage for two people where the coach seat and the passenger seat were fused together. Then we headed toward the building where today’s class would be held.

Elena’s attire was called as category two uniform. Young ladies from high ranked noble houses were often seen wearing it. She was wearing a dress that didn’t look too lovely and was order made for this day. On top of that she was wearing a crimson robe that was shaped like a mantel.

The general female students wore the category one uniform that reached until their calf and tights. But unlike them, I was wearing the category three uniform that reached until my ankle to show that I was serving a noble.

In this academy high ranked noble was permitted to walk around with two servants accompanying them, while a middle ranked noble could only bring one.

Of course, there were also those who ignored that rule and walked around with a lot of servants and guards to show off, but either way they couldn’t bring them until inside the building, and Elena who was a member of the royal family that should serve as an example from everyone wouldn’t do something like that.

That was why many high ranked nobles tried to have children of close age from their dependant to enroll into the academy to become their child’s aide.

In case of Crown Prince Ervan last year, I heard that other than the servants who took care of his daily need, there were also two high ranked nobles in the upper year who served as his aides, then one person in the same year and one person in lower year who enrolled this year acting as his attendants.

In the academy Elena’s servant wasn’t just me alone. There were also a combat butler Joseph who had been taking care of Elena in the palace too, and a combat maid Chloe who I also knew very well. But Elena who had a lot of ties only brought a low ranked noble like me to be her aide as well as her close attendant.

Even though I was a low ranked noble, I lived in the same mansion with Elena as a maid, but there were ten royal guards taking shift to guard that mansion, so my main work was mainly when we were inside academy building where I stayed at Elena’s side as [close attendant] as well as [bodyguard] as well as [classmate].

「……Aria.」

The carriage ran through the path that was emptied by the people who moved aside when they noticed the princess was passing through. Then suddenly Elena spoke up.

「Only his majesty know that my body is healed. Even so a member of the royal family has to display their capability inside the academy regardless of anything, so surely everyone will realize about my condition before long. When that happens, even the noble faction that is staying quiet right now might possibly start scheming again to make me their puppet.」

She was speaking as though to summarize what we had talked about before.

「For the time being I will move while keeping my aim to become the “queen” a secret. On paper it is Onii-sama who will become the next king. Right now this country’s internal situation will fall into chaos again like that time when a daughter of a viscount became the first queen if that stop being the case.」

「……Then, why?」

The way I said it was harsh, but if Elena thought about the country, she shouldn’t aim to become the queen and kept assisting the crown prince just like before. That way this country wouldn’t fall into chaos.

It was a good thing that Elena’s body got healed but……I looked at Elena with that feeling in my eyes. There she was smiling like an actress playing the “villain” role in theater.

「It’s simple, Aria……it’s because just like I don’t trust that overly kind Otou-sama, I also don’t trust Onii-sama.」

His majesty couldn’t hide his own feeling and made the viscount daughter who he fell in love with into the first queen. That caused an internal problem in the country that was still continuing even now. And then the crown prince who was raised by that first queen was also holding a similar problematic side in him. That was what Elena was thinking.

「I will rule this country. But, the members of the noble faction will also realize quickly that I won’t simply rule as they want me to. Also, if it become clear that I am attempting to pull down my brother the crown prince from his position, even the nobles in the conservative royal family faction who are my ally right now might turn hostile. Many people will become my enemy. In such situation……will you protect me Aria?」

Those words were asked with a small mischievous smile. My expression didn’t change and her figure was reflected on my eyes just for a moment.

「That’s my job.」

「You’re cold like usual.」

Elena’s smile deepened a little bit even while saying that.

.

We arrived and entrusted the carriage to the building’s servant. I escorted Elena into the building. The moment we stepped inside, *murmur*……the students around us started making noise.

Noble youths of certain rank would definitely knew how Elena looked, but they were making noise like this must be because none of them knew who “I” was even though I was someone staying at the princess’s side. There were still a lot of people who didn’t know about me seeing that I didn’t appear during the opening ceremony.

A female student who was accompanying the princess by herself. Seeing that, several students who were keeping each other in check took a step forward, but their feet stopped moving when I lightly looked around at them. Elena chuckled a little seeing that.

「I’m glad you’re at my side. I hate annoyance after all. Look at that Aria. They aren’t scared of you, instead they are captivated by you.」

「…………」

I wondered what she meant by that? I lightly glared at Elena because of her tone that was teasing me about something. Elena couldn’t hold herself back anymore and covered her lips while chuckling.

.

「Haa-!」

*Bashi-!*

Elena’s wooden sword struck the shield that the male student was holding.

We took lesson about government and economy that Elena wished for during the morning. After that we had lunch before taking the practical class for the first time.

The self-defense class mixed boy and girl together. Even if they had no close quarter combat skill, any female from high ranked noble house had been taught self-defense by their house, so none of them were complete amateur.

Even so there were still gap between students based on their physical ability, so it was vanishingly unlikely for a serious sparring match to be held between boy and girl, but girls who aimed to become a female knight or children from noble house that lived along the border should have the skill to at least defeat a wolf.

「Splendid, your highness-」

「Thank you.」

Elena finished the sparring match and wiped her sweat. The male student who blocked her attack as her sparring partner gave her his words of praise with blushing face.

That performance was enough for a princess. She had no need to obtain the Swordsmanship skill.

Elena could also make up some kind of excuse to skip the practical class if she didn’t want the fact that her body had been healed to become known.

But the noble faction wouldn’t stop with their interference no matter how much Elena wanted to pull away from them. In that case it would be better for Elena to display her own strength in order to show that being their puppet didn’t suit someone of her caliber, and to win over as many allies as possible.

The country would fall into chaos if Elena tried to pull away as long as the crown prince Ervan hadn’t changed.

Her body getting healed in that dungeon became the trigger for Elena to give up on her naïve big brother. Elena had resolved herself to turn even her big brother’s faction, the royal family faction that had outdated thinking into her enemy.

From here on Elena would gradually increase the number of students who followed her by displaying her cleverness and ability to take action, her kingly attributes in the academy. Such sign already started to appear from the male students who sparred with her just now and the other students who were watching.

But, odd fellows would also appear if Elena shined.

「You there! I can’t accept that someone of low birth like you can possibly have the ability to be her highness’s aide! Have a match against me!」

I was waiting at the side while holding a towel for Elena to wipe her sweat with, without participating in the class. It was then a tall female student wearing knight uniform pointed her wooden sword toward me.

「…………」

……It happened unexpectedly soon. Elena and I had anticipated that this kind of situation would occur.

Her highness the princess who didn’t even create a group of noble young ladies to be her hanger-on was walking around with only a single close attendant. If that close attendant was someone with age that was close to the princess, other people would guess that she was a candidate to be the princess’s close aide in the future. In reality I had become a close aide of a princess who was aiming to become the country’s queen, so thing actually wasn’t as simple as it appeared, but the surrounding didn’t see it like that.

It seemed nobody knew about my background, but if they investigated a little then they should be able to quickly find that Baronet Layton’s house only had a son before.

In other words, this person didn’t find it amusing that the candidate to become the princess’s close aide was an adopted daughter of a low ranked noble.

「Now, what is your answer-, have a match against me!」

The young lady from before sent a glance at Elena while raising her voice to provoke me.

If I remembered correctly, this girl had also gotten mentioned in the black ops’ document……she is Lady Sandra, the daughter of Baron Mars I think.

Mars House belonged to the noble faction. During the war against the evil race several dozen years ago, they were recognized for their achievement and got promoted from low ranked noble into baron. They were a martial noble family.

The princess’s close aide also served as her bodyguard. She must be thinking that even if she failed to remove me from my position, she might be able to show off her loyalty and strength and became one of Elena’s close aide as a guardian knight.

That thinking in itself wasn’t mistaken, but if she was a bit more prudent then she should also be able to notice the complicated situation surrounding the crown prince and the princess. Those who already realized that were contacting Elena secretly in order to avoid getting considered as enemy by the crown prince faction.

「「…………」」

I turned my gaze toward Elena. Elena frowned while nodding wordlessly.

There was no point in making someone who couldn’t read the situation to be her close aide. In the first place, there was no way Elena would choose someone who intentionally insulted the aide that the princess chose herself. After all she also didn’t know whether this girl was doing this under her own volition or not.

「――W-wait a second!」

The instructor in charge of the lesson noticed the commotion and came running.

But, even though he was an instructor he was just a former knight and a low ranked noble. Sandra came from Mars House that often produced high ranked knight. She was taking a bullish attitude toward the instructor.

「Lady Sandra Mars, what are you doing! Doing something like a personal fight during class is-」

「No, teacher. This is about my pride and my way of living as a noble. There’s no way teacher can’t understand that as a fellow noble can’t you?」

「But still……」

Even then the instructor kept his stance against the baron’s daughter Sandra. He desperately tried to stop her. That instructor allowed me to not participate in the class because he knew my true strength. Perhaps he was just trying to stop her while actually it was to stop me.

But there someone who was completely unrelated made an interruption.

「There should be no problem with this. That’s how exactly a daughter of Mars House, a noted martial family of our kingdom should act. She should be far more useful than the boorish woman over there. You don’t mind do you, Elena?」

That person who butted in and concluded the talk as he pleased turned toward Elena and Sandra with a smile on his handsome face.

「Prince Amor!?」

The instructor kneeled on the spot, while Sandra instantly looked like a lovestruck maiden from the sudden appearance of the handsome young man before she hurriedly bowed.

「……Uncle, why are you here in the academy?」

Elena’s eyes widened slightly before she asked that question. Amor turned a gentle gaze to his niece before his lips twisted when he looked at me next.

「From the start an instructor position have been prepared for me here so I can watch over you and Ervan. I thought that there would be nothing to worry about with you Elena, but as I thought, there are a lot of dangerous fellows everywhere, so I started assuming my position here starting from this year.」

「I……see.」

I guessed the [dangerous fellow] they were talking about referred to me. It seemed that Amor now harbored dislike toward me since that dungeon incident.

「If it’s a daughter of Mars House then surely she will be fit to serve as the princess’s knight.」

「Yes uncle.」

Expression vanished from Elena’s face for a moment, but in the next moment she put on a gentle smile and nodded quietly.

「Though……that’s only if that person, is better than the person, who I chose.」

「Very good. However, for the sake of fairness, both of them shall use wooden swords with the same length. Do you agree?」

Amor said that in respond to Elena’s reply and he grinned.

I used short sword as my weapon. Even though the weapon was the same, the skill to use it was separated into <Sword Skill> and <Short Sword Skill> because the weapon’s center of gravity and the way to use it could be different.

If it was a weapon with similar way to use, I could use that weapon with the proficiency of level 1 even without actually having the skill. From what I “saw”, Sandra had the capability of <Sword Skill Level 2>. That was why Amor tried to remove me using this head on scheme.

「The two of you shall fight and the winner will become Elena’s aide. Lady Sandra and you over there have no objection right?」

「Yes, thank you very much, your highness!」

Sandra was smiling widely as though she had won already. She tossed a wooden sword toward me with a smug expression.

「Here I come!」

Sandra raised her wooden sword and charged forward the moment I caught the wooden sword.

I still hadn’t even taken a stance. The instructor tried to call for a stop seeing that but Amor stopped him with his gaze.

It seemed the wooden sword that was given to me hadn’t been tampered at all. But, Sandra’s stance when she raised her wooden sword looked slightly sloppy. There must be something like iron or something that was inserted into it.

That sword would be no different from an actual iron rod if it was swung properly. With such weapon, it was suspect whether I would be able to block it or not if there was difference between our skill level. But you know……

*Kan-!*

「――Gya!?」

The girl looked like she was approaching slowly within my thought that was accelerated with body strengthening. I dodged the tip of her sword and struck her wrist. Then I struck away the heavy wooden sword.

Having skill or not was pointless when she was that slow.

Not even a single second had passed since the fight started. She was as fast as the average knight thanks to her Sword Skill, but the gap between our physical speed, thinking speed, and also real battle experience was too vast.

Sandra crouched down while holding her wrist. I tossed my wooden sword in front of her and walked back toward Elena. She was smiling joyfully while welcoming me back. She then directed that smile toward Amor.

「Uncle……it’s regrettable but, this doesn’t even worth any consideration.」

「……That seems to be the case.」

Amor’s expression looked like she had chewed on something bitter when he heard those words. He glared at Sandra and me before turning around and leaving immediately.

「……That girl, have I met her somewhere before?」

There was a girl watching what happened in the training ground from behind the school building.

The girl wasn’t looking at the princess. She also wasn’t here to observe the training. She simply arrived to this place by accident while following a certain person.

She had no interest at the training or the odd match. But, the person in the middle of that……she felt like she had seen that pinkish blonde hair from somewhere before.

「I wonder where it was……」

It was before she came to the capital……. It was before she got adopted……. It was at that orphanage……

「Hmm~, well, it doesn’t matter.」

Her memory when she was living in that orphanage at the north was already fading. The vast amount of “knowledge” and “emotion” that flowed into her from the [magic stone] she obtained had blotted out her painful memories and thinned them down.

She didn’t even remember the face of her parent who worked a night job or her name anymore.

But that was a good thing. After all she was going to become this world’s “heroine”.

「Umm……can you spare me a little bit of your time?」

The girl caught up to the person she followed and called out to him.

「……What, do you want?」

Amor turned around with a slight irritation. The girl put on a cheerful smile and sent him an upward gaze……she stared at Amor with an alluring gaze.

「You, looked like in a great pain, that I unconsciously spoke up. Did something painful just happen to you? ……I’m sorry. Am I, being a bother?」

「……N-no」

The girl who looked alluring despite her childish look seemed to be worrying for him. It shook Amol. The girl smiled softly as though she was relieved……then she gently touched him with her fingertips, as though to seep into his frayed heart.

「My name is “Licia”. If you don’t mind……will you, talk with me for a bit?」

A topic about a certain girl was becoming widespread inside the sorcery academy.

The first princess’s close attendant. The lone aide who was accompanying the princess to everywhere in the academy.

Princess Elena’s beauty was known throughout inside and outside the country. But that girl’s beautiful face wasn’t at all inferior even when standing side by side with such personage.

That close attendant didn’t simply have a good look. She also struck down a female student from a noted martial family who aimed to become a knight in an instant during the practical class. It made everybody become unable to look down on her as a mere low ranked noble.

The winter had also ended. It was early afternoon with very clear weather and light breeze caressing the skin…….

The sorcery academy was said to be as big as a single district of the capital. It contained school buildings, training grounds, and dormitories for students to live in. Other than those, it also had a shopping district where the capital’s famous shops that had passed through the black ops’ strict investigation were lined up. The shops there weren’t charged to pay rent, so the products that were lined up there were sold with far cheaper price than even at the capital. The area was bustling with many students everyday.

At the terrace of one of those shops that was offering tea and snacks……at one of the outdoor seat, the aforementioned girl was having a light meal while reading a book the size of a small pocket book.

The passing students had their eyes caught by the “pink blond hair” that was fluttering from the breeze. They stopped walking as though something was pulling at them.

The uniform with long skirt that reached until the girl’s ankle was something worn by the “close attendant” serving the children of high ranked nobles. It really suited the girl who possessed a mature atmosphere even though she still wasn’t of age.

The age of the students who enrolled into the academy was in the range of twelve to fifteen years old――it was the age where they entered puberty and started to strongly get conscious with the opposite sex. At the same time it was also the age when female student idolized their fellow woman who was more mature than the rest.

Even so not a single person tried to approach the girl. Rather than being caused by feeling timid to approach a flower on high peak, perhaps it was because the girl who felt more like a solitude flower was enveloped in an atmosphere that couldn’t be dirtied by anyone.

A single girl was approaching that girl.

Anyone who was aware of the circumstance would realize that was the female knight hopeful who got defeated by that girl.

What could be her reason for approaching the pink haired girl who was constantly at the princess’s side when she was alone? But the knight girl didn’t have any dangerous atmosphere and handed something that looked like a letter to the pink haired girl. The middle ranked noble girl bowed her head several times to the low ranked noble girl before leaving that place.

.

「Sandra……did you manage to carry out your task well this time?」

「Y-yes. Rudolph-sama……」

The place changed. It was inside a school building that currently wasn’t in use because of the change in curriculum. There Sandra was facing a son of a high ranked noble.

Even high ranked noble couldn’t use a school building that was owned by the country as the pleased, but the two were sitting on sofa and there was even freshly prepared tea placed in front of them.

Even that tea wasn’t prepared by the two students. Normally even high ranked noble could only bring two servants to accompany them, but Rudolph was bringing nearly ten servants with him in order to show off his authority.

Furthermore they were normal servants. They were glaring at Sara with a dangerous look on their faces. It made Sandra felt the awkwardness like when a badly behaved older friend of her dragged her to the city at night in the past.

「We won’t have to do something troublesome like this if only you were able to become her highness’s aide though.」

「My deepest apologies-」

Sandra hurriedly bowed her head when Rudolph spoke those words with sarcasm in his tone.

Rudolph’s Heydale House and Sandra’s Mars House were in a relationship of caregiver and dependant.

Rudolph was a student in the knight department. Even there he had the strength to reach rank 2. If he made use of his family’s connection then he should also be able to aim to become the commander of the royal guard which was filled with elites. But Rudolph didn’t feel satisfied by that and wanted to obtain a connection with the royal family because of his sense of self-importance.

There was also the circumstance of how the economy of Count Heydale’s territory was currently declining. Rudolph was scheming to make the sickly princess who wouldn’t be married off to other country to marry into his house so that the evaluation of Heydale House would improve, and with that he would revitalize the economy of his territory and satisfied his pride.

「……I’m not going to let those two to throw around their weight anymore than this.」

Everything behind his decision was caused by his “jealousy” toward his fellow high ranked nobles.

Rudolph was in the same year with Rockwell and Mihail. They were the heir of Dandall House and Rockwell House that were royalties in the past. In the future they would be assigned with important posts of supreme knight commander and prime minister, so it had been decided from the start that they would become the aides of the crown prince Ervan.

Rudolph thought that he was unable to rank first in the knight department because of Rockwell making use of his house’s influence. Those two also caused him to have no chance to get close to the crown prince so he was harboring grudge toward them.

His scheme to make Princess Elena to marry into his family and left the royal family was also his revenge toward the royal family that didn’t choose him.

He moved to put the daughter of his family’s dependant to become Elena’s aide as the foundation of his scheme, but the result was that his plan was foiled handily by an “adopted girl” of low ranked noble house that he thought only had good look going for her.

「Rudolph-sama, that woman accepted my apology and agreed to have a private talk with me without anyone else present. When class is over today……」

「She will come here ignorantly? Oi, is the preparation finished?」

Rudolph arrogantly reclined back while calling out to behind him. The man behind him was being told about something from his subordinate before he turned around with an awkward expression.

「Young master. About that, is it possible to postpone the plan for a little bit?」

「What did you say? Gordon, what are you saying?」

Rudolph glared at the man called Gordon, but the man shrugged nonchalantly. He was dressed in butler uniform as though he was a servant of Rudolph, but the man simply didn’t look respectable no matter how one looked at him.

「That pink haired girl, she’s just too skilled for a student……I think. I’m investigating her but, the information broker in the capital still hasn’t sent me any report. That woman, isn’t it possible that she’s from black ops or something?」

「Hmph, what, Gordon. Is the thief guild scared of a new female student like that?」

Gordon sighed, not because of Rudolph’s provocative words, but for his rashness in exposing their true identity so lightly. Gordon wasn’t alone here. Most of the aides that Rudolph brought with him weren’t even student. They were members of thief guild that were dispatched here.

In the past the territory of Count Heydale was a place that had great money circulation and also good public order, but the branch of assassin guild that they were working together with got destroyed, so the lawless people who didn’t dare to approach until then because they feared the assassin guild flooded in to fill the empty slot. It made the public order of the territory became worse in the blink of eye.

Count Heydale considered that a serious matter and contacted the “thief guild” looking for bribe and the maintenance of the public order. With their help the public order was restored on the surface.

Other than that the thief guild also started a new “business” and a part of the profit from there was given to the count. With that the thief guild also became involved with even the territory’s government. The territory became overflowing with money, but the number of thugs in the city started to increase and at present the territory of Count Heydale felt like it had a degenerate atmosphere hanging over it faintly.

「I sent my subordinate to check that woman’s combat strength, so please wait until that guy at least come back. At worst I can also Appraise her when she come here but, I hope you can hold back from doing anything until then.」

Gordon gave a passively negative opinion. It worsened Rudolph’s mood.

「Even if she’s a bit skilled, you can just push her down with everyone here and use the “magic drug” on her. You already prepared it right?」

「……Well, yeah I have.」

Rudolph and his men, the members of thief guild were going as far as accompanying Rudolph to the academy was for the sake of the “business” that they were running in Count Heydale’s territory――selling an addictive drug called [magic drug]. They were trying to expand the drug’s traffic route.

“Magic drug” could gave its consumer the feeling of intoxication and happiness with a cheap price. This drug was starting to spread mainly among the youths who couldn’t enter into bar. It wouldn’t be a problem if the drug was consumed in small dose, but consuming it in large amount would cause the user to become strongly addicted. Because of that the youths who had bright future ahead of them became agreeable to do illegal work that the thief guild prepared for them in order to obtain the drug. That was becoming the money source for the thief guild.

「Drown that woman in magic drug. I’ll make her into my “woman” then.」

Rudolph laughed with a vulgar smile. Gordon let out a small sigh. Sandra too was someone who was currently getting addicted to the drug. She felt scared about the change to herself, even so she couldn’t help but greedily stare at the magic drug that Gordon took out from his pocket.

.

「So the one controlling the sale of “magic drug” is really the thief guild.」

Everyone simultaneously lifted up their face when a woman’s voice suddenly spoke up.

「Who!?」

「Where is she-!」

The thieves looked around but then a breeze flowed and they turned around. There, that pink haired girl appeared from the darkness of the door that had been opened without any of them realizing it.

「You……」

The moment he saw her figure, the expression of Gordon who was a resident of the underworld changed as though he was guessing something. But Rudolph was upset because someone witnessed his illegal dealing and immediately acted to silence the witness.

「Capture her! Drug her until she can’t think anymore!」

He didn’t order for her to be killed because he thought that he would be able to control her as he pleased after she got drugged to the gill. Rudolph still hadn’t given up on his revenge and greed.

That was why he made such fatal mistake with his order.

「Wait, you guys-!!」

Some people reflexively moved into action from Rudolph’s order. Gordon reflexively raised his voice when he saw that.

「――Gah!?」

But that warning came a bit late. The girl who was wearing a uniform that reached until her ankle stepped forward as though she was gliding on the floor. Her hands thrust forward and pierced the neck of two men who were jumping her.

Before the men could crumple, she tossed them to the left and right while moving forward glidingly. She then grabbed the jaw of a nearby woman who couldn’t react and twisted her neck right to the side till it snapped.

「……W-what!?」

「T-this bitch!」

Several men and women pulled out their bladed weapons and leaped at the woman. Their mind was in panic and couldn’t catch up with the situation, but they simply knew that they were under attack.

「Stop, stop-!!」

Gordon yelled to stop that, but his voice didn’t reach the panicked people. One man had his throat pierced by the girl’s fingertips, another man got his crotch crushed with a kick, then the girl stepped forward and her palm heel crushed the ribs of the woman behind him.

「Hih――」

A man was struck with terror seeing that, even so he rushed forward. The girl’s knee struck his face, then without pause her arm snaked around his neck from above and snapped it.

「……What is, this guy……」

That gruesome beauty of a murderer with her white fingertips soaked in blood made Rudolph stood stock still while groaning out his words. But Gordon’s thick arm suddenly went around Rudolph’s neck from behind and he pointed his short sword on Rudolph’s neck.

「D-don’t come over here! I’ll kill this brat if you do!」

「Y-you, what are――」

「Shaddup!! I’m not gonna die just from going along with your play house! Shit, why the hell is this monster in an academy for the brats!」

「Gordon!?」

「This brat is still the heir of a high ranked noble no matter how stupid he is, it’ll be troublesome if he die right!? Get back!」

Gordon was screaming in fear as though he was pleading.

If the heir of a high ranked noble from noble faction got killed inside the academy, even if he was from a declining house, it could become an excuse for the noble faction to ask the royal family to take responsibility and increased their momentum.

「You too Sandra!! Is that sword on your waist just a decoration! Kill herrrrr!」

Gordon’s mind was also incoherent. He told the girl to [back off] yelling at Sandra to [kill her].

Sandra’s mind was also in chaos. Being yelled like that and with the grudge that she nursed toward the girl, it pushed her to unsheathe her sword which was a live sword this time and she rushed her.

「Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!」

*Gan!*

In that instant, Sandra heard the sound of her own chin getting smashed by the girl’s palm heel. She realized that the girl was already holding back even at that mock battle while falling down.

Sandra’s movement caused the girl’s figure to be blocked from Gordon’s sight for an instant. The moment Sandra’s back crumpled down――the girl’s figure vanished and Rudolph was kicked away from the side. Gordon’s thick arm was broken like a withered branch.

It all happened in just an instant.

But, Gordon couldn’t even scream or spew out his resentment.

The pinkish blond hair of the girl who was standing with composure looked “ashen” from the building’s dust in the air that was reflecting the light. It reminded Gordon of that existence.

The existence that annihilated an assassin guild’s branch, then crushed a militaristic branch of the thief guild. Anyone who knew about the underworld absolutely wouldn’t dare to make enemy of either of these two guilds, but this existence did just that with the two guilds simultaneously and slaughtered everyone who was sent to take revenge on her.

If someone tried something with her, everyone would be slaughtered and their branch crushed together with them.

An existence that they mustn’t laid their hand on――

「……”Ash Crowned Princess”……」

Gordon muttered those words as though the end of the world had arrived. Hearing that, Rudolph who had heard from his father of the nickname of the culprit who annihilated an assassin guild couldn’t stand anymore and leaned on the wall where he got kicked at while falling on his butt.

「H-help……」

「I won’t kill you. But, don’t misunderstand.」

Rudolph looked like he had found hope for an instant, but the girl sent an expressionless glance at him before her jade colored eyes looked down on the fallen people icily.

「I’m arresting all of you as collaborators of the thief guild. Don’t think that you can cover up your act of bringing in thieves inside the academy and endangering the princess like it never happened.」

Rudolph looked up at the girl. Her figure was simply too terrifying……and beautiful.

▼ Aria (Alicia) Race : Human♀ – Rank 4

【Magic Power : 265/300】△ 30 UP【Stamina : 234/250】△ 40 UP

【Strength : 10 (14)】△ 1 UP【Endurance : 10 (14)】△ 1 UP【Agility : 15 (22)】△ 1 UP【Dexterity : 8】

《Short Sword Skill Level 4》△ 1 UP《Martial Art Level 4》△ 1 UP《Throwing Level 4》△ 1 UP《Archery Level 2》△ 1 UP

《Defense Level 4》《String Control Level 4》

《Light Magic Level 3》《Darkness Magic Level 4》《Non-Elemental Magic Level 4》

《Daily Life Magic×６》《Magic Power Control Level 4》《Pressure Level 4》

《Stealth Level 4》《Night Vision Level 2》《Search Level 4》《Poison Resistance Level 3》《Abnormal Status Resistance Level 1》NEW

《Simple Appraisal》

【Overall Combat Strength : 1152 (With Body Strengthening : 1440)】△ 236 UP