– I heard an interesting story. They say whoever has two wives is sentenced to death. ♡
Yaya had pronounced some dangerous words as she smiled vividly.
There was a cold drop of sweat that ran down Raishin’s back.
They were going up the stairs leading to the last floor of the tower that Olga made. A much weakened Hinowa along with a terribly injured Subaru and Mutsura followed them from behind.
Yaya started speaking with a very scary face after moving her body close to Raishin.
– It’s not profitable to be a cheater. It’s the norm for those that commit adultery to be sentenced to die.
– …I heard some people from the Middle East are allowed to have up to four wives at a time.
– Raishin… just as I thought… you do plan to…!
– Stop jumping to conclusions! What did you think I would do!?
– Please rest assured, Raishin-sama. Hinowa can forgive you even if you have ten or twelve wives.
– That’s too many! Am I some kind of lust incarnation!?
Hinowa blushed as she spoke timidly.
– We need to leave the Akabane blood for the future generations. O-Of course Hinowa will also do her best!
– Stop jumping so far ahead! Marrying with someone else is still not happening—
– That can’t beeeeeee!
Raishin had almost fallen forward after suddenly getting kicked in the butt.
– That hurt Subaru! What are you doing!?
– How can you leave our lady behind and make babies with some other girls!? That’s unforgivable!
– I haven’t said anything about doing it!
– Hinowa’s love will not falter even if there are some other concubines! Do you understand, Yaya-san!?
Hinowa had pointed at Yaya. Her shoulders had started trembling annoyed as her eyes were covered in tears.
– Yaya… is not okay with that! Yaya will be the one and only to receive every single drop of Raishin’s love!
– That’s a too vivid statement! Don’t make it sound so indecent!
– Childs, childs, childs…! Is having a child so important!?
Raishin and Hinowa had now struggled to answer back.
No matter how human she looked, Yaya was only an automaton. She would probably not be able to give birth to any kids.
It was Charl’s voice the one who had saved them from the gloomy conversation.
– Hey you! Leave the love quarrel for later!
Charl had intentionally descended from the stairs to scold Raishin.
– I have to fight now! Stop distracting me!
The small dragon on top of Charl’s hat—Sigmund had started giving his honest opinion.
– Calm down, Charl. Olga is a strong enemy. It’s not an opponent we can defeat if you get distracted like this.
– I-I know. It had just annoyed me a little bit.
Raishin had reflectively stopped after hearing Olga’s name.
– Olga… huh. I wonder what her reason for wanting the title of Wiseman is.
– There are plenty of reasons. You’re probably not interested in this, but obtaining the title of Wiseman is a great honor for any magician. You could obtain all the riches and fame you wanted.
– I think just having the title of student representative of this academy is a great honor already.
– Well… that’s right but…
– She has gone too far. Olga is… connected to the same people that wanted to hurt Hinowa, isn’t that right?
Just some minutes ago, Raishin and the others had been fighting against an unknown enemy—the <Society>.
Edmund and the Zekaros siblings were part of Olga’s team. Didn’t that meant that Olga herself was also involved with that organization?
Olga had been totally composed and calmed when Hinowa was about to get killed. Even if Olga wasn’t involved with the Society, it still meant she was heartless enough to make use of them.
Her will to attain victory was very abnormal for just a mere student.
Yaya had looked up at Raishin worriedly. Having a very bad hunch, Raishin had also decided to warn Charl one more time.
– Be careful with Olga. We don’t know what might happen.
– You don’t need to tell me about it. …But thank you.
Charl had unexpectedly thanked Raishin. Her slightly red face was very cute.
After a while, the entire group had finally arrived at the last floor.
Loki and Frey were already waiting for them there. They had given Charl a worried look.
Charl had advanced to the middle of the room proudly.
The student representative Olga was waiting for her there. A red dragon—one of the same model as Sigmund—Tooru was standing on top of one of her shoulders.
– We’re finally at the end.
Olga had beautifully smiled at Charl as she started speaking.
– If you win, Raishin’s faction will advance through this and my group will lose their entry qualifications.
– You sure can talk. You don’t even have the slightness of intentions to lose.
– That can be said for both, don’t you think?
Olga’s hair had started raising slightly as her magical energy overflowed from her shoulders.
A very ghastly aura had surrounded the floor, reacting to that magical energy.
Sigmund had started paying more attention as he warned Charl with a more stern voice than usual.
– Charl. Get ready. We will instantly lose if you get distracted for a second.
– You don’t have to tell me. I will become a Wiseman and restore the Belew family!
That was Charl’s reason to fight. Her reason to become a Wiseman.
The Belew family had injured the Crown Prince and turned into the hated household of Britain. This was a fight Charl could not afford to lose in order to cleanse that disgrace and recover their honor.
On top of Olga’s shoulders, Tooru smiled sarcastically.
– Hey, brother. So it did end like this, huh?
– You’re too shameless, Tooru. This was your intention from the beginning, wasn’t it?
Tooru had only laughed in response.
A dark cloud had enveloped Raishin’s chests. He felt an unrest he had never felt before.
He even felt like stopping the fight if he could. However, if Charl abandoned this fight, everyone in Raishin’s group would lose their Evening Party entry qualifications. They had made that agreement.
(I just need to believe for now. In Charl and Sigmund.)
Raishin was looking at Charl with a pleading feeling.
Before long, the two magicians had made their moves at the same time, giving start to the fight between the two Demonic Swords.
The time is rewound, going back 120 years back in time—
The fruits of the industrial Revolution had started reaching even the rural mountain villages. A time when the processed food had started being served at every family dining room, and the clothes of every villager was replaced by mass-produced woolen fabric, making the village main occupation the breeding of sheep.
Said village was currently getting assaulted by a crisis unfit for that time.
– A dragon! A man-eating dragon has appeared!
An enormous shadow had descended after flapping its enormous wings.
Its immense body was twice the size of an elephant. Looking at it closely even made one feel it had four times their size.
A dragon with steel scales—<The Tyrant Dragon of the Demonic Mountain>.
The dragon had attacked the cattle with its claws as it landed. Its overwhelming pressure had made every villager run away from the place. They would drop their spades and guns without looking back. The destructive light that the dragon expelled from his mouth had destroyed their sheds and gouged the mountains countless times.
Regardless, that time, a single youth had stood before the dragon carrying along with them a gust of wind.
The brave youth had thrust their thin sword before the dragon as their white mantle flustered behind them.
The villagers had all been surprised. Only an insane person would try to defy such dragon with a single sword in hand.
However, unexpectedly the dragon had avoided the fight as it kicked the earth below and rose into flight.
A cloud of dust had spread around the place as the sudden wind produced by those wings made the villagers fall to the ground. The dragon had displayed a nimble mobility despite its size, as it escaped to the mountains after grabbing the cattle.
– No… my cattle…
– Be thankful that you survived this! Your wife is also fine!
– No, she doesn’t seem fine. Didn’t she just fall in love with that young man?
The friends of the owner of the cattle were trying to joke around to calm him down. In front of them, that young brave was just extending their hand to the wife of the man after they had sheathed their sword.
They had all been instantaneously surprised after looking at that brave from behind.
—Because the person that seemed like a brave young man, had been a very youthful woman.
A dazzling blonde hair with blue eyes. Her skin was as smooth as white snow, and her face as beautiful as a fairy.
Maybe because she had rushed to this place, she was only wearing a jacket. Her white corset was plain to see. Her pushed up cleavage was also clearly visible, so the men were troubled as to where to place their eyes.
The woman asked a question as she took the hand of the female swordsman.
– Uhm, who might you be…?
– I’m no one worthy of naming themselves. I’m just a wandering knight.
The girl had answered after showing the woman her knight insignia. The ribbon on it was very worn out, but it looked real. Regardless, the villagers had never seen a real knight insignia before.
In the first place, talking about a wandering knight in this era was very old fashioned already.
The self-alleged knight had continued speaking, not caring about the confusion of the villagers.
– I heard about the rumors of the <T-Rex> and decided to stay in an inn of the village at the foot of the mountain but—I couldn’t believe that strenuous roar as soon as I woke up. That’s why I rushed here with whatever I could grab before leaving.
– A village at the foot of the mountain? It takes two hours to get here by foot!
The path to this place was composed of countless mountain roads. Even a very healthy person would take two hours to climb it. It would be different if someone had flown here in a straight line, though.
It was something so absurd it actually felt more possible to happen. Even her hasty outfit would make sense if she wasn’t lying.
A very robust man walked past the crowd—the leader of the village had decided to show up.
– I take you as a magician, but where is your puppet?
– I don’t have an automaton with me. I’m a Jin Master after all.
Some stir came from the villagers. They couldn’t believe a Spirit User still existed in the height of the Machinart era…
– Did you come here to check up on the rumors of the <T-Rex>?
– I didn’t come to see if those rumors were false. I came to get rid of the dragon.
– Stop it!
– It’s impossible!
– You will die!
The gentle villagers had started protesting, worrying about the dubious magician.
– We’re talking about this remote village. No one will be able to compensate you even if you defeat it.
– I don’t need compensation. Helping the people in need is part of a knight’s duty.
The girl had replied with a dazzling smile, not worrying about the man’s words.
Her smile was as refreshing as a spring gale of wind. The leader of the village continued his warnings while everyone else was charmed by her smile.
– Well, listen here. This mountain was once part of Drake-sama’s domain. However, it is now habited by that furious dragon and some lizard-man.
– The dragon and reptile people? Isn’t that just an anachronism?
– Don’t want to hear you saying that. You might think it’s ridiculous, but it’s the truth. They are reptile creatures that walk on two feet, and they are covered in scales. Their heads look like lizards… no, more like alligators.
– Hmm… you sound like you have seen them.
– I have. Around twenty years ago. I saw them in Drake-sama’s manor. I saw how some small dragon babies flew around an alligator-man. There were around five or six of them.
– Baby dragons?
– Yes. That just means the <T-Rex> just now was one of the servants of that alligator-man. I’m pretty sure that man was a magician. And a very dangerous fella on top of that, if he could control those dragons.
– I see… but, don’t worry. I will also reveal the real identity of that alligator man, and I will have him be judged by the law if he turns out to be a bad individual.
As the girl had gallantly proclaimed and turned in the direction of the mountain—
*growl*—A sound had emerged from her stomach.
Her graceful profile face had quickly turned red.
One of the villagers had given her a wrapping of dried meat and pan, as she smiled wryly.
– Knight, please take this lunch. It was my husband’s meal, so it isn’t much.
– I-I will gladly take it.
The woman knight had timidly accepted the food. Coupling that action with her outfit truly made her look very sloppy.
The knight had quickly departed to the mountain road as she chewed on the pan in her hand.
The villagers had started murmuring as they saw the knight retreating.
– That person is truly elusive.
– Perhaps isn’t she just mentally weak?
– Indeed. And she’s a beauty. What a waste!
The villagers couldn’t even imagine that—this knight would later become the person that would be known as the lord of these lands.
A very old-fashioned self-alleged knight, and a very rare Jin Master on top of that.
She was known as Elaine Belew.
雪月花 