“Aigis… All of your subordinates have surrendered. I don’t want to kill you, you were just being used… so please put down your sword.”

A blonde, handsome young man and a beautiful red-haired girl are facing each other, gripping their swords. The girl is covered in wounds, especially a severe arrow wound on her shoulder. At this rate, she will die in the near future.

“So what? Are you saying that your kind self will help me?”

“Yes, of course. If I ask my companions, they can treat that wound immediately… so please…”

The young man approached the girl with a reassuring, endearing smile, but the girl responded by snorting and readying her sword.

“Pure good intentions… how dazzling. But I’m not naive enough to believe in such things anymore. Rather than believe and be betrayed… I’ll fight, trusting only myself!!”

“Aigis… I…”

The young man showed a pained expression at the girl’s shout. However, his desire to save her doesn’t reach the girl. Precisely because they are words full of goodwill, they do not resonate in her heart.

“I hate you!! And you know… I don’t care anymore!! The things I wanted to protect are now…”

And then, the sound of swords clashing echoes, and ‘The Crimson Villainess’ Aigis Bloody ends her life. It was a famous scene from the game, the last battle with a rival character that made fans cry as they wished to save her.

The protagonist’s words did not reach her, who had been used and scorned as a villainess. But… what if she still had a heart that could believe in her childhood? What if the young man who tried to save the girl who couldn’t believe in other’s good intentions had some ulterior motives? Fans wonder about such things.

◇ ◇ ◇

The sound of swords clashing echoes in the training ground. The territory has somewhat stabilized since then. And as for what I am doing…

“You have improved, Weiss-sama.”

“Is that sarcasm, Kaiser? I’m always getting beat up…”

In addition to magical training, I am also training in swordsmanship with Kaiser. I’ve become somewhat capable of fighting, but Kaiser still easily handles me.

When I complained, he smiled happily for some reason.

“After all, I have lived by the sword. I can’t afford to lose easily. Still… I’m thrilled that Weiss-sama, you want to learn swordsmanship from me again.”

With tears in his eyes, the Kaiser clings to me and I let him do whatever he wanted, and I vowed to myself that I must become stronger. I vowed to live with Rosalia and to make the Hamilton territory stronger. To survive the coming wars, I would need more strength.

++Besides… if things were going according to the game, that thing would be happening soon…++ My heart felt heavy at the shitty event that crossed my mind.

“I’m sorry. I got carried away with my excitement.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It means you were that worried about me, right? I’m glad.”

I responded with a smile to Kaiser, who looked apologetic. He is a loyal member of the Weiss supporter’s alliance, just like Rosalia and I. I’m actually grateful to him for being so loyal to me, even though I did some terrible things.

++Well, he is a bit sweaty though…++

“Thank you. Well then, let’s wrap up today’s training. Also, thanks to Barbaro’s information, the eradication of criminal organizations is going smoothly. Those who heard the rumors have probably left Hamilton territory.”

“Thanks. Keep up the good work!”

“Yes, leave it to me, Weiss-sama.”

Behind the Kaiser, who was saluting, some of the soldiers who were watching from afar also saluted. I won’t say everyone, but most of the guys who accompanied the criminal organization have started to greet me, and some would ask me about magic.

I feel like I’ve been recognized a little bit, and I’m very happy.

“There’s still some time before Rosalia returns…”

++She’s gone to the Adventurer’s Guild to check the results of her request. Fortunately, the paperwork also came a little late. So I’m going to go for some secret training.++

As I was thinking about this and heading towards the backyard, my eyes met with Meg, who seemed to be cleaning the garden with a broom.

“Oh, Weiss-sama, are you training? I’ll bring sandwiches later then. I’ll make sure you say they’re better than Rosalia’s.”

“That’s unfortunate. It’s not easy to surpass Rosalia. She knows my preferences perfectly.”

“Well, she does adore you, Weiss-sama. I’ll aim to be the second maid who knows you best. In exchange, I’d like the second-highest salary in the mansion.”

“Haha, I’ll consider it if Rosalia agrees.”

Like that, we exchanged light-hearted words. Since the incident with Barbaro, she had become quite fond of me, and we started to exchange words quite casually.

I don’t think that I’m being greedy because I’ve changed. It’s natural in this world. Unlike my previous life, there are no labor laws. One could be fired or even killed at the whim of a noble, so it’s impossible to be casual with a terrible lord.

And she’s probably straightforward, for better or worse. Maybe it’s because she has been praising me in front of everyone, but recently people from the mansion and merchants who come to the mansion have started to talk to me.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down when I got to the courtyard. Meg came along with me, carrying a basket of sandwiches. Is work good?

“Well then… let’s start. Right now, I can only use advanced magic twice. But what about king-level magic…”

“Well then… it’s time to get started. Right now, I have only used advanced level magic twice. But, I wonder how I can do royal magic…”

I have been trying various things, but it seems that using advanced level magic that I shouldn’t have learned yet is a significant burden. After using it twice, I felt sick and collapsed. However, since I try to use magic in my daily life as well, I should be able to use it more and more.

++That’s good… the only thing left is whether or not I can use royal level magic.++

“I’m sure that royal level magic is stronger than advanced level magic, right? I think that just being able to use advanced level magic at your age is very impressive, but do you still need to train? You’re already training with Rosalia, so is it necessary for you to train on your own like this?”

“Yes, royal level magic is above advanced magic. Only a select few elite court magicians can use it. And above that, there’s something called god-level magic, though it’s legendary.”

“Ah, above advanced level magic is royal level magic. It is so incredible that only a select few of the elite royal court magicians can use it. By the way, there’s also a level above that is called divine level magic, which is legendary.”

Royal level magic is generally considered to be the highest level. In-game terms, you can use it once you reach level 4. Right now, I’m only at level 2, so I’ll have to skip two levels. That’s why it won’t be easy to succeed.

++But… I think Weiss can do it. He had talent. If… If Weiss had trained properly without dying like in the game, it might have been possible to reach it eventually.++

“The Hamilton territory is looked down upon because of the change in lord. I want the power to protect you all in a fight. To achieve that, I want to try everything I can.”

“Weiss-sama… hehe, talking about your dreams like that is so lovely, it reminds me of the old days. Or is it just a manly desire to impress Rosalia?”

“Shut up, don’t tease me. I’ll report you for slacking.”

Feeling embarrassed by Meg’s remark, I retorted. Apparently, someone saw me crying while hugging Rosalia, and it has become a bit of a rumor.

But her light-hearted remark made me feel a little better. Could she be doing it on purpose to relax me? Looking at her, grinning and looking at me with amusement, I realized that wasn’t the case.

Well, whatever. I imagined the image I had seen countless times in the game in my head and chanted the incantation with magical power.

“Give me the sword that protects the princess who rules the eternal darkness!! God-Eater Sword!”

My shadow transformed into that of a woman, jet black, deeper than the darkness, and it covered the sword I was holding… and then it dissipated. At the same time, I got a headache that felt like my brain was burning out, and my mood suddenly became heavy.

++Damn… is it no good? Can’t I use royal level magic…?++ I couldn’t even put any strength into my legs, and the ground was getting closer and closer…

“Weiss-sama!?”

I heard someone’s voice and something soft caught me. If I had continued to fall, I might have been in some danger.

“Thanks… Rosalia.”

“Too bad, it’s Meg. I can be a proper maid too. Are you alright, Weiss-sama… Rosalia told me you might push yourself, so I was on the lookout.”

++Now that you mention it, she seems smaller in many ways than Rosalia…++ but that’s not the case. She must have rushed over in a hurry. The basket of sandwiches is scattered everywhere, and her hair is messy.

“Oh, I’m sorry for worrying you, Meg. I’m okay now…”

Trying to get up quickly, I find my body lacks strength, possibly from overusing magic and pushing beyond my limits.

I tried to get up in a panic, but either because I used too much magical power or because I was trying to use a spell that I wasn’t supposed to be able to use and exceeded my limits, I couldn’t move my body.

“Oh dear, Weiss-sama, you are quite the spoiled brat. Don’t push yourself too hard. But if Rosalia were to see you in a place like this, things would get pretty bad, so I’ll carry you to your room.”

“Yeah, sorry… I can’t move…”

++I do feel like it would be a bit awkward to be seen by Rosalia. Well, I don’t know if her feelings are romantic or not, but…++

“But, hugging here like this, Weiss-sama, you’re quite bold.”

“You’re having fun…”

“No, no, that’s not true… ah…”

When I groaned and made a comment, Meg laughed happily, but for some reason her smile froze.

“Weiss-sama… why are you hugging a servant in a place like this?”

“Well, there’s a deep reason for this…”

“Weiss-sama is so proactive… I couldn’t refuse…”

“You sold me out!!”

Rosalia sighs deeply at our exchange. Was it just me or did she look a little sulky?

However, she cleared her throat and her face became serious.

“Weiss-sama, It’s likely that while you were recklessly training in magic, Meg had to come to your aid, correct? Weiss-sama, you shouldn’t be so reckless. More importantly… as you said, the worst-case scenario has come to pass. According to the information we have, some of the adventurers have not returned.”

“I knew it…”

Those words caused a serious atmosphere to flow between us. Meg also read the mood and went quiet. ++Even so… my bad premonitions always come true.++

!next

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