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The Branded Female Fencer CH 43

Author:Hermit Category:urban Update time:2023-01-03 14:50:21

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Chapter 43

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Battle of Seeker's Village, Part 9 — Ice Swordwoman

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

 

【O chain of Ice that sealed the evil at the depths of Purgatory, let the sensation of Ice reside in my blade.】

 

《Cocytus Saber》

 

Rui’s sword is encased in a thin layer of ice.

It is not the usual coarse ice, but very fine one, and it does not cover the sword thickly in vain.

The sword is a blade of ice that reflects light and seems to glow white.

Furthermore, as the sword changes, the color of Rui’s hair changes into almost a bluish-white tint.

That’s right, she is also a spellsword just like Alfiris.

The only difference is that she uses magic in the form of chanting and releasing it, whereas Rui uses magic directly on her weapon and armor.

Of course, Rui can also release and use it, but she is not well-versed at it.

Incidentally, the attribute of ice is a higher attribute of water, indicating she is fairly high-ranking practitioner.

This is evident by the fact that the hair color, which should have been dyed, was dyed in no time at all(normally, it takes time for hair color to change, as it is affected by the penetration of magical elements, so the more capable the practitioner is, the faster the change.) Moreover, the magic sword she was using was not an ordinary one, but a strain of dark magic.

Alfiris, Fenna, and Miranda, who are more experienced in magic, could understand it, but Lisa and Nia could not.

But they soon realized that Rui was no ordinary woman.

And that she would not need any backup.

 

「Lexus, I’ll take care of the dew.」

「Roger that.」

 

Rui follows Lexus, who lightly kicks the ground and starts to run.

Then, perhaps recognizing its enemy, the Giant Treant extends several branches to them like spears.

Just when it looked as if the two would be skewered,

 

「That’s sweet~」

 

Lexus smiled wryly and in an instant slashed down the branch that was coming towards him and Rui.

Although he does not consciously use it himself, it was swift sword that could be described as a two-sword iai.

Behind him, Rui took a stance to slash down diagonally from the shoulders (kesa-giri).

But it should be still a long way to hit the target.

 

「Sword Flash!」

 

With a cry from Rui, the iceblade released from the sword cuts through the wind.

With a single stroke, it severed the part of the sword that had been the fiend’s left hand, which was also its home.

The fiend also flails about, writhing in agony from the impact.

 

「That’s awesome…」

 

Miranda muttered to herself.

 

「I see… Surely that thing is slowing us down.」

「But it will regenerate, won’t it」

「It won’t.」

 

Everyone was surprised when Alfiris simply said in response to Nia and Lisa’s question.

 

「How can you be so sure, Alfie If it’s a wooden fiend, wouldn’t fire magic do more damage」

 

To Miranda’s plausible question, Alfiris, however, shook her head.

 

「No, That sword freezes the surface it cuts on, so it won’t stick until it thaws.

With fire, it carbonizes and crumbles away, so it’s easy to regenerate itself from the inside.

Either way, ice is certainly harder to regenerate.

And it’s a strain of dark magic, so it’s superfluous.

Indeed, when you get down to it, fire is the accelerated motion of molecules, while water and ice are the stopped motion of molecules.

So, people tend to think that a fire system with no upper temperature limit is stronger than an ice system with absolute zero temperature, but the magnitude of power is determined by『how quickly it interferes with molecular motion,』that’s why, there’s no general rule that says which is stronger.」

 

They all couldn’t wrap their heads around the theory that Alfiris was floundering about.

Especially the crap about molecular motion, which is not at all clear to anyone but those who have studied magic professionally in the Church of Magic.

This was a theory because Aldorius taught it, but Alfiris has no idea that the public does not know such things.

 

「…Lisa has no idea what this huge girl is talking about.」

「Don’t worry, I don’t know either.」

「I managed to…」

 

All of them give their own impressions.

Then finally, Miranda.

 

「Alfie, were you intelligible than I thought」

「Why is it unexpected」

 

Alfiris was a bit swooned by these words, but she recalled her master’s hellish lessons and involuntarily shuddered.

But she is still grateful to her master, who never teaches her anything useless.

For those who practice magic, knowledge is synonymous with treasure.

But in the meantime, the crowd was already at a standstill.

Rui and Lexus were two of the strongest in the world.

Already every part of the fiend has been frozen and cut down, and it is already nearly half its original size.

And just as Rui was about to deliver the coup de grace by stomping on what appeared to be the demon’s head.

The fiends also made a last stand, sending leaves flying like blades from all directions to fight back, but they were all cut down with a cool face by Lexus, who was waiting behind Rui.

The Lexus was cool and all were slashed down.

Rui didn’t even look around to see if Lexus knew what he was doing.

Whatever their usual situation is, these two trust each other’s fighting ability.

 

「…I’ll freeze you down to the last leaf.」

 

In a low, horrified voice, Rui thrusts his great sword into the fiend’s head, and the treant freezes around it.

The fiend try to multiply by extending their branches, but they are clearly faster to freeze.

And with a crackling sound of freezing, the whole fiend was finally frozen.

A giant ice tree was completed.

Acknowledging the fiend’s lack of resistance, Rui takes a swing of her sword and sheathes it, and Louis and Lexus turn back.

She then steps toward Fenna.

 

「I’ll let you finish it, Elf.」

「…Eh」

「As a parting gift.

If you don’t like it, I’ll do it.

What do you say」

 

Rui looks straight at Fenna.

Fenna, too, pauses somewhat,

 

「…I understand.

Thank you for your consideration.」

 

Then slowly, Fenna readied her bow and arrow and released the arrow.

With that blow, the frozen treant, which had already turned into an ice tree, collapses.

The way they crumbled into fine particles of ice was sad, fragile, and beautiful.

 

「Farewell, Mother, Father…」

 

As it is, Fenna is looking down and drooping.

Alfiris and the others could not find the words to say.

This means that Fenna has lost everything in her birthland.

Apparently, the dead had been buried by Krummus soldiers as a minimum courtesy, even if only in a token way, but the ground had been dug up by the roots of the fiends, and even their graves were without a trace.

And all the homes where Fenna grew up were transformed into fiends.

Now the place that used to be the Seeker’s village is only recognizable as a large depression of land.

Then Alfiris quietly walks up to Fenna to say something to her.

 

「Fenna…」

「…I was marking the trees.」

「Eh」

 

Fenna mutters as she slumps down.

 

「My village has many young Seekers, which is unusual for Elves.

We were all about the same age.

So we compared, competed… and talked about many things.

I was short for an elf, and people used to call me little.

It didn’t help that I was the youngest in age.

But it was so frustrating to me as a little girl that every time the moon went around the sky, I would mark my height with a stone on a tree…」

「I… see.」

「There were many other memories of this village: where I first flew an arrow, after I hit a bump and broke a door, making a swing out of ivy on a tree branch… In this village, there were so many memories.

But, however, there was nothing left… it was gone.」

「…」

「But it’s strange.

I should be sad, but I can’t cry… Do you know why, Alfiris」

 

Fenna spins around and turns back to Alfiris.

She looks very sad, but at the same time, she looks as if she truly does not understand her emotions.

 

「…That maybe, your mind hasn’t caught up with events.」

「My mind」

「Yeah, my teacher said that sometimes people can’t cry alone.

He said that when you are alone, you don’t even realize that you are sad.

That’s why creatures make friends.

My teacher said he failed at that.

He said he couldn’t cry when he should have because he didn’t have anyone to call a friend.

He said that before he knew it, he even forgot how to cry.

I think I was the same way when I was a child.

But I had my teacher.

That’s why, Fenna…you can cry in front of us anytime you want, if not now.

I don’t know, I can’t really put my finger on it, but…」

 

At that moment, a single tear spilled from Fenna’s silver eyes.

 

「I, see… Thank you, Alfiris… uuh… kuh… hikku…」

 

Fenna covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

Alfiris gently hugged Fenna.

 

「Can I, for a while…be a crybaby…」

「…I think it’s alright.」

「…Sorry.」

「So you’re not sorry, are you」

「Un… Thank you…」

 

For a while, Alfiris and Fenna held each other as they were.

Smiling faintly at them, Rui and Lexus turn to leave.

When Miranda saw them about to leave the place in silence, she called out to them.

 

「I got a very big return on my investment.」

「Not really.

It was just a fiend that was good at fighting.

That’s all.」

「I feel like I owe you.

I don’t feel so good.」

「Really Well, if you see me again, buy me a drink or something.」

「I hope you’re not the enemy when we meet you again.」

 

Rui says nothing to Miranda’s words, but replies by fluttering her hand behind her back.

Lexus lightly mimicked a hand salute and left.

After a short distance from Alfiris and the others, Lexus speaks to Rui.

 

「Very thoughtful, Miss! But then, it’s rare to see Miss care about someone.

I think I’ve never seen it before.」

「…Maybe.

But instead of that elf, I was strangely curious about a girl named Alfiris.

I wonder why.」

「Will we see them again」

 

Lexus speaks with a rare sense of anticipation.

It seems that Rui was not the only one who liked Alfiris and her friends.

 

「Probably.

Yes, she will be strong.

And when she does, we’ll meet her at will.

Be it a friend or a foe.」

「Let’s make sure we don’t die before then, too.

For the time being, it seems we are dealing with the Archfiend.」

「That’s a given.」

 

Rui snickered.

She could not imagine herself being defeated by this female swordsman.

Seeing her as usual, Lexus also returns to his former lighthearted nature.

 

「So, as a reward for my hard work earlier, can I jump into your chest, Miss」

「…It looks like you bastard is going to die here and now before I fight the Archfiend.」

 

Rui pulls out her greatsword with ease.

 

「No, no, no, I’m just kidding! Why are you using the magic sword Hey, hey, that’s dangerous—!」

 

Screaming, Lexus runs away.

Apparently, these two are not going to die for the time being.

 

***

 

And this one is in the sky.

Not amused by this result are the three who were in the sky.

 

「It’s like some kind of three-act play.」

「Yes, it is.

Hardly a good spectacle.」

「Damn! What the hell, she’s so strong! Is that a magic sword」

 

Rough voices echo through the wards.

 

「I knew your direction wouldn’t be good enough.」

「Shut up!」

 

The one who is getting up in the air after the sarcasm is an active-looking boy who is not even trying to hide his appearance anymore.

He takes a moment to get his feet on the ground, then suddenly returns to his cool.

 

「But certainly…that woman is strong.

I mean, are those mercenaries all like that」

「Come to think of it, you two had never seen them in person.

That mercenary group is like that.

And the unit number of that mercenary group indicates strength as it is.」

「Does that mean that the first squad is stronger」

 

The active-looking boy is astonished.

 

「But only as a squad.

In terms of individual combat ability, that woman may be second only to the Commander in strength.」

「Tch… If only Master had given me permission to touch them, I’d grind those bastards into mincemeat in a minute!」

「Unfortunately, now is not the time.

Patience.」

「I know that!!」

 

The boy’s form is horrendous, along with the words he spits out.

The eyes alone are enough to curse someone to death.

 

「And how strong is this captain」

「He is undoubtedly one of the strongest on the continent.

They received a call from the west, apparently they couldn’t wait for the squad to get together, and the captain is already hunting two Archfiends by himself.」

「Oh, come on.

What are we going to do about such a monster」

 

The old man looks at the young man in dismay.

 

「Master is going to wake up the thing.

I thought the thing would be a good match.」

「That thing.

Sure, maybe, but can we control it」

「It depends on how we do it.

One wrong move and it could turn on us.」

「But who can beat that thing I mean, it’s stupid, but…」

「I guess you could say it’s a showdown between a monster and an idiot.」

「What are you trying to say So, should we get out of here Which way are we going… hmm」

 

The active boy noticed something crawling underneath.

When the three confirm that no one else is moving, they land softly on the ground.

Crawling like a caterpillar on the ground was Prince Master.

His legs were missing from the knees down, but he was still crawling along the ground with his hands, as if he could not give up his attachment to life.

However, the amount of blood he was losing would not last long.

His consciousness had already begun to cloud over.

The lively boy stands in front of him and calls out to him in dismay.

 

「What, Ouji-sama is alive You’re the only one with bad luck.」

「I–I will not die… I am justice, I am righteous.

I will win in the end…」

  

「…Stupidity has gone so far, it was such a gift.」

「Yeah, I thought it was too ugly to be beautiful.」

「Why is it that everyone refuses to bow down to me… why is it that I am treated the same way as my brother, only I am despised… why, why, why…」

 

In fact, something important was missing from this prince.

He doesn’t know the difference at all, but the tree he snapped a branch from was the tree of the venue where he was about to welcome the ambassadors of other countries for dinner.

Moreover, it was not just one that was broken, but several branches were broken, completely ruining the landscape.

Needless to say, the King and his entourage were greatly embarrassed on the side of Krummus when they led the ambassadors to that venue.

He also thinks he is imitating his brother and giving the servant a spanking, but the circumstances are quite different.

His brother only gave 20 whippings to the back for the servant who stole from him.

The prince himself had carried out the punishment, which would normally have resulted in beheading according to the law, but he was spared a trial.

This could have been called an act of warmth.

But this third prince was different.

He simply whipped the face of a maid who had roughly spilled his drink.

As a result, this maid’s right eye has lost its purpose.

Such treatment is nothing but brutality, but this prince does not know the difference.

He lacked something important as a person before his head.

It is something that the majority of people take for granted and are too well prepared for, so they are unaware that he was missing something.

Had such a person been a commoner, he would have had the opportunity to be trialed for a crime or something at an earlier stage, but unfortunately he was royalty.

He has lived this long without being aware of that lack and without being judged.

This is a tragedy not only for those around him but also for himself.

It may or may not be distorted.

Additionally, that this does not remove his responsibility.

Then the three of them look down at the muster who is about to lose consciousness.

 

「What should we do」

「Well… I don’t think the brother dearest anticipated this much and fired up this prince If that’s the case, I kind of respect him.」

「The dearest brother is more thoughtful than we think.

He may be less powerful than we are.」

 

The young man spoke with deep emotion.

The lively boy speaks while kicking Prince Master in the leg, as if to say he is not interested.

 

「So what we you going to do with this Are we going to use this prince I think he’d make a good Archfiend, Satanmaker-san」

 

The lively boy turned to the old man-like boy as he said this.

The boy responds immediately.

 

「Yeah, of course I’ll bring it back.

And I’ll keep my mouth shut, too.」

「I bet the leaders of every country would have no idea that the Archfiends rampaging around the continent were created by human hands!」

 

The young man smiles happily.

But the old man happily denies it.

As if to say that his fun is just beginning.

 

「No, no, that’s not the end goal.」

「How many bodies do you have saved up right now, by the way」

 

The lively boy asked the old man.

As if he had been waiting for the old man’s answer, the old man replied in his best manner.

 

「At this point, we can have 100 of them up and running immediately, but they’re still in the research phase.

Once we have the results of the Fiends of the West, we can set a more specific direction for the production.

Until then, I’m going to need you guys to experiment a lot.」

「Hey, hey.」

「If we could get our hands on it directly, this continent would be on fire in no time…」

 

Giggling, the young man laughs.

The other two were also startled for a moment because he seemed to be really enjoying himself.

And they firmly recognize that, despite appearances, he is also one of their own kind.

 

「Fufu, you’re surprisingly belligerent too… but maybe the time will come sooner than you think」

「I’m looking forward to it.」

「I can’t wait to go on a rampage–I’m looking forward to it!」

 

And so the three of them laughed glumly at each other and disappeared with Prince Master.

A few days later, war would break out in Middle Plains, but no one had yet realized that this was only the beginning of a larger war to come.

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