Lately I’ve been thinking about those distant days 300 years ago, when the Empire of Pajan was devastated by war. Those were the days in which I lived as a Sorceress... no, as a weapon.
My father was the Court Grand Mage; my mother was a shrine maiden from the Temple of the Dragon God. Born with an immense capacity for mana, I had a very sheltered upbringing to the point that I never needed to walk on my own two feet. Day and night, I was trained in magic and nothing else.
I would act as a weapon that could wield powerful spells with a mere snap of my fingers—that was my father’s vision for me. And when I set foot on the battlefield, I destroyed many things. Buildings. Armies.
The people of Pajan hailed me as the Great Sorceress. Hostile nations cursed me as the Wicked Dragonwhore. But I paid them no mind. The more I destroyed—the more lives I took—the happier it made him.
I was his puppet. Why? Because I didn’t know any other way to live.
But now, 300 years later, I see things a little differently.
If only I’d said no... if only I’d stood up for myself... maybe I could have changed my fate. Maybe the women of this country wouldn’t have been tricked into walking around debasing themselves for no reason.
But perhaps it’s not too late to try again. Perhaps it’s time I did something for myself... and get revenge like Tanya did.
✦ ✦ ✦
The sun was setting, and the Little Vixen had just opened for business. Tanya and Nadine sat at their usual table, slumped over in defeat.
“What’s wrong? Still can’t find her?” Katherine asked as she served them each a cold glass of milk. Lately she’d really come into her own as part-time manager.
“I’m afraid not... and the only worthwhile lead we have is that someone has been stealing those orichalcum coins from every magic supply store in town,” Nadine explained.
“And you’re saying that ‘someone’ is Laplace?”
“We can’t say for sure, but... well... they’re known as Laplace’s Orichalcum Coins, after all... and she did seem awfully interested in them.”
The two of them had gone to each affected store to ask for details, but every last one of them described the theft thusly: “One minute it was there, and the next it was just gone.” Most of them kept their coins in a vault imbued with protective charms... and yet the thief broke through without a struggle. This was a considerable feat that few could hope to accomplish, hence they were convinced it was almost certainly Laplace’s doing. But if so... why steal them?
After a long period of silence, Tanya sighed heavily. “What’s gotten into her...?”
“Eh, I’m sure she’ll be back before you know it.”
“I don’t know... You’d think she would’ve given me a heads-up first...”
Three days had passed since Laplace’s shocking disappearance, and Tanya was growing more anxious than ever. Recently she’d sensed that something was bothering Laplace—it had been written all over her face. But she’d never imagined Laplace would vanish without a word.
“Yeah, but... I mean, you guys first met completely by chance, right? And it’s not like she signed a contract to work for you, right?” Katherine asked, averting her gaze awkwardly.
At this, Tanya slumped further onto the table.
“Katherine!” Nadine scolded.
She’s right, though, Tanya thought to herself. Maybe she’s gone forever...
Just then, a bell jingled loudly as the door to the Little Vixen swung open. Hopeful, Tanya looked over—and found a middle-aged man standing there. I keep getting my hopes up. She glanced away again.
“Busy, busy, busy! Good heavens, am I ever busy!” the man declared to no one in particular. He was chubby, but well-dressed, and his voice carried across the restaurant.
While the Little Vixen was popular with commoners, aristocrats with discerning palates were known to stop in for incognito visits. Clearly this man was one of them. Seriously, he’s not even trying to disguise it at all.
“Welcome!”
Katherine walked over to him, carrying a menu. The man scrutinized her for a moment.
“Hmph,” he snorted. “Are you new here? Where’s the owner?”
“Grandma took the day off. She’s not as young as she used to be, y’know. So I’m running the store today.”
“Oho, so this is her granddaughter? Now that’s a surprise. You’re quite the looker!”
“...Can I take your order?” Katherine asked, ignoring his inappropriate comments and handing him the menu. Meanwhile, she imagined herself roasting him alive with her custom Fox-Fireballs. Not that anyone would want to eat him.
“I’ll have the usual.”
“...The what?”
“The usual! Tell the chef that Baron Rudolf von Bachel is here and I’m sure they’ll know what to do.”
Smirking, he stroked his beard as he ogled Katherine’s legs. Normally this was the part where Tanya would step in to take him down a peg—but then he started boasting.
“Good grief, women these days... Storms right into our great Ode Castle and starts shouting ‘I’m Laplace the Great Sorceress! Bonjour!’ Of all the utter nonsense, I tell you... But our Court Grand Mage, Lord Maxwell, he’s been in a sour mood ever since someone felled the Wyvern of the Western Wasteland... Of course, as an executive director of the esteemed Imperial Magic Association, I’ve been investigating to the best of my ability, but it certainly hasn’t been easy...”
Aaaand there it is. How did I know this guy would try to flaunt his authority?
More importantly, however, this middle-aged baron—Rudolf—had just name-dropped Laplace, and Tanya was eager to hear more. She and Katherine exchanged a look.
Then Katherine turned back to Rudolf. “Wow, that’s crazy! Laplace, as in, that Laplace?” she prompted him casually.
“Hm? Oh, well, it was most likely a load of hogwash, that. Apparently she was recognized as a competitor in the Adventurers’ Sparring Tournament. I tell you, whenever I meet a woman who wants to work as an adventurer, I just know she’s got problems up here.” He pointed at his temple with his index finger.
Tanya leapt to her feet in a rage. “Is that where you want me to stick my sword, asshole?!”
“I beg your pardon?! Who the hell are you?!”
“Oh, uhhh, whoops! Just ignore me!” Covering her mouth, she quickly sat back down.
“So anyways,” Katherine continued quickly, “what happened to the fake Laplace lady? Did you let her go?”
“Hmm? I should think not! No, we locked her in the dungeon. Apparently Lord Maxwell wants to interrogate her personally.”
“Interesting...”
Meanwhile, Tanya was now more certain than ever. This “fake Laplace” was indeed their Laplace. But why didn’t she tell us she was going to do this?
“What a nightmare, I must say! Thanks to that fake Laplace, I’ve been working overtime for days! But a man’s got to make his living somehow, I suppose. How I wish I could just track down the culprit who slayed the Wyvern... My subordinates are all useless, I tell you! If only I was there at the scene, I would’ve used my authority to apprehend them on the spot!”
This gave Tanya an idea... and the next thing she knew, she was moving on autopilot.
“It was me.”
“...What?” Rudolf blinked.
“Um, Tanya?!” Nadine hissed, but Tanya ignored her.
Laplace was currently being held in the Ode Castle dungeon... and this man was her ticket inside. Grinning, she grabbed Rudolf by the collar.
“Are you listening? I said I’m the one who slew the Wyvern.”
“Wh... WHAT? You did what?! Who are you?!”
While she was at it, as payback for the inappropriate behavior he’d shown toward Katherine, she slammed the hardest part of her boot directly into his shin.
“Gyaaahh!” he yelped.
“You heard me,” Tanya continued slowly, letting every word sink in. “I killed the Wyvern of the Western Wasteland. And you know what else? I broke the seal and set Laplace the Great Sorceress free.”
At this, the color drained from his face. “What?! But no one’s supposed to know the Wicked Dragonwhore was sealed there... I order you to identify yourself!”
“My name is Tanya Artemiciov,” she replied quietly, “and I’m the one who set Laplace free. Now arrest me.”
As she spoke, the golden ring sparkled on her finger.