Look at me, blaming the sky for my own lack of progress. Talk about petty.
“Come on, don’t look so glum. There’s always tomorrow,” Gill says. “Also, why are we back at the cottage? Your magic is back, isn’t it?”
“After two years of living here, I’ve grown attached to the place.”
“Why don’t you give it a name?”
“Good idea… How about Josephine?”
“……So your house is a girl.”
Apparently, Gill thought my cottage is male. But the cozy atmosphere gives major girl vibes to me.
“Are we visiting Gramps today?” he asks.
“Sure.”
And with that, we set out into the forest.
Even though we have been away for only a few days, the air in Roana seems to have improved yet again. It’s filled with life… What has Will done this time?
“Alicia!” Rebecca hops over to me with remarkable skill on her one foot.
She’s got skills. Does that ever make her tired? Too bad this village has no materials to make prosthetic legs…
Rebecca’s silvery hair flows smoothly as she moves. I long to see how it would sparkle under the light of the sun. I wonder…will the sun ever shine in Roana?
“Rebecca, doesn’t it bother you to do all that hopping?” I ask.
Rebecca’s eyes widen in surprise for a moment, but she quickly replies, “You know, I can even fight with a sword one-legged.” A proud smile spreads across her face.
“You can use a sword?”
No matter how good her form is and how strong her arms are…I wonder how a one-legged person could manage to acquire enough combat prowess to fight.
“I knew you were training hard, Alicia, so I trained hard, too.”
There is a fire in her eyes. She looks just like a knight pledging fealty to me. During the two years I was away…she surely put in efforts the likes of which I could never imagine.
“You told me to become this village’s messiah, didn’t you, Alicia? I keep my promises.” Rebecca smiles broadly.
What would a villainess do in this situation? I suppose she would test Rebecca, to see how strong she’s really become.
“Then show me your skill,” I dare her, looking her squarely in the eye.
Rebecca stares at me in shock.
“Only a fool would ask Rebecca to prove her skill with a sword.”
A young man’s scornful voice surprises me.
“Who are you?”
The new arrival stares at me. He has dark hair the color of blueberries, slightly slanted eyes, and a giant scar in the middle of his face that suggests someone slashed it with a sword. He has quite a gruesome appearance.
“I’m Nate. Will’s in a meeting right now, so I’m here.” He is standing close, looking down at me.
He is tall and well muscled, and upon closer inspection, he has a great facial structure… Another hottie… Agh, come on, can’t we have an ugly character now and then?!
“Girl. What’s your name?” Nate glares at me.
I stand tall and stare fearlessly back up at him. “I’m Alicia. Alicia Williams.”
Nate looks at me with disdain and says, “What is a rich girl like you doing in a place like this?”
Well…that’s a natural reaction to have. I’m a noble; of course I’m not welcome here.
“I bet you’ve never touched a sword, milady—aren’t you in over your head? Don’t you all agree?” Nate mocks me, raising his voice and glancing around. And everyone in the vicinity raises their fists high in agreement.
“Nate! Enough,” Rebecca yells.
“Whoa, Rebecca, don’t tell me you’re taking her side.” Nate stares sharply at Rebecca. And when he does, all the assenting voices hush.
I guess Nate is sort of like their leader…
“Alicia saved my life,” Rebecca snaps. “And she can use a sword.”
Oh my, how does she know I can swordfight? I don’t recall ever demonstrating my skills in Roana before.
“Yeah, she used a sword to cut off your foot. Anybody could do that. Though I guess for a spoiled rich girl, that was quite a feat.”
Oooh, now that’s a great mocking sneer if I’ve ever seen one. I just love evil expressions.
“You can use magic, right, milady? Ya don’t need a sword. Did ya come here to lord over us, then?”
Nate’s eyes are locked on me. What glorious hatred in that gaze.
“Ya may’ve won Will’s favor, but you’re an outsider.”
His eyes are golden…a hue very similar to my own. As this cheerful thought crosses my mind, I suddenly sense an intense wave of bloodlust from beside me. It is Gill, who looks as though he might leap out and murder Nate at any second.
“Alicia is not—”
“Gill, stand down,” I snap.
Then Nate’s gaze shifts to Gill. “Hey—Gill—you…think you can come back after you abandoned this village? You traitor.”
Nate spits out the words like bile. His eyes are teeming with hatred and rage.
I don’t blame you… Everyone wants to escape this village. And I went and made a special exception for one person…and a young boy, at that. But I’m sure nobody here realizes his immense potential. Argh…what a fun little mess I’ve gotten myself into. Anyway, first things first—let’s shut this guy up.
“I’ll have you know—I’m stronger than Rebecca,” I say.
“Huh?” Nate raises an eyebrow.
Rebecca pipes up, “Alicia, pardon my saying so, but you’re—”
“Dead wrong,” Nate interjects loudly.
“Alicia, I know that smirk,” Gill says. It seems he is onto me.
“You wanna try me?” I smile. “Give me a sword.”
“What?” Nate grimaces.
“Who’s going to fight me? Rebecca, or you?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I’m serious.”
I remove a thin ribbon from around my arm and tie back my hair with it. Even Rebecca is looking at me with doubt.
Tension fills the air. Everyone hangs on to the silence, waiting for the next word from Nate’s mouth.
“I’ll fight you.” Nate glares and points the tip of his blade at me.
Oh my, I get to skip ahead to the final boss. This way, my muscles will still be fresh, so I can fight him with the full extent of my abilities!
“Here. Use this.”
……He drew a sword from his left-hand side? But he just drew a sword from his right, right? Wait…is he a dual wielder? It takes quite a lot of muscle to fight with two blades. I size up his arms. What thick arms he has. This guy must work out a lot.
“Rebecca, lend me your sword,” I say.
“Huh? But…I doubt it’s any better than his.”
While Rebecca falters, Nate raises his voice in agitation. “Eh? What, my sword isn’t good enough for you?”
“No, I just want you to take this fight seriously. And you normally fight with two swords, do you not?” I ask him with a smile.
Nate looks at me in surprise. “Ha! Keen eye you’ve got there.” His expression twists into a smirk.
Rebecca hobbles over to me and gives me her sword. It is just as heavy and damaged as Nate’s. She has clearly used it a lot. Her sword tells of all the hours of hard work she puts into her craft.
I turn and face Nate. He has already readied his swords and is looking at me. His bloodlust is sharp enough to pierce my heart…… Fabulous. I smirk back at Nate. This wears away at his confidence for a split second. He realizes I mean business.
“Wow, they both look so fierce,” somebody comments.
“Especially that girl,” another chimes in. “The bloodlust in her eye…it’s giving me goose bumps.”
“I’m ready when you are.” With my gaze, I dare him to make the first move.
“Don’t underestimate me, milady. You’ll get hurt.” Nate gazes right back at me—then he charges.
……What strong legs he’s got. I block both his sword attacks at once.