episode_0005

Bang-!

In my memory, the sky was not a clear blue sky like a painting, but a gloomy sky with an ashen hue.

Spring, autumn, and winter were all filled with fine dust.

Summer brought the monsoon clouds.

There were only a handful of days in a year when just taking a walk made me happy. Even if it might not have been the reality, that’s how I felt.

One prime example was early April when cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

On days like that, I wanted to hold hands with Yeonghee and take a walk.

On the other hand, here, the sky was clear, and I could breathe in pure air.

Lying on the ground, I could see the blue sky.

It would have been nice if Yeonghee had seen that sky too…

“Hack!! Huh… Haah… Haack…”

My sweat-drenched hair stuck to my face and neck.

Two short swords lay scattered around me.

“I told you, Beatrice, coming to the Knight Department now…”

The blonde woman looked down at me as she lowered the short sword in her hand.

Blair de Dalia. She is my mother and the lord of this territory.

“Kuk…!”

I managed to let out a strained groan.

Even during my first personal training session at the gym, I didn’t feel like I was about to die. With trembling hands, I barely managed to brush my hair back from my forehead.

Blair de Dalia.

She’s a monster.

Her appearance may be elegant and agile, as if she could wield a sword skillfully, but that was a prejudice.

After a few exchanges, or rather, after playing around for a bit, she easily disarmed me with a single strike.

Blair helped me up with great effort.

“Are you okay? This method is the fastest way you wanted, but…”

“Yes…”

Whether I was embarrassed by my pathetic performance or startled by my excessively weak physique, I couldn’t say anything more than a short answer.

Upon hearing my request to quickly learn the sword, Blair briefly explained the theory and then had me swing the sword nonstop for a second.

And then, emphasizing the importance of practical experience, she drew her short sword and approached me, leading to this situation.

“Even if it’s not the Knight Department, you can still enter the academy. Whether it’s politics and administration, research, or even the Department of Magic…”

“No, you can’t.”

At my firm response, Lady Blair, the viscountess, couldn’t continue.

“If it’s not the Knight Department, then it’s a no. It’s been decided that way.”

Blair soon handed me the spare sword she had been carrying at her waist.

“If that’s your will, let’s start over. Take the sword!”

I reached out with trembling arms and grasped the sword.

Blair took her stance. Her gaze transformed from a mother’s to that of a wild beast.

I regulated my breathing and focused to not miss Blair’s movements.

However, her body movements were beyond what the eye could follow.

“…!?”

In the blink of an eye, Blair attacked me again.

‘Ah, why is this so intense!!!’

-Clang!

With the sound of the second sword breaking, I found myself looking at the sky once more. It was still a picturesque sky.

I’ll probably see it often in the future, falling so ungracefully…

*

The training didn’t end until the sun had set.

Covered in sweat, dirt, and grass from the garden, I entered the bathroom to wash up.

The luxurious bathroom with marble flooring was equipped with a large bathtub.

The size of the tub was similar to the hot tub in a public sauna, so calling it a bathtub might not be appropriate.

-Splash

“Ahh~”

As I soaked my body in the warm tub, a scream that should never have come from this body flowed out. If the original owner of this body had heard it, wouldn’t they have fainted?

But it was inevitable.

Today’s accumulated fatigue had exceeded its limits.

Leaning back against the tub, I felt like I could fall asleep just like that.

“Sigh…”

Is Blair too strong, or am I too weak?

Apart from being faster than before the possession, there was nothing special about this body.

In fact, compared to when I was a man, the strength had significantly decreased. But I guess that’s unavoidable as a woman…

Still, it’s enough to give me the ability to cheat as a possession cliché, isn’t it?

Before falling into various thoughts, I got up.

I put on a bathrobe and came out of the bathroom, facing a full-length mirror.

The mirror in the bathroom was too foggy to function, but the one outside was not. Thanks to that, Beatrice’s white skin was revealed through the inadequate robe.

In the mirror, my face turned red.

I couldn’t tell if it was due to the strong visual stimulus or embarrassment at revealing my skin. Let’s just say it was because of the heat in the bathroom.

I quickly walked away from the mirror and put on my clothes. At least I didn’t want to see myself putting on clothes.

It feels strange…

The dinner I asked Yulia for was ready in the bedroom.

It couldn’t be eaten in the dining room as it required a lot of attention to play Beatrice.

The food was still warm. There were traces of effort for me.

“It’s incomparable to the usual food I eat.”

From the plated visuals, I felt sorry for comparing.

The taste was needless to say. Admiration came naturally.

While chewing the juicy steak, I looked at the newspaper on the desk. It was the recent newspapers arranged by Yulia.

There’s nothing like news to roughly understand how the world is going. It would have been more convenient with a smartphone, but there’s nothing I can do.

Conveniently, I could read it even though it was written in a language I hadn’t learned. I carefully read the necessary content and found an article that caught my eye.

“Massive Demon Summoning Attempt by Archbishop of the Holy Claro Empire, Suppressed by Information Bureau”

“This is it!”

An article about the first episode of the novel.

It was about what happened on the colonial island where the protagonist, Karl Mayner, and the saint grew up.

The archbishop of the diocese governing the island turned out to be obsessed with the power of the demons and tried to sacrifice the island to summon the demons.

The key to opening the gate to the demon world was Alana, who later became the saint.

The main content is about the protagonist confronting and awakening with the congregation people who raised her to save her. In the process, she receives the selection of the Holy Sword and builds relationships with key figures in the empire, such as Christopher Meiner, who will become her stepfather. As the protagonist encounters significant events, she realizes that she is truly living in the same world. The title of this novel is “Becoming a loyal subject of the empire with a false identity.” It tells the story of a protagonist from a colonial background who enters the academy with a false identity created by the Duke and the head of the intelligence agency, capturing their interest solely through talent and ability. This is all in order to become a man suitable for the saint Alana, whom she grew up with since childhood. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that she is someone who gets involved with other heroines and captivates them. She knows that she, Beatrice de Dalia, will also become one of them. No! Since I am possessed, the story will be different. I will only pretend to get along with the harem for the progress of the novel. It is absolutely impossible for me to build a relationship beyond friendship with a man. Before getting lost in thoughts, she put down the newspaper and finished her meal. She abandoned the thought of resting in her room because she was stimulated by news of the protagonist. I should go to the library. I need to find something there. The mansion’s library was like a small bookstore, filled with endless bookshelves. “Should I read a history book?” She knew the rough worldview of the novel, but she needed more information about Beatrice’s surroundings. Information about the Primera Kingdom or the Dalia family would be good. “!!?” Startled by a sound, she turned her head. There was a presence. It was Theo. He was sitting on the floor reading a book.

The book was much larger and thicker than Theo’s small hands.

It seemed that I had entered the study without realizing how engrossed he was in his reading.

I approached Theo and sat down next to him. However, he still couldn’t take his eyes off the book.

“Theo, what are you reading?”

Only then did Theo turn his gaze and brightened up when he saw me.

“The Grand Adventure of Green Emperor!”

I approached him, intending to surprise him, but there was no sign of surprise. Instead, he proudly showed me the book he was reading.

“Is it a story about emperors and warriors?”

“Yeah! My sister used to read it to me, but now I can read it myself!”

Ah, so now he can read.

“Theo, you’ve grown up, haven’t you? Good for you~”

I said proudly as I ruffled Theo’s head.

“Do you enjoy the book, Theo?”

“I do! I want to become a great wizard like the Green Emperor.”

The Green Emperor and his companions were heroes who saved humanity. They played a key role in the major settings of the novel during the era of the Great War, established to confront the threat of demons and monsters.

In the end, the wizard Green, who led the war to victory, was crowned as the emperor of the kingdom that had founded the academy.

The kingdom grew into an empire, and Green ascended as the first emperor of the sacred Klaro Empire.

Since then, many nobles with the surname Green emerged, but the term “Green Emperor” came to refer to the first emperor, the strongest wizard, and the hero who protected humanity.

Not only the empire but also children from neighboring countries like Theo idolize the Green Emperor in this world.

In other words, the center of the world is the Sacred Klaro Empire, and the status of the “Imperial Academy,” which produced the hero of humanity, cannot be expressed in words alone.

“Theo is the heir of our Dalia, so he should become a great knight, right?”

“I like being a wizard though…”

“Marquis… No, Mother, Father might be disappointed~”

The Dalia family is known for its swordsmanship, isn’t it?

Moreover, the empire is ultimately just another country.

Of course, Theo might find such talk difficult to understand.

“Then…! I’ll learn both swordsmanship and magic!”

“Haha~ Teo, you’re quite ambitious, aren’t you?”

At the childish and innocent response, I found myself smiling without realizing it.

“With my sister, mom, dad, and even Julia! I will protect them.”

“Protect?”

“Yeah! From scary things.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“……”

“Teo?”

Teo hesitated before answering.

“Anything that tries to harm us.”

For a moment, his blue eyes, resembling mine, seemed to shine.

I was taken aback, rendered speechless.

“Master, miss.”

Suddenly, Julia, who had entered the study, called out to us, bringing me back to reality.

“Julia! You’re here?”

Teo got up from his seat and ran towards Julia.

“Was it an illusion? It seemed like Teo’s eyes momentarily turned turquoise.”

“Master Teo, it’s time for bed. Please finish reading the book tomorrow.”

“Yeah! I was just about to get sleepy.”

Teo took Julia’s offered hand.

“Would Lady Beatrice also consider retiring early? Considering today’s training, it must have been tiring…”

Julia said to me with a concerned tone.

Yeah. There’s no need to rush too much. I’ll have to train again tomorrow, so I should read the book later.

“Okay, Julia, let’s go together.”

*

The three of us left the study. Teo decided to put Julia to bed.

Leaving a message wishing her a good night, I returned to my room.

As soon as I lay down on the large bed, sleep overtook me. It had been such a tiring day.

But unfortunately, it didn’t turn into a restful night’s sleep.

The unwelcome visitor known as a nightmare came to find me.