episode_0035

“Yiik!”

With a blue flash, the monster’s head was shattered. The black blood spewing from the monster’s head was blocked by a defensive spell and turned into dust in the air.

Kicking, dealing with mana, pushing back with a shield, and killing with mana – after repeating this process several times, all the monsters around her had disappeared.

Contrary to her title as the greatest mage of the Frankia Kingdom, she looked exhausted. Her voluminous skirt was tattered at the end, probably from being dragged on the ground, and was covered in dirt and dust.

“Sigh… I shouldn’t have followed the Royal Magic Corps.”

This was a farm near Dendermond, three days’ journey east of Paris. No, it used to be a farm. She had left the palace and come here due to her absurd plan to leave home.

Before the corps departed, she had planned to spend a day in her suburban hideout cabin and then follow them from a distance. But things didn’t go as expected from the very beginning.

Naturally, she had dreamed of having an exciting and thrilling adventure by sneaking in when the corps headed for Saint Margot. However, instead of moving by land as she had assumed, the corps was boarding a galleon. Not only could she not sneak onto a military ship, but there was also a high chance that the captain of the galleon would recognize her, so she had to give up.

“Why is Saint Margot so far away? And why are monsters appearing everywhere?”

Her pride wouldn’t allow her to return to Paris. If she had left home, she believed she should have a proper adventure. That’s why she was riding towards Saint Margot, the destination of the corps.

Even on the first day, she overcame her embarrassment and knocked on every door to find a good place to stay, but words ran away from her. So it was three days of traveling on foot. Now, it wasn’t just about moving, but everything from eating, bathing, and sleeping became an issue. Her initial decision to leave home was because of the grand name, Royal Mado-Dae. The head of Mado-Dae was said to be a woman from the Montuart family? She had blindly set out with the thought that there must be dozens of servants.

However, at the point when Mado-Dae left on La Francia, there was no one to take responsibility for René’s ritual. It was the first time in her twenty years of life that she had to do everything alone.

“Do you think I’ll give up? I’ll chase after them and confront the Royal Mado-Dae. How dare they abandon me and leave?”

Cler didn’t know why she abandoned René, who hadn’t been told about her joining, but that’s what René was thinking now. René Wallong de Francia, who was proud, disliked being controlled, and stubborn, naturally thought so. She was the true face of the top mage of Francia Kingdom.

#

The return journey to La Francia went smoothly. That is, until we reached the coast near the Black Forest, which is the territory of the Francia Kingdom and close to the coast. We were attacked by a group of monsters.

Perhaps it was to be expected. It was the coast between Saint Margot and the Black Forest. Cler asked if we could move further, but we had to drop anchor in an unfavorable spot as the temporary repairs made after the battle finally gave way.

Bang!

We hit the monster, which moved like a sea serpent, splitting the water, but it didn’t stop. If ordinary monsters have a weak spot in their heads, then those coming towards La Francia probably had a similar vulnerability.

The only reason why the marine infantry on the deck couldn’t easily stop their approach was first, because the hull kept moving in the rolling waves, and second, as they got closer to the sea after the bullets left the muzzle, their power gradually weakened. However, shooting lead bullets like a regular musket was just an even worse choice.

“Captain Cler? Or any platoon leader level, we can hardly handle this, right?”

“But Lieutenant Marianne, why isn’t your count going up at all?”

“Shh. Try to keep it quiet.”

Ignoring Mia’s grumbling that seemed to be neither here nor there, I aimed and shot at the guy who had approached the closest, with determination.

But unlike my intentions, instead of killing the villain, I couldn’t even hit him. I just shot a bullet that raised a small water spout next to him.

“Lieutenant! At this rate, I’ll end up owing C Platoon a round!”

“You should shoot too!”

When La Francia dropped anchor at sea to make repairs, the horde of villains that rushed in could be relatively easily dealt with using cannons. However, dealing with one or two that came during repairs was ultimately the job of the marine infantry, which was more difficult than expected.

Moreover, staring at the sea all day long was tiresome. So Cler proposed a bet specifically for these villains. It could raise the spirits of the fallen marines and encourage them to participate more enthusiastically in the boring maritime patrol.

“Additional capture by C Platoon!”

I turned my head sharply at the triumphant shout from the opposite side. Who caught it? Well, of course. Without fail, Wigo energetically raised his fist with a confident expression, as if it were obvious. In reality, Wigo alone was raising the count for C Platoon.

And why, having sniped a sniper 500 meters away in Valtigrask, hadn’t I properly caught a single one yet?

“Marianne, why aren’t you using the golden magic?”

Clare, who had approached me without my noticing, looked at the blue glow emanating from the power stone in my musket and asked. Since I gained the ability to use that power, I had almost exclusively used golden magic, so Clare’s question wasn’t strange.

“You’re not using all your power, so it seems like C Company wants to buy alcohol and is frustrated.”

No, I am using all my power. So, I’m being careful and serious with my inherent abilities. It’s strange to dodge left and right on this swaying ship and hit the approaching enemies.

The output of mana when using golden power and the original blue mana also differed greatly in accuracy. Moreover, it was likely a kind of miracle that maintained the body reinforcement spell with unending mana from Gran Bier.

Since the voice in my head informed me about the miraculous side effects, it seemed unlikely that I would show such uselessness unless absolutely necessary. And the effect was clearly evident in the drinking game that had turned into something resembling a shooting competition. It felt like going back to when I first encountered the Moscovian army in the black forest.

“It puts too much strain on the body, so I’m planning to refrain from using it in the future. Actually, even spilling coffee last time… ”

If I say this much and make a pitiful expression, won’t she understand? Surely she won’t call me a hypochondriac just because she saw the blood I spilled last time.

“Is it too much for your body? Unless it’s mana exhaustion, using natural energy shouldn’t harm the body, isn’t that the basic principle of mana?”

“But I really feel my body struggling…”

As Clare said that, she gazed intently at my lower abdomen. What’s this, it’s a bit embarrassing. But it seems strange to cover up. I tried to slightly turn my body to avoid Clare’s gaze, but it was still too much. Just as her hand was about to touch my abdomen, I startled and pushed her hand away.

“Oh, no. Lieutenant Marianne. I need to examine you again. It’s strange that it’s harming your body.”

“This is insane…!”

At first, Clere was slightly surprised when she heard someone of lower rank ask if she was crazy. It wasn’t as easy to hear that kind of comment from someone of a lower class than oneself. It must have been quite rare for her as well. But what really shocked me was when she said she would perform magic testing on the main deck, where everyone could see. When I tested her magical abilities in her private tent, she made all sorts of strange noises, so doing it here was unexpected.

“You don’t have to do the magic test if you don’t want to. Understand?”

Absolutely, never, under any circumstances will I ever undergo a magic test again.

“Then go back to Paris and get a proper test from a qualified person. I’ll even introduce you to a military mage.”

She was definitely not one to give up easily. I decided to just brush it off for now. Clere’s gaze was uncomfortable, but having a magic test done inside La Francia was really out of the question. If I were to have a magic test in a place where there was no soundproofing and no privacy, rumors about me would spread everywhere. The rumors about Clere and me that Emma had mentioned would surely become widely known. That would be really awkward.

“Anyway, it’s not easy to compromise for that reason. I’m not playing around, I’m doing my best too. This is unfair.”

“People can hit targets well with a blue musket, even without being a Marianne lieutenant. It doesn’t make sense that you’re worse than only a Marianne lieutenant. Look closely.”

With that, she quickly and accurately shot the heads of two approaching monsters with her musket. The two monsters turned to dust and sank into the sea.

I was at a loss for words at her sudden display of skill, when she put her hand on my musket. Then she naturally placed the musket on my shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Like this.”

Her left hand supported my left hand, and her right hand wrapped around my shoulder, firmly placing the musket. Then, her finger pressed against mine on the trigger. I felt Clere’s chest against my back, and I could hear the steady beating of her heart.

“Hold your breath.”

As Claire’s quiet voice mixed with her breath reached my ear from such a close distance that it felt like she was whispering directly into it, my ears turned red.

“Slowly.”

I aimed the musket at the monstrous head vigorously swimming towards La Franquia at the end of the muzzle. I should have been concentrating, but I couldn’t focus with Claire’s breath in my ear. There was no room to swallow my saliva. Did she really not recognize the Marquis de Montaur’s daughter?

“Relax your finger and go slowly.”

Her finger slowly pulled mine. In response, the musket’s trigger was also pulled slowly and smoothly, and the blue bullet that was fired immediately pierced the monster’s head, turning it into dust without a doubt.

“Don’t lose your senses now and remember it every day. It’s your homework.”

Claire’s face, as flushed as mine. I was confused whether she meant to remember the feeling of shooting or the obscene contact just now. I don’t know where she learned it, but after making some remarks about noblewomen, Claire herself seemed embarrassed and quickly moved away. Yes, I should not only look at C Company but also pay attention to other companies.

When I felt someone’s gaze, I turned around to see Emma watching me from the opposite side of the ship, and Mia, who had somehow moved there, was fidgeting. It seemed that Emma had dragged Mia into her forced story. Ugh, my head was starting to ache.