Chapter 90

Three days later, a carriage arrived in front of the lodging in the morning.

It was an ordinary carriage with nothing particularly special about it.

Except for the fact that its interior was completely concealed.

Leonor, huh? Seems like she’s trying to avoid drawing attention. I appreciate that.

I glanced out the window at the carriage and smirked slightly.

Since I’d already declined Isabella’s invitation, it was hard to completely rule out the possibility of this being a trap…

But Leonor didn’t seem like the type to pull such tricks, and even if it were a trap, it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

If they want to try something, let them go all out.

I tossed aside the toy I’d been fiddling with in one hand.

A crumpled dagger rolled across the floor.

—

Dressed in armor and equipped with the Black Iron Sword, I headed toward the carriage with Nigel.

The coachman opened the door.

Though disguised as an ordinary servant, the man couldn’t completely hide a certain dignified air. His exposed skin was also impeccably clean.

Probably one of Leonor’s close aides.

“Then, I’ll head to the coachman’s seat—”

“No. Both of you, please come inside.”

The man blocked Nigel, who was about to head to the coachman’s seat.

Well, of course. They went through the trouble of disguising themselves to avoid drawing attention, so having a knight sitting conspicuously in the coachman’s seat would defeat the purpose.

Nigel and I stepped inside the carriage.

“Long time no see? Though you look quite different now.”

“I’d say this is my true form. Back then, I was just a sickly mess.”

Princess Leonor grinned.

Like last time, she was dressed in something resembling riding attire.

Her eyes sparkled as she greeted me, clearly looking forward to today’s sparring.

“May the glory of Wittelsbach be eternal. Nigel of Randenburg, at your service. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

Nigel bowed respectfully to her.

“So, you’re the sword of the Margrave I’ve heard so much about. Rumors about you are all over the imperial court. Everyone’s curious about what you plan to do with those ten masters. For now, take a seat.”

“Excuse me.”

Nigel and I sat down on the seats opposite the princess. The cushions were quite plush.

The carriage door closed, and soon it began to move, swaying slightly.

We were heading toward Princess Leonor’s private villa.

—

“So, have you fully recovered? Your energy seems completely different now.”

“I’d say so. The constant fatigue I used to feel is completely gone.”

My muscles felt strong, my senses were sharp, and… when I tested it earlier, activating my abilities was no problem either.

Though I’m not at the level I was when I fought Natalia.

Back then, my strength wasn’t just my own—it was probably Durandal helping me out.

A weapon that pushes its wielder’s abilities beyond their limits.

Honestly, considering the names like Oath Sword and Durandal, it’s not surprising it has that kind of effect.

“That’s a relief. After the banquet, it seemed like it would be hard to meet like this again. I heard you declined my mother’s invitation.”

“Uh…”

I hesitated slightly.

Well, it was practically the same as declaring myself an enemy of her family.

Perhaps interpreting my reaction as discomfort, Leonor smirked.

As if to say she had no intention of criticizing me for it, so I could relax.

“It was a wise choice. It’s truly disgusting to see a knightly opponent reduced to a mere plaything.”

Huh, did she know about that too?

My eyes widened.

That’s probably one of Isabella’s deadly secrets.

“What do you mean…? Are you saying something bad would’ve happened to me if I’d accepted the invitation?”

“Exactly. You’d have become a toy for the nobles to play with until they got bored. A ‘gift to solidify the Ernst faction,’ so to speak. And you’d have willingly accepted it, no less. I don’t know how, but my mother is quite skilled at that kind of thing.”

Leonor shook her head as if utterly disgusted.

Right. That’s why I didn’t accept the invitation.

Isabella is that kind of woman.

She invites those who are beautiful and useful but too dangerous to keep as allies… and breaks them.

Noble daughters, young knights, even academy students.

She uses drugs to incapacitate them, soaks them in potions, and twists their minds with narcotics.

Then she applies brainwashing magic to turn them into obedient dolls, hosting secret orgies to use them as entertainment for her subordinate nobles.

Watching their downfall is her hobby.

It’s one of the Ernst faction’s taboos, a well-kept secret.

It’s surprising that Leonor even knows about it.

…Did the Emperor, who’s already ruined so many women, at least spare his own children?

“This is an unpleasant topic, but are you sure you should be telling me this so casually? It sounds like you’re telling me to run straight to Prince Leopold.”

Right. Should she really be openly talking about her mother’s misdeeds like this?

Any noblewoman hearing this would immediately side with the Leopold faction.

If Ernst and Isabella fall, Leonor herself wouldn’t be safe either.

Did she not think that far ahead…?

Or does she understand her position but still finds Isabella’s actions unbearable?

“What does it matter? There’s no one else listening anyway. Even if you spread it around, who would believe it? My mother would just dismiss it as slander. Besides, it seems like you’ve already made up your mind.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Without evidence, there’s no way my stance would change just from hearing this.

“……”

Nigel remained silent.

He must have felt intense disgust, as his brow was furrowed deeply, but he didn’t show any further reaction.

Of course. He’s not the Margrave himself, just a knight under his command. Expressing his opinion in such a conversation could inadvertently cause trouble for his lord.

Regardless of his personal feelings, keeping his mouth shut was the wise move.

“Anyway, thanks…”

“I guess I should say it’s terrifying. Just imagining it gives me the creeps.”

“Alright. Let’s stop with the nauseating topics and talk about the sparring match instead. First, the location is my villa outside the city.”

Leonor smiled again.

“Originally, it’s a place where my knights train, but… today, most of them are off duty, so it’s pretty empty. There won’t be many eyes watching, so we can go all out. Of course, the news that I sparred with you will eventually get out.”

Her voice was full of energy as she returned to the topic of sparring.

It was like watching a puppy jumping into a snowy field.

Though, by appearance and name, it’s more like a feline than a dog.

“What about the rules? Like armor, weapons, and how to determine victory or defeat?”

“Armor doesn’t matter, but we’ll have to use wooden swords. Unfortunately, there’s no other way. If we seriously injure each other, it’ll cause problems later.”

I don’t find it unfortunate at all.

Yeah, wooden swords are the way to go for sparring. Nigel, who went straight for real swords, was the weird one.

As for armor… I probably don’t need it. I can just take it off during the match.

“As for victory or defeat, well, I probably won’t win anyway, and even if I lose, it’ll still be close to a proper match. Can we just go until I get tired?”

“That sounds fine. You’ve given me good advice, after all.”

Even though I already knew most of it, since she’s shown me this much favor, I should return the gesture.

It’s not that hard.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Leonor chuckled.

I smiled too.

—

The carriage stopped about forty minutes later.

“We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

The man acting as the coachman knocked on the carriage wall.

“Good job, Pell. Let’s go.”

The door opened, and the coachman named Pell helped the princess out of the carriage.

“So, this is my villa, also known as the Rose Pavilion. What do you think?”

Leonor proudly pointed to the building behind her.

Honestly, it sounds more like a brothel name.

…But I can’t say that.

“It’s bigger than I expected.”

“Well, the knights need this much space for training.”

It felt more like a training ground or barracks than a villa.

Between the two buildings facing each other, there was a vast training field.

One building, likely for the female knights, was a simple two-story rectangular structure.

It wasn’t flashy, but that made it look more refined.

The windows lined up on one side of the wall were also plain and unadorned.

On the other hand, the mansion across from it was quite lavish, likely for Princess Leonor.

The marble walls were painted rose-colored, and the spires and arched columns on the roof showcased their sculptural beauty.

Next to it was a small garden filled with blooming roses.

As Leonor had said, there were hardly any people around.

Two female knights saluted from a distance, the man named Pell, and… four presences inside the mansion. Probably servants.

Following the man’s lead, we headed inside the mansion.

“Can we hold the sparring match in the private training room inside the mansion?”

“It might get a bit destroyed if it’s too small.”

Stone walls would crumble with a single strike.

“Hmm. That should be fine. When I built the villa, I dug out the entire basement to make it a training room.”

“That much space should work.”

A single-story basement, huh?

So, the building was constructed with its foundation deep underground.

In that case, this villa could be considered a semi-basement.

Probably the most expensive semi-basement building in the Empire.

—

The training room was surprisingly comfortable.

I expected the damp air and musty smell typical of basements, but magic really is useful.

The spacious area looked about a hundred meters wide.

The walls and ceiling were covered in granite, with black patterns scattered across the white stone.

No need to worry about damage here.

Only Nigel, Leonor, and I had come this far.

Pell, or whatever his name was, had left on Leonor’s orders, and she had forbidden anyone else from entering.

Nigel was here just in case something unexpected happened.

“Shall we start right away?”

Leonor unsheathed her longsword and leaned it against the wall, then picked up two wooden swords.

She didn’t seem to plan on wearing armor, staying in her riding attire.

I also set my sword and armor against the wall, including the gauntlets and greaves.

All that was left was a shirt and leather pants.

It would be ridiculous if I were fully armored while she was in plain clothes.

“Sure. I’m ready.”

I took the wooden sword handed to me by Leonor and brought it in front of me.

Just like Nigel did back then.

This is what they call a knight’s courtesy, right?

“I am Hasarl Medyan Aishangior, head of the Medyan family.”

Yeah, I’ve always wanted to do this. Honestly, it looked cool.

It’s like, you know, a man’s romance.

Leonor responded with the same courtesy.

“Leonor von Wettin, leader of the Rose Cross Knight Order. Please, take care of me!”

With that, Leonor charged at me like a beast.