I decided to go for some casual sword strikes to end this simulated battle.
However, just as I leaped, something gleamed at the corner of my vision.
Without time to ponder what it was, I instinctively reacted.
—It was probably a poison needle shot from something like a blowgun.
At an unbelievable speed, it accurately targeted Yuzuriha.
Even if she noticed, swinging her sword in mid-air left her unable to avoid the inevitable hit.
Just before that fatal strike pierced Yuzuriha’s neck,
“Haaaargh!”
Just before the fatal blow pierced Yuzuriha’s neck.
My swordplay, hastily brought down, split the poison needle neatly in two.
The sword then slammed Yuzuriha’s body onto the ground, the blade hovering right above her neck.
I maintained the position to protect Yuzuriha,
ready for a potential second attack.
“Wow, I feel like my sword skills are just child’s play… Anyway, it’s a bit embarrassing to be in this position, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Before I knew it, I was in a posture where I was pressing down on Yuzuriha’s body.
The venue erupted in cheers, applauding our intense simulated battle.
The presence of the assassin had disappeared.
***
I quickly found the duke and interrupted his conversation with Toko-san.
“An assassin?”
“Yes. It was quite dangerous.”
As I explained the situation, the duke nodded thoughtfully.
“Is it safe now? Well, since you’re not with Yuzuriha, it should be, right?”
“The presence of the assassin has disappeared. In the first place, high-level assassins, when they fail, tend to vanish knowing they can get another chance.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Top-tier assassins aren’t disposable. They know they can kill their target on the next opportunity.”
“Hmm… What does Lady Toko think?”
“You can still call me Toko as usual. But yeah, in any case, various enemy nations are definitely targeting Yuzuriha. Isn’t that right?”
I wondered what she meant.
As I looked puzzled, Toko explained.
“Since you’re here, let me tell you about when you accompanied Yuzuriha on the expedition to the Royal Strongest Knight Academy the other day.”
“Yeah.”
“At that time, didn’t you think there were a lot of bandits?”
“Yeah, I definitely thought so.”
“All of them were elite forces from an enemy nation disguised as bandits.”
“What?”
I involuntarily let out a crazy voice.
“No way, that’s a joke, right? All of them were such small fry that even an amateur like me could capture them.”
“…I’m not gonna bother arguing that with Suzuha’s brother. It’s endlessly troublesome. The problem is not there; it’s the enemies targeting Yuzuriha and the traitors connected to them through multiple routes.”
“…………”
“At that time of the expedition, I deliberately spread incomplete information to several individuals suspected of being spies. I prepared only one route for each of them that seemed perfect for ambush, so if they were attacked at any point, we would know exactly who the traitor was and where.”
“And the result…?”
“Perfect hits. They were all ambushed precisely at the points we prepared.”
“Well…”
“Of course, it wasn’t a coincidence. After that, we tortured them thoroughly, and every single one of them confessed.”
Nobles are seriously scary.
And why is Yuzuriha-san hated so much by enemies to the point of being targeted like this?
“…It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but in our country, the top brass of the army is openly feuding between the first prince faction and the second prince faction. And the backside of the battlefield, Yuzuriha is cleaning up everything alone. However, the more Yuzuriha works hard, the stronger the backlash against her becomes. It’s a negative chain.”
“That sounds like hell…”
“It is hell. Moreover, from the enemy country’s perspective, if they can just make Yuzuriha disappear, they can enjoy watching the top brass of their enemy faction fight each other. Then, when they’re exhausted, they can easily attack and win. However, those idiots, by killing Yuzuriha, think their position in their faction will skyrocket and happily collaborate with the enemy.”
“Shouldn’t a country like that just perish…?”
“I understand your feelings painfully, but nobles have a duty to preserve the country. So, I’m also doing my best. Besides, Yuzuriha probably won’t die easily.”
That might be true.
Even in the recent assassination attempt, if Yuzuriha-san hadn’t focused all her attention on the simulated combat with me, it could have been dangerous. Normally, she would have noticed it herself.
But well, even an amateur like me noticed it because, you know.
“…I don’t know what you’re thinking, but just know that what Suzuha’s brother is thinking is definitely different.”
“That’s harsh.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
5
After that, I returned to the venue’s garden, and eventually, the outdoor party ended without any issues.
There was no second attack from the assassin.
Even though I knew it was impossible, relief comes only when it doesn’t actually happen.
“…Looks like everyone has left.”
“Yeah.”
The only ones left in the garden, which was the venue for the party, were me and Yuzuriha-san.
The lighting had dimmed, and now only starlight was guiding us, but both I and Yuzuriha-san had decent night vision.
“So, Yuzuriha-san, what’s the reason you brought me out to a place like this?”
I haven’t told Yuzuriha-san about the attempted assassination yet.
So, it shouldn’t be about that.
Talking about assassination plans and dampening the lively atmosphere of Yuzuriha-san at the outdoor party seemed a bit inappropriate.
The Duke had promised to bring it up himself later, and I thought today should be a day for Yuzuriha-san to enjoy the party.
However, unexpectedly, Yuzuriha-san brought up something unexpected.
“My business with you. It’s dancing with you, partner.”
“…Huh?”
“Under the romantic starlight, dressed in a lovely gown, I want to dance a single song with my partner. I’ve always, always dreamed of a scene like that.”
I had no memory of being referred to as her partner.
The one who often trained with Yuzuriha-san was my younger sister, Suzuha. So, it made more sense for Suzuha to be called her partner.
However, just one thing.
During the battle with the wandering white-haired vampire, when Yuzuriha-san shielded me with her life—yes, at that moment, we were indeed partners.
“If it’s just the two of us, then such things are unnecessary.”
Yuzuriha-san threw away the cape she had on her shoulders.
On one side, two melons, larger than her head, asserted their existence with ripe, firm freshness.
“Hey, you. I’ve admired it since I was a child.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even for a rough woman like me, given the nickname of the killing war goddess and feared by both men and women as a grim reaper, I’ve always wished to have a partner who looks at me properly, who sees me as an equal—”
“…Yes…”
“But of course, that man saw me only as a partner, never as a woman. So, I’m going to get revenge on him.”
“…Yes…”
“On a romantic night under the starlight, in the deserted garden, I will dance with you, fully adorned. At that moment, my partner will finally realize that I’m not just a reliable partner, but also a young woman—such is the story.”
Surely, it was the dream that Yuzuriha-san had been seeking for a long time.
Unfortunately, perhaps, she couldn’t find a person suitable as a partner.
In the midst of battles since the age of ten, running through the battlefield, she had been yearning for it all along.
“How about it, Suzuha-kun’s older brother? Is it no good…?”
Yuzuriha-san probably understood it herself.
I wasn’t the ideal partner she had always dreamed of.
Just a guy with inadequate knowledge and interaction, just because such an opportunity had arisen.
So.
There was only one answer from me.
“──Now, may I have this dance, milady?”
“Yeah──!!”
Yuzuriha-san, with a pseudo-aristocratic style, eagerly grabbed my offered hand, looking like she was about to cry with a beaming smile.
She pulled me strongly.
This was just a make-believe play.
No different from the role-playing games children play.
Therefore, Yuzuriha-san, without any hesitation, treated me as her long-time partner, just for this moment.
Under the starlight, the dance began.
I was a commoner, so naturally, I didn’t know any dance steps.
Therefore, I had to move vaguely in line with Yuzuriha-san’s movements.
“Even though you don’t know how to dance, your ability to somewhat match is truly something, but… well, next time, I’ll personally give you dance lessons.”
“I respectfully decline.”
“Don’t be reserved. I’ll make a deal. How about we add an extra hour to our training and post-massage time?”
“I don’t need that.”
The dance continued endlessly.
In the end, it kept going until Suzuha found us, shouting, “Unfair! I want to dance with nii-san too!” and jumped at us.
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