Arsha's Obsession
The carriage of the Leoris family was truly magnificent. Even if my family had spent every coin we'd earned up to now, I doubted we could afford something like this.
Johann examined the carriage with exaggerated gestures.
Of course. A commoner baker would have to invent bread itself to buy such a carriage.
Arsha shot Johann a curt remark.
Sara's shoulders perked up at Johann's praise.
Hee hee~! That's right? Father has been particularly interested in carriages and lent some strength. Indeed, it's not a carriage you can see anywhere easily.
She omitted the part about being reprimanded by her father for wasting time on experiments instead of buying more tools. No need to add unnecessary details.
Truly amazing. I want to become a servant of the Leoris family.
Sierra joined the chorus of praise. She had no intention of becoming a Leoris servant. She was destined to stand by Johann's side.
If Johann became the steward of the Leoris family...
Then the relationship between steward and maid would be official, right?
A noble like the Leoris wouldn't reach out to a servant.
Sara and Sierra, two women with similar names, smiled with different thoughts.
Arsha, seeing this, had a dumbfounded expression. Sara Leoris, with flushed cheeks and shaking her head, looked like a puppy wagging its tail after receiving a treat.
Sara Leoris. She was like that?
No.
The Sara she knew was a troublesome little brother who didn't care about public opinion or praise. She had said so herself, hadn't she?
But now, that Sara was wagging her tail because of a commoner man's reaction.
Arsha was confused.
Johann said, “I heard that Swordhorn-nim recorded ten medals in this year's entrance exam?”
It was not a particularly meaningful statement. Just to light the conversation fire.
Normally, one would give a short answer or ignore it.
But this time, it was different. The Academy entrance exam was a serious competition between herself and Sara.
It was something Arsha was grateful to talk about.
“Correct. If the opponent hadn't been a wyvern, I could have done even better.”
Glance!
Arsha glanced at Sara and said that. Her words implied boasting about Sara. ‘You as a mage could only do that, but as a swordswoman I did this much.’
“Amazing. I only got two, though.”
Sierra clapped her hands.
Obtaining two medals as a commoner was something to be praised. Of course, Arsha wasn't a light woman who would praise commoners casually.
“Sierra, you haven't trained properly for long. Two is an amazing achievement. Indeed, amazing.”
“You, it was just good luck. And it was possible because Johann taught me well.”
But the situation was interesting. Praising Sierra by Johann was not strange. From their atmosphere, it seemed they had a special relationship.
The problem here was Sara's reaction. Sara Leoris looked displeased at Johann. A lame expression, but like a puppy being scolded.
Arsha couldn't understand Sara's expression at all.
She doesn't seem like the Sara I know.
Is that guy an assassin wearing Sara's skin, and we are being taken to the assassin's base?
Such stupid thoughts came to mind.
Arsha's interest was directed at the man, Johann.
A man who Sara invited to the party.
How many medals did he get?
“I got one. This is the least, so I'm embarrassed.”
Johann scratched the back of his head and said.
At that answer, a question mark appeared on Arsha's face. Her gaze turned to Sara again.
Arsha's eyes asked Sara: Why invite that commoner?
Sara just answered with a small smile. The answer was silence. It didn't sit well.
Johann Baker.
Excluding his overly handsome face, that commoner looked ordinary. But Arsha's intuition sent her the message repeatedly.
Could it be that Sara Leoris is paying attention to a high-level expert?
She observed the guy with that thought. Then she discovered something surprising.
That guy's dagger at his waist. It's not an ordinary item.
If asked what she is confident in besides swordsmanship, Arsha would answer emotion without hesitation.
Since childhood, she's seen various precious items and rare weapons, so she has a keen sense of emotion. Even the family's top emotion appraisers can't match Arsha's eyes.
At least B-rank or higher weapon.
B-rank or higher weapons are very precious even in noble families. Needless to say, Arsha's own weapon is C+ rank. The highest in Swordhorn family is A-rank, passed down as the family head's emblem.
A commoner, not bourgeois, obtaining a B-rank or higher weapon?
Not difficult. Impossible.
Arsha's interest in Johann grew even more.
Hiiiiing!
The carriage came to a stop with a loud creak. It was the Leoris family mansion.
The main branch of the Leoris family is in the southern continent. The capital mansion was essentially a branch. However, such a branch was much larger than a great noble's mansion.
“Wow...”
Sierra looked up at the mansion with a dazed expression, like when she first saw the carriage.
The splendor and grandeur not seen in the west district full of commoners was contained in one mansion.
Sara, leading the group, turned her body in a circle, turned her back to the mansion, and gracefully lifted her skirt in greeting.
“Welcome to the Leoris family.”
At the same time as her greeting, the mansion door opened.
- If only that girl was my daughter.
Arsha Swordhorn, when she was five years old.
At the first social party attended as the Swordhorn family's daughter, Arsha's mother said that. Her eyes were directed at the Leoris family's daughter.
- Amazing child. I heard she received an invitation to work together in the magic tower from now on.
- She wrote an article in the Royal Magic Academy Journal at the youngest age. What did I do at that age.
- Indeed, under the command of the head, no one can match. The red-haired sage has given birth to a monster.
- This is complete blue blood. How far will the Leoris family prosper.
Arsha Swordhorn's mother, Victoria Swordhorn, was a woman with great ambition. She married into the Swordhorn family, a promising noble family in the capital from a rural noble background, yet her ambition didn't die out. What she wanted was the title of the best in the capital, which was too much.
Arsha's great achievements were, needless to say, thanks to her mother. Victoria treated her daughter very harshly. Arsha had to swing a sword trapped in the training ground at a very young age, and had to hire a swordsmanship teacher earlier than her social debut.
It was good. Although she became a tool to realize her mother's desires, her mother smiled at her.
Better than a father who doesn't appear at home because of work, a mother who greets her with a happy face when she returns after winning first place in a sword competition.
- Mother! I will definitely surpass Sara Leoris! I will definitely reclaim the title of the best swordswoman in the capital!
Arsha made a vow.
To become the daughter needed by her mother.
To have her existence value recognized.
To surpass Sara Leoris.
She trained swordsmanship until her hands bled, ran the training ground without rest to build stamina.
Fortunately, she had talent. At the moment her talent and effort combined, she could pour all her being into the sword. Soon, she outstripped all her peers in swordsmanship, and even skilled swordsmen on top had to kneel before Arsha's sword.
But that wasn't enough. What she wanted was her fame to cover Sara Leoris. She imagined the situation where other nobles at the social party would look at her first. However, that was not easy.
- The daughter of the Arsha family seems to have risen to the Sword User rank.
- Extremely fast. Can be called future Sword Master.
- Did you hear? The daughter of the Leoris family has reached the 5th circle!
- 5th circle? Is that true?
- Oh my. More than the red-haired sage. Is she going to become an Archmage following her father? Or perhaps even more....
Arsha Swordhorn was always the tail. Her story was just a side story to Sara Leoris's story.
Must defeat Sara Leoris...
How to prove that she is stronger than Sara Leoris, that the Swordhorn family's daughter is greater than the Leoris family's daughter?
The answer was at the Academy. A rumor spread that Sara Leoris would suddenly enter the Academy.
With her ability, she didn't need to go through the Academy. So most people thought she wouldn't enter the Academy. Arsha was one of them.
But no. Sara Leoris declared she would enter the Academy. This was an opportunity for Arsha.
Opportunity to prove that I am better than her.
So Arsha applied for a duel with Sara. And the result was clearly her victory. Clearly her victory, but....
Not satisfying. Why?
A subtle feeling that the duel result ended in failure.
Arsha intuitively felt that her competition with Sara was not over yet.