The Hero and Silberg
The Hero and Silberg
The Northern Grand Duke's private training space.
However, today, it was occupied by two women.
"Cough... Haa. Haa. Haa."
One was a red-haired woman wearing thin armor that didn't suit the North.
The Hero, Aila Rose.
"That attack is so obvious. Do you want to keep getting beaten until your head is cut off today too? How has it been almost a month and you still can't even graze my collar?"
And opposite her, a woman wearing a maid outfit facing her.
It was Cecilia, the former Northern Grand Duchess and current Lance Master.
"I told you I'd let you rest if you just graze my collar, didn't I? Or are you planning to just endure until the 'getting your head cut off' ending again today?"
The two were sparring.
No, to be precise, it was a one-sided assault that had been going on for a whole month.
For the past month, Aila's daily routine had been monotonous.
When she opened her eyes in the morning, she had to be dragged to the training grounds by Cecilia.
And then, the forced training would unfold.
There was only one mission given to Aila.
'Cut Cecilia's collar.'
If she achieved that, she would be free.
But Aila had never achieved it even once.
She had to face Cecilia all day without even eating a meal.
Wounds increasing on her body,
Blood being sprayed onto the snow-covered ground.
But she had no choice.
"Ugh!"
Cecil's spear tore through Aila's thigh with precise distance control.
Every time she made a mistake, every time she tried to run away, Cecil tore Aila's skin.
And when the sun set,
"Getting a bit hungry. I should go eat. Well then, Aila, sleep well~ See you tomorrow."
"Uh...?"
━ Sseogeok.
The day ended with her head being cut off.
And then it would be morning again, and she would have to be dragged out to the training grounds with a restored body.
"Trying to run away? Do you think that will work?"
At first, Aila tried to run away.
But soon after, realizing she couldn't escape Cecil, what she chose was self-harm.
Her choice, judging that suicide was better than being dragged to the training grounds.
However, the pain of death was not something to be taken lightly.
"Haa. Haa. Haa."
After experiencing death a few times,
Cecil threw a bait to Aila, who had chosen to fight instead.
Upon the declaration that she wouldn't torment her anymore if she grazed even a single collar, Aila finally gripped her sword.
"Still, today is a bit better. I can see you've got some venom in you."
She swung her sword every day.
At first, she was scared of cutting people, but now she had to swing her sword because she didn't want to be cut.
"Kyaa! Aaaaah!"
Her body had been pierced by the spear dozens of times.
Skin being torn or blood flowing was no longer something Aila cared about.
Like that, a month.
It was the time it took for a fragile woman to become a warrior.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Aila exhaling rough breaths.
Her body was full of cuts, and blood dripped from her torn skin.
She, who would have been on the verge of tears over a small scratch just a short while ago,
But now, a sword was gripped in her hand, and her eyes were fixed on Cecil.
"Alright, here I come?"
In an instant, Cecil disappeared from her field of vision.
━ Chaeng!
But Aila didn't panic.
Even if she couldn't follow with her eyes, she could now instinctively tell.
She swung her sword along the trajectory drawn in her mind and blocked Cecil's attack.
Due to the strong force, the sword's guard cracked her index finger bone, but Aila endured that too.
━ Chaeng! Chaeng! Kkang! Chaeng!
She had no choice.
Cecil's spear blade flying in, not letting her let her guard down.
If she couldn't block that, what would increase were her wounds.
What she would hear would be Cecil's harsh mockery.
Aila gritted her teeth and blocked the attacks.
But she knew.
That if she just kept blocking like this, in the end, she would be the one to tire out first, and she would be the one to lose.
So, today's Aila chose a different option than yesterday.
The spear blade flying in from the right.
Normally, she should have blocked it with her sword.
But this time, she thrust her arm in.
━ Puk!
"Keuk!"
It wasn't just putting it there.
She swung her arm with all her might, making the spear pierce through.
"Oh?"
Seeing that, Cecil calmly pulled the spear, tearing Aila's arm.
It was a movement that accurately saw through Aila's intention to seal the spear.
But the opening created like that.
Just 1 second.
Aila aimed for that opening.
━ Hwik!
The hand that held the sword drew a large curve.
At that movement, Cecil swung the spear to block the sword.
But the sword wasn't there.
"Huh?"
Cecil, who felt bewilderment for the first time in her sparring with Aila.
And what she saw before her eyes were Aila's venomous eyes trying to grab her collar, and the sword falling from behind her back.
"Aha?"
Only then could Cecil read Aila's intention.
She was trying to hold Cecil until the sword she threw into the sky fell, after creating an opening by offering her arm.
But Aila could not achieve her goal.
━ Puk!!
"Keuheuk...!"
Cecil, who quickly judged the situation, subdued Aila with martial arts,
And then dodged the sword that had fallen close by with a tumble.
And the sword.
━ Puk.
"Cough...! Ugh... Haa... Ugh..."
Pierced Aila's body.
It was Cecil's work, considering even the falling position of the sword.
"Kkeuk..."
Because it pierced her heart exactly, Aila died on the spot.
Perhaps because she had regrets, she couldn't even close her eyes.
━ Jeobeok. Jeobeok.
Cecil approached her.
She thought she had been getting more venomous lately, and she found the effort to try and break through the situation with a somewhat novel method commendable.
"Hmm~?"
Cecil immediately checked her collar.
She checked the clothes, hoping that Aila had succeeded.
But cruelly, not even a small scratch remained on her maid outfit.
The gap between Cecil and Aila was still that large.
"Hmm~ Still, well, this much... I'll count it as a pass. Good work."
So Cecil tore the clothes on purpose.
A very small scratch.
Hoping that Aila would gain even a little courage through this evidence,
Cecil, who committed an uncharacteristic deviation, smiled and stroked the head of the dead Aila.
The next day. Morning arrived without fail.
Aila, who would have normally been dragged away while caught by Cecil.
But what was placed in front of her when she woke up was a small torn piece of cloth and Cecil's praise.
"It must have been very scary, but there wasn't much time given, so I couldn't help it. You worked hard, Aila."
"Heuk... Uwaang... Heuk heuk. Heugeut..."
Aila burst into tears at the same time.
She was happy that she had done it and that she had proven herself.
And she conveyed her gratitude to Cecil.
"If it weren't for Cecil-nim... I wouldn't have been able to overcome the fear. After becoming the Hero, I was always afraid of tomorrow... but now... I think I can do it."
"That's a relief. I thought I would be resented a lot, hehe. Thank you for saying that."
The two had come to understand each other while spending a rough month together.
However, the time given to them was not very long.
"I have to go back now. It's already very late. I received word that the Family Head is waiting."
That day at lunch, when Aila was released from sparring.
Cecil declared she would return.
At those words, Aila tried to stop her, but...
"Now you should have a good time with Derrick. Even though he looks like that, he rushed at me every day saying he would save you. Even though the difference in strength was obvious."
"Derrick?"
"Yes. Every day when your training ended, he would come to find me and attack me with all his might. It was a bit sad, but well, I thought maybe this is love. Even now, he doesn't know your training is over and is probably preparing to attack me tonight. He must be gnashing his teeth, so I'd like you to go and soothe him."
"...I should go see him."
"Yes. I have to go too. Ah. Please give my regards to Derrick instead. If I go now, he'll be full of complaints about me, so I'll just leave today."
"Still, you should at least show your face before you go..."
"Forget it. This is the way of a sister who is hated. Well. Then see you next time. Bye~"
As soon as she finished speaking, Cecil threw her body outside the castle wall.
At that sight, Aila chuckled.
It was a person she really wanted to kill just a short while ago, and who seemed like an enemy.
Now, she would be remembered as someone who was absolutely necessary to her.
Cecilia Way.
Looking at the empty space left by her, who appeared like a disaster and then suddenly disappeared, Aila could finally realize that she had become the protagonist of a Romance Fantasy.
She, who gripped the sword at her waist and swung it a few times.
She had even despaired at the fact that she, who was just touching beauty scissors at school a short while ago, had to fight with a big sword, but that was no longer the case.
She felt like she could do it now, for some reason.
"Hoo~"
Aila, who put the sword back into the scabbard.
She set out to find Derrick.
"Hero-nim...?"
"Hello. Where is Derrick?"
"Has your training finished? The Grand Duke is at the spire training grounds."
"Thank you. I'll go there."
After dismissing those around her,
Aila headed to where Derrick was.
She was able to face him at the training grounds.
"Ail...a?"
"Derrick, it's been a while."
"Uh... uh?"
The moment he saw Aila's face.
Derrick, making an awkward expression as if he had lost his soul.
He couldn't help it.
The past month.
What Derrick had faced was always Aila's corpse, dead at Cecil's hands.
To him, who had only seen dead eyes and a bleeding appearance, Aila's brightly smiling face was something he had only seen in dreams.
Such a person was right in front of him.
"Aila!!"
Derrick, who ran without hesitation and hugged her.
In the warmth felt in his arms, Derrick could finally be sure that Aila had returned.
"Derrick...."
Too intense a reaction.
And Derrick's strength, hugging her until her body felt like it would be crushed.
Even the smell of sweat on his body.
Aila was uncomfortable with Derrick's hug, but she didn't push him away.
Instead, with her eyes softly closed, she reached out and patted his back.
"I heard from Cecil. You suffered because of me, right?"
"Aila! I'm sorry, Aila...! If I, if I had been just a little stronger...!"
"Don't do that. I'm fine. Don't be sorry. And... thank you."
"Ailaaaa!!"
Like that, the two hugged each other for a while.
As if releasing all the affection of the past month at once.
It was a deep hug.
A while later, the two sat facing each other.
"Have you calmed down a bit?"
"Hoo... I showed you an unsightly scene."
"Hehe~ Still, it was cute."
The two who were able to treat each other a bit more comfortably.
The hardships made their hearts closer.
"Cute to a Grand Duke... Sigh~ No. So, is the training over? What about my sister?"
"She said she was busy and left."
"Goodness... Just like her."
The two, who confirmed each other's feelings with an intense hug and a short kiss, were able to have a conversation time for the first time in a while.
The two started talking about Cecil.
"Even though she talks so prickly, she doesn't seem to hate my sister, right?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. To you, Aila, Cecil is..."
"No, I don't hate her either. Rather, I'm grateful. If it weren't for Cecil... the things ahead would have been harder. Because..."
"Because?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Derrick thought that Aila, who had spent a hard time because of Cecil, would hate her, but Aila didn't.
Already as a possessor, for Aila, who knew what would happen in the future,
She knew that Cecil's teaching was absolutely necessary for her to overcome the crises ahead.
Because of that, Aila couldn't help but feel goodwill toward Cecil.
At the same time, she wanted to know a little more about Cecil.
Not someone who just passes by, but someone who was a great help to her life.
And... someone who wasn't in the original work.
"But Derrick, there's something I want to ask."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Why did Cecil leave the North? It doesn't seem like she hates the North... And come to think of it, it was strange that her surname is different from yours. Is there perhaps a secret of birth that's difficult to answer... something like that?"
A question thrown cautiously.
Aila added that it was okay not to answer if it was a difficult question.
But Derrick answered as if it was nothing.
"No, it's not like that. The surname 'Way' that my sister has now was bestowed by Silberg. My sister is the Knight Commander of Silberg now, you know. So, well... she couldn't remain in the North."
A light answer.
But it was not light content at all to Aila.
The 'Northern Grand Duke Tactics in Romance Fantasy' that she knew was dealing with major events that made the name Romance Fantasy pale in comparison.
The chaos of the North,
The rampage of the barbarians.
The war that stemmed from there.
The proliferation of pagans and
Sacrifices and massacres.
And finally, the descent of the Demon God.
Because the ripple effect of the surrounding events was too strong compared to the romantic relationships of the protagonists, she herself had to worry more about future events than affectionate romance.
But among the characters in that novel.
Cecil was not there.
And above all...
"Silberg bestowed it? Isn't Silberg a Viscount family? Cecil is stronger than Derrick... What is the relationship between Cecil being the Knight Commander there and her not being able to remain in the North...?"
"Oh? Ah. Right. You said you had almost no memories of the past. Hmm... then how should I explain this. Actually, Silberg, you see. It's not just an ordinary Viscount family."
"What does that mean?"
"Silberg is..."
Aila, who came to hear about the Silberg Viscount family like that.
After hearing all the explanations, she thought this.
'If that's true... the story might proceed easily?'
It felt like she had found a new path.