☆☆
“We’re completely isolated.”
“Well, no matter how many enemies there are, Master and I can win~”
In the midst of being surrounded by enemy soldiers, I could hear such conversations from both people at my sides. Sylvia-san was on my right, while Max-san was on my left. I couldn’t see Max-san’s expression, but I could see Sylvia-san’s face from my current position, the belligerent smile on her face sent a cold sensation down my spine.
“…Anastasia-sama, Nina-san, please leave this to us… Right, Master?”
“That’s right. We don’t want you to underestimate us.”
As I listened to Max-san and Sylvia-san’s low voices, my brain was on the verge of having a light panic attack since surrounding us were people who were most probably enemy soldiers… While everyone was smirking with their lowly grins, I began to wonder how this could have happened. No, there was no point in thinking about this now. It was just a ‘traitor’ lurking around us. Hmm, the heroine left us with quite a souvenir, didn’t she? While thinking so, I stared at the enemy soldiers.
☆☆
In the first place, things unfolded this way because ‘only’ this carriage, which we were riding, was isolated, while the carriage transporting my brother, Lloyd, and William-sama were with the guards that went in the same direction. For some reason, only our carriage ran in the other direction. It was already too late when I noticed this… and we were already surrounded by enemy soldiers.
(Because it’s brother, he should have noticed that there was a traitor among us…)
I stared at the person who ‘was’ our coachman as I thought about this. If you were my brother, William-sama, you wouldn’t have noticed the traitor either. However, the fact that brother didn’t point this out might mean that the spy was doing a pretty good job of deceiving everyone and blending in with his surroundings. At any rate, we can’t let our guard down.
“…It’s just that he was more of an enemy rather than a traitor~ There are different factions in the royal palace.”
“Does this mean he’s part of the Candy-sama faction?”
“Well, I guess you could say that. She seems to have been sowing seeds in various places that have sprouted recently.”
Sylvia-san answered my questions, but her gaze didn’t turn back to me. Well, it was alright since we were currently surrounded by enemies, even small carelessness could become fatal.
“Candy-sama’s grudge!”
“A fake saint should be aware of her sins!”
“Candy-sama is the real saint!”
While saying such things, the enemy soldiers gradually closed in on us with their swords. Their appearance reminded me of fanatics… This was the world of an otome game, right? This wasn’t an RPG world, was it?
“I don’t really care who the saint is… I’m paid to do this, and as long as Anastasia is the subject of my protection, I will not let you touch her!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to fight with Sylvia. I’m going to be serious too.”
While saying this, Max-san turned his palm toward the enemy soldiers and a storm of gusts violently blew from him. Then, he went straight into the enemy line at an unbelievable speed. No, wait, wait! Max-san, you seemed to be a former sorcerer, but now, you’re just a librarian!?
“Sylvia, I’ll leave Anastasia-sama’s protection in your care!”
“Yes, Master! But as long as I can protect Anastasia-sama, it’s fine, right?! I can do as I please!” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Sylvia-san chanted some kind of spell as she said that. Then, I saw a large staff appearing in her hand. Wow, that was the kind of wand that wizards and sages often used in RPGs! It’s the first time I’ve seen one in person…
“Anastasia-sama, Nina-san! Please crouch down!”
Sylvia-san’s instructions snapped me out of my thoughts, so I stooped down while also pulling Nina closer, who was in a hurry but was also stupefied. Nina was an irreplaceable presence to me even if the opposite is usually said. That’s why I did this on the spur of the moment.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to go on a rampage, but it’s pretty fun! How many enemy soldiers can I kill?”
“In the first place, those people are not in their right minds. It would be nice if they would come back to their senses after a good beating, but the chances of that are obviously slim.”
“I see. Well then… everyone~ You’re all going to the afterlife with your friends!”
Her voice was falling from above my head… I wanted to do something too, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I was afraid that I’d just slow them down. All I could do was heal people, and the rest was just support magic that… amplified power.
(Support magic. Maybe I could use that now!)
That’s right. If it was this support magic, it would be useful in this battle. To begin with, there were two types of support magic in this world. The first was to increase physical attack power. The second was to restore the magical power of others. In this case… the latter was definitely useful.
(Remember. Yes, pray… I call on the power of the saint!)
I closed my eyes and called on the power of the saint that was asleep in my body. If I did this, my power would naturally respond, or, so I learned.
(I never thought that I’d have to use it when I was still learning how to control it…)
While thinking this, I closed my eyes shut. No matter how strong Sylvia-san and Max-san were, there were still too many opponents. Moreover, they weren’t sane. It was clear that we were at a disadvantage. I have to do what I can.
(Please, please――!)
Awaken, my power, to open this place. I internally chanted as I held my chest.
By nature, the support magic used by saints was something that took more than half a year to master after being chosen as a saint. Anastasia had followed suit and had been steadily training her saintly powers while doing her job as crown princess. However, she fell ill with poison and was left in a half-dead state. According to the former saint, the power of a saint was a delicate thing, and a beginner couldn’t use it unless she was in perfect physical condition. But, I couldn’t care less about that right now. I was in a life-threatening situation, and we were on the brink of life or death. I wanted to use what I could use, and I wanted to rely on what I could rely on.
“Tsu!”
Suddenly, when I raised my head, my gaze came across an enemy soldier. Although the soldier had a vulgar smile, he was soon blown away by Sylvia-san’s magic. Given the power of that magic, it must have consumed a lot of energy and physical strength… I have to help somehow.
“Master! Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine. Who do you think I am!”
I heard Max-san’s angry voice that I have never heard before. Soon, a storm was blowing all around us. I wondered if Max-san’s attribute was mostly ‘wind.’ Sylvia-san’s attributes seemed to be ‘water’ and ‘wind.’ This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
“There are so many enemies. It’s hard to imagine how many lives have been sacrificed because of that woman.”
“…Master also has a heart. When he was in the service, he didn’t give a d*mn.”
“Well, I became relatively calmer. That’s what happens when people get older.”
Such a conversation reached my ears. I didn’t think I imagined that the conversation was slowly losing its momentum. After all, Sylvia-san seemed to have exhausted a lot of her physical and magical energy. Anastasia also received some education in magic, but she was not as good as someone who was still active. It seemed that we had to rely on the power of the saints.
(That d*mned heroine! I wonder if you left anything behind for me!)
I repeated the words of the former saint in my mind while holding such feelings in my heart. The source of a saint’s power was her ‘emotions.’ The more intense the emotion was, the stronger the power would become. It didn’t matter if it was sadness, hatred, or joy. What’s important was the strength and excitement of the emotion. The power of the saints was based on the strength and excitement of their emotions.
Right now, the quickest way to get my emotions riled up was to hate the heroine. What if Anastasia had died from the poison? What if she had ruined this country? What if someone hurt someone I care about? When I thought about these, I had no trouble finding something to hate.
“… Master! Anastasia-sama is…!”
I could hear the surprise in Sylvia-san’s voice. That’s right. The current me wasn’t an amateur saint no matter how people look at it…
“Sylvia-san! Max-san! I’ll give you support, so please do something about this situation!”
The last part was a throwaway, but I was sure I’ll be able to give the female lead a piece of my mind. It seemed that I have indeed been reincarnated as the villainous daughter of an otome game. This world was based on the world of an otome game, and I’ve been reborn as Anastasia, the villainess. What’s more, it was the bad end of the otome game…That’s why!
“Throwing a tantrum because things don’t go according to what you want is just being like a child!!”
I shouted my heartfelt words to the heroine, who was probably watching from high on somewhere. I was sure none of the people here would understand the meaning of these words, but that’s okay. As long as the words were conveyed to that woman, that’s all that matters.
“Wow! That’s definitely something only a skilled saint can do! It’s getting interesting!”
“I admire Sylvia-san’s positivity. I really do. But, Anastasia-sama has done something too… It’s as if the person has changed.”
I did my best to send my power over to Sylvia-san and Max-san, while the remaining power was applied to Nina as defensive magic.
――The more intense the emotion, the more power the saint has. However, you must not lose your cool, because it will cause you to go out of control.
Keeping the words of the former saint who taught me in my heart, I activated the support magic with the emotion of ‘hatred.’ I’ve been reincarnated, so why shouldn’t I expect a slow life! I really don’t want to be… the crown princess after getting into all this trouble!
“I’m not going to let my second life be ruined and end up being a gamble!”
With these emotions simmering in my heart, I transformed them into the power of the saint.
From then on, the battle was almost always one-sided. The magic of Max-san and Sylvia-san overran the field. There was a certain trust for each other in their fighting style. The vivid way they fought was so beautiful that it seemed to stay in my heart. And, I watched as the last of the enemy soldiers fell―― making friends with the ground. In other words, they all fell down.
(Ha, I managed to be saved!)
I shouted this in my heart as I closed my eyes.