In Malonei, in Delfina Merchant Company.
Selene is swinging a sword in the courtyard.
The style Nana taught her, one that is suitable against another person.
Slash, pierce, sweep.
It is the basics of the basics, but Nana thought of it, so it did not have any flaws.
Selene wholeheartedly repeated it.
And from a distance, Delfina and Iris are looking at her.
Although there is physical distance between the two standing women, it looked like their heart’s distance shrunk compared to before.
Compared to before they met Kakeru. The distance they had as a single merchant and a princess had shrunk compared to that time.
Although they cannot call themselves best friends, comrades is the most suitable.
Those two watched Selene training and Delfina slightly narrowed her eyes.
「If eyes are correct」
「Un?」
「Her Highness Selene’s movements are frighteningly the same with earlier」
「That’s right. Those three very simple forms, she flawlessly repeated them since earlier」
「Is it that easy to do it?」
「No way」
Iris shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
「Although ideal, it’s not something that can be done when you’re told to. It’s the same with writing letters and making all of them look the same」
「It was like that after all」
「Although narrowing the forms had an effect, even more than that……it’s her talent」
Iris was impressed. Her eyes that looked at Selene became hot.
She has yet to notice it herself, but she is putting strength on the hand that was placed to her sword.
Delfina who saw that faintly smiled with the calmness of a bystander and a senior.
「It means that she had the talent with that huh. Both me and Althesama are having difficulties though」
「You are teaching accounting, the Great Sage-sama teaches her knowledge, was it」
「That is right. And it is not going well at all. She has a head that would forget something as if to push it away when she’s taught a new thing. Honestly, I do not want to deal with her when it comes to money」
「It’s completely the opposite with the sword huh」
「It means that she does not have the talent with this huh」
Delfina said and Iris silently nodded.
The women within Kakeru’s harem are in good terms.
Everyone taught Selene each of what their good at while exchanging information.
Because of that, they gained a common understanding.
Selene has the talents with the sword, that needed for a single swordsman, but she is completely useless at anything else.
If she stuffed in knowledge, there would be something missing, and if you make her count numbers, everything is incorrect.
Even if they tried to teach her strategies and tactics as an extension of the sword, she could not understand it at all.
“She has the talent to become a swordsman, but totally useless at anything else”, is the understanding that Kakeru’s women gained.
And that was also something that the person in question started to understand.
In the outskirts of Malonei, in the forest of Ecstas.
In this forest where monsters inhabit, Selene and Iris came with just the two of them.
“Practicing with real battles are needed too”, so Iris accompanied Selene here.
「Haaaa!」
Selene used a longsword to chop a huge lion-like monster into half.
Seeing the fresh blood scattered and the monster that collapsed to the ground, Selene who did it was the one surprised the most.
「This……I did it?」
「You’re quite good」
「Iris……oh, wrong. Iris-sama」
「It’s fine with just Iris. I’ll only get troubled if you act that respectfully to me」
「Eh, but, uhm, they told me diplomatic, courtesy? So……」
「I don’t mind if it’s just the two of us alone. That makes me easier to talk too」
Iris said while smiling and Selene nodded with a smile.
「I’m surprised. This, did I really do it?」
「Who else would it be then?」
「I see……I did this, huh……」
「If you continue to train, you can become a first-class swordsman. I guarantee it」
「Un……」
「What? Are you not happy?」
「U〜un, that’s not it, but」
Selene smiled painfully.
「I just thought, I’m still not there yet. Even now, I’m still completely useless, but I felt that the me before was even more useless」
「I was that useless, but, I flaunted just for being a princess……and that was, a little……」
While saying that, Selene smiled even more sadly.
Although her words were in a mess, Iris understood.
「If this continues, Shou will throw me away someday」
「Shou……Kakeru huh」
Selene nodded.
「If you’re thinking about that, then it should be alright. Kakeru is not that small of a man」
「Not that small, of a man?」
「That’s right. I’ll guarantee it」
「Is that, so……」
Selene shrunk and whispered in a tiny voice.
The Selene right now looks like a different person that would surprise anyone who knows her before if they see her.
A girl who was shocked, distraught, and completely lost her confidence.
That is the Selene right now.
If you were to ask Iris who knows her when they started, no, even before they educated her, her honest comment would be “one would completely change if they really wanted to huh”.
「It’s alright, I can guarantee it. But if you really insist, you should go and ask Kakeru directly. Selene has grown so much. Your skill with the sword is already impressive」
「I see……I wanted to show it to Father, the current me」
「King Aegina……I have heard that he had not gained consciousness for a long time」
「Un. I’m sure that Father was hurting his head because of me before. If I really grew up, I want to show it to him」
「……I see」
「Also, I need to apologize to Abraham. I can understand it right now. I can understand that he wasn’t someone that should’ve been kicked by someone like me. Although he’s a subject, he’s far more amazing as a person compared to me」
「You should just tell him someday. I know, you should just tell that to Kakeru」
「To Shou?」
「Umu. You should tell Kakeru about that. He should gladly help you」
「……un, I’ll do that」
Seeing meek Selene, Iris thought about how she’s completely changed even more.
At the same time, she reconfirmed the size of Kakeru’s caliber.
It’s “that” Princess Selene.
If it were just Iris, she wouldn’t have invested in educating her and just left her to her business.
However, Kakeru did not do so. She dispatched every woman in his harem to educate her.
It was for sure that it was not just to embrace her, not only to include her in his harem.
Even the Selene before was beautiful and lovely enough (although that was all she had), so there was no need to educate her.
However, Kakeru did so.
As a result, Selene is being reborn, her talents have started to bloom.
Iris became more and more infatuated with Kakeru.
「Mu! That’s a signal fire」
Iris narrowed her eyebrows.
A signal fire was raised from Malonei’s direction.
It’s a signal fire to call her if anything happens.
And if one were to ask what kind of the matter needs Iris’s presence immediately, it would when something about Mercouri’s domestic affairs happened.
She narrowed her eyebrows deeper.
She glanced at Selene. She met her eyes with her.
「Hurry up and go」
「Eh?」
「I don’t know why, but Iris’s face isn’t normal. You must go immediately right?」
「Y-Yeah…… That’s true, but」
「Then hurry up and go. I will be okay」
Iris was surprised.
Who is it? Who said that Selene is a woman who only has a talent with the sword?
With her current observational skills, that was not something that is possible for her.
Iris thought that their understanding of her must be corrected.
And, she accepted that offer.
「Sorry, I’ll do that」
「Un!」
「This place is dangerous so you must return immediately. Understood?」
「Un」
Iris kicked the ground and rushed.
Only leaving Selene behind.
Left alone, Selene looked around.
Consulting with Kakeru.
That suggestion from Iris was attractive.
KakeruーーShou.
If she consults with him, then he would do something about it for sure.
Shou’s sword dance that continues to linger in her head, and the Queens, Princesses of other kingdoms, a great merchant that controls the economy, even the legendary Great Sage.
If she consults it with Kakeru who can make all of those people take action, then there is no doubt that anything can be granted to her.
It can be granted to her, but.
Selene felt hesitant to talk to him.
Recoil.
The repercussions of when she was still spoiled. It made her more cowardly than needed.
Coward enough that even though she was advised to do it, she still hesitates on consulting Kakeru.
Selene thought deeply, whether she should or not.
After taking a long time thinking, she made an answer.
「I should defeat a monster again. If I can defeat another one. If I can defeat it myself, I’ll go and consult with him」
Doing something after being able to complete something, it was not an unusual way of thinking. She only arrived at that conclusion.
The problem was, it’s a place where Iris called “dangerous”.
Selene searched around inside that “dangerous” forest.
「I’ll defeat another monster, and consult with Shou」
While walking, she strengthened her determination, and walked around the forest.
Finally, she encountered a similar huge lion beast like the one earlier.
A monster that looks almost the same. That made Selene determined to stand up against it.
「Calm down, calm down, Selene. You were able to do it earlier. You should be able to do it again this time」
Thinking of that, Selene took the first attack and swung down her sword.
Her judgment was not wrong. It’s a monster that she had defeated once, she should be able to deal with it calmly.
She did not let her guard down, nor grew arrogant.
She only tried to do what she could.
In that meaning, there is no doubt that Selene has grown up.
The problem was, she only has the talent with the sword.
She was taught that there are individual differences even they are the same kind of monster, but she was unable to remember it. She did not have enough experience to sense that individual differences as well.
And lastly……the monster she had encountered almost have the strongest strength even in the same species.
「Kyaaaa!」
The slash that she perfectly learned through training did not have an effect on the huge lion beast.
It was blocked by its fur that was harder than steel and she was sent flying by its front paw.
She was blown away, her body was thrown to the ground, bouncing many times.
Soil entered inside her mouth and mixed with her blood, making her feel an indescribable taste.
Selene stood up while staggering.
She blanked out.
Why? And what should I do?
Selene panicked.
Her head was unable to catch up on the unexpected event.
The lion monster continued to attack.
It swung down its front paw and tried to crush her with its big jaws which were big enough to swallow her whole.
She instinctively blocked using her sword, but that sword snapped, and scattered around into pieces.
The confusion reached its peak.
“Why?” was completely changed, and only “what should I do” remained.
What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
The nature that she was born with surfaced.
Normally, Selene is someone who hates losing, a strong-tempered woman.
That connected to her being spoiled, and connected right now with the results of her training.
And, fight bravely even with a disadvantageous situationーーit connected to that worst of choices.
Selene stood up. She raised her broken sword that not even half remained.
The monster attacked. She watched that carefully, dodged, and stabbed.
It was a near-perfect attack. She evaded the huge lion beast and released a sharp slash that gouged its body.
……Regrettably, her sword was broken.
The monster was almost not injured and swept its front paw forward.
Selene was sent flying.
She bounced on the ground many timesーーbut this time, she could not stand up.
She struggled, using her hands and elbows, desperately tried to stand up.
「Gaha!」
She spat out blood. Her hand slipped on the ground she fell face first.
But even so, she did not give up.
「I’ll defeat it……and obtain the……qualifications……to consult, with……Shou……」
With that in mind, she desperately tried to get on her feet.
It was misfortune piling up at one another.
Iris’s sudden withdrawal, a similar monster but the strongest, and her stubbornness that made her enter a blind alley.
Such misfortunes overlapped to each other, making her fall into her worst crisis.
The monster pounced towards her.
The world turned to slow motion.
About her father, about her brother, about herself.
Everything that happened from her birth flashed in her head.
A revolving lantern.
She was unable to understand that. She simply looked at her lifetime flash in front of her blankly.
(Shou……I will! I will become a woman worthy of Shou!)
Even at the end, she did not change her thoughts.
I’ll do better, I’ll become a woman who’s worthy of Shou.
I’ll defeat this monster and obtain the qualifications to consult with Shou.
She was stubborn and hated losing, she was like that even at the end.
She was unlucky. Misfortune visited her one next to the other, creating this situation.
The monster’s jaw was right in front of her. The time started to move.
「Shou!」
She shouted. She shouted with closed eyes.
The instant she understood her death, she called Kakeru’s name.
The great luck that would clear every misfortune, it was already within her hand.
Death did not come. Nothing happened no matter how long she waited.
Selene slowly opened her eyes.
There was the monster right in front of her.
It ceased activity with its mouth opened.
A dark Demon Sword pierced its brain, nailing it to the ground.
And, a moment after that Demon Sword.
「……Shou?」