In the days before the school of the Water God Style.
A certain country was frightened of the Water Dragon King.
As a result, each day, their fishing boats were attacked, and water dragons frequently appeared in the port town.
They were on the precipice of destruction.
In this situation, the gloomy King declared that he would offer both his crown and daughter’s hand to any who could subdue the Water Dragon King.
Dramatizations of this ancient tale depicted him as a splendidly handsome man, but this couldn’t have been farther from the truth. His true visage could elicit only one word. Vagrant.
Raydel volunteered before the king saying,
With this, the King consented to his challenge.
He froze over the surface of the ocean, putting a stop to the water dragons’ movements. Within a blink of an eye, he approached the Water Dragon King.
With his worn out sword Raydel returned the Water Dragon King’s unblockable strike slicing its head off with a single slash.
With the Water Dragon King’s head in hand, he returned to the country a Hero… Or so, he should have.
That was all.
He was in love with the princess.
Because his wish to marry the princess was not granted, he thought of leaving the country.
But there was someone who got angry in Raydel’s stead.
I am no longer a princess, nor do I have a last name.
But if that is still agreeable with you, please take me as your wife.”
Raydel held the princess in his arms and left the country smiling. The two married soon after, then vanished.
Decades later.
Part 2
She is the person in charge of the Asura Kingdom's Water God style school, and the single instructor of the Asuran Knight Order.
In a few months she will succeed the name of Water God.
Age unknown.
Stunning blue-black hair and dignified features.
But rumour has it that she isn't really all that young.
Her long days of training to become the Water God are over.
She'll soon be the Water God after all.
Captivated by her beautiful appearance, there are few men whose hearts have not been touched by her sincere training.
They are those who have decided to make a living through the sword.
It was Isolte’s condition that if they were a swordsman, then they would have to be as strong as her, or at least possess strength of the King class.
For Asuran nobles, female swordsmen have always been popular.
Isolte would also be well versed in the etiquette of the imperial court.
And on top of that, she's an established swordsman.
Many Asuran nobles approached her with those thoughts in mind.
Of course, those who approached her with perverted hobbies and vulgar laughs were refused.
Good looking, good personality and fairly good sword skills.
Very prince like.
Isolte could easily see through guys like that.
Those prince types have good outer relations.
Thinking thoughts like "Well, he'll do."
Even so, those very princes immediately turned her down upon hearing her condition.
"I will soon become the Water God and will name myself, Water God Reida Ria.
The spouse of the Water God must not have a last name."
The custom of the Water God.
Not following it wouldn't be disadvantageous and following the custom most likely would not provide any benefit.
Isolte’s grandmother, previous Water God Reida also followed this tradition.
Cruel was the last name of her mother.
And so, Isolte, who greatly respected her grandmother, wished to follow in kind.
But unfortunately, the princes that attempted to fool Isolte were nobles.
They had lived for appearances and superficiality.
Even if they were charmed by Isolte, there was none whom they would willingly abandon their family to marry.
She'd been searching for a husband for several years now.
"At this rate it looks like I wont be able to marry before the succession." Is what she thought.
She was confident.
There wasn't a day she missed the upkeep of her hair and skin.
She was well-versed in conversation as Water God style training included such skills in its curriculum.
Putting them into practise, flattery is simple.
Even Eris and Nina had managed to find partners but she still couldn't.
Well it was probably be because they had childhood friends.
But she still thought she could overcome that with her own charm.
She was self-conscious.
"...That was the 21st."
21 people had now turned her down.
He was the oldest son of the Cruel house but compared to his little sister, he couldn’t be considered especially talented.
His grandmother, Reida, had told him "Maybe it's time to make you a saint class." but he had said "I dont need a title unbefitting of my stature." and rejected the offer.
And he'd even looked after Isolte.
"Do you think you're aiming too high?"
"You have a certain level of talent and standing. You have the right to choose a suitable partner. But if you're too picky and can't find anyone, there's no point."
The two of them had lost their parents at an early age.
At that time, it was Tantris who took over as the parent.
The talented Isolte surpassed her brother in under 10 years.
Living as the Water God, a harsh fate no doubt awaits you.
"..."
Tantris was already married and had a child.
But Isolte hadn't thought she was very likeable.
She was the daughter of an Asuran noble.
She obviously looked down on Tantris and had no understanding of Swordplay.
Aside from things relating to the children, the two mostly lived apart.
Isolte didn't want to marry someone like that.
...Although her carefulness extended only to stripping away their facade's.
But now that she had become the main instructor, she would have many chances to meet with Ariel and talk to her and there were many coming to meet with her who wanted to take advantage of that.
A fallen noble, a commoner, or an adventurer would have been fine.
"Then are you ok with someone I choose for you?"
Of course there's also the fact that everyone Tantris recommended were nothing but muscleheads...
It really didn't seem likely that she would be able to marry.
"Right..."
Tantris had no intention of blaming her.
And he could continue the Cruel line himself.
And if his sister wanted to find happiness in marriage, he wanted to support her.
That said, if she didn't want his help, he had no intention of pursuing.
"...Yes."
"I’m still good."
"Yes brother.1 I'll be off now."
Isolte said that, bowed, and returned to her own room.
After seeing her off, Tantris breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haaa..."
At this rate it'll probably be impossible for her to get married before the succession ceremony.
Part 4
The crest of the shield bearing battle girl carved onto the breastplate of the silver armour is one that is famed throughout the land.
And there are many soldiers who yearn for her dignified figure.
He was short and lanky with thin hair, overall he seemed very timid.
He was human, but if Rudeus saw him, he'd probably think "He's looks like a senile old man."2
No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like a knight or a swordsman, but he was wearing the same silver breast plate as Isolte.
His crest was a girl praying with a rampart crown atop her head.
"Well if it isn't Lord Ifrit. My good graces to you sir."
One of the Seven Knights of Asura The 『King's Rampart』.
Knights were of a fairly low class, whereas nobility was quite high.
Normally any servant who crossed his path would immediately fall to their knees.
"We are both knights of Her Majesty."
In response to his sharp words, Isolte stood back up.
"That is sufficient. We do not work for the country, but for Her Majesty. The only person you should kneel before is Her Majesty, herself."
In response to Sylvester's rising aura, she swallowed her words and nodded.
Sylvester was of small stature.
He was in no way skilled with swords or magic.
He truly understood the meaning of the phrase, "Right person for the right job."
"Her Majesty has called for me."
"Did you have some business with me?"
There's simply a man I would like to introduce you to.
She wanted to hear more about this foolish son of his.
On her way to the inner palace, the amount of people decreased.
These lower ranked nobles, befitting of their titles’ as knights, had all pledged allegiance to Ariel.
By now the soldiers and knights had disappeared and she was walking through an empty hallway.
These Imperial Maids were personally chosen by Ariel.
Standing in front of the extravagant door was a single man.
The Asura Kingdom's greatest gatekeeper.
"...Yessir."
Doga had received Isolte's introduction and slowly moved.
But Isolte couldn't see a single opening.
And if it came to it, breaking past this man and passing through the door behind him would be nigh on impossible.
"...Hm?"
Doga had extended his hand towards Isolte.
It wasn't crude but Isolte wasn't fond of it.
And obviously, even her knights could not be permitted to bring weapons into the room.
Even against the prime minister of the Asura Kingdom, Doga would still carry out his meticulous search and not even the smallest of things would get past him.
The body search was a matter of course.
What his extended hand had touched was her hair.
"?"
Isolte stood there stiff with a blank expression.
"Aah, my weapon."
Isolte suddenly though that and unfastened her sword belt and presented it to Doga.
"..."
He didn’t conduct a body search.
He trusted her as Ariel's knight.
Thinking about it like that, her heart rate slightly increased.
(No, not with that face...)
She took a deep breath to calm her buzzing head.
"Isolte Cruel! Entering!"
Part 5
With Luke Notos Greyrat, the『King's Dagger』as the head, they are seven knights who have sworn absolute allegiance to Ariel herself.
The『King's Greatshield』.
These three are known as the『Three Knights of the Left』.
At least that’s what was said.
They may have pledged loyalty to Ariel, but most of them are unrelated to the Asura kingdom, having been gathered from outside.
They most likely each have their own reasons to unconditionally serve Ariel.
But Isolte was different.
The moment when her grandmother had died.
The death of the previous Water God Reida
Isolte was a warrior who had no intention of harbouring unnecessary emotions after a battle had come to a close.
If she were to defy Ariel, more so than the Asura Empire, the Water God school would see to her banishment.
Isolte’s resolve was clear on that.
But no matter how sure of it she was herself, if all she had was words, nobody could be certain it was the truth.
It was entirely possible that after her grandmother had been killed, she had been secretly harbouring hatred and secretly aiming for Ariel’s life.
And the amount of people who still hold grudges was not small.
But it wasn’t because of Ariel’s personality, nor was it due to patriotism.
She was currently protecting their relationship of mutual trust, but if that was jeopardised, it’s possible that she couldn’t guarantee absolute loyalty.
It’s not as if she thought of betrayal.
That’s something that Isotle herself understood.
And yet in spite of that, she was chosen as one of the seven.
She was uneasy.
“To me, having you, the Water God, settle down with a family would be a plus to your work.
“Of your blood… Do you mean to say that they’re royalty!?”
Hearing that did not cause excitement in Isolte.
“Even without the name, their blood still remains. They do not have to actively cut off their family do they?”
“It’s fine. They all acknowledge this condition.
All you need to do is meet with them and pick the most good natured out of the bunch.”
This was definitely a ploy to win her over, is what Isolte thought.
Ariel’s relatives, royalty.
They aren’t the sons of nobles, they are people, no matter how small, have the possibility to become king. A true Prince.
“Please allow me!”
Isolte gave an immediate reply.
If she was a sly Asuran nobel, she may have taken the time to consider the hidden meaning behind Ariel’s words.
Although she may have been a girl searching for a husband.
“Yes ma’am, I thank you for your kindness.”
She was going to go tell Sylvester to book her closest day off.
It must have been nervousness from being called out for an unknown reason.
“I’m quite thirsty…”
And Doga was standing there.
“Thank you very much.”
Isolte took it and after wondering for a moment whether there was poison in it, drank it down.
Feeling the water permeate the depths of her body, she realised that she was far more nervous and tired than she had thought.
“…Haaa.”
Even through the helmet, she could tell that that smile had no ulterior motives and was simply an honest gesture.
“…”
She was a perceptive person.
Although she wasn’t fond of his face.
“Good work to you too Doga. Best wishes with your guard duty.”
Reminding herself of the upcoming marriage interviews, that she’d be spending the next few days absorbed in, she cut off the conversation and walked off smiling.
Q: Not being able to beat Doga even after becoming the water God, does this mean that her ability is below the World Power class?
It’s just that she practises defence techniques, so breaking past Doga to get into the room would be quite hard.
A: It’s just that she doesn’t have an eye for people.
Q: Is Doga’s face bad?
He’s a looks like a good person.
Translator Notes and References
2. Literally "Windowsill race" and it's an expression that means old employees that have been given menial tasks until they retire.