The person who was assigned to guide me was the maid who brought the tea earlier.
Is she a little older than me?
She possesses a face that can only be called beautiful.
Her almond eyes, well-shaped nose, and thin pale lips painted a fiery crimson from her lipstick.
Her hair is such a dark brunette that it could be called black, highly unusual for a person of this country.
However, her facial features aren't too different from here, so she doesn't seem to be from the east.
Her long hair is tied up in a way that makes it easy to manage.
She is tall for a woman but possess a slender figure, with all the curves in the right places.
To put it simply, she has an outstanding figure and style.
I would be happy if I could have such a beautiful maid taking care of me. I suddenly thought about that.
"My name is Ashley Screed, and I have been appointed to take care of you. I hope you will take care of me."
Saying this, she bows her head deeply.
"Eucharlouch Bravelord. Sorry to have you draw the short stick, but I'll ask you to take care of me for a while."
There's nothing to be gained by acting as a caretaker for someone like me who has nothing to do with a position of power.
It's normal to think that its a bother instead.
Despite this, I received an unexpected answer.
"It's ridiculous to say that I drew the short stick, I was looking forward to seeing you."
"You were looking forward to meeting me, the idiot prince famous for his debauchery? That's a funny joke."
"I have heard many stories of Eucharlouch-sama's heroism, I would be very happy to hear them from your own mouth."
"Seems like they have been exaggerated and have all sorts of things slapped on."
"Isn't that how rumors are?"
"No doubt."
While having such a conversation, we head to the room I was assigned to.
However, despite being in the castle, I don't pass anyone at all, and it's strangely quiet.
In addition, there are a few things that bother me about this beautiful maid walking in front of me
The first is that she was the one who brought "that tea" that caught my eye.
If it wasn't prepared by her and she just brought it to me, then she doesn't know and her normal expression can be explained. However, if she did prepare it then her acting is something fearsome.
The second is the sound of footsteps.
No wonder it felt strangely quiet.
If you take a moment to listen, all you can hear is my footsteps.
She wasn't making any footsteps.
And the third.
A girl of her age should have a youthful smell, however she doesn't smell at all.
On the contrary, there is no smell of life from her.
In other words, she is a person whose profession is to "make sure she doesn't smell".
As far as I know, there is only one such special profession.
If it's just the first two, it seems like a coincidence, but if you add all three, it seems like an inevitability.
I couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Apparently, the "exams" have already begun.
That's why I decided to put it to the test.
"I want to ask you a question."
"I will answer to the best of my ability."
"Well, why do you think so?"
"Well aren't you too beautiful to just be a maid?"
"Oh my, you flatter me."
"Well, that's just a joke."
"You were joking, that's a shame."
"It's no joke that you're beautiful, so don't be disappointed." "I'm sorry for your concern."
Seeing that I was more than half doubting her, she launched an attack seamlessly without changing the atmosphere at all.
*Boom*
Fast.
It doesn't look to be heavy, but there seems to be something hidden behind it.
Thinking that way, I avoid it.
"As beautiful flowers have thorns, so does the beauty before me."
"To be called a beautiful woman, you're making me embarrassed."
"Whether you're friend or foe, the fact remains that you're beautiful."
While joking around I let her know I see her as an enemy.
"I thought I was acting well. Did I make a mistake without realizing it?"
"Your demeanor was perfect. It was of a maid who wouldn't be embarrassed anywhere."
"Then where did you notice?"
"I love the scent of women mixed with soap." “I have a hard time reacting to someone suddenly confessing their sexual fetish to me?" "I didn't smell anything from you. I guess that's the deciding factor."
"Seems like you're not just and idiot prince. I will make sure to fix that in the future."
Whoosh!
Saying that, she jumps backwards and throws something at me.
It has an unusual shape resembling a Kunai A type of throwing knife used by the ninja spies of the East.
It was slow considering the throwing motion. It seemed possible to grab it, but I decided to avoid it.
*Kang-kang-kang*
It should have been a single throw, but I heard three sounds hit the wall one after another.
They were carefully thrown into the same line of fire.
If you grab the first one thinking that it was the only one, the subsequent Kunai will hit you soon after.
The wound itself probably wouldn't have been a big deal if it had hit, but considering her habits and the way she had done things up until now, I doubt it would be so straightforward.
If you think about it normally, it wouldn't be wrong to think that just getting hit would be a big problem in itself.
"That's a good decision, people who have only learned military techniques are easily caught off guard."
"I'm a coward, unless I'm fighting a decent opponent, I try to always avoid the first attack."
"Oh dear, I’m not a decent opponent, that’s regrettable."
"That's a funny joke, you're more dangerous than those monsters."
Even if you dive into the depths of a dungeon, you will never meet such a formidable opponent. Ashley's fighting style using drugs is only applicable to living things, but if you add in her technical skills to evade in combat, I think she can go to great depths on her own.
It's hard to deal with her when she has that much.
In addition, Ashley's expression has remained smiling from beginning to now even when she is in a combat state. It was eerie.
"As you previously said, I shouldn't trust in rumors, as expected from youngest prince of the Hero Bloodline, there are not many who can dodge my attacks so well."
Her cheeks seem to be flushed as she says this. Her eyes also seem to be twinkling in arousal, just looking at them one wouldn't believe that she was in the middle of a life and death battle.
What's with her? Is she the kind that takes pleasure in combat?
She prepares herself with such an expression on her face. Her posture is unique with her leaning forward and her hands behind her back.
Since her hands were hidden behind her back, I couldn't see what she was holding, but it was probably two Kunai.
Since I can't see the blade, I can assume that she is quite the master.
Footsteps, smell, and combat
We should assume that the blade is coated with some kind of drug to compensate for its lack of strength, just like the Kunai from earlier.
I can't afford to even get scratched.
I opened my mouth after making such an analysis.
"I don't like it."
"Hmm, and what don't you like?"
"A place where I don't even get a cup of tea, I'm being tested while I'm tired and I don't have time to catch my breath."
"I apologize for that. However, I served you tea earlier, right?" "Who would like a drugged tea?"
It's just a test, so I don't think there was any lethal poison in it, but I don't know what kind it was, whether it was a numbing drug or a sleeping pill, but I'm sure it contained some kind of drug that would put me at a disadvantage.
It was probably part of the test.
"I see you noticed. As expected."
"It isn't such a big thing to deserve a compliment, I think my older brothers were more competent than me in this area."
There's no way for someone like me, who is at the bottom of the pecking order, to not know this, however the competition for the throne between my older brothers, who were ranked in the top three must have been extremely fierce.
"Is it right to assume that you're the examiner?"
"Yes, if you pass, I will also be in charge of making sure that there are no problems with your ability to have children. If you beat me, you can use my body as you please till dawn."
Whoosh!
While having this conversation, she launches an attack. It's not heavy, but it's sharp.
It looks like she is giving top priority to landing a hit.
"That's a tempting reward."
I evade while making a light remark.
I also take a stance at a distance. With her unique posture, my sword should only look like a dot to her.
"Concealed Blade."
Although it is a technique that simply hides the blade from the opponent, it is quite difficult as it requires consideration of the opponent's point of view when taking the stance, it cannot be learned overnight.
Although it is a simple skill, it is highly effective.
"It's an unusual stance."
"Yours too."
"It seems like we both are well versed in interpersonal combat."
"Looks like it."
Showing the blade to your opponent is equivalent to showing the beginning of the movement that is about to begin.
There's no need to do something like that against a monster that rushes at you without thinking, but it's a different story when your opponent is someone like Ashley, who is specialized in interpersonal combat.
Her preferred style is probably claiming the head of her unaware target. However, she should be strong enough in a frontal confrontation as well.
It's to be expected of the one who is in charge of testing my ability as a breeding horse.
To have such a talent in the kingdom surely means it will be peaceful in the future, such careless thoughts surfaced in my mind.
In any case, as long as we can't read each other's hands, any reckless action would mean immediate defeat.
Well, it would be for anyone else, for me it's pretty easy if I want to win.
I have a mountain of Brave Arts, the hero's secret techniques that are impossible to dodge if you haven't seen them before.
Even if you take into account Ashley's evasion ability.
However.
They are too strong and could kill her if I'm not careful.
So, in reality, they have no choice but to be sealed.
In other words, to try to use a Brave Art, the hero's secret techniques, to avoid hurting an opponent as skilled as Ashley as much as possible, and also to cause them to lose their will to fight.
That would be quite a difficult condition even for me as a hero.
As a result, the stalemate continued, although it probably lasted less than a minute.
I've thought about it a lot, but it seems like the "Brave Arts" is the only option.
While thinking about this, I asked her the question that I was most concerned about, as it would be meaningless if I didn't ask her before the decision was made.
"One last thing."
"What is it?"
"Are you satisfied with the idea of giving birth to my child? It goes against my principles to force it."
"You’re assuming victory already. As expected of a hero, confident indeed."
Apart from whether I can do it or not, there is no unpleasant appearance from what I can tell, rather she even floats a happy expression.
Like me, she seems to be the type of person who prefers battles that are full of tension and thrill, with no clear outcome.
It seems that such an opportunity is rare for such a skilled girl.
"So, what's your response?"
"Of course, on condition that you can defeat me. You are much more attractive than I had imagined, I would welcome it if I had a child with a prince who could beat me."
There is nothing unnatural about her expression. It's safe to believe that she really means it.
"I'm relieved to hear that. I can impregnate you without any worries."
"Isn’t that too hasty?" "Not really!"
*Shush-shush-shush*
While replying, I unleashed my "Brave Art" Secret technique "Armor Break".
No comments:
Post a Comment