Chapter 02
A band of outcast bandits had arrived in the forests on the outskirts of Oryon, the capital of the Betelgeuse Duchy.
They ambushed a group of lumberjacks who had come to inspect the woods, swiftly tying them up with ropes.
Though the lumberjacks were burly men armed with axes and clubs, these bandits were led by a formally trained swordsman. In an instant, all the workers were subdued—a stark display of the gap between warriors and laborers.
The bound lumberjacks could only stare helplessly at their captors.
“Uh… Bandit friends, we’re just poor lumberjacks. There’s no money to squeeze out of us.”
“Haven’t you heard? The Betelgeuse Duchy is ruined. The Demon King descended and wrecked everything.”
“The Duke and the young lady even sold their mansion in the capital to take in refugees. And now you’re—”
“Heh. That’s exactly why we’re here. Word is, the Duke’s daughter often visits these woods to oversee relief efforts for refugees, right?”
“If we kidnap her, the ransom’ll be juicy.”
“Some naïve noble girl, playing charity while clueless about the real world. We’ll teach her a harsh lesson.”
The lumberjacks exchanged glances.
“Y-You’ll regret this…”
“Pretty sure you’re the ones about to learn a lesson…”
Just then—thud… thud…—a rhythmic pounding echoed through the forest.
“Huh? What’s that noise?”
“A rockslide?”
The lumberjacks, however, immediately recognized the sound.
“That’s the footsteps of the young lady’s steed—Black Ruin.”
“What? Horse hooves? No way, that sounds like a giant’s footsteps!”
CRASH! A tree toppled as something massive barreled through the woods.
“Now, now, Black Ruin. Be careful. We can’t have you breaking trees we haven’t marked for logging yet.”
A young woman’s voice rang out.
“Oho! A young lady’s voice… and a lovely one at that! Just from her tone, you can tell she’s a beauty!”
The bandits readied their crossbows and spears, stepping forward—
—only to freeze as a giant astride a colossal black warhorse emerged before them.
Idnia Kache Betelgeuse, the 16-year-old Duchess of Betelgeuse, had arrived.
Behind her, a trail of fallen ancient trees lay in her wake, with yet another crashing down as she passed.
And that wasn’t all.
Slung over the back of her saddle was the carcass of a massive bear.
“……”
“Wh-What the—an ogre?!”
“Dear gods, is that a bear on her saddle?!”
“What kind of person—”
Idnia spotted them and tilted her head.
“Hm? You’re not Uncle Tom. Who are you?”
“Milady! Those men are bandits!”
The bound lumberjack’s shout sent the outlaws into shock.
“Wait, so this is the Duke’s daughter?!”
“No way! Where’s the famed beauty of House Betelgeuse?!”
The lumberjacks nodded sagely.
“Oh, she is beautiful.”
“Surprised bandits have taste.”
“Are these guys starving or something?”
As the bandits reeled, Idnia sighed deeply.
*”Sigh. Now I have to deal with bandits on top of everything else?
Well, no one’s hurt yet. Release the hostages and leave. Your lives are precious too, aren’t they?”*
“……”
The bandits hesitated.
‘What’s with this overwhelming confidence…?’
‘Our lives are precious?’
‘I-I really don’t wanna fight. That bear on her saddle is staring into my soul.’
Their eyes darted to their leader—a former knight clad in plated armor.
Without his skills, they’d never have subdued the lumberjacks so easily.
“Tch! Bluffing! Don’t fall for it! We outnumber her! Men can hunt elephants if there’s enough of them!”
“But Boss…”
“Sigh.* I hate bullying fragile men…”*
Idnia exhaled as the leader kept resisting.
“Enough! Fire!”
The leader barked at the crossbowman in the rear.
The man flinched, raising his weapon—only to lock eyes with Idnia.
Her piercing gaze was like a blade pressed against his throat.
“Eeek!”
The crossbow slipped from his hands, firing wildly—and grazing the leader’s cheek.
“S-Spare me! I don’t wanna die!”
The crossbowman collapsed, trembling.
“You cowards! If you don’t fight now, I’ll kill you myself later!”
But every bandit who met Idnia’s eyes was already on the ground, shaking.
The killing intent radiating from her was beyond anything ordinary men could withstand.
“Damn it! I’ll do it myself!”
The leader charged, sword raised—
—then froze as Idnia’s gaze met his.
His heart nearly exploded from terror.
‘Ghk?! W-What is this suffocating pressure?! So this is why they’re all—!’
“Hraaah!”
Mustering his will, the leader roared and swung—
—only for Idnia to smirk and clench her fist.
A gale-force punch tore through the air.
“Not bad. To resist my aura? You’ve got skill.”
“Y-You monster! This old man’ll put you down!”
“Cute.”
—CRACK!
The leader’s sword shattered mid-swing.
“A decent swordsman like you is wasted as a bandit. I’ll spare you.”
The leader’s legs gave out as Idnia’s fist stopped just before his face.
A mere punch had not only broken his steel blade but also shredded his armor.
“Hehe. No need to be so scared.”
With a playful flick—
—BONK!
—she tapped his forehead.
THUD.
The leader crumpled like a sack of potatoes.
After rescuing the lumberjacks, Idnia hauled the tied-up bandits back to the village. Her aunt Augusta rushed out, wailing.
*”Idnia! Not again! Roaming around looking like that!
Good heavens, you threw away an engagement with the Crown Prince—a golden ocean of opportunity! What respectable suitor would want you now?!”*
“Aunt Augusta. What brings you to the village outskirts?”
“The Archbishop summoned you! He’s recommending you as a Saintess candidate!”
“Me? A Saintess candidate?”
*”Yes! This is your chance to return to the imperial capital!
Use this to meet the Crown Prince and take back that annulment! Call it a childish mistake and— Wait, no, first—”*
She scrutinized Idnia’s current appearance.
*”Ugh. I get why our ancestors never taught their secret arts to women.
But no matter! Idnia, you can suppress the Overlord’s techniques, right? Use that to smooth things over!”*
Even faced with Idnia’s hulking form, Augusta refused to abandon her ambitions.
“‘Smooth things over’? That’s impossible.”
“So you want your poor aunt to rot in this backwater forever?!”
“This backwater is your hometown… By the way, where’s Father?”
“With the Archbishop. Head to the chapel. And don’t you dare meet him looking like that!”
“Suppressing this feels like holding my breath, but fine.”
Idnia steadied her breathing, carefully retracting her aura.
As the energy receded, her form shrank back into that of a golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty.
“There! Why can’t you always look like this?!”
“It’s still uncomfortable. Like a fat man sucking in his gut all day.”
“You’ve never been fat a day in your life! Muscular, maybe.”
“Then let’s call it a past-life experience.”
“Tch. Such nonsense. Just fix your mistakes this time.”
“‘Mistakes,’ huh? How profound.”
To a reincarnated soul who’d already died once, the idea of “fixing past mistakes” sounded bitterly ironic.
The Betelgeuse Cathedral, shattered during the Demon King’s descent, remained in ruins. While the chapel still had walls and a roof, the ducal palace and fortress had been obliterated. Half the old capital’s structures had been dragged into the demon realm, leaving rifts where monsters occasionally emerged.
In what could barely be called a chapel—more like a shack with planks patching the roof—the Betelgeuse Archbishop conversed with the one-armed Duke.
“Ah, you’ve come, Idnia.”
“Father. Your Eminence, I heard you summoned me.”
“Indeed. Come closer.”
“Young Lady of Betelgeuse. I have received a divine revelation concerning you.”
“A revelation?”
“Yes. You are to attend the Dunais Academy as a Saintess candidate.”
“……What?”
Idnia doubted her ears.
*”Sixteen years have passed since His Grace defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land.
But this peace is ending. The dark spirits of the netherworld will soon choose a new Demon King—one who shall become the Ender of Worlds.
To prevent this calamity, you must graduate from Dunais Academy as a Saintess.
This is the prophecy.”*
“Since when do prophecies sound so… conveniently detailed?”
“Which is why I’ve recommended you as a Saintess candidate, citing your recent feat of slaying a giant.”
“This is… problematic.”
Idnia grimaced.
In the original game, she was the venomous villainess.
After her family’s ruin and her father’s death, all she had left was a broken name and her engagement to the Crown Prince. To keep it, she resorted to assassinations, poisonings, and even recruiting refugees into her criminal network.
She eventually allied with demons, taking their gold to become their spy.
And then—the game’s heroine, Astraea the Saintess, appeared.
The Crown Prince, already weary of Idnia’s cruelty, grew drawn to Astraea’s purity. Enraged, Idnia schemed relentlessly to destroy her.
Until a devastating truth surfaced:
Idnia wasn’t the Duke’s daughter.
She was the half-demon offspring of the Saintess Flora and the Demon King.
Exposed as both a monster and a traitor, she was impeached.
In her despair, she transformed into a demon—only to be slain by the “power of love” between Astraea and the Crown Prince.
That was Awakening Maiden Concerto’s Season 1 plot.
*‘I thought I avoided the doom flags by breaking the engagement! Why am I being shoved into the academy now?!
Is this fate? Is fate calling me?!’*
Though the current Idnia was nothing like her game counterpart, she couldn’t shake the feeling of the game’s systems forcing her hand.
Was this destiny’s summons?
