Episode 6.
The next day, as part of her successor’s training, I have to take swordsmanship lessons.
“So now I have to get up at 4 a.m.?”
Mary gasped at my question.
“Four in the morning. Young ladies like you should be asleep at that hour. I can’t believe they’re making you study at that hour. Even the Duke would be accused of child abuse.”
Regan did.
Now that I think about it, it really was a slave-like existence.
When I arrived at the training grounds for my swordsmanship lesson, a stern-looking knight was waiting for me.
“Greetings, my name is Swell, the Templar who will be teaching you today.”
“Hello.”
“Now that you’re a princess, you don’t have to bow down to lowlifes like me, didn’t Mary teach you that?”
I’d heard that Mary had a stubborn persnality, but she’s really stiff.
I couldn’t believe she and Orwell were brothers.
“No, she taught me.”
“Then why aren’t you practicing it?”
I could tell from his blunt tone that he didn’t like me.
“I just made a mistake because it hasn’t sunk in yet.”
I hesitated for a moment, not sure if I should say this or not,
‘Who is there that Ariel Clasta shouldn’t mess with?’
He recalled the Duke’s words and quickly added.
“But I don’t think it’s fair to blame me for not letting go of the words, the tone of respect doesn’t seem appropriate either.” (Ariel said)
This might upset Swell a bit, but I doubt the Duke would kick him out over something like this.
Instead, as I expected, Swell looked at me in surprise, and then bowed his head.
“My language was certainly not appropriate, and I apologize.”
His demeanor was softer than before.
“I heard you grew up in an orphanage, so I guess I should start with the basics. Do you know about magic?”
“Yeah. It’s the fuel that allows ordinary humans to do extraordinary things.”
“Exactly. By utilizing magic, humans can push themselves beyond their limits and become even more powerful.”
Swell grabbed the sword and energized it, and a light glow emanated from it.
“I can use it to cut a stone from an ordinary twig, or to outrun a horse, so the possibilities are endless. Of course, like physical strength, there’s a limit to how much a person can use, so it’s all about how well you utilize it. Demonic dragons are different.”
Magic had to be used to a certain extent before it could be restored.
But the Evil Dragon could open a dark portal, where he could draw an unlimited supply of dark energy.
“Using dark magic is a quick and easy way to become stronger, but it has many side effects, such as polluting the land and making the local demons stronger. You’ll be on a path from which you can never return, so don’t ever touch it.”
“Ugh.”
“However, there is a way for a normal person to become stronger quickly, even if they don’t touch dark magic. That’s by passing the Test of the Spirits.”
The exact number of spirits living on the continent was still unknown to anyone.
The spirits are usually invisible, but they will appear before humans who they like or who fulfill certain conditions and give them a test.
Those who passed the test would be granted the spirits’ favor, which allowed them to gain various powers, such as fire, water, or prophecy, or to increase the amount of magic they possessed.
‘The more different spirits you have, the better…….’
Spirits are so picky, and passing their test was really tough.
“Today’s lesson will be over once you enchant your sword, I’ll let you go after class, so don’t worry too much.”
“That’s really all I have to do?”
I asked, worried that I’d have to run 200 laps around the gym.
“Don’t be ridiculous, it sounds easy, but it takes everyone a week or more the first time.”
That’s someone else’s story.
I may be bad with my head, but I’m good with my body.
I picked up my sword with excitement.
I’ll be done in five minutes.
Mary said she’d make us sweet cookies and milk for a snack.
And not just any milk, but strawberry milk!
Maybe if class ends early, I can have an early snack.
“If you close your eyes and focus on following the energy flowing through your body, you can…….”
I didn’t even have to close my eyes.
I moved the energy coursing through my body with familiarity.
Pounding.
I could hear my heart pounding more clearly.
The sensation in each of my fingertips became sharper and sharper…….
“Ugh!”
I froze in place, clutching my heart.
“Are you okay?”
Swell stepped closer to check on me, but I screamed at him.
“Don’t come near me!”
I knew Swell was panicking, but I didn’t have the energy to play it cool.
‘Why…… why…….?’
I staggered to my feet, clutching my chest.
“I, I’m gonna go to the restroom for a minute.”
“Miss, you might want to check your…….”
“Don’t follow me!”
I warned through clenched teeth and a sharp glare.
“Uh, I’ll be right back. I’ll be alone.”
I hurried out of the ballroom and across the hall.
I felt the servants up and down the corridor give me strange looks, but I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t believe the sensations I felt the moment I activated my magic.
Why?
Why?
It’s ridiculous.
It was all over 30 years ago!
I stepped into the bathroom, locked the door behind me, and with trembling hands undid the hem of my robe.
And finally, the undeniable truth was revealed.
“……LIE.”
Symbol of a evil dragon.
“It’s a lie, it’s a lie…….”
I dug my nails in and scratched at the symbol above my heart, but it refused to go away, as if to mock me.
Why was the mark from my previous life still there, waking up in someone else’s body?
Wasn’t that supposed to be over?
‘If you’re my child, you need something special. I have a gift for you, Shirin.
The evil dragon forced me down onto the cold lab table.
And then with a fire-forged iron…….
“Ouch.”
I grabbed the toilet seat and vomited up everything I’d eaten this morning.
‘Great. Anyone who sees this will know you’re mine. There’s nowhere for you to run.’
I felt a chill run down my spine as I thought I could hear the eerie voice of the evil dragon.
‘Do you think there’s anyone else besides me who would accept you knowing you’re the child of an evil dragon?’
I remembered what Regan always said.
And he had killed me for saying it.
It had only been thirty years since the evil dragon’s death.
The continent still trembled with fear of the evil dragon.
If it was discovered that the Evil Dragon’s daughter was still alive, there would be a hunting party to kill me this time.
Perhaps Duke Clasta would be at the forefront of it.
Everyone knows how much the Duke hates the Demon Dragon, having lost a family member to it.
‘……Don’t let them see you.’
I took a deep breath, and my mind cleared.
……I’m the same as I was before I died, nothing changes.
It only appears when I use my magic, so I just have to be careful at that moment.
It was tattooed on her chest, so there was no need for anyone to see it.
“As long as I don’t get caught. I can do this.”
One more reason to stick with the Duchess of Clasta.
No madman would ever want to see a princess’s chest patch.
With trembling hands, I buttoned the buttons on my robe, and tears filled my eyes.
What the hell did I do wrong?
Do you think I wanted to be born the daughter of an evil dragon?
I’ve never been happy to be the daughter of an evil dragon.
Was it such a sin to want to be normal?
I asked myself hundreds of times, thousands of times, but I couldn’t find the answer.
* * *
Seeing how bad I looked, Mr. Swell ended the class early.
“That’s enough for today,” he said, “we’ll continue tomorrow.”
I nodded, feeling physically fine, but mentally exhausted.
But after a good cry in the restroom, my head felt much clearer.
I thought, ‘Yeah, my life has always worked out so well. Life is meant to be lived alone.’
I sighed heavily.
‘Still, it’s a good deal. The food is good, and I don’t have to work at dawn.
But if I wanted my days at Count Castle to continue, I needed to build something.
‘”Right by my side.”
The Duke of Clasta was indifferent to me, and I crossed the river of no return with the Senate.
The knights and servants who worked in the castle naturally caught the Senate’s eye.
But still, isn’t this childish?
I saw the knights giggling amongst themselves as they stretched out their legs in my direction.
It was clear they intended to trip me up on the way.
I stomped down on the knight’s foot, pretending to leap over it.
I stomped with so much force it must hurt.
“Ow!”
As expected, the knight screamed and pulled his foot back toward him.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize your foot was there.”
I apologized with a nonchalant face.
“This is……!”
The knight bellowed at me, punching me in the arm.
I was good with pain, but that didn’t mean I liked getting hit.
I rolled my eyes and asked.
“What’s with your hand? You’re not going to hit me, are you?”
Are you going to hit me? Are you going to hit me?
Am I a pushover to you? Are you going to hit me?
“……No. It hurts.”
The knight gritted his teeth and lowered his hand.
Even if the Duke of Clasta seemed nonchalant to me, he was afraid to lay his hands on me, a mere knight with the rank of a thug.
“Don’t even raise your hand if you’re not willing to hit me.”
I ignored him and kept walking.
Of course, Duke Clasta wouldn’t blink an eye if I were beaten by that knight.
I need to get him on my side before the rest of the castle knows about this, so I can make it easier on myself.
I scanned the castle with a keen eye for the users.
Let’s start with the knights, shall we?
The nature of knights was such that it would be endless to deal with each and every one of them.
“If you want to aim, you have to aim for the leader.”
And there was only one leader I knew of.
Swell, the man who taught my swordsmanship class.
If he was on my side, the knights wouldn’t be able to bully me as easily.
‘But how do I get Swell on my side?’
