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Chapter 83: Get Prepared, Late At Night Struggle

 

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Translator: LynneSuzuran

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Fubuki-san and the others didn’t response at Leo-san’s declaration. In exchange, each of them held the weapon they had prepared in advance and pulled one foot just like everyone from our side.
…Is this their answer?
Leo-san seemed to have interpret it as so, and he sighed a bit. Then, he raised his cold voice.

“Seems like you wish to be punished, huh? Ayato, Maito. No need to hold back.”
“Understood.”
“Leave it to me.”

Ayato-san and Maito-san deeply bowed their heads. And then, Maito-san respectfully held out something to Leo-san. …E-eh? A sword, huh? It was stored in a simple scabbard and seemed to be a practical one.
Leo-san then pulled out the sword from the scabbard and glanced fleetingly at me.

“Since I think that Seiren-sama perhaps doesn’t know, I’ll tell you. Murder is basically a crime, but killing someone who raised a rebellion to a lord like this or a vengeance over an official matter won’t count as crime. Well, it is another story if a lord is killed by some subordinates, though.”

I wonder how much this person knows? For example, he even knows that I don’t know the details about the law here.
Or well, with the exception of the garments or things like that, this is a world that’s really similar to a historical drama. Leo-san addressed the matter of killing people like it was the commonplace.
The commonplace, huh? Even Saryuu practices swordsmanship every morning. Since he practices, it isn’t weird that he’d do that for real when the actual thing is needed.
The only one who doesn’t know that here is such a world is me.

“These guys don’t want to be judged by the law. Lest to say that I can bring about the so-called royal’s sword judgement to them. I’ll have to clean this place up.”
“Leo…san…”
“Please close your eyes if you’re scared. I don’t have a hobby of giving trauma to a sheltered girl.”

Leo-san said that apologetically while smiling. Aah, I see. Now, I could somehow really understand that he’s a prince.
Since he understood well how I am not familiar with the reality of killing people, that’s why he said it like that.
Then, Leo-san’s eyes left me for a slight bit.

“Taiga-chan, you go and protect Seiren-chan. If it’s just like this, the maids and us will be able to handle it just fine.”
“H-however…”

Taiga-san stepped forward in a fluster, and then Leo-san stopped him just by his glance. The next moment, I heard a sound, “Hyun!” and there was one black-clothed person who raised their sword this way—though I hadn’t noticed it—and they collapsed to the ground without any sound. Ayato-san stabbed his sword to that person’s back.
One person died. But this is such kind of a world, so… Because they aimed at me and Taiga-san, Ayato-san did them.
In exchange of that person’s life, the black-clothed people’s movement stopped for a short while. Since they came to understand that we’d definitely strike a counterattack no matter what kind of opportunity is present.
As usual, I’m trailing away from the reality. Yup, but I guess that I have to do it this time, maybe.

“They’re mainly targetting Seiren-chan and you. Seiren-chan isn’t used to seeing people getting killed, right? Protect your fiancee, this is an order.”
“……Yes.”

After being told that with a stricter tone than earlier, Taiga-san reluctantly nodded.
Could it be that Leo-san didn’t want to let me see Taiga-san killing people? Or is it that I was just overthinking it?

“Leo-san.”
“It is fiiine-, I, Ayato, and Maito—we’re all strong. So just watch and be at ease.”
“Seiren-sama, please rest assured. We are strong, after all.”
“Saryuu too, please just stay back.”
“I-I can also fight!”

Leo-san and Ayato-san answered while smiling. Maito-san restrained Saryuu who stepped forward with a rebuking tone. Aah yup, even I can understand. Perhaps it is not a good idea to let him take out a real combat without any preparation like this.
Perhaps Maito-san knew it better than anyone else, so he rebuked Saryuu with an unusually strong tone.

“Saryuu-sama. This is a real struggle of life and death. This is neither a morning exercise nor a game. Could you understand this, please?”
“…U-Understood.”
“Instead, you shouldn’t avert your eyes. Look, and please remember the swordsmanship. It will surely be a power that you can use in a practical battle.”
“…Yes.”

In response to Maito-san’s words, Saryuu firmly nodded and took an imposing stance at that spot. That’s right, he is someone who will someday become Shiiya family’s successor, so surely he has to remember this kind of a thing.
If that’s the case, then the same goes for me.
After all, I will become the bride of Taiga-san, who is the head of the Shikino family.
My legs are trembling. I think that it’s too late for me to be scared at this point. However, I have to properly watch this.

“…Taiga…san.”
“Seiren-sama?”
“I also won’t avert my eyes. Since it’s something that I have to see, then please, feel free to do it without any restrain.”
“…Yes. I will protect you.”

Taiga-san looked at me like he was surprised for a moment, but then he slowly nodded.
He went around me and turned on my back, and then he pulled out the sword that was on his waist from its scabbard. It isn’t a wooden sword that he used at the morning practice with Saryuu, but it was a tough and thick metal sword that shone brightly.
Noticing that, Leo-san tilted his head in a wonder.

“Is that fine?”
“Maybe I will still have to see it someday, after all.”
“Fine. If anything happens, I’ll back you up.”

I wonder it is to back up? Soon after he asked, Leo-san laughed scornfully as he looked out over the black-clothed people once more. This person is not thinking of saying something like, “Thanks for not moving up until now,” right?

“Look forward to it, every rebel. Let me tell you how foolish you are.”
“The head of the Shikino family, Taiga. Come and go!”

At the same time as Taiga-san’s name was mentioned, everyone except Saryuu and I began to move.

“Barrier, full power!!”

From Oriza-san’s palm, a dazzling wall of light was powerfully spread out. Eh, it’s covering Saryuu and I, huh? Certainly, if it’s like this, everyone can be more focused at their battle. Perhaps.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

Then, from that side, Alica-san and Minoa-san jumped out at the same time. Minoa-san clenched her fists, while Alica-san took out a long pole from who-knows-where… Not that, it seems to be a spear that has been prepared in advance.

“Ha!!”

Minoa-san slipped in front of the black-clothed person who dodged and passed under the spear that Alica-san waved. After the fist hit the opponent’s waist that caused them to be blown off with one blow, the spear returned with one rotation and its pointed end pierced the opponent’s abdomen.
Then, another black-clothed person jumped in as they targeted Alica-san whose movement stopped for a moment after the spear pierced her opponent. However, before the knife that they raised overhead could touch her, another small-sized knife pierced their body.

“Now, let me return the favor first.”

As Leo-san cracked the joke, his slender sword spun around and sliced another black-clothed person. This scene looked like a shooting session of a historical drama. With a smooth movement, I can’t really comprehend whether it’s still the reality or not. But since I can see blood scattering about, at the very least, this doesn’t feel like a drama.

“Kanna.”
“Yess!!”

Tokino-san nimbly pushed out the long pole—that I don’t know just where she got it from—many times over. Along with the noise it made, each stab properly stuck the black-clothed person’s leg or abdomen, or other area. Here I thought that the black-clothed people moved quite fast, but it seemed that Tokino-san’s pole movement was ahead of their movements.
Kanna-san whose name was called by Tokino-san then agilely jumped underneath the black-clothed person whose movement was stopped by the pole and circled her arms on their neck. Then, she wrung it sideways. As Kanna-san let go of the black-clothed person, they collapsed just like that, and probably…
Maki-san ran and targeted the throat of the black-clothed person from beneath, as if she was scooping with the katana that she held in the opposite direction with both of her hands. Whoa, I saw how it directly went through them.

“Seiren-sama.”
“I-I’m fine.”

That was the best answer I could say in response to Taiga-san who was guarding my back.
This world isn’t the world where I grew up until I turned 18.
It is a world where kings and feudal lords exist, where swords and magic are practiced. As expected, there doesn’t seem to exist something like monsters, but this is such kind of a world.
Even I had my life being aimed at and targeted. Everyone only fought back.
Even after this, it will always remain a world where I can’t say that such things won’t happen.
That’s why…

“If you’re not used to it, then it’s better for you not to watch it.”

The moment Maito-san’s sword stabbed into one of the black-clothed people, I was suddenly blindfolded by a slighly rough hand. The voice that I heard just now was Saya-san’s voice. Behind that, I also heard a voice like, “Gugeeh!”, but I wonder who was it?

“B-but…”
“Please close your eyelids. For you to be dragged into this kind of a place, it’s all due to us servants’ failure. Originally, Seiren-sama wasn’t supposed to witness such bloody scene at all.”

As Saya-san continued to cover my eyes, she also took someone’s hand. The hand that was linked together to mine, perhaps it was Saryuu’s hand.

“Saryuu-sama. I’ll be relying on you for that (reassuring Seiren by holding her hand).”
“Yes, I understand. I’m also relying on you, Saya.”

Saryuu probably nodded, and then he grasped my hand tightly.
That’s how I was only able to hear the sounds after this.
Sounds of fierce footsteps and the sound of metals clashing. Someone’s rough breathing, and the moment their breathing stopped.
The sound of meat being stabbed, and the dull sound of the edge of a sword or knife.
Soundless shriek full of death agony.

“Fubuki.”

I opened my eyes when Taiga-san called her name.
The scent of blood was hanging in the surrounding’s air, and here and there, there were black-clothed people scattered about. If this were to happen in a broad daylight, I might be able to see the scene more clearly, for example their dying faces or the flowing blood, but since it’s night time right now, I can’t really see everything clearly. After all, it’s not like the surroundings could be illuminated brightly just like in the broad daylight with only the help of the light that I assumed to be produced by a magical torch.
Amidst everything, the only remaining black-clothed person was facing Taiga-san. Obviously, it was Fubuki-san. The maids and Leo-san and the others have already stored their weapons back, and everyone is standing in such a way that they’re encircling the two of them.

“You don’t have any intention of surrendering, do you?”
“Absolutely not. For the sake of the previous family head—for the sake of Touya-sama, I’m going to have Taiga-sama come to your end here.”
“Then, I also won’t pull back my sword. You’d better be prepared.”
“Here I go!”

As if signaling something, Fubuki-san kicked the ground. She put the knife that she grasped with an underhand grip in front of her chest as she went to thrust it into Taiga-san’s bust.
Against that Fubuki-san, Taiga-san had already been waiting with his sword half-raised in the air. Then, he dodged the approaching Fubuki-san just by sliding sideways for a slight degree as he caught the knife with the base of the sword that he raised overhead.
Soon after I heard a hard sound unpleasant to the ears, I heard the sound of meat being sliced following.

“…Oof!”

As she vomited blood, Fubuki-san slowly collapsed. Taiga-san’s sword which caught the knife was pushed forward just like that as it cut off Fubuki-san’s nape of the neck.

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