Chapter 20
“….”
In the dim room,
Lydia awoke from her sleep.
Her clothes were the same camisole pajamas she’d been wearing when she went to sleep. She’d woken not in the Library of Memories, but in her actual dormitory suite.
When she glanced toward the window,
dawn hadn’t broken yet.
The maid, Mirian, seemed to have gone out on another mission.
‘I hope she can spot any suspicious signs among the people under surveillance.’
Mirian was probably reminiscing about her ‘old days’ and playing out some undercover-spy action fantasy. She was forty this year, but Lydia could still picture her moving with ease.
Like a snake,
wearing a tight-fitting leather suit.
Wriggle, wriggle….
And Mirian gave a seductive wink.
-Hehe, this takes me back♡
“?!”
Lydia abruptly stopped imagining it.
Goosebumps rose all over her arms.
She felt guilty, as if she’d barged into her parents’ bedroom.
“….”
‘Well, Mirian says she’s still in her prime, but… seeing someone like my mother move around like a sexy spy in a movie is a bit….’
Before she could feel any more awkward, Lydia hurriedly focused and sensed Morgan’s presence. A faint sound came from the magic laboratory beyond the thick wall.
-Kuuu… snore.
It was Morgan’s soft snoring. She’d been restless until late because of the unfamiliar surroundings, and had only fallen asleep once it got quite late.
-Mmm, Lydia….
What a cheeky little brat. Cute, though.
She’s always so snippy during the day.
“….”
Lydia smiled faintly and decided on her plan for the day.
‘Morgan must be tired from moving yesterday, so I should let her sleep. If I go out and warm up first, Arti and the others will probably show up soon. We can have breakfast together after we get back.’
Lydia got out of bed.
Then she made the bed. She felt at ease when she pulled the blanket taut on both sides and smoothed it without a single wrinkle.
After his discharge from the military,
it had become Lee Dae-yoon’s habit.
Whap!
“…Mm.”
Lydia finished making the bed and looked around.
The dormitory suite was lavish.
As befitted a luxurious facility built as a separate residence for royalty in each department, the spacious interior was filled with ornate decorations and paintings. Most depicted the myths of Lua, the Sun God, and the life of Arien, the Hero.
They had all been provided by Arien Academy.
‘…Thanks to that, even though the belongings I brought are shabby, the empty spaces don’t stand out. The decorations look a little like an amusement park, but it’s better than nothing.’
Lydia didn’t own much.
It all fit in the luggage compartment of a single carriage.
A row of longswords and other weapons against one wall, the clothes in her wardrobe, and even a few books used as academy textbooks. She’d heard that was a pretty modest amount of luggage for a noblewoman.
‘Most people apparently rent up to three carriages. High-ranking nobles use five, including the servants who attend them and the maids who keep them company.’
“….”
Well…
Minimalism was nice, too.
It was hard to get rid of things once they piled up.
‘I understand even less the people who bring piles of heavy makeup and dresses they’ll never wear to the academy. Everyone gets the beautiful-girl filter anyway, so they’re all pretty on average.’
Students ought to study, honestly….
Lydia thought like a nagging old-timer as she quickly stripped off her pajamas. Even in the dark, her white curves stood out clearly.
Swish—
Then she put on the women’s underwear and tight-fitting top she’d folded on the floor. Over them, she added another layer, a loose-fitting training uniform.
She had to wear all three layers,
to smooth out her unruly silhouette.
“….”
But the clothes still didn’t hang right.
‘This is a world where women’s underwear and textile technology have advanced, but sports bras and sportswear don’t exist?’
The academy training uniform looked baggy and clumsy if the wearer had a large chest and hips. It was like wearing a tent. At this rate, she might as well go around naked.
A princess’s naked body would at least be elegant.
‘…If I went out naked, everyone else would be in an uproar, even if I wasn’t. I’ll just have to dress like this.’
Like an awkward uniform on a new recruit.
She hated looking so disheveled.
Lydia clicked her tongue softly.
“Tsk.”
She didn’t mind people staring because of her figure.
It was strange that people didn’t make a fuss over her even with these(?) attached. No matter how much she covered up, they still swayed. She might as well walk around confidently.
That didn’t mean she wanted to dress like some awkward fool, either.
‘If I’m going to look neat, I should be completely neat. Whatever the clothes, I should wear them in a way that suits the cut.’
That was Lydia’s personal fashion philosophy.
Right now, she wanted to dress like a swordswoman.
So she tucked the hem of her training top into her pants and fastened a leather belt. She also used ties to straighten out the wrinkles in her clothes. Only after tying up her hair did she finally look like a swordswoman.
“Hmm.”
It was better than the foolish look from before.
The curves were still a little too pronounced, but she could live with that.
Lydia was satisfied.
“Phew, good.”
Just like with a suit…
She was satisfied only when her training clothes had a proper fit, too.
‘It feels wrong to complain when I’ve taken over the body of the incompetent princess without permission. But if her chest were a more moderate size, it’d be easier to cover up. Her waist is so narrow that she can only wear certain kinds of dresses, too.’
But aside from appearances,
the princess’s body wasn’t especially inconvenient.
In truth, that was thanks to Lydia’s efforts.
She’d already learned how to compensate for her swaying chest and slender center of gravity using the movements of ‘female swordswomen’ that Mirian had taught her. On top of that, she had the bodily control unique to a Sword Master.
‘After reaching Sword Master, even my bodily functions and hormone levels stabilized. My senses and strength have gotten incredibly powerful, too….’
Thanks to that, the only thing she had to worry about
was keeping her appearance neat.
Lydia adjusted her clothes and stood in front of the mirror.
“….”
Neat.
Like a swordswoman.
“…Heh.”
‘That’s more like it.’
After admiring her neat appearance with satisfaction,
Lydia headed out to the clearing where she always trained. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to leave a note in front of Morgan’s room saying, ‘I’m heading out.’
*
Two months had passed since the entrance ceremony.
The clearing was no longer cold at dawn. A warm breeze blew, gently stirring the fresh green trees.
As always, Aria stood beside a boulder.
“….”
Morgan, the unfamiliar girl who’d made Aria feel awkward and wary these past few days, didn’t come out today. So Aria was able to stand a little more comfortably.
‘She ignores me when I talk to her and only talks to Lydia, so she scared me a little. She always seems to be reading a book, so she must be very wise and well-read….’
Her thoughts were interrupted by the voices of a boy and a girl.
-Arti, give it a try.
-Hnnngh!
“!”
Aria lifted her head again.
In the clearing up ahead, the princess and the hero were practicing their techniques together for the first time in a while. Mave stood a good distance away, moving her sword slowly with her eyes closed.
Aria focused on the hero.
The princess stood in front of the hero with her arms crossed. The hero drew the blue Sacred Sword, Danan, and panted.
“Not yet?”
“I-I just can’t figure it out. Lydia, am I doing this right?”
“Yes. And don’t focus on your Mana Heart; focus on your wrist. Picture a blue wave shooting from the Sacred Sword’s crest in your right hand into your palm.”
“Nngh!”
The hero concentrated.
Lydia spoke.
“You still don’t feel something connecting?”
“No….”
“Hmm….”
“But is it really possible? That I can pass healing energy on to others?”
“It is.”
At Lydia’s firm declaration,
Arti scratched his head.
“No, I mean, even if it’s the Sacred Sword… being able to pass healing energy on to others….”
“The Hero Arien did it in the past, too.”
“How do you know that?”
“It was written in the royal palace library. It contains all the knowledge and legends that would be troublesome if they spread among commoners.”
“Why would it be troublesome if people found out the Hero Arien used healing powers…?”
“…Who knows? What matters is that you learn how to use that power now.”
“…Yes.”
In the end, Lydia didn’t answer.
But Aria knew why. So she looked a little sad.
‘…Healing power is considered the domain of priests, after all. They can’t let the legendary stories about the hero spread and weaken the authority of the One God Faith.’
Just like the current church, which denied Arti.
The church of the past had also controlled rumors about the ‘Hero Arien’ to keep them from undermining its authority. They had cut away everything about his abilities except his martial prowess and compiled it into <The Chronicles of the Hero Arien>.
Lydia had kept that fact more or less hidden.
“….”
For no other reason than Aria.
She didn’t want to give Arti a bad impression of the church. More than that, she wanted him to see only the good side of the Saintess….
So she didn’t tell him.
Aria could feel that consideration.
“….”
She was grateful.
But….
Now, embarrassment outweighed gratitude.
Aria was ashamed of herself.
‘How long am I going to keep relying on Lydia? I couldn’t persuade Cardinal Albert, or even my seniors in the Department of Divinity.’
When it came to helping the hero master the Sacred Sword,
how long was she going to rely on others for help?
When would she….
Be able to make the people of the Holy Theocracy and the One God Faith recognize Arti as the true hero?
“….”
Aria didn’t know.
So she kept her mouth shut.
‘For now, at least… it’s enough that I’m slowly growing closer to the hero and that he needs me.’
Unlike Lydia, who seemed to know everything, she knew nothing. Just being able to stay by his side was enough to overwhelm her.
Before the princess shining with golden light, the Saintess was merely a backdrop.
When she realized that anew,
a little ache stirred in her heart.
“….”
It wasn’t a murky swamp….
It was a faintly painful feeling, like a thorn.
“….”
Aria placed a hand over her chest.
‘What is this feeling? It’s like the warmth I feel for the hero, my gratitude toward my friend Lydia, and her radiant appearance are all mixed together….’
Prickle—
“Phew….”
At that moment,
a boy’s cheer rang out beside her.
“O-oh?! It worked! I did it—!”
“Heh, you figured it out in a way that suits you.”
Arti raised his hand, which flashed blue, and swung it at Mave. A blue, stream-like energy shot from his hand, shining with a refreshing light.
Fwoosh—!
The light struck Mave directly.
It sounded like clear water splashing.
Splaaash!
Mave, who’d had her eyes closed as she refined her sword path, shrieked at the refreshing energy that suddenly washed over her. It felt as if someone had poured clear well water into her heart.
“Kyaaaah—?!”
“Hahaha! It worked.”
“You rude country bumpkin! What did you do to me?!”
Arti shouted confidently.
“Now I can use healing, too!”
“W-what?! Healing spells are the exclusive domain of priests!”
“Haha! It’s all thanks to the power of the Sacred Sword, Danan.”
“Good heavens…. W-what kind of cheat is this?”
Mave looked at Lydia with a tearful expression. She shrugged and said,
“It’s fine. Compared with the power of real priests, it’s only a temporary measure. It just means Arti’s workload in the party has increased.”
“I-is that so?”
Arti heard that and smiled bitterly. Then he looked at Aria and called out,
“Well, that’s true, but it’s all thanks to you, Saintess!”
Aria tilted her head.
“?”
What could he mean?
I didn’t do anything….
Arti spoke as though he was prouder of her than anyone else. Then he raised his right hand, glowing blue.
“When I remembered how you’re always beside me, reciting healing spells, I got the hang of it right away. I’d have struggled for ages if I hadn’t seen you doing that.”
“….”
“I’m glad you’re by my side, Saintess.”
Lydia and Mave both chuckled at that remark.
“Honestly, country bumpkin. You’re being way too obvious.”
“Hehe….”
But.
Aria couldn’t answer him. She simply smiled quietly at him as always and nodded.
“…Well done, Hero.”
“Hahaha! Thank you!”
“….”
Aria was happy.
It was true that she was happy.
“….”
But.
Really.
Truly….
‘I didn’t do anything….’