Chapter 100 – Let Me Correct Your Mistake


 

Translated by Erothur, hosted at Translation.CraneAnime.xyz. Support us!

 


 

 

Chapter 100 – Let Me Correct Your Mistake

 

Isabella has changed her dress into a set of battle armor.

It is colored in steel silver which is less showy but there are intricate ornaments decorating it here and there. It is clearly an armor designed for women but not like ‘that’ usual skimpy women’s armor that Renya knows which has a high degree of skin exposure.

It is not a big and bulky armor that would cover the entire body with steel plates. If he had to explain the armor, it is designed to give perfect protection to the weak spots while trying not to hinder its wearer’s movement so they can move around in a light and agile manner. There is minor skin exposure because Isabella also wears inner armor as well. Renya could feel magical power from the inner armor so he concluded that its defensive power should be higher than other ordinary leather. In exchange for the perfect battle support, it lacks visual appeal.

The armor itself could not be called fashionable in any sense. Renya could spot some nips and chips on the armor. It seems that it has accompanied Isabella for some time. This armor is not a useless decoration for this famous war princess.

The pair of a sword and a shield in her hands are also in a similar situation just like her armor. Those are also not some decorations as there are signs of wear and tear that could not be hidden even after they receive proper maintenance. Her equipment is really not something a whimsical person or show-off could possess.

Moreover, the equipment seems to be perfectly combined with her and it makes the figure of her battle stance even more intimidating than before. For someone her age to be able to exude the air of an expert to this degree, Renya concludes that Ishuteria’s blessing won’t be enough. She must also be blessed with a natural talent for martial arts and persistence to keep on progressing. Renya honestly admires this willful princess.

She does not turn arrogant from her talent. She keeps working hard towards her goal instead.

 

“Are you okay not wearing any armor? Just to make sure, I also added blade dulling magic to my weapon but it would still hurt a lot if you got hit, you know?”

“You should not be worried about the opponent that you are about to face but I have no problem here, thank you. I plow my way through with just this single sword even in the recent war”

 

He didn’t even have any chances to use his sword directly but it was not strictly a lie so Renya just goes on his way.

He just stands there while holding his sword in his right hand. He is in a natural stance with his sword just hanging by the side. Looking careless at a glance? He doesn’t even seem to have any courage to fight with that stance that could not even be called a stance. Naturally, Isabella’s expression turns sour after seeing this.

 

“…… What a scary person. Your stance seems to be very weak but I can’t feel any gap at all”

“Even just understanding that shows that you are someone with real skill”

“But if you think that I will withdraw because of that then I would tell you that you are wrong”

“If you want to withdraw then so be it, I don’t really care —- All I need to do is to sever that timid nature in one slash”

 

Facing a moment of Renya’s killing intent, Isabella feels like she is looking at the illusion of an endless abyss before her.

 

“Are you both ready? Then let’s get it on!”

 

But disturbing them is the female referee that finds them both to be ready and immediately gives them signals to start.

Isabella quickly reacts by raising her shield, which is a middle-sized kite shield, to fortify her stance but…

 

“I told you, right —- If you show me any sign of timidity, I will immediately sever it!”

 

Seemingly overpowered by Renya’s word, Isabella trusts her shield forward. No, rather than saying that Isabella herself moved, it is more correct to say that Isabella moved by her reflex as she feels that she is about to be swallowed whole by Renya’s killing intent.

And that move of course could not be considered as a defensive maneuver. The shield has no strength backing it so it gets easily blown off by the strike. The power behind the strike is about the same as a horse rider’s lance thrust when they are charging at full speed. Receiving such an overwhelming blow, Isabella, together with her shield, got blown back.

 

“Kuh!”

 

Even so, Isabella who wears a set of armor and wields a sword and shield combo which could not be considered as lightweight even if it is categorized as one managed to lightly return her fighting stance. She seems to possess a strength that is not matched with her natural flexible woman body which makes it seems that her equipment is weightless. Perhaps she either used body strengthening magic or it was a natural blessing that she got from Ishuteria. Renya continues to assess Isabella as he goes on with the sparring.

Isabella, who seems to get the wake-up call she needed from the first strike quickly fortifies her defense in preparation for the second and third strike that is about to come but Renya somehow just keeps on standing where he was before.

 

“I feel that not letting the challenger get the first strike is a little boorish. Come at me. If you still show me that unsightly way of fighting —- I will not give you another chance, princess”

“…… Guh!! What a show-off. Make sure you don’t regret that!”

 

Isabella seems to be provoked by Renya’s words but she still keeps a calm mind as she casts her favorite magic.

Magical runes started to appear in her sword, shield, and even her surroundings, and then her sword and shield became enveloped with a blueish magic light. But the feeling it gives is different from Rebecca’s enchant magic.

 

(…… Hm? I thought she would surely use strengthening type magic to her equipment but…… the feeling is weirdly different)

 

Even while he is mumbling to himself, Renya keeps standing still without moving.

He lost the initiative but he still has more in store for giving Isabella a chance to attack.

As someone being challenged, he has to keep the attitude of a champion.

 

“HAAA!”

 

At the moment Isabella kicks the ground to dash forward, a thunderous roar reverberates in the training ground. Isabella easily moves at the speed that no normal mortal could achieve and closes the distance to Renya in an instant.

 

“That girl, she converts magic power into a rushing motion”

“Fuha~, so she basically did a magic-powered rocket start, right~?”

 

Hearing Brenda’s explanation, Floria says some weird words that are hard for the native people to understand but it simply sums up what Isabella did.

The principle of the magic power manipulation of that move is to fill the body with magic power and use one’s own physical body to change the direction of where it would be released. It does not last for long but its instantaneous power burst is unmatched to other known spells. Of course, the instantaneous effect also comes with a bad cost-performance ratio when compared to normal body strengthening magic.

(Eros: It is basically Fate/Stay Night’s Saber’s mana burst technique)

But in reverse, body strengthening magic that is always on could be easily seen through especially its maximum output while Isabella’s rocket burst, with greater mastery for magic power manipulation, could have its output changed at any moment of time making it hard for the enemy to read the exact power of the spell and possibly trick them.

For a normal mortal to predict a chaotic movement where the speed and power could change at any time, it would be borderline impossible.

Of course, Ishuteria’s blessing might have a big influence in enabling Isabella to be able to normally use this bad performance spell.

Earth elements are strongly connected to the concept of regeneration, circulation, and the food chain. It is of course filled with life energy.

If a human were to be blessed with such energy then they would have a miraculous healing rate and close to infinite stamina. If you have a super recovery ability, would you care about wasting some of it?

In Isabella’s case, she has a super mana regeneration. Her regeneration speed is simply inhumane. Thanks to that super mana regeneration, she could stay in an advantageous spot even in short or long battles.

If she could grasp the timing of her recovery, she might be able to unleash large-scale magic that normally could only be cast once for a second time after pacing it out. The effect does not need to be explained more in short and long battles. There is no more troublesome opponent compared to a magic warrior who does not need to worry about her magic power consumption.

Using that special characteristic to the limit, Isabella, who converted her rushing speed into attack power, holds her sword and stab —- not, she sets her shield up and charges straight to Renya instead.

 

(Shield Bash!?)

 

Most people think of a shield as an armor to defend and protect. Of course, simply accepting attacks with shields is the most basic thing it can do. With more experience in handling a shield, one can stave off, deflect, and repel attacks. One can even protect their allies by taking a hit with the shield for them.

But most of the people forgot about 1 important thing.

If a shield was made with metal, then it should have quite a mass by itself.

Especially for a shield that can cover the whole person’s height like a tower shield, its overwhelming mass could simply turn it into a lethal weapon anytime.

The one that Isabella has is the medium-sized kite shield but she still can bash people’s heads with the shield surface and brain hemorrhaging would be the least of their concern. Depending on how one uses it, a shield could turn into a terrifying weapon that could display power no one could look down on.

Of course, trying to sound the enemy with a shield first rather than a sword is also an uncommon concept.

If Isabella is fighting some other normal opponent, they would definitely let their guard down by the surprise attack. But oh boy was she in for a treat.

 

“Na!?”

 

Renya uses the tip of his divine sword hilt to change the shield course while in reverse grip then flip the sword around into a forward grip to parry the following stab.

Isabella’s sword stops moving when it stabs the ground. She then forcefully slows down her forward rush, pulls back the sword that has been tilling the ground, and turns around to once again face Renya and dash forward again.

With her sword and shield not in the correct form, continuous breaking and charging which loosen her balance, and almost losing control of her magic power burst spell, she continues facing off her enemy.

 

(…… That is dangerous!!)

 

Of course, Renya would not let go of any gap that his opponent made.

He aims the divine sword into the abdomen area that is not completely covered by her armor. The power behind the strike was very strong and Isabella, who could not block the strike in time, got blown back by the momentum.

But Renya felt a sense of disparity with the feeling that he got from the strike. It was like he was hitting a thick metal plate. No matter how high that enchanted leather armor defense is, that hitting feeling is totally different from normal. Renya tilts his head in confusion.

 

(The only thing that I can think of is the magic power manipulation from before. The timing is close to impossible but if she managed to let out a burst of magic power in the form of a barrier in that exact moment she got hit then…… Whichever it was, the timing margin didn’t even reach 1 second. Half a second too soon or too late would instantly be the end of her and yet she still not hesitate to use that emergency evasion maneuver)

 

And Renya’s speculation proved to be true as Isabella quickly stands back up without any major injuries visible.

Renya never looks down on his opponent, especially someone with the title of the best in a kingdom like Isabella but it seems that her battle experience and ability are still far above his initial assessment. In regard to her lightning-fast decision-making and keen battle instinct, Renya decided to increase his power output by a bit more.

While Renya is deciding his moves, Isabella, on the other hand, does not get discouraged by the loss in the last confrontation. After one cycle of breathing, she once again charges ahead.

As the one fighting in the front, having a method to reach their max speed in just a brief moment will give them great advantages.

They can cut down their enemies before they could react or they could instantly turn defensive faster before the enemies’ attack could hit them. They simply have full control in battle.

With just that one factor, a simple melee confrontation does not look that simple anymore if one could just easily steal the initiative.

Following this logic, Isabella always tried to take the initiative in battle. Her sword and battle arts have been constantly refined with both daily training and actual battles making her sword reach a level that could not be ridiculed as just a pastime for a noble anymore.

But Isabella’s sword that could easily overwhelm all her enemies before is currently being handled easily by Renya’s sword.

She tried all the tricks she had from changing her attack tempo to keep speeding up her following attacks yet Renya showed no sign of being overwhelmed as he easily saw through her feint and received all her attacks without fail. In her heart, Isabella is honestly astonished.

It has been two years since the first time she had her first real battle.

Her fast blade could cut anything, her impregnable shield could block everything.

But it is a fact that the ability that has helped her to get through one crisis after another does not seem to be effective in this fight. A seed of doubt started to sprout inside Isabella’s heart.

The reactions of the female knights watching the spar also started to get cloudy.

They know that Isabella is not holding anything back as they have accompanied her in battle before. Even so, this mysterious wanderer could still continue to handle the princess’ relentless offense with ease.

This person seems to be worthy of the rumor about him, or perhaps, he might be even stronger than the rumor told.

Under the renewed recognition of the female knights in regard to Renya’s martial prowess, the spar that had extended to the 20th exchange abruptly stopped as the two fighters fall back to create some distance between them.

Isabella is someone fun to spar with and it’s been a while for Renya to find such an opponent.

Looking at this princess that has good potential, Renya fearlessly smiled.

In contrast, Isabella’s expression can’t be said to be good.

She does not seem to be exhausted or injured.

It is also not from being overwhelmed by her opponent.

The princess does not know the reason but she seems to be able to see something painful through Renya as she shows a bitter expression.

 

“…… Why?”

“N?”

“You have strength, wealth, and are even skilled at magic, yet why are you still being slovenly when it comes to women!?”

“…… To think that you would strongly criticize me in that part… I, indeed, can’t refute that, but……”

 

Against that 100% irrefutable opinion, Renya could only show a troubled expression.

He realized that it is because Brenda, who is the one who has the most probability of criticizing him for his womanizing way, turns out to be the first to fall which left him with no one to reprimand him like how Isabella did.

Isabella’s opinion should be universally accepted in this kingdom.

Even for Renya, if he is to follow his own Japanese origin custom, Isabella’s opinion is still the correct one.

But that is also the main reason why Renya had to reprimand her. With his sword, he has to clear all the clouds that cover her heart no matter what.

 

“But that person who owns the power, wealth, and skill should become a person of virtue. Princess, are you perhaps —- trying to push your own ideal to me?”

“No that……!”

“If I were to make these women accompanying me unhappy or worse, suffer, then I should indeed accept your opinion according to common sense. But you know what? —- I still have my pride as a man. Because I have already made an oath for myself to definitely not do anything that can make these women who have accepted my wilful self sad”

Even when he proudly said it, the content is indeed the worst. There is no doubt about that.

But even so, it is also a truth that Renya never did anything that would betray his own oath. It is the truth that the women surrounding him are showing a genuinely happy smile. It might sound contradictory to try to fulfill his own desire while also not forcing the women to accept it. Isabella could indeed sense a weird kindness in it.

Isabella isn’t that blind to not recognizing the fact.

But even if she could comprehend it, she could still not accept the word of the main offender himself. And Isabella, who does not want to accept Renya’s words, begins searching for words to rebut him.

 

“But……!”

“Even so —- you don’t wish a womanizer like me to have the moral rights to justify my own fault, is that it?”

“Ah……!”

“Which means that the princess would lose her reason to point your sword at me”

“………!”

 

With Renya’s clear declaration, Isabella is unable to find anything to rebut.

While Renya finally managed to see the thing that always burdened her from Isabella’s reaction.

 

“I have asked her majesty the queen about the reason why your highness would hate and be hostile toward someone like me. Even after knowing that, I would still like to ask you. Do you think that all the men living the lives that you do not agree with are totally evil?”

“………… But…… Even so!”

“You are not wrong. Indeed a womanizer would normally be seen as a troublesome person. But you know —- aren’t you confusing yourself as the person that should correct them because of your personal hatred for them?”

“I… I just……!!”

 

She is troubled, she is lost. She is wishing to find the answer so bad it’s disheveled her heart. Isabella’s trembling voice is like pointing that out.

She fortunately still has self-awareness about the matter. Renya returned to a natural stance from his combat stance and said the word that dealt the final blow to Isabella’s heart.

 

“You might see me as someone similar to that man who has influenced your friend’s life in such an extreme way. Even if that man didn’t appear in your life, as someone who often visited other kingdoms, you will still meet that kind man eventually. Harboring enmity and hatred toward them is a normal thing to do. I won’t criticize you for that but —- you should only point your anger towards the related person only”

“…… I don’t know where that man is. So how could I get my revenge on that man who might be doing the same thing again in god knows where…? In the first place —- I don’t even have the right to get angry……!”

“If you understand that much then it is all the more important to do as I said. It might sound like I am making excuses for myself but even if I were to somehow follow your word and turn a new leaf, it won’t fill the void in your heart. And if you were to meet another man with a similar condition like I am, you will once again be consumed in your unreasonable anger and get constantly tortured by your own helplessness”

“I am not……!”

“Your annoyance came from two things. Number one is a man who looks similar to the one that brings extreme influence to your friend. You will be reminded of your anger each time you meet one —- and at the same time, number two is against yourself that is powerless to help your friend at that time…… Isn’t that right?”

 

The man that becomes her friend’s biggest turning point in life. And to herself that could not stop her friend even when she held some suspicion toward the man.

 

“But from my point of view, I must say that your highness’ suffering and anguish are meaningless”

“What did you say!”

“Your friend had indeed gone and followed that man. She might have also experienced a lot of hardship and suffered from those. But what happened to her in the end? Did the friend that you met in that village was nothing but just a pitiable girl drowned in misfortune?”

“…… She was not. There was indeed a lot that happened to her but…… the expression that girl has when we say goodbye was……!”

 

Her friend might have walked upon a thorny road before reaching that point but the expression that the friend showed to Isabella was filled with bliss.

That is the undeniable truth.

 

“Someone like me might not be the most persuasive if I were to say this but as long as you are living, you can’t avoid encountering sadness and suffering. Your friend might also have suffered before she reached her happiness. Indeed if you managed to stop her in the past, she might still be able to live happily as a maid without experiencing any sadness and suffering”

 

There is indeed a chance for that to happen. If Isabella managed to dig that man’s dirt to stop her friend from leaving, the result might be different now. Because she has been mulling over that what if all the time, her helplessness started to torture Isabella’s mind. She is originally a disciplined person but her guilt drives her crooked.

 

“But even omitting all that I have said before —- no matter what the result is, it was all her personal choice”

 

Because you are living, you would also make mistakes.

Perhaps, Isabella and her friend might have made a mistake.

 

“Princess, your fault is actually being hell-bent on thinking that you are also responsible for not stopping your friend from what might or might not bring suffering to her. She has reached happiness after a lot of hardship might sound difficult to digest but —- that is actually not for you to be concerned about. She might have made the wrong choice and experienced hardship because of it but she still managed to achieve happiness in the end. And that is the end of it”

 

It was all the result of one person’s choice. Fortune and misfortune would always accompany them as long as they live their life.

And it is because she felt that it was her responsibility that she reacted extremely towards those kinds of men that could be categorized as the enemy of women, the enemy of her mother.

But here Renya comes and admonishes her that the feeling of self-condemnation that she had is actually meaningless. In other words, it is wrong for her to shoulder that guilt.

 

“That’s why, if you were to meet another womanizer again, you can just admonish them like what you have done to me. If you don’t have any personal resentment against them, then there’s a chance that they might listen to you. Or perhaps the women following that man might wake up from their naivety because of your word. That is if you don’t push your own sense of justice towards them”

 

After all, Renya could not guarantee that every man that has the same type as him would not bring misfortune to women, be it intentional or not. That is the fact.

All men who choose to become a player or womanizer should also be ready to receive such kind of candid advice.

Isabella has been listening to what Renya is saying. She has been showing a taken aback expression for a while but then she suddenly relaxed her expression and ask Renya:

 

“So you don’t have any intention to reform?”

“I yearn for everyone so I always bear it in my mind to always act appropriately to keep them happy. I don’t feel any need to rethink my way again”

“…… How confident you are”

“Of course, I could feel their love for me and my love for them”

“…… Can’t deny that. I can see that even if at a glance you look sloppy, you still managed to win their trust. So that kind of man also exist”

“I think that people like me are rarer than phoenix feather without a doubt. Also, I should say that it is actually I who got henpecked by everyone that made everything goes smooth”

“*Giggle* Oh you jest. aren’t you supposed to be the dominant one?”

“I am the monarch but it doesn’t mean that I am the one dictates. My wives are all very strong. If I am being too wilful, they will all scold me together”

“Is that so? Then all I have said to you before does not seem to be necessary then, I beg your pardon”

“Pardon granted. Please also forgive me if I were to offend you. It is not in my nature to scold someone”

 

Renya accepts Isabella’s apology while smiling wryly. Isabella could feel something clinging to her heart being chipped down and worn off completely.

It is because she could see that what he said was the truth.

Isabella never really knows which one she actually hated. Whether it is the womanizer or herself.

She never realizes that her hatred is basically wrong all along.

Because Renya pointed it out for her, she finally managed to think about it with a calm head.

 

(Well, I still don’t like flirty men though)

 

That is her personal preference so she could not do anything about it. But she no longer feels the need to hate and get angry at them.

She once again looks at the one who awakens her from her blind hatred and once again lifts up her sword and shield.

She still has enough energy. She could still continue the spar.

The man before her still shows a flippant attitude. He is definitely not the type of man that she is fond of.

But she could feel it, she could never win against him.

That’s why she would still want to continue sparring with him.

She wants to try facing this man with her all. With her sword, she feels like she could let out her most powerful attack ever now.

 

“Let’s conclude this”

“Ah, challenge accepted”

“Don’t hold back, okay?”

“…… Okay. Feel the vastness of the world to your heart content”

 

With his word as the cue, the princess knight charges forward.

She has left behind some burdens on her shoulder.

The princess’ sword and the war god’s divine armament intersect with each other for a moment and they switch their position with each other.

Isabella shows a satisfied smile as she falls.

The war god witnessed her falling figure with a warm smile.

 


 

Author Note:

We have reached the 100th chapter turning point.

For a wish fulfillment novel, it is still in the entrance level.

It might even already have branched away, who knows.

It is thanks to the reader that the author could keep up the motivation to write. For that, the author could only say thank you very much.
(Eros: Translator also wants to say thank you very much.)

 


 

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