28 Episode 28 Charlotte Clemelia (1/2)

--Charlotte Cremeria is the daughter of one of the most powerful military families in the kingdom.

She is twelve years old this year. She has long, milk-tea colored hair that is soft. Her sideburns reach down to her cheeks, and her small face is filled with so much radiance that her eyes are said to be filled with amber.

Her family is one of the most famous families that have created the historical kingdom style of fine swordsmanship, and her father is the general Perce Cremeria, a great nobleman who is in charge of the eastern frontier and leads the national army. He has a large territory in the east and a large mansion in the royal capital.

She has a wide range of interactions with other nobles, both high and low, and is the daughter of a good family that has nothing to complain about.

The daughter of a high class nobleman is a princess who is loved as a butterfly and a flower because of her good origin, but Charlotte's father insists that even a nobleman's princess must have a taste for swords, so she devotes part of her education to fine sword fighting.

Therefore, on this day, she was working on her sword skills.

The place was one of the several training grounds owned by House Clemellia in the capital. It is particularly large among the ones in the capital, frequented by the children of nobles, and is said to be of the highest quality.

The spacious room with many windows near the ceiling is bright and the sunlight hits the floor.

The room is bright and sunny, with several lighted windows near the ceiling, and many students are shouting enthusiastically, fighting and thrusting.

The man Charlotte is matching swords with is an older man, one of her father Perth's high school students.

He is muscular and broad-shouldered, giving the impression that he is standing in front of a stone wall.

Basically, he learns swords from his father (Parth) and brother (Wayne), but they have their own jobs and don't always have time for him. So, when they are not around, the best of the best will train you.

...... He would hold his wooden sword in one hand and thrust it out, concentrating half-heartedly.

The other person facing you does the same, opening his or her body sideways with the right half of his or her body forward, extending the reach of your thrust.

This is the basic stance of Royal Fine Swordsmanship.

The opponent is an adult. The difference in size between the two would normally make it impossible for him to win, but since he has set the conditions, there is no problem.

As I was gathering my breath and watching carefully for any sign of movement...

Suddenly, from a standstill, a thrust like a gale appears like a vision.

I followed it, which I had perceived a moment before the behavior occurred, and when I deviated from the trajectory, my opponent's thrust pierced the place where I had been with a moment's delay.

Taking advantage of this, he thrusts his wooden sword into his neck, and the older man admits defeat, saying, ”I am defeated.

It was a victory. With this, I got two out of five today.

...... I can see this ”tip” every time, but even when I do, my body often cannot catch up. This is when the opponent moves too fast for my body to catch up.

Therefore, even if I can see the opponent's movement, I often lose the game.

After a while, I was being evaluated by the older man about my movement, when I suddenly noticed a large presence.

It was my father, Perce Clemellia, who had entered the training area with a display of bravado.

The air in the hall became even tighter as he appeared with a sense of authority.

My father walked toward me while calling out to his students around him.

”Father.

”Char. You've been working hard today, haven't you?

Yes. Yes, I took two from Master Zell today.

When I told him the result of the match, he looked surprised.

”......!　So, you can beat Zell now?

Yes.

I bowed my head, trying to be polite.

The older man, who was playing with him, gave my father a series of praises in the form of a report. ”The princess is a genius,” he said. ”The princess is a genius.

When I was embarrassed by the praise, I turned my head and said, ”Well, the princess is a genius.

”Well, you look as if you are looking into the future.

”What?

The older man's sudden words made her shoulders jump.

You're looking into the future. Because that's exactly what he said.

They can't see through me. My heart beats loudly, even though it shouldn't.

It's because I feel a little guilty about that power. I wondered if it wasn't cheating to see the future like that. Isn't it not fair to use the foresight that only I can see to win the game? Such awareness exists in the back of my mind.

As I froze, my father squatted down and put his hands on my shoulders.

Then, from the same position, he looked at me with his dark gaze.

...... So you do have a natural disposition for swords.

Tenpin?

Yeah. Yeah. It's bigger than mine or Wayne's.

My father calls it a talent, not a vague source of power that cannot be summed up in words, but a definite ability. He said that it is a high quality given by the heavens, a natural destiny.

Those who are endowed with it say that they have powers that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The royalty of a great nation, the heroes who make a name for themselves on the battlefield. They all have tremendous natural talents. That's why they are in the position they are in now.

It seems that my father, my brother, and myself also have it.

Is this natural disposition the power to see the future? I'm not sure, but...

”Char. It is not evil to use all the power you have in order to win. In fact, not using your full strength and cutting corners is the worst thing you can do in a game.

”Is that so?

Yes, I think that was my own strength. But is it really okay to win like that? Is it really a victory of the sword to rely on a sense of divine revelation that seems to have come to you, even though the machine is yours? If you are going to compete for skill, shouldn't your initial point be the same as those around you?

If you accuse me of cheating...

Char. The complaint that comes out of it is just jealousy. It's just an excuse for losing. Everyone does everything in their power to win. Failing to do so is a bad thing.

My father saw through my inner anxiety and gave me a precise answer.

Remember that. Remember that.

”Yes.

I nodded in response to my father's commanding words. Was he allowed to do so? I don't know for sure, but I think my anxiety has been lifted a little.

Then, my father suddenly said.

”I can only feel, what about you?

”I can see.

I can see.　I can see. ...... Well, if it's you, you'll be the best swordsman in the kingdom.

You can see the complexity in my father's face when he said that. I got the impression that he could not be honestly pleased.

When I looked at him curiously, his expression returned to normal.

And you're not good enough to have such problems.