Chapter 357 A Little Step
"What the heck is this?!"
When Sara stepped into the garden, she couldn't help but shout like a detective from a past life. For some reason, there were animal snow sculptures all over the front yard of Maiden's Tower, and Charlotte was playing happily with a golem.
"Hey, Unit No. 1, can you explain what's going on?"
"I was making snow sculptures at Charlotte's request."
As expected from a golem, the animals and monsters were recreated very faithfully.
"It looks like we could have a snow festival right here. But still, wasn't there not enough snow just for the garden?"
"I collected snow from inside Grandchester Castle!"
"Hey, is it possible that Magi is enjoying this?"
"I don't know if it's fun, but it's good to have many things to do. Plus, Charlotte is really happy, so from a Magi perspective, it's satisfying. I hope the guests who can't leave their rooms due to illness can enjoy it too, since it's visible from the guest room."
"I see. That might be nice. Thank you."
Sara stared closely at the big bear made of snow.
"It's really well done."
"Thank you very much."
"Since it's too good to waste, let's let the children of the servants working in Grandchester Castle play with it during the day."
"In that case, can I make some playground equipment for the kids over there in that wide area?"
The golem pointed to a large open space beyond the garden. It used to be a storage area for materials, and now part of it was being used as Sara's training ground.
"That's fine, but make sure to keep my sword training area clear."
"Understood."
While the golem was busy making playground equipment out of snow, Sara was practicing with her twin swords alone. This time, she was using a rapier and a main gauche, but on some days, she trained with daggers in both hands. In either case, she held weapons in both hands and didn't use a shield.
Then Scott arrived, riding Dimna. When Scott dismounted, Unit No. 2 eagerly approached, took the reins of Dimna, and led her to the stable.
"Hey, Sara. You're training even in this snow, huh?"
"Hi, Scott. How are Blaze and Mister Thomas doing?"
"Thanks to Mr. Rihito's special medicine, they're both doing great. Blaze wanted to go outside, but Mr. Rihito hasn't given permission yet."
"You have to listen to the pharmacist."
"By the way, this place is really something."
"The Magi's fun just won't stop. I made a slide over there, so do you want to play together?"
"Maybe after we visit Adam. Also, I heard our relatives have been found."
"Yeah, Margaret and Milliam. They're the daughters of the former governor."
"They're the young ladies of the Viscount Radford family. I've met Margaret before."
In short, Scott came to confirm if they were really Margaret Grandchester.
"Both of them are patients with a fever. I'm not sure if it's okay to let you into the room where the girl is sleeping."
"Oh, I see. We need to be careful then."
"Also... Marg has cut her hair short."
"Wait, she did? Even though she's a girl?"
In this world, it's normal for women, even commoners, to have long hair. Some poor women sell their hair, but in those cases, it's common to wrap their whole head in cloth so that their hair isn't visible.
"I heard she dressed as a boy to survive in the slums."
"She must have gone through a lot."
"So, Scott, who told you to come here?"
"I guess Sara figured it out. It was my father."
"Sir Jeffrey is careful. I can understand that. But I think they are definitely the daughters of the Viscount Radford. Still, even if they weren't, I have no intention of sending them back to the slums."
"Hmm. Are we going to have more maidens around?"
"I quite like my side. I don't know about theirs. Besides, it seems we have a common enemy."
"Common enemy?"
"Yeah. The men who killed my father are the same ones who caused her mother's death. I will never forgive them."
Without realizing it, Sara was surrounded by a golden aura that was close to red. The magic leaking out wrapped around her body before it could become intimidating. Her silver hair swayed like a living creature.
"Wait, Sara. What do you mean Sir Arthur was killed? I heard he died in an accident."
"My father was called out by a merchant named Chizen and was attacked by bandits. There are suspicions that Chizen planned the attack. After my father died, Baron Raska tried to make my mom his mistress, and it seems Chizen is Raska's accomplice."
"I don't think Sara would say something careless, but is that information certain?"
"Apparently, when Raska got close to Mom, he leaked something. Mom wrote about it in a letter and gave it to Grandfather."
"So, Marquis Grandchester knows about it?"
"I think he's probably checking on it. Raska, who can't resist beautiful women, also had his eyes on Marg and Millie's mom. When Viscount Radford ran away due to embezzlement, Chizen approached the Mrs. Viscount and spread a false rumor that she would be punished too, then hid the lady and her daughters in Baron Raska's villa. The purpose is obvious."
"That's a really dirty trick. I understand why Sara is angry. But first, let's calm down and put that aura away. If someone untrained gets close to you now, I think they might faint."
"Ah, sorry."
In the next moment, Sara's aura disappeared as if nothing had happened.
"Sara is really skilled, isn't she? Normally, it's not that easy to release and hide an aura like that."
"When you have this aura while fighting, it makes the opponent hesitate, which is really useful."
"Yeah. I already understand that Sara can use an aura sword. They say that when you become a master, you can shoot the aura from the tip of the sword."
"I could do it too, but sending out the aura, or rather, the magic power itself, is not efficient. Magic is much better for using magic power and it activates faster."
"...I see. Thanks for ruining the secrets of sword masters out there. I think those people don't use magic, so they send out their magic power. I'll stop aiming for that."
"Of course. Scott can use magic, after all. Just watch."
Sara wrapped herself in an aura again in front of Scott and shot the aura from her rapier. The aura split the snow mountain (still unprocessed) in half vertically a few meters away.
"I think this is what it means to shoot an aura."
After putting away the aura, Sara used magic to restore the snow mountain to its original state. This time, she covered the sword itself with fire magic. To an onlooker, it looked like the sword was on fire.
"What's that?"
"I'm wrapping the sword in fire magic. The sword isn't actually burning; it's more like flames are surrounding it."
"I see."
Then, as if fighting an invisible enemy, Sara showed Scott the dual sword technique. The swords traced beautiful arcs, but imagining how much damage it would do if someone actually got hit by them sent a chill down Scott's spine.
"Knowing Sara, it's not just fire magic, right?"
"Of course not. I did this because it looks the coolest, but actually, using wind magic to keep the blade vibrating might be more deadly. I'm still researching whether I can prevent the vibrations from reaching my hands through the grip."
"I wonder how strong Sara will get. You don't seem to want us to protect you at all."
"I don't want to just be a princess who gets protected. I'm looking for a future partner who will fight alongside me."
"For a knight like me, that's pretty tough. Ever since I started training as a kid, I've thought that women should be protected."
"Oh? But Daniel fights alongside Sophia, right?"
"I think there was some conflict before that happened."
"Knights are such a hassle. Scott, you should just choose a cute princess you want to protect."
"Don't brush it off so easily. I'll do my best too."
"I'm feeling complicated. Scott feels like a little brother to me."
"Aren't I more like an older brother?"
"It's not about looks, it's about who they are inside. To me, both Scott and Blaze feel like cute little brothers."
"At least stop calling me 'cute.'."
"Come on, it's nice to be called cute just this once. The time when you can be a pretty boy is short."
"Coming from Sara, who could be a pretty girl forever, that's rich."
"Thanks to that, Uncle Edward says I'm a beauty fraud."
"Haha, it's true that Sara is a bit of a 'disappointing beauty'."
The moment Scott laughed, he felt like he was about to be crushed by a heavy mass of magical power. Sara floated in the air, surrounded by a golden aura, looking down at Scott with a smirk.
"Scott Grandchester, did you say something?"
"No, not at all."
Even though he was standing in the heavy snow, cold sweat dripped down Scott's back, and he struggled to keep from collapsing to his knees. He realized he had accidentally stepped on the tip of a dragon's tail and trembled with regret.
"Well, if it's nothing, that's fine."
Sara quickly extinguished her aura and landed on the snow, leaving Scott behind as she walked toward Maiden's Tower.
'This is bad, this is really scary. An immature dragon is just a disaster!'
This is a fair opinion to have.
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