Chapter 48: I Don't Need a Fiancé

The day of the match was approaching. Bianca is working hard on special training with Julia every day using the Magic Sword ‘Ensemble’. Currently, she can only create one clone with ‘Ensemble’. The duration isn’t that long either. If she’s going to win using this, it has to be a one-hit kill. It should be a finishing blow used at the crucial moment. If it’s revealed once, they’ll be on guard against it. The tournament bracket for the Squire Joint Match has already been notified to each participant. With Bianca‘s current ability, the only ones she can’t let her guard down against are Jean and his sister Cecil. I thought it might be tough if she faced those two before facing Gloria, but fortunately, those two are in a different block, so even if they win, they won’t face Bianca until the finals. In other words, Cecil and Jean will face each other before the finals, so one of them will drop out. However, if things go smoothly, she will face Gloria in the semi-finals. If she defeats Gloria and then defeats either Cecil or Jean in the finals, Bianca wins the tournament. But for Bianca, winning seems to be irrelevant. If she wins, it will be advantageous for joining the Knight Order, but she is already an apprentice knight of our le Philharmonie Ducal House. The benefits of winning are few. More importantly, defeating Gloria and showing that she is worthy of being my personal attendant is what matters, she said.

“Of course, I will aim for victory too. As an apprentice knight of the le Philharmonie Ducal House, I intend to do my very best.”

What is with this girl… Being serious is good, but she’s inflexible, or stubborn. If you ruin your health before the match, it’s all for nothing, you know? When I warned her of that,

“It’s fine. There’s Estelle‘s recovery magic.”

She replied. That’s not the point though… My personal attendant is turning into a muscle-brain… This calls for drastic measures; I have to make her rest the day before the match even if I have to order it.

“A joint match, huh. Maybe I’ll go watch too.”

On our terrace overlooking the training ground, Elliott casually stated such a thing while munching on cookies—pori pori.

“Oh my, Your Highness the Crown Prince has quite a lot of free time, doesn’t he?” “Rather than free time, it’s lonely being the only one left out, isn’t it?” “Left out? That’s… saying we’re ‘companions’ with His Highness the Crown Prince is presumptuous. We are liege and vassal. If you come to the match, everyone will be intimidated.”

I ignored the exchange between Estelle and Elliott in front of me with a spirit of indifference. She’s implicitly saying ‘Don’t come’, isn’t she. Elliott doesn’t seem to notice though. Because he’s dense. Jean is Elliott‘s personal attendant, so it wouldn’t be strange for his master to come, though.

“However, it’s amazing you actually obtained a Magic Sword from the master smith Balkblay. Even the Royal Family only has a few.” “Ah, the ones said to be used by the First Emperor?” “Yes. Magic Swords passed down to successive Kings.”

In other words, a Magic Sword that will eventually be passed down to Elliott. It didn’t appear in the game. Maybe because Elliott obtains the stronger [Holy Sword] instead.

“Come to think of it, is Jean allowed to use the Magic Sword in the match?”

Has his control of the problematic [Gift] improved? If he still gets burned, I don’t think the Grand Master will grant permission.

“It seems he’s become able to do it to some extent. However, that is a skill of Jean‘s [Gift], [Flame Sword], and not that he has become able to fully manipulate the power of the Magic Sword.”

Well, that’s true. Even Jean ten years later in the game got burned many times and struggled to draw out the Magic Sword’s power. Thanks also to Estelle‘s devoted recovery magic, Jean succeeded in mastering the Magic Sword and defeated the slasher knight. I glance at Estelle.

“Lady Sakuraile? Is something wrong?” “Nope, nothing.”

For now, Estelle seems completely uninterested in Jean. It seems unlikely she’ll enter the Jean route, but… But if the Magic Sword ‘Discord’ takes Gloria‘s life, and eventually passes to the slasher knight’s hand, a flag for the Jean route might suddenly rise ten years later. My fate in the Jean route is twofold: being munched on by my own summoned beast summoned with [Beast Demon Summoning], or being defeated and arrested by Bianca, the villainess of the Jean route who had a change of heart. Currently, I don’t have [Beast Demon Summoning], and I haven’t done anything bad so no arrest… I think. Well, as long as my destruction event doesn’t happen, I don’t mind who Estelle ends up with. No, of course as a friend, I don’t want her to end up with an irresponsible man. In that sense, I think Elliott is a promising candidate. I don’t know why, but Estelle seems more hostile toward him.

“Speaking of which, has Elliott‘s fiancée been decided?” “What is it, out of the blue… Not yet. A lot has happened recently, so it wasn’t the time for that.”

Still undecided. It’s a decision to determine the future mother of the nation, so I understand it can’t be decided easily, but if you don’t hurry, there won’t be anyone left, you know? Probably, he was rejected by Luca and Tifa, the Princesses of the Prelude Kingdom and the Minuet Queendom. The proposal for engagement was likely proceeding behind the scenes, and Elliott probably wasn’t informed. It would look bad externally if the Crown Prince was rejected, and Elliott would probably be shocked too. Perhaps sensing that, Estelle‘s gaze toward Elliott also contains somewhat of pity.

“Well, you’ll find someone good eventually. Probably.” “Yes, if Your Highness is lucky, definitely. Probably.” “…Why am I being encouraged?”

Elliott looked puzzled at Estelle‘s and my subtle encouragement.

“What about Sakuraile rather than me? I heard from Uncle that piles of engagement proposals are coming from noble houses everywhere.” “Is, is that true, Lady Sakuraile!?”

At Elliott‘s words, for some reason Estelle raised a shout in surprise. Huh? Didn’t I say? Since that incident of defeating the Dark Dragon, we certainly have received piles of such talks. That said, since we are a Ducal House, none have come from lower nobles of Viscount rank and below. A high-ranking noble without a fiancé yet, and furthermore the ‘Princess of the Holy Sword’ who saved the country. It was no wonder nobles full of ulterior motives made their moves. Of course, Father is refusing all of them with a smile that makes the other party tremble in fear. He’s truly reliable.

“Right now, I don’t need something troublesome like a fiancé. There are various other things I have to do too…” “Things you have to do?” “Destructi… oops, study, and dance!? Also manners and such!?”

I hurriedly glossed over Elliott‘s question. Close call! I was about to say ‘I have to break destruction flags’! Actually, I did break the Elliott route destruction flag… Since I crushed the lovey-dovey True End for Elliott and Estelle by doing so, I inevitably feel guilty towards these two.

“Well, anyway, I don’t need a fiancé.” “Th-That’s right! You don’t need one!” “Hmm…?”

I don’t understand why Estelle looks happy. Does she want a companion without a fiancé?

“Hasn’t such talk come for Estelle?” “W-Who, me!? My family is a newly risen noble house that was just ennobled, so such talks haven’t come.”

I see, they haven’t come. However, Estelle can use healing magic ‘Gifts’. Officially, that’s how it is. In truth, it’s a much higher level ‘Gift’, but even without that, healing ‘Gift’ holders are few and valuable. If pressed by a high-ranking noble saying ‘Become my bride’ aiming for that healing magic, a newly risen Baron house might not be able to refuse.

“If you’re about to be forced into an unwanted marriage by some high-ranking noble, you’ll tell me properly, okay? My house will handle it.” “Yes. Thank you very much.”

I don’t think there are nobles who would do unreasonable things to a house connected to our Ducal House, but idiots exist everywhere. Especially among noble sons raised spoiled, there seem to be no decent ones. This is a story I heard from Arisa the maid and Tanya Celesta the guard. Fortunately, Elliott and Jean don’t seem to have been spoiled. Come to think of it, there was such a mob character in the game too. A stupid son of a Count house who approached the protagonist Estelle and spouted things like ‘Become my woman’. Well, he was just a character who got shouted down by a capture target protecting the protagonist Estelle and retreated slinking away. But being nobles, I think political marriages happen. Especially for Elliott, since the country could be swayed by his marriage partner, I want him to choose carefully. Thinking that way, you could say Elliott in the game stuck to his love. After all, the partner is a Baron’s daughter, a lower noble. Well, Estelle was a [Saintess], so I think the country had various intentions too. According to Father, voices saying ‘Make Sakuraile, the “Princess of the Holy Sword”, Elliott‘s fiancée’ are also rising here and there among the nobles.

“But I refuse.” “Eh? Refuse what?” “No, just talking to myself.”

Setting aside destruction flags and whatnot, I’ll pass on becoming a Queen. It’s troublesome. I’m a Ducal Lady in name only, raised in the slums. My previous life was also as a proper commoner. I’m not suited for high society in the first place. Still, the reason I am in this Ducal House is because of Father and Mother. Because those two love me, I can think about doing my best here. If those two were cold parents who saw their daughter only as a tool for political marriage, I would have undoubtedly run away from the Ducal House and returned to the slums. That’s why I want to be filial. For that, I need to break the destruction flags. Being exiled, falling into ruin, let alone dying—I won’t let it happen. I broke Elliott‘s. Next, I’ll break Jean‘s flag. I will break all destruction flags and aim for my own Good End.