Volume 2 - CH 6

“…What, exactly, do you mean by that?”

The blood in me seemed to freeze over, and yet I felt a strange heat began to fill my body; despite the shock of Melissa’s unexpected question, I was able to respond calmly.

…Not that it would bother me if anyone learned I wasn’t the ‘original’ Mylene. To everyone back at the Petyul estate, I was still ‘Mylene’, and even the old man couldn’t care less so long as he still benefitted from me being me.

For Colette and Albert, as far as they were concerned, the ‘current’ me was Mylene; they didn’t know Mylene until I had become her.

And considering what had happened in the history I remembered, I was sure they would prefer me over the ‘original’ Mylene.

I had no doubt that no one would find issue with the fact that I was Mylene. But even knowing that, to be questioned about something only I ever knew, by an unpredictable little girl whose existence I had only become aware of over the past month, shook me to my core.

“I mean exactly what I said. After all, the Mylene Petyul I know, the one I met back then, was a hopeless, lost cause of a girl.”

Melissa continued glaring at me, with a sharp sternness in her upturned eyes.

If we were in any other situation, I would have considered this sort of gesture quite cute, but as it was, since she had seen through me, I only felt discomfort from that gaze.

“When we met, she had not a trace of elegance in her behavior. She would fixate on every little problem she had with my hospitality. And she would complain about every little thing. That selfish girl only ever thought about herself. What a total idiot she was”

And then she suddenly began insulting ‘Mylene’.

It was exhausting to hear all of her complaints, but it seemed like she had been holding it all back until now. It really made me wonder about how bad their first meeting had been and what ‘Mylene’ might have said to her back then.

Hearing Melissa’s complaints now reminded me of when I’d first awoken in this body, when I’d learned about what ‘Mylene’ had been doing at the Petyul estate. It strange living with that sort of reputation without knowing what had been done; like slowly finding out about all the embarrassing things that had happened after a drunk night out.

After that had happened, Adan would always find a way to bring it up, to laugh at what I’d done… Ugh, I really didn’t want to remember any of it. I was already feeling embarrassed thinking about it.

But that was that, and this… Well, having lived in this body for some time now, I was already so used to hearing about Mylene’s ‘mistakes in her youth’ that hearing it now didn’t really bother me.

And yet, there was something compelling about what she was saying.

“…Which is why I can tell: you and ‘her’ are different people. And just so you know, anyone who knew the old Mylene Petyul — anyone that has met her before — would definitely notice as well.”

Her words now, more than ever before, left another chill in me; there was no doubting that anyone who knew ‘original’ Mylene would find the ‘current’ Mylene completely different.

“Are you suggesting that I am not Mylene? That I have somehow supplanted her as some sort of pretender?”

“I would not go so far. The proof that you are ‘Mylene’ is in that hair and your magical power — two undeniable gifts the Great Iltania bestowed upon you. Neither are traits that can be faked or copied, which is why I believe there must be another explanation for your change.”

The strength of her conviction must have been remarkable for her to have come to that conclusion. Still, it was impossible for me to gauge how much more she had guessed and how accurate it was, but…

“You make some strange assertions, ones for which I have no answer. Is that also the reason for your constant observation lately?”

It was a rather flimsy excuse that Melissa was only watching me because she had sensed that someone as important as the bearer of the Hair of Sulberia may have somehow changed.

Knowing how much she disliked Mylene, it seemed all too convenient of an excuse. After all, what kind of person would be willing to risk interacting with someone they hated just because that someone ‘might have changed’?

But looking at her now, Melissa didn’t look like she was about to say something like, “How dare you live so shamelessly! Have you forgotten what you’ve done?!” No; her gaze wasn’t one of unsettled resentment, but one of the steely determination to face an enemy to protect what’s important.

“…I need not explain myself to you. Not when I have no reason to trust you.”

But she wasn’t planning on explaining her circumstances.

It felt like I had the truth in my hands only to have it slip past my fingers like grains of sand; I almost clicked my tongue in annoyance out of reflex.

I caught myself in time, and instead took a deep breath to settle my thoughts before putting on a daring grin.

“Oh, is that right? If it is a matter of trust, then you should confirm for yourself, with your own eyes, whether I am worthy of yours.”

I couldn’t underestimate how much Melissa hated ‘Mylene’, so I had to take care with not going too far in antagonizing her. At worst, I would find myself back where I started with our relationship.

So I just had to show her, to let her see with her own eyes the difference between the ‘current’ Mylene and the ‘original’ Mylene.

“Worthy of trust? You? No, not yet. Not when the only thing I know for sure is that you are not ‘the girl I once knew’.

Melissa paused before turning away.

She looked up again a moment later, this time without a trace of fear on her face.

“…So do as you please. I will be watching you.”

She turned and began walking to the door, stopping at the exit to give me another cold glare.

With her eyes still on me, Melissa left the changing room.

So that was her game… She had explicitly separated us, referring to the past Mylene as ‘the girl I once knew’.

Her question earlier had unsettled me, but having calmed down since then, I was aware that it hadn’t actually been something I needed to worry about. Rather, there was now more that I needed to ask her.

After all, the fact that she could make such absurd statements and ask such strange questions meant there was information that only she could know.

Was that part of the whole ‘power of prophecy’ thing from Iltania? If it was the real thing, then that ‘god’ had yet another thing to answer for.

But I could worry about that later — right now, I was still short on time for afternoon classes.

I was able to learn a lot of useful things, but I also spent more time doing so than I had planned; it was looking more likely than ever that I was going to be late for class.

I resumed changing clothes, having been interrupted earlier. It was easy enough since all I had left to do was wearing the top properly after putting my arms through the sleeves.

Well, since I was almost certainly going to arrive late to class, I would just have to brace myself and apologize for it. Nonetheless, I shouldn’t be slow about it.

It was in times like these that I was thankful to have played the part of a model student. As I made peace with what was to come, I reached for the doorknob; before I could grab it, the knob turned on its own, and the door opened.

Behind the opening door… was none other than Melissa.

It had slipped my mind that if we were in the same classes, then our schedules would be the same too. So unless Melissa planned on skipping class, then she would also need time to get changed.

“…”

Her eyes were at the brink of tears, and her face burned red with embarrassment.

“I suppose I can… go on ahead and let the instructor know you will be a little late, Miss Melissa.”

“I apologize for asking this of you..”

Despite her natural timidity, Melissa, the Oracle with the power of prophecy, had courage disproportionate to her size — a kind of bravery that pushed her to confront the people she didn’t like for her own sake. Seeing how she faced me head-on earlier showed me that this girl really would grow up to become the same duchess who dared stand up to the tyrant Mylene. However…

Was I overestimating her? I let out a quiet sigh as I took one last look at the girl behind me, the so-called ‘Oracle’ whose distress made me feel foolish for wanting to be on guard against her.

As I left the room, I might have heard a soft voice of gratitude at my back.

◆

The afternoon class had already begun when I arrived.

I was let off after a warning to not repeat my tardiness after I apologized to the stern-faced instructor, and I began stretching to prepare for the training exercises.

This swordsmanship instructor of ours was actually famous for being strict, so it may have been because of my usual diligence and attitude in this class that I only received a warning compared to what would have happened to any other student in my situation.

Well, it probably helped that Albert and Colette spoke up for me as well.

“There you are, Miss Melissa. I was already told you would be coming in late. Is everything all right?”

To no surprise, Melissa was late as well.

But I already told the instructor ahead of time that Melissa was feeling unwell, to excuse her arrival.

She seemed taken back at the question but acknowledged it with a small nod.

“Good. There is no need to push yourself if you still feel unwell. If this happens again, please let me know ahead of time. I only ask that you do not overexert yourself.”

The instructor let her off pretty lightly as welll; it really was worth playing the part of a hard-worker, especially if God was ‘watching over me’… Well, that part I didn’t really care about, but it was clear that building a good reputation for myself could very well come in handy like this.

It looked like Melissa sighed in relief before she came over to monitor me as usual.

But this time, she came closer than ever before, far closer than the distance she had been keeping.

“Excuse me, Lady Mylene?”

Albert must have also noticed the difference, and he whispered in my ear.

Prior to this, Melissa had never been close enough to listen in on our conversations, but now she was close enough that we would have to whisper if we didn’t want her to hear what we talked about.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I was just wondering if something happened between yourself and Miss Melissa. She seems less reserved than she has before.”

Well, she was physically closer, but Albert was most likely wondering about our relationship.

I looked toward Melissa, but she quickly turned away before I could meet her eye.

“I suppose something did happen, but I had not expected it to go the way it did.”

“Oh? I would love to hear more. What could have happened that would have caused Miss Melissa to get this close.”

My answer was rather vague since it would have been annoying to fully explain, but Albert was strangely interested.

Well, I didn’t think it was an issue, and since he was the most worried among us about Melissa, I decided there shouldn’t be any problem with telling him the whole story now.

“Miss Melissa was peeking into the changing room as I was getting dressed earlier. One of the instructors came by and would have caught her, but I helped her out so she wouldn’t get in trouble.”

That was all I needed to explain.

Peeping was against the rules and all, which was why the instructor earlier was so cautious about finding the peeper he saw, but since Albert and Colette already knew Melissa was following me around, he should understand that she was just doing her usual observing.

“What did you say?!”

“Woah! What the he– please do not shout into my ear!”

Or I thought it would be fine, but…

Albert’s sudden yell caught me off-guard, and I almost reverted to my usual way of speaking to repimand him.

The panicking prince raised his voice out of panic, trembling.

“She peeped at you as you were g-getting ch-changed, Lady Mylene?! How dare she…”

His face turned bright red; was that from embarrassment or from anger? It was probably a mix of both. Really, his face was quite expressive, so ti was easy to read how he was feeling.

“Please calm yourself, Prince Albert. Miss Melissa is a girl, and you know just as well as I do that she was simply doing her usual observation. By chance, it happened to be at the changing rooms today.”

“B-but, but for Miss Melissa to go as far as peeping in on you as you were changing is..!”

“Prince Albert, please consider this: if her intentions were immoral, she could have come inside the changing room for a better and closer view. She never needed to watch from outside, from behind the door, so I believe that truly was never her intention.”

“Ugh..! I understand the logic behind it, but..!”

I hadn’t expected Albert to react this way, and I could feel the heaviness of a headache begin building up.

He’d been pretty docile lately, or so I thought; I didn’t know that strange illness of his would come out now of all times.

Well, I couldn’t say I didn’t feel at least a little bit of embarrassment from being peeped at while I was changing, but…

“She is right, Prince Albert; there is nothing to be worried about. After all, what is there to hide between two girls?”

“Th-that may be true, but…”

Colette suddenly appeared to provide support.

My eyes widened in surprise; for once, Colette was trying to calm Albert instead of getting a rise out of him…

“Of course I know best of all, since I watch Mylene as she changes every night in our room!”

“Wha– You… you were one of them too..!”

…No, I should have known better than to believe in Colette.

I was an idiot to believe for even a moment that this tyrant of a girl wouldn’t possibly take advantage of a situation that could get her what she wanted.

“Please calm yourself, Your Highness. You are attracting too much attention; see: the others are beginning to stare. Please find it in yourself to forgive Princess Colette.”

“It was just getting interesting too… I should have known Mylene would stop it.”

“Grr..! I will let that pass for now! But only because Lady Mylene said so!”

Or so he said, but he was obviously unhappy with having to leave things unsettled like this.

I needed to find a way to calm this idiot down.

“All right, that should be enough of a warm-up! Now, find someone to pair up with; today, we will be doing mock battles with one another!”

Just as things were about to get worse, the instructor called to the scattered class.

He was just in time; the agitated Albert and the agitating Colette would have no choice but to follow the instructor’s lesson plans.

But we’ll be pairing up to spar together today, huh…

“Mylene, let us pair up as usual.”

“Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

Whenever this happened, I usually paired up with Colette since she was the one closest to my level.

Or rather, Colette was the only one who could keep up with me.

Albert could only relucantly accept our pairing as he lamented his lack of ability.

“Miss Melissa, if you have not yet found a partner, would you like to pair up with me?”

But it seemed things were a little different today.

There seemed to be a glint in Albert’s eyes as he called out to Melissa… No, it was more like he was issuing a challenge.

“You want to pair up… with me, Your Highness? I-if that is what you want…”

On the other hand, Albert’s attitude confused Melissa.

Though she was addressing the prince of her home country, Melissa treated him with only the bare minimum of respect — in fact, it was more like she began radiating a “What the hell does this guy want?” kind of aura about her.

I had a feeling he wanted to get back at Melissa for having peeked at me changing, so this might have just been him taking his anger out on her.

“Oh? It seems things are getting quite interesting here.”

Albert had caught Colette’s attention, and she leaned forward with great interest as she rubbed her chin with one hand.

Really? Did this girl think this was some kind of joke? I wanted to sigh in exasperation over her enthusiasm…

…but I couldn’t say I wasn’t also interested in seeing how this would play out.

It hadn’t been long since he started actual combat training with me; he had mostly worked on self-improvement and mental training. What I wanted to know was, how far has he come since then?

But also…

“…”

Melissa took up a stance. In an instant, a thin, unbroken veil of magical power covered her entire body and weapon.

“…!”

“Oh?”

Albert widened his eyes in surprise while Colette gasped in admiration.

I expected no less; from what I could tell, I suspected Melissa was actually stronger than she let on.

That being said, I couldn’t say the same for her combat experience: her stance was amateurish, and she clearly wasn’t focused on the fight.

Still, there was no denying the amount of magical power she had nor her skill in using it.

“She seems familiar with using her magical power like that. I imagine she must use it quite often on a daily basis.”

From the way her magical power rolled off of her like a strong, gentle wave, it was clear she had been using it from a very young age.

“Do you mean like the training Prince Albert and I have been doing recently?”

“No, at least, not in the sense that she intended to engage in combat. In fact, rather than saying Miss Melissa must have continuously trained her magical power to get to this point, it is more accurate to say this is the result of her being used to the frequent usage of magic.”

“And that would explain why her stance is much sloppier in comparison. That does make sense.”

Colette had quite the discerning eye when it came to combat ability, so it wasn’t surprising to me that she saw through Melissa’s unease.

“So what do you think, Mylene?”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Between Prince Albert and Melissa, who do you think will win?”

Colette crossed her arms as she smirked with teasing provocation.

My answer should have been obvious, but I humored her silly question with a reply nonetheless.

“Prince Albert should win nine times out of ten. Miss Melissa may be superior to him in terms of magical power and control, but offensive magic is prohibited in our practice matches. Without that, His Highness has the advantage with his superior swordsmanship. Of course, nothing can be certain in a fight, but I would say Miss Melissa has almost no chance of victory here.”

“That was quite a detailed answer. And if it was a real fight? What then?”

“I cannot say for sure how much the odds would change, but I believe His Highness still holds the advantage. I believe Miss Melissa is actually much better suited to fighting in a group than singular combat.”

I answered immediately.

Melissa’s skill in using her magical power was quite impressive. It was the culmination of dedicated training and practice, honed to perfection and engraved as natural reflex. Compared to her, I have more magical power to draw from, but Melissa might very well be better at using magical power than I was.

But that was all it amounted to. And in one-versus-one fights, what mattered much more was combat experience… and physical ability. After all, how else could I, a magic-less, have made a name for myself as a mercenary otherwise?

…Not that the people of this era were yet aware.

“You may come at me whenever you are ready. Please do not hold back.”

“…Gladly, then.”

Well then, how would it turn out?

Despite having the opening strike, Melissa was cautiously observing her opponent; she was more skilled in using magical power, so it made sense that she would first measure up her opponent before making a move.

She was probably aware she had the advantage in magical power, but it seemed she was smart enough not to attack without first thinking over a plan.

Meanwhile, Albert, despite giving away the initiative, waved his rapier-like wooden sword through the air, as though tracing an invisible path. Staying in motion would keep his line-of-sight from narrowing, and he would be ready to intercept any incoming attack. And I quite liked the audacity he showed, acting the perfect gentleman to lure his enemy into range — not bad at all, if I do say so myself.

I couldn’t help but silently praise him. This may have been just a practice fight, but in live combat, you had to use everything you could if you wanted to survive. Seeing Albert having taken to heart the lessons those pompous nobles disdained, I found myself surprisingly satisfied.

And really, why wouldn’t I? Albert was my cute, lovable disciple after all.

For him to have followed my teachings so earnestly… It wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

So how would this fight turn out? Melissa was quite wary of Albert, while he was ready to respond to her attack. At best, she probably had a vague feeling that it would be difficult to press an attack, to say nothing of what she wasn’t paying attention to due to her lack of combat experience.

“Yah!”

Finally, Melissa, having run out of patience, made her move.

There was an explosive burst of magical power as she closed the distance to Albert in an instant.

I had a rough estimation of her ability, but I hadn’t expected her to be capable of this much. It seemed she used quite a lot of magical power for it.

However…

“So this is the power of the Oracle; I expected no less. Your magical power is quite impressive… But..!”

“…!”

Albert took the attack head-on, guiding the incoming wooden sword along his own before flicking it away like a stray projectile.

In terms of swordsmanship, Albert was undoubtedly superior to Melissa, and taking into consideration his experience in live combat, the skill gap widened even further.

And in a way, that was exactly what this battle was about: while a difference in magical power between combatants affected the outcome, what actually determined the victor was something else.

There was no doubting that with the amount of magical power she had at her disposal, Melissa’s attack was more like a blow from a war hammer than a swing from a wooden sword. However, if you already anticipated the attack, it was easy enough to avoid it — with enough magic, it was even possible to deflect it.

What actually determined the victor was the one with the better ‘eye’ for combat, one that could read the flow and timing in a fight.

With her attack repelled, Melissa was now unbalanced and wide open. She quickly tried to readjust, gathering magical power at her feet to take a great leap back.

That she was able to instantly pull off such a technique in the heat of an engagement was a testament to her skill in manipulating magical power; it impressed me once again how she used her magic as naturally as any other part of her body.

“…!”

Unfortunately for her, Albert already anticipated her evasive maneuver.

Melissa would have been able to recover with her advantage in speed, but that advantage meant nothing if Albert was already ahead of her, having predicted her move.

Albert swung his sword, and Melissa frantically tried to defend herself…

“Ah, ugh..!”

…but her tenuous position meant she could not block it, and she fell flat on her behind.

“Looks like victory is mine.”

“…It was my loss. I expected as much from you, Prince Albert.”

And like that, Albert claimed a decisive victory.

A dazed Melissa took his proffered hand, and that was when the students who had been watching their bout erupted in cheers.

It wasn’t too surprising. Though the fight had been a short exchange of blows, it was on a level far beyond the skills of these ordinary students.

They were novices, after all — novices that had just recently begun learning combat techniques. This fight would be difficult for them to follow.

“What a magnificent bout, Prince Albert. I must say, your eyesight is quite impressive indeed.”

“Thank you for your kind words, instructor.”

Our instructor, having watched the match, had come over with words of praise.

And Albert received them with subdued calm.

…I had considered him inexperienced this whole time, but after seeing this, I can see just how far he has come.

Well, he was still an amateur compared to me, but if he kept training up to adulthood, he would grow into a fine swordsman. At the very least, he would be able to defend himself, though that wasn’t something a prince should need.

“And Miss Melissa, your skill in magic also deserves praise. It was no less amazing how well you wielded such a tremendous amount of magic.”

Of course, it couldn’t have been an impressive bout with only one strong fighter, and the instructor went and praised Melissa as well, for demonstrating a level of ability almost on par with Albert’s.

“Unfortunately, Prince Albert had the upper hand with his swordsmanship, and that was what determined this fight. Students, take this lesson to heart: though magical power is the most important factor in battle, do not disregard your skill with your weapon! It is just as important, and I want you all to keep that in mind as you train and push yourselves to greater heights!”

What had decided the outcome of the bout between these two skilled fighters was the difference in their skill with the sword — or so the instructor concluded, as he clapped his hands and urged the students to resume training.

Seeing as the students had so enthusiastically watched the bout between Albert and Melissa, the instructor must have thought it was a good moment to throw in some motivational words.

I had gotten into a few fights back when I’d first come to the Academy, so I had a good idea of how strong my peers were. With that in mind, I suspected even third-year students would be incapable of demonstrating such a match, so I could understand why the instructor was so keen to explain the details of the fight to the students.

But his evaluation was worth maybe forty points; while it was correct of him to cite both swordsmanship and magical power as important factors in a fight, he missed what actually determined the victor of this bout: the ‘experience’ Albert had and the ‘flexibility’ to apply it.

I wouldn’t say the instructor’s words were wrong, but it was more correct to say that magical power and swordsmanship were the only factors in determining the victor in a ‘fair fight’.

But on a real battlefield, things were different. If you wanted to survive, it wasn’t about ‘having a fair fight’ — it was about ‘how to win’.

And while Albert hasn’t truly experienced a battlefield, the techniques I’ve trained him with were based on that kind of experience. It was no exaggeration to say I have been training him to the point of collapse from exhaustion from the very beginning, back when we were still at the Petyul estate.

I felt a surprising sense of satisfaction, seeing that the novice I trained from the ground up being praised for his skill.

“I must say, you have incomparable skill with your sword, Prince Albert. Might you tell us who it was that taught you?”

But as I savored my good mood, the instructor’s sudden question hit me in a weakspot, jolting me out of my reverie.

…That wasn’t something you should’ve asked about, dear teacher.

“I am glad you asked! Please listen carefully!”

There was no quieting Albert, no way to shut him up, once that question came out.

With practiced motion, Albert placed a hand on his chest and spoke in a loud and firm voice; there was no stopping him now.

“While I was taught the basics of swordplay by the royal instructors, there is but one person to whom I owe everything I know today: the brilliant and lovely Lady Mylene! Though it seems my skills have impressed you, instructor, I assure you that I am but a fledgling compared to how magnificent Lady Mylene is!”

Albert’s unmitigated praise left me taken aback, and I could feel the eyes of our classmates turn to stare at me.

“Oh? I always felt there was something different about her, but to think it was because she had been holding back this whole time…”

“Exactly! She is strong, beautiful, and flexible enough to handle anything! There is no one else like her in the entire kingdom — no, in the entire world! I, Albert, have been in love with Lady Mylene’s splendor! And though I am helplessly lacking before her greatness, I strive to improve myself that I may yet draw even the littlest bit closer to her magnificence!”

Albert was getting carried away now. Had we not been in class, like if we were somewhere more private, I would have gone and shut him up myself with a fist to his face… But I couldn’t, not if I wanted to preserve my image as a picture-perfect lady.

“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing that splendid technique of hers. She saved me from an upperclassman who was bullying me.”

“Are you saying she not only excels in academics but in martial arts as well? Amazing, Lady Mylene is amazing!”

The crowd of students began to buzz with excitement.

It wasn’t bad to stand out like this since it could lead to something in the future, but it could also spell trouble if I stood out too much.

“…What a surprise. You really were a better person than I’d thought.”

And now, even Melissa began staring at me with admiration in her eyes.

Ugh, that shit-for-brains prince — he got his moment to shine, only to start going off with his pointless idolizing.

“Kukuku, my, aren’t you quite the popular one, hm, Mylene?”

“Oh please, spare me the teasing.”

Amidst the growing commotion, I complained in a low voice that only Colette could hear.

This could have been a great opportunity to make a name for myself since my fallback plan for the future was to make a living as a sellsword, but…

Having a crowd of bright-eyed children watch me with eyes full of hopeful expectations was not something I’d ever experienced in my previous life. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

I drew my wooden sword, trying to distract myself from those stares.

“Shall we get started then, Princess Colette?”

“Oh? Well, I don’t mind, but…”

And the best way to do that would be to get moving.

I brandished my sword against Colette, who answered with a fierce grin.

…I would soon realize what a mistake it was to have started so quickly.

On that day, afternoon classes ended with the sound of loud cheering..