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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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Scratch, scratch.
“Ugh…”
Scratch, scratch.
“Mmm…”
The quill moved without rest. The massive parchment was already filled with letters. Ophelia, her eyes ringed with dark circles, yawned and continued to write.
This was a form of punishment. A writing assignment.
It was similar to the punishment room in the Holy City, but slightly different.
“You need to understand each and every word as you write. I’ll be grading you later.”
“I know.”
“Don’t get upset. You brought this upon yourself.”
Yesterday had almost been a disaster. Fortunately, Erwin was exhausted, and I had quickly subdued Ophelia with a chop to the head.
If either of them had been in a slightly worse mood, the story of the hero and the Saintess would have been revised to just the story of the hero. So, I had to take drastic measures.
I had about a month left in the capital. The Emperor had announced a grand celebration to commemorate the hero’s appearance. I had wanted to refuse, but even the Pope couldn’t refuse a favor from the Emperor. So, I was stuck in the capital for a month.
I decided to make the most of it.
“Ophelia, your handwriting is getting sloppy. Focus.”
“Ugh!”
I decided to invest this time in Ophelia’s education. Honestly, I wasn’t a good teacher.
I believed that beating someone was the most effective way to correct them. But I had learned the hard way that beating Ophelia, who was now an adult, was not good for her, or for my reputation.
Just yesterday, Elderian and Alberich had looked at me as if I were a monster, carrying the unconscious Ophelia on my shoulder. And Ophelia was more devious than I had thought. Beating her hadn’t worked in the Holy City; it wouldn’t work now. So, I decided to make her life… uncomfortable.
“I’m sleepy…”
“You slept for seven hours. That’s more than enough.”
“….”
She got enough sleep. But she wasn’t allowed to do anything else when she was awake. She was stuck in a stuffy room, writing, on a beautiful day like this. It might even bring back memories of the punishment room.
Of course, I didn’t make her use her blood, and she wasn’t writing scriptures. She was copying Imperial textbooks. Five of them, each as thick as an encyclopedia, were piled up beside her.
“I’d rather spar!”
“No!”
“Damn it!”
“….”
I stared at her. Swearing was forbidden during her education. She realized her mistake and covered her mouth. But it was too late. I silently handed her another sheet of parchment.
“Fuck! I’m not doing it!”
Another sheet.
“Hey!”
It was summer.
After three days of this, the mere sight of letters made Ophelia’s head spin. I thought I might have been too harsh, so I decided to give her a break.
I went to see Elderian that evening.
“What is it?”
“Can I… borrow Emily for a while?”
Emily, who was lying on the sofa, engrossed in a magic book, tilted her head.
“What for?”
“Well…”
I studied Emily. Even with her… puberty, she was much more well-behaved than Ophelia. She was respectful to the other mages, and she didn’t swear. Compared to Ophelia, she was an angel.
The opposite of the Emily from the game, but that didn’t matter. She could be a good example.
“I was wondering if you could be Ophelia’s etiquette teacher.”
“Etiquette… teacher?”
“Yes.”
“Why does she need an etiquette teacher?”
“You saw her the other day, charging around like a bull. She’s clueless and has a foul mouth. It’s going to cause a lot of problems. I want to fix that.”
“…But why me?”
Emily asked, pouting. I had initially thought of Ured, the Inquisitor. But considering his personality, he would probably have a negative influence on Ophelia.
Well, he was busy anyway.
‘Why is an Inquisitor doing manual labor?’
I had asked him.
‘Haha. Well, I donated ninety percent of my fortune to God. In other words, I’m broke. Impressive, isn’t it? Such a devout Inquisitor.’
‘…Yeah.’
If that’s what he wanted to believe, who was I to argue? I had to find someone else. I considered asking Alberich or one of the other knights, but they were all busy preparing for the hero’s inauguration ceremony.
The last option was Emily. She was the only other Mark bearer of a similar age. It would be better for Ophelia to interact with someone her own age.
“Well… I think you’re the most suitable person.”
“Hmm.”
Emily seemed to consider it. I quickly added, “This is a secret, but… Ophelia thinks of you as her most precious friend.”
“M-me?”
“Yes. And… when else would you have the opportunity to be the Saintess’s teacher? You can guide her as you see fit.”
“Wow.”
“Tempting, isn’t it?”
Emily’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. She was easy to manipulate. Elderian simply chuckled and shook his head.
“I’ll do it!”
And so, Ophelia’s education entered a new phase. A phase where…
“Ophelia, let’s start by folding your clothes. You have to wear them again tomorrow.”
“You can just use magic…”
“I’m your instructor, not your maid.”
Emily puffed out her chest and stomped her foot, and a wave of mana rippled through the air.
“And is that any way to speak to your instructor?”
“E-Emily…? What’s gotten into you…?”
“I’m your instructor. And I have the authority to discipline you. So, you should speak to me with respect.”
For some reason, the new authority had clearly gone to her head as she had begun to micromanage every aspect of Ophelia’s life.
I hadn’t expected her to be so enthusiastic, but… well, it was a good thing. It was a field I couldn’t handle. So, I went along with it.
“…Well, Emily is right. Ophelia, you should listen to your instructor.”
Ophelia, instead of arguing with Emily, turned her anger towards me.
“You’re… doing this to me?”
“Doing what? I’ve always been like this.”
“You…!”
“You…?”
“….”
Ophelia was about to curse, but she saw me reach for another parchment and zipped her lips. She didn’t want another writing assignment.
She turned to Emily and reluctantly said, “Please… take care of me.”
“Yes. You too.”
Ophelia’s hand trembled as they shook hands.
Now that Ophelia’s education was in Emily’s hands, it was time to plan. Not Ophelia’s curriculum, but the plan to defeat the Demon King.
“Have you decided on our next destination?”
“I’m thinking of dealing with the Plague Lord first.”
I said to Azar, spreading a map of the continent on the table. It was a massive map, a replica of the game’s world map.
I placed five chess-like pieces on it, marking the locations of the Demon King’s commanders.
“The two commanders in the Demon King’s castle are the One-Eyed Knight and the Chimera Mage.”
“The Chimera Mage was the one who infiltrated the capital.”
“Yes.”
I pointed to the Eastern Continent.
“This is the Black Ogre. He’ll probably cross the eastern sea soon.”
“…I’ll have to warn the eastern nations to strengthen their defenses.”
Alberich nodded, and I placed another piece just below the Demon King’s castle.
“This is the Archduke of Hell’s territory…”
And finally, I placed a demon-shaped piece on the location closest to the Empire.
“This one, above the Ice Palace, is Vermina, the Plague Lord.”
“What does he do?”
“He spreads plagues, literally.”
Alberich answered.
“The one responsible for the deaths of my men.”
“Hmm.”
I shrugged. He was the closest, and Alberich had a personal grudge against him. It made sense to target him first.
Trust was important in a relationship, after all.
“Is it possible that there are transmigrators with them?”
“Of course. The transmigrators under Vermina’s command were the ones who approached the Sword Saint.”
“This will be tricky.”
Azar placed his hand on his chin, looking at the demon-shaped piece on the map. He then placed a blue knight-shaped piece on the northern capital.
“We’ll have to ask the Ice Palace for help.”
“That’s right.”
They hadn’t attended the meeting, but the Ice Palace was a major power on the continent. A feudal nation of several cities centered around the Tsar, with a surprisingly powerful military.
In the game, the northern knights were stronger than even the Imperial Knights. The Ice Palace hadn’t been conquered by the Empire because their territory was a natural fortress, and because they served as a barrier against the Demon King’s army.
“It seems our destination is set.”
Alberich muttered.
“How much do you know about the Ice Palace?”
“I’ve met their emissaries a few times, and I’ve visited once. It’s a harsh environment, but the capital seemed safe. The knights of the Ice Palace are among the strongest on the continent. And more importantly…”
“They have the Ice Warrior.”
Azar finished his sentence. Cecilia Ethelgerand, the Ice Warrior. If the south had the Golden Lion and the central continent had the Sword Saint, the north had the Ice Warrior.
One of the strongest front-line characters in the game, she was apparently just as famous in this world. If we could recruit her, defeating Vermina wouldn’t be too difficult.
“But, Elliot, you said he spreads plagues. That means… we’ll have to overcome the plague to defeat him. Do you have a plan?”
“Of course.”
I grinned and looked out the window towards our quarters.
“We have a human potion.”
Ophelia, the Saintess. With her, the Plague Lord wouldn’t be a difficult opponent.
“…Sir Elliot, you should… choose your words more carefully.”
Azar said. I ignored him.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m still new to translating as this is my second novel to pick up, so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
