Chapter 38: Two Against One
Victoria is a powerful vampire.
So, can she turn me into a vampire and grant me eternal life?
When I asked that question, the answer was no.
“I am indeed strong, but that strength comes from my swordsmanship, and as a vampire, I am only intermediate. Therefore, I cannot create more vampires.”
That’s a shame.
I was thinking of relying on Victoria if I couldn’t find a good way to live forever with Mizuha.
“Even if you seek eternal life, I do not recommend becoming a vampire. Most newly turned vampires cannot control their blood thirst and end up attacking those around them, be it their beloved family or friends. I can say this with certainty, as I went through such a period myself, and it is not something that can be suppressed with willpower. Some cannot control their urges even after decades and are hunted down as monsters…”
Becoming a vampire is a last resort…
Well, I’m still young, or rather, a child, so I’ll take my time searching for a method.
A week has passed since Victoria came to the castle.
I never thought she would stay this long. Victoria herself probably feels the same. She was supposed to give Misty some guidance, have a match with Mizuha, and then leave.
However, Misty kept begging, “Just one more day,” and it has dragged on.
After all, Misty is cute. And she was very eager to practice.
Between sword practices, Misty had been telling Victoria about her past.
Born into a family of knights, she was strictly trained by her father. But she never improved at swordsmanship.
Her parents abandoned her, and at the age of ten, she was about to be forced into a political marriage, so she killed her intended and ran away.
Eventually, she died.
Her corpse was modified into an Automata by a mage named Celine. Her Magical Power became very strong, and Celine taught her how to fight using it.
However, she never had the chance to retrain her swordsmanship, which she always regretted.
“Misty has good potential. It may be rude to say, but I can only assume your father’s guidance was poor. Also, the Card of Wrath is powerful, but you must not misuse it. Your movements become too linear because your emotions are heightened.”
“Yes! Thank you! Victoria-san’s teaching is so good, I was surprised! Please stay in this castle forever and be my teacher!”
“F-forever is impossible… but, I could stay for another two or three days…”
“Yay!”
And so, Victoria’s stay seems like it will continue a little longer.
Of course, she’s not giving Misty her undivided attention all day. Even for an Automata and a vampire, that would be too much to concentrate on.
She enjoyed her days by having us show her around Emilie Village for walks, and having chats with Rosette under the guise of information exchange.
One of her pleasures was—sparring with me and Mizuha.
“Fufu. As expected of the Sword Saintess. Among all the swordsmen I have fought, you are the highest caliber. Even so, you are far from making me kneel!”
“Ugh, seriously! How much do I have to train to reach such divine skill!”
“I believe it has been about five hundred years.”
“Five hundred years!? That’s four hundred years more than me!”
In the castle garden, the two clashed swords and katana, sparks flying.
Mizuha was attacking more aggressively, and at first glance, it seemed like she had the upper hand.
But Victoria was dodging and blocking all of Mizuha’s slashes, maintaining a relaxed smile.
Mizuha, on the other hand, had sweat on her cheeks, and although she had many attacks, she seemed frustrated at not being able to find a breakthrough.
The match was balanced because Victoria was guiding it that way, and if she was serious, it would surely tip in her favor in an instant—.
And I, who was observing from the side, was not just a spectator.
This match was a two-on-one battle: me and Mizuha versus Victoria.
However, the slashes of Mizuha and Victoria were like a tornado, and there was no gap for me to break in.
Suddenly, Victoria showed an opening.
It was extremely small.
It would be almost impossible to find it while clashing swords, and I was only able to notice it because I was observing from a distance.
But would a master like Victoria expose an opening that someone like me could see?
No.
It was intentional. But it wasn’t a trap. There was no need to trap someone like me.
She was inviting me. She was beckoning me to come, showing me an opening.
Then, I had no choice but to go!
“Hah!”
I created a black sword with Magical Power and thrust it at Victoria’s flank.
If there were a hundred people, all hundred would be convinced that it would “hit.” It was that kind of timing.
But Victoria was the hundred and first person, beyond reason.
She kicked Mizuha away, and using the recoil, she struck my sword with her katana.
Divine skill.
A completely unexpected move. But I was prepared for the unexpected, so I didn’t panic.
I stumbled, but I braced myself and regained my posture. At the same time, I had the undead attack Victoria. A simultaneous attack from all sides. But the undead were all torn apart at once.
Victoria had spun around and slashed. I barely managed to see it. But seeing it was all I could do. Even though such a move was performed right in front of me, I could only watch.
If it were the other way around, I would have been killed a hundred times over.
“Akito. Your undead are interesting with their ability to appear and disappear freely, but their movements are too slow, they make me yawn!”
“That’s very helpful, you know!”
Victoria came towards me, her hair swaying. I barely managed to keep defending against her dance-like attacks.
She was controlling it so that I could barely defend,
I had never learned swordsmanship.
I can enhance my physical abilities with Magical Power, and protect myself with a defensive barrier. I can create a sturdy and sharp black sword. It’s easy to cut down thugs and Monsters with brute force.
But I had learned in the past week that it was reckless to challenge a true swordsman in close combat.
A week.
She gently taught Misty step by step, and she pounded me with rough sparring.
She was probably guiding each of us with the appropriate method, but I wanted her to show me some kindness too.
However, thanks to her, I had become stronger.
The fact that Victoria’s slashes were accelerating every day was proof of that. She believed that if she made them faster than yesterday, I would be able to handle it today.
That made me happy. So I wanted to respond.
Responding to the expectations of a master meant defeating the master.
“Akito-kun!”
Mizuha shouted as she slashed at Victoria from behind.
Since she would react even if she attacked silently, it was the same if she shouted.
And Mizuha called my name, not Victoria’s.
It was a signal.
The moment Victoria turned to face Mizuha to intercept her, Mizuha’s body was enveloped in particles of light and disappeared.
“What!?”
The katana slashed through the air. Even the vampire with five hundred years of swordsmanship experience couldn’t hide her surprise.
The Sword Saintess’s hidden ability to transform her body into a sword had been activated. Mizuha, now a sword, was in my hand.
“I am surprised, but that alone will not defeat me!”
That’s right.
Victoria was always composed, even when facing the two of us at the same time.
Even if her katana slashed through the air, even if she was slightly shaken, she would turn towards me in a fluid motion.
The blade was coming at me horizontally from the right. The target was my neck. Was she going to stop just short? Or was she going to change the trajectory and cut only the thin skin? Surely she wouldn’t really cut my head off.
I broke out in a cold sweat, but somehow managed to defend.
I stopped the katana with my sword.
And—.
“!”
I didn’t just stop it.
My and Mizuha’s Magical Power was swirling in this sword. Even if I was far behind in swordsmanship, I could compete in terms of Magical Power. And it was for two people.
The goal was to destroy the katana.
It was a shameful idea to win with a weapon because I couldn’t win with skill. But it didn’t matter if it was cowardly. I wanted to win first. I wanted the achievement of being able to beat Victoria if we teamed up and threw away all pride.
And then.
Just as my plan was about to succeed, I realized something important.
That day when we first met, Victoria had said, “a blade mixed with mithril.”
Mithril is an expensive metal. In other words, it was certain that this katana was expensive just from the cost of the materials. It might be a piece made by a famous swordsmith. So how much would it be worth? I had no idea.
Destroy it?
That would be repaying the kindness of someone who had been teaching me for a week with treachery.
That would be wrong!
Even though I realized that, I couldn’t stop now.
My and Mizuha’s Magical Power was about to cut through the katana like butter… but faster than that, Victoria let go of it.
The katana, having lost its support, was deflected and flew away. It wasn’t cut, it wasn’t broken. It was safe.
I had avoided being ungrateful.
That relief delayed my reaction.
Victoria’s hand chop closed in on my neck. Her nails had suddenly grown, sharp. Was this a Vampire’s ability? Moreover, they were coated in Magical Power. This would pierce. If it pierced my neck, I’d die.
“Tch—!”
I somehow managed to jump back.
Even so, my skin was slightly torn.
Blood. My blood was on Victoria’s fingertips.
She licked it.
Seductively. Viciously. As if devouring prey.
She licked and swallowed my blood.
In that instant.
The pressure Victoria was emitting increased. It became drastically stronger.
Even though she wasn’t directing any killing intent towards me, goosebumps rose all over my body.
However, it was only for a moment.
“Ah… Aaaah! I’ve done it! Your teamwork was so wonderful that I ended up counterattacking for real! Akito, are you alright? Are you hurt… well, I can see that! Oh, what should I do, I’m not good at healing magic… Rosette! Rosette! Where are you! Quickly, heal Akito!”
Victoria, who had been like a predator in front of its prey, returned to her senses and became flustered to an amusing degree.
The pressure gradually decreased, and the signs of battle completely disappeared.
“Seriously, Victoria-san! If Akito-kun hadn’t dodged just now, it would have been bad! And you can’t drink Akito-kun’s blood! It’s kind of lewd, so no! Everything about Akito-kun is mine!”
Mizuha returned to her human form, fuming so much that steam seemed to be coming out of her head.
“I, I was… lewd!? I’m so sorry for sucking your blood without permission… and a gentleman’s blood at that… how indecent!”
Then, Victoria’s face turned as red as blood, and she panicked with tears in her eyes.
Despite living for over five hundred years, she seemed to have no tolerance for anything lewd.
Mizuha and I had learned an unexpected weakness of the swordmaster Vampire.